Ramblings

I should be working on report cards. It is Monday night, and they go home on Friday, I have barely started them, so I not only have to finish them, but also print them out, fold them, and put them into the envelopes.

I'm not working on them though, obviously. I am sitting watching House, after having gone out to dinner with some friends, taken the dog for a walk, and talked to my daughter on the phone. I'm thinking about getting ready for bed, because I'll get up early and go to work early so I can work on report cards.

This is not my favorite time of year.

Holidays

I am not, for some reason that I can't fully explain, a big fan of holidays. I honestly don't know what the problem is, I suppose if I delved into my past, I might be able to figure out just what it is that makes me sad around Thanksgiving and Christmas time. Or maybe not.

I do have enough to be thankful for, I am blessed enough to be married to a wonderful and kind man, to have 3 beautiful daughters. They, in turn are fine young women, all making good in this world. The two are are mothers themselves are good moms, raising their children with love, discipline, and the knowledge that they will also take their places in society. I have a job I love, a church family that meets all of my spiritual needs, a comfortable home, enough food to eat, and friends that I can call on for social sustenance and just fun to be around.

So why do I feel like I am in a dark hole, with no end in sight?

Two and Three

Two of my fourth grade boys, C and J, are nuts. They are very good friends, and sometimes I have to separate them, just because they act so goofy with each other. They are pretty typical little boys, though somewhat on the immature side (really).

Yesterday, we were in line for dismissal, just waiting for the 4th and 5th graders to be released (we are rarely ready to go when our grade is called, but that's a topic for another blog). I noticed more than the usual amount of goofiness going on, and asked what was up. It turns out that C and J were "writing on each other".

"Oh my gosh", I said. "That is so pre-k. I can't believe you guys are doing this. Andrew and Baylee do things like that, but THEY ARE TWO AND THREE!"

As went down the hall, Jordan informed me that C and J were arguing now over which one was two, and which one was three.

Report Cards

So my daughter reminded me that I haven't been on here in a while, and of course, she's right. I shouldn't be on here now. If I had any energy at all, I'd be working on report cards. I should be saying things like, "so and so is off to a great start in fourth grade..." But right now I'm too tired. I'd say things I shouldn't say. So I'm watching a taped episode of "House", eating potato chips and drinking a rum and coke made with not-diet pop. It is caffeine-free, though, so I will put on weight, but I won't stay awake.

Her are my weekend plans: get some groceries, pay some bills, go to church, and work on report cards. Did I mention report cards?

Thunderstorms

July 11, 2009

So here we are, Andrew, Baylee, and I, stuck in the house, because of a thunderstorm. The plan for the day, since Kristin is visiting from NJ, was to take the children to Sprague Brook Park for a picnic, and some creek walking. Lynn was supposed to work until noon, and Adrianne was supposed to relieve him. Today is Saturday, which means that only per diems can work, but failing that, regulars can work, but only if they don’t go over their allotted 19 ½ hours. This is ridiculous, as at least two people work for at least a half hour at no pay. CSEA rules, certainly not doused in common sense.

But I digress.

Kristin went to visit a friend this morning, and is waiting until the rain settles a bit, which it is actually starting to do. Lynn hasn’t come home, because the control center has been very busy, and on a day like this, it is good to have two people working together. Never mind the pay thing, it is his job, one which he takes seriously. I don’t mind. It is actually one of the things I love about him, that he does what is right. I wish other people did the same, but I am grateful for the ones that do.

So, instead of a picnic, maybe we’ll go bowling. Or shopping. Or out to lunch – though it is 1:30, and I just put Baylee to bed. She came downstairs the first time I put her there, as if I wouldn’t have noticed a tired, sobbing, sniffling little girl, badly in need of a nap. I noticed, carried her back upstairs, put her back in bed, and left. It’s quiet, so she is either sleeping, or… well, I’d better check.

Yes, she is sleeping.

Andrew and I are amusing ourselves quite nicely. We have played with blocks, played with cars, colored some pictures, talked about some things, eaten Froot Loops and pizza, played with the cat, watched fire trucks go by, and just hung out. The rain is stopping, so maybe we can actually go creek walking in a bit, sans the picnic. The scanner has been quieter, so maybe Lynn can come home soon.

Wandering Thoughts

I write this on the 4th of July, America's 233rd birthday. I have, over the past few days read a number of viewpoint articles, etc. that talk about America's freedoms as they relate to America's people. So, I just want to say, "Thank You" to all the people who have made it possible for me to live in a world that has so much possibility and promise. Yes, I know that America is in some dire straits right now, that many people are without adequate health care or appropriate income due to the downsizing. I know that in our state in particular, New York, our government representatives are acting like a bunch of kindergartners whose mothers haven't taught them to behave appropriately. I know the world at large is facing many issues and problems. But here, in my little corner of the world, life is pretty good. My husband and I have worked hard to raise our 3 daughters to be successful adults, and 2 of them are, in turn, raising their own children to achieve that same status. I have a job that I love, teaching 4th graders, in a pretty good school system that allows me to be creative in my endeavors, yet provides frameworks for me to do a good job. I earn a good salary, plus have benefits that encourage us to stay healthy, yet provide resources should accident or illness befall us. My husband has a job that he likes, even though it is not a full-time position, but provides him with income and allows him time to take care of much of the maintenance of our home. We are able to have some work done on our house to make it more aesthetically pleasing, as well as more comfortable.

While there are many things we don't have - a pool, a second bathroom, a vacation fund, passports, we really do live the good life, and for this I am grateful.

Food Stamps and Beyond

Here is my pet peeve of the day: Food stamps. I was at Tops today buying stuff for our upcoming Memorial Day picnic, and there were two youngish women in front of me. One had a stroller with a toddler in it, one was by herself. The one by herself was buying a bottle of pop, and instead of money, she was using her Medicaid benefit card. Of course, I know we are not to be judgemental. But here's the thing. People who get food stamps, are, for one reason or another, unable to make enough buy to buy their groceries on their own. I am curious as to why food stamps can't be more like WIC. WIC, which stands for Women, Infants, and Children is a program that provides food for lower-income mothers and their children. They receive coupons which detail what they can get. There are a lot of things available. Milk, cheese, bread, eggs, cereal, juice, among others. Snack foods and extras can't be purchased with WIC checks. This forces people to buy healthy and wholesome foods for themselves and their children. Food stamps should be the same way. They should be able to buy meat, milk, bread, eggs, cereal, fruit, vegetables, water, juice, rice, noodles, cheese, etc. If they want potato chips and pop, they shouldn't be able to get them with food stamps. Buying a single cold, high-priced bottle of pop should not be allowed at the expense of taxpayers.

These are my daughters, Kristin, Adrianne, and Kerri. This was taken in November of 2008, when Adrianne, Andrew, Baylee, and I went down to visit Kerri in MD, and Kristin in NJ.

"Grandma's Home"

Yesterday when I got home from work, Adrianne and the kids were there. Adrianne, Andrew and Baylee were playing on the floor, with the cars and the street rug. When Baylee saw me, she squealed, " Bwaaa", which of course means, "Ooh, Grandma's home", got to her feet, toddled over to me and flung her arms up to be picked up and hugged and kissed. What a welcome home!

A Saturday in January

We spent most of the morning cleaning our basement. It is a disgusting job, hoeing out thirty years of accumulated stuff, but gee, someone has to do it. It needed to be done for a couple of reasons; one, it just needed to be done. Mainly though, I want to move the freezer that is in our kitchen down to the basement so I can move the refrigerator out of the dining room into the kitchen, and use our dining room as a dining room. In order to move the freezer downstairs, there needs to be room.

Here's why we need to eat in the dining room: When the babies eat with us, they drop (or throw) things on the floor. This used to not be a big problem, because we would jut call in Jack, our trusty Hoover to clean up the mess, and he willingly would snark around on the floor cleaning everything in sight.

Alas, we no longer have our dog. At 15, barely able to walk, see, or hear, we had to have him put to sleep. In addition to his physical ailments, he often "forgot" to let us know he had to go out, and he was becoming very cranky, especially around the babies. We did NOT want anything to happen.

We miss him, but I have to say, life without a dog is quite pleasant.

Little Round Spaghetti in a Can

I have no idea why my children, and now my grandchildren have always loved little round spaghetti in a can. Being of Italian heritage, I come from the school of thought that says that real spaghetti sauce is started by 7AM at the latest, cooked all day, and served at dinner steaming hot with homemade rolls, salad and lots of cheese. I still make my own sauce, though I don't start it 7Am. Though, come to think of it, sometimes I do. I use canned puree, though, and add spices, meat, etc., but that's only because I leave for work around 7AM.

My mother doesn't even make her own sauce any more, even though I assure her that Grandma would be rolling over in her grave if she knew.

Anyway, my grandson, Andrew, who was staying with me today, brought a can of spaghetti to me that he found in the cupboard, and when I correctly deduced that he wanted them for lunch, proceeded to finish off pretty much an entire can, sharing some with his little sister. I think they taste disgusting. I tried some, just to see if they were cool enough. Yuk!

Ready for Christmas?

No, I am not even close to being ready for Christmas. We don't have our tree up, we have no decorations out. I have made some cookies, and I have done some shopping, but I can't say I'm ready, in spite of the fact that I've been hearing Christmas music since Halloween. I did send out some cards, I actually made the ones I sent.

It's Been a While

It's been a while since I've been on. The school year has been busy, things are crazy at home (in a good way), and I just haven't had a lot of time.

Our trip down to see my two daughters was wonderful, my school kids are doing well, the construction on our backroom is progressing nicely (slowly, but nicely), and all is well with the world.

Here's a picture of all the grandkids with the three girls and me. I'm holding Andrew, Kristin is holding Cory, Adrianne is sitting next to Tyler, Kerri is holding Baylee, and Gemma is in the front.

What Are You in For?

I was in my classroom the other day at lunchtime, and there were a number of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders outside. One of them had apparently either misbehaved or neglected to turn in an assignment, because he (I assume it was a he) must have been sitting against the wall. As a friend ran by, he looked down and asked the child, "What are you in for?"

The Yogurt Incident

I took Andrew and Baylee to Walmart with me this morning to pick up a few things. My main reason for going out was more to keep the house quiet so their mom could sleep for a few hours, and it seemed like a good idea to combine that with shopping.


One of the things I had in mind to buy was yogurt, as I know Andrew is very fond of it, and we didn't have any in the house. I had found a coupon for $1.00 off two packages of rainbow flavored ( I know, rainbow isn't a flavor), so I thought that was the perfect plan. I put both packages in the bottom of the cart so he wouldn't be able to play with them (he was in the cart, his sister was in the front), and that worked well until I stopped to talk to a friend for a moment. Stopping the cart is a no-no, as it causes the natives to be restless, so I picked him up and put him on the floor. He spotted the yogurt right away, and of course he wanted some. My response was, "No.", his response was to SCREECH! Which he did, all the way to the checkout counter. When I put the packages on the counter for checkout, he grabbed one of them, dropped it (of course), and one of the containers splattered on the floor. All this time, he is, naturally, screeching, and since his sister copies pretty much everything he does, she, too, had started to cry.

Most of the other customers were looking at me sympathetically, though one or two were obviously annoyed by my little grandson's antics. It's OK, I'm alright with that. Had I been his mother, I would have been mortified, as I always was when it really did happen when Andrew's mother and his aunts behaved in that manner (as of course they did). Now, though, I know that there are worse things in the world than a child having a tantrum over something as trivial as yogurt. Life goes on, and all will be well.

I needed a new second package (after all, I had a coupon), so the kindly checkout lady asked another employee to go back and get me one. All the time we waited, Andrew continued to screech, Baylee continued to commiserate with him, and people continued to give me sympathetic looks. Finally the young lady returned with the yogurt, and we left the store. Amazingly, as soon as we got outside, the crying stopped, and when we got home, the first thing we did was open a container of yogurt and have a snack.

Fire Trucks

We went to the fire hall tonight for the Fire Safety program. In school yesterday, we had a presentation, a short movie about how to get out of your house, and a visit from some of the firemen in their gear. I told my fourth graders that if they went to their local hall and got a signature from a fireman, after explaining their escape plan, they would get an extra 100 for their science grade. Several of my students came, I introduced them to my husband, he listened to their escape plans, and then signed their sheets. I was happy to see them.

Adrianne brought Andrew and Baylee too; as expected, Andrew loved the trucks, though at first he was somewhat intimidated by them. They are, after all, VERY large. By the end of the evening though, he was sitting happily in the seat of the biggest truck, steering away.

An October Day

It was a beautiful October day, and I decided to walk to work this morning. I love fall days, Western New York days are absolutely the best! I left too late to see the Middle School students walking to school, because I waited until it was light out to leave, so it was a solitary walk for the most part. I had just downloaded the song "Alone" by Heart, so was able to listen to that as I enjoyed the crisp leaves and the slight chill in the air.

Unfortunately, it was raining when it was time to go home, so I called home for a ride.

A Trip in the Making

My youngest daughter and I are planning a trip to Maryland and New Jersey to see her sisters, their families, and some friends. Since this year we have Monday and Tuesday off for Veteran's Day, it seems like the right time to travel. Hopefully she will fix up her work schedule to get off the days she will needs, and we will motor on down with Andrew and Baylee in tow.

Baylee is Mobile

Baylee isn't walking yet, but she sure can get where she wants to get, using her own little brand of crawl. A couple of weeks ago, she started with what I call her "baby crab crawl", that is a little sideways shuffle. About a week later, she was using the "right knee, left" foot method, which is quite a speedy little mode of transport. One morning, when she woke up at 5:00 AM, I made her a bottle, laid her on the floor on a blanket, and went into the kitchen to make coffee. Moments later, I turned around, and nearly tripped over a grinning little girl, who seemed to be saying, "See, Grandma, here I am, ready to be with you."

Andrew's Cars

The other night, Andrew stayed home with grandpa, while his mom, sister and I went to do some shopping. He amused himself by playing with his cars. He took each one out of the bucket, and using a system known only to himself, carefully placed them on the TV tray.