I miss Chuck!

So, another 3 day weekend and I'm home alone. I really miss having Chuck here. At least today is Hannah's birthday party and I will get to spend the day with sweet little children! In fact, as I was leaving Target last night, I ran into Josh and the girls so I went shopping again! I love that they are always so glad to see me and make me feel so loved! That goes for all my grandchildren. It's always nice to have them run up and give me hugs (even the ones who have adopted me as grandma aka the Boltons who live nearby).

I am excited to have the Berrys coming to visit this next week. And then my Japanese exchange students will be here Thursday for their week. Also looking forward to seeing the Baskins and their new home next weekend! And with any luck Chuck will be home by next weekend. Then as school winds down (it will go pretty fast now) it will be time to have the Mauss grandkids!

I am so proud of Angie for completing her Medical Assistant program. I know it was a lot of work to go to school, do her internship and then still be the great mom and wife she is! Way to go Angie!

Random thoughts after reading everyone's blogs/facebook

OK. So I just spent time reading everyone's blogs. It's a fun thing to do on a Sunday morning and I love reading about all my family.

First, I have to respond to Katie's blog about the Farmer's Market. Katie, many kids today don't think they have to listen to anyone! That may be because if someone disciplines them and they go hoome and tell Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad will come to school and defend them! Because their child says they didn't do it and of course, their child NEVER lies! But teachers and adults do because we have nothing better to do than get children in trouble! Can you tell I didn't have the best week at school? One of my boys did not turn in a detention slip or his weekly behavior repoert or his grade progress report because his mom "wants to talk" with me. Mind you, I have had numerous conferences with this parent all year and all that happens is Mom cries, asks him why he did it, he cries and nothing ever changes! But I guess only my children, my nieces, nephews and so on are the only children in the world who ever misbehave :D My children always say I believed the teacher every time. I wonder why? In fact, I remember the night before Jordan had his stroke (he was in 2nd grade). We were discussing what the kid's classes did for Red Ribbon Week and Jordan didn't know because he was in the office. First words out of my mouth were "What did you do to get in trouble?" He did tell me then that he had been hit in the head with a ball but he had said the "office", not the nurse's office. Imagine how I felt the next day when he actually had the stroke!

Chuck has been home this weekkend. He is terribly thin (he looks like the 16 year old I first met many years ago). I really thought he would gain weight just sitting and driving all day. But evidently, he doesn't always eat, and when he does, it's not very well. We have enjoyed the time together, though. We went to see Jordan, Amity and Randi yesterday and took Hannah and Ella with us so that Angie could study for finals. The 3 girls had a blast together! Amity had bought squirt guns and they used them to the full extent! We barbecued and had a great meal! Poor Amity had to go to work after we left last night and we didn't leave till after 9 so I hope she got some rest!

I went to my first meeting about the Colonial Williamsburg trip this summer. Tonight Chuck and I go to a dinner for it and meet all the sponsors at the Los Angeles Country Club. I found out that if I want to extend my trip, all I have to do is get towhere else I want to go and then, if there is any difference in the airfare home from there, pay that difference. So I am really excited! I plan to take the train (I think) to Charlotte and see Linda for a couple days (and whatever nieces and nephews I can see). I will fly home from there. The only bad part is that my 40th reunion is the weekend after Williamsburg so I want to be home for that. (Yes, I am going. I still keep in touch with several high school friend, both from Jordan and Millikan. This one is for Jordan. Millikan's is the next weekend).

Last weekend, I took 2 extra days off from school and went to Arizona. I wanted to be there for Bailey's band concert. The kids did not know I was coming. Jessica picked me up at the airport and we surprised the kids by picking them up at school. It was great fun. I got to go to lunch with just Jessica 2 days in a row. That was nice! We never get to spend time alone without the kids. Friday night we just had a girl's night. Cole and Jason were on the Father/Son campout. I made some gifts for the volunteers at our school, using up some of Jessic'a scraps. They turned out really cute. I also took the 3 Mauss kids and met up with Jennifer, Chad, Kinsy and Madison for pizza on Saturday evening. The cousins all had so much fun together. I am always amazed how close the cousins are even when they don't see each other all that often. (I guess that's how our kids were, too. And still are)

I still don't know where I am teaching or what I am teaching next year. I am pretty frustrated with our district. Our superintendent and board keeps talking about how "transparent" they are but no one will answer any questions. Tenative positons were supposed to be out by 5/15 but the district and union aren't even meeting to decide how to place the teachers from our school until 5/19. We have Open House this Thursday so we can't even start packing up until after that. And of course, I still have to teach so the packing will have to be on my own time. And we have to turn in our keys the day after school gets out. I see a lot of late nights in my future!

I am hosting 2 Japanese exchange students for a week next month. I am looking forward to that. The lady in charge actually wanted me to take 2 more the following week but since that would be the last week of school I didn't feel like I could do it.

Diana, Rich, Adam and Trinity are also coming to visit June 1 & 2. I am looking forward to that! Ella and Trinity got along so well the last time they visited. I met Diana and Rich a couple of weeks ago for Dad's birthday and Mother's Day at Mom and Dad's, too. We had a great dinner and enjoyed the time together.

I can't sleep!

It's 2:30 AM and I can't sleep! I'm tired; my brain just won't turn off. Chuck is in the middle of all the Tennessee flooding, I still don't have any idea where or what I am teaching next year, and it's state testing.

I haven't seen Chuck since the beginning of April. I went to Arizona for the last half of my spring break and he happened to get a run to Tempe. So I picked him up and he ended up being there for 3 days. The kids got to see his truck, which they thought was really cool. Lindsay says it's like a mini motor home. We had a lot of fun with the kids. As we left Arizona, we decided to stop in Blythe and see the Boltons. We left his truck in the parking lot on the corner and then all the Boltons, including Cameron and Faith, came over to see the truck. It was a nice visit.

Yesterday I got to see my sister, Diana, and her husband, Rich. They had gone to see our parents for Dad's birthday and Mother's Day. We had a nice visit and went to dinner. It's always so fun to see my sisters.

I am very excited about being chosen for the Colonial Williamsburg Institute this summer. Bailey and I didn't have enough time there last summer. I plan to extend my trip and go to visit my sister, Linda. I am looking forward to seeing more of the historical sites. I also plan to see Cami and Gentry and Gerry and Judy. We had so much fun with them last year!

I am taking the last two days of this week off and go to Arizona to surprise Bailey. She has a concert Thursday night. She plays the clarinet and she is really good. I had planned to go this weekend anyway if Chuck wasn't home. We will have finished state testing so it will be a nice break.

Our weather has definnitely been spring weather this past week so I planted some tomoato plants this weekend. My plan was to plant a little garden, but the area needs cleaned out and I ran out of time. It's hard to keep up the house and the outside by myself! Last weekend, my nephews, Josh and Anthony, came over to help. They mowed my lawns for me. But since it's spring, the laws are growing so fast again! Maybe when Chuck gets home again we can till the garden area and get it going. Seeing all Christie's vegetables inspire me!

I'm wanting to start packing up my classroom but we still have Open House and I don't want to have a bunch of boxes stacked up all over the place. I am trying to clean out what I don't use so that there is less to move.

Well, I'm going to try to sleep again. At least I won't really have to teach this morning; just give the state test.

A little of everything

The drama continues! RIF notices have gone out. I did not get one (didn't expect to) but many of my friends did. The district had said they were going to RIF 88 elementary teachers. Well, instead, they only RIFed 68. The other 20 went to middle school/high school teachers. To replace them they moved teachers who have a credential to teach in secondary up to secondary. They did this without even mentioning it to the teachers they moved. One teacher who has taught 6th grade at Ramona for 23 years is moving to high school. When asked what happens if they don't want to go, they were told they don't have a choice. It really makes it sad. At some schools, teachers are all at war with each other. At least at my school, we all either have to move or don't have a job so we have all hung in there together!

It was nice to leave work today and go by to see Ella and hannah and be able to be outside still. I love when the time changes! And it was 82 degrees today! It's supposed to be in the 70's all week. Hurray for California weather!

Chuck is on his way to Denver tonight. He was home over the weekend because somehow he lost his license. He has looked everywhere for it and so far it has not been found. So he got up early this morning and went to DMV to get a duplicate. That's after he went to 2 different DMVs last Friday when he realized he had lost it. California DMVs are closed every Friday but the last Friday this month due to budget cuts. When will this ever end?

Looking forward to going to Arizona this weekend to see Cole be baptized. At least Ella and Hannah are gong with me. They are excited to see their cousins. I am excited also. I haven't seen them since January!

Chuck and I got to go by and see Mom & Dad last weekend. We had gone to Fontana to tear his truck apart to try to find the license so we just went by. We had a nice visit. Oh, and I got to see the inside of Chuck's truck. It's very nice.

We also got to see Jordan, Amity and Randi a week ago. They moved to Anza and we went to see their new place. It will be nice when they get settled (knowoing Amity, that won't take long!) Randi is so sweet and was happy to see us. Axel loves it out there b ecause he can just run! They are on a large property with lots of room. And they even get snow sometimes.

What a day!

Well, it is official. I will be changing schools next year and possibly grades. Our superintendent came to our school yesterday at 3:30 on a 3 day weekend to tell us our school will be closing at the end of this year. We've all been expecting it but the other cuts are bad! No more 20:1 in any grade. That translates to big layoffs. We were told 88 elementary teachers will receive RIF notices. That's huge since we only have 350-400 elementary teachers in our district! Our union legal rep crunched the numbers and she thinks it will go back to 8 years. While that makes me safe, it means many of my good friends will no longer have jobs. And where are they going to get a job? Every other district is in the same boat. Here's an example of how ironic this situation is. Our 3rd grade teacher has been teaching about 7 years. She's on the cutting block. Her daughter is in her 2nd year. But she teaches math at the middle school so she won't lose her job. Ramona has 2 brand new special ed teachers. They won't lose their jobs because they have that extra special ed credential. At least they have told us we can tell our parents if they ask and they are sending out a letter Friday after the Thursday night board meeting. Oh, and we will have to take 3 furlough days next year. I don't really mind that, either, because at least I do have a job!

It also worries me for the state of our state. How many more people are going to be on unemployment? Where are they going to get jobs? The city of Los Angeles is looking to lay off 1000 workers. A lot of people are blaming Arnold but the fact is that all government spends and spends and just goes more and more into debt. I only hope that this will help everyone realize they have to live within their means, no matter if it's an individual, a state or a nation! One reason my district has not bee affected until now is that they don't spend the money until they receive it. While a district has to have money in reserve (I can't remember the amount but 6 or 7 billion) our district has had 20. Now we are down to what you are supposed to have.

Well, I guess that's it for now. I just needed to vent my frustration.

OK. Pat has inspired me to post. I don't even post that much on Facebook although I check it every day. I do love reading everyone's blogs and hearing what everyone is doing. I love seeing what great parents my children, nieces and nephews have become. I love to hear about the weather away from California so that I can appreciate our rain (although a week long storm is still hard to endure).

Mostly I want my family (extended included) how important you are to me. I love all of you and think you are all amazing. I love to hear your stories about the kids because, believe me, it may seem far away, but they will be grown up way too soon. I love being a Grandma but I do miss having my kids and their hectic lives.

Chuck is enjoying his truck. It is a 2007 Volvo and it's black so he's looking forward to personalizing it with "Raiders" stuff. His trainer is a "49ers" fan and had his truck all decked out. Chuck is adjusting to being out on his own. He says he likes it so far but to ask him in another week when he's been on the road by himself with no one to talk to. I have a map I use to try to follow where he is and where he's going. He's driven through a snowstorm, lots of rain and even was close to a tornado. I don't mind being home alone during the week but the weekends are pretty difficult. I'm trying to remember not to eat for comfort. One of my friends from school and I have gone back to Weight Watchers so that is helpful. The dog really misses Chuck. I just don't have the time to throw the ball for 10 hours a day!

I am looking forward to Chuck's next days off (although I don't know when that will be yet). He had 4 days off before he went out on his own and was in Fontana for 3 days before that so he came home every night. We got to go see The Blindside. I highly recommend it! We enjoyed the time together. I had a pretty good "honey do " list going and he got most of it done while I was at school each day.

I enjoyed a quick visit from Pat and Amy. And when they were here, Ray, Brandi and the kids came over along with Josh, Angie and their girls. We had fun just hanging out. I also had a good time in Blythe with the Boltons, Berrys and Mom and Dad. It's always so fun to see my sisters and spend time with them. I'm glad all of our husbands like each other, too!

I guess that's all for now. Just remember that you are all important to me and I love you all very much (I guess I'm feeling a little emotional right now, sorry). Pat's right. We do need to post more often and stay caught up.

Blessings in Disguise

Well, it's been a hectic week. I was off for the entire week. My district decided to shut down for the week to see if it would save money. I wasn't exactly thrilled about it; I would rather have had a week in March when there are no holidays. But it has ended up being a good thing.

First, Chuck got sent home from the truck driving school last Monday. The doctor had ok'd all his prescriptions but there was one the company didn't like. So he had to take a bunch of paperwork to Kaiser and they will see if they can change that prescription. It's not even one he takes on a daily basis so it shouldn't be any problem but it takes time. He can go back to the class on 12/18 and pickk up where he left off.

In the meantime, he got called by General Mills for an interview for a job he had applied for. He went and felt really good about the interview. We'll see what happens. It doesn't involve traveling so it would be nice.

Next, Gladys Chuck's mom) ended up in the hospital. She had shingles in September and just hasn't been able to bounce back. This week, if someone has not gone over to get her meals for her, she hasn't been eating. She doesn't have any stamina, even to get from her bed to the bathroom less than 10 feet away. She fell coming out of the bathroom while Cheryl was there so Cheryl took her to ER. They put her on oxygen and wanted to watch her for 24 hours. On Friday they were going to move her to an assisted living where she could get a little therapy and give us some time to find home care for her. When Chuck got up there to transport her, she had had a TIA so she couldn't be moved. Saturday morning, I called to see how her night had been. The nurse told me the doctor discharged her and they were waiting for the discharge planner so Chuck went up there again to transport her. This time she did get moved and that's where we stand for the moment. We are looking for live in care for her so that she can stay in her home.

During all this, all of our children and grandchildren have been here. We celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday and enjoyed all the grandchildren. Jessica, Jason and their kids left Saturday evening so they went by and got to visit with Grandma on their way home. Jennifer and her family were leaving today so they were going to go by on their way home. Chuck and I will probably go by tonight. The grandchildren all had a blast playing with each other. Bailey is playing the clarinet so the girls all put on a show for the adults. I did take pictures and will try to post them later.

Please keep Gladys in your prayers. We are hoping to have her back home soon. She doesn't do well in hospital settings. At least Chuck will be home to help his sisters with getting things situated. I go back to work tomorrow.