Just got the kids off to school, following a week off for Spring Break. I was glad to hear Hannah say this morning that she had a good time during Spring Break, and that it didn't seem to go by too quickly. Mind you, anything we did this year would be an improvement over last year, which was MOVING!!
I decided to take the kids to Williamsburg, VA, for a couple of days. We mixed a little educational history with fun, taking in the sites at Jamestown, and then going to Busch Gardens. (Yay to Anheuser-Busch for providing free tickets to military families... check out www.herosalute.com!)
Some of the photos from the trip are uploaded to my Facebook account... I think this link may work:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1795&l=0c193&id=1083068726
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
National Jr. Beta Club induction
Hannah was inducted into the National Jr. Beta Club on Thursday; we're very proud of her -- of course!!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Too much free time on my hands?
That can't possibly be the case, yet I've just spent the past hour online setting up my Facebook account. Surely there's something else I should be doing....
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Yay, Hannah!
Hannah's "Battle of the Books" team placed second in their cluster yesterday, which qualifies them for the final competition in March!! Yay, Hannah -- way to go!!
(Battle of the Books is a competition where teams from elementary schools compete in a quiz-bowl type competition against other schools; they are given a list at the beginning of the school year of a list of books that they will be quizzed over.)
(Battle of the Books is a competition where teams from elementary schools compete in a quiz-bowl type competition against other schools; they are given a list at the beginning of the school year of a list of books that they will be quizzed over.)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Whew....
Well, I just made it through my first day of fasting for Lent. Prior to the beginning of Lent, I contemplated what I could realistically give up... and that which I would have to acknowledge I am either unwilling or unable to give up. For a Lenten discipline to be meaningful, whatever you're giving up has to be something you truly value. One of my friends from church gave up ketchup one year... Another has given up buying fabric... It all depends on what you hold dear. Well, I (briefly) considered giving up coffee, but decided it wouldn't be fair to Nathan and Hannah who would have to deal with me in the morning. I almost gave myself an "out" for choosing a Lenten discipline by reasoning that with Joe gone, I had given up him for Lent, ha ha. (Okay, sorry Lord, that I even considered that one!) So I decided to really challenge myself this year by choosing to fast one day a week. And, well, I did choose the day of the week that I thought would be the easiest to fast; a day where I knew I didn't have anything food-oriented likely to tempt me. Tuesdays looked to be the perfect day. And honestly, I have never fasted before, out of choice. Oh sure, I've fasted before having blood tests, and there are the few cases of stomach flu or intestinal distress that just calls for abstaining from eating. Pastor Dan has mentioned fasting several times during his sermons, and I honestly never really considered doing it.
But I made it -- with God's help! When I found myself struggling (looking at the pan of peanut butter fudge on the counter... looking at the bag of Doritos in the pantry... reading the signs on McDonalds... yes--it was a day-long struggle), I found myself praying for strength and more determination to see this through. If Jesus could give his life on the cross for me -- a very undeserving, sinful, weak person, then by golly, I could go without food for one measly day. Thank you, Lord, for seeing me through this challenge!
But I made it -- with God's help! When I found myself struggling (looking at the pan of peanut butter fudge on the counter... looking at the bag of Doritos in the pantry... reading the signs on McDonalds... yes--it was a day-long struggle), I found myself praying for strength and more determination to see this through. If Jesus could give his life on the cross for me -- a very undeserving, sinful, weak person, then by golly, I could go without food for one measly day. Thank you, Lord, for seeing me through this challenge!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Ooops!!
Yikes--has it really been so long since I last posted?? What have I been doing?? Well, eating, sleeping, breathing... other than that, it doesn't feel like I've been particularly productive this year, thus far.
One thing I have accomplished is applying to our school system's "Choice" program, to select Nathan's high school and Hannah's middle school for the 2008-09 school year. After wading through our options (which in our minds were few), we've settled on on a year-round classical school. This is a total choice school, meaning everyone that goes there has to apply to attend. Grades 6-12 attend the same school, so Nathan and Hannah will be on the same schedule. The year-round calendar, though sounding initially ominous, is really not that bad. I had to explain to Hannah that students at the year-round actually attend the same number of days as those attending a traditional school, but they just get longer breaks throughout the year. She thought they actually went every day throughtout the year, but when she saw how long the Christmas break was, she was sold! Nathan was a harder sell, on the other hand. All of his friends at his middle school would probably be going on to the local high school, but since he was attending a school out of his attendance area, it was going to be hard to get him into that high school. And, we weren't convinced that it would be a good school for him. But, alas, one of his friends will be going to this school, so he decided it may not be so bad after all.
After a lot of research, and definitely a lot of prayer, we feel like we've made the right decision. Now to convince the kids of that when they have to start school in mid-July!!
One thing I have accomplished is applying to our school system's "Choice" program, to select Nathan's high school and Hannah's middle school for the 2008-09 school year. After wading through our options (which in our minds were few), we've settled on on a year-round classical school. This is a total choice school, meaning everyone that goes there has to apply to attend. Grades 6-12 attend the same school, so Nathan and Hannah will be on the same schedule. The year-round calendar, though sounding initially ominous, is really not that bad. I had to explain to Hannah that students at the year-round actually attend the same number of days as those attending a traditional school, but they just get longer breaks throughout the year. She thought they actually went every day throughtout the year, but when she saw how long the Christmas break was, she was sold! Nathan was a harder sell, on the other hand. All of his friends at his middle school would probably be going on to the local high school, but since he was attending a school out of his attendance area, it was going to be hard to get him into that high school. And, we weren't convinced that it would be a good school for him. But, alas, one of his friends will be going to this school, so he decided it may not be so bad after all.
After a lot of research, and definitely a lot of prayer, we feel like we've made the right decision. Now to convince the kids of that when they have to start school in mid-July!!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Will work for kids' clothes.... and shoes....
If you see me in the median on Skibo Rd. (the busiest road in Fayetteville for you non-locals), holding a sign saying "Growing kids need new clothes & shoes" just throw a couple of bucks my way, and drive on... LOL!! Oh, nevermind... I just saw in this morning's paper where the city is putting the hammer down on panhandling. Nathan's been complaining for weeks about his pants being too tight around the waist. My response was, "quit eating so much." Yet to actually get him to the store to try pants on is another issue... it's just as painful for me as it is for him.
So anyway, I managed to get him to Target this weekend, under the guise of spending his Christmas money, and conjoled him into trying on some pants while we were there. We scoured the racks in the boys' section, and quickly realized that we wouldn't find anything there. So we headed to the men's section. Men's sizes are so much more complicated than boys'.... waist sizes, inseams.... what happened to just having a single number? The most complicated it got was looking at regular vs. slim sizes.
Anyway, Nathan grabbed a few pairs of khakis (khaki or navy pants are allowed at school), and headed for the dressing room. I sat outside the dressing room and waited; long gone are the days where I can actually go in with him. (OK--he is 13 and a half; I will concede that to him.... ) Nathan emerged a few minutes later, tossed a pair at me, said "These fit" and then headed to the electronics section. I protested, asking why I wasn't allowed to see them on, to ensure that they did indeed fit. "Mom--I'm old enough to decide whether they fit or not." Yikes -- another assertion of independence! I looked at the label on the pants: 30x32. Another step forward into young manhood!
Later that evening, I got Hannah to go into the shoe store, to look at new shoes. We bought a pair that is a full size larger than what we bought at the beginning of the school year, a mere five months ago.
Sigh.... Nathan informed me yesterday that his coat is getting too small, holding his arms up to show me the coat sleeves inching up on his arms. I think I can actually hear him growing, and I wouldn't have it any other way!! Joe and I are truly blessed with two healthy, growing kids!
So anyway, I managed to get him to Target this weekend, under the guise of spending his Christmas money, and conjoled him into trying on some pants while we were there. We scoured the racks in the boys' section, and quickly realized that we wouldn't find anything there. So we headed to the men's section. Men's sizes are so much more complicated than boys'.... waist sizes, inseams.... what happened to just having a single number? The most complicated it got was looking at regular vs. slim sizes.
Anyway, Nathan grabbed a few pairs of khakis (khaki or navy pants are allowed at school), and headed for the dressing room. I sat outside the dressing room and waited; long gone are the days where I can actually go in with him. (OK--he is 13 and a half; I will concede that to him.... ) Nathan emerged a few minutes later, tossed a pair at me, said "These fit" and then headed to the electronics section. I protested, asking why I wasn't allowed to see them on, to ensure that they did indeed fit. "Mom--I'm old enough to decide whether they fit or not." Yikes -- another assertion of independence! I looked at the label on the pants: 30x32. Another step forward into young manhood!
Later that evening, I got Hannah to go into the shoe store, to look at new shoes. We bought a pair that is a full size larger than what we bought at the beginning of the school year, a mere five months ago.
Sigh.... Nathan informed me yesterday that his coat is getting too small, holding his arms up to show me the coat sleeves inching up on his arms. I think I can actually hear him growing, and I wouldn't have it any other way!! Joe and I are truly blessed with two healthy, growing kids!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
