You know you haven't blogged in a long time when....

You have completely forgotten your password. And no matter what you try, you can not get into the stupid thing. Obviously, I eventually got the correct one. Only to remember that I changed it at some point for some ridiculous reason. Needless to say, it has now been changed back to one that I know I can remember. That is, provided I log on more frequently than ever 4 months.

So I will make this recap pretty short and sweet.

Caitlyn made her communion, and looked absolutely stunning in her dress. Of course I cried, which means by the time her wedding rolls around and she wears a white dress just as gorgeous I should be a blubbering idiot that they have to physically remove from the church because I am frightening small children.

Dance recital was in May, and the girl was fantastic. She is looking forward to signing up again this year. We're just not sure what she is going to be taking yet though. She is thinking ballet, but that may fall on the same night as girl scouts. And she doesn't want to give that up. So she may end up in Hip Hop again for the first semester and ballet second semester. We'll see.

Once school was over (for both of us) we were in full swing with the birthday parties. She had her friends party at the glow in the dark mini golf place by our house. Everyone had a ton of fun, but I don't think we will be having another party there. I wasn't too impressed with the staff. Then the family party rolled around at our house. There were gifts a plenty.

Once the birthday festivities were over, we moved into vacation at the lake mode. It seemed we were gone for most of July. And when we were at home, my time was spent unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking for the next trip. While on vacation, Cate tubed by herself on her stomach for the first time and absolutely loved it. I am thinking that next summer we are going to have a hard time keeping her off of that thing!

By the time August rolled around, we were trying to spend some time at home chilling out and doing some things locally. Caitlyn also decided to take another trip with my mom to Wisconsin Dells at some point in there. By the time she came back home, it was just about time for me to return to school and for football practice to start up again for Matt.

Which pretty much brings us up to date. I am back in school and football is in full swing, with the season opener today (which we won!!!). In more exciting news, Caitlyn has finally conquered riding a 2 wheeler. Yes, she was late in acquiring this skill. You see, if there is one thing that I have learned about my kid, it is that she will do things when she is damn good and ready to do them and not a moment sooner. I have tried and tried and tried for the last 3 years to get this child to ride a bike without training wheels. Every attempt by me was thwarted by Cate saying "Nope. It's easier with the training wheels on." Yes, I know she is correct, but come on already, just ride the damn bike without the training wheels!! Well, apparently, she was ready to do so this past Monday. She got on the bike, Kelly gave her a push from behind, and off she went. Without any issues. So just like she did 8 years ago when she was born, she will do things at her own pace and there is nothing I can do to make it happen otherwise.

This evening while at my mother's, she was riding her bike and fell. She decided to break her fall with her face, as opposed to her hands and managed to give herself a fat lip and a chipped tooth. Of course it is one of the front teeth, and a permanent one. We should be at the dentist within the next few days. Fun. I suppose I shouldn't complain. She could have broken a bone or something right?

Communion Gear

The girl's big day is this Saturday. And believe it or not, we are actually ready and just waiting for the day to get here. I can't believe it to be true myself as I am never usually this organized. Though it seems that with how busy things are in our lives right now, I have no other choice but to be organized. Funny how that works out. The only thing I have left to do is pick up the dress and veil from the cleaners on Friday where it is being steamed to get all of the wrinkles out.

We found out on Saturday that Caitlyn will also be doing a reading during mass. She is a bit nervous about it, but I know she will do just fine. And I know that once she does it, she will be as proud of herself as Matt and I are of her.

We had our season opener of the fire pit on Friday and the weather could not have been nicer. Though it was a bit windy which made the smoke pretty bad at times. And on occasion would blow some cinders around. But no one burst into flames, so I consider that a success.

We are almost to less than 30 days of school remaining. I can't wait to begin my countdown here in my office. Every year, I find funny pictures on google to represent the number remaining for the day. For example, when there are 12 days left, I can put up a picture of a dozen eggs. So while it sometimes is just a picture of the number that has been made in a creative way, sometimes it is just a representation of the number. It really is fun and people are amazed at the pictures that I can find. So if you have any good ideas for numbers, pass them along to me.

That's about all I've got right now.

I Have Returned

And I am going to try and stay returned. That is, unless life happens to get in the way....again!

Lots going on around our house these days. So I won't go into all of the gory details, rather I will just do a small recap.

1. There was a few weeks in March where we ended up with loads of rain. Lots of that rain somehow ended up in my basement. This has never happened to us before so we just assumed it was the catch basin in the back that needed to be cleaned. That turned out to be fine. However, the pipes under our lawn were not so fine and needed to be replaced. To the tune of $6700. And of course, they don't replace the lawn they damage in the process. Feels like the front porch drama all over again.




2. Caitlyn had her spring concert. It was very cute. They sang a song called Take me Out of the Bathtub to the tune of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. I am going to attempt to put a video up here. So please be patient with me while I demonstrate my lack of technology skills.


3. Matt and I flew to Oregon for Carla's wedding. We had a great time. I forget just how green everything is out there. Just so pretty.

4. I am currently in 2 classes again this term. One of which is Assistive Technology. This is the class that I tried my damnedest to get an exempt from. All to no avail. I could probably teach the class, so I think it's so silly that I have to take it. I don't mind being in the class. But I do mind paying the close to $2000 that it costs to do so. I am also in a research class. This is an online class (which I am not a fan of to begin with) and the research paper is to be completed as a group (another thing which I am not so big on). I am convinced this class is going to completely wipe me out this term. I am am just thanking God that I am taking it now right before summer break. So I will have some good down time after it's over.

5. Work is absolutely insane. I constantly feel like I am behind on everything and can't seem to catch up. No matter how hard I try. I am convinced it is because of the person that I am working with. No matter though. She will be gone at the end of this year. So I just try to keep telling myself that I am almost through it.

6. I managed to pass the Learning Behavior Specialist I test. My paper work is now sitting at ISBE waiting for them to approve everything and include that endorsement on my certificate. Hopefully it will happen soon as I have once again been riffed. Same situation as last year. Only this time, there is light at the end of the tunnel and this process is almost over. At least I hope. If not, I will in fact be a greeter at a Wal**Mart near you. So keep your eyes open for me.

7. Caitlyn is making her communion in 2 weeks on May 2nd! The dress and shoes and tights have been purchased. We are going for the veil/headpiece this weekend, and hopefully the banner will be made by Friday night. We have not yet started the banner, because I am a bad mom. But it will be made by it's due date of Friday.

8. Report cards came out and Caitlyn went from A's to B's in a few subjects. So she is beside herself about this. She can't even tolerate that she got a B. No matter how I try to explain to her that it still means she did incredibly well, this child is bound and determined to get straight A's!

9. Hip Hop is finishing up and we have the recital coming up at the end of May. So we are gearing up and practicing like crazy in the living room.

I think that's about all. I can't even believe how busy we feel these days. There just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be accomplished. Hopefully once I am done with school, things will settle down some and we can all relax for a bit.

Hmmmmm

I suck. No discussion about it. I just haven't had time to post regardless of all the really cool things that Caitlyn has been doing in the last few weeks. A new post will come soon. I promise.

And PS....Happy Birthday to me :)

Now This Just Pisses Me Off!!

Remember I mentioned that I was currently working with someone I felt to be quite incompetent? Well, I just received this email from her. And I would say that I am so angry that I can't see straight. But that wouldn't be a good indicator seeing as I couldn't see straight before getting the email. So let's just say I am so fucking pissed I can't even respond to the email because I will say things that I know for certain I will regret in 2 hours time.

Here's what angers me:
1. I took over some of her case load because she couldn't manage to see the kids cause she was so overwhelmed. Yet, she can manage to work a 3 DAY workshop into her schedule. (I have never taken more than a day for a workshop.)
2. When I take time off for a workshop, sick time, whatever, I make sure that I tell the teams I am working with in advance. Not the day before. And regardless of whether or not I am in the building, I make damn sure to make myself accessible to them either via email or phone during that time. As an example, I had double vision and was gone from work for 2 days because of he flu, on Friday when I saw some of my teams, they didn't even realize I wasn't there or was ill. Because I was still available to them when they needed me to be.
3. How dare she just assume that I have time in my schedule to manage any problems that her teams may encounter for these 3 days. What if I got sick, or Caitlyn got sick??? Or, imagine this, I have my own teams and their shit to be concerned with????
4. Telling me the night before you are leaving for 3 days and pushing your work off on me, is certainly not the advanced warning that I would have preferred. Had you told me this at some point last week, I may have been able to arrange my schedule to at least be available should I need to be. Now I can't. And now I won't.

Here is the email that she sent to me and about 10 other teachers:

Hello!

I will be out of district at a workshop Mon 2/23-Wed 2/25. I don't know if I will be able to check my email during the day, but will be checking it in the evenings. If you have major AT problems and need help before Thur, email Nancy W. at email.

Take care,
Danielle

Really? Just another indication that this person sucks at her job.

Oh Where Have I Been?

I have been to the eye doctor, to the penthouse suite at a resort, to the emergency room, to the neurologist, and back again. The last week has been littered with crazy goings on for me.

I will recap for those of you who haven't followed my facebook saga.

Last Friday (the 13th) I was driving home from work. I was on the phone with Matt and mentioned to him that I was going to take a nap when I got home because I was so tired that my eyes were crossing. There were points on the drive home that things looked fuzzy to me or just a little bit wonky. So I came home, crawled into bed, and proceeded to watch 2 hours of really bad reality shows. And didn't nap at all.

I got a call from a friend asking me to go to the movies with her and a couple of other people. I told her I would go provided I didn't have to drive, cause my eyes were still being weird and I was really tired. While I was on the phone with her, I noticed that I would occasionally see double on the TV screen. Again, figuring I was just reeeeeally tired, I got dressed and went with them.

When I woke up on Saturday, there was no question that I was seeing double. It would come and go, but it was definitely obvious that something was quite off with my vision. So I called the eye doctor and made an appointment to go in. Thinking that I just needed a vision test and some glasses and all would be right with my vision again.

No such luck. It turns out I have 20/20 vision. And while this is fantastic news, it doesn't clear up the issue of why I was seeing double. The eye doc put a good scare in me by saying that the double vision could be the result of anything from extreme stress/fatigue (which I have from work) to the onset of a stroke. That's quite a spectrum if you ask me. So I chalked it up to being stressed and tired from work.

Matt and I had reservations at a resort for Valentine's Day. So we went there on Saturday, figuring the rest would do me, and my eyes, some good. The hotel screwed up our reservation, so they upgraded our room. To the penthouse suite. Which was the most outstanding room I have ever been in. Fireplace, jacuzzi, deck, and an insanely comfortable bed with loads of pillows. By the time Saturday night rolled around, there was no escaping the double vision. It was there constantly, and I was well rested at this point, and convinced there was something seriously wrong with me.

On Sunday, we decided that once we checked out, we would just head straight to the ER and have them do a CT scan to see what, if anything, was going on neurologically. After the CT scan and an entire host of blood tests, it was determined that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. At least nothing they could find. So they sent me n my way with an appointment to see the neurologist on Monday morning.

In the meantime, I can barely walk without holding onto Matt, I certainly can't drive, and I manage to get nauseous every time I am a passenger in the car. Good times.

The neurologist performed an entire host of tests. Some of which, I must admit, I found truly amazing. He also poked me again for more blood.

I decided to buy an eye patch, suck it up, and go to work on Tuesday. On the drive home, I felt sick again, and called Matt to pick up Cate because I could no longer be in the car. I barely had the car in park in front of the house before I was running in and throwing all of my crap on the floor. I ran up the stairs to the bathroom where I proceeded to.....well I don't have to go into detail about that. Let's just say that I spiked a fever, kept a pot next to the bed, and stayed in bed until Tuesday morning. I officially had the flu. Which I have not had since, I can't remember when, certainly before Caitlyn was born.

I have spoken to the neurologist and he has confirmed that there is nothing life threatening going on based on the results of my blood work. Thank God! But he believes that I have a condition called vasculitis. Simply stated, not enough blood to the eye for one reason or another. I have been instructed to take some aspirin daily and to return to him on March 3rd.

As of today, my vision is actually a little bit better. I was able to stop spewing long enough to go to work today. And I am feeling, overall, pretty good. Hopefully, the vision is on the up and up and will return soon. You can't imagine the looks I get when I am driving around with a pirate patch on my eye!!

Will keep you all updated as to what is going on!

Crazy Week

What an insane week it has been! We have come to annual review and transition time at work. That is always the busiest point of the year for me. It means that my days are always longer than usual, that I don't eat lunch until at least 1:00 (which isn't horrible, but is a long ways off from eating breakfast at 7:00), and that by the time I get home I am so completely wiped out that I don't want to do anything else but sleep. Which is proven by the amount of laundry that awaits me upstairs.

Besides the point in the school year that we are in, there have been some staff changes. The person who helps me with assistive tech left on maternity leave in November (silly babies!). Which meant I was working with someone new. And I am all for that. That is, when the person is actually competent. And I don't just mean being competent in the area of AT. When you are in an itinerant position, which we are, you really have to have a handle on social and communication skills. You have to be able to walk into a classroom with a teacher and paraprofessionals and just know how to jump in and help as well as when to step aside and let the teacher handle the situation. You have to know how to prioritize your time and things on your to do list in order to be the most effective collaborator that a team needs at that moment in time. I think these are the most essential skills for an itinerant. The person I received as a replacement has none of these skills. And because of that, she has made my life a living hell. You see, because she does not have the aforementioned skills, not only do I get multiple complaints from people, but I have now had to take over one of her classrooms. She just can't seem to find the time in her day to fill the needs of the students in there. All two of them. Because we are more than half way through the year, my schedule and routine are fairly set. Trying to find the time to fit in observations of students I don't know and meeting time with the teacher in order to determine her AT needs has proven to be very difficult while still maintaining the classes that I have had all year. Add to that the mess that she has made with the parents, and it makes for a very unhappy Nancy.

In addition to the craziness at work, there are also the 2 graduate classes I am taking. Which aren't terribly demanding, but it's just another thing on my "to do" list during the week.

On top of all that Caitlyn has her extra curricular activities. Which consist of Girl Scouts on Monday, Hip Hop on Wednesday, CCD on Saturday. Matt and I also have to attend a number of meetings from now until May in order to prepare for her communion.

So needless to say, I am wiped out these days and can not wait for summer vacation. Which is really sad that I am already thinking about that. Typically the countdown does not begin until at least after spring break. But with the added stress of this new person at work, it just can't come fast enough.