Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Just think, this time last year we were all celebrating together. I'm not sure which I like more, having you guys or having Paul home. I sure do miss all of you, but there really is no substitute for having him home. If I recall last year we went to that nice place on the water. This year I am hoping for a nice dinner cooked by Paul and cleaned up by Paul. He is taking the kids out tomorrow to get me a present. I am not sure what to get him, but I may have to do what i suggested the young girls in my Lingustics class do for their boyfriends. They were asking me for ideas today and i told them to bake their boyfriends cookies and write "saucy" things on the cookies. Not to cheesy, ot to sentimental, not to personal, but yummy and fun.

So, how did Paul propose to me? He didn't! We were having a phone conversation one night and he suggested if I was sick of my job in San Fran. i should move to WA to live with him. Up until this point we had just been roommates. I told him I wasn't moving to just be roommates, so he said we would see were it went. I told him I wasn't moving up there to just date, what if it didn't work out? So, I finally said, "what would you say if I asked you to marry me", he said "ok" so we joked about it for a while, and the next morning I told him I was calling my Mom to tell her we were getting married and he said "OK". We got married three months later. I should have married him years before, because he was the only guy I ever dated that my mother liked. Here we are working on year 11, and I am so thankful every day that I married him. He is the best thing that ever happened in my life. Him and the kids, of course!

H is doing great! We took him off the meds last Friday and he is like a different kid. He is sleeping really well, not having dreams or sleepwalking. He is being an angel. His teacher noticed the difference right away. It is hard to believe that something like that could cause so many problems. Here we thought we were doing the right thing for him and his health and it turns out we were making his health much worse. The Zytrec is not as effective at treating his allergy/asthema problems, but I don't care,we will never go back to Singular. Right now we are working on his Valentine box for school. They are having a contest in his room for the boxes. He used frosting to "glue" thousands of conversation hearts to the box, so it is completely edible. He has a big "fake bite" taken off the side for kids to put his valentines through. It is pretty cool. I get to help in his classroom tomorrow for the party and i am pretty excited about it.

I don't know if I told all of you that H is going to "State" for swimming next week. He will swim the 100 meter freestyle, 25 meter Freestyle, 25 meter backstroke. We are very happy for him. He has worked hard all year to make it!

So, everyone needs to update after valentine's day so we can hear how the hubbies did. I wish we were all together again, but I can't kiss you guys, so enjoy your valentine's day with your sweeties.

Good Morning Girls!

I am up and ready to go this morning. I have some school work to get ready to turn in today and H forgot his homework in the library so we have to leave early so we can get it and get it done before school. We have had a very nice week. We went sledding on Sat and Sun. the kids loved it. G is much more of a daredevil than H which is very suprising. We also had a superbowl party for just the four of us, but it was fun anyway. Here is a shoot out to Bill for his superior team. We loved watching them. H and I were hoping the Steelers would win, Paul was going for the Cardinals. What a great game. For those of you that don't know Star of the Sea is going through a huge scandle right now. Check it out on the Daily Astorian website. Type in the keyword St. Mary's or Star of the Sea. You can also google it and I am sure you can see it on the big news stations out of Portland. So, in other news. We are taking H to the doctor on Fri. He is showing some signs of anxiety, so we want to see what we can do to help him out. I think the move has been a bigger deal for him than we thought. He has undergone a pretty big personality change in the last 6 months and we are starting to get concerned. He doesn't want to go anywhere without us. He doesn't want to go to a friend's house to play unless one of us is going to stay. He doesn't want to go sledding or ice skating if he thinks a bunch of other kids are going to be there. He is also very concerned about checking that doors and windows are locked. I was looking up anxiety in kids and he has some pretty big signs of it. All I can say is that it really sucks when you know your baby is going through some issues and you don't know what to say or do to help them. I am also very glad we are part of the C.G. so we can get the help we need and now have to worry about the cost. On a happier note. G and Paul are going to the Father/Daughter dance on Weds. I am taking her to get her hair done before and they are going out to dinner with her best friend and her best friends Dad. Paul wants to play it up really big so she has a great time and he makes up for not being home to take her the last few years, but he also wants to set the stage for any boys that try and date his daughter years from now. He wants the date standard set high, so G doesn't settle for some shmuck. H and I are going to go and see Pink Panther 2 while they are at the dance. A nice Mom/Son night, and the best part is I don't have to get super dressed up for it. The YMCA here is doing a parent's night out on Feb 13th, which G wants to go to, but H does not and so we are trying to decide if it is worth making him go so we get a date. We have not been out together at night, on a date since we lived in Astoria. I will keep you posted on the possible date night. School is great. I really love being back in a classroom, learning new things. The younger girls in the classes are starting to share their boyfriend problems with me, but I think, in a more Mom than girlfriend capacity. That's OK though, because at least they trust me enough to share. I like my proffessors. They are all very smart and I get a lot out of the classes they teach. I am not looking forward to Mid-Terms, which are coming up. I remember why everyone parties so much in school. To celebrate when things are going well, and to drown your sorrows when they are not. I haven't reached either point yet! I am so glad to hear Lily is doing OK. Amy do you have anymore info? Melissa, I love all the craft links on your page. Amy....SURVIVOR, next week! Michelle, have you started planning your trip across the country yet? Planning to stop here? Well, I am off to start the day. Have a good Thursday ladies.

Photos!

THIS MONTH.......

picture of our snow covered deck.

LAST MONTH.......

Our cruise ship

The cabana in the Bahamas

I FEEL SICK!

All right ladies, I feel sick! Sick to my stomach, sick in my brain, sick in my head. No, I am not really sick, I just feel that way. You see, the problem is, I am in school. Now I know you have all read about it before, but this is different. Last week and the week before I was just starting, not sure what to expect, and a bit on the "OK, this will be fine" side of things. But, this week is different. I have a paper due tomorrow. Now that would be enough to put some people into a panic, but it gets worse. It is up for peer review. So, that means that one of the young, smart, whippersnappers in my class is going to read my paper, and I think I am going to be called out as the fraud I feel like. They will realize that you really don't get smarter with age, and that your mind really does degenerate as you get older. My last wish is that you all remember I did have some moments of pure lucidity before I started this whole college thing, and that if it doesn't work out for me, you all will not point and laugh. I am now off to finish the paper and blow all of you and my blog off once again, until next week.

Sincerely,
The woman formerly known as smart.

Left Out!

I feel so left out, but at least I can comfort myself with the fact that soon Laurie will be joining me on the pity pot. Amy has Tara and Melissa (sometimes) and Laurie has Michelle, and I have no one! Boo Hoo. I don't have anyone to play crazy cow games with and to drink mock anything with! So, I guess I will have to go and drink a real glass of wine and comfort myself with leftover episodes of unwatched Gray's Anatomy. At least McDreamy is there for me. I don't have friends Amy, but I have snow. Lots and lots of snow. We have about two feet off our deck right now and the weather is 9* with a wind chill of -10 to -25 tonight. The pleasures of living in the mid-west. I actually kind of like it. We get to have a fire all the time. The kids play outside all the time. They don't call snow days at the drop of a hat. Hot Chocolate is not just a treat anymore, it is a staple! Everyone is bundled up all the time, so your figure never shows and everyone wears sweat and sweatshirts all the time, so I fit right in. Lots of kids don't want to get out of bed to go to class so I look really good to my professors just because I show up everyday. Overall the mid-west is a great place to be.

Class is going well. I feel a bit more comfortable speaking up and a bit less intimidated by all the really smart kids at school. However, I was sent an email from the dean of student welcoming me as a older, more mature student, and I feel a bit miffed at that! But, because I just used the word miffed i guess I can understand why I got the older, returning student, email. The one thing I miss because I am in school and studying all the time is the TV shows. I have to limit it to one show a night. So here is my viewing list for now.

Monday-The Bachelor
Tuesday-Homeland Security
Weds.-American Idol
Thurs.-CSI
Fri-Tivo's American Idol second night
Sat.-Tivo'd Gray's
Sun-Desperate Housewives.

When Survivor and Dancing come back on I am hosed! Did you get the date for Survivor Amy? I love the new Homeland Security show. What is everyone else watching? I will be watching the inaguration on Tuesday. I think we are watching it in class. I have an amazing Study of Modern English teacher. She wants us to watch the speech, so I think we may watch it in class. Melissa, you have a front row seat don't you? I know, that you must know someone that can get you right up front! Well, that's it for me. I have to go read the last few chapters of Huck Finn. Have a good Thursday everyone!

The New Year

Well the new year has brought new challenges with it. I FINALLY started school. after years of talking about how much I wanted to become a teacher it is finally happening. I know I just started down this long road, but it should pay off in the Spring of 2011 with a Master's and a teaching job! I don't know if it is me or if the kids today are just getting smarter or I am dumber. I was worried about starting school because I haven't been in class in so long I wondered if I would be able to keep up. On the first day when I watched all the kids texting and not taking notes I thought, "I got this, these kids have got nothin' on me", and than the second day came around and they all started participating in class and I thought, "oh crap, i'm in trouble here". These kids are smart. Young, but smart. I really hope I can keep up. I am taking British Literature, American Literature, and Modern English. I am the oldest person in all of my classes, except for the teachers, but I hope that gives me the life experience to get through this. Tare, how are your classes going? Are you feeling stressed out yet? Am I being a big baby? I am glad I did this though. I have always wanted it and now I am going after my dream. I am glad I have a supportive husband, mom, and kids, or I wouldn't be able to do this. I took H with me to the campus before school started so I could drop off some paperwork, get a parking pass, and a student ID, and H loved it. Our student Union building is the coolest place ever. It has a movie theater, pool tables, foos ball, Subway, a sushi bar, cafe, coffee house, computers, xbox, playstaion terminals, and all kids of other things. H and I played pool and got lunch and he was so impressed he wants to go to school there as well. He just needs to keep seeing college as the land of milk and honey! For my American Lit. class we are reading Huck Finn. Have any of you read it? Any thoughts on it you would like to share? My teacher in that class is a bit weird. He talks about TV and movies a LOT, to the point that yesterday I decided to write down every show or movie he referenced and show Paul when I got home (I can listen to him and write at the same time, so I wasn't completely spacing out). He brought up:
90210
The O.C.
Scooby and Shaggy
The Flinstones
Matchbox
Pride and Predjudice
A keanue Reeves Movie
Saved by the Bell
Scarlet Letter with Demi Moore
MTV Cribs
Cat in the Hat
Christmas Carol
Archie Bunker
Little Mermaid
Song of the South

So, stayed tuned for Friday's list of topics from the teacher!

I took G out last night and we got our Ice Skates. The YMCA has a skating rink here, so I told G I would teach her to skate. H has swim team tonight, so while Paul is watching him, I will be on the frozen pond. We have had a two hour delay with school today due to the snow, so I hope the pond is snow free for easy skating. I know I have yet to load any pictures from the cruise, but it won't be today either. I am off to get ready for class and i still have a few chapters of Huck Finn to read. I hope you all have a good day. Oh, as i am back in school any fancy dinners are now out the window and for the first time in G's life we had Hamburger Helper for dinner last night, and the kids would not eat it! Tonight is grilled cheese and split pea soup.

Birthday!

H had his birthday today! It seems that all of the big important days this year have fallen on a Thursday. We did not have a party for him. We gave him the option of having a party or going and learning how to ski. He chose skiing. H and G went into a kids ski camp yesterday. It lasted four hours, included lunch, hot chocolate break, and the lesson and gave us time to ski together. We had a wonderful time. Paul and I had never been skiing together before. We had four hours of total ski bliss. It was a bit icy in some spots, but for the most part it was a really nice ski area. Who knew MI would be such a nice place to ski. so, H loved ski school, but just wanted to hit the regular slopes with us, so after ski school Paul took him to the easier slope and off they went. H is a really good skier and picked it up FAST! G and I went and sat by the fire after ski school. She had a fun time, but wants a few more lessons. It was really great to have a nice day out like that. Today on H's actual birthday we all got up nursing stiff legs and spent the day at home. We did have Subway for dinner, because that is what H wanted. A Coldstone Creamery Cake and opened presents. H got a nice digital/Video camera and a Deluxe Pogo Stcik from us and MORE legos from all the grandmothers. Paul and I did make it to midnight last night. We watched the ball drop and turned off the light, only to see fireworks from our neighbor go off right outside the bedroom window. It was very pretty and we felt a bit more festive, and than we went to sleep! I am not one for resolutions, so I won't even try to lie and say I made one. I know I would only break it so why bother. I like New Years, don't get me wrong, but I have never really understood why it is such a big deal to everyone. Why do the stores close? Why make a resolution? We are all off work, so let us go spend some money and have fun? If we didn't do it over the last year what makes us think we are going to do it this coming year? I prefer to think of it as a day to get a fun new kitchen calendar, sleep late, and have a long weekend. So I hope all of you get a nice long weekend, some extra sleep, and a chance to do something fun. Happy New Year!