Mornings

My child is not a morning person, never has been, probably never will be. Therefore, the earlier morning school wake-up (middle school starts an hour early than grade school) has been difficult, to say the least. It usually results in several alarm clocks then the mom alarm clock yelling up the stairs for the boy to "get your butt out of bed". This works with very little success.
The other morning, after doing this, I checked in on Jman to see how his progress in waking up was going. He was folded in half like a Swiss Army knife, with his middle draped over the edge of the bed. When I asked him what are you doing, he snickered, "look, my butt is out of bed, isn't that what you wanted?".

Quote of the day

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.

-Robert Frost

I'm in need of some more education, that's all I'm saying.

First Day

Today was Jman's first day, which may not have seemed that long to him, but to me it was an eternity; which could be because I had so much nervous energy last night that I stayed up baking 6 dozen mini-cupcakes and then frosted them from scratch (my co-workers appreciated the results of my stress). It didn't help that Jman's new alarm clock, which was set for o'dark early, worked too well, waking up the entire household; well, almost the entire household, Jman was still asleep under the covers 10 minutes later when I stormed into his room to turn it off (disclaimer: I am a bear when awoken early in the morning, especially after a night of tossing and turning. I need(not want) my coffee to make myself civilized). After a short, terse discussion on alarm clock etiquette, Jman got out of bed and readied himself for school. He was still in good spirits, the fact that I made him his lunch cheered him considerably (I had been telling him for months that with him going into middle school he would have to make his own lunch since I would not be getting up that early).

I got home from work after him, so I had to interrupt his intense concentration on Lego ship building in order to get the details of his day. Me: "Did you switch your locker?: Him: "nope, I figured out if I stand to the side a little and stay on my tippy toes I can do it, I did it like 5 times today" ME: Any homework? Him: "No, but you have homework (referencing the oodles of paperwork that comes home the first week). He told me about the kids in his class that he already knew (luckily, they are ones whose parents I know, who are in scouts with him or were in his class last year), how they really did not do much during the day, and how everything seems like it will be ok. I am breathing a sigh of relief. Now, I know we'll have our trials and tribulations during the school year, since we always do, but I am a little more relaxed today.

Middle School here we come

The new school year begins tomorrow for Jman and he is headed to middle school. He has no worries about it, but I am a quivering mass of fears. Why? Well, we went for orientation yesterday, and Jman was given his locker, books, gym clothes etc. When we went to his locker, we found that his was the one on the top and he can't see the combination on it since it is too tall for him. It was almost comical as you looked down the line of students; it seemed as though cosmic forces were at work since many short kids were stretching to see their top locker combos while the tall kids were bending down to reach their low lockers. No switches were allowed for that day although it was mentioned they might be able to switch the lockers the first day of class.
Jman is so naive and innocent. When I mentioned to him that if he was lost he should ask a teacher not a student where a class was located, he wanted to know why. When I explained to him that sometimes upperclassman will send the new kids of the school to the wrong place (my day it was the pool on the third floor - no pool, no third floor), he didn't understand why someone would do that.
He is smaller and younger than many of the kids in his grade and I am afraid he will get picked on. The gym uniforms they have don't even come in a size that fits him. The shorts are extra loose, and I can picture him getting "pantsed" in gym class. Why am I imagining all these bad things, I do not know. It could be because Jman does not hide his emotions well. If he is upset, you will see it on his face. It often looks like he is ready to cry when he gets angry, and he has a great deal of difficulty controlling those emotions. I see it as a red cape waving in the wind for bullies to target.
In Jman's defense, he has a confidence when it comes to new situations that I never had. He thinks middle school will be fine, it'll just be school, which he does not enjoy, but it does not have any extra worries for him. His homeroom class is his art teacher, and he could not be happier about it. In fact, she is already talking about taking the students to the NY and Washington, D.C.

I just want to protect him, to have things run smoothly for him. I know that the teenage years bring angst and upheaval for children, but can't I protect him a little longer?

Cookbooks

Most folks know me as a practical person, someone who is frugal, one who does not purchase things on a whim...but I have a weakness, it being cookbooks. I'm likely to buy a cookbook based on one recipe that intrigues me, with the thought that if the author was smart enough to include that recipe then there must be many more where that came from.
I have an entire wooden cabinet filled with cookbooks. In my defense, it is a small cabinet, about 3 1/2 feet tall, so it is not too full of cookbooks. I've got cookbooks on my counter top and even a "cookbook" I created. It is a photo album that I have placed copies of family recipes, recipes from friends and just ones from magazines and newspapers that have caught my attention over the years. The clear plastic protective layer prevents food splatters from destroying the recipe and it's binder format gives me the opportunity to add more sheets as needed. I even have my collection of the cooking magazine "La Cucina Italiana" on my counter top for quick and easy reference.
Yet, out of all those books, I barely open them once I get them. I use my "Joy of Cooking" most, and my homemade one next. I'm more likely to peruse several cooking websites I've come to love than to open my cookbooks. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I don't usually have the ingredients on hand for the recipe that catches my eye or I do not feel like spending the time to prep it for that night's dinner.
I've made a new resolution, that with each new cookbook (and the old ones as well) I need to take 1 recipe per week. This way, our dinners will be more varied (or our desserts, I have several dedicated to chocolate, cookies, etc) and I will have gotten my monies worth from them. I can plan ahead, so that the ingredients will on hand. In fact, I can even prep most of the meals on Sunday so that the hectic work week will not be quite so hectic.
Luckily, Jman cooks dinner once a week and he is not afraid to open my cookbooks, to choose something completely different every time. Some of the recipes he has picked have seemed odd, but all have come out deliciously. I guess I do know how to pick a cookbook, even if I don't use it myself!

Hiking

We've also done some hiking this summer. Even in 100 degree weather we still have been able to enjoy our selves.

Plymouth Rock

We visited home in July and decided to take in some of the historical sites while we were there. One of them was Plymouth Rock. As you can see, it is smaller than most would think. In fact, the rock was not recognized as the landing point until years later. I think even the colonists back then realized what a tourist attraction could do for their local businesses.

Reviewing the past 5 years

I just finished reading all my posts from the past 5 years, along with their comments. I noticed several consistent themes in my blog: I rant about work, cancer, hot weather; hubby is gone a lot and J's progress through the years. Several of you have stayed with me through the years, almost from the start. In fact, Envoy and Wally are my oldest "internet friends". :)

I'd like to add some more fun to this blog. How, I am not sure. I'd like my posts to be more positive as well. Just because I'm having a tough week you should not have to read my complaints, or at least they should be peppered with some humor and inspiration.

I'll have to think some more about it. For now I need to get ready for a new day: Hubby's gone again, temps are in the 100's, and have to rebudget based on the 2% raise I got rather than the 1o.7 % I was promised. ;)

A little prayer to give you strength

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing,
Dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Prayers

“People die in character. A person’s attitude about his or her death and the degree of affection shown by the family and friends who have gathered are often the summation of all that preceded that moment.”
- Rodney Smith from “Lessons from the Dying”

A fellow blogger friend ( www.fatcyclist.com) is going through a tough time right now; his wife is in the end stage of fighting metastasized breast cancer. Please send your prayers out to him and his family in this difficult time.

I'm watching you...

Work ethic rewarded?!?

Have you ever noticed in the workforce that seems that those who do not do their jobs properly get rewarded and those who do their jobs well just get more stuff assigned to them? I have a story that will refresh your memory if you have forgotten.

Recently, a coworker (who we'll call Slacker), who had had two previous incidents of reprimand, was to have her final written reprimand. This was to be done last Wednesday. My boss was coming in from her vacation to speak with this individual. That morning, Slacker was to open the store. Instead of opening, she called another coworker 10 minutes before we were to open asking if he could come in and if he would put her in for two personal days - two unapproved personal days, two unavailable personal days. She was taking an unauthorized vacation, taking advantage of the long weekend.
What would you do in my boss' shoes? Well, as she told us today, after speaking with Slacker, she allowed her to take tomorrow, Thurs., Fri. and Monday off as "sick days" (normally you need a doctor's note to take 3 or more days off as sick days). Where does this bother me? Well, I'm already doing the work of another coworker who was sent out of town for a week, and now I'll have to do Slacker's job as well, one which coincidentally was going to be rather tedious this week since we expected about 80,000 worth of books to come into the store and have a end of summer session rush. Lucky me I get to wear three hats this week.
My boss' comment? "Well, you can come in on Friday (we don't work Fridays in the summer) to get your paperwork done". Oh lucky me, don't I feel special.

Vacation planning

Whew, I just got done planning our trip home to visit family. What a chore. I had to book a total of 8 different one way trips, since Jman stays back to visit longer with the relatives and Papa has to fly back out with him (Continental "lost" 2 kids within the past month, no flying alone for Jman) and then Papa flys home himself. It took over an hour, with a brief break to call the credit card company to explain that my card was not stolen so could they please reactivate it (I'm not complaining, I like that my credit card companies recognized that my charges did not reflect my normal spending habits).

I was able to plan J's trip around my mother-in-law's annual vacation with the grandchildren to N.H. J loves this trip, he gets to play with his younger cousins (whom he adores), he gets to spend time with Grandma, and she is always fun. They go hiking, to beaches, to quaint small tourist attractions., etc. Because we live so far away, any chance I can give him to create memories with the family are ones I strive for.
We'll get to go home, visit with my grandmother (she is 96), see his dad and my ever busy step mother-in-law, laugh with his sister and brother-in-law, and maybe even do something touristy, like visit the beach or Plymouth Rock.

Livestrong challenge

I'm not sure if any of you have noticed or wondered why about the Livestrong challenge bar I have on this blog. For those who do not already know, the Livestrong Organization is foundation that not only wishes to find a cure for cancer, but provides the support and resources for those currently suffering from cancer (as a patient, as a family member, etc).

I'm supporting it for several reasons:

1. Look in my sidebar, see the link for fatcyclist, click on it, read some of his posts, then come back here and donate. (his wife is in the end stages of terminal cancer, yet he is still able to bring humor to his life and to ours).

2. My family has been affected by cancer many times over. My dear, favorite uncle passed away not too long ago cancer (he had all of a month from diagnosis to death).
My mother has had skin cancer. My grandmother, my aunt both have had breast cancer. My paternal grandmother died from cancer. My identical twin sister has had cervical cancer.

3. It is for self-preservation. See #2, with those genetics, I am sure to have cancer, one way or another.

So, if you can donate please do.

Time flys

Tonight was J's elementary school graduation. Next year middle school, how can that be? It was hard to believe that I knew so many of those children when they were only 5, and now they are young adults. I was getting a little teary eyed, I admit it.

Quote of the day

The universe may not always play fair, but at least it's got a hell of a sense of humor.

Michael Patrick King, Sex and the City

Grateful

In a few weeks, hubby and I will have been married 14 years, and together..17? Whatever it may be, I have to take a moment to appreciate what we have. While neighbors and friends are divorcing left and right, we're still together. I asked him the other day if there was something wrong with us, since we seem to be one of the few satisfied, happy couples around us. I still look at him everyday and think "I could not possibly love him more than I do today". I'm not saying we do not ever disagree, I'm saying that I truly appreciate the love I have in my life and can look past those occasional disagreements. I think it is necessary to stop on occasion and appreciate and acknowledge these gifts.

Grey's Anatomy

As far as I am concerned, there is very little quality television on right now; but last nights Grey's brought my faith back for quality TV. If you have not followed Grey's this season, you catch up either through abc.com or hulu. ABC.com offers the episodes free.

Getting old is no fun

So, I had great plans for this spring. For once, the temperatures have stayed mild and, up until today, the humidity had been low. I wanted to plant some new flowers, get a small garden going, and train for a bike race to raise money for the Livestrong foundation. Only my body decided it did not want to participate. So, by some unknown method, 2 weeks ago I managed to sprain my left shoulder ACL . This is the joint that surrounds the rotor cuff. How do you do this? Normally it is from a severe contusion to the shoulder or from repeated overhead lifting of heavy objects. But I did neither of these, all I did was go running in the morning. I blame it on getting old. Either way, I was unable to move my arm above my waistline, and was unable to move it backwards either. By the following Monday I was able to move it some, but could not do simple things like push open a door without really putting a lot of thought into the action behind that movement. I went to the doctor's that same day, and he prescirbed physical therapy for at least 5 weeks, nexium, then possibly a steroid shot.
So here I am, unable to mow or edge my lawn, unable to weed, unable to lift my arm straight above my head. It is getting better, but too slow for my liking. I need to take advantage of the cooler weather before the heat really sets in.

Earth Day haiku

I am in sorrow
from loss of forests back home
chopped down for wood

- by J