The best part of the day

I dropped my van off at the garage this morning to get the issues with it diagnosed - needless to say it did not end up being a happy experience. There's no way that I can afford to have them fix it, so I'm going to go back up there tomorrow and pick it up and limp it home and then we'll work on figuring out Plan B. I've already had my nervous breakdown over it, and I refuse to stress about it anymore. We'll figure it out, just like we always do.

The Dude is leaving tomorrow to go out of town for a couple of days with his best friend and he's leaving his truck here for me to use so I won't be stranded. It's big and old and ugly, but it runs so at this point, I'll take it. At least we have something to use for a few days.

I got lots of walking in today too. And it was kind of funny - as I was walking home from work, I heard this loud truck rumble past me and when I looked, it was The Dude and his mother heading back to their house after an appointment. I tried to get his attention, but he wasn't looking in my direction - so I walked to his house (I was only about 2 blocks away at that point) and made him drive me home so that we could talk about the van - but I also told him that he got brownie points because since he didn't notice me walking down the road, I knew that he wasn't eyeballing girls while he was out running errands. ;)

But the best part of the day was going to the boys' parent-teacher conferences. These were student-led conferences, meaning that the kids had checklists of everything that they were supposed to show us in the classroom, and they checked off each one as they completed it. Then we talked to the teacher and the kids got a coupon to use at the book fair. The Dude has been struggling with his injured shoulder, but he managed to make it through the conferences with me, much to the boys' delight.

Reading corner in Alex's room

Showing off artwork

Alex's tennis player

Daniel reading us a story

Daniel's artwork

The Dude and Daniel - they had to go get his flower that
he forgot to get from his room.

Both boys are doing well in school. Academically they are both ahead of where they need to be. There are some behavioral issues, but nothing that isn't already being addressed. All in all, I really can't complain. And having The Dude there to go to the conferences with us - especially since he really didn't feel up to it - means more to me than he'll ever know.

Conferences and accomplishments

So my day started out with a small to-do list.

We all know that I'm the queen of making lists when I need to get motivated, and today was no exception. I've been slacking around the house, so I busted out the list early this morning.

I knew that realistically, I wouldn't get it all done.

But at the end of the day, I can't really complain about how much I *did* get done.

And if you look really closely, you'll see a couple of things that got added to the list - and subsequently crossed off - throughout the day.













I got to spend some quality time outside by myself today, with the lawnmower - which in my opinion is always a good thing. I love to mow the grass. I got it done for what should be the final time this year. It was just an absolutely gorgeous day out, and I enjoyed it for every second that I was out there.

My yard

...and Nice Neighbor's - both done.

Probably the best part of the day was going to the older 3 kids' parent/teacher conferences. They are all doing so well in school and their teachers had nothing but fabulous things to say about them. Out of the 3 report cards, there was one "B" - and the rest of the grades? Every single last one of them was an "A".

Sarah was at basketball practice while we went to the conferences.

It was crazy sock day for Emily.

....and pajama day for Jared.

One of Emily's projects

...and one of Jared's.

And really.....who can complain about a day that ends up with angels like this?

And finally.....as requested.....a picture of me wearing make-up. I tried to make myself look human before the conferences, but I suck at taking self-portraits, so this is the best that I could do. Blah.

Craziness...

So while recovering from the migraine from you-know-where that I had yesterday, I didn't do much of anything today. I had lots of plans of things to do - you know, laundry and cleaning and stuff (go figure) but I didn't really get much of it done.

Then the boys and I went to Alex's Scout meeting tonight and got all of the stuff that he needs to start selling popcorn later this week. I still haven't gone through all of it yet, but it doesn't look that horrible. His pack is setting up a table at a local business this weekend to sell it, and so I'm going to take him there so that he can participate in that a bit and get more sales.

The rest of the week is just chaotic. I'm judging for Blogger Idol this week (which I just noticed I forgot to put on my calendar). Sarah's basketball practice started today, and that's every day after school - which means that on the days that the older 3 come here after school, they won't be here until almost 6pm. We have parent/teacher conferences tomorrow for the older 3, plus a basketball parents meeting after practice. Alex can start selling his popcorn on Thursday, the older 3 are off school on Friday, Emily has a sleepover at a friend's house Friday night, the older 3 have a dinner thing with Ex1's inlaws on Saturday, we have trick-or-treat Saturday evening, a ballet at our church later Saturday evening, church on Sunday morning...and it just keeps going. Plus, I'm trying to make more of an effort to get out and walk/jog during the week when I  have time to myself (and I've been failing miserably at that) so it just seems like no matter what I do, I'm not getting ahead. At all.

Oh, and of course this is the week that I get money so I have to sit down and do my meal planning for the next month, and then get to the grocery store on Wednesday. I also have to figure out a time when The Dude and I can get the oil changed in my van, before the glaring light on my dash causes it to self-destruct or something.

Did I mention that I have a craft show at my church in about 2 weeks? So I have to get a ton of stuff ready for that too? No? Probably not - because I forgot about it. But of course I can't get half of the stuff done that I need to get done until I get at least one of my sewing machines working again, which probably won't be until this coming weekend. No pressure there.

And tonight I still have to go through the stuff for Alex and Daniel's fundraisers that they had for school. All of that stuff has to be turned in tomorrow, and of course I haven't even looked at it yet. Oops.

This week could very well be the week that I finally lose what's left of my mind.

The day started with wildlife and ended in jail

Hey, guess what? We had a crazy day!

I know that's shocking - but it happens occasionally sometimes all the time.

So....as usual, we were up before dawn in order to get all of the kids to school on time. At least during this time of year, I don't have to drive straight into the rising sun - although I really dislike leaving the house when it's still dark outside.

I do like to have a little bit more light while I'm driving so that I can avoid things like this.

There were actually about 6-7 of them, just taking their time and strolling across the road - but by the time I came to an almost-stop and stuck my camera out the window, I only caught the last 4.

The boys had their parent/teacher conferences this afternoon - and of course there was the obligatory book fair at the same time. We wandered around the book fair to kill some time before we went to the conferences.

Both of the boys are doing great in school. They haven't had any major behavioral issues and their teachers love them. They're both way ahead of where they should be academically, so now it's a matter of keeping them both challenged so that they don't get bored (much like the older 3 kids).

Alex had Scouts again tonight, so we walked down to the meeting. The boys got to go to the local 911 center, sheriff/police department, and explore the jail. They had an absolutely amazing time, and everyone that they met was so wonderful and accommodating. We spent close to 2 hours there, so by the time that we walked back home it was way after their bedtime.

911 Center

Talking about guns...
See the look of fear on Alex's face?!?!?!

Evidence lockers

They wanted to see a big gun!

I have to admit - this was the first time that I was ever in our jail, and I learned a lot about it tonight. It was much bigger than I had thought that it was, and it was much harsher inside than I expected it to be for some reason. Honestly, it was really kind of surreal to walk through it and to see it with my own eyes. I know of several people - including my exhusband - who have spent some time in there, and seeing it for myself really put it into a different perspective for me. I'm really still trying to wrap my head around it.

So tomorrow, I have to get up to get the boys to school (hopefully in time to walk) and then I'm watching a friend's kid for a couple of hours, and then hopefully - if all goes well, the planets align, and nothing goes wrong - I'll get to spend some quality time with The Dude.

Maybe, just maybe, it won't be such a crazy day.

A conference and artwork

Yesterday, I went to Daniel's parent-teacher conference at preschool. This was his final conference of this year, and we went over whether or not he is ready for kindergarten. Needless to say, he's more than ready. His teacher is pleased with the progress that he's made this year and has seen some definite improvements in a few areas.

After we got done talking to her, Daniel showed us his artwork that was on display throughout the school. Alex and The Dude were with us, and the boys loved showing us everything. Alex had fun exploring the school again since he went there last year, and we got to see lots of artwork.

Only a little over a month of school left, and then my baby is going to be a kindergartner. *sniff*

Now that the weather has cleared up again, we've been walking back and forth to school more. I love being able to walk there, and although the boys complain about it occasionally, they seem to enjoy it more often than not. It gives us exercise and fresh air, and makes the gas in the van last just a little bit longer, so I'm definitely not going to complain about it. Of course, it'll be much easier in the fall when they're both going to the same school!

Time for me to brag...

We had parent/teacher conferences for the older 3 kids today. After I picked the boys up from their schools, we flew to the conferences.

Although, I do have to say that after driving the She-Beast for so long, I constantly listen for strange sounds when I'm driving. As I was tearing along, I heard this sound. A very strange thwack thwack thwack coming from the right side of the van. I checked the dash - no strange lights. I jiggled the steering wheel - felt ok. Thwack thwack thwack...it kept going. I slowed down a bit, and so did the noise.

Crap. I'm already running late. If I pull over to check and it's nothing, I'm going to be really late. What do I do?

Suddenly I looked down at the floorboard in front of the front passenger seat and I saw Daniel's backpack laying there. I started to realize what the sound was. I carefully reached down to grab the backpack, and it wouldn't budge. Sure enough, I had closed the strap in the door. Mystery solved.

Full speed ahead at that point.

We got to the conferences with about 30 seconds to spare. They all went well. Out of the 3 kids, there were maybe 2 B's and the rest were all A's. They are model students, performing above grade level in almost every area. The teachers had nothing but wonderful things to say about all of them.

It's time like that when I realize that we must be doing something right. Thankfully Ex1 and I have gotten to a point where we can communicate better about everything that is happening and we have gotten into a good routine with the kids. While splitting custody is never ideal, we are making it work - and today helped to prove that.

I just can't wait to get to the point that we can move - if we stick to our current plan, that will happen no later than the summer of 2013. At that point, all of my kids will be going to school in the same district, and life will be so much easier on all of us, but most importantly it will be easier for the kids. They won't have to get up so early to get to school when they're with me, and they'll get home earlier. It's a smaller town where I won't have to worry so much about letting the kids go outside to play without me being on them every single second, and they'll be able to walk to their friends' houses easier. It'll just be better for everyone. I would love to be able to do it now, but we have to get some bills paid off first. It's frustrating, but having that goal in mind is keeping me focused on what I need to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yay! Tulips!

Proud mommy

It was a beautiful, although COLD day here today. I finally broke down and turned the heat on in the house once it dropped to 60 degrees in here. But, I did only turn it on to 65 - I just can't stand the idea of turning the heat on this early, but I also can't stand freezing when I'm inside. So, the chill has gone from inside the house, and it's at least comfortable in here tonight.

I had to go to the older three kids' parent/teacher conferences tonight. I guess I shouldn't really say that I "had" to go, but I really hate going to them in the evening. I'd much rather go during the day, but whatever. I go when I'm told to be there. There was some confusion in the scheduling but we got that straightened out, so I got to go and sit through 3 conferences with Ex1 *gritting teeth* and his wife *gritting teeth more* but it could have been worse.

We got their report cards, and as you can see - I have reason to be proud! Out of 19 subjects that were graded, there were 17 A's. 17!!! Only one B and one C!

Their teachers couldn't say enough good things about the kids, which made me feel really good. They had no issues whatsoever, and the one B and one C can easily be improved with a little bit of extra work. The teachers are not concerned at all.

*proud mommy*

By the time we left the conferences, it was just about dark. I tried to get a picture of the amazing sunset, but it was hard to do while on the move. Hopefully you can at least get the idea....

Alex and Daniel and I came home and grabbed something to eat, and then they went straight to bed. Alex really wants to ride his bike to school in the morning, but since the low temperature tonight is supposed to be 35 degrees, I'm not sure that's going to be feasible. But we'll see what happens.

But for now, I'm going to sit back with a little bit of Leno, and maybe try to get some sleep tonight. ;)

Holy wow what a day!

When I woke up this morning, these were my plans for the day:

1. Take Alex to school.
2. Get gas.
3. Take Daniel to school and have his parent/teacher conference.
4. Go to Wichita to get Daniel's new Social Security card.
5. Pick Alex up from school.
6. Pick Daniel up from school.
7. Go home and be a vegetable.

Easy day, right?

*insert maniacal laughing here*

It started off according to plan. I took Alex to school and then got gas in the van. Then Daniel and I came home and got ready for the day.

First 2 plans done.

Then on the way to school, as I pulled out of the side street by my house, we got sidetracked.

OK, so he's not my favorite driver (duh), but it's NASCAR dammit, and it was around the corner from my house. Literally. We had to stop. Really.

Then off to Daniel's conference, which went well. He's on the verge of reading sight words, and his general smarts have his teacher completely and totally floored. He's way ahead of where he "should" be - surprise, surprise, surprise. I am so stinkin' proud of my kids.

Then a marathon run to Wichita to sit and wait at the Social Security office for what seemed like forever, but I got everything taken care of and should get his new card in the mail in the next couple of weeks.

OK, so cross the conference and the Social Security thing off of the list.

I picked Alex up from school, and then thought that I could buzz into the bank to get Daniel's name changed on his bank account. Turned out that it would take too long to do that right then, so we left to go get Daniel....and we had to run back so that Alex could see the car too.

....and then made a spur-of-the-moment run to Sonic for beverages and then to the dealership to order the part for the van door.

On my way back through town, I noticed a whole bunch of radio station and news vans parked around the train station. Having no clue what was going on, I posted something on facebook and found out that Martina McBride was going to be in town for something-or-other.

Oooooooohhhh really?

Then back to the bank. Name change completed.

Wait, how many things just got added to the list of not-much-to-do-today?

Then to the house. Boys into the stroller for an almost-sprint for the almost-mile to the train station to see Martina.

Hey, that wasn't on the list either.

Local radio personalities

Some of our finest

Here she comes!

Um, yeah.

Man, I wish I was taller....

Some *ahem* nice lady gave the boys train whistles. Gee, thanks lady.

So after Martina spoke for about 2 minutes (literally) and then disappeared, we walked back home.

So we got home. Ate supper....well, the boys had banana bread and then crashed. Hard. I realized that I had kinda' sorta' forgotten to eat anything all day, so I made some supper for me, then did some sewing while I watched Biggest Loser and Parenthood and cleaned the house at the same time.

Scary thing is that I feel like I forgot to do something today. Besides eat, I mean.

I hate that.

But it was a good day.