Prom

Yesterday was Prom.  She is a senior, she will graduated this year... 2007.

This has been quite a thing for Liz and I.  I think I have been in denial long enough...my baby is graduating this year and I am so not ready!   We finally got her senior pictures taken and have the proofs, this week they will be ordered in time for the end of her high school career.  Her announcements are filled out, waiting for her pictures and party announcements.  Her commencement gown will be picked up soon.

Me, I still sit and deny, deny, deny.  Maybe it's because I know she will be going to the local Junior College next school year, maybe because she still has yet to have a driver's license, maybe because we are so close....

But my last kid will not be in the school system anymore!  The school I went to, Mark went to!  The one her 4 older brothers graduated from.

:::Sigh:::   there's always the grandsons!

Liz and Mike, Mike has his very long hair pulled back.  This was taken at his grandparents farm. 

BTW Prom was great.  Liz and Mike went with a group of friends and then to the house of S, for a bonfire.  S's brother was in the accident that killed the five teens.  I saw him & he's healed and doing great.  His mom and I reminisced about our high school days gone by.  It was good to see her, she is rattled, but her faith is strong.  Her daughter S is going away to college, she has her fears, but feels God will take care of her.  He did her son.  But S is like her momma, strong, fearless.

I have a very busy work week.  The teachers are spending all their field trip money before the end of the school year.  On Wednesday I get to drive a group to the Morton Arboretum.  I love that place.  The place should be showing it's spring finest.

Being busy and making extra money, makes the down days even more appreciated.

 

sunny monday

It's a lovely, sunny Monday.  Makes for an easy start for a work week.  So far so good in the morning, noon time, then comes the afternoon.   I am driving along dropping my grade school kids off at each  bus stop.  Many of my drops have 5 or more kids.  Many stay after school for after school activities, so I really never keep track of who's on the bus as I could never keep up with 40 + kids.  As I am heading toward a stop I am checking my bus load of kids in my mirror for naughty behavior and I hear a tiny little voice say, "bus driver, I believe I missed my stop".  What?!   I calmly said, "no you di...oh you did!" 

I bring the little girl up front get her full name as I only know her first name as she never gives me any trouble.  I assure her she will get home safely and I radio our base and let them know I have her.  As we pull up to her house her mom comes running looking like she was crying and freaking out.  She's on the phone, calling the child's school.  She is deeply relieved and I explain that in this type of situation she needs to call transportation as they can radio me quickly.  Whew!

We had the kids again on Friday night.  Dayton is teething so he kept me up quite a bit in the night, but that's ok.  His brother accidently hit him in the eye with a broom....at home thank God.  He has his first black eye!

 

 

finally sunny & spring

It's finally warm and sunny here in Illinois.  Looks like I will finally get some flowers on this lilac bush.  The leaves got nipped by the frost, but they will survive.

This little evergreen is our 'grandpa' tree (after Mark's dad, who died in 1998), Liz brought it home from school one year.  It started out as a stick.   Goes to show how hardy and persistent nature can be.  I have a cherry tree she got another year and it's over 10 feet tall.

I have followed Mother Natures lead and am crawling out of the long, and I mean long hibernation.  Feels great.

I have a trip this afternoon to a nearby school with a group of band kids.  There will be 3 other drivers so I will have company.

Our school district did not spend much time discussing the Virginia Tech shootings. 

It is concentrating on our teen alcohol crisis.  Guest speakers have been hired, articles written in newspapers all over the state.  Seems the shock of 5 teens needlessly dying in the middle of the night/early morning has brought to surface the ugly truth that kids today are out of control and paying a large price for our lack of responsibility to our young.   Of the four that died three had alcohol levels above the legal driving limit.  One .17...very high.

I have huge opinions on this subject having both been a troubled child/young adult who got my act together and raised 3 kids/5 stepkids.   But that is the past.  What I can do today as a person who is with children on a daily basis in my job is to keep my ears open, listen and direct.  Offer help and pray like crazy.

One can hope the rest of the community does the same.  After all as Hillary Clintons says, "It takes a Village"

I'll leave my opinion of her to myself!   Enjoy the day!

 

 

the cure for whining...

I was called at home on my day off by my supervisor asking if I could work extra and teach bus evacuations.  Me, ever the butt kisser said, sure.  I then was asked again the next day which was yesterday.  Evacuations are held twice a year at all the schools in the district.  Each class gets on the bus and is taught how to get off a bus in an emergency.  Man, kids are big these days.  I only had one kid try and dive out the door.  Lucky for him I am a good catch.

Tonight after work I went to one of the grade schools to help with kindergarten registration.  Wow the life of the working girl is rough considering I rarely have to work, much.  But I think of the extra cash, and the B complex has me, who  already is very hyper, much more so.  Fun stuff.

This past weekend the boys were here and we spent the two days at the park.    They are now unafraid of the slide, even the one with rollers.  Even Dayton who is ever they brave boy walks around all the benches.  Plus they sleep really good at night!

Liz, who is sick of working her part time job at Kohl's with full timers hours ( 36+) plus her senior year at high school, applied at Dick's sporting goods Sunday (online), had an interview today and was immediately hired.  Same pay, but she doesn't have to deal with the same type of customer.   Most likely soccer moms and dudes wanting hunting stuff.  She's happy so I am happy.  Retail is rough.

She is finally getting her senior pictures done on Saturday, we were waiting for the weather to change for outside shots.  The guy I had do all 5 of the other kids (even the one who did not graduate) doesn't do them anymore.  I refuse to go to the high priced studios.  Who needs big blocks of 2007 and needless crap in the picture.  I was recommended a nice lady who does very flattering shots.  And they will be ready before school is out.

I am not such an awful mom ... whew!  ;)

 

                      

 

ugh snow!

Here's happy Dayton.  I called Tracey and 'reserved' the kids for Friday, overnight.  Am I nuts?  No.  These kid give me so much joy and most of all hope.  Yesterday  a boy from my kid's school killed himself.  Put a gun under his chin and pulled the trigger.  He left notes.  My daughter met me at my bus which was parked at the junior high after her school got released.  She was hysterical.    God so much, so much for one school/community to handle.  I take these things so personally as I work in the district.  I have kids who have been and are in the the school district.  I have kids on my routes that I care about.  What was this kid thinking?  His mother is an art teacher at the grade school I have for my route.  The 5th graders were talking about it.  Spelling out shot himself so the little kids wouldn't know what they were saying.  Too late thay had already heard. So sad.

We had snow today, then sleet, then rain, then a thunderstorm.  Welcome to the Midwest.  Today and tomorrow are shorten days at school.  Friday is no school.  I bid on a bunch of trips for next week.  The spring sports have begun so there are a load of  them.  Our contract is up this year and we all need to step up and do some of the after school trips, or they will be charted out to company buses.  Some of our board members simply do not care who drives the school buses.  But I do.

Mark and I have been taking B complex, my guy at the Health food store says, B vitamins help stress.  It took a couple of days, but the other day I actually felt happy.  Have more pep too. 

I have learned once again there isn't much in life I have control over.  Not the weather, kids, my job, my husband, but I can control how I deal with them.

And I think I am doing pretty well.

  Dayton can stand by himself!

easter bunny & the boys

I have finally officially snapped outa my funk!  Life is good, even though the midwest thinks it's winter again.  Oh well!

 

Here's some pics of my weekend!  Babies make any day bright!

 

Not too sure about this guy!

Dakota loves to climb my stairs!

Jacob, Aunt Lala & baby Dayton...who is not so baby like anymore!

end to spring break

Tuesday my two stepsons cut down two trees and cut and stacked a bunch of wood.  The tree behaved and fell toward the street not on to my neighbors house.  The leaves are beginning to pop their leaves this week with the warm weather and sunshine...plus the downpour of rain thrown in. 

We did get our new dish TV on Wednesday.  I did loose my favorite local all day news station.  Probably for the best as when I was bored I'd sit and watch the loop of news go by every half hour.  Not a very productive use of time.   We had a thunderstorm last night and the satellite went out for about 5 minutes.  Boy did feel dumb, after all this whole thing was my idea.  But it popped back on soon enough.

Thursday  Liz and I went prom dress shopping.  Since I never attended the prom I had no knowledge of how expensive a nice prom dress can be.  Liz is helping foot the bill as most dresses are over $300, and with her body type (short and with curves) it is certain that the dress will have to be altered and shortened.  She found a beautiful, sparkled, magenta dress.  It is halter style and gorgeous.  I gave in and told her to get it.  She is my only daughter, is helping pay for the dress, & it is her senior year.  I feel like this is a preview for her wedding some day.   scary.

Because I've been in what I call "having my bitch on" mood lately I figured I would spend the week off doing what I wanted with no little ones to look after.   I did just that, cleaned up my front yard flower beds, took Liz to go shoe shopping and just hung around the house, taking well earned naps here & there.  We did go visit the boys today and they were happy to see us.  Dayton is crawling now and the other two are as cute as ever.  I did ask Tracey if I could keep them Thursday night as I am again off school on Friday.  Actually I have the Friday (the 13th) off too.  3 Fridays in a row.  How awesome is that!

It's once again gloomy and rainy, but it's April 1st and my 12 th wedding anniversary.  12 years, seems like more, but I guess time flies when you are having fun!

 

Have a good one!