I had every intention of posting yesterday. I really did. But we don't always do what we want, do we? We plan, but God commands. I decided to give more of a recap, instead of posting separately for yesterday and today.
Yesterday was a pretty busy, non-stop type of day again. We woke up to rain, and went to bed with rain. It rained on and off all day long. Thunderstorms woke us up in the morning, but thankfully the rest of the day was quiet. It was hot, muggy, and dreary. School was good; my son got caught up on all his assignments. Unfortunately, his cold was making it difficult to focus, so he did 4 hours worth of work and left it at that. Since he'd done an extra hour of work earlier in the week he was able to finish early and rest, which is what the body needs with a cold or flu. He's feeling much better today; not 100%, but certainly not as bad as yesterday.
After school I threw a load of laundry into the wash, then got ready for bible study. I look forward to our Thursday night study because Beth Moore teaches like no one I know. I wore a pair of dress pants because, with weather as yucky as we had, I didn't feel like getting dressed up. That was my thought process, anyway. I ended up looking pretty dressed up in my navy blue pants, navy blue long sleeved v-neck, and cream colored scarf. I wore a pretty pair of cream colored heels too, because I don't have many closed shoes. Living in Florida means sandals, flip-flops, open-toe shoes, that sort of thing. I also have sneakers, but I wasn't about to wear dress pants with tennis shoes. I did my makeup pretty quick, and it turned out lovely. I got there on time (I'm always on time everywhere, which is unlike the South Florida culture), and enjoyed some fellowship with the ladies. Then we sat down to our study. Once again, the teaching rocked my world. Honestly, we here in the US take prosperity for granted. We complain about what we don't have, when there are people in this world who lack the basic essentials. We're so busy trying to keep up with the Joneses, that we don't appreciate the fact that, compared to most nations of this world, even the poorest American is wealthy. It cut me to the core. I am so blessed - how dare I complain and whine about what I don't have?! God reminded me that we're to show compassion, not feel it. It doesn't do anyone any good if all I do is have pity, then turn and walk away. I have to be willing to do something! It gave me a lot to think about, and plenty to repent from.
After I got home, my daughter wanted to tell me all about her day. She literally followed me around the house talking away, which is why I didn't get to post. I was exhausted by the time she was done. Besides, I wanted to get to bed early. My cousin asked me to babysit her youngest son, so I had to be up and ready when he got here the next day.
Unlike yesterday, today was chilly and cool all day, without a cloud in the sky. Those who live in Florida know, the weather changes in the blink of an eye! I'm kinda hoping the whole weekend is as beautiful as today - it was gorgeous the entire day!
I thought I was up pretty early, but I was finishing up getting dressed when the little guy showed up at the door. He's in pre-k, but he wasn't able to go to school. He has eczema. When the school teacher saw it she said the school needs verification that it's eczema and not impetigo. His mom made a doctor's appointment, but the doctor can't see him till tomorrow and he won't be allowed in school till he gets medical clearance. He's a sweet little 5 year old boy, and I'm always happy to have him here. As long as he can watch his favorite TV program, Super Why, he will behave like a little angel.
E did his one assignment for English (and got a 90%) and attended his Hope live lesson, then he watched documentaries on Netflix because he was all done for the week. It was a much easier day for him, which he totally appreciated.
After school was done and our little guy was picked up, my daughter and I headed to the mall. We have a baby shower to attend tomorrow. It's a brunch style shower, so the ladies will most likely be dressed very casual. My clothes are mostly dressy, or around the house type of clothes. I have 2 pairs of jeans that I wear occasionally, which are hand-me-downs from my daughter. I wanted some jeans of my own, something more appropriate and dressier than what I have but still casual-looking, and New York and Company had a sale going on, so that's where I headed. I found two pairs of jeans, one pair a dark indigo and the other a very dark grey. I wasn't sure what size would fit, so I got a size 8 and a size 10. On top they fit fine, the 8 better than the 10, but the length...either I'm shrinking or these things were excessively long. I mean like, even with a pair of stilettos they would be too long. I was sure I hadn't pulled any jeans from the tall section, so I didn't understand why they were so long. Then my daughter heard one of the sales associates say that this particular style came in one length. Obviously that length was extra long :P. I didn't want to get something that I'd have to hem or get altered, so I went back and got a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of ankle length "boyfriend jeans" (why any woman would want to wear her boyfriend's jeans is beyond me). I picked up both in size 10 and headed to the dressing room. I tried on the ankle length jeans first; they were enormous on me. I was afraid they were going to fall off! Well, maybe not that big, but they were really big. So I asked my daughter to get me a pair in a size 8, and she went ahead and got the skinny jeans in a size 8 as well. I tried the ankle length in size 8; still too big. I could say right now that I was frustrated, but what woman gets mad because she's smaller than a size 8? My daughter went back for a size 6, and in the meantime I tried on the size 8 skinny jeans. Perfect fit. She brought back the size 6 ankle length jeans. Another perfect fit. Which is why I always try on clothes before buying them. You never can tell what's going to fit, and it's better than making another trip to the mall. I didn't get anything else, because I didn't find anything else I liked. NY & Co has always been a favorite store of mine because I find clothes that are stylish while still age appropriate for me, but what I saw today was a lot of clothes geared towards a more youthful demographic. Even my daughter said, "Sorry mom, but it looks like NY & Co is trying to bring appeal to a younger crowd." Not what I wanted to hear, but I had to agree. My store is a-changin'. :'(
We got some really cute baby outfits for tomorrow. Our friend is Puertorican like me, but she lives in Sweden with her husband. She's visiting family, and a quick baby shower has been organized so she can take stuff back with her. She specifically asked for baby clothes, because she says they're really expensive in Sweden. We found some adorable outfits at The Children's Place that were super discounted, and which I think she's gonna love. We are so happy for her, and happy to be able to share in this joyous celebration of new life with her.
So now we're back home, I just finished having dinner (fried chicken, shells with white cheddar cheese, and mixed veggies), and now I'm gonna do my nails. I haven't figured out what I'm gonna wear to this baby shower tomorrow, but of course I want to look as pretty as I can! Good night ya'll, be beautiful!
Showing posts with label babysitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label babysitting. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Monday, Monday
I feel like I'm starting off the week right. I'm getting back into my groove. It's a good way to start the week, especially on the day everyone hates.
I woke up once in the middle of the night, and prayed that God would take any unnecessary thoughts out of my head so I could go back to sleep. It worked. I dozed off till 6:00. I got up at 7:00, after spending some time with the Lord, and got my day started. My cousin was bringing the kids over today, since there's no school (Martin Luther King Jr. day). I figured they'd be here between 8:30 and 9:00, so I had to get moving. I had already decided what we were gonna have for lunch/dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, breadsticks, and salad. I needed to get the sauce in the crock pot early. I don't care for sauce in a jar, so I make my own. It's so simple, yet so much better (and healthier) than anything in the stores, and it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. A couple cans of crushed tomatoes, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, one dried bay leaf, sofrito (made with onion, green pepper, garlic and cilantro), olive oil, salt and pepper. Throw all the ingredients in the crock pot, and in 3 hours you have sauce. Done. The meat gets added later. For breakfast, I decided to make pancakes. I like buttermilk pancakes, again from scratch, because in my opinion they are just as easy to make as the boxed version, only they don't taste like a cardboard box. I made a batch, along with bacon, Oh, my kids love me, and now you know why.
As I was finishing whipping up our breakfast, the kids arrived. They were actually late; it was after 9:00 when their dad dropped them off. They brought bags of cereal that they had for breakfast, as we sat down to our pancakes. Once I got the dishes in the sink the kids immediately asked to play a board game. They brought Monopoly Jr., which they'd gotten for Christmas. Over the summer I babysat them everyday, and we played at least 2 board games daily. They loved coming over to my house because I took the time to play with them and teach them games. I believe board games are so much better than video games; they're more interactive, and require more thinking. While video games can be good for motor skills, so can card games. The best part is, with board games you're looking at your opponent in the eye, rather than at a television screen. I'm not opposed to video games; I just think there's better stuff out there. So we played a game of Monopoly Jr. (totally fun), then my son R came out and started playing on his Wii U. And they were gone. For the next 2 hours. Oh well, at least I was able to keep them focused for a little while.
I took advantage of those 2 hours and got some cleaning done. Yesterday, as I was folding laundry, I tried to plug a light into the wall and accidentally knocked down my Dyson vacuum cleaner, the one that's been out of commission for the past few weeks. I'd tried taking it apart to figure out why it wouldn't stand upright or work properly, but to no avail, so I had it in my room as I tried to decide whether to get it fixed or not. As I picked it up to put it back where I'd had it, I realized what the problem was. A piece, conveniently located right in front of another piece that I had taken apart and put back together, was out of place. I moved it back to where it was supposed to go, and voila! The vacuum cleaner was upright again. Since it was already late at night I hadn't tested it, but I did try it out today. It works like a dream. To think I'd done so much to try and fix it, yet in one split second it was up and running. All I could do was shake my head.
My daughter stayed home from work today. Her throat is sore, her voice is gone, she had a low grade fever, and her sinuses are hurting. Sounds just like what her brother had. The good thing is that she's been able to nap during the day. The bad thing is, she's gotta work tomorrow. Hopefully she'll feel better in the morning.
After cleaning up I browned the ground beef and added it to the sauce, then made the breadsticks and spaghetti. I like Pillsbury breadsticks; they taste good and are less messy to make. As I was pulling the salad fixings out of the fridge, the kid's mom came and brought them pizza. It's easy to see what their favorite food is: they went at it like piranhas. I made the salad with a few sweet peppers from my garden, and my one lone tomato which had finally turned red. It was a tiny little thing, but it packed a lot of sweetness! I'm hoping it won't be the only tomato I get from that plant.
As I sat down to eat my lunch I took a look at the Bare Escentuals website to see about my order. I hadn't gotten an email yet but I kind of hoped there would be an update about it shipping (there wasn't). What I did see that caught my eye: 10% off everything on their website, and free shipping. Why do they do this to me??? It's like they knew there was something I'd wanted to order but hadn't, so they enticed me with an incredible offer. I have to admit, I debated back and forth whether to place the order or not. I went through my makeup, reviewed my budget, and ultimately I got it. It's a set of 5 eyeliners in different colors: bronze, green, taupe, plum, and gold. This set normally sells for $29; one Lasting Line eyeliner on its own sells for $16. This particular set was already on sale for $13; with the discount and tax I ended up paying just over $12. That's about $2.50 per pencil. I couldn't let a deal like that slip away! Besides, I currently have 2 black eyeliners and 3 brown ones. I also have one called Forever Brandy, which is a sort of burgundy/purple shade. One of the brown ones is a bronze color, but that would be the only repeat. I'm excited about having pencils in different colors because, at my age, black is harsh against my skin. I'll still wear it, because I love black eyeliner, but it's too dramatic for anything other than special occasions. Lighter colors are more flattering, and these colors will be a perfect fit.
As I was putting the lunch dishes in the dishwater, I asked my 8 year old niece if she'd gotten homework over the weekend. She said that she had, and that she'd done all of it except for Reading Plus. Reading Plus is a computer program the kids in public school use to improve their reading skills. She knew she was supposed to do Reading Plus at my house, but she hadn't mentioned it to me. When I asked her about it, she said, "I was going to tell you." Uh-huh. Like 5 minutes before her grandma picked her up? Yeah, right kid. I had her sit down and get to work. She could have finished quickly, but she's so easily distracted! Her brothers played on their tablets to keep them quietly occupied (as if it's possible to keep two little boys ages 5 and 7 quiet), and she was almost done by the time her grandma came to get them. It was sad for me to see their grandma; she had been grandma Maria's primary caretaker for almost 30 years. Her mother had helped her raise her daughter, and she in turn had cared for her mother in her declining years. While she smiles and loves on her grandkids, there's definitely a sadness in her eyes, and I'm sure an empty spot in her heart. We all know grandma Maria is with Jesus and she's no longer suffering. It's the one comforting thought we have.
Once they were gone I fed Molly, then went to the front yard to trim some trees and bushes that were getting overgrown thanks to last week's rains. Tomorrow is trash day, so I wanted to get as much debris inside the garbage tank as could fit. I filled it up but good! It took me an hour but thankfully the weather has been superb, in the low 70's with a nice breeze, so yard work was actually pleasant. I had my dinner and rested a bit before taking my shower. I cleaned up, picked up, and now I can try and plan tomorrow's school day. Honestly, I have no clue what we're gonna be doing. E has finished all his assignments; unless there's something he needs to change or correct, he's done, but he has 2 days of school this week. I'm pretty sure his teachers won't be having any live lessons, since they have to finish grading everyone's final exams. I'm waiting to see if I get any emails from his teachers, otherwise we're gonna have to figure something out. Shouldn't be too hard, right?...
With that I will bid everyone a good night, sweet dreams, rest well, and remember, Jesus loves you.
I woke up once in the middle of the night, and prayed that God would take any unnecessary thoughts out of my head so I could go back to sleep. It worked. I dozed off till 6:00. I got up at 7:00, after spending some time with the Lord, and got my day started. My cousin was bringing the kids over today, since there's no school (Martin Luther King Jr. day). I figured they'd be here between 8:30 and 9:00, so I had to get moving. I had already decided what we were gonna have for lunch/dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, breadsticks, and salad. I needed to get the sauce in the crock pot early. I don't care for sauce in a jar, so I make my own. It's so simple, yet so much better (and healthier) than anything in the stores, and it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. A couple cans of crushed tomatoes, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, one dried bay leaf, sofrito (made with onion, green pepper, garlic and cilantro), olive oil, salt and pepper. Throw all the ingredients in the crock pot, and in 3 hours you have sauce. Done. The meat gets added later. For breakfast, I decided to make pancakes. I like buttermilk pancakes, again from scratch, because in my opinion they are just as easy to make as the boxed version, only they don't taste like a cardboard box. I made a batch, along with bacon, Oh, my kids love me, and now you know why.
As I was finishing whipping up our breakfast, the kids arrived. They were actually late; it was after 9:00 when their dad dropped them off. They brought bags of cereal that they had for breakfast, as we sat down to our pancakes. Once I got the dishes in the sink the kids immediately asked to play a board game. They brought Monopoly Jr., which they'd gotten for Christmas. Over the summer I babysat them everyday, and we played at least 2 board games daily. They loved coming over to my house because I took the time to play with them and teach them games. I believe board games are so much better than video games; they're more interactive, and require more thinking. While video games can be good for motor skills, so can card games. The best part is, with board games you're looking at your opponent in the eye, rather than at a television screen. I'm not opposed to video games; I just think there's better stuff out there. So we played a game of Monopoly Jr. (totally fun), then my son R came out and started playing on his Wii U. And they were gone. For the next 2 hours. Oh well, at least I was able to keep them focused for a little while.
I took advantage of those 2 hours and got some cleaning done. Yesterday, as I was folding laundry, I tried to plug a light into the wall and accidentally knocked down my Dyson vacuum cleaner, the one that's been out of commission for the past few weeks. I'd tried taking it apart to figure out why it wouldn't stand upright or work properly, but to no avail, so I had it in my room as I tried to decide whether to get it fixed or not. As I picked it up to put it back where I'd had it, I realized what the problem was. A piece, conveniently located right in front of another piece that I had taken apart and put back together, was out of place. I moved it back to where it was supposed to go, and voila! The vacuum cleaner was upright again. Since it was already late at night I hadn't tested it, but I did try it out today. It works like a dream. To think I'd done so much to try and fix it, yet in one split second it was up and running. All I could do was shake my head.
My daughter stayed home from work today. Her throat is sore, her voice is gone, she had a low grade fever, and her sinuses are hurting. Sounds just like what her brother had. The good thing is that she's been able to nap during the day. The bad thing is, she's gotta work tomorrow. Hopefully she'll feel better in the morning.
After cleaning up I browned the ground beef and added it to the sauce, then made the breadsticks and spaghetti. I like Pillsbury breadsticks; they taste good and are less messy to make. As I was pulling the salad fixings out of the fridge, the kid's mom came and brought them pizza. It's easy to see what their favorite food is: they went at it like piranhas. I made the salad with a few sweet peppers from my garden, and my one lone tomato which had finally turned red. It was a tiny little thing, but it packed a lot of sweetness! I'm hoping it won't be the only tomato I get from that plant.
As I sat down to eat my lunch I took a look at the Bare Escentuals website to see about my order. I hadn't gotten an email yet but I kind of hoped there would be an update about it shipping (there wasn't). What I did see that caught my eye: 10% off everything on their website, and free shipping. Why do they do this to me??? It's like they knew there was something I'd wanted to order but hadn't, so they enticed me with an incredible offer. I have to admit, I debated back and forth whether to place the order or not. I went through my makeup, reviewed my budget, and ultimately I got it. It's a set of 5 eyeliners in different colors: bronze, green, taupe, plum, and gold. This set normally sells for $29; one Lasting Line eyeliner on its own sells for $16. This particular set was already on sale for $13; with the discount and tax I ended up paying just over $12. That's about $2.50 per pencil. I couldn't let a deal like that slip away! Besides, I currently have 2 black eyeliners and 3 brown ones. I also have one called Forever Brandy, which is a sort of burgundy/purple shade. One of the brown ones is a bronze color, but that would be the only repeat. I'm excited about having pencils in different colors because, at my age, black is harsh against my skin. I'll still wear it, because I love black eyeliner, but it's too dramatic for anything other than special occasions. Lighter colors are more flattering, and these colors will be a perfect fit.
As I was putting the lunch dishes in the dishwater, I asked my 8 year old niece if she'd gotten homework over the weekend. She said that she had, and that she'd done all of it except for Reading Plus. Reading Plus is a computer program the kids in public school use to improve their reading skills. She knew she was supposed to do Reading Plus at my house, but she hadn't mentioned it to me. When I asked her about it, she said, "I was going to tell you." Uh-huh. Like 5 minutes before her grandma picked her up? Yeah, right kid. I had her sit down and get to work. She could have finished quickly, but she's so easily distracted! Her brothers played on their tablets to keep them quietly occupied (as if it's possible to keep two little boys ages 5 and 7 quiet), and she was almost done by the time her grandma came to get them. It was sad for me to see their grandma; she had been grandma Maria's primary caretaker for almost 30 years. Her mother had helped her raise her daughter, and she in turn had cared for her mother in her declining years. While she smiles and loves on her grandkids, there's definitely a sadness in her eyes, and I'm sure an empty spot in her heart. We all know grandma Maria is with Jesus and she's no longer suffering. It's the one comforting thought we have.
Once they were gone I fed Molly, then went to the front yard to trim some trees and bushes that were getting overgrown thanks to last week's rains. Tomorrow is trash day, so I wanted to get as much debris inside the garbage tank as could fit. I filled it up but good! It took me an hour but thankfully the weather has been superb, in the low 70's with a nice breeze, so yard work was actually pleasant. I had my dinner and rested a bit before taking my shower. I cleaned up, picked up, and now I can try and plan tomorrow's school day. Honestly, I have no clue what we're gonna be doing. E has finished all his assignments; unless there's something he needs to change or correct, he's done, but he has 2 days of school this week. I'm pretty sure his teachers won't be having any live lessons, since they have to finish grading everyone's final exams. I'm waiting to see if I get any emails from his teachers, otherwise we're gonna have to figure something out. Shouldn't be too hard, right?...
With that I will bid everyone a good night, sweet dreams, rest well, and remember, Jesus loves you.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
It's Sunday
A "good" day is classified as a day when all news is good news. A "not so good" day is one where the news is bad, sad, or anything other than "good". So what do you call a day with a little of both? I call it, Everyday.
I got to Sunday school late. That's because I got up late. I got up late because I kept waking up last night. I don't get it; I went to bed at my regular time, and I was tired. Why did I have such a hard time sleeping? I've never had trouble sleeping unless I have something on my mind, but that wasn't the case last night. I just kept randomly waking up. Is it the whole pre-menopause thing? 'Cause if it is, I ain't liking it.
Anyway, I got to Sunday school late, and it was almost a cheer-fest. I'm usually the first or second person in class, making coffee and setting up. They all figured I must be sick or something because I'm rarely ever late. It felt really good to know my church family cares that much about me.
We're looking into a curriculum for our Sunday school class. Last week we finished an intense study into the book of James, and now we're looking for something topical, something about living out our Christian life. I'm hoping we can find something on discipleship, which is what the pastor has been teaching on since the beginning of the year. If a curriculum can be found it would be great, so we can tie everything in, but we're trusting God to lead in what He wants us to study.
We went to service, and Pastor Ralph was teaching today. He talked about what it means to be a real man. It was a great teaching, but it's what happened afterwards that really moved me to tears. For the past few weeks we've been praying for a sweet lady in our church. LS has had cancer twice in the past, has had to go through chemo and all the ugliness that comes with it. Recently she went to the doctor and was told her levels were high and she'd have to go in for more tests. This was presented to the whole church so that we could all pray for her. Today she announced, citing Psalm 115:3, that it pleased the Lord to keep her cancer free. The joy in my heart was overwhelming! I'm not a crier; I personally hate to cry in public, but I could feel my eyes well up with joy and happiness knowing our prayers had been answered. Before I left I found LS and gave her a huge hug. She is one of the most loving, kind, humble human beings on the face of this earth, and she prays for everyone. It was a most satisfying feeling to know that I had the privilege to pray for her and have my prayers answered in such a wonderful way.
My son E and I left church quickly; E was complaining of a stomachache. We ate leftovers for lunch, then my oldest son R's friends came over to play video games. My daughter A got home shortly thereafter, not looking good at all. I don't know how she was able to lead worship today - her voice is shot. She's obviously caught her brother's nasty cold, and she's feeling pretty miserable. She's also being very clingy. My daughter is not a small child; she is a 25 year old adult. But when she is sick, she wants hugs from mom. Mom, on the other hand, wants to stay clear and NOT catch what she's got. I don't know how we're gonna manage that. She's pretty whiny too; all she's had to eat is soup, but she's complaining that she's got too much liquid in her stomach, making her stomach hurt. Her throat is sore, her ears are hurting, but when I told her to go to bed and get some rest she gave me the "I don't wanna go to bed" look. *Ugh* Just when her brother was feeling better, and I thought we'd gotten through this with only one person catching it. Yeah right. I'm not getting off that easy.
I happened to go to the school's website to see if any of my son's teachers had posted his final semester grades. I almost fell out of my chair. My son's English grade had gone from a 96% to an 87%. What?! How could that be?! She hadn't graded his thesis or his final exam the day before; had he done that poorly?!?! I checked the grade book and saw the grade he'd gotten on his thesis. 1%. When I clicked on it, I saw the note the teacher had left for him: he was supposed to have sent in his thesis with a Turn It In report. Turn It In is a website that checks their work for plagiarism. Without that report, the highest grade he can get is 1%. Thankfully, his teacher was kind enough to let him submit the thesis to TII and email her the report, so that's what we did. The actual grade she gave him is 100%, so that should bring his grade back up. I'm glad I went in to check that; the semester ends on Wednesday and that's when the final grades go in. It would have been the difference between getting an A and getting a B.
The rest of my day has been pretty ordinary. I finished the laundry and put it away, watched an old episode of the Tonight Show, then cleaned up the kitchen. I think I'm gonna go take a shower now and relax the rest of the night. Maybe I'll even get some sleep :P. I'm gonna need it - I'm babysitting tomorrow. Board games, here we come! Have a blessed night.
I got to Sunday school late. That's because I got up late. I got up late because I kept waking up last night. I don't get it; I went to bed at my regular time, and I was tired. Why did I have such a hard time sleeping? I've never had trouble sleeping unless I have something on my mind, but that wasn't the case last night. I just kept randomly waking up. Is it the whole pre-menopause thing? 'Cause if it is, I ain't liking it.
Anyway, I got to Sunday school late, and it was almost a cheer-fest. I'm usually the first or second person in class, making coffee and setting up. They all figured I must be sick or something because I'm rarely ever late. It felt really good to know my church family cares that much about me.
We're looking into a curriculum for our Sunday school class. Last week we finished an intense study into the book of James, and now we're looking for something topical, something about living out our Christian life. I'm hoping we can find something on discipleship, which is what the pastor has been teaching on since the beginning of the year. If a curriculum can be found it would be great, so we can tie everything in, but we're trusting God to lead in what He wants us to study.
We went to service, and Pastor Ralph was teaching today. He talked about what it means to be a real man. It was a great teaching, but it's what happened afterwards that really moved me to tears. For the past few weeks we've been praying for a sweet lady in our church. LS has had cancer twice in the past, has had to go through chemo and all the ugliness that comes with it. Recently she went to the doctor and was told her levels were high and she'd have to go in for more tests. This was presented to the whole church so that we could all pray for her. Today she announced, citing Psalm 115:3, that it pleased the Lord to keep her cancer free. The joy in my heart was overwhelming! I'm not a crier; I personally hate to cry in public, but I could feel my eyes well up with joy and happiness knowing our prayers had been answered. Before I left I found LS and gave her a huge hug. She is one of the most loving, kind, humble human beings on the face of this earth, and she prays for everyone. It was a most satisfying feeling to know that I had the privilege to pray for her and have my prayers answered in such a wonderful way.
My son E and I left church quickly; E was complaining of a stomachache. We ate leftovers for lunch, then my oldest son R's friends came over to play video games. My daughter A got home shortly thereafter, not looking good at all. I don't know how she was able to lead worship today - her voice is shot. She's obviously caught her brother's nasty cold, and she's feeling pretty miserable. She's also being very clingy. My daughter is not a small child; she is a 25 year old adult. But when she is sick, she wants hugs from mom. Mom, on the other hand, wants to stay clear and NOT catch what she's got. I don't know how we're gonna manage that. She's pretty whiny too; all she's had to eat is soup, but she's complaining that she's got too much liquid in her stomach, making her stomach hurt. Her throat is sore, her ears are hurting, but when I told her to go to bed and get some rest she gave me the "I don't wanna go to bed" look. *Ugh* Just when her brother was feeling better, and I thought we'd gotten through this with only one person catching it. Yeah right. I'm not getting off that easy.
I happened to go to the school's website to see if any of my son's teachers had posted his final semester grades. I almost fell out of my chair. My son's English grade had gone from a 96% to an 87%. What?! How could that be?! She hadn't graded his thesis or his final exam the day before; had he done that poorly?!?! I checked the grade book and saw the grade he'd gotten on his thesis. 1%. When I clicked on it, I saw the note the teacher had left for him: he was supposed to have sent in his thesis with a Turn It In report. Turn It In is a website that checks their work for plagiarism. Without that report, the highest grade he can get is 1%. Thankfully, his teacher was kind enough to let him submit the thesis to TII and email her the report, so that's what we did. The actual grade she gave him is 100%, so that should bring his grade back up. I'm glad I went in to check that; the semester ends on Wednesday and that's when the final grades go in. It would have been the difference between getting an A and getting a B.
The rest of my day has been pretty ordinary. I finished the laundry and put it away, watched an old episode of the Tonight Show, then cleaned up the kitchen. I think I'm gonna go take a shower now and relax the rest of the night. Maybe I'll even get some sleep :P. I'm gonna need it - I'm babysitting tomorrow. Board games, here we come! Have a blessed night.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Throwback Thursday
I don't typically do Throwback Thursdays on Facebook, or Flashback Friday for that matter. I've put up a couple of pictures of myself with my kids, who then proceed to chide me for posting their childhood pictures on Facebook. Today's throwback is more about remembering. No pictures needed.
I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. Between a stuffed up nose that barely let me breathe, and a couch that, while comfortable, isn't my normal sleeping arrangement, it was 1:30 in the morning before I was finally able to lie down (not completely flat, or my nose would get all stuffy again) and get some sleep till about 7 am when the orchestra in my yard started their morning chirp. I don't hear the symphony in my bedroom, but in the family room...my word, are those birds loud! There was no way I was going to get anymore sleep, so I got up and checked on the kids. They slept like angels on my bed. Little sweethearts who had no idea that their beloved great-grandmother, whom they've lived with all their lives, is now in heaven.
I thought about Great-Grandma Maria, a woman who always cared about the needs of others before her own. She raised her 10 children, plus several orphans that she felt sorry for. She helped raise grandkids and great-grandkids. She rarely complained about anything, and always had a good disposition. Sad as it is to say goodbye, I can't help but celebrate her long life. She is no longer in pain, no longer suffering. For that, I can rejoice.
The middle child got up at 8:30 looking for breakfast. Thank God I always keep a box of Cocoa Puffs in the house, because he has lots of allergies and is somewhat of a picky eater. The other two kids got up an hour later. My son R was playing on his Wii U and he let them play along - boy were they excited about that! As they played I put away some more Christmas decorations, but I was moving slow. I'd taken some Tylenol Sinus which states that it's a non-drowsy formula, but that never is true with me. All sinus medicines make me drowsy, or at least leave me feeling drained. Add to that my lack of sleep and it's easy to understand why everything I did was in slow-motion. After playing video games for a little while, the two older kids did some homework. I think it's ironic that so many parents say they could never homeschool their kids, meanwhile my niece, who is in third grade, got two homework packets plus assignments on Reading Plus and Reflex Math, both programs on the computer. Her brother is in second grade, and he also got two homework packets. Their mom says the kids come home each day with no less than 6 pages of homework, each. I'm so thankful I get to be my son's teacher, and his assignments are nowhere near as overwhelming!
Their mom came to pick them up just as they were sitting down to pizza. She told me that the funeral for Grandma will be on Sunday, and the burial on Monday. She looked like she was running on auto-pilot; there are so many preparations to take care of, that she hasn't really sat down to grieve. I know the time will come, the realization will hit, and the grief will manifest itself, but for now she is trying her hardest to be calm, for the sake of her kids. I admire her resolve to protect her children. I also feel for her and her mom. They've been Grandma's primary caregivers for as long as I can remember. They will feel the loss most profoundly.
After they left, I finished making lunch. White rice, pinto beans, ground beef and tater tots. This is my family's favorite meal of all time. It's also really simple to make, which is good when I have lots to do, like today. I wanted to finish getting as much done around the house as I possibly could so I could get some rest. I finished eating, and began taking the lights off the Christmas tree. I heard a truck stop in front of my neighbor's house across the street: it was FedEx. Molly began growling at the door, and I laughed at the fact that FedEx can't even deliver a package to our neighbors without her getting upset. I was actually calling her away from the door, saying, "That's not for us, Molly!" when my daughter says, "He's coming this way." Sure enough, the FedEx guy was coming to our door. "Hmm," I wondered, "what did R order?" Because if it had been my daughter's package she would have said so, and I knew it wasn't mine. I hadn't ordered anything. I was sure it wasn't mine.
It was mine.
My daughter got the box and said, "It's for you, Mom. It's from Bare Escentuals." I couldn't figure out what they were sending me, unless...the sweepstakes?! But no, it couldn't be, because they would have advised me first, not just shipped a box to me. Then my daughter says, "Maybe it's that order that you called to cancel." No, couldn't be that either. The duplicate order was caught in time. That's what the customer service rep had told me. Well, there was only one way to find out. I had to open the package.
There it was, all the product that I'd received on December 24th, the shipment I'd called to cancel. It had shipped anyway. What's more, the packing list showed the order total: $0.00. My daughter quickly told me I had to call them, but I checked my credit card statement first. Maybe they'd charged me after all. I wouldn't complain; after all, I'd be paying for one order when they'd shipped two. But no, there was no charge on my credit card. So, I called and explained to a new customer service rep what had transpired since December 23rd. She listened, read the notes on the order, then told me that, while they had tried to cancel the second shipment, it had obviously not been cancelled. Since this was a replacement shipment it went out as no charge, so therefore, Merry Christmas, the order was free! I could not believe it! That's two shipments of $116 that I got FOR FREE!!! We were elated! Once again, I raved to the rep about how much I love Bare Minerals and how happy I am to receive so much great product! Since the original order was half mine and half my daughters, and since we'd both already gotten our half the first time, we decided to swap. She got what I'd ordered, and I got what she ordered. Oh, I am so thrilled!! The first thing my daughter said to me was, "Now you really don't need to be ordering anymore makeup!" I have to agree. I have enough to last me for quite a while.
It was a whole lot easier getting the house back in order after receiving that wonderful little gift. I believe God sent that to us to brighten our day just a little. We are still kind of in shock about Grandma, even though we knew this day was coming, and that it would arrive sooner rather than later. And while we are saddened by her loss, there is also relief. Grandma was very ill the last 9 months of her life. She'd always been an energetic, independent woman. In the end she was bedridden and miserable. She had multiple bowel perforations that could not be operated on due to her age and her ailing heart. She had 3 heart attacks this year; how she survived them is nothing less than a miracle. She was too weak to walk, too sick to eat, and all she could do all day was sleep. Now she is in heaven, where there are no more tears, no more sadness. She can walk again, dance even. How much better she must feel!
I stopped for dinner, but I can't say if it tasted good or not. That's one of the things I hate most about being congested - my taste buds don't function like they should. My nose has been stuffy on and off all day. The sneezing has been powerful too. I'm almost afraid of sneezing and my nose flying off my face. Of course, that might bring some relief :P.
There are still one or two items that need to be put away, along with all the outdoor decorations, but I'm too tired to finish that today. I took a hot shower hoping it would clear up my sinuses. I should be able to get everything done tomorrow, along with grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning...I sure do hope I feel better tomorrow so I can get everything done. My kids are asking that I watch them play their NintendoLand video game. I think I'll do that for a little while before I head off to bed, Benadryl in hand. Good night everybody.
I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. Between a stuffed up nose that barely let me breathe, and a couch that, while comfortable, isn't my normal sleeping arrangement, it was 1:30 in the morning before I was finally able to lie down (not completely flat, or my nose would get all stuffy again) and get some sleep till about 7 am when the orchestra in my yard started their morning chirp. I don't hear the symphony in my bedroom, but in the family room...my word, are those birds loud! There was no way I was going to get anymore sleep, so I got up and checked on the kids. They slept like angels on my bed. Little sweethearts who had no idea that their beloved great-grandmother, whom they've lived with all their lives, is now in heaven.
I thought about Great-Grandma Maria, a woman who always cared about the needs of others before her own. She raised her 10 children, plus several orphans that she felt sorry for. She helped raise grandkids and great-grandkids. She rarely complained about anything, and always had a good disposition. Sad as it is to say goodbye, I can't help but celebrate her long life. She is no longer in pain, no longer suffering. For that, I can rejoice.
The middle child got up at 8:30 looking for breakfast. Thank God I always keep a box of Cocoa Puffs in the house, because he has lots of allergies and is somewhat of a picky eater. The other two kids got up an hour later. My son R was playing on his Wii U and he let them play along - boy were they excited about that! As they played I put away some more Christmas decorations, but I was moving slow. I'd taken some Tylenol Sinus which states that it's a non-drowsy formula, but that never is true with me. All sinus medicines make me drowsy, or at least leave me feeling drained. Add to that my lack of sleep and it's easy to understand why everything I did was in slow-motion. After playing video games for a little while, the two older kids did some homework. I think it's ironic that so many parents say they could never homeschool their kids, meanwhile my niece, who is in third grade, got two homework packets plus assignments on Reading Plus and Reflex Math, both programs on the computer. Her brother is in second grade, and he also got two homework packets. Their mom says the kids come home each day with no less than 6 pages of homework, each. I'm so thankful I get to be my son's teacher, and his assignments are nowhere near as overwhelming!
Their mom came to pick them up just as they were sitting down to pizza. She told me that the funeral for Grandma will be on Sunday, and the burial on Monday. She looked like she was running on auto-pilot; there are so many preparations to take care of, that she hasn't really sat down to grieve. I know the time will come, the realization will hit, and the grief will manifest itself, but for now she is trying her hardest to be calm, for the sake of her kids. I admire her resolve to protect her children. I also feel for her and her mom. They've been Grandma's primary caregivers for as long as I can remember. They will feel the loss most profoundly.
After they left, I finished making lunch. White rice, pinto beans, ground beef and tater tots. This is my family's favorite meal of all time. It's also really simple to make, which is good when I have lots to do, like today. I wanted to finish getting as much done around the house as I possibly could so I could get some rest. I finished eating, and began taking the lights off the Christmas tree. I heard a truck stop in front of my neighbor's house across the street: it was FedEx. Molly began growling at the door, and I laughed at the fact that FedEx can't even deliver a package to our neighbors without her getting upset. I was actually calling her away from the door, saying, "That's not for us, Molly!" when my daughter says, "He's coming this way." Sure enough, the FedEx guy was coming to our door. "Hmm," I wondered, "what did R order?" Because if it had been my daughter's package she would have said so, and I knew it wasn't mine. I hadn't ordered anything. I was sure it wasn't mine.
It was mine.
My daughter got the box and said, "It's for you, Mom. It's from Bare Escentuals." I couldn't figure out what they were sending me, unless...the sweepstakes?! But no, it couldn't be, because they would have advised me first, not just shipped a box to me. Then my daughter says, "Maybe it's that order that you called to cancel." No, couldn't be that either. The duplicate order was caught in time. That's what the customer service rep had told me. Well, there was only one way to find out. I had to open the package.
There it was, all the product that I'd received on December 24th, the shipment I'd called to cancel. It had shipped anyway. What's more, the packing list showed the order total: $0.00. My daughter quickly told me I had to call them, but I checked my credit card statement first. Maybe they'd charged me after all. I wouldn't complain; after all, I'd be paying for one order when they'd shipped two. But no, there was no charge on my credit card. So, I called and explained to a new customer service rep what had transpired since December 23rd. She listened, read the notes on the order, then told me that, while they had tried to cancel the second shipment, it had obviously not been cancelled. Since this was a replacement shipment it went out as no charge, so therefore, Merry Christmas, the order was free! I could not believe it! That's two shipments of $116 that I got FOR FREE!!! We were elated! Once again, I raved to the rep about how much I love Bare Minerals and how happy I am to receive so much great product! Since the original order was half mine and half my daughters, and since we'd both already gotten our half the first time, we decided to swap. She got what I'd ordered, and I got what she ordered. Oh, I am so thrilled!! The first thing my daughter said to me was, "Now you really don't need to be ordering anymore makeup!" I have to agree. I have enough to last me for quite a while.
It was a whole lot easier getting the house back in order after receiving that wonderful little gift. I believe God sent that to us to brighten our day just a little. We are still kind of in shock about Grandma, even though we knew this day was coming, and that it would arrive sooner rather than later. And while we are saddened by her loss, there is also relief. Grandma was very ill the last 9 months of her life. She'd always been an energetic, independent woman. In the end she was bedridden and miserable. She had multiple bowel perforations that could not be operated on due to her age and her ailing heart. She had 3 heart attacks this year; how she survived them is nothing less than a miracle. She was too weak to walk, too sick to eat, and all she could do all day was sleep. Now she is in heaven, where there are no more tears, no more sadness. She can walk again, dance even. How much better she must feel!
I stopped for dinner, but I can't say if it tasted good or not. That's one of the things I hate most about being congested - my taste buds don't function like they should. My nose has been stuffy on and off all day. The sneezing has been powerful too. I'm almost afraid of sneezing and my nose flying off my face. Of course, that might bring some relief :P.
There are still one or two items that need to be put away, along with all the outdoor decorations, but I'm too tired to finish that today. I took a hot shower hoping it would clear up my sinuses. I should be able to get everything done tomorrow, along with grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning...I sure do hope I feel better tomorrow so I can get everything done. My kids are asking that I watch them play their NintendoLand video game. I think I'll do that for a little while before I head off to bed, Benadryl in hand. Good night everybody.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Wednesday - My Crazy Day
We've arrived safely to the middle of the week. It's Wednesday. My crazy day.
I call it that because it's my son's heaviest school day. He has 3 live lessons back to back, plus all his assignments. While he is required about 5 hours of school per day, Wednesdays will typically run into the 7-8 hour range. Which today is not so bad, since he's a couple hours behind for the week. But the week has been, shall we say, a tad out of the ordinary. You just never know.
I woke up this morning to rain. Again. Let me explain: this has probably been the wettest year in the history of Florida. We had rain almost every single day this summer. I'm not even joking. I was babysitting my cousin's kids during school break, and my hope was to take them to the park for play and exercise at least 3 times a week. We probably went 3 times the entire summer. When it wasn't raining, the park was flooded. We stayed indoors and played board games. Lots and lots of board games.
Our hope was that, once fall rolled around, the humidity and rain would go down, along with our temperatures. And it did, for a while. The rain slowed, the days got cooler and breezier, I even had the windows opened. This week, however, it has been totally unpredictable. We get rain, then sunshine, then rain again, then blue skies - all in the span of an hour. Talk about bipolar weather! The temps have stayed in the upper 70's for the most part, which isn't bad, but we are yearning for some 60 degree weather to come back!
At 10 am it was time for my son's science class. Lo and behold, it was collaboration day. Collaborations are group projects that the kids do during class, and they are required 2 per semester for science. Well, E had done both in previous collaborations, so he didn't have to stay in class. Yippee! It allowed us to get a bit caught up before algebra class.
Today is also Awana. Awana is our children's ministry program at church, and I'm one of the leaders. I teach 3rd grade girls. It's a ton of fun, and I have a small but enthusiastic group this year. They are pretty competitive, though in a good way. Lots of comraderie going on.
It's also hair day - I wash and blow dry my hair twice a week, Wednesdays and Sundays. Today I used a sample of L'Oreal's Color Vibrancy Conditioner that I got from Ulta, a beauty supply store in our area. I color my hair about every 6 weeks so a good conditioner is a must. I'll have to see if this one does the job. I already use L'Oreal's Kerastase to protect my hair during blow drying and straightening and it leaves my hair feeling soft and silky. Of course now that we're in the fall and the humidity has dropped a bit, my hair is looking sooo much nicer. I hate how my hair frizzes up in the summer. Fall and winter mean good hair days.
Lunch and dinner today consisted of a family favorite, Southwestern Style Chicken Soup. It has chicken and veggies so it's really good tasting and good for the body. We eat it with tortilla chips for some crunch.
Yeah, so, that's been my Wednesday. We are almost caught up with school now, tomorrow we should be right on schedule barring any mishaps. We're learning that there are no guarantees in life, no matter how much we plan. It's okay though; God is in control. Good night y'all!
I call it that because it's my son's heaviest school day. He has 3 live lessons back to back, plus all his assignments. While he is required about 5 hours of school per day, Wednesdays will typically run into the 7-8 hour range. Which today is not so bad, since he's a couple hours behind for the week. But the week has been, shall we say, a tad out of the ordinary. You just never know.
I woke up this morning to rain. Again. Let me explain: this has probably been the wettest year in the history of Florida. We had rain almost every single day this summer. I'm not even joking. I was babysitting my cousin's kids during school break, and my hope was to take them to the park for play and exercise at least 3 times a week. We probably went 3 times the entire summer. When it wasn't raining, the park was flooded. We stayed indoors and played board games. Lots and lots of board games.
Our hope was that, once fall rolled around, the humidity and rain would go down, along with our temperatures. And it did, for a while. The rain slowed, the days got cooler and breezier, I even had the windows opened. This week, however, it has been totally unpredictable. We get rain, then sunshine, then rain again, then blue skies - all in the span of an hour. Talk about bipolar weather! The temps have stayed in the upper 70's for the most part, which isn't bad, but we are yearning for some 60 degree weather to come back!
At 10 am it was time for my son's science class. Lo and behold, it was collaboration day. Collaborations are group projects that the kids do during class, and they are required 2 per semester for science. Well, E had done both in previous collaborations, so he didn't have to stay in class. Yippee! It allowed us to get a bit caught up before algebra class.
Today is also Awana. Awana is our children's ministry program at church, and I'm one of the leaders. I teach 3rd grade girls. It's a ton of fun, and I have a small but enthusiastic group this year. They are pretty competitive, though in a good way. Lots of comraderie going on.
It's also hair day - I wash and blow dry my hair twice a week, Wednesdays and Sundays. Today I used a sample of L'Oreal's Color Vibrancy Conditioner that I got from Ulta, a beauty supply store in our area. I color my hair about every 6 weeks so a good conditioner is a must. I'll have to see if this one does the job. I already use L'Oreal's Kerastase to protect my hair during blow drying and straightening and it leaves my hair feeling soft and silky. Of course now that we're in the fall and the humidity has dropped a bit, my hair is looking sooo much nicer. I hate how my hair frizzes up in the summer. Fall and winter mean good hair days.
Lunch and dinner today consisted of a family favorite, Southwestern Style Chicken Soup. It has chicken and veggies so it's really good tasting and good for the body. We eat it with tortilla chips for some crunch.
Yeah, so, that's been my Wednesday. We are almost caught up with school now, tomorrow we should be right on schedule barring any mishaps. We're learning that there are no guarantees in life, no matter how much we plan. It's okay though; God is in control. Good night y'all!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)