I'm home

I made it, through the retreat. The time seemed to fly by, and I was able to connect with a few women. I did have a few stress moments though- I called home when I got to Prescott, Thursday afternoon and Rachel is crying, not little sobs, but really upset about something, she can't even tell me why. So I feel all this guilt that I should be there to fix whatever the problem is. Then Friday morning, I call Pat just before 9 and he doesn't answer the phone, so I try again at 10:30 and he still doesn't answer, and I get confused thinking he's being picked up at 11 to go to the Grand Canyon. So, I panic and call my BIL to ask Pat to listen to my messages before he leaves. Pat does call me back before he leaves, but I couldn't talk to him. I called after school on Friday and Rachel was to excited to be making something with her cousin Jessi to even talk to me :( Pat called me at 6:40 when they got to the hotel, but I missed that call too. I hated that I didn't get to talk to him at all, yesterday. This morning my phone rang at 6 AM, talk about jumping out of bed, it wasn't a big deal, (Sarah's girl scout outing question), but still 6AM! Pat and I did manage to talk to one another this morning. Yeah! I came home to a quite but messy house. Rachel was at a birthday party and my sister took Joseph and Sarah out for lunch. I don't think the kids missed me that much, since they hardly wanted to tell me about their past few days, and just started a movie. :(

Let's see...

Tomorrow afternoon, I am headed up to Prescott for a woman's retreat. I'll be home late Saturday afternoon. Pat is going to hike the Grand Canyon on Friday and won't be home on Monday night. Friday night is the girls' school bingo night (of which I've helped plan, but going to miss). Saturday morning Sarah is going on a Girl Scout outing. Rachel has a birthday party at 1 PM Saturday afternoon. Thank goodness, there's nothing Saturday night yet. Sunday I have a meeting, so the kids and I will be at both morning services. I'm glad Joseph's Scout troop didn't plan something!

Sad..disappointed

I'm feeling way low in the self esteem department right now. Saturday night, I was supposed to host a spa/dinner for a friend, but no one came, 4 gals did at least let me know they had other plans. The friend called just before it was to start and I told her not to bother coming. The girls and I had a quite evening watching old Charlie's Angels on TV. (Pat was at work and Joseph fishing). Tonight was supposed to be scrapbooking with ladies from church, one said she would be here, and 2 said they would be late. But guess what? No one showed up. This makes me feel like no one likes me, and a little nervous about going on a woman's retreat this weekend, will I have fun? Will I be alone all the time? I just wanta cry, thinking forward, but I know if I don't go, relationships with other women won't grow or develop.

My Helper!

My hubby is on vacation this week, it was so lovely to have him home after school today to help me. Sarah had her first student counsel meeting today after school. Rachel had dance, Sarah would have needed picking up during Rachel's classes, then I would have had to get Sarah dinner and to her dance class, which is right after Rachel's classes. I usually have to leave at the end of Rachel's jazz class to pick Sarah up at home, (because I've left her home to get her homework done and have dinner), but today would have been crazy with the meeting added in. Pat got Sarah from the meeting for me made sure she ate and took her to dance and he's picking her up too! It is a nice break. Sarah will have meeting once a month on Mondays, so I'll have to juggle all this myself for the next 8 months...fun.fun.fun.

PTO Fundraiser/Donations

OK, I said I'd do anything but the fundraiser, when I became the VP this year. But you know what? I kinda like doing the fundraiser, checking the orders and making the deposits, it feels like a real job. The last 2 school days I've done it all myself and it went pretty well, and the mornings have flown by. Now asking for donations is much harder and not nearly as much fun. Sunrise is a poor school, like the 2nd poorest in the district. Which kinda makes me crazy for many reasons, one of which is way back 6-7 years ago when I was doing child care, the free or reduced lunch was a much lower percent, I know this because I didn't qualify for a higher reimbursement for the food program I was on for my child care business, but now forward 6-7 years why are the school's families so poor? Kinda makes me a little nervous. I need some great contacts for donations, anyone have any suggestions?

My Foot

A few weeks ago I fell in the parking lot of Michael's, and scrapped the inside of the heel of my left foot. This is the same foot I had to have cortisone shots in the same area, due to inflammation. Well, since that fall my heel has been hurting once again, some days better than others, then I was even thinking it was healing. Well, the last 2 days I have had horrible pain, and it's very difficult to walk. And my thigh hurts from trying to walk so it doesn't hurt, I'm using different muscles I guess. I'll be calling the foot doctor on Monday and I hope she can get me right in.

Fall

I love Fall. I miss the change of colors in October back east, but not quite enough to move back east, because I don't want the Winters or humid Summers and of course my hubby and children are here! Fall in Phoenix means the temp. is below 100 during the day. The leaves change color about December, some are pretty, but mostly they're just dying leaves. I'll just look at the pretty pictures of leaves and imagine it's Fall, like was in my memories of growing up in Pennsylvania. The weather has been very nice the last few days, even a few days before the first day of Fall (which translates, I've been outside during the day and not been sweating) I hope it's not a trick of Mother Nature and it's here to stay!

Vent

I'm usually very on top of appointments. For me and the kids. I messed up with the orthodontist with Joseph. We just got a letter in the mail saying missed appointments will be charged a no show fee of either $25 or $30, I don't remember I totally thought that wouldn't be me, I'm usually so on top of things like this. I was watching Rachel's dance class yesterday and thought I should check my calendar because it seems like it's been awhile since Joseph went to the orthodontist. Well, I was right his appointment was for the 6th. Oh brother, I call the office and leave a message, the girl calls me this morning and says they won't charge us for this missed appointment. But what I don't get is they never do reminder calls. I asked about this, and she tells me it is the office policy not to call for appointments that are close to the last one. 6-7 weeks, is really not that close if you ask me. The doctor is going to get an earful when I take Joseph in on Oct. 2nd. It hardly seems fair that you would charge for a missed appointment if you had not confirmed it.

I am a criminal

This afternoon, I was headed to the post office to mail back this ugly Star Wars t-shirt, I had waiting for months to get only to be way disappointed in, and now to make the whole thing even worse- I drove 21 miles an hour through a school zone and got a ticket. That t-shirt was one expensive shirt. It's going to be $120 to go to traffic school, or I can pay the fine of $127. This just seems so crazy to me, there are way worse criminals out there driving than me, it's not like I didn't at lease slow down for the school, just not quite slow enough. I am so mad at myself.

Looking forward looking back

This is going to be a busy week, but really have any lately not been busy? Tomorrow I need to clean the house and do laundry and make a dessert to take to Joseph's scouting thing tomorrow night. Then of course there's the scouting thing. Wednesday, I'll probably be at school all day working on the fundraiser orders. Then the PTO board is coming over for dinner, a meeting and working still on the orders. Thursday and Friday I'll probably be at school most of those days too. Friday Joseph leaves for a fishing weekend with his scout troop. Saturday night I'm hosting dinner/spa thing for a friend who is trying to get starting in the spa business. Looking back, this past weekend was full, my niece's birthday party on Friday night, Sarah having to be at school before 7 am on Saturday for a girl scout outing. Taking Joseph to sell scout o rama tickets for 2 hours, then I came home and napped and relaxed the rest of the day. Sunday I had to be at church at 8:45 for the nursery, Sarah and I left and got some lunch, then I took her to aution for the Snow Queen. Came him, Pat went to work, Rachel's friend called and asked if she could come over, took Rachel, went to Michael's and got gas, picked Rachel up and we watched The Wild (can you say Lion King, Madagascar and Finding Nemo rolled into one!) The kids thought it was cute. I had a hard time getting everyone to bed last night. This morning was hard getting them all ready for school too. I was at school all morning helping with the hearing screenings. Rachel and Sarah had dance this afternoon, Rachel did not finish her homework before her classes started, so after dinner we were still doing homework. I really like the homework done before dinner, it just didn't happen today.

Ablation-pain

It finally happened! No complications after the surgery, plenty before hand, but not me, the hospital. Well, me a little because I have really bad veins, and it took 2 sticks to get blood drawn and 2 sticks to get the IV started. After all these pokes it almost didn't happen, we only had my heart doctor's verbal OK, and nothing in writing so the annisolgist didn't want to go ahead with it. They called his office and he wasn't there. I asked them call him at his other office, because he wasn't in the office where I see him, some how the nurse got his cell phone number and called him, he was playing golf! He OK'd the surgery and all went well from there, unless you count that they didn't give me my prescriptions and Pat had to go back in the hospital for them. I slept off and on all afternoon, Sarah made me some toast, what a sweet girl, she keep checking on my to make sure I was OK. The pain in horrible, it is easing up a little, but maybe it's the pain medicine finally working.

90%

I finally heard what the insurance will pay for my ablation on Thursday. 90% Yeah! Our co-pay at the hospital has been met for the year too.

Too Much

I think Sarah is involved with way to much this year. She joined chorus, got elected to student counsel, taking 3 dance classes, and autioning for The Snow Queen on Sunday. Last week, a girl in her class, called and asked her to join Girl Scouts. They talked on the phone for a long, long time. Sarah who has a hard time making and keeping friends, this call was the longest ever she's been on the phone. So, tonight I let Sarah go to a scout meeting to try it, but I'm just not crazy about letting her contiue. Doesn't it seem like she already has too much on her plate? She's only 9. Since Pat works all kinds of weird hours, I would have to add this to my already busy schedule. What do you think?

Yo-Yo

My emotions have been like a yo-yo the last two days. I don't know what the deal is, but today I can't seem to stop crying. It's getting on my nerves, because I don't even know why I'm crying. But here's the clues. Yesterday I was just angry at everything and everyone. Pat worked all day yesterday then went to a football game with his Dad, I was asleep when he got home. Pat has worked 6 days this week, we haven't spent anytime together. Hopefully my last period has been going on and on for 9 days now. Today I took the kids to church myself, because Pat was running late getting ready then decided not to go. We come home from church and Pat had bought KFC to surprise us, but I really don't like KFC, but the kids were happy they didn't have to eat my leftovers. Pat leaves for work at 3, I barely tell him good bye, I feel guilty, so I go to Fry's to apologize, but of course even though he's supposed to be training as a asst. front end manager and not supposed to be on a register he is, so I don't really get to talk to him. He works till 12 AM, so I probably won't later either, I hope I'm asleep. Now I have to deal with getting the kids ready for bed and a new week of school myself.

opps :(

Bad Mother of the year awarded to me today, why you may ask? Well, I woke up at 8:30 when pat's alarm went off. Joseph thank goodness, is great with getting up and leaving for the bus on time. But the girls were still sleeping. I thought Pat messed up his alarm. He's been working at 8:00 and his alarm has been going off at 6:30 every morning. When it went off this morning, I whine to make him turn it off, didn't you remember you don't work until 11 today? That when he said it's 8:30! What! The girls scrabbled to get ready, and Sarah even ate a bowl of cereal, Rachel grabbed a cheese stick and we were out the door and at school by 8:45, so they were only 15 minutes late, but still, in all the years that someone has been in school, this is the first time, I had to sign the kids in late :( I was supposed to be doing a presentation in the AM Kindergarten class first thing this morning too, so I was a little late for that too, luckily the timing worked anyway.

This and That

So, yesterday Joseph was going to try out for boys volleyball. I took him to the doctor for the sports physical and filled out all the paperwork. Yesterday was the girls' school's first PTO meeting, of which I needed to get ready for since I'm the vice president. I asked Joseph to take the activity bus home or call my cell phone. They kids are not allowed to use the front office phone at his school, but really there has to be a phone he could have used. He decides to not try out because I won't be able to sit in the parking lot for who knows how long so he has a ride, this seems very stupid to me, whatever, I was glad he wanted to try out, but I was really worried about him making the team and me being spread too thin with all the other after school stuff, driving the kids here and there, I didn't know how I could always put in pratices and games, that I would want to go to, but then what would leave my 6 year old at dance by herself? I think not. Joseph also scratched his eye yesterday by leaving a torn contact in his eye, so he was only seeing out of the left, so he might not have made the team anyway, but I feel bad anyway. The PTO meeting went really well last night, we had 24 parents, 5 teachers and the principle. That's a huge amount of participation for our school, so we were pretty happy about it. We accoplished a lot and finished within the hour, like we wanted to, short and to the point, unlike meetings in the past. Today I was able to go to the district luncheon and got lots of info to take back to school, some I don't understand, some I already knew, some was interesting and of course some was boring. After the luncheon I headed back to school for the fall fundraiser kick off. Then I did some banking for school and shopping for the PTO. I like the shopping part. Now my headache that I was getting at the luncheon which was getting better, is now bad enough to take something for it. I usually wait until they are really bad, now it is, UGH!

Whew

Busy weekend. I never get it, that some weekends are packed with things and others are boring. Friday night we went to celebrate my 8 year old nephew's birthday. Saturday the girls played with friends all day, then we went to a family from church's house where the Mom and youngest daughter went on a 5 week dance trip to China. We ate some pretty strange real Chinese food, some of it was good, some of it was just to odd to try. I probably wouldn't do well in China. It was fun hearing about their trip and looking through pictures and watching the DVDs. Saturday night I couldn't sleep, I laid awake most of the night, we didn't go to church on Sunday, I was too tired to get up, and I knew I'd sleep through most of the service anyway. Pat could have taken the kids, but because I didn't get up he went back to bed too. Sunday afternoon we celebrated my sister's birthday, my 21 year old nieces and my 18 year old nephew's. Joseph and Rachel spent the night at my sister's. Sarah liked being an only child for a little while. I took her to see Material Girls at the movies on Monday, then we did a little shopping, and went out to lunch. I was tired when we got home, I didn't feel up to doing anything, I holed myself in my room and read all afternoon and evening.