To Bummed to Blog

Not feeling to swell as this new year starts, more like I feel I went 10 rounds and lost miserably, or like I tied one on and can't remember where my car is, my keys are, where I left my purse or who brought me home last night, I feel like I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't, I can't stop randomly crying in the middle of whatever I'm doing, I feel like I don't have anyone nonpartisan I can talk to, then I feel like I'm no good to talk to anyone anyway and burden them with my stupid concerns, I'm just glad the kids are in school during the day so they don't see me this way all the time, by the time they get home I can pull it together to put on a happy face, give them dinner and go over homework, but beyond that I'm pretty much toast. I just want to help my mom get back to 100% but I feel powerless; I just want my husband and I to quit being at odds with each other but yet it continues; I'd just like my teenager to show a little respect but I'll probably never get it; I just need to get over it I guess and go on, but to where?

New Year Meme

New Year Meme
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Put ALL my kids in public school

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions,

and will you make more for next year?

Didn't really make any last year,

just hoping to keep heathly habits growing

and enjoy the little things more.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My cousin

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not real close, but we had two women connected to my husband's side

of the family that died in their sleep from accidental overdoses.

Better living through pharmaceuticals is not advised.

5. What countries did you visit?

I really don't get out much, not even of the state,

let alone the country.

But I did get my Passport so I'm ready!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A whole and healthy mom

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory,

and why?

The boys first day at public school and

this whole episode with my mom.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Substitute teaching
9. What was your biggest failure?
Everything happens for a reason, we learn from it and go on

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No

11. What was the best thing you bought?

not sure
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

I'm really proud of how all the kids are doing in school
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

pleading the 5th since this is a public blog and

I don't want to offend any family or friends
14. Where did most of your money go?

the basic essentials: food, gas, utility bills, oh and taxes (blech)
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Working with my Kids Choir at church
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

??
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

I'll go with happier overall but some bittersweet thrown in

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Hiking, traveling, collaging, singing with an adult choir

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Defending my attempt to stay positive and trust in God
20. How did you spend Christmas?

Gifts with the kids in the morning,

dinner and gifts at the in-laws,

at the hospital with my mom
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

No.
22. What was your favorite TV program?

24: Watched all the seasons on DVD
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Trying not to
24. What was the best book you read?

Michael J. Fox's .... Incurable Optimist, his newest one
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Actually a re-discovery The Christianaires "Thank You"
26. What did you want and get?

Alex to be accepted to Grand Valley State University
27. What did you want and not get?

a healthy mom and out of debt, but we're getting there
28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Nothing really comes to mind

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Pretty much got blown off by my husband and kids

- Old enough to know better
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Mom not dealing with cancer and

my husband being around more
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Comfort is key
32. What kept you sane?

Yoga, Music, hugs from my boys
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Keifer Sutherland
34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The whole Pallin presentation and Obama's rise

35. Who did you miss?

some of the moms from the Homeschool Co-Op we belonged to

36. Who was the best new person you met?

the principals and teachers I've been dealing with at North Branch

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

Things can change, and change quickly,

hope for the best but prepare for the worst
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Whatever it is, Let God fix it

You've got to let my God fix it for you!

Final Notes: Mom is getting better everyday, her short term memory is kicking back in and I'm hoping she will hold off on any more invasive treatments for a time and just work on getting back to her normal, independent, routine. But whatever she does decide I'll be here for her and I'm happy that this sorted situation and brought my brother and I closer together as well.

I'm beliveing 2010 to be a year of

NEW BEGINNINGS!

Written by Robyn

Reality bites.


When I started blogging I made a choice to keep the content generally upbeat. I've shared at times about my mother's dealings with, ok I'll just go ahead and say it this time, cancer. Man, I really hate that word and even more so the disease. This past week things took a turn for the very scary following her radiation treatments on the brain she had a severe mental lapse and was experiencing dementia-like symptoms. In my heart I like to "speak as though it were" and call her healed, but in my head I unfortunately am acutely aware that time is quickly slipping away. It is difficult to know exactly how to handle treatment of this relentless condition, many times it is the treatment that brings about the end to people before the actual cancer would have. While I respect my mom for being so aggressive in her treatment options I don't completely believe the side effects are worth the overall result but I'm doing my best to support her. I'd rather have 6 good strong lucid months, than 6 weeks of utter hell if the choice was mine. (just sayin') After four days in the hospital undergoing an adjustment in her steroid and pain medications she is now home and functioning much better but still unclear about things at times, we're hoping she will at least return to her normal faculties again, at this point it is unsafe for her to be left alone at all, from there I don't know what the next step in her treatment will be. Until now I've tried to stay out of it because I have a differing philosophy from hers as far as my faith in the medical community. I know they do amazing things now-a-days but they aren't perfect. Who is. But now I'm involved, like it or not, she's my mom and I want to help take care of her as best I can, everything else can and will be put on hold for the time being. The bottom line is life during the next year will be .... uncertain.


How will I remember my mom?
as a strong, opinionated woman
an advocate for mentally impaired children
an intelligent and brutally honest person
someone who brought me much joy and pain (as I did her)
a loving, doting grandmother
an independent, yet fragile individual
funny, extremely organized, creative
truly unique


Who knows what the future holds, but at least at this point there is still some future left to make the best of and with God's grace I pray she can finish the race with dignity and solace.

Written by Alex

Me as a Writer

from her Creative Writing class "Memories" project
I want to write.
I need to write –
hopeless lost words of poetry
flowing from my fingertips
like a berry bleeding dark
off crimson juices.

To squeeze and mangle
every last bit of sense from this language
I want – I need –
to put something onto paper.

Fabricated webs where cruel villains play the spiders,
The protagonist the fly, trapped within
a thickly woven net of misplaced meter
feet askew the spider crawls to the prey
and eats our poor, crunchy hero alive

In these times, our times,
breath is short my breath
holds
as if it is afraid to leave my body
just like the words
crawl back into simple cells
of membrane.
Refusing to be birthed into an artificial world.

Poetry thrives in a forlorn world
it eats murder, suicide, and rape for breakfast.
It scrounges the city streets
scrabbling in trash cans and taking the change
from the homeless man’s cup, on the corner.

it is everything we cannot be,
happiness in misery,
faith in the godless,
hope for those who will soon leave us.

And I want to capture it.
I yearn to tame the untamable.
I need to write.

Written by Ethan

Santa’s Day Off
by Ethan Parton

Santa has the day off! And I know what he did! Santa was at the North Pole lying in bed sick of being Santa. Sooooo he took a vacation. And…well, you’re not going to believe this, but he joined a motorcycle gang. He took his sleigh and went to New York and joined the gang. He was actually pretty good. He did a back flip off a ramp and popped a couple of wheelies. “I’m surprised,” the gang master said. “You can join us,” he added as he got on his motorcycle. “See ya later man.” Vrrooommm. The rest of the gang followed him, even Santa. They started jumping over cars and even houses. “Pretty good for a fat man,” the master said. After that insult Santa picked up his bike and threw it at the master. He went to his sleigh and raced back to the North Pole. When he got back Mrs. Claus gave him a big kiss. “It’s good to be back,” Santa said.

Artwork by Ben

Today's featured artwork is from my middle boy, third child, Benjamin. A marker drawing of a Pokemon, not sure of the name right now, a pencil and marker landscape, and one from Halloween: Frankenstein. The kids have been working on Pokemon at school during art class, they love it!

Things have been pretty quiet around here. Rob had to go to California for a service call. I know, awwwww poor guy. I'm jealous, this is the trip I really would have liked to tag along on. The company must have really been desperate to fly him out there last minute before a major holiday and pay big $ for airline tickets.

Alex has been driving to school so she can get herself home after play rehearsals or go right to work when she needs to. Fox rides in with her so I don't have to go down the driveway for the 7am bus stop run. It's a little unnerving letting her drive them in, especially when the weather is nasty. Praise the Lord they are blessed and protected wherever they go. I do the the bus stop run with Ben and Ethan at 8am, get them on the bus then have moment of quiet to do my Namasta Yoga then some coffee and work on the computer or around the house. I'm thankful I don't really have to go anywhere this week because there is almost no gas in the van and I won't be able to put more in until I get Rob's check on Friday.

THREE Meme

Three names you go by:

Miss Robyn, Robyne, Mom

Three screen names you've had:

Robyne Lee, Robyn Parton, Parton_Mom

Three physical things you like about yourself:

strength, flexibility, good constitution

Three physical things you don't like about yourself:

shortness, soft in the middle, fine hair

Three parts of your heritage:

Polish, Italian, American

Three things you are wearing right now:

leggings, sweats, underwear

Three favorite bands/musical artists:

Billy Joel, David Sandborn, Martha Munizzi

Three favorite songs:

Aretha Franklin “Think”

Christina Aquilera “Ain’t No Other Man”

Patti Austin “I Can Cook”

Three things you want in a relationship:

love, respect, laughter

Three physical things about the preferred sex that appeals you:

eyes, buffness, smile

Three of your favorite hobbies:

collage, making jewelry, backpacking

Three things you want to do really badly right now:

go somewhere warm,

finish my living room project,

be done with Christmas
Three things that scare you:

drowning, really large arachnids,

super blackness in a totally unfamiliar place

Three of your everyday essentials:

hugs, yoga, java

Three careers you have considered/are considering:

location scout, au pair,

recycling educator/advocate

Three places you want to go on vacation:

a rainforest, Europe, Disney World

Three kids' names you like:

Henry James, Jade Rose, that’s all I got

Three things you want to do before you die:

go on a mission trip,

flip a house,

travel around Europe low and high class

Three ways you are stereotypically a boy:

gifted in the art of flatulence,

can go days without showering if optional,

can have a conquering spirit at times

Three ways you are stereotypically a girl:

I love to coordinate,

I believe everything should smell pretty all the time,

fruity drinks rock!

Three celeb crushes:

back in the day Shawn Cassidy,

Sean Penn, Keifer Sutherland

Artwork by Alex

Tuesday evening was the 5th, 6th, and Middle School Band Concert. Fox was really digging wearing the band tuxedo, he kept saying he felt like James Bond and went around introducing himself as "Parton, Fox Parton." The bleachers in the Upper Elementary gym were a tad uncomfortable after an hour and a half but it was nice to have everyone there to support his musical efforts, including Rob and Alex plus Grandpa Q and June made the trek up too. First concert of the year, with a band director who has been under the weather, they sounded rough but I look forward to hearing how they progress by the end of the year.

Featured artwork for this post are pieces Alex did for her Painting class at NBHS: the first was based on a quote ("and I've come to realize the world is an enigma, a harmless enigma made destructive only by those who try to decipher it"), the next represents a month (June), and the last goes with a book (Catch 22). She did a few others as well but these are my best picks.

This was a pretty mellow week for me. I had no sub jobs at all and got to be home everyday other than running out for some errands. Each morning I was able to do my Namaste Yoga (sometimes twice), did some more rearranging, pulled down more of the ceiling, and got started writing entries that I pulled last week. Alex was a busy girl this week however, with picking up two more shifts at Burger King, auditioning actors for her directorial debut, and finishing up her college class. The instructor told her she really didn't have to take the final next week, just show up and put her name on the paper, she has a 3.5 already betwee the first two quizzes and he drops your lowest grade. Might be wise to take the last one though in the off chance she could bring the grade up to an A figure, but that's just the mom in me talkin'.

This whole winter thing that came upon us is not my cup of tea at all! I'm over it already and I have yet to begin any type of Christmas anything. Well, except for helping Ethan with his Christmas Tree project for school. I haven't been a fan of Christmas since I was 13, it is a time of year that irritates and stresses me out to no end. This would be a perfect time for an "I'm just sayin" rant but I don't even have the energy for it right now. Just hoping to get through, with some semblence of peace in my heart.

Friday Fill-In

1. You get what you get.

2. I reserve my right to just say ‘no’.

3. It's Namasta Yoga time.

4. Totally ridiculous!

5. I feel more respect for Christina Aguilera after seeing her ‘Behind the Music’ show.

6. Thank you New York and...goodnight!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner with my guys, tomorrow my plans include a children’s ministry meeting and Sunday, I want to go to church then kick back!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Artwork by Ethan

Well, it's been an interesting few days. Friday I subbed in Ethan's class, all went well although they had a tendency to get loud quickly and I had to tell them to 'dial down' a LOT. We did get through everything and even had time to watch 'Bolt' at the end of the day while those who had some work to complete did so while we watched.

Today's featured artwork is from Ethan, the first is a Flexible Bug he drew on his own, the other two hand prints are a standard project Mr. Watson does with the kids every year. I've always like these, it is a simple project that pretty much any kid can handle yet it looks complex too. Friday evening was the Ladies Christmas Banquet at my church, I ended up attending alone since my mom ended up going to the hospital. She received a call from the doctor that morning informing her they noticed some spots on her brain when they were actually scanning the neck area. After noting she had no seisures or headaches, they sent her back home but have her scheduled for radiation treatment, starting today. She'll receive ten treatments over the next two weeks, they say she will loose all her hair. So, the back procedure is postponed as well as the clinical trial for now. The doctor told her "this isn't the end, it's just a set back." I agree.

Please speak Psalm 91 for Judith Ann Margaret Rose

Saturday Rob got the deer processed that he took last weekend. We had backstraps for dinner, yum! It was the first time for a while that everyone was home together, well, at least for a little while in the morning we were together. Once Alex got her obligatory chores done she was out the door to pick up a buddy and hang out in town. The boys helped with some cleaning too then later Rob, and them played a fierce round of Monopoly. Sunday I went to church on my own, had to do infant nursery duty. We've had one baby coming in so I got to play with, feed, read to, and snuggle a sweet little 3 month old for couple hours. Precious.

Alex got clocked by a deer on the way home from work last night. Thankfully she wasn't hurt, although she said she "pulled over and had a panic attack for about five minutes!" She said it "came out of nowhere," hit her and took off. She called me when it happened to see if she should do a police report if it was covered under our car insurance. HA! "No, dear, we have PLPD, if it's still driveable just come on home." Lovely.

Artwork by Fox

Happy December everyone! It doesn't seem possible that we should already be in the last month of the year, at least the weather has been acting more spring-like than winter-ish (except for this afternoon that is). This week I was blessed to get 2 full days and a half day substituting. Wednesday I was in the Junior High special education room, that actually served 5th, 6th and 7th graders. They were a decent bunch and the teacher aide was great, we really had a good day. I also had the daughter of Fox's Cross Country coach in there for a little bit, we had some nice conversations. There are only 2 boys that stay in the room the entire day, the rest rotated in and out from their regular classrooms. This morning I picked up an afternoon gig in a 1st grade room, before leaving the house I grabbed a few of my favorite picture books to read just in case we had down time. Oddly enough when I arrived and spoke with the teacher briefly before she headed out she said that Writing Workshop was first, starting with reading a book to them. "Oh, I just happened to bring a few of my favorites with me today," I said. "Perfect" she replied, "I was just thinking I should pull something for you to use." We got through everything but I'll admit this was not one of my favorite groups to work with. They were quite talkative, even while working on assignments and major tattletales (a pet peeve of mine). When I took them down to Art class I passed Ethan's class going in for gym, all the kids were calling out to me "Hi, Ms. Robyn, see you tomorrow!" Hopefully all will go well in their 3rd grade class tomorrow. I think if I taught regularly I would like 3rd grade. They are mature enough to act accordingly but young enough to still have some silly fun with.

These art pieces are my favorites from Fox's 1st Trimester Art Portfolio, a kooky collage, paper weaving, and Cross-Link creatures. Although I haven't gotten Fox and Alex's official report cards yet I did check their final grades online, Fox received an A in everything except for Math and SeminAR which he got an A+ in. Alex ended up with a B average but the final grades were sort of a bummer, two As and two C+s, wish she could have squeaked those up to a B- at least. I know because of the play being in final production and performance she really didn't make the effort she should have to do a last week of the trimester follow up with her teachers to make sure they had grades for everything she allegedly turned in. Hopefully a good grade in her college class will help bring the GPA up a bit.

Things have been getting a little weird with my mother and her 'condition.' She was having pain in her back and ended up with a pain patch (morphine I believe) and on Vicodin, this has not helped her mental or emotional state. Now they have her on Methadone to wean her off the pain meds before they do the vertebrae reconstruction procedure (spinal cement they refer to it as) to build up the deteriorated bones so they're not pressing on the nerves anymore. The procedure is at the end of next week, let's pray it goes smoothly and is successful in restoring her 'temple'.

Rob has been down in North Carolina all week (his second trip in 3 weeks) to fix a machine that was not repaired correctly in the first place. Unfortunately it was one of his company's employees that messed things up originally so this was a lose money venture when they started out, but the fates of favor turned in their direction so that he and another tech ended up getting extra work out of the company making the excursion 'in the black' opposed to 'in the red.' PTL

Monday the Direct TV was installed. The kids and I have been jonesing out to various shows. Monday I watched umpteen episodes of "Million Dollar Listings," Tuesday I got caught up in "ReDesign" and also I got to do a couple "Namasta Yoga" workouts, plus I'm recording some to do whenever I want. I just don't get the whole run-the-same-program-multiple-times-in-a-row deal, it's different episodes but the same show. Nice to have television though.

Wrap Up

Community Service: Wednesday night Alex and I sang with the choir for the Thanksgiving community service held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Lapeer. It was the first time we sang together since our days with the Flint Festival Chorus and Flint Youth Chorus when we used to do the televised Holiday Pops Concert with the Flint Symphony Orchestra and the annual choral concert in February at a Presbyterian church in Flint. We literally had one rehearsal at 6pm before the service at 7pm. Good times, I really need to make an effort to sing with a choir regularly, maybe the Lapeer Community Chorus.

Thanksgiving: The kids and I went up to my brother's in Big Rapids while Rob went down to Rochester to eat with his family. After the early crew left we got a few games of Nerts in, always destined to be fun and a great ice breaker. Wish I could have stayed longer but my teenager was bugging me to go home. Light weight! The boys went home with my mom from there to hang for a couple days, they got to see Planet 51 on Friday and go to the Detroit Science Center on Saturday. Surprisingly I didn't really take any photos.

Volunteering: Since the end of October I have been going in to help at the church office once a week to hopefully alleviate some stress for the Office Manager (and my dear friend) by helping with CD duplications, making copies, cutting down inserts for the weekly bulletin, etc., whatever will help her keep up with all the tasks she's responsible for overseeing. It has been an enjoyable time and I am happy to be of service there. I've also changed over my bulletin board as well (photo soon).

Being Neighborly: Last weekend my neighbors were in a car accident that had them both hospitalized so I lent a hand by feeding the cats and dog and letting the dog out and in, even sitting up at the house with him for an hour or so in the evening and watching some tv to keep him company. Thankfully they are both ok, Mr. came home for the weekend and Mrs. should be released in the morning.

Crazy Blessing: A couple weeks ago the guys from Rob's shop went to a trade show in Las Vegas, one of them hit big while he was there and in order to keep good karma so he'd be able to hit again sometime he "paid some forward" and gave Rob and I $500 cash because he "knew we could use it" and he and his wife gave into their church as well. Awesome timing too because with having to fill the propane tank, tagging the van and having my insurance double AND still trying to pay on the property taxes it wasn't looking so good budgetwise.

MyNoWriMo: Being that I did not meet the challenge this year during National Novel Writing Month, I have purposed to still continue to work on my novel at my own pace under the title My Novel Writing Moments to be primarily conducted at Starbucks on Tuesday nights while the boys are at Young Marines. This seems to be my most productive writing time and I've enjoyed the routine of sipping on a Peppermint Mocha Half-Caf Grande in a real mug with whip cream piled high, nibbling on a scone and writing long hand.

One more Daybook for November

For Today... November 29, 2009

Outside my window... Very very dark.

I am thinking... I thought maybe I'd be missing homeschooling by now but, nope.

From the learning rooms... everybody back to school tomorrow for Trimester 2!!!!! Yeah!!!

I am thankful for... daily hugs from my boys.

From the kitchen... mini pigs-in-a-blanket.

I am wearing... my heart on my sleeve.

I am reading... Woman's Day mags.

I've been watching... last disc of Big Bang Theory: Season 2 and all the discs from Bones: Season 3.

I am hoping... to have the 08/09 taxes paid in full very soon.

I am creating... an incredible mess in the living room as I work the ceiling project.

I am hearing... the television and the dog snoring.

Around the house... rearranging furniture again as new things arrive and old are moved out.

One of my favorite things... Thanksgiving Day leftovers!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Direct TV installation, pulling entries for another batch of writing work, substituting for Ethan's teacher on Friday, and maybe one more day this week if I get lucky, and basic domestic duties.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you:

(no turning back now!)

A few highlights

Kids Fellowship was .... interesting. The kids were pretty charged up and I was a bit disapointed in the overall behavior. There wasn't anything major but just things that you think, really, did we have to go there? Like eating gross combinations (oreos dipped in ketchup), grabbing at the desserts like you've been stranded on a desert island and haven't eaten in five days, running around the sanctuary and jumping off the platform over very expensive sound equipment, and throwing around prayer cloths like they were some sort of bomb. In addition, we experienced technical challenges getting the movie to run on the big screens, so to keep them settled down I started telling Knock, Knock jokes, then a couple kids had jokes, next thing you know we had a line of kids waiting to tell their joke on the mike. It was humorous for a while.

The fall play at NBHS, "Murder in the House of Horrors" was an audience participation piece. As you walked into the school, the hallway was set as a museum with exhibits featuring live people. Each station had a button that, if you pushed it, would set them in motion telling their history. The characters from the play were "milling about" the museum but they could only interact with you in character, I couldn't just go up and start talking to Alex as my daughter. It was cool, they also brought groups of attendees up on stage as if they were being taken on a tour of the Egyptian exhibit, which the topic of the play centered upon.

They also held a question and answer time with the audience to help the detective find out more abou the suspect and make sure he didn't miss anything. During the intermission members of museum security interviewed people about who they suspected to have commited the murder. Alex did well with her part as the "Egyptian bitch," and was especially notable in the improve segments.

The kids are on break from school already. Yesterday was a half day, I picked them up at dismissal and we motored down to see my bud Anna for haircuts. Yeah! I even got my color touched up (love it!), Ethan got his racing stripes, Fox did the "7th grade cut" again, Alex got hers trimmed and re-layered, and Ben decided to hold off on the buzz cut and just had her trim up the edges, keeping it longer on top. Everybody looks great, she's really is the Best Hairdresser Ever! I'll try to get a snap at Thanksgiving of the new-cut crew.

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving everyone, I'll be heading up to Big Rapids to feast at my brother's with a gangful of family. Peace, out!

TGIF, Y'all

FRIDAY FILL-IN

1. We need a new groove.

2. The kids had a great time singing and it made me smile.

3. If you want my honest opinion I'll give it to you.

4. Sing it because you love it.

5. Massachusetts has a proposed 5% sales tax on elective cosmetic surgery; I think I really don't care.

6. Spiked EggNog makes for a happy holiday.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Kids Fellowship (dinner & a movie), tomorrow my plans include seeing Alex in "Murder in the House of Horrors" at NBHS and Sunday, I want to kick back and hear a good word from Alfonso Vargas!

Updates......

Substituting: Did 2 half days this week, one for the Art teacher, had three Kindergarten classes that worked on a project to go along with Eric Carle's "Pancake, Pancake" book, they cut out a pan, pancakes and butter and glued the food on the pan. Fun times. Today I was in for one of the elementary music teachers, did 5th grade woodwinds at the Ruth Fox then back to the lower elementary for Ethan's 3rd grade class (we had a blast singing patriotic songs) and two 4th grade classes that were doing a lesson on quarter and eighth notes. Kinda dull, I wanted to do some movement games with them but they were taking to long to settle down so we didn't get to it.

NaNoWriMo: I'm only up to 6,000 words and the month is slipping away quickly. I've had the most luck when I go somewhere and sit with my notebook and write long hand as opposed to sitting and writing at my computer. The rate I'm going I may not win this year but you never know I may have a wave of inspiration before month end.

Conferences: Today I snuck in conferences with Ethan's and Ben's teachers. They both had good reports overall. Ethan is right on track with his reading scoring a 3.4 which is right where he should be, spelling is improving, and she said for the most part he is good and attentive in class. I also found out a little bit more about how the AR testing works. Ben is in a very challenging class and the teachers are really trying to make to best of their situation. Because they had several kids move, leaving them with a smaller class size, when new kids came in at the beginning of the year they got stuck with them and many came with 'issues.' So they are overloaded with "high-maintainence" students. Ben is slightly behind in reading, placing at a 3.8 which is end of third grade level although he is in 4th grade. They said this is nothing to be too concerned with but he should be encouraged to read some more advanced books. Also, he can be a little spacey, not going to the bathroom when a break is offered and then 20 minutes later going up and asking if he can go. This can be most irritating as an instructor and we will have a discussion about it. But generally he is pretty quiet in class and likes to keep to himself and not work in pairs or groups. This is very different from how he acts at home, loud, talkative, bossy, and explosive at times. Hmmmm. Guess he saves it all up for the ones who know him best.

Wordless (gettin' ready)

Blog Award

My friend Penny gave me my first Blog Award! Thanks girlie, it takes one to know one!

Here are the stipulations that came with this award:
1. Choose 5 stand out blogs.... or as many as you desire.

2. Thank the blogger who gave you this Award. (check)

3. Answer the questions below with only one word. Or two...or three...OK? Now do it!

--

Where is your phone? My office

Your hair? Short

Your Mother ? Healed

Your Father? Happy Birthday tomorrow!

Favorite food? Fresh

Your dream last night? Nothing memorable

Favorite drinks? Cherry Pepsi

Your dreams? Make Music

What room are you in? My office

Your hobby? Collaging

Your fear? Denied

Where do you want to be in six years? Grosse Pointe

Where were you last night? Home

Something you're not? Tall

Muffins? Yes, please.

Wish List Item? MacBook 13inch

Last thing you did? Alex's GVSU Housing Deposit

What are you wearing? Cothes

Your pets? Dog

Your friends? Priceless

Your life? In transition

Your mood? Good

Missing someone? the skinny me

Your vehicle? Ford Club Van

Something you're not wearing? Federick's of Hollywood

Your favour colour? Red

When was the last time you laughed? This morning (Thanks Ben)

Last time you cried? Yesterday, of gratitude

Your best friend? They're all the Best!

One place you go over and over? the library

One person that e-mails you? Mom

Favorite place to eat? Kyoto's

And my awards go to Lisa @ Cornerstone Home Learning, Sarah @ Teach a Fish, Michelle @ Smile, Wink, Nod, Penny of course, and Jennifer @ Great Commission Air!

Bullets

• Got the van tagged up and legal today! She's a beauty.
• Started tearing down the ceiling in the living room, talk about one of the most disgusting jobs ever!
• Have 2 1/2 day sub jobs this week
• Rob will be heading to North Carolina this week for a tech call
• Got the house payment in on time this month!
• Getting ready to make Alex's housing deposit for Grand Valley.
• Saw "This Is It" this weekend with Mom, it was awesome, I want to see it again. What a great loss of talent even if he was bizarre in his personal life.
• Mom was moving a little slow, commented about soreness, but seemed well overall.
• My garage has been turned into a butcher shop, with Rob's cousins all over processing their deer. Fun.

Fill 'er In, it's Friday!

1. Plans and schedules are made to be changed.

2. I'm happy when things fall into place naturally.

3. The last thing I drank was instant coffee with French Vanilla creamer.

4. One of the most valuable things in my life is my health.

5. I like pretty much everything on my pizza.

6. Dear November, how odd you are.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to makin’ bank, tomorrow my plans include a movie with the moms and Sunday, I want to rejoice as the kids choir ministers “God Will Be Exalted”!

Updates: I did a floating day on Tuesday at the elementary, started with a first grade, busy bunch but worked relatively well, then I went into Ethan's 3rd grade class for a short time and lastly I did a 2nd grade room, we worked on updating their science journals, they're growing seeds in bags, plus we had recess, time went pretty quickly. No major problems or disturbances in any class or maybe my tolerance is growing. Today I'll be in a 2nd grade room all day since Ms. Jen did not need me at the office today since they are all caught up on their duplicating and copying for the week. Also, I realized on my last check that I got paid more for a couple of the jobs I took, not sure why, but I'll just call me blessed and bank it!

Speaking of blessed: this finally arrived at our house this week. My dad bequeathed it to us a while ago but Rob had it 'stored' at the shop AND as a family Christmas gift my dad is hooking us up with Direct TV, installation should commence later this month.

What's up with the kids? Everyone is doing well although Ben is still experiencing some frustration in his classroom due to some unruly kids causing the entire class to be punished ie: don't get down to lunch on time or miss out on recess. I'm going to talk with the teachers about this at conferences which are coming up soon. Fox is rockin' and rollin' still holding all As and an A+ in Math and SeminAR. Ethan is getting a groove on with his spelling but needs to take more time with his AR tests, he's not always scoring high enough for his points to count. Alex is working diligently to keep up with her 'creative writing' assignments, we use the term loosely since the teacher still hasn't gotten a grip on what the word creative means, for their final assignment they're putting together a memoir. Alex used several poems in hers just to use some creativity. Good for her. She got another 85% on her second Philosophy quiz so she'll probably end of with a B in that class. The play goes into final production next week and performances start Thursday. Wooo.

Wordless Wednesday (the obsession continues)

Twisted Daybook

For Today…

November 9, 2009

Outside my window…

gorgeous, sunny, mild temperature, virtually no wind

Any place I’d rather be today….

walking in the mountains.

What I’m not wearing….

Dolce & Gabana.

What I probably shouldn’t be thinking….

Peppermint Mocha Half-Caf Grande.

Latest attempt in the Kitchen ….

my first Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

From the learning rooms ….

a poem from Ben, I think it was from last year but I recently rediscovered it.
Things That Go Together
by Ben Parton

Ben and math go together
So do hens and peck
Hard and steel - lunch and meal
Also cards and deck

Beaver and wood go together
So do soft and feather
Flea and itch - paralyze and twitch
Also news and weather

What I hope to accomplish this week….

inner peace,

a thinner middle, and

a multi-million dollar lottery win.

The reality of what will happen this week….

writing entries and novel,

substitute teaching,

Young Marines for the boys,

cleaning at my mom’s house,

cleaning the Fellowship Hall after an event,

and helping in the church office.

Dream project of the month….

to get the living room finished on the manufactured side of the house,

tear out bad ceiling drywall,

replace with new drywall,

re-spray the ceiling section,

paint,

put up track lighting,

enclose the place where you can see the house is actually two pieces,

AND new carpet.

yea, I said DREAM project.

But since we “have not because we ask not”

I formally ask the Lord now for this project

to come into reality.

IJN.

Hey, He gave me a van - stranger things could happen.

What I’m thankful for….

the ability to dream and sing and praise and worship.

If I had a nickel for every word I’ve written for NaNoWriMo so far this year …..

I’d have $250.30!

Highlight of my weekend….

our Harvest Dance Company ministry at church,

they did a dance for special music yesterday

that was wonderful;

from an Israel Houghton song

based on Psalm 91 – long life!

Something I’d like to share with all my friends….

my multi-million dollar lottery win!

Or at the least, hopefully a few giggles.

Picture thought I’m sharing with you:
Caught Alex @ the back window! Bonus - cousin Karl @ the front!

And here’s an extra freebie!

Fill-In

for Friday

1. Speak now or forever hold your pee!
2. If I ever get everything accomplished in a day I intend to I will either pass out or celebrate, depending on the day.
3. Sticks and stones can do serious damage to windows.
4. My favorite type of cake is white with LOTS of sweet frosting!
5. Maybe now I can sleep better.
6. One for the money, two for the show.
7. As for the weekend, tonight I'm going to attempt to make a Pineapple Upside-down cake for Rob's birthday, tomorrow I need to RECYCLE! and celebrate Rob's birthday, and Sunday I have a sound rehearsal after service with the kids choir in preparation for takin' it to the masses next week!




Updates: I picked up an afternoon yestesday in the 1st grade I was in before (Ben's old teacher). One of the med boys did not have a good end of the day. He went beserk for a minute running around the class, throwing open cupboards and drawers, going in the bathroom and yanking out the paper toweling and stuffing it in his mouth, running around the class punching boys in the chest then running back to them and hugging them. It got really weird for a minute. I got him settled and had to stay right by him and literally lay hands on him to guide him out of trouble. I put his coat on him, set him in the chair and stood behind him with a hand grabbing onto his jacket to keep him there while we watched a quick Pink Panther toon for the last few minutes of the day. He calmed down as we all watched then held my hand all the way out to the bus. Yikes. After dismissal, I spoke to a teacher that works with him. She said he's actually greatly improved from where he was last year wherein he would literally take off running out of the class where ever he decided to go, inside or out. Again, I can't emphasis, teachers are not paid enough.
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Impulsively I made a phone call to the realtor listed on the sign in front of the old school house. At first she couldn't find anything but then later called me back. It was listed under vacant property, with a $49,900 asking price and land contract terms. The building is 1,920 sq.ft. that's all the info I have from her message. I would love to, by some miracle from God or Oprah Winfrey, buy and restore the school and use it as an art center, to host a community children's choir, visual art classes, yoga, and creative movement classes for super cheap or free. I did a quick google search about restoration grants but didn't delve to far into it yet. The realtor mentioned a grant option also. Hey, maybe I'll write a letter to Oprah for one of her secret blessing shows......
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NaNoWriMo is off to a rather slow and fizzling start for me. I'm only at 2,101 words so far. I just haven't had the gumption to coffee up and stay up half the night, the time change has been hard on me this year. We've all been hitting the hay by 9pm around here. Odd. And my days have been really chopped up this week with subbing and appointments. I am however hopeful that an energetic burst is forthcoming. I like my story concept and have been thinking about it alot, mentally planning out options. So far I haven't named my characters, refering to them only with pronouns, eventually names will be assigned but not sure exactly how or when. Trying to keep some mystery unfolding as the story progresses.
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Blessing in progress. A very dear friend recently offered to 'help' keep Ethan in gymnastics. I am extremely touched. We haven't talked specifically about it yet since the offer was made via internet but I'll keep you posted. Having some time to adjust to being in school full time was definately prudent and it has been nice not to commute down to Rochester in the evenings. Plus with soccer and cross-country, it would have been virtually impossible. But 'E' is definately missing it and he needs a physical outlet more than the other boys seem to. He is such a monkey! Plus the older boys miss hanging out with Gramma and Grandpa and our regular stops at the Rochester Hills Public Library.
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Have a happy weekend everybody!

Looks like it's going to be a crisp one.