The first week in April was spring break, but I had my class that Tuesday, so we hung out for a few days before heading down to Florida (near Daytona) to visit Dan's mom, Nancy. The drive itself was pretty uneventful (about 12 hours driving, 14 if you include stops for meals and gas), and we had a great, relaxing--though short--stay.
The first thing I did when I arrived was to GO SHOPPING. Those of you that know me well, know that I would rather get a root canal, but I was in desperate need of clothes (especially a swim suit). Having lost so much weight and inches, practically everything I own is falling off of me, and one of my favorite clothing stores, Bealls, is there in Palm Coast. So I spent most of the day doing that while the kid's played in Nancy's pool. I was jealous!
One of the days we were there we spent at the farmer's market right across from the beach. John was pretty excited because he got to spend some of his allowance money on candy! Another day, Nancy treated us to a delicious lunch at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. We tried to spend some time on the beach afterwards, but it was so windy, we couldn't take it very long! Still, Dan, Nancy, and Lyn were able to dip their toes in the water for a few minutes:
A few other guilty pleasures included renting the movie Hugo, which, despite the hub-bub and Oscar nod, we didn't think was that great, and night swimming in Nancy's pool (my favorite thing to do in the whole world!)--though it was too cold to stay in for long.
On Sunday, the kids and I went to church, and Nancy prepared a little Easter Egg hunt for the kids. Of course, they're way too old for the Easter bunny, but it's still fun to search! Nancy also took our annual Easter picture (I've had my picture taken every Easter since I was 2--it's fun to carry on the tradition! :). Here's a fun one from the batch:
Not long after returning to Virginia, John's 4th grade class went on a field trip to Gettysburg. It was a lot of fun and very interesting. However, John said the best part of the trip was the bus ride and lunch! Sigh...
Finally, also in April, I headed out to Oregon for my 30-year 8th grade reunion. Yes, you read that right, 8th grade. You may think it strange that I would travel far across the country to see these kids. Many people told me they don't remember anyone from 8th grade! You have to understand that I went to a very small school--there was only one class per grade level--and I went there from 1st to 8th grade. So I literally grew up with these people. Many, like me, had also been there since 1st grade. It was so fun to see them (I wasn't prepared for how old we all were!) and catch up with them. Here's our 8th grade photo (I'm in the back row, second from the left):
And here's a picture of us at the reunion:
On the right, by the way is our FIRST GRADE TEACHER. (Oh, and the boy to her right in the middle row was not in our class--he was a year behind us.) We went on a tour of the school (which they're tearing down, by the way, at the end of this school year), then headed over to a local bar and grille for some more socializing. It was a ton of fun!
When I got back, I attended a Bullying Prevention Symposium sponsored by the Fairfax Partnership for Youth. It was very interesting. As you may remember, I'm writing a book on bullying--though I haven't added to it in awhile. I was hoping to get people involved in the writing process to stir up a buzz, but I have decided that it would be better to just write the book and then begin market it afterward. We'll see how much time I can devote to it at the pool this summer! LOL
Well, that's it for April. Looks like May is going to be a separate post.
Well, since everything is being done for me today, it looks like I have a few minutes to catch you up on what's been going on around here. So much for my resolution to write in this every week! LOL Well, three months isn't too much to catch up on.
In one sense, everything is the same--Dan's still going to work and building sets, I'm still on my raw adventure and teaching my success education class, Lyn is still taking ballet and active with the girls at church, John is still active in scouts and playing his video games (chess season ended in April), and both kids are doing well in school and taking piano. And yet, in another sense, much is going on! It's amazing how much we can pack in such a small amount of time!
Picking up where I left off in my last post, I am still going strong on my raw food adventure, though time is winding down, as June 9 will be my last day. So far I have lost 53 pounds and more inches than I can count. It's been a fun and interesting journey. At the beginning, I didn't know how I would feel at the end--whether I would feel so great that I would never want to go back to cooked food, or whether I would be anxious to go back. It turns out it is the latter. I am ready to start eating again! So many things I miss--not the least of which is eating dinner with my family. It will be interesting to transition back, and I'll be curious to see what happens to my weight. Of course, if I start gaining, I will know exactly what to do to take it off quickly and easily.
As to my hip, I stopped going to my doctor about my chronic hip problems. We determined that the problem is loose ligaments, but we never could figure out why or what to do about it. It seemed it was always this theory or that theory, with no definitive answer, and I just couldn't justify the hundreds of dollars a month (that was not paid for by insurance) to chase a problem that wasn't that bad. So I've just decided to live with it for now, and add a few things into my routine that I have discovered really help. I'm hoping to get back to riding my bike regularly--something I put off while we were investigating the problem. I really miss it (especially now that the weather is so nice).
Lyn's fascination with Harry Potter has waned quite a bit. She has read the whole series 3 times now and seen all the moves twice. I've noticed that she has moved on to other reading material. I, on the other hand, started reading the books during Spring Break and am enjoying them immensely. It's fun to see how things were changed in the movies--some for the better. It's also nice to learn some of the back story and explanations that were missed.
Now...moving forward...
At the end of February, John participated in a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament hosted by our local Blockbuster. He almost won! It was a very exciting battle, but he finally just barely lost to a kid who we think was about 17. It was fun for him to play against someone besides Lyn. He said, "I didn't know how good I am!" Here's a picture of him playing. I think this was the first round, in which he soundly beat a kid clearly much older than him.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Well, either I didn't have as much time as I thought I did, or I had too much to write on Sunday--or both!
Anyway, moving on to March...
This month, the kids both participated in Piano Festival--an annual event in which they get to play for outside judges and be critiqued on how well they are doing. Both of them did really well and received "Superior" ratings--the highest mark available. For Lyn, one of the judges wrote, "Hard to judge--so beautiful." For John, one of the judges wrote, "You really play piano well. I like your playing." Yay! :)
Also in March, we spent some time at the local Byzantine Catholic church learning more about the kids' slavic heritage. John, Lyn, Dan's sister Debbie, and I all made "pysanky"-- beautiful Ukrainian Easter Eggs. Dan came and took a little video, which you can watch here:
Pysanky is made by applying wax to an egg with an instrument called a "kitska," dying the egg, and then heating the egg to melt and remove the wax. You can see most of these stages in the video. Here is a picture of our finished products. John's is on the left (on its end so you can see the star), Lyn's is in the middle:
Also in March, Dan was thrilled to receive a Washington Area Theatre Community Honors (WATCH) award for Outstanding Achievement in Set Construction in a Play. He won for his construction of Noises Off! at LTA. Go Dan!
Finally, March was also the occasion of my gallbladder attack. I was on my way with the kids to pick up some pirohi from the Ukrainian Church, when I started having a pain in my stomach. At first I thought I was just hungry, but then it got worse and worse. Eventually it got so bad that I thought I was going to pass out. I literally thought I was dying--that some vital organ had burst inside me and I was bleeding internally. Luckily, I was 2 blocks away from a hospital. Luckily, too, they have valet parking! I drove up, gave the keys to the guy, and fumbled to the front desk with the kids right behind me, not knowing what was going on. I'm so glad they are old enough to pretty much take care of themselves! Dan happened to be at a meeting at LTA--which was a good thing. If he had been at work, it would have taken him much longer to get there. He came, got the kids some dinner, and then took the kids to the neighbor's for the night. I was in the emergency room for 11 hours and was finally released with a diagnosis of gallstones. The ultrasound did not show any infection or inflammation, so they did not need to take out the gallbladder right then--whew!
Of course, all the doctors recommended I get it out anyway. I say, no way! No one's going to cut into me until they absolutely have to. I'm told that once the attacks start they become more frequent and more painful, but I haven't had any problem since. They told me to stay away from fried foods, but of course I haven't had anything friend in nearly a year! LOL So, we'll see.
Well, that wraps up March. This post is getting a little long, so I think I'll start a fresh one to write about April and the beginning of May. Hope you're doing well! :)
Hello friends and family! As usual, we have had a very full week. Lots of evidence this week that our kids are growing up. Ack!
Monday was the first Monday of the month, which means Super Cleaning Day at our house. The kids and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work. Usually we go out to dinner because I'm too pooped to cook, but luckily we had lots of leftovers for everyone to dig into. As for me, I am continuing with the raw food delivery service, except with half the amount of food (and for half the price). It's so nice to have delicious food just waiting for me, without having to lift a finger! This week I enjoyed: Pasta Puttanesca, Thai Autumn Salad, Rosemary Mashed "Potatoes", Brussels Sprouts, Thai Coconut Curry Soup, Tomato Soup, Marinated Green Beans, Pepper Corn Salad, Chocolate Mousse, and Key Lime Pie. Yum!
On Tuesday I had another doctor's appointment and learned the distressing news that I may be allergic to my office! In order to uncover the root cause of my chronic hip problems, he started thinking about chemical causes of inflammation and suggested we test a couple of things in the house, such as laundry detergent, dish soap, etc. He told me to set out a jar of distilled water in various rooms in the house, but I only did the office, since that's where I spent the majority of my time.
Sure enough, it tested positive for (and I had a positive reaction) to carpet mold. Not surprising, since it has flooded down there more than once! The next step is to test other rooms in the house to make sure it is not throughout, and then our choice is to either to do a massive clean up down there (which is not covered by insurance) or move my office to the spare room (which would mean moving the spare room down to the basement. Whichever we decide, it's not going to be fun. Argh!!!!!!
Also on Tuesday was piano. We're getting closer and closer to Festival, where they will be judged on their progress. It's so nervewracking!
Finally, Tuesday was also my latest Meetup, where I taught "How to get rid of stress, boredom and step into a sense of purpose". We were small in number, but those that were there gave high marks on their feedback forms. One student said, "Margie's energy, excitement, and positiveness were the best part." Yay me!
On Wednesday, Dan and I got a small dose of what it's like to parent a teen, as we attended Parent Night at Mark Twain Middle School. We can't believe our baby is growing up! First, in the lecture hall (lecture hall!) we learned about the various honors options available at both the middle school and high schools (so many decisions to make!), then we moved to the cafeteria to learn about the transition to 7th grade, electives, core curriculum, and no recess! It's a little overwhelming, but at least we're not alone. Almost all the parents in the room were making the transition with their kids for the first time, too. The principal was very nice and understanding. "We totally get it," she said. "Don't panic."
A few weeks ago, Lyn's class went on a tour of the school and learned about electives. It sounds like she has her whole 2 years planned out! She is very excited. I think we're more nervous than she is--but I guess that's normal. I think I remember that being the case when I was a kid as well. (I know when I left for college, I didn't give my parents a second thought--I doubt that was the same for them! LOL). Anyway, next week the people from the school will be visiting Lyn's classroom to talk to them again about the transition. Looks like they're working hard to make sure it is as smooth as possible.
Thursday was of course ballet, though no chess club, so it wasn't too crazy. Dan spent the evening helping Port City Playhouse. They borrowed two doors from the LTA shop (where Dan is the co-chair), which he helped install.
Friday morning was my monthly weigh-in, which I do on the 10th of each month. My results were less than stellar--only two pounds lost, and no inches (in fact, I gained half an inch in my thighs, but that may have been due to a measuring error). But that's OK. The smaller I get, the slower I can anticipate the weight loss to be. You know what they say about those last ten pounds!
On Friday evening we attended the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. This year, the theme was "Remembering Our Ancestors", and each boy had to research and talk about someone in their family. Dan remembered that his grandpa, Martin Remmers, was quite a practical joker, and we thought the boys would love to hear about his antics. But when Dan called his dad, he ended up just asking for a story.
In response, Gene wrote a lovely story about his horse, Johnny, which they got when he was about John's age. He even shared a picture of himself on the horse! I was able to film most of it (sorry about the poor quality--I accidentally filmed it sideways and it lost video quality when I rotated it):
We added the funny tag line because when we read it for the first time, John asked if that was where he got his name. We had to remind him that no, he was named after his Uncle John, who was named after his Uncle John, who was named after his Uncle John, etc. :o)
After the banquet, we came home and watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. When I was at the grocery store they were selling, for whatever reason, the first two Harry Potter DVDs for only $2 each! Of course I had to get them for my Harry Potter fanatic daughter. She spent the entire movie jumping up and down on the couch--she was sooooo excited!
On Saturday, I had my basketball game. We lost, again, by about the same margin we always do. I didn't play much, because I was totally confused. We had practiced last week. and I felt like I was ready to put what I learned into action, but most of the girls at the game hadn't been at the practice and we just weren't on the same page. Sigh... What we really need is a coach who can watch the game and tell us specifically where to play and what to do. At least that's what I need. Maybe I'll join a real league at some point (rather than church ball), so I can get a handle on things.
After the game, I ran the score board for the next one. I thought I was just going to be adding time and points, which is easy enough, but then I found out I was also in charge of keeping track of possession. Argh! Luckily, the woman keeping the books next to me helped me out. Whew!
When all that was done, I ran home, grabbed a bite to eat, and then Lyn and I ran out the door again to do some babysitting. It was fun to watch Lyn with little 16 month old Nathan, and to see her eagerly learn about taking care of little ones. She is really growing up!
Lyn & Nathan
When we got home, we ate dinner that Dan had prepared (he's so awesome!) and then watched Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. This time, Lyn was calm, but it was hard to keep her from saying things like "They skipped XYZ!" and "That's not how it's supposed to happen!" We finally had to threaten to send her to her room so we could finish watching the movie! LOL
After the movie, though, it was good to have a resource so we could ask questions. There were a few things that I didn't quite understand. I think I'm going to have to watch both movies again. Besides, it was fun to watch the kid actors age a whole year in 24 hours.
As luck would have it, there is going to be a Harry Potter marathon on cable next weekend, so we have the DVR set to record the next 5 movies. (The last one we will have to rent.) It's going to be fun!
Today was a typcial Sunday. Lyn and I had choir practice in the morning. After lunch, we had a visit from some of the folks from church, and in the afternoon the kids and I headed to church, while Dan went to LTA to help out with the latest set.
And that's all our news this week. Hope you are doing well and staying warm! We've had a bit of a cold snap, but I don't think it's going to stay long.
Things are crazy busy here as always--just like we like it! :o)
Monday and Tuesday the kids had off school. It was the end of the quarter and the teachers needed time to put together report cards. Unfortunately, Dan and I both had to work, so we didn't do much that was exciting or different.
On Monday we had our usual cleaning day--or "house blessing" day as I like to call it. It had been a couple weeks since we'd done it (due to John's illness and later doctor's visit), so it felt GREAT to have a clean house again! Since I had extra use of the kids, I also enlisted their help in cleaning out the pantry section of the basement, as part of "Mission Zero": my ongoing effort to reduce my belongings to as little as possible. We had been working on it piece by piece over the last few weeks, but with our concentrated effort, we were able to FINISH IT. I wish you could see it. It truly is a thing to behold--clean, organized, and walkable. Yay!
On Tuesday, everyone pretty much did their own thing. I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, just like I do every Tuesday, to deal with my chronic hip problems. I'm not quite sure how long I'll keep going, as things don't seem to be improving, and it is an out of pocket expense that is not paid for by our insurance. Very frustrating.
John spent his day off doing his very favorite thing--watching YouTube videos. In a sense, I hate to let him do it all day, but he spends the whole day laughing! How can I deprive him of something that obviously brings such joy? Lyn spent her day doing her very favorite thing--reading Harry Potter. She has now finished all seven books and has started over again. She loves discovering things that she realizes now are important, but she had missed the first time around.
Also, on Tuesday, Lyn and I paid a visit to Dress Barn, my very favorite clothing store. I had received a couple of $10 off coupons that expired that day, so I needed to be sure and use them. There was no minimum purchase, and I could have used them on anything, but I was specifically looking for a white top. I ended up with a white top and matching sweater--I think they were the only two things in the whole store that were not on sale! So I ended up spending more than I intended, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to what I wanted to spend, so I guess that was good. I'm looking forward the end of this diet so I can go on a real shopping spree!
Speaking of my diet, the woman who teaches the raw food class that I attend once a month is now providing prepared raw food home delivery. The price was so reasonable, and the food sounded so good, I signed up for it right away. Over the course of the week I got to enjoy: Creamy Zucchini "Pasta" w/ Tomatoes & Basil, Marinated Greens, Corn Chowder, Broccoli/Walnut Salad, Cheezy Cauliflower, Spinach Basil Salad, Dolmas, Tabouli, Raw Pad Thai, Citrus Kale Salad, Pea Soup, Sweet Root Salad, Spinach Nut Burger, Broccoli Cabbage Salad, Tacos, "Potato" Salad (made with cauliflower), Pizza, Caesar Salad, Chili, Cole Slaw, Caramel "Oreos", Crackers with Olive Tapenade, Apple Pie, Crackers with Red Pepper Hummus. (And you thought raw food was boring!)
It was all delicious, and the price and convenience could not be beat, but wow! That was a lot of food! She agreed to let me do a half order this week. We'll see how it goes!
Anyway, back to Tuesday. The kids had their piano lesson as usual, but I missed it because I drove out to Crofton, MD for a business event. It was run by the same people that had put on the luncheon I went to last week, but it was not as good. I wrote on my comment card how it could be better, and guess what? I got an email from them that they were implementing my suggestion! Wow. Also, I found out yesterday that I won the drawing for a table/exhibit at their next event. Very cool.
On Wednesday I had a business lunch in Shirlington at Busboy's and Poets. I had no idea that there was one so close to me! The original is in DC--it's a great hippie, beatnik hangout. We've only been there once because it's so far away, but it is super cool, and super vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free friendly. Now that I know there is one right around the corner, I can't wait to go back when I'm off my diet!
On Thursday I had basketball practice. I actually learned a few things and think I might improve my game. Yay!
Thursday was also "Crazy Thursday," which means ballet and chess club fall on the same day. It was extra crazy this week because I had a PTA meeting to attend, as well as copies to make of the monthly PTA newsletter I publish. I was super grateful to Dan and Lyn for taking care of the copies while I attended the meeting.
On Friday, Dan took the day off of work so he could work on the car. We had several thousand dollars worth of work done on it recently, and the check engine light was still on. It's due for an inspection, and he knew we wouldn't pass if it was on (I'm so glad I'm married to a man who knows these things!) He managed to borrow a machine from the auto parts store to turn it off, but when he took it into the shop they said he had to drive it for several miles first. So he spent the day driving it to nowhere in particular.
Also on Friday we met with an agent about long term care insurance. We definitely need to get our affairs in order while we're young and healthy, but the budget just doesn't allow for this quite yet.
In the evening, we all headed to LTA to the The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Not only did I have friends in the cast, but I had auditioned for it a few months ago, and I always like to see if it's any good without me! LOL It was quite good, though one of the numbers was inappropriate for children. The LTA staff knows this, so ever since they opened, they held the children in the lobby after intermission until the offending song (the first song of the second act) was over, and then let them back in. I am so grateful for LTA! I am also grateful that Dan and I have such good rapport there. John didn't want to see the show, so instead of finding a babysitter, he was allowed to stay in the office and play on the computer (watching his YouTube videos, of course). We couldn't do that anywhere else.
On Saturday morning I attended a class sponsored by the women's organization at church on caring for our aging parents. It was really fantastic. It's an uncomfortable subject to talk frankly about preparing for someone's death, but it really had to be done.
Also on Saturday, Dan and John had some boy bonding time as they fixed the toilet in the basement and hung some new blinds in the family room.
Lyn and I cleaned out the linen closet as part of "Mission Zero". We can now actually close the doors. Woo hoo!
We ended Saturday night with an exciting round of...haircuts! Yes, we live a glamorous life. I cut Dan's and John's, and Dan shaved mine. I never intended to keep my hair so short, but I found I really like it, and everyone tells me it looks good on me. Apparently I have a nice shape for a head!
This morning, Lyn and I had choir practice, after which I worked a little bit on my book. I had planned to enter it in the Penguin junior fiction contest and just realized that the deadline was today! They wanted a 300 word pitch and a 3000 word excerpt. I wrote one more chapter, which puts it just over 3000 words. Whew!
Unfortunately, they also wanted the complete manuscript. (I didn't realize that until tonight.) I filled the rest of the
document with lorem ipsum just to get it up to the 50,000 word requirement, but of course I will be disqualified for
the final prize ($15,000 plus a publishing contract).
Still, the first round winners are selected only from the pitch. And the second round winners are selected only from
the excerpt. So even though I can't win the contest, at least it will get in front of people. And there is still a
possibility that it will be picked up by Penguin. The contest rules stipulate that they have a right to publish the non-winners for up to 6 months. So that's good.
Hope you all are doing well and keeping warm! We're back to false spring here. Short sleeve weather!
Here's this week's news:
On Monday, John went in for a follow up with our new pediatric dermatologist. She took him off of the internal anti-fungal and gave him a different cream for his face. She also removed some of the little cysts that were forming. It was pretty painful for him, but he was a trooper! He was excited about his reward though, a LARGE size of french fries from Burger King, which, with the new recipe they unveiled, I understand are now gluten free!
Tuesday was piano, of course.
On Wednesday, John had scouts (I forgot what it was they did). Lyn went over to a friend's to finish up her National History Day project. They were supposed to present during the day on Wednesday, but it turns out that the school didn't have access to their website. Either they weren't told or they didn't see that if they wanted to do a website, they had to do it on Weebly (a free, student website service). So the teacher let them print out the different pages and put them on poster board, and present on Thursday. Good thing Lyn didn't have Activity Day!
By the way, if you want to check out the project, here's the link. As you can see, Lyn forgot a little piece. We haven't gotten the grade yet, so I don't know if she'll be marked down.
Thursday was ballet. Technically it wasn't Crazy Thursday, since John didn't have Chess Club, but it was a little crazy nonetheless. A friend of mine had a launch party for her new business, so Dan met us at ballet and got the kids some dinner, while I headed to the metro and into the district. Turned out my friend wasn't even there! She has moved to Uzbekistan and is doing the business remotely. Anyway, I met and chatted with her business partner and headed back home. It was a quick trip!
On Friday, I attended a business luncheon during the day, which was phenomenal. I was inspired to take my business in a whole new direction!
Friday night, the whole family went to the opening night of Man of La Mancha in McLean. I had auditioned, but alas had not been cast. Of course I always like to see who they thought was better than me! LOL It was pretty good, though it was a opening night, so it hadn't quite jelled yet. Dan said that the lead was better than I would have been. What??? I guess I'm a little too "angelic" to play a prostitute!
On Saturday, I had my third basketball game of the season, and we lost for the third time in a row. LOL I think the score was 51-22. We held them in the first quarter pretty well, but in the second quarter they jumped ahead, and though we held them pretty well in the 3rd and 4th, we just couldn't fill the gap.
Dan missed my game because he was at LTA for a production meeting of... hmm... can't remember. One of the shows he has coming up.
Saturday night I introduced some gluten back into John's diet with a some 50/50 spaghetti (half rice noodles). The dermatologist was quite sure that it wasn't having an effect on his rash, but I wanted to break him in slowly and watch how he reacted. He didn't have any trouble with it. Today, however, I made some 25/75 biscuits for brunch, and I definitely noticed that his rash was more red than it had been. So I think I'm going to back off again for awhile.
Anyway, speaking of today, we had church in the afternoon, of course, and then after dinner the kids and I watched Tuck Everlasting. John read that in class a couple months ago, so it was fun to point out the differences between the book and the movie.
Well, the good news is that this week ended better than it began!
Monday was John's birthday, but we had to cancel his party and take him to the doctor because he was sick. Poor guy was so miserable! Turns out he had a really bad ear infection--both the inner ear and outer ear. It was kind of strange that it just popped up with no accompanying cold, so there was some concern that it was a side effect of the medicine he has been taking for his rash. A blood test confirmed that it was not. Whew!
Anyway, we left with a prescription for both oral medication and ear drops, and a promise that after just one day on the antibiotics he would start feeling better.
Luckily, he did. He stayed home from school on Tuesday and skipped piano. On Wednesday I sent him back just for half a day. I didn't want him to be playing outside at recess or getting overly tired., so he stayed home and we spent most of the day working on his makeup work and homework. It was kind of nice to just hang out together, despite the circumstances.
On Tuesday night I taught my most recent class, "How to Make Resolutions You'll Actually Keep." It was a huge success! We were small in number, but I received GREAT comments on my feedback forms. Everyone really appreciated how I was able to show them how to actually apply what they were learning, instead of sitting and listening. My next class will be February 7, "How to Overcome Stress, Boredom, and Step into a Sense of Purpose." If you know anyone in the local area who might like to come, here's the link to register.
Also, I'm now hiring an Event Promotion & Marketing Associate, so if you know anyone who is a social butterfly and loves to bring people together, please send them my way!
As I mentioned, John was only at school on Wednesday for half a day. I was going to bring him home for lunch, but the teacher reminded me that he was scheduled for a special teacher luncheon that day and asked if he could stay. Of course I let him, so he got to enjoy some time with his teacher (including a table cloth and flowers!) and a couple other boys. It was fun!
After spending the afternoon resting and catching up on schoolwork, John went to his first Webolos meeting, where they worked on communication. Turns out his new den leaders loves to give out candy for good behavior. John came home with 8 pieces!
Lyn also had Activity Day on Wednesday. They acted out the biblical story The Prodigal Son, and Lyn played a servant.
Thursday was "Crazy Thursday"--that's when Lyn has ballet and John has chess club and we have to quickly scurry from one to the other, grabbing dinner on the run. We used to always go to Noodles & Company for a quick bite, but we've gotten a little tired of that, so this week we tried out Zpizza. Turned out to be a really good choice--I can have a salad, John can have a gluten free pizza, Lyn can have a vegetarian pizza, and Dan can have whatever he wants! We think we're going to go there from now on--at least for awhile.
On Friday, Lyn went over to a friend's house after school. She and her best school friend are working on a project for National History Day. It's a website which displays information about The Battle of Noddle's Island--a disatrous affair for both American and British troops during the American Revolution. I'll post the link as soon as it's ready!
Anyway, she stayed there for dinner, then Dan picked her up and we spent a quiet evening at home.
That night it started snowing, which accumulated about an inch during the night, along with some ice. It's the first real sign of winter we've had so far! Yay!
Saturday morning, despite the snow and ice (which was rapidly melting anyway), I attended a women's enrichment class at church. This one was on making it through the teen years. I figure I need to prepare as much as possible--it quickly approches! LOL Seriously, though, it sounds like we're doing all the right things and are on the right track. Fingers crossed!
Saturday afternoon, we had our second basketball game. I came to support the team, but chose not to play. I had had a cold during the week and didn't want to push myself. Plus, my hip continues to act up (long story!). But I wanted to make sure I was there so we didn't have to forfeit and I could sub in if we had an injury or something. Turns out we had plenty of team members, so I just cheered. We did much better this week--we only lost 20-27. Woo hoo! (I'm choosing to believe it's because we got better, not because I wasn't playing! LOL)
Anyway, I spent the rest of the day working on my new book: Darin's Despair, Darin's Delight: A Fable About Bullying. I am releasing it chapter by chapter and am hoping to create some early discussion and buzz. If you, or anyone you know, has a heart for this issue, I'd love it if you would participate. You can read the published sections here: www.MargieRemmers.com/Darin as well as join in the discussion if you have a Facebook account.
Well, that's it for us. Hope those of you in the Pacific Northwest are staying warm, and everyone is happy and healthy!
Well, so much for writing this update before church!
We were up late with John, who is super sick with what appears to be an ear infection. Poor guy! And tomorrow is his tenth birthday. Double digits!
It reminds us of the time that John went into the hospital. That was the day after his second birthday.
Anyway, we'll be taking him to the doctor tomorrow. What a birthday present...
This week pretty crazy, but no more than usual. Monday is our cleaning day, plus we've been working on our Christmas thank you notes. They're almost done!
Tuesday is piano, which went fine. That night I also headed over to LTA to help out the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show requires four audience volunteers, so during tech week they needed people to practice with. Before the show, they took us backstage and explained the rules. The first rule was "DON'T ACT! It's the actor's show, not your moment in the spotlight, so just be yourself." I have to say, that was the HARDEST thing I have ever had to do onstage! When I'm up there and the lights are on me, all I want to do is perform!
Anyway, it was a lot of fun. If you're in the area, get tickets here. I think it's going to be a great show!
Wednesday was quiet. No Scouts and no Activity Day. (Though it was my mom's birthday–Happy Birthday!)
Thursday was ballet, but no Chess club, so it wasn't that crazy.
Friday was THE PINEWOOD DERBY! John chose do another Mario car (surprise, surprise)–red with a little Mario inside the pinewood frame. Again this year he won "Best Driver in Car," but he didn't have much speed due to the lack of aerodynamics. In his four runs (each with two other cars), he won once, came in second twice, and came in third once. Perhaps next year we can convince him to sacrifice looks for competitiveness. LOL
Saturday was a busy day. In the morning we all went up to Silver Spring, MD to pick up the Subaru. It took about half the time and cost about half the price that we expected. Yay! As Dan said, "It's great when you find a mechanic that's skilled and honest."
That afternoon, the kids had a "meet your teacher" activity at the church. In January, they all move up a class, so it was great to have the time to get to know their new teachers outside of the classroom.
After the activity, I played my first basketball game of the season! A few years ago I decided to join the church league after having been off the court for 25 years! I wrote an article about that first game, which was published a number of places, including here.
I played a couple of seasons, and then I sat out a couple seasons. And this year, for whatever reason, I decided to play again. We had fun, but lost 51-25. I made no points (didn't even have the opportunity to shoot), and I fumbled a pass in a horrific way, but I did manage to catch one really awesome rebound. Yay me! And one of the team co-captains, who had never seen me play said, "Margie, you're good! You're so quick!" Wow. I don't think anyone has ever described me that way. Ever.
I spent the rest of the day preparing food for an event I was helping cater. When I miscalculated how much time it was going to take to skewer all the fruit kabobs, I enlisted the whole family, so we had a nice little assembly line going. I was really grateful for the help!
In the evening, the boys and girls parted ways. Dan and John went to a Noises Off! party (a show that Dan had designed and built the set for), and Lyn and I headed to LTA to work at the Opening Night Party for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Lyn had planned to just read in the office, but she got roped into helping. She didn't mind, though, she really enjoys that kind of stuff.
During the party, Dan called to say that John was in a lot of pain and he was thinking of taking him to the emergency room! I was pretty sure that it was just an ear infection and that no ER was necessary, so he brought him home and called the tele-nurse. She told him to give him some pain meds and follow up with the doctor.
Dan got him the medicine, but when I got home at 1am, John was still awake and whimpering and crying in pain. Poor guy. He managed to get some sleep (as did we, though Dan said he got up a couple times with him–I slept right through it!) and stayed home from church today.
Today, in addition to church with Lyn, I hosted a little class in my office. The church has created some really cool online tools for us to use to read, mark, and take notes in the scriptures, but I didn't want to take the time to figure out how to use them myself. So I asked if anyone in the congregation already knew how to use them and if anyone besides me wanted to learn. I found both, and we had a great little session before church.
And that about wraps up our week! I hope you all are doing well and staying warm. I hear the Pacific Northwest got some snow. You're making us jealous! :)
Wow. I can't believe I haven't written in here since 2009! So much exciting stuff has happened in the last few years–but I'll save that for my Christmas letter. (This year's letter, by the way, will be going out later this month. I made the decision early on that I was not going to stress myself out by trying to get it out before the holidays.)
Anyway, one of the benefits of having church at 3pm this year is TIME. Of course, the actual time available on Sundays doesn't change at all. It's simply the perception of having more time. Either way, it is a delight.
I have decided to use this time to update the blog and keep everyone informed of what's going on with The Remmers Family. For more up to the minute happenings–and lots more pictures–I highly recommend you friend me on Facebook. I post little tidbits there almost every day.
We all got lots of delightful presents and had a great time hanging out.
That night Dan went to a New Year's Eve party hosted by some friends of ours. Of course, I was invited too, but we were unable to find a sitter (though we admittedly didn't try very hard–I'm not one for staying up late these days, plus I had been pretty sick the week previous), so I stayed home with the kids while he partied it up. He had a great time.
On Monday, we spend the day doing my favorite thing of the whole year–taking down Christmas decorations! I like putting them up, but I like taking them down even more and reclaiming my space. :) This year we have embarked on MISSION ZERO: One year to reducing our belongings down to as little as possible. It has always been a dream of mine to live with next to nothing. It will be fun to see how close I can come! LOL
On Sunday, John accidentally broke the knob on the stove, so Dan took it apart and tried to fix it. We were in need of a part, however, and obviously no stores were open on the holiday. That night I made some sesame zucchini in the electric skillet and served it with rice from the rice cooker.
On Monday, Dan tried to get the part, but the store was closed for the holiday, so we were still without a stove (or oven, since it's all one piece). I suppose I could have gotten creative for another meal (microwave, perhaps?), but we were all pretty tired from house cleaning, so we went to our favorite little Japanese place nearby. The kids filled their tummies with sushi, while Dan had tempura. I had a salad (of course) and a lovely vegetable combo roll that they made for me without rice.
On Tuesday, life started back up again. Dan went back to work, the kids went back to school, and life resumed as normal. I am continuing to see the doctor on a weekly basis due to my chronic hip problems. We have discovered the root of the problem is my misaligned left foot, of all things, most likely stemming from an injury I suffered in fourth grade!!!! Crazy. Anyway, we are currently playing the orthotics game--adjusting and readjusting until we get it just right. I have been through this before when we believed the same problem to be the cause of tendonitis in my left leg, and it's no fun. But I'd rather be going through this than some of the other health problems people have!
Also on Tuesday the kids have piano lessons. They are both doing well, though it seems Lyn is losing interest as her music gets harder and harder. What a surprise. ;)
Finally, I have started teaching a class at the local government center on the first Tuesday of the month. Unfortunately, since I had been sick and unable to prepare, I had to reschedule it for January 17. This month we are talking about New Year's Resolutions--how to make ones you will actually keep! If you know anyone locally who may want to attend, here is the link for more information and to register. The class is free, but we do prefer that people register so that we know how many chair to set up, materials to provide, etc.
Wednesday was Scout and Activity Night. It was John's last meeting as a Bear. He'll be moving up to Webolos after his birthday. Activity Night is the equivalent for girls 8-11. When Lyn turns 12 in July she'll move up to the teen program. Yikes!
Thursday was "Crazy Thursday." This happens every other Thursday when Lyn has ballet AND John has chess club. This week it was "Super Crazy Thursday," because in addition to those activities, I headed out to Poolesville, MD to attend an Indian Food raw food class. So we did the following dance: I picked the kids up at school, dropped both of them at ballet, John did his homework while Lyn danced, I headed to my class, meanwhile Dan left work early, picked up the kids, grabbed some dinner on the run (John at Chipotle and Lyn and Dan at Red Mei), dropped off John at chess club, brought Lyn home so she could do her homework and practice the piano, picked up John and brought him home to practice his piano. Whew! And we only have two kids!
My raw food class was, by the way, AMAZING. We had coconut curry soup, spinach saag, garam masala gobi, vegetable samosas with cucumber & mint raita, and banana crepes. The only problem was, I didn't get enough! I am definitely going to make these again–especially the gobi and the samosas. In fact, I'm going to make them this week! Yum!
On Friday, Dan took the day off work so that we could take the Subaru into the shop. The clutch was slipping so badly it was really hard (and possibly dangerous) to drive. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but ended up taking over TWO HOURS to get home. In addition to construction, which had narrowed down the lanes, there had been a fairly bad accident. We got home so late, I felt the day had kind of been shot, but I did manage to get a little work in (writing my 1st quarter business plan) before the kids came home.
On Friday after school I took Lyn to get her hair cut–not short, just shoulder length. It was just getting unmanageable. We also ran a couple of errands then headed home to make dinner. Oh, yes, Dan fixed the stove on Tuesday after I had gotten the parts during the day, so that's all taken care of.
Saturday morning I attended a women's class at church. They are starting a series of enrichment classes every other Saturday, and I was asked to help contribute to one on "Work/Life Balance." We were small in number, but I think everyone left with something usable and were glad they had come. I had a chance to talk to two women who have committed to coming to my class on the 17th and are interested in possibly being a part of my business–so that's fantastic.
After that, I took Lyn to get a birthday present for her friend, and then Dan took the car to a Sweeney Todd meeting at LTA. He agreed to design the set, but not to build, since hopefully I will be in the cast. He is reluctant to tell anyone that's the reason he's not building, though, on the off chance that they don't cast me because they'd rather have him. LOL!
In the evening, I dropped Lyn off at a birthday party, swung by a store to look at some rings (my wedding rings are now too big, but I don't want to get them resized until I am done losing weight), and then picked up a friend of John's for a playdate. They had fun playing on the Wii, while Lyn had fun at the slumber party.
And that was our week! Pretty busy, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Hope you are doing well and your 2012 is off to a great start!
