Done, Done and I’m on to the Next One
I am done with my first semester of this summer session. What an incredibly intense 5 weeks. I took “computers for healthcare providers” and Anatomy & Physiology I. The computer class was a (relatively) easy “A” – the A&P I was an “A” earned by 5 weeks of the hardest studying I’ve ever done. The A&P class was from 8 am-12:15 pm Mon.-Thurs.; all other hours were pretty much occupied in the lab poring over the plastic body models, organ models and skeletons – or at home studying ’till the wee hours. I seriously spent 50+ hours per week outside of class studying. Thank God for my husband – he played Mr. mom. He’s done all the cooking and cleaning, most of the kid-tending (they were in daycare during the day) and also helped me study. Remind me to buy him a nice present when I get my first “big” paycheck as an RN … 
Anyway, that A&P I class was seriously, ridiculously hard work. But I would up with a final grade of 96. The class average was 68. But honestly … almost no one (other than the very few of us that made A’s) put in the long hours that it required. Can I even tell you how glad I am to be done?
Nevertheless, here I go again. Tuesday I start an online class – Science of Nutrition, and the following Monday I start Anatomy & Physiology II. Same instructor, same time-slot, hopefully same grade! 
So, that leaves me three classes to take in the fall: Microbiology, Human Lifespan/Growth and Development (a Psychology class), and Statistics (UGH! math). I am applying to Texas Tech’s school of nursing this fall. They have a one-year, online, bachelor’s-of-science to bachelor’s-of-science-in-nursing degree. It starts Jan. 2010 and ends in December. I really want it. I double-checked with them today that it was OK that I was taking some classes in the fall when I applied; they said it was.
Also before I apply I have to shove in a medical terminology class and a certified nursing assistant (CNA) class. The terminology course I can get online; the CNA course takes a month and I need to start it soon.
We’re sweating bullets about the finances … student loans only go so far. But I know if God wants this to be, He will help us out. And so many doors have been open so far, I can’t imagine things falling apart now. Your prayers for us during this challenging but exciting time are very welcome!
Your Mom Goes to College
As my dad would say … I resemble that remark.
So I’m two weeks in to my five-week semester. Anatomy & Physiology I is just as hard or harder than I expected. Computer is ridiculously easy. Well, for me anyway … I’ve been using computers long enough to know what I’m doing. I have barely cracked my book in that class and I made a 102 on my first test. Thank God that class is easy because I’m expending so many of my brain cells in A&P I …
Our first exam in A&P I was today. It was 180 questions. 75 fill-in-the-blank questions were over various body parts from each of the 11 body systems. Now I know how to spell latissimus dorsi and orbicularus oculi. Not that I particularly wanted to. Anyway, the test – there were also about 70 multiple-choice questions, maybe 15 short-answer, an essay on homeostasis (I wrote 3 pages and used two examples when he asked for one … he darn well better give me the full 20 points!), and the rest was matching. It covered an overview of the body’s organ systems and functions, a chapter on chemistry, and looots of body parts. Oh, and a bunch of (mostly) Latin prefixes and suffixes that we also had to learn. My typed-out study guide was 21 pages long. I spent dozens of hours studying. And I think I did pretty well. But all the same – I can’t wait until this class is over.
The kids seem to be enjoying daycare. They both came home with heat exhaustion last week (with high fevers, hot and dry and dehydrated), compelling me to have several very pointed discussions with the daycare staff, finally resulting in me telling them they have to keep my kids inside during the afternoon. They are complying but I am irked that they would have kids playing outside for any length of time on days with 100-degree heat indices.
Jay is the best husband ever. He has been cleaning and tending to the kids while I’ve been burning the midnight oil studying for A&P. He’s also helped me study – probably for hours total over the last few days. He’s good with helping me to come up with mnemonic devices. Like when I had to remember that nitric acid has Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Oxygen (HNO) … he said “Heck NO I’m not drinking that nitric acid!” … silly but it stuck.
School time is almost here …
I start going back to college in 10 DAYS. It’s hard to prepare myself for what that’s going to do to my life … turn it on its head, I’m sure!
The last time I was in college I was a svelte, boy-crazed, naive girl barely out of my teens. Let’s just say my studies weren’t the top priority on my list.
Fast forward 10 years and add one husband, two kids and (censored) pounds. Here I am, ready to start again. And while school will not be my top priority this time either (my family is), I am much more serious about it. I am HELLBENT on making A’s. But the material is sure to be really challenging, so I’m more than a little nervous!
I will be in school Monday-Thursday, 8 am – 2:30 pm for the month of June (I’m taking Anatomy & Physiology and a computer class); July-Aug., I’ll take speech Mon.-Thurs. 12:30-2:30 pm. The kids will be in child care near our home, and they’re really excited about it. The people seem really nice and they’ve advertised themselves as Christian; plus I know someone who sent their child there and loved it … so at least I feel good about the childcare situation.
Say a prayer I make the highest grade in the class. It will help my ranking for getting into nursing school!
Update on the kids (’baby book’ post)
It’s been a while since I’ve updated on the kids!
Gabriel is now 5 years and 7 months old. He can write his letters, although he often gets a few of them backwards (especially “N” and “S”). He has taken quite an interest in writing things and spelling lately – just yesterday he tried to write “please” in chalk on the driveway. He spelled it “Pes,” and when I showed him how to spell it correctly, Mikaela looked at the word and told me it needed a “Z” on the end. Smarty pants. 
Anyway, Gabriel loves playing with our alphabet magnets and is getting pretty good spelling simple words by himself. I wish I could say the same on the reading and math fronts … he still struggles to count to 20 without mistakes, and his reading is going VERY slowly. He knows the letter sounds, he just has a hard time putting them together. I am giving him some room on this, though .. it could really be part of his processing issues.
His speech continues to get clearer. He is understood about 90% of the time by others … a day I thought would never come! We’re still working on proper sentence structure, i.e. saying “I need to go to the bathroom please” instead of “I hafta go bathroom.”
His curiosity and sense of wonderment thrill me. I have a lot of hope for his future. He asks a lot of questions lately about where things come from, what things are made of and what the purpose of things are (what are eyebrows for? where does (tap) water come from? what’s this made of?)
His sensory integration/hydrocephaly/speech/add/ocd issues … I’m really beginning to think he may just be a bit of an odd duck, but not to a severe degree. I mean that I don’t think he has nearly as many issues, and nearly as severe issues as I thought he did. Thank God. That really did not come out well … but do you know what I mean? He is a sensitive child, and almost all of his lingering issues revolve around that. So I guess I’d say his problems are now emotional, and even then not really out of the range of “normal.”
He does have a few hangups. He hates having his hair changed. If it’s spiky he gets upset and sometimes cries. He HATES getting water in his ears and often fights me in the shower if that happens. And he still has some mildly “OCD” tendencies, but I think they’re really more in the range of someone who is a perfectionist, just like his dad.
Mikaela has more good days than bad. She sure can cop a major attitude though. I shudder to think of her teen or even her tween years. You woudn’t think my tiny 25-pound 4-year-old could slam a door with such ferocity. I swear one of these days it’s going to fall off its hinges. And of course she gets punished for it … but she does it anyway.
Mikaela is now 4 years and 3 months old. She is still tiny … but she’s finally in a size 3, so I know she’s growing! Honestly, I need to re-weigh her. She must be going through a growth spurt, because she eats all the time right now. I mean, seriously. She eats 3 meals and possibly even up to 5 snacks a day. Maybe more .. I guess I should count! I have to struggle to make sure she’s eating healthy snacks, though … at least for most of the snack times. She sure does love junk food!
Mikaela is smart. She’s definitely reading, although I would still call her a beginner. She is bad about guessing instead of reading the word. She is trying to write and spell just like Gabriel, although I think Gabriel has her beaten in that area so far… and I guess he should since he’s older.
Mikaela loves going onto starfall.com and playing their beginning-reader games. She knows how to get to the site, click around to where she wants to go, and close the page down afterwards. Gabriel enjoys playing on that site as well.
Mikaela is super cute. Pictures never do her justice. She’s just so petite and adorable (OK, I’m biased, I know) … but seriously we get comments from strangers everywhere we go. It really honestly makes me nervous that she attracts so much attention. I don’t take my eye off of her in public for a millisecond … and I’m sure I won’t until she’s much, much older. But anyway back to her cute-ness … she also has this very girly high-pitched voice that my mom always says sounds so cute every time she calls. My mom got a shock when we were in TN for the wedding though!
My parents, kids and I had to stop off at Wal-mart so I could get some camera memory the day before the wedding. I decided to leave the kids in the van with my mom while my dad and I went in. Well, I don’t know if the kids forgot my mom was there (she was sitting behind them) or what .. but they pulled out their rudest, crudest potty humor. In front of my very proper mother. Thankfully, she thought it was somewhat funny (or so she says), but I was mortified.
Back to Mikaela … I really want to get her involved in dance lessons or soccer or gymnastics soon. She’s never had the opportunity to do anything like that and I really think she would enjoy it. Anyone have any advice for activities for this age?
Medical stuff
I have been having some odd things over the course of the last 6 months or so … random dizziness and stumbling, mostly whenever I moved suddenly, so I mentioned it to my oncologist at my annual check-up last Thursday. She was concerned and said that my cancer COULD have spread to my brain (thanks for giving me a heart attack, doc) and ordered an MRI (brain scan) and abdominal ultrasound scheduled for this past Monday. I’m not sure what my stomach has to do with my head?
Anyway, I got the results back yesterday afternoon … both are clear. Whew.
Since then I’ve had several stabbing pains in my ear, so I’m thinking this is an inner-ear thing. It sure has been going on for a while though! Maybe part of it is just klutziness. I guess I should go see an ENT, but seriously, I’m so sick of doctors and tests right now I think I’ll hold off until I really have to.
You should see my arm from where they put the contrast in when they were doing the MRI. I showed the radiologist my ONE good vein, and he decided to use another one. After a few seconds, he pulled the needle back out and said, “well, THAT got ugly and blew up really fast.” After I left, I had a big lump in my arm where the fluid had failed to go into my vein. That’s mostly gone, but now in it’s place is an awful-looking bruise. The funny part? The radiologist had to wind up using the ONE good vein that I originally showed him to get the contrast in. I hope he felt like an ass.
The MRI was an interesting experience. Even though I had earplugs I could clearly hear all the rhythmic banging and knocking. I was mentally trying to compose a rock song based on one of the “beats” but now it’s flown out of my head.
Oh – another thing about that radiologist. I started to remove my wedding band before I got on the stretcher-bed thingy that rolled into the MRI machine and he stopped me, saying “that’s not necessary.” Well, the ring didn’t exactly fly off of my finger during the test, but it buzzed and vibrated very uncomfortably. If you’re ever in the same position, I would suggest taking if off.
Enough ranting for one day. I’m so glad to know I don’t have a brain tumor or something causing the problems.
Wedding photos
We recently got back from our trip to TN, where my oldest niece got married May 2nd. Gabriel was her ring-bearer and Mikaela was her flower girl. The wedding – and especially the bride – was just beautiful. Here are some photos I snapped:
Read the rest of this entry »
Mother’s Day Giveaway
5 Minutes for Mom is hosting a really great mother’s day giveaway … go check it out!!
Homeschooling
I have been homeschooling my kids “officially” since January. I’ve been doing a sort of “eclectic” format, piecing it all together myself. I don’t like that method, now that I’ve been doing it for awhile. I would rather have a set curriculum to pull from daily.
Since January, we’ve moved from preschool material to kindergarten material. Both kids know their shapes, colors, letters and letter sounds, can count to 20 (actually much higher with a little help), can do simple addition, and can write all their numbers and letters. We’ve moved on to phonics and beginning reading. I started out using “How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” but for some reason, Gabriel just wasn’t getting it – so I’ve stepped back and I’m just doing a really phonics-heavy program now. We go over A Beka-style phonics ladders and charts (think sk in skate, thr in three, etc.). I’m a bit frustrated with how long it seems to be taking and the fact that sight words never seem to stick. I know I’m always expecting a bit too much. I am very ambitious, though and it’s just in my nature to push them to be the best they can be … and then some.
One favorite activity recently has been playing with alphabet magnets. Gabriel has been spelling up a storm .. although, he needs help on things that aren’t obvious, like words with a silent “e.”
I am going to school this summer to start working towards my nursing program … but then I’ll be out in August, not to return until the program officially starts up in fall of 2010. So, I have to decide what to do school-wise with the kids this next year. I *definitely* don’t want them going to public. Mikaela’s not even old enough. I had Gabriel at the public school last year and I didn’t like it for many reasons. I am considering getting a full-time job and finding a private school for the kids to go to. That decision is mostly because we consistently don’t have enough to make ends meet. My freelance work just doesn’t pay the bills. And as much as I believe in homeschooling … I don’t know if it’s for us or not. Maybe if I had a set curriculum to work from, things would go more smoothly. Either way, it’s a big decision to make and I’d appreciate your prayers.
Always dieting
I’ve been dieting since April the 1st. I was on low-carb, and now I’ve switched to low-calorie. I’m down 18 pounds. I get frustrated because I always lose quickly at first and then slow WAY down. I’m wondering if I switch back and forth between the two – like two weeks on low carb, two weeks on low calorie – if that will get the scale moving again. And it will break up the monotony of meat, meat, meat or rabbit food. God forbid I should have to actually exercise to lose weight. Ugh.
Update
Thanks to Mission Possible in Austin, I got a “new” car – a ‘94 mitsubishi galant that needs a paint job and the front two window motors replaced (they slip) … but it’s absolutely beautiful to me! It only has 103K miles on it and it runs great. It passed inspection, hallelujah, and I’ve already taken care of getting it put on the insurance, registered in our name, etc. Back to Mission Possible – it’s a great charity in Austin that serves the needs of the poor. My friends’ dad runs it, and after my other car broke down, she told me that he’d recently gotten a car donated that was reliable but not pretty. They asked if I was interested. Heck yes! It’s SUCH a Godsend. And the best part is that they’re delaying my payment until I get my student loan this summer. I just can’t say enough about how much of a huge help this is – we could’ve never made it otherwise.
So now that I have wheels again … today I drove up to the college and got my student ID and parking sticker. It all feels so official now. This summer, I’m going to be taking anatomy & physiology, speech and a computer class for health students. Then, I’ll be sitting on my hands for all of this next year, until I can get into the nursing program in fall of 2010. Hopefully I can find a job in the interim (late this summer until fall of 2010) – at least a part-time one. Our bills keep going up but our income isn’t. The legislature didn’t vote for a cost-of-living increase to my husband’s meager salary (I’m not denigrating him; he is an amazingly hard worker … but they don’t compensate him like they should) – which is a slap in the face. I’m SO over not making ends meet. Of course, the kids factor into that decision big-time.
Wow, that was a long paragraph. My writing skills slip the later it gets.
So – that’s where we’re at. A little nervous and excited. And majorly blessed.
Newsy stuff … stream of consciousness
I’m going to look at a car today. One of my friends’ dad has a charity that was donated a car, and since I have no means to buy a new (or even used) car … they’re going to let me work with it and work with me on the payments. Pray it works out because I really need something that runs well by June 1st, when school starts!
So, I’m babysitting the little girl I watch in the mornings right now. She’s watching Blue’s Clues, and my kids and Jay are sleeping. After I see her off on the school bus, Jay and the kids and I are going to get ready and go into Austin together, where I’ll drop Jay off at work (he gets to go in late today) and take his car to putt around town for the day and go look at the car I hope I’m getting this afternoon. I’ve been wanting to spend a day in Austin with the kids forever, but I just haven’t had the opportunity or the means in a long time. Not that I really have the means now … so we’re going to be mostly going free places like the library, which I hear is great, and maybe Zilker park. I don’t even know what all Austin has for kids these days … guess I need to do a web search and refresh myself.
Yesterday was Easter, and I was sad. Jay was sick and it was storming and his tires are bald … so we didn’t go anywhere. We’re looking for a new church, so it felt awkward anyway. I hate this church-shopping process. It feels like the long slog of dating, which was not fun for me. I am a “means-to-an-end” person, so I just want to hurry up and get to the point. I’m desperately missing being connected with a church family. It’s so depressing. I have heard many people say we have no good non-denominational churches in our area. It’s tempting to try to get together with some people and start one ourselves … but that concept scares me. I don’t know the first thing about (being part of) running a church, but I am keenly aware that God holds people like that to a very high standard. Not that it’s a bad thing … I guess I always dread the thought of inviting testing by fire! Gosh, that last statement is very telling. I guess I just already feel like we’ve had a really hard time for a long time. Not that anything major has been wrong … just financial woes and health stuff for me. We have so many blessings, though, more than I can count.
Now “Franklin” is coming on, and A. (my charge) is reading a book. I’ll have to go outside to wait for her bus soon. I only have to do this for a couple more weeks, I keep telling myself. I really hate getting up at 6:30 am, especially when my kids sleep as late as 8:30. Sometimes after she gets on the school bus, I go back to sleep. Usually to be awakened by, “MAMA? I SAID CAN I HAVE POPTARTS?!?”
I got a great haircut this week. Way more than I usually pay at Great Clips … but way worth it. I wanted to get a good cut for my niece’s wedding, which we leave for on 4/29. A week before that is my 31st birthday. I’ve come not to really expect much of birthdays anymore, even though they mean a lot to me. Bummer. Why can’t adults have fun birthdays too?
Well … gotta go “catch” the bus … have a great day!
Car trouble, diet again
Are these the ongoing themes of my life, or is it just me? It always seems like I’m dieting or having car trouble.
First, the car: I’ve had several cars in a row that fell apart on me. Mostly because they are old, I’m sure. Maybe I’m just a car jinx. Who knows? Anyway, last summer I bought an ‘86 Mercedes, thinking that the quality brand would make up for the oldness. Not so much. It has a host of problems, but the last straw came Friday: an accelerator that kept getting stuck.
I was out with the kids when it happened the first time; I called my friend Sarah, who was headed my way anyway, to drive the kids home. I drove the Mercedes back to my house while she and the kids followed me in her car. The problem just kept getting worse the further I drove … it was really a horrifying feeling. Finally we made it back to my place and Jay and I have just decided we’re done fooling with this car.
So, here I am carless again. A place I hate being. Here I am about to start school, trying to get a job, needing to cart the kids from one place to another – it’s just beyond frustrating. I may sit on my hands until I know for sure I’m getting some student loan money… heaven knows, we can’t really afford another car payment. But I don’t want to be stuck in the same situation I keep finding myself in: with a cheap, old car that falls apart. Argh! I know this is a season of life that we’re in, but can the financially strapped part of the season be over now? Please??
Switching gears (haha! get the pun? I’m so witty. LOL.) … the diet. Here I am low-carbing it again. This is what I do, low-carb diet for a couple or a few weeks, drop 20 pounds, and then slowly gain the 20 back. Lord, please help me stick with it this time! I’m so done with being over-weight. So far I’m doing pretty well – 8 pounds in 4 days. I know – spare me all your “that’s not a healthy rate of loss” arguments. I can’t stick to low-fat or low-calorie diets, I get hungry and often dizzy from my blood sugar. Low carb always works well for me, I just usually wind up getting bored with it and quitting. So wish me luck! Say a prayer! I really want this time to stick!
Bluebonnets
Taking your childrens’ photos in the bluebonnets is a time-honored central Texas tradition. I’ve been trying to scout out a good location for this year’s pictures, and just yesterday I found a decent-sized patch off of Shell Road near TX 195 in Georgetown. I got some good pictures this year, mostly because my kids are finally old enough to bribe.
Here’s a look at this year’s photos, along with bluebonnet photos from the last 5 years: Read the rest of this entry »
Cute update
Today I was working with the kids on their phonics ladders (a la aBeka curriculum, the same I was learning when I was their age). When I got to the F’s phonics ladder (fa, fe, fi, fo, fu), Gabriel said I sounded like a giant. LOL.
My germaphobe tendencies must be rubbing off on my children. I almost always break out the Germ-X or Wet Ones after we leave the grocery store, or really any large public place. So, when we left Wal-mart today, after the kids strapped themselves into their carseats, Mikaela piped up: “Okay, now anna-tize my hands.”
This afternoon, we went driving around, looking for a bluebonnet patch to take the kids’ photos in (it’s an annual central TX tradition). We found one, and we were trying to arrange the kids “just so,” when Jay decided bribery might make things go more smoothly, so he promised them suckers if they cooperated. In the car and on the way back home, Gabriel asked if we could hurry home and get a sucker. We asked why, and he said, “cause you got some hungry kids back here!”
Long time no write
Wow, has it really been two weeks? What a slacker I’ve turned into!
Homeschooling is going pretty well. We’re about a third of the way through How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Mikaela is picking it up more quickly than Gabriel is. Each day we also read a book together, trace letters, trace numbers, have a Bible lesson and a science lesson. Crafts and cutting practice get thrown in the mix almost daily as well. We spend about an hour to two hours, depending on the day and their attentiveness. Sometimes Gabriel is totally spaced out, which obviously slows us down.
This week at our homeschool is animal week. We’re covering the following concepts:
- Animals live in different habitats, in different places in the world
- Animals come in a wide range of sizes
- Animals’ coverings protect them from temperature and predators
- Animals need food, shelter and water
- Animals move in different ways
- Animals can be classified
- Some animals lay eggs, some animals have babies
- Animals eat different food
- Some animals build homes
- Some animals hibernate, birds migrate
- Some animals are nocturnal
- Some animals provide products we use
… we’re covering those topics by reading an array of books, watching animal DVDs we rented from the library, doing animal experiments and activities from my Macmillan Early Science Activities kit, and hopefully we’ll be able to go to the zoo this week as well.
I love this stuff.
Aside from homeschooling, I am trying to get a degree plan written up by a couple of our local community colleges. Hopefully once I get the finalized degree plan it will help me to make my decision about which nursing school to attend. This decision is making me nuts, and I’m ready to have a solid plan in place. I am a goal-oriented person and I hate when things are up in the air like this. I’ll keep you posted.
Mikaela’s new room
As one of her birthday presents, we gave Mikaela a “girly” room. Jay did all of the work by himself. I think he did a great job! Read the rest of this entry »
I’m still alive
I don’t know why I’ve been blogging so sporadically lately. Probably b/c I’m on Facebook a lot more. The one-sentence status updates are so much quicker & easier than publishing a blog. But I miss being able to write something more than just a brief sentence …
So, I got a treadmill this weekend. Found it on craigslist, after looking for a LONG time for a nicer one at a decent price. I did 1 mile yesterday and a little over a mile today. And since I keep thinking to myself “why do I want to eat junk and un-do any good I just did by working out?” – I’m eating a lot better too.
I really hope this is the permanent solution to getting this weight off. I’m so, so, so tired of false starts and yo-yo dieting. I know it has to be done. But staying “on the wagon” for the long-haul … gosh, why does it have to be so dang hard?!? Maybe I should join an online support group or something. Know of a good one?
Anyway, in other news, my baby is turning 4 on Wednesday. I can’t believe it. She cracks me up daily, using big words mostly in the correct context. Her reading lessons are going well … she’s getting a little more fluid with it.
Well, I’ve got mountains of laundry to do, so gotta get to it …
Winter blahs
I am eagerly anticipating spring. I hate this time of year, where there’s really nothing else to look forward to. Thank God I live in TX, where spring often starts in late Feb.
Let’s see … what’s new? Well, for one, I’ve been on my facebook a LOT lately with status updates, so blogging has kinda fallen by the wayside. Sorry about that.
Homeschooling is going well. I’m working really hard to make it fun. Makes for lots of planning, but the kids are enjoying it. Instead of doing a lot of worksheets, I’m trying to do activities. Like simple science experiments, math and phonics games, and dramatic interpretations of books. It only takes us about an hour or an hour-and-a-half, 4 days a week, and they are learning an amazing amount. The kids like it so much, they ask each morning when we can have school (as soon as mommy has her caffeine). Oh, if only they would always be this excited about learning …
I am looking forward to having a set curriculum, with pre-made lesson plans, to work from. That will take a load off. Like right now, I know I have to plan for this next week, and it’s a little overwhelming.
I always kind of dread Sunday afternoons, because there’s so much I want to do to prep for the week ahead, and I almost never get it all done. Ideally, I’d like to finish and iron all the laundry, have the house spotless, and have the lesson plans ready for the week. Usually, I just settle for getting the laundry washed and writing the lesson plans.
Back on things to look forward to – Mikaela’s 4th birthday is next month (Feb). We’re hoping to have a nice little family party and give her a girly room, finally. We got a comforter (see pic below), and we want to paint the walls a light greenish color, paint her bed white, and maybe hang some stuff from the walls or ceiling. She’s never had a room done up nicely – she didn’t even have a home to call her own until she was 9 months old (we were living with family). I’ve been wanting to give her a girly room so badly, and now we’re finally doing it. I’m so excited.
Nursing
So, I’ve been thinking of going back and getting a second degree, in nursing. It’s been rumbling around in my head for years, and I keep coming back to it and saying, “why NOT?”
Specifically, I am looking into Texas Tech’s “One-Year, Web-Based BS-to-BSN.” Or in English, I will be building on my previous bachelor’s degree, going through a one-year nursing program, and winding up with a 4-year nursing degree, the preferred way to get your RN license. I do have 7 prerequisite classes I have to take before I can enroll in the program, though: Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Pathophysology, Statistics, The Science of Nutrition and Human Development (Psych class). I’ve already confirmed with Tech that those are the only classes I’d have to have before entering the nursing program. I’ll probably wind up taking most at a local community college.
My reasons for going into nursing are many. I always felt like that’s something I would have loved to do, but I was formerly led to believe it required you to be a near-genius in math. I love helping people, and I love the thought of making a difference in the world. I really love that the job outlook for nursing is good, and that I could potentially work only part-time on weekends (or whatever would be best for our family) and still make a decent wage. If we wind up home-schooling our kids long-term, which I would love, this might be a perfect solution.
I know in the past the timing hasn’t been right. But I think things may just be working out for me to start the process soon. I’ve really been trying hard to discern God’s will in all of this … I asked that He would show me clearly what I was supposed to do by letting the doors slam shut in my face if it wasn’t meant to be. Specifically, I had two hurdles: passing an entrance exam and getting a student loan. I passed my Anatomy entrance exam (after trying to resuscitate 10-plus-year-old biology knowledge), and from everything I can tell, the loan is going to work out as well. So, it appears the doors are open to this new career path …
But for some reason I’m nervous, or even hesitant, about it. Probably because I know it’s going to be a lot of really hard work, and I’m going to be asking my family to make a lot of sacrifices while I’m in school. During that one-year nursing program, I’m definitely going to have to have the kids in school full-time, and probably in day-care after school. Honestly, that may not be such a bad thing for me for a very selfish reason … I don’t want to do the dirty work of teaching them the finer points of handwriting and reading. I mean, we’ve already started on both … but I certainly don’t relish it. I want to get to the good part, where I can wow them with tales from history and cool science projects. Isn’t that terrible of me?
So, anyway .. that’s where I’m at. Since December, I’ve been looking into the nursing thing, but I was holding off mentioning it until it seemed like it was really going to happen … Lord willing.
I’ll keep you updated.
Meme of the Day – 10 Things You’re Good at
I enjoy memes like this … I am going to try to start posting them more often. Tags? How about Amanda, Jeremy and Raymond? You know who you are.
Okay, so 10 Things I’m Good At:
1. Spehllingh
2. Humour (ha … more like being a cheeseball)
3. Proofreading
4. Volleyball (okay, so it’s been a while since I tried …)
5. Seeing different viewpoints (to a fault).
6. Telling my kids “no” when it’s necessary
7. Paper crafts (I especially love card-making)
8. Listening
9. Tolerating football season
10. Dreaming up ideas/inventions. Laugh now; some day it’s going to pay off.
The “Baby Book” post
I’ve been really bad at updating this blog with my kids’ milestones and anecdotes from their lives. I’ve been even worse keeping a written record, as in their “baby books.”
So, here goes:
Mikaela is almost 4. She’ll be 4 in just a little over a month. She can write her name legibly, she knows all the letters of the alphabet and their letter sounds (both upper and lower case). We’re still working on short and long vowels, though. She is learning sight words and we’re working through How To Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. She’s doing pretty well. She can almost count to 20, although she tends to get confused sometimes between 13-18. I know, we need to work on that. She can cut with scissors and glue with a glue stick, but is still working on it. She knows her colors and shapes. Her deductive reasoning is getting better by the day; she’s also pretty good at answering questions about a book I just read.
Mikaela loves to sing. She also LOVES to dress up in her dress-up clothes. She changes clothes and shoes all day long. When she plays with her dolls or stuffed animals, she “talks” for them in a sweet high-pitched voice. She likes to watch movies and TV, but I’m only letting her watch a little bit each day. She really likes shows that are “live action” as opposed to animated or with puppets – like Drake and Josh, iCarly and Full House.
Gabriel is doing well at 5 years and 3 months. His speech is still choppy and full of mispronunciations, but he almost always gets his point across now. There’s very little that we don’t understand. Other people can’t always understand him, though.
He adores building intricate cities using blocks, action figures and his Geo Trax trains and other various toys. I mean, he could seriously spend hours in one sitting getting it just right. He comes unglued when Mikaela knocks anything down. He also loves playing with his action figures and will mix them up – Darth Vader might be fighting Buzz from Toy Story, for example. He also enjoys movies, but always asks “is there a bad guy in it?” – meaning, he likes the action movies. Especially Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. Academically, he’s doing pretty much everything Mikaela is, although we need to work on his lower-case letters. He still has trouble gripping a pencil and scissors properly, but he works at it.
The kids play cooperatively pretty darn well these days. Oh, the imaginations they have. It’s fun to watch and listen to. They build cities together, using her toys and his. They play “birthday party,” which involves one of them standing outside the door to their room and saying “ding-ding” as if they were ringing a doorbell – and the other one opens the door and says, “surprise! Here’s your presents!” – to which the other says, “oh, wow!” … They play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I haven’t really figured out, but I know it involves a lot of running back and forth from his room to her room and a lot of costume changes for Mikaela. They play “knight and princess,” where they both dress up in their respective costumes and he chases her around, screaming. (Someone needs to tell him the knight RESCUES the princess.) They also play “monsters” which also involves a lot of running around and screaming. They play hide-and-”sink” (which I always call to them: “SEEK, it’s SEEK not sink!”), where one counts and the other stays hidden for about 30 seconds before coming out and revealing themselves, giggling. They also play a lot with Mikaela’s dolls, pretending to teach them in school, go to the doctor, or the grocery store. They also play a lot with Mikaela’s plastic food, setting up grand feasts.
At 5, Gabriel is average in height but skinny. He wears size 5 pants with a belt, but he could stand to go up to a 6. Gotta get that boy to gain some weight, though. He is still pretty darn picky, although he will generally try something new these days, instead of pitching a temper tantrum about it.
At almost-4, Mikaela is still teeny. She wears a 3T shirt and is in some strange limbo-world of a pants size. She has really outgrown her 2T pants, but is too skinny and short for her 3T pants. I wish there was a half-size in there somewhere. At her last doctor’s visit, she’s still under 30 pounds… but she’s so short, she is proportional. I’m pretty sure this kid’s not going to see 5 feet.
Two skinny kids … goodness, you wouldn’t believe how much they eat in a day. Mikaela says she’s hungry about every 2 hours. She’s a grazer. Gabriel will eat fairly large quantities of what he likes, but will not eat much at all if he doesn’t like it. I only wished he liked healthier stuff. :/
Busy builders
My kids love building things, especially Gabriel. They set up elaborate “cities” with blocks, hot wheels cars, all kinds of action figures and animals, Gabriel’s GeoTrax trains and whatever else is handy. I took these yesterday. I think Gabriel did most of the building:
In this last one, this is what happens when a boy and girl play together. This is the Indiana Jones German soldiers’ jeep, being driven by Hello Kitty. It appears that Hello Kitty is a bad driver – it looks like she stomped on the brakes and all the my little ponies went flying.
99 things meme
Here are 99 things … I’ve boldfaced the ones I’ve done. Thanks, Karen!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (My car was stranded in the snow, I had no choice.)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (after a car wreck when I was 19 in which I broadsided a drunk driver who ran a stop sign.)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing (Jay has and loves it)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (Jay was an extra in The Last Castle, but I think he was cut out. Our bil Glen was in it as well.)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (from a really sweet guy I worked with when I was 16)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Naomi Judd came through my line when I worked at Hallmark in Cool Springs, TN)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Geez, I gotta get more items on this list crossed off!!
Where have I been?
Going back to college, and taking the first steps to a nursing degree, Lord willing. I’ll know soon whether this is going to work out if I passed the entrance exam and/if I got approved for the student loan. I’ll keep you updated!
Deja Vu
Today was warm – almost hot. We took the kids to the park – almost exactly a year from when we took them during a warm spell last winter.
Things no one tells you about parenting
You never wake up in the morning thinking, “I’m going to have to stick a magnet up my child’s nose today to retrieve a stuck toy.”
But such is the life of a parent. Let me start back at the beginning.
Mikaela received a Dog Trainer Barbie set for Christmas – complete with a Barbie-scale dog and its accouterments. Including tiny, raisin-sized things meant to serve as both dog biscuits and poop, depending on which end we’re talking about. Fun stuff. (See photo below.)
Anyway, the little poop/biscuit pellets are magnetized, and Barbie has a magnetic pooper scooper that she can pick them up with. How clever. Jay mentioned that he’d like to have been at the meeting where this concept was pitched to management.
So, Mikaela has been playing with this playset a lot. Last night after she went to bed, she suddenly started screaming hysterically. Jay and I both ran into her room, and it took us a couple of minutes until we were able to decipher what the problem was … she finally pointed to her nose and said something about a toy being stuck. We got the flashlight and peered up there, and there it was: one of those magnetic pieces of poop, wedged.
We tried various methods of getting it out, finally getting a stronger magnet out and shoving it way up her nose. Thankfully, it worked. Can you imagine the stories the ER doctors would’ve had to tell … I’m sure they’d have had a good laugh. Thankfully it didn’t come to that point. And thankfully we can laugh about it now! Heaven sakes… what will this child do to give me gray hair next?
Womens’ Christmas Brunch
Our church recently had a womens’ Christmas brunch, an annual affair that has church ladies dusting off the fine china and men waiting tables. The outreach event includes food and entertainment, and each of the 24 tables is hosted by a different lady (or group of ladies) at our church – and boy, do we go all-out to make everything look nice. It really turned out to be a lot of fun.
I was accosted …. uh, I mean, approached, by a lady in our church, who started the table-hosting conversation with, “so I hear your spiritual gift* is hospitality.”
After hearing about the table-hosting (in this case, hostesses decorate the tables and supply the china, napkins, stemware and flatware) opportunity, I countered that I have no china, no silver and no linen napkins. And I certainly have no crystal. “No problem!” She beamed – “you can use my extra set!”
I tried several times to politely extricate myself, but it was not to be. I wound up being matched with a woman who had all the china – but no ideas on how to decorate the table. Well, I might not have fine china, but I can usually squeeze some creativity out in a pinch.
I went to Michael’s arts-and-crafts store and spent about $22 making an arrangement that probably would’ve cost me $50 or more if they had made it … yay for having that floral-shop background, huh?
Pictures of our table:
So, the day came, and the other lady came in and carefully arranged her beautiful china and I plopped my centerpiece in the middle of the table. Not much of a contribution! Hopefully I can find some Christmas china on sale before next years’ event so I can do a table myself.
The day after I decorated, we had the brunch. I was pleasantly surprised to find out the ladies seated at my table were the ones in my often-neglected-but-lovely playgroup. I’m sure the person in charge of seating had something to do with that. It was great fun catching up with everyone, and the food, skits and music was very nice.
Here are some photos of some of the other tables at the brunch:
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* for those of you not up on Christian-ese, the Bible says that there are different spiritual gifts (I Cor. 12:1, 4-6), and then goes on through the rest of the chapter to outline different types of gifts, talking about how each of the members of the church function as if they were different members of one physical body – there need to be hands, eyes, feet, etc. – all this to say, God has given each of us roles we excel at, some mundane, some in the limelight – but all integral for accomplishing the church’s role of spreading Christ’s message and caring for our neighbors.
ha.
Me (sorting through dirty laundry): Mikaela, what is your Snow White costume doing in the dirty laundry? Did you pee on it?
Mikaela (pondering): mmmm … probably.
Church small group Christmas party
We had our church small-group Christmas party/potluck on Tuesday night – the adults did a “White Elephant” gift exchange, and the kids did a book exchange. It was crowded and chaotic, but fun. Our host snapped some pics:
… the last one is of me wearing my gift: a lovely crocheted scarf. Sure beats the lame gifts I brought! Oh, and a side note: everyone is henceforth banned from taking photos of me from a low angle. Not flattering.
Brrrr
I headed out this morning to take the Gabriel to school and noticed that I was on empty. Oh, it’s Murphy’s law … the coldest morning in recent history, and my tank’s on empty. I got out to pump, and could only stand 7 dollars’ worth. Any more and I swear, I’d have frozen to death. The wind chill is 25, I found out upon arriving home.
I just can’t handle cold weather. I’ll take long hot summers over long cold winters any day. But unfortunately we get cold days here too. Maybe we could get a winter home in Mexico … ha.
My hubby
After a recent promotion, Jay has submitted his resignation for his second job. He’s going to start giving drum lessons again, as well … so we’ll be rolling in the dough. LOL. Well, something like that.
THANK YOU, Jay for all your sacrifice for our family. You worked from dawn until well after dusk each day … but now I’m so looking forward to being able to spend more time as a family again! I’ve missed you!
Christmas cookies
We made and decorated Christmas cookies last night. That’s always a fun, messy time together.
Christmas festival pix
We went to a really great Christmas festival Saturday – it had horse-drawn carriage rides, live music and dancing, the usual carnival-type games and food, as well as a “Bethlehem Village” that was set up to look like it did in Jesus’ day; here are some of the pix:
Oh, holy cow ..
This is the audio equivalent of watching a train wreck. Cover your dogs’ ears! And it just keeps getting worse …
Gross
We were at Garden Ridge recently and the kids had to go to the bathroom. As Gabriel’s not old enough to go in the men’s restroom himself, I let him go in the women’s room with Mikaela and I. When we walked in, Gabriel sniffed and said, “It smells like the cafeteria.”
I guess the lunchroom food hasn’t changed much since my days in school.
The fam
From our Thanksgiving trip. L-R: my nephew Josh (15), my sister and brother-in-law, my niece Rebekah (18), my niece Lauren (22) holding Clover the malti-poo, my dad and mom, me, and Jay. Of course, that’s Mikaela and Gabriel in front.
We’re Back
I am back from my trip! We got in from our Thanksgiving trip early in the a.m. on Monday; I decided to let Gabriel skip school that day so we could all sleep in. It was nice. I spent the rest of the day trying to clean, unpack and do laundry.
Yesterday was Jay’s birthday, so we were busy celebrating it – and putting Christmas decorations up. Today he had to go back to work after 8 days off – I know that’s got to be hard to get back in the swing of things after that long! Unfortunately, his break could have been much better. He’s had bronchitis for over 2 weeks now.
Anyway, our trip was nice! We both had a really nice time, as did our kids. But for some reason, the drive there (to Birmingham) through east TX, Louisiana & Mississippi seemed much shorter than the route back through TN and Arkansas. So, like I said – we drove in to Birmingham, spent the night there Tuesday night, then drove to the Knoxville, TN area to my sister’s house on Wednesday. My kids are at a fun age to be enjoyed by family, so we had a pretty fun time. One of the days, we went to the Knoxville Fantasy of Trees, where the kids did Christmas crafts, rode a carousel, and got to see lots of beautifully decorated trees and gingerbread houses – all to benefit the children’s hospital. While there, we also baked Christmas cookies and had “early Christmas,” with the kids opening their gifts from my parents and sisters’ family. Oh, and my sister fattened us up all week with her ridiculously wonderful cooking.
We stayed in Knoxville until Saturday mid-day, then drove to the Nashville area to see my sister & brother-in-law and their daughter. That evening, we had a sitter come over so we could go out to celebrate Jay’s birthday. We went to McCreary’s Irish Pub in Franklin and had fish & chips … it was fun. Our friend Eric, who we haven’t seen in forever, got to go with us – although, we missed his lovely wife who couldn’t make it because of a cold.
Sunday morning we got up and drove back home. We started out at 9:30 a.m. and made it home at 2:30 a.m. It was a long, long, hard day. It was rainy, which made travel very slow. I don’t ever want to see Arkansas again.
I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth
But I am about to take a short sabbatical … we’re driving to AL/TN for Thanksgiving. Hope yours is good!
Your guide to preschooler-speak
Possible answers to the question “what are you doing?” – and their meanings:
“I don’t know.” : come running.
“Um …. nothing.” : come running fast.
“Cleaning my room.” : walk out of the front door; you have somehow found yourself in the wrong house.
Feels like a raise!
Along with the economy, the price of oil – and therefore, gasoline – has tanked. (yes, pun intended.)
Look at how much it’s fallen here in TX just in the last 6 months:
For how much we drive – and especially Jay, who drives about 500 miles a week – this has made a HUGE difference. A full tank of gas for him has gone from about $54 to about $26.
I hate that the economy is doing bad – but the silver lining for us is that the gas price drop is really helping us out. Is it wrong to be happy about that?
Let me rephrase
Gabriel and I were sitting down yesterday, going through my photos. I pulled out an old one of me holding two kittens, I think in 2003. He asked where they were, and I told him “we had to get rid of them back in Tennessee.”
He looked startled and said, “You can’t leave those cats in the sea! They be scared!”
While we’re on the subject of fashion
Plus-sized clothes shopping is a major drag. Your choices many times are between outrageously expensive or garish – or just plain frumpy. Mumu anyone?
But I’ve found some cute and fairly affordable things lately (not that I’ve bought most of them, but I’ve seen them). Read the rest of this entry »
Shoe Angst
So the last few winters I’ve been limping by on almost nothing shoe-wise. A pair of out-of-season-looking white tennis shoes was really the only close-toed shoes I had that still fit. I have some black loafers but my foot has widened, apparently, so they no longer fit.
So needless to say, it was time for some shoe shopping. If I had money running out of my ears, I would adore shoe shopping. But since I don’t, I obsess about finding the “perfect” shoe that will serve a versatile purpose. For instance, yesterday I set out looking for Black Mary Janes, with a low heel – something I could dress up or dress down.
I found this Mudd shoe that I really loved:
… but alas, it didn’t fit right. Perhaps if they had it in a wide (apparently Mudd doesn’t make wide shoes).
I looked at many similar shoes, but none of them worked either, either for aesthetics or fit.
So, I spent all day today trying on many, many shoes, finding that I have gone from a 7 1/2 to an 8 wide. Ugh. I mean, I’ve been schlepping around in flip flops pretty much ever since we landed in TX, so I just haven’t noticed. And let me tell you, like larger womens’ sizes, it’s not always easy to find cute shoes in wide widths.
I reluctantly settled for two different pairs – based much more on comfort than looks. I’m still not really satisfied, though. I really want a shoe exactly like the one pictured above, but haven’t found one in my size yet. Let me know if you run across one.
Anyway, the shoes I wound up with:
Two Thumbs Up: Chick-Fil-a Chargrilled & Fruit Salad
I had the Chick-Fil-a Chargrilled & Fruit Salad yesterday. It comes with a packet of granola, a packet of sunflower seeds, and has its own Reduced-Fat Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. It was heavenly.
Can I whine a little bit? Just for a minute?
I need somebody to whine to. My husband and my mom, my go-to people to whine to – are asleep.
I am feeling really wretched. I can’t tell if it’s from the bronchitis/pneumonia or the low-carb diet I’m on. Good news is I’m down 11 lbs.
I don’t want to stay on the low-carb diet for much longer, because I don’t think they’re really good for you (I have planned to transition to a low-fat diet) … but I’m afraid to quit. I lose so fast on them, and it’s so much harder sticking to a low-fat and/or low-calorie diet. At least it is for me.
I did find a low-carb, high-protein shake/drink that I like … EAS brand, chocolate flavor. I’m putting it and about 8 ice cubes into the blender and mixing them up. Good stuff. I mean, it’s not exactly a Frosty, but for someone eating nothing but meat and eggs and occasionally cheese – it’s a really nice change.
