Friday Night Leftovers

It's been a rough couple of weeks, so rough, in fact, that it is hard to not feel like we have some sort of black cloud of doom hanging over us...

Somewhere around Memorial Day I got sick. Actually, a number of us at work got sick. Unfortunately, while everyone else quickly kicked their illnesses, I only got sicker. And sicker. My sore throat morphed into a sinus infection (which the doctor refused to give me meds for until I got much worse), which in turn turned into an ear infection, which then led to a ruptured eardrum. In the middle of all of that, I was diagnosed with a UTI, because hell, why not go all out, right? Sigh.

Two antibiotics later, and I am still getting over it all. My energy levels are still not back up to where they should be.

It has been brutal.

~~~

It was at about that time when the boys' school sent home notices from the county health department that they had been exposed to Pertussis. Now, yes, they are fully vaccinated. Still, I don't exactly want to test their immunity by having them (or us for that matter) directly exposed.

~~~

Is.aac also got a notice from the un.employ.ment office that he had been overpaid back in January of 2014. He was required to pay back $350 immediately or go to a hearing. It's a convoluted story that would take forever to explain, but in the end he was not overpaid. Still he lost the hearing and he has to appeal the finding. Now we are fighting to contact the un.employ.ment office. It has proven to be nearly impossible because it looks like they don't actually want to talk to anyone. (Seriously, they work 4 hours a day, have an automated phone system that reroutes you over and over again without any option to actually speak to someone or leave a message...it's awful.) We will see where this goes. It feels a lot like they are trying to break us so we just pay them the money to stop the headache. I hate bureaucracy.

~~~

We had to call the electric company because we kept losing power to half of our house. Apparently that happens when the connection that leads from the power lines at the pole to your house get corroded. It took them 10 days to make it to our house after repeated calls. It took the guy 10 minutes to fix the issue. While we were waiting, our television quit after one of the outages. Awesome.

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We had a series of issues with the boys' teacher. She has repeatedly angered me in how she treats Sh.awn. The latest examples included her giving out "yearbooks" she created to the class. It had all of the student ID pictures, as well as a few pages of snapshots from the things the class did throughout the year. Sh.awn wasn't in a single picture outside of the ID picture. To top it off, she wrote a note in Ja.son's yearbook but didn't in Sh.awn's. I asked Jay if he asked her to write in his book. He said no, she just came over on her own and wrote in it.

I can't tell you how angry I am. I am so glad we are done with her.

~~~

Is.aac and Jack dropped my laptop and broke the heads on the hard drive. The hard drive is now unreadable without replacing the head, and that gets pricey. And no, I hadn't yet backed everything up. And yes, I will have to pay (probably a lot) to have the data recovered. This is after having to replace the hard drive. Awesome again.

~~~

Sh.awn lost another therapist. Sigh. He is not good with change, and I fear there are going to be some transition pains. Here's hoping the new one is decent and the transition goes smoothly.

~~~

All of the above is on top of some stressful things happening at work. I am hoping with the onset of summer vacation that things will get less crazy and stressful. Fingers crossed.

Stop by Danifred's for more Leftovers. I'd link to her blog, but I lost all my bookmarks when my hard drive died and I am not feeling the whole searching thing right now.

Speaking of dead hard drive, I need all your blog addresses again. :( You could leave them in a comment and I won't publish them if you would rather me not...

Weekend Leftovers

Today was my birthday. I got to sleep in a little, and there was a huge chunk of time in which I was sent to my room, ALONE, so they could decorate the house. It was wonderful! :)

Is.aac also took the boys to the store to pick out gifts for me. lol. Sh.awn chose a Goofy figure. Jack selected a harmonica for me. Ja.son decided I was in desperate need of two construction cars. They also made me a picture frame.

We had cake and ice cream and spent some time with my mom, too. It was a nice day all around.

~~~

Yesterday my 92 year old grandmother in AZ called (here in CA) and told my mom she wasn't feeling well. Long story short, my mom ended up calling one of her neighbors who in turn called 911. Grandma was taken to the ER where she has been since. Some of the scarier possibilities have been ruled out, but they weren't exactly sure what was going on last I heard. She is on oxygen at the moment because she was SATting low. We're worried about her because let's face it--she's 92 and lives alone.

My mom is heading out there for the next ten days to be with her.

~~~

We got these...

How cute are my boys in their spring pictures? :)

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Decided to potty train Jack over this break. He's four. It's time. (Mostly because he has his 4 year appointment on the 23rd, and I was dreading having to say he wasn't trained yet. Sigh) He's proving to be a tough case.

~~~

I think I mentioned some time back that Sh.awn was diagnosed with AD.HD. We started him on a very low dose of medication, and he was doing so well...until recently. Ugh. He We all were really struggling.

We ended up increasing his dosage of medication. It has made a WORLD of difference. I am so relieved that we were able to help him return to the sweet boy we know and love. The best part is that he has been so much happier since we've changed his dosage.

~~~

This is the last weekend of my spring break. I am not looking forward to going back and starting all of our S..B.C.C testing. My eighth graders are looking at somewhere around 14 hours of testing over a ten day period. Sigh. It all just frustrates me.

~~~

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Leftovers

Things have been a little tense around these parts of late. For the last several weeks, Ja.son has been battling headaches, which for us, is never a good thing. My gut said it sinus infection based on the location of the headache. I started to freak a little (or a lot), however, when he started throwing up earlier this week.

After 5 visits to the pediatrician (seeing a different doctor each time - sigh) over a three week period, an allergic reaction to amoxicillin, nearly $300 in co-pays and prescription costs, and missing 8 days of school, we finally have gone over 24 hours without a headache.

It has been real. I am downright exhausted.

~~~

I feel I must again assert my disdain for my insurance company. Apparently if there is a gap to the "effectiveness" of this insurance company's coverage, I will find it. The latest was getting a script for the same antibiotic on the weekend and finding that I cannot fill an identical script within a 6 month period at an out of company pharmacy. (Mind you, there is no other option for a weekend in-company weekend pharmacy in our area, and I had gotten both scripts on Sundays at the urgent care.) I ended up having to pay full price for the script of antibiotics because I couldn't drive an hour (each way) to the 24 hour in-company that is available to have it filled and I refused to make my boy wait until the next day for relief.

I hate them.

~~~

While we were dealing with all of the worry over Ja.son's headache, I had another issue with the boys' teacher over some of her questionable decisions regarding Sh.awn. I sent her an email explaining my concern. Her response was to call another IEP team meeting (Although not unheard of, a teacher calling a full IEP team meeting is something that just isn't done around here. I can't imagine many people are happy with her right now because of it.) because I called her out on what she was planning on doing. Frankly, at this point enough has happened that I have little respect for her as a teacher, which is just sad.

Things will likely be interesting at the meeting. It's on Wednesday.

~~~

I also went to a large conference in Palm Springs at the end of February. A fellow colleague and I presented an activity that we do. It went really well; we had well over 60 people at our 7:45 am session (and they all stayed the whole time). I was also able to go to some other good sessions, and I learned a lot.

So, later that afternoon, I ran into the principal that is at my boys' school.

And oh yes he brought up what's going on with Sh.awn!

I tell you, only I would manage to be 4 hours away from home and still manage to run into drama. I was minding my own business, too!

~~~

16 days until Jack turns 4. I can't even deal. It's going too fast.

~~~

Is.aac got a ticket yesterday for having his cell phone in his hand while he was driving. He says he wasn't on it, but it didn't matter. There goes somewhere around $160 in a blink of an eye.

~~~

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Weekend Leftovers

The holidays? Whew. 

I love this time of year. 

I completely lose my mind at this time of year. 

Leading up to the big day, I look forward to everything being done...

and then when it is, I want it all back again.

That being said, we had a lovely Christmas. :)

~~~

We have been struck by the Sick that will not end. I don't know if it this is still the original bug, if it's cycling through the house again, or if they somehow contracted something new, but holy hell I am exhausted.

Yesterday, Ja.son developed a viral rash for added fun. I'm thinking it's fifth disease--had it not been Friday night and him acting otherwise fine, I'd have taken him to the pediatrician to make sure. Sigh.

I'm telling you that these school germs may just do me in.

~~~

I'm trying to find a series to watch with Is.aac. Because we have watched surprisingly little adult television, there are a lot of possibilities. Any suggestions on a series we could watch (and enjoy) together?

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Weekend Leftovers

The boys are still sick. I guess, the more correct way to state that is that they are sick again with a new second illness. Sigh. At least now everyone is sleeping through the night again.

That is something to celebrate.

~~~

My boy has now been on ADHD meds for just over a month, and I have to say that the change in him is nothing less that mind blowing. He went from having 10-15+ severe issues with his impulse control throughout his day to an average of 3 mild issues. I was afraid that this would somehow change his personality, but he is still the same, sweet, funny boy I know and love...only more in control of himself.

Seriously. I am in awe of how effective this one thing has been in helping him.

~~~

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Friday Night Leftovers

One day this week I went to work without putting on deodorant. That in itself wouldn't have been that big of a deal except it was in the upper 80's that day and my classroom has no air-conditioning. Yeah, it was already not pleasant for me (though hopefully no one else!) by lunch. Thanks to my PE peeps, I was able to get a sample stick from them and the crisis was avoided. lol

Please tell me I am not the only one who does crazy crap like this.

~~~

My 92 year old grandmother is coming from Arizona for Thanksgiving. It was sort of spur of the moment and very not expected. I decided that I needed to take this opportunity to get some good photos of her and my mom and the four generations together. So, for the second time in a month! my family will be taking pictures. LOL. I've decided for someone who had not taken professional pictures ever, I have sure become a picture whore. Go figure.

But really, how could I not be with pictures like this?



Right?

~~~

I have a 4 day weekend. Today at 3:30, I was almost as excited about the prospect of a long weekend as a kid at Christmas. By 5:30, that excitement had turned. Jack has a 101* temperature. So much for rest and relaxation. Well played, universe. Well played.

~~~

I've been doing Christmas shopping. Early! I have even made a decent dent in my list. Go me!

~~~

In one of the FB groups I'm in someone posted a tip about putting Shoe Goo on your kids' shoes to prevent them from getting holes in their shoes. Both boys are horrible about dragging their toes. When I get them new shoes, they look nice for a day before the go through a steady decline in attractiveness/wearability. I was getting a new pair of shoes for Ja.son every other month. It's been ridiculous.

So, with this last pair of shoes I got him, I slathered those puppies up with Shoe Goo and they are doing great! We have gone a full two weeks and they still look good--no scuffs or rub marks. Shoot, if I keep putting this stuff on his shoes, maybe he'll even get to outgrow a pair of shoes before they need to be replaced due to holes in them.

It's the little things that make me happy. Unholy shoes are one such little thing. lol

~~~

You know, it's amazing what a new month will do for you. Welcome November. You came just in time.

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Weekend Leftovers

This week brought both my mom's and Is.aac's birthdays. We had a quiet celebration at our house yesterday. Cake, ice cream, presents, fun, and laughter...who could ask for more?

Bonus is after preparing the house for people to come over, now my house is clean. ;)

~~~

With all of the appointments we've had for doctors, one of the ones that scares me most (which says something) is neurosurgery. Thankfully, the doctor finally called yesterday and said everything looks good for both the boys. Relief.

~~~

One of my childhood friends is pregnant with her first right now--a single mother by choice. I am beyond happy for her, and I can't wait to go to her shower on the 25th.

Coincidentally, her due date was the due date I was given with the pregnancy last year.

~~~

I asked for a meeting with the boys' teacher. There were just a lot of things that were happening that were rubbing me the wrong way. We met on Thursday.

Despite being told about some of Sh.awn's unique needs, she conveniently "forgot" (actually she "forgets" a lot of things) and wasn't putting the strategies we know he needs into use. I reiterated some things to her, so I hope that she has a better understanding of what needs to happen to help Sh.awn succeed.

I'm just going to have to accept that I am not going to like her. She isn't a warm and fuzzy kind of teacher, and she's more than a little abrasive in her speech and mannerisms. If I had to guess, I'd say that I'll be forced to meet with her regularly. She just gave me that kind of vibe.

The fact that I'm not a fan of her is one thing, but even Is.aac, who brushes things off easily, has said more than a few times how he dislikes her. Le sigh.

~~~

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Weekend Leftovers

Somehow, there are only ten days left until the boys start school. There hasn't been a whole lot of information released about their teacher or Sh.awn's aide yet, and I'm getting a bit twitchy about it.

Is.aac had to go down to file the paperwork so the boys could go back to desired school this year. He got there the day the transfer office opened at 8 am and still stood in line for two freaking hours. It was insane. Even though everyone understood that we intended to go to desired school, the district policy is that you have to reapply for intradistrict transfers every year. The whole thing is so stupid.

~~~

Is.aac and I enjoyed our night sans kids. We went to dinner, spent some time at the county fair, and slept in late. It was bliss.

~~~

Sh.awn was sick, sick, SICK on Sunday night. We debated back and forth about taking him to the ER over concern it was his shunt malfunctioning. We were seriously just that close. By Monday morning, you would have hardly known he was ill. He was a little more tired, but by mid afternoon, he was pretty much back to his old self.

I was relieved when the other two showed signs of being sick Tuesday morning. They didn't get anywhere near as sick as Sh.awn, but at least they were sick (which makes me feel less like it was Sh.awn's shunt that was acting up on Sunday).

We have appointments with the new pediatrician next week just to be sure, though.

~~~

I hate having to go to new doctors. I'd appreciate good vibes.

~~~

This week should be fun. We are going to take the boys to the beach for the first time. Yes, I know I live a mile from the beach, but the beach was never a place high on my priority list when the boys were younger. When Jack came, it seemed even less desirable. So, now we are nearly 7 years into their lives and we have yet to go...until now. Should be fun!

~~~

I'm venturing to work tomorrow to set up my room. I'd like to say that I'll get it all done on one (unpaid) day, but I know better.

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As a treat for myself, I always go get new lettering and borders for the area around my desk. This year I did the same, and while I was at it, I bought a new calendar and some other classroom things that it was time to replace. I got out to the car and noticed every single thing I bought was black! I don't know what that symbolizes about my feelings toward this year, but it can't be a good sign. lol.

Maybe the fact that the lettering does have pretty rhinestones means not all hope is lost? ;)

~~~

Is.aac starts work on September 1. Yea.

~~~

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Friday Night Leftovers

Things have been pretty mellow around these parts of late, which is just the way I like it. Is.aac has been amazing at letting me sleep in every other morning, allowing me to catch up (although I swear I will never fully recover) on some much needed rest.

~~~

We just got back from a mini vacation to Sea World. The boys loved it!

~~~

I am desperately trying to ignore the rapidly approaching end of summer vacation. The boys go back on the 20th. and frankly, the prospect of them (Sh.awn) having to adjust to another, longer school day this next year, is wigging me out. When I think about it, I worry about all kinds of transition pains happening because last year's start was very hard.

I go back to school on the 25th. Today was the first day my admin would release our room keys. Many of my colleagues went today to get them. I haven't been able to wrap my mind around classroom setup or lesson planning yet. It will come soon enough.

~~~

In June I signed up for Stitch Fix*. Stitch Fix is the service in which you pay $20 to have a personal stylist choose five wardrobe items for you based on a style profile you complete. If you like anything in your box, the $20 fee is applied toward purchasing the item. If you like nothing, you send it all back and are out only the $20 fee.

Anyway, I got my first Stitch Fix box today. I was filled with excitement when I opened it, almost like a kid at Christmas. lol. I did like everything in the box, but my favorite item was a black and white tie-dye knit shirt. So pretty! Plus, the price tag wasn't awful (under $30), so I don't have to feel guilty. Out of the 5 things, I'm getting two: the tie-dye and a top for work. Sending the things back that I didn't like are easy peasy, too. Yay!

I can't wait for my next box!

*The link to the site is my referral page. If you are interested and would rather not go through my page, here is the regular site. :)

~~~

Ja.son walked by me (yes WALKED!!!!) the other day and jabbed me in the stomach. "You have a baby in there," he said before he walked on into the living room.

Um...wtf? I haven't talked about anything to do with baby to anyone around here, so where did that comment come from?

It's been a rough IF week for me this week, and the timing of that comment knocked the air out of me.. Do you ever have those weeks? They come out of the blue and rock you. It's frustrating as hell because you want to be think hope expect yourself to be past it all and then BAM.

It didn't help that I just donated Jack's crib and maternity clothes. I also started going through all of the baby things to give away. It does make me sad because in that alternate universe I'd have an infant to care for right now.

But I don't have one. It's time to put that behind me.

Then there was a FB announcement from someone. (Most of the time I'm not bothered by announcements anymore.) I got all freaked out and had to find out how old she was because ... well, I don't know why. Maybe to encourage myself if she was really old? If she could do it, so could I?

Sigh.
~~~

I spent the month of July at the dentist. I had a tooth with an old filling crack that needed to be fixed, and it was discovered that two of my three wisdom teeth needed fillings. Because they were located in different spots around my mouth, I had to have a separate appointment for each tooth. Sigh.

Let me just say that I hate the dentist, so much so, that I have horrible stomach issues leading up to the appointments and for days afterward. That has meant that this last month has been rough on my digestive track.

If you can believe it, I lost 4 pounds.

~~~

Things are a go for Is.aac on the job front. He's going to be working as an independent contractor, and they've pretty much accepted what he's said he'll charge. All that's left is details/signatures and he can get started. Whew.

~~~

Tomorrow is our 12th wedding anniversary. My mom is going to take the boys over night. We'll have 24 hours of kid free time. It's sad that my first thought is that I get to sleep, right?

~~~

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Friday Night Weekend Leftovers

Went painting with two good friends today. I love that although given the same instructions, our pictures were so different. lol

As fun as it is, I can't see myself doing this many more times. What would I do with all of the paintings? As it is, I have no idea what to do with the ones I've already done!

~~~

I'd appreciate some good thoughts. There has been a strong lead for a job for dh. He needs this for his sanity. I need this for mine.

~~~

I finally broke down and transitioned Jack out of his crib. I had to bypass the toddler bed because he's so freaking big and go straight to a twin bed. While I was at it, I updated the whole thing. He is in love with his new room.

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How can our summer be half over already?

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One of our fish died Thursday night. He's been "off" for a while now, so much so that there were a few times over the last several weeks when I thought he was dead. He'd perk up a little later and act fine again.

I was traumatized by the poor fish. It was clear that he was fighting a losing battle. He was barely breathing and then have a big spurt of energy for a bit. The process went on and on...it was horrible. For the life of me, I just couldn't leave it. The thought of him dying alone just made me so, so sad. My head would tell me I was all upset over a fish. My heart wouldn't listen. Clearly I have issues.

~~~

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Weekend Leftovers

Yesterday my mom and I went to a local studio where you get to replicate the day's feature painting. I am not. by any means, a "painter," but I was relatively satisfied with my final painting (except for my clouds--I am not satisfied with my clouds!).

Anyway, I brought the painting home to show the boys. The big boys oohed and ahhed appropriately and then promptly took the painting to use as a backdrop for the cars they had lined up on an imaginary highway. So, I'm not exactly sure how impressed they were in the long run. lol.

~~~

I'm in the process of turning my hair color back to blonde. It has been just under a year of dark brown. I didn't have a problem with the color, but the upkeep of dark hair was tiring. The blonde roots always looked grey to me, even when I don't think it was exactly. I felt like I always needed to color my roots because of it.

Anyway, last year was tough for a multitude of reasons, so I think the dark color let me escape a tiny bit. While this year hasn't been any less tense or stressful, I'm feeling it's time to get back to the true me. I think that means something, don't you?

~~~

Sh.awn may make me lose my mind. He has all of my buttons mapped out, and he systematically pushes them one by one throughout the day. To make matters worse, he refuses to let Is.aac do anything for him without a major meltdown. I can't even tell you the number of times I've had to walk away from him because he was acting insane.

Dude. 6 may just do me in.

~~~

This list of things the author wished she knew about raising boys had me nodding my head all the way through. I found #8 to be hard for the longest time as there were two female family members born within two months of Jack and they just seemed so advanced SOOOO early. Thankfully I am over that head trip now. My boy is awesome in his own unique ways, ways that they are not. ;)

And let's not forget number 4...jeez.

~~~

Thursday would have been Is.aac's work anniversary. He moped around and was grouchy all day long. He finally declared in desperation that he had to find a job. He was shocked when I pointed out the significance of the day. Sigh.

Good thoughts for a job soon would be appreciated.

~~~

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Friday Night Leftovers

Sometimes, the only way I survive is by staying on the surface of my thoughts. Anytime I think too deeply about something when I'm in survival mode, I tend to get lost in the emotion. I didn't have time or the energy for that so I fell back on my MO -- I put my head down and plowed forward.

Hence the no writing here.

The best news is that boys ROCKED kinder. They both are at standards or above in all academic areas except one area for Sh.awn. (Take that stupid psych. I told you your tests were wrong.) I am one proud mom. :)

We also had an informal transition meeting with all of the first grade teachers. It was a way for them to meet us and us them. We won't know for sure which teacher will be the boys' because their district hasn't finished their position rounds (which ends much later than in my district). I felt okay about all of them but one. She just gave me a vibe that made me uncomfortable for some reason. Please hope that we don't get her, or if we do get her, that she just gave me a bad first impression.

School got out for all of us last Thursday. I dragged myself off campus and have been in a serious post school year haze since. I swear I fall asleep at the oddest times and sleep like a rock when in bed. It's been a week, and I am just now starting to feel slightly more human.

It has been interesting to be on summer break and have Is.aac here. It has come in handy in that I have been able to sleep a lot more than I would have, but it comes with its challenges, too. We've already managed to annoy and frustrate each other daily. (OMG he's always here. Why is he ALWAYS here?!?! I say that in the most loving way, of course.) That doesn't bode well for the rest of the summer.

I am still trying to sort out some sort of summer routine for us. The boys, especially Sh.awn, need to keep some of the structure that school gave them, but I don't want to exactly be ruled by a clock or a rigid schedule. I've already incorporated summer "school" into the day, but I haven't decided how I want the day to go beyond that. Not having anything planned is not going to work, I already know that. Let's just say I've already heard the dreaded "I'm bored" statement. Sigh.

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Friday Night Leftovers

9 more days. Only 9. I am beginning to wonder if I'll make it.

There has been a lot of drama of late, much of which directly and indirectly affects me (that I didn't cause, thankfully), so the stress at work has been ramped up about ten times above what it would normally be at this time of year. There has been contact with the union, rumblings of complaints, and a general feeling of unease and anger.

It's been fun.

~~~

Want to know how fast school bureaucracy works? The chair rails that were requested and ordered LAST YEAR for the boys were finally installed yesterday. Um, yeah.

~~~

Some of you already saw this on the boys' blog, but I just love these pictures...

The duo at 7 months actual (May 25, 2008)
Ja.son left, Sh.awn right

The duo at 6 years, 7 months (June 3, 2014)
Ja.son left, Sh.awn right

Are they not the cutest things?

~~~

And because I can't forget about littlest...

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I have truly entered a new phase in my life. I am stress eating. Three different nights this week I ate ice cream drumsticks, four mini candy bars, and Pringles. WTF?

I don't stress eat? My MO is to NOT eat during stressful times. Sigh.

Work situation, I curse thee!

~~~

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Friday Night Leftovers

18 days of school left. I can't wait.

~~~

Sh.awn had another "episode" last night. He went from laughing and giggling with his brother to being very nauseated and sick in the span of an hour.

It never fails to scare the crap out of me. I hate this for my poor guy.

He's feeling better today, thank goodness.

~~~

I officially submitted the paperwork to switch insurance. Sigh. It would be nice to be pleasantly surprised about how wonderful it is.

~~~

Did I mention that Sh.awn's aide has a daughter in my class? Um, yeah.

Awkward.

It's even more awkward because the daughter is not the most motivated student. Sigh.

~~~

Sh.awn is figured out this whole school thing and is rocking it. Yay.

Ja.son is doing well academically, too. He's found a friend who could already be considered a "trouble maker." (If a kid is the trouble maker in kinder, I can only imagine what he'll be like by the time he gets to eighth grade. Jeez.) Ja.son has told me a number of things this boys has said and done, and I'm worried. Ja.son's one weakness is his confidence. I can totally see a kid with a stronger personality taking advantage of that.

I may have to do what I can to make sure they are not in the same class next year.

~~~

We go to Sesame Street Live tomorrow afternoon. Wish us luck.

~~~

Jack loves listening to the Sesame Street characters sing the ABC song. He listens to it over and over again.

Until.

He loves listening to it ... until I start singing along that is. Almost immediately he'll change the song if he hears me. I think he's trying to tell me something. What do you think?

~~~

You know what's big for the kids at work lately?

Drawing penises.

They're not even very good renditions of penises--the look more like crudely drawn rockets if you ask me--but they are everywhere. In books. On walls. The geniuses even draw them on their desks (and are shocked when I know it's them) and on their bodies. It's been lovely.

This little tidbit probably explains why I'm so excited about only 18 more days of school.

~~~

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Weekend Leftovers

This week is the deadline to choose our insurance plan. Based on the economics, especially now that Is.aac is out of work, I think we are forced to try out the HMO for the summer. I did go to the insurance fair the district offered and spoke to a woman in their pediatric division and was assured that they have people to meet our needs in all of our specialties.

I am not exactly happy with the decision, but there are not many options. My plan is to do all of this year's summer appointment (ped, neurology, neurosurgery/CT scan, possibly explore new walkers) through them and "meet" their doctors.

I am sad, though, to have to leave the doctors we have now. I trust them. They understand us and our needs. I hate that we don't really have much choice.

If I don't like the new HMO, it's open enrollment again in September (for November 1 start) and I can switch back. It will always be an economic gamble if we went with the PPO option, but I will do what I need to do if needed. 

*On a side-note, it does not make me feel all that great to hear all of this noise about a pharmacy strike looming for our new HMO. :/

~~~

Latest email from the teacher...

Can you believe how far we've come with these boys of yours? There has been so much progress and it has been so exciting to be a part of it. I could tell by their answers [on their teacher appreciation questionnaire] that our day-to-day has impacted them and that makes my heart smile! 

 

I love her!

 

I asked her if she's going to move to first grade because I don't know what we'll do without her. I was kidding. Mostly. Alas, that pesky issue of meeting the school's needs is going to prevent that. Bummer.

 

~~~

 

It had been hellaciously hot last week.

 

I know you guys are probably rolling your eyes at me, but in my neck of the woods, it is a rare day when the temp is in the mid 80's. It is even rarer when it hits 90's. I live two minutes from the beach, so it just doesn't get hot. The last two days, though, we were in upper 90's and broke 100 degrees.

 

My classroom does not have air-conditioning. With every single window and door open, it was still 93* in my room at 1:00. My document camera/projector even quit because of the heat. It was brutal.

 

I am so, so relieved that temps should be back to normal for us this week.

 

~~~

 

I got a tiny bit sunburned this weekend. I managed to miss a two inch by 1/2 inch section of my left upper arm when I was applying sunscreen. It's an angry red. Fortunately, other than when I directly touch it, the burn itself has been no problem.

 

The real issue is that I have hives. They started right on the sunburn and radiated out from there. It is the oddest thing.

 

And they itch like crazy!

 

~~~

 

5.weeks.left.thank.GOD.

 

~~~

 

I bought tickets to take the boys to a Se.sa.me Street show on Saturday. Now I'm wondering what the heck I was thinking.

 

I am really nervous about it. Am I the only one who breaks out into a sweat at the thought of taking her children out into the real world? I do take them out and all, but holy hell the stress involved in trips like this wears me out. The mere thought of trips like this wears me out.

 

This is clearly a case of the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

 

 

Stop by Danifred's for more Leftovers. :)

Friday Night Leftovers

My birthday was last Friday. I wonder if it means something special if your birthday falls on Good Friday, like this year will be extra Holy or something? I don't know. It would be nice, though.

We had a quiet celebration. We went out for brunch with the crew, which went a heck of a lot better than I had expected. That afternoon we went to go see the Easter Bunny and get the car washed. We are WILD around these parts.

So this marks the start of year 42. I am still struggling with that idea. 42. The idea of it is foreign. How can I be 42? I don't feel 42. What does 42 even feel like anyway?

I guess it feels like this...like normal.

~~~

I have a group of students that like to come into my room and hang out during their breaks and after school. They're great kids.

One of the boys was talking about his older sister. When I asked him how old she was, I was surprised to learn she was 33.

He's 13.

I asked him how old his mom is. She's 51. I immediately thought, "Wow. She's pretty old to have a 13 year old!"

Then I remembered I'll be 52 when Jack is 13. Holy crap. Talk about a moment to deflate my happy bubble.

~~~

The boys had an award ceremony this week. Everyone was recognized for something. The teacher would call out the child's name and then give a few comments about why he or she earned the reward.

By the sounds of the comments the teacher made about the other kids, my boys are doing just fine. I'm just so, so proud of them! There are a few pictures on the boys' blog if you're interested.

~~~

Speaking of the boys' rock star teacher, I am already thinking of what we might give her for a thank you gift. She has done so much for the boys, really going light years beyond anything expected, so I wanted to do something a little more significant that the traditional gift.

Any ideas?

~~~

Heard two very load booms outside my house. Now I'm listening to the police scanner to make sure something isn't happening around the house.

They just discussed a former student over the scanner. At least it was on something unrelated...sigh.

~~~

Stop by Danifred's for more Leftovers.

Weekend Leftovers

*This is posted on my iPad, so forgive any typos.

~~~

I am out for spring break! Yea! Here's to 14 glorious days off!

~~~

I started my break doing laundry, cleaning my house, and hosting both sides of the family. This will sound awful, but I am glad to get all of that out of the way. Now I can just relax and focus on us.

~~~

Let the boys loose outside this afternoon. They had so much fun getting dirty. :)

Yes that is my poor, dead grass he's standing on in this picture. Sigh. Drought = not good for grass growin'.

~~~

I found out that Sh.awn's new aide is the parent of one of my students. It did not help that I found out this little nugget of information through an email from her to me asking what her daughter could do to improve the F she earned. Sigh. Thankfully the daughter has now improved said grade to a B and we all continue to act like no one knows how we are connected.

Can I just say that this is totally awkward? Because it TOTALLY is.

~~~

The boys got their report cards on Friday. It's comments like these that make a mama proud:

"Sh.awn is working toward meeting or exceeding kindergarten standards. Sh.awn demonstrates strength in blending sounds to form words and reading. We will continue to encourage more challenging texts. Sh.awn also enjoys math and numbers. Sh.awn's progress this trimester is remarkable. Keep up the great work, Sh.awn!"

and

"Ja.son is working toward meeting or exceeding kindergarten standards. Currently, Ja.son is showing tremendous growth in reading, math (number sense), and verbal skills. In the third trimester, we will continue to find ways to push Ja.son beyond kindergarten expectations."

Not too shabby for my 28 weeker preemies, now is it? :)

They have only 43 more school days before they will be officially first graders. Blows. My. Mind.

~~~

Stop by Danifred's for more Leftovers.

Weekend Leftovers

The boys:

• Both boys even participated in a jog-a-thon event at school and had a blast.
• Ja.son's been showing off his walking for his class. The kids have been fabulous, encouraging him to take even more steps every day. Ja.son's "world record" at school is 17 independent steps. (Yes, they call it a "world record" at school!) One little classmate of his rushed to Is.aac one morning at drop off. She excitedly told Is.aac about Ja.son walking and told him it was amazing to see. Makes my heart happy to hear that the kids are so accepting of the boys.
• Sh.awn has been doing fabulously in class, although he is having some adjustment pains with his speech teacher. He's in a group of four boys, and he is having difficulty waiting his turn to speak. This does not surprise me at ALL. The boy loves to talk.
• Ja.son is easily reading second grade books. It is awesome to see. Sh.awn is reading kinder books and he loves it. He asks to read all the time. :) (Take that asshole neurosurgeon who told us he might never talk.)
• Jack turns three...THREE!...in 8 days. My mind struggles to wrap around that idea. It just doesn't seem possible. He is hard-headed and into everything, but he is so much fun. :) He loves his daddy something fierce. He likes the LeapFrog videos, dancing, and climbing. His three year appointment is on the 31st. I think he's pretty much where he should be developmentally, but he may be a bit behind with his talking. I am not exactly looking to pursue therapy for it right now (personally, I just think he doesn't talk as much because he has two brothers who never shut up), but we'll see how it goes.
• After two rounds of antibiotics, Sh.awn managed to get a yeast infection. That has won him a script for cream to be applied to his penis four times a day for seven days. This has also won me the role of getting far to intimate with said penis to apply to medication, because where is his daddy? No where to be found. The weasel.
• It is also very likely that his original bladder infection hasn't fully cleared (or is back?), so we need a urine sample. He was all "hell no!" about it in the ped's office, which put securing the sample on the agenda for tomorrow night.

My work:

• Things at my work have been challenging due to some of the adults. People are not doing what they should and they're passing the work to others to do for them. It's really starting to piss me off.
• Things have changed dramatically this year as far as state testing is concerned. All students must test on the computer, which has presented quite the problem. We have over 1000 students and only 2 testing locations at the moment and three more to come in the next week. (By testing locations, I really mean portable carts with 36 laptops. I asked why only 36 laptops on a cart when we have classes of 38-40 kids. The answer was that 36 was all that would fit on the cart. Way to think outside of the box people.)  Anyway, people's brains have been exploding trying to figure out how to make it all work. I came up with a workable plan--they were trying to put all the testing responsibility in the laps of my department which I was trying to stop--so my brain latched on to the problem and wouldn't stop until it was solved. Now things will be shared more equally between several departments instead of just mine. Go me.

Is.aac's work:

• Still nothing to report. :(

Other odds and ends:

• They're officially dropping my insurance company, which does mean I'll have to figure something out. There hasn't been any word on whether they'll add another provider so I can at least keep our medical group. I am not happy with our options as they are now. It all just makes me want to cry.
• I'm thinking of going back to blonde. I'm getting tired of the upkeep of dark hair. Reverse roots look like gray to me, so I color my roots a lot.
• Ten work days until spring break. Bring it.

I think that is everything for now. Stop by Danifred's for more Leftovers.

Weekend Leftovers

On Monday we took the big boys to the doctor. We left with scripts for antibiotics and steroids and were told to keep the boys out of school until at least Wednesday. Awesome.

It was a rough few days. They were miserable. We were miserable. No one slept. Ugh.

They were feeling better(ish) on Thursday, so we sent them to school. Ja.son seemed to be fine at school, but the teacher commented that Sh.awn was still coughing a lot. When we got home, I realized why. His already poured cough syrup was still sitting on the counter. We had forgotten to give it to him. Parenting fail.

Jack is now sick and doing just as much coughing as the big boys. He was up all last night, and it is looking like tonight will be long as well.

~~~

I've been emailing back and forth to the teacher about the IEP meeting. I started with thanking her for her support, but I went on to say that I was still shocked about how the meeting went. She agreed with me that the whole thing was just odd and freakishly easy. I'm glad I'm not alone in that thought. (I know it doesn't matter in the long run why it was easy, but it's bugging me because it was such a different experience than before.)

Anyway, I've said all along that the boys' teacher was a godsend for us. That sentiment was once again confirmed when, as part of our email thread back and forth, she wrote: "Lots of children have passed through my classes but some have something special to offer. It's the x-factor. Your boys have that. They seem to make people stop and take notice in the most positive of ways."

I big, puffy heart her.

~~~

It has been an especially challenging week at work. I was out on Monday with the boys.

Tuesday brought news that the husband of a co-worker passed away. The funeral is next Tuesday. Several of us are going to go to represent the staff, so we are scrambling to find enough subs to cover us.

Wednesday was spent giving presentations and tours to next year's incoming students from the feeder schools. I was supposed to present to the kids about the Honors program we have at our school and the program I coordinate, only I had no idea what was on the power point presentation that was used. I ended up having to wing it--not my favorite way to do things. Sigh.

Thursday brought a two and a half hour power outage due to some freak who climbed to the top of a utility pole and wouldn't come down. The power was cut to keep him from electrocuting himself while he, no lie, danced and played on the top of the pole. (It was quite the experience trying to teach in the dark during that time.) By Friday, I was already fighting a losing battle against the crud the boys brought home.

~~~

I haven't really shared the info about Is.aac being laid off of work at school. I don't really talk about stuff like that at work anyway, and frankly it hasn't really come up. Until Wednesday, that is. Someone asked directly about what Is.aac did at work, and well, I said he was not working at the moment. It just is what it is.

She did the whole, "How do you do it?" thing and said that I never seem to be thrown by all the craziness (her word) in my life.

I got the distinct impression that I was that person to her (and probably quite a few others). I am the one whose life is always a mess, who has every possible catastrophe happen, the one to which everyone compares her life and is thankful they are not me.

It feels awful to be that person, especially because I wouldn't trade my life for theirs.

~~~

Jack is in a total daddy phase. He will literally push me away so he can get to daddy. I'm trying to not be hurt by it, but I have to admit that it stings.

Sigh.

~~~

Stop by Danifred's for more Leftovers.

Weekend Leftovers

The boys are sick again. When I heard those dreaded words, "Mom, my throat hurts." I wanted to just cry.

After everything we've been through this year, it will be the germs and lack of sleep from sick kids that break me. The boys are fine for a few days and then BAM. Someone starts to complain about not feeling well. Before I know it, everyone is sick. Then I get sick. The pattern keeps repeating. Ugh. I haven't been this sick since my first year of teaching.

Mid April can't get here fast enough.

~~~

Want to know what makes me happy? Getting an email that starts with a line like this, "Well, it has been a phenomenal two weeks for Sh.awn!"

It just doesn't get better than that! I am so, so proud of him!!!

~~~

It's been raining here the last few days. In a place where there is a perpetual drought, any rain is enough to cause widespread havoc. Lots of rain, like what we've had, makes things insane.

Yesterday morning we lost power. There was a question of whether we could even have school because the entire district was black. (It came back on at 7:20.) It rained hard enough to flood much of the outside areas of my school, which meant that pretty much everything was flooded because the entire school is open with just covered hallways. The school's solution was to block everything with yellow caution tape. If it wasn't so frustrating to maneuver, it would have been comical.

We're at 4 inches of rain and counting.

~~~

I ordered 4 boxes of Girl Scout cookies from a coworker. I got them on Wednesday.

Someone already ate 2 boxes. I don't know how that happened.

I may have a problem.

~~~

Stop by Danifred's for more Leftovers. :)