Winter storm advisory

Hooray! Snow!! School cancellations and sledding. I am actually happy when this happens. We are supposed to get around 4-6 inches depending on which news source you go by. It is coming down faster now (9:58 am). I love taking the kids sledding and they love to build in the snow!! They are at school for now, we'll see how it looks tomorrow!

Library trip yesterday. I am sad. Romance novels-ech--no interest anymore. I got the latest Scarpetta novel. Ech. No interest there either. Same with Margaret Maron. Hmmm. Time to start digging for some new stuff. The kids cleaned up though. One library bag is no longer going to handle it. Ryan is consuming/inhaling/absorbing dinosaur books. He is spitting out dino facts all the time--sizes, whast they ate, his favorite, his least favorite, his favorite carnivore, herbivore and omnivore. Asking about my favorite carnivore, herbivore and omnivore. Etc etc. Charlotte is fascinated by crafts and fairies. Told her no Barbie books--this did not make her happy. Capitualted on one Tinkerbell book. the librarian was helpful but most of the fairy books are chapter books and she's not ready for those. Will re-visit Real Aloud Companion for things to read to her too. She still had an armful.

Practicum for school has started. Doesn't look bad really. Wish I could be more confident about actually having a job at the network when I am done but I am not getting those warm fuzzies. So I have started looking. I haven't had to actively look for a job outside of a hospital in 15 years. I don't even want to think about interviewing. I have no idea what to ask for, what is considered appropriate. Do I stay in Dayton or move? Looking harder at Colorado since Greg's parent company is there. Wouldn't mind leaving Dayton. It is a little overwhelming.

The Wii is a hit. Love it, kids love it, Greg likes it--he is still in the take it or leave it phase. We have enough remotes now:)

Ryan is still missing his two front teeth. We were reassured by the dentist that this is normal. It's taking forever!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well no, not really. It's getting closer (12 days left) so it should look like it. Well, it's an Ohio Christmas. Cold and wet. Must start writing the Christmas missive soon. The kiddos have one more week before their break begins and Greg's folks are coming our way next Saturday. Christmas shopping is almost done--shopping for the kids should be easy, but for the first time we spending alot of time asking if we have enough or too much? It's so easy to go overboard. We are entering the year of more pricey items (ergo fewer as well). Today I realized a need a few days solid just to sort through stuff in the house and pass it along! It is so relaxing to have tidy spaces! But that also means letting go of things as well. What to do with the Thomas the Tank table that Greg's parents bought? How much stuff can we honestly keep for the grandchildren??

Ryan's tastes are getting more complex. He is still devoted to books but is also fascinated with his DS, and Legos. Today he planned and executed a carnival in the living room . There were four games (with prizes). It was a wonderful effort and I love his creativity. He also wants a Chinese New Year party. Since Chinese New Year falls on Valentine's Day next year (and it's a Sunday) we'll aim for Saturday.

Charlotte is still making books and gluing and taping and cutting. She is getting popsicle sticks, more glue, a hole punch and her own stapler. Today she got a stack of colored paper and sturdier tape dispenser. The love of Disney princesses continues and is indulged.

So the war between public school washout and creativity continues. I am sure it is a battle I am only imagining (just a little). Charlotte watches Dora at K for heaven's sake and is learning some cheer type songs to remember her ABCs etc. But I grit my teeth and breathe. It's hard! Ryan is learning so much about descriptive writing and is excelling in math. I am finally coming to grips with them in public for 2 more years. If we don't move, Ryan would still have 2 years at Antioch and Charlotte would have four. The current battle involves teaching Ryan (and Charlotte a little) how to be generous with their time (especially with each other). There are times Ryan definitely wants to be alone or seems to not want to be bothered by his sister. He can be mean in the way he tries to avoid her. He likes to make excuses, races ahead of her to be first and just in all frustrates her. However, while we can admonish him, modeling what he should do is definitely something we need to start. Patience again. It is not an easy thing when we are frequently rushed ourselves.

Curious kids

And a tired mom. It is official. Working full time sucks. I always had a suspicion it did and now I know it is true. I've been on a day schedule this week due to meetings for the electronic health record implementation. I mistakenly thought I would have more energy. Uh, no. I get home and the children are bursting with creative ideas and all I can think about is dinner, homework, teeth and bed--theirs, not mine. Though, after they are in bed, it doesn't take long for my mind to drift in the same direction! Ryan wants to do science, Charlotte wants to make another tornado out of water bottles, they both want to cook. So tonight while I was warming my meal, Greg had already fed them... I challenged Ryan to spelling words while doing Charlotte's flashcards. We didn't have a book home for her to read today so we worked on Ten Apples on Top. It is wonderful watching her make the beginning and end sounds and try to put it together. I gave Ryan words he didn't necessarily know--he played along for awhile and then gave up. Curious, curious children. Tired, tired mom.

Bookmakers

So the kids have started making books. I am not sure what has started this...Charlotte brings a collection of papers to be stapled. She fills hers with drawings. Ryan wrote another book today. It's about a ship called the Larson Dawson that gets hit by a tornado, catches fire and sinks. And is found 19 years later. You can definitely see what favorite subject is influencing this piece! But it is accompanied by pictures. And punctuation.

Charlotte is reading simple sentences now and is writing. The teacher encourages the children to spell by the sounds they hear--so some of Charlotte's words are very interesting! Today they spent some time in their fort. Ryan wanted to make a flag for it--literally wanted me to sew him the flag of England and mount it on a standard flag pole--I talked him in to a garden flag pole and he picked "Peace on Earth" flag--thank goodness. the kids' craft requests for fabric items are stacking up. I will have plenty of work to do on the sewing machine when school is done.

I am reading them Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--two chapters a night. I've never read it before now. We'll catch the Gene Wilder version after we're done. The Johnny Depp version looks creepy. It's my first time reading them a novel--I look forward to others.

Max's visit

We had a first sleepover since school started. After making root beer at Beth and Lori's they allowed us to take their son for an overnight! the goal was to get the kids to the train show at Hara today. Since I was working, Greg was volunteered to watch them all and got to spend the most tiem with them. Max is a delight--really a sweet boy. The kids loved having hiom here,. I thjink Ryan liked having a little guy around and Charlotte just liked having here period! So there was lots of playing, one head butt to a nose, staying up late and getting up early. The best opart for me though was when Ryan made a book called Captain Underpants and the dinosaur written and illustrated by Ryan R and Max H. It was hilarious. Such a sweet boy.

Aunt Martha is in town for a few days before she finishes her trek home. It's so nice having her here and the children just love her.

Back to work!

Sigh

I read my last post and had a quiet chuckle. It probably wasn't a week after I wrote that that Greg brought home some wretched respiratory ick that flattened him for days. He then gave it to Charlotte who gave it to me. Ryan was spared with only a cough. So Charlotte had a week off school, Greg several days off work, me off two nights. I still have a flipping cough. It's finally out of the house. Greg was tested for H1N1 and it came back negative, then we found out that the cultures aren't catching it at all and some docs are calling it H1n1 because no other flu is "out yet." There is some mild hysteria about the flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine. Mostly people are scrambling to find out where they are being given, waiting in god-awful long lines. Arguments abound about the flu mist versus the shot. Egads. I traditionally have not taken the flu shot. And I may for the first time this year. Their is a suspicion that H1N1 will be rounding again in a few months. Even though we may have had it, no one can really tell us, is it worth getting the shot? I hate that the media has this all jacked up and that there is so much suspicion about the vaccine. Our doc says that 40% of the kiddoes dying have no underlying health problems--they catch a secondary infection while their immune systems are knocked down with the flu. Oh, yay. It also has apparently peaked in our area without many places even having a vaccine to give yet. So the question abounds. to vaccinate or not. I hate this question.

I have started my last class before my practicum--project management. I like it. I liked workflows too so informatics seems to have been a promising choice:) I start my practicum in January!! The things I will do with no more school! Hmm...well, need to graduate first:)

Thanksgiving is a few weeks away. I cannot believe it. Christmas is soon too. Already picking up gifts. It is now getting dark before 6. Weird.

Fall

While walking Charlie tonight I noticed the vibrant leaves that have changed color are falling and are giving way to the brown more muted colors. More bare branches are visible now and I am once again aware that winter is on its way. It's neat though, we'll be ramping up for the holiday season soon which will carry us to January. Then the hard part hits. the stretch between January and April seems to take forever with little to break it up. Good news is, if everything goes the way it has been planned, I'll be graduating in April and will be in a new position. I cannot begin to express how excited I am at this prospect. I am restless at work, eager to be done and away. More and more things are getting on my nerves and I am tired of the constant ebb and flow of drama on the unit. Working alone sounds very appealing right now.

The kids are excited about Halloween, Ryan wants me to put more decorations out, there are still a bunch in the bin, but that takes time and it's been busy. We are to go camping with the troop this weekend, pup and all. I love that Ryan can run through the woods with his cub scout buddies.

Ryan continues to inhale books. A Half price books opened nearby and it is a gold mine for kids books. Grown up books too I imagine, but I do okay at the library. We got him 4 Magic treehouse for what it would have cost to buy 2 at BN. Charlotte hs developed a passion for drawing. The characters are consistent but I love watching her as she changes what they wear and the stories that go with them. She is learning high frequency words in school and is spelling them. She also continues to absorb books. Recently she made flags out of origami paper. She has very specific plans and it is fascinating to listen to her.

The pup has bounced back from whatever his ailment was. He is getting into things again and his appetite is back to normal. He is a sweet pooch. I am eager to enroll him in the next set of training classes. He picks up things fast.

H1N1 seems to be making fewer headlines now. People around us are getting sick and passing around what seem to be garden variety colds. The hospital has instituted no visitors under 14--which has definitely made the unit a quieter place.

I've read through my email and FB, time to get to work on this week's post for school.