Well, the dust has settled and I have a chance to reflect back on our last week with the Mauss kids. We had so much fun. It started with our annual block party. This year we added a dunk tank to the mix and it was definitely a hit! Cole learned to ride his bike without training wheels before his mom and dad got here. He's got the skinned up knee to prove it! The Boltons joined us this year since I had had Cameron and Faith. Ray & Brandi always join us as does Gladys. She loves this day with all the kids! Jessica and Jason stayed to take Cole to the dentist to find out about his tooth on Tuesday. The verdict was that he will have the tooth pulled when he returns home to Surprise. The permanent tooth is ight there. On Thursday, we met all the Boltons, including Ric and his family, at Knotts. It was a blast! Then on to a barbeque at Ray & Brandi's. We spent all day Friday at Seal Beach and then brought most of the beach home with us, I think. At least it seemed like I cleaned up a whole beach!
On Saturday, we mmet the Mauss grandparents and sent the kids off for their trip to Wisconsin. They will return to us on the 26th, I will take them to Surprise on the 28th and Bailey and I leave for our trip on the 29th from Phoenix. We will return on the 6th, in time for her Meet the Teacher Night and I will come home for a week's computer class. Then it will only be a couple of weeks till school starts. Where did the summer go?
Chuck and I are leaving for Scottsdale today to see Madison and Kinsey. Kinsey will be one on Monday. Then when we return, we will go spend a day with Jordan, Amity, and Randi. What a perfect week, getting to see all our grandchildren!
I am so thankful that we have such a great family. I love spending time with all the extended family and having all the cousins "camp out" in my back yard. Even Alisa slept in the tent all night! Thanks to all the family who came to visit. We love you all!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
What a week! We enjoyed having Faith and Cameron for a week. We had a lot of the family over for our 4th of July block party. We've been to the beach, Soak City, Bailey passed another level of swimming, Cole learned to ride a bike with no training wheels, and everyone is relatively ok after the accident. The Mauss kids will be going with their other grandparents this next weekend for a fun trip to Wisconsin and a family reunion there. I plan to clean my house and maybe get to my classroom since I'll be gone on my trip at the end of the month. It's been fun, but I'm tired! Now I know why I had my kids young!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Full House
A house full of kids! That's what my house is like these days. With the grandkids here, we always have neighbors and nieces and nephews, too. But we are having a blast. Last Sunday was Randi's 2nd birthday. They had wanted to go to Soak City but the June gloom has really been hanging around so we went to Knotts instead. I ought a season pass so that I can go with the Middough grandkids (they have passes) and we closed Knotts, ending with dinner at the chicken restaurant. So Jordan, Amity and Randi spent the night. When we got up Sunday, it was a beauiful day so we decided to go to Soak City. The kids had a blast! What a difference a year makes. Lst time only Bailey would go on the big slides. This time they all did! And I ended up buying Soak City passes for the kids because if we go once a week till they go with their other granparents I'll save money. So tomorrow we are meeting Amy, Cameron and Faith at Soak City in Palm Springs. Then Cameron and Faith will come home with us to spend a week. I think the tent will be coming out. I am sure Robert and Alissa will be over, too. We are having our big block party for 4th of July so they will all enjoy that, too!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Well, the earth around here has been shaking! This is the first time ever that I can remember things falling. Spices fell out of my cupboard, my Victoria's secret sprays fell all over and things fell off the shelf in the bathroom. The dog went under the table and stayed there for a couple of hours! That was the 4.7 on Sunday night. And then an aftershock of 4.0 on Tuesday! Oh, and when I got to school on Monday, one of those cabinets had flown open and I had a big mess of science stuff on the floor. It didn't last long but the epicenter was Lenox so it wasn't very far away. The first story in my reading book for 5th grade is called "Earthquake Terror" and until tthis year, my students had not lived through a very big earthquake. Then we had one in July, right before school started and now quite a few that could be felt!
We are leaving for Blythe today for Pat's party. Looking forward to seeing all the Blythe family. Mom and Dad are going with us. Then Bailey may be coming home with us and Chuck will get the other 2 next Wednesday. I'm excited to see grandkids! And it's always fun for all the cousins to get together!
We are leaving for Blythe today for Pat's party. Looking forward to seeing all the Blythe family. Mom and Dad are going with us. Then Bailey may be coming home with us and Chuck will get the other 2 next Wednesday. I'm excited to see grandkids! And it's always fun for all the cousins to get together!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Counting down
Just counting down the days! Only 21 more days with this class. I am so worn out every night. We finished state testing abd now is the time when I would normally try to do some really fun activities with my class. But his class just can't handle anything that's not routine. We do have physical fitness testing to do still. And our open house is next week.
I have put in for a transfer for next year. I am hoping to get a position at ILC which is our school with a longer day. It's extra pay and would count toward my 3 highest years before retirement. That will make a difference.
Still no real job for Chuck. Nothing has come through with the home inspection. They guaranteed 3 a week minimum but haven't called with any so far. I kind of like javing him here when I come home every day.
Chuck planned a really nice mother's day for me. We had his family and my mom and dad over. Chuck had ordered El Pollo Loco so I didn't have to do anything! We had a nice day with nice weather so we got to eat out in the yard which we have been working on.
Looking forward to having our grandkids in about 10 days!
I have put in for a transfer for next year. I am hoping to get a position at ILC which is our school with a longer day. It's extra pay and would count toward my 3 highest years before retirement. That will make a difference.
Still no real job for Chuck. Nothing has come through with the home inspection. They guaranteed 3 a week minimum but haven't called with any so far. I kind of like javing him here when I come home every day.
Chuck planned a really nice mother's day for me. We had his family and my mom and dad over. Chuck had ordered El Pollo Loco so I didn't have to do anything! We had a nice day with nice weather so we got to eat out in the yard which we have been working on.
Looking forward to having our grandkids in about 10 days!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
I don't know how some of you keep up! I never seem to find the time to blog and when I do, I can never remember my password. It must be my age!
We had a great spring break. We got to go to Lake Skinner with Josh, Jordan and their families for Easter weekend. Then we went to visit friends in Vegas and golfed. When we left there, we went to Arizona and saw both Jessca's and Jennifer's families. All 8 grandkids in one week! A lot of driving but worth every minute. We also drove over Hoover Dam from Vegas to Arizona. Last time we saw the dam was when we all went to Vegas when the kids were little. The new bridge they are building over the dam is spectacular!
I'm counting down the days until school is out. This year has been my hardest ever! It's really too bad because it's just a few of the kids but they take up all my time for discipline. With this class, it's never just one kid in trouble. I'm sure my principal is looking forward to summer just as much as I am!
Chuck got a job as an inspector for bank foreclosures. He just got all the paperwork at the end of the week so he hasn't done his first one yet but he's looking forward to it. Supposedly you are guaranteed at least 3 inspections per week. We'll see.
Hawaii was hectic with the wedding and all but Hawaii is always beautiful! We hiked at Haleakala which we had never done before. We had a great whale watch and we could even see whales from the lanai of our condo. I'm planning a trip back east with Bailey to see some of the historical sites for late July. That will be fun as well.
We had a great spring break. We got to go to Lake Skinner with Josh, Jordan and their families for Easter weekend. Then we went to visit friends in Vegas and golfed. When we left there, we went to Arizona and saw both Jessca's and Jennifer's families. All 8 grandkids in one week! A lot of driving but worth every minute. We also drove over Hoover Dam from Vegas to Arizona. Last time we saw the dam was when we all went to Vegas when the kids were little. The new bridge they are building over the dam is spectacular!
I'm counting down the days until school is out. This year has been my hardest ever! It's really too bad because it's just a few of the kids but they take up all my time for discipline. With this class, it's never just one kid in trouble. I'm sure my principal is looking forward to summer just as much as I am!
Chuck got a job as an inspector for bank foreclosures. He just got all the paperwork at the end of the week so he hasn't done his first one yet but he's looking forward to it. Supposedly you are guaranteed at least 3 inspections per week. We'll see.
Hawaii was hectic with the wedding and all but Hawaii is always beautiful! We hiked at Haleakala which we had never done before. We had a great whale watch and we could even see whales from the lanai of our condo. I'm planning a trip back east with Bailey to see some of the historical sites for late July. That will be fun as well.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Retirement
OK. It's been so long since I posted anything that I couldn't remember my password! It's amazing to me how busy we have been since Chuck retired! He is enjoying retirement. He emptied out our storage space (we figured we didn't need to spend $150 a month for things we haven't used in over 5 years). The joke is that we were paying to store New Kids on the Block, trophies, and papers. We had a garage sale and pretty much let people offer us whatever they wanted just so we wouldn't have to do something with it. The rest is going out for pickup next week when a truck is coming around. He's also cleaned out his garage, made a new cabinet for the garage, worked on cars... All the things he enjoys.
I'm with Pat on the frustration level of the schools. We have no money! When we run out of tissue, I either have to go buy it for my class or hope someone brings it from home. Rumors are flying again about closing my school. I was at a meeting with the superintendent the other day and he pretty much said our district is OK. We shouldn't have to do anything for this year or next (no cutting 20:1, not closing our school, no layoffs, not making parents pay for transportation). But any request for anything (paper, pencils, etc) have to go to him and be approved. It really slows up the process. I too am hoping for a golden handshake retirement package. I don't know if it would be worth my while yet but I would look at it!
We've been meeting with a financial planner and we are feeling pretty good. He thinks we've done a good job (although it's not been anything we did on purpose). We are looking at life insurance. I thought I had some at work but when we looked into it I evidently thought I didn't need to do anything since we had good insurance through Chuck. I'm checking if I have to wait until open enrollment or if this qualifies as a life change situation. I guess we just can't die right now! We do have insurance on our home loan that will pay that off if anything happens to either of us. Since that's our biggest debt, that would help.
I am finding that I go to school later and come home earlier with Chuck home. He's not tired all the time (gee, I wonder why). It's nice to go to bed with my husband and wake up with him every morning. I feel like this is the man I married almost 34 years ago. We've got to golf a few times and that's fun. I hadn't golfed in over a year. He usually gets up when I do so we get time together before and after school. With the class I have this year, that helps the stress level. This class is probably my most challenging ever! I've had worse classes but in this group, I have at least 8 students that talk or sing all the time and disturb everyone around them. They even do it when the principal is in there! It's my evaluation year. I guess in a way I'm glad they do it even when she's in there because at least it shows how difficult it is to keep them on task. I even had several kids that were texting each other in class! What 5th grader needs a cell phone, especially in school. But I've even had parents call their kids during class! Cell phones are supposed to be off and in their backpacks but since we can't search the kids, they put them in jacket pockets or slip them into their desks. That's when I usually find them. Sometimes I think I am too old for this!
We are looking forward to our trip to Hawaii next month. It will be way too short, but at least we get to go! We found a nice condo, not too far from Dinah's house that we are sharing with Cheryl and Pete. It's on the harbor where we went whale watching last year and their big selling point is that you can see whales from your lanai of your room. March is the end of the whale season but hopefully we will see some. They were absolutely amazing last year! Mindy now is engaged, too. She and John will get married in October in Laguna.
I guess this is enough rambling for now. Remember, we have extra rooms for anyone who comes this way! Also, NC kids, I hope to be in your neck of the woods next summer. I am planning a trip to colonial Williamsburg and surrounding areas with Bailey before she studies US history next year. I would love to see all of you! Your families have grown so much! So far, I think it will be at the end of June. I want to do it before Ric leaves for Washington. I'll keep you posted. I love reading all of your blogs.
I'm with Pat on the frustration level of the schools. We have no money! When we run out of tissue, I either have to go buy it for my class or hope someone brings it from home. Rumors are flying again about closing my school. I was at a meeting with the superintendent the other day and he pretty much said our district is OK. We shouldn't have to do anything for this year or next (no cutting 20:1, not closing our school, no layoffs, not making parents pay for transportation). But any request for anything (paper, pencils, etc) have to go to him and be approved. It really slows up the process. I too am hoping for a golden handshake retirement package. I don't know if it would be worth my while yet but I would look at it!
We've been meeting with a financial planner and we are feeling pretty good. He thinks we've done a good job (although it's not been anything we did on purpose). We are looking at life insurance. I thought I had some at work but when we looked into it I evidently thought I didn't need to do anything since we had good insurance through Chuck. I'm checking if I have to wait until open enrollment or if this qualifies as a life change situation. I guess we just can't die right now! We do have insurance on our home loan that will pay that off if anything happens to either of us. Since that's our biggest debt, that would help.
I am finding that I go to school later and come home earlier with Chuck home. He's not tired all the time (gee, I wonder why). It's nice to go to bed with my husband and wake up with him every morning. I feel like this is the man I married almost 34 years ago. We've got to golf a few times and that's fun. I hadn't golfed in over a year. He usually gets up when I do so we get time together before and after school. With the class I have this year, that helps the stress level. This class is probably my most challenging ever! I've had worse classes but in this group, I have at least 8 students that talk or sing all the time and disturb everyone around them. They even do it when the principal is in there! It's my evaluation year. I guess in a way I'm glad they do it even when she's in there because at least it shows how difficult it is to keep them on task. I even had several kids that were texting each other in class! What 5th grader needs a cell phone, especially in school. But I've even had parents call their kids during class! Cell phones are supposed to be off and in their backpacks but since we can't search the kids, they put them in jacket pockets or slip them into their desks. That's when I usually find them. Sometimes I think I am too old for this!
We are looking forward to our trip to Hawaii next month. It will be way too short, but at least we get to go! We found a nice condo, not too far from Dinah's house that we are sharing with Cheryl and Pete. It's on the harbor where we went whale watching last year and their big selling point is that you can see whales from your lanai of your room. March is the end of the whale season but hopefully we will see some. They were absolutely amazing last year! Mindy now is engaged, too. She and John will get married in October in Laguna.
I guess this is enough rambling for now. Remember, we have extra rooms for anyone who comes this way! Also, NC kids, I hope to be in your neck of the woods next summer. I am planning a trip to colonial Williamsburg and surrounding areas with Bailey before she studies US history next year. I would love to see all of you! Your families have grown so much! So far, I think it will be at the end of June. I want to do it before Ric leaves for Washington. I'll keep you posted. I love reading all of your blogs.
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