The dead are trying to break down the wall, the dragons are attacking, and Lebennen, Tehanu, Tenar, and the wizards of Roke must figure out how to make whole what has been broken...or do they need to break what was once made? These are the questions they must answer as they are brought together along with Orm Irian, daughter of Kelessain, and Alder, the mender.
I enjoyed this book but found it harder to get into and follow everything going on. Maybe I was just tired every time I picked it up but I think it was just a more disjointed story with more people trying to have their voices heard. Sometimes that works well in a story, sometimes it makes it harder to follow what's going on. This time, it made it harder for me. I still enjoyed it but it was not my favorite of the series.
Page count: 211p/12,763p ytd
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Dead computer :(
Second computer in the last year just died on me. Same models, same issue, both older and gotten used. Fan died, heated up too much, wouldn't come back. Thankfully my data is still intact and Mark was able to come up with a new (used) laptop for me to use. This one has a busted screen but since it's docked, it doesn't matter. He also found me a nice bigger flatscreen display so that's a nice bonus. Of course, now we still need to transfer all my data over so I don't have anything other than internet access right now and not even good email access since I have to use webmail until we get everything moved over. Total pita but at least I won't be down for too long. I do think we are going to be looking into buying me a brand-new laptop during the after Christmas sales since all the ones we get are old work machines with quite a bit of use already on them. It will be nice to finally get my first brand-new machine but I wish we could have put it off longer.
Friday, May 29, 2009
104:46 The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
The Zombies are coming! The Zombies are coming!
You no longer need to fear hearing this cry of horror if you have read this book and followed it's well thought out plan for survival. You will be among the survivors no matter how large scale the situation so long as you start planning now. Training, survival tactics for different terrains and shelters, how to deal with different classes of outbreaks from small scale to the zombies taking over, it's all here in this one handy place. Buy it, read it, study it, take it to heart because a zombie invasion could be eminent where you live and we must all take our duty to be prepared for WWZ seriously if we wish the human race's continued survival.
Page count: 247p/12,552p ytd
You no longer need to fear hearing this cry of horror if you have read this book and followed it's well thought out plan for survival. You will be among the survivors no matter how large scale the situation so long as you start planning now. Training, survival tactics for different terrains and shelters, how to deal with different classes of outbreaks from small scale to the zombies taking over, it's all here in this one handy place. Buy it, read it, study it, take it to heart because a zombie invasion could be eminent where you live and we must all take our duty to be prepared for WWZ seriously if we wish the human race's continued survival.
Page count: 247p/12,552p ytd
104:45 Tales from Earthsea by Ursuala K. LeGuin
A collection of short stories from Earthsea. In this, we see Ogion as a young man and see the full story of how he saved the village from the earthquake. We see stories from long before the time of Ged, the stories that are now legend in his time. The last story is set in the current time, after Ged has gone to the dark land and returned with Lebennen and continues to show how man and dragon were once one species. This leads directly into the next book.
All in all, a fun group of stories. I also enjoy with authors go in and fill in back story in their world's, telling us the full stories of the things that are legend in the time period they are writing about. It's one of those special touches that makes the worlds that much more real and this one did that wonderfully.
Page count: 314p/12,305p ytd
All in all, a fun group of stories. I also enjoy with authors go in and fill in back story in their world's, telling us the full stories of the things that are legend in the time period they are writing about. It's one of those special touches that makes the worlds that much more real and this one did that wonderfully.
Page count: 314p/12,305p ytd
104:44 Animal Farm by George Orwell
Orwell's lecture about the problems with communism is a great introduction to his works, especially for high school students. This is my second reading of the book as I read it last year with Christopher and now I read it with Jason. Christopher still enjoyed it and was happy to reread it. I will say that I think 1984 was a better book and definitely much more relevant to today than Animal Farm but it's very easy to put this one into historical perspective and incorporate the thinking of the time into the discussion.
Page count: 139p/11,852p ytd
Page count: 139p/11,852p ytd
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Sometimes you can get what you want
It's been a long fight but we had Jonathan's early triennial evaluation IEP today and got exactly what we've been fighting for. We had requested at his transfer and standard annual IEP in March that he continue to recieve summer services due to his problems with regression because of the apraxia and other motor control issues he deals with. After much back and forth, the admin had reluctantly agreed but then sent us an IEP without those services listed. I called and told them that I refused to sign it as it was written because it was not what was agreed to. He sent out another copy with the services listed under Extended School Year (ESY) but then marked the box no for Jonathan being eligible. Our last school had it marked yes but also had him enrolled in summer school and I was told that was the difference. I signed it and was happy to have that taken care. When I called in May to confirm it, I was told that no, we didn't need to enroll in summer school but we would be receiving services. I was contacted 2wks later to set up today's IEP and told that no, he would not be receiving services because they were going to make that decision at this IEP. Of course, that would leave us no time to file a dispute if they denied us. Considering the admin was going back on what he had agreed to at the previous IEP I was not hopeful of them doing the right thing. This is the same school that "lost" Jonathan's paperwork for 2½mos and didn't correct it until they realized that we were not going away and they could be in deep trouble for losing application paperwork for a SpecEd student.
I decided the best way to deal with this situation was to do exactly what they didn't want and to become educated on exactly what our rights were in this situation. We would not go away not would we settle for anything less than what he needed. I started doing research myself into the Educational Codes, SELPA, and IDEA laws as well as gathering more information specific to apraxia and what their needs are (it's a fairly new and uncommon diagnosis so not everyone understands it and it's implications). I also hired an Educational Advocate to attend the meeting with us and informed the school that we would be having her join us and would be taping the phone call persuant to EC 56341.1. Yes, always put in the Educational Codes or other identifying laws when dealing with someone who doesn't want you to be informed. It scares the pants off them. *big evil grin*
Well, panic ensued. They were calling our speech therapist at 9pm yesterday to make sure they had her report (they hadn't requested one previously) and they wanted all their bases covered. Dee was fabulous and wrote something up (she has been working with him since Sept 2007) and made sure to note that regression was evident whenever we missed a week. (Bless her!) Needless to say, this was a very smooth meeting today. Jill, not her husband Michael, precided over the meeting (she's also the one that came to the rescue after the paperwork had been "lost") and she was very quick to tell us how to go about requesting additional testing for possible tutoring services in case he might need them come fall and she recommended a full 6wks with 1hr each of OT and speech services, worded in such a way that we could do them at any time during the summer as worked with our schedule. Basically, bending over backwards to look accomodating and show that they were complying with the law (since they haven't been and it can be easily proven).
So victory is ours! We got the 6wks of summer services for Jonathan which is really all they were quibbling about. We'll schedule things so that he doesn't go more than a week or two between sessions so the regression will be minimal and we are all set to go! It's always nice when you can get what you want.
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I know I've not been on much lately. My computer has been running dog slow and Firefox freezes every time I try to add pitures to a post but I have several that I need to get written, including all the cute stuff from Baycon, so watch for them.
I decided the best way to deal with this situation was to do exactly what they didn't want and to become educated on exactly what our rights were in this situation. We would not go away not would we settle for anything less than what he needed. I started doing research myself into the Educational Codes, SELPA, and IDEA laws as well as gathering more information specific to apraxia and what their needs are (it's a fairly new and uncommon diagnosis so not everyone understands it and it's implications). I also hired an Educational Advocate to attend the meeting with us and informed the school that we would be having her join us and would be taping the phone call persuant to EC 56341.1. Yes, always put in the Educational Codes or other identifying laws when dealing with someone who doesn't want you to be informed. It scares the pants off them. *big evil grin*
Well, panic ensued. They were calling our speech therapist at 9pm yesterday to make sure they had her report (they hadn't requested one previously) and they wanted all their bases covered. Dee was fabulous and wrote something up (she has been working with him since Sept 2007) and made sure to note that regression was evident whenever we missed a week. (Bless her!) Needless to say, this was a very smooth meeting today. Jill, not her husband Michael, precided over the meeting (she's also the one that came to the rescue after the paperwork had been "lost") and she was very quick to tell us how to go about requesting additional testing for possible tutoring services in case he might need them come fall and she recommended a full 6wks with 1hr each of OT and speech services, worded in such a way that we could do them at any time during the summer as worked with our schedule. Basically, bending over backwards to look accomodating and show that they were complying with the law (since they haven't been and it can be easily proven).
So victory is ours! We got the 6wks of summer services for Jonathan which is really all they were quibbling about. We'll schedule things so that he doesn't go more than a week or two between sessions so the regression will be minimal and we are all set to go! It's always nice when you can get what you want.
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I know I've not been on much lately. My computer has been running dog slow and Firefox freezes every time I try to add pitures to a post but I have several that I need to get written, including all the cute stuff from Baycon, so watch for them.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Well, I was catching up...
at least around the house and then I tried catching up on some other stuff and the things I had cleaned up weren't any more and now I'm behind on grading the boys' school papers as well. Ugh!!!
As if that weren't bad enough, the next 6 days are going to be crazy busy (so if I'm not back here by the end of the month, send out the search party) so I'm going to be in "survival" mode.
Let's take a look at just how insane I am, shall we?
Today's list:
Tomorrow is slightly less insane with just packing for the weekend, swim classes, taking the boys to see the new Star Trek, and then out to dinner but I'll still be gone from 1:30 until probably close to 10p and we leave as early as possible on Friday for Baycon, hence the packing for 7.
Yikes!
As if that weren't bad enough, the next 6 days are going to be crazy busy (so if I'm not back here by the end of the month, send out the search party) so I'm going to be in "survival" mode.
Let's take a look at just how insane I am, shall we?
Today's list:
- Go to AT&T store to see if they can get my information off my old phone and then set it up as Jason's phone.
- Drop off several boxes at Goodwill
- Take Nico to zoo class
- Feed everyone lunch
- Stop at bank to get cash from paycheck, set-up Jason with a savings account
- Take boys to park for last meeting with ES (today is last day of school for Jonathan and Matthew)
- Get over to Costco to do the shopping
- Figure out something for dinner
- Homeschool meeting
- Collapse
Tomorrow is slightly less insane with just packing for the weekend, swim classes, taking the boys to see the new Star Trek, and then out to dinner but I'll still be gone from 1:30 until probably close to 10p and we leave as early as possible on Friday for Baycon, hence the packing for 7.
Yikes!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I've heard you are supposed to humor crazy people
but honestly, I think having them committed makes much more sense. Unfortunately the boys stole my phone when I tried to make the phone call for the nice young men to pay us a visit after they subjected me to two episodes of some YouTube thing about Charlie the Unicorn to help explain to me why they've been going around making strange noises and singing something about putting a banana in their ear.
I smiled on the outside but on the inside...I'm terrified! Someone please help!!!
I smiled on the outside but on the inside...I'm terrified! Someone please help!!!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
So this is what my home looks like...
I spent most of the day out of the house and when I was home, I was busy trying to catch up on laundry, AYSO stuff, and whatever other stuff I could fit in so it's not until now that I've really looked up. The good news is that Matthew and Jonathan both got all their dental work done today so hopefully that will be the last for them for a while. Matthew decided to tough it out and get all four crowns put on at once so he'd be done. Now he's trying to get used to having teeth again since the old ones were so worn down. Thankfully these are baby teeth and should fall out in a year or two. I also got the news on what Jason needs done and the estimate on that. Looks like his dad will be paying that so that helps. Mark and I are hoping that once he is working from home 2 days a week that I'll be able to get over and get some work done as well. That would be the best news of all.
After getting home from a 3hr dental visit I got 30min to switch over laundry and do dishes before taking Christopher to the beach for his yearbook staff photo. Once we got home at 4p I finally got to eat lunch.
In all this craziness tho, I still managed to do 2-10Min Trainer workouts this morning (abs and yoga) and the cardio one this evening. I'm hoping to do as well tomorrow. We have Nico's zoo class and then I'm picking up the boys and immediately heading over the hill to take Jason to his counseling appointment. Not sure if we are going to try and get to KSW or not. I'm guessing not which will be just fine by me.
After getting home from a 3hr dental visit I got 30min to switch over laundry and do dishes before taking Christopher to the beach for his yearbook staff photo. Once we got home at 4p I finally got to eat lunch.
In all this craziness tho, I still managed to do 2-10Min Trainer workouts this morning (abs and yoga) and the cardio one this evening. I'm hoping to do as well tomorrow. We have Nico's zoo class and then I'm picking up the boys and immediately heading over the hill to take Jason to his counseling appointment. Not sure if we are going to try and get to KSW or not. I'm guessing not which will be just fine by me.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Falling behind again
I spent the weekend catching up on a few projects that I needed to get done like updating the AYSO website and finishing up the YAW page for the homeschool yearbook. I also went through clothes for Jonathan and Matthew which ended up piling up the laundry. Of course, spending my time on that meant that other stuff was on the back burner and now the laundry needs serious attention, the top of the foot locker is getting cluttered again, as is the breakfast bar. The housecleaner was here this morning and left at 11:30a. By 1:30p, the boys had strewn food all over the living room and dining room floors. It doesn't even bother them in the slightest but man does it send me over the edge but it's those things that just reinforce what kind of uphill battle I face on a daily basis. *sigh*
And of course, it's another busy week and Mark is out of town. Matthew and Jonathan have a dentist appointment tomorrow and then Jason's counseling appointment is Wednesday afternoon. I'm taking Nico with me tomorrow and I'm going to try to bring enough things to keep him busy in the waiting room tho I'll probably take him for a bit of a walk at some point. Wednesday I'm hoping for good weather and I'll walk the boys over to the park a few blocks from the Drs office since I'll have all the kids with me. Hopefully that will keep them busy and off their gameboys for a bit.
And a quick update on the diet and exercise front. I'm doing pretty well with the healthier eating tho I have the occasional off day. Last week with our anniversary, Christopher's play, and Mother's Day it was hard but I'm right back on track. What I'm very proud of is that even if I have a little slip I've been getting back on track the next day and not letting one slipped up day turn into a week, a month, or longer. I know it's early on and it's something I will need to keep constant vigilance against but I am going to be happy that so far it's going well.
On the exercise front, we haven't missed a day's 10 Minute Trainer workout since we started on May 1. We've done at least one workout every day and have done our best to fit in a 2nd one whenever possible. I think we've been successful about 50% of the time so far. Last night we didn't get our first workout in until 11p. I was exhausted but Mark was going to do it anyway and since he had to be up at 4am and on a plane at 6:30a I figured if he could make it a point to do it than I had no excuse not to join him. He was right and I did feel good knowing I hadn't given in to the excuse. I got up and did my workout this morning after he left and just finished my evening one. The nice effect from this is that a pair of jeans that had been getting snug fit comfortably today. Made me feel really good that something right is happening.
On a side note, I called Beach Body today to cancel the subscriptions to their website and vitamin plan that you get free trials of when you place your order. I was chatting with the customer service rep and she told me that so many people order the programs but don't even open the package. Made me feel really good about the fact that we opened it the day it arrived and started the program the following day and haven't missed a day. It's funny how right now I'm having a harder time getting through the workouts because my muscles are tired from the consistnet workouts but I'm not coughing after doing the cardio any more and I'm not as tired or as sore for as long after working out so yet more proof that it's doing what it should.
I bought a pedometer last week. It looks like I average somewhere around 3000 steps a day when I don't go out of my way to get a walk in. That doesn't include my workouts since I don't wear it for that but still. With the weather starting to get nicer, I'm going to see what I can do about getting a walk in a couple more times a week.
And of course, it's another busy week and Mark is out of town. Matthew and Jonathan have a dentist appointment tomorrow and then Jason's counseling appointment is Wednesday afternoon. I'm taking Nico with me tomorrow and I'm going to try to bring enough things to keep him busy in the waiting room tho I'll probably take him for a bit of a walk at some point. Wednesday I'm hoping for good weather and I'll walk the boys over to the park a few blocks from the Drs office since I'll have all the kids with me. Hopefully that will keep them busy and off their gameboys for a bit.
And a quick update on the diet and exercise front. I'm doing pretty well with the healthier eating tho I have the occasional off day. Last week with our anniversary, Christopher's play, and Mother's Day it was hard but I'm right back on track. What I'm very proud of is that even if I have a little slip I've been getting back on track the next day and not letting one slipped up day turn into a week, a month, or longer. I know it's early on and it's something I will need to keep constant vigilance against but I am going to be happy that so far it's going well.
On the exercise front, we haven't missed a day's 10 Minute Trainer workout since we started on May 1. We've done at least one workout every day and have done our best to fit in a 2nd one whenever possible. I think we've been successful about 50% of the time so far. Last night we didn't get our first workout in until 11p. I was exhausted but Mark was going to do it anyway and since he had to be up at 4am and on a plane at 6:30a I figured if he could make it a point to do it than I had no excuse not to join him. He was right and I did feel good knowing I hadn't given in to the excuse. I got up and did my workout this morning after he left and just finished my evening one. The nice effect from this is that a pair of jeans that had been getting snug fit comfortably today. Made me feel really good that something right is happening.
On a side note, I called Beach Body today to cancel the subscriptions to their website and vitamin plan that you get free trials of when you place your order. I was chatting with the customer service rep and she told me that so many people order the programs but don't even open the package. Made me feel really good about the fact that we opened it the day it arrived and started the program the following day and haven't missed a day. It's funny how right now I'm having a harder time getting through the workouts because my muscles are tired from the consistnet workouts but I'm not coughing after doing the cardio any more and I'm not as tired or as sore for as long after working out so yet more proof that it's doing what it should.
I bought a pedometer last week. It looks like I average somewhere around 3000 steps a day when I don't go out of my way to get a walk in. That doesn't include my workouts since I don't wear it for that but still. With the weather starting to get nicer, I'm going to see what I can do about getting a walk in a couple more times a week.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Things that just sound wrong
On this Mother's Day, I'm reminded of some of the stranger things I've said since becoming a mom. None of them were ever meant the way they sounded and it was only after the words came out of my mouth that I realized how they could have been interpreted.
"If you don't stop running around like that you are going to get hit with the rope!" - said to Nicholas just this last week as he kept darting between Jonathan and myself as I was trying to help Jonathan with his Occupational Therapy.
"If you keep that up, you will end up with more staples in your head!" - said to Nicholas as he was yet again running around avoiding a diaper change.
"No more swim classes for you if don't stay down!" - said to Jonathan who was using the technique for climbing out of the pool for climbing up on the fridge.
I'm sure there are many more but those are the ones that spring instantly to mind. Anyone remember any others or ones you've said that in hindsight didnt' sound quite right? I'd love to hear them!
"If you don't stop running around like that you are going to get hit with the rope!" - said to Nicholas just this last week as he kept darting between Jonathan and myself as I was trying to help Jonathan with his Occupational Therapy.
"If you keep that up, you will end up with more staples in your head!" - said to Nicholas as he was yet again running around avoiding a diaper change.
"No more swim classes for you if don't stay down!" - said to Jonathan who was using the technique for climbing out of the pool for climbing up on the fridge.
I'm sure there are many more but those are the ones that spring instantly to mind. Anyone remember any others or ones you've said that in hindsight didnt' sound quite right? I'd love to hear them!
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Especially to my mom Lisa and my wonderful step-mom Elaine, I wish all my friend's a very Happy Mother's Day!
104:43 Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
Dark and gritty are probably the best words I've heard to describe the world of Watchmen. The story revolves around the aging costumed heroes who have been forced into retirement, the death of one of their own, and their search for what is really happening. The mystery goes much deeper than simply the death of the Comedian tho and what they find is a man willing to sacrifice millions for a greater goal. Can they stop him and if they can, should they? These are some of the deeper issues at work.
Winner of the Hugo, one of Time's top 100 best novels, on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die...this is not your typical superhero comic.
Page count: 416p/11,852p ytd
Winner of the Hugo, one of Time's top 100 best novels, on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die...this is not your typical superhero comic.
Page count: 416p/11,852p ytd
Friday, May 08, 2009
104:42 Tehanu by Ursula K. LeGuin
This takes place immediately after The Farthest Shore. We meet back up with Tenar and watch as she takes care of Ged now that he has lost his powers. We watch their relationship grow and find out who the child she has taken in really is and what she will mean for the world of Ea.
I really enjoyed this one and you can see things are being set up for an even bigger battle for the world, one in which Ged will likely play a part but not the one it would have been when he was younger. I'm interested to see how this will all play out.
Page Count: 281p/11,436p ytd
I really enjoyed this one and you can see things are being set up for an even bigger battle for the world, one in which Ged will likely play a part but not the one it would have been when he was younger. I'm interested to see how this will all play out.
Page Count: 281p/11,436p ytd
Crazy Week
With Christopher's play rehearsal every day and all the other activities, the first play tonight, and just the general craziness that goes on around here I totally lost track of days and didn't realize I hadn't posted since Monday. I haven't been able to make any more headway around the house tho I have been maintaining what I did get done and I've been doing at least one 10min Trainer session a day (more if I can manage it). I've also been sticking to my new eating plan pretty well. A few cheats with our anniversary but nothing awful. Really working on trying to eat breakfast before noon (more like before 8a) and I got a new scale and pedometer in. The scale is actually accurate too!!! It's amazing how you step on it multiple times and all the weights are within a .5lb of each other instead of 10lbs of each other. I'm currently using the pedometer to see what my average number of steps is and then I'll work on trying to up them.
The big boys have Moin Pan again tomorrow and then the finals are next Saturday, the day after they test for their new belts. Yes, everyone but Jason did just test last month. Apparently like with swim, they are handing out new levels like candy to my kids. Christopher, Matthew, and Jonathan will be getting their red belts and Jason will be getting his yellow stripe.
Tons to do this weekend. I have a bunch of stuff to do for AYSO, plus all that bill paying and checkbook balancing stuff, and I want to work on cleaning my desk a bit and work on the boys room some more. At least we can still see the floor in there from last weekend. That's an improvement over the last 2mos where we couldn't walk in there without taking our lives in our hands.
The big boys have Moin Pan again tomorrow and then the finals are next Saturday, the day after they test for their new belts. Yes, everyone but Jason did just test last month. Apparently like with swim, they are handing out new levels like candy to my kids. Christopher, Matthew, and Jonathan will be getting their red belts and Jason will be getting his yellow stripe.
Tons to do this weekend. I have a bunch of stuff to do for AYSO, plus all that bill paying and checkbook balancing stuff, and I want to work on cleaning my desk a bit and work on the boys room some more. At least we can still see the floor in there from last weekend. That's an improvement over the last 2mos where we couldn't walk in there without taking our lives in our hands.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Back on Track, Day 8
Amazingly no laundry today. Things went fairly smoothly considering I wasn't home most of the day. Jonathan had therapy this morning and his speech therapist was nice enough to pick him up so I didn't have to wake Nico. This also meant I was able to get a shower in after my workout instead of running around all sweaty and gross. I picked him up, went to the produce stand, picked up some stuff off Freecycle from a fellow homeschooler and ended up staying and chatting for almost an hour while the kids played (I just had the two youngest with me). Back home and to schoolwork then off to take Christopher to rehearsal, back home for just over an hour and then off to take the other three big boys to KSW and Nico joined me grocery shopping. He managed to be the first kid of mine to grab something off the shelf and break it, a bottle of terriyaki sauce. I personally think it was a statement about how that brand isn't as good as his dad's. He also surprised me by looking up at the aisles and telling us "number 1" or two or three or four. Huh?! This from the child who won't sit still unless it's to play some beat 'em up or drum it up video game knows his numbers?!?! And apparently he told his therapist today that he likes his blue pants cause daddy bought them for him. Ok, daddy didn't (I did about 5yrs for his brother Jonathan) but still. It's amazing how the more he talks, the more we learn about what he's been picking up (besides the ability to call his brothers stupid, dip, and tell them to shut up *sigh*).
My knee did start acting up today but I still did my 10min Flex Yoga dvd with Mark tonight. He hadn't done his cardio in the morning so he did that while I watched from the sidelines. Had it not been for my knee feeling wonky I would have joined him and done it a second time but it's just not worth the risk when it's feeling like that.
More play rehearsal tomorrow through Thursday. Anyone in the area, please stop on by the HMB High at 7p Fri or Sat or 2p Sun to see Christopher in Babies! It promises to be a lot of fun!
My knee did start acting up today but I still did my 10min Flex Yoga dvd with Mark tonight. He hadn't done his cardio in the morning so he did that while I watched from the sidelines. Had it not been for my knee feeling wonky I would have joined him and done it a second time but it's just not worth the risk when it's feeling like that.
More play rehearsal tomorrow through Thursday. Anyone in the area, please stop on by the HMB High at 7p Fri or Sat or 2p Sun to see Christopher in Babies! It promises to be a lot of fun!
Rude Awakening
What is it with Nico and his love of disturbing my sleep? It's never at the expense of his own as he can always fall asleep after waking me up but he has this uncanny knowledge of when my alarm is going to go off and waking me up 30min before that so I never really get back to sleep, especially when he proceeds to squirm all over me for that 30min. My favorite is when he refuses to let me out of bed when the alarm goes off and I end up staying in bed with his squirming all over me for another 30min where I'm not able to sleep but I'm not able to get up and get my day going either.
It's annoying.
Really annoying.
But today he decided to do himself one better and during his morning squirm, he bashed me full force in the mouth with that hard head of his (I swear it's lined with adamantium or something) and he did this 5min before my alarm went off, 20min after he had squirmed into bed with me. So now I have a lovely fat lip and swollen jaw to start my morning with and he STILL wouldn't let me out of bed when my alarm went off!!!!
I swear, I'm finding a new place to sleep with a locked door and soundproofing.
It's annoying.
Really annoying.
But today he decided to do himself one better and during his morning squirm, he bashed me full force in the mouth with that hard head of his (I swear it's lined with adamantium or something) and he did this 5min before my alarm went off, 20min after he had squirmed into bed with me. So now I have a lovely fat lip and swollen jaw to start my morning with and he STILL wouldn't let me out of bed when my alarm went off!!!!
I swear, I'm finding a new place to sleep with a locked door and soundproofing.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Back on Track, Day 7
Well, it's been a week since I started getting back on track around here and things are continuing to go well. The sink is still shiny, the counters are still cleared (okay, clean dishes on one of them but hey, that's not a bad thing imo), laundry still caught up (despite my kids handing me three loads yesterday), and we've started making progress on the boys room as well. Today was mostly a paperwork catch-up day which seems to be how I spend most Sundays these days with making menus and grocery lists, clipping coupons, grading papers, doing lesson plans, copying whatever tests and other paperwork will be needed for the week, etc. I always think it will only take a few hours but somehow the end of the day comes and I'm still sorting stuff out and there is always a few things that didn't get done that I'll be scrambling about trying to do tomorrow. Obviously still a work in progress there.
My big frustration for the day (well, actually the last month) was trying to find the math program I want for Jonathan for next year from an "approved" Ocean Grove vendor. I thought I should just be able to tell my ES "I want xyz" and she should know what vendor would carry it (especially since it is a standard math program) and take care of it. Instead, she can't figure out which one from some weird list she pulled up from G-d knows where and tells me I need to find it. I find it on Amazon and email her the link and get told "No, they aren't an approved vendor, I need you to find it from someone on our list" except their vendor search engine sucks and I was going to have to go through several hundred vendors until I found one that carried it so I could give her the url, isbn, and price. I ended up stumbling upon the link that she must have originally used and clicked on the Math 54 link on the side and lo and behold found exactly what I wanted. I've emailed all that to her and she better be able to figure it out because I'm pretty sure that fits into her job description not mine. Oh yeah, and the Bright Minds stuff I ordered back when we first started on Feb 27 has finally all been placed and will be getting dropped off to her this week so hopefully we'll have that before summer break starts. I really freaking hope this is not the way things always are because 3mos to order materials in a simple transaction and then all this "I don't know, you need to do all the research and provide everything for me on a standard item" is really going to drive me insane. I don't know how anyone could teach their kids with this kind of crap to deal with so I can only assume that this is because we are starting mid-year with a brand-new teacher.
Please let that be the case.
My big frustration for the day (well, actually the last month) was trying to find the math program I want for Jonathan for next year from an "approved" Ocean Grove vendor. I thought I should just be able to tell my ES "I want xyz" and she should know what vendor would carry it (especially since it is a standard math program) and take care of it. Instead, she can't figure out which one from some weird list she pulled up from G-d knows where and tells me I need to find it. I find it on Amazon and email her the link and get told "No, they aren't an approved vendor, I need you to find it from someone on our list" except their vendor search engine sucks and I was going to have to go through several hundred vendors until I found one that carried it so I could give her the url, isbn, and price. I ended up stumbling upon the link that she must have originally used and clicked on the Math 54 link on the side and lo and behold found exactly what I wanted. I've emailed all that to her and she better be able to figure it out because I'm pretty sure that fits into her job description not mine. Oh yeah, and the Bright Minds stuff I ordered back when we first started on Feb 27 has finally all been placed and will be getting dropped off to her this week so hopefully we'll have that before summer break starts. I really freaking hope this is not the way things always are because 3mos to order materials in a simple transaction and then all this "I don't know, you need to do all the research and provide everything for me on a standard item" is really going to drive me insane. I don't know how anyone could teach their kids with this kind of crap to deal with so I can only assume that this is because we are starting mid-year with a brand-new teacher.
Please let that be the case.
10 Minute Trainer - Days 2 & 3
Did the morning Total Body workout yesterday using the 15lb band. Good workout. Mark and I got off the couch last night between catch-up episodes of 24 and did the Cardio which was listed 2nd for the day. It definitely gets your heart rate up. Looks like I'm definitely more out of shape than I thought as both times we've done that, I've ended up coughing with a tight chest afterward. Not awful and not enough to make me quit but definitely something I hope goes away as I get back in shape.
Day 3 is his down day with only one workout listed. 3 out of 4 weeks it's the Yoga Flex. That has got to be the easiest 10min I've ever done with Tony Horton! LOL I did most of those moves in my Power Yoga class years ago and I've stayed with occasionally doing them to keep some of that flexibility. I have to admit, it was kind of funny seeing Mark trying to get in some of those poses and hold them tho. LOL Nice to know there is something in our exercise regime that will be easier for me than him. (love you honey!)
Day 3 is his down day with only one workout listed. 3 out of 4 weeks it's the Yoga Flex. That has got to be the easiest 10min I've ever done with Tony Horton! LOL I did most of those moves in my Power Yoga class years ago and I've stayed with occasionally doing them to keep some of that flexibility. I have to admit, it was kind of funny seeing Mark trying to get in some of those poses and hold them tho. LOL Nice to know there is something in our exercise regime that will be easier for me than him. (love you honey!)
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Back on Track, Days 5 & 6
Yesterday was Jason's birthday so the day was chaotic. We had plans to go to Great America but the weather was all over the map, sunny one second and raining the next, so we decided to nix that plan and go see the new X-Men movie instead. Figured we'd catch an early show, let him see his family, then go to dinner and head home. Instead Mark had to go to work (he'd requested the day off weeks ago but we all know that means jacksh*t in the world of start-ups) so we had to swing by and pick him up at 3:30p. We didn't get out of there until 4p and barely got to the theater on time for the showing I had Fandangoed tickets for which was at 5p. Jason's mom and brother met us there so we were able to see it together. Then I had to take the birthday boy for a haircut since it had been a whole 6wks since he'd last gotten it cut. Mark took Mona and the rest of the kids to BB&B for an early mother's day gift (electric kettle which is AWESOME!!!) and then we all met up at the Korean BBQ for Jason's birthday dinner. From there we headed to his old house for a small birthday party with cake and a few of his friends but we ended up not leaving there until after 11:30p so we didn't get home until about 12:30a. Ugh!!! Talk about a long day, especially since I had been up since 6a.
The good news for my house was that we didn't leave until all the dishes and laundry were totally done and the living room and dining room picked up and vacuumed so we weren't coming home to a mess (like would normally happen). Definitely an improvement!
Today was hard to get started. With the late bedtime and Nico's early wake-up call, I didn't get out of bed until 7a (I know, I'm a lazy slacker) and we didn't get to our workout until 8a but we did do it! I was sore from yesterday's workout and even more sore from today's but I can tell it's doing something. On top of which, I had the energy afterwards to walk to the Farmer's Market after dropping the boys' off at KSW. Heck, I ended up dropping them off, driving past it to make sure it was open, and then driving back to KSW to drop off the truck so I could walk it. Yes, I am proud of myself!
The rest of the day was spent trying to find some energy to tackle things and tackling what I could when I mustered up energy. I stayed on top of the dishes and I thought I was caught up on the laundry until I had the boys tackle their room and they brought me three more loads from their floor. Ugh!!!
But yes, that means that we also started the great room pick-up again. We'll be working on this when we can during the weeks and we have time at home for the next several weekends so that's when the majority of it will get done. Today we concentrated on cleaning up the beds, folding blankets, putting the sheets back on, getting all the dirty clothes off the floor, and cleaning the rat cage area. We can now at least enter the room without taking our lives in our hands. Tomorrow we'll be tackling the game shelf corner. I'm praying there isn't an avalanche.
The best thing by far is that I've maintained everything I've gotten cleaned up this week! Yes, the house is far from perfect but the stuff that I'm getting decluttered and cleaned off is staying that way. The fact that some of those areas have stayed clean for almost a week is a miracle. I'm just trying to babystep my way through things and taking a few minutes out of every day to inspect those areas I've cleaned previously to make sure no clutter is creeping up on them.
My new spell..."Clutterious Begoneous!"
The good news for my house was that we didn't leave until all the dishes and laundry were totally done and the living room and dining room picked up and vacuumed so we weren't coming home to a mess (like would normally happen). Definitely an improvement!
Today was hard to get started. With the late bedtime and Nico's early wake-up call, I didn't get out of bed until 7a (I know, I'm a lazy slacker) and we didn't get to our workout until 8a but we did do it! I was sore from yesterday's workout and even more sore from today's but I can tell it's doing something. On top of which, I had the energy afterwards to walk to the Farmer's Market after dropping the boys' off at KSW. Heck, I ended up dropping them off, driving past it to make sure it was open, and then driving back to KSW to drop off the truck so I could walk it. Yes, I am proud of myself!
The rest of the day was spent trying to find some energy to tackle things and tackling what I could when I mustered up energy. I stayed on top of the dishes and I thought I was caught up on the laundry until I had the boys tackle their room and they brought me three more loads from their floor. Ugh!!!
But yes, that means that we also started the great room pick-up again. We'll be working on this when we can during the weeks and we have time at home for the next several weekends so that's when the majority of it will get done. Today we concentrated on cleaning up the beds, folding blankets, putting the sheets back on, getting all the dirty clothes off the floor, and cleaning the rat cage area. We can now at least enter the room without taking our lives in our hands. Tomorrow we'll be tackling the game shelf corner. I'm praying there isn't an avalanche.
The best thing by far is that I've maintained everything I've gotten cleaned up this week! Yes, the house is far from perfect but the stuff that I'm getting decluttered and cleaned off is staying that way. The fact that some of those areas have stayed clean for almost a week is a miracle. I'm just trying to babystep my way through things and taking a few minutes out of every day to inspect those areas I've cleaned previously to make sure no clutter is creeping up on them.
My new spell..."Clutterious Begoneous!"
Friday, May 01, 2009
10 Minute Trainer - Day 1, morning
(I normally won't post all of this on this blog, mostly just a quick review of the day in the evening to show that I did it and the full write-ups will be on my SparkPeople blog if anyone is interested)
Got all the measurements done and took the before pictures. Just did the Cardio workout today and was totally huffing and puffing afterward. It's been about an hour now and I still feel a little tight in my chest but that could also be the cold that's going around the house trying to settle in. It really felt like a good workout tho and I'm really hoping to try and do another 10min workout later today. That's really going to depend on what we end up doing for Jason's birthday. If we are at Great America all day and then out for dinner and not home til 10p, I think I'll pass on a second workout for the day but my goal is to try and do one in the morning and one in the evening to start with and work my way up from there.
In other good news, when I did my weigh-in, it showed that I'm down another 1.2lbs from yesterday which puts my total at 2.4 lost for the week. I'm only counting my weigh-ins on Thursdays as official but still, it was awesome to see the number on the scale going down. I think part of that is being much more aware of what I'm eating and staying towards the low end of my calorie range and the other is making sure to drink the 8 cups of water a day.
Next on my list of things to do for me is to read You! On a diet, the Flat Belly Diet, and Body Clutter (and I'll probably reread Sink Reflections this summer) and I want to get in to see a nutritionist to try to figure out the best combination of fats/carbs/protein for me to eat. I look at my numbers and I'd really like to see the fat just a touch lower and the protein up a lot more than it is. My carbs are already at the low end and are mostly from fruits and veggies. I have one piece of whole wheat toast in the morning and some noodles or rice with dinner but I'm making sure to keep the portions on those small. The big thing is I'm eating enough of that to bring up my carbs to around the minimum amount I should have so I figure that's probably about right but again, I think this is where a nutritionist would be handy. I need to look at our calendars and then I think Kaiser has some we can meet with so I'll set that up.
Got all the measurements done and took the before pictures. Just did the Cardio workout today and was totally huffing and puffing afterward. It's been about an hour now and I still feel a little tight in my chest but that could also be the cold that's going around the house trying to settle in. It really felt like a good workout tho and I'm really hoping to try and do another 10min workout later today. That's really going to depend on what we end up doing for Jason's birthday. If we are at Great America all day and then out for dinner and not home til 10p, I think I'll pass on a second workout for the day but my goal is to try and do one in the morning and one in the evening to start with and work my way up from there.
In other good news, when I did my weigh-in, it showed that I'm down another 1.2lbs from yesterday which puts my total at 2.4 lost for the week. I'm only counting my weigh-ins on Thursdays as official but still, it was awesome to see the number on the scale going down. I think part of that is being much more aware of what I'm eating and staying towards the low end of my calorie range and the other is making sure to drink the 8 cups of water a day.
Next on my list of things to do for me is to read You! On a diet, the Flat Belly Diet, and Body Clutter (and I'll probably reread Sink Reflections this summer) and I want to get in to see a nutritionist to try to figure out the best combination of fats/carbs/protein for me to eat. I look at my numbers and I'd really like to see the fat just a touch lower and the protein up a lot more than it is. My carbs are already at the low end and are mostly from fruits and veggies. I have one piece of whole wheat toast in the morning and some noodles or rice with dinner but I'm making sure to keep the portions on those small. The big thing is I'm eating enough of that to bring up my carbs to around the minimum amount I should have so I figure that's probably about right but again, I think this is where a nutritionist would be handy. I need to look at our calendars and then I think Kaiser has some we can meet with so I'll set that up.
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