and I feel fine...

OK.

Perspective is a good thing.

What started out as an insane week, did not worsen. I sailed through it, with much more grace and coping skills than I would have 10 years ago. Woot age! Not only age, and life kept everything in perspective, but others stories...

So the car needs a transmission. I cannot do anything about it. I had the car checked thouroughly by not 1 but 3 mechanics...one of those things I suppose. I do not have the $$$$ to fix it, but hell I have a job.

I am currently going to give a shout out to my beloved Father who is letting me borrow one of his cars, while mine is in the shop.

My Father, he has kidney stone removal surgery tomorrow. Yeah, it is not cancer, or a heart problem, or any other numerous bad things. My kids are on the mend, and I am too...

I did decide Monday, that we would not only skip swim this week, but CREW (at church) as well. I am making everyone, REST, and get back on schedule, and heal. Both activities can be skipped for a week. So far so good, and both kids seem pleased with the decision.

My laundry is almost caught up, my daughter surprised me by cleaning her room without being told this morning! I gave her $1.00 for her efforts, she was so proud to hear my reaction.

SR has a Spanish quiz tomorrow and we have to study for it tonight, last night DH helped him with math homework, he is very good and quick at math, something he did not get from his Mother. He also has some Boy Scout projects to work on. This weekend, he has to help prepare a meal, set the table, set the menu, and do dishes. I think I will let him have breakfast duty.

Both children are begging to go on a long bike ride this weekend, and the leaves are turning, and falling, and the end of biking weather will soon be here...

I must get fall decorations out, and some pumpkins on the porch. I love Halloween, and the fall...and it is certainly getting gorgeous here.

Fall clean up must take palce here SOON, and I wish I could find a weekend DH would be home, I will make a big pot of chilli and beer bread and knock it out in hopefully 2 days. We also must head to my Fathers and cut several pine trees down that have gotten some sort of bug and need to be removed before they infect other trees. I want Tammi's beef stew recipe to take up there for that.

My tomatoes did not come in as I would have hoped, there is not enough to can to make it worth it, it simply was not hot enough for them....

I want a re do

I have had a heck of a past few days...

Thursday after work I was diagnosed with pnuemonia, and am currently on steroids, and antibiotics...

Friday I was headed for San Diego. Packed up, hopped in the car, and headed to the airport, about 20 minutes away from the airport while in rush hour traffic, my car stalled out in the fast lane on I-80. I tried everything, and could not get it to work. I called USAA, to check and see if I had towing coverage, and I did. I waited for 45 minutes for the tow truck, and got a tow to the dealership. I did manage to miss my flight...

I paid to change the flight, $100 and got the loverly opportunity to sit in the airport until 3:15. 3:15 I was headed to Dallas, the plane sat on the tarmac forever, and we got a late start, so I missed my connecting flight. Go team! Got a call from the mechanic, saying my transmission went out...$$$$$ PUKE.

Got to sit in the airport until 8:'ish. Arrived in San Diego at God knows when.

I did arrive to find the loverly Tammi, who actually had been WAITING for me all day in Sand diego, we had planned on going out to the beach for lunch to catch up, as it has been 2 1/2 years since I have been able to see her...so much for that...( Go read her account, she took me on a tour of San Diego!)

She greeted me with the biggest hug, and a box of See's chocolate, a bag of dark chocolate almonds, and an entire bag of goodies and gifts. It was a relief to see her, as it was a horrible no good, very sucky, icky stinky day......she lifted my spirits.

SpouseBuzz Live Camp Pendleton, was a successful event many attendees! Which is always good. The SpouseBuzzers managed to teach me all kinds of dances I did not know, and we sang all night! There is no video! Thank goodness.

There is a lot more, but frankly I am wiped......WIPED. Got a call today at work that my Father is in Yankton in the hospital with kidney stones, that cannot be broken up, he will be having surgery Monday, and is spending the night in the hospital.

The kids have bronchitis, and colds, we skipped swim lessons....We are going to clean up around here, and go to bed EARLY!

SICK...GAH

OK, I went to the Dr. Tuesday...it was a dx of sinus and respiratory infection...

for some reason, all day Tuesday I was exhausted, I mean wiped. The insomniac, live on 5 hours of sleep a day wiped.

I went to work Wednesday, and today. I called my Dr. this morning to make the Collective appointments. They have bronchitis. DH took them in while i was at work.

I went after work, curled up on the exam table and took a nap. The Dr. came in, and I said, Doc, I am guessing it is pneumonia. Can we get a chest x-ray. oh btw, there is a milky spot that will show up on the right middle lobe. Bing Bing Bing, I win. Stupid allergies flared up out west, so much so that the amount of inflammation surpassed my bodies ability to get rid of mucus.

ughhh...

So I continue with the antibiotics, got a shot of rocephin in my ass, and a shot of prednisone. script for prednisone for the coming week.

SpouseBuzz Live San Diego I am on my way. Tammi is picking me up from the airport, and we are having dinner...I have not seen her in forever!

open sky

more

checking on cattle

pastures

More photos of out WEST

Wedding, family, pastures, west, and prayers...

Quick note mostly photos, because I am sick and should be in bed...

I thought it was allergies, but it is not. Darn.

Weekend was fun, details later.

Keep what?

I have had some slips of the tongue..

but never like this

Spoke with my Brother today

He told me about this

I love it here, I do. There are times i wished for a fancier place to dine out when DH and I have the chance, or improved shopping, but the schools are wonderful, the parks gorgeous.

up down turn around..

He did it. SR managed to turn his week around.

After school today, he ran across the school yard smiling.

He said "guess what I got another mustang award!" "The teacher announced, now this little guy had a bumpy start this week, and when she said that I knew it was me!"

Earlier this week he got in trouble for throwing an absolute fit when loosing a game of chess to his mentor. She is a dental student btw, of course the 20 something will beat you in chess....He hates loosing, and we play game almost every single night, hoping to drill this in his head. We do not let him win, when he flips out, he is taken out of the game...Unsure what else to do. We have explained good sportsmanship ad naseam. He also got in trouble in art, because he became fixated with the rubber cement, and choose not to listen to his teacher as he messed with it.

Anyway both of those things, set him up to feel lousy about himself, because he knew better, and normally this might perpetuate more ill behavior, but we had a meeting, gave him a peep talk, and he turned it around.

100% on his fourth grade math test
100% on his Spanish quiz
100$ on his spelling test
Good behavior while playing yahtzee with his mentor

He is learning how to turn it around, and not get stuck, in his very bad, no good, horrible days!

jinxed..

Henry has had a rough 3 day at school.....this is not what I was expecting after doing so fantastically...

WE are both frustrated, and I cannot figure it out...neither can he.

breaking through

This week promises to be an interesting one. The first week with ALL activities. First test tomorrow swim @ 4:45, and 5:15pm for The Collective. I have to pack swimsuits, towels, goggles, and some sort of after school dinner to eat in the car. Homework, church, etc. WILD. In addition we are very excited to have MIL coming! Hi MIL!! She is arriving Wednesday at 3:00pm. Which means I need to wash bedding, and clean the bath in the basement. She is bring a friend from work, so I better clean that room up too.

I hadn't started back to work when we planned the visit initially, so I will not get to spend the days with her. DH did however take some time off, so he will be able to spend some quality time with her.

We have a wedding, and family reunion of sorts this week as well....forgive any lack of posting, and do not worry.

On a side note I decided to have Thanksgiving here this year...

This weekend beat me to a pulp. My Sister came this weekend DH was gone. Saturday was all good..my sissy, a girlfriend her husband, and 3 boys came. The boys had a great time. And her youngest is such a doll....his spirit is sweet and happy. I did not fix lunch out of laziness, and we went out for a pizza luncheon! It was fun. This morning, it was church, and my Sissy had car problems, we had to find a Sunday mechanic, drop the car off on one end of town, take PN to a birthday party on the other end of town...I was in the car for 2 1/2 hours...church was wonderful, and we spoke of forgiveness....

I am not sure what is what...but we can breathe...

For those of you who have been reading me for any length of time. You are familiar with SR.

The flapping, jumping, stimming, frustrated, impulsive, but bright child....

I am not sure what happened.

3 weeks into school, he remains on green. There have been no meeting Mom out in front of the school to report an event or events...nothing. There is no gnashing of teeth, re: things that normally would cause teeth gnashing. There is no overwheleming need to leave noisy situations, no uncomfortable looks from him, like his skin hurts from being in situations he does not want to be in. There is no hating music class because of the terrible singing from his peers (he loves music this year)

Nada...

This summer, I took away artificial sweetener in all forms from him. We had previously taken diary, and wheat away to no avail. I am not sure if it helped or not. He learned how to ride a bike, he took swim lessons, he learned to tie his shoes (Thanks Sissy).

There is little flapping, jumping, stimming. No looks of pain when at the state fair midway at being surrounded by thousands of people and motion, and stink and sounds...

Nothing.

I had a 7 year old boy with me, who went on rides, ate a caramel apple, and talked to me about animals...

I am not sure what happened.

I asked him the other night while lying next to him in his bed chatting...

I said "SR what happened, you are a different child."

he said "I guess I needed time to think."

Whatever that meant, I just took it, and put it in the back of my brain, and tucked it neatly into my heart...

We are not sure what has caused the change. Maturity? Maybe his age is leveling out with all of that information he carries? I do not know.

It almost happened over night.

poof....

and this is the child I longed for all of those years I waited for him. This is SR, relaxed, and calm...

Not that I did not enjoy him before, I did. I heart him. I just found myself in a sate of ALERT all hours of the day, all day, every single day the last 7 years. I was always waiting for the next frustration to melt him down, and cause him crashing in his own head ..that it was painful to watch. Painful, because I wanted him to be happy. Nothing less, nothing more. I wanted a happy child.

And it happened over night.

I will give God glory here, because I prayed daily, daily....almost every minute for the grace to do right by him. I read a lot of books, and articles, I tried EVERY single technique in the books, I contacted Moms I knew with similar children, I read up on Asperger's, Autism, PPD, you name it I looked into it. I read books on gifted children. I spoke with family Drs...My efforts felt as though they were almost exhausted.

I am not sure what took place. But whatever it was it took hold FAST.

He is happy, and went to church tonight, he is going to cub scouts tomorrow. There was no sitting down and discussing it, or giving him a pep talk. He is excited, and came home singing hymns for the Christmas program. (Even if while in church tonight, they asked him where baby Jesus came from, and my son replied Mary's vagina) OMG yes he did...I am glad the volunteers had good humor.

Sarah saw it when she was here. She said, he was well behaved. She did not understand why i have spent the last 4 years freaking out. I explained to her, this is all NEW. NEW. Some of you have met him, and can attest to his past behavior...

I can breathe, I can go to work, and do things with more focus, because I am not waiting for the school to call. I am not dreading picking him up from school. I am greeted with smiles from both children...


We can breathe here. It is amazing.

Fidel Castro Humanitarian?

Holy Crap...

The UN thinks so...

And guess who is Chairing the UN Security Council Meeting?

movie reviews, dis and dat

Watched I Love You ?Man, per my brothers suggestion, he said it was hilarious..it really was not.

Watched RocknRolla, hoping for Snatch but better..to many characters to keep track of none developed. Disappointed. Ummm All caught up on Mad Men now, sort of sad...now i have to wait for Sundays to partake. Darn.

We are going to try to Netflix True Blood...we will see.

Zoo was fun today, I got to spend time with all of my family, and a girlfriend I have

known since I was 15...it was nice, she is funny. Taking 5 kids to the zoo and keeping track of them...is crazy.

3 days of play

Since I am back at work now, and since DH had one day off in 6 weeks, Labor Day came at a good time.

Friday, we went for a long walk around the lake, and took the Collective. They had fun. More importantly they listened to directions. It was fun.

Yesterday, we went to the State Fair. DH and I did not get to see the canned foods, homemade wine and beer, or quilts. Which we like to do. The Collective are at the age, where they wanted to go on rides. So we spent an inordinate time on on the Midway, standing in lines waiting for rides. The /Midway smelled like 10 day old vomit, and was hot. Ick...but The Collective had fun. PN is noramlly our rider, but SR did manage to go on one spooky ride, which I had the joy of sitting in on. It looked like a simple ferris wheel, but was not. It had 2 spinning wheels, and when on it, you felt like you would be as if you were going to be thrown out. SR held on for dear life, and I laughed until i had tears coming to my eyes...he said it was the longest ride ever...







Today we are headed to Omaha, to catch up with friends, and we are going to take our joint 5 kids to the zoo, if the weather holds out...more photos later.

me naked sort of...

VW posted this...

Go head, go over take a look, hit the link.

That is pretty much me naked...

kangaroo pouch and all.

I cannot imagine sitting smiling through that photo session in such bright lights..so good for her.

Good for her, for making me feel ok today. There are thousands of women who look like this naked.

went ok

Walked in to work , and it felt like I had been away on a long vacation...

Everyone was friendly, it continues to be a busy, busy office.

All is well.

Rained a ton today, remind to get my umbrella out of DH's truck. I get on PN's tail about leaving her piles of things in my car, but today I was grateful, her Hello Kitty umbrella was in the car..

The rain was coming down hard, and it was cold!

All is well, the day went by very fast.

Last night we finished Season 2 of Mad Men, and were able to start watching my DVR'd season 3. I am really enjoying it, and I think Roger Sterling has the funniest lines. Seriously he cracks me up. I really am enjoying it, and am hoping to find another series to consume now.

Thanks to AirForce Wife, who continues to be a peach...I am crocheting scarves again. She sent an easy pattern, and some delicious lavender yarn, and a size P hook. Folks might get fluffy scarves again. It is nice for me to do simple projects, that do not require a real pattern...I think this scarf will look loverly with a gray tweed coat. AirForce Wife, has also been kind enough to send all sorts of things here, huge boxes. Books and learning programs for the kids, clothing, jammies...I have not had to buy PN jammies for 2 seasons now. The kids enjoyed this book in particular, heck I lie, we all enjoyed it, and it was a favorite.

headed to work in the morning...

So much for the fantasy of cleaning up things, morning yoga, aspirations of possibly being able to be in a bikini by Christmas. Organizing closets, and belongings, will once again take a back seat.

My old job called, and offered me my position back. I might be stubborn, but I am no idiot. Job market is tough here. I need a job in which I can take the kids to school, and pick them up. They agreed to that....which is unheard of. So of course I said yes...They are both in school now, there is no day care to pay for for! I no longer have to share my check!

I am up late trying to iron creases in pants, and make shirts look crisp.

Also I am headed back to school in January...my recert will be done!

more proud mom moments...

The collective are doing GREAT in school, and have actually grown closer in the past week or so. They talk about shared music, computer, art, and physical education teachers...they tell one another they miss each other. The other day in the car while driving home they talked to one another about how they hoped the other did not die...it was sweet but sad. There have been a rash of fatal accidents in town, and we have missed 2 of the crash scenes by moments...there have been fatalities as well.

SR brought home his math book tonight, he has a new math mentor. He has a 4th grade book. I cannot imagine being able to do so at 7 years of age, but he seems to understand it. I am very proud of him.

PN is doing well, and is enjoying herself. She was sad no one has mentioned her new cool shoes. She has a girl from her pre k in her class. Thank goodness. She is now in charge of shelving books in class. She is reading well, but without confidence. I am trying so hard to instill it in her. She is becoming a tremendous artist! Today she was all about poodles! They were all different colors.

Both children have been on green since school started. This means both are respectful, and following rules....This is HUGE. Especially for those of you who are familiar with SR. He does not require special cool down times so far this year, the noise does not seem to bother him....and there is noise. There are 870 students in his school.

I am so pleased with our school district. I cannot tell you!

I wish I liked it

Shopping that is..

I think I would love it if I had $.

Today I was looking for reasonably priced black slingbacks, closed toe, with a kitten heel. You would have thought I was looking for the holy grail. I need a sling back, because I have teeny narrow heels. They do not like to stay in shoes.

I also live in a "not shopping mecca" area of the United States.

I also do not buy shoes online as a rule...I like to try them on. I have high arches, and narrow heels. I have a devil of a time finding shoes...

I could find nothing with a closed toe, in what I wanted. Not one.

I settled on a pair of Etienne Aigner open toe slingbacks at famous footwear and bought a pair in tan as well. $29.50 for 2 pairs of shoes. When I got home I threw my beloved pair of black pointy slingblacks with a cute buckle in the trash...



I adore these....but really that kind of scratch for shoes, I do not have. Maybe they will go on sale?

oh and this skirt is to die for!