Monday, October 12, 2009
Getting Used To The New Normal
Today I sent my oldest son to the doctor. By himself.
He has an ingrown fingernail that started looking infected.
I gave him cash, his insurance card and directions.
My first born will turn 18 on Sunday. He definitely needs to know how to do these things.
Why is it so hard for me to let go?
I called the High School to excuse his absence and the clerk says to me "Oh, this is probably the last time you will have to do this for him. As of next week he can sign himself in and out."
Huh?
It seems once you turn 18 you have certain rights even if you are still a senior in High School.
I very sternly explained to him that his Dad and I expect he will not be abusing this privilege. The kid already has senioritice and school has only been back in for a month.
This is going to be a loooong school year for him.
However, there are some perks to having a responsible almost 18 year old living in your house.
I finished school with the other kids early and Zach took Tyler to his Auto Shop class this afternoon. Samantha watched the other kids and I took off for a couple hours of shopping All. By. Myself.
I feel like I just had a weeks vacation at the beach.
I really do love my life!
*******************************************************************************
Note: I am still working on my second post in the Homeschooling through high school post. I will try and have it up by the end of the week.
He has an ingrown fingernail that started looking infected.
I gave him cash, his insurance card and directions.
My first born will turn 18 on Sunday. He definitely needs to know how to do these things.
Why is it so hard for me to let go?
I called the High School to excuse his absence and the clerk says to me "Oh, this is probably the last time you will have to do this for him. As of next week he can sign himself in and out."
Huh?
It seems once you turn 18 you have certain rights even if you are still a senior in High School.
I very sternly explained to him that his Dad and I expect he will not be abusing this privilege. The kid already has senioritice and school has only been back in for a month.
This is going to be a loooong school year for him.
However, there are some perks to having a responsible almost 18 year old living in your house.
I finished school with the other kids early and Zach took Tyler to his Auto Shop class this afternoon. Samantha watched the other kids and I took off for a couple hours of shopping All. By. Myself.
I feel like I just had a weeks vacation at the beach.
I really do love my life!
*******************************************************************************
Note: I am still working on my second post in the Homeschooling through high school post. I will try and have it up by the end of the week.
Labels: High School, teenagers
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Boring School
Tyler seems to like his new school. His only complaint is that the school is full of "nerds". People are nice, just a little "strange".
He said that one kid walks around with 6 decks of cards in his pockets.
Well, maybe that is a little different.
However I still prefer the "nerdy" school to the previous high school.
God has blessed our decision to move to the new school. One of my main concerns was that this school is 30 miles from our house. Those of you who have kids know how hard it is to get them all to just the most basic of activities on time. Traveling 30 minutes each way was going to pose a large problem.
However, our God has it handled.
We take two days a week and another family takes the other three days. I only have to pick him up on Mondays, another family brings him home on the other days.
Yeah God! This is such a blessing.
In adoption news; Our agency gave out 10 referrals at the beginning of this week. That means our magic number is now 58. That is our overall number which doesn't really tell us all that much. Those in front of us could be asking for a different gender or age range. We really have no idea.
It is fun to have a number, and count down as referrals come in. I mailed of the addendum our social work did for our home study today which means we are now approved for 2 children up to the age of 8. Our agency doesn't place out of birth order (generally) but I really felt God leading us to make this change to our paperwork. Now it is all up to him.
I pray everyday for our new children. I can't wait to hold them in my arms.
It has been kind of a stressful week with some things going on that I can't share yet. A friend of mine sent me the picture below this week. It made me laugh.
A trip to the spa sounds wonderful right about now. However, I think I am going to have to settle for a nice hot shower until I can work that into my schedule (and my budget!).
He said that one kid walks around with 6 decks of cards in his pockets.
Well, maybe that is a little different.
However I still prefer the "nerdy" school to the previous high school.
God has blessed our decision to move to the new school. One of my main concerns was that this school is 30 miles from our house. Those of you who have kids know how hard it is to get them all to just the most basic of activities on time. Traveling 30 minutes each way was going to pose a large problem.
However, our God has it handled.
We take two days a week and another family takes the other three days. I only have to pick him up on Mondays, another family brings him home on the other days.
Yeah God! This is such a blessing.
In adoption news; Our agency gave out 10 referrals at the beginning of this week. That means our magic number is now 58. That is our overall number which doesn't really tell us all that much. Those in front of us could be asking for a different gender or age range. We really have no idea.
It is fun to have a number, and count down as referrals come in. I mailed of the addendum our social work did for our home study today which means we are now approved for 2 children up to the age of 8. Our agency doesn't place out of birth order (generally) but I really felt God leading us to make this change to our paperwork. Now it is all up to him.
I pray everyday for our new children. I can't wait to hold them in my arms.
It has been kind of a stressful week with some things going on that I can't share yet. A friend of mine sent me the picture below this week. It made me laugh.
A trip to the spa sounds wonderful right about now. However, I think I am going to have to settle for a nice hot shower until I can work that into my schedule (and my budget!).
Labels: Adoption, Ethiopia, High School
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Digging Out
Does anyone else feel like it is taking them FOREVER to dig out from the holiday mess and get their houses back in order?
Our play room is a disaster with all the new "stuff" and I just haven't felt like going in there and tackling it. The dirty laundry is piled up (I'm up right now at 2:00 a.m. doing laundry so the high schoolers will have clean clothes for school today), bills need to be paid and we need to get back on our school schedule.
Hubby is home for another week which makes it a little hard. We want to play, not work. He had extra vacation at the end of the year which he needed to take so hence the extra week off. He has been home for 3 weeks now and we haven't killed each other yet. I guess that bodes well for our retirement years.
My heart has been heavy this past weeks regarding the atmosphere at the school our teenager's go to. Without going into a lot of detail I will tell you that we have decided none of our other children will go to this school. To be honest, I have been agonizing over a way to get my two boys out of there.
I have said before that I really wanted them to go to the Christian High School about 30 minutes from our home. However, with adoption expenses this year that seemed way beyond our means. This problem has been heavy on my heart for months and I have spent much time in prayer over it.
Things came to a head in the last few months when one of the boys coach's was suspended for changing players grades, letting the boys chew tobacco, and possible knowledge of steroid use just to name a few things. My son had to go into a private meeting (I was allowed to sit in) with the school district and answer questions about these charges. He was not involved in any of it but was asked about his knowledge. Not a very comfortable situation for a kid that doesn't want to lie but also doesn't want to get his friends or coach in trouble. There were a lot of yes/no answers.
For what ever reason, even though some of the accusations turned out to be true, the coach was reinstated and life is going on as normal. I don't really understand why he is still the coach, however, we all know how hard it is to fire a teacher. My sister-in-law, who is a teacher, told me that it has gotten so bad that if a teacher is accused of molesting a child he "may" get fired. Depends on all the circumstances. Huh? Really, what has this world come to?
Anyway, this past week I have really been convicted to get our youngest out of that school. The other high school has an Independent Study Program where you can home school them half the time, they attend classes half the time, and they can participate in all sports, clubs, etc. on campus. This sounded great, and is quite a bit cheaper than enrolling them full time.
However, upon further inspection, the schedule would really not work for our family this year. Next year it would be fine. The only real option was to put him in full time for the second semester if we wanted to move him this year.
I am all for that. So is hubby.
The only problem is we don't have $4,000.00 laying around to pay for it.
The only money we have has been set aside for the adoption.
So, I have been fretting and praying. We are sure God wants us to move him, just not sure how to do it.
Yesterday in my quite time I read this verse;
If I really believe God wants us to move him, don't I also believe he will provide the way?
We have decided to have faith. We know God is a lot bigger than a mere $4,000.00.
We will take money from our adoption fund to pay for it and trust that when we need it again God will provide for us.
My heart has lost it's heaviness now. I'm feeling so much better.
We would love to move oldest as well but he is almost done with High School so we will let him finish where he is at. There are other reasons he needs to stay put for a while but I don't want to invade his privacy by sharing that here.
Besides, one son who doesn't like me very much right now is enough. He isn't quite as happy about the change as his dad and I are.
Oh well, it isn't our job to make our kids happy all the time. It is much more important to do what we feel God leading us to do.
Sometimes being a parent is so very very hard.
Our play room is a disaster with all the new "stuff" and I just haven't felt like going in there and tackling it. The dirty laundry is piled up (I'm up right now at 2:00 a.m. doing laundry so the high schoolers will have clean clothes for school today), bills need to be paid and we need to get back on our school schedule.
Hubby is home for another week which makes it a little hard. We want to play, not work. He had extra vacation at the end of the year which he needed to take so hence the extra week off. He has been home for 3 weeks now and we haven't killed each other yet. I guess that bodes well for our retirement years.
My heart has been heavy this past weeks regarding the atmosphere at the school our teenager's go to. Without going into a lot of detail I will tell you that we have decided none of our other children will go to this school. To be honest, I have been agonizing over a way to get my two boys out of there.
I have said before that I really wanted them to go to the Christian High School about 30 minutes from our home. However, with adoption expenses this year that seemed way beyond our means. This problem has been heavy on my heart for months and I have spent much time in prayer over it.
Things came to a head in the last few months when one of the boys coach's was suspended for changing players grades, letting the boys chew tobacco, and possible knowledge of steroid use just to name a few things. My son had to go into a private meeting (I was allowed to sit in) with the school district and answer questions about these charges. He was not involved in any of it but was asked about his knowledge. Not a very comfortable situation for a kid that doesn't want to lie but also doesn't want to get his friends or coach in trouble. There were a lot of yes/no answers.
For what ever reason, even though some of the accusations turned out to be true, the coach was reinstated and life is going on as normal. I don't really understand why he is still the coach, however, we all know how hard it is to fire a teacher. My sister-in-law, who is a teacher, told me that it has gotten so bad that if a teacher is accused of molesting a child he "may" get fired. Depends on all the circumstances. Huh? Really, what has this world come to?
Anyway, this past week I have really been convicted to get our youngest out of that school. The other high school has an Independent Study Program where you can home school them half the time, they attend classes half the time, and they can participate in all sports, clubs, etc. on campus. This sounded great, and is quite a bit cheaper than enrolling them full time.
However, upon further inspection, the schedule would really not work for our family this year. Next year it would be fine. The only real option was to put him in full time for the second semester if we wanted to move him this year.
I am all for that. So is hubby.
The only problem is we don't have $4,000.00 laying around to pay for it.
The only money we have has been set aside for the adoption.
So, I have been fretting and praying. We are sure God wants us to move him, just not sure how to do it.
Yesterday in my quite time I read this verse;
"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Mathew
6:34
If I really believe God wants us to move him, don't I also believe he will provide the way?
We have decided to have faith. We know God is a lot bigger than a mere $4,000.00.
We will take money from our adoption fund to pay for it and trust that when we need it again God will provide for us.
My heart has lost it's heaviness now. I'm feeling so much better.
We would love to move oldest as well but he is almost done with High School so we will let him finish where he is at. There are other reasons he needs to stay put for a while but I don't want to invade his privacy by sharing that here.
Besides, one son who doesn't like me very much right now is enough. He isn't quite as happy about the change as his dad and I are.
Oh well, it isn't our job to make our kids happy all the time. It is much more important to do what we feel God leading us to do.
Sometimes being a parent is so very very hard.
Labels: High School, Home Schooling, stuff
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Another Reason I Love Home Schooling
Yes, my love for home schooling just keeps growing.
While Samantha and Garrett are happily sleeping away I am fighting with my teenagers to get up and get ready for school. I have heard their alarm go off twice, but still no movement.
I have run up the stairs three times already to remind them that IT IS TIME TO GET UP. None of our kids are morning people, no matter what time they go to bed. It is 6:30 a.m. and I am already exhausted from this ritual we seem to have to play out each morning.
On my next trip up the stairs I will be spraying cold water on them to force them out of bed. Yes, I am that mean.
Is their seriously a reason that 1st period has to start at 7:36? Haven't those in charge heard that teens really aren't fond of the early morning hours?
Well, at least it forces me to get up and get some stuff done before the other kids roll out of bed around 8:30.
On another note; Here are Samantha and Garrett doing an experiment on flight. They each built two different airplanes with different body styles to see which one was more conducive to flight.
Launching their aircraft.
Fixing a broken nose on one of the planes.
Working together to measure the distance.
Samantha's scientific speculation sheet. Don't you just love all the hearts on it?
Calculating data in her head.
Now if only my older boys could use this same work together attitude to get out of the house on time in the morning.
I've offered to home school them but the look of horror on their faces pretty much gives away their true feeling in this area.
I have been diligently praying that Tyler would change his mind. We have a private Christian school near bye that has a home school program for High Schoolers. They can take a few classes at the school and do the rest at home. They can also participate in all the sports and other activities the school offers. I thought this might be a good compromise for him. He didn't seem totally opposed to the idea so I am praying hard that we can go with this option next year.
My heart would be singing for joy if I only had one more school year at their current High School. The reasons I dislike it so will have to wait for another day as it will be a VERY LONG POST.
Have a good day my friends, I'm off to throw water at some unsuspecting teens.
While Samantha and Garrett are happily sleeping away I am fighting with my teenagers to get up and get ready for school. I have heard their alarm go off twice, but still no movement.
I have run up the stairs three times already to remind them that IT IS TIME TO GET UP. None of our kids are morning people, no matter what time they go to bed. It is 6:30 a.m. and I am already exhausted from this ritual we seem to have to play out each morning.
On my next trip up the stairs I will be spraying cold water on them to force them out of bed. Yes, I am that mean.
Is their seriously a reason that 1st period has to start at 7:36? Haven't those in charge heard that teens really aren't fond of the early morning hours?
Well, at least it forces me to get up and get some stuff done before the other kids roll out of bed around 8:30.
On another note; Here are Samantha and Garrett doing an experiment on flight. They each built two different airplanes with different body styles to see which one was more conducive to flight.
Launching their aircraft.
Fixing a broken nose on one of the planes.
Working together to measure the distance.
Samantha's scientific speculation sheet. Don't you just love all the hearts on it?
Calculating data in her head.
Now if only my older boys could use this same work together attitude to get out of the house on time in the morning.
I've offered to home school them but the look of horror on their faces pretty much gives away their true feeling in this area.
I have been diligently praying that Tyler would change his mind. We have a private Christian school near bye that has a home school program for High Schoolers. They can take a few classes at the school and do the rest at home. They can also participate in all the sports and other activities the school offers. I thought this might be a good compromise for him. He didn't seem totally opposed to the idea so I am praying hard that we can go with this option next year.
My heart would be singing for joy if I only had one more school year at their current High School. The reasons I dislike it so will have to wait for another day as it will be a VERY LONG POST.
Have a good day my friends, I'm off to throw water at some unsuspecting teens.
Labels: High School, Home Schooling
Friday, September 19, 2008
What Could Be Worse Than......
being a junior in High School and realizing upon arriving at said school that you and your Freshman brother are dressed EXACTLY alike?
That is right folks. They were identical twins for the day.
Tyler (15) jumped into the car this morning and Zach (almost 17) didn't notice what he had on. After Zach parked his truck and they jumped out of the car he was mortified to discover that they both had on tan shorts and a red t-shirt.
He ordered Tyler to wait at the car and not come in to school until he had safely entered.
First of all you should never order you little brother to do anything. Especially one who is as mischevious as Tyler.
He had a great time following his brother around all day pointing out how they had on matching outfits to anyone who would listen.
His older brother WAS NOT AMUSED (so I am told).
At the end of the day Zach was standing by the school exit talking with a (special friend) girl and Tyler took that moment to go over and act like a truly juvenile Freshman.
Zach came marching into the house this afternoon flabbergasted and angry looking. When his Dad and I asked him what was wrong he said "Are you looking at us? Look at our clothes".
Well, I really should have taken pictures of the bobsy twins but we were laughing so hard I didn't get a chance before oldest son ran off to change.
Some how I am thinking that girl siblings probably would never have let this happen.
************************************************************************************
We will pick the winner of the Starbucks gift card some time this weekend. The kids want to do it and we just have not been home. Thanks to all of you that gave me the great ideas for the Wednesday Diner. We went to the Fair this past Wednesday so the boys had to eat at school. They weren't happy. Sigh.
That is right folks. They were identical twins for the day.
Tyler (15) jumped into the car this morning and Zach (almost 17) didn't notice what he had on. After Zach parked his truck and they jumped out of the car he was mortified to discover that they both had on tan shorts and a red t-shirt.
He ordered Tyler to wait at the car and not come in to school until he had safely entered.
First of all you should never order you little brother to do anything. Especially one who is as mischevious as Tyler.
He had a great time following his brother around all day pointing out how they had on matching outfits to anyone who would listen.
His older brother WAS NOT AMUSED (so I am told).
At the end of the day Zach was standing by the school exit talking with a (special friend) girl and Tyler took that moment to go over and act like a truly juvenile Freshman.
Zach came marching into the house this afternoon flabbergasted and angry looking. When his Dad and I asked him what was wrong he said "Are you looking at us? Look at our clothes".
Well, I really should have taken pictures of the bobsy twins but we were laughing so hard I didn't get a chance before oldest son ran off to change.
Some how I am thinking that girl siblings probably would never have let this happen.
************************************************************************************
We will pick the winner of the Starbucks gift card some time this weekend. The kids want to do it and we just have not been home. Thanks to all of you that gave me the great ideas for the Wednesday Diner. We went to the Fair this past Wednesday so the boys had to eat at school. They weren't happy. Sigh.
Labels: High School
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Family Diner
Last week Zach asked if he and a few friends could come home for lunch on Wednesday. I was thrilled. I don't see my high schooler's as much as I would like. Between school and sports it's pretty much homework and bed when they get home. I would love to have the extra time with him and his friends.
We decided that Wednesday would be the day I would make them all lunch. It was a pretty day so I BBQ'd hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, made some pasta salad, and threw out some chips and lemonade.
He came home with 5 friends which meant between them and Samantha, Garrett and myself we had 9 for lunch. It was lots of fun (they get 50 minutes for lunch) and we all sat outside to eat. The boys thought it was great to have a hot meal in the middle of the day and asked if we could make this a weekly event? Um, OK, I replied.
My hesitation was not because I did not want them to come back. It was strictly financial. These boys eat a lot of food and I would definitely need to figure out some more economical meals if we were going to make this a regular weekly occurrence.
This is what I figure I spent last week on the meal;
3 lbs. of hamburger 1.29 lb. = $3.87
1 package hot dogs $1.50
Buns $2.49
2 Bags of Chips $3.00
Pasta Salad;
Noodles $1.49
Cucumber .69
Tomatoes 1.25
olives .79
red bell pepper .50
salad dressing 2.29
Total: $17.87
That means lunch was about $1.98 a person.
I didn't add in the lemonade or spices for the pasta because I already had them on hand.
If we are going to do this on a weekly basis I would really prefer to keep the cost at no more than $1.50 per person. Less than that would be fantastic!
This is where you all come in my thrifty friends. Do you have any idea's for me for feeding a bunch of teenage boys? I have already been informed that this week there will be ten boys coming home with Zach for lunch. I had to tell him this would be his limit and no more than ten per week could come along. I had visions of this turning into a soup kitchen type operation once the boys found out there was free warm food around the corner at Zach's house.
So, any ideas? Let me know what you think?
There may even be a prize in it for the person who gives me the best idea.
We decided that Wednesday would be the day I would make them all lunch. It was a pretty day so I BBQ'd hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, made some pasta salad, and threw out some chips and lemonade.
He came home with 5 friends which meant between them and Samantha, Garrett and myself we had 9 for lunch. It was lots of fun (they get 50 minutes for lunch) and we all sat outside to eat. The boys thought it was great to have a hot meal in the middle of the day and asked if we could make this a weekly event? Um, OK, I replied.
My hesitation was not because I did not want them to come back. It was strictly financial. These boys eat a lot of food and I would definitely need to figure out some more economical meals if we were going to make this a regular weekly occurrence.
This is what I figure I spent last week on the meal;
3 lbs. of hamburger 1.29 lb. = $3.87
1 package hot dogs $1.50
Buns $2.49
2 Bags of Chips $3.00
Pasta Salad;
Noodles $1.49
Cucumber .69
Tomatoes 1.25
olives .79
red bell pepper .50
salad dressing 2.29
Total: $17.87
That means lunch was about $1.98 a person.
I didn't add in the lemonade or spices for the pasta because I already had them on hand.
If we are going to do this on a weekly basis I would really prefer to keep the cost at no more than $1.50 per person. Less than that would be fantastic!
This is where you all come in my thrifty friends. Do you have any idea's for me for feeding a bunch of teenage boys? I have already been informed that this week there will be ten boys coming home with Zach for lunch. I had to tell him this would be his limit and no more than ten per week could come along. I had visions of this turning into a soup kitchen type operation once the boys found out there was free warm food around the corner at Zach's house.
So, any ideas? Let me know what you think?
There may even be a prize in it for the person who gives me the best idea.
Labels: High School, kids, recipes
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
It's Late & I Am Tired
I have been a really bad blogger lately. We have had so much going on that I should be blogging all the time but can never seem to get enough time at the computer to form a coherent sentence.
So, just so I can say I blogged something this week I am giving you my life in bullet points. Please don't hate me for it.
So, just so I can say I blogged something this week I am giving you my life in bullet points. Please don't hate me for it.
We bought our son, Zach, who will be 17 next month his first car. A 2004 truck with 117,000 miles on it. He could care less about the miles because it has really cool rims. After all, that is all that matters.
- We started home schooling last week (Samantha 12 and Garrett 10). We are settling in and the kids are trying to keep an open mind. I am hoping they love it soon because I REALLY do.
- Last night I went into the backyard around 11:00 p.m. to turn off the pool pump and had a coyote jump out of the dark at me. Our golden retriever quickly chased it away. Today we found a 7 x 7 gaping hole in our bunnies cage. She is OK. Seems the coyote was looking for a meal. He ate the neighbors cat instead. I feel so bad about that.
- We still have not received the forms from our home study agency. I will call AGAIN tomorrow. I am not a happy camper.
- On a happier note; I can now stay up late reading blogs because I don't have to be up at the crack of dawn. Our little home school doesn't believe in an early start. My boys who have to be at the high school by 7:30 don't think this is fair. Oh well boys, you have that cool car with the rims to keep you company on your early drive to school. Mom is happily catching up on her Zzzzzzzzz.
Labels: Adoption, High School, Mom Stuff
Sunday, August 31, 2008
No Time For The Computer
This past week I have been trying to get everything done that I hadn't done this summer. To many days out by the pool and watching the Olympics with the kids means mom is seriously behind.
School starts for Paige and my high schoolers on Tuesday and we will start our first home school year with Samantha and Garrett on that same day. We have been back to school shopping, figuring out what we wanted to learn this year, and moving bedrooms around in the hopes we will get a referral very soon after all our paper work gets to Ethiopia.
Our home study agency still has not gotten me the two forms we need. The secretary actually called and said they would need $30.00 for notarization fees. Excuse me? These forms were all suppose to have been done months ago and included with the other forms we paid them $2,000 for. Lets just say I let my displeasure be known with the agency rep. If I don't receive them in Tuesday's mail I may go ballistic. If I don't post for a while you will know I have been arrested for inflicting great bodily harm upon someone.
OK, I'm only kidding. I think.
Anyways, life is crazy busy so if I am in and out for the next couple of weeks please bare with me.
Hopefully I will have some exciting news to tell you all about in the not to distant future.
School starts for Paige and my high schoolers on Tuesday and we will start our first home school year with Samantha and Garrett on that same day. We have been back to school shopping, figuring out what we wanted to learn this year, and moving bedrooms around in the hopes we will get a referral very soon after all our paper work gets to Ethiopia.
Our home study agency still has not gotten me the two forms we need. The secretary actually called and said they would need $30.00 for notarization fees. Excuse me? These forms were all suppose to have been done months ago and included with the other forms we paid them $2,000 for. Lets just say I let my displeasure be known with the agency rep. If I don't receive them in Tuesday's mail I may go ballistic. If I don't post for a while you will know I have been arrested for inflicting great bodily harm upon someone.
OK, I'm only kidding. I think.
Anyways, life is crazy busy so if I am in and out for the next couple of weeks please bare with me.
Hopefully I will have some exciting news to tell you all about in the not to distant future.
Labels: Adoption, Ethiopia, High School, Home Schooling, summer time fun
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Ouch!!!
We got a quote to add Zach (16) to our car insurance policy. The insurance agent told me it would be $240.00 a month. He actually said that with a straight face. After I fainted he said he would try and get it down a little lower and call me back. $204.80 is what he came back with.
Is it just me or does that sound ridiculously high for a kid who is suppose to be getting the good student discount?
Dave called another insurance company and they gave him a quote of $130.00 a month. After the first quote, that sounded like a real bargain. However, that is still a lot of money. Of course if he was a female child I am told the price would be a third of that.
That ice cream truck idea is sounding better and better.
I know that California is pricey for everything but this just seems ridiculous. Anyone out there know of a cheap insurance company for teens with good grades?
Please help!
Is it just me or does that sound ridiculously high for a kid who is suppose to be getting the good student discount?
Dave called another insurance company and they gave him a quote of $130.00 a month. After the first quote, that sounded like a real bargain. However, that is still a lot of money. Of course if he was a female child I am told the price would be a third of that.
That ice cream truck idea is sounding better and better.
I know that California is pricey for everything but this just seems ridiculous. Anyone out there know of a cheap insurance company for teens with good grades?
Please help!
Labels: High School, kids
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Calendar
Do you ever look at your calendar and feel like screaming? I do.
This is the time of year when we always get really busy. So busy that my dreams are usually full of days where I can just stay home and clean my house.
At times, this can make mommy a little grouchy. However, I am really going to just try and enjoy it this year. My kids are growing up way to fast.
On the other hand this makes for a very happy Daddy. This is his favorite time of year. He love, love, love's it, and for the most part so do my kids.
The time of year I am speaking of is Baseball Season.
Opening day is March 8th. Practice has begun and the season is already in full swing.
Once again I am in charge of the Opening Day Carnival. No, I am not crazy. Just a loving wife.
My hubby loves it. Our baseball league always had kind of a boring Opening Day when Zach (16) was little. Four years ago I asked if anyone would mind if I planned a little carnival of sorts to make it a little more fun.
No one minded.
This is now my fourth year. It is bigger and better than ever.
We have Rock Climbing walls, A 40 foot zip line to propel the kids across the sky, a dunk tank, lots of carnival games and of course yummy food just to name a few things.
Yes, I like to do things big.
Surprisingly, no one else wanted to take over this year. I know, I know, you are all amazed that no one would just jump at the chance to be the new Carnival Queen.
Anyway, this is why my blogging has been a little erratic of sorts. I have a carnival to plan, pizza parties to organize, banners to purchase and practices to sit through.
Add to that the fact that Tyler (14) has decided he wants to wrestle next year in High School. Baseball isn't really his thing. Lucky for us the High School has a spring wrestling program for incoming Freshman which meets two nights a week. I am thrilled. Ahem.
Samantha starts a new season of Tennis in a few weeks and I signed Paige up for gymnastics and swim lessons because, well I don't know, perhaps I have developed a hole in my head which makes it impossible to make rationale decisions.
Throw in Zach's High School Baseball schedule, piano lessons, and Garrett's little class he is taking about being babtized and I think you get the picture.
We should sell the house and buy an RV to live in because WE ARE NEVER HOME between February and June.
This leads me back to the calendar.
I added all the kids new activities to it today. I had to use two calendars and hang them side by side.
I believe I can fit house cleaning into the schedule every other Tuesday from 10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m..
I really need to remember to take my vitamins.
Next up.....an adoption update.
This is the time of year when we always get really busy. So busy that my dreams are usually full of days where I can just stay home and clean my house.
At times, this can make mommy a little grouchy. However, I am really going to just try and enjoy it this year. My kids are growing up way to fast.
On the other hand this makes for a very happy Daddy. This is his favorite time of year. He love, love, love's it, and for the most part so do my kids.
The time of year I am speaking of is Baseball Season.
Opening day is March 8th. Practice has begun and the season is already in full swing.
Once again I am in charge of the Opening Day Carnival. No, I am not crazy. Just a loving wife.
My hubby loves it. Our baseball league always had kind of a boring Opening Day when Zach (16) was little. Four years ago I asked if anyone would mind if I planned a little carnival of sorts to make it a little more fun.
No one minded.
This is now my fourth year. It is bigger and better than ever.
We have Rock Climbing walls, A 40 foot zip line to propel the kids across the sky, a dunk tank, lots of carnival games and of course yummy food just to name a few things.
Yes, I like to do things big.
Surprisingly, no one else wanted to take over this year. I know, I know, you are all amazed that no one would just jump at the chance to be the new Carnival Queen.
Anyway, this is why my blogging has been a little erratic of sorts. I have a carnival to plan, pizza parties to organize, banners to purchase and practices to sit through.
Add to that the fact that Tyler (14) has decided he wants to wrestle next year in High School. Baseball isn't really his thing. Lucky for us the High School has a spring wrestling program for incoming Freshman which meets two nights a week. I am thrilled. Ahem.
Samantha starts a new season of Tennis in a few weeks and I signed Paige up for gymnastics and swim lessons because, well I don't know, perhaps I have developed a hole in my head which makes it impossible to make rationale decisions.
Throw in Zach's High School Baseball schedule, piano lessons, and Garrett's little class he is taking about being babtized and I think you get the picture.
We should sell the house and buy an RV to live in because WE ARE NEVER HOME between February and June.
This leads me back to the calendar.
I added all the kids new activities to it today. I had to use two calendars and hang them side by side.
I believe I can fit house cleaning into the schedule every other Tuesday from 10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m..
I really need to remember to take my vitamins.
Next up.....an adoption update.
Labels: Girl stuff, High School, Mom Stuff
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Public School - Part II
Thanks so much to all of you who gave me such encouraging comments. It really helps when you know others have gone through similar experiences and that you are not going crazy. Sometimes I wonder if other parents get upset or if their is something just wrong with me. Thanks for letting me know I am not alone.
We finally got things taken care of after hubby called and spoke with his counselor. The teacher refused to release Zach from the class and the counselor stopped returning my phone calls.
Dave called yesterday afternoon and amazingly got a call back a little while later. The counselor overruled the teacher and switched his class.
I do want to state that I believe we have a really good High School. We have an engineering department that may rival many colleges. Our children are able to take many classes that they would not be able to if they went to a smaller school. However, because of its size, parents need to be very pro active in making sure their childrens needs are met. We need to be confident in our rights as parents and never let the school forget that they work for us and we, the parents, ultimately will be deciding what is best for our child.
That being said.....we went to the High School baseball meeting last night. This is a required meeting for all parents. We are told the "rules".
I had heard the speech from the head coach before. I enjoyed watching the faces of the freshman parents.
Let me explain.
The baseball program is run much like the military. The players are expected to act and dress a certain way. Excuses are not accepted. If you don't wear a belt to practice you spend the afternoon running laps.
The players are given all the rules, in writing, and are expected to follow them. If they have a problem regarding the team they are expected to talk with the coach. He will not talk with a parent until the player has made the effort to resolve the problem himself.
If a player gets into trouble in class he will be sent to the coach. Forget the Prinicpal's office. The true fear is being sent to the coach during his class where he will scold you in front of his entire class. Just the thought of this keeps most players in line.
Some of the parents really dislike the coach's philosophy. I happen to love it.
At some point we have to let our kids take responsiblity for themselves. This is the perfect atmosphere to do so. The coach is hard. True. However, he is fair. He keeps his word, and I have never seen him act inapproprieately (or you know I would have gotten involved).
Last year Zach was scheduled to pitch for a Friday afternoon game. He was sick on the Thursday before and forgot to call the coach and tell him he would not be at practice that day. The next day he went to school and when he arrived at the bus to travel to the game was told he would not be the starting pitcher because he had not called in sick the day before. When Dave and I arrived at the game we were surprised to see our son sitting on the bench. Some of the other parents explained to us what had happened. They encouraged us to complain to the coach as they didn't see how it was Zach's fault. I asked Zach about this after the game and he told us he forgot they were suppose to call when they were sick (this was his first year on the team) but that they had been told this was what they were required to do.
I don't really understand the parents that felt some sort of outrage for our child. He had been told what to do. He didn't do it. He suffered the consequesnces. Do you think he will ever forget this rule again? The answer is No.
Only 46 students per year of the over 5000 at this school have the opportunity to play on the three baseball teams. That is less than one percent of the school population. This is a Division I school and it is an honor to be picked for one of these teams. If our boys don't want to get the grades, act respectfully, and follow the rules I am sure their is another player who would love to take their place on the team.
At the end of the meeting I went up to thank the coach for filling out the school informatin form for our social worker. Each of the kids had to have one filled out by a teacher. He got it done in one day and sent it right off.
When I thanked him he told me how much he enjoyed having Zach on his team. That he was a really nice young man and alway very respectful of others.
Of course now I think he is the best coach ever. Ahem.
This morning I got a call from a mom of one of the freshman boys that I would say is even a bigger control freak than I am. She wanted to know if the coach really meant all that stuff he said. Yep. How will the boys ever remember all that on their own? I assured her that her son would do fine. She wasn't so sure. I asked her if she was planning on going with him to his first job to help him remember everything. Well, no she replied. Than perhaps you better let him learn now.
She wasn't very happy. Neither was I last year. Honestly, I believe it has been one of the best things for my son.
See, their is hope for me. I am learning to let my controling ways go just a little.
Have a great day my friends.
We finally got things taken care of after hubby called and spoke with his counselor. The teacher refused to release Zach from the class and the counselor stopped returning my phone calls.
Dave called yesterday afternoon and amazingly got a call back a little while later. The counselor overruled the teacher and switched his class.
I do want to state that I believe we have a really good High School. We have an engineering department that may rival many colleges. Our children are able to take many classes that they would not be able to if they went to a smaller school. However, because of its size, parents need to be very pro active in making sure their childrens needs are met. We need to be confident in our rights as parents and never let the school forget that they work for us and we, the parents, ultimately will be deciding what is best for our child.
That being said.....we went to the High School baseball meeting last night. This is a required meeting for all parents. We are told the "rules".
I had heard the speech from the head coach before. I enjoyed watching the faces of the freshman parents.
Let me explain.
The baseball program is run much like the military. The players are expected to act and dress a certain way. Excuses are not accepted. If you don't wear a belt to practice you spend the afternoon running laps.
The players are given all the rules, in writing, and are expected to follow them. If they have a problem regarding the team they are expected to talk with the coach. He will not talk with a parent until the player has made the effort to resolve the problem himself.
If a player gets into trouble in class he will be sent to the coach. Forget the Prinicpal's office. The true fear is being sent to the coach during his class where he will scold you in front of his entire class. Just the thought of this keeps most players in line.
Some of the parents really dislike the coach's philosophy. I happen to love it.
At some point we have to let our kids take responsiblity for themselves. This is the perfect atmosphere to do so. The coach is hard. True. However, he is fair. He keeps his word, and I have never seen him act inapproprieately (or you know I would have gotten involved).
Last year Zach was scheduled to pitch for a Friday afternoon game. He was sick on the Thursday before and forgot to call the coach and tell him he would not be at practice that day. The next day he went to school and when he arrived at the bus to travel to the game was told he would not be the starting pitcher because he had not called in sick the day before. When Dave and I arrived at the game we were surprised to see our son sitting on the bench. Some of the other parents explained to us what had happened. They encouraged us to complain to the coach as they didn't see how it was Zach's fault. I asked Zach about this after the game and he told us he forgot they were suppose to call when they were sick (this was his first year on the team) but that they had been told this was what they were required to do.
I don't really understand the parents that felt some sort of outrage for our child. He had been told what to do. He didn't do it. He suffered the consequesnces. Do you think he will ever forget this rule again? The answer is No.
Only 46 students per year of the over 5000 at this school have the opportunity to play on the three baseball teams. That is less than one percent of the school population. This is a Division I school and it is an honor to be picked for one of these teams. If our boys don't want to get the grades, act respectfully, and follow the rules I am sure their is another player who would love to take their place on the team.
At the end of the meeting I went up to thank the coach for filling out the school informatin form for our social worker. Each of the kids had to have one filled out by a teacher. He got it done in one day and sent it right off.
When I thanked him he told me how much he enjoyed having Zach on his team. That he was a really nice young man and alway very respectful of others.
Of course now I think he is the best coach ever. Ahem.
This morning I got a call from a mom of one of the freshman boys that I would say is even a bigger control freak than I am. She wanted to know if the coach really meant all that stuff he said. Yep. How will the boys ever remember all that on their own? I assured her that her son would do fine. She wasn't so sure. I asked her if she was planning on going with him to his first job to help him remember everything. Well, no she replied. Than perhaps you better let him learn now.
She wasn't very happy. Neither was I last year. Honestly, I believe it has been one of the best things for my son.
See, their is hope for me. I am learning to let my controling ways go just a little.
Have a great day my friends.
Labels: baseball, High School
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Public School
When our oldest son, Zach, was in the sixth grade I worried about where he would go to Middle School. The local middle school was a beautiful new building which was large enough for around 2,000 students.
Can you imagine 2000 7th and 8th graders all in one place? I have to admit this is not my favorite age. I much prefer the elementary and High School years.
Anyway, I heard mixed reviews about this school from our friends and was apprehensive about sending him there.
He begged and pleaded. All of his friends were going there. He was a good kid who didn't get into trouble, why would we punish him like that he asked?
We relented. He went. We hated it. He loved it. End of story.
Two thousand students at one middle school is to many. When I would walk onto campus it felt more like a prison atmosphere. Crowd control is their number one priority. Also, my son was in an all honors program. We quickly discovered that the worst teachers were assigned to the honors students. The reasons for this being the conception that smart kids will learn no mater how bad their teachers are. Oh, the examples I could give you. I will save those for another post.
Two years later when it was Tyler's turn to move on to Middle School we did not hesitate. He would not go to that school.
We enrolled him in a private Christian School which we love. His sister, Samantha, followed him there the next year and we prayed for a money tree to sprout abundantly in our back yard.
Now, lets move on to High School.
Our High School is a California Distinguished School and was listed in U.S. World and News Reports as one of the best High Schools in the nation (its in the top 100).
Zach is now in his second year at this school. Again, I really don't like it. There are over 5000 kids at this school. In a school this big you had better find somewhere to be involved or it would be very easy to feel that you are just a number.
Our oldest has done well at this school. As you know, if you read this blog at all, he plays on the baseball team and gets great grades. Again, he loves the school.
My conversation recently with his counselor is one of the reasons I don't like this school. I had called to get him out of his CAD class (Computer Animated Drafting) for the second semester. He was doing well in the class but really was not enjoying it. He has a health class that he needs to take before graduation. I wanted him to take that class second semester to get it out of the way.
When I spoke with his counselor, whom I actually like very much, he told me Zach would have to get his teacher to sign a form releasing him from the class. OK, no problem. I called Zach at school and told him what his counselor had said. He took the correct paper to that class and explained to his teacher that he wanted to be released so he could take health the following semester.
The teacher said NO. He informed my child that his parents and counselor would not be doing him any favors by letting him out of this class. That is code I am finding out for "Your child is getting a good grade in this very difficult class and keeping my ratios up so NO I will not let him go".
This is the crux of my dislike for the public school system. They seem to think they are the parent of MY child.
Recently I received a notice from the High School stating that I had to go to a mandatory meeting with my child regarding all of his absences. He had been absent six times. I did not go.
I was informed that if I did not attend the meeting a truancy officer could come to my home and investigate.
These recent developments have just about pushed hubby and I over the edge regarding the public school system in our area.
We went and visited a near by private High School. We loved it.
However, unless that money tree sprouts in the back yard, or I get a full time job, or we stop eating all together, it is not really a realistic option for our family.
So, I decided to have a very nice heart to heart with my child's school. This is what I informed them of.
1. Zach is my child not yours. His father and I will make decisions regarding his class schedule...not you!
2. Do not send me any more letters regarding attendance meetings. I will throw them away. We, meaning his parents, will decide when he goes to school and when he DOES NOT. I am sorry you lose money when he does not attend. That is your problem not mine.
3. Please feel free to send a truancy officer or social worker to our home to investigate. I would love to speak to them about your stupid rules. I am sure they will be horrified by my sons 3.8 grade point average and his athletic awards given to him by YOUR SCHOOL.
4. You should thank God that I send my child to your school. I nicely informed the school that I had been looking for other options for my child to which I received a sputtering response that they really did not feel this would be necessary.
Really?
If you have gotten to the end of this very long post I am sure you are feeling one of two ways.
1. Thank Goodness I home school.
2. Thank Goodness she has stopped ranting and raving.
I am done now. Thank you very much.
Can you imagine 2000 7th and 8th graders all in one place? I have to admit this is not my favorite age. I much prefer the elementary and High School years.
Anyway, I heard mixed reviews about this school from our friends and was apprehensive about sending him there.
He begged and pleaded. All of his friends were going there. He was a good kid who didn't get into trouble, why would we punish him like that he asked?
We relented. He went. We hated it. He loved it. End of story.
Two thousand students at one middle school is to many. When I would walk onto campus it felt more like a prison atmosphere. Crowd control is their number one priority. Also, my son was in an all honors program. We quickly discovered that the worst teachers were assigned to the honors students. The reasons for this being the conception that smart kids will learn no mater how bad their teachers are. Oh, the examples I could give you. I will save those for another post.
Two years later when it was Tyler's turn to move on to Middle School we did not hesitate. He would not go to that school.
We enrolled him in a private Christian School which we love. His sister, Samantha, followed him there the next year and we prayed for a money tree to sprout abundantly in our back yard.
Now, lets move on to High School.
Our High School is a California Distinguished School and was listed in U.S. World and News Reports as one of the best High Schools in the nation (its in the top 100).
Zach is now in his second year at this school. Again, I really don't like it. There are over 5000 kids at this school. In a school this big you had better find somewhere to be involved or it would be very easy to feel that you are just a number.
Our oldest has done well at this school. As you know, if you read this blog at all, he plays on the baseball team and gets great grades. Again, he loves the school.
My conversation recently with his counselor is one of the reasons I don't like this school. I had called to get him out of his CAD class (Computer Animated Drafting) for the second semester. He was doing well in the class but really was not enjoying it. He has a health class that he needs to take before graduation. I wanted him to take that class second semester to get it out of the way.
When I spoke with his counselor, whom I actually like very much, he told me Zach would have to get his teacher to sign a form releasing him from the class. OK, no problem. I called Zach at school and told him what his counselor had said. He took the correct paper to that class and explained to his teacher that he wanted to be released so he could take health the following semester.
The teacher said NO. He informed my child that his parents and counselor would not be doing him any favors by letting him out of this class. That is code I am finding out for "Your child is getting a good grade in this very difficult class and keeping my ratios up so NO I will not let him go".
This is the crux of my dislike for the public school system. They seem to think they are the parent of MY child.
Recently I received a notice from the High School stating that I had to go to a mandatory meeting with my child regarding all of his absences. He had been absent six times. I did not go.
I was informed that if I did not attend the meeting a truancy officer could come to my home and investigate.
These recent developments have just about pushed hubby and I over the edge regarding the public school system in our area.
We went and visited a near by private High School. We loved it.
However, unless that money tree sprouts in the back yard, or I get a full time job, or we stop eating all together, it is not really a realistic option for our family.
So, I decided to have a very nice heart to heart with my child's school. This is what I informed them of.
1. Zach is my child not yours. His father and I will make decisions regarding his class schedule...not you!
2. Do not send me any more letters regarding attendance meetings. I will throw them away. We, meaning his parents, will decide when he goes to school and when he DOES NOT. I am sorry you lose money when he does not attend. That is your problem not mine.
3. Please feel free to send a truancy officer or social worker to our home to investigate. I would love to speak to them about your stupid rules. I am sure they will be horrified by my sons 3.8 grade point average and his athletic awards given to him by YOUR SCHOOL.
4. You should thank God that I send my child to your school. I nicely informed the school that I had been looking for other options for my child to which I received a sputtering response that they really did not feel this would be necessary.
Really?
If you have gotten to the end of this very long post I am sure you are feeling one of two ways.
1. Thank Goodness I home school.
2. Thank Goodness she has stopped ranting and raving.
I am done now. Thank you very much.
Labels: High School
