Mothers Day!!

I am not a big fan of the holidays.  They seem like they have all been taken over by the greeting card companies and the spirit in which they were created is gone.  That being said...my husband did an amazing job with mothers day this year.  He created an album, online, with every usable picture he could find of just me and my boys.  He then had a company create this album.  It has over 40 pages and over 100 pictures all bound in a linen book.  He even had the boys pick their favorite memory of us together, write a note to me about it and placed it under that picture.  It has to be one of the coolest and most thoughtful gifts I have ever received.  He has to work today, so he had us come to the station for breakfast.  Chocolate chip waffles, my favorite, was what was on the menu. 

Today I am thankful for being a mommy.  It is the most rewarding job in the world and I wouldn't trade it for anything:)

NIco

Last September my oldest boy decides that he would like to start volunteering.  His dad and I thought that it was a great idea, but could only think of one place for a 10 year-old boy to volunteer at.  So off to the animal shelter we went.  He signed some papers and started immediately.  He was to walk dogs and pet cats.  Easy enough. The downside to volunteering at the animal shelter, you want to bring your work home with you.  And we did.

We already had a dog named Chase.  We have had him longer then we have had the kids, he is pushing 13, and knew that a pup would help in the transition when Chase leaves us.  In comes Nico.  All of us fell for him immediately.  What a lover.  We doubt he was a year old when we got him, but already house trained, knew basic commands and was very submissive.  Who knew he was going to be so much work.

We have an awesome dog run lined with lilacs that our older dog never complained about.  It is big, shaded and you have a view of the world.  Will Nico stay in it???  I wish.  Who knew a dog could climb so well.  We added a cable run to the inside of his dog run.  He still would jump the fence.  Then he would be stuck on the other side in need of rescuing.  He learned to pull out of his collar.  We tried a harness, he chewed it off.  A couple of weeks ago we noticed him getting out a lot more.  We would go out to the run and find his collar hook to a branch and him gone.  Four times he did this and always on the same branch.  We cut the branch off.  We caught him hooking his collar to another branch, backing out of it and over the fence he went.  After having the mail lady complain, the police leave notice on our door and multiple trips around the neighborhood looking for him we had to do something more extreme.  Yesterday we put up an invisible fence with a shock collar. 

As you have probably already figured out, this dog is smart.  We showed him the collar and then put it on him.  He got zapped almost immediately.  While we were fine tuning it, not wanting to hurt him, he kept finding places he could get through.  He also was willing to just risk it and run.  By the end of the evening he was understanding his place was in our yard.  Lets hope that this continues to work.

Today I am thankful for pound-puppies.  We have gotten two of the best dogs from the pound and wouldn't have it any other way.

Making phone calls....

I don't know about you all, but I hate calling people I don't know.  I have always been like this and I am doubting that it will ever change.  I hate calling for pizza, I hate calling to make appointments, I just plain hate talking to people I don't know on the phone.  I think it is the feeling of having to over explain who I am so that they know who they are talking to.  I don't want people to go "who"???

Lucky me, I was asked (over a month ago) to call all the other fifth grade parents and see if I can get them to help out with teacher appreciation week.  I am tasked with getting volunteers to bring dessert for all the staff at my kids' school next Friday.  This afternoon I finally sucked it up and started calling parents.  So far, fingers crossed it continues, everyone has agreed to help me out.  Crazy.  Of course, at this point in the list, I have been picking and choosing the parents that I know who are.  I haven't necessarily met them, but would know most of them if I were to see them out in the world.  I have this funny thing about knowing who I am talking to on the other side.

Wish me luck...I must continue with this awful task.  I am hoping that I get enough confirmed yes answers that I can stop before I make it to the bottom of my list.  So far I have seven, and yes that includes me.  UGH...........

Today I am thankful for typing class.  I never really understood why they made me take that class until I entered college.  It is the one high school class that has really paid off:)

Whatcha Reading???

One of my most favorite things to do is read.  I never really was a reader when I was young, but now I complain that there will never be enough time in my life to read everything I want to.  My goal for the year is to read 50 books.  I am sure I managed this last year, but I am off to one slow start.  I have only managed to read 4 books so far this year.  I think my troubles started with my book choices. 

The Book Thief was the book that consumed so much of my time.  If you like books that grab hold of you and just insist that you finish them, this one isn't for you.  If you like books that teach you to look at the world in a new way, this book is for you.  This book is wrote like no other I have read.  The author told a story, during the time of Hitlers rein, like no other I have ever read.  Death is the narrator.  He tells the tale of the Book Thief.  He talks of his job and how it intersects her life.  He talks of colors and the way he looks at the world.  It was well worth my time.

I have also read the Hunger Game series.  If you know anything about young adult literature you will quickly realize that everyone of my book choices thus far are wrote for young adults.  I love young adult literature.  I originally bought the Hunger Games for my oldest son.  He loved it so much he had me read it.  We were hooked.  Who knew that a book about our country in the future, where kids are required to fight for their lives (literally) could be such an amazing read. 

I am not sure what I am going to chose next.  I am thinking about Water for Elephants.  It has been on my list and I now see it is a movie.  A movie that looks quite good.  I will try to get my homework done for the week so I can put in sometime with a good book. 

Today I am thankful for my love of books.  I know that it has been a huge part of why my boys love to read so much.

Busy, busy...

Today is going to be such a busy day.  I was up at 6:30 making coffee.  Got the boys up, even though they had ideas of sleeping the day away.  Made them breakfast, pancakes for Ryan and two birds nests for Dylan.  Got a load of laundry going.  Took the boys to school.  Just posted my homework.  Now I am going to get ready for work, I am subbing at noon.  Get the boys' uniforms cleaned and set out for them.  Off to work.  Home for an hour, hopefully the boys will be able to get their homework done quickly.  Then we have soccer practice from 5:00 to 6:00.  We will get a bite to eat on our way to the baseball field.  We need to be there by 6:00 for a 7:00 game.  Late game means late to bed.  I am hoping that we make it home by 9:00, so the boys can attempt to get a decent nights sleep.  Now I am off to clean the kitchen and do more laundry.  

Today I am thankful for weekends.  I would never get caught up without them.

Goal!!!

Yesterday was the first day in the valley it has really felt like spring as arrived.  It was beautiful. 

We started our day out watching Dylan play soccer.  When you watch little kids play soccer there are always things you can count on.  They don't pass on purpose, they all want the ball and in certain moments time stops.  For example, we were at the opposing teams goal.  A young man was about to shoot and everyone froze.  They almost always do.  It is like they just see that moment as his and don't try and stop him.  I am watching this moment and thinking they are about to score when this blurr come out of nowhere.  He kicks the ball away and the young man doesn't score.  I am excited by this moment because our team has succeeded in maintaining the score, I am ecstatic about this moment when I see it was my son that kept moving when everyone else stopped.  What a block!!!  Dylan comes up to me later and describes, just like I saw, how his team just stopped and how he didn't.  He was very proud of himself.

hmmmm

Well I am back to reality.  Who knew that I would be on such a down coming back from vacation.  I guess eleven days in a place where nobody knows you, you don't have to go to work and the sun is shining could do that to a person.  Hopefully I can get my grove back soon.


I have to say that I had the best time.  It is such a privilege to spend this kind of quality time with my family.  To be able to show my boys the sights, especially the remnants of dinosaurs, amazing.  These are memories that will last them a lifetime, memories that they will share with their own children. 


We loved our vacation so much we are already planning backpacking trips around here that we can do this summer.  Places that we have always talked about going or going back to.  We are thinking maybe an overnight trip to Fish Lake.  My husband and I made the seven mile trek up to Fish Lake before we were married.  Carved our initials in a tree overlooking the lake.  Might be fun for the boys, would be really cool for me.  We are also thinking about exploring Hells Canyon.  The deepest gorge is right outside our door and we have spent very little time getting acquainted with it.  Maybe it is time.


We will see.  The cool things is that we have all discovered that we love to hike and collect rocks together.  Pretty simple pleasures. 

Today I am thankful for space.  Being in a car and hotel room with 3 other people, males at that, can be draining on this mom.   

Day 3

Today we took our time getting going. Our plans were to visit a couple of lesser known spots. We fueled the car up, got a coffee from Starbucks and we were off. We drove north out of Moab. Stopping just outside the entrance to Arches. There is a huge sand dune there the kids played in. It happens to be right on a fault and a good place for hunting rocks, so we did that as well. We found a lot of cool rocks and one little fossil. Then we continued north to a little dirt road. Down that road we were able to view dinosaur fossils sticking out of the side of the hill. They were left there for people to view them in their natural setting. It was so cool! Then we drove a bit farther north and up another dirt road. Here we hiked up a million year old, dried up, river bed. After looking and looking we finally found million year old dinosaur foot prints. They were captured in the mud and are still there for us to see. After that we ate lunch by the Colorado River and then took the most amazing hike up Negro Canyon. It was about 4.5 miles and amazing. We had the best hike. Utah keeps surprising me every day.

Today I am thankful for Ryan's love of dinosaurs. His love lead us to some amazing things today!

Days 1 and 2

I have been so busy I forgot to tell you all about yesterday. So tonight I will fill you in on the adventures of the last two days.

Yesterday we visited Arches National Park. We hiked and drove until we were exahasted. This little corner of the world is simply amazing. We saw arches galore. Played in the sand between fins. Hiked in huge canyons. And much, much more.

Today we took a drive south of Moab. We knew we wanted to go towards Blanding, Utah but had no plans from there. We ended up driving some 300 miles, and for lack of better words, were simply amazed. We saw three different sets of ruins, from three different Native American tribes. We saw more arches. We visited Natural Bridges Monument. We hiked and drove. The best was when we dropped off a 1100 foot Mesa. They carved the road into the side of the Mesa. It was so steep, but the view was incredible. When we made it to the bottom and looked back we couldn't even see the road. So crazy steep and so amazingly gorgeous.

Today I am thankful for my new video camera. I can't wait to share the drive down the Mesa.

Utah

We left Boise at 9:00am and landed in Moab, Utah about 8:00pm tonight. It was one of those drives that took all day, but there is so much to look at it didn't feel as long. The boys did great. They each had an IPad loaded with movies and games. At one point, using the cell phone as a hot spot, they had Internet and were surfing the net. What I wouldn't have done to travel like that when I was a kid.

We have seen some beautiful country already. Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are less then five miles up the road. Depending on the weather we will spend time hiking in both of these places and visiting and biking in many more. Hopefully I will figure out how to get pictures on here. The IPad doesn't like to cooperate with the downloading process.


Tonight I am thankful for safe travels. We saw three wrecks on our way here, so glad we made it.

Boise

We got into Boise, late, last night. It is our first stop on our spring break adventure. Today we toured the Capial Building and the Boise Zoo. I enjoyed the seeing the Capital a lot more then the animals all caged up. I think the boys were more impressed by the zoo. Now we are relaxing, at my brothers place, waiting to go to dinner.

My husband got a Spot for Christmas. Below is a link that tracks us using the Spot. If you are curious check it out. Tomorrow will be cool because we will drive over 500 miles.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0mOBbhqbiNCWbeHAItOBSC6oZyxPGPjxH

Today I am thankful for my IPad. Without it I would be falling way behind in this class.

We have been working on getting ready for our trip all day.  I decided that I would sit down and work on a little homework while my husband watches WSU play a little basketball.  I stopped for a moment and looked around...both of my boys are curled up on my bed reading, while my husband enjoys his game. Our dogs are even tucked into "their" spots on the floor, ready to call it a night. What a lucky person I am to have such a good spirits surrounding me.  It makes me take a deep breath, it reminds me that I don't need to stress about getting ready to go.  We will be ready and what we forget we can buy if we need to:)




Today I am thankful for my new camera.  I got a waterproof Kodak video camera.  I can't wait to try it out:)

2 days...

For many, spring break has already come and gone.  For the elementary students here is the valley, spring break is just about to start.  And I can't wait.  
We are pulling the kids out a day early and off to Utah we will go.  Our plan is to spend a day with my little brother in Boise and then drive to Moab, Utah.  While in Utah we are going to go hiking, exploring and mountain bike riding.  I am sure there will be plenty of other adventures too.  
I have my homework done for the next two weeks, laundry is almost done (so we can pack), the house is somewhat clean (I hate coming home to a mess) and the list of necessities is made.  We will now spend the next two days shopping for groceries (we eat picnic lunches out the of a cooler), packing clothes and filling the car.  
I can't wait to see where this next week takes us. We have no plans, just a hotel room.  So we know where home base will be, but no idea what we will do each day.  It should be a blast.


Today I am thankful for my syllabus.  Without it I wouldn't have been able to get my work done in advance so I could enjoy my time with my kids.

this one is from Dylan:)

Ryan is going to a friends house tomorrow and spending the night.  That means me, mom and dad get to have a night without Ryan.  So we can sit in bed and watch TV together.  This makes me feel good because Ryan isn't here to bug me and so I can spend time with mom and dad.  I might talk them into going to the store and getting candy and a movie.  Then we can go home and curl up together and watch the movie while eating candy.  

Today I am thankful for spending time with mom and dad.

Dylan was bored so I told him to write my blog for me.  Obviously he is excited about spending time with just me and his dad.  He gets to do this a lot, but he thinks it is special every time.  I am sure he will curl up between us to sleep as well.   He even remembered to write what he was thankful for.

Today I am thankful for teaching my little boy the importance of being grateful for the small things in life.   

Subbing

Subbing is a hit or miss game that I play.  Some days I work, some days I don't.  Some days I have an amazing group of kids, some days I don't.  You just never know.  I don't want to jinx myself, but this week is going well.  I have work every day, I know I have work in advance and the kids have been amazing.  Yesterdays class was so good I walked away wanting to come back and I get to tomorrow.  Yeah!!  Today's group was almost as good.

I have been subbing for a long time.  I know what I am doing, so my days usually go pretty well.  Every now and then I get a class that makes my mind crazy.  These are the days that I dread.  Knowing that my week is off to such a good start makes me enjoy what I am doing that much more.

Today I am thankful for consistency with work.  Something I don't get a lot of.

Welcome Spring

So it hit me tonight...spring is here.  I know not officially, but in my household it has started.  I realized this when we sat down to dinner at a quarter after eight.  For many this may be a bit late.  For us, in the spring and summer, this is the time we eat.  You see, spring sports take over our lives this time of year.  My youngest is playing in two soccer leagues, so we have soccer 4 days a week.  My oldest has baseball tryouts this weekend and then we will have baseball at least 4 days a week.  We have already been practicing between illnesses.  My youngest is still undecided about baseball this year, but if he plays, then we will be even busier.  YEAH!!!!  So dinner is going to be late, the house is going to be a mess, but we get to watch the boys play ball.  I love it:)  I will post pictures so you all can experience the joy of spring along with me.

Today I am thankful for late night dinners.  It just works for us:)

Voting

As I have stated before, I am a firm believer in the power of the vote.  I did my civic duty today and voted in a bond election.  For the second time and as many months our citizens are to chose if they want to raise their property taxes to build a new high school.  
You may ask why I bring this up.  Well, it goes beyond the high school today.  Today the Idaho House  voted 48-22 to approve the first of two public school reform bills.  As I have stated before I am against these two bills, for multiple reasons we will not get into now.  What is really bothering me is the inability of our elected officials to stop and think.  As citizens we chose who we want in office.  Sometimes our votes pay off and sometimes we have to settle for the other guy.  Regardless of who is put into office they were elected by the people and they are to serve the people.  So why, when the majority says put the brakes on, did these two bills pass?  Why do those, who have chosen to work for the public, not make decisions for the public?  If you follow Lunas Bills you will see that they are dirty.  That his investors are all to profit from the bills he created and unfortunately the schools, teachers and students lose.
So here I sit...wondering if the high school will be built.  I know what my gut tells me.  I can look at the recent voting records of my fellow Idahoans and see the put money before kids.  I also wonder what happens if the high school is built, but because of Lunas bills, we no longer have teachers willing to work there.  




Today I am thankful for my parents.  My husband and I are down with some nasty bug.  They stopped by, didn't enter mind you, with cough drops and cough medicine. 

To Health

“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”

 William Londen quotes

This quote made me think of all my blogger friends.  You all are choosing to attack life.  Trying new things, going on new adventures and surrounding yourselves with people that make your life more meaningful.   I know that we have all been sick and can not wait until spring, but for now keep plugging along.  Summer will be here before we know it:)

Today I am thankful for new friends. 

Where is spring???

Just when I think life is getting back to normal I am knock back again.  Dylan was home sick for two days.  Running a fever with a wonderful cold.  Now I have an upper respiratory thing going on.  We have never had a winter where we have been so sick.   I JUST WANT SPRING TO ARRIVE.  Maybe with spring will come health and routine back to our lives.  I made it to the gym one day last week.  One.  That's ridiculous.  Now I couldn't cardio if I wanted to.  Two weeks.  That is how long we have to get it together in this house.  Then the kids are on spring break and we are off to Utah.  So here is to positive thinking.  We will be healthy and the weather will be wonderful very very soon.


Today I am thankful for something so simple.  I am thankful for hot tea.  It feels so good on my sore throat and tastes yummy too.

Not again...

I was making an attempt at getting my homework done when in comes my eight year old. He insists on sitting on my lap, not unusual, and complains of a headache. I mentioned that going to bed early might help and he didn't resist. Bad sign. So we curled up together in bed while he tried to sleep. Next thing I know he is running a fever. My oldest said they had six absent from his class today and lots of kids had headaches yesterday. Could the sickness really be starting again? As I lay here watching my boy sleep I find myself hopeful this is a fluke. That he will wake up tomorrow his happy self.

Tonight I am thankful for fever reducer. They take the worry away when your baby is sick.

A hero among us

So many people are wrapped up in their day to day survival that they forget to take a step back and examine their life for what it is.  For me I chose to find something I am thankful for each day.  I do not want to become a person who is blinded by what I think I should have vs. what I do have.  There are so many in this world that have so much less then myself, how can I not give thanks for the most simple aspects of my life?  Watch this video.  This is a man who has chosen to help others.  He is a true hero. 


Today I am thankful for those people that chose to give of themselves.  The ability to give and not expect in return is a true gift. 

Must get back at it....

This Sunday I find myself well.  All of the sickness that has plagued me for the last 5 weeks has gone and I am ready to get back at it.  This week I have a goal of getting myself back to the gym.  I need to start preparing for summer.  Even sooner then that will be our trip to southern Utah for spring break.  I need to be ready to ride my mountain bike, hike through the canyons and keep up with my kids.  So back at it this week.  Wish me luck, as I told myself I would begin last week and failed. 


Today I am thankful for a warm house.  It is nasty cold out and my family is lucky enough to be snuggled down, warm and dry.  If only everyone was so lucky.

So frustrated

I believe in the power of the vote.  I believe that it is my duty as an American to stand up a let my voice be heard.  Today, as many in the past couple of weeks, I am beyond frustrated.  I know where I stand on most issues.  I know what I believe in most instances.  Sure, there are things in my life I question.   I wonder if I am right.  I wonder if I should chose to follow.  But when it comes to education I know how I want my kids to be taught.  I know what kind of teacher/parent I am.  I am frustrated today because I can't make things better for my state.  I wonder how a group of money hungry individuals have gained so much trust by other Idahoans that they were elected in to a position where they get to choose to take away my rights.  Today the Idaho senate voted through 2 of the 3 education bills we have been fighting to get rid of.  The third bill was not voted down, but simply set aside for another day.  Are people really such sheep that they would follow this lunacy?  That they would put teachers last?  Don't get me wrong, I believe in accountability.  I also believe in fair pay, benefits and retirement.  What happen to a middle ground?  What happen to making an educated choice?  I can tell you in one word what has happened to not only Idaho, but our entire nations, GREED. 




Today I am thankful for teachers.  You are under appreciated, under paid and over whelmed.  Our country should stand beside you and I am sorry that so many have chose to walk ahead.  Keep fighting.

Rally

By now you all should know what Tom Luna is trying to accomplish with our education system here in Idaho.  I am totally against his proposals and would love to see our great state come together to fight them.  Some are trying and to a degree it has worked, but we need more.  I went to a rally this weekend.  We were to stand up for teachers and students rights.  I was ashamed at how few teachers showed.  I realize that their weekends are important, but so are our children.  So are their jobs.  Wisconsin has the right idea.  I am so proud of what I see the people of Wisconsin doing.  They are coming together for the better good of their state.  They are putting up their fists and fighting for their future.  I hope they stand their ground and keep what they have earned.  I hope states like Idaho follow their lead and banned together to protect workers rights. 


Today I am thankful for UNIONS.  Without unions workers would have no rights and the middle class would be no longer.  Support our unions:)

Don't be offended

I have such a hard time blogging.  Not because I have a lack of something to say, but because I feel I have to sensor what I do say.  I have very strong opinions about this world we live in and  would love to get a conversation going about different subjects, but don't want to offend those of you who are required to read what I write.  So, from here on out I may write about some issues I am having with this wonderful world.  Please don't take offense and feel free to respond.  I am open to good conversation.  I am open to changing my mind if persuaded to do so.  There is just too much going on in this world right now to not talk about it.

Today I am thankful for the family time.  It was so nice to have all four of us home for two days.  It doesn't happen often.

Better!?!?

Funny story about my vertigo.  Yesterday I was subbing.  I was sitting on this stool watching the kids.  One of the kids was upset and put his head under the table.  I didn't think and leaned over on my stool to look under the table.  The vertigo hit and I felt like I was falling off the stool.  I wasn't falling and the only moving was coming from my arms and legs flailing around trying to catch myself (even though I wasn't moving).  If anyone saw me they had to be wondering what the heck, oh well.  That was my last (fingers crossed) serious dizzy spell and it was one to remember.

It has been exactly a week since this miserable thing called "vertigo" entered my life.  Today was the first day that I have actually felt like myself.  I can still feel the remnants of a week of dizziness.  My mind is still foggy and I am still having trouble reading for long periods of time, but I am upright.  And it feels good.  My husband and I went for a nice long walk between rain storms and had a nice lunch out.  It is so good to be getting back to normal.

Today I am thankful for long walks.  We had a nice time chatting together and watching our pup explore.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

In honor of this lovely day I thought I would express my appreciation for my Valentine.  I have mentioned my husband before, with great admiration, but here is a true look at us.


We met in high school.  It was pretty close that old cliche, our eyes met across a crowed room, only he was the only one who was looking and we were in our high school gym.  Close enough.  He was a senior and I a freshman.  He started asking around and soon found a connection through my locker partner, of all people.  They had this elaborate plan all worked out to get me to go to lunch, thus leading to the grand introduction.  The plan only succeeded because I am a person who can't turn down free food and (if I am honest) had know idea what my friends were up to. 


Here I sit in our bedroom, almost 18 years later, unbelievably thankful for going to lunch that day.  I can honestly say that my husband is my best friend.  He is an amazing husband and father.  He is funny and kind.  He is smart and is constantly challenging the way I look at the world.  I know that one day we will be the little old couple holding hands that everyone looks at with envy.


Today I say thank you to Tim.  You are a wonderful man.  You make me proud.   I consider myself the luckiest person because you chose me.  Thank you.

Writing

My oldest son has always struggled with writing.  Not because he isn't capable of the work, but because he has never been drawn into the subject.  He has tried all the little tricks we've all tried.  He has wrote extra big to fill the whole page,  tried to write way inside the margins so his words go farther on the page, etc.  We have been good parents and guided him, we have been mean parents and thrown his assignment away until he produced work worth writing his name on.  Well tonight he had to write a essay.  He had an outline completed, so he whipped out this essay like it was nothing.  When I read his essay I had that parenting moment where you think his teachers are failing him.  His essay was his outline wrote in paragraph form.  This is when I decided we needed to have a writing lesson.  To my son's credit he took my criticism like a man.  I explained what he was missing and how to organize his essay to make his reader want more.  We then sat down together and he told me what he wanted to say and I helped him say it so he told his story.  His finished product was his topic, in his words.  You could feel his voice coming through his writing.  It was so cool to watch him discover how easy it is to turn his ideas into a story others will appreciate.  Now to his credit, not only did he work well with me, but his original essay was neatly printed, indented in the appropriate spots and each line went from margin to margin.  So, although he needed help with the content, it was nice to see that the formatting was spot on.  Nice to see that some of those tears from the past have lead to success for him.
The other thing I have noticed is that he just doesn't enjoy writing, so he doesn't have stamina for it.  Funny thing is I have discovered that I don't have the stamina I need to write for long periods of time.  I have never been drawn to writing either, but I have never minded it like he does.  It is a little easier to understand him as a writer now that I am discovering who I am as a writer.  


Today I am thankful for the sunshine.  The boys were able to go out and play in 60 degree weather.  Yea!!

Happy Birthday Ryan!!

Well it is official...I am the mother of an 11 year old.  Crazy how time flies.  It just doesn't seem possible that Ryan is already 11 years old.  5 more years and he will be driving.  7 more years and he will planning what college he will head off to. 
Yesterday we did our annual pizza with the grandparents.  Everyone met at Fazzaris for pizza and pasta.  Ryan had his favorite, rigatoni.  Today he took cupcakes to school and then had dinner at the fire department.  Another one of Ryan's favorites was served, fettuccine alfredo.  Tomorrow he gets to purchase his new Halo game, which he is so excited about.  He also gets to go to lunch with his grandparents and birthday shopping:)  Hopefully we will find sometime soon to have a couple of his buddies over for the night and some Halo playing.
Check out the cupcakes Ryan picked out.  They look like sliders, but they really are cupcakes.  I am very proud of how these turned out.  So was Ryan!!!

 Today I am thankful for Ryan.  He is turning into an amazing young man.  A young man any mom would be proud to call her own.

Virtigo...

So...yesterday morning I went to get out of bed and this overwhelming feeling of dizziness sat me right back down.  I tried to stand again with the same results.  Then I became sick to my stomach.  I have never felt something so awful.  I tried to get up and function, but I was sick to my stomach and so dizzy I couldn't even stand.  I finally got a shower, got dressed and called my parents to take me to urgent care.  This is big for me.  I never go to the doctor.  I don't think I have been in at least three years, so you know I was feeling miserable.  The doctor said I had a inner-ear infection and gave me so medicine to take down the inflammation in my ear and something to make me not so sick.  The medicine that she gave me for my ear makes the rest of me feel terrible.  I already quit taking it.  The medicine for the sickness makes me so sleepy that I am out cold within 15 minutes of taking it.  
I am feeling better today.  Forcing myself to be up and moving.  The dizziness is only now and then and the icky feeling is starting to get better.  The doctor said I was lucky, most people stand up and fall right over.  I was able to sit back down.  Some kind of lucky:)


Today I am thankful for medical insurance.  We went a few years without it and were lucky we didn't need it then, but I made use of it yesterday. 

Happy Anniversary To Us:)

14 years ago today I married a wonderful man.  I can honestly say that we have only become closer, better friends over the years.  We started out as teenagers and now here we are an "old" married couple with two of the most wonderful boys.  How could life be better?


Saturday we celebrated our way.  We got away for a night.  It had been a long time since we left the kids behind and just spent time together.  We drove the Spokane, checked in at the Davenport and ate dinner at the Melting Pot.  After dinner we watch "The Kings Speech", which is awesome I might add, and then drank a couple of beers at the Ale House.  The next morning we did a little shopping and the headed home.  Back to the boys we were already missing.


Tonight I am thankful for my relationship with my husband.  There is no one I would rather spend my life with.  I love you honey:)

Speak Out

Tonight I attended a rally and signed a petition to hopefully stop Tom Luna. He is attempting to restructure education in Idaho ultimately eliminating jobs and risking our kids futures. If you have not been following the news I urge you to become educated on this issue and speak out. We can not let our kids futures ride on this plan.

Today I am thankful for those people who use their voices to fight for their beliefs.

Super Bowl

Super Bowl Sunday is such an interesting day in our country. Masses of people flock to the grocery store to buy snack food, hourds of pizza is delivered and thousands of people gather around their TV's to watch football. What is interesting to me is the togetherness this sporting event brings. So many friends and family gather to watch the game and cheer on their team.


I feel I am a minority on this day. I have no desire to watch the Super Bowl. I do enjoy the commercials, but don't feel a void in my life if I miss them. Tonight the Super Bowl was playing on our tv. For the first quarter my family, minus me, watched the game and laughed at the commercials. By the third quarter some of us were napping others were playing Angry Birds on the IPad. Nobody was paying attention to the game. I will say, I enjoyed Will I Am. There it seems I am the minority as well. 


Now I can happily say good bye to football season. And HELLO baseball. Maybe the Mariners will be worth watching this year.


RANDOM FACT:  The Super Bowl--it was named after the Super Ball.  

Tonight I am thankful for old recipes. Dinner tonight was an old standby. The boys had never had it. It was yummy.

Grandparents

I was one of the lucky ones in life. When I came into this world I had more grandparents then most ever dream of. I met them, spent time with them and even have memories of them. My kids were as lucky as me. I am always telling them how special it is that they have such a good relationship with their great-grandma and grandpa. Today I was reminded how lucky I am to still have my grandma and grandpa.


My grandma wanted someone to run her around town today. Since I wasn't working this afternoon, I took her. We went everywhere she needed and treated ourselves to coffee. We weren't gone to long, but it was nice to have time with just grandma. She told me more then once how much she enjoyed going with me.


This afternoon was a great reminder of how lucky I am. To be my age and still spend quality time with my grandparents.

Today I am thankful for my grandparents. All of them. They are all wonderful people who I admire.

Choices

A few years back my husband and I made a choice for me to go back to school and for him to support us.  Our thoughts were that when I was through I would get a job and life would be good.  Well, I am still subbing.  I enjoy subbing on most days, but I could never make a career of it.  The pays just isn't there.  So while I work as much as I can and help as much as I can, my husband picks up the slack.  

He is simply amazing.  Tonight, like many nights, he is working overtime.  The oil companies hired paramedics to follow them as the move their mega loads from Lewiston to Montana.  So tonight he will follow behind a mega load at ten miles per hour for 8 hours.  When they stop for the night he will be 100 miles from home and will have to turn around and drive back.  He has class in the morning, and a transfer (taking a patient by ambulance to another city) in the afternoon.  I could go on an on with examples of what he has done and does every day.  Always putting us first. 


So tonight....

I am thankful for my husband.  He is amazing.

February 1st....

I noticed everyone was blogging about it being the first day of February so I thought I would check out the history that went with the day.  Here is what stood out to me.


On February 1, 1865 President Lincoln signed the resolution outlawing slavery.  This resolution would later be ratified and become know as the 13th Amendment.  A former slave, Major Richard Robert Wright Sr., felt that there should be a day when freedom of all Americans was celebrated.  He started the National Freedom Association, made up of local and national leaders, which intern "proposed having a memorial date to call attention to the continuing struggle for freedom for African-Americans." The first commemoration of National Freedom Day took place on February 1, 1942 at Independence Hall.  That year and every year since National Freedom Day has been celebrated with the laying of a wreath at the base of the Liberty Bell. 

According to americaslibrary.gov National Freedom Day is defined as:

"[t]he purpose of this holiday is to promote good feelings, harmony, and equal opportunity among all citizens and to remember that the United States is a nation dedicated to the ideal of freedom."

I am so glad that I took the time to look up this day in history.  I had know idea that National Freedom Day even existed.  This is one of those days we should all stop and take a minute to reflect on all we have in life.  It is so easy to take for granted what we have because we are disconnected from the struggle that took place to get us here.  We must remember that we are still part of the fight to keep moving forward.    



Today I am thankful for our freedom.  I am thankful for those that chose to stand up and fight for what is right.

:(

So Dylan's birthday week has final come to an end.  Our living room is covered in gifts bags, tissue paper and gifts and he is one happy little boy.  We had a "friend" party for him at 360 gymnastics this afternoon.  It was so cool.  They set up different courses for the kids to run, jump and tumble through.  Then after an hour of tuckering them out they come together for cake and presents.  The smiles make the time and money so worth it.  
We also have a tradition of Fazzaris Pizza with the grandparents.  So after the party we met for pizza.  Although Dylan loves this,  once the pizza was gone he was ready to get home to his new Legos.  
Now we are relaxing.  Gearing up for another week of school and work. 

Today I am thankful for friends.  Not mine, but my sons.  How lucky he is to have so many friends that want to share his birthday with him:)

Time

Tonight is the second night in a row my oldest son has spent the night with a friend.  My youngest loves this time.  In fact he was upset that his dad was home last night because he didn't have me all to himself.  Usually we eat chili beans and corn bread while watching some funny movie together.  Then he gets to sleep in my bed because it is just the two of us.  Tonight we colored together while he talked my ear off.

Recently my oldest said we needed to start our tradition together.  I feel bad that we have waited so long.  I guess time just gets away from you.  When the opportunity arrived, we went for it.  We left little brother at a birthday party and went in search of our adventure.  We decided on dessert.  In Lewiston you are limited on places to eat, so finding a good dessert is almost impossible.  We found our way downtown and decided to try Main Street Grill.  There we shared a piece of tuxedo cake with fresh cream and berries.  He had tea, I had coffee.  His smile melted my heart. 

Now after two nights with little brother I am ready for some one on one time with my oldest again.  Knowing there is a piece of tuxedo cake waiting for us doesn't hurt either:)

Today I am thankful for time with my boys.  They are two of the most wonderful people:)

Life In A Day

Last year YouTube came up with, what I think is, an amazing idea.  They invited the world to make a movie in what is now being called "the first user-generated feature-length documentary."  YouTube asked people all over the world to take a "snapshot" of their lives on July 24th 2010.  The project is called Life In A Day.  They received over 80,000 clips and some 4,500 hours of footage that they then had to whittle  down into to a 90 minute film.  Not to much to ask of director Kevin McDonald and producer Ridley Scott. The week of January 20, Life In A Day will premier at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. 

I got a look at some of the clips that are a part of this film.  It is everything from an older lady giggle while being licked by a bunch of puppies, to a little girl who climbs a human ladder.  They say this movie will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions, while you watch people all over the world share a moment of their day on July 24th 2010.

If I would have heard about this film a bit earlier, I could have watched it tonight.  YouTube was streaming it, tonight only, for those of us who couldn't make the film festival this year.  Since I was a bit behind I will have to wait until it comes out on video, as I am doubting our theater will be one of  the select few to show it.


Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/lifeinaday

Today I am thankful for technology.  Without it we could not have movies like Life In A Day.

Wasted day

I guess you have to have them every now and then, but at the end of a wasted day I feel like I let myself down.  I look around the house and see all that I should have done and start wishing I would have just got myself in gear.  I didn't even make it to the gym:( As they say there is always tomorrow.  I am working tomorrow, so I am betting everything gets put off until Friday.  That will be a great way to start our three day weekend.


Today I am thankful for the sound of my oldest son reading to his little brother.  When they aren't fighting they are quite the team.

Happy Birthday Dylan!!

Well today was a good day.  My youngest son turned 8.  We started the morning with  french toast before school.  My husband was working today so he and his partner took the fire engine to school and ate lunch with Dylan.  Then we finished the night eating cake and ice cream at the fire station with the guys.  This Sunday he gets his "kid" party and pizza with the grandparents.  What a lucky boy!

Today I am thankful for my little boy.  Dylan is an awesome kid and I am lucky to be his mommy.

Birthday week has begun!!

Between working this morning, birthday shopping this afternoon, then going to the gym I am amazed that I got the cupcakes finished, but I did. Dylan choose pirate cupcake wrappers, so pirate cupcakes he got. They aren't as fancy as most years, but Dylan loves them. That is really all that matters to me.
With my husbands help we figured out how to get the pictures off my phone and onto my blog for you all to see.

Today I am thankful for time spent baking with my boys. Such fun for all of us.

From Blogger Pictures

Yeah!!

I am so much better today.  I still have my cold, but the flu is gone.  Since I spent the last two days in bed today was a catch up day for me.  
Hopefully I got enough accomplished because time is of the essence this week.  It is a birthday week in our house.  My youngest is turning 8.  We have family gatherings, parties at school and parties with friends.  Tonight I have to get all the invitations filled out and ready to be handed out at school tomorrow.  Tomorrow I have cupcakes to bake and decorate.  Tuesday we start celebrating.  It should be a fun and exciting week for us.  

Today I am thankful for my washer and dryer.  I couldn't imagine doing laundry by hand, especially in winter.  I can guarantee my family wouldn't have as much clothes as they do now if I had to wash it by hand.

Still sick

It is the most beautiful day today and I can't stand up without feeling dizzy. I am happy my kids feel better, but sad I can't go outside with them. If how quickly they got through this is any indicator, I will be up and going by tomorrow morning. Hopefully Sunday is as nice a day as today.

Today I am thankful for Nyquil. the good night of sleep I got last night made a big difference and I bet it will make an even bigger difference tonight.

Ugh...

I think sickness has hit our house.  We kept one boy home yesterday morning because he just didn't look well.  By last night he was running a fever (good call on dads part to keep him home from school). The school sent our oldest home today, but he didn't seem to bad.  Now I am thinking he is catching what brother has, no fever yet though.  To top it all off I have a sore throat.  So I am keeping it short tonight.  Off to rest now.

Today I am thankful for hot tea and a warm house.

This can't really be the future of education.

This article was in the Lewiston Morning Tribune this morning.  Thought you all would enjoy reading it.

BOISE - Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna pitched his school reform plan as a way to save Idaho's education system from future funding shortfalls.

It turns out, however, he'll need upward of $68 million in extra money over the next six years to pay for the reforms.

Luna presented his restructuring proposal and fiscal 2012 budget request to a combined meeting of the House and Senate budget and education committees Tuesday.

With 47 lawmakers on the four committees, almost half the Legislature was at the hearing. Most had already heard the basics of Luna's reform plan.

In essence, the superintendent wants to increase class sizes in grades four through 12 by about 10 percent over the next two years, an increase of about two students per class. This would result in fewer teachers and administrators, allowing the state to cut funding for staff salaries by about $107 million per year beginning in fiscal 2013.

This money would then be "reinvested" in classroom technology, including free laptop computers for all incoming ninth-graders and an increase in online learning opportunities.

It would also fund a pay-for-performance plan intended to reward good teachers and administrators. Eventually, Luna said, 85 percent of teacher pay would be based on the traditional salary grid, with the remaining 15 percent tied to student achievement and other performance measures.

Over the past two years, he said, state support for public education has dropped by $200 million. School districts responded in a variety of ways, including cutting teacher pay, shortening the school year, shifting money from maintenance into operations and relying on federal bailouts.

"We hoped the situation was temporary, (but) today we realize this is the new norm," Luna said. "That takes us to a crossroads: We can continue to cut the current system, we can raise taxes to prop up the current system, or we can change the system."

Based on current funding models, he said, public schools would need $25 million in additional funding in 2012 just to pay for enrollment growth, plus another $35 million to replace one-time money in the 2011 budget.

Rather than continue down that road, Luna wants to take about 10 percent of the public schools budget and spend the money in a new and - he hopes - more effective way.

"Some would call this a radical proposal," Luna said. "I guess it is radical that we could accomplish so much with no or little additional money. But we know it isn't radical to expand technology in the classroom. It isn't radical to improve teacher pay through pay for performance. The only thing that's really radical about this plan is that it actually puts students first. Look at what we can accomplish if we're just willing to spend what we already have in a different way."

Several lawmakers, however, noted Luna's proposal isn't entirely self-funded. The increased class sizes and other efficiencies come up anywhere from $9 million to $19 million short each year from 2013 through 2016.

"That's a concern," said Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert. "We'll probably have some discussions to see if there are places we can trim."

Cameron noted Luna's proposal would eliminate about 770 teaching positions, together with 300 classified staff and another 60 administrative positions.

Luna said most of the teaching reductions could be handled through normal attrition, but it's unclear if that's the case with the administrative and classified positions.

Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said she supports the concept of giving laptops to ninth-graders, but she's concerned rural students might have a harder time accessing online classes.

"There's not enough time in the day to get everything done without doing work at home," she said, "but some parts of Idaho don't have dial-up (Internet access) yet, much less high-speed broadband."

The proposed increase in class sizes was another concern, Keough said. Even setting aside claims higher class size hurts student achievement, some classrooms physically can't accommodate more students.

Other lawmakers wondered how laptop use would be monitored to make sure students aren't visiting inappropriate sites or interacting with online predators.

The likelihood that large, urban districts would find it easier to enact these reforms than small, rural districts was an issue as well, as was the availability of training to ensure teachers could effectively use the new technology.

Overall, lawmakers continue to be receptive to Luna's reforms, but they want to see more details.

Gov. Otter has come out in support of the plan, but it may take weeks for the education committees and joint budget committee to work through it all. 

I am not so sure I am ready to trade teachers and aids for laptops.  The idea of getting a laptop sounds so appealing, but who will monitor what they are looking at, fix them when they break, replace them when they aren't returned and pay for the internet connection these kids need to use them at home?
Thoughts??????????

Today I am grateful my husband had the day off.  When you have a sick kid it is always better when one of you can be home for them.

Blogging.............

Blogging is hard.  I want to say something meaningful and worth reading everyday, but my life just doesn't lead to that kind of excitement on a daily basis.  I am enjoying the process, just not the concern I feel over picking a topic.  I will hopefully move past this rather quickly.


I subbed all day today.  Great sub job!  I got to work with SpEd kids, at a great school, with really good people.  These are days I value. I especially enjoyed the kids today.  One student I worked with today has Autism.  The more I am around students with Autism and the more I learn about it, the more fascinated I become with it.  These kids are amazing little people and once you gain their trust their world is yours.  I knew I had her when she ran over and gave me a hug. I had been with another student and hadn't seen her for about a half and hour.   When she saw me her eyes lit up, she is a girl of few words, and she came over and gave me a hug.   It was awesome!!

Today I am thankful for unprovoked hugs.  Whether they are from my own two boys or the kids at school, there is nothing better.   

Martin Luther King Jr.

I painted my boys' bedroom door with chalkboard paint to give them a place to draw and write.  What I didn't know at the time was that I would start using that door to write inspirational quotes for them to read.  Being that January is a time to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and all he accomplished for our nation, my quotes this month are from him.  I wanted to share those quotes today as my own little reminder of how far we have come as a nation of acceptance.

"The time is always right to do what is right".

"Let no man pull you low enough to hate him".

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools".

Today I am thankful for those people that are willing to stand up for what they believe in.  To them I say "Thank You".

Welcome...

Today is the day I start my first blog. 

I read recently that part of making yourself a happier person is writing something down you are thankful for each day.  It helps remind us of all the good in our lives and makes us take a minute to reflect on those things.  I tried using a journal to write down what I was thankful for each day and found it very difficult to remember to write each night.  So, I am planning to use this blog as a way of continuing my Gratitude Journal.  

I also plan to write about my life.  I figure I will just go with what I am feeling or thinking about each day and see where my thoughts lead me.  I hope that you enjoy learning about me.
  

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone.  ~G.B. Stern