monday

We had huge storms last night, a lof of thunder and lightening.  AND wind!  Lots of wind.  My morning was made even more joyous by my darling husband.  He's been off for a week and will most likely be off this week too.  All the rain has made the ground really too wet to work.  Liz's boyfriend is home from college and of course they want to spend time together.  And since my husband is bored he is fixated on them....how much time they spend together, where they go, what they do.  He blew his stack  right before I went to work.  He misread a premissions slip Liz had so Mike can go to her dance this Saturday.  He was on a roll so he kept rolling. 

By the time I got back from my am route he had found something to do.  He decided he better cool it with the griping.  He was messing with his Motorcycle that is sitting in the garage needing brakes and a few other things.  This is his mission for the week, thank GOD!  He found somebody to help him put it back together.  He found something to do other than complaining.  Give me a break.  I am sorry the kid is a girl.  If she was a boy he'd be a-ok with anything she did.  But daddy's are way more protective of girls.  At least Mike's a good kid, and so is Liz.

So he stopped complaining.

Good thing because I was just getting ready to write a list of things that could fill his time!

 

my kid, Eric

My son Eric is my middle child.  He's 21 and has all the traits (real or imagined) of the middle kid.  I always down played the whole middle kid thing.  When I remarried he was 10 and ended up being toward the young side of the age range.  When you marry a guy with 5 kids your kids do change.  I'd like to think all three of mine did, for the better. When my kids were little I was from the kinder, gentler school of thought, you know kids shouldn't be spanked, talk out our feelings, and all that stuff.  All that stuff is great, but there is a time and a place for discipline and thankfully I figured it out before I remarried and got 5 more kids.  I didn't spank, but I did make sure my children showed me respect and thankfully they have all pretty much grown up to be respectful hardworking members of society.

When Eric graduated High School in 2003 he decided he wanted to be a teacher and went to a University about 1/2 hour away.  Eric is a smart kid, but he never wanted the pressure of trying too hard in advance classes like his older brother Tim did.  He's the type that has always marched to his own tune.  His first year of college was horrible, he did nothing and flunked out.  The summer before this he had been working in the Menards warehouse, then at the store near the college after he started college.  After the whole college thing, he decided to go for his job at Menards with gusto.  He's now the Assistant Manager in the large hardware department.  I could not be more proud of him.

Over the course of the last two years Eric has shared housing with two different groups of guys.  All college kids who go to school full time.  Eric works A LOT.  He also has an income.  The first group partied too much flunked out of school and left the apartment trashed.   He paid a price for that mess.  The group he's with now are a bit more responsible.  Except for last week.  Seems one kid took some drugs went nuts, kicked a wall in, and slammed his fists into some parked cars.  All this while Eric is at work, the place he's been working at for 12 straight days.  The landlords were none too happy so they are being evicted.

Brings me to last evening.  Eric visits are not real regular, usually when his girlfriend is home on school break (she goes to the same school he want to) or if he's in town visiting his friends.  Eric tells us about the situation, of course my husband is "oh sure Eric you can move back here until next fall when you move in with your friends (these are guys he's grown up with).  Which I think is ok too.  We have the room and it would be nice to see my kid on a regular basis.  I am just glad he's grown up enough to stay out of trouble.  Very glad it wasn't my kid running around bashing in walls.  I know my children are NOT angels.  I know they drink, as a matter of fact 3 of my kids have some rather nice bars in their homes.  But for me I've been there done that.  They are young they have their own lives to live.  Choices to make.  I am glad though that they at least have the sense to come home and talk things out with mom.  Oh yeah his girlfriend is driving him nuts too.  That one is all on him!

Besides his experience at the store has him offering to help me build a pond this summer in the backyard.  And my old house need a bunch of updating...besides he gets a discount!!!

 

Yesterday was the vote for the Executive council for our union.  I did not get voted in, which as I said before I would not be upset.  My feeling is this...if I got voted in I would do the best job possible, if not, well, my life is really, really full right now.  I've rediscover my 'me' time and I don't want to part with that.  Besides the ones that did get voted in, there were five, are a nice mix of our department.  Now hopefully they will get a good contract written up for 2007.  At least as good as the one we have now.  I really, really like my job and the benefits are great.  I'd like to retire there.

Mark is with Jeremy today doing remodeling stuff (oh when is it my turn??? My old house I mean!), and he called me to ask if I wanted to watch the boys over Spring break and I said, "heck yeah!"  Liz is going to DisneyWorld for show choir so I'll be here probably wasting time, so why not hang out with my two little guys!  My break is the end of the month so hopefully the weather will be good.  It's 50's now with some chance of rain, but the snow is almost gone.  Glad for that. 

Liz's concert was according to her, JUST AWFUL!  She's in an all girl dance choir, I guess the group was fighting all evening and some didn't want to perform at all.  I could tell that they hadn't practiced enough when I watched them.  Hopefully they will get their act together.  They tend to depend way too much on the teacher.  And not practice on their own.  The younger girls don't want to listen to the upperclassman.  No respect I expect.  It's a shame, they were really good last year.  But they still have time to get their act together.  Hope they do!

 

Tip of the Day......
  Always keep several get well cards on the mantel... so if unexpected guests arrive, they will think you've been sick and unable to clean...

It is now a few weeks before spring and I can feel the buzz on the school bus!  Kids are ready to be OUT!   Lucky for me spring break is a few short weeks away and their parents can enjoy them.  Don't get me wrong I love them all, but they sure do get loud and wound up this time of year.

Went to water aerobics class last night.  As a district employee it's free!  My monitor wanted to go so I went too.  It was a lot of fun.  If I had to do all that running on dry land I am sure I'd faint.  But I wasn't too sore at all.  All this exercise is going to make me one buff grandma!

Speaking of, Mark was with Jeremy today doing guy stuff.  I guess my sweet grandson Jacob has been looking for me!  Oh gotta love the grandbaby!  <3!  He's into Monster Trucks, and Tracey broke one of his favorites on accident.  His daddy said he'd take it to the shop to 'fix' it, that kid was sure mad at his mommy!  It's so funny to see how kids entertain themselves.  My oldest loved Fireman stuff, and my middle son...Ghostbusters, Liz loved dollhouses and Barbie.  She could keep up with the boys though in a mean touch football game!

Liz has a concert tonight so I am off to that.  See ya!

 

 

ick snow!

Woke up to snow and it's still coming down.  We do need it or at least some form of liquid to come and quench the thirsty earth.  This area has a pretty major drought.  I will be thankful this summer when my plants come up strong, green and healthy.  It's always a mixed bag for me...rain=pretty green garden...dry=hubby works.  Hmmmmm....

I have been keeping myself happy watching gardening shows, looking through gardening catalogs and planning my garden. 

THINK SPRING!!!

This week went by really fast.  The weather never got as warm as the weathermen said, but at least it beat sub-zero temps from last month. 

My two girls who were suspended from bus came back on Tuesday naughty and disrespectful as ever.  They shot spit wads made from tiny pieces of paper from a little straw.  The first day I told them to clean up them up as I didn't want their spit all over my bus.  That was fine, until they decided to talk back to me, harass other students, laying on the tops of the seats, walking up and down the aisle and hooking all the seat belts together so the other kids would trip.  ISH!  You'd of thought the two weeks off would have taught them something.  So now they are off for another two weeks.  By the time they come back (if ever), it'll be only for week and then it will be spring break. 

Some kids you just can't be nice to or reason with, they just don't have the ablility to understand cause and effect.  They both have dentention many times during the month so they are bad in school too.  No matter, it's going to be a nice peaceful bus ride for the next two weeks.

We watched the boys last night.  Tracey had her ultrasound picture of the new baby.  It was cool, he's definitely a boy, and looks prefect!  We watched Madagascar with the kids and during the music parts, Dakota went nuts dancing.  That kid is a funny funny boy.  They both went to bed early, must of been a long week.  We still had a lot of fun, they always make me feel like I am the best grandma ever!

Liz had a contest today for show choir in Indiana.  The choir she belongs to is all girls, and a class.  The other choir (she's not in this one) is an afterschool program with both girls and boys.  Her group wasn't ready for the preformance (they never are), but had to go to watch and be roadies (help set up).  The school is 4 1/2 hours away so I was up at 4:30 to take her to school and will be back up at 2:30 am to pick her up.   Too bad I don't know the drivers too well or I'd have them bring her home!

I've been working out all week and like the structure of a fitness center.  I am very undisciplined when it comes to any type of exercise.  I've been to the Y, and was bored to death.  I never used the machines right and hated the treadmill.  I used to be a big walker, everyday at lunch time I walked for an hour.  Walked after work and on weekends.  With and without my dogs.  But with winter I've become way too lazy.  These past few days have really helped with my energy and stress level.  I'll start walking again and will ride my bike to work.  I may be little but with age comes gravity, I know that there's not much you can do with saggy skin, but at least I can have some muscle to hold it up!! 

Hope you all have a great weekend!

 

this and that and some other things

 

I've always liked surprises especially when I had my children.  Of course back in those days ultrasounds weren't as accurate as they are now.  I have a lot of boys in my family.  I have 3 younger brothers, my father had 2 younger brothers.  Me being a girl was a suprise in itself.  I was in shock when I had my own daughter.  My husband's fourth son was a girl until he was born and his "kick stand" as my hubby calls it popped up.  My husband has five sons.  Soooooooooo I was not surprised when Mark told me that after Tracey and Jeremy went to the doctor yesterday they were told they are having another boy!  I am actually happy.  I love boys.  Boys are what I am used to.  A girl would be nice.  But as they say as long as the little guy is healthy it's all good.  But my hubby's ex wife will be unhappy she's dying for girl!

Here's my kid, Tim with his stepmom at the Auto show.  Wish he would have brought that car behind him home to his momma!  Wow could I have some fun in that car!  I actually had a 1969 Dodge Charger when I was 18, but I was too young to appreciate that car.  It was fast, blue and beautiful!  I think I ran it out of oil, drats! 

Work's been fine.  I actually was nominated to run for the Executive Board Council.  There are five positions.  We have a union and it's very new and our conctract is up in 2007.  The district is really trying to contract more buses out to companies, which we do not want.  As a resident of the district I work in I don't want that to happen either.  School owned Transportation Departments seem to do a better job of caring for the children. We had a q & a session yesterday.  The position will require someone who is not afraid to speak out or work.  I am as qualified as any of the others running, but with all departments, some things become less about quality and more a popularity contest.  I've lived here most of my life and really love my community.  We shall see how things work out. 

Today I worked out with my niece.  She goes to Curves, which to me doesn't feel like the type of workout I am used to.  I am used to sweating, but after the 30 minute circuit I felt better and less stressed.  So I'll go back.  I like it.  We can encourage each other.  Afterall I will be having more grandkids to chase after and I want to be in GREAT shape to do that!