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August 8, 2007 in Family with 2 Comments

So, it’s definitely Wednesday morning and I definitely am sitting at my desk in my office drinking a diet coke–which “they” told us not to drink because of the heat index and the problem with caffeine causing dehydration.

Jonas is having a good week at school so far. His only bummer was that he failed his AR test this morning (accelerated reader), but it was a really hard book and it was worth 13 AR points and normally his books are worth 1/2 a point or 1 point. He got 50%, though, so it could have been worse. I just hope he doesn’t worry about it too much today.

We had our first after school club on Monday. For the first day, we had 14 kids–that’s huge, actually. Usually the first day is not very well attended. Most of them are returning from last year, but we do have five new kids signed up this year so far. Now is the tricky time where I try to get the parents to turn in their registration forms, make sure the school knows that they are riding with me in the afternoons, and make sure we have the necessary materials to keep everyone safe and happy.

Yesterday was the first Brownie meeting. We have six girls returning to Troop 981 this year… and things did not go well yesterday. They were wild, didn’t want to listen, and paid almost no attention. I did learn that if they were president, they would either make all of the boys fall in love with them (does that really start this early now?) or “let all the nursing home people out and give them all gifts.”

We did have “kittengate” at the end of our meeting. One of the moms came to the meeting with two kittens and told the girls she was giving them away. So all of the girls started calling their mothers to ask if they could have kittens. I’m sure they were thrilled. One of the girls told the kitten mom that she could have the kittens and that her mom was on the way. So the kitten mom went home to get the litter box, etc. and left the kittens with Troop 981. Well, the kitten mom brought all the stuff back in time for the other mom to get to the church to pick up her daughter.

Now, do you think that this mom had actually said that yes, they would take two kittens home?

NO. She had not said that.

So kittengate erupted in the hallway outside of the gym. The kitten mom was upset that she had gone all the way home to get the stuff and that now the Humane Society was closed and she was not getting rid of the kittens yesterday! The other mom was upset that her daughter had told everyone that she was taking the kittens home.

Oy. If only we had been working on our conflict resolution badge…

Summer Fun–A Recap

August 3, 2007 in Family with 0 Comments

Well Summer break is over! Here are some pictures…

At Venture River in Eddyville

Jonas mastered his bike this Summer! He learned how to get on, get off and stop without help.

We rode horses with the Cub Scouts!

Jason did a lot of work, of course! It’s the busy season for windows and pressure washing. Here he is cleaning the windows at Holy Name School.

Us.

Jonas and Kaden playing dress up. Jonas was Phantom of the Opera and Kaden was…well…he was kind of a Harry Potter/Indiana Jones.

July 28, 2007 in Random with 3 Comments

Well, I did get MOST of the cleaning done. The art room at church looks a lot better anyway and I got rid of two large bags of junk. I tend to be a tosser rather than a saver. Some people can look at random scraps and leftover bits and think immediately of something to do with them. I save whatever will fit in the “scrap bins” for the kids to get creative with and toss all the rest. I’m like this at home, too. Jason is a saver. He keeps everything–and has a file for it! Seriously, name a Sunday and I’ll be able to tell you the sermon title because he has saved the bulletin in a file folder marked “bulletins.” I admire his discipline in this area, but all the same there are some things that I just can’t worry about saving (the birthday card from the dentist, for example…). I suppose that’s just another way in which we balance each other out!

My mom is almost completely moved into her house. She still has a few things to wrap up at her apartment but after today she should be done. I’m really happy for her and her house is so cute!

This morning we had breakfast at IHOP and went to Artex to buy some school uniforms. Every year we do this and every year, as we’re leaving, Jason grumbles, “I should have gone into the school uniform business…” Now the boys are playing Ultimate Frisbee at Audubon Park with the cub scouts.

I wish I had something witty to say…but I don’t. So have a good weekend!

Monday Morning

July 23, 2007 in Family with 6 Comments

It’s Monday. I have so much to do! So naturally, I’m blogging.

We had an interesting weekend. On Saturday, we helped my mom move into her new house. Jason rented a U-Haul and Jeremy (one of the youth groupies) helped him move all of the furniture and appliances that needed to go to the new place. We took a lot of boxes over as well. It’s a lot of unpacking for mom to do, but her new house is wonderful and I think she’ll love living there.

Mom really wasn’t feeling well on Saturday, so she decided to go to the doctor. And then she went into the hospital. She will be okay, but she had to stay for two nights so far. Hopefully she’ll go home today and finally get to sleep in her new house! I imagine it’s pretty boring in the hospital once you start feeling better, so I hope she gets out soon.

Jenny came to visit yesterday. She’s on her “I’m never going to see you again, give me a hug, goodbye” tour. We had some of her going away cake:

Yes, those are peanut butter M&Ms! It was pretty much awesome, as far as cakes go. Jason tried to claim that the “J” stood for Jason, because it was “husband appreciation day.” We watched Drumline. It inspired us to drink more 7-up. We also went to the fabulous Henderson riverfront and played in the fountains.

Then we went home and helped Jason fold work towels. Jenny found the baby towel (we told her one of the towels was smaller than the others and even though she figured we were just tricking her into helping fold towels, she decided to accept the challenge because she wanted to be the one to find the baby towel).

Anyway, she leave for Texas for good on Saturday and I hope she has a great time and makes lots of fantastic friends!

Now it is Monday. I’m at my desk, working on some paperwork type stuff before I go and clean the art room to get it ready for after school club to start! Tomorrow, I’ll spend the day at Burdette Park with the Youth Group, swimming and enjoying what will hopefully be a pretty day!

I’m Supposed To Be Sleeping…

July 12, 2007 in Fun with 1 Comment

But that’s not really working out for me.

Today I take trip #2 to Venture River this week (Tues was High School; Today is Middle School). Fortunately, Jason is going with us and he is going to drive the van. He’s sleeping soundly, for the record.

Last night, we had dinner at church and our mission trip presentations. It was a lot of fun. As a bonus, Jenny and Sean both were there for dinner. Then we all came back to our house and talked about our nerd scores, global warming, and a few other random things. Then Sean left, but Jenny stayed because she now lives with us (Jason gave her a key and told her she didn’t have to be homeless anymore–I thought it was hillarious that he waited to give her a key to our house until just weeks before she moves 18 hours away…).

Jonas “entertained” us until about midnight. What that means is that he refused to go to bed and kept reappearing with all sorts of kid tricks–he needed water, something hanging up looked like a mad face and scared him, the couch was uncomfortable, the living room floor was uncomfortable, the kitchen floor was uncomfortable (but at least it was right outside the family room where we were talking so he could hear what we were saying), he had no less than a million questions he needed someone to answer, and how come he had to go to bed but we did not?

This resulted in Jenny and I trying to have a really boring, bland conversation because I was sure it would make him decide that sleep was better than listening to two women talk about the dentist and when each of their grandparents passed away (the attempt at boring conversation became depressing pretty fast). This did not work.

Finally, we all went to bed with Jonas sleeping in between Jason and I because it was “the only comfortable place.” I would like to dispute this claim.

I think I’ll go try to sleeping on the kitchen floor. I hear that it’s way more comfortable than the couch.

Monday Afternoon

July 9, 2007 in Random with 5 Comments

So this weekend I did a lot of nothing. That’s a good thing, really.

I did get some quiet time, some time with Jason, and some time in the pool. Unfortunately, the last one gave me a sunburn. I used sunblock (I know you wanted to ask).

This morning, I got up at 6 so I could take a camper to camp at the lake. I love the drive to Kum Ba Ya–especially when I don’t have to go alone. The camper’s grandmother rode with me.

I almost get to drive that drive again tomorrow when we go to Eddyville to the water park (the high school group). And again on Wednesday when I go to the water park again (middle school that time). I suppose I need to find better sunblock or I will be fried.

Oh–and tomorrow night, Jenny comes to stay with us so she can do her super-important masters work in the (hopefully not smelly) Evansville library. I’m excited!

This post really had no point, but I wanted to post. Happy Monday!

Jonas and Sean play Dora The Explorer Uno

June 24, 2007 in Friends with 5 Comments

So Sean came over last night for dinner!

We cooked out, talked about Sean’s personal life and theology, played Sequence (Jason kept winning) and Dora the Explorer Uno (after a heated discussion about whether or not it was “all right” to play with the controversial Dora cards–Jonas wasn’t sure), and drank coffee that kept at least two of us up way too late.

Random Stuff

June 22, 2007 in Random with 5 Comments

So, I took the super husband grocery shopping last night. He hardly ever goes with me. I kind of have a system for grocery shopping. I take the aisles in a very specific order. Jason doesn’t know my order and he kept turning down stray aisles–”Hey!” he would say, “We need bread!” Through clenched teeth, I would say, “We don’t start at bread–I have a system.”

Then when we got to the checkout, it was really funny. I have a specific order that the groceries go on the counter. Liquids–like milk, orange juice, water; cans and jars; frozen foods; refrigerated foods, boxes of things, smushable things, hba and household stuff. Jason knows I have an order, but he kept putting things up on the checkout counter. So just to be obnoxious, I kept taking the things and putting them back in the cart. Fortunately, he has a sense of humor.

How did he get me back? This morning, he woke up before me, stood up on the bed and started jumping. The he opened all of the blinds in the house, including the ones in the bedroom. He really can’t open just one blind or just one window. Once he opens one, he has to open all of them. When I complained, he said, “I don’t want to hear it, little miss grocery cart!”

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I just saw a guy on the today show who was just getting his Sallie Mae payment booklet in the mail. Poor guy. He’ll be paying those things back forever! Unless he’s like my sister and writes a sad letter about how she lives in the woods and gives back to society by turning troubled teenagers into productive members of society. She doesn’t have student loans from Sallie Mae anymore.

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Have you seen the insurance commercial with the scientists reattaching the lucky rabbits’ feet? Ha–it makes me laugh every time. I love watching those little bunnies hopping around with their dyed feet…

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It’s raining here. Storming, really. We’re supposed to take Jonas horseback riding tonight with the cub scouts.

Back From Canada, Eh!

June 17, 2007 in Random with 2 Comments

Hi! We’re back and the trip pretty much rocked! I’ll be posting pictures and details on the Youth Blog when I get back to my desk and stuff. I’m taking some “mental health” time over the next couple of days.

Thanks for praying! I can’t wait to catch up with what everyone’s been doing while I’ve been “disconnected.”

Photo Scavenger Hunt

April 30, 2007 in Family with 2 Comments

Yesterday afternoon, Jason and I had the best time. Armed with the Features Section of the newspaper, we drove all over town trying to find all of the sights in the Picture Scavenger Hunt. A photographer from our local paper, The Gleaner, went around town and took pictures of things that right in plain view. They are things that are in town and that we all drive by all the time. But Jason and I only recognized one of them from the pictures!

So we drove around town, looking, and only successfully finding the Phelps Gro. Co. lettering on the side of a brick building on the Second Street Overpass (the lettering was very old, and Phelps Grocery Company, which is listed as selling “Fruits, Vegetables, Notions, and Candy” no longer exists). But in the process, we got to listen to some good music, have lunch at Audubon Park, and eat ice cream on the riverfront.

I’m still looking for that silly rooster!