Anika turns 7

Our Ani turned 7 yesterday and her party today finished off a really busy week.  She's been wanting to ride horses for a while so I asked Jess (my sister-in-law) if she could lead her horse for a few girls for Anika's party.  We had it all planned out but unfortunatelly it rained all day yesterday and pretty much all day today so there was no way we could ride horses.  Anika wasn't sad at all, she could not wait for her friends to come.  Her 4 girl cousins were coming and 3 other friends and Anika was so excited.  Of course, once her class mates and friends found out it was going to be her birthday they all asked Anika if they can be invited to her party and she felt really bad for saying no.  But the girls had a great time despite the rain and just played and played.  They all loved the pinata and after years of asking I finally let Anika get one. :)  Now she's having her 3 cousins sleep over in her room and they're so cute together.  Kade and Kason feel a bit left out because they don't really have any boy cousins to hang out with like that but I'm so glad for Anika.  Having a close girl cousin is such a gift and when you don't have a sister that relationship can mean so much.

Anika has been wanting "A very hungry caterpillar" cake

getting ready for a sleepover

And I am just pooped after this week.  I don't know if it is the 3 days in a row that I had to sub, or the stress from it, or having something going on every single night this week.  I really enjoyed subbing, just seeing so many grades every day was great because you really get the feel of how kids are in different grades.  I had kindergarten kids all the way to 5th grade for 50 minutes each.  By the end of the 3rd day though I was glad it was the last day because I ran out of ideas for games and things to do.  Yes, there is always the option of watching something but I only let the kids watch tv for the last few minutes if they were getting really loud.  One thing I told some teachers is how impressed I was with their classes.  For the most part they all behaved really well and listened to everything I said.  I totally thought they would give me some crap about not wanting to do this or that or not caring about what I had to say but that was not the case at all.  So just that was so great to see and gives me more confidence.  I also had 2 different 5th grade classes, neither of them was Kade's but there were a lot of his old class mates and I just love those kids.  I think they are such great kids, really interested in everything and really stick together.  So I don't know if it's because of Kade, but that grade was definitely my favorite.  And then Kindergarten and first grade kids were really great too, they didn't even peep and listened to me so well which I would never expect from their age.  So, it was a really great experience.  Subbing for one class all day will be totally different and might be more challenging but at the same time I'll have lots of tasks to do with the class so that would be nice instead of me trying to think of games that would work for 5th grade first 50 minutes and then games that would be good for 5 year olds.  On Friday was my last day as a music teacher and it was a short day too because the whole school was going to a homecoming parade in town after lunch.  So I had all the classes, but only for 30 minutes each.  I wanted to see how the kids would do with the wii because we have a dance game that Elementary age kids usually really like.  The thing is I only had 2 remotes for 25 kids.  So I split them up into 2 groups and for each song I picked one player from each team.  I told the other kids to keep doing the dance moves with the players since they can all see the tv.  One class was all really into it and they loved it.  Then the 5th graders had a few boys who thought it was dumb and said there's no way they're dancing but they were singing along at least a couple of the songs. :)  I think some of them were really surprised that I joined in and was dancing with the class but it made them want to try too.  So hopefully I'm not going to get called in the principal's office for using the wii, I just wanted to see if it's doable with that many kids and to see how they would like it.  And at least they were active and were singing.  :) I'm hoping I will get more calls now for subbing but you never know.  A lot of the teachers have their usual subs they like to request and only if they can't do it they will take whoever.  So we'll see what happens.  At least I got to be there and a lot of teachers saw me sub which is great.

           

subbing time

Well, I officially subbed for the first time today and it went pretty well.  I didn't know what to expect so I was a bit nervous this morning but the kids were really great.  I am subbing for the music teacher and have to do it again all day tomorrow and half a day on Friday.  Today was half a day also and I was so glad because it was a bit crazy.  I didn't realize there are no breaks whatsoever between my classes and when one class is leaving, another one is rushing into my room.  So towards the end I really had to go to the bathroom but I was stuck there and couldn't leave the kids alone.  I asked the music teacher at the end what she does about that and she said I have to just catch one of the teachers when they're dropping the class off and tell them to watch the kids for a bit.  And that is not always easy because those teachers are gone just like that. :)  So now I'll be better prepared for tomorrow.  Other than that though, the kids were great.  I had 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders today, each for 50 minutes.  I tried playing some games with them which was a bit challenging especially with the boys because they are boys and want to run around and have a turn every time. :) But really, they did great overall and listened well.  I had to start counting loud a few times (1,2,3) and I couldn't believe how quickly that worked.  They got quiet right away and I didn't even get to 3.  Towards the end of the class, when they were getting a bit restless and bored with the games I let them watch a video and color and they all seemed to like that.  I also didn't avoid kids getting hurt and 2 girls ended up crying because one boy threw a ball in one's head and one got bumped or something.  I'm guessing that's ok and it just happens when you have 25 kids in a small space playing physical games.

Tomorrow I get to have Anika's and Kason's class and they are so excited for that.  It is great to see the different kids in each class, different dynamics and get to know them a bit.   So, it was a good start and I'm so glad my friend asked for me to sub because it lets me see how that part of Elementary school is done.
  

a field trip

I survived my first 2 volleyball games last night!  It was a lot of fun and also more exercise than I thought it would be because I am sore all over today. :)  When I first got there it was a bit intimidating because probably 80% or more of those girls and women played volleyball somewhere and had their game faces on. :)  And this is the league that is not supposed to be too serious.  But then once we started playing it was a lot better and it seemed like they all just want to have fun and enjoy the game instead of being all about scoring and winning.  Our first game we only had 4 of us playing against 6 so that was a given we'd lose and none of us played together before that day.  The second game we lost a player who had to go home to her kids and so we played with 3 against 5.  And even though we didn't start out that great, we actually won.  I kind of wonder if we didn't play the worst team in the league though. :)  It was fun and a LOT of running around to cover the whole court.  So maybe that's partly why I'm so sore today.  Hopefully next time we'll have 5 or 6 players but that's how it is when our team is made up of all moms and not all of them have husbands available to take care of their kids.  I'm just so glad I get to play with someone who's into the game like I am but at the same time is nice when I mess up.  It's great to be doing something active together like that too.

Today I was gone all day on a field trip with Kade's class and there were about 60 ten year-olds from 3 classes.  It was very nice besides the fact that most of it was outside and it was a pretty cold day.  I was in charge of 9 kids and for some reason I always enjoy watching what these kids are like, how they interact, treat each other and stuff.  And I usually get more kick out of watching the girls, probably because they interact with each other way more than the boys do. :)  You can tell a lot about the kids by just seeing how they're dressed and what their outward behavior is like. 

I could not believe how many kids there were all about brand name shoes, sweatshirts and probably more.  For some reason Under Armour clothes are a big deal right now and I can't believe how many kids are wearing these $50 shirts which is more than I spend on mine.  It is probably a "necessity" for them when they go back to school.  On the other hand, there are a few kids that you can tell are from very poor homes.  I only noticed it because I had 2 girls like that in my group and I was told by the teacher that they will probably need my help taking notes.  One had pants 2 sizes too small and kept adjusting them so they weren't uncomfortable.  And the other girl had these boy sports pants on that were ripping very badly and a huge sweatshirt that looked like something an old woman would wear to work in the garden.  My heart just ached for these girls and I couldn't stop thinking how I just want to take them to a store and buy them some nicer clothes.  And how must they feel next to these girls that are all put together with their brand name clothes, perfect manicures and hair.  At least it seemed like they didn't care or notice and maybe it's because they've been around it since kindergarten and by now are used to not fitting in.  At one point, one of them just out of the blue hugged me tightly because she was cold, but somehow I wondered if there just isn't anyone to hug her back at home. 

During our lunch break a bunch of kids sat around eating together.  This girl close to me pulls out her sandwich and probably to be noticed or "funny" she says:"oh no, my mom made my sandwich all wrong!  She knows I hate it this way."  I look at her and it is just a regular ham and cheese sandwich.  I just said: "well, next time you better make your own sandwich then." I could not believe she would say that about her mom.  And a few minutes later I realized her mom was there helping out and was sitting pretty close to us too. :) I don't think she heard me though because she didn't hear her daughter either.  It is just interesting watching these kids and how much they are a window into their homes.  What a job it is to be a teacher, to have such responsibility of being a parent, caregiver, nurse, role model, educator and so much more to these kids.  I'm so grateful for wonderful teachers our kids have had.  I hope they know what an important job they have.

      

a crazy day

What a day it was yesterday.  I've been looking forward to it for a long time now because I was going to get together with my sister-in-law in Fargo and do some shopping with no kids which doesn't happen much.  We picked the day and marked it on our calendars.  My other sister-in-law was going to come with me which was going to be fun, especially having someone to ride and chat with.  But, in the end she couldn't take the time off from work so I was going to drive there alone.  No big deal, I've driven to Fargo too many times to count.  We would still have fun on our girls day out. :)

I said goodbye to our kids as I dropped them off at school and I went on my way.  Everything was going so smoothly, hardly any cars on the road.  I passed Grand Forks and pretty soon there was a construction zone which seems like never ends on that road.  I was driving slowly like you're supposed to and there was a big truck in front of me so I couldn't have gone faster anyway.  But the truck was so big and wide I couldn't see the narrow lanes and all of a sudden I see he's leading me into an exit.  I quickly stopped and so did the car following me there.  The lane I was supposed to be in was just a few feet away, with some dry gravel in between so I proceeded to drive across it onto the lane, just as the car behind me did.  But I saw something was wrong right away.  It felt like I ran over a small bump and right away the front tire went flat and I had to pull over.  The car following me just passed me like nothing, probably wondering what happened to me.  I pulled over, opened the door and my fear came true - the tire had a huge rip in it.  Of course, my spare tire was sitting in our garage at home.

So I sat down in the van and frantically started texting (that is because my phone was totally out of minutes and all I could do was text :)).  First I texted Ehren, who was just about to go for a blood test at work.  Then I was starting to text my sister-in-law when I see a guy come to the side of the van.  He was such a nice man and felt really bad about my tire and wanted to help.  He was heading towards Grand Forks so I just asked him to drop me off there so I can wait for my husband or someone.  He said he knew a pastor in Grand Forks and that maybe his wife could help me out which was so nice of him.  But I said I'll just wait because I was pretty sure Ehren would come fix it for me.

And he did, as soon as he could he left work, grabbed the spare tire and tools and we got the van to Grand Forks to get a new tire on.  It was very nice actually to have a little date in the middle of the week and even though it was a big bummer to not have some girl and shopping time, it worked out great and I could not even be upset because something so much worse could have happened.  Ehren and I laugh how almost every time I'm going out of town by myself something goes wrong with the van or something.  I don't know why that is and why nothing ever happens when I'm with Ehren.  Ehren even said he had a thought that morning how something was going to happen.  Now we might start expecting it, good thing I rarely drive far all by myself.

I got back just in time to pick the kids up from Ehren's parents house where the bus dropped them off and went straight to church to help serve our Wednesday night supper.  And by the time we got home around 8:30pm I was exhausted.  I think all that stress just wears you out. :)  I'm very glad for a very low-key day today other than my first 2 volleyball games tonight.

 

 

first sickness this school year

And the winner is Kason!  Yup, he is the first one that gets to stay home from school this year.  He had a bad diarrhea last night and it kept him up a lot and even though he seems fine I don't want him having it at school and I know he'll be tired too.  I probably haven't been happier to have a child home sick because I finally feel needed :) and it is so nice to not have to worry about taking time off from work to be with a sick child.  I'm a bit tired from all the interruptions to my sleep last night but having Kason home makes me happy.  Here I thought the kids were going to be attached to me when the school started but I'm finding out it is me who's attached and misses them while they're gone. :)

So after I wrote my post yesterday the kids came home from school telling me I wasn't on the sub list and have to call the school.  I could not believe it.  I made sure I called (and not just once) to be sure I was on the calling list.  But sure enough, the school's secretary was using an old list for some reason and when my friend who is a music teacher went to ask for me the secretary just told her I wasn't on the list.  I was so glad that my friend asked about it so quickly because I would have no idea I wasn't on there.  I called the person in charge who is not at the school and she once again said I was on the list, although she had my old phone number for me which I know I personally talked to her to get that updated.  Makes you wonder what these administrators do all day and missing something as important as having the subs' names and phone numbers in order.  Well, I'm glad I stayed on top of it and I hope I can still sub for my friend because she'll be gone for the whole week soon and it would be nice to get paid for 5 days.  Plus, when a music teacher is gone there's not much to do with the kids and they usually just watch a video so it would be very easy.  Kason and Anika both have this teacher so it would be fun to see their classes too.

   

life of a stay at home mom...

Well, I still haven't subbed anywhere but I guess it's like this until sometime in October.  I even called to make sure I was on the list because you never know. :) Some of my friends tell me to just enjoy it because it won't last long but I am finding out all this free time is harder than I thought.  It is definitely a glimpse into a life of a stay at home mom who doesn't homeschool. :) 

I do love all the quiet time I get in the day, that I'm able to get everything around the house done so that when the kids get home I can just focus on them.  And I can pretty much do anything I want during the day. :)  It is just not very easy for me to enjoy it for some reason.  I feel like there should be a purpose to having all this time, like I should be on a mission to do something so I've been thinking a little bit about that and how I could use my time for something good, to help friends or anything.  Sadly, a lot of friends just say "thanks" but don't let me know how I can help.  It's that Minnesota nice, people don't really take you seriously when you tell them you can help.  And I get their side too because it would be hard for me too to let someone do something for me that I should be capable of doing. :) So anyway, I am really looking forward to getting a first call to sub.  I talked to some teachers I know and they will try to ask for me to sub for them which will be nice. 

In the meantime, I am staying busy at least here at home.  Besides the cooking, baking, cleaning and organizing the closets, I started a new painting and have an idea for another one that will take a lot longer because I want to paint on some old wood that needs a lot of sanding.  I also joined a couple of Bible studies which I haven't been able to be part of the last several years so I'm very excited about that.  And my newest adventure is that I joined a women's volleyball team that plays in a league once a week and starts this week.  I always wanted to play volleyball with someone but all the people I knew liked playing volleyball already had their teams so I kind of gave up on it.  And just last week a woman I kind of know sent out a message about needing one player for their team.  Even though I don't really know the girls on the team, I thought I couldn't pass this by especially now when I have the time in the evening.  So I'm excited and nervous because I'm no volleyball player, just a competitive spirit that really likes to play it. :)  I'm thankful to God for bringing me opportunities like this to meet other women in our community.  It is hard to meet new people when you don't have a fulltime job since all the people I get together with are mostly from our church.  So I'm really looking forward to be able to be out there more and being available for whoever God brings into my life.  Instead of waiting for some of my friends to be available to me maybe I need to be available to someone out there who is longing for friendship or is desperately needing help.  Like that friend of a friend who recently went on 100% bed rest and has 2 little ones to take care of.        

first week of school

Well, the first week of school is done and it's gone really well.  I'm actually surprised at how much all the kids love it this year.  Kason who I thought would have a hard time adjusting to all day at school absolutely loves it and when I told the kids this morning tomorrow is Saturday and they get to stay home Kason was pretty disappointed because Kindergarten apparently is more fun. :)  Anika isn't quite as enthusiastic as Kason but she hasn't cried at all and is excited to go to school in the morning.  I'm so happy she gets to see Emily at recess for a bit at least because she really misses playing with her every day.  And Kade loves his first guy teacher.  He wasn't very happy when I pushed for him to get this teacher but now he's saying that he's probably the best teacher he's ever had.  So I'm really grateful for that and what a great Christian mentor to be for tween boys.  Kade's teacher is big into chess and I wish my brother Erik was here to give Kade some pointers because I suck at chess.  I got a set that comes with helpful cards for the beginners but I don't know what I'm doing.  I don't have a strategy, it's just thinking 2 steps ahead. :)  But hopefully Kade gets something more out of playing it in class.

And me, I am really enjoying the quiet house this week.  Even though I had a painful dentist appointment yesterday that took all day and I go again to my dentist in town today, other than that I've been able to get a lot done.  And I can't even describe how weird it feels to drop the kids off at school and go for a run in town just because I can.  :)  Really, I feel very guilty about being able to do it, like I don't deserve it, like I'm cheating somehow and that is how the rich moms live, not me.  But I also totally get those suburban moms now when they say they're the kids' taxi driver because that is what I'm beginning to feel like even though we don't have to drive such long distances.  Taking Anika to dance twice a week, Kade to football, every morning dropping them off at school and so on.  I am making the kids go on the bus home every day now because it saves me yet another trip to town and back and it saves some time to get things done too.  I still really enjoy my break from little people although I'm starting to get nervous too.  Nervous about having to sub and nervous that they won't call me enough and it will get hard for us financially.  So I pray for peace of mind and trusting that God has a plan in all this or He'll show me the way.

 

first day of school

The first day of school finally came and even though I thought I gave myself plenty of time in the morning, I was still frazzled and a bit stressed. :)  Of course, it is because I had to take pictures of the kids before we went and I had to do Anika's hair all nice, neither of which was necessary.  I was proud of my 1st day pictures though and sent them to Ehren so he'd be excited and all I got from him was "now we really need that new lense" :)  Yes, the time has come when our camera is refusing to take good pictures, zoom doesn't always work and sometimes there is a big blur in the middle of the picture due to someone (ok, it was me) dropping it on the gravel road.  Ehren already bought a nice camera from a friend but we need to get a lense for it.  I can't wait to take pictures with it.

Anyway, I get so stressed out about first day of ANYTHING and as I kept telling Kade how it's ok to be nervous and scared I think I was just saying that to myself because unlike last year he was just fine today.  All 3 kids got up all excited, Kason got dressed in 2 seconds and came into the kitchen looking like a true redneck :) so I sent him back to change into the clothes I got ready the night before.  Kason was just beyond excited to go to Kindergarten which surprised me a little because I was expecting him wanting to stay with me.  It was the first time I was able to drive the kids to school and I was so grateful for that.  Saying good bye didn't go totally smooth but I expected that.  Anika hugged me real tight and didn't want to let go at first.  But then I walked over to her desk with her and there was a coloring sheet to work on so it didn't take long at all before she's digging into her "task".  She loves getting tasks and she's such a hard worker at doing it the best she can.

Next, we went to Kason's classroom and I think he would have been fine if the whole class wasn't sitting in their seats all quiet as mice and all watched what Kason was going to do.  And out of all the things I think Kason hates the most when strange people are looking at him so he got his frowny face on right away and then covered his face with a paper so nobody could see him.  I was a bit worried about him crying or throwing a fit but I knew the best thing was to leave.

Walking away from the school was strange.  No more little kids holding my hand while I'm carrying another one, no more needing to watch out for kids around me as I was crossing the road.  I was still nervous for my children though.  Funny how some things don't change.  My mom would be the same exact way and now it's my turn to feel sick to my stomach when any of my children has to face a tough day, a big test, etc. :)

I had a lovely time with a friend after that and it was so nice to chat with her since I never get to visit with just her alone.  I don't even know how but the time flew by like nothing and when I got home it was almost noon.  I looked at the clock and thought "it can't be! I still have so much I want to get done in my alone time!" :)  It was heavenly to just sit down for a minute and hear - silence.  It was the best music to my ear.  I've been longing this summer to be still and quiet with nobody around and it finally happened.  I loved it and it was just what I needed today.  

And it turns out I didn't have to be all nervous for the kids.  They all did great and had a fun day at school.  Kason was talking 100 miles a minute when he saw me and Kade absolutely loves his new teacher which I'm so glad about.  It was a great start to our year and I'm really looking forward to having more family time in the evenings too.

Anika's and Emily's first ballet class

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