Dreams

I used to have dreams, lots of them. I used to get enough sleep so that I could have them. Now I have about 6 hours on a good night, so my dreams are few and far between.

This past month I have had two that stand out.

The first one was where my dad bought me a porsche and it was tall enough so that I could stand up in it. I had it parked outside of my new house. That dream didn't last long, and I woke up to my beloved toyota, aluminum siding and linoleum. It works.

My second dream......overflowing toilets. It was so real. When I woke up I figured we were bound to have one, but knock on wood, none yet.

Emily is settling into my school and so far, so good. Abs is staying out of trouble in SAS, minus the throwing incident. Junior is Junior and has mastered the art of the temper tantrum.

I scrubbed the dining room floor in a few spare moments I found, and now won't let the kids in there for fear it will get messy. Guess I'll have to break down and let them eat in there eventually, but no rush.

Gunner called today and all is well. He reached us during lunch at whataburger and was treated to the girls fighting over the funnels that came with the kids meals, Junior dumped a tub of ketchup on his burger, covered it with fries, and then tried to eat it while I was getting drinks. He says he misses us, but all the action that ensued in a 20 minute conversation probably made him tired.....and he can nap.....don't get me started on that one!

I can't have the maid back till I clean. I sure hope I can get it together soon. I need the break.

Grades due tomorrow. I had my first observation last week from my university supervisor. I think she was totally distracted during the 50 minute lesson because of the SIX new students that came in, the nurse taking the kids out 4 at a time for vision screening, one getting taken out for another test, and normal classroom dynamics. It was chaos, but I got a great rating, so there's hope for me!

And I am hopelessly addicted to the goodwill outlet. I bought a bag, washed it, and found $2 in my washer! I was excited, so I stuck it in the dryer, where an additional $21 came out. Can't beat that!

Happy Birthday Gunner!

You were such a young spring chicken when I met you, but damn you still look good!

We love you and miss you!!! Sorry the package will be late--okay I haven't even mailed it, lol. You didn't marry me for my organizational abilities, or lack thereof!

Sorry you aren't here to celebrate with us, but know that you are in our hearts. We'll go out to dinner for you. :)

In honor of your birthday, Abs knocked a gallon of milk out of the fridge on to the floor and made a giant mess. Junior pooped in the tub. The toilet got backed up. Em....well so far so good, but who knows what tomorrow holds......(knock on wood)

For Gunner

Gunner called last week--twice in one day! I was in shock! He has been calling about once every 10 days since he left, so that's not too bad. He complained that I don't update my blog more frequently. Ummm.....hmmmm.....maybe because I am busy taking care of children, working, going to school???

So Gunner, here's an update:

Em--seems to be enjoying her new school. It was only one day, so can't expect too much. They are reading a book and since she hadn't read it yet, she got to start reading it while they did the work with it for the week. Em finished the book during that time. The class is only on chapter 5.

Abs--what is there to say??? She is Abs. She was convinced there was an ant in her bed the other day and so every time I went to see if she was asleep, she was curled up at the top of her bed, sitting up. I told her to go potty, straightened her covers and told her I got the ant. Don't know why it didn't work when I did it earlier. She slept. At her school they are allowing her to go up to 5th grade for reading since she is so advanced. It's nice that they will do that.

Junior--he has mastered the art of temper tantrums. He must take after you. Yesterday he woke up and took off his pajamas. He had pooped so luckily he didn't take off his diaper. When I put him in there later, he took the diaper off too. Thank goodness he had just peed. I did the taking off the diaper and wiping poop everywhere the first deployment with Abs. Think the army will consider this an emergency and send you home???

Me--My 5 new students are pretty good. I am tired and worn out, but I don't have my school until the 27th. Good thing since I have done nothing for it. It's on my list. We are headed out in a bit to run errands and head up to school to get things done. One day I will be organized! I am still cleaning so that the maid can come back. Oh, we got a new fence. Probably a good thing since the other one would have been destroyed in the wind on Saturday.

Ike didn't hit here at all. I was hoping for a good thunderstorm. On the other hand I don't want to have to mow the grass!

The girls are watching Captain Planet. Junior pronounces Tia's baby's name as "rabbit". The german bakery is closed, so no treats for the next two weeks. The girls have Girl Scouts today. Martha is pregnant. (yes, you read that right! LOL)

Everything else is fine. We miss you and love you Gunner!

Dallas Airport

Since this is Gunner's third time in Iraq, he has flown through the Dallas airport numerous times. Every single time he has been treated extremely well by the USO and the other travelers as they rush from place to place to make connections. When Gunner left from here almost two weeks ago, he arrived in Dallas, hungry and ready for lunch.

Knowing he had a bit of time, he just headed over to McDonald's to grab something to eat. He say down and was quietly enjoying his meal when a lady came over and sat near him. She proceeded to tell him that she supported the troops but.......the war was wrong. The idiotic lady went on to tell him how the war was about oil, gas prices weren't coming down, and Bush was an idiot. She didn't stop there and continued to fill Gunner's ears with her political views when all he wanted to do was eat his lunch, think about having just said goodbye to his family, and about what lay ahead.

My quiet husband spoke. He told her why we were there. He explained why he believed in the mission. He talked about his political views. Gunner then told her that he had just said goodbye to his wife and three kids that morning, for another 9 months. He told her how he understood how precious time was, and he wasn't going to waste his time on her. Gunner got up and walked away. She said nothing.

To the lady at DFW....if you support the troops, all you need to do is say thank you. Leave out the but.......

Today

I called and talked to the principal at Em's school and she said she would talk to her teacher. Her teacher called me this afternoon and was smug and arrogant. I was not impressed. He said he was human and makes mistakes and that he did apologize to Emily. I had already talked to Emily though and she said she would give up her after school clubs and move to my school. After talking to her teacher, I would have insisted she be moved tomorrow anyway, so I told him I was moving her to my school and he was even ruder. Whatever. Let's hope it works out. I stress about these situations so much. I always have self-doubt. I just worry that she will miss out on something important with her clubs, something that might change who she is or make her excel at something. There aren't any clubs at my school. I try to balance it out with how she will have a much better environment at my school, but the doubt still wins over. I have to give two weeks notice for SAS, so I lose money there, but we have a lady at our school that takes care of teacher's kids for an hour after school each day for $10 a week. Talk about a steal. I'll still have to pay the big bucks for Abs and Junior though.

I'm so tired today. How long till I retire?

Teachers

I picked Em up from school today and she was upset.

Apparently she got in trouble for talking so her teacher made her copy 4 pages of a book as a punishment. So right off the bat I am upset that they used writing as a form of punishment.

Emily did the assignment along with another friend, and it amounted to 7 pages handwritten. They take it up to the teacher....he looks at it.....crumples it up.....uncrumples it.....then rips it to shreds and throws it away.

Are you kidding me????

Phone call to the school tomorrow. I tried to talk to someone when I picked them up, but she was about as bright as a turnip. Ugh....

Routine

While Gunner was home, I was cuddling Junior after a temper tantrum, and I just whispered into his ear that soon we would be back to normal. I felt horribly guilty after I said it. We love having Gunner home. (Although after battling "the list" every day, I wonder if he is actually getting more R&R in Iraq) The 18 days he was here were wonderful, but it wasn't permanent, and so it kind of through a loop into our routine. A good loop, but a loop nonetheless. I wouldn't have traded it for anything, but....does this make sense?

So we are back in our routine. Junior is back in daycare and so far we are entering the second week of no antibiotics. He has been on them since the beginning of the year, nonstop, and so this my friend is AMAZING! I did buy an ear band/it recommended by my friend Abbey and he now loves to wear it, and calls it his "band". His speech has taken off and improved dramatically too. Very reassuring. Tonight at dinner he was eating and then coloring his "homework" as he called it (since I was on Abs to do something in her homework packet). I went over to take him to the tub and he had pulled off his diaper because he pooped and it fell out everywhere. Of course he peed too. Little stinker. He acted surprised, like he didn't know what he had done.

Abs had a rough two weeks at school, but seems to be settling in. They had a homework assignment one night that had her researching like a crazy person. The problem read: "Dinosaur claws are twelve inches long. Lupe says they are 14 inches long. Is Lupe right?" So the point was to see if twelve and 14 were the same number (word vs number), which of course they aren't in this problem. Abs read the problem, cried research, and took off. I went into her room when she didn't come out and she was trying to determine if Lupe had a leg to stand on, because we don't know if the claws weren't 14 inches long, and Lupe was right. I tried to explain to her that we weren't questioning scientific facts, but trying to determine if she knew that twelve was different than 14 and if twelve and 12 were the same. She reluctantly agreed to answer the questions being asked for face value.

Em is doing well in school I guess. Now that she's in 5th grade she is secretive about what she does. I'll have to email her teacher, although I am still considering moving her to my school--more on that later. She is joining the robotics club and wants to be on the competition team as well. She is growing up way too fast, and she thinks she is already a teenager. I keep finding my nail polish in her room and such. I'm not ready for this!

Gunner is back in Iraq, and I have a story about his trek back for another post.

When I was hired, I was told that I was the "extra" teacher. Basically they have so many students that they thought they could get away with an extra teacher this year. That being said, I knew that if we didn't have the numbers that I would be moved to another school or grade. Well someone in the school district decided that we didn't have the numbers and we needed to move a teacher to another school for 3rd grade. Not a bad deal (although I would prefer to stay where I am). I could have done that, although not ideal. The principal fought and got to keep the teacher, and move her to....KINDERGARTEN. God help me! I am not cut out for Kindergarten. Thankfully another teacher volunteered to move, so I get to remain in 2nd grade, but I am getting 5 more students, even after having transferred out 2 in the last two days and getting a new one.

So I am up to my ears in paperwork, dirty diapers, washing everything to alleviate the worms spreading (no one told me how long to keep this up, but I have the feeling I am quitting soon), barney videos, and keeping my tween from becoming a teen. School started last Saturday so in my spare time I have a presentation to plan, several papers to write, a project to do, and tons more. You would think that I would be skinny as a rail from stress. Go figure.

And then there were 4....and The Ridiculous Shoe Problem

Goodbyes are never easy, especially after 18 days of togetherness.

Gunner left bright and early this morning as I headed off to work and took the kids to daycare before school.

Some pictures....





This afternoon when we got home, I got a notice saying that Abs was out of dress code. She goes to a public school, but they require uniforms. Last year I bought her a pair of shoes and she wore them for a few weeks. Summer came and she went back to her sandals and the tennis shoes sat. Once school was about to begin, I had her try them on and they still fit, so she was happy wearing them. A plain pair of nikes.

Imagine my surprise when I got a notice stating that "Your child was out of compliance in the following manner: Shoes--solid color." So I look on the back of the paper to see what the proper procedures are for tennis shoes. It says "Any solid color sneaker (accent colors on tennis shoes are acceptable) or velcro, loafer style, or laced shoe. No neon colors, lights, noisemakers, or rollers." It goes on to say "Shoelaces must match shoes in color or must be white. No flip-flops, sandals, high heels, clogs, or platform shoes. Athletic shoes are required on PE days. Must be worn with socks or tights....."

So I just don't get it. Abbie's shoes are white (although they could stand to have a washing) and the swooshes are a different color which would fall under the accent colors. So basically if she goes to school next week with these shoes on she will be sent home until she complies with the dress code. I think she might be switching to my school which doesn't require uniforms if it comes to that. I'm not buying a new pair of shoes when she might really need a pair in a few months. She also wore these shoes at the end of last year, and there were no complaints. Geez....

Am I losing my mind or is this ridiculous?

Thursday will make 39 trash days left. Slowly but surely.....

Random Thoughts

I survived my first week. All children are still alive, they think I am wonderful, beautiful and the best teacher ever. I definitely have my work cut out for me, but it is fun and different every day.



Palin as the VP--okay.



Gunner leaves soon.



I still haven't gotten a Wii. I should do it while Gunner is here so he can hook it up. Problem is they are out of stock everywhere.



The girls had a great first week of school. Abs has gotten in trouble every day for talking. She has the same teacher for last year and I really like her. Em has a male teacher this year, and she really likes him.



Junior had tubes put in his ear. He's been miserable since it happened. Hopefully improvement is around the corner.



I start class next Saturday. At least I know the workload will be less than over the summer. It's all good.



Junior got a hold of a permanent black marker and decorated the couch and the wall. I guess at least it wasn't desitin. Gunner's going to try steam clean it today.

Abs is reading Harry Potter and loving it.



Gunner's list has not been completed. Maybe I was too ambitious? He has changed every diaper since he came home, so I will cut him some slack. (Update: I had to get one this morning, so no slack!)

I had my grass cut for free by the organization that contracts for free mowings for military families. I'll find the link and post it.

I met some friends from my program for drinks after we got our computer the other day. It was nice. Our topics sure have changed!

I went and had my haircut last night and straightened. My hair is sooooo curly, it took two people over an hour to straighten it.

Gunner had a sleepover with the girls last night. This morning he assured me that he will be sleeping on a bed next time.

A long, long, long time ago, today, a beautiful, bouncing baby girl was born in Australia. She was the light of her parent's life and adored by her siblings.....or so she likes to imagine. :)

Wordless Wednesday

We start them early in our family.... he was puzzled as he watched some of the speakers during the DNC. Couldn't believe what came out of their mouths....

Make some money

Together again after deployment?



Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin are looking for couples to participate in a study about the transition from deployment to being reunited at home.


Couples will be paid $100 for participating in this study.


All participant information is completely confidential. This study consists of a two hour session, then two 20-minute internet questionnaires one month and six months later. Couples will receive $20 after the first session and $80 after the one-month followup.

Couples must be 18 or older, married for at least one year, reunited for between 2 and 18 months after a deployment, and not planning to deploy again in the next 2 months


For more information and to see if you qualify, go to: www.utpsyc.org/army
Or contact the research team members at: jenna@mail.utexas.edu

What next you ask?

Tonight we got home late and Abs ran to the bathroom. She came out and wanted to tell her dad about what she saw in her poop. Em started shrieking about how gross she was, and Gunner didn't want to hear it either. Of course being the mother that I am, I wanted to hear all about it.

And what did she see?

Gold star? No.

Acorn? No.

White worms? Yes.

I figure she has pinworms. I am disgusted. My poor little baby. So from the research she needs medication. Of course she is seen in Temple and her doctor doesn't work on the weekends. One of the drawbacks of keeping her with a civilian. So tomorrow morning I will send Gunner off to the er with Abs to get medication. I really should be mean and make him take all three kids, a bottle of sanitizer, some snacks, and make a day out of it--goodness knows I have done that almost every weekend he was gone!

UPDATE:
Well we did the scotch tape test after Abs had fallen asleep and sure enough, it is pinworms. Poor little girl. It was really gross. I think A Soldier's Wife is right, I am sure we will laugh about this.....one day.

Sad News

My friend Heather.

I wrote about her a while back here.

Heather was very vocal about her fight with colon cancer, but on August 20th, 2008, at the age of 30, she passed away. As a single mom, she worked, raised children, and became an advocate for colon cancer screenings for those that couldn't afford them. She was a beautiful person both inside and out, and her friendship has always meant a lot to me.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, especially Caleb and Gabby.

He’s Home

Gunner texted me while I sat in class on Thursday to let me know he would be home that afternoon.

We drove to Austin to meet his flight at 4. It was cancelled.

He got a new flight for Friday. I cried and planned our drive to Dallas to get him.

Called the airlines and they said he was coming in at 7 in Killeen.

Then Gunner called and said no, he got picked up standby. Apparently he was 5^th on the list and the COL and LTCOL's and MAJ ahead of him told the airlines to bump them and get him home. The airlines response…..we can't do that, you were first. They insisted, the airlines refused. Finally the stewardess said she could get them all on. Whew.

So with the delayed flight, the canceled flight, the standby flight, I was left with three hungry kids (Junior kept crawling up in random people's laps), a welcome home sign that Continental airlines donated the staples for since it had started to fall apart at the first airport, and a cell phone ringing off the hook. And what to my wondering eyes did appear?????

And so for now, our family is back together.

It's a boy!

My brother and his wife had a bouncing baby boy this morning!

He's perfect....

Major problems with daycare today and last friday. I just got home from delivering Abs to my mom for the rest of the week. It's just a crappy situation (daycare). Em doesn't want to go back either, but she doesn't have a choice right now. It's almost over for the summer. Gunner said that planes are backed up due to the US transporting Georgia troops back home because of the conflict there. I am just ready for him to be home, even if it is only for 18 days.

So ready.....

Hot, Hot, Hot

When Em was a baby we had a Sesame Street cd with that song on it. It's our new theme song here in Texas.

On Friday night, for the first time in I don't know how long, I went out. My fellow classmates and I went out to celebrate the last day of classes. With no stress, we played pool, shot darts, drank beer, and of course talked and talked and talked. We all come from such different walks of life, and although 8 months ago we had never met, we have now become great friends. Next week we start training, and while some of us are at the same schools, others are teaching the same grades at different schools and the sharing and networking has begun. I definitely couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be associated with and to spend all day every day with. I'll miss them, but our fall classes start up in September and most of them will be in training with me next week.

I got Em from camp on Saturday. It was so good to see her, even with her bandaged hand. Her hand is still really swollen, but she said it looked a ton better. Good thing I didn't see it after it had happened! She had a great time at Camp Pine Cove. It was a great place, and after getting hurt on the horse, she was scared to get back on, but they helped her conquer that fear. Thank goodness! She loved the zip line, the challenge course, the theme nights, swimming, pickle ball, arts and crafts, capture the flag, tons more, and the food was great to boot! At the end of the session they had a big closing ceremony, and then you could preregister for next year. This year Em went on a military scholarship, so we weren't sure how to fill out the form, since there is no way we can pay for this camp out of pocket--$800 a week! Ouch! So my friend sent her husband over to talk to the director and then he came back and told us what to put on the form.

While my friend and I were talking, a guy came over and started talking to her husband. He offered to pay the $125 deposit today because he had overheard that he was military and he wanted to thank him for his service. Talk about nice! Of course my friend's husband turned it down, but the thought that he was so generous, just warmed our hearts for the day.

We took Junior to the doctor today and he has another ear infection. Back on antibiotics. We hit HEB so I could grab stuff to make wraps. At school last week we had a chef come to our class and she made wraps with the kids, and they were so good. I've been wanting them again every since.

We got back, I made Dave's "lavosh" or however you spell it for lunch. They were in heaven. I put Junior down for a nap and then didn't have any homework to do, so I slept for two hours while the girls played quietly in their room. It was heaven.

We hit Kohl's this afternoon, and my two little fashion divas helped me pick out some clothes for work. We tried to find school uniforms, and I am hoping that I didn't miss the boat and can still find them. I really don't want to travel from store to store with three kiddos trying to track them down. Gunner's list?

The girls are hooked on H2O and it's kind of interesting. I really need a life, next thing you know I will be watching the new 90210.

The house cleaner comes back tomorrow! I wonder if I can make it without cooking till Gunner comes home. Yes, we are that close! I stocked up on oatmeal, made with flax seed, contains fruit, I use milk, add yogurt, and throw in some baby cereal with DHA for good measure. The kids love it and it has to be healthier than hotdogs and mac & cheese!

Last final

I had my last final today. Tomorrow I have our last day of teaching and a paper due. I at least made mine amusing for her since I know our prof is burned out too. It's just a reflection paper, my favorite kind as there is really no way to do it wrong.

Em comes home in two days. No more incidents at camp, so that's a good thing.

When Eduardo passed through town, Abs proceeded to give me an entire lesson on the history of the umbrella. I really didn't put much thought into why we have them, but now I know. It's amazing how much I learn from this kid.

If you ask Junior what his name is he will only reply with "me" and point at himself. I never say "hey me" so no telling where he picked this up from! It's cute though, and he named the bear Em got him from England "you". And what a pair "me" and "you" make.

Countdown for R&R is on. Hard to believe.

Training starts next week for school. My friend Mel asked me if there was ever a day I didn't worry.....ummmmm........probably not.

Oh, I hired someone to come clean my house, and I LOVE HER!!!! She's coming back on Monday to clean the kids' rooms. Yeah, I know they should clean their own, we'll get to that point, but right now I can't take it anymore. She's wonderful, did a great job so far, and I feel so much better when I am sitting here working since I don't have 5,000 other things that I need to be doing. I think I found my reward to myself.

You'll love this

I go to school today to pick up my classroom. Talk about bulletin boards, tons of them. No idea how I will get all this done.

I get out to my car after I am done and see my mom has called 4 times and there is a message. I call back and she starts off with "Em is okay". Never a good sign. Guess she hurt her hand at horseback riding today.

So I call the camp nurse and they have taken Em off to the er. She called during class to let me know that her hand was fractured--right hand and she's right handed--but that she was okay and already back to her camp activities with a splint on. The kiddo needs to up her calcium. we need to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon in the next 1-2 weeks, which means we have to go to the doctor and get a referral and then wait some more. Maybe I can add it to Gunner's list?

Here today…gone tomorrow

I saw Em briefly on Wednesday after she returned home from her three weeks in England. I picked her up on Friday after class and we spent the day getting our nails done, etc. Very nice and relaxing. Saturday I packed her up, and today I dropped her off at camp for a week. Camp Outback one of the Camp Pine Cove camps, gave a free session to military kids! Em didn't qualify for Camp Purple because she went last year, so we were really excited to find this camp. It was REALLY nice and not one we could afford since they are quoting $799 for one week next year. Ouch! But, it was all free, and they have so many things that they get to do. There is horseback riding, challenge course, wall climbing, water slides, zip lines, water activities, and tons, tons, tons, more. Her best friend Gwen is with her, and there were several other people that she knew as well.

When we drove up to camp, we were early (of course) and they had staff out on horses to go car to car to talk to the campers. When we drove through the gates, finally, they had tons of staff dancing and jumping around. It got Em even more excited. We had a counselor that followed our car, unpacked it, explained check in, and sent us on our way after a rousing welcome. I had never seen such enthusiasm in hundred degree heat!

We got Em checked in and settled in her cabin. Air conditioned thank goodness. I dropped her off at the pool where she passed the swim test with flying colors—guess the 10 weeks of lessons, hundreds of dollars and gallons of gas paid off. Tonight they were having a safari dinner and I am sure staying up late!

Abs has been such an angel lately. Calm before the storm? Sure hope not. When Em got back she did find that Abs had colored her carpet with a black marker. (Ata--According to Abs--she slipped)

Pics to come soon of the kiddos.

I went to the teacher supply store with my friend Mel on Saturday and was overwhelmed.

Junior is back on antibiotics, so he is in fighting form. So cute, so opinionated….must get that from his father.

Back to the books….

My crazy life

I'm on the home stretch with school! I still have a ton of homework to do, but knowing that I have a job makes everything worthwhile. I have a lot to do to get things ready for school too, and Gunner is due home in a few weeks for 18 days of R&R. He might get more rest in Iraq!

Junior's surgery had to be cancelled because it has only been two weeks since he had pneumonia. Of course they didn't want to give me any dates and I would have to wait to be called. I had been waiting since June 1st, so I started making calls, and if they couldn't help me, I went higher. I dealt with an absolutely amazing SSG in the patient liaison office, and he kept me informed, worked hard, and scheduled Junior's surgery for when Gunner would be home and his pre-op too. (Put that on Gunner's list)

The thingy you step on to get into the car is slightly skewed, but I haven't had a chance to take it in. (Let's put that on Gunner's list too)

Abs needs an EKG, but they only do them Friday mornings when I have class or training. (One more thing for Gunner's list)

Abs needs a follow up appt at the doctor but a parent has to take her since we will be talking about changing her medication. (One more for the list)

The kids need school supplies and uniforms. (I'll try to get this one, but might have to leave it to him)

His car needs an oil change which requires a trip to the dealer--don't even get me started on why we can't take it to one of those quick places, damn Saturn. (sounds like a fun trip for Gunner and the kids)

There's a few other dozen things that need to get done too. Not very relaxing, but I know Gunner will jump in with both feet and help get things done. Several times when he was home for a long weekend before he deployed, he would run around with me while I ran errands, drove kids around, etc. He was always in awe of how much I could accomplish in a short period of time to keep this family running. At least I know he appreciates me!

I'm sure we will mix in some fun activities like the water park, shopping, and the like. I can't wait, even if I will be working almost every day he is home.

I'm sailing along through SAIL. Today I had them paint the paper mache rats that I had them make the first day. Tomorrow we decorate them, so I'll be staying up half the night making whiskers out of fishing line and cutting cute little pink ears. They are so excited about it. My two lessons the other day went really well. the kids loved the treasure hunt and all of them could read a mad by the time we were done. The terrariums were a big hit as well and they can all describe the water cycle to me in detail. Next week it is butter, France, French words, nonstandard measurement with rats, and a graphic organizer thrown in for good measure.

Abs is doing okay. I went to pay for daycare yesterday and they told me that I couldn't pay with a credit card in the afternoon, only the morning. There was another lady there trying to pay and they told her the machine was down in the morning and try again in the afternoon. They told us we could pay the next day but there would be a late charge??? What??? I argued. I would be penalized because there machines don't work? It's a long drawn out story, but I don't think they are charging us a late fee now. I can't wait till they are out of there. They do a lot of fun activities, but the staff is not that great.

I saw Em the other day, home from her jaunt to the UK. I pick her up for good tomorrow and I can't wait to see all of her pictures and everything that she brought back. She had a great time!! I did find a message from her today when I got home from school and she was whispering, asking me for guitar lessons.

And I hiring a maid for my own sanity. I have to clean before I can let her in though....

Teaching

When I was researching alternative certification programs so that I could become a teacher, I had a few things that I was looking for. I needed one that would work with daycare, so I wasn't going at night, and I wanted one that was going to give me the most experience. Since I don't have to do student teaching, I selected the program that had a two week program where we taught. Sure it's not all day, but we have certain days that we do teach, so we spend our time preparing lesson plans, fillers, and handling classroom management.

Our two week program started today. My group chose the movie Ratatouille as our theme. This morning each one of the groups did a skit to try and entice the students to select our class. I was so worried about it, and worried about no one choosing us. We were the first group that filled up, and we have 8 cute little girls in our class. It's funny, because since we are in groups, Ms. J is a second grade teacher, I will teach 2nd grade, and our last partner is a junior high science teacher and football coach. He was totally overwhelmed with a class full of girls, since he has no idea what to do with them. It will all work out thought.

There are a lot of great groups, like grossology, a journey through Africa, Texas Indian Powow, Shrek's Trek, and more. The grossology group was sporting fake wounds today--my kids would have been all over that. We have gone to Explore UT several years in a row, and the first year we missed the fake wound booth. That's all the girls talked about for the next year until we could go again, and we had to be first in line for a wound. I'll have to find pictures, because by the time they left, one had a huge gash and a head injury, and the other had an open wound with a broken arm. My dainty delicate daughters.

Today I started the first step in our paper mache rat quest. I made one of my own, and it started out looking like a giant sperm. It now kind of looks like a cat, but the kids thought it looks like a rat and they were more excited about doing an arts and crafts project than anything.

I have a map lesson coming up, one on the water cycle where we will make terrariums, a walk through France where we will learn about the culture, trivia, learn some French words (I hope I am saying them correctly), make butter to eat with French bread, and non standard measurement with rats. We also have career day, rodents of the world, popcorn and the 5 senses, several reader's theater, and tons more. It should be a lot of fun, and I am kind of relieved we have all girls since Em and Abs have given me enough experience in that arena.

So, I have two more weeks left of school and then I start getting ready to teach with all the orientations, etc. I have no idea where to even start, so I am a little worried. Yes, it didn't take long and I found something else to worry about.

Saturdays

My inlaws dropped off our German breakfast. Yum.

We went to a wellness day through Scott and White, and it was pretty informative, and it was a great group of ladies that I got to spend some time with. One of them looked so familiar and it turns out that Junior and her daughter are in the same daycare and her son will be at the same school with the girls next year. Of course once they got the kids back together with the parents and served pizza, all the kids were busy eating....except mine, who decided it was time to cry. Junior was tired. Abs drew a picture that wasn't perfect....the list went on. Finally got them fed and watered and home. Junior's nap was heaven and I even got to sleep a little.

This afternoon we headed over to the new Target. I actually went there because I was looking for something, but the rest of the Killeen was there to check out the new facility I think. There's not a whole lot to go on in Killeen, so a new store or restaurant apparently requires the attendance of all. I can't wait till Barnes and Noble opens. I also saw that Cracker Barrell is coming along, and there will be a Chipotle. Not the healthiest of choices, but any kind of new choice in restaurants is welcome here! I'd love to get a good mexican restaurant.

No word from Gunner. At the meeting today, some of the wives heard from their husbands every day, and one more than twice a day. A friend of mine will freak out if her husband doesn't call at least every three days, and call the FRG leader. Someone asked me why I don't freak out more....umm.....what is there to freak out about? Please tell me I am not the only one that doesn't wait by the phone or curl up and die inside if they don't hear from their spouse. (Gunner, if you are reading this, ignore the previous paragraph, I am waiting by the phone with bated breath for your phone call, and I spend all day worrying about you and declaring my undying love for you. lol You know how I really feel. :)

I ate tongue

One of my best friends here at Hood, Mel, is hispanic. She is funny, hard working, and a lot like me. We are involved in the same program to become teachers, and we have spent all summer together, all.day.long. She makes me laugh, motivates me, challenges me, and drives me crazy sometimes. This morning she called me to ask me if I wanted a breakfast burrito from the taqueria. My reply, "Sure as long as you aren't trying to feed me tongue." I just said it in passing, I had no idea that she really ate tongue in her burritos. Shoot, I didn't think anyone ate that stuff. I can pretty much eat anything--but celery, raw broccoli, raw cauliflower, and chow mein noodles mixed with turkey and mayo. Blech.

So Mel shows up at school today with tongue burritos. I ate it. I even ate a second one. It tasted just like roast, minus the thought that I was eating a big, thick, cow's tongue. Once I got over the visual, I actually enjoyed it. Who would have thought!

Tonight we went to dinner with the outlaws. They have been on their best behavior. It could have something to do with their son coming home on R&R and they want to see him, but I would like to think that they are learning to deal with me. (I reminded them tonight that I had been with their son almost as long as he lived at home!) Anyway, within 10 minutes of arriving Abs and Junior are crying. I take Abs out and they get Junior calmed down. It is a small Italian restaurant, and of course they had to sit us in the middle of the restaurant. All eyes were on us.

Once Abs calmed down we returned inside. Andrew was in a crabby mood, but made it through dinner while sitting on my lap. Small price to pay. I found out that daycare had called my MIL because Abs was out of sunscreen. My MIL was nearby and picked up some more and dropped it off. They gave her the bottle that Abs had there...she had filled it with water. What goes through her mind???

Earlier this week Ab's grade level went on a field trip to Wonder World. The were waiting outside the antigravity room, and all the kids were screeching with delight about being able to float in the air. Ab's response was "People, it's antigravity, not zero gravity."

Em should be back in the States next week. I got an email from my mom today that said "Em is making herself at home on another computer and I can't watch her. She thinks she is very independent. Good luck when she gets back." This should be fun. She went on to tell me that she has her father's sweet tooth, but did eat 8 pear halves for breakfast--that's 4 pears. Can we say--runs?

We are plugging away here. Abs and I planted zucchini--late in the season I know--and it is already growing like crazy. Tonight after dinner we put Junior down and then she helped me make a paper mache rat. Our theme for our classes these next two weeks are rats. I never knew I would be so excited to see gummy rats at the dollar store, I bought a ton for my nonstandard measurement lesson.

I'm off to find a map of France!

Woohoo!

I got a job! I'll be teaching 2nd grade next year!!!

I wonder what I can worry about next.....

Why oh why

Since the dawn of man, my husband has been paid once a month.

They are changing that and I was informed that they will require EVERYONE to get paid twice a month.

Why mess with a good thing. I like knowing it all comes at once and I have to make it last all month long. It's a game to me, and the more I end up with at the end of the month, the happier I am. Maybe I'm the only one?

Nothing new & then some...

Still plugging away in school.

Junior seems to be doing much better.

I am healed....knock on wood.

No word from Gunner. His chain of command was working to change leave since there was no point in him coming home if we are in school all day.

Still no job, so maybe I won't be in school all day, lol.

The one thing I like about my program (well, one of the many) is that they introduce me to things I need. I absolutely LOVE the ped-egg. It works wonders on my dry feet. Of course they also introduced me to Skinny Bitch and now everytime I eat I think about what I read. Thanks a lot. As if we didn't have enough to do with school, we are now pouring over labels seeing what kind of crap we are putting in our bodies. There's no way I can be vegan, but I did make stir fry using tofu last night, and Abs was in heaven. Yes, my 7 year old daughter inhaled over a cup and a half of tofu and declared it delicious. Tomorrow we are having black beans so Abs decided it was the perfect time to describe our digestive tract and how it worked. A friend at school showed me a great Grossology book and I think it will be on Ab's list for Christmas.

Em is still on vacation for another week. They are in London now, and she seems to be enjoying herself. On the bright side, I got a message today from her and it was not in pig latin. Apparently she made a friend in Oxford who taught her pig latin, so I had to learn to decipher it quickly in order to read her emails. The kid cracks me up. They visited Windsor Castle today and the guard winked at her. How's that for providing me with lots of information!

Found the cutest shirt for Junior. Hopefully pictures will follow soon.

Military Spouse Contest

Phyllis, over at mrslieutenant.com is co-sponsoring a contest with yourmilitary.com for military spouses. The contest is "Tell -Your-Own-Story" and the deadline is July 31st with prizes being awarded from Phyllis Zimble Miller and Lifetime is providing prizes from ARMY WIVES as well!

They are looking for your "Happies or Saddest or Most Significant Moment while your husband/wife served on active duty"--hmmmmm.....I think I have a few million of those!

The prizes are great, so head on over there, check it out, and good luck!!! Can't wait to hear your stories!

More lessons learned

Last night I was still sick--I really think it is something that I am eating--and I left the vaseline out and open after getting Junior ready for bed. He apparently found the vaseline and wiped it all over himself just like I do. He still had his pajamas on which made for a greasy mess. He kept saying "I lubed up".

When I went to pick up Abs yesterday from daycare, one of the kids told me as I was walking in that Abs got in trouble for giving mouth-to-mouth. Are you kidding me? So I sign her out and there is a note that I need to see the staff. I go to one of the staff and ask what it is about and she tells me that she has no idea and that I should see the staff at the front desk. So I go to the front desk and she has no idea, so she asks the ladies behind the counter. They continue their discussion on what so and so wore to church last week and I waited and I waited and I waited. Finally I gave up, let the lady know that they could call me if it was that important, and left. I think I am afraid to know!

We went to the mall this morning so I could get a few things. Abs was not on her medication and was ALL OVER the place. The employees at Dillards fell in love with her and next thing I know Abs has them convinced to put on a puppet show by moving the mannequins. The mannequins started moving and talking to her and she was delighted and the employees were having a great time. Then she had to act like a mannequin, it was the stillest she was the entire visit.

Junior is down for a nap and Abs is in her room for a bit. Total silence, so time to crank out some homework. I bought a science experiment book and Abs is fascinated with the thing. I found her last night with a flashlight reading it. She has almost read it cover to cover (it's pretty thick) and I think once she is done we will do a couple of experiments out of there for kicks.

I got a bath last night (thanks Marilyn!) and Abs and I are about to start on a Mother Daughter book club that Marilyn sent us too! There are several different books in there, but I think we will start out with Anne Frank since Abs is fascinated by the "hellacaust" as she calls it. My mom took Em to the Holocaust museum in Houston and she still talks about it. Abs wants to go as well, and we took them into "Daniel's Story" in DC, but we didn't think that they were ready for the whole museum. I still remember visiting Dachau when we were stationed in Germany. No words.

I have a day of R&R scheduled for next Saturday, and they are taking the kids for me and serving lunch and snacks. Not sure what else will be going on, but I'm willing to check it out!

Off to write lesson plans about maps, treasure hunts, rats, nonstandard measurement, rodents of the world, France and more!

Still alive & random thoughts

After me being sick for the last few days, I thought the weekend would never come. I'm sure mine is stress related, but I am feeling much better. Maybe because I just have to do homework all weekend and work tomorrow?


When I had Junior in the er on Sunday and Monday, I told them that amoxicillian would not work, but they of course didn't listen. I took Junior to the doctor today, and his left ear is worse and his pneumonia is too. They don't think he needs to be hospitalized yet since I am pretty vigilant, which is reassuring. I explained to the doctor why I did not think that the amoxicillian would work, and since he had been on it for 6 doses, he agreed. He gave me another medication to try, so I am hoping that my baby boy will be back in fighting form soon. Poor baby...


Abs is missing her sister. I am also missing my alarm--"Mommy, Abs is out of her room!". So far Abs has found rubber cement which she used to paint with--I didn't even know we had any. She rifled through the drawers in my bathroom, but I don't think she found anything interesting to play with/destroy. Abs is great with her brother and adores him, which is nice. When we go drop Junior off in the morning at daycare, I have to pry her out of his room since she loves it in there.


I had a 45 minutes presentation the other day in my educational psychology class. I HATE public speaking. I was so worked up about it, but luckily it was on Montessori and since Abs went there for a year and we loved it, I talked for over half an hour on it and my friend was able to do the beginning of the presentation. Our professor doesn't hand out super high grades, so we were shocked and excited to get a 100! My classmates told me that they won't listen to me complain about not being good at public speaking anymore since they know differently.

Junior thinks his blue "fuffy" is a yellow blankey like Baby Bop's.


We were at the pharmacy on Monday night and Junior was convinced that the picture of the black guy on the wall was his daddy. Today, every time we saw a Soldier, he called them "daddy". One Soldier came up to him at the pharmacy and spent a few minutes playing with him and talking to him. It was so sweet and Junior loved the interaction with a male. He doesn't get much of that.


I talked to Gunner online today. All is well in his neck of the woods. He sent two pictures so we could see his smiling face.

He looks good and strong...Army Strong. When did they start putting the logo on their gear?

We should own stock in pedialyte. My FIL traveled around to all the stores till he found the flavors that Junior liked and he bought them all and dropped them off for me. Huge help!

Tons of schoolwork to do this weekend, but we are on the home stretch!

Adventures of Sick Boy and Mud Girl

This morning Junior woke up with no fever. Strange. I gave him his medicine, motrin as a precaution, and took him into daycare. He seemed okay. During my break, I called and FINALLY scheduled his surgery for the 5th of August. I then asked if the doctor could call me back and put Junior on a low dose of antibiotics till his surgery. The doctor called right back and did what I asked. All was good. I am back in class and my phone rings. It's Gunner's Dad, Opa. Opa tells me that Junior is running a fever and that Oma is going to go get him but she needs a carseat.

So I give directions to where I am, and assume that she will be by shortly. I wait, and nothing. I get a call from daycare. They are in a panic and tell me that Junior's fever is over 102.5, rising and his fingertips are turning blue. He's also having problems breathing and his heart is racing. They say he needs to go to the er immediately by ambulance.

So I run into class....of course I am crying by this point....and grab my stuff and run. We are at the er and Junior now has a fever of 104.7 and his pulse is over 200. They give him tylenol and motrin. So what do they do with us????? They send us back out into the waiting room and tell me that if he starts to have a seizure to get them. I was floored.

So we are in the waiting room (praying that my son doesn't have a seizure), and Junior is sitting there quietly in the stroller. I'm busy watching all the people and holding his hand. There was a guy (I think retired) and his three or four kids that he wasn't watching, being loud and obnoxious. This comes into play later.

They buzz me up to the counter and tell me that I need to take Junior to get a chest xray. By this time my MIL and FIL show up. My MIL took so long to get to Junior because.........she had to wash her hair first. Give me a break. Anyway, we get an xray done and go back to waiting. While waiting, my MIL realizes that she lost Junior's hospital bracelet. So she told me to go retrace her steps and find it because Junior is Oma's boy and she needs to be with him. I do not carry a concealed weapon for a reason.

I send Opa to get Abs from daycare and Oma heads off to work. I sit there waiting, watching obnoxious guy and his obnoxious kids. I finally get called back and get the room right next to obnoxious guy. We wait forever. They finally come and tell me that Junior has pneumonia and a double ear infection. The PA was great, but had to be followed up by the doctor--yeah, he just happened to be the same one that sent us home the previous night. He looked embarrassed, but he didn't apologize at all. Jerk.

Then there is tons of noise from next door, our door is slammed shut, and Junior and I are lying on the exam table singing barney songs over and over and over again. I scrounged up a roll of crushed stale ritz crackers and a warm bottle of water and we had a feast. So then we spend another hour waiting and the nurse finally comes in to take Junior's temp again, which is down to 100.5 on motrin and tylenol. She gives him a Popsicle and we wait some more. Finally the PA comes back with the discharge stuff, and tells us that there was a huge problem and she apologizes for it taking so long. We go to leave and the obnoxious guy is surrounded by MP's. We get down to the pharmacy where obnoxious guy is escorted to pickup some prescriptions. I asked the guy next to me what happened, and apparently we were locked in the er because the guy went crazy and started screaming and yelling and punching things, apparently making threats towards the PA, etc. MP's got called, and they got him under control. Can't I have a boring hospital visit???

Our number finally got called for the pharmacy and they gave me the prescription that the ENT wrote for his ear infection. I asked him if it should say pneumonia on it, and if that would cause problems later, etc. He got really defensive and said some not so nice things to me. Of course I had to respond.

So we finally get out of there, and I call Opa to have him meet us at the house. He had fed Abs and so I was hoping to put her straight to bed and then feed Junior, myself, do hours of studying and get to bed before midnight. I pull up to the house to find Abs caked in mud from head to toe. I thought I was going to lose it! Any other time I wouldn't have cared, but I had been so stressed and was hungry, tired, and everything else. I wanted to get them into bed so I could do what I needed to do. Instead Opa had let Abs play in the mud. I didn't have a problem with her playing in the mud, but did she need to rub it all over her body? Did she need to get it all in her shoes? Hair? This is Abs, every single pore was covered and then some. If only I had had my camera charged. She could have been my WW this week.

So now mud girl and sick boy are tucked into bed. I scrounged up a sandwich. My homework is calling my name......

P.S. I a very grateful that my inlaws were there to help me up, even if it didn't sound like it. They bought a carseat tonight to put in their car so that they can pick him up without having to bother me. (I envision them forgetting to tell me that they have picked him up because he was sick and I can't find him) Oma is keeping Junior tomorrow, and I know he will be well loved and well taken care of. They did drop everything to help me (after her hair was washed) and I do appreciate that!! I have to keep reminding myself that they grew up totally different than I did or my parents and that makes a difference....and it keeps things interesting.

P.P.S. Gunner, I think when you come home for good I am going to deploy to a hotel for a few days, and you can't call your mom to come help you! Sad thing is, I know I would miss them terribly (& you) and I would worry the whole time, so I wouldn't enjoy it. Now Vegas on the other hand....lol.....

Sick Baby

He was doing okay this morning, but he took an extra long nap and woke up screaming about his ears. Off to the doctor we go. We get there two minutes before they close at the weekend clinic--and there is no one there--and the lady looks at me, and tells me that I'll have to call tomorrow to get an appointment. I have an obviously sick kid in my arms. I told her I would just go to the er and took off. So we head to the er and get in there when Abs decides that she is tired of being good. So I have two screaming kids. Junior has an infection in his eustachian tube, but they don't want to put him on antibiotics. So I get him home, he's shivering, I give him a bath since he is filthy, and he got dressed and fell asleep on the living room floor. Poor baby.

On the bath front--he did okay in the bath tonight. I got some of the foam soap as my friend Catherine suggested, and he was fine in the tub until he got some of the foam on him and then he freaked out. Wish he would make up his mind!!! Abs is in the tub right now and so I am sure that bottle of foam is gone...

UPDATE:

As soon as I typed that, I went to get Abs out of the tub and I felt Junior's forehead and he was burning up. So now I have a super sick baby. Will he/we ever catch a break????

Feng Shui my life

I was talking to my friend Jessie last night and she was giving me some feng shui advice, so today will be spent taking it and running with it. Our health corner is junked up with toys and goodness knows we need help in that area for little man.

I'm also contemplating taking him to the doctor today. I hate to not take him and then have to hit the er during the week. I also need to clean Junior's room so that I can walk in there. He has the tiniest room and since my FIL put the toddler bed in there, and the crib and stuff are still in there, you can barely squeeze through. I'm still not ready for him to go to the toddler bed yet though.

New story of Em up......

Talked to Gunner yesterday for quite a while. He looks good, mail is slow, and they have a new Iraqi Army to train. He told me once that the IA always tells him that "Allah blesses you" because he has three children. Then they go on to tell him to have more and more and they puff out their chests with pride at the 6, 8, 10 or more kids that they have. Gunner just shakes his head. Guess they don't have a waiting list for vasectomies like they do over here.

News from England

Not being able to talk to Em while she is in England, is killing me! I'm curious to know about everything she is doing and her reaction to everything....okay maybe I would get more information from talking to my mom. My mom updated her blog and there are a few stories about their trip so far.....Read here. In one email my mom reported that the other day three little boys were fighting to sit next to Em. She's oblivious to it all, so don't worry Gunner!

The difference 15 years makes

15 years ago on a friday night I would have:
just woken up from a nap
called some friends
made plans
showered
gotten dressed
gone to dinner
gone out
come home late
sleep in
spend the next day studying

this friday night:
picked up two kids from daycare
made dinner
changed a poopy diaper--it's bad I am hoping it doesn't mean the sick diet is around the corner for the rest of us
cleaned the fridge
read stories
put kids to bed
started on homework

How has your life changed in 15 years?

New Session, new attitude?

Well it's a new summer session, but don't hold your breath on the attitude. Still trying to be optimistic about a job.

In other news....

Junior is freaked out by baths. Nothing has changed, but he screams and screams and screams and nothing will make him happy. He's in there for about 30 seconds, and I don't give him a bath every day either. No idea what is wrong, but hopefully he will grow out of it and fast! The shots of antibiotics seem to be working so that is a good thing. Hopefully we get a surgery date soon.

Em and my mom arrived in the UK and everything is fine. That's all I know so far. I'm jealous, but glad that Em gets to go.

Abs came out of my bathroom the other day--which she is still banned from--and she had put on deodorant, at least that is what she said. I went in there and she had also put deodorant all over the bathroom walls. My bathroom now smells powder fresh.

Gunner is keeping busy and finally called after almost two weeks. Still much better contact than we had the first two times he was there. He will have been gone 4 months this Saturday. Hard to believe in some respects, and seems like much much longer in others. 47 trash days left.

On a bright note--I found someone to mow my front, side and backyard, plus weedeat, and they blew off all the grass from the patio, driveway, walkway and porch for.......$13!

Off to study....

Kids

My mom kept the kids Saturday night. Read the story and see the pics here. I'm sure my mom is ready for Abs to lose the pink cowboy boots.

Weekend Clinics

It's sad when they recognize you there. Thankfully they have them though and we don't have to sit in the ER all day and night. I took Junior in today and they decided to give him a shot of antibiotics. They said it was super strong and should knock out everything, but we have to follow up tomorrow with the doctor to see if they want to give him a second shot. Poor baby.

While we were at the clinic they convinced me to get seen and I walked out of there on antibiotics after having a chest xray. Hopefully I start feeling better since I have finals this week!

Yesterday we were at the store and I had Junior in the ergo. He was fussy so I was kind of bobbing around and some strange woman walked up to me and told me "I bet your husband likes you moving up and down like that!" What the heck? And this random stranger felt it necessary to share this with me for what reason??

Em leaves on Tuesday for the UK on her big trip. She is so excited and I can't wait to hear all about it although I will miss her terribly. I'm sure Abs will keep things interesting though.

And I know I have a 2 year old since every other word he says is no, no, no, no, no, no. Sometimes I have him repeat after me and we just say yes over and over again for a change of pace.

Back to the grind....

Happy 4th of July!

We did nothing today but clean, I studied, kids read, played, watched a movie. We had an all American dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Hey, they requested it, how could I deny them?

Not much to blog about...

We went to a rodeo last night.
Em has shaved the outside of her eyebrows off...she denies that she did anything, but I couldn't figure out why they were not very wide and looked funny, so I had to take a closer look.
I spent most of the day with Abs on Thursday. I thought my ears were going to fall off from all the talking she did. She was not quiet more than 20 seconds. She even narrated the movie I let her watch.
I think Junior has another ear infection so we will probably hit the doctor on Sunday if he gets worse. Poor kiddo.
My mom is keeping the girls saturday night. I wish it was all three so I could crank out all my homework!
Talked to Gunner tonight on the computer, and Junior sang him songs. So cute. Junior was mesmerized watching his dad on the screen.
Our backyard is the perfect spot to view the fireworks put on by Fort Hood. The kids loved it, although Abs thought that they should form Greek Gods that were fighting mythical creatures. She also thought that they needed to have the Statue of Liberty up there too with her tablet and she proceeded to give us a history lesson on the Statue of Liberty and American Independence. Emily spent the entire time stating that all the loud fireworks were whiny like her sister. Junior kept singing "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee".

Never a dull moment.

Happy 4th of July!

Free Welcome Home Sign!

Jump on this while it is still available! Buildasign is offering a free banner to welcome home your Soldier. You have to pay for shipping which is almost $7, but that's nothing when you think about how much these signs cost. Hopefully someone will find this link useful!

Plugging Along

I broke down and bought a new laptop and it is wonderful and has cut my workload in half because I don't have to wait on my other computer to think between each keystroke. I wish it would write papers for me too.

Gunner called on Junior's birthday and it looks like R&R might be as early as next month! I'm glad in a way, but that is a long 10 months after he goes back. I told Em that he might come home soon, but he would have 10 months after he left again, and she said "Okay, we'll be fine mommy, we always are." I'm glad she has confidence!

A friend's husband deployed last Thursday to Afghanistan. Saturday she got a ticket and on Monday she was rear ended and her car totaled. She has 4 children too. Makes my life seem pretty sane.

Next week I am done with the first term of summer school. Still unemployed, still worried about it. Apparently my program will let me start working either in December or next school year with minimal penalty. The problem with that is that Gunner will be home and we could PCS to Carson and then I am totally out everything I have spent or we are separated for two years, and that's not going to happen! By the time we could get to Carson if I stayed here, he would surely deploy again and that would make it three years. Yeah, I am a bundle of optimism these days.

The kids are doing fine. Junior is on antibiotics still and still no surgery date yet. They said they would call mid-July for an August date. How's that for speedy service? Em is leaving next week for 3 ½ weeks in England with my mom—I'm very jealous. I need to get her packed and ready to go. Abs has managed to not kiss any little boys lately and so far I haven't received any complaints from daycare. She spent the day at the waterpark so she even fell asleep before 9 tonight! Wish they would wear her out that much every night!

I haven't heard from Gunner since Junior's birthday, but I do think we might be down to 49 trash days this Thursday? I better figure that out so I have something to look forward to.

Homework is screaming my name….

Horse Whisperer

He absolutely loved the horse and cried and cried when he got off. It didn't take long for everyone to guess how old he was.

A natural after a week at horse camp!

She was so serious and quiet!

My friend Melinda took this picture. I don't know what Junior was doing with his mouth.

We had a great time and the 40% chance of rain never materialized. The area was beautiful and they had a really nice ranch house. It was air conditioned so that is where Abs wanted to hang out all the time. They also had a stocked pond, but we didn't try our hand at fishing this time. Maybe next time since he invited us back!

Happy Birthday!!!

Junior turned two yesterday. The first time I sang Happy Birthday to him, he kept saying "No Happy Birthday". By the end of the day he was screeching "Happy Birthday to me!". He's so cute and growing up toooooo fast!

Another day in the life of Me

I went to the dermatologist.

Picked up Abbie's prescription. The doctor had been on vacation and so I was sending her to school on no medication. Mental note--this is not a good idea.

Came home, took a much needed nap. Went to class. Had presentation.

I went to pick up Junior and walked in on him chomping down on some kid. Great. Even better--that was his third incident for the day. He felt the need to chomp down on two other kids as well.

Then I go get Abs, and got a notice that she was going to be suspended. I about lost it. Apparently she gave a boy a peck on the cheek. Then later someone said she spit on the chair while in the bus, a few drops and none of it touched the kid.

Okay, she shouldn't kiss a boy and she shouldn't spit. But be suspended for THAT? Give me a break. I wrote on the comment section. Probably not a good idea when I am upset. Then I talked to one of the teachers, and told her that it was unacceptable. At no time did Abs put anyone in danger and this was the FIRST time that she did ANYTHING, and I wasn't in the position to be able to pick her up on a whim because they thought they had a kissing bandit on their hands. I asked her if Abs hurt anyone? No. Did she tie the boy down? No. Did she at any time put anyone's life in danger? No. I asked a bunch of other questions, and then told her that I would talk to Abs, but I wasn't about to be threatened and have more stress added to my life because of them. She agreed that the threat at the bottom of the page was excessive and said she would talk to the director. I would have done it myself if I hadn't been on the verge of tears.

Not like I haven't spent the last two days crying anyway. Geez.

First presentation I started crying before I got up there. Luckily this was the class where I like the professor. I got it together and my presentation was okay (of course I am my own worst critic!), my friends said it was good. Must have been the water cycle song. LOL My Aunt ME has been a lifesaver through all of this. She is brilliant!

I don't know what my deal is lately. Doesn't help that it's been a week since I have heard from Gunner. I know he's busy, but I got used to being in pretty constant communication with him, and I just needed to talk to him this week. I know we made it to the one year left mark, but that just made it feel like it's still a lifetime till he comes home.

Still no job. And don't even get me started right now on one of the teachers I have this term.

On the bright side, I got a box in the mail today from someone that adopted Chris! It was a total surprise and made my day! Inside were four wrapped packages--one for me, two for the kids, and one for all of us. Can't wait to unwrap them and see! She mentioned how Abraham Lincoln said to take care of the families left behind, and so that she did! Did I mention that it made my day? Thanks so much Marilyn! Your kindness means the world to me.

UPDATE: Gunner called 7 times. Of course all 7 times I couldn't understand a lick of what he said, and the last time where I actually heard him say hello, we got disconnected. He didn't try again. Can't say that I blame him, but maybe tomorrow he will get through. And hopefully his son won't bite. And his daughter won't kiss any boys.

P.S. I sent Abs to her room when we got home and no one could watch tv today while I made dinner. (Mean mom, I know, I know) Abs showed up to dinner with a pile of makeup on her face and mascara all over her eyes. There went the other half of the bottle....

Money down the drain

I wonder if there is a song about that? If there is, Abs should have been singing it as she was pouring my Estee Lauder makeup down the sink. And her sister left her chapstick in there too, and that is now ruined. I don't know how she managed to sneak in there.

Em was going to NASA today on a field trip and it is 10:10 and she still isn't home. My FIL is picking her up--yes, being the anal person that I am, I did call to make sure that he was standing outside the building.

Junior went to the doctor yesterday and they upped his medicine. He's not on antibiotics right now, but they gave me a prescription to fill and keep on hand since we know it will progress to an ear infection. Right now they are hoping that it will just not get worse. Poor kiddo. Still waiting on ENT to call me, since I called them and they assured me that they would call soon. I will call again tomorrow.

I have two presentations tomorrow. If anyone knows me, they know that public speaking is not my thing. I can talk in front of kids, but not adults. I had to put it away, and will wing it and hope for the best. The more I work on it the worse I get. I am teaching a water cycle song too, and I told my friend that if my presentation doesn't last 5 minutes we are going to sing the song over and over and over. I'm sure they will love that!

No word from Gunner in a long while. If I wasn't so busy, it would bother me. I know he is busy and that the internet connection was in and out, so I'll wait. Gunner, if you are out there, call home!!!

Saturday Erin had to take a test for her teaching certification, at Baylor. They have a great children's museum up there so I took my three and her two up there. I actually came out with my hair still intact too! It really wasn't that bad because Junior is really good about keeping up with his sisters and moving on when they did. Tucker was a dream, and Scout Jr. is just as sweet as can be! The car ride home was a whole other can of worms. Erin shot some video so maybe she will get to posting it in the near future. Just imagine three crying kids and one saying "I think I am going to be sick..." Never a dull moment. Erin and I could do nothing else but laugh. Such is our life....

School is getting somewhat better. Once I have these two presentations over, I will be a little ahead of the game. I did break down and buy a laptop and that cut my workload in half. I was spending hours trying to format papers APA style (shows how old I am, we still used MLA or something like that the last time I was in school) and there was such a delay in typing. I was able to crank out 4 items in one evening, which would have had taken me days before. I am not one to make impulse purchases, but I was in tears Thursday after class and just did it. It does the bare minimum, but it works for me.

And I never thought I would get my daughter a cell phone, but it is 10:20 and Em should have been home and fast asleep already.