Since N is still not finished with his art project (due Friday), I told him he was going to have to stay after school to get it finished. He agreed, and so B and I had some extra time together this afternoon. While he worked on his math and reading homework, I decided to get a jumpstart on dinner, so that by the time we went to pick N up, I'd just have to boil noodles for spaghetti.
Except, then I realized I didn't have any spaghetti noodles, so I improvised and used rotini instead. When I put dinner on the table, N was pumped, but B was determined not to like it. Twenty minutes (and three clean plates) later, everyone was stuffed, and in pretty high spirits.
That's about when N told me the girl who died of leukemia was in his art class. Apparently, it was her first year in public school, so she didn't really know a lot of people. She was in a wheelchair and was bald from the chemo, and N said he didn't really know a lot about her, just that she was the one who had died. That made me so sad, not only because I have a huge soft spot for pediatric cancer patients, but because nobody at that school got to know her, to have the opportunity to be friends with her.
I let the boys have some time on the xbox while I thought about how her parents must be hurting, and let me just say...this has been a rough week already. Then N told me he'd heard a boy had been hit by a car outside of another elementary school in our town. Seriously? I don't know if the boy is okay, but I hope so.
My heart is heavy and hurting tonight. I squeezed my boys super tight before bed tonight and my eyes filled up with tears. I'm glad N wasn't close to this girl who passed away, but I'm sad he didn't know her better.
Aubs
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
The joys of baseball practice
B's dad swung by this morning to take B to school for Donuts with Dad (aka sugar up your kids, blow some money at the book fair, and then send them to class to be "productive" students), and agreed to drop N at school, too so he could work on an art project.
What does that mean? I got to shower before work without rushing and it was glorious. I asked him to do me this favor, and I didn't even cringe when I did. I think I might be growing up a little bit...
After work, I got home and checked my email. There was an email from N's school entitled "Sad News" and it broke my heart. The principal wrote to notify parents that a 6th grade girl had lost her battle with Leukemia the night before. This was hard news, but in addition to that another 6th grader had lost a parent over the weekend. When N got home, I asked him if he knew about the girl, and he said he wasn't sure. We both immediately thought of a little girl in his class last year who had been diagnosed with cancer, but neither of us could remember what type.
We loaded up and headed to the batting cages for practice.. B came along and asked me every three minutes if it was time to go. I sat, dying in the extreme temperatures, watching the boys run drill after drill after drill, hoping they'd get to play this weekend, even with rain in the forecast again.
We took another boy home and then headed home for dinner. Night number two was pretty painless, too. I'm starting to think this is the twilight zone...
Aubs
What does that mean? I got to shower before work without rushing and it was glorious. I asked him to do me this favor, and I didn't even cringe when I did. I think I might be growing up a little bit...
After work, I got home and checked my email. There was an email from N's school entitled "Sad News" and it broke my heart. The principal wrote to notify parents that a 6th grade girl had lost her battle with Leukemia the night before. This was hard news, but in addition to that another 6th grader had lost a parent over the weekend. When N got home, I asked him if he knew about the girl, and he said he wasn't sure. We both immediately thought of a little girl in his class last year who had been diagnosed with cancer, but neither of us could remember what type.
We loaded up and headed to the batting cages for practice.. B came along and asked me every three minutes if it was time to go. I sat, dying in the extreme temperatures, watching the boys run drill after drill after drill, hoping they'd get to play this weekend, even with rain in the forecast again.
We took another boy home and then headed home for dinner. Night number two was pretty painless, too. I'm starting to think this is the twilight zone...
Aubs
Monday, September 23, 2013
Seriously?
Why do Mondays keep showing up on my calendar? I mean...I guess it's important to get through them to get to Tuesdays and so on, but I could really live without Mondays.
B came home today after school, and our first day together is always a learning process. The kid eats no less than 5 snacks when he gets off the bus, and that's before N gets home half an hour later. If he's putting away this much food at the ripe old age of 7, I'm terrified of what their teen years hold for me.
We wrestled our way through homework and when N got home, we went to Target to get some groceries for lunches. When we're out of kid-approved lunch items, I just wait to go to the store when they're with me. I hate doing that because it takes forever and is met with a ton of resistance, but it's necessary.
The trip was relatively short, dinner was a pretty easy affair, and the night was relatively peaceful.
It makes me worry about what's to come for the rest of the week...
Aubs
B came home today after school, and our first day together is always a learning process. The kid eats no less than 5 snacks when he gets off the bus, and that's before N gets home half an hour later. If he's putting away this much food at the ripe old age of 7, I'm terrified of what their teen years hold for me.
We wrestled our way through homework and when N got home, we went to Target to get some groceries for lunches. When we're out of kid-approved lunch items, I just wait to go to the store when they're with me. I hate doing that because it takes forever and is met with a ton of resistance, but it's necessary.
The trip was relatively short, dinner was a pretty easy affair, and the night was relatively peaceful.
It makes me worry about what's to come for the rest of the week...
Aubs
What...is...fall?
Dear Fall-like temperatures,
It's high time you made your presence known. These early morning teasers and late evening stunts you keep pulling? Not. Cool. Get it? Got it? Good.
Sincerely,
Me
I woke up sometime around 3:00 this morning, wondering why it was so hot in my room. Since my room faces south, it stays consistently 5-10 degrees hotter than the rest of the house...great in the dead of "winter," but not so much for the other 11.5 months of the year. I kicked my way out from under my cocoon of pillows and sheets and forced myself back to sleep. I woke up again around 9:00 and got started on my homework. Just as I was getting ready to post my assignment, the power flickered...not enough to lose power, but something was up. That was when I looked at the microwave and noticed it was "0" o'clock...and THEN the power went off for real.
I sat there, working on my assignments without posting them, saving them as a document until my laptop battery started running out of juice. Time? 11:00. I called my mom to tell her I was coming over to shower, and spent the next half an hour trying to find things in the dark. Why didn't I open the blinds or windows you ask? Because it was already warm in the apartment, and the southern exposure would've made it boiling in 3.5 seconds. I fumbled around, grabbed what I needed, and took off.
I spent several hours at my mom's house this afternoon, showering and hanging out, working on homework, and eating a super-early dinner before I headed off to babysit two of my favorite kiddos...two, soon(ish) to be three! Their mom told me tonight that they've been cleared to adopt a baby girl from China, and they are so excited!!! It came about in a totally funny way, too...she was rushing through the kitchen, looking for her checkbook. Her husband said, "This one?" and she said, "No. That's the adoption checkbook. Oh yeah, by the way, we're adopting a baby! Waaaaaah!"
This family is just too cute, y'all. I love them to pieces, and I'm so excited to watch their family grow. I've been taking care of C since she was 6 months old, and now she's in Kindergarten. They moved before I did, so I didn't get to see much of J when he was a baby, but he told me I'm the bestest Aubby in the whole wide world and his favorite babysitter. C echoed his sentiments, telling me Lauren is her favorite beach babysitter, but I'm her favorite all the time babysitter...and they both stare at me, wide-eyed, when I tell them how long I've known C. I can't wait to meet this new little one when she's chosen and brought home!
On my way home, I stopped by to see a friend of mine...I haven't seen him in a while, and it was nice to catch up/charge my phone before heading home to an apartment that may or may not have power. I text my neighbor, and she said it had been on and off all day, that right now it was on, but it had just come back on after being off for a couple of hours. I stayed over there way longer than I intended to, but my phone got a decent charge. When I walked into my apartment, the air conditioner was humming away, and everything in the freezer still seemed to be mostly frozen.
I call that a successful day with intermittent power.
Aubs
It's high time you made your presence known. These early morning teasers and late evening stunts you keep pulling? Not. Cool. Get it? Got it? Good.
Sincerely,
Me
I woke up sometime around 3:00 this morning, wondering why it was so hot in my room. Since my room faces south, it stays consistently 5-10 degrees hotter than the rest of the house...great in the dead of "winter," but not so much for the other 11.5 months of the year. I kicked my way out from under my cocoon of pillows and sheets and forced myself back to sleep. I woke up again around 9:00 and got started on my homework. Just as I was getting ready to post my assignment, the power flickered...not enough to lose power, but something was up. That was when I looked at the microwave and noticed it was "0" o'clock...and THEN the power went off for real.
I sat there, working on my assignments without posting them, saving them as a document until my laptop battery started running out of juice. Time? 11:00. I called my mom to tell her I was coming over to shower, and spent the next half an hour trying to find things in the dark. Why didn't I open the blinds or windows you ask? Because it was already warm in the apartment, and the southern exposure would've made it boiling in 3.5 seconds. I fumbled around, grabbed what I needed, and took off.
I spent several hours at my mom's house this afternoon, showering and hanging out, working on homework, and eating a super-early dinner before I headed off to babysit two of my favorite kiddos...two, soon(ish) to be three! Their mom told me tonight that they've been cleared to adopt a baby girl from China, and they are so excited!!! It came about in a totally funny way, too...she was rushing through the kitchen, looking for her checkbook. Her husband said, "This one?" and she said, "No. That's the adoption checkbook. Oh yeah, by the way, we're adopting a baby! Waaaaaah!"
This family is just too cute, y'all. I love them to pieces, and I'm so excited to watch their family grow. I've been taking care of C since she was 6 months old, and now she's in Kindergarten. They moved before I did, so I didn't get to see much of J when he was a baby, but he told me I'm the bestest Aubby in the whole wide world and his favorite babysitter. C echoed his sentiments, telling me Lauren is her favorite beach babysitter, but I'm her favorite all the time babysitter...and they both stare at me, wide-eyed, when I tell them how long I've known C. I can't wait to meet this new little one when she's chosen and brought home!
On my way home, I stopped by to see a friend of mine...I haven't seen him in a while, and it was nice to catch up/charge my phone before heading home to an apartment that may or may not have power. I text my neighbor, and she said it had been on and off all day, that right now it was on, but it had just come back on after being off for a couple of hours. I stayed over there way longer than I intended to, but my phone got a decent charge. When I walked into my apartment, the air conditioner was humming away, and everything in the freezer still seemed to be mostly frozen.
I call that a successful day with intermittent power.
Aubs
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Date yourself Saturday
With all of the rain in the last 24 hours, it was no surprise that N's baseball game was postponed. It just so happens that his game last fall on this exact weekend was ALSO postponed due to weather. Who remembers that stuff? You know...except me. Last fall, though, my sister and brother-in-law were in town for her high school reunion, so they had planned to attend his game, only to spend the entire reunion weekend in the rain. Bummer. What does this mean? Well, it just means that we have games into November now, instead of ending at the end of October.
So, since I had a free day to myself, what did I do? Homework. I know. I live on the edge every single day, wild and reckless. After I turned in some of my homework, I went to the mall. I haven't bought jeans in almost 3 years. I have a couple pair that haven't been ruined or ripped to shreds, but my supply was totally dwindling. I started at Macy's (because I usually have good luck there) and ended up at Dillards, where there was a much larger selection. Newsflash: If you spend at least $80 on Juniors/Women's jeans at Dillards, they will alter the hems for free! You take them home, wash them, and bring them back with your receipt, and they'll mark the alterations for you and get them back to you within a week. This is a huge deal. It's so hard to find the right length; the longer lengths are always there in an (over) abundance, but the middle of the road lengths are impossible to find. It was a good day. And, to round out my great day, I scored a couple pair of jeans for B, too...since he isn't at all picky about what he wears, as long as pants are readily available for when he decides he's cold...like on the third day of school, when I told him he was insane because it was still approximately 187 degrees, even in the middle of the night.
I went home, threw the jeans I needed altered in the washer and thought about continuing to clean my apartment. Instead, I looked at movie times. This girl decided she was going to take herself on a cheap date because she needs to get out a little more. So, after my jeans were done washing and drying, I took them back to Dillards to get them measured for alterations. Then, I did a little bit of window shopping (Bath & Body Works still only has gross smelling candles, by the way), then went to see "The Heat" at the dollar theater.
Y'all, I love Melissa McCarthy. I was first introduced to her as Suki on "The Gilmore Girls," which will always be one of my favorite shows, and she cracked me up. Since then, I've seen her in various roles, but it seems like she's really come into her own on the big screen in the last few years. She is hilarious! There was entirely too much language for my taste, but the sarcasm and wit? I feel like we could be total bffs and laugh all the time!
I picked an earlier showing, so it was before 9:00 when I got out of the theater. It's one thing to go on a date by yourself...it's another entirely to leave an establishment by yourself when it's super-dark/late, and walk to your car by yourself.
Safety first, kids!
Aubs
So, since I had a free day to myself, what did I do? Homework. I know. I live on the edge every single day, wild and reckless. After I turned in some of my homework, I went to the mall. I haven't bought jeans in almost 3 years. I have a couple pair that haven't been ruined or ripped to shreds, but my supply was totally dwindling. I started at Macy's (because I usually have good luck there) and ended up at Dillards, where there was a much larger selection. Newsflash: If you spend at least $80 on Juniors/Women's jeans at Dillards, they will alter the hems for free! You take them home, wash them, and bring them back with your receipt, and they'll mark the alterations for you and get them back to you within a week. This is a huge deal. It's so hard to find the right length; the longer lengths are always there in an (over) abundance, but the middle of the road lengths are impossible to find. It was a good day. And, to round out my great day, I scored a couple pair of jeans for B, too...since he isn't at all picky about what he wears, as long as pants are readily available for when he decides he's cold...like on the third day of school, when I told him he was insane because it was still approximately 187 degrees, even in the middle of the night.
I went home, threw the jeans I needed altered in the washer and thought about continuing to clean my apartment. Instead, I looked at movie times. This girl decided she was going to take herself on a cheap date because she needs to get out a little more. So, after my jeans were done washing and drying, I took them back to Dillards to get them measured for alterations. Then, I did a little bit of window shopping (Bath & Body Works still only has gross smelling candles, by the way), then went to see "The Heat" at the dollar theater.
Y'all, I love Melissa McCarthy. I was first introduced to her as Suki on "The Gilmore Girls," which will always be one of my favorite shows, and she cracked me up. Since then, I've seen her in various roles, but it seems like she's really come into her own on the big screen in the last few years. She is hilarious! There was entirely too much language for my taste, but the sarcasm and wit? I feel like we could be total bffs and laugh all the time!
I picked an earlier showing, so it was before 9:00 when I got out of the theater. It's one thing to go on a date by yourself...it's another entirely to leave an establishment by yourself when it's super-dark/late, and walk to your car by yourself.
Safety first, kids!
Aubs
Saturday, September 21, 2013
And the rain just keeps coming
Not that I'm complaining about the rain...I just wish it would be slightly cooler and rainy. You know, because nothing says "fall" like temperatures in the 90s with driving, warm rain. Gag. I'm grateful for the rain, and grateful for the fact that baseball practice was nixed. I'm betting the game will be rescheduled, too, since there's no way the fields will dry in time.
My morning consisted of a work meeting, a trip to Target for printer paper, beans, and oatmeal, and a trip to the BRAND NEW Hobby Lobby to get fall paper to print invitations for the 2nd grade "Super Friends Day" party, I ran home to print said invitations. Then, I ran out in the ran to play paper/rock/scissors with another mom to see who would be able to order Chipotle for her child for lunch first. I won because my kid's lunch started 2 minutes before hers. Also, as I waited for my total, I noticed she was purchasing 8 different items, so I'm super grateful that I got to go first.
I rushed to school (Chipotle opens at 11:00, B's lunch is at 11:10), and surprised B with his Chipotle. We got to sit at the "date" table, which kind of disappointed him, because part of the fun of having your parent come eat with you is that the other kids get to sit with you, too. Except, now, they can't. So, we traded lunches since he was at his dad's this week. He got his carnitas tacos, and I got his little stub of a Subway sandwich. It was obviously a really great trade...for one of us.
While he went to (indoor) recess, I went to the library to check out the book fair, and got roped into helping with wish lists on Monday. I don't even mind it...it'll be an interesting experience. I'm helping B's teacher from last year in addition to his class this year. Sigh...I'm such a giver. I headed to B's classroom after that to read to his class for a little while. We read "Oliver Who Would Not Sleep," and "The Stinky Cheese Man." Both are total classics, although several of the kids were confused with the Stinky Cheese Man stories. And, per usual, my kid was obnoxious, which seems to happen when his parents are around, but not nearly as often when they aren't.
Go figure. You'd think it'd be the opposite.
After that, I went home to collapse on the couch. It was necessary. N came home and went outside for a bit (when the rain stopped), then his dad came to pick him for the weekend. I decided to be motivated, for whatever reason, and started cleaning the apartment...until my mop snapped. Literally. It snapped. So, I had to throw on N's shoes (they were the closest) and ran to the store to get a mop.
I saw that "The Green Mile" was on tv, so I tuned in. I haven't seen that movie in forever, so I was excited to watch it again. Y'all. I cried so hard...Michael Clarke Duncan was such a great actor. Another example of a talented actor who was taken entirely too soon. And Tom Hanks? Man...I love when he really gets into his roles. I haven't seen a good Tom Hanks movie lately. Has anyone else? I'm hopeful for the movie where he gets taken hostage by pirates. Captain Phillips? Maybe?
I have one last voucher for the Alamo Drafthouse, so maybe I'll go see it there. Ooooh, I like that idea.
Also...coming up! Catching Fire! Yay!
Aubs
My morning consisted of a work meeting, a trip to Target for printer paper, beans, and oatmeal, and a trip to the BRAND NEW Hobby Lobby to get fall paper to print invitations for the 2nd grade "Super Friends Day" party, I ran home to print said invitations. Then, I ran out in the ran to play paper/rock/scissors with another mom to see who would be able to order Chipotle for her child for lunch first. I won because my kid's lunch started 2 minutes before hers. Also, as I waited for my total, I noticed she was purchasing 8 different items, so I'm super grateful that I got to go first.
I rushed to school (Chipotle opens at 11:00, B's lunch is at 11:10), and surprised B with his Chipotle. We got to sit at the "date" table, which kind of disappointed him, because part of the fun of having your parent come eat with you is that the other kids get to sit with you, too. Except, now, they can't. So, we traded lunches since he was at his dad's this week. He got his carnitas tacos, and I got his little stub of a Subway sandwich. It was obviously a really great trade...for one of us.
While he went to (indoor) recess, I went to the library to check out the book fair, and got roped into helping with wish lists on Monday. I don't even mind it...it'll be an interesting experience. I'm helping B's teacher from last year in addition to his class this year. Sigh...I'm such a giver. I headed to B's classroom after that to read to his class for a little while. We read "Oliver Who Would Not Sleep," and "The Stinky Cheese Man." Both are total classics, although several of the kids were confused with the Stinky Cheese Man stories. And, per usual, my kid was obnoxious, which seems to happen when his parents are around, but not nearly as often when they aren't.
Go figure. You'd think it'd be the opposite.
After that, I went home to collapse on the couch. It was necessary. N came home and went outside for a bit (when the rain stopped), then his dad came to pick him for the weekend. I decided to be motivated, for whatever reason, and started cleaning the apartment...until my mop snapped. Literally. It snapped. So, I had to throw on N's shoes (they were the closest) and ran to the store to get a mop.
I saw that "The Green Mile" was on tv, so I tuned in. I haven't seen that movie in forever, so I was excited to watch it again. Y'all. I cried so hard...Michael Clarke Duncan was such a great actor. Another example of a talented actor who was taken entirely too soon. And Tom Hanks? Man...I love when he really gets into his roles. I haven't seen a good Tom Hanks movie lately. Has anyone else? I'm hopeful for the movie where he gets taken hostage by pirates. Captain Phillips? Maybe?
I have one last voucher for the Alamo Drafthouse, so maybe I'll go see it there. Ooooh, I like that idea.
Also...coming up! Catching Fire! Yay!
Aubs
Thursday, September 19, 2013
I can breathe...it's a miracle!
Well, let's be honest...it didn't start out that way. The pain I've been experiencing all week was there, front and center, as soon as I woke up this morning. Obviously, I was really hoping it would still be there. I've gotten used to walking around with what feels like a scalpel stuck in my rib cage. It's as heavenly as it sounds, trust me.
I went to work, realizing I hadn't made the coffee that I fully intended to make, so I made a slight detour at Market Street, and asked for a decaf latte. I'm pretty sure that "barista" gave me the fully leaded version, which resulted in an awesome headache. OR, maybe it was just the impending rain in the forecast. Either way, I worked, I homeworked, and headed home for some time with the heat/ice packs. Only...I got sidetracked with an attempt at a nap.
I failed.
N came home, announced he didn't have any homework (something I wasn't quite sure I believed), and headed to the park to play with his friends. I mean...hang out. You know, whatever middle schoolers think is cool. When I was 11, we totally still played. A lot. And rode bikes. But, what do I know? I was a girl. Ew.
I gave up on the nap and made chili for dinner instead, even though I wasn't even remotely hungry. Our local football team played a nationally televised game tonight, so I tuned into that (after a short chat with my sister), and saw the team run out onto the field, waving a flag with "21" on it. Last fall, the football team lost a member of their team...a person that was described as the heart of the team, when he jumped into an area lake with his friends and never resurfaced. That same week, another boy at our local high school took his own life. It was a sad week, and it's been a sad year. There are reminders of them everywhere, so it was almost comforting to see that this young man is still remembered almost a year after his death. It will be a hard few weeks...but this community is like a family, unlike anything I've ever seen. They rallied around these two families, not just our immediate community, but school districts around us: football teams and youth groups and entire student bodies. It was amazing to witness, and still chokes me up when I think about it.
So, I was watching, and all of a sudden, I lost my signal. This isn't anything new. I lose my signal all the time, but then I noticed a foreign sound outside. Rain! Steady, pounding rain. Words cannot describe my joy, and I can't wait to go to bed, in hopes that I'll get a solid night's sleep for once.
In fact...zzzzzzz
Aubs
I went to work, realizing I hadn't made the coffee that I fully intended to make, so I made a slight detour at Market Street, and asked for a decaf latte. I'm pretty sure that "barista" gave me the fully leaded version, which resulted in an awesome headache. OR, maybe it was just the impending rain in the forecast. Either way, I worked, I homeworked, and headed home for some time with the heat/ice packs. Only...I got sidetracked with an attempt at a nap.
I failed.
N came home, announced he didn't have any homework (something I wasn't quite sure I believed), and headed to the park to play with his friends. I mean...hang out. You know, whatever middle schoolers think is cool. When I was 11, we totally still played. A lot. And rode bikes. But, what do I know? I was a girl. Ew.
I gave up on the nap and made chili for dinner instead, even though I wasn't even remotely hungry. Our local football team played a nationally televised game tonight, so I tuned into that (after a short chat with my sister), and saw the team run out onto the field, waving a flag with "21" on it. Last fall, the football team lost a member of their team...a person that was described as the heart of the team, when he jumped into an area lake with his friends and never resurfaced. That same week, another boy at our local high school took his own life. It was a sad week, and it's been a sad year. There are reminders of them everywhere, so it was almost comforting to see that this young man is still remembered almost a year after his death. It will be a hard few weeks...but this community is like a family, unlike anything I've ever seen. They rallied around these two families, not just our immediate community, but school districts around us: football teams and youth groups and entire student bodies. It was amazing to witness, and still chokes me up when I think about it.
So, I was watching, and all of a sudden, I lost my signal. This isn't anything new. I lose my signal all the time, but then I noticed a foreign sound outside. Rain! Steady, pounding rain. Words cannot describe my joy, and I can't wait to go to bed, in hopes that I'll get a solid night's sleep for once.
In fact...zzzzzzz
Aubs
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