Maia says that when she grows up she wants to be a grandma & a doctor. And she's going to fix people's teeth and toes.
I asked some of her preschool classmates what they want to be when they grow up (apparently it's a hot topic at school these days). Veronica said, "My name is Dr. Iseminger." So I asked her if she also wanted to be a doctor when she grows up. "No. I'm going to be a cow."
Preston says he's going to be Spiderman.
Best of luck with that. Which college do you think he'll attend? One that has red & blue for colors, I'm guessing.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Someone's Been Paying Attention
Tonight, Maia was not being very helpful in the assembly of a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle that Matt & I were working on (Matt got it to work on with Xander, but it turned out that it was too hard and Xander lost interest pretty fast). I called her a "stinky turd," not an uncommon thing for me to call her (that's awful!)
She retorted with, "I'm NOT that! Everybody chooses me. God chooses me!"
To which we affirmed that yes, indeed, God chooses her and me and the rest of us.
Sometimes you just need a reminder that none of us are stinky turds in God's eyes.
She retorted with, "I'm NOT that! Everybody chooses me. God chooses me!"
To which we affirmed that yes, indeed, God chooses her and me and the rest of us.
Sometimes you just need a reminder that none of us are stinky turds in God's eyes.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Non-Athletic
I got a phone call from the Sioux Falls Skyforce basketball organization today at about 1:30, begging me to come and sing the National Anthem at the ballgame tonight. Hey. Free tickets for me and the kids (Matt had to work). Unfortunately, we were only able to stay for the first quarter before venturing back home in the sub-zero temperatures to get the kids into bed.
It was fine. I did fine, and I would guess they'll ask me back. They didn't pay or anything, but we did get free mini-basketballs for the kids.
The last basketball game I went to was a Pacers game in Indianapolis. Let's just say, the energy level was not quite the same. It was ... fine.
New Fish Day for Maia
First off, let me say, I'm not sure what the deal is with our big "Presidents Day Break" here in Sioux Falls. I told one Indiana friend that we just really honor the presidents in South Dakota. The kids had last Wednesday through yesterday (Monday) off from school, right during the same week when I finally resumed teaching at USF after Christmas and J-Term break.
They spent a lot of time with other people.
Mom & Jim shouldered the bulk of the load, I took the kids there Friday afternoon, and left them there until Monday evening (USF does not honor President's Day, and I teach all day on Mondays).
At some point over the weekend, Maia decided that she also wants to have fish as pets. I said that since she hadn't spent her Christmas money yet, she could buy a fishtank and some fish when we got back to SF. Mom actually had a fishtank that had belonged to Aunt Rene', so she sent that home with the kids on Monday.
Today we went fish shopping. We wanted to get our fish at Mini Critters, because our friend, Megan, works there. But they didn't have any Bettas. I've really been impressed with Xander's Betta. It's lively, hardy, fiesty, and has a habit of snacking on the goldfish's long fins (well, they're not so long anymore).
Xander's got a "spicy fish" (red Betta) like this one, and a no-longer-long-tailed goldfish, as well as 2 golden snails. His fish are (as of today), named "Spic" and "Spam." Because they live in a clean tank (Matt & I cleaned and conditioned both tanks yesterday), and because one likes to eat the other one. His snails are named Bob & Joe. (Again, as of today).
This is what "Spam" looked like when we bought him. He's much stumpier now, and skittish for some reason...
These names are much easier to remember than the old names he had for them... one of them was Zahita, for a while his snails were Snickety and Snickerbob, but I think those are the two that died. So Bob & Joe is a lot easier to remember. His snails are pretty much identical, and he was thinking of naming one of them Noodle. I said he should call them Mr. Noodle and his brother, Mr. Noodle (Sesame Street reference).
Again, this is what Xander's snails looked like when we bought them. He has two. Now they're kind of grimy, and like to latch onto each other as food after we clean the tank!
ANYWAY- Maia chose a lovely deep blue-purple Betta, as well as a kind of purply-silver something... I don't know what it is. And one snail with a purply swirl on it's side. She decided to name the Betta, "Captain Hook" and the smaller fish, "Tinkerbell," while calling the snail "Peter Pan." So we have a theme tank going in her room. Her tank is a bit larger than Xander's. Maybe we'll continue to add to the tank with such characters as "Wendy," "Little John" and a whole school of "Lost Boys?"
They spent a lot of time with other people.
Mom & Jim shouldered the bulk of the load, I took the kids there Friday afternoon, and left them there until Monday evening (USF does not honor President's Day, and I teach all day on Mondays).
At some point over the weekend, Maia decided that she also wants to have fish as pets. I said that since she hadn't spent her Christmas money yet, she could buy a fishtank and some fish when we got back to SF. Mom actually had a fishtank that had belonged to Aunt Rene', so she sent that home with the kids on Monday.
Today we went fish shopping. We wanted to get our fish at Mini Critters, because our friend, Megan, works there. But they didn't have any Bettas. I've really been impressed with Xander's Betta. It's lively, hardy, fiesty, and has a habit of snacking on the goldfish's long fins (well, they're not so long anymore).
Xander's got a "spicy fish" (red Betta) like this one, and a no-longer-long-tailed goldfish, as well as 2 golden snails. His fish are (as of today), named "Spic" and "Spam." Because they live in a clean tank (Matt & I cleaned and conditioned both tanks yesterday), and because one likes to eat the other one. His snails are named Bob & Joe. (Again, as of today).
This is what "Spam" looked like when we bought him. He's much stumpier now, and skittish for some reason...
These names are much easier to remember than the old names he had for them... one of them was Zahita, for a while his snails were Snickety and Snickerbob, but I think those are the two that died. So Bob & Joe is a lot easier to remember. His snails are pretty much identical, and he was thinking of naming one of them Noodle. I said he should call them Mr. Noodle and his brother, Mr. Noodle (Sesame Street reference).
Again, this is what Xander's snails looked like when we bought them. He has two. Now they're kind of grimy, and like to latch onto each other as food after we clean the tank!
ANYWAY- Maia chose a lovely deep blue-purple Betta, as well as a kind of purply-silver something... I don't know what it is. And one snail with a purply swirl on it's side. She decided to name the Betta, "Captain Hook" and the smaller fish, "Tinkerbell," while calling the snail "Peter Pan." So we have a theme tank going in her room. Her tank is a bit larger than Xander's. Maybe we'll continue to add to the tank with such characters as "Wendy," "Little John" and a whole school of "Lost Boys?"
Monday, February 18, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Business Time
Melissa Kessler sent me this video on Valentine's Day. I laugh harder every time I watch it.
Valentine's Day
This year, Valentine's Day was such a nice blessing! Starting from the beginning:
The kids are out of school for our ridiculous "Presidents Day Break" from Wednesday until Monday. I started back to work at USF this week, so that made life a little tricky. So the kids spent the day at Aunt Rena's. I was scheduled to start teaching at 11:30, so in the morning, I made the shrimp kebobs planned for dinner (shrimp wrapped in prociutto or lemon slices, skewered with Calmata black olives, drizzled with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and parsley), wrapped them in foil and stuck them back in the fridge while I simultaneously did some laundry.
Took the kids to Rena's then stopped by JC Penney's to get Matt a new pair of pants. While there, I decided to see if there was a dress I could wear that evening - and found a lovely little number marked down from $90 to (are you ready for this?) $6.99! I KNOW!!!
I went over to school to start my afternoon, remembering as I was doing some driving that not only had I neglected to pack a lunch, but I had forgotten to eat breakfast as well (this is a frequent occurence for me). Luckily, I didn't have any students signed up until 12:30, so I ran over to the cafeteria to eat. While I was there, eating lunch with the husband of the teacher who hired me, I got a phone call from my brother, Casey, who happened to be in town and free for lunch. At first, I was sad because I figured I was booked all afternoon, but as I looked at my watch, thought we could at least squeeze a coffee in. I told him to come over to campus, and we were able to get him some lunch at the coffee shop in the basement of the student center. So that was a nice surprise.
I taught at school until 3, went and picked up the kids from Rena's (she lives on the opposite side of town from us), then taught for another hour at home until 5:30. My last lesson stayed and ate supper with us, then was the kids' babysitter for the evening.
Supper was a remarkable feat. I managed a gourmet meal with about 20 minutes' prep time. It was on the table by 6:00. We had the aforementioned shrimp skeweres (baked, not grilled), ciabatta bread, Mediterranian curry cous cous, and fresh strawberries.
The kids had hot dogs.
I know you're dying to know what the evening was all about. We went to the opera. How 'bout that? Our local performing arts center hosted the Teatrico Lyrico d'Europa performing "The Barber of Seville." AND we got free tickets. Thanks, Bobbi! It's good to know people who know the right people, I guess! PLUS, we totally lucked out and got a parking spot right near the door (it was -4 degrees out). If you include the coat check, and the new clothes, the evening cost us about $42. The seats that we had would have probably sold for about $75 each, so we felt that we made out particularly well. Plus- new dress.
How was the opera? Pretty good. Opera's definitely an art form that takes some getting used to. I've only ever seen Madama Butterfly (twice, and been in it once), which is a Romantic Era opera. "Barber" is a classical era work, but Giaccamo Rossini. It's in a vein all it's own. There's a lot of text repetition, and the plot is absolutely ridiculous. The emphasis is definitely on the vocal prowess of the performers. The orchestra was excellent as well.
Isn't that a funny picture? You would think that maybe if your two leads are supposed to be "young lovers" that you might not zoom in quite so close, revealing that they're both well into their 40s. You also get the distinct impression that the tenor is actually Michael McKean (pictured on the right below), and you might get a little "Spinal Tap" thrown in for kicks.
Anyway, it was really nice, and the Mezzo did a great job. She was completely overshadowed, however by the Baritone who sang the role of "Figaro.'' He was awesome!
I've rambled far too long. That was our day in a nutshell. WAY better than last year, when Maia was sick, and I had to get a head gasket replaced on the car. AND work.
The kids are out of school for our ridiculous "Presidents Day Break" from Wednesday until Monday. I started back to work at USF this week, so that made life a little tricky. So the kids spent the day at Aunt Rena's. I was scheduled to start teaching at 11:30, so in the morning, I made the shrimp kebobs planned for dinner (shrimp wrapped in prociutto or lemon slices, skewered with Calmata black olives, drizzled with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and parsley), wrapped them in foil and stuck them back in the fridge while I simultaneously did some laundry.
Took the kids to Rena's then stopped by JC Penney's to get Matt a new pair of pants. While there, I decided to see if there was a dress I could wear that evening - and found a lovely little number marked down from $90 to (are you ready for this?) $6.99! I KNOW!!!
I went over to school to start my afternoon, remembering as I was doing some driving that not only had I neglected to pack a lunch, but I had forgotten to eat breakfast as well (this is a frequent occurence for me). Luckily, I didn't have any students signed up until 12:30, so I ran over to the cafeteria to eat. While I was there, eating lunch with the husband of the teacher who hired me, I got a phone call from my brother, Casey, who happened to be in town and free for lunch. At first, I was sad because I figured I was booked all afternoon, but as I looked at my watch, thought we could at least squeeze a coffee in. I told him to come over to campus, and we were able to get him some lunch at the coffee shop in the basement of the student center. So that was a nice surprise.
I taught at school until 3, went and picked up the kids from Rena's (she lives on the opposite side of town from us), then taught for another hour at home until 5:30. My last lesson stayed and ate supper with us, then was the kids' babysitter for the evening.
Supper was a remarkable feat. I managed a gourmet meal with about 20 minutes' prep time. It was on the table by 6:00. We had the aforementioned shrimp skeweres (baked, not grilled), ciabatta bread, Mediterranian curry cous cous, and fresh strawberries.
The kids had hot dogs.
I know you're dying to know what the evening was all about. We went to the opera. How 'bout that? Our local performing arts center hosted the Teatrico Lyrico d'Europa performing "The Barber of Seville." AND we got free tickets. Thanks, Bobbi! It's good to know people who know the right people, I guess! PLUS, we totally lucked out and got a parking spot right near the door (it was -4 degrees out). If you include the coat check, and the new clothes, the evening cost us about $42. The seats that we had would have probably sold for about $75 each, so we felt that we made out particularly well. Plus- new dress.
How was the opera? Pretty good. Opera's definitely an art form that takes some getting used to. I've only ever seen Madama Butterfly (twice, and been in it once), which is a Romantic Era opera. "Barber" is a classical era work, but Giaccamo Rossini. It's in a vein all it's own. There's a lot of text repetition, and the plot is absolutely ridiculous. The emphasis is definitely on the vocal prowess of the performers. The orchestra was excellent as well.
Isn't that a funny picture? You would think that maybe if your two leads are supposed to be "young lovers" that you might not zoom in quite so close, revealing that they're both well into their 40s. You also get the distinct impression that the tenor is actually Michael McKean (pictured on the right below), and you might get a little "Spinal Tap" thrown in for kicks.
Anyway, it was really nice, and the Mezzo did a great job. She was completely overshadowed, however by the Baritone who sang the role of "Figaro.'' He was awesome!
I've rambled far too long. That was our day in a nutshell. WAY better than last year, when Maia was sick, and I had to get a head gasket replaced on the car. AND work.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
My Latest Thoughts About Europe
Matt I have been discussing and praying a lot about this opportunity to go to Europe (see previous post). Today, my thoughts are this:
The opportunity will still be there next summer. Maybe if we took enough time to plan things out, we could work out a ministry plan that would mean it really would work like a mission trip- especially for Matt. Hey, maybe we could even take a team with us? What if we did that, spent some time studying the language (I've been back into the German textbooks and listening to some confusing tapes from the library), and then Matt could go with the primary objective of mission, while I could go with the primary objective of continuing education?
I talked to one of my colleagues at USF today and she said there's a remote possibility that the school might even put up some money for a trip like that (IF all the full-time facutly haven't used it all up).
So maybe not this year, but I'm still hoping that one of my students will go. It would be a lot more fun with Matt along. He makes everything more fun. Plus, we've always wanted to go to Europe together.
Now to see if I can stay disciplined enough to focus that far in the future... :)
The opportunity will still be there next summer. Maybe if we took enough time to plan things out, we could work out a ministry plan that would mean it really would work like a mission trip- especially for Matt. Hey, maybe we could even take a team with us? What if we did that, spent some time studying the language (I've been back into the German textbooks and listening to some confusing tapes from the library), and then Matt could go with the primary objective of mission, while I could go with the primary objective of continuing education?
I talked to one of my colleagues at USF today and she said there's a remote possibility that the school might even put up some money for a trip like that (IF all the full-time facutly haven't used it all up).
So maybe not this year, but I'm still hoping that one of my students will go. It would be a lot more fun with Matt along. He makes everything more fun. Plus, we've always wanted to go to Europe together.
Now to see if I can stay disciplined enough to focus that far in the future... :)
New Home for Pooh
Let's start by saying, "This is the jewelry armoire my wonderful husband got for me for Christmas."
Isn't it lovely? It holds all my jewelry in a multitude of drawers, with two hidden side doors, and since I've started using it, I haven't gotten my long tangly necklaces messed up as often - and never in storage, just on my neck. Notice the little stool sitting in front of it? That belongs downstairs in the kitchen. It's Maia's "I can't see" stool. She uses it whenever she needs to see what's going on above her eye level. It seems to have a mind of its own, as it will mysteriously turn up in the ideal spot to bark your shin or stub your toe at all hours of the day. Last night, I noticed it in our bedroom.
I should have known something was up, because Maia came downstairs during piano lessons yesterday afternoon announcing that she had a gift. It was the ring box (complete with the ring) that Matt gave me a pearl promise ring in some 18 or 19 years ago. I don't wear it often because pearls are fragile and the ring's sentimental. I saved the ring but let her play with the box and didn't think much else about it.
This morning when I went to put my jewelry on, I found new tenants in my jewelry armoire. Tigger had moved into the earring drawer:
Pooh had completely taken over the watch drawer:
And poor Eeyore had to go to the bottom drawer and displace the pins and brooches:
Maybe I should just rename my jewelry chest, "The Hundred Acre Wood" and put a sign that reads, "Mr. Sanders House" on it.
Would Xander move in too?
Isn't it lovely? It holds all my jewelry in a multitude of drawers, with two hidden side doors, and since I've started using it, I haven't gotten my long tangly necklaces messed up as often - and never in storage, just on my neck. Notice the little stool sitting in front of it? That belongs downstairs in the kitchen. It's Maia's "I can't see" stool. She uses it whenever she needs to see what's going on above her eye level. It seems to have a mind of its own, as it will mysteriously turn up in the ideal spot to bark your shin or stub your toe at all hours of the day. Last night, I noticed it in our bedroom.
I should have known something was up, because Maia came downstairs during piano lessons yesterday afternoon announcing that she had a gift. It was the ring box (complete with the ring) that Matt gave me a pearl promise ring in some 18 or 19 years ago. I don't wear it often because pearls are fragile and the ring's sentimental. I saved the ring but let her play with the box and didn't think much else about it.
This morning when I went to put my jewelry on, I found new tenants in my jewelry armoire. Tigger had moved into the earring drawer:
Pooh had completely taken over the watch drawer:
And poor Eeyore had to go to the bottom drawer and displace the pins and brooches:
Maybe I should just rename my jewelry chest, "The Hundred Acre Wood" and put a sign that reads, "Mr. Sanders House" on it.
Would Xander move in too?
Friday, February 01, 2008
If You Confess Your Sins...
I am trying to teach my children the value of confession and repentance. I think Maia's on the right track, but might have a few kinks to work out.
Tonight at the dinner table she yelled at Xander, "Say you're sorry to Jesus! And to Santa!"
Tonight at the dinner table she yelled at Xander, "Say you're sorry to Jesus! And to Santa!"
Monday, January 28, 2008
Gift from God or Test of my Pride?
So, I have an opportunity to go to Europe this summer.
Some friends of ours, Bruce & Darla from USD, are starting the International Performing Arts Institute (IPAI) in Munich, Hamburg, & Keifersvelden, Germany, and will do intensive training with singers in the areas of opera and musical theatre in order to jump-start their performance careers. Matt & I just happened to have some time to kill in Vermillion the other night after Larry's funeral, since Mom & Jim had the kids with them in Sioux City, so I gave Bruce & Darla a call (I haven't seen them since last summer) and boldly invited ourselves over. It was such a God-thing that I called that evening, because Bruce had just been out doing auditions and had talked to one of my students, (one he's particularly interested in for IPAI), so he wanted to talk to me about him...
...and also offer me the opportunity to go along and be one of their accompanists.
While there, I would also get the opportunity to take some of the classes in dance or acting, and have voice lessons with some of their fine staff that they're bringing in from all over the world.
It would mean going to Germany and Belgium for 3 1/2 weeks.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Yoo hoo, you have a husband and family.... remember them?
This makes Matt quietly jealous. If the situation were reversed, it would make me insanely jealous. I don't think I can use his trip to the Trek factory in Wisconsin last year as justification to say we'd be even... We're trying to work something out so that he can come for part of the trip.
To add more spice to the stew,
Bruce & Darla are amazing artists, but also radical Christians who believe that life is mission. They spent about 6 years in this area of Belgium previously, and while there, helped get this cross-denominational youth church up and running. One of the things they would love to do while there running this institute, is help this youth worship team get better at what they do- and they see Matt & me as a component of that. This is the type of mission work we could really get on board with!
So we're trying to figure out a few things...
* What do we do with the kids? It's almost a full month, and that's a long time for them. Even if Matt only comes for a week of the 3 weeks (which is all the vacation time he has left), he still works 40 hours a week, so we'd have to figure out some kind of child-care solution.
* How will we afford this? I don't know how much it's going to cost, but considering our tax situation, we have nothing to give right now (of course, we know that if this is a gift from God, he will provide financially for us).
* Can this be considered a mission trip? If life is mission, and there would be many opportunities to help build the local church, why not? I mean it's an unusual mission trip, but seems fitting for an unusual person, such as myself.
* How do you lead people in worship if you are not fluent in their language? I don't think 3 weeks is going to make me conversation-ready!
Those are the biggies right now, and of course, the ultimate question: Is this something that God wants me to do or that I just selfishly want for me?
So, after Europe, then what?
I mean, it's not like I'm going to audition for a national touring company or anything. But this could be a good opportunity to boost a performance career here in South Dakota. Bruce & Darla seem to be really good people to know. They are the kind of folks that make things happen. It would be nice after all these years to finally be able to say, "I'm a professional singer." Even if it is small potatoes here in Sioux Falls.
So these are the things bumping around in my head today.
Please check out their website and send me your thoughts. (www.internationalperformingartsinstitute.com) I can't do links in my blog posts from my home computer anymore (complicated), but check it out anyway.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Death of a Local Legend
Matt & I were very saddened to hear of the death of a beloved college professor from USD yesterday afternoon, Professor Larry Torkelson.
Torkelson was our choir director at USD, and was really great at what he did. He was passionate about beautiful choral music, and never shied away from having us sing liturgical text. His faith was evident in his love for the music he brought out of us, and he was one of the few college associates that we had who was genuinely happy for us when we went into church music as a career.
I was really strongly influenced by Torkelson while at USD and beyond, especially as I got my master's degree in choral conducting.
Last year, we were honored when he ruthlessly hunted us down and asked us to sing in an alumni choir. We went to USD for rehearsals once a month from September until our concert in April. I'm really glad we had a last chance to sing under him again.
Larry's funeral will probably be this weekend, and he's asked the alumni choir to sing a couple of his favorites, "Agnus Dei" by Peter Williams and "Laudate Dominum" by Mozart (we did this song at our wedding).
I bet Larry's loving heaven right about now. He thought there was beautiful music here on earth!
Torkelson was our choir director at USD, and was really great at what he did. He was passionate about beautiful choral music, and never shied away from having us sing liturgical text. His faith was evident in his love for the music he brought out of us, and he was one of the few college associates that we had who was genuinely happy for us when we went into church music as a career.
I was really strongly influenced by Torkelson while at USD and beyond, especially as I got my master's degree in choral conducting.
Last year, we were honored when he ruthlessly hunted us down and asked us to sing in an alumni choir. We went to USD for rehearsals once a month from September until our concert in April. I'm really glad we had a last chance to sing under him again.
Larry's funeral will probably be this weekend, and he's asked the alumni choir to sing a couple of his favorites, "Agnus Dei" by Peter Williams and "Laudate Dominum" by Mozart (we did this song at our wedding).
I bet Larry's loving heaven right about now. He thought there was beautiful music here on earth!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
My Day Off
I have a day off today. I actually have many days off this month (hence the huge number of blog posts in the month of January compared to the rest of the year), but this morning is my treasured time with both kids in school for a couple of hours and nothing expected of me. Usually, I exercise during this time. Sometimes I go shopping, but that's not really an option, considering I'm not making much money this month and our precious renters still are choosing to live rent free.
So I think I'll work out. I'll do my step aerobics video complete with weight training and an abs workout. I work so hard during that video that I actually look better when I'm done- immediate bio-feedback!
OK, so Matt got his W-2 from work this week and we looked at it last night. The good news is, his job is paying more than a starting teacher's salary in South Dakota. The bad news is that there was only $24 paid to Federal for taxes. $24! Crud. I was hoping to use our tax return as a nice healthy down payment on a different car to replace Matt's (a cute little yellow bug), but considering that all our other jobs do not make enough to warrant them holding anything out for taxes, and I'll have to pay self-employment tax (which seems unreasonably high to me), I'm just hoping that we break even or can afford to pay what we'll owe.
In other news, Matt gets to set his "trip goal" for 2008 tomorrow night at work. If he sells enough stuff by December 31, he could win a trip for 2 to some sunny, warm location far from here. I'm counting on it. He said he's looking to see what the lowest possible amount he could set it at would be (slacker!). Maybe only $100 more than he's made so far this month?
OK, well time to get Maia up and start the madness anew.
So I think I'll work out. I'll do my step aerobics video complete with weight training and an abs workout. I work so hard during that video that I actually look better when I'm done- immediate bio-feedback!
OK, so Matt got his W-2 from work this week and we looked at it last night. The good news is, his job is paying more than a starting teacher's salary in South Dakota. The bad news is that there was only $24 paid to Federal for taxes. $24! Crud. I was hoping to use our tax return as a nice healthy down payment on a different car to replace Matt's (a cute little yellow bug), but considering that all our other jobs do not make enough to warrant them holding anything out for taxes, and I'll have to pay self-employment tax (which seems unreasonably high to me), I'm just hoping that we break even or can afford to pay what we'll owe.
In other news, Matt gets to set his "trip goal" for 2008 tomorrow night at work. If he sells enough stuff by December 31, he could win a trip for 2 to some sunny, warm location far from here. I'm counting on it. He said he's looking to see what the lowest possible amount he could set it at would be (slacker!). Maybe only $100 more than he's made so far this month?
OK, well time to get Maia up and start the madness anew.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
I don't know why this should surprise me...
...but my children are really weird.
OK, so since birth, my kids have pretty much had to learn to deal with me teaching lessons in the home. They've always been good at entertaining themselves and pretty much taking care of themselves while I'm teaching, but usually I teach after school. Tonight I had an evening lesson. Just one. Usually I try to do evening lessons on nights when Matt is home to keep the chaos to a minimum. Well, tonight was a makeup lesson due to the cold so Matt was not home. When I was finished, both kids had smiley faces drawn on their stomachs, backs and Maia had eyes drawn on her butt cheeks. They also took the liberty to use the ball point pen and make masks for themselves. Maia was a kitty, and Xander... he's just weird.
To their credit, they did wash off their faces all by themselves. Of course, the pen left scratches in Maia's sensitive skin which will still be there when she goes to school tomorrow. The marks on the tummies and backs are still there. May have to have an afternoon bath tomorrow!
During my lesson, both of them came down the stairs to the piano room, lifted their shirts to reveal the drawn-on faces- using their belly buttons as noses- and hollered, "Cake!" Then ran away screaming with laughter.
Luckily, my student has a younger brother and knows all about this life I lead. It happens in her house too!
Never a dull moment around here.
OK, so since birth, my kids have pretty much had to learn to deal with me teaching lessons in the home. They've always been good at entertaining themselves and pretty much taking care of themselves while I'm teaching, but usually I teach after school. Tonight I had an evening lesson. Just one. Usually I try to do evening lessons on nights when Matt is home to keep the chaos to a minimum. Well, tonight was a makeup lesson due to the cold so Matt was not home. When I was finished, both kids had smiley faces drawn on their stomachs, backs and Maia had eyes drawn on her butt cheeks. They also took the liberty to use the ball point pen and make masks for themselves. Maia was a kitty, and Xander... he's just weird.
To their credit, they did wash off their faces all by themselves. Of course, the pen left scratches in Maia's sensitive skin which will still be there when she goes to school tomorrow. The marks on the tummies and backs are still there. May have to have an afternoon bath tomorrow!
During my lesson, both of them came down the stairs to the piano room, lifted their shirts to reveal the drawn-on faces- using their belly buttons as noses- and hollered, "Cake!" Then ran away screaming with laughter.
Luckily, my student has a younger brother and knows all about this life I lead. It happens in her house too!
Never a dull moment around here.
MLK Day
Well, I don't really think we were in the spirit of civil rights or Martin Luther King Jr., but we enjoyed our day off from school.
Xander had homework from being out of school last week, and I made him get it all done on Sunday because I forgot there was no school on Monday, so he did not have to do any homework on his day off, which was a treat.
I did some laundry, made a great dinner, fixed a leaky toilet, taught one lesson, you know, all in a day's work.
Maia played with a cardboard box. All day.
Even though Matt had to work all day, Xander did bow to his pressure to try a peanut butter- pickle sandwich. I thought it was a momentous occasion, so I took pictures.
Like the pajamas? Yes, this was lunchtime, and yes, both kids stayed in their PJs all day. We like pajama days.
Xander had homework from being out of school last week, and I made him get it all done on Sunday because I forgot there was no school on Monday, so he did not have to do any homework on his day off, which was a treat.
I did some laundry, made a great dinner, fixed a leaky toilet, taught one lesson, you know, all in a day's work.
Maia played with a cardboard box. All day.
Even though Matt had to work all day, Xander did bow to his pressure to try a peanut butter- pickle sandwich. I thought it was a momentous occasion, so I took pictures.
Like the pajamas? Yes, this was lunchtime, and yes, both kids stayed in their PJs all day. We like pajama days.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
I Did It!
The bathroom is done! Isn't it cute?
The paint color is called "Inner Glow," which is what it looks like in the 2nd picture with no flash because I was shooting right into the light fixture.
The light fixture is on the wall, but don't look too close. It'll stay there, but the wall behind it is not pretty. Let's just say, I won't be doing any contracting work anytime soon.
The white cabinet above the toilet is a replacement for the old one, and Xander was a huge help in getting it up. Frankly, I wasn't sure how I was going to do it without Matt's help, but my little man was a big hand in getting that project done.
It's nice to have accomplished something today. The kids both stayed in jammies all day, and we chose to make it a stayin' home day because it reached a high of 5 degrees today. I'm definitely wearing a sweater and long pants to church tomorrow!
Tonight before bed, we watched "The Sandlot" together. Maia was uninterested and chose to watch a Sesame Street video downstairs instead. I thought maybe Xander would like "The Sandlot" (I borrowed it from the library this week). He seemed to really enjoy it, and even let me cut his hair while he watched. Quote of the evening, "Quit spraying my sensitive hair with that water!!!" Ahhh, boys. :)
The paint color is called "Inner Glow," which is what it looks like in the 2nd picture with no flash because I was shooting right into the light fixture.
The light fixture is on the wall, but don't look too close. It'll stay there, but the wall behind it is not pretty. Let's just say, I won't be doing any contracting work anytime soon.
The white cabinet above the toilet is a replacement for the old one, and Xander was a huge help in getting it up. Frankly, I wasn't sure how I was going to do it without Matt's help, but my little man was a big hand in getting that project done.
It's nice to have accomplished something today. The kids both stayed in jammies all day, and we chose to make it a stayin' home day because it reached a high of 5 degrees today. I'm definitely wearing a sweater and long pants to church tomorrow!
Tonight before bed, we watched "The Sandlot" together. Maia was uninterested and chose to watch a Sesame Street video downstairs instead. I thought maybe Xander would like "The Sandlot" (I borrowed it from the library this week). He seemed to really enjoy it, and even let me cut his hair while he watched. Quote of the evening, "Quit spraying my sensitive hair with that water!!!" Ahhh, boys. :)
Friday, January 18, 2008
I Must Be On Vacation
So, Monday I thought I'd just paint the kids' bathroom while Maia was at preschool all day. Of course, that's not turning out to be the little project I thought it'd be...
For one thing, I painted the room orange (which was the easy part), and I just couldn't stomach all the cheap gold fixtures in there, so I called Jim (since it's not technically my house, but his) and asked if I could replace the light fixture and toilet topper cabinet with nicer ones.
So I went to Menard's and found a simple white cabinet to put over the toilet to replace the nasty brown one, and a sleek new stainless light fixture to replace the old "dressing room" style one that was there. Of course, it's never as simple as you think it's going to be... I took the old fixture off the wall only to find that not only was there no electrical box, there's nothing but a pipe behind the wall to attach a box to, and there's a bigger hole in the drywall than the size of the new fixture base.
Jim's suggestion was to but a board over the hole and just affix the light fixture to that. So that's what I worked on today, but the problem is, there's no room to stick the wires & wire nuts once you get the fixture all attached to the wall, unless you shove them back through the hole in the board which exposes them to the water pipe and all the insulation without the protection of an electrical box. I'm no electrician, but that doesn't seem safe. So I'm back to the drawing board. Pretty much everything I did today, I had to rip out, and I'll have to try something new tomorrow. I'd really like to have this thing finished up by Monday.
OK, but that's not what I'm excited about (really? why not?). Today, I found a chair to go in my blank spot- and a lamp!
I found this combo at a used furniture store, and paid about $75 for both! And the chair doesn't even stink, and it's quite comfortable. This is now my "mother's chair" for during lessons. This is the only comfortable chair on that level of the house. I'd like to get some red beaded fringe to put around the bottom of the lamp.
My attempts to accessorize with red were also helped by my Christmas gift from my mom, this big red clock:
Cool, huh? Looks like it was made for my house.
For one thing, I painted the room orange (which was the easy part), and I just couldn't stomach all the cheap gold fixtures in there, so I called Jim (since it's not technically my house, but his) and asked if I could replace the light fixture and toilet topper cabinet with nicer ones.
So I went to Menard's and found a simple white cabinet to put over the toilet to replace the nasty brown one, and a sleek new stainless light fixture to replace the old "dressing room" style one that was there. Of course, it's never as simple as you think it's going to be... I took the old fixture off the wall only to find that not only was there no electrical box, there's nothing but a pipe behind the wall to attach a box to, and there's a bigger hole in the drywall than the size of the new fixture base.
Jim's suggestion was to but a board over the hole and just affix the light fixture to that. So that's what I worked on today, but the problem is, there's no room to stick the wires & wire nuts once you get the fixture all attached to the wall, unless you shove them back through the hole in the board which exposes them to the water pipe and all the insulation without the protection of an electrical box. I'm no electrician, but that doesn't seem safe. So I'm back to the drawing board. Pretty much everything I did today, I had to rip out, and I'll have to try something new tomorrow. I'd really like to have this thing finished up by Monday.
OK, but that's not what I'm excited about (really? why not?). Today, I found a chair to go in my blank spot- and a lamp!
I found this combo at a used furniture store, and paid about $75 for both! And the chair doesn't even stink, and it's quite comfortable. This is now my "mother's chair" for during lessons. This is the only comfortable chair on that level of the house. I'd like to get some red beaded fringe to put around the bottom of the lamp.
My attempts to accessorize with red were also helped by my Christmas gift from my mom, this big red clock:
Cool, huh? Looks like it was made for my house.
Turns out it's...
Strep throat. Tuesday night, Xander's headache, stiff neck, extreme irritability and later bad breath were all symptoms of strep. Who knew?
He really messed with my morning on Wednesday. I had my first "well woman" exam since shortly after Maia was born scheduled 6 weeks in advance for Wednesday morning because I have a very rare 2 1/2 hours with no kids during that time. But Xander had to stay home from school, and I had to take him to the doctor. I got it all scheduled so that Xander would stay home with Matt's cell phone and I would go to my doctor's appointment. Admittedly, not the best solution, but he seemed to be feeling OK, was not complaining as much, and I really felt it was important to make it to my appointment.
Of course, they did not think my appointment was as important as some lady having a baby, so I went home after only a few minutes of waiting in the lobby.
Got Xander to the doctor, who immediately recognized the symptoms of strep (funny me, I thought he was going to die of Meningitis), and we got him on antibiotics right away.
He's feeling much better now. Got to miss Wednesday and Thursday of school, and was actually looking forward to going back today.
So Thursday afternoon, I started getting a stiff neck, headache, irritable, and stinky breath. I guess it's only natural.
I went to the doctor this morning- I tried just calling to get a scrip called in, but they've never seen me as a patient before, so I had to use my precious health savings account money. I figured while I was there, I'd get him to refill my migraine medicine and might as well cauterize my nose while he was at it. (Last night, I had a gusher that lasted a good half hour, and I've been having nosebleeds every 2-3 days all winter for a couple of years now).
So now, I'm all set with antibiotics for my throat, my nose is a little sore- but not bleeding, and I'm prepared for my next migraine attack. That should carry me for a while. I wonder... when was the last time I went to see the doctor (aside from my "womanly" stuff)? It's been a while.
He really messed with my morning on Wednesday. I had my first "well woman" exam since shortly after Maia was born scheduled 6 weeks in advance for Wednesday morning because I have a very rare 2 1/2 hours with no kids during that time. But Xander had to stay home from school, and I had to take him to the doctor. I got it all scheduled so that Xander would stay home with Matt's cell phone and I would go to my doctor's appointment. Admittedly, not the best solution, but he seemed to be feeling OK, was not complaining as much, and I really felt it was important to make it to my appointment.
Of course, they did not think my appointment was as important as some lady having a baby, so I went home after only a few minutes of waiting in the lobby.
Got Xander to the doctor, who immediately recognized the symptoms of strep (funny me, I thought he was going to die of Meningitis), and we got him on antibiotics right away.
He's feeling much better now. Got to miss Wednesday and Thursday of school, and was actually looking forward to going back today.
So Thursday afternoon, I started getting a stiff neck, headache, irritable, and stinky breath. I guess it's only natural.
I went to the doctor this morning- I tried just calling to get a scrip called in, but they've never seen me as a patient before, so I had to use my precious health savings account money. I figured while I was there, I'd get him to refill my migraine medicine and might as well cauterize my nose while he was at it. (Last night, I had a gusher that lasted a good half hour, and I've been having nosebleeds every 2-3 days all winter for a couple of years now).
So now, I'm all set with antibiotics for my throat, my nose is a little sore- but not bleeding, and I'm prepared for my next migraine attack. That should carry me for a while. I wonder... when was the last time I went to see the doctor (aside from my "womanly" stuff)? It's been a while.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
What a party!
We went to Mitchell Monday night for my neice, Rylie's birthday party. She is now 6. How time flies! Casey & Heidi rented the party room at the Comfort Inn, where they have an indoor waterpark (well, a cool pool with a pirate ship and a big slide that goes outside the building, but is enclosed in a tube).
Maia claims she had fun, even though she fell down 3 times, walked right into the deep end of the water and was rescued by Grandpa Dave, and ran into a pole before the night was over.
Xander had a BLAST! He was a little nervous about going down that big huge slide at first, but they had innertubes to ride down on, so it was a smooth ride, and you never had to go under water. PLUS, they had double tubes you could ride, so most of the times he went down with either me or Casey. Once, he tried to go down with Grandma Marilyn because she was the funnest partner of the night (not only did she get the tube going really fast, but she whooped and hollered all the way down!), but they lost their grip on the tube while trying to get in at the top and it went down without them. So they each went down the slide without the tube. Fun too!
Heidi's sister Bonnie also came over from Sioux Falls. She stayed overnight- but we would have been happy to carpool with her! Heidi & Bonnie went down the slide together several times, screaming all the way because it got pitch black at one point during the ride.
I finally got our Christmas presents to Casey & Heidi's family, so Rylie got double presents. We were pretty excited about the t-shirt that we got for Casey. It's a plain navy blue shirt with white block letters that says:
South Dakota
The Few
The Proud
The Extremely Attractive
We thought it was a perfect gift for him. I don't know how he feels about it, but he looked at it for a while, then laughed and said it was awesome and that he was going to wear it to work the next day.
It was a pretty late night for us, we didn't get home until almost 10:00, but I was glad we could go.
Monday was a day off for me with no Maia. She was a preschool ("pretty school") all day, so I decided to use my time to paint the kids' bathroom downstairs. Of course, it's never the quick project you think it's going to be, and after a trip to Ace Hardware, and a trip to Menards I finally got started painting the tangerine orange room. The paint's pretty much done, but of course, I felt the need to change out the light fixture and the toilet topper cabinet and the towel racks, so the room's in complete disarray right now. I would love to say I finished it up today, but alas, I did not get much done, as I had lessons and running around to do most of the day.
Tonight, Xander had a play date at friend, Leo's house after school, and came home in a HORRIBLE mood. Leo's a really fun kid, and has tons of toys, but I think Xander was coming down with something, because he complained about everything, especially of being hungry and thirsty, but then wouldn't eat his food, and told me he had a stiff neck. (scares me)
He didn't have a fever, so I just gave him some Tylenol and sent him to bed. He went to sleep for the night at 7:00. Hope he's OK!
We got a note from the school today, letting us know that they're concerned because Xander has missed 8 days of school this year, and he might fall beind. As we all know, no child should be left behind. I guess the Sioux Falls public school district is instituting a new attendance policy starting next school year, that if a kid misses more than 10 days of school they have to take make-up sessions. And the letter strongly encouraged our family to consider taking vacations on scheduled school vacation days.
Look Indiana friends, we care about you enough to endure the wrath of the Sioux Falls School system!
Maia claims she had fun, even though she fell down 3 times, walked right into the deep end of the water and was rescued by Grandpa Dave, and ran into a pole before the night was over.
Xander had a BLAST! He was a little nervous about going down that big huge slide at first, but they had innertubes to ride down on, so it was a smooth ride, and you never had to go under water. PLUS, they had double tubes you could ride, so most of the times he went down with either me or Casey. Once, he tried to go down with Grandma Marilyn because she was the funnest partner of the night (not only did she get the tube going really fast, but she whooped and hollered all the way down!), but they lost their grip on the tube while trying to get in at the top and it went down without them. So they each went down the slide without the tube. Fun too!
Heidi's sister Bonnie also came over from Sioux Falls. She stayed overnight- but we would have been happy to carpool with her! Heidi & Bonnie went down the slide together several times, screaming all the way because it got pitch black at one point during the ride.
I finally got our Christmas presents to Casey & Heidi's family, so Rylie got double presents. We were pretty excited about the t-shirt that we got for Casey. It's a plain navy blue shirt with white block letters that says:
South Dakota
The Few
The Proud
The Extremely Attractive
We thought it was a perfect gift for him. I don't know how he feels about it, but he looked at it for a while, then laughed and said it was awesome and that he was going to wear it to work the next day.
It was a pretty late night for us, we didn't get home until almost 10:00, but I was glad we could go.
Monday was a day off for me with no Maia. She was a preschool ("pretty school") all day, so I decided to use my time to paint the kids' bathroom downstairs. Of course, it's never the quick project you think it's going to be, and after a trip to Ace Hardware, and a trip to Menards I finally got started painting the tangerine orange room. The paint's pretty much done, but of course, I felt the need to change out the light fixture and the toilet topper cabinet and the towel racks, so the room's in complete disarray right now. I would love to say I finished it up today, but alas, I did not get much done, as I had lessons and running around to do most of the day.
Tonight, Xander had a play date at friend, Leo's house after school, and came home in a HORRIBLE mood. Leo's a really fun kid, and has tons of toys, but I think Xander was coming down with something, because he complained about everything, especially of being hungry and thirsty, but then wouldn't eat his food, and told me he had a stiff neck. (scares me)
He didn't have a fever, so I just gave him some Tylenol and sent him to bed. He went to sleep for the night at 7:00. Hope he's OK!
We got a note from the school today, letting us know that they're concerned because Xander has missed 8 days of school this year, and he might fall beind. As we all know, no child should be left behind. I guess the Sioux Falls public school district is instituting a new attendance policy starting next school year, that if a kid misses more than 10 days of school they have to take make-up sessions. And the letter strongly encouraged our family to consider taking vacations on scheduled school vacation days.
Look Indiana friends, we care about you enough to endure the wrath of the Sioux Falls School system!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Christmas time has passed...
How sad! We took down our Christmas decorations today. Everything looks so bare and sad now! I must say, Maia is much more help with the "taking down" process than the "putting up" at this age. She can just throw poinsettias in a box, and take the ornaments off the tree without doing too much damage.
Tomorrow is Xander's day to go out and spend his Christmas money. He has $60 plus a $10 gift card to a game store. That is a lot of money for a kid! (Especially a kid in our family!) We had a little talk about tithing and how it's one of God's laws and a way to honor Him with our money, and then we had a little math lesson and he learned how to figure 10%. I was proud of him, he figured it out on his own (even though he claims he just guessed).
Xander has a lot of homework to do to catch up with the 4 days that he was gone. They are doing a money unit in math, and he totally gets how to count coins. Good for him!
In other news, today my cousin, Bil donated a kidney to his 10-year-old daughter, Emma. Emma has an identical twin sister, but Bil wanted to see if he was a match (I can't blame him- I would do anything to avoid having both of my kids have to go through surgery at the same time!). The transplant was this morning at 7:30 am EST at the University of Virginia hospital. By the time I rolled my lazy butt out of bed at 7:30 CST, they were probably done. Our prayers are with them, and I'll post updates as I receive them. It is anticipated that Bil will be able to go home by Saturday or so, but Emma will be in the hospital an estimated 8-10 days.
Tomorrow is Xander's day to go out and spend his Christmas money. He has $60 plus a $10 gift card to a game store. That is a lot of money for a kid! (Especially a kid in our family!) We had a little talk about tithing and how it's one of God's laws and a way to honor Him with our money, and then we had a little math lesson and he learned how to figure 10%. I was proud of him, he figured it out on his own (even though he claims he just guessed).
Xander has a lot of homework to do to catch up with the 4 days that he was gone. They are doing a money unit in math, and he totally gets how to count coins. Good for him!
In other news, today my cousin, Bil donated a kidney to his 10-year-old daughter, Emma. Emma has an identical twin sister, but Bil wanted to see if he was a match (I can't blame him- I would do anything to avoid having both of my kids have to go through surgery at the same time!). The transplant was this morning at 7:30 am EST at the University of Virginia hospital. By the time I rolled my lazy butt out of bed at 7:30 CST, they were probably done. Our prayers are with them, and I'll post updates as I receive them. It is anticipated that Bil will be able to go home by Saturday or so, but Emma will be in the hospital an estimated 8-10 days.
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