stressful september

life has been crazy.

not only has this past month been the typical
"back-to-school"
"back-to-routine"
"back-to-soccer-filled-saturdays"
stuff,
it has also been one filled with
uncertainty,
lists,
rain,
job-filled stress,
lists,
flooding,
meetings,
lists,
emotion,
and did i mention, lists?

my kids' first day of school was delayed
a day due to heavy rain and flooding
and my year began with a 2 hour delay.
i love my job, i really do.
but with recent cut-backs in my district,
the number of reading specialists in my building
was cut from 2 to 1 1/2.

that probably doesn't sound like a big difference,
but when you're the 1 of the 1 1/2, it is.
because the 1/2 is primarily being utilized as a teacher
and is not a team player.
therefore, the job that was previously done
by 2 has fallen on my shoulders.

i don't think anyone realizes how annoying
it is to keep track of 400 kids' reading placements
and the ever-changing lists that it takes to keep track.

however, that's not what's really important.

what's important is that my mom
just came home yesterday from a 10 day hospital stay.
she's amazing and i love her.

for those of you that don't know,
my mom was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago
with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. 
basically, that means when she was diagnosed,
she already had tumors in her colon, liver, and lung.
she shouldn't be here.

she is a miracle. 
she has not had any traditional treatment.
no chemo.
no radiation.
no surgery.

so 2 1/2 years have gone by without many issues.
yes, there have been good days and bad days as
far as how she feels, but this past 10 days was really
the first "blip" on the radar screen of her cancer journey.

she really does have cancer.
it really is there and growing (slowly).
and it's not going away.

she had to have a colostomy,
which to some people might be devastating
or embarassing
or horrifying.

but my mom has maintained a positive attitude
and solid trust in the Lord.
she has been a beacon of light
to each and every nurse and doctor
she's come into contact with, often making them
laugh or smile.

it has been an emotional roller-coaster watching
my parents face this head-on.

it puts things in perspective and
those lists somehow don't seem so important.
life is precious.
hug the ones you love
and hold them tight.

i love you, mom.
higher than the sky.
thank you for the example you set even in the face of cancer. 

this week in numbers

5  people in our family

5  people in our family on antibiotics for strep

3  number of times we've had strep this season

2  more missed days of school

1  call to 911

1  trip to the ER for my hubby

9  hours spent in the ER on uncomfortable chairs

1  visit to the cardiologist for my hubby

4  sleepless nights checking to see if he's breathing

7  loads of laundry

1  school-bought lunch for the boys (surprised it wasn't more!)

208 unpublished book kits awaiting my final check before shipping

2  hours spent planning Read Across America activities (to start Monday!)

2  weeks until PSSA testing

1  billion things running through my mind


HOW MANY DAYS UNTIL VACATION?

112

life by numbers

19 = number of days since my last blogpost (sorry!)

25 = days until Christmas

12 = days until my latest metacognitive research review is due
(sounds like a good time, doesn't it?)

6 = number of pies baked at our annual pie-baking extravaganza Wednesday before Thanksgiving

7 = number of mini-pies baked by my boys and their cousins

3 = number of pumpkin rolls baked for Thanksgiving festivities

4 + 1 = days we just had off for Thanksgiving
~ LOVE the bonus "1st day of hunting season" day off

7 = hours spent shopping by myself yesterday with ALL 3 BOYS!

2 = number of meals we ate out while said shopping

4 = number of Free Frosty coupons we cashed in at the end of the long day of shopping to treat ourselves for our good behavior ~ even Mommy :)

3 ~give or take an hour~ = number of hours spent trying to tweak a Christmas card template (curse you, Photoshop!)

Billion + 1 = number of things I feel need to be done this time of year!

why are you so cute?

We met Mark out for dinner after work one night recently and while we were waiting, I went around the table and asked each boy the same question: Why are you so cute?

It was amusing to hear their responses and see their reactions, but I think the most interesting thing that I noticed was how their responses corresponded to their personalities:

The I-know-I'm-cute-but-will-pretend-I'm-not-Nathan: I don't know.

The Confident-social-butterfly-who-tells-it-like-it-is-Ryan: Because I am.

And

The Sweet-people-pleaser-with-the-kind-heart-Evan: Because you're so cute, Mom.

I love these boys :)

i've missed you....

so, it has been ENTIRELY too long of a 'no-blogging' spell.

i almost forgot how to do this, but it's like riding a bike, right?

i have been 'blogging' in my head for the last three plus months in which i've written little but experienced much. hopefully, i'll this little hurdle here of plunging back in will get me back on track.

i will do my best to hit the highlights of the last few months as we begin bloggin about our summer break - YAH!! :) :) :)

aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I wish I was here.

But my metacognitive research review, unfortunately,
will not write itself.

Be back soon :)

Wordless Wednesday

My 50-something year old mother in law jumping off the high dive.

In her words, "What you wouldn't do for your grandkids...."

Evan, the Organizer

A few weeks back, Evan asked me for paper, marker, scissors, and tape and he disappeared upstairs into his room he shares with Ryan. I didn't really think twice about the supplies he asked me for ~ I can trust him to not draw on the walls or cut up his clothes. And any time I can get my kids to entertain themselves for longer than 15 minutes without the aid of an electronic device, I'm thrilled.

[On the other hand, if Ryan had asked me for the same said supplies and wanted to use them in his bedroom, the answer would have been a resounding, "NO!" But I digress...]

When Evan was finished his project, he proudly dragged me upstairs by the hand to show off his masterpiece: he had labeled his drawers and closet.
Blue dresser, top down:
shirts
gens [jeans]
sock and udwar [underwear]
and my personal favorite, bjomus [pajamas].

Closet: logsl slevs [long sleeves]

White drawers: short slevs [short sleeves] ~ at least his spelling is consistent :)

Mark & I got a big kick out of this and Evan was so proud of himself.

Anatomically Correct Chalk Drawings

R: I drew monkeys, mom. See the mommy monkey, the little boy monkey, the baby monkey, the sister monkey, and the daddy monkey.

M: Ryan, you did an awesome job! I love your monkeys!

R: [pointing to the circle with the line in the middle on the big monkey] See, mom, the mommy monkey even has a weiner.

M: Ryan, mommies don't have weiners [which, by the way, is not my choice of name ~ thank you, very much, Mark]

R: Oh, yeah....then that's her pa-china.

Lovely.

Rejection

rejection: the act of being rejected

reject: 1 a: to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use b: to refuse to hear, receive, or admit : rebuff, repel c: to refuse as lover or spouse2obsolete : to cast off 3: throw back, repulse4: to spew out5: to subject to immunological rejection
synonyms see decline (from merriam-webster.com)


For those of you who may not know, Mark lost his job back in April. With the current state of our economy, we decided that maybe it was time for me to return to teaching [I've been home with the boys for the last 4 years]. After all, teaching is a relatively stable job ~ there will always be kids who need teachers.

So, I've been applying for teaching positions. Both elementary positions and reading specialist positions. Part time, full time, long term sub, and permanent positions. I've actually been surprised at the number of openings out there.

I was thrilled when I got an email over our vacation requesting an interview with the principal. Granted, this was my first interview in 8(!) years and I was a bit nervous. Even though I was not at all confident in how I interviewed, I was asked to come back and teach a demonstration lesson to a 2nd grade class two days later.

I thought I nailed the lesson.
I thought I nailed the second interview with the assistant principal and reading specialist.
I came out of there with my head held high and pretty confident I would be offered something ~ I mean they did have three reading positions open.

Today, I got my "Dear John" letter.
"....the final decision was not an easy one. yada. yada. yada....not selected at this time....we will continue to consider you for a teaching position."

Sure you will.

And as I sat here crying to Mark on the phone, it dawned on me that this is the first time in my 34 1/2 years that I've never gotten the job for which I interviewed.

Maybe that's why this is so difficult. Maybe that's why I feel so rejected. I know I'm a wonderful teacher and it's their loss.

I know there's a reason for this.
And I trust that God has a better plan ~ I just thought this was it.

Oh, well.
Let me wallow over my piece of leftover ice cream cake [go Dairy Queen!]
Yes, it's leftover from Ryan's birthday.
Last July.
But I can't lie....it's still yummy! :)

Life is too short....

.....to get upset over little things
.....to stay mad at someone you love
.....to hold a grudge
.....to not pursue your dreams
.....to not share your intimate thoughts
.....to not tell your loved ones how special they are to you

This seems to be a recurrent thought in my mind lately. It's kind of been "in my face" over the past few months with my mom's cancer diagnosis and one thing after another keeps reiterating these themes.

First, it was Grey's season finale:
"Drink it in. Cause this is it. It might all be gone tommorow..."

Then, my mom went for a follow-up to her oncologist and my dad asked the dreaded question, "How much time do we have?" The doctor told my mom that people with the same kind of cancer she has [colon spread to lung & liver] live on average 22-24 months.

And yesterday, I found out that my college roommate's husband died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on Friday night. He was a year younger than me and left behind his wife, a 4 year old son and a 2 year old daughter. Please keep Bethany and their family in your prayers as they mourn the loss of a husband, a father, a son, and a brother.

The point I'm trying to make here is this: none of us know when we will pass from this earth. Any one of us could die tomorrow, next week, next month....we never know when it will happen. So, I encourage you to live, laugh, and especially love while you have this precious time with the ones you love.

Enjoy it. Cherish it.
Don't go to bed angry. Forgive. Forget.
Encourage. Participate. Hug. Kiss. Smile.
Laugh at your mistakes. Make amends.
Love your family. Love your friends. Love your enemies.

Life is too short. Make the most of what you have...
How will you spend your time?

Life Happens....

So sorry it's been a week between posts.
The stomach bug went through our house AGAIN ~ 3rd time this year!!!

How is that possible?????

Feeling much better now and we're experiencing a little taste of summer weather in these parts this weekend. It was still 81 degrees on our way to dinner last night at 8:00!!! And it's only the end of April!!

We've got spring fever so we're going to spend the day at the beach today ~ YAH! :)

Hope today finds you feeling well and enjoying time with your family. See you soon....

This is why....

.....I love where we live...

Entertainment at its finest....

This is at 7:45 this morning....one of the Amish horses on our side of the fence....

10:00 am "How do I get back to the other side???"

11:30 "I guess I'll just wait here..."

Love is in the Air

In case you haven't noticed, Valentine's Day is quickly approaching.



This weekend.



But I don't want to talk about mushy, romantic love.



I've been thinking about the blessings I have in my life
{besides the obvious - wonderful hubby and three beautiful kids :)}



I started to list in my head all the things about my life that I love right now and I thought I'd share them with you. Might have to turn this into a scrapbook page eventually....



1. I LOVE that I am able to stay home with my children instead of working outside the home.



2. I LOVE that my house backs up to an Amish farm and we get to enjoy their animals at the fence.



3. I LOVE that we have beautiful clear views of both the sunrise and sunset from the back of our house.



4. I LOVE that my boys have a sense of humor.



5. I LOVE that we live on a cul-de-sac and my kids can play in the street.



6. I LOVE writing articles for and putting together my MOPS newsletter.



7. I LOVE that other people love my newsletter ~ it makes me feel good.



8. I LOVE being able to be creative.



9. I LOVE the smell of a fresh box of crayons.



10. I LOVE that my husband polishes my shoes for me without me asking.



11. I LOVE spending time with our families.



12. I LOVE reading other people's blogs.



13. I LOVE finding the humor in my crazy everyday life.



14. I LOVE that Evan loves to draw.



15. I LOVE that Ryan loves school stuff.



16. I LOVE that Nathan loves reading books.



17. I LOVE how God uses verses that seem like they're speaking directly to me. 1 Peter 4:11 is a current favorite...



18. I LOVE how fresh flowers can brighten a room.



19. I LOVE having the windows open and getting fresh air in the house {like right now - in the middle of February!!}



20. I LOVE blogging and getting comments on my blog....so why don't you leave one? :)



I'd love to know what you LOVE about your life right now....what comes to mind? Leave me a comment :)