Living Better One Day At A Time

I'm still here

2025-09-09T20:28:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! So much has happened since I last wrote. Life has been a whirlwind around here. Some good. Some bad. Always eventful it seems. I can't believe it's been over a month since I last wrote. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Let's recap some highlights with photos:

Rebecca and I went to see "Hamilton" in Columbus. It was AMAZING!

I had my first ever colonoscopy. They found a large polyp and removed it. Found out it was aggressive, pre cancerous. The surgeon said that we caught it just in time and that he removed it all. Have to go back again in 3 years instead of 5.

There have been many days where I have felt like this...

Rebecca performed and was an MC for our town's youth showcase at their Music and Arts Festival. She did amazing.

I got Rebecca moved into college. It was a relatively easy experience minus delofting her bed, which a friend was able to help her accomplish a few days later. She is enjoying herself so far and is extremely busy with classes and schedules.

Ben started 8th grade. His last at the middle school.

Jacob started 10th grade!

We have had a couple nights where we have had fires at my sister and sister-in-laws house. During the past month and half they have been rocks for me!

Rebecca came home over Labor Day weekend. It was nice to have her home but it went way too fast. Also my van messed up on the way home from picking her up so that was a bummer.

We celebrated my dad's 66th birthday that weekend. It was nice to have Rebecca home.

In other news without photos:

I am in a new position with Head Start. I returned to work for Head Start but in a different center and in a full day/full year classroom. The hours aren't the best as I have to close now and not get off work until 5:30, but it is where I am supposed to be. Maybe one day I will elaborate on the craziness that was trying to find a suitable job this summer--- including my experience being interviewed by licensing and Children Protective Services 1 week into a new job that I later quit. It has been a bumpy ride for sure.

The boys, especially Ben, are not handling Rebecca being away very well. It has been super rough and emotional around here.

Life is in a rough state right now. But I am taking each day as it is coming and just handling each day as it happens. I have been reading blogs, but not always responding as I have been reading on my phone.

I hope everyone is well. Until next time, I wish you well.

Thoughts

2025-07-16T19:55:00.002-04:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! We made it to the middle of the week. Honestly there really isn't that much going on around here to talk about.

The new job didn't work out. It just wasn't the right fit for me and that is okay. Something will come up that will be for me. I will admit that it is hard to not get depressed and down and frustrated and honestly I am some of that. It is what it is.

I can't believe it is July 16. This month is flying by.

Today would have been my 20th wedding anniversary. It hit me this morning as I was going through Facebook memories. I hadn't thought about it until then. I am not angry now, just sad. I never thought I would be a divorced, single mom.

I have been binge watching nature documentaries on Disney+. I never knew that octopus were such interesting creatures.

The weather has been so humid the last few weeks. I walk outside and immediately am drenched in sweat. We had some rain earlier today.

I had a good nephrology appointment this morning. That is a positive.

Ben broke his bed, so I will be in the market for another one for him. I don't know if he jumped on it or if Jacob jumped on it, but they sheared off one of the middle metal legs. I am not sure how they did it. Ugh. He would rather sleep on the floor anyways, so I am thinking about getting him a frame that is like 3 inches off the ground.

The kids are all gone tonight. The boys are at their dad's apartment. Rebecca is at my sister's house. It's so quiet here and I don't like it. I will have to get used to it though as Rebecca gets ready to move to college.

I just need to get back into a good life rhythm right now. I am depressed I think and my medicine isn't helping but my doctor left the practice and is not practicing right now. Ugh.

Just lots of ughs right now. Such is this season of life. I will get through it. It is just hard for me right now.

Until next time....hope everyone has a good rest of your week.

Fave breakfast, BBQ festival, and 4th of July

2025-07-05T21:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope everyone has had a good day and had a good 4th of July if you celebrate that. Thought I would hop on here for a little miscellaneous post.

This has been my favorite breakfast/brunch lately. Scrambled eggs (with or without peppers) with Apple Salsa on top. It is so good!!

Rebecca and I went to our town's local "Brews, Blues and BBQ" event. It was sort of smaller than I thought it would be with only one stage set up for music. We went with my sister, sister-in-love, and my SIL's brother who was in town. I had a macaroni and cheese and BBQ pork burrito. It was really good and the sauce was yummy!

My sister had a parfait cup that had BBQ pork, baked beans, coleslaw and topped with a mini corn muffin. It looks so cute.

Yesterday we went to my parents' house for the 4th of July celebration. My mom cooked out and the food was yummy. There was smashburgers, chicken skewers, caprese salad, pasta salads, ribs (that got a little crunchy on the grill but were yummy) and more.

There were games of Corn hole and badminton. There were sparklers and firework fun (which my mom and sister let off). Overall it was a nice day.

And finally, this moth tried to stay in my parents' house as we were leaving for the night. It was a beautiful moth that my sister finally got to go back out into the night.

Today has been very low key. The boys went to their dads. Rebecca and I made a Walmart run and otherwise just laid around and relaxed. I did run to a friend's house to feed her cats and water her flowers for her while she is gone on a trip.

Gotta gear up for the next week. Hope all of you are well and staying cool. Have a great rest of your weekend!

Boys home, margarita and maybe a new job

2025-06-28T10:23:00.005-04:00

Happy Saturday everyone! I can't believe it has been over 2 weeks since I last wrote. I didn't mean to go radio silent, just been dealing with some depression and other things and the hot/humid weather that means I don't want to do anything at all.

Not much has been happening, except dealing with the hot and humid weather like a lot of other folks. Really it has been too hot to go outside as heat indexes have been over 100 degrees and the humidity is sky high.

So what HAS been happening since the last time that I wrote. Well, I had to get my windshield replaced. I had a huge crack along the bottom that developed over the winter and then a couple months ago a truck threw a rock and made a crack in the middle. Thankfully, there is a company called Safelite which will come to you to replace the windshield. $300 later I am good to go.

The boys made it home from camp. They had a great time. Ben conquered the giant swing! Jacob had a blast with his cabin mates and he even gave a testimony before the final mass of the week. The final mass was really cool as the Bishop of our diocese was actually there to celebrate mass. And yes the boys were very stinky! 🤣🤣🤣

I had dinner with a coworker of mine. We splurged on margaritas, which was perfect on a hot day. We have both been considering taking different jobs given the uncertainty of the funding of Head Start. It was a nice reprieve from cooking and the conversation was great.

I have taken on a couple of small jobs cat-sitting for a friend. Her and her husband go camping a lot so I am going over to her house when they are gone and feeding their cats, cleaning out litter boxes, and watering her flowers. It gives me something to do.

I have also gone on 2 interviews at a learning center/childcare center that is about 40 minutes from my house. I have actually been offered a preschool teaching job there. I have been weighing the pros and cons and I am leaning toward taking the position as it is a privately owned company that has centers around the state. So I would be looking at job security on that front. The only downside is that they don't offer the same benefits as Head Start. I don't know if it is my depression or anxiety that is making me apprehensive but I am nervous about it.

Other than that not much has been getting done. My house is a disaster. In fact, today is the first day in a while I have felt like getting things done at home. So, after I finish this up I am going to start tackling some cleaning projects--- like the mountains of laundry, sweeping of floors, etc. Doing all of this in the coolness of my air conditioner of course. 🤣🤣🤣

What are you guys up to this Saturday? Are you staying cool?

Camp and Orientation

2025-06-10T09:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! As promised here is the continuation of my crazy busy weekend, which began with Rebecca's graduation party.

Saturday night, I came home from the party. Froze the leftover meat. Left everything else that I brought home either on the counter or on the floor in the boxes that I brought them home in and then went to bed. I had to get up and continue packing for the boys to get them ready for camp. I also had to pack for myself for a short trip Rebecca and I were taking to Bowling Green for her orientation. And we had to leave by 12:30 for all this to happen.

It was a stressful morning. I hated leaving the house in a mess but honestly it is what it is and I know I will clean the house when I get home.

Rebecca and I got the boys dropped off for their week-long Catholic Youth Summer Camp. I hope they have an amazing week. I know Ben was nervous to go, but I have seen a couple pictures of him and he seems to be having fun! Now the fun questions to ask are "will the boys shower and use soap this week?" "Will the boys change their clothes each day?" "How smelly will the boys be when I pick them up on Friday?" 🤣🤣🤣

After dropping the boys off, Rebecca and I headed north to Bowling Green. She was scheduled to have orientation yesterday and it was an all day event and she had to be there at 8 AM so we decided to make it a little road trip.

We got to the hotel around 3:30 PM and that is when the fun started. We decided to take a dip in the pool. No worries. Pool water was decent temperature. We were the only ones there. Then we decided that we wanted to watch the Tony awards Sunday night. When we got back to the room, we tried to turn on the TV. It wouldn't work. So I went down to the front desk, as she wasn't answering her phone, and she apologized and said she could move us to a new room. Great. We move to another room just down the hall, and TV is on and seems to work. Great. Rebecca started watching TV and about 30 minutes in, the TV shuts down and says no connection and won't work. I call down to the front desk and explain what happened. The front desk lady apologized profusely and said that maintenance was not there and she could move us to another room on the opposite end of the hotel and on a different floor. We didn't mind. So we ended up on the top floor with a working TV. (It did glitch at one point, but immediately came back on). She was so apologetic and said that she was so sorry that this was happening and that they had just come off a sold out weekend and they had to shut down several rooms due to the WIFI not working in those rooms, etc. I wasn't upset as we have stayed at this hotel a number of times when we have come up to BG and this is the first time we have ever had this problem.

We ended up walking across the parking lot to go to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, where Rebecca discovered that the mild wings are still a little too spicy for her. When we got back we watched the Tony Awards and I enjoyed all the musical numbers, including the Hamilton reunion.

Yesterday was orientation day. We had to be at Bowling Green State University at 8AM. It was a long day with a lot of information that I already had received at previous events. However it was good for Rebecca as she got to get her class schedule, meet some new people, and saw her dorm layout to get an idea of what her actual room will look like and get some valuable information about dates, and events, etc. It was a lot of sitting and listening to presentations for parents.

They did feed us lunch though and it was yummy. Dining hall food has sure gotten better since I was in college! Overall it was a productive day.

Then it was back to the hotel for some rest. We ordered Campus Pollyeyes famous stuffed bread sticks for dinner. They were so yummy! Then spent the rest of the evening relaxing-- Rebecca played games on her tablet and was texting friends. I was working on this here blog and catching up on some reading of blogs.

For the rest of the week, I need to meal plan. I need to clean house. I need to head over to my sister and SIL's house and take down graduation party stuff and return tables and chairs to rightful owners. I have lots of things that I need to do. So if I go silent for the rest of the week, I will either be sleeping off the exhaustion from the long weekend, or Ill be too busy doing housework.

Hope everyone is having a great day! Until next time.....

Rebecca's Graduation Party

2025-06-09T18:24:00.002-04:00

Happy Monday everyone! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Mine was SUPER busy and stressful, but overall it was all good. Can I ask a favor though? Next time I decided to throw a graduation party, send 2 kids off to camp and attend a college orientation over the course of 3 consecutive days, please will someone stop me?!? It was a lot! But that has been my reality over the last 4 days.

Friday, I went to my sister and sister-in-law's house to decorate and set up for Rebecca's graduation party. We got some stuff set up and then I had to head back home to pack the boys up for their week long camp that I was taking them to on Sunday, pick up tables that I was borrowing from friends, and to make the cupcakes for Rebecca's party. On Saturday morning, I got to work cooking up taco meat, icing the cupcakes, and doing some last minute things at home, like finishing up a photo board, finding all her certificates to display, etc. Then I headed off to my sister and SIL's house to finish setting up. I think the decorations and displays turned out really well. Her party was to start at 4 and would go until whenever (it ended up going until around 10:40ish). There was a decent turn out of her friends. They all seemed to enjoy the taco bar and the cupcakes (despite the melting icing due to the heat/humidity).

I went simple with the menu-- chicken and beef soft tacos with lettuce, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa for toppings. I also had nacho cheese and tortilla chips, beans and Spanish rice. Cupcakes for dessert. I will say that I bought enough food for everyone who she invited because I literally got 3 RSVP texts. Does no one RSVP anymore? I should have bought half of what I did and that would have been enough. Oh well, live and learn. I froze the taco meats and we will definitely use them up for dinners.

One of the fun things that Rebecca wanted to do for her party was she wanted to burn her college recruitment letters from all the various colleges that sent her mail. So we were able to make that happen. Her friends thought that was a pretty cool idea and seemed to enjoy it. They also enjoyed the yard sized Jenga and they played UNO and enjoyed the photo backdrop.

Overall it was a nice party, although Rebecca did end up getting a migraine level headache and that dampened some of the party. Good thing her aunt is a nurse and got her medicine (ibuprofen and then Tylenol) and caffeinated her up to help the head.

We cleaned up the food, but left everything else out because it was late and we were all EXHAUSTED. I had to get up early on Sunday to finish packing for the boys, shower, and pack my stuff up for a short trip for Rebecca's orientation at college.

I will continue this tomorrow as this post has become really, really long......

So until then, have a wonderful night!

Random photos on my phone

2025-06-04T22:12:00.002-04:00

Happy Wednesday everyone. Today's post is brought to you by randomness. Just some short things that really can't be put into posts on their own. Just some randomness that is happening around my home brought to you by photos on my phone.

The kids and I tried these and they were nothing special. Jacob, who loves PB and J was disappointed in them. I felt like they tasted just like regular Reese's as they had almost no jelly in them.

I had a ton of bananas that went very ripe. So I made a new recipe, a chocolate and banana Bundt cake. It was pretty tasty.

The inside of the cake.

Gus and Gronk are confused why I am home all day everyday. They also like to sit and stare at me.

Like last year, I have joined a Facebook group "Streaking With the Cool Kids" and am committed to walking 1 mile every day in June. I need to do this as my weight has crept up. So far so good, I have walked at least 1 mile each day.

June 1, I walked down to our town square for our walk as they were having an artisan event. Jacob came with me and I treated him and I to Bubble beverages. He had a bubble lemonade and I had a bubble tea. He had never had a bubble beverage before and it was hilarious seeing his reaction the first time he got a bubble up through his straw. My tea was mixed berry tea with strawberry bubbles. It was super yummy.

So I had to break into my own house today....Long story short, we left and got my mom and sister. Had to run back to the house as Rebecca thought she left her iron plugged in (she did). When she came out she got my keys stuck in the door frame, on the inside and locked us out. After figuring out what to do, we had to break a window in the basement to get in. My sister climbed in and saved the day. Now I need to replace that window.

And Finally, I haven't been to a Red Lobster in years. We were going shopping for Rebecca's grad party and we stopped in at Red Lobster to eat as my sister wanted their cheddar bay biscuits. I had the Flounder sandwich and oh my word it was so good!

Does anyone else have any randomness occurring in their lives?

Menu Plan Monday

2025-06-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday and Happy June! June officially started yesterday but who's counting? Hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was pretty good. Low key. Didn't really do a whole lot. I have a busy week coming up... I have to get ready for Rebecca's graduation party AND get the boys ready to go to their week long camp next weekend. Lots to do. I also have to make sure that the kids are fed and that we don't waste any food and I want to start clearing out older food that has been in my freezer for a while. So I thought at least for the foreseeable future I would go back to doing menu plan Mondays to make sure I am keeping myself accountable not only for time but also for budget. So what are we eating this week:

SUNDAY: Turkey breast* (cooked in crock pot), mashed potatoes, green beans, crescent rolls, gravy

MONDAY: Breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs, sausage biscuits*, roasted red potatoes, fruit)

TUESDAY: Turkey pepper wraps (a new recipe), chips, cucumbers and fruit.

WEDNESDAY: Y.O.Y.O/ boys are with their father

THURSDAY: Fried chicken*, macaroni and cheese, green beans

FRIDAY: Pizza??

SATURDAY: Rebecca graduation party--- taco bar and cupcakes

* This symbol shows food from the freezer that needs to be used up as I have had it for a long time.

What are you eating this week?

Books read

2025-05-31T11:48:00.035-04:00

Happy last day of May! Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I can't believe May is over. My kids are out of school for the summer and I am just feeling restless. I haven't even been able to get into a routine yet and that is throwing me off. One thing that I have done is finally I have gotten back into reading for pleasure. One of the things that I have gotten away from is not taking time to do the things I enjoy to relax and that I like to do. Reading is one of those things. I have decided to start making a list of all the books that I have read each month so that maybe someone else can see what books are out there, and it just keeps me accountable. This month's list is going to include all the books I have read so far this year. These books are:

This book was okay. ★★★☆☆

Good read, but very predictable Colleen Hoover. ★★★☆☆

I felt this book was okay. Got really repetitive, but overall was an okay read. ★★★☆☆

WOW! Loved this book. Very powerful. ★★★★★

Very enlightening. ★★★★☆

Easy summer read. ★★★★☆

★★★☆☆

★★★★☆

This was really good. ★★★★★

Have you read any good books lately? Care to give a recommendation?

She Graduated and Memorial Day

2025-05-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was super busy but full of family time.

Saturday I went to the library, as I want to start getting back into reading. Then Saturday night we had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant to celebrate my brother getting a new job. There were probably 25-30 of us there. It was a nice time.

Sunday was the perfect day for a high school graduation! Rebecca and 305 of her classmates all graduated in a ceremony that was only 1.5 hours long. It was a wonderful ceremony and I was so proud of Rebecca as she graduated with honors!

After her graduation, we went to my sister and sister-in-law's house and my sister-in-law cooked dinner for everyone. It was a very low key but wonderful celebration. We had talked about going out to eat, but we figured everywhere in our town that would be suitable would be packed and this was just so much better. After dinner, my sister-in-law built a small fire in their fire pit. It was truly a good day.

Yesterday was Memorial Day and one of the things that I love about our small town is their Memorial Day parade. This year it was very nicely done and very respectful. My sister-in-law and my niece walked in the parade with my sister-in-law's work. We also found Waldo in the parade! The rest of the day was pretty low key with naps being taken, and just resting and relaxing.

This is the last week of school for the boys. Jacob has finals today, tomorrow and Thursday. Ben has classes as well, with early release on Thursday. My plans for the week include cleaning, cleaning, laundry, more cleaning, etc. You get the picture. LOL.

I hope everyone has a good week. Let me know what you've been up to.

Last day of high school for Rebecca and unemployment

2025-05-23T20:02:00.001-04:00

Her end of the year art assignment. Not only can she sing, but she can do art remarkably well as well. This self-portrait was done in graphite and the background is paint.

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone is ready for this holiday weekend here in the USA. Not only is it Memorial Day weekend, it is also Graduation weekend for Rebecca. She had her official last day of school yesterday. Today she had senior breakfast at her elementary school, and then graduation practice. She then spent the day with a couple of her closest friends who are also graduating. The boys still have school next week. Jacob has finals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Ben has classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There is an early release on Thursday for Ben.

I am still over here trying to figure out this whole laid off thing. I haven't had a lot of energy this week. I have caught up on laundry, deep cleaned the bathroom, and paid bills. I also attempted to apply for unemployment earlier this week only to find out that someone tried to use my social security number and birth date to apply for unemployment in February of 2023. Wasn't me. So I had to upload a ton of verification documents to the agency to prove that I am me. Today I got a phone call from the agency and was able to at least start the application process.

I have to decided what I want/ need to do. With the budget cuts projected for the agency I don't want to be in a situation where I will lose my job since the agency might shut down. Do I look for a new full time job now? Do I hold out and stick with Head Start? I don't know. I have a lot of thinking to do.

For now, I am going to put that aside for the weekend. I am going to enjoy being the mom of a graduate. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

5 Word Wednesday

2025-05-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Prom and Scholarships

2025-05-20T13:38:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everyone had a good weekend and Monday. It is a grey, chilly day here. I think it is supposed to start raining this afternoon/evening and then rain for the next 2 or 3 days. Oh well. It is what it is. Thankfully the weather this weekend wasn't horrible because Saturday was a special day for Rebecca.

Saturday was prom. Rebecca spent the day doing her nails and getting ready. I am thankful that she is frugal in getting ready. I did feel bad that I couldn't give her the star treatment that it seemed others were getting (getting hair and nails and makeup done, etc.). She said she didn't mind. In fact, I think she enjoyed doing her own hair and makeup after watching YouTube videos. I am of NO help, as I wear my hair pinned up, in a bun or in a pony tail most days and I don't wear makeup at all. (On a side note, one of her friends did the same as Rebecca and did his own hair and makeup, the other got theirs professionally done) My parents bought her her dress, shoes and purse. We took pictures with her friends at a local bridge before hand and then in the park where prom was located. The theme for this year's prom was Garden Gala. It was at the event center at a local park here in town. They had a taco truck and an ice cream truck there for the kids to enjoy. She said she had a good time, and she even came home having won a raffle at prom winning some very expensive (think like $200 worth) ear phones.

Last night, was the Senior Awards night at her high school. This is for invited seniors and is a presentation of a lot of scholarships that they have applied for and had won. Rebecca was invited to attend and we knew that there were 2 scholarships that she had won; anything else would be icing on the cake. Well, she walked away with 7 scholarships total (the 2 we knew about and 5 we did not). She earned over $7000 in scholarships last night to help with her freshman year. I am so proud of the young woman she has grown into and the dedication she has shown to her schooling and to her outside of school endeavors.

So, what is next for her? Well she has classes until Thursday. Friday she has Senior breakfast at her elementary school and then in the afternoon graduation practice. Graduation is on Sunday. It is barreling towards us as fast as it can. I wish I could slow it down.

What we've been up to the last month...

2025-05-17T18:05:00.001-04:00

Well, hello there. It's been a while. Almost a month. Well, I will just say life is super busy with end of the year stuff, kids, dealing with my mental health, etc. I feel like I sound like a broken record. I have been reading blogs on my phone but haven't had time to actually sit and write down anything. Finally, today I have a few minutes to catch up and so thought I'd hop on my laptop and write down a little update. So what's been going on since Easter and the death of Pope Francis.

Well as you all know we have an American born Pope--- Pope Leo XIV. I am excited to see what he will do for the Catholic Church.

In my own household... let's see....

Ben had his end of the year choir concert. Can't believe my baby is almost done with 7th grade. It hasn't been the easiest year. He also had his last track meet. He did really well with it being his first year. He is already talking about doing track again next year. He is taller than me and we still have our fair share of unease. He still takes his anger out over my divorce on me, but he has been working with a counselor and there has been a slight improvement.

Jacob is finishing up his Freshman year. Again not the easiest year but I am proud of how far he has come. He fell in love with theater this year and hopes to continue in that next year. He also has confirmed his love for choir. He, and Rebecca, and their high school chorale went to the State Competition where they scored an excellent rating. They also just had their end of the year concert which is where the above picture is from. He is looking forward to performing in Chorale again next year.

Then there was Rebecca.

It is such a busy time for Seniors. We have had several awards ceremonies to go to. At the Kiwanis awards ceremony, she was awarded for her involvement in Vedette, which is their high school's literary arts magazine. She was also recognized for being in the top 10% of the Senior Class.

Then she had May Fiesta, which is the end of the year Choir concert. It is a dinner and a show. This year they catered Mexican food during the solo singer's part. She performed a solo and was awarded "The Next Mr. G" award. This is a senior award given to the senior who is most likely to follow in the footsteps of their choir director.

The concert itself was amazing. Part of the intermission also included a senior slideshow and awards given, where Rebecca was awarded her Triple Varsity Choir letter (which is the first time her director has had to hand that out), a $300 Scholarship for college, and the National School Choral Student Award which is awarded to the top Senior and means that her name will go on a plaque in the school hallways as well.

The next day was Mother's Day. Mother's Day was an okay day. I got up went to church. Came home and went back to bed. I am not going to lie, it is hard being a single mom. The boys made me cards, only after Rebecca told them to. She made me a vase in her art class, that I am actually using in the kitchen as a utensil caddy. We went to my parents' house for dinner where my sister in law cooked dinner, but out of the mom's there, I was the only one who hadn't been showered with special things. I know I am being bitter, but it sucked. It is what it is and I think is maybe part of the reason why my mental health is just not in a good place these days. Even though I am seeing a counselor and taking medication, life is still really hard.

This past week, we had another awards ceremony for Rebecca. This time it was for her 3rd year Academic Letter. (She would have her 4th year, but they had a different system in place her freshman year which made it impossible for almost anyone other than juniors and seniors to earn academic letters).

Next week, she has been invited to the Senior Awards ceremony. Tonight is Prom. She has been extremely busy and will continue for the next couple of weeks.

Also this past week, was my last week of preschool teaching for the school year. This school year has been extremely challenging. However, it is over and now it is summer break for me. It will be weird as I will be laid off. Not sure how I am financially going to be able to handle this summer, but I will do what I have to do.

Well, I need to sign off so I can see how prom getting ready is going! All I have to say is being a mom of a senior is not for the faint of heart!

Hope everyone is doing well. And hopefully I will be back sooner rather than later.

Wonderful Easter, the Pope, and this week

2025-04-22T19:48:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone. Thanks for the kind words on my last post. It just stinks and gives me an edge of uneasiness. I am committed through the end of this school year which is mid May. I have said that my intention is to return in the fall, but who knows what is going to happen at that point. I am trying hard to be intentional in my thoughts and not let the what ifs take over.

Despite all the somber thoughts about my job, I ended up having a wonderful Easter with the family. The kids and I went to mass on Sunday morning. I forgot to get cinnamon roll dough at the store, so we had to make an emergency jaunt to Walmart as Ben was so upset that I wasn't going to do cinnamon rolls. Funny thing is that I made cinnamon rolls and bacon and he didn't even eat any as he was eating the candy out of his Easter basket. The Easter bunny had come overnight.

I took a 2 hour nap on Easter Sunday. I am allowing myself to rest.

Then we went to my parents house for Easter dinner. I picked my sister up (did I mention that she and my sister in law moved into a house a couple of blocks down the street from me!) and took her. It was a wonderful, family filled afternoon/evening.

I woke up on Monday morning with the news of Pope Francis' death. He will truly be missed by the Catholic Faithful and it just felt weird all day long to think about him and his legacy. I also saw the news that my very first boss at the first school I taught at had died. Joan was an amazing example of living your faith and raising a family and keeping with your values. She was a mentor and I am so glad that she was there for me when I began my career path out of college.

It has definitely been a week of ups and downs. Life is such in flux and I just need to be intentional in what I am doing and not doing. Life has it's good days and it's sad days. I can just do my best to live each day as best as I can.

I might not have a job

2025-04-16T20:02:00.003-04:00

So... how is that for a beginning.

So this past Friday night, our director shared a USA Today article that shared that the upcoming FY26 Budget from President Trump, eliminates all funding to Head Start programs across the nation and essentially eliminates Head Start from existing. The link to the article is here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2025/04/11/trump-proposal-eliminating-head-start/83045346007/fbclid=IwY2xjawJtIT5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHv0cjO6b0DiHSkDxGfqQc8pn6YV9QJhudeL3oGKjzWi1q8iQUr5j_SxB3ne2_aem_xWIP3fTK_S0LjBbrafLKig

I work for Head Start. This basically means that if this budget is correct, I am out of a job. This is devastating. It was a sucker punch. Not just to me, but to the families that we work day in and day out for.

Then we had an emergency meeting on Tuesday where we learned that funds that have already been allocated for this school year, have not been deposited on schedule and this has already caused several Head Start closures around the country. Right now I don't know if I will have a job in a month or not. I am praying for the best, but trying to figure out what to do for the worst.

I don't typically get political on this blog, but this is hitting home. IF this happens, and it is looking more and more like it will, it will affect over 1 million families. It is hurting those most vulnerable--- children. I am so angry, hurt and I really don't know what to do. What I will be doing and what I am asking all of you to do is to advocate for Head Start across the country. Contact your state's senators and legislators and tell them this cannot happen. Head Start must be continued for the future.

In the meantime, can I ask for prayers for what I am supposed to do? I am so stressed out it is making my body hurt. This sucks.

College visit, track, birthday, and counseling

2025-04-05T20:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Saturday everyone! Like a lot of the Midwest it is a rainy,rainy day. It seems like it has been raining for days. There are some areas near us that have flooded. We have a little bit of water in a couple of spots in my basement but not major. It is still raining as I type this up on this Saturday night.

Life continues to be busy. (I know you guys are probably tired of me saying that!)

Rebecca and I spent last Friday at Bowling Green State University for a visit day. She was super excited to be there and she also was super excited to see that they had Tropical Sprite in one of their cafeterias. It is the little things.

We had a good visit. Got some dates for fall semester and some more useful information. It was a good visit. Next time we will be up there for June orientation. It is coming up quickly!

This week is back to school for the kiddos after Spring Break. It was also back to rehearsals for the Spring Musical for Rebecca and Jacob and back to track for Benjamin.

He had his first track meet on Tuesday and he admitted that he was very nervous. I missed his first event, which was shot put. For shot put he threw 15 feet and 7.25 inches. There were supposed to be 3 teams in this meet, but only his team and the hosting school was there. The hosting school only had 2 or 3 throwers so their events went very quickly. I did make it in time to see him throw the discus. For discus he threw 51 feet and 4 inches. He was super excited to compete and he had fun!

The next day Ben turned 13 years old!! I can't believe that my baby is a teenager! He had a good birthday with McDonald's for dinner, chocolate lasagna, and presents. He said "it was the best birthday ever!"

We will be celebrating with family tomorrow. That means that today I have spent cleaning and doing laundry and running errands in the rain. I still don't feel ready for tomorrow but it will be what it will be.

In between all that there was work and I finally got into see a therapist. I saw her a couple of weeks ago, but then she was sick and I couldn't get in until this week. I think this is someone that I can work with. Maybe one day I will go into more detail, but I have been diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD and am dealing with lots of unresolved grief. It is a process but one that I need to go on for my own well being.

Right now, I am waiting on the boys to get home from their fathers. I need to go flip laundry here in a few minutes and figure out what I need to get at the grocery store tomorrow. Oh and I need to go pay a few bills. I am back to reality. Hope all of you are staying dry and are having a good weekend. Until next time, I wish you well.

A nice hike

2025-03-27T20:21:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday everyone! Today has been a beautiful, sunny day here. The kids have been on Spring Break all week. I had to work Monday, Tuesday and yesterday. Today and tomorrow I have off for a little break. Monday and Tuesday I was in meetings and trainings all day long. Yesterday, I spent time cleaning at our center. We cleaned out a shed and had another meeting. So glad to be off today.

Today the weather was gorgeous. It was in the high 50's and the sun was out. So the kids and I went out on a long walk. We walked over 2 miles. It felt so good to be outside.

Thank you for all the kind words on my last post. I am still not okay but the sunshine today helped. I have a quite busy weekend ahead. Then the craziness really picks up next week when it is back to school and work.

Tonight, I am going to watch "Mufasa" with the kids. Ben loves anything to do with The Lion King, so he is looking forward to it.

Until next time, I hope all is well with you!

Stream of consciousness

2025-03-22T21:18:00.004-04:00

Good evening everyone! I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.

Just wanted to hop on here and put some thoughts down. I haven't really felt like writing. This was a long week. I don't know if it is writer's block, although I don't know that I would say that I was a writer. I don't know if it is because life is just overwhelming right now.

Jacob has been sick off and on all week. On Friday he called me after school and said he had a fever and felt awful and could I come get him. I told him I would but it would be probably 45 minutes or so before I could get there as I was at work.

Work has been busy, with the overlying stress of not knowing if we will have jobs next fall due to stuff going on in Washington. I will not make this a political blog, but just know that what is going on in Washington does affect the everyday person and it sucks. Friday was the last day with kids as they are on Spring Break next week. I don't really get Spring Break as I have to work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I am grateful that we are off Thursday and Friday, but would have liked to have it all week. Oh well, be grateful I still have a job.

I have been feeling off. I don't know. I feel alone in a lot of this and it is hard to put my thoughts into words that really express how I am feeling.

I have failed at my Lenten resolutions. I gave up pop and Reeses. I have caved to both.

I did read a book this week, so there is that. I read Kristin Hannah's "The Nightingale." It was fabulous and I would highly recommend it. I am currently reading "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Speaking of books, I will not be attending my monthly Book club this coming month, as the meeting falls on the same night as Ben's birthday. Usually the boys' dad has Wednesday off but for some reason they gave him Friday off that week. We will celebrate his birthday that night.

Speaking of birthdays we have 3 coming up in the next 2 weeks. Monday is my mom's birthday. My brother's birthday is on the 29th and then Ben's is on the 2nd. Can't believe he will be a teenager.

I am getting old.

Well, I need to go and flip the laundry. Because if there is one thing that doesn't change no matter what is that laundry will be a constant.

Hope everyone has a nice night. Sorry for the downer of a post this was, but that is just where I am at right. now.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and catching up!

2025-03-17T15:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday and Happy St. Patrick's Day to all those who celebrate. I am part Irish (my Paternal Great-Grandparents immigrated from Ireland) so I wear green and maybe make a green dessert. I don't go all out as I am usually working, however NOT this year. I had a personal day today and have loved every minute of it! Before I get into that let's see what's been going on this past week....

Last I wrote, the boys were sick with the stomach bug. Well they got over that and just in time for Ben's choir concert on Tuesday night. The 7th and 8th grade choirs sounded great and I loved every minute of the concert.

Life continued for normal for about a day until I became sick with the stomach bug and spent Wednesday night and most of Thursday too sick to move. That stomach bug was nasty. I never had a fever (although I woke up in sweat twice). But man did I ache and couldn't keep anything down. Finally Thursday night I started feeling a little better. Which was good because I went out to see the Lunar Eclispe that happened around 3AM.

I did work on Friday but man I ached. Thankfully, I am back to feeling pretty normal now.

Rebecca, during all of this, avoided us like the plague. She had District OMEA Large Group competition on Friday and COULD not get sick. Thankfully she did not end up getting sick. Jacob and Rebecca and their high school Chorale went to district's, earned a 1 which is the highest score and now advance to the State Large Group competition! So Proud of those kids. I was sorry to miss districts, but it would have been a tight turn around to watch them perform and I was still not feeling well enough to go. Both Rebecca and Jacob said that they understood.

We did end up watching "Moana 2" on Friday night which Ben loved. I give it a B. Music and graphics were good, but the storyline left lots of be desired.

Rebecca and I were supposed to go shopping for prom dresses this weekend, but like many other areas in the Midwest, we were dealing with storms and rain so we postponed to next weekend. Instead, I did some laundry, and spent a ton of time in the kitchen making food for this week as our schedule is super busy and I need to cook more at home than what happened last week. I made a pasta bake that I froze for later this week, chicken enchiladas for tomorrow night's dinner, tuna salad, peanut butter cookies, a green vanilla Bundt cake, and pulled a roast out for dinner tonight.

Yesterday, I took a long nap. Laid down for what was supposed to be 20 minutes and ended up sleeping for over 2 hours. I guess my body needed it. I puttered around the house, folding laundry, etc.

Today, like I mentioned I took a personal day from work. I took the kids to school. Went to Kroger to get au jus for the roast I am making today and they were all out except for the most expensive packet. I got it though as I needed it. Home to get roast in the crock pot and then it was off to spend the day. I got a massage! Ran to my lawyers to sign some papers (for the never ending divorce). Went to the bookstore. Went to Walmart. Went for a LONG walk in the sunshine.

And now I am working on this post while I wait until it is time to put my mom hat back on and pick Ben up from track practice. It is almost time for me to leave so I will end this here. Hope everyone is having a good day!

How have YOU been doing? Are you doing anything for St. Patrick's Day?

Life....

2025-03-10T10:59:00.004-04:00

Happy tired Monday everyone! Did the time change affect you? It did me. I am exhausted today. Or it could be that the boys are sick (throwing up) and I didn't get much sleep last night. Or it's probably a combination of both. All I know is that I am exhausted.

Sorry for the lack of posts the last 2 weeks. Just been busy with everyday stuff. When you have 3 kids, all very involved in different activities, time becomes sacred.

Some of the things we've been up to here in our house include:

Taking a walk on a somewhat warm day. There was one day before track started for Ben that he and I took a walk after I got home from work and before we had to pick his sister and brother up from play practice.

Ben's been doing very well in therapy. His therapist agrees that we are going to start working on his anxiety as he scored a 57 on a test for anxiety where normal is 15. Ben has been enjoying wearing hoodies, as he has joined the middle school track team and they have to wear layers everyday. He has also enjoyed being silly.

We helped my sister and sister-in-love move all their boxes into my parents' garage. They are trying to buy a house here in my town but they are staying with my parents in the meantime.

I made homemade egg rolls for the first time ever. They were super yummy.

We've had some pretty sunrises.

Rebecca and Jacob had their "Music in the Schools" March concert. The Chorale sounded AMAZING and they even got a standing ovation for their last song. They have a large group competition coming up this weekend.

There have been the usual play practices for Rebecca and Jacob. Ben has had track each day after school. Jacob has had track when he is not at play practice. I have been working, not really knowing if I will have a job after this year due to the people in Washington making budget cuts and possibly cutting funding to Head Start. It is all a lot. Then throw in the day to day life of laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. and I don't have a whole lot of time left in my day. I think this meme from Facebook explains it clearly right now for my life:

Well, I am off. I need to flip laundry (so thankful I got my laundry caught up on Saturday as the boys started puking yesterday). I also am going to head into work for about an hour to set things up for this week and then I have a doctors appointment. Then back home to care for the sick kiddos. Pray that they get over this quickly and Rebecca and I do not get it.

What's up in your world recently?

2025-02-24T06:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! Another week is here. This weekend was busy again.... the story of my life.

Saturday, I took an all day class that focused on parenting a child with anxiety. All 3 of my kids (and myself) deal with anxiety so it was a very informative class and I am glad that I took it.

When I got home, I took Rebecca and her best friend Felix out to Dollar Tree and to Fiesta Mexicana for dinner. I love being around my kids' friends. This child is like my 4th child.

Sunday, I went to mass and taught PSR. Then it was off to my nephew's band concert. It was a good concert and since it is a small school district, it was a short concert. My nephew really is enjoying playing the saxophone.

Now it is on to another week...I HAVE to get back to meal planning and following my plan. I need to lose some weight and am pondering that for Lent... we shall see. What I can start with is menu planning so let's see what is on the menu.....

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What we ate this past week:

SUNDAY: Bratwurst, green beans and mac-n-cheese

MONDAY: Made bacon cheeseburger soup and rolls. Was a new recipe that was just okay.

TUESDAY:: No picture, but crazy day meant McDonald's for dinner.

WEDNESDAY: Homemade subs and pineapple (kids also had chips)

THURSDAY: Honestly, it was another McDonald's day. I got my once a year Shamrock shake. No picture again.

FRIDAY: Pizza night from Dominos. They were having sale so I ordered.

SATURDAY: Went out for Mexican with Rebecca and her best friend.

It was an eating out heavy week. Sometimes weeks are like that. I need to reign it in though. Lent is coming up and I am contemplating eating out among other things.

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What will we eat this week?:

Sunday: It was a fend for yourself kind of night. Ben and Jacob had mac-n-cheese. Rebecca had a 3 minute pizza. I had an egg sandwich.

Monday: Crockpot Tex-Mex chicken and rice

Tuesday: General Tsao chicken in crockpot and rice

Wednesday: YOYO/ kids with dad

Thursday: Chili and crackers

Friday: Pizza rolls and fruit

Saturday: The boys are with their father/ YOYO

What are you eating this week?

Five on Friday: It's been a busy week

2025-02-21T19:50:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!

We made it to the weekend.

And Wowser's it was a busy week!

So today for Five on Friday I thought I would do a quick recap of the week:

1. Monday

This was President's Day and I was supposed to take Ben to get blood work done. However, Mother Nature had other plans. We got snow and ice on Sunday and Monday and we were under a Level 2 snow emergency for part of the day. Needless to say, we stayed home as the kids and I were all off work/school. We just hung out at home. I did some puttering around the house, did my Bible Study stuff, and just puttered.

2. Tuesday

Today was COLD and LONG. At work, we had kids who have been acting CRAZY all week and then had to get ready for our art show which was the next day. Then I had an in-service meeting that I had to attend. Needless to say I felt behind all day and I had forgotten to put something in the Crockpot so I stopped at McDonald's on the way home. The kids were thrilled that I had gotten them McD's.

3. Wednesday

Wednesday was another LONG day at work as we had our annual art show. It was well attended but again made for a long day as it was after class was over. The parents loved it though and that is what matters.

4. Thursday

Yesterday, we had more snow! Enough to give a 2 hour delay for the kids. It was a crazy ride to work where I had to stop twice to use water to clean off my windshield as the spray from trucks made it impossible to see and my windshield wiper fluid sprayers were frozen. Not a good combination. It was an okay day at work. After work, I picked up my medicine at Walmart, picked up a Shamrock shake and dinner from McDonald's for me and after I ate, I went to Adoration at my church and my Bible Study. Again another long but good day.

5. Friday

Today was another 2 hour delay day for the kids. I am beginning to hate 2 hour delay days and the snow. Thankfully today my windshield washer fluid worked! It wasn't a super crazy day at work. It was still a long day though as I had to take Ben to counseling, pick up my Kroger order, had a Walmart order delivered, and am now writing up this post. Even Gronk is like, "Why haven't you been home all week?"

Like I said it has been a long week. This weekend looks busy as well as I am taking an all day class tomorrow and on Sunday I want to go to my nephew's band concert.

Oh well. Such is life!

Thanks to Cathy from My Creative Life for hosting this link party each Friday!

How has your week been?

Busy, weather weekend and menu plan

2025-02-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! Today is President's Day and the kids and I are off of school and work today. It feels so good not to have to go into work, although this is going to be a long, busy week at work.

This weekend ended up being pretty busy as well. Saturday we woke up to ice and freezing rain. The boys ended up going to their dads for the day and Rebecca and I headed down to Athens, Ohio to Ohio University so that she could audition for their school of music. I will say the visit just felt weird. It is hard to explain, but even Rebecca felt like no one wanted to be there and that it was just a weird vibe. She thinks she did well at her audition though so that is what matters.

When we left O.U,. we headed to their main shopping street and had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It was a treat, but one that I decided to make as this was her last audition and now it is time to figure out which school will be a good fit for her. The food was amazing and we brought most of it home. All day long it poured rain, but thankfully it never froze.

Yesterday, I woke up to more rain. Benjamin and I went to church and when we went into church it was starting to be a little freezing rain. An hour later we came out of church to heavy snow. We probably got around 4 inches yesterday morning. Yesterday was a simple at home day. I did some small organizing projects--- like cleaning out my recipe binder and my jewelry box.

BEFORE--- loose pages, random recipes, etc.

AFTER-- Recipes organized in groups. The pile on the left side went into recycling.

I also did some laundry. I made the boys go outside to play as they needed to get some energy out and they haven't had a chance to play in the snow this year as it has been too cold or I wasn't home.

Today, after I write this post I need to check to see if our snow emergency has been lifted. If it has, I will take Ben to get some blood work done. If not, then I will stay at home and do laundry and maybe read. I also need to get our dinner in the crockpot. Speaking of dinner, lets get on with seeing what I ate and what I will eat this week. Hopefully you can get some ideas from me.

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What we ate this past week:

SUNDAY:: Homemade Chinese food at our Family dinner at my parents' house

MONDAY: Pasta Bake

TUESDAY: Soft Tacos

WEDNESDAY: Total girl dinner-- chicken salad on croissants

THURSDAY: Boys had Frozen pizza, I had more chicken salad and Rebecca was at a fundraiser where she had pancakes.

FRIDAY: Valentine's Day-- Heart shaped chicken nuggets, green beans, pasta, sparkling grape apple juice

SATURDAY:: Rebecca and I went to Texas Roadhouse after her college audition. We took most of the food home.

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What will we eat this week?:

Sunday: Bratwurst, green beans and macaroni and cheese

Monday: Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup and rolls

Tuesday: Nachos

Wednesday: Homemade subs, chips

Thursday: Kids are with their dad/ Y.O.Y.O-- probably another girl dinner

Friday: Pizza rolls and fruit

Saturday: The boys are with their father/ YOYO

What are you eating this week?

Any ideas for quick or crockpot meals I can make since we are entering play and track season?

Five on Friday: Valentine's Day and Real Hearts

2025-02-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday and Happy Valentine's Day to those that celebrate! I am joining in tonight with Five on Friday hosted by My Creative Life. This week it is all about Valentine's Day and Hearts.

1. For Valentine's Day, I do celebrate in a small way. This year, I have no Valentine, other than my children so I celebrated them. I made them a nice dinner at home complete with candles and sparking grape juice. I also got them some candy and a new pair of socks each as a treat. Rebecca got Sprite socks. Jacob got Mountain Dew socks and Ben got Yoda socks. The socks came from Dollar Tree. Dinner was heart shaped chicken nuggets, sauteed green beans, Olive oil pasta, and strawberries and grapes. They enjoyed it.

2. Even though I don't have a Valentine this year, I did receive a little Valentine's Day treat from my boss who gave me some chocolate. It was yummy!

3. I also made a dessert for Valentine's Day-- a blackberry swirl cheesecake brownie. I saw the recipe last night on Northwoods Scrapbook blog and decided to make them then and there. They are fantastic!

4. I did buy myself a little Valentine's Day present. Our zoo was holding a fundraiser where you could sponsor a worm and name it and then they would feed it to their sloth bears. I bought a worm and named it after a certain ex, as it was going for a good cause and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. The zoo then sent a video out to see the sloth bear eating the worms.

5. Finally in other heart related news, that is not Valentine's related, Ben had his cardiology appointment. They found that he does still have a stage 1 A-V block but it has not gotten any worse than when they saw it on his EKG 7 years ago. What they did not like though was that one wall in his heart was thicker than it should be and it is something to keep an eye on. They also did not like that is blood pressure was elevated (they could not get it down below 130) so they sent him home with a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. They also want him to get fasting blood work done in the next few days. If his blood pressure is still showing high on the monitor then we may have to see nephrology since he has a history of kidney issues.

That is all my ❤ related stuff for this Five on Friday. This weekend is looking to be busy and the weather is supposed to be iffy so it will be an adventure. Ben wants me to go play "Uno Show no Mercy" so I gotta go. Until next time, sending well wishes your way!

❤