Clark and a friend took our guys and several of their friends camping this past weekend. They packed too much stuff and then left about a third at home! They left about 3pm on Friday and came back on Sunday around 1pm. They all had a great time and they all made it back with all their body parts, a little crispy, but in one piece.
Now.....I missed them, I really did! But, I gotta tell you, the break was amazing! Not that I did anything special, but, WOW! I was able to catch up on the laundry AND the dishes, sweep the floors, organize Lauren's school stuff, and clean my kitchen. All while listening to what I wanted on the radio, watching what I wanted on TV and reading a few book all the way through! I went to a movie on Friday night with one of my friends and another movie Saturday with another friend. I did not have to get up and go to the bathroom once! It has been so long since I have seen a "grown-up" movie, one that wasn't animated or made by Pixar or Disney. I almost wasn't sure what to do. I saw Eat, Pray, Love and Salt. Have I mentioned that I have very different friends? Looking at the titles of the movies, it kind of sounds like I have a food fixation...hmmmm.
I was so excited when the kids got home and couldn't wait to hear all about their trip. But, by the time they came in, got undressed and I got them unpacked, they were watching "Up". I did find out tidbits here and there. I heard about the skunk, Alex floating out into the middle of the lake (almost), Alex almost getting hit by the truck, Lauren and Alex having to have separate sides of the lake and the underwear they found. How it was a million degrees at night and how they DID use sunscreen. It just must have washed off. Good thing they packed so much food, because they caught NOTHING to eat while they were there. They also managed to get the pancakes they had pre-made wet, so they were all very big meat eaters. Meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Erica had made a brisket for them to bring for the first night,which was a good thing because they forgot the camp stove. Luckily both men have cooked on a fire before. And if all else had failed, there was a bait shop on the property that would have saved them. What a great and memorable way to start the new school year. I am very glad that Clark spends this kind of time with my guys cause camping is NOT for me. Been there, done that, would like to move on to something else!
Next time, I get to pick what we do and I am going for the HOTEL! Now that's MY kind of camping!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
SCHOOL!
School is starting in ONE week! I am excited, the kids...not so much.
Aaron picks up his schedule on Tuesday and this year, the High School will be posting supply lists! Joy of joys! I will not have to fight the crowds of all the other high school parents fighting for school supplies during the first week of school. We will all get to fight it out now the week BEFORE school! Isn't that great?
Lauren's supplies showed up this weekend and I think I am more excited than she is. We are using a new program that supplies ALL the supplies she needs...even paint for art and a jump rope for PE.
Alex is still waiting. We find out who his teacher is on Tuesday and that will determine if we homeschool him. If we do decide to homeschool him, I will have to create the program myself. The only pre-packaged programs for him at this stage require a fee. And, we are still trying to get back on our feet financially. I am not too worried. There is sooo much information out there, that I feel confident that I can do it!
I am going to try and get a few kids in to help bring in some money. My other option is to work at night while Clark is at home with the kids and he already works during the day. It would be hard but once the house is sold, we should be able to down-size things to where me working will be a short term thing, I hope!
Aaron picks up his schedule on Tuesday and this year, the High School will be posting supply lists! Joy of joys! I will not have to fight the crowds of all the other high school parents fighting for school supplies during the first week of school. We will all get to fight it out now the week BEFORE school! Isn't that great?
Lauren's supplies showed up this weekend and I think I am more excited than she is. We are using a new program that supplies ALL the supplies she needs...even paint for art and a jump rope for PE.
Alex is still waiting. We find out who his teacher is on Tuesday and that will determine if we homeschool him. If we do decide to homeschool him, I will have to create the program myself. The only pre-packaged programs for him at this stage require a fee. And, we are still trying to get back on our feet financially. I am not too worried. There is sooo much information out there, that I feel confident that I can do it!
I am going to try and get a few kids in to help bring in some money. My other option is to work at night while Clark is at home with the kids and he already works during the day. It would be hard but once the house is sold, we should be able to down-size things to where me working will be a short term thing, I hope!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Lauren Bryce
My daughter has so many different people inside her, all trying to get out at one time. There is the silly little girl that just goofs around, with her friends, her brothers, everyone. This small person is spontaneous and very bubbly. She will run through the house making silly noises just because. She gives her brothers giggles (both of them) so much that they hiccup. She started a thing with her dad, who is notorious for making very bad jokes and puns. She looks at him at just says "click". He is an umpire for the local baseball league and that is the sound the pitch counter makes to track how many pitches each player throws. We like to play and be silly and have a great time.
There is another person who has been showing up more and more recently.. the moody pre-teen. She can be VERY dramatic at times and just fall apart and cry. Aaron does not know how to deal with this at all! I want to tell him that this would be great practice for when he has a girl-friend. Alex likes this one because she is the easiest to get worked up. I have tried to warn him, but, as we all know, he loves to flirt with danger. I just ride the roller coaster with this one and wait for the ride to stop.
The last one affects me the most. Her angry little self. She is so smart and thinks on such a higher level, that she gets so frustrated and angry! She "knows" that she is only 9 years old but she also "knows" that she can do so much more than other 9 year olds. Sometimes, there is no reasoning with her at this point and all you can do is send her to her room until she has control again.
It hurts me to see her struggling with all of this. It helps a little that I know she will come out at the end a strong, independant young lady, but this is hard. I wish I could just wrap her up and make it easier. That, however, would be doing her a disservice. All I can do is pray for her and love her with all my heart.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
It's been a while...
I know that it has been a while since I posted last, but a lot has seemed to be going on.
Aaron made it thru three levels of All Star Tournament play and did pretty well. The last round seemed to fall apart due to umpire issues. I know, I know, everyone says that. But when the head of the league apologizes to your head coach and says that he has already called and complained about the job the umpires are doing, that leads one to believe that it isn't just me! I will post a team picture next post. He has really grow as a player. 15 is a big deal. Just too hard for me to comprehend!
Alex is just very busy. Aaron and a friend hooked up Alex's PS2 after a SERIOUS room cleaning and Alex really enjoys being a bigger guy! He has a $20.00 gift card from Game Stop that he got from Grandma and Grandpa and he is excited to be able to buy his own stuff.
Lauren is trying very hard not to be too bored this summer. There were no Girl Scout camps that she wanted to go to and Camp Invention was way too expensive. So she is just hanging out with family and friends. We are looking into another online school for her but it depends on the school's TAKS scores. The one she took last year was okay but we had several issues with the "work at your own pace" promise. It turned out that it was work at your own pace as long as it was the same as ours! Not so much for us. The one we are looking at seems to be truly at her pace with the opportunity to advance to the next grade if she does well. Lauren TAKS scores were fantastic and her grades were all "A"'s. So she gets the concepts, she is just really bored at being held back.
Clark is trying very hard to not take over at his job, but it seems he knows more than his boss as well as the head of safety. He is just happy to still be employed. The air conditioning was out at work last week and I felt so very bad for him. He would come home soaking wet and go straight into the shower only to get out and have to go to a ball game or a practice! This has been a hard year for him to coach Aaron. Aaron cannot just see Clark as Dad at home and as Coach on the field. Besides, I think hormones are kicking in (with Aaron).
We have had quite a few sleepovers this summer. Just last night, there were SEVEN extra boys in my house. It was after 2:30 before I closed my eyes. When it was all said and done, there were two in Lauren's room, Aaron on the couch, Lauren in my bed, one in Aaron's bed, one UNDER Aaron's bed and four lined up on the floor like cord wood. I went thru three pounds of ground meat and four pounds of pasta as well as ice cream, kool-aid, cherries, brownies, caramel, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, fudge, sprinkles and other assorted snacks. Thank you to whomever invented disposable plates and plastic ware. You are my new favorite!
We are off to spend Alex's gift card which means that I get to spend hours at Game stop while he tries to choose!
Aaron made it thru three levels of All Star Tournament play and did pretty well. The last round seemed to fall apart due to umpire issues. I know, I know, everyone says that. But when the head of the league apologizes to your head coach and says that he has already called and complained about the job the umpires are doing, that leads one to believe that it isn't just me! I will post a team picture next post. He has really grow as a player. 15 is a big deal. Just too hard for me to comprehend!
Alex is just very busy. Aaron and a friend hooked up Alex's PS2 after a SERIOUS room cleaning and Alex really enjoys being a bigger guy! He has a $20.00 gift card from Game Stop that he got from Grandma and Grandpa and he is excited to be able to buy his own stuff.
Lauren is trying very hard not to be too bored this summer. There were no Girl Scout camps that she wanted to go to and Camp Invention was way too expensive. So she is just hanging out with family and friends. We are looking into another online school for her but it depends on the school's TAKS scores. The one she took last year was okay but we had several issues with the "work at your own pace" promise. It turned out that it was work at your own pace as long as it was the same as ours! Not so much for us. The one we are looking at seems to be truly at her pace with the opportunity to advance to the next grade if she does well. Lauren TAKS scores were fantastic and her grades were all "A"'s. So she gets the concepts, she is just really bored at being held back.
Clark is trying very hard to not take over at his job, but it seems he knows more than his boss as well as the head of safety. He is just happy to still be employed. The air conditioning was out at work last week and I felt so very bad for him. He would come home soaking wet and go straight into the shower only to get out and have to go to a ball game or a practice! This has been a hard year for him to coach Aaron. Aaron cannot just see Clark as Dad at home and as Coach on the field. Besides, I think hormones are kicking in (with Aaron).
We have had quite a few sleepovers this summer. Just last night, there were SEVEN extra boys in my house. It was after 2:30 before I closed my eyes. When it was all said and done, there were two in Lauren's room, Aaron on the couch, Lauren in my bed, one in Aaron's bed, one UNDER Aaron's bed and four lined up on the floor like cord wood. I went thru three pounds of ground meat and four pounds of pasta as well as ice cream, kool-aid, cherries, brownies, caramel, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, fudge, sprinkles and other assorted snacks. Thank you to whomever invented disposable plates and plastic ware. You are my new favorite!
We are off to spend Alex's gift card which means that I get to spend hours at Game stop while he tries to choose!
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