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.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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 :)
And PS....Happy Birthday to me :)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, February 20, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, February 07, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
This has been floating around facebook and I enjoyed doing it. I saw that Kari posted it to her blog, so I copied and figured I would do the same.
1. I am only doing this because I keep getting tagged and I think I have to complete it in order to stop the tagging madness.
2. I once lived in a residential school for the blind, with fantastic girls I might add. It was one of the craziest times of my life.
3. I sleep on my stomach, with my arms at my side. If I sleep in any other position, I wake up miserable.
4. I am a night owl by nature. I loathe waking up in the wee hours of the morning, but if I am awake until those same hours, I am happy as a clam.
5. I have a tendency to cry at the simplest things that Caitlyn does. It seems every time I see her accomplish something the doctors said she never would, I get teary eyed and a lump in my throat.
6. I am married to the most amazing man in the world.
7. Matt has the most incredible work ethic I have ever seen in a person.
8. I learned quickly that I am not immortal in the 10 hours prior to Caitlyn's birth.
9. I have the best set of friends from college that a girl could ever ask for. When I am with them, I laugh harder than I ever have.
10. My mom is quite possibly the most caring person on the planet. She has a deep seeded desire to take care of everyone around her, sometimes to her own detriment, but it makes her the incredible person that she is.
11. Two and a half years ago, I came to the conclusion that God mean for me to be only Caitlyn's mom. Now that I understand that, I am truly at peace with the cards that I was dealt in the child bearing arena.
12. My job is exhausting. Even though it is exhausting, and sometimes the rewards of it are hard to identify, when I do see the rewards, they are amazing. There is nothing like seeing a child do something independently for the first time in their life.
13. I never really believed that old saying about a mom feeling her heart burst with love until I brought my fragile girlie home from the hospital and watched her sleep peacefully. I came to realize that the feeling is one that can not be described in any words.
14. Despite hating my brother for the first 18 years of my life, I now realize that I love him with all of my heart and that we are more alike than I think even he realizes.
15. I miss my grandma and grandpa every day.
16. When Caitlyn was born, I learned that the strength of a person's spirit, no matter how small, is far more strong than any doctor or medical procedure.
17. I find myself criticizing other parent's style of parenting far too often. Matt often tells me that it must be hard to be as perfect a parent as I am. I need to be more understanding of individual differences in how people raise their children.
18. I wish with all of my heart that Caitlyn would have had the opportunity to meet her grandfather. I know Matt would have loved to see her sitting on his lap snuggling with him.
19. I am terrified of loud noises. Almost to the point of making me cry. If I her a motorcycle outside, I have brief moments of heart palpatations and get shaky.
20. I am fascinated by children who have Autism. If there was anything I could do for one day, it would be to change places with a child with Autism. Just to see what goes on in their head.
21. I worry that Caitlyn is going to struggle with some type of eating disorder when she is older.
22. I hate cooking.
23. If there was one thing I could hire someone to do one thing everyday for the rest of my life, I would hire a dentist to clean and floss my teeth everyday. There is nothing better than the feeling of a completely clean mouth when you leave the dentist.
24. I have never believed that parenting is the hardest job one will ever do. I believe most of it is common sense. However, I do believe that the emotional side of parenting is the most difficult part of parenting.
25. I eventually want to teach at the college level. You know, to impart all of the wisdom I have acquired ;)
1. I am only doing this because I keep getting tagged and I think I have to complete it in order to stop the tagging madness.
2. I once lived in a residential school for the blind, with fantastic girls I might add. It was one of the craziest times of my life.
3. I sleep on my stomach, with my arms at my side. If I sleep in any other position, I wake up miserable.
4. I am a night owl by nature. I loathe waking up in the wee hours of the morning, but if I am awake until those same hours, I am happy as a clam.
5. I have a tendency to cry at the simplest things that Caitlyn does. It seems every time I see her accomplish something the doctors said she never would, I get teary eyed and a lump in my throat.
6. I am married to the most amazing man in the world.
7. Matt has the most incredible work ethic I have ever seen in a person.
8. I learned quickly that I am not immortal in the 10 hours prior to Caitlyn's birth.
9. I have the best set of friends from college that a girl could ever ask for. When I am with them, I laugh harder than I ever have.
10. My mom is quite possibly the most caring person on the planet. She has a deep seeded desire to take care of everyone around her, sometimes to her own detriment, but it makes her the incredible person that she is.
11. Two and a half years ago, I came to the conclusion that God mean for me to be only Caitlyn's mom. Now that I understand that, I am truly at peace with the cards that I was dealt in the child bearing arena.
12. My job is exhausting. Even though it is exhausting, and sometimes the rewards of it are hard to identify, when I do see the rewards, they are amazing. There is nothing like seeing a child do something independently for the first time in their life.
13. I never really believed that old saying about a mom feeling her heart burst with love until I brought my fragile girlie home from the hospital and watched her sleep peacefully. I came to realize that the feeling is one that can not be described in any words.
14. Despite hating my brother for the first 18 years of my life, I now realize that I love him with all of my heart and that we are more alike than I think even he realizes.
15. I miss my grandma and grandpa every day.
16. When Caitlyn was born, I learned that the strength of a person's spirit, no matter how small, is far more strong than any doctor or medical procedure.
17. I find myself criticizing other parent's style of parenting far too often. Matt often tells me that it must be hard to be as perfect a parent as I am. I need to be more understanding of individual differences in how people raise their children.
18. I wish with all of my heart that Caitlyn would have had the opportunity to meet her grandfather. I know Matt would have loved to see her sitting on his lap snuggling with him.
19. I am terrified of loud noises. Almost to the point of making me cry. If I her a motorcycle outside, I have brief moments of heart palpatations and get shaky.
20. I am fascinated by children who have Autism. If there was anything I could do for one day, it would be to change places with a child with Autism. Just to see what goes on in their head.
21. I worry that Caitlyn is going to struggle with some type of eating disorder when she is older.
22. I hate cooking.
23. If there was one thing I could hire someone to do one thing everyday for the rest of my life, I would hire a dentist to clean and floss my teeth everyday. There is nothing better than the feeling of a completely clean mouth when you leave the dentist.
24. I have never believed that parenting is the hardest job one will ever do. I believe most of it is common sense. However, I do believe that the emotional side of parenting is the most difficult part of parenting.
25. I eventually want to teach at the college level. You know, to impart all of the wisdom I have acquired ;)
Friday, January 23, 2009
A Whole New Respect
I had to take a sick day today because the girl is sick. However, I worked from home most of the morning. Then I had to pack her up into the car, runny nose, coughing and all because there is a new student coming on Monday and I wanted to make sure that he had a communication device when he walked in the door. So much for a sick day!
While I was there, I took a device that a student is no longer using. It is a Dynamyte, which is a dynamic display device. Whenever I bring these home, Caitlyn is head over heels crazy about them. All she wants to do is play with them and see what they are capable of. This particular device is a touch screen and depending on what button you press, the screen can change in order to open up a new page of choices.
Caitlyn asked me a billion times during the day if she could play with it and I kept telling her no. Then I picked it up to see what had been programmed in to it and she asked again if she could please play with it. So I gave in and told her she could. But first I had to explain what some of the functions on it were. She took to it immediately and figured it out right away.
She then asked if we could have a conversation using it and we weren't allowed to use our voices. Nor were we allowed to look at what the other person was saying until the entire message was spoken. Naturally, I was able to create messages much more quickly than she could as I am familiar with how the pages are programmed. She, on the other hand, could not create them as quickly.
And this is what leads me to the title of a whole new respect. Very often I forget how difficult these devices are for children. And that they are even more difficult for a child who is not neurotypical. I am also reminded of how patient a parent must be to hear their child utter a simple phrase. One of the first things Cate wanted to say to me was "I love you mom." It took her no less than 5 minutes to say something that she can usually say in a matter of milliseconds. It also reminds me that these are the kinds of things that kids want to say, and that parents want to hear. They could care less about the messages that we program in that revolve around what they are learning in school. They want to hear their kids say "I love you" and other things like "I like the color orange."
It's little moments like these that remind me that I love what I do. It also reminds me of how and where I can improve in my job. Last but not least, it reminds me that I am so very thankful for the things that my daughter is capable of that other children struggle with on a daily basis.
While I was there, I took a device that a student is no longer using. It is a Dynamyte, which is a dynamic display device. Whenever I bring these home, Caitlyn is head over heels crazy about them. All she wants to do is play with them and see what they are capable of. This particular device is a touch screen and depending on what button you press, the screen can change in order to open up a new page of choices.
Caitlyn asked me a billion times during the day if she could play with it and I kept telling her no. Then I picked it up to see what had been programmed in to it and she asked again if she could please play with it. So I gave in and told her she could. But first I had to explain what some of the functions on it were. She took to it immediately and figured it out right away.
She then asked if we could have a conversation using it and we weren't allowed to use our voices. Nor were we allowed to look at what the other person was saying until the entire message was spoken. Naturally, I was able to create messages much more quickly than she could as I am familiar with how the pages are programmed. She, on the other hand, could not create them as quickly.
And this is what leads me to the title of a whole new respect. Very often I forget how difficult these devices are for children. And that they are even more difficult for a child who is not neurotypical. I am also reminded of how patient a parent must be to hear their child utter a simple phrase. One of the first things Cate wanted to say to me was "I love you mom." It took her no less than 5 minutes to say something that she can usually say in a matter of milliseconds. It also reminds me that these are the kinds of things that kids want to say, and that parents want to hear. They could care less about the messages that we program in that revolve around what they are learning in school. They want to hear their kids say "I love you" and other things like "I like the color orange."
It's little moments like these that remind me that I love what I do. It also reminds me of how and where I can improve in my job. Last but not least, it reminds me that I am so very thankful for the things that my daughter is capable of that other children struggle with on a daily basis.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
It Has Finally Warmed Up
Thank goodness for that. Like I said before, I really like the cold weather, prefer it actually. But when you wake up in the morning and the temperature is 17 below and it feels close to 30 below with the windchill, that's just a bit much. I couldn't even believe when I woke up on Friday, looked at the temp on the TV and realized that I hadn't gotten a call saying there was no school. I guess it's not all bad though (remember, silver lining, eternal optimist) since we won't have to tack on those days at the end of the school year.
I will say that there is going to be an uproar from the parents of one of the schools in my district though. Seems that shortly after the start of the school day, the ladies in the kitchen were using some cleaning agent to clean the ovens. This agent reacted with something and began to smoke. This smoke resulted in the fire alarms sounding. Which, of course, caused he entire school to evacuate. In the 17 below weather. With no coats or anything. Cause remember, they are not allowed to stop at their lockers in the event of a fire alarm. I have been told that they were only outside for 7 minutes. Regardless of the amount of time, if I was a parent of one of those children, I would be irate. It's specifically reasons like this that cause schools to close when the weather is as bad as it was on Friday.
I am back in classes, and driving myself crazy with homework already. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have about 7 classes left and a practicum. Then I am finished. Hopefully by next spring. Which isn't too long. At least that's what I keep trying to convince myself of. So when I start to rant here, just remind me of that fact please.
Caitlyn is getting ready to make her first reconciliation (confession). She is a little nervous about it. She just doesn't know what sin she should confess to the priest. As if she has a slew of them in her short 7 years?? The teacher mentioned to the class today that often times, parents take their children out to dinner after the event. So when she came out of class, that was he first thing she asked me about. Now that she knows she is going to get a good meal out of the deal, she is a little more excited about the whole thing!
I do have a rant about the birthday party that we went to this afternoon and the out of control children that were there. But that will have to be another post. Cause I have a lot to say from up on that soap box!
I will say that there is going to be an uproar from the parents of one of the schools in my district though. Seems that shortly after the start of the school day, the ladies in the kitchen were using some cleaning agent to clean the ovens. This agent reacted with something and began to smoke. This smoke resulted in the fire alarms sounding. Which, of course, caused he entire school to evacuate. In the 17 below weather. With no coats or anything. Cause remember, they are not allowed to stop at their lockers in the event of a fire alarm. I have been told that they were only outside for 7 minutes. Regardless of the amount of time, if I was a parent of one of those children, I would be irate. It's specifically reasons like this that cause schools to close when the weather is as bad as it was on Friday.
I am back in classes, and driving myself crazy with homework already. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have about 7 classes left and a practicum. Then I am finished. Hopefully by next spring. Which isn't too long. At least that's what I keep trying to convince myself of. So when I start to rant here, just remind me of that fact please.
Caitlyn is getting ready to make her first reconciliation (confession). She is a little nervous about it. She just doesn't know what sin she should confess to the priest. As if she has a slew of them in her short 7 years?? The teacher mentioned to the class today that often times, parents take their children out to dinner after the event. So when she came out of class, that was he first thing she asked me about. Now that she knows she is going to get a good meal out of the deal, she is a little more excited about the whole thing!
I do have a rant about the birthday party that we went to this afternoon and the out of control children that were there. But that will have to be another post. Cause I have a lot to say from up on that soap box!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Today is....
Hmmm?
Time: 10:45 am
Condition: -2° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Forecast for tomorrow
Time: 7:00 am
Condition: -8° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Time: 10:45 am
Condition: -2° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Forecast for tomorrow
Time: 7:00 am
Condition: -8° F
Feels Like: -25° F
Monday, January 12, 2009
Is it June Yet?
I'm just wondering because I think I am done with the snow. Like I said, I generally really enjoy the winter. But I don't like all this snow that we are getting. This weekend we acquired about 7 inches. Up to 12 in some places. I have shoveled my arms off. I have pulled Caitlyn's sled more than I care to mention. And I have scraped my car off only to find it completely covered every time I come out of a store. So I am done. But Mother Nature is not.
It would seem that the strange amount of snow that Chicago has seen is not enough for the evil woman. We all know that when it comes to Mother Nature, she and I don't see eye to eye on things. I firmly believe that she has always had it in for me. Caitlyn's birth is a prime example of that, as are the events that transpired in the years after that child was born. So I know that she and I will never be fast friends. In her glee, she has pronounced that we may get up to another 9 inches of snow in the next couple of days. If you are no mathematician, I will assist you. That means there will be approximately 16 inches of snow in front of my house and about 21 inches of snow in the suburb in which I work.
Before you think I am a grouchy lady, I want the kids to have fun in the snow, I want to witness the beauty of a fresh fallen snow on the street. What I don't want to deal with are the idiot drivers (see previous post) and the snow once it is no longer freshly fallen and pretty. You know, when it turns into that grey, black, yucky slush stuff? I could do without those things.
There is a silver lining to all of this. (I am the eternal optimist.) This storm is supposed to hit between midnight and 9 AM. Should the weather men be predicting accurately (aren't they always?) this storm could peak during rush hour traffic. Now why is that a silver lining you ask? Because if it hits hard enough and at the right time, there is a snow day in my future. And we all know that is the real reason that I became a teacher. Well, that and summer vacation.
So please everyone, all 4 of you that read here, cross your fingers, toes, whatever and pray to whomever you care to that we get enough snow for a snow day.
It would seem that the strange amount of snow that Chicago has seen is not enough for the evil woman. We all know that when it comes to Mother Nature, she and I don't see eye to eye on things. I firmly believe that she has always had it in for me. Caitlyn's birth is a prime example of that, as are the events that transpired in the years after that child was born. So I know that she and I will never be fast friends. In her glee, she has pronounced that we may get up to another 9 inches of snow in the next couple of days. If you are no mathematician, I will assist you. That means there will be approximately 16 inches of snow in front of my house and about 21 inches of snow in the suburb in which I work.
Before you think I am a grouchy lady, I want the kids to have fun in the snow, I want to witness the beauty of a fresh fallen snow on the street. What I don't want to deal with are the idiot drivers (see previous post) and the snow once it is no longer freshly fallen and pretty. You know, when it turns into that grey, black, yucky slush stuff? I could do without those things.
There is a silver lining to all of this. (I am the eternal optimist.) This storm is supposed to hit between midnight and 9 AM. Should the weather men be predicting accurately (aren't they always?) this storm could peak during rush hour traffic. Now why is that a silver lining you ask? Because if it hits hard enough and at the right time, there is a snow day in my future. And we all know that is the real reason that I became a teacher. Well, that and summer vacation.
So please everyone, all 4 of you that read here, cross your fingers, toes, whatever and pray to whomever you care to that we get enough snow for a snow day.
Friday, January 09, 2009
You Would Think
...that since I was on Christmas break, that I would have been able to get some pictures up here and some updates right? Not so much. Not even a little bit. My intentions were good. I had planned on making an elaborate post about Christmas and New Year's and even including a fancy little slide show. and suddenly here we are on January 9th. With no elaborate post or slideshow to speak of. I could bore you with all the gory details of Caitlyn opening up the hundreds of presents that she got on Christmas morning, or how long it has taken me to take down the decorations (yeah, the tree is bare and everything is put away, yet it continues to stand in my living room naked). Or I could go on and on about playing Guitar Hero on New Year's Eve and consuming far too much Watermelon Vodka and Sprite (which I might add really tastes like a Jolly Rancher).
But, alas, I will not do any of those things. I will, however, complain about the weather here in Chicago. I am sick of snow. REally, I am. Winter is usually my favorite season. I love cold weather. There is nothing better than walking outside and feeling the snot inside your nose freeze. But all this damn snow, I could do without it. And it's not so much the snow that bothers me. It's the fact that people who have lived in Chicago for all of their natural born lives suddenly forget how to drive in it. Seriously. Either they have forgotten or every damn person on the road this morning just moved here from California. I can think of no other reason for the person in front of me to be driving 7 (SEVEN!) miles per hour on a plowed street that has nothing but slush on it. The temperature is high enough that the slush is not freezing. Essentially, it is nothing more than rain. So why does this driver feel the need to drive slower than most people ride bikes? We will refer to him as Slow Driving Asshole for the duration of this post/complaint.
In addition to Slow Driving Asshole, we have the people who think that it is a good idea to slam their foot on their gas pedal as soon as the light turns green. (We will refer to him and his friends as Gas Pedal Asshole). Do you know what this results in? It results in their car fish tailing, which causes their car to suddenly be perpendicular to the cars around them. This then results in the other cars slamming their foot on the gas pedal. You know what happens then? Their cars also fish tail and.....you see the pattern right? Inevitably, the light changes from green, to yellow, to red. And I have not moved. Instead, I am sitting behind Slow Driving Asshole as well as Gas Pedal Asshole. And not just for one light. For two.
And finally, I would like to introduce you to the funeral director who decided that it would be a good time to begin a funeral procession onto Skokie Blvd t approximately 8ish in the morning. And it was for a city worker to boot, which meant no less than 100 cars. Under normal circumstances, I have the utmost respect from any funeral procession. But when you are foolish enough to think that pulling out 100 cars onto one of the busiest streets in the area, during rush hour, with Slow Driving Asshole and Gas Pedal Asshole on the road was a good idea, then my respect for you has dwindled. Just a little bit. In the future, Funeral Director, could you please wait until at least 9:00 to begin your procession? It really would have helped my day start off a little better.
All that pissing and moaning aside, I can't believe the amount of snow that we have managed to get this year. Let's just hope that it's enough to help out my lawn and the portions of new sod that were dying towards the end of last summer. Because if I have to replace that, there is a good possibility that I will remove all of the grass and replace it with something fancy....like mulch.
But, alas, I will not do any of those things. I will, however, complain about the weather here in Chicago. I am sick of snow. REally, I am. Winter is usually my favorite season. I love cold weather. There is nothing better than walking outside and feeling the snot inside your nose freeze. But all this damn snow, I could do without it. And it's not so much the snow that bothers me. It's the fact that people who have lived in Chicago for all of their natural born lives suddenly forget how to drive in it. Seriously. Either they have forgotten or every damn person on the road this morning just moved here from California. I can think of no other reason for the person in front of me to be driving 7 (SEVEN!) miles per hour on a plowed street that has nothing but slush on it. The temperature is high enough that the slush is not freezing. Essentially, it is nothing more than rain. So why does this driver feel the need to drive slower than most people ride bikes? We will refer to him as Slow Driving Asshole for the duration of this post/complaint.
In addition to Slow Driving Asshole, we have the people who think that it is a good idea to slam their foot on their gas pedal as soon as the light turns green. (We will refer to him and his friends as Gas Pedal Asshole). Do you know what this results in? It results in their car fish tailing, which causes their car to suddenly be perpendicular to the cars around them. This then results in the other cars slamming their foot on the gas pedal. You know what happens then? Their cars also fish tail and.....you see the pattern right? Inevitably, the light changes from green, to yellow, to red. And I have not moved. Instead, I am sitting behind Slow Driving Asshole as well as Gas Pedal Asshole. And not just for one light. For two.
And finally, I would like to introduce you to the funeral director who decided that it would be a good time to begin a funeral procession onto Skokie Blvd t approximately 8ish in the morning. And it was for a city worker to boot, which meant no less than 100 cars. Under normal circumstances, I have the utmost respect from any funeral procession. But when you are foolish enough to think that pulling out 100 cars onto one of the busiest streets in the area, during rush hour, with Slow Driving Asshole and Gas Pedal Asshole on the road was a good idea, then my respect for you has dwindled. Just a little bit. In the future, Funeral Director, could you please wait until at least 9:00 to begin your procession? It really would have helped my day start off a little better.
All that pissing and moaning aside, I can't believe the amount of snow that we have managed to get this year. Let's just hope that it's enough to help out my lawn and the portions of new sod that were dying towards the end of last summer. Because if I have to replace that, there is a good possibility that I will remove all of the grass and replace it with something fancy....like mulch.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Traditions
(foreword: I was going to post more pictures, but Blogger is being a jerk, so they will come later)
Happy Christmas Eve to all! It has been a busy day here. And yet, relaxing at the same time. For the last couple of years, we have managed to stay home on Christmas Eve. Which I really enjoy. Caitlyn gets to really experience what the night before Christmas is all about.
Since I was a child, my mom has let us open one present on Christmas Eve. The really good gifts were never under the tree by then, so there was no fear of us getting the good stuff the day before we were supposed to. I have carried this tradition over with Caitlyn. She was in my room around 10:00 this morning urging me out of bed so she could open her present. When she finally decided on which one, she wasn't all that thrilled with it.
Connect 4 was not on her list, and I thought she would enjoy it. After we played a few games, she packed all the pieces back up and put it away. Where it has been since this morning LOL!!! It's all good, she will have the gifts she loves tomorrow.
We then went to the grocery store. Which I have decided will never again be put off until the day before Christmas. Because, good LORD that place was a freaking disaster. But I did find this really cool gingerbread decorating kit. The cookies are made and all you have to do is load them up with the gooey gel and candy decor. Right up my alley. Mom and Dad even got in on the fun of decorating them!
I was also thinking that I want to bake cookies with the girl every year on Christmas Eve. But not from scratch. I am perfectly content buying premade dough and then using some cookie cutters. Regardless of where the cookie comes from, it's the actual process of shaping the cookies and spending time with me that is important to Caitlyn. So who cares if I make the batter from scratch or not right? Caitlyn loved, LOVED, doing this. And the cookies are quite tasty too ;)
Because we don't have a fireplace, Caitlyn early on began asking how Santa gets into her house. Right around this time, my friend Shelley sent us a Santa Key. It was perfect timing. The key is now hung on the outside of our door every Christmas Eve. Once Santa uses it to get in, he hangs it on the inside of the door.
The last of the traditions that took place tonight was right before bed. Since Caitlyn's first Christmas, I have bought her new pajamas to sleep in. Her first were from Gymboree and had the cutest little penguins all over them. Of course, they were preemie sized. She has had some really cute ones in the years past. I think my favorites were a green, red, and white striped pair that came with a stocking sleeping cap. She was able to pick hers out for the first time this year. And she didn't pick a pair that have a Christmas theme. Instead, they are just a winter theme. And they are no longer preemie sized, but rather a 7/8. Amazing I tell you. I just can't believe how big she has gotten!
She is now tucked in her bed, after checking one last time where Santa currently is on the Norad Santa Tracker. He should be here in a couple of hours according to them. So she knows she has to fall asleep quickly.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!! I know we will.
Happy Christmas Eve to all! It has been a busy day here. And yet, relaxing at the same time. For the last couple of years, we have managed to stay home on Christmas Eve. Which I really enjoy. Caitlyn gets to really experience what the night before Christmas is all about.
Since I was a child, my mom has let us open one present on Christmas Eve. The really good gifts were never under the tree by then, so there was no fear of us getting the good stuff the day before we were supposed to. I have carried this tradition over with Caitlyn. She was in my room around 10:00 this morning urging me out of bed so she could open her present. When she finally decided on which one, she wasn't all that thrilled with it.
Connect 4 was not on her list, and I thought she would enjoy it. After we played a few games, she packed all the pieces back up and put it away. Where it has been since this morning LOL!!! It's all good, she will have the gifts she loves tomorrow.
We then went to the grocery store. Which I have decided will never again be put off until the day before Christmas. Because, good LORD that place was a freaking disaster. But I did find this really cool gingerbread decorating kit. The cookies are made and all you have to do is load them up with the gooey gel and candy decor. Right up my alley. Mom and Dad even got in on the fun of decorating them!
I was also thinking that I want to bake cookies with the girl every year on Christmas Eve. But not from scratch. I am perfectly content buying premade dough and then using some cookie cutters. Regardless of where the cookie comes from, it's the actual process of shaping the cookies and spending time with me that is important to Caitlyn. So who cares if I make the batter from scratch or not right? Caitlyn loved, LOVED, doing this. And the cookies are quite tasty too ;)
Because we don't have a fireplace, Caitlyn early on began asking how Santa gets into her house. Right around this time, my friend Shelley sent us a Santa Key. It was perfect timing. The key is now hung on the outside of our door every Christmas Eve. Once Santa uses it to get in, he hangs it on the inside of the door.
The last of the traditions that took place tonight was right before bed. Since Caitlyn's first Christmas, I have bought her new pajamas to sleep in. Her first were from Gymboree and had the cutest little penguins all over them. Of course, they were preemie sized. She has had some really cute ones in the years past. I think my favorites were a green, red, and white striped pair that came with a stocking sleeping cap. She was able to pick hers out for the first time this year. And she didn't pick a pair that have a Christmas theme. Instead, they are just a winter theme. And they are no longer preemie sized, but rather a 7/8. Amazing I tell you. I just can't believe how big she has gotten!
She is now tucked in her bed, after checking one last time where Santa currently is on the Norad Santa Tracker. He should be here in a couple of hours according to them. So she knows she has to fall asleep quickly.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!! I know we will.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Christmas Concert and other things
The girl had her Christmas concert at school. It was splendid. All of the second graders were on the stage at once, so there were about 95 kids up there. They sang 4 songs, of which I really can't remember the names. Caitlyn had a sore throat that week, so she kept making faces at me and motioning that she needed a cough drop. As if I could do anything about that at that very moment.
She also got her progress report, which basically is a midterm report letting parents know where the kids are at and where they will be when report cards come out. Caitlyn is overjoyed, as are we, with her grades. She has all A's right now. That is what her goal for the year is. I can see that sometimes she gets too focused on her grades and is quite the determined child when it comes to getting an A on anything. I often have to remind her that B's are fine too. And C's are okay provided she put forth her best effort. She does know though that a D or an F really isn't acceptable around these parts. But where she gets this drive from to succeed in school like this, I'll never know.
More to come after Christmas :)
I am pretty much done with all of the Christmas stuff. Not only is just about everything bought and wrapped, I have also wrapped the Santa gifts for Caitlyn. Truly, this is a huge feat for me. Santa's gifts always come in wrapping paper that is different from any we have in the house. I buy it special and it is based on what Caitlyn is "in to" that particular year. In there past, there has been Barbie, Princesses, Tinkerbell, etc. This year, it is High School Musical. Go figure. Once all Santa's gifts are wrapped, the paper is put away under the stairs, never to resurface. Well, at least not until she knows Santa does not bring her gifts. Which should be within the next year or so. Mainly because the kids at school are really starting to talk. Which is fine with me. We got a good 7 years, hopefully at least one more, of the sheer excitement and joy of Santa, and I am content with that.
We have been having crazy weather here in Chicago. Loads of snow and freezing cold weather. The snow and ice resulted in snow day for me on Friday. And it allowed for Caitlyn to play outside with the neighbor's son while I shoveled. This weekend has brought us temperatures that are below zero, so we have been pretty much holed up in the house. The only good thing to come out of that, is all the stuff I have been able to get done since it's too cold to leave.
Caitlyn loves to knock people down in the snow. Here she is getting my neighbor.
She also got her progress report, which basically is a midterm report letting parents know where the kids are at and where they will be when report cards come out. Caitlyn is overjoyed, as are we, with her grades. She has all A's right now. That is what her goal for the year is. I can see that sometimes she gets too focused on her grades and is quite the determined child when it comes to getting an A on anything. I often have to remind her that B's are fine too. And C's are okay provided she put forth her best effort. She does know though that a D or an F really isn't acceptable around these parts. But where she gets this drive from to succeed in school like this, I'll never know.
More to come after Christmas :)
I am pretty much done with all of the Christmas stuff. Not only is just about everything bought and wrapped, I have also wrapped the Santa gifts for Caitlyn. Truly, this is a huge feat for me. Santa's gifts always come in wrapping paper that is different from any we have in the house. I buy it special and it is based on what Caitlyn is "in to" that particular year. In there past, there has been Barbie, Princesses, Tinkerbell, etc. This year, it is High School Musical. Go figure. Once all Santa's gifts are wrapped, the paper is put away under the stairs, never to resurface. Well, at least not until she knows Santa does not bring her gifts. Which should be within the next year or so. Mainly because the kids at school are really starting to talk. Which is fine with me. We got a good 7 years, hopefully at least one more, of the sheer excitement and joy of Santa, and I am content with that.
We have been having crazy weather here in Chicago. Loads of snow and freezing cold weather. The snow and ice resulted in snow day for me on Friday. And it allowed for Caitlyn to play outside with the neighbor's son while I shoveled. This weekend has brought us temperatures that are below zero, so we have been pretty much holed up in the house. The only good thing to come out of that, is all the stuff I have been able to get done since it's too cold to leave.
Caitlyn loves to knock people down in the snow. Here she is getting my neighbor.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
This is going to be a long one!
OK, time to catch up on everything that went down since last Thursday. We were going nonstop! But had an amazing weekend!
First off, the concert. OMG! The girl and I had such a fantabulous time that I am already wanting to take her to another one. She is a little superstar. I picked her up from school and we hit the road right away since we had about a two and a half hour drive. It's a good thing we left when we did cause the weather was crappy and there was blowing snow all the way there.
We got to the hotel, checked in, got ready, and headed right back out the door. When we got to the venue, we bought a Carrie Underwood t-shirt (for her not me). And that stupid shirt was $30.00!!! Yeah, you read that right. For a lousy t-shirt. But it was the only thing she asked me for all night, and it's a good keepsake for her. So we splurged. Then we sat down and had some hot pretzels with cheese before the show started.
When we got to our seats, I was amazed at how great our seats were. There was a runway that ran down the middle as well, which gave us a great view of the performers as they came out there.
So when the lights dimmed, the girl got so antsy I thought she was going to explode. Everyone had their cameras pointed at the stage ready to take a picture of Carrie. Not me. I had mine strategically aimed at the girl ready to get the expression on her face when Carrie came out. And it paid off!
So here are just some random pictures that I think came out pretty good.
Caitlyn's most favorite part of the concert was when the confetti fell from the ceiling at the very end! She wore her ear plugs the entire night and never complained about them. And afterwards I was so glad that I had her use them. She didn't complain about any ringing when we were back at the hotel at all.
So all in all, I am so so so glad that I bought those tickets. Yes the concert was wonderful, but we had so much fun hanging out in the car on the drive up there and back and having dinner and breakfast together. We just yakked and yakked the entire time. So it is definitely something that the both of us will remember for many years to come!
When we got home on Friday, we had enough time to unpack our overnight bags, only to repack them for the weekend. Once we were packed, we headed out to have our nails done and be pampered for just a little bit longer. Once they were dry, we went and picked up her dress from the cleaners. We went through a drive through right quick and got home with enough time to eat while Matt packed his bags before we had to head out again.
At the hotel, Caitlyn went swimming with her cousins and uncle while Matt and I got ready for the rehearsal. Then we were off to the church for that. Before we knew it, it was 10:00 and we were stuffed with loads of good food and had to make our way back to the hotel because we had to get up so early in the morning.
Once back at the hotel, all the kids went into one room and climbed into bed....while the adults headed into another room for a few nightcaps! Again, time got away from us and suddenly it was 1:30 in the morning!! And Matt, Caitlyn, and I had to be up at 7:00 in order to make it to the hair salon. So we had to shag everyone out of our room...much to their chagrin.
So we got up bright and early, raced to the salon, got hair done, raced back to the hotel, got dressed in our finest, and raced out the door to the church for the 12:30 ceremony. Which was absolutely beautiful. Caitlyn did fantastic walking up the aisle and looked so gorgeous!! She was a perfect angel throughout the entire ceremony and never complained about how long it was taking.
After pictures were taken, we all headed back to the hotel for some food. Once that was eaten, I told Matt that I wanted to the girl to take a nap as I knew she would end up being exhausted if she didn't. Lo and behold, it took her all of about 7 minutes to fall asleep once I had her out of the dress and in the bed. Then I managed to squeeze in a nap as well.
At 4:45 we were awake and getting dressed again to head to the reception. Where a good time was had by all. Once the kids were picked up at 10ish by the baby sitter, the adults were allowed to indulge in some spirits and act like fools on the dance floor.
Needless to say, by Sunday I could not only wait to get home and do nothing, but I was so eager to actually sleep in my bed that I practically walked in the door, dropped the bags, and headed straight for it.
Monday was hard and all three of us were really dragging ass. But it seems that we have recovered today. If you have managed to read all of this nonsense, you certainly are devoted. I will reward you with some pictures of the girl in her flower girl dress. Tell me this kid isn't going to be a looker when she is older.
First off, the concert. OMG! The girl and I had such a fantabulous time that I am already wanting to take her to another one. She is a little superstar. I picked her up from school and we hit the road right away since we had about a two and a half hour drive. It's a good thing we left when we did cause the weather was crappy and there was blowing snow all the way there.
We got to the hotel, checked in, got ready, and headed right back out the door. When we got to the venue, we bought a Carrie Underwood t-shirt (for her not me). And that stupid shirt was $30.00!!! Yeah, you read that right. For a lousy t-shirt. But it was the only thing she asked me for all night, and it's a good keepsake for her. So we splurged. Then we sat down and had some hot pretzels with cheese before the show started.
When we got to our seats, I was amazed at how great our seats were. There was a runway that ran down the middle as well, which gave us a great view of the performers as they came out there.
So when the lights dimmed, the girl got so antsy I thought she was going to explode. Everyone had their cameras pointed at the stage ready to take a picture of Carrie. Not me. I had mine strategically aimed at the girl ready to get the expression on her face when Carrie came out. And it paid off!
So here are just some random pictures that I think came out pretty good.
Caitlyn's most favorite part of the concert was when the confetti fell from the ceiling at the very end! She wore her ear plugs the entire night and never complained about them. And afterwards I was so glad that I had her use them. She didn't complain about any ringing when we were back at the hotel at all.
So all in all, I am so so so glad that I bought those tickets. Yes the concert was wonderful, but we had so much fun hanging out in the car on the drive up there and back and having dinner and breakfast together. We just yakked and yakked the entire time. So it is definitely something that the both of us will remember for many years to come!
When we got home on Friday, we had enough time to unpack our overnight bags, only to repack them for the weekend. Once we were packed, we headed out to have our nails done and be pampered for just a little bit longer. Once they were dry, we went and picked up her dress from the cleaners. We went through a drive through right quick and got home with enough time to eat while Matt packed his bags before we had to head out again.
At the hotel, Caitlyn went swimming with her cousins and uncle while Matt and I got ready for the rehearsal. Then we were off to the church for that. Before we knew it, it was 10:00 and we were stuffed with loads of good food and had to make our way back to the hotel because we had to get up so early in the morning.
Once back at the hotel, all the kids went into one room and climbed into bed....while the adults headed into another room for a few nightcaps! Again, time got away from us and suddenly it was 1:30 in the morning!! And Matt, Caitlyn, and I had to be up at 7:00 in order to make it to the hair salon. So we had to shag everyone out of our room...much to their chagrin.
So we got up bright and early, raced to the salon, got hair done, raced back to the hotel, got dressed in our finest, and raced out the door to the church for the 12:30 ceremony. Which was absolutely beautiful. Caitlyn did fantastic walking up the aisle and looked so gorgeous!! She was a perfect angel throughout the entire ceremony and never complained about how long it was taking.
After pictures were taken, we all headed back to the hotel for some food. Once that was eaten, I told Matt that I wanted to the girl to take a nap as I knew she would end up being exhausted if she didn't. Lo and behold, it took her all of about 7 minutes to fall asleep once I had her out of the dress and in the bed. Then I managed to squeeze in a nap as well.
At 4:45 we were awake and getting dressed again to head to the reception. Where a good time was had by all. Once the kids were picked up at 10ish by the baby sitter, the adults were allowed to indulge in some spirits and act like fools on the dance floor.
Needless to say, by Sunday I could not only wait to get home and do nothing, but I was so eager to actually sleep in my bed that I practically walked in the door, dropped the bags, and headed straight for it.
Monday was hard and all three of us were really dragging ass. But it seems that we have recovered today. If you have managed to read all of this nonsense, you certainly are devoted. I will reward you with some pictures of the girl in her flower girl dress. Tell me this kid isn't going to be a looker when she is older.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Innocence is Bliss
Caitlyn and I were in the car the other day and we were listening to the Carrie Underwood CD (of course). The song Before he Cheats was on and she was signing it at the top of her lungs. She suddenly stops and says:
"Mom, I have a question."
N: What's that baby?
C: What does she mean when she says cheat? Is she talking about like cheating in a game or something?
I thought to myself, if she thinks tearing up someone's car is reasonable retaliation for cheating on a game, what in the world is she going to do if she ever has a boyfriend who cheats on her?? God help that guy! Then I thought about how innocent her question was and how she really didn't have any idea what the song was really about. So I told her in simple terms that her boyfriend wasn't nice to her and that's why she is destroying his car. And I swear to you, she had this look of utter satisfaction on her face. It was almost frightening.
Needless to say, I think when it comes to dating, she will probably be able to hold her own.
Tomorrow is the concert and we are completely psyched for it! She is having a difficult time sleeping tonight because she is so excited. I booked a hotel room for us so that we don't have to drive back home afterwards since it is about a 2 hour drive. The weather here has been kind of crappy, so I am not taking any chances of driving that late for that long should it end up snowing or something. Besides, it will give us more mommy-daughter time, which is always a fantastic thing!
When we get home on Friday, we are going to have our nails done for the wedding. Then we are off to the hotel that we are staying at for the wedding. Where she plans on doing nothing but swimming until it's time to go to the rehearsal.
Then Saturday we are getting up early to have our hair done. Then the wedding starts at 12:30. The reception doesn't start until 6, so we will have some downtime in there.
Sunday, we have a birthday party to go to by our house. Hopefully that will be low key and relaxing, cause we will need it.
All in all, it will be a crazy busy weekend. And come Sunday night, I think we will both be so wiped out we won't know what to do with ourselves.
I can't wait to see her reaction tomorrow when she actually sees Carrie Underwood in the flesh. She is going to go insane!
"Mom, I have a question."
N: What's that baby?
C: What does she mean when she says cheat? Is she talking about like cheating in a game or something?
I thought to myself, if she thinks tearing up someone's car is reasonable retaliation for cheating on a game, what in the world is she going to do if she ever has a boyfriend who cheats on her?? God help that guy! Then I thought about how innocent her question was and how she really didn't have any idea what the song was really about. So I told her in simple terms that her boyfriend wasn't nice to her and that's why she is destroying his car. And I swear to you, she had this look of utter satisfaction on her face. It was almost frightening.
Needless to say, I think when it comes to dating, she will probably be able to hold her own.
Tomorrow is the concert and we are completely psyched for it! She is having a difficult time sleeping tonight because she is so excited. I booked a hotel room for us so that we don't have to drive back home afterwards since it is about a 2 hour drive. The weather here has been kind of crappy, so I am not taking any chances of driving that late for that long should it end up snowing or something. Besides, it will give us more mommy-daughter time, which is always a fantastic thing!
When we get home on Friday, we are going to have our nails done for the wedding. Then we are off to the hotel that we are staying at for the wedding. Where she plans on doing nothing but swimming until it's time to go to the rehearsal.
Then Saturday we are getting up early to have our hair done. Then the wedding starts at 12:30. The reception doesn't start until 6, so we will have some downtime in there.
Sunday, we have a birthday party to go to by our house. Hopefully that will be low key and relaxing, cause we will need it.
All in all, it will be a crazy busy weekend. And come Sunday night, I think we will both be so wiped out we won't know what to do with ourselves.
I can't wait to see her reaction tomorrow when she actually sees Carrie Underwood in the flesh. She is going to go insane!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Report Card and Reaction
I will start with the report card and parent teacher conferences. First of all, the teacher had us shagged out of the room within about 7 minutes. Matt says it's because we had the meeting about 2 weeks ago, I say it's because she just doesn't want anything to do with us. Whatever the case may be, it made for a quick and easy conference.
Caitlyn's report card was outstanding. She was all worried that she was going to get a C in writing. And Cate puts a lot of pressure on herself to succeed in school. She and I need to work on curbing that at times. Sometimes I think it is how she views school and other times I think it's just part of her drama queen genetic make up. Either way, she really strives to do well at school. And it showed on her report card:
Reading A
Writing B
Math A
Science A
Social Studies A
Library A
Music A
PE A
and she got a ribbon for excellent citizenship. So all in all, a great report. Teacher had nothing bad to say about her. Said she participates all the time in class and is so well behaved that she often forgets she is even in there. To say we are pleased is an understatement.
The outstanding report card led to the big surprise. After she saw her report card, all she did was ask me what her surprise was. She had to wait until we got her from my mom's, went to the office supply store for more crap for my homework, and ate dinner. So by the time I told her I was ready to give them to her, she was already near spontaneous combustion from the anticipation of it.
I made her close her eyes and put her hands out. (side note....why do we do that?) I put them in her hands and told her to open her eyes.
The look of complete shock on her face was priceless. The interesting thing was that she knew what they were immediately. Obviously she read what it said, but I didn't expect her to know they were concert tickets.
Without looking at me she said:
"You got Carrie Underwood tickets??" In a low voice, completely stunned.
I told her yes and that was when the jumping and screaming and of course, tears began flowing. Yes, she cried. That's what my kid does. Apples and trees I tell ya!
She wanted to just sit and stare at them all night, but I had to put them away because I just knew if they were laying around any longer something was going to happen to them.
And now the countdown begins.
Caitlyn's report card was outstanding. She was all worried that she was going to get a C in writing. And Cate puts a lot of pressure on herself to succeed in school. She and I need to work on curbing that at times. Sometimes I think it is how she views school and other times I think it's just part of her drama queen genetic make up. Either way, she really strives to do well at school. And it showed on her report card:
Reading A
Writing B
Math A
Science A
Social Studies A
Library A
Music A
PE A
and she got a ribbon for excellent citizenship. So all in all, a great report. Teacher had nothing bad to say about her. Said she participates all the time in class and is so well behaved that she often forgets she is even in there. To say we are pleased is an understatement.
The outstanding report card led to the big surprise. After she saw her report card, all she did was ask me what her surprise was. She had to wait until we got her from my mom's, went to the office supply store for more crap for my homework, and ate dinner. So by the time I told her I was ready to give them to her, she was already near spontaneous combustion from the anticipation of it.
I made her close her eyes and put her hands out. (side note....why do we do that?) I put them in her hands and told her to open her eyes.
The look of complete shock on her face was priceless. The interesting thing was that she knew what they were immediately. Obviously she read what it said, but I didn't expect her to know they were concert tickets.
Without looking at me she said:
"You got Carrie Underwood tickets??" In a low voice, completely stunned.
I told her yes and that was when the jumping and screaming and of course, tears began flowing. Yes, she cried. That's what my kid does. Apples and trees I tell ya!
She wanted to just sit and stare at them all night, but I had to put them away because I just knew if they were laying around any longer something was going to happen to them.
And now the countdown begins.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tomorrow is the Day!
So tomorrow is Caitlyn's report card pick up. We have our conference with the teacher at 4:30. I am fairly certain that it will go just fine. I have no worries after our last meeting.
BUT..... I told Cate that if she did awesome on her report card that I had the best surprise ever for her. I know her report card will be fine, so I figured it was a good way to work the tickets in as a gift to her. She has no idea what the surprise is and she WILL NOT stop asking me what it is. If the kid was more observant around here, she would have seen them sitting on the dining room table since I got them last Friday!! But, alas, she is not and there they sit. She is also going nutso because the country music awards are on tomorrow and Carrie Underwood is going to be on them. So she and I have a date to sit and eat junk food and watch the awards. (I just need to make sure that I have the insane amount of homework done that is due on Thursday so that I can sit with her and watch them)
I have to say that I loved the idea of putting them on the breakfast plate that I received. But I had horrible visions of the things getting milk or some other runny substance spilled on them and not being able to use them. So I nixed that idea.
Will let you know how it goes!
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER FACE!!!!!
BUT..... I told Cate that if she did awesome on her report card that I had the best surprise ever for her. I know her report card will be fine, so I figured it was a good way to work the tickets in as a gift to her. She has no idea what the surprise is and she WILL NOT stop asking me what it is. If the kid was more observant around here, she would have seen them sitting on the dining room table since I got them last Friday!! But, alas, she is not and there they sit. She is also going nutso because the country music awards are on tomorrow and Carrie Underwood is going to be on them. So she and I have a date to sit and eat junk food and watch the awards. (I just need to make sure that I have the insane amount of homework done that is due on Thursday so that I can sit with her and watch them)
I have to say that I loved the idea of putting them on the breakfast plate that I received. But I had horrible visions of the things getting milk or some other runny substance spilled on them and not being able to use them. So I nixed that idea.
Will let you know how it goes!
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER FACE!!!!!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Decision Made
I bought them!!
I managed to bargain with the seller and get her to sell them to me for $65.00 less than she wanted. So I got 2 tickets, 21st row, for $190.00. Which is only $80 a ticket, so not bad. It chokes me up a little to think of that money being spent on them. BUT, I got my tuition reimbursement check last Friday and somehow we managed to get a nice little check from our mortgage company. Seems there was leftover money in our escrow account when we refinanced. So I could rationalize the frivolous purchase knowing that between those 2 checks, there is plenty left over to throw into our savings account.
The girl does not know yet. And I need a creative way to tell her about them. So if anyone has any ideas, feel free to share with me please.
Thanks for voting in the poll. It was kind of fun having that up there to check daily and I may consider putting one up every week. Something silly. I really considered the 3 comments that were left too, that encouraged me to just go ahead and do it. The one that I took to heart the most was Colleen's. Her daughter Kennedy has had a really rough go of it over the last year and her comment really put everything into perspective for me. So thank you Colleen :)
Now I am super excited to go to this concert. Not because I really want to see Carrie Underwood, I have already seen her twice at Country Thunder. But I CAN NOT wait to see Caitlyn's face when she hears we have the tickets. More than that, I CN NOT wait to see her face when she is a mere 50 feet away from her. I know I will be the only fool in the audience crying. And not because of the performance, but because of how happy my little Mojo is going to be!
I managed to bargain with the seller and get her to sell them to me for $65.00 less than she wanted. So I got 2 tickets, 21st row, for $190.00. Which is only $80 a ticket, so not bad. It chokes me up a little to think of that money being spent on them. BUT, I got my tuition reimbursement check last Friday and somehow we managed to get a nice little check from our mortgage company. Seems there was leftover money in our escrow account when we refinanced. So I could rationalize the frivolous purchase knowing that between those 2 checks, there is plenty left over to throw into our savings account.
The girl does not know yet. And I need a creative way to tell her about them. So if anyone has any ideas, feel free to share with me please.
Thanks for voting in the poll. It was kind of fun having that up there to check daily and I may consider putting one up every week. Something silly. I really considered the 3 comments that were left too, that encouraged me to just go ahead and do it. The one that I took to heart the most was Colleen's. Her daughter Kennedy has had a really rough go of it over the last year and her comment really put everything into perspective for me. So thank you Colleen :)
Now I am super excited to go to this concert. Not because I really want to see Carrie Underwood, I have already seen her twice at Country Thunder. But I CAN NOT wait to see Caitlyn's face when she hears we have the tickets. More than that, I CN NOT wait to see her face when she is a mere 50 feet away from her. I know I will be the only fool in the audience crying. And not because of the performance, but because of how happy my little Mojo is going to be!
Monday, November 03, 2008
Poll
Ok, Caitlyn loves (LOVES!) Carrie Underwood. She can't get enough of her. There are 2 tickets pretty cheap on ebay. Normally I would buy then in a heartbeat and take her. Here are the issues I am having:
1. It's a Thursday night, I would miss my last class of the term.
2. It's a Thursday night, she would miss school on Friday.
3. It's in Madison (I'm in Chicago), so about 150 miles away.
4. We would need a hotel in addition to the tickets and other crap I end up buying.
5. It's 2 days before she is standing up as a flower girl in my brother-in-laws wedding.
I don't know what to do. I really really want to take her. I just hate that it's so far away. There are still tickets at ticketmaster. However, by the time that I pay all the silly fees they have, I would end up paying the same amount for those on ebay which are FAR better seats.
Vote in the poll that I have put up in the side bar and tell me what to do.
******EDITED: Those of you who vote, leave me a comment and tell me your reasons for voting yes or no***********
1. It's a Thursday night, I would miss my last class of the term.
2. It's a Thursday night, she would miss school on Friday.
3. It's in Madison (I'm in Chicago), so about 150 miles away.
4. We would need a hotel in addition to the tickets and other crap I end up buying.
5. It's 2 days before she is standing up as a flower girl in my brother-in-laws wedding.
I don't know what to do. I really really want to take her. I just hate that it's so far away. There are still tickets at ticketmaster. However, by the time that I pay all the silly fees they have, I would end up paying the same amount for those on ebay which are FAR better seats.
Vote in the poll that I have put up in the side bar and tell me what to do.
******EDITED: Those of you who vote, leave me a comment and tell me your reasons for voting yes or no***********
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