Just a note to let you all know that we're alive. We've had a couple of good months--Steve is back to work, and I've been finding out that taking college chemistry after 4 other science classes is relatively easy. Now to just figure out how to manage going back to school full-time for nursing...
The kids and I have been going nuts over snow days! We've had 4 snows that were 6-plus inches each (one even got to 12 inches!), and lots of "snow showers" in between. The end result is that I don't think we've had one full day of school since before Christmas break. Well, maybe 1 week out of the 8 school has been scheduled. It's been frustrating.
I have been lucky, though. Apparently when the county school district decides it is too snowy for the buses to run, the Community College I attend often decides that it is too snowy for students to drive in. So between my schedule (I only attend school on M, W, & F) and cancellations of my school, I've only had to go to school one day that they were out of school. So there are little mercies among the harder times.
The problem that the older kids (esp. Benjamin) and I are dealing with is that North Carolina has two laws that are causing conflicts with our county's situation. The first is that students have to attend for 180 days a year. The second is that unless the county qualifies for a waiver, those school days HAVE to be scheduled between Aug 25th and June 10th. Our county has not had enough school days in past years to qualify for the waiver, so our school board is pretty stuck. How do you schedule makeup days when you don't have any more days in the calendar you can use?
Well, they solved that dilema by first taking away all holidays and teacher work-days that they could for the rest of the year--including all but two of our Spring Break days. Even after that, we still had days to make up, so they are scheduling us for Saturday make-up days. We had our first day of "Saturday School" this week. It was really strange to get up and get the kids off to school, just like a normal day, and realize that Steve was here and we had the morning to do as we pleased. Okay, okay, we had a full day of errands and things to do, but we did get to go out to eat by ourselves (Carolyn had an early nap at Grandma's).
So we're happy, working hard, and trying to keep up with the changes that constantly happen. On a side note, we found out (either Friday or Saturday) that the State Board of Education has allowed our Superintendent to extend the school year. So maybe we'll get some of our Spring Break back.
Hope to hear from you soon!
-Martha
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Catching Up - A New Year
I feel like I've let things slip a little in posting to our family blog. Especially considering how many wonderful letters and cards we received over the Christmas holidays. Thanks to those of you who sent cards. I guess our blog is kind of our attempt at keeping the world up-to-date on what is happening with us and hopefully the warm feelings we have for so many friends and family is felt here.
Our children are really growing up. Benjamin is finishing his last year in middle school this year—next year he'll be a high schooler. Wow! And as Uncle Mark recently posted on Facebook–on to the fun years of early morning seminary. That should be fun for someone who really doesn't do well in mornings (me). Benjamin shouldn't have a problem unless his temperament changes dramatically in the next eight months.
Jessica is having a lot of fun designing various things. For a couple weeks in December, she was trying out a different hairdo every couple days. She isn't doing it as much this month but maybe that's because she's back to school. Of course, she's now trying out the hairdos on Martha. Jessica also got a haircut over the break so her hair is considerably shorter. We think it looks great but she's frustrated she can't do much with it. Such is life.
Jessica also got involved in Girls on the Run this year. This is her second year doing so. Girls on the Run is a great program for pre-teen girls to help them develop self-esteem and healthy lifestyles. She ran a 5k in December—on a very cold day.
We had a very cold December, and January started off that way as well.
Joshua is also coming into his own. He has a very strong personality and knows what he wants—which usually involves losing himself in a book. He definitely acquired his parents' genes (especially Martha's) in how he can be happy reading for hours on end. Joshua is also enjoying being in Cub Scouts, where he is a Bear. He is also in his school's choir—an interest he isn't quite sure is an interest or not. He's been sticking with it though so we're glad to see that.
Carolyn is approaching 20 months in a couple weeks and is quickly transitioning into quite the toddler. She loves to have fun with a definite sense of humor making itself manifest. It's not unusual for her to put on goggles or a silly hat–on her own–to see our reaction. Like a toddler does, she is definitely developing her own opinion of things, too. We're having a lot of fun watching her grow up.
Martha is busy managing the household. Much of her time is spent either helping the kids get ready for school or with their homework and such once they are home from school. I am often amazed, and always gratified, by the amount of energy she pours into the lives of our children. In addition, she is finishing up prerequisites before applying to nursing school, which might start as early as this coming fall.
Steve (that's me) is back to work after a few months off on disability–due to depression. While off work, I spent a lot of time studying up on how to recover and deal with the challenges I have with depression. It's not an easy row to hoe but I feel better and am better prepared for the next time depression rears its ugly head.
Our children are really growing up. Benjamin is finishing his last year in middle school this year—next year he'll be a high schooler. Wow! And as Uncle Mark recently posted on Facebook–on to the fun years of early morning seminary. That should be fun for someone who really doesn't do well in mornings (me). Benjamin shouldn't have a problem unless his temperament changes dramatically in the next eight months.
Jessica is having a lot of fun designing various things. For a couple weeks in December, she was trying out a different hairdo every couple days. She isn't doing it as much this month but maybe that's because she's back to school. Of course, she's now trying out the hairdos on Martha. Jessica also got a haircut over the break so her hair is considerably shorter. We think it looks great but she's frustrated she can't do much with it. Such is life.
Jessica also got involved in Girls on the Run this year. This is her second year doing so. Girls on the Run is a great program for pre-teen girls to help them develop self-esteem and healthy lifestyles. She ran a 5k in December—on a very cold day.
We had a very cold December, and January started off that way as well.
Joshua is also coming into his own. He has a very strong personality and knows what he wants—which usually involves losing himself in a book. He definitely acquired his parents' genes (especially Martha's) in how he can be happy reading for hours on end. Joshua is also enjoying being in Cub Scouts, where he is a Bear. He is also in his school's choir—an interest he isn't quite sure is an interest or not. He's been sticking with it though so we're glad to see that.Carolyn is approaching 20 months in a couple weeks and is quickly transitioning into quite the toddler. She loves to have fun with a definite sense of humor making itself manifest. It's not unusual for her to put on goggles or a silly hat–on her own–to see our reaction. Like a toddler does, she is definitely developing her own opinion of things, too. We're having a lot of fun watching her grow up.
Martha is busy managing the household. Much of her time is spent either helping the kids get ready for school or with their homework and such once they are home from school. I am often amazed, and always gratified, by the amount of energy she pours into the lives of our children. In addition, she is finishing up prerequisites before applying to nursing school, which might start as early as this coming fall.
Steve (that's me) is back to work after a few months off on disability–due to depression. While off work, I spent a lot of time studying up on how to recover and deal with the challenges I have with depression. It's not an easy row to hoe but I feel better and am better prepared for the next time depression rears its ugly head.
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