Dear October, You are one of my favorites {Photo challenge}

 October is one of my favorite months with December running close in second place

 It's hard to believe in 2 short months we will be in the full swing of holiday stuff

I'm taking on a challenge this month

I LOVE to take pictures {I'm no photographer by any means}

I just love to capture moments and since I love Fall, I thought it would be the perfect time

My challenge is going to be to take a picture a day of something Fall related

I'll be posting all the pictures in a collage when I'm done

I'm hoping this challenge makes me think outside the box and appreciate the goodness of Fall


Happy Fall Ya'll!

Funnies

Every now and then, one of the boys will say something that makes me crack up

It takes a lot to make me laugh
 The hubby says I have no sense of humor

I have to agree with him and wish I could take life a little less serious

 I've tried but it takes the right thing to make me laugh

I find things to be more funny when I'm extremely tired

Now for the funnies:

Earlier this week we had parent teacher conferences

While Spencer is doing great academically,

he has a problem that we know will be brought up at EVERY conference

He's too chatty!

We know this and every teacher he's had knows this

At conferences, his language art teacher said she was going to move him to the back of the class

because he keeps turning around during class

So... Last night at dinner 

Chip asked Spencer if his teacher moved him yet

Spencer said, not yet followed by....

I don't know why she has a problem with it, she says you should look at people when they're talking 

I couldn't help but laugh and told him I didn't think that's what she meant

Later while we were cleaning up the dishes, 

I was having a conversation with the hubby about needing to do something for me

{He bowls every week with his friends}

Spencer told me I should go play Bonko {he meant Bunko} because that's what Mrs. Welsh does

I laughed more tonight than I have in a long time

I love when kids say funny things but they're totally serious about it

Like the time Spencer was looking over his new middle school schedule
while we quizzed him on what class he has each period
What do you have 7th period?
Spencer: PE....... I've never had a period before
I couldn't help by laugh hysterically
He finally caught on and told us her learned about "periods" watching "the movie" in 5th grade


Laughter...
It's the best medicine

Proud Mama

It's hard to believe the kids have already been in school long enough to have conferences

We started out at Parker's school

His teacher {Mrs. Yahn} is AMAZING!

She's the most positive and encouraging person you'll ever meet

She has already picked up on Parker's strengths and weaknesses

She has seen his love for math and his hesitation with reading

I was glad to hear that he is working with Mrs. Goddard and Mrs. G for some extra help with reading

Mrs. Yahn truly believes that we just need to find a book series he loves

{I hated reading as a child so I'm thinking he just takes after me}

Anyway, Parker has all A's and is a joy to have in class

Things don't always come easy for Parker but with a lot of hard work, things are paying off

I'm so proud of him and his accomplishments

Middle school has given me my fair share of gray hair in the last 6 weeks

I've laid awake at night worrying about Spencer in middle school

My fear of him becoming lazy and slacking off just about puts me over the edge

Conferences in middle school are a lot different than elementary school,

the teachers set up desks in the gym and parents find the teachers they want to meet with

I'm so impressed with the group of 6th grade teachers

I'd heard other people comment about the "6th grade group" and I'm seeing it

Each one of them called Spencer by name when we went to conferences

{These teachers see approximately 200 students a day}

Each one of them shook our hands and asked if we had concerns

Each teacher showed us assignments or projects that he has done in class 

They explained their grading system and what they expect from the students

Spencer has an A in every class and a 4 in his language arts class

{Language arts is now graded using the SBG grading system}

Spencer has some fabulous teachers and if I had to pick out my favorite, I'm not sure I could
All of his teachers went on and on about how much they enjoy Spencer
and  wish they had more students like him

Again, I'm worrying for no reason

The boy blew my socks off and I'm so proud of him

I only have one complaint/concern

The school district will no longer be grading spelling tests

Parker's teacher is still testing the kids but the grades will not be added to the grade book

Nothing will change at our house, we will work them just as hard as we have been

I'm not sure what we did to get so lucky

We treated the boys to a new book of their choice at the schools book fair

"Those People"

If you're anything like me, you've heard yourself say :

I just want to be like "those people"

The people who have endless festivities all weekend

They have traveling soccer games

They go to the movies every weekend

They go out to eat 

They get mani's and pedi's with friends

They go to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch and spend money on over priced caramel apples

Please tell me I'm not the only one who says they want to be like "those people"

Do these people have a money tree growing in their backyard
Sometimes it seems like they have an endless supply of money
Are these the people that are also living pay check to paycheck?
If that's the case, I don't want to be like them

We try to do fun things on the weekend but everything is so darn expensive

Last weekend we invited my parents to go to Wilson's Apple Orchard with us
It was okay but totally over rated
It was Johnny Appleseed's birthday and the place was packed
We stood in line for a half hour to pay for our $10 bag of apples
{which I could have bought at Fareway for a fraction of the cost}
The hubby says we paid for the experience
Spencer got an attitude when I wouldn't spend $7.50 on 2 caramel apples


I want to be like those people who bought bags and bags of apples
and pies
and turnovers
and apple cider
and apple butter
 and apple cider donuts

But I just can't see spending that kind of money on those things


Our weekend fun consists of driving through the cemetery looking for deer and picking up buckeyes
Having a fire in the fire pit or a movie and popcorn at home


Almost 4 years ago when the hubby lost his job,
I never imagined 4 years later we would still be where we are now
Just getting by and always worrying about when we'll have to take out of savings

I'm tired of living like we are, yet we have what we need
In fact, we have a lot more than we need
We're blessed and I know it, I'm just never content
How do I become content?

I know that I could go get a full time jobs instead of the 3 part time jobs I work
BUT
I wouldn't be able to be home when the boys need me
I won't be able to help at school
and
we would have to pay for day care over the summer


I just want to be like "those people" that seem to have an endless supply of money to spend on fun

Full House

Full House was my favorite TV show when I was growing up

I didn't know they had reruns on until my kids were watching it one day

They love it as much as I did as a kid

I like that it's tasteful unlike a lot of the shows that are on these days

Last Friday the boys and I were watching an episode of Full House

I was sitting on the couch and the boys were on the love seat

It was the episode when Jessie is moving in with Becky because their getting married

Jessie has a suitcase and little Michelle wants to know where he's going

He tells her that their moving in with Becky

Michelle gets a suitcase and starts packing her stuff 

Uncle Jessie comes in her room and explains that he's the one moving

Michelle gets teary eyed and tells Jessie she's going to miss him

I looked over at Spencer and he had tears rolling down his cheeks

He looked at me and said : This show is pulling at my heart strings

I was in awe

Boys think they need to be tough and not show emotion

I'm glad he still has a tender heart

Pulls on you heart strings

Recap of last week

Last week was well......

I'm not sure where last week went

We had homecoming week festivities and the usual every day stuff
{you know work, work some more, a braces consult, bowling, youth group....}

This year homecoming week was Disney themed
{Probably a really cool idea if you're a girl}
The boys participated on Simba's mane day {Crazy hair day}

Other than that, they were not about to dress up like their favorite Disney character


We were a little worried about the weather for the homecoming parade on Thursday night
The news channels were calling for severe weather
{we had impeccable timing}
This picture was taken minutes after finishing the parade

We were mean parents and didn't take the boys to the game Friday night
They wouldn't have watched the game anyway


Friday was also Colorado's Fall Festival kick off
We watched Mr. Castle get a pie in the face and ride the 18" bike around the gym

We think things were crazy this week,
things are about to get out of this world crazy

Feeling accomplished

This week is going so much better than last week

I'm feeling accomplished:

I renewed my expired drivers license
 Bought groceries
The family ate better this week {No frozen pizzas}
I kept up on laundry
and
in general, I just feel like this week went well

We are still in the adjustment phase and probably will be for quite some time

but at the moment, I'm not feeling like a horrible wife and mom

A high five to my boys for staying home alone and showing responsibility
They are doing great, so yesterday I left them little love notes with a surprise
Spencer:  A Central Chargers shirt for homecoming this coming week
{Love note: Your hard work and dedication are paying off}
Parker:  A new pair of Adidas soccer shorts
{Love note: I can't wait to watch you play soccer on Saturday}
They may not appreciate it much now but I know they will later
It's the little things that show them we care

One of my goals this week was to figure out how Spencer is doing in middle school
We go through the same thing every day:
Do you have homework?
Spencer: Nope
What did you do at school today?
Spencer: Nothing
I was a little worried and wanted to nip things before it was to late
I haven't been able to get on powerschool to check his grades so I was left wondering

He came home this week and told us that he doesn't really care for Mrs. Sturms

Long story short, she's telling the kids that they need to type faster and use two hands

I told him what I tell the kids ALL the time - Try your best and have a good attitude
I was a little worried about his language arts grade after hearing he doesn't care for the teacher
I took that as - I'm struggling in class

Anyway, Spencer {Mr. techno savy} was able to get me on powerschool through his account

I was so happy to see all of those A+'s

We're still uncertain about this SBG grading system but he's doing fantastic

Parker came home yesterday with an A+ on his math test



We're feeling blessed this week
It was a good week!

Grandparents Day

My boys are beyond blessed when it comes to grandparents

I'm not just saying that because they're my parents

There is absolutely no word to describe them

My parents would do ANYTHING for their grandchildren

My Mom cried when I was in labor because she didn't want to see me in pain
When my children hurt, she hurts
She has rocked them when they are sick
She has put butterfly strips on ouchies
{because she doesn't want to see them get stitches}
She has given more hugs and kisses than could ever be counted
She still asks Spencer to sit on her lap
{And he does which is so adorable because he's almost as big as her}
She is their #1 fan when comes to sports
She is the Grandma that everyone deserves but not everyone gets to have

And then there's Grandpa

My Dad was at the hospital with us when both boys were born
He was so proud holding each of them for the first time
I still remember him telling us that we made beautiful babies
My Dad isn't one to tell you that he's proud of you but he'll tell the rest of the world
{There's probably not one person that my dad knows who hasn't heard about his grand kids}
Grandpa was the one that took the boys to the shooting range for the first time
He lets them drive the lawn mower around the yard for hours
He lets the boys shift the stick in his truck
He takes them for a drive past places and tells them stories about when he was a young boy
He buys them klondike bars and special treats


My parents are basically at the boys beckon call
If my mom stops by and the boys want to go with her, she takes them
She very rarely tells my children no

Years ago, Spencer started saying he had Grandma diabetes if he hadn't seen her in a while
He has learned that it works like a charm
Spencer will call her and say, I have grandma diabetes and she's picking them up in 20 minutes


I hope my boys know how lucky they are

Drained

I'm physically drained this week

We're trying to get the new schedule down and let me just say -

Everyone is handling the change much better than I am

Yesterday morning I broke down and called the hubby in tears

This week was just plain exhausting

It started on Sunday with a flat tire on the truck

The hubby waited until 4:45PM to ask if Blain's was still open

{Keep in mind the next day is Labor Day but we wait until quarter til 5:00 to call}

Long story short

When we hit things, we hit them good!

The tire needed replaced

On Labor Day we spent the afternoon cutting down a huge tree limb 

that was hanging over the neighbors yard
Lots of hard work and sweat
Thankfully there were no injuries with the chain saw

Tuesday I started my first full week at the new job

When I got home, I found a reminder note from the school telling me that Wednesday was picture day

What the heck

There wasn't even a picture form sent home, good thing I got a reminder

The sheep were sheared and the clothes got ironed

Wednesday morning I needed to go into school to get a picture form

I went in only to find out I didn't have any checks to pay for the pictures

I went back home for the checks and thought I would take my trusty old car for a spin 

She's like driving a little race car now that I'm use to my van which is like driving a hearse

I got to school, paid for the pictures

got back in the car to run some errands

put my foot on the brake 

and 

my foot went all the way to the floor

No Brakes!

While I should have been thankful that I wasn't going down a hill or that the kids were with me, 

I had steam coming out my ears

I took on this new job to try to get ahead and save money

and within a week we had 2 car issues

Instead of running errands, I spent the morning on the phone with the insurance company

Thankfully we have road side assistance so we didn't have to pay to have it towed

I also found out on Wednesday that we had over 100 kids sign up for gymnastics in 2 days
Muscatine Parks and Rec. has since opened 3 more classes on Tuesdays
We are up to 140 little gymnasts
I'm not sure how all of this is going to work with my boss being in Rochester for another 2 months
I'm just going to breathe

Thursday was another crazy day of working and trying to hold down the fort

I had a headache that no amount of Excedrin Migraine would get rid of
The bottle said to not exceed 2 pills in 24 hours - 6 Excedrin later, I was still miseraable

{After giving birth, I unknowingly traded in the cramps for killer headaches}

Friday I turned into an emotional mess

I called the car repair man to ask if he had a chance to look at the car

He told me that he'd just got it done

When I asked what the damage was, he told me that it was taken care of

I asked what he meant and he said, your dad told me to tell you that it was taken care of

I called the hubby sobbing

We had the money to pay for the car and I felt guilty that my dad paid to have it fixed

{HORMONES- Don't you love them}
I couldn't even go to see my dad to thank him because I was a blubbery mess

Between working 2 jobs
Making sure every one is dropped off and picked up where and  when they need to be
Making sure everyone is fed
Clothes are washed
The house is some what presentable
I felt like a complete failure as a mom and wife this week

It will get better

Thankfully it's the weekend and even though we have plans
I'm grateful to not be working the next 2 days

Starting school in the heat

           

We made it through the second full week of school and man was it hot

Thankfully our schools in town have air conditioning

There were several schools that let out early every day due to the heat and no air

How do kids concentrate when it's 104 degrees?

I saw on facebook that there were several discussions up for debate

about whether the kids should be practicing in the heat after school

I'm not sure how I feel about this so I'm glad my kiddos aren't playing any sports right now

Speaking of sports

Last week when I was looking at our calendar which is busting at the boxes,

I forgot that our little guy is doing FUNdamentals with the Muscatine Soccer Academy
He starts in 2 weeks and couldn't be more excited

We scored big this weekend with some great coupons

Blain's just remodeled and had a grand reopening sale

They sent out $10 coupons to use this weekend only

I also received a $10 off the purchase of $25 or more at Hibbet Sports

We purchased a soccer ball, shin guards, cleats and socks for less than $25
Signing him up is the expensive part but watching him play will make it all worth it

They boys are enjoying their 3 day weekend {Labor Day}

We'll be back in the books on Tuesday