Cheering for Our Team

We watch the Super Bowl last night. Our team was playing. We were ready for them to win. Well, we were a bit disappointed, but we were ready.

The kids even made a banner.

Hot Spot Fail

I failed at getting all of my hot spots clean this last week, so I have to do them this week. I can do it! Here are some pictures of what they look like right now:

See what I mean. MESSY!

Hot Spot Challenge Week Two - Done!

I am happy to say that I have successfully completed week two of the hot spot challenge. The only things left on my computer desk and kitchen island are the things that belong there. This was harder than last week of course, but I can say that my island was clean enough yesterday for my son to take a small hammer to each piece of cereal that he spilled yesterday morning. 

The embarrassing part of all of this is that I still have more hot spots in my house. Up next, my piano including the floor underneath it. (Is it just me or is this getting to be fun, Melissa?)

I'M AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM AWESOME! I can't see exactly why nobody likes me, (cause I'm awesome) but I'M AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JASPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By Sean

This is Jasper. I mean, a pic of Jasper.(AKA, Jaspie)           HE'S CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You just CAN'T tell me he isn't.

Pinewood Derby 2014

This is our last year of Pinewood Derby since my younger boy will be 11 this year. We had fun making a tank for his car this year, and he won most unique.

We all dressed in camouflage in support of this awesome camouflage tank.

As we left the house, Sean announced his goal was to win at least one race. After adding some weights donated by one of the dads, he  won two!

In the end, we had a lot of fun! I will miss Pinewood Derby next year (maybe).

Next Hot Spot Challenge

This week I will be cleaning up my desk and keeping the island clean. Are you ready for my desk before picture? I'm sure not, but here it is:

Lovely!

First Hot Spot Challenge Complete

Other than the things that are supposed to be on my island, it is completely clean. I don't even have a single crumb on it. It hasn't looked this nice since Thanksgiving! If I keep this up, I may have a clean house soon...

Hot Spot Challenge

My friend and I have a friendly challenge. We each have to clean one hot spot this week and keep it clean once it is clean. Here is the before picture of my kitchen island:

I will post my after picture next Sunday.

2013 In Review

Eric and Sean won first and second prize in the science fair at their school.

Eric participated in his last Pinewood Derby as a Cub Scout.

Sean had fun making participating in his second Pinewood Derby.

 

Eric earned his Arrow of Light and crossed over to Boy Scouts.

Carrie, Marleah, and I were finally together again.

Noel had her first trip to the ER.

Eric and Sean got glasses.

Eric went to Outdoor Ed for his 5th grade trip.

I finally got flowers for Mother's Day! (I love my husband!)

Sean was accepted into SAGE (the program for kids who are advanced in reading and math).

Chad and I finished our first 5K.

Eric started 6th grade in a new school (Weld Central Middle School).

Noel started 2nd grade, and Sean started 4th grade. (Sean wasn't as excited as the others.)

We visited the Lego exhibit at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center.

My sweet grandmother, Ila Mitchell, passed away.

I went to Michigan for her funeral and to visit with the family.

Noel was baptized by her grandpa. 

(I did my first big sewing project since I made my wedding dress.)

The kids had a great Christmas!

WE HAD A GREAT YEAR! 

Lunch Date

 

I took 3 personal days off work this week. (I also have use it or lose it PTO that has to be used by the end of the year.) My boys each had performances this week that I wanted to make sure I didn't miss. Wednesday, I went with the family Eric's performance. Thursday, we saw Sean's performance. Today, I was hoping to relax and do homework most of the day.
My daughter decided that today was the day I should have lunch with her. I eat lunch with my kids at least once a month (when I have a day off in the middle of the week and work Saturdays), and I have been doing this since I have been working day shifts. I had lunch with the 2 younger kids last week since I had Wednesday off and worked Saturday (the big kid goes to middle school which is quite a bit further away and has lunch at the same time as his sister). I like doing this because I don't feel like I see my kids as much as they deserve.
I feel like I eat lunch with my kids more than most moms. The older the kids are, the less I see moms at lunch. In fact, I don't think I have seen a mom this school year yet. I love my children. However, when she decides that I have to have lunch with her, I feel less excited to do so. (We all know that I am on my way out the door to eat with Noel and Sean right now.)

So Professional

Noel and Tommy 2011

Noel and her cousin will forever have a special bond. Tommy was born on Noel's second birthday. She doesn't remember ever having a birthday that she didn't share. He has always shared a birthday. 

This morning, while getting ready for school, the phone rang. I heard a cute little voice on the other line. The conversation with this adorable boys went something like this:

Tommy: Um...Noel...this is Thomas.

Me: Did you want to talk to Noel?

Tommy: Yes. This is Thomas.

Me: Happy birthday!

Tommy: Thank you. 

Gotta love a kid that uses the name that is only said when he is in trouble on the phone.

Making Up for the Missing Parent

Once again, I found myself trying to comfort my daughter because her dad isn't doing what she expected. This seems to be the theme with my kids this year. Even though my husband and I do everything we can to make birthdays special, plan fun things for the weekends we have them, and fill in when their dad isn't there for them, it doesn't change the fact that the kids are disappointed when their dad doesn't deliver what they expect.
Last year, he was rude and obnoxious about wanting Noel for half of her birthday even though it was on Thanksgiving and it was my turn to have the kids for Thanksgiving. I eventually gave in and let him take her out for breakfast or lunch (I don't remember which). Yesterday, my sweet girl came to me in tears after school and told me that she wasn't going to be able to see her dad on her birthday. I hadn't even thought about it. I figured he would maybe want to do something the next day at least since he has been so partial to her since we split. I called him to get the whole story. He said that he would maybe call her that day. I ended up putting Noel on the phone because I am tired of giving them his bad news/making up for his decisions this year. She cried as she talked to him, but basically go the same answer she had received Tuesday. I once again had to comfort by child because of his selfishness.
Now, I feel compelled to make tomorrow everything she has dreamed it would be. I need to make cookies for her to bring to her class, finish her baptism dress, make sure we have all the fixings for the dinner she wants me to make,go to her class party, and make her favorite cake (I think she may be the only one that REALLY likes it). On top of that, I have to make sure I do everything within the restricted budget that we have been living on since her dad stopped paying child support. (I don't mean that as we are poor. We just have a smaller budget than I would like.) It's a good thing that she understands that the two parents that she lives with will do what they can to make her day special.

I Will Catch Up

My plan today is to catch up on my posts. I have the next few days off of work. I am working on making a dress for Noel for her baptism, so I won't have a lot of time. I will definitely post information about her baptism and pictures of her pretty dress.

Parent/Teacher Conference

I started this post a little over a month ago:

This week I went to parent/teacher conferences for two kids before school. (The other kid told me that his school was having conferences the morning of and I work nights, so I couldn't arrange to go.) The first one was on Tuesday with my daughter's teacher. She is in second grade.  I got mixed reviews from her teacher. It seems she is doing great in math. She was able to answer some questions on the assessment that she "wasn't supposed to know yet." That was quite exciting to hear! Then came the rough to hear news. She is behind in reading. She is testing a grade level behind. I had to ask questions about how to help her. My boys have always been so advanced in reading that the teachers were in awe. Reading just came natural to them. I asked her teacher what I could do. She gave me some suggestions. As far as what they are doing at school to help her...she will be starting a new program next week that will last 10 weeks and has been known to help, and she has been working with a teacher that helps kids who are behind in reading for a few weeks. She, then, told me her other concern. Noel is a bit too social in class. She talks to and plays with her friends when she should be learning. We explained to my sweet little girl that if she would pay attention more in class, it may help. She paid extra attention in class for the rest of the week. When I called the kids' dad to let him know what the teacher said, he said he will talk to his mom and get some suggestions. For now, I am going to set aside time for reading with just her in the morning (I found out when she is reading by herself at night she is just looking at the pictures.)
The next day, I had conference with Sean's teacher. It was quite a different experience. He reads at a very advanced reading level (she didn't tell me the grade level), and is in an advanced math program. She, for some reason, wasn't as positive as I would have though. She pointed out that he tested as "advanced" on his math and reading TCAP tests. Then, she stressed that he tested as, "only proficient (at grade level)" in writing. (I though that was pretty dang good considering she had said that as a school they were a bit behind in writing.) Her main concern was the same I have heard since Sean was in kindergarten, he isn't very social and will not work in a group unless he is forced to. I, again, called the kids' dad to let him know what the teacher had said. He was pleased and not surprised at what she had said about his personality or test scores pointing out that Sean's aversion to working with a group is a lot like mine (social situations are hard sometimes).

UPDATE: Noel is now checking out grade level books at school, and reading them out loud very well. The changes that were made at home and at school have helped her a lot. I can't believe how quickly she is improving!

I Will Miss You

My grandparents at my sister's wedding

A wonderful lady passed away today. My sweet grandma. I don't know what to say about her right now. I think I am just too numb. She turned 86 two days ago. Right now the main thing that I can think of is that I forgot to call her on her birthday. I really wish I had talked to her even if it would have been for just a few minutes.
She battled cancer for many years. I can't even remember how many times were were told that she only had about a year left. I can tell you that the last time I remember hearing that was during my divorce over 2 years ago. She put up a good fight!
Sean came to me after he went to bed and simply said, "Cancer sucks. I have now had two people in my life die because of it." We don't know if that was what took her at this point, but to a kid who has never known her to not have cancer that has already lost a cousin to the horrible disease, that is how he sees it. All I could do was give him a hug and tell him that I know she loved him even if she didn't get to see him much. I also told him that he gets his love for reading from her. I told him about how when he was a baby and we went out to Michigan to see my grandparents how happy she was that he sat on her lap and listened to her read to him. He gave me a little sad smile and hugged me again and went to bed.

Dungeon Hunter 4

HEY!!!! It's Eric here and I just want to talk about my favorite game, Dungeon Hunter 4 for mobile devices. I, so far, have deleted a level 13 Battleworn to make a new character. Sean has a level 8 Sentinel and I only have two character slots, if you're wondering why. I'm definitely going to make another Battleworn as my new character. Here's a picture of a Battleworn for ya.

Friday, August 30, 1996

This day forever changed my life. It was the day two of my favorite people passed away in a car accident that could have been prevented.
This is not going to be an "I'm sad. My life sucks." post. I am sad sometimes. That will never go away. My life doesn't suck, though. I have a husband and three beautiful kids that love me and I love them, and I just got promoted at my job.

This is just a warning post.

Seventeen years ago today, my mom, her friend, and my brother decided that they would drive through the night to go to visit my aunt rather than their original plan to leave the next morning after they got some sleep. My mom and brother died because the driver of the car (who lived) fell asleep at the wheel and ALMOST got the car back on the highway when she realized what had happened. She hit a guardrail. My brother, who was asleep in the backseat without a seat belt on, was thrown out the back window. My mom, who was asleep in the front passenger seat with a seat belt on, was crushed. They both died instantly. 
So may people leave late at night or in the extremely early hours of the morning to go on trips, especially people with kids who want them to sleep through the long car ride because "it is so much easier and quieter that way." I am a parent and understand how this would sound better, but it is not. How would these people feel if they fell asleep at the wheel and it cause harm to one of those precious creatures that would need to be entertained if they would have just waited until morning to leave.
I have heard people laugh and joke about the times they have started to fall asleep at the wheel. It is not funny. It is not a joke. Real people have been hurt in accidents caused by people either falling asleep at the wheel or almost falling asleep at the wheel.
PLEASE, sleep before you drive!

I Love This Guy

 

My husband is a loving and caring man. He works overtime to help me support three beautiful, fast growing, always hungry kids. He listens to me complain and vent, no matter how big or small. He encourages Sean in his new-found interest in sports. He encourages the kids and me when it comes to school and other positive goals we have in life. Really, he does so much for this family, I can't even name it all. He asks for so little in return. How could I not love someone who selflessly and unconditionally loves all of us?

TOBUCUS IS AWESOME!!!!!!

Hello once again everyone who reads this blog. It`s Sean again. And I just watched a lot of Tobuscus videos. Here is a picture of him. He does amazing you tube videos.