Thanks!

Thanks for all your thoughts.  The teacher was nice enough to write me back - on a Sunday morning, no less, AND after surgery.  She was immensely thankful and loved the fact that I'm checking and interested.  She said that on an average week she has to enter over 1,000 grades so she's appreciative of having extra eyes checking it over.  That made me feel better. And I will keep an eye on it, and I guess start keeping worksheets for a bit longer period of time. 

My birthday was yesterday and we all went to a restaurant called Osaka.  It's a sushi/hibachi grill place where they cook the food right in front of you (with a bit of entertainment mixed in for good measure.) I had made reservations so we got to sit right at the grill.  The chef shot sake in the adults mouths and Sprite in Katie and Will's - which they thought was ridiculously funny.  We didn't have much luck catching any food in our mouths as it was tossed to us, but the food was very yummy and we have plans to maybe make another trip back for the next birthday in April. 

Katie and I auditioned for our church's musical today as well.  This year we are doing "Willy Wonka."  Should be a fun one to do - and Katie did a GREAT job in her audition.  I'm always so blown away by her ability to stand up on a stage in front of 30 people and belt out a solo.  She was very funny during her read-through and had great expression and energy.  It will be fun to see the cast list in December.  She's hoping to play Violet Beauregarde (the one that blows up like a blueberry) but she will also be just as happy to be an Oompa Loompa. 

We went to an animal shelter yesterday for a meet & greet with a litter of lab/retriever puppies.  Of course, when we got there at 9:45, we were told that the puppies weren't going to be there until 2.  Originally, we had planned on 10, but I missed a message they left the night before.  I guess that one was my fault.  We couldn't make it at 2 and had to cancel that meet & greet.  Turns out the foster mom is adopting the one I had my eye on. 

Right before we headed out to the animal shelter we checked their website and saw that there is a litter of boxer puppies that were just added.  We had originally requested a boxer, so we were happy to see that there were some available!!  And oh boy, are they cute....
Just our luck - those puppies are in Superior, WI.  So now, I am waiting to hear from the owner when he is planning on bringing them to the metro for adoption.  They are already over 8 weeks, so I'm hoping it will be soon.  Correction - I can't contact the owner....I'm waiting to hear from the shelter person, who will hear from the owner.  This red tape is so frustrating.  We are getting closer....I can feel it, but I'm also hesitant to get my hopes up too high.  I am also willing to offer to meet the owner halfway to pick up a puppy, just so we can get him sooner!

What would you do??

So Katie's grades and assignments are all accessible online as they are recorded and entered in the teacher's grade book.  It's nice for parents because they can help with lost assignments and help keep track of what homework needs to be done.

I hadn't really been checking it, but I looked the other day and saw that she had an assignment in Social Studies on maps that she got 3 out of 23.  And, because they only have 5 graded assignments in Social Studies, this was giving her a D-.

I e-mailed the teacher and said basically - oh my, is this something that we should go over with her at home, did she totally misunderstand the directions?  What happened? Etc.  I hadn't seen a homework sheet like this come home yet.  The teacher e-mailed me back and said that as soon as she read my e-mail she knew there had been a mistake. She went back and checked, and sure enough - it should have been 23 out of 23.  No problem.

So then, today I started going back through Katie's grades for the last 10 days that I still have corrected worksheets for.  (They haven't been recycled just yet!)  Another one pops out at me - a Media and Technology worksheet where it says online that Katie got 5 out of 15, but on the actual worksheet it says 5 out of 5.......but the way it's written, at quick glance it looks like +5/5....or 15/5.....but there are only 5 questions on the page and she got them all right and there is a star and a sticker.  So I'm thinking that this one got entered wrong too - giving her a C- average instead of an A. 

I e-mailed the teacher again - totally feeling like a pestering parent....especially since the teacher is having her tonsils out today and will be gone from school for the next 2 weeks!!  She will be back 4 days before the 1st trimester ends and report cards go out. 

Am I being too picky?  After all, it's 3rd grade.....but these mistakes are dropping Katie from an A to a D- and C-..........should I be double checking all of the worksheets coming home????  Great, more work.

Just voted!

We just got back from voting!  John voted before work this morning.  (I know because I saw his name on the sign in sheet!)  We've been talking a lot about this particular election in our house because the kids are getting older and know the names of lots of the people on the ballot. 

We also have 2 amendment issues on the ballot in MN this year - one concerning a voter ID and the other is a definition of marriage.  We have been strongly against both in our house this election season - even going as far as putting a "Vote No - Don't Limit the Freedom to Marry" sign in our front yard, which we had never done before.

As I was filling out my ballot, I was holding Will up so that he could see too.  When I got the amendment section, I filled in the "No" circle. 

Then, Will (being Will) shouted SUPER LOUD "YAY!  You voted NO!"  We got lots of smiles, laughs and encouraging looks so hopefully that is an indicator of others' feelings as well. 

Post Halloween post

The kids had a fun time trick-or-treating.  John even scored a beer at a neighbor's house.  All in all it was a good night, not too cold, no wind, and our light was off at 8:30. 

We have to go to the grocery store today for potatoes, orange juice and milk.  I told Will that we could check on the clearanced Halloween costumes in hopes of finding a bigger Batman suit. 

I got a call from one of the shelters last night and we are all approved and ready to go!  If we select a "bully" breed then there are a few extra steps that we have to go through.  She did tell me (on the down low) that there are some pretty cute puppies being put online in the next week or so.  They are currently being weaned from mom.  The mom's name is Magic and she is a small black lab mix (about 30 pounds).  The previous owners didn't know she was pregnant when they had to put her in the shelter's foster program and they don't know who the father is.  So they don't know EXACTLY how big the puppies will grow to be, but that's a risk with all shelter animals.  I did see pictures of Magic, and oh my....she is gorgeous and sounds so sweet. 

I got an e-mail this morning telling me that the foster mom who is taking care of Magic will contact me when the puppies are ready and we can have first choice and go see them.  So, we may be getting closer....just in time to go for walk, upon walk upon walk in the cold November wind.  :) 

Who knows, maybe we'll have a new member to celebrate my birthday with.

Maybe that means we'll be getting take-out for my birthday instead of leaving to go to a restaurant....

Dogs of our past

Like I said, I don't have a picture of Stanley - or the other dogs my friends own.  BUT I thought I would see what dogs we DO have pictures of. 

 

Here's Katie and Gracie - the puppy who lives at Grandma's house. Well, she's not exactly a puppy anymore. The do get bigger, I have learned.

 

Even then, Katie felt Gracie was big, I guess.

 

.

This is me and our dog, Paco.  (Did I spell that right?)

I was told he was my best friend while I was still eating in a high chair.

 

This is Muskie our new puppy as we introduce him to the cat, Gizmo.

As you can see, Gizmo let it be known right away who had the upper hand.

 

Muskie slept with me every night....

 

....but he was really my Mom's baby.  He was her protector.  When we would go camping and go swimming, he cried and cried if she went out on an air mattress without him.  He would NOT go into the water to get wet.  So she would have to paddle back to shore so that he could ride with her. 

 

 

 

Trying this again....

Ok, I'm getting excited about a handful of new dogs again.  This time they are at a different shelter, which promises on their website to move quickly.  It says "adoption approval can take up to a week."  Well hell, we've been waiting 3 1/2 weeks with the other place and I havn't even been able to get our adoption counselor to call me back.  A week sounds damn good.

There are about 5-6 puppies that we would be happy to get I think......so I don't want to jinx it, but......

Katie checked out a MASSIVE book on dog breeds and training from school.  That's been very helpful!  And also made us realize that there are a lot of ugly dogs out there.  I'm sorry - but there are.  I'm sure they are wonderful companions when you get to know them. 

End of October

This year is just flying by - I know people say that all the time, but this one especially seems to be really moving along.  The note in the previous post was left by my sister.  If you haven't read it - I strongly encourage you to do so.....she really surprised me with that one.  Usually she's pretty mature and reserved....but occasionally she'll get a little wild. :)

Still no dog.  We are slowly moving forward with the shelter, BUT getting frustrated now that ALL the dogs we initially were crazy about are gone.  John has started looking in the eBay classifieds, so if we find something there we like, we'll do that.  There is a puppy at the county shelter that looks good - I may call on that too.  Since they are paid employees and not volunteers, it may move a bit faster. 

A friend of mine thought it was crazy because years ago her husband just walking into the pet store on a whim and came out with a dog.  Wham, bam.  Plus, it ended up being the absolute sweetest dog....ever.  (And part of the reason why I'm excited for the kids to have one.) His name is Stanley and they had family pictures with him a while back which prompted me to think - gee, I don't have any pictures of me with Stanley....I should have a picture of me and Stanley!  I still need to do that. :)

Halloween stuff this week.  We are going to the nature center tonight to do their "Walk When the Moon is Full" program with Katie's Girl Scout Troop.  Shouldn't be too cold.  Tomorrow evening is the annual trick or treat party at the grocery store, which is always fun.  You trick-or-treat around the inside of the store, but they don't give away candy.  It's cartons of milk, packages of crackers, fruit snacks, carrots, etc.  Wednesday the kids will wear their costumes to school for their parties.  I'm helping at Will's school running some sort of a bean bag game I believe. 

Have I even told you what they are going to be?  Katie is Supergirl, and Will (this should come as no surprise) is Batman.  Three years ago I bought a Batman costume off Craigslist for $8.  This will be the 3rd year he's worn it for Halloween (not to mention the hundreds of times inbetween).  Last year we added a mask to it....this year, we added cool Batman gloves.  It's getting a little small so I will be on the hunt after Halloween is over to find a marked down Batman costume in a larger size. 

Katie has been trying to get Will to wear his Superman costume at some point so they can match, but so far Will hasn't been up for that.

Keep trying!

I called Monday - the shelter was closed.

I called Tuesday and they assigned me to a new adoption agent because they were surprised I hadn't been contacted yet.  So we'll see....I'm going to bug them again on Friday if I haven't heard anything. 

Katie is flip flopping about wanted a dog.  She does, she doesn't.  Good thing we aren't getting it for her!  Will is excited to play fetch.  I'm excited to have a walking/running buddy.  I think John is excited to have someone jump for joy when he comes home.  (I try, but the effect is lost.)

Dog adoption

John and I went through a list of animals on the Midwest Animal Rescue Center's website.  We picked a handful of choices and submitted our application over the weekend.  It said that someone would be in touch within 24 hours because they are eager to get animals placed and get the process started. 

After not hearing from anyone for 4 days I got frustrated and called them myself.  Seems there's only one person working in the office and she couldn't find my application.  Finally, she was able to dig it up and said that she'd have someone call me back.  I'm a bit eager to get the process started because it takes a looong time to go through.  We have to pass a phone interview, a home inspection, our references need to check out and then we need to schedule meetings with the animals. 

In the days it took to just get a call back, one of our top picks seems to have been adopted.  Good for him, but sad for us.  So, sorry guys, no Tanner. :(

It's Friday...

The weeks are sure going by fast now that school is in full swing.  We have such a scheduled fall, things run in half hour time slots it seems.  Katie is getting better with the homework load.  It seems she is getting more done in school, and instead of an hour or "down time" after school, I'm only giving 30 minutes.  That seems to help too.  Although yesterday I let her and Will watch James and the Giant Peach after school.  We had finished the book a while ago and the movie was a special treat.  Seriously - if you haven't read that book (by Roald Dahl) pick it up. It was one of the funniest children's books I have read in a long time.  I think I mentioned the swearing it contained in an earlier post. 

Speaking of Roald Dahl, the church musical this year is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Auditions are in November.  Katie obviously wants to audition and I'm hoping for a small part.  She'll probably be an Oompa Loompa, right?  I'm trying to decide if I want to audition again.  Even though the week of the dress rehearsals and performances were really exhausting last year, it was so much fun.  Katie and I both made friends and connections that we wouldn't have made otherwise, and it's such a fun group of people. 

We have a birthday party this weekend that should be fun - friends celebrating their daughter's 1st birthday.  It's their first child too....so it'll probably be a big blowout. :)  There were a lot of babies born this time last year....

Ok - I'm off to wash the kitchen floor.  I can't run today because the 3 year old doesn't have preschool today.  I may be able to work in a workout while I'm cleaning. :)  It's also Homecoming this week so we have a parade to go to this afternoon.  Katie will be walking in it and handing out pencils. 

Where have I been?

I've been "post-less" for a while now because I had major computer issues last week.  It was working fine Monday night, but when I went to turn it on Tuesday morning I only got a black screen.  I could hear it running, fan blowing, etc.  I did some messing around with it - hooked it up to an external computer monitor and the HD tv - still nothing to display.  From searching on the Internet (thank goodness for other gadgets to go online with!) I deduced that it was probably the video card.  Unfortunately, in a lap top the video card is part of the motherboard itself and you'd have to replace the whole thing. 

As I was trying to get something to display on the external monitors, it seemed the fan had quit working as well.  I wasn't really making any sounds, but there was a slight "hum" to it.  In speaking to 2-3 computer savvy people they all agreed that it was shot.  It had overheated a couple times this summer and spontaneously shut off.  They said that if it continued to overheat, the motherboard and who knows what else, could be severely damaged.  That's why (I'm now told) that it's important to get your laptop cleaned every 2 years or so to avoid this.  A desktop computer has lots of air and circulation space in the tower so that isn't as necessary, but a laptop has very little space to move air around.

It really made a week from hell even worse.  In the end, I did get a new computer on Wednesday afternoon.  That night when I was trying to install software on it, it kept crashing.  My printer software, my anti-virus software, even Microsoft Office.  I called the computer center where I bought it, and they agreed - I had gotten a lemon.  I brought it back on Thursday and they gave me a new one to try again.  This one has worked wonderfully. 

I have an external hard drive that I would use to back-up my previous laptop.  My last back-up was done this summer, after a spontaneous shut down (due to an overheating issue!)  So I THINK I have most of my information saved.  I have yet to hook up the hard drive and see what I can get off it.  Worst case scenario, I've had two guys offer to transfer files for me from the old hard drive to the new one, but hopefully it won't be necessary.  As long as I can get the pictures and videos of the kids and my music - I'll be fine and manage.

So far, so good.

School is a couple weeks in now - finishing up week 3 - and things are going well.  We're getting into the groove and haven't missed a bus, yet.  I've also have 5 mornings now for about 2-3 hours of "me" time....well time that I run errands, get housework done and try to squeak in 30-40 minutes of "me" time.  Since "Pebbles" is getting taken to preschool by her parents, I don't have her until noon those days.  So, once 8:15 comes and both kids are on the bus, I'm "off the clock" until 11:20.  Here's my routine....

8:15 - 8:45 - have a cup of coffee and catch up on e-mails I have to return. 
8:45 - 9:10 - get dressed and ready for a run.  (This may seem like a long time, but I have a process that I go through)
9:10 - 9:50 - run and stretch
9:50 - 10:00 - water/banana/apple
10:00 - 11:10 - shower and run any errands that are needed - store/school/library/etc

Once I did this a few days, I realized that I didn't really have much time.  In my head - it seemed longer. :)  But, I figure I'll do this as long at the weather is cooperative. 

Will seems to like kindergarten.  It will be interesting (as it always is) to go to conferences in October and hear what his teacher has to say.  But he seems to play with lots of kids - and always has good, funny stories to share.

Katie is liking 3rd grade too.  It's officially "upper elementary", you know.  It seems to be more serious this year.  Homework is really corrected and graded - not just stars and stickers.  Points are taken off for punctuation, misspelled words, etc.  And if your name is missing from any homework, it gets crumpled up in front of the class and thrown away.  Then you stay inside during recess to re-do it.  This hasn't happened to Katie, yet.  Although I did hear from a parent of a girl that it did happen to - and that little girl was NOT happy. 

And of course, blamed her mother for not reminding her to put her name on her homework. :)

Strangely enough, I think Katie likes this extra structure and rules.  It's comforting knowing what to expect each day.  And the teacher has told us that she is really strict and firm early on in the year while the kids get used to her, and then as the year goes on it's easier for her to take a step back and watch them take on the classroom expectations themselves.  It should be a fun year!

Friday Funny

I don't know these kids....

One night last week, the kids were playing quietly together downstairs.  Then, they came up.....and this is what they looked like......

Swapped clothes and identities.....

Off and running

School is off and running.  Katie has already gotten into the homework routine without much complaining, and Will is excited to get on the bus each morning.  Today he made sure to walk ALL the way to the back of the bus so he could sit in the last seat. 

Katie has her own caterpillar in her 3rd grade classroom, in a jar right on her desk.  (All the students have their own.)  I saw hers last night at a school meeting and it's already in it's cocoon.  This year, Katie tested into the Program for Academic Challenge as well.  So on Tuesdays she gets to go to the "PAC" room for an hour and work on more challenging problems, read more difficult books, etc.  As part of this program, she also gets to have 15 minutes of "relaxation and mindfulness" every Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday.  This is where she has a scheduled time to go into the "PAC" room, lights dimmed and soft music playing.  She lays on the floor and they practice deep breathing, letting things go, etc.  Sounds kind of nice.

Will has very positive things to say about Kindergarten.  He got to go to the library and check out a book this week, which was a big deal.  He talks about a few friends in his class already (one that lives right down the street!) 

Heading to school....

Waiting for the bus.  Since it was Will's first day riding the bus, I was planning on riding along. (As all parents were invited to do - and many did.) John stayed home to make sure Katie got on her own bus. 

Will waiting with his classmates before going into school.  The 2 little boys to the left are in his class and ride his bus. 



M/W/F "Pebbles" is in preschool.  So I leave to pick her up after Will gets home on the bus.  That means I have about 3 hours before kids start trickling back into the house.  Monday I went for a run, had a cup of coffee and went to the grocery store.  Today, I plan on going for a run, having a cup of coffee and taking the car in for an oil change.  Friday we are camping with friends so I'll spend that morning getting everything ready...and go for a run.  Wow - 3 runs in a week.  It's been a LOOONG time since I've been able to work that in!

Friday Funny

No school pictures

Ok, so I keep forgetting to take pictures of Katie in the morning before school.  We WILL do it tomorrow...then it will be Will's first day and Katie's third.....

In the meantime, here are some pictures of when we visited Itasca State Park!

Walking across the Mississippi.....John helped Katie walk across the rocks so she wouldn't get too wet.

Then, being the good dad he is, John came BACK to help Will across the rocks. 

 (Hey, I was holding the camera!)

And here would be John climbing out of the water after he slipped of a rock. 

But notice how dry the kids look!

Riding bikes on the trails....John and Will are up ahead.

Nothing better than ice cream after a 3 mile bike ride!

100 foot tall fire tower.

I was a little shaky on the way up....not wanting to go up to the top and not wanting the kids to go to the top.  After stating this, Will yelled "I'M GOING TO THE TOP!"  Ok.

I did get there - just after the other 3.

....If I stayed low, I didn't have to look over the edge. :)

More vacation....

The Wednesday we were up north, we went into the local town of Longville.  Every Wednesday from June through August they have turtle races at 2:00.  An entire street is blocked off and people buy a chance to pick a turtle and race it.  (You can also bring your own turtle as long as the shell is over 5 inches wide.)  The racetrack looks like a bullseye.  12 people (and their turtles) start in the middle, then on "GO!" you let them go, and the first one out of the outside ring wins.  Also, the turtle still closest to the starting line wins too as the slowest. :)

Of course Katie and Will both raced their pick of the litter.  Katie came in second fastest.....Will's came in second slowest.

The other big kid-centered activity of the week was the fishing contest put on by the lodge we were staying at.  All kids - fish for 30 minutes (or until everyone has caught at least 1 fish) using whatever bait you wish.  The owner of the lodge went around and took pictures of every child and their first fish.  From then on, he wanted measurements and pictures with what could be the biggest fish or the smallest fish.  Also keep track of the number you catch because there'll be a prize for the most caught too.  Katie missed out on biggest fish by something ridiculous like 1/4 of an inch.  She caught a really nice small mouth bass.  In the end Katie caught 5 and Will caught 4.  AND they were both fishing like pros by the end of the week.



    Stay tuned for details about our stop at Itasca State Park and the Mississippi headwaters.  BUT I have a feeling tomorrow I'll have first day of school pics for Katie......

Funny Friday

Ok - I'm a mean mom, but I thought this was funny.

And as I showing Katie and Will the pictures later....they laughed too. 

So the three of them were riding on the paddle board.  John started rocking it and they thought that was fun.

Pretty soon they started begging Dad to tip them over.....

Almost....

Just about...

AND THEY'RE OVER!

They are also mad...

...very mad.  :)  But it didn't last long.

Busy week back!

Holy cow - it's been a busy week back at home.  State fair, 2 school open houses, beach day, pool day, and it isn't even Friday yet!

Let me see where were we....ah yes, vacation pictures.....

On Tuesday last week we rented a boat for the day.  The kids were able to catch fish off the docks, but they really got a kick out of catching them in the open water.  I didn't mind putting the worms on the hooks, but I let John deal with getting the fish off.  I attempted one time and then gave up.  I DID however manage to get one off later in the week.  Deb: 1  John: 50

Katie driving the boat!

Will is the king of the world....