Mistaken Identity

Just a little background:

My Hubby is good friends with RW the band directors brother who does all of the video taping and photography for the band. RW's girlfriend is also the Majorette and Flag line director. The band director and his wife (who is the assistant band director) took their pseudo-niece with them on the trip to Florida.

Now that you got all of that down, this will make more sense.

The band had to be dressed and ready at a certain time and then they were taken back stage at Disney. The band director, his wife and RW's girlfriend all had to go back stage with the band. This left the little girl with Hubby and RW for a little over an hour until the band was to perform. So they took her on a few of the rides.

Now remember my tweet and fb status that Hubby was looking for a fanny pack? Well he found one and RW had a satchel (man purse) with him.

Better yet check this out:

Imagine you see these two men together with a little girl and you overhear this conversation:

RW: If you take her on the teacups I will take her on the flying saucers

Hubby: Ok, sounds good to me. I like to spin the teacups.

You can only imagine the looks they got and the thoughts going through peoples minds. Oh yeah, those two played it up once they realized the looks they were getting. Goofballs!

Stacy

Make A Difference

I stole this link from someone. I just had to share it. Take a moment and watch, I have a quick story after.




Teen and Tween both had Mrs. C for 3rd grade. Mrs. C is the most disorganized organized person you will ever meet. She is also one of those teachers that teach because they absolutely love the kids. I think just about her whole paycheck goes back into her classroom and her former kids.

At the beginning of the school year she has a picnic at her house for her new students. She had a pavillion built near the small lake on her property for just such gatherings.

Throughout the year she has the kids put on at least 3 different skits for their parents and friends. One of my favorites that they did was "Country Mouse, City Mouse". She doesn't just give one student the City Mouse part and one the Country Mouse part with all of the others as secondary characters. She has modified the play slightly and she has at least 3 kids for each part. The kids love it. And since they are only in 3rd grade they do not have the fear of speaking alone or forgetting their lines as they are with someone else.

Also throughout the whole school year she takes tons of pictures. TONS! At the end of the school year each of her students are presented with a scrapbook she made for them. Yes, each child gets their own individual scrapbook with comments and all from her.

After they leave her class, they are not forgotten. She continues to send each of the students she has had a birthday card until they graduate. And it isn't a simple card in the mail that she signed. She takes time and writes something to them in different colored ink throughout. Many times she sends little things in the card as well. Perhaps a few stickers or some confetti. One year she even sent each of them an extra card from her Alaskan cruise.

I certainly hope that when Little S is in 3rd grade that he has her as well. I may just have to go beg or bribe someone...lol j/k

Stacy

Hubby's Away - Part 4 (Final)

Tuesday wasn't a bad day. We all got up, went to school and work and set out on our almost last day alone. It was actually the only day that I got to relax a bit.

After work/school we grabbed a pizza, straightened up a bit and just chilled.

Then hubby called from Florida. He wanted to tell me that the elementary school was on fire. I thought he was messing around as I didn't hear the fire alarm or any trucks fly past. He said he wasn't sure, his friend got a text saying it was on fire and they all wanted me to go down and check it out.

I was already in my jammies (it was a little after 8pm) but since we live less than 2 miles from the school I got dressed and went down. Really I just pulled sweats on and zipped up my coat.

Sure enough when I got there, there were firetrucks, police and ambulances everywhere. There was some sort of tournament going on at the gym so people were being evacuated and the ambulances were precautionary.

As I was pulling back in to the apartments, I started getting texts from others telling me the school was on fire. It was so funny hearing their reactions when I told them that I already heard about it from hubby. They couldn't figure out how he knew in Florida before most of us who live right here found out.

Thursdays headlines verified what we did not in our little town even think was possible - it was intentionally set. Who on earth sets an elementary school on fire?

Our K-3 is in one building and our 4-6 is in another building but they are connected by an enclosed walkway. So there was no school for both buildings Wednesday and Thursday. Friday the 4-6 building went back to school. However it may be awhile before the K-3 goes back. I guess there wasn't a lot of actual fire damage, it was more smoke and water damage. They have more cleaning up than they had first thought as the halls and classrooms are carpeted as well as some of the walls have a cloth like finish to them.

So after all of the long weekend had held for me I was so ready for hubby to come home.

Thankfully Wednesday was a quiet day, they got in a sometime between 7 pm and 8 pm (I was at a meeting) and I was so glad to see them when I got here.

Soon I'll share some pics and a few funny stories! Enough with the drama.

Stacy

Hubby's Away - Part 3

Sunday was a relatively quiet day. We hung at my parents most of the day, relaxed, watched a movie and munched. Then we headed home.

Monday I had grand plans. Get the boyz off to school. Walk around the store (any store) alone and without any type of time restraint. Then meet up with Laurel for lunch at Red Lobster for our birthdays.

The day started out fine. Tween got up and went to school. I dropped Little S off at school and headed into Hal-Mart (yes I know that is an H, should be an e next to it with an extra l). It was actually quite quiet at that time of the day. I picked up a few things and then headed to Starbucks with a rag-mag. I sat there and slowly and quietly read and sipped on a double chocolate chip frappuccino. It was so yummy and refreshing.

Laurel was still about a half hour out so I headed over to the craft store at the other end of the plaza and walked around it for a bit. I picked up a few things and Laurel met me over there. We found a couple of sheets of paper and things for the boyz scrapbooks that I just started.

Then we headed over to Red Lobster. Her birthday is the end of January and mine is the beginning of March so we decided to celebrate together. We sat down, order an appetizer and soda's and started chatting.

Then my phone rang. It was the school. I instantly thought that Tween was in trouble for his phone as he had text me earlier in the day. I wish it had been that simple.

It was the school nurse. Tween was in a tremendous amount of pain at his lower left abdomen. The nurse recommended that I come and get him and take him to the ER.

On the way to the school I called the church prayer chain and had them start praying.

By the time I got to the school Tween was double over in pain, crying and sweating, but he did not have a fever.

Being that it was lunch-time and the pediatrician is closed from noon to one I took him right to the ER. We sat there for 2 hours before they took us back. By the time they called him back, the pain was gone. While we were waiting I did call the pediatrician and they said to go ahead and stay as they would send us back up for blood work anyhow.

I did not call Hubby as I wasn't sure what was wrong and there was nothing he could do while he was in Florida except worry anyhow. Unfortunately, living in a small town and hubby having such a large family, word got to him. He was a little upset that I didn't call him, but really I didn't want him to worry until I knew something and it wasn't a life or death, he needs to hop on a plane situation.

Anyhow, all of his blood work came back fine and the pain was gone so they sent him home and told us to come back if it happened again. We still don't know what the pain was. The only thing the doctor said was that occasionally pain like that can be a precursor to an appendix problem. Even though it was on the other side. My mum had told me the same thing when I called her while in the waiting room.

One more thing happened while hubby was away, but for that you will have to wait until tomorrow.

Stacy

Hubby's Away - Part 2

I'm not sure how many people know this, but I am not a big fan of red meat. I am not a vegetarian by any means, I just don't care for it.

After we were done at the home show and on our way back to my parents we were trying to decide what to eat for dinner. When we were kids my parents liked to make stuffed green peppers but us kids did not like the peppers. So my mum would make porcupine balls for us. In other words, just meatballs. So we decided that we would have porcupine balls and stuffed peppers for dinner.

So not only did I enter a public restroom on Saturday, I also ate red meat.

Later that night my parents, my grandma and Tween and I were playing cards. I look over at my grandma and she was bent over with her head almost on the table and her one arm in front of her and her other arm behind her. She looked like she was in pain. I started to panic and asked her if she was okay.

She started to laugh and said she was fine that her bra was bothering her and she was trying to unhook it.

More tomorrow.

Stacy

Hubby's away - Part 1

When hubby left I really thought I would have a nice relaxing time. Spend some time with my parents and my kids. Boy was I in for a surprise.

We dropped Hubby and Teen off at the school Saturday morning and headed to my parents. We had a nice trip down, no traffic and weather was clear. Once we got there we ate lunch and then headed over to the mall and to a home show.

On occasion I get car sick. I am usually okay if I sit in the front or in the second seat by the door. My kids have never gotten car sick. That is until Saturday. Just as we were pulling into the mall Little S got sick. In my Mum's car. Without warning. We scrambled around and found a bag.

Now there are a couple of things I absolutely Do. Not. Do. I am sure most of you by now know I Do Not Ever step foot in a public restroom. EVER! I just can't do it.

That is unless I have a sick child who just threw up all over himself and I have nowhere else to go. So I took Little S into the restroom at the mall and stripped him down and got him cleaned up while my parents went down to the kids section and bought him a new outfit.

Poor kid. I felt so bad for him. He was so upset at first and then he was so cold standing there waiting for clean dry clothes.

And I survived the public restroom.

That was just the start of our vacation. More soon.

Stacy

Vacation

In the morning Hubby and Teen are head to Florida with the high school marching band and choir. The band is marching in the parade and the choir is singing at the castle. They are running almost non-stop from the time they hit the pavement on Sunday morning until they get back on the bus for home.

Now before you all go feeling bad that I am not getting to go, let me remind you that first of all I love the snow. You also won't feel bad for me when I tell you that they are riding a bus down. Hubby is going to be stuck on a bus full of teenagers for approximately 22 hours straight. Also after that 22 hour ride they go straight to Disney. No shower, no freshening up, nothing. Can you say - GROSS! lol

While they are gone, Tween, Little S and I are going to my mum's for a few days. They can't wait to go and play in the snow. We have snow here, but we only have about a foot. She has much more than us.

So if you could pray for traveling mercies for all of us over the next couple of days I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Stacy

A Box

Last Friday we bought a new computer desk chair to replace the one we had with a broken wheel. It came in a nice size box and had to be put together. Once hubby got all of the parts out and was putting it together, Little S started playing with the box.

I see no problem with him playing with the box. He was using the extra pieces of cardboard out of the box to build a top across the flaps and was making himself a fort. I thought it was cute.

He then decided he wanted to sleep in the box. Apparently because we couldn't buy him the bed he wants. (Now let me add in here that he has a bed. A perfectly good bed. It is a bunk set that he shares with Tween.)

Saturday afternoon he was still happily playing with the box. In fact, he was having a grand old time. Hubby was getting upset and couldn't understand why he was so fascinated by a box. It was one of those lazy snowy kind of days and we all were just laying around and unbeknown to hubby, Little S crawled in the box and fell asleep. I thought it was cute. Hubby, not so much.

I remember when we were little and my parents would get a new appliance, we would play with the box for a few days. We would make it into all kinds of things and draw all over it.

I don't understand why he is so against him playing with a box. It's as if he is embarrassed that his son is playing with a box instead of toys. I think it is great he is using his imagination for a while.

Did you or would you ever let your kids play with a box?

Stacy

Last fall I wrote this post and in it I talked about Teen growing up.

About a year or so ago he was really set on going to DeVry in Florida for their Game Programming Course. After some research we found out that a lot of other schools will not transfer DeVry credits. We also talked about how far away he would be and he wouldn’t be able to just come home for a weekend anytime and that he would probably miss a lot of holidays and such.

So then he was very interested in PTI in Pittsburgh. He went there with the Technology Class for a Car of the Future Competition last spring. They didn’t have exactly what he was looking for, but he could get a 2-year degree with a lot of the background programming courses he would need for the next phase.

Recently he found another school in Florida that offers exactly what he wants. Again we were back to the Florida thing, however, they offer their courses as 100% online.

So we went from moving halfway across the states to staying home…lol Wonder how many more times this will change before a final decision is made?

We let him know that if he was serious and wanted to take online courses that he was more than welcome to stay at home. He is worried about his brothers who were looking forward to their own rooms getting upset if he stays home. What a thoughtful kid. But we told him we would work something out.

Now I am not really sure how I feel. I am glad he is staying close to home, but I think I had my self all ready for him to leave also. I guess when he makes up his mind, I will make up mine.

Stacy

Season, Reason, Lifetime

I am sure most of you have read the poem before but if not click on this link:

Season, Reason, Lifetime

After reading through it, I often think of different people that have been there for a Season or a Reason and I am thankful for them. I am even more thankful for those ‘Lifetime’ people.

Recently I have had a ‘Reason’ friend attempt to make contact with me again. For all intents and purposes, I am glad she was there when she was, but it was a very different time in my life and I have moved so far beyond that stage of life that I do not want this relationship to bloom again.

Of course, now I am feeling very guilty about not responding to her attempt. But even the attempt that she made, was not out of love, but out of, well for lack of a better word, nosiness and probably a little bit of spite as well.

It makes me sad that things had to turn out the way they did, but I feel that I am much better off without her in my life. There weren’t any hurt feelings at the time, we both moved on and kind of drifted apart. I have kept in touch with her daughter and know that it’s best that we remain as a ‘Reason’ in each other’s life.

I finally feel that I am starting to understand this poem and this stage of my life. I have realized who my Lifetime friends are and have been so blessed. I know that there are still many Season and Reason people out there and I think I have learned to accept them and the circumstances that bring them about.

Stacy