This morning Brayton woke up and NO COUGHING!!! I drove the boys to school and met my friend Monica for a Latte at McD's. It was so nice to sit and chat. So nice in fact, we sat for 3 hours and I wondered why people were eating lunch when we left ~ duh! It was 11:00! Our coffee was that long because a) we don't see each other often enough or b) we just get along so well, that the time flew! I like to think it's both!! Thank you Monica!! Believe this. . .I met her for coffee and forgot to bring the coffee cozy I made her that was on my blog a few postings ago!
It is so nice to not have Brayton coughing!! He even got home and I haven't heard him cough once today! Talk about night-and-day from yesterday! I just hate it when one of the boys is sick!
Did I mention that I removed Baby's stitches all by myself last night? I was going to have my sister help, but she has some swelling in her arms and her hands are numb, so she would be of no help :-) It worked out perfectly though, so I'll share my technique in case anyone has to do the same :~) I gave her a bath and while I do that, I always have her towels in the dryer so they are nice and warm. I wrapped her in the warm towel and laid her on her side and she didn't even care! It worked perfectly and I didn't even hurt her (this was my fear!) Oh, and I didn't even get queasy ~ also my fear!
Tonight we picked Chris up from the airport and then went out to eat ~ our treat to the family (well, NI Midstar's treat) for Chris being gone :~) We ended the night with the family story time and Chris even stayed awake for it and took his turn reading! We're glad everyone is home again!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Day #2 of a sick child
Today Brayton was home for the 2nd day in a row with a cold. He really isn't lacking in energy, his cough just sounds terrible. I know if I sent him he wouldn't get a whole lot out of class, nor would anyone else with his hacking. We have now tried everything to help him :-) The vapor rub on the feet seems to help so he can sleep, but he says he doesn't like it because it makes his feet itch. Today I did a bath with the vapor rub smelling bubbles and that worked great. He stopped coughing for a few hours. We've tried hot (really just warm) tea, cough drops (Ludens, so more like lifesavers), soup, water, juice and now they are eating (Taite had to have one too) a frozen fruit thing.
He's been busy with his video games, Cartoon Network and a new Lego account that he registered for online. He was kind of frustrated with the Lego site because you have to make friends, but most of them want you to have something to give them before they will be your friend. He can't get over how wrong that is! Yesterday at supper he was telling us how this one character actually was smiling and he still said Brayton had to give him something before he would be his friend. Brayton said "He was smiling! Usually people who are mean don't smile!" Ah, it will be only a matter of time before he learns that's not true :-) As soon as Taite got home with Brayton's homework yesterday, Bray sat down and did it all! I asked if he missed school and he said he did. One of the things he had to practice was writing the capital 'W'. As he is writing them he says "We are supposed to write 10, but I always like to do extras" I looked at them as he was writing and thought they took up a lot of space, but didn't say anything. When he was finished on the one line writing 'W', he started to count them. . . 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (he looks at me ~ there were only 2 left to count (he assumed he'd counted wrong and there weren't 10 on the line; he'd just told me how he always writes extra) so he starts to count them again and still comes up with only 9. His solution is to squeeze in another 'W' that you couldn't really read, but he had to have 10! As he was writing so perfectly he said that in his class they picked the 2 students with the best handwriting to write a letter to a soldier and he and Payton (I thought that was cute) were chosen so they got to write the letters!
Tomorrow Chris comes home and we are all excited (wait and ask us in a couple days, though how excited we were. . .he's usually crabby for a few weeks after coming back)! This time wasn't so bad, though, with Skype's help. Brayton likes to watch himself on camera and that makes for an interesting call. Taite is usually playing in the background with the dog the whole time. It's a regular circus :-)
A couple of nights ago we started reading the book SuperFudge together. The boys and I take turns reading a page and they remind me if we miss reading it at night. They are also reading books on their own, but I enjoy reading with them because I LOVE it when they get the humor in the stories ~ it proves they are comprehending it and paying attention. It's still a special time for us even though they can read on their own and don't need to sit together ~ I'll take it as long as they will share with me!! Plus, in reading with Brayton, I can tell that he gets bored and that's how he reads ~ all monotone and boring. I'm just so glad they like to read I want it to continue because that is one of my favorite things to do and you can do it just about anywhere!
He's been busy with his video games, Cartoon Network and a new Lego account that he registered for online. He was kind of frustrated with the Lego site because you have to make friends, but most of them want you to have something to give them before they will be your friend. He can't get over how wrong that is! Yesterday at supper he was telling us how this one character actually was smiling and he still said Brayton had to give him something before he would be his friend. Brayton said "He was smiling! Usually people who are mean don't smile!" Ah, it will be only a matter of time before he learns that's not true :-) As soon as Taite got home with Brayton's homework yesterday, Bray sat down and did it all! I asked if he missed school and he said he did. One of the things he had to practice was writing the capital 'W'. As he is writing them he says "We are supposed to write 10, but I always like to do extras" I looked at them as he was writing and thought they took up a lot of space, but didn't say anything. When he was finished on the one line writing 'W', he started to count them. . . 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (he looks at me ~ there were only 2 left to count (he assumed he'd counted wrong and there weren't 10 on the line; he'd just told me how he always writes extra) so he starts to count them again and still comes up with only 9. His solution is to squeeze in another 'W' that you couldn't really read, but he had to have 10! As he was writing so perfectly he said that in his class they picked the 2 students with the best handwriting to write a letter to a soldier and he and Payton (I thought that was cute) were chosen so they got to write the letters!
Tomorrow Chris comes home and we are all excited (wait and ask us in a couple days, though how excited we were. . .he's usually crabby for a few weeks after coming back)! This time wasn't so bad, though, with Skype's help. Brayton likes to watch himself on camera and that makes for an interesting call. Taite is usually playing in the background with the dog the whole time. It's a regular circus :-)
A couple of nights ago we started reading the book SuperFudge together. The boys and I take turns reading a page and they remind me if we miss reading it at night. They are also reading books on their own, but I enjoy reading with them because I LOVE it when they get the humor in the stories ~ it proves they are comprehending it and paying attention. It's still a special time for us even though they can read on their own and don't need to sit together ~ I'll take it as long as they will share with me!! Plus, in reading with Brayton, I can tell that he gets bored and that's how he reads ~ all monotone and boring. I'm just so glad they like to read I want it to continue because that is one of my favorite things to do and you can do it just about anywhere!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
So far, so good!
Well, with Chris being gone, this is usually the day I would call him ready to run away. So, he asked before he left that I not add that stress to his trip, so I'm not! Makes me wonder if it was always just a mind thing or if I just needed more wine LOL.
I forgot to tell you that on Saturday at Taite's basketball game, he made 4 baskets. He was very proud and I even saw a couple of them! It's not that I'm not interested, it's just difficult to watch some. . . The one kid thinks he's a superstar and is really fast, but I don't think if he played like he does in a high school game that he'd get away with all the swatting, stealing, etc. that he does at this age. To make things worse, his dad is one of the coaches, so not much is said about his "style" of playing. Worse, Taite is picking up on his technique and did a lot of reaching/grabbing and when I tried to correct him on it, he said "Luke does it!". I'll let his dad address that one. . .
Yesterday the boys didn't have school due to it being the end of the quarter so the teachers have a day to do report cards and such. So, we were all home when Chris called. The Skype thing is really great and it's nice so we can all talk and see Chris and he likewise. In case you don't know (not sure if I explained it or not) Skype is a free way to call people if you are both online and since Chris' computer has a built in camera, we bought the cheap one for home and then can all talk to Chris and he can see us all at the same time. Pretty cool since we normally don't call because the cost is so expensive when he's in Japan.
Funny Quote:
On Saturday we were at mom & dad's (the boys always ask if they can come over) and when we walked in. . .
Taite: "Look what I found on the ground!" (he's holding a $20)
me: "It probably just fell off the counter, so you need to put it back" (no finders-keepers)
Taite: "No, I put it down there so I could 'find' it" ~ what a geek :~)
I forgot to tell you that on Saturday at Taite's basketball game, he made 4 baskets. He was very proud and I even saw a couple of them! It's not that I'm not interested, it's just difficult to watch some. . . The one kid thinks he's a superstar and is really fast, but I don't think if he played like he does in a high school game that he'd get away with all the swatting, stealing, etc. that he does at this age. To make things worse, his dad is one of the coaches, so not much is said about his "style" of playing. Worse, Taite is picking up on his technique and did a lot of reaching/grabbing and when I tried to correct him on it, he said "Luke does it!". I'll let his dad address that one. . .
Yesterday the boys didn't have school due to it being the end of the quarter so the teachers have a day to do report cards and such. So, we were all home when Chris called. The Skype thing is really great and it's nice so we can all talk and see Chris and he likewise. In case you don't know (not sure if I explained it or not) Skype is a free way to call people if you are both online and since Chris' computer has a built in camera, we bought the cheap one for home and then can all talk to Chris and he can see us all at the same time. Pretty cool since we normally don't call because the cost is so expensive when he's in Japan.
Funny Quote:
On Saturday we were at mom & dad's (the boys always ask if they can come over) and when we walked in. . .
Taite: "Look what I found on the ground!" (he's holding a $20)
me: "It probably just fell off the counter, so you need to put it back" (no finders-keepers)
Taite: "No, I put it down there so I could 'find' it" ~ what a geek :~)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Well, today Chris left for Japan. We're hardly apart, so trips always seem so long! Yesterday I had a busy day and Chris' wasn't any better! I took my grandma to one of her many appts that her Dr. set up to try and figure out why she blacks out before falling. It was the Neuro appt. and only took an hour, but she wanted to be pushed in a wheelchair and they should really have things more wheelchair accessible. . . well, at least make the doorways a little wider. I had a heck of a time steering the dumb thing! When I started out, I thought 'I should've played with Grandma Pahl's wheelchair the way the kids all did and then I'd be better at this!' When we were waiting for her name to be called she was sitting there and says "Oh, the sheriff is here." So, I turned and looked to see the sheriff leading a guy pushing a wheelchair and another guy in the wheelchair with just a sheet over his all navy blue outfit. . . I easily drew the conclusion ~ Grandma? Not so much. The trio of guys were waiting for the elevator and after it came, just as they were backing the wheelchair onto the elevator (doors not closed yet) Grandma says (remember she can't hear all that well. . .) "I wonder why they would have his feet like that (in cuffs)" I, as quietly as I could, explained he was a prisoner and she winks at me, like 'oh, I get it'. Yep, no different than going out with young kids who say what is on their mind (not so quietly) LOL
After I got Grandma back from the Dr., Chris was running ragged. You see, every time he preps to go away on a trip, something inevitably happens to a computer. This time, it was his and he thinks the hard drive is dying. So, he had to transfer the important backed-up data from his to mine all while doing the other regular business stuff and finish packing for Japan. So, before I had to help in Bray's classroom, I had 2 hours to run the errands that Chris was going to get done (pick up his suit from the dry cleaners ~ bill was only $11 ~ still the cheapest suit he's ever bought!, find a cell phone adapter so he can use headphones, find a cell phone case and pick up a camera for the computer so we can "call" him while in Japan for free: Skype has like free video-conferencing type software that's really cool and Chris' new laptop has a built in camera). I completed all these and was slightly early for Bray's class with only one more stop to get cash for Chris after school ~ it's SOOO convenient with the new CU in Byron right across the street from the Elementary school!!!
When I got home from this round of errands, Chris checked the adapter thing and she sold me the wrong size! Plus with the limits on sizes of liquids you can take on the plane, we were headed back to town to get travel size items, eat supper and get a new adapter for Chris' phone. I am still amazed that Chris packed for a week to Japan all in one carry on and his brief case, which just held office type stuff, so basically all the rest was in the suitcase! I could never manage that :~)
Baby is recovering nicely from her surgery. Having gotten no post-op instructions from the vet, we are taking it very easy (and I researched it a little online). Taite and Bray can't wait until it's safe to play with her again ~all of Taite's scratches are healing and he has nothing to replace them :)
Oh, I almost forgot! Thursday night was Taite's music program at school. Here are some pictures and videos. The name of it was Snow Biz. In the video, Taite is in the top row right in the middle of the frame.
After I got Grandma back from the Dr., Chris was running ragged. You see, every time he preps to go away on a trip, something inevitably happens to a computer. This time, it was his and he thinks the hard drive is dying. So, he had to transfer the important backed-up data from his to mine all while doing the other regular business stuff and finish packing for Japan. So, before I had to help in Bray's classroom, I had 2 hours to run the errands that Chris was going to get done (pick up his suit from the dry cleaners ~ bill was only $11 ~ still the cheapest suit he's ever bought!, find a cell phone adapter so he can use headphones, find a cell phone case and pick up a camera for the computer so we can "call" him while in Japan for free: Skype has like free video-conferencing type software that's really cool and Chris' new laptop has a built in camera). I completed all these and was slightly early for Bray's class with only one more stop to get cash for Chris after school ~ it's SOOO convenient with the new CU in Byron right across the street from the Elementary school!!!
When I got home from this round of errands, Chris checked the adapter thing and she sold me the wrong size! Plus with the limits on sizes of liquids you can take on the plane, we were headed back to town to get travel size items, eat supper and get a new adapter for Chris' phone. I am still amazed that Chris packed for a week to Japan all in one carry on and his brief case, which just held office type stuff, so basically all the rest was in the suitcase! I could never manage that :~)
Baby is recovering nicely from her surgery. Having gotten no post-op instructions from the vet, we are taking it very easy (and I researched it a little online). Taite and Bray can't wait until it's safe to play with her again ~all of Taite's scratches are healing and he has nothing to replace them :)
Oh, I almost forgot! Thursday night was Taite's music program at school. Here are some pictures and videos. The name of it was Snow Biz. In the video, Taite is in the top row right in the middle of the frame.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Count your blessings! And say a prayer, please!
Tonight Chris had to go to a meeting at the town board and the one guy who is usually there (he has to come for the same reason Chris has to go ~ it's a work thing), wasn't, but his mom was and she said he was gone because his ex-wife's baby died and he had their kids tonight. Chris didn't get the connection but OMG!!! Their son is on Taite's basketball team and 2 weeks ago, she was at the school with the baby and when she went to nurse her, asked if I would keep an eye on her daughter, who is in Brayton's class. The baby was only 4 months old and Brayton had mentioned today that this girl's baby sister had died and I was trying to figure it out if he meant the baby we'd just seen or not, but of course trying to get that out of a 1st grader is next to impossible (he kept telling me she didn't just die, she was 4 months). It's not that I really knew her, but you still can't help but pray for her and feel her pain. . .
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Just thoughts. . .
Have I ever mentioned what I used to thing blogs entailed? (before I read Monica's that is) I envisioned college students typing about their hangovers and sucky classes and basic stuff that no one really cared about. I'm so glad that Monica opened my eyes and showed me how it can really be a tool for keeping in touch with those not so close to us ~ distance-wise (and those of you who are close, but we don't "chat" every day). I must admit, however, that I do have moments some days when I think "this would be a perfect thought to peruse on the blog" in a fashion more like the Coffee Talk on SNL ~ you remember, right? The host (I don't even remember who it was) would get 'verclempt' (not sure on the spelling) and would give the audience a topic to "discuss amongst yourselves". Not that I could really get a discussion going on a blog ~ a little too one-sided, although, I'd pretty much have to agree with what was discussed LOL (get it? I'd be the only one with input!) Anyway, today I have one of those moments. Do you ever get to talking to people and you wonder "am I normal or is everyone else normal and I'm the only weird one because I really don't feel like I fit in"? Okay, so yes, maybe I am the only one who thinks like that sometimes, but today my thought is this. . . Do you do things out of the goodness of your heart just because it makes you feel good, or is it okay to expect something in return? I tend to think that I am more the type to want to help out for no other reason than it makes me feel good and to ask for something in return is, how shall I put it. . . rude! Here's a scenario and let me know what you think:
Say a person has an item they need like, oh, I don't know, a turntable for their microwave (the current one broke almost in half, out of the blue). And lets just say that this person 'L' (we'll use for simplicity) called a Recycling Center where microwaves come in to be disposed of but they don't save the turntables (apparently they only recycle the electrical stuff?). Anyway, a relative of person 'L', person 'C', knows someone who works in the RC, person 'M'. Person 'M' says she'll keep an eye out for a replacement turn table and upon finding the right one (surprise, surprise ~ not really, if you saw the wall of stacked up microwaves in this place, you'd be surprised there was a waiting period) person 'M' asks person 'C' for compensation. Now person 'C' is not the end requester, he is just a middle person and since they were prior acquaintances/friends, wouldn't you think person 'M' would say "hey, glad to be of help!" Am I way off base here?
Now, back to the "normal" blog stuff (at least for me). I picked Baby up from her spaying and she's doing well. There are some stitches that have to come out in 7 - 10 days that I'm hoping Steph can help us with because I'm not sure I can.
Chris is getting ready to go to Japan on Saturday and today we tried to find some dress clothes. The hard part about this is he goes to Japan maybe once a year, so spending $100's on suits is hard to swallow. Today was our lucky day though ~ we happened to be driving by Goodwill and Chris said "what do you think the chances are that they'd have anything?" Well, they did! He got a black suit coat (good brand name, according to Grandma) for $10.99 and some pants that need just an inch alteration for $5.99! Now all we have to do is have them dry cleaned and for the fraction of a new suit, Chris has something that looks just like it was made for him! My kind of shopping!! I'm finally getting him trained :~)
Say a person has an item they need like, oh, I don't know, a turntable for their microwave (the current one broke almost in half, out of the blue). And lets just say that this person 'L' (we'll use for simplicity) called a Recycling Center where microwaves come in to be disposed of but they don't save the turntables (apparently they only recycle the electrical stuff?). Anyway, a relative of person 'L', person 'C', knows someone who works in the RC, person 'M'. Person 'M' says she'll keep an eye out for a replacement turn table and upon finding the right one (surprise, surprise ~ not really, if you saw the wall of stacked up microwaves in this place, you'd be surprised there was a waiting period) person 'M' asks person 'C' for compensation. Now person 'C' is not the end requester, he is just a middle person and since they were prior acquaintances/friends, wouldn't you think person 'M' would say "hey, glad to be of help!" Am I way off base here?
Now, back to the "normal" blog stuff (at least for me). I picked Baby up from her spaying and she's doing well. There are some stitches that have to come out in 7 - 10 days that I'm hoping Steph can help us with because I'm not sure I can.
Chris is getting ready to go to Japan on Saturday and today we tried to find some dress clothes. The hard part about this is he goes to Japan maybe once a year, so spending $100's on suits is hard to swallow. Today was our lucky day though ~ we happened to be driving by Goodwill and Chris said "what do you think the chances are that they'd have anything?" Well, they did! He got a black suit coat (good brand name, according to Grandma) for $10.99 and some pants that need just an inch alteration for $5.99! Now all we have to do is have them dry cleaned and for the fraction of a new suit, Chris has something that looks just like it was made for him! My kind of shopping!! I'm finally getting him trained :~)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
So we survived the week from hell (temp-wise)! The boys didn't have school on Thursday (Taite was very disappointed because his class's music program was supposed to be that night) and Friday they started 2 hours late due to the extreme wind chill (-50). Thankfully Brayton did not get in trouble any more last week. I was a little concerned with the snow day & late start at the end. Taite's music program has been postponed to this Thursday coming up, which will make Basketball have to be rescheduled as well ~ I'm glad that's not my job ~ coordinating space for all the "events" going on at the schools.
The other night, Chris and I watched Definitely, Maybe ~ and we both really liked it! I thought Chris wouldn't because it was pretty much a Chick-Flick, but he said it was good. We would recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.
You know, I am a strong believer in things happening for a reason (obviously, since that's pretty much how Chris and I met) but this was apparent on Friday. I had exercised late in the morning and before I started had told Chris that I thought he and I could go to lunch and sign up for a Community Ed thing (my friend Monica and I are going on a Chicks Day Out bus ride to Red Wing ~ something I never do, but can hardly wait!!) anyway, back to my story. . . When I mentioned lunch, Chris said I needed to tell him before he had an egg and toast at 10:30 (like I was supposed to know) so we decided to do a late lunch and I wouldn't have to rush or anything. After I got out of the shower, Chris told me that my aunt Sonja had called and Grandma had fallen and they needed help getting her up. Of course Grandma always feels bad that someone has to be called, but Chris is always grateful he is nearby and can help. I saw it as another time when if we'd have done everything as planned, we'd have been eating lunch in Byron when she called. If you haven't noted any times like this, maybe you are just missing them because it is true ~ look for it ;~)
I was a little distracted the other day when Taite and Baby were playing in the living room, so I thought I'd tape a little and share it with you. She is quite strong and loves the attention no matter who is giving it. I gave her one of the chew bones from Sam's Club again the other day and was going to take a picture of that too ~ she is too funny! When they are brand new, they're kind of long, so she tries to carry it, but isn't real effective. The first thing she does is chew on it until she has about 1/3 of it gone and then she can carry it around a lot easier. Tomorrow she has to go in for spaying, so I might bring one along with me for her while she's at the vet ~ they probably won't let her have it, but it will make me feel better.
Before Christmas I had mentioned that I was working on a project, but didn't disclose much info on it. My friend Jenni had asked me if I could make her and her girls matching aprons (remember I made one for Brayton? That was my prototype to make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time on hers). I thought if her husband Bruce would like to surprise his "girls" I would sew them and send them so he could give them to the girls for Christmas. Of course I didn't get them there too early (I'm a procrastinator you know!) but she did get them and now I can share the pictures of them that I took. The little flowers that are on the aprons are sewn to snaps and can easily be removed for washing. Across the bottom of the aprons, it says "All Things Grow With Love", which is fitting :~)
I also finished yesterday the Coffee Cozy that my friend Monica said she liked. She didn't actually ask for one, I just thought it looked easy, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The one pattern I found used a pony tail holder and a button to close the CC, but that didn't seem like it would hold all the way up and down, so I used the Velcro that another site suggested. It turned out cute and of course I used up some really small pieces of fabric, so it took me longer than just an average one would, but who likes "average"? For display purposes, I used Chris' nine-bid prize from card club to show the cozy in action.
The other night, Chris and I watched Definitely, Maybe ~ and we both really liked it! I thought Chris wouldn't because it was pretty much a Chick-Flick, but he said it was good. We would recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.
You know, I am a strong believer in things happening for a reason (obviously, since that's pretty much how Chris and I met) but this was apparent on Friday. I had exercised late in the morning and before I started had told Chris that I thought he and I could go to lunch and sign up for a Community Ed thing (my friend Monica and I are going on a Chicks Day Out bus ride to Red Wing ~ something I never do, but can hardly wait!!) anyway, back to my story. . . When I mentioned lunch, Chris said I needed to tell him before he had an egg and toast at 10:30 (like I was supposed to know) so we decided to do a late lunch and I wouldn't have to rush or anything. After I got out of the shower, Chris told me that my aunt Sonja had called and Grandma had fallen and they needed help getting her up. Of course Grandma always feels bad that someone has to be called, but Chris is always grateful he is nearby and can help. I saw it as another time when if we'd have done everything as planned, we'd have been eating lunch in Byron when she called. If you haven't noted any times like this, maybe you are just missing them because it is true ~ look for it ;~)
I was a little distracted the other day when Taite and Baby were playing in the living room, so I thought I'd tape a little and share it with you. She is quite strong and loves the attention no matter who is giving it. I gave her one of the chew bones from Sam's Club again the other day and was going to take a picture of that too ~ she is too funny! When they are brand new, they're kind of long, so she tries to carry it, but isn't real effective. The first thing she does is chew on it until she has about 1/3 of it gone and then she can carry it around a lot easier. Tomorrow she has to go in for spaying, so I might bring one along with me for her while she's at the vet ~ they probably won't let her have it, but it will make me feel better.
Before Christmas I had mentioned that I was working on a project, but didn't disclose much info on it. My friend Jenni had asked me if I could make her and her girls matching aprons (remember I made one for Brayton? That was my prototype to make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time on hers). I thought if her husband Bruce would like to surprise his "girls" I would sew them and send them so he could give them to the girls for Christmas. Of course I didn't get them there too early (I'm a procrastinator you know!) but she did get them and now I can share the pictures of them that I took. The little flowers that are on the aprons are sewn to snaps and can easily be removed for washing. Across the bottom of the aprons, it says "All Things Grow With Love", which is fitting :~)
I also finished yesterday the Coffee Cozy that my friend Monica said she liked. She didn't actually ask for one, I just thought it looked easy, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The one pattern I found used a pony tail holder and a button to close the CC, but that didn't seem like it would hold all the way up and down, so I used the Velcro that another site suggested. It turned out cute and of course I used up some really small pieces of fabric, so it took me longer than just an average one would, but who likes "average"? For display purposes, I used Chris' nine-bid prize from card club to show the cozy in action.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ahhh, today, it's almost over. . .
Today we received an email from Brayton's teacher that he received a check for his behavior in the classroom. He wasn't focused, was goofing off and disruptive. Maybe it's because we are often told how well behaved our kids are that I was mortified that Brayton would behave like this in class! His teacher did mention that the week has been kind of messed up (early out at 10:30 on Monday, 2 hour late start yesterday) which could help explain part of it, but after he came home, we can definitely see that he's tired. I'm not saying that is an excuse for his behavior because I dislike parents who are "not my kid" type of people, but it's a contributing factor. I know some of you can't believe we start getting the boys ready for bed at 7, but they usually aren't sleeping at 7:30 and last night Brayton was awake still around 8 and when I got up at 6:30, he was upstairs and wide awake, so I know he'd been awake for awhile.
One of our theories for his tiredness is that the boys get too cold at night ~ being down stairs and it's cooler down there anyway and there isn't a door to shut to keep the heat downstairs. So, our solution may be overkill, but we'll leave the fireplace run during the night and I put the feather bed on top of Brayton's mattress along with a down comforter on top of his bed. It'll be a little feather nest in there for him so he won't be cold. Then another thing I thought of, is if he doesn't go to the bathroom before going to bed and wakes up about 5 or so, he might have a hard time falling back to sleep (Chris does). Brayton said he did, but he may have been grasping here since he was in the hot seat when he got home from school. We are also taking him off of the Singulair for the ADHD-like symptoms that are commonly reported as side effects. So, he really won't have any excuses after this :~) In any case, it's a good thing he likes his GameBoy and Pokemon game so well, so we have something to take away as a consequence. He was also very disappointed that we couldn't play lazer tag tonight, but his dad has a soft spot for medication side effects, so they are playing the TV lazer tag game that came with the guns, as a consolation.
Taite was just glad he wasn't in trouble and stayed out of the way when they got home. His new favorite thing to do when he gets home is to take Baby downstairs and play with her. Today I found stuffing all over ~ she'd ripped apart the one toy ~ guess I'll have to look for replacements when garage sale time comes around! Then Taite mentioned his scratch on his collarbone from playing with Baby and I noticed one on the back of his neck too ~ they really get into their playing!
Chris had a meeting today with the Credit Union because there is a Korean deal he's trying to get done for work and the bank that the Korean company is using is being very difficult. After 15 minutes of a conference call between the rep from the CU and the bank in California for the Korean company, the guy from the CU asked Chris how he still had all his hair ~ he would've pulled his all out! The fact that Chris has been dealing with this guy and his bank for the last 3 days says volumes about Chris' ability to keep his cool! Sometimes I'm amazed. . .
We had a big warm up today ~ at 7 (the only time I checked the temp) it was only -6! Chris said it was much colder today though because yesterday it must have been too cold for the wind to even blow and today it was more bitter.
One of our theories for his tiredness is that the boys get too cold at night ~ being down stairs and it's cooler down there anyway and there isn't a door to shut to keep the heat downstairs. So, our solution may be overkill, but we'll leave the fireplace run during the night and I put the feather bed on top of Brayton's mattress along with a down comforter on top of his bed. It'll be a little feather nest in there for him so he won't be cold. Then another thing I thought of, is if he doesn't go to the bathroom before going to bed and wakes up about 5 or so, he might have a hard time falling back to sleep (Chris does). Brayton said he did, but he may have been grasping here since he was in the hot seat when he got home from school. We are also taking him off of the Singulair for the ADHD-like symptoms that are commonly reported as side effects. So, he really won't have any excuses after this :~) In any case, it's a good thing he likes his GameBoy and Pokemon game so well, so we have something to take away as a consequence. He was also very disappointed that we couldn't play lazer tag tonight, but his dad has a soft spot for medication side effects, so they are playing the TV lazer tag game that came with the guns, as a consolation.
Taite was just glad he wasn't in trouble and stayed out of the way when they got home. His new favorite thing to do when he gets home is to take Baby downstairs and play with her. Today I found stuffing all over ~ she'd ripped apart the one toy ~ guess I'll have to look for replacements when garage sale time comes around! Then Taite mentioned his scratch on his collarbone from playing with Baby and I noticed one on the back of his neck too ~ they really get into their playing!
Chris had a meeting today with the Credit Union because there is a Korean deal he's trying to get done for work and the bank that the Korean company is using is being very difficult. After 15 minutes of a conference call between the rep from the CU and the bank in California for the Korean company, the guy from the CU asked Chris how he still had all his hair ~ he would've pulled his all out! The fact that Chris has been dealing with this guy and his bank for the last 3 days says volumes about Chris' ability to keep his cool! Sometimes I'm amazed. . .
We had a big warm up today ~ at 7 (the only time I checked the temp) it was only -6! Chris said it was much colder today though because yesterday it must have been too cold for the wind to even blow and today it was more bitter.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What's Up. . .
Boot Hockey effects
So, today when I was shaving my legs today in the shower, I noticed I had a few more bruises on my knees than I thought :~) Sunday I felt pretty good for playing boot hockey (oh and having a few adult beverages. . .) but yesterday! My legs hurt from trying to run and get started on ice and my right hand hurt from gripping the hockey stick so hard. This would in no way deter playing again, we would just have more pads on next time. LOL
Weather
Yesterday due to the snowstorm that came through, the boys were done with school at 10:30 (not before their spelling pretests, however ~ Brayton was proud he had another perfect one!). After their bus was at the high school, their bus driver decided he couldn't finish the route, so their bus had to wait for a new bus driver to show up. All-in-all, they were on the bus as long as they were in school yesterday. Today they had a 2 hour late start and while they were getting ready, I told Taite that he should wear more than just a t-shirt (for a shirt). To prove my point, I checked the temp and was shocked that at almost 9 am it was -19!! (Chris was even MORE glad he moved the old van down to the shed and modified the tractor a little so it would fit in the garage and then ran the heater to help a little) They said it would get down to -10, so we were prepared for that, but was that just a mercy prediction?? Brayton wore his snow pants to school (Taite wouldn't think of it!) to help him stay warm, which he thought was an invitation to walk through the snow drifts on their way to the bus. Sheesh!
Last Night
We were in the living room (I in my kerchief, pa in his cap ~ I'm sorry, that just started out and reminded me of the Night Before Christmas! Ah, I'm so funny!) Anyway, we were in the living room and Chris was looking at the boys' computer (it died about 2 months ago) and the boys had been playing their Pokemon game on their GameBoys when they decided to make up a secret handshake. There are a few funny things about this. . .
1. Taite thinks you have a secret handshake so you only use it after you share a secret. :-)
2. Brayton was embarrassed that they were doing that, so I couldn't actually look at them when they were making it up because then he would give me the "embarrassed" smile.
3. Chris didn't even notice they were even practicing that!
We played a few more rounds of Lazer Tag ~ the moon was kind of light out so we didn't need much for candles or night lights in the house. That is SOOO much fun!! Oh, did I mention that I was the only one who was never "out"? Chris and I were on a team and the boys were on a team and the boys are getting much better at playing and not just kamikaze-ing it! At one point it was the boys and me left, but they taken a few more hits than me and they were standing beside each other so I got them both with the shot I fired.
My mom and I did manage to get to Saver's yesterday and I got some really cute jackets (like summer/light button up ones) for me. I also got a really cute shirt that almost reminds me of something you'd wear out for a girls night (which I don't do) so I think maybe we'll have to have a girls night here in the spring/summer so I can wear my shirt ~ or maybe we'll have to have a Bunco night just for fun! Maybe if we start planning it now, there will be plenty of people and no "phantom" players.
So, today when I was shaving my legs today in the shower, I noticed I had a few more bruises on my knees than I thought :~) Sunday I felt pretty good for playing boot hockey (oh and having a few adult beverages. . .) but yesterday! My legs hurt from trying to run and get started on ice and my right hand hurt from gripping the hockey stick so hard. This would in no way deter playing again, we would just have more pads on next time. LOL
Weather
Yesterday due to the snowstorm that came through, the boys were done with school at 10:30 (not before their spelling pretests, however ~ Brayton was proud he had another perfect one!). After their bus was at the high school, their bus driver decided he couldn't finish the route, so their bus had to wait for a new bus driver to show up. All-in-all, they were on the bus as long as they were in school yesterday. Today they had a 2 hour late start and while they were getting ready, I told Taite that he should wear more than just a t-shirt (for a shirt). To prove my point, I checked the temp and was shocked that at almost 9 am it was -19!! (Chris was even MORE glad he moved the old van down to the shed and modified the tractor a little so it would fit in the garage and then ran the heater to help a little) They said it would get down to -10, so we were prepared for that, but was that just a mercy prediction?? Brayton wore his snow pants to school (Taite wouldn't think of it!) to help him stay warm, which he thought was an invitation to walk through the snow drifts on their way to the bus. Sheesh!
Last Night
We were in the living room (I in my kerchief, pa in his cap ~ I'm sorry, that just started out and reminded me of the Night Before Christmas! Ah, I'm so funny!) Anyway, we were in the living room and Chris was looking at the boys' computer (it died about 2 months ago) and the boys had been playing their Pokemon game on their GameBoys when they decided to make up a secret handshake. There are a few funny things about this. . .
1. Taite thinks you have a secret handshake so you only use it after you share a secret. :-)
2. Brayton was embarrassed that they were doing that, so I couldn't actually look at them when they were making it up because then he would give me the "embarrassed" smile.
3. Chris didn't even notice they were even practicing that!
We played a few more rounds of Lazer Tag ~ the moon was kind of light out so we didn't need much for candles or night lights in the house. That is SOOO much fun!! Oh, did I mention that I was the only one who was never "out"? Chris and I were on a team and the boys were on a team and the boys are getting much better at playing and not just kamikaze-ing it! At one point it was the boys and me left, but they taken a few more hits than me and they were standing beside each other so I got them both with the shot I fired.
My mom and I did manage to get to Saver's yesterday and I got some really cute jackets (like summer/light button up ones) for me. I also got a really cute shirt that almost reminds me of something you'd wear out for a girls night (which I don't do) so I think maybe we'll have to have a girls night here in the spring/summer so I can wear my shirt ~ or maybe we'll have to have a Bunco night just for fun! Maybe if we start planning it now, there will be plenty of people and no "phantom" players.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Thursday night I finally remembered to bring my camera to Taite's basketball practice. I can't get the setting right on my camera with the lights used in the gym, but you can still kind of see him. In the team picture, Taite is to the left of the boy who is kind of kneeling down. He is enjoying this opportunity to play ball, but Chris went for the first time (and he said maybe the last) and was kind of frustrated with the coaching they were/weren't getting. So, yesterday they went down to the shed and practiced a little BB while Brayton was at a birthday party and I was in town. 
On Friday, Taite gave his first speech (ever). He was very nervous and afterwards I thought about how we should have practiced it at home more so it was like second nature for him. Just a little more "Mommy guilt" that we place on ourselves. Next time, I'll take more time with him, but considering I made the tablecloth and place mat Thursday night while the boys were in bed, it didn't allow for a lot of practice time :)
Chris was busy with work junk so he couldn't go and I recorded Taite's speech for him and thought the rest of you might enjoy it as well.
This morning was the first time I've slept in until 9:30 since probably college!! We were asked to sub last night for the card club we "got out of" this year. When I got home from town yesterday there was a message that if we wanted to, we should bring our boots and hats and stuff because they have a hockey rink in the back yard and we'd play a little boot hockey. It was a TON of fun!!!! I almost wished we had one except the boys would want to play hockey then and that's expensive! So anyway, Chris got the 9 bid playing cards (you get a prize for making a 9 bid) and we didn't get too hurt playing boot hockey (just a couple of bruises on the knees). Maybe next summer we can do the pond thing in the back yard and our hockey rink won't be as elaborate as the one they had last night, but it would still be frozen and fun!! But we wouldn't be able to do the 1 am nights a whole lot!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Taite's 1st Basketball "session" (we'll call it)
Tonight Taite started basketball. It's for the 3rd & 4th grades combined. I'm not sure how the teams are divided, but apparently there is one team that has a few traveling basketball players (4th grade) and are really good. They have practice time to go over fundamentals for the first 1/2 hour and then they "play" a game. 1/2 way through the game playing time, the coaches tried to slow it down a bit and go over more skills while playing, but that didn't last for long. The team Taite's team played was quite aggressive, I thought. At one point, Taite did steal the ball away and when the kid he stole it from, tried to take it back, he hung onto it! I was impressed because I thought he'd just let it go, but he gave back to them what they were dishing out. Shortly after that, though, his classmate/friend who was on the other team was knocked down and Taite hung back a little to make sure he was okay ~ that's my boy :~) The only bad part about this is they play from 7-8 at night, which is about 8:30 by the time we get home. This wouldn't be so bad for Taite, but tonight Chris had a business dinner and I had dropped Bray off at my mom & dad's and after we left, they found they didn't have key to our house (that they could find) so Brayton didn't get to bed until late too. Not so good since he was whiney and crabby before supper even!
I had to take Baby for her booster shot today, so I picked the boys up from school and I have to say, I still don't understand their system ~ well, I understand it, it's just part of it I don't agree with WHAT-SO-EVER!!! I'll try my best to describe the setup: There is a lane for cars to circle around and pick up kids at the curb in front of the one wing of the school. There is also parking in this area so if you don't want to "drive through" then you can get out of your car and wait for the child you are picking up. As a pedestrian, you can't cross the "drive through" (DT for short from here on out) lane, and the kids are directed by the Nazi Traffic Cop (not the only one who thinks so) when to cross the DT lane. This sounds all good, except, the kids are not allowed to cross until the kids are found and placed into the first 5 cars in line. . . see where I'm going with this? So, the first person in line, may not have their kid come out of the school right away and everyone waits until they are loaded to go(in the case today the kid wasn't out, then the vehicle was a truck, so the driver had to get out, go around, buckle in the kid and then re-enter the vehicle to leave). It's just so frustrating because the pedestrians could actually "have the right away", as in most public situations, but they have to wait for awhile until the first 5 cars leave and then the next cars pull up. This still doesn't make any sense to me ~ the kids could be crossing while most of the vehicles are parked ~ yes, they wait so long in line, most cars are turned off and in park. If ever you were going to have a problem with the pedestrians crossing, it will be when the 2nd group of cars (doesn't want to hold up the line!) is in a hurry and forgets to put it into park or their foot slips off the break. Unfortunately, I've brought up my concerns and was met with a "gentle pat on the head" so to speak, so you get to read about it on my blog! THANKS! I feel so much better now ~~ LOL
I had to take Baby for her booster shot today, so I picked the boys up from school and I have to say, I still don't understand their system ~ well, I understand it, it's just part of it I don't agree with WHAT-SO-EVER!!! I'll try my best to describe the setup: There is a lane for cars to circle around and pick up kids at the curb in front of the one wing of the school. There is also parking in this area so if you don't want to "drive through" then you can get out of your car and wait for the child you are picking up. As a pedestrian, you can't cross the "drive through" (DT for short from here on out) lane, and the kids are directed by the Nazi Traffic Cop (not the only one who thinks so) when to cross the DT lane. This sounds all good, except, the kids are not allowed to cross until the kids are found and placed into the first 5 cars in line. . . see where I'm going with this? So, the first person in line, may not have their kid come out of the school right away and everyone waits until they are loaded to go(in the case today the kid wasn't out, then the vehicle was a truck, so the driver had to get out, go around, buckle in the kid and then re-enter the vehicle to leave). It's just so frustrating because the pedestrians could actually "have the right away", as in most public situations, but they have to wait for awhile until the first 5 cars leave and then the next cars pull up. This still doesn't make any sense to me ~ the kids could be crossing while most of the vehicles are parked ~ yes, they wait so long in line, most cars are turned off and in park. If ever you were going to have a problem with the pedestrians crossing, it will be when the 2nd group of cars (doesn't want to hold up the line!) is in a hurry and forgets to put it into park or their foot slips off the break. Unfortunately, I've brought up my concerns and was met with a "gentle pat on the head" so to speak, so you get to read about it on my blog! THANKS! I feel so much better now ~~ LOL
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy New Year!!!
We had some friends over for New Years and had a BLAST!!! I am hoping all the laughing we did is a prelude to the year we will have. Chris' high school friend/classmate, Troy and his wife Tara came to our house on the 31st (along with their 2 girls ages 4 & 6). The kids all play soooo well together that it's always a good time when we get together (this was their first time at our house)! Troy is quite the story teller and he and Chris reminisced by watching old football tapes as we burned them to DVD (they were so excited, Tara and I. . . not so much!) Other than Brayton's broken toe (we think~see pic~it's not as purple as it was yesterday and you can kind of see it's purple up on his foot and this happened on Friday morning!) a lot of fun was had by all AND we got to celebrate Mackenzie's 6th birthday when they were here!
Yesterday was not so fun (Vikes loss) but here is a cute picture of Brayton and Chris after Bray snuggled up and shared his blanket. This was taken in-between shouts at the TV (Childress should be fired for poor coaching).
Today I was a little nervous about getting back into the swing of things with school and work, but everything went off without a hitch! I got out of bed just a few minutes late and the boys made it down the treacherous driveway (covered in ice!). Brayton got 100% on his spelling pretest (and "Guess what?! One of the words was 'family' and I still got them all correct!" ~ Brayton's announcement at supper) Taite doesn't have spelling this week, but announced that his music program is on Thursday, the 15th! I swore I had it on my calendar, but NOPE ~ so much for being on top of things! Then we had a lengthy discussion about his program and if he already had one this year (Chris was about a year off!). He swore we had just been to one and he can even remember where he parked the van! Yes, it was almost a year ago that it happened! We had a good laugh about that one! While I was helping with homework (Chris was finishing up work) I noticed that Brayton was reading his book and when he came to a person's name, he was reading it Hawaii ~ which didn't sound right. . . I checked, it was Howie, so when I corrected him, he said. . . "I read it that way when Dad was reading with me and he didn't say anything!" :~) Needless to say, I told Chris he should pay a little more attention (again, insert laugh).
I am working with Amber and Steph's friend for Steph's baby shower we are having on Saturday. I hope the weather holds out because it looks like a lot of people will be able to make it. I'm amazed at the number of people she says have already told her she looks like she's ready to pop ~ I only wished I looked as good as she does when I was 9 months pregnant!!! She certainly doesn't have the butt I did, nor is she retaining any water. . . Bitch! LOL ~ Just kidding Steph!!
Yesterday was not so fun (Vikes loss) but here is a cute picture of Brayton and Chris after Bray snuggled up and shared his blanket. This was taken in-between shouts at the TV (Childress should be fired for poor coaching).
Today I was a little nervous about getting back into the swing of things with school and work, but everything went off without a hitch! I got out of bed just a few minutes late and the boys made it down the treacherous driveway (covered in ice!). Brayton got 100% on his spelling pretest (and "Guess what?! One of the words was 'family' and I still got them all correct!" ~ Brayton's announcement at supper) Taite doesn't have spelling this week, but announced that his music program is on Thursday, the 15th! I swore I had it on my calendar, but NOPE ~ so much for being on top of things! Then we had a lengthy discussion about his program and if he already had one this year (Chris was about a year off!). He swore we had just been to one and he can even remember where he parked the van! Yes, it was almost a year ago that it happened! We had a good laugh about that one! While I was helping with homework (Chris was finishing up work) I noticed that Brayton was reading his book and when he came to a person's name, he was reading it Hawaii ~ which didn't sound right. . . I checked, it was Howie, so when I corrected him, he said. . . "I read it that way when Dad was reading with me and he didn't say anything!" :~) Needless to say, I told Chris he should pay a little more attention (again, insert laugh).
I am working with Amber and Steph's friend for Steph's baby shower we are having on Saturday. I hope the weather holds out because it looks like a lot of people will be able to make it. I'm amazed at the number of people she says have already told her she looks like she's ready to pop ~ I only wished I looked as good as she does when I was 9 months pregnant!!! She certainly doesn't have the butt I did, nor is she retaining any water. . . Bitch! LOL ~ Just kidding Steph!!
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