DR D's Ramblings

The rule do not change!

2011-09-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here we are another year at school and we have to do it all over again!

It starts with the withdrwal symptoms, caused by Game Brain

Then, the fogg that sets in with the early morning routine,...

The book report that helps them avoid chores for a whole week

The home work time at the kitchen table, that bleeds into dinner time leaving no place for food!

grade check that asks

"Are the rules still the same?"

" Do you still care about my grades?"

On Monday I found out that Jazzy had never made up the work from the day she was sick two weeks ago. That made me start thinking, and I realized that Sean and john had not given me anyu grade books yet this year. SO, (Got to love the online abilities of the school today) I went to my computer and checked. There it was plain as day Sean had a failing grade!

SO I brought the big bad mom face, reminded them that they get 2 day for each missing assignment, and 1 day for each bad score.....Then just to let them know I was serious, they got to watch John at football while they sat on the side lines finishing up all of the missing assignments, or redoing their failed assignments.

Then just as a reminder that the rules are still the same we walked out at the end of practice to talk to coach. He was really disappointed when he heard that if Sean and Jazmine do not get all of the replacement work turned in before a grade check on Friday they will not be allowed to participate in Saturday’s game.

Here we are on Thursday. I do not yet know what will happen this time, but from experience I can say it will be good. This is year four where we have threatened, but not had to follow through with a removal from a football game. As a point worth making, Sean did get a 3.6 at the end of football season last year. So, thank God I figure it out in time each year. They just need a little kick in the booty to remind them that the rules do not change, "no grades no extracurricular activities."

2011-09-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

This has been such a full summer. I just never got a chance to take a breath. Evidenced by the missing blogging pages! Among the many things that have happened this summer, Lorlaie has become a major mover and groove. She has more than 20 words that she can say and more than 100 words that she can respond to!

This summer Jonathan learned how to surf and he is a natural!

Now John and Sean are in football Season again! John is a star player!

Little JohnMark taking two Giants down at a time!

Jazmine found her inner cheerleader and is captain this year! Way to find the spirit girl :-)

Michael got his driver’s license and Brandon will be getting his license in a couple of months!

Wow ! It just never stops. I think that we can catch up as we make our way through the fall season.Edit

It is a birthday!

2011-06-28T16:00:00.001-07:00

Here it goes. We are planning a surprise party for Sean. You should all come over to our house at 6:00 and help Brian get it set up...I am going to make Sean come with me to Zumba to "Watch the baby".

Help Brian get it all set up. I will post later how it went.

Sisterly Conversation

2011-06-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

So, Friday night we got together for a sisterly conversation. We took time to talk. There are few things that compare to the companionship of a good friend/relative.

We went to the elephant bar in Modesto and I just have to say

The food just keeps getting better

The Manager Patric has always treated me and my family graciously. My daughter and I can not eat wheat, and Patric is always able to create the most tasty dishes for us. So if you are looking for a good place to meet up with old or new friends the best place in Modesto is The Elephant Bar. They are able to adjust the seasoning, and skip gluten, while adding other spice and flavor to take the place.

The other restaurants in town are more then happy to remove gluten ingredient (like Uno, Apple B's, and Red Robin). But unfortunately all that is left when they are finished removing the products that contain gluten is a dry chicken breast on some green with out seasoning or sauce.

The differance is that at The Elephant Bar they cook with fresh foods prepared on site. That means that they are able to take the ingredance in the kitchen and recreate a dish for flavor.

Student loan changes (Obama's changes gone wrong)

2011-06-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

My name is Danielle Hodge. I would like to share with you about my personal story and how my student loans have impacted my family. I would also like to address the practices being used, the tone of conversation, as well as how the actions of the president have impacted the state of student loans. I feel that it is imperative for me to share my story. If these things have affected me in this way I can only imagine how many thousands of others are also feeling the effects of the changes in the way student loans are being handled.

At 29 I found myself alone mothering 3 wonderful children after my husband suffered an inoperable brain aneurysm. There were many bills associated with the care for my husband and our loss. I moved into my parent’s home and took a job at a lumber mill. At that time I had outstanding student loans; I negotiate terms and began repayment. I made regular payments on my loan and we were able to move into a rental home. I continued to make regular payments on my loans and started to take occasional courses with the intention of completing a credentialing program over several years. Since I already held a BA it would be easy for me to work and complete the credentialing program over a few year.

Suddenly everything changed when I was injured in an accident at work. My right dominant hand was traumatically severed. Over a year I had several surgeries, and many hours of rehabilitation. I found at the end of it all that I was unable to continue my previous occupation. While in recovery I again moved into my parents’ home so they could assist me with the 3 children while I recovered from surgery. There were some things that I just could not do, for the short term, like bath my daughter, or change diapers. Workers comp paid someone to assist me for the short term, but I wanted my children to be assisted by family not a paid stranger. As soon as I realized that I would not be able to return to my previous occupation I began to take a full load of courses. I was hoping that by the time I finished my recovery from the accident, I would be ready to teach full time. Being unable to work I was forced to take out a student loan to cover my course costs.

Finally having completed the courses, I began testing, and student teaching, and I used all of my disability payments to support my family while I did so.

In the end I had over 40, 000 dollars in student loans. I was able to accept a position as soon as my credentialing program was complete. I worked for a year, completing a course and enrolling in the BTSA program. The enrolment is required for all new teachers in California. The college units cost me additional money, but I was able to pay it because my student loans remained in school deferment. At the end of the school year a group of teachers were let go due to declining enrolment. Unfortunately I was one of them. I then found another job, but had to relocate to a new area where there was a greater need for teachers. I worked another year, continuing the 2 year BTSA program and the 3 year education specialist level 2 programs. These are required by the state of California to be completed during the first years of teaching.

At the end of my the year I was pink slipped by my district. This would be the second year where I would not qualify for loan repayment programs because my employment was not continued. As an education specialist working with low income students if my employment would have continued I would have received loan repayments through the apple program.

I was lucky to again find another job working for a different school district. I was able to complete and receive a cleared general education teaching credential having completed the BTSA program, but I still needed to complete 3 courses required for the level 2 education specialist credential. Both are requirements for teaching in my field. Again at the end of the year I received a pink slip.

At that point I realized that I was in trouble, and understood with thousand of out of work teachers, and very few openings I was very unlikely to gain a teaching position for the next year. I took the time to sit down and work out the math and make a plan for how I was going to provide for my family without income for the year. I contacted the holder of my student loan. At this point my loans were just about to come into repayment, I could not afford to take anymore classes, and wells Fargo agreed to place my loans on deferment.

About 4 months later (still in the same school year that I found myself out of work) I started being contacted about my student loans. I received a letter and I made a phone call. The person on the other end of the line was very rude. She did not offer another solution other than to pay my student loan in full immediately; otherwise I would be charged a $12,000 penalty. When I explained the situation, and told her I was unable to do anything at this time, she questioned my finances, and suggested that I got myself into the negative financial situation because I chose to have children. She said that if I could not care for the children and meet my financial obligation I should find someone else to take the children. I have never been so offended in my life. I love my children and even though things did not work out happily ever after for me, I can still dream that they will have a happily ever after.

So here I am a hard working woman who has worked hard all of my life. I have supported myself, and my family. I have worked hard to improve my financial position. I do not own a home, and now owe 67,000 dollars in student loans, 42,000 in reasonable debt and 25,000 in overall penalties created by the lender and the government program implemented my Oboma.

After speaking to other people in the government loan collection program, and wells Fargo I found out that although wells Fargo was willing to continue with my terms of forbearance, my loan fell into a category that was taken over by the government program. I was within 3 thousand dollars of complete repayment on my original loans when I was injured and began to take out additional loans to cover my credentials program. If the existing loan is older than 2009 the government program takes over collections, with no offer or availability of payment postponement programs traditionally available for student loans.

This left me in a situation where they said pay in full or else. To someone like me who is out of work, and struggling to deal with the way the economic situation has affected employment, this is an unbelievable blow. A blow of this type could knock down the strongest personality, and the collection tactics were so outrageous that I would not be surprised if we see an increase in suicide across America. People who have put themselves out, worked hard, completed college, and now find they have not increased their future opportunities, but instead created a mountain of debt and have no way out. They have lost the potential that they once had in life. It creates a hopeless situation and a situation without hope is tragic indeed. The last straw in my case, as my children get older, I also get older. I find that the opportunity to be strong financially has been taken away from me by the changes in student loan policies. I do not see any way out. Not even bankruptcy would help ease my financial strain, student loans are not a debt that can be removed or negotiated with bankruptcy, and I do not hold a significant amount of additional debt. 800 dollars in credit card debt, and 3400 dollars left to pay off on my car. Yet now I know that I can quit working so hard, the potential for my future in gone…….I will make all sacrifices necessary to provide other options for my children, they will not be allowed to take out student loans. I have already lost my financial potential; I will not let them lose theirs. The hardest part for me is to not be a home owner. I was never willing to take the step of committing to a mortgage when I did not feel like we could make the financial commitment. I thought that I would finally be allowed the opportunity of home ownership as soon as I finished my credentials. To have a place to finish raising my children and provide a place where they could return to after college, they deserve from me what my parents gave me, a place where they would know they could always go no matter what. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

http://studentloanjustice.org/California.htm

2011-03-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I wanted to enjoy my birthday in a special way. I always loved my time with my grandfather. He was a very fine gentleman. He would treat me to the most memorable meals ever. If he took us to dinner, he would treat, and there would be no limitations. He introduced me to lobster, steak, char broiled foods, perfection in sauces, and the most flavorful soups. This year I wanted to take Johnathan out to dinner for our birthday. I had a desire to allow him the experience of good sea food.

Fisherman's Galley was the bomb!

The food was made fresh to order. Service was fabulous. There was a day not to long ago when dinner service was valued, for this place it has not changed. I alerted the server to my food allergies, he was very respectful, and proceeded to make all required changes in the menu. The cook was preparing all the food fresh to order. This allowed me the privilege of ordering to taste!

The full bar allowed for drinks of choice. The atmosphere was calm and respectful of the dinners experience. The chairs were large and cushioned, Very comfortable!

As the plate arrived my eyes were pleasured with presentation while my nose was drawn in with the scent of fresh herbs. My steak was perfect, the cut fabulous, and cooked exactly how I requested. The lobster was a generous portion. The red potatoes, and vegetables were cooked in fresh herbs. I was delighted to clear my plate.

We finished the meal with complimentary vanilla ice cream (for our birthday). It is worth mentioning that my son believes they must have made the ice cream there. It was notably better than the ice cream we have had recently. It was fresh vanilla beans that set off the flavor sensation.

So if you are in the area visit the Fisherman’s Galley for good fine dining. WE won’t mention the cost, but I will say it was worth every cent.

Here is where they can be found
Fisherman's Galley

3008 McHenry Ave, Modesto, CA 95350

(209) 527-3450
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fishermans-galley-modesto#hrid:3V2Du0uBn6mroijqzOdIJA

he is now a young man!

2011-03-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

So one day he is just a kid

The next thing I know he turns 12 and he is now a young man!

I don’t see the difference but I experience the difference daily.

He is growing into such an awesome young man. He has began the process of taking responsibility for himself, and watching out for others! Now he thinks about becoming a scholar of excellence, and going to college instead of thinking about getting the assignment done so he can play.

Happy Birthday Johnny! I love you and I will always be proud of you.

Brandon

Micahel

On the other side of things, Michael oversaw the boys sleep over last night. We had our 4 boys plus 7 extras over for the celebration. They played Black Ops, and Guitar Hero, while I slept…..Michael and Brandon (16 now) gave oversight..

13 boys all gaming together

The fact is that I just can’t do it right now. The night does not pass so easily. I would like to say it is Loralie’s effect on my sleeping patterns, but I think it is just a phase in my life. I have not gotten to sleep more than two hours in concession for 15 months, but even before that I was only privileged with 4 hours a night. After so many years burning it at both ends….i just can’t any more 

Maybe after Loralie starts sleeping through the night

Loralie Playing Guitar Hero

Well, we have to clean up from the party, feed these boys breakfast, and get ready for the day. My parents will be here shortly, we have a shopping date, and we are going out to dinner for my birthday (the only time I ever get seafood)

Wow …..What a Week

2011-03-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

What a Week We Have Had

The wrestling banquet (feed 30).....stoves malfunctioning.................

feeding the youth group (Feed 42).....replacing ovens...................

Hosting a coffee and pastry group (feed 8 and drink a lot of coffee)

storming, thunder, lightning, hail, and high winds……………..…Fences falling……

And now

Johnny’s Birthday Party

HE is turning 12!

SooOoOOOoooooOOOOoo

I have to get ready, prepare the guest room for my parents, get the video game systems all set, check the batteries, pick up Costco pizza and cake……….Whew!

But first I have to make a note. Loralie knows how much there is to do today and so she grabbed the bag, handed me my shoes, and headed to the door 

Soooooooooooo cute.

We did it....and it was good

2011-03-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

We did it! We fed the youth, and made it through even though my oven malfunctioned.

As we were leavening I thought some very selfish thoughts. My mind goes I to things with a pure heart and walks away all about me. I was very satisfied knowing that we made dinner for thirty – five youth and fifteen adults, I was also satisfied that we were able to cook, feed, and clean in two hours. The best part was I got to go home and not need to clean my kitchen…..or so I thought.

The final thought I had was the one that made me think “what is your motivation”….

See I have given service to others.

What is wrong with the feeling of satisfaction when I am done with a good job at a good work? I don’t know, yet for some reason when I walk away feeling good about myself for the things I can do, It is emidiatly followed by a since of guilt for the “thinking” I have…

Here is my thought after it all has passed.

The youth had a great healthy meal, I had a great time preparing it for them, my family had a great time serving them, and I still got to go home to a clean kitchen  It was definitely an all win situation.

How I think about it afterward?....?....?

It is the thinking afterwards that makes it better next time. I always think about how things went after the fact. It is how I learn, improve, and at times savor the success of a task.

They savored my food I savored the feeling of giving them good food!

Timing is everything

2011-03-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

Life, one of those things that one has to live through. As it always seems to work I have committed myself to feeding may bunches of people this week, host a slumber party on Friday and receive house guest for the week end.

Life,

This is the time that my oven decides to take a dumper!

I can’t even figure out why! I was using the stove top but the error message is for the oven. I turned on the oven, nothing, I turned on the burners, all accept the one I was using when the first error message came up, and nothing. SO, I turned on the front burner that gave me the original error message, and there it was again.

The error,

Door latch failure.

The stove top does not have a latch, and how does the stove top set off an oven error? I don’t understand.

I guess I will just keep cooking and feeding everyone and hope it al works out….NOT

This is why I rent not own! It is someone else’s responsibility to keep the electrical equipment in the home running. It is my responsibility to pay the inflated housing cost of a renter.

This is exactly the reason I love to be the renter not the owner. A leak, the heat, the air conditioning, the roof, the stove…..they have to take the care in maintaining them. I just get to use them.

Driving lessons

2011-03-20T14:25:00.001-07:00

SO after a little bit of game brain last night, today OI am back to the stove. It’s all about the beans today. . . . . . . Beans, that really means a lot of waiting time right? I decided to allow my 16 year old some driving time while we picked up some tortilla and chips for the parties this week. Brian, My husband, sat in the back and I sat in the front. This is how back seat driving started right?

We were driving along, and Brian would start instructing from the back seat! Never would he even think about giving driving advise, but now it flows so freely, like all of the things he thought and never said 

It is crazy to think that I have a child old enough to drive, but it is true. I am so loving this whole experience. We will see how well we survive the experience, two new drivers in 6 months! I just have to say that it is so much fun, but if we ever make contact with another car my thoughts on the subject might change.

Game on the brain

2011-03-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

So any who….

Little Lorelei loves music. I so wish that I could put video feed on this site….she is so cute dancing and playing with the guitar hero. (she is not playing just playing alongside of us) But any way a little 13 month old dancing it’s crazy.

Hot song next.... "it's my turn kids make room for mommy"..............

Family Game Brain . . . .It is a good thing

2011-03-19T18:08:00.001-07:00

It is just crazy,

I was accusing Michael my son of having game brain this morning. Now here we ar e all playing gutar hero. Now it is me who has game brain….

This makes me wonder, what would my mother have said 20 years ago if I would have told her my father would be a video game freak? With the invention of the WII even retirees are becoming fully animated with the game invasion. Although, I don’t see any problem with my father’s daily WII sports or my mother and just dance. I think it is great, they even bond with the kids using the technology that is now easily access by the WII. The WII speak, animal crossing, raving rabbits! They have all brought our family closer together.

When dopes bonding stop and Game Brain kick in?

Tell me please. I just don’t know any more. I do know one thing; I am the luckiest mother, wife, daughter, and sister in the world. If you are listening meet me on the wii sister

Game Brain

2011-03-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

What does a mother of 6 do on a Saturday Morning?

For me it is all about the cuddle time, then the computer time, and finally the cooking.

This week it all about the enchiladas and beans. One of my boys has an award banquet on tue and one has youth on wed. They both offered my home cooking for their groups so that mean enchiladas for 35 on Wednesday and enchiladas for 40 on Tuesday. Sooooo….meat on for a slow cook today, add the beans tomorrow and the enchiladas quick and easy on Tuesday and Wednesday. Of course fresh tortilla on Monday 

Last night we went out for Japanese sushi. On the way home we were so satisfied with the flavor sensation, yet still hungry. For the price of sushi we should be satisfied in every way! We have been to Osaka’s several times now, and every time we leave wondering if it is just so good that the our taste buds trick our brain into wanting more……

After taking the baby out for sushi we went home. I love my little bunch, yet they have not learned all of the lessons they need for life yet. SO before we left for sushi we instructed the oldest child to prepare caspers for the family, with corn as a side and a fruit to go along. He fully understood. We left, and I had an expectation that he would have fed every one, clean up from dinner and they would be watching a movie or playing a video game.

But NO

He went into the house when we dropped them off and he started playing a video game. Apparently the menu plan escaped him. He was just starting to eat when we got home, and we were gone for a long time (45 min wait, 30 minutes of driving, and an hour eating). Everyone else had already eaten. He had game brain get into the way of his responsibilities.

So for my house

Game brain hits again.

Emotional PRe teens...can't avoid them

2011-03-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

It took me several days to post “My over reactive hormonal pre teen”……

Final I clicked post this morning, and then guess what……… it happened again. It cracks me up the way things just kind of go like that.

This morning I was upstairs feeding the baby (who was asleep before Sean started yelling)…Sean, John (brother) and 3 friends were packed and ready to go to school, as they walked out the door poor Sean realized he had forgotten his jacket.

SO, he came inside and world war 3 erupted as he went on a rampage about his jacket. It was not where he left it, he went from person to person calling them freak’n retards, (we don’t let them use the word freak’n or retard!)After his rampage had though roughly awakened the baby I called him to me.

Soooo… there I am Wondering…How do I handle this when I am here with my boob hanging out to feed the baby, half dressed, and I have not finished my first cup of coffee.

Cleverly I start by mention of the inappropriate language, then I asked why he was yelling, “they stole my jacket or they lost it but it is not where I left it”….so I dove in, “Where did you leave you jacket?”

His response , “In the middle of the stairs…”

So, I am thinking to myself, the kid deserves to lose his jacket, I would have put in the giveaway pile if I found it on the stairway, ,,,,,, then he stats to yell at me, “You are always on their side”……

Decidedly I take a new tactic

“So, Sean why don’t you wear one of the other hoodies you have?”

ON CAME THE EMOTIONAL SKATER AGAIN FULL OUT BUFFALO TEAR.

Once again I change tactics and start off…..

“Sean, remember when we talked about hygiene? Well what do you think other people would say about your hygiene if you wear the same clothes and jacket to school every day?”

Finally we hit pay dirt; We have a rapid learning conversation, he agrees to continue to school without further incident, and I remind him that we will be discussing his temper, and language when he gets home from school

SO, now he is home from school and I find out that he left his jacket at his friends house! SO he harshly harassed 3 brothers, one sister, two friends, and one mom accusing us of something only to find out he did not know where he left it in the first place.

The jacket, it is in the gifting pile never to return to his closet,

The laundry fact in our house is if you don’t put it away it goes away. This was my solution to the whole having the kid’s put the clean laundry pack into the dirty laundry hamper. So now they don’t get the opportunity to keep more than they are willing to properly care for

Works for me

OUGH My Hormonally driven pre teen was upset about.........

2011-03-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last Night when Sean, my darling 6th grade sweet heart came home from youth group he realized that we had eaten while he was out. He became reactive, with streaming tears, and full fitfulness. He was disappointed, angry and overwhelmed with emotions. His brothers, who also went to youth group, tried to calm him. He was reminded about all of the things that he did at youth. The fact that they had lasagna at youth did not seem to matter to him. He simply expected us to never eat food that he liked when he was not here.

SO I had to ask myself….Why the over reaction?

I asked him about the youth happenings. I finally got to the bottom line of his overreaction. He was feeling some bad feelings after a ball game that ended in his throwing a ball that injured his good friend. Bottom line he was feeling guilty, angry, and a little picked on (he did throw the ball that caused the injury with intent).

SO for us right now we are starting over again with

Don’t let your hormones get away from you

We have been through this with his older brothers, yet this will most likely be a bit different. Sean has never had the emotional control as his brothers. It is one of those things that constantly cause him troubles. He has the It’s not my fault syndrome….

2011-03-05T19:14:00.000-08:00

In my house I am the bad guy……

If the kids make a mess my sweet awesome man walks past to and lets me know about the things he has seen, then I go back into the room and dish out the responsibility to the kidos.

Or if it is the week end, I have a shopping list, and prep work for kid’s activities, and clean up after activities, and cooking, and my sweet heart of a husband has frustration, I have to create the agenda, or made it know that we need to go to Costco. He has the right to play on the computer and watch movies, blaming me, and making me the bad guy when it does not go to his plan ….

The strangest part of it all is that we were both single parents at one point in time. I remember I never got a break and did it all on my own and he did also.

So how come marrage means that I take on the responsibility of always being the bad guy?
And why do I still think about it every now and then even though I accepted it as just a little part of the world around me year ago....

Pre-Spring cleaning

2011-02-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Here we are approaching spring and we did the pre spring clean in my house. I do it before super bowl. All of the kids are in on the action, and they seem to be positive because they know that they will be watching the game tomorrow.

What did we get done?

Cleaned the laundry room

Moved out the washer and dryer to make sure we did not have build up behind the machines, because that would create a fire hazard!

Cleaned the carpet throughout the downstairs

lay down fresh entry mats at each door (it’s getting warmer but it is still wet and muddy)

Turn the soil in the front beds!

It’s almost time to plant for spring so get the soil ready and keep the green moss away.

Scrub the patios front and back

Wash out all the spider webs around the outside of the house (use the pressure washer and the kids love to work

Wash all of the windows inside and out ( use the steam cleaner and again the kids will love to help)
Wash all the draperies
Take down and wash all the vents in the house (after using the heater November – January the dust has built up and that is not good for the allergies)
Take all of the nick knack out and put them in a box and bring out a little color of spring
Dust all of the book shelves
Clean out the car, scrub and wash and shine, Wrestling has found a home in the suburban and it is starting to smell like teenage sports.
Sanitize it, door knobs, hand rails, light switches, toys, and furniture. The cold / flu has been traveling and we don’t want to catch it during wrestling finals or state championships!

That is what we did on Saturday, all of us together. We started at 11:30 after a movie, breakfast, and breakfast dishes. We were done by 4:30 so that all of the kids still got to go out and play with friends for a little while

And now we are ready to be a lazzy super bowl Sunday

MAintaining a household with 6 children is a lot of work but we have a lot of stong boys so it gets done fast.

Wow what a week we had in our family.

2011-02-04T20:52:00.001-08:00

I continue to work on my priority list, although this week has been a slow one. When I started my New Life Priority List, I was diligent to look over what I had done each day. Now I find that I have to push myself to checkup and it has not happened daily. Like a workout routine, I have to find the determination to push through the though periods for the reward.
I watched my son wrestle, and boy has Michael gotten better this year. He has strength, stamina, and great training. He will be a wrestling monster by the time he is a senior. He has the grades to go with it, push a 3.9 GPA. If they give scholar ships for wrestling his grades and student conduct will bring him into the running (I hope).
There are always things that need to be done on the home front, but I want to take all of my opportunities to live in the moment that I can.
Loralie has been absolutely adorable this week. She loves her book time. She grabs a book and scoots backward then sits into my lap. It is really funny. She is 12 months old and anticipates that when she approaches with a book we will produce a lap I could be doing dishes or have my arms full of laundry and she backs into me with a book in hand and I have to have dropped whatever I have and be sitting in wait before she gets there. If I don’t she looks up at me like her little heart is in her eyes. It melts me every time.
Now for all of you moms out there, why do junior higher have to get all mouthy playing word games, always having a come back?
In my home we have made it through two junior higher, and they quickly moved out of the phase. Now, we have two new junior high students that are trying the same thing. One has been quick for correction, but the other just keeps making bad choices. The consequences are not going to go away, but he acts surprised every time.

Frienship

2011-01-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

Let’s talk friendship, as adults the process of gaining and maintaining friendships changes. I have been working in the academic environment for years now. As budget cuts and NCLB started affecting the staff in a personal way the friendships among professionals changed also. Site transfers, layoffs, and political rivalries occurred. Now I look at the friendships gained in the professional environment as working relationships. The relationship is based on proximity. If someone transfers or gets laid off, they are simply removed from the lives of those they work with. The friendship is amputated….like losing a limb. If someone disappears there simply gone, no contact allowed. If I died they would never know.
The neighborly friendship is also an arrangement due to proximity. Many times the only commonality is the block in which one lives. We have block parties, wine tastings, and celebrations of achievements together. Yet, if someone moves their name is removed from the invite list and life goes on. If I died, they would attend the wake, but nothing would be missed in their world.
So, friendships are harder to maintain, the rules are different, and the process for elimination has been removed. Here today gone tomorrow 
I have a lot of friendships that are rewarding but not equal. For instant I make invites, I call in to check in after a long time of silence, and I make efforts to provide support and encouragement. Yet, if I am the one who is silent for a period I am in trouble for not making the connection. We enjoy one another, but the mutuality of effort is not present. What does that say about those particular friendships? If I died, how long would it take for them to miss me?
Then there are the friendships where the commonality is based off a child who is involved in an activity that their children are involved in. Many times the conversations are held to the football field, the dinner out together only last as long as the season, and in the end I am left wondering if they we were friends or simply convenient companionships during the sporting season. If I died they would never know.
So, in 2010 I decided to work on a priority list, and I included in that list to improve my friendships, make new friendships, and reestablish old friendships. For me it has been an eye opener. I had become lazy. I started to make phone calls, plan events, and prepare good food…….Friendships have grown stronger, been more rewarding, and become a greater part of our lives.

The Tech Pest

2011-01-29T17:19:00.001-08:00

Why is it that every time I think we are up and running smoothly something happens to bring us down.

Well in this case the something is me a badly placed cup of coffee in the morning after a long sleepless night resulted in the disabling of my mouse and the ultimately the untimely death of my key board. Loralie is so cute I can’t even say a thing, but while I was cleaning up the desk from the coffee spill she claimed my key board which had been momentarily placed on the ground. She turned it into an instant stage. Stood on its under side, and started to sing twinkle twinkle little star. She can’t actually sing it yet it is more her muming in key while doing the hand motions 
It was so cute.
I search and found our spare mouse and started to reestablish my connection when I realized the keyboard was now out of commission…..As the ting…ting…ting….ting continue I tried to trouble shoot the problem. I finally gave up and stole the keyboard off my hubby’s terminal next to me….
Only thing is that by the time I was up and running again the Boys started to arrive home from school. Systematically over the next week my children’s homework trumped my potential computer use.

Last year it was 4 working computers, and then all of a sudden we found ourselves with 3 computers down……
I found that completely unworkable, picked up a new CPU for my hubby, Under $200, and returned the Acer. It came back to us two months later, but has never been the same.
Yes… we are a two minimum computer household.

So a home made up of two professional people, with two high school boys, two junior high boys, and two younger children I find requires at least the minimum of 2 high function computers, and one less more mobile system….And we are all still waiting for our turn
So, we went shopping and I have to say that I am pleased with this Logitech keyboard and mouse. This is the second time we have purchased Logitech and it has never failed us. They help us keep our system running at an affordable price.
The best part it the simplified design is easy to use and maintain. $30 dollars and we are happy to have once again achieved a wireless keyboard and mouse fully connected Pleased with the outcome
Unhappy about the week it took me to get my systems up and running again.
In large family lingo we were down for 4 written reports, 2 speeches, one wrestling meet, one wrestling tournament, and one fully withered set of crops on Farmville. Which leads two four frustrated grandparents who have lost out on the up to the minute picks and updates about their grandchildren, and 4 tired children who stayed up far too late finishing their homework because they had to wait for their turn to use the done and only working computer system Now the room will turn back into a living room 

2011-01-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone

My name Is Danielle and I am a proud mother of 6 fabulous children. My two oldest are in high school this year, I have two boys in Middle school, and one girl in elementary school. That is two 15 year old boys, two 11 year old boys, a 10 year old girl and a 1 year old girl!

I am currently in transition; I have always been a work out of the home mom. I teach special education, with a specialty in autism. Now I am a stay at home working mom. All the money issues in the school system made it almost impossible to do any real good. SO, I got my home approved for child care and will be running social skills groups in my home this year, and taking a couple of little ones in as daycare clients (That way Loralie won’t be growing up all alone).

This is a big transition for me, I supported my family as the primary wage earner for years and now I am not. I have to get used to all of the related aspects of that J

I did write an action plan for this time of transition:

Priority reorganization

1. Increase spirituality

2. Improve relationships with my children

3. Improve my physical health

4. Overcome house hold struggles

Laundry
Kitchen
Backyard
Car maintenance

5. Create a positive home environment

6. Become a better cook

7. Decrease food waist

8. Improve financial health (become completely debt free)

9. Create a successful business

10. Improve relationships with others

Build new friendships
Improve old friendships
Re establish lost friendships

Anyway, that is all about me. I am a Christian, Have gone to Baptist and AG churches all of my life. I love and trust God’s direction in my life