Wow, so I didn't realize it had been almost a year since I had posted anything. I could spend all day playing catch-up, but, Ill give a brief run down. Still home schooling!! We made it through another year (almost) we finish up this year the end of August and start the next one the first part of Sept. It's been a crazy year. My dad and brother came out for a while last year and it was nice to spend some time with them and have them be a part of the girls lives. We had a lovely holiday seasons with the family and got to catch up. My brothers, father and I spent our first ever Thanksgiving together last year. It was amazing and I am sad it will probably be the only one like that. We welcomed some new babies into our families over the past year. Our little niece Rebecca S Patterson was born in May. We lost a couple of people as well. Richard Mitzel, the girls papa and Adam step dad passed away in May. He has been and will continue to be missed greatly.
Adam and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary! We are so thankful to have had so many wonderful times together and can't wait to see what the next ten years hold.
I went back to school for EMT training. The class was hard and long, but I am done!! I took my state cert exam last weekend and I am not so patiently waiting on the results to come back! I have my nationals testing in a couple of weeks eeeek Then I can look for a job!
I hope I can stay up on top of this thing more this year! Hope everyone is doing well.
Dana
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
2 1/2 weeks down
Well, we are in our third week of the school year and things are going pretty good. Alexandra is doing harder words this year in spelling and so far is doing good with it. She got a 93 on her spelling test last week. Makenzie's words are much harder. They are a challenge 4th grade level with words most adults spell wrong. She did great on her spelling test, only missing 3. Jacqueline got a 100 on her test. She was so proud of herself. She hopes of course to do it again this week.
Home school is an adventure, but, one I am glad we are doing for the girls. There have been a couple of changes in our lives and I am going to be looking at taking on a part or full time evening job. In fact, I have an interview in about an hour that I is for a job I hope I get. It will allow me to bring in some extra money and be flexible with my time. This will be helpful for both school and work! crossing my fingers things go well. If not, I have a couple others I am looking at as well.
We don't have anything too crazy going on right now, just trying to get into some routines and make things work.
I hope to plan a field trip or two, but, it will have to wait until after I know if I will be working and what day's I will have off! I'll keep everyone posted.
Dana
Home school is an adventure, but, one I am glad we are doing for the girls. There have been a couple of changes in our lives and I am going to be looking at taking on a part or full time evening job. In fact, I have an interview in about an hour that I is for a job I hope I get. It will allow me to bring in some extra money and be flexible with my time. This will be helpful for both school and work! crossing my fingers things go well. If not, I have a couple others I am looking at as well.
We don't have anything too crazy going on right now, just trying to get into some routines and make things work.
I hope to plan a field trip or two, but, it will have to wait until after I know if I will be working and what day's I will have off! I'll keep everyone posted.
Dana
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Back-To-School
This is our table =) This is where we do all of our workWell, we made it through our first day of school! It was pretty easy to get back into it. I wasn't sure how I was going to do this. I read several blogs from other homeschooling moms and at times I feel almost like I'm doing it all wrong. Like, they know something about home school that I don't. Then I realize there are no rules and I can do it how ever our family needs things to be done. This is hard for me. I need rules, I work better with knowing how it should be done. I have read that some have classes where ever the mood strikes them; the couch, the table, the park, even the bedroom! Some parents report they have no set curriculum, they just "go with the flow" and believe that children will learn when they are ready. For example, if a child is ready to learn about why the sky is blue or how the car runs, they will ask. I know, please don't lecture me about this kind of learning =). There are many forms to homeschooling, many beliefs and religions. I can't point a finger at these schools or say they aren't doing it right, or should be doing something different anymore than I think someone should look at how I've decided to run mine.
The truth is, we are all homeschooling our kids for our own reasons. Those reasons determine how we will teach them. Some do it for their religion, some for the well being of the child, some do it because they have a child with special needs, or the child is not learning enough at school. Some do it for safety others do it because they think that public education is lacking.
For what ever the reason.... I am at awe at the amount of work it seems to take me! Why?
Well, I know this is going to shock you...but... I run a pretty strict ship here at the Eiffel Academy! My curriculum is not one set, page by page book we use. I do research on what we will be doing and every Sunday sit down with all of my books and computer and work on this weeks plan. One for each of the girls =)
I am homeschooling the girls because we believe the public education system, no matter it's 'wonderful intentions' is lacking. It's failing our children and our society. We are pushing kids through 12 years of school with no better than an 8th grade education and then throw them out into the world not knowing what in the hell is going on. There are too many rules for teachers, too much politics and too little learning. Too many kids in one class and not enough teacher to help those who need it. Too little time or energy or funding to push kids into expecting more out of themselves. Okay, off my soap box here =)
When setting up my school room, it never occurred to me that we didn't need a structure. A room for learning. A place of calm and peace and predictability. Having class in the bedroom or where ever we land every morning was not a thought that ever crossed my radar. I have to say, it's just not in me! There is NO WAY I, Dana, can just have a 'see how it goes' plan for the education of the girls. I can't even fathom how I would go about doing that? No, our poor children sit every morning at 8 am in our class room. We start with spelling, we do English, Math, take a break. We do Science and Social Studies, we read, we have computer time which includes; typing, writing letters, searches, games, learning CD's.... we practicing writing skills. We have a book shelf (we call a library) that we add to all the time from our local used book stores. We have a computer/media center, a filing cabinet, school supplies have homes, we have journals and work books, text books etc. We even have a bulletin board and a dry erase board. We have posters, maps, clocks and a globe. We even have a desk/table where we sit and work. It is called the classroom and it's no mystery as to what is going to happen in there!
The girls have a folder (one each) they turn in all their work at the end of the day. I grade them at the end of the week. Yes, we keep grades!! I am harsh about it too. We take tests and study. We get report cards. We are as much a regular school as you can get with out the federal funding =). The truth is while I am not a fan of how much my kids were learning in the public school. I am a fan of the structure. I think kids do better when they know what is expected of them, when they know whats going to be happening and have a routine. I think kids rise to the expectation you set for them and will push beyond them given the chance.
Yes, it's strict and a lot of hard work. However, we have some cool sides to our school too. Field trips, early days nearly everyday (we school from 8 till we are done about 12 or 1) days off for no reasons. sick days are not a big deal!! The girls love it, they are doing well and don't seem interested in going back to a regular school. They are socialized too in several of the million upcoming events and programs our co-op and support groups have going this year.
I get asked all the time 'how long do you plan on doing this?' The answer is until the girls graduate or I can no longer do it. We don't plan on bouncing them around cause it's hard or a lot of work. When we decided to do this, it was for good. A better or worse choice that we went all in on.
Today, was our first day of the school year. It was a light day and the girls loved the new ideas I had for this year. We have some very cool plans for this year and a ton of stuff we are going to be learning. We started a theme on Arctic animals for this month and the girls are going to be writing reports and a making a book. They seems happy about that this morning.
I took some pictures so I could put them on here. A lot of people keep asking me for them, so, I am going to attempt to show you our little world.
Well, I know this is going to shock you...but... I run a pretty strict ship here at the Eiffel Academy! My curriculum is not one set, page by page book we use. I do research on what we will be doing and every Sunday sit down with all of my books and computer and work on this weeks plan. One for each of the girls =)
I am homeschooling the girls because we believe the public education system, no matter it's 'wonderful intentions' is lacking. It's failing our children and our society. We are pushing kids through 12 years of school with no better than an 8th grade education and then throw them out into the world not knowing what in the hell is going on. There are too many rules for teachers, too much politics and too little learning. Too many kids in one class and not enough teacher to help those who need it. Too little time or energy or funding to push kids into expecting more out of themselves. Okay, off my soap box here =)
When setting up my school room, it never occurred to me that we didn't need a structure. A room for learning. A place of calm and peace and predictability. Having class in the bedroom or where ever we land every morning was not a thought that ever crossed my radar. I have to say, it's just not in me! There is NO WAY I, Dana, can just have a 'see how it goes' plan for the education of the girls. I can't even fathom how I would go about doing that? No, our poor children sit every morning at 8 am in our class room. We start with spelling, we do English, Math, take a break. We do Science and Social Studies, we read, we have computer time which includes; typing, writing letters, searches, games, learning CD's.... we practicing writing skills. We have a book shelf (we call a library) that we add to all the time from our local used book stores. We have a computer/media center, a filing cabinet, school supplies have homes, we have journals and work books, text books etc. We even have a bulletin board and a dry erase board. We have posters, maps, clocks and a globe. We even have a desk/table where we sit and work. It is called the classroom and it's no mystery as to what is going to happen in there!
The girls have a folder (one each) they turn in all their work at the end of the day. I grade them at the end of the week. Yes, we keep grades!! I am harsh about it too. We take tests and study. We get report cards. We are as much a regular school as you can get with out the federal funding =). The truth is while I am not a fan of how much my kids were learning in the public school. I am a fan of the structure. I think kids do better when they know what is expected of them, when they know whats going to be happening and have a routine. I think kids rise to the expectation you set for them and will push beyond them given the chance.
Yes, it's strict and a lot of hard work. However, we have some cool sides to our school too. Field trips, early days nearly everyday (we school from 8 till we are done about 12 or 1) days off for no reasons. sick days are not a big deal!! The girls love it, they are doing well and don't seem interested in going back to a regular school. They are socialized too in several of the million upcoming events and programs our co-op and support groups have going this year.
I get asked all the time 'how long do you plan on doing this?' The answer is until the girls graduate or I can no longer do it. We don't plan on bouncing them around cause it's hard or a lot of work. When we decided to do this, it was for good. A better or worse choice that we went all in on.
Today, was our first day of the school year. It was a light day and the girls loved the new ideas I had for this year. We have some very cool plans for this year and a ton of stuff we are going to be learning. We started a theme on Arctic animals for this month and the girls are going to be writing reports and a making a book. They seems happy about that this morning.
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| computer =) |
.JPG) |
| working on some papers. Behind the girls is our book case, white board and prize box =) |
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| girls working hard |
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| working together |
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| our bulletin board-beneath it is where we keep our text books. Each section is a diff subject. |
+(2).JPG) |
| Our text books and my stuff. My printer (couldn't live with out!) a log cabin Kenz made last year, the laminate machine I kidnapped from my mom =) and my COFFEE!!!! |
.JPG) |
| Our book shelf. Each shelf is a different level of reading. It's way more organized than this looks. All the books are in alphabetical order and by type =) To the right is our supplies and to the left is our white board |
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| looking into our classroom |
The picture above the white board says.'teachers are great! Whatever, can I have an A?' the girls love that poster
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| everything has a place! |
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| from the front door..that black and white 'object' is Jasmine |
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| our map and file cab. Well, that's us! Our little world five mornings a week =) |
Friday, August 6, 2010
sooo, it's been a while
Well, I could sit here and tell of the million reasons I have not sat down and written about our little lives. The truth is, it's the very thing I write about that has kept me from writing, life!
I can't even really remember where we left off. So, if you have heard it before, just skip over it!
In March the girls and I went on a very long road trip to visit my dear friend Sarah. It took us about 3 days to make the drive to Nevada. The drive was fairly uneventful (for us) with only some snow showers and a such. We spent several days there before heading to Ca. There we spent some time with an old friend and his family, Adams sister and family and Adams dad and grandma. It was a nice visit and we were happy to see them. When we left there, we were trying to beat a nasty weather system out and did not get to see as much cool stuff as we would have liked on our trip back. We stopped in Oklahoma for a few days and spent some time with my family before heading back to Nevada. All in all we were gone about 3 weeks. Adam said we were never allowed to be gone that long again lol.
We spent the last couple of days in March hanging out at home. In April, we got back into school and spent much of the month just doing school stuff. The girls all did well and made the honor roll. Lex all a's and Makenzie 1-b. Her first ever and she was not happy about it.
We were able to sneak away for a weekend to go see my brother for his bday before he deployed to the sandbox. It's always nice to see him, and if you get to read this Phil, we love you, miss you and think and talk about you all the time (most of it good ) =)
May was not too exciting around our house, we were trying very hard to make sure the girls were caught up and where they needed to be for school. I felt a lot of pressure as the year wound down to make sure we had them caught back up.
Adam and I ended up having to spend a lot of time in May dealing with the lawsuit that was brought by the lady I hit in our accident. We had to spend some time meeting with lawyers and filing paper work. It was a pretty stressful month in our house.
UPDATE: Last week (the 28 of July) we got the papers from our attorney that they settled with the lady and she took the insurance money and signed a waiver that will not allow her to ever file another suit for this accident. whew!
On to June: Well, what can I say it was a very busy month for us. We wrapped up school with two on the A honor roll (sweet) took a little break and the busy stuff began. I share a birthday with my grandmother and sister-in-law. But, since we don't live by them, I get to celebrate it with just me =)
We had a nice dinner with the family, then the next weekend we had a little birthday party with some friends. Everyone we know got together and pitched in to buy me some diving classes. It was a very nice thing for everyone to do and I felt very loved. Adam threw a nice party and spent forever looking for the perfect cake. He found it and it really was very nice.
The next weekend was Adams birthday. My dad and brother came in that day, so we were able to go and have a nice dinner with everyone. The next day, we went on a long camping trip with some friends, us and my dad and brother. It was a very nice weekend weather wise (far cry from our last trip) This camping trip will forever be in our memories. On the 3rd of July, my brother (17) and Lex and Kenz went on a hike in our campground. What should have taken them 45 min turned into over 3 hours. By the time Adam and my dad decided enough was enough and we should start to be concerned, it was getting dark and we were not sure where they might be. We flagged down a ranger -who must not have kids, as he did not seem worried. However, the trail we found out that they were on, was like a 5 mile trail. They had only taken a couple of bottles of water for their short hike and no flashlights since it was the middle of the afternoon when they left. We knew they would freak out once it got dark. I also knew lex was not much of a hiker and would not be okay walking that far.
Dad and Adam went off after them to see if they could find them. It took them a bout an hour or so to reach them and when they did.... my poor brother had been carrying Lex for over half of the hike-and this is not some flat nature trail...we were in the mountains, the trail was steep and rocky. He kept them going and did a wonderful job. By the time we got them back to camp it was after 10 pm, pitch black and no one had eaten. The kids were all tired, hot and thirsty. We ate dinner around midnight and the kids all passed out hard! They have said they don't want to hike there ever again.
The next day as we were getting ready to go to fireworks we got a phone call that an uncle had passed away. It was a hard moment for my family. We made some calls, sat and talked for a while and then took the kids to see the fireworks. We will all miss Uncle Jimmy who had been battling cancer and is now not suffering anymore.
We made it back from camping in once piece (so we thought-see Aug). We spent July spending as much time with Tyler as we could. It was a very, very rare treat to have him around and the girls ate it up. Adam took him to a race and Ty was able to tour the speedway. He even mowed some lawns while he was here for some Summer cash. He played with the girls, watched TV with them, helped them clean their rooms... the girls loved spending time with him and miss him a lot.
My dad will be staying with us for a while, so the girls are loving that. They love their papa's and enjoy having my dad around to pick on.
Late July brought another scare as we thought Adams step dad was not going to survive his latest complication. It was a tense week around our house and we had to sit the girls down and explain to them that their papa was sick and that he would not be with us much longer. The girls are sad to think of him not being around soon, but, are very strong girls and know they are loved and that they will always have people around them that love them very much.
Adam and I celebrated our 9th anniversary this year July 27th! We went out to dinner and a movie while my dad watched the girls. It was a nice quiet evening =)
We have had a couple of 'minor' scares the last couple of weeks. I thought I was having a heart attack a couple of weeks ago. A trip to the ER and a LOT of tests later and they don't know what was causing the pains or how to prevent them. They have told me to reduce stress =)
However, after all the test were ran-other than being over weight, I am pretty healthy. All my blood work came back perfect.
A couple weeks later, I was still feeling tired and just wore out. (back to the camping trip) I had a bad time with the biggest ants you will ever see!!! I was bit a couple of times. One of those bites did not heal and in fact was looking pretty bad on the underside of my arm. All of the sudden I had like 7 of the same puffy, red, hard lumps on my arm and side. After talking it over with my dad and Adam (and by talking I mean they were griping at me to go back to the Dr.)
I went in. The Dr. took one look at them and said, "This is a staph infection, and a pretty concerning one" UUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!
So concerning in fact that he upped the dose of medication and it's duration from a "normal course of treatment of 10 day's to two full weeks worth"
The medication makes me ill....very, very ill! It lasts for about 3-4 hours after I take it and I have to take it 2 times a day...one more week of this stuff! However, the lumps are nearly gone and I am feeling better! I would like to say, this has not helped my "get rid of some stress" order my Dr. gave me three weeks ago!
My dads birthday was the other night and Makenzie made him a cake... she decorated it and was very, very proud. yes I have a picture and maybe one day Ill get it on here.
tonight I am going to the paint your own pottery place with my mom and a friend. Adams kicking me out of the house for some relaxing time.
Tomorrow my sister in law and nephews get in for a couple of days, then Wed. We start back to school.
I will try to do a better job keeping this thing up to date. Here's hoping the rest of the year is less eventful than the first half!
I can't even really remember where we left off. So, if you have heard it before, just skip over it!
In March the girls and I went on a very long road trip to visit my dear friend Sarah. It took us about 3 days to make the drive to Nevada. The drive was fairly uneventful (for us) with only some snow showers and a such. We spent several days there before heading to Ca. There we spent some time with an old friend and his family, Adams sister and family and Adams dad and grandma. It was a nice visit and we were happy to see them. When we left there, we were trying to beat a nasty weather system out and did not get to see as much cool stuff as we would have liked on our trip back. We stopped in Oklahoma for a few days and spent some time with my family before heading back to Nevada. All in all we were gone about 3 weeks. Adam said we were never allowed to be gone that long again lol.
We spent the last couple of days in March hanging out at home. In April, we got back into school and spent much of the month just doing school stuff. The girls all did well and made the honor roll. Lex all a's and Makenzie 1-b. Her first ever and she was not happy about it.
We were able to sneak away for a weekend to go see my brother for his bday before he deployed to the sandbox. It's always nice to see him, and if you get to read this Phil, we love you, miss you and think and talk about you all the time (most of it good ) =)
May was not too exciting around our house, we were trying very hard to make sure the girls were caught up and where they needed to be for school. I felt a lot of pressure as the year wound down to make sure we had them caught back up.
Adam and I ended up having to spend a lot of time in May dealing with the lawsuit that was brought by the lady I hit in our accident. We had to spend some time meeting with lawyers and filing paper work. It was a pretty stressful month in our house.
UPDATE: Last week (the 28 of July) we got the papers from our attorney that they settled with the lady and she took the insurance money and signed a waiver that will not allow her to ever file another suit for this accident. whew!
On to June: Well, what can I say it was a very busy month for us. We wrapped up school with two on the A honor roll (sweet) took a little break and the busy stuff began. I share a birthday with my grandmother and sister-in-law. But, since we don't live by them, I get to celebrate it with just me =)
We had a nice dinner with the family, then the next weekend we had a little birthday party with some friends. Everyone we know got together and pitched in to buy me some diving classes. It was a very nice thing for everyone to do and I felt very loved. Adam threw a nice party and spent forever looking for the perfect cake. He found it and it really was very nice.
The next weekend was Adams birthday. My dad and brother came in that day, so we were able to go and have a nice dinner with everyone. The next day, we went on a long camping trip with some friends, us and my dad and brother. It was a very nice weekend weather wise (far cry from our last trip) This camping trip will forever be in our memories. On the 3rd of July, my brother (17) and Lex and Kenz went on a hike in our campground. What should have taken them 45 min turned into over 3 hours. By the time Adam and my dad decided enough was enough and we should start to be concerned, it was getting dark and we were not sure where they might be. We flagged down a ranger -who must not have kids, as he did not seem worried. However, the trail we found out that they were on, was like a 5 mile trail. They had only taken a couple of bottles of water for their short hike and no flashlights since it was the middle of the afternoon when they left. We knew they would freak out once it got dark. I also knew lex was not much of a hiker and would not be okay walking that far.
Dad and Adam went off after them to see if they could find them. It took them a bout an hour or so to reach them and when they did.... my poor brother had been carrying Lex for over half of the hike-and this is not some flat nature trail...we were in the mountains, the trail was steep and rocky. He kept them going and did a wonderful job. By the time we got them back to camp it was after 10 pm, pitch black and no one had eaten. The kids were all tired, hot and thirsty. We ate dinner around midnight and the kids all passed out hard! They have said they don't want to hike there ever again.
The next day as we were getting ready to go to fireworks we got a phone call that an uncle had passed away. It was a hard moment for my family. We made some calls, sat and talked for a while and then took the kids to see the fireworks. We will all miss Uncle Jimmy who had been battling cancer and is now not suffering anymore.
We made it back from camping in once piece (so we thought-see Aug). We spent July spending as much time with Tyler as we could. It was a very, very rare treat to have him around and the girls ate it up. Adam took him to a race and Ty was able to tour the speedway. He even mowed some lawns while he was here for some Summer cash. He played with the girls, watched TV with them, helped them clean their rooms... the girls loved spending time with him and miss him a lot.
My dad will be staying with us for a while, so the girls are loving that. They love their papa's and enjoy having my dad around to pick on.
Late July brought another scare as we thought Adams step dad was not going to survive his latest complication. It was a tense week around our house and we had to sit the girls down and explain to them that their papa was sick and that he would not be with us much longer. The girls are sad to think of him not being around soon, but, are very strong girls and know they are loved and that they will always have people around them that love them very much.
Adam and I celebrated our 9th anniversary this year July 27th! We went out to dinner and a movie while my dad watched the girls. It was a nice quiet evening =)
We have had a couple of 'minor' scares the last couple of weeks. I thought I was having a heart attack a couple of weeks ago. A trip to the ER and a LOT of tests later and they don't know what was causing the pains or how to prevent them. They have told me to reduce stress =)
However, after all the test were ran-other than being over weight, I am pretty healthy. All my blood work came back perfect.
A couple weeks later, I was still feeling tired and just wore out. (back to the camping trip) I had a bad time with the biggest ants you will ever see!!! I was bit a couple of times. One of those bites did not heal and in fact was looking pretty bad on the underside of my arm. All of the sudden I had like 7 of the same puffy, red, hard lumps on my arm and side. After talking it over with my dad and Adam (and by talking I mean they were griping at me to go back to the Dr.)
I went in. The Dr. took one look at them and said, "This is a staph infection, and a pretty concerning one" UUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!
So concerning in fact that he upped the dose of medication and it's duration from a "normal course of treatment of 10 day's to two full weeks worth"
The medication makes me ill....very, very ill! It lasts for about 3-4 hours after I take it and I have to take it 2 times a day...one more week of this stuff! However, the lumps are nearly gone and I am feeling better! I would like to say, this has not helped my "get rid of some stress" order my Dr. gave me three weeks ago!
My dads birthday was the other night and Makenzie made him a cake... she decorated it and was very, very proud. yes I have a picture and maybe one day Ill get it on here.
tonight I am going to the paint your own pottery place with my mom and a friend. Adams kicking me out of the house for some relaxing time.
Tomorrow my sister in law and nephews get in for a couple of days, then Wed. We start back to school.
I will try to do a better job keeping this thing up to date. Here's hoping the rest of the year is less eventful than the first half!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
March
Well, it's been a while since I have been on here! Lets see... We made a huge trip in March to see my newest nephew and see some friends at the same time. We were going to Oklahoma and decided to throw in a quick surprise trip to Nevada on the way. Yes, on the way! It was a great trip for me and the girls. We went through some pretty neat places along our way to Nevada and the girls seemed to love the fact that we were going through so many states. They were keeping count and loving the different looks of each state. We arrived in Nevada in time to surprise my best friend for her bday. She had no idea we were coming and was very surprised we were standing on her porch. We had a great visit with her and her family and got to meet her new baby girl who is just a doll! We ended up at at BBQ with our friends from Nevada and it was so great to see everyone and hang out again. It made me pretty sad to leave them knowing it would be a long time before we got to see them again.
We left that visit and headed to California. We got to have a nice lunch with Adams dad and his grandma Maria. The girls loved that. They thought it was pretty neat that we were getting to see so many people on our trip. We spent the night with another old friend and his family before heading to Adams sisters for a couple of nights. The girls just loved that visit as their papa was there, they got to see Hunny and their auntie, uncle and cousin. It was a nice visit. While we were there, Alexandra cut her hair 11 inches for locks of love. She loves the new hair cut and it looks really great on her. It will be nice this Summer when it's so hot out. Kenz got her hair cut as well, but I don't like it as much, mostly as I like her hair long enough to put up and curl, but it's too short for that now. But, she likes it, so I guess I have to deal with that.
We left that visit and headed to Oklahoma. their was some changes in plans so we stayed with my Aunt and Uncle while we were there, however, the kids just love staying there since Uncle Randy is a big kid who "goes on magical trips" with them. We got to meet the newest member of our family, have lunch with my sister, dinner with my family and lunch with my grandma, it was a nice visit. We headed home just shy of 3 weeks. It was a long and exciting trip, but we were very glad to be home. Back to my own bed and routines!
We have busy since we got home. Back to school and back to life. Easter was here and gone just like a flash it seems. We had a nice dinner with my mom and Al and some friends. Adam smoked a roast for 6 hours and it just melted in your mouth, it was amazing. We hid some eggs and the kids hunted in the 87 degree weather! WHAT? YES 87.. it was 91 today.. I am afraid of Summer this year, though I head it is going to cool off this week.
We as family have began hiking. Trying to sneak in a couple of times a week to hike and get outside. Between violin, girl scouts and school family time is a premium we don't get as much of as we'd like. Plus, we are all trying to get healthier and lose some lbs. The kids are loving the hiking and its perfect things to do around here. We have so many trails around our area.. basically you just have to pick one!
School is going well, we have a few things I have added to my wish list of things I'd like to have for school. So I'm doing some research into some deals. I have managed to get my hands on a whole set of text books for 3rd grade for about 20 bucks on eBay. I love eBay. I still have a couple I have to get my hands on for 4Th grade for Kenz.. so I'm looking for those.
All in all things are going well and they seem to be liking the home school thing. I have a lot of pictures, Ill try to add some soon but we are super busy.
We have a BBQ this weekend with some friends and a trip to my brothers for his 30Th the weekend after that =)
whew..
We left that visit and headed to California. We got to have a nice lunch with Adams dad and his grandma Maria. The girls loved that. They thought it was pretty neat that we were getting to see so many people on our trip. We spent the night with another old friend and his family before heading to Adams sisters for a couple of nights. The girls just loved that visit as their papa was there, they got to see Hunny and their auntie, uncle and cousin. It was a nice visit. While we were there, Alexandra cut her hair 11 inches for locks of love. She loves the new hair cut and it looks really great on her. It will be nice this Summer when it's so hot out. Kenz got her hair cut as well, but I don't like it as much, mostly as I like her hair long enough to put up and curl, but it's too short for that now. But, she likes it, so I guess I have to deal with that.
We left that visit and headed to Oklahoma. their was some changes in plans so we stayed with my Aunt and Uncle while we were there, however, the kids just love staying there since Uncle Randy is a big kid who "goes on magical trips" with them. We got to meet the newest member of our family, have lunch with my sister, dinner with my family and lunch with my grandma, it was a nice visit. We headed home just shy of 3 weeks. It was a long and exciting trip, but we were very glad to be home. Back to my own bed and routines!
We have busy since we got home. Back to school and back to life. Easter was here and gone just like a flash it seems. We had a nice dinner with my mom and Al and some friends. Adam smoked a roast for 6 hours and it just melted in your mouth, it was amazing. We hid some eggs and the kids hunted in the 87 degree weather! WHAT? YES 87.. it was 91 today.. I am afraid of Summer this year, though I head it is going to cool off this week.
We as family have began hiking. Trying to sneak in a couple of times a week to hike and get outside. Between violin, girl scouts and school family time is a premium we don't get as much of as we'd like. Plus, we are all trying to get healthier and lose some lbs. The kids are loving the hiking and its perfect things to do around here. We have so many trails around our area.. basically you just have to pick one!
School is going well, we have a few things I have added to my wish list of things I'd like to have for school. So I'm doing some research into some deals. I have managed to get my hands on a whole set of text books for 3rd grade for about 20 bucks on eBay. I love eBay. I still have a couple I have to get my hands on for 4Th grade for Kenz.. so I'm looking for those.
All in all things are going well and they seem to be liking the home school thing. I have a lot of pictures, Ill try to add some soon but we are super busy.
We have a BBQ this weekend with some friends and a trip to my brothers for his 30Th the weekend after that =)
whew..
Monday, March 1, 2010
whew
Well, we certainly have a lot going on right now! If you do not know, we are homeschooling the girls now. We have a class room website that lists a lot of the things going on with the school and classes. To keep from boring everyone who doesnt want to hear about the day to day school stuff. We have a website for the school. Its pretty neat and will list some of the things the kids are doing, their cool grades and projects. If you are interested check that out on Mondays when I update the site. If you don't have the site, email me and I will send you the link.
We are getting ready to make a trip and the girls are very excited about that. We will be seeing some old friends and family and that is always fun. We just made a trip to Va to visit my nephews including one who was having a bday . It is always fun to see them. We got to take the new truck on it's first long trip and it did great, we didnt have any problems and it was comfy. This has me looking forward to our next trip =)
Adams mom will be here tomorrow and the girls are pretty happy about that. They have not seen her since we moved, so it's an important trip for them.
We have been able to see my dad a few times in the past several months. Thats pretty big news around here as we spent years not being able to see much of him. I hope things are going well for everyone out there. I hope to be able to update our blog with our travels coming up.
Thanks!!
We are getting ready to make a trip and the girls are very excited about that. We will be seeing some old friends and family and that is always fun. We just made a trip to Va to visit my nephews including one who was having a bday . It is always fun to see them. We got to take the new truck on it's first long trip and it did great, we didnt have any problems and it was comfy. This has me looking forward to our next trip =)
Adams mom will be here tomorrow and the girls are pretty happy about that. They have not seen her since we moved, so it's an important trip for them.
We have been able to see my dad a few times in the past several months. Thats pretty big news around here as we spent years not being able to see much of him. I hope things are going well for everyone out there. I hope to be able to update our blog with our travels coming up.
Thanks!!
Monday, February 8, 2010
It's been a while...
Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I have updated this thing, so I thought I would give it a shot. I could not update it while we were in Florida since we did not have Internet access at the condo. However, when we got home Friday we took it easy and then spent that weekend resting. On Monday the 18th of Jan, many of you know we were in a pretty bad car accident we are still recovering from. So, it's been a very long few weeks for us! We are undergoing some major changes right now, so I hope to share some of this as well. Let's see what I can get through here.
Disney World;
Well, it was amazing. We spent 10 days in the parks and had just a ton of fun. It was cold, bitter cold at some points being one of the coldest winters Florida remembers lol. Of course it was! But, it was still a lot of fun. The shows and fireworks were amazing and despite the cold and the one day of rain/snow. Was a perfect time to go. The longest we waited in line for a ride was about 15 min. This is a far cry from the average 2 hr wait in the Summer. We rode all but I think two rides at Disney World and it was by choice! The kids spent most but not all of their money and brought back some very nice gifts and even bought some for some friends of ours. We have over 1400 pictures that I need to get printed and scrap booked and eventually, Ill get some on here. But rest assured we had an amazing time and can't wait to go back. Makenzie's bday was spent down there and even though it rained all day, was super cold and none of the animals would come out to play... she had such a great time. We went to dinner at Chef Mickeys' and she had a wonderful time. Adams dad bought her a cake that was brought to her at the table with dinner and was pretty good. She was so excited to be there. You can pick up a pin when you are there that says it's my bday and everyone stops and wishes you a happy bday by name. So we had her wear it all week. It was very special to her. This group of girls from another county sang Happy bday to Makenzie in English and their tongue, she thought it was very cool. The girls could not tell us a favorite part so we think that means they had a blast, but how could you not with all Disney does to make things so magical!
Then down to the bad parts. Yes, we did have that wonderful car accident. I'm not going to get into who's fault it was or any of that. Truth is I don't remember it very well, just some bits and pieces and pain. The girls came out with some bumps and bruises and a couple nights of bad dreams. They are doing quite well now. I had some pretty major bruises, some burns from the airbag, a minor head injury, a messed up knee and some rib injuries. I'm on the mend, though the bruises are still around things are getting better. The van was totaled, in fact most of it did not look like it had been a car. We are very fortunate and thrilled that we fared so well. We had to buy a new car and finally settled on a Ford Expedition. It's been great for us so far and after the first week the kids felt pretty safe being in it. I still have moments that are scary for me, but with time this should fade. It's a nice car and Adam just loves it. We are going to order a couple of additions to it next week that I am pretty excited about. Like step sides so us girls can get in it lol and a nav system with a built in GPS so I wont have to fumble with the portable one and the radio and what not, and we can add a back up camera to it so I can see behind the giant thing! We are dealing with some issues with the insurance company who has been just amazing at helping us out. Things have been stressful and hard, but we are working through it.
Now our latest news, When we moved from Nevada we were excited about the school system here. Alexandra was struggling with school there and seemed to need some help in some areas that the teachers seemed to busy to deal with. Also, she is pretty shy and has a hard time expressing her needs. Makenzie has a hard time not feeling challenged. We have tried to address some issues with the teachers and school but it just seems like no one cares.
Tired of fighting against the system we started thinking of alternatives. Alexandra has all but given up on school right now and that is unacceptable to us. How can you compete with schools that are more worried about test scores than education? You can't! Teachers are over worked, underpaid, under appreciated an tired. They work with shrinking budgets and school boards that are more worried about money than education. I understand why teachers have given up, but it's not an excuse that I think justifies the lack of education my kids are getting. Alexandra is convinced her teacher doesn't like her and it really feels like that at times. So, we are opening our own school. The girls are going to be home schooled now starting sometime in March when we get the paperwork back from the State. We have purchased some of the things we need to get going and have done a ton of reading and gathered tons of info. We have began setting up a school in our extra dining room. If you would like to contribute to Eiffel Academy, we are taking donations LOL, no, this has been a big decision for us. One we did not make lightly and one we stand by. We think the kids will be better off getting an education that we chose, on their levels. So as you can see it's been a busy couple of weeks for us at the Roig house!
Disney World;
Well, it was amazing. We spent 10 days in the parks and had just a ton of fun. It was cold, bitter cold at some points being one of the coldest winters Florida remembers lol. Of course it was! But, it was still a lot of fun. The shows and fireworks were amazing and despite the cold and the one day of rain/snow. Was a perfect time to go. The longest we waited in line for a ride was about 15 min. This is a far cry from the average 2 hr wait in the Summer. We rode all but I think two rides at Disney World and it was by choice! The kids spent most but not all of their money and brought back some very nice gifts and even bought some for some friends of ours. We have over 1400 pictures that I need to get printed and scrap booked and eventually, Ill get some on here. But rest assured we had an amazing time and can't wait to go back. Makenzie's bday was spent down there and even though it rained all day, was super cold and none of the animals would come out to play... she had such a great time. We went to dinner at Chef Mickeys' and she had a wonderful time. Adams dad bought her a cake that was brought to her at the table with dinner and was pretty good. She was so excited to be there. You can pick up a pin when you are there that says it's my bday and everyone stops and wishes you a happy bday by name. So we had her wear it all week. It was very special to her. This group of girls from another county sang Happy bday to Makenzie in English and their tongue, she thought it was very cool. The girls could not tell us a favorite part so we think that means they had a blast, but how could you not with all Disney does to make things so magical!
Then down to the bad parts. Yes, we did have that wonderful car accident. I'm not going to get into who's fault it was or any of that. Truth is I don't remember it very well, just some bits and pieces and pain. The girls came out with some bumps and bruises and a couple nights of bad dreams. They are doing quite well now. I had some pretty major bruises, some burns from the airbag, a minor head injury, a messed up knee and some rib injuries. I'm on the mend, though the bruises are still around things are getting better. The van was totaled, in fact most of it did not look like it had been a car. We are very fortunate and thrilled that we fared so well. We had to buy a new car and finally settled on a Ford Expedition. It's been great for us so far and after the first week the kids felt pretty safe being in it. I still have moments that are scary for me, but with time this should fade. It's a nice car and Adam just loves it. We are going to order a couple of additions to it next week that I am pretty excited about. Like step sides so us girls can get in it lol and a nav system with a built in GPS so I wont have to fumble with the portable one and the radio and what not, and we can add a back up camera to it so I can see behind the giant thing! We are dealing with some issues with the insurance company who has been just amazing at helping us out. Things have been stressful and hard, but we are working through it.
Now our latest news, When we moved from Nevada we were excited about the school system here. Alexandra was struggling with school there and seemed to need some help in some areas that the teachers seemed to busy to deal with. Also, she is pretty shy and has a hard time expressing her needs. Makenzie has a hard time not feeling challenged. We have tried to address some issues with the teachers and school but it just seems like no one cares.
Tired of fighting against the system we started thinking of alternatives. Alexandra has all but given up on school right now and that is unacceptable to us. How can you compete with schools that are more worried about test scores than education? You can't! Teachers are over worked, underpaid, under appreciated an tired. They work with shrinking budgets and school boards that are more worried about money than education. I understand why teachers have given up, but it's not an excuse that I think justifies the lack of education my kids are getting. Alexandra is convinced her teacher doesn't like her and it really feels like that at times. So, we are opening our own school. The girls are going to be home schooled now starting sometime in March when we get the paperwork back from the State. We have purchased some of the things we need to get going and have done a ton of reading and gathered tons of info. We have began setting up a school in our extra dining room. If you would like to contribute to Eiffel Academy, we are taking donations LOL, no, this has been a big decision for us. One we did not make lightly and one we stand by. We think the kids will be better off getting an education that we chose, on their levels. So as you can see it's been a busy couple of weeks for us at the Roig house!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Day one
Well, it was an interesting morning for us. We woke up to Jacqueline saying her tummy was feeling yucky... we packed he car and sure enough, she got in and threw up... so we cleaned up and she seemed to feel better, so we decided to go ahead and leave, and though she has not eaten much today (not unusual for her) she is in a great mood, says she feels fine and has been perfect all day. We had an uneventful trip down and made great time. The girls slept on and off most the way and watched a couple of movies.
When we arrived to Florida we stopped at the visitors center and picked up some maps and coupon books. In the center they had Florida orange juice tasting... so the girls and Adam had a taste of "fresh" real Florida orange juice in Florida, and yes, Makenzie thought that was just wonderful.
We made it to St. Augustine just after lunch and headed over to the Fort. It is the oldest for in America it was attacked 15 times and never lost a battle. The English invaded several times and one point was with in a pistol shot away and the 1300 townspeople and the 500 Spanish military took refuge in the fort for 50 days while the city burned around them. It is a fascinating place to visit. The walls of the fort are made from sea shells and still have cannon balls in beded in them from the battles. There are volunteers that do cannon fire several times a day and walk around and talk to everyone. We got there in time to see one of them and stayed long enough to watch another from a different vantage point. It was great. The first time was from the top side and was loud. The second was from the shore line under the cannon and was loud and we could feel the boom in our chest. The girls and Adam thought hat was great. We walked all around it most of the fort is open . They have bunks and a bathroom and dungeon and kitchen all kinds of cool things to see. The court yard is wonderfully kept and it was worth our trip over there to see it. After leaving there we went to the promenade, it's a pedestrian street with stores and markets that is about 2 or 3 miles long. There were some very interesting things to see there including the oldest school in America. It is the oldest building in America that has not been restored. It was redecorated by the last students to use it as they remembered it. It was so cool. The kids thought it was pretty neat to see how the kids went to school. It was a very small building but we learned some neat things about how the kids went to school. After that we walked the promenade and looked into some shops, watched a one man band, walked through the Greek Orthodox museum. Saw some amazing buildings and the ocean. Its been a great day so far! Tomorrow we are going to see more of St. Augustine then head to Orlando. Oh, and there was a squirel at the school house that took a nut right out of Adams hand... it was soooo cool!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas, vacation and the adventures of flat stanley
Well, it's officially here ready or not I guess. Christmas is a great time of year at our house. The kids still believe in Santa and that makes it magical. It's hard not to enjoy Christmas when the kids are so looking forward to it. This year Christmas is bitter sweet. We really miss the friends and family that we are used to sharing this special day with, but we are going to be celebrating it with some new ones that will make it special in it's own way. The kids? Well, they seem to see it the same way. Missing family this time of year is pretty hard for them and they are all old enough to know who's around, who's not and feel sad about it.
That's not to say they are not still enjoying this time, they very much are. We have a countdown calendar in the front yard that they take turns changing every night and it lights up with our Christmas lights. Inside we have a chalkboard one that Jacqueline has been working on since she's writing now. The thing everyone finds funny is that the big calendar in the kitchen is counting down to our vacation!! SWEET 9 more days!!
The house looks beautiful and we can't wait to see the faces of the girls on Christmas morning! We had our third annual Roig Family Christmas party last weekend. It was nice to have the people here who have become our friends since we moved here, those who have made it feel more like home and those who understand what it's like to be new to the area. We had a wonderful time and the girls got to meet some new kids and hand out little gifts we bought. The best one was the son of a guy who works with Adam, He is about 5 and we got him this little inexpensive spider man watch.... he flipped! Not so much of who it was but of what it was.. the fact that the time changed all by itself was too much for him... he almost walked into walls watching the watch! When it was time to leave we had to roll up his sleeve so he could still see the watch. It reminds you of the innocent and happy moments Christmas can bring to a small child.
The girls did not get to open gifts, which was hard for Jacqueline, but we try to teach them that giving is more important than anything else. Giving you do out of the heart and because you want to help others, or make them smile or makes them feel loved, not because you gain something. In the end she was happy that the little girl she gave her gift to LOVED her new Darby doll.
Besides, our kids...well they don't want for much! Yes, I can say that our kids are spoiled.... but, they are respectful and happy and loving and joyful!
One of the guys that Adam works for was at our party. He's a little older than Adam, in fact his kids are in their early 20's I think, though he doesn't see much of them with them out living their lives and all. Anyway, he has just taken to the girls. He made a trip to Ireland and England in Oct and brought the girls over some jewelry and candy from both of those places... (even I got some) awwwwe right? Well it is, but you have to envision David to truly understand how funny the scenes of the girls running up and hugging him, or Jacqueline falling asleep in his lap...or him singing with the girls is.... David, is a biker lol... He loves and lives to ride his Harley. He's a fluffy grizzly bear looking guy with a longer beard and loud voice and is around 6 feet tall or so... it's pretty comical to see him hangin' with the girls. The other guys at their job can not believe that David comes over and hangs out with us or that the drums and sings with the girls... well, for our party David bought a Karaoke machine so everyone could well.... pretend to sing! The girls had soooooooooooooo much fun with it....he left here! Yes, left a brand new, pretty nice karaoke machine here for the girls to play with, on the condition that they wake Adam up at least once singing really loud! He told Adam that he would barrow it from them when he wanted to use it. He left along with it the 4 discs he bought to go with it and told Makenzie where she could buy the "girls sing it" cd for it...
Then last night, a friend of ours who again, has no children came and picked me up so I could help her pick out gifts for the girls. Two weeks ago she picked up the girls for a slumber party and they reportedly made cookies and dinner and played games and watched movies and had cocoa and .... you get the idea. Fay and Brad just adore the girls and I think have just about convinced them they want kids...anyway, she picked me up and we were talking about the things the girls need... and I laughed. So, Fay is...well our only true southern friend. She was born and raised in the mountains of Carolina, has a heart of gold that is endless and very, very southern values. If you have it to give, you do so. Fay also is not very easily persuaded, well more like the words "no, it's okay you don't have to do that" do not make sense to her... sooooo off we go shopping, f or girl things, with a woman who doesn't have kids... soooooooooooooooooo everything was cute, and so little and we just have to get this! Okay, so we went over the things the girls were asking for that Santa did not bring them....Since Santa was on a budget this year due to his upcoming vacation, there was actually stuff on the list Santa did not buy. For Jacqueline it was this dog, all she's been talking about for like a month. It swims and walks and does some stuff. However, Santa already picked up her gift, so she was not getting this dog...so yes, Fay did and some coloring books and some glasses for Disney World. She picked up some cool things for Makenzie along with a new purse and glasses and some barbie clothes and ..... a pool for the barbie play house Lex is getting for Christmas. She had a blast and I was happy that she was getting so much out of giving to the girls. Oddly, it was hard for me to let her do it. Being on the receiving end of such wonderful gifts from so many of our friends has been very humbling. I guess it shows us how great the girls are, that so many people love them so much and want to do so much for them. It's often hard for us to get long stretches of time in with them cause so many people are wanting to pick them up for this, or take them to that or have them over... it's like the whole world has adopted them! And yes, they like all kids, enjoy getting gifts.
but for them, it's about who got it for them more than what it is.. My best friend in the world Sarah sent the girls some gifts... we have no idea what they are, but when we got the box and the girls realized who they were from...they lost it. Jumping around and laughing and couldn't wait to put them under the tree. They were so excited that Sarah and Nathan had not forgotten who they were since we moved away. I never heard, I wonder what it is or I can't wait to open it..it was "they're from Sarah and Nathan!!!!" So, we can't wait until Christmas so the kids can unwrap their toys that so many from all over the country have sent them to remind them they are thought about and loved!
My brother and his family will be down the day after Christmas and spend some time with us before we leave for our vacation. We are excited to get to spend some time with them before my brother leaves. Anytime we get to spend with the boys is fun and we look forward to it. We picked out some pretty cool gifts this year and Adam was thrilled to be able to buy boy toys lol.
We of course are getting ready for our trip. We are going to be going to Kennedy space center for a day with the girls before driving the hour over to Disney World. The girls are looking forward to this stop on our trip just as much as Disney. We are going to get to see some pretty neat things and Adam has always wanted to go, so it should be a pretty neat day for us there.
Then we are off to Disney for 10 magical day's with the girls. My aunt and her husband are driving down to meet us there and the kids are super excited that she will be there. Makenzie was heart broken that her fav ride at he park, Splash mountain will be closed while we are there... I mean truly heart broken, we told her while we were at the store and she stopped in mid step, mouth dropped open and she looked like someone just punched her... I had to keep walking so I wouldn't laugh. But, they girls have some great plans and Jacqueline has mapped out what rides we are riding first! It's going to be so great for them. There will be lots of pictures and we will keep everyone as updated as possible. We rented a condo while we are there since it was cheaper than getting a hotel for the 7 of us, but we don't know if there is Internet access yet or not. SO if you don't hear anything, we will be back on the 15th of Jan with our vacation pics and stories!
Makenzie is having her bday while we are there and we have special dinner reservations. Adams dad bought Makenzie a special made by Disney cake that will be delivered to our table after that dinner. It's vanilla, with vanilla custard and fresh strawberry filling and chocolate ganache topping. It will say Happy 9th birthday Makenzie and have flowers then pastel mickey shaped sprinkles.... I know! It should be great. Thanks to everyone who has sent her bday gifts so she can open them on her bday. I know that spending your bday in the park is a way cool thing to do, but she's nine and getting gifts for her big day is still a pretty big deal to her.
She has no idea I have them, so it will be a big surprise when we give them to her at dinner.
Okay... so who is Stanley? Well... he's a class project. It's a story about a boy who gets pancaked by a bulletin board and his parents mail him to visit family since he's...well flat now. It's the first "novel" the class is going to read and it will be while we are gone. Flat Stanley is to be mailed to various places in the country and the person receiving flat Stanley will send back to the school some info and souvenirs from his trip to where ever it was he went..well since we are going to be gone... we get to take flat Stanley with is to Disney world.
He is in fact a piece of paper.. mom colored him and dad gave him Mickey ears and he's coming on our trip. I hope he doesn't eat a lot. At any rate... some photos will be taken with Flat Stanley and he is going to keep a journal about the neat things he did with he Roig family while he was on vacation with them. So, you may see photos of us and flat Stanley running around Space center and Disney...were not crazy... we are just doing the class project so Makenzie can get A in geography! Over the next three days the girls will be doing 2 weeks worth of school work so we don't have to do it on vacation. We got a special "educational opportunity" clearance from the school so the girls absences will be marked excused, since we are taking them to the Space center and Epcot which has been deemed educational due to it's well...education about other countries, their cultures , foods and architecture. Oh, and Animal kingdom since it's a conservation site and has one of the most expansive collection of in captivity bred animals.. yay for education and fun all wrapped into one happy magical vacation!
So, Happy holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year from us to you!
love
The Roigs
That's not to say they are not still enjoying this time, they very much are. We have a countdown calendar in the front yard that they take turns changing every night and it lights up with our Christmas lights. Inside we have a chalkboard one that Jacqueline has been working on since she's writing now. The thing everyone finds funny is that the big calendar in the kitchen is counting down to our vacation!! SWEET 9 more days!!
The house looks beautiful and we can't wait to see the faces of the girls on Christmas morning! We had our third annual Roig Family Christmas party last weekend. It was nice to have the people here who have become our friends since we moved here, those who have made it feel more like home and those who understand what it's like to be new to the area. We had a wonderful time and the girls got to meet some new kids and hand out little gifts we bought. The best one was the son of a guy who works with Adam, He is about 5 and we got him this little inexpensive spider man watch.... he flipped! Not so much of who it was but of what it was.. the fact that the time changed all by itself was too much for him... he almost walked into walls watching the watch! When it was time to leave we had to roll up his sleeve so he could still see the watch. It reminds you of the innocent and happy moments Christmas can bring to a small child.
The girls did not get to open gifts, which was hard for Jacqueline, but we try to teach them that giving is more important than anything else. Giving you do out of the heart and because you want to help others, or make them smile or makes them feel loved, not because you gain something. In the end she was happy that the little girl she gave her gift to LOVED her new Darby doll.
Besides, our kids...well they don't want for much! Yes, I can say that our kids are spoiled.... but, they are respectful and happy and loving and joyful!
One of the guys that Adam works for was at our party. He's a little older than Adam, in fact his kids are in their early 20's I think, though he doesn't see much of them with them out living their lives and all. Anyway, he has just taken to the girls. He made a trip to Ireland and England in Oct and brought the girls over some jewelry and candy from both of those places... (even I got some) awwwwe right? Well it is, but you have to envision David to truly understand how funny the scenes of the girls running up and hugging him, or Jacqueline falling asleep in his lap...or him singing with the girls is.... David, is a biker lol... He loves and lives to ride his Harley. He's a fluffy grizzly bear looking guy with a longer beard and loud voice and is around 6 feet tall or so... it's pretty comical to see him hangin' with the girls. The other guys at their job can not believe that David comes over and hangs out with us or that the drums and sings with the girls... well, for our party David bought a Karaoke machine so everyone could well.... pretend to sing! The girls had soooooooooooooo much fun with it....he left here! Yes, left a brand new, pretty nice karaoke machine here for the girls to play with, on the condition that they wake Adam up at least once singing really loud! He told Adam that he would barrow it from them when he wanted to use it. He left along with it the 4 discs he bought to go with it and told Makenzie where she could buy the "girls sing it" cd for it...
Then last night, a friend of ours who again, has no children came and picked me up so I could help her pick out gifts for the girls. Two weeks ago she picked up the girls for a slumber party and they reportedly made cookies and dinner and played games and watched movies and had cocoa and .... you get the idea. Fay and Brad just adore the girls and I think have just about convinced them they want kids...anyway, she picked me up and we were talking about the things the girls need... and I laughed. So, Fay is...well our only true southern friend. She was born and raised in the mountains of Carolina, has a heart of gold that is endless and very, very southern values. If you have it to give, you do so. Fay also is not very easily persuaded, well more like the words "no, it's okay you don't have to do that" do not make sense to her... sooooo off we go shopping, f or girl things, with a woman who doesn't have kids... soooooooooooooooooo everything was cute, and so little and we just have to get this! Okay, so we went over the things the girls were asking for that Santa did not bring them....Since Santa was on a budget this year due to his upcoming vacation, there was actually stuff on the list Santa did not buy. For Jacqueline it was this dog, all she's been talking about for like a month. It swims and walks and does some stuff. However, Santa already picked up her gift, so she was not getting this dog...so yes, Fay did and some coloring books and some glasses for Disney World. She picked up some cool things for Makenzie along with a new purse and glasses and some barbie clothes and ..... a pool for the barbie play house Lex is getting for Christmas. She had a blast and I was happy that she was getting so much out of giving to the girls. Oddly, it was hard for me to let her do it. Being on the receiving end of such wonderful gifts from so many of our friends has been very humbling. I guess it shows us how great the girls are, that so many people love them so much and want to do so much for them. It's often hard for us to get long stretches of time in with them cause so many people are wanting to pick them up for this, or take them to that or have them over... it's like the whole world has adopted them! And yes, they like all kids, enjoy getting gifts.
but for them, it's about who got it for them more than what it is.. My best friend in the world Sarah sent the girls some gifts... we have no idea what they are, but when we got the box and the girls realized who they were from...they lost it. Jumping around and laughing and couldn't wait to put them under the tree. They were so excited that Sarah and Nathan had not forgotten who they were since we moved away. I never heard, I wonder what it is or I can't wait to open it..it was "they're from Sarah and Nathan!!!!" So, we can't wait until Christmas so the kids can unwrap their toys that so many from all over the country have sent them to remind them they are thought about and loved!
My brother and his family will be down the day after Christmas and spend some time with us before we leave for our vacation. We are excited to get to spend some time with them before my brother leaves. Anytime we get to spend with the boys is fun and we look forward to it. We picked out some pretty cool gifts this year and Adam was thrilled to be able to buy boy toys lol.
We of course are getting ready for our trip. We are going to be going to Kennedy space center for a day with the girls before driving the hour over to Disney World. The girls are looking forward to this stop on our trip just as much as Disney. We are going to get to see some pretty neat things and Adam has always wanted to go, so it should be a pretty neat day for us there.
Then we are off to Disney for 10 magical day's with the girls. My aunt and her husband are driving down to meet us there and the kids are super excited that she will be there. Makenzie was heart broken that her fav ride at he park, Splash mountain will be closed while we are there... I mean truly heart broken, we told her while we were at the store and she stopped in mid step, mouth dropped open and she looked like someone just punched her... I had to keep walking so I wouldn't laugh. But, they girls have some great plans and Jacqueline has mapped out what rides we are riding first! It's going to be so great for them. There will be lots of pictures and we will keep everyone as updated as possible. We rented a condo while we are there since it was cheaper than getting a hotel for the 7 of us, but we don't know if there is Internet access yet or not. SO if you don't hear anything, we will be back on the 15th of Jan with our vacation pics and stories!
Makenzie is having her bday while we are there and we have special dinner reservations. Adams dad bought Makenzie a special made by Disney cake that will be delivered to our table after that dinner. It's vanilla, with vanilla custard and fresh strawberry filling and chocolate ganache topping. It will say Happy 9th birthday Makenzie and have flowers then pastel mickey shaped sprinkles.... I know! It should be great. Thanks to everyone who has sent her bday gifts so she can open them on her bday. I know that spending your bday in the park is a way cool thing to do, but she's nine and getting gifts for her big day is still a pretty big deal to her.
She has no idea I have them, so it will be a big surprise when we give them to her at dinner.
Okay... so who is Stanley? Well... he's a class project. It's a story about a boy who gets pancaked by a bulletin board and his parents mail him to visit family since he's...well flat now. It's the first "novel" the class is going to read and it will be while we are gone. Flat Stanley is to be mailed to various places in the country and the person receiving flat Stanley will send back to the school some info and souvenirs from his trip to where ever it was he went..well since we are going to be gone... we get to take flat Stanley with is to Disney world.
He is in fact a piece of paper.. mom colored him and dad gave him Mickey ears and he's coming on our trip. I hope he doesn't eat a lot. At any rate... some photos will be taken with Flat Stanley and he is going to keep a journal about the neat things he did with he Roig family while he was on vacation with them. So, you may see photos of us and flat Stanley running around Space center and Disney...were not crazy... we are just doing the class project so Makenzie can get A in geography! Over the next three days the girls will be doing 2 weeks worth of school work so we don't have to do it on vacation. We got a special "educational opportunity" clearance from the school so the girls absences will be marked excused, since we are taking them to the Space center and Epcot which has been deemed educational due to it's well...education about other countries, their cultures , foods and architecture. Oh, and Animal kingdom since it's a conservation site and has one of the most expansive collection of in captivity bred animals.. yay for education and fun all wrapped into one happy magical vacation!
So, Happy holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year from us to you!
love
The Roigs
Sunday, December 13, 2009
They said it...
Well, I have to pass this on, if for no other reason then to read it years from now and remember how awesome she was!
Makenzie makes her own lunches.. picks out her snack, makes a sandwich, what ever she wants to eat that day. One day I was in the kitchen fixing breakfast while she was in there making her lunch. I watched her make her sandwich... she place a dollop of mayo right in the center of her bread, two thin slices of meat on the bread and closed her sandwich.. I said, Makenzie, we have cheese and stuff in there and you can put more miracle whip on your sandwich than that...and more that two little slices of meat! I swear it was like feeding a prisoner..any hoo, she responded to me with this...
"No, miracle whip is not mayonnaise, it's just gross. Also, cheese and mayo don't belong on the same sandwich! they just don't go together, I like just a little mayo in the center and not a lot of meat, they're sad sandwiches and that's how I like them..."
OK, fine! Eat them however you want =)
On a side note about a week later, Adam asked her to make him a sandwich when he hurt his back... soooooo she made "her' sandwich... he's never asked her for another one!
She is so awesome, she defiantly has her own opinions and likes things done a certain way... got to love her
Makenzie makes her own lunches.. picks out her snack, makes a sandwich, what ever she wants to eat that day. One day I was in the kitchen fixing breakfast while she was in there making her lunch. I watched her make her sandwich... she place a dollop of mayo right in the center of her bread, two thin slices of meat on the bread and closed her sandwich.. I said, Makenzie, we have cheese and stuff in there and you can put more miracle whip on your sandwich than that...and more that two little slices of meat! I swear it was like feeding a prisoner..any hoo, she responded to me with this...
"No, miracle whip is not mayonnaise, it's just gross. Also, cheese and mayo don't belong on the same sandwich! they just don't go together, I like just a little mayo in the center and not a lot of meat, they're sad sandwiches and that's how I like them..."
OK, fine! Eat them however you want =)
On a side note about a week later, Adam asked her to make him a sandwich when he hurt his back... soooooo she made "her' sandwich... he's never asked her for another one!
She is so awesome, she defiantly has her own opinions and likes things done a certain way... got to love her
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Dear Santa
Well, last night the kids made out their Christas wish list's. This took about an hour. Why? Well, we had to do them individually since the girls needed some help. I'm going to post them for you to read.
Dear Santa,
how are Mrs. CLaus and the raindear doing? How was your spring this year? My spring well, we mooved. My dad said that he thinks I've ben a good girl and a good BIG sister. This year for chirstmas I would like a Kaitlyn doll and a dog for her. A Jonas brother drum set. A MP3 case. A jranl (journal) that comes with a passe word and some more skiny jeans pleas.
Love Makenzie Roig
P.S (what is your favorite cookie?)
Dear Santa how is Chet? How are you? I am doing good in school? I'v tride to be good this year? same thingsed I wont on my christmas list are barbee rve? (RV), music player, holoday barbie, ariel barbie three musketeers, the dimin castle (diamond castle) I hope you have a save trip and merry crismxmas
love: Alexandra
ok so chet is this reindeer from some movie that is goofy and hyper and get's into all sorts of trouble...
are you getting the barbie theme out of this letter?
This one has better (ish) spelling since I wrote down what she said =)
Dear Santa,
How is Mrs. Clause? I am sure the elves are busy. Are you excited about Christmas? I am! How do the reindeer fly?
I have tried to be a very good girl. I have tried to always do my best.
For Christmas this year, I would like...
A minnie mouse doll, littlest pet shop toys so I can have a big pet shop village!! a swimming puppy dog that also walks on the ground, stuffed ariel doll and some super sluth toys!!! yeah that would be so nice.
I would be happy to get one of those toys!
love Jacqueline
and.... she actually wrote her own name!!! the whole stupid looooooooooooong name and just the c was backwards and she told me it was.. so proud that she got it all!
Then it happened, Makenzie asked Adam if he was going to write a letter and Adam said, no kido I Have not written a letter to Santa in ... well I am not sure I have ever written one... he probably would not even know who I was.
He left it at tha and went into the kitchen, about 5 min later, Makenzie was in complete tears. She did not know why she was crying (we get that a lot) but she was very sad that Adam would not get any gifts for Christmas...we explained to her that Santa brought gifts to the children of the world, he just simply would not have time if he had to bring them to all the grown ups too... she was not thrilled with this answer! We were not even sure she still believed in santa, but I gues she does and now I have to try to smooth this over..so I guess Santa will have to leave a little something for Adam under the tree...
Dear Santa,
how are Mrs. CLaus and the raindear doing? How was your spring this year? My spring well, we mooved. My dad said that he thinks I've ben a good girl and a good BIG sister. This year for chirstmas I would like a Kaitlyn doll and a dog for her. A Jonas brother drum set. A MP3 case. A jranl (journal) that comes with a passe word and some more skiny jeans pleas.
Love Makenzie Roig
P.S (what is your favorite cookie?)
Dear Santa how is Chet? How are you? I am doing good in school? I'v tride to be good this year? same thingsed I wont on my christmas list are barbee rve? (RV), music player, holoday barbie, ariel barbie three musketeers, the dimin castle (diamond castle) I hope you have a save trip and merry crismxmas
love: Alexandra
ok so chet is this reindeer from some movie that is goofy and hyper and get's into all sorts of trouble...
are you getting the barbie theme out of this letter?
This one has better (ish) spelling since I wrote down what she said =)
Dear Santa,
How is Mrs. Clause? I am sure the elves are busy. Are you excited about Christmas? I am! How do the reindeer fly?
I have tried to be a very good girl. I have tried to always do my best.
For Christmas this year, I would like...
A minnie mouse doll, littlest pet shop toys so I can have a big pet shop village!! a swimming puppy dog that also walks on the ground, stuffed ariel doll and some super sluth toys!!! yeah that would be so nice.
I would be happy to get one of those toys!
love Jacqueline
and.... she actually wrote her own name!!! the whole stupid looooooooooooong name and just the c was backwards and she told me it was.. so proud that she got it all!
Then it happened, Makenzie asked Adam if he was going to write a letter and Adam said, no kido I Have not written a letter to Santa in ... well I am not sure I have ever written one... he probably would not even know who I was.
He left it at tha and went into the kitchen, about 5 min later, Makenzie was in complete tears. She did not know why she was crying (we get that a lot) but she was very sad that Adam would not get any gifts for Christmas...we explained to her that Santa brought gifts to the children of the world, he just simply would not have time if he had to bring them to all the grown ups too... she was not thrilled with this answer! We were not even sure she still believed in santa, but I gues she does and now I have to try to smooth this over..so I guess Santa will have to leave a little something for Adam under the tree...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
December
Well, it's hard to believe but yes, it is in fact December! Usually this time of year is reserved for Christmas. There are countdowns and parties and shopping and a wrapping and carols... This year however, there is a bit more going on.
We have our usual Christmas going on. We have a few gifts under the tree and some more stashed around the house. We have our Christmas music on most days and we are planning our annual Christmas Party for the 19th (everyones invited) however, this year is a bit different for a couple of reasons..namely, our upcoming trip to DisneyWorld. We are leaving on the 1st. This has made things a little more...complex! Making sure the girls have a nice Christmas while still saving enough money for our Florida adventure has been challenging. Some have said that the girls might not need a bunch of stuff for Christmas since we are going to Disney World... well no, that is in fact not the case. Our vacation is not a Christmas present. It is in fact a vacation that we have been looking forward to for.... 2 years! We were supposed to go last year, but had to move, so we are going this year. Since March (our usual time to go) is one of the busiest in Fl, we are going in Jan instead. We will be there for Makenzie's bday, an accident, but we are planning a special dinner for her on that day. She won't get her bday party until the end of Jan after we get back.
So, its been a challenge to check off a few of the things on their list and still put up some extra cash. No, they won't be getting everything on their list this year, and because we have such amazing kids..they understand that. We sat then down and explained to them that while we are having Christmas and we will be getting some nice things, it will be a smaller Christmas than they are used to and they might not get everything on their list since we are going to Disney world and it's pretty expensive. Adam finds it amusing that the countdown on our calendar says 28 days not 22 =) we have a separate countdown for Christmas.
While we countdown both, things here are going to be busy. We have Adams Christmas party on the 12th, ours on the 19th, some stuff at the girls school. Adam has a crazy schedule for December and we are expecting some visitors at the end of the month. My brother and our God daughters families... should be lots of fun.
We have our usual Christmas going on. We have a few gifts under the tree and some more stashed around the house. We have our Christmas music on most days and we are planning our annual Christmas Party for the 19th (everyones invited) however, this year is a bit different for a couple of reasons..namely, our upcoming trip to DisneyWorld. We are leaving on the 1st. This has made things a little more...complex! Making sure the girls have a nice Christmas while still saving enough money for our Florida adventure has been challenging. Some have said that the girls might not need a bunch of stuff for Christmas since we are going to Disney World... well no, that is in fact not the case. Our vacation is not a Christmas present. It is in fact a vacation that we have been looking forward to for.... 2 years! We were supposed to go last year, but had to move, so we are going this year. Since March (our usual time to go) is one of the busiest in Fl, we are going in Jan instead. We will be there for Makenzie's bday, an accident, but we are planning a special dinner for her on that day. She won't get her bday party until the end of Jan after we get back.
So, its been a challenge to check off a few of the things on their list and still put up some extra cash. No, they won't be getting everything on their list this year, and because we have such amazing kids..they understand that. We sat then down and explained to them that while we are having Christmas and we will be getting some nice things, it will be a smaller Christmas than they are used to and they might not get everything on their list since we are going to Disney world and it's pretty expensive. Adam finds it amusing that the countdown on our calendar says 28 days not 22 =) we have a separate countdown for Christmas.
While we countdown both, things here are going to be busy. We have Adams Christmas party on the 12th, ours on the 19th, some stuff at the girls school. Adam has a crazy schedule for December and we are expecting some visitors at the end of the month. My brother and our God daughters families... should be lots of fun.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Christmas surprise
Well,
For a couple of years Alexandra has wanted a barbie play house. DO you have ANY idea how much those stupid things cost? About 60-100 bucks for the cheap plastic ones and 100-300 for a wooden one... so needless to say, she has not gotten one. So, yesterday I had a thought... how hard could it be to make one? I mean really? Turns out.... kinda hard! Its not the building that really is so much...it's the stuff that goes inside! Barbie doll furniture sells for an extortionist price! truly!
Where to begin? wood and tools... okay that much I know. SO, I called my step dad who likes both and after hours on line we have a plan.. turn an old 5 ft something by 3ft something dresser into a doll house by taking out all the stuff and replacing it with shelves, cutting in some windows and doors and a patio and walla, a house!
whew
this is phase one and our current phase we hope to be done with this week.
Step two is painting I'm going to go with something pink..its barbie that's why!
Step three floors and walls... today I went to Lowe's and bought some stick on laminate floor tiles.. these are barbies new hard wood floors! I also grabbed a couple carpet samples these are barbies new rugs..sweet!
Then there is the actual decorating of this thing..with six rooms its a chore.. if you know of any barbie furniture laying around, Ill accept donations =)
I'm super excited, I can't wait for Christmas
For a couple of years Alexandra has wanted a barbie play house. DO you have ANY idea how much those stupid things cost? About 60-100 bucks for the cheap plastic ones and 100-300 for a wooden one... so needless to say, she has not gotten one. So, yesterday I had a thought... how hard could it be to make one? I mean really? Turns out.... kinda hard! Its not the building that really is so much...it's the stuff that goes inside! Barbie doll furniture sells for an extortionist price! truly!
Where to begin? wood and tools... okay that much I know. SO, I called my step dad who likes both and after hours on line we have a plan.. turn an old 5 ft something by 3ft something dresser into a doll house by taking out all the stuff and replacing it with shelves, cutting in some windows and doors and a patio and walla, a house!
whew
this is phase one and our current phase we hope to be done with this week.
Step two is painting I'm going to go with something pink..its barbie that's why!
Step three floors and walls... today I went to Lowe's and bought some stick on laminate floor tiles.. these are barbies new hard wood floors! I also grabbed a couple carpet samples these are barbies new rugs..sweet!
Then there is the actual decorating of this thing..with six rooms its a chore.. if you know of any barbie furniture laying around, Ill accept donations =)
I'm super excited, I can't wait for Christmas
Monday, November 16, 2009
victory for the little people...
SO... last Friday Makenzie came home pretty upset over this teacher-who she says, "looks like shes nice but she's really just mean". The story went like this,
The kids who had just came in from recess were lined up in against the hall "I'm picturing a firing squad" while the teacher who was escorting them back to class took a potty break... some of the children in the hall were noisy and talking and upon this teachers return she announced they would be walking laps around the playground at Monday's recess instead of playing and if they talked again it would be Tuesday as well. No warning, no trying to find out who was at fault... hmmmm nope, this didn't go well for me, not at all. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. One, they are 8 and 9 year old kids and were coming in from recess, and why was the teacher choosing this time to stop for a potty break? This leaves my big complaint... the teacher was gone, there were two classrooms worth, so like 50 kids in the hall, how did she know who was causing the problems and who was following the rules? SOOOOO I went into "mom mode" and I did what I thought was fair... I sent out an email voicing my opinions and thoughts. I sent this email to the teacher who did this, Makenzies classroom teacher, the guidance councilor and the assistant principal. The emailed letter was as follows;
To whom it may concern;
My name is Dana Roig and I am the mother of Makenzie Roig who is in Ms Rufty's class. Today Makenzie came home and told me that today when her class and Ms Preston's class lined up in the hallway. There were children talking. Ms. Preston had left the kids in the hallway to go to the restroom and came back to the kids telling them they were going to be doing laps on Monday and possibly Tuesday if they talked again on Monday. She said they were not given a warning nor did the teacher try to find out who was causing the problem. I find this unacceptable. It is wrong to punish whole groups of people for the acts of a few. Further, making children walk laps around the play ground taking away their recess is not right. Parents should be informed if their children are going to be subjected to punishments of this kind. Is it not enough that children are threatened with silent lunch all the time? Now they have to worry about a teacher who seems to be taking her bad day or frustrations over the problems a few children are causing on whole classes of students who were not disobeying the rules? There has to be a better way of dealing with our children then threats and taking away the little bit of fresh air they get everyday at school. Perhaps one teacher escorting two classes in from recess is not enough supervision.
I do not want my child to participate in this lap walking punishment, I do not believe she was talking in the hallway, nor do I believe that Ms Preston saw her breaking the rules. Therefore, I do not think she should be punished if there was no rules broken.
Thank you for your time,
Dana Roig
Well, today I had not heard back from anyone and nearly forgot about the issue. Until dinner tonight. We asked Makenzie if she had to walk laps today. She kinda smiled and said "no.. When I was in the hallway, Mrs Preston told Mrs Rufty that "apparently we are not walking laps cause of the email" Ms Rufty I guess then told the class that they would instead be having a class meeting about how to do things better and that after school She and Mrs Preston, the counselor and Principal were going to meet to talk about things... I felt very good about deciding to write my email... Then a few min ago I checked my email and had this response that was also sent to the principal, councilor and other teacher involved...
Mrs. Roig,
Ms. Preston and I have discussed the situation from Friday and have both agreed to hold a "class meeting" to discuss the issue of talking in the hallway. We will brainstorm with the students alternative solutions and consequences. We appreciate your concern and we are addressing the issue of recess coverage. My class we will be escorted to recess and back to the mobile by an assistant.
Thank you,
Mrs. Rufty
I feel a little victorious in this. Sometimes standing up for the girls and rocking the boat just a little does make a difference.
The kids who had just came in from recess were lined up in against the hall "I'm picturing a firing squad" while the teacher who was escorting them back to class took a potty break... some of the children in the hall were noisy and talking and upon this teachers return she announced they would be walking laps around the playground at Monday's recess instead of playing and if they talked again it would be Tuesday as well. No warning, no trying to find out who was at fault... hmmmm nope, this didn't go well for me, not at all. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. One, they are 8 and 9 year old kids and were coming in from recess, and why was the teacher choosing this time to stop for a potty break? This leaves my big complaint... the teacher was gone, there were two classrooms worth, so like 50 kids in the hall, how did she know who was causing the problems and who was following the rules? SOOOOO I went into "mom mode" and I did what I thought was fair... I sent out an email voicing my opinions and thoughts. I sent this email to the teacher who did this, Makenzies classroom teacher, the guidance councilor and the assistant principal. The emailed letter was as follows;
To whom it may concern;
My name is Dana Roig and I am the mother of Makenzie Roig who is in Ms Rufty's class. Today Makenzie came home and told me that today when her class and Ms Preston's class lined up in the hallway. There were children talking. Ms. Preston had left the kids in the hallway to go to the restroom and came back to the kids telling them they were going to be doing laps on Monday and possibly Tuesday if they talked again on Monday. She said they were not given a warning nor did the teacher try to find out who was causing the problem. I find this unacceptable. It is wrong to punish whole groups of people for the acts of a few. Further, making children walk laps around the play ground taking away their recess is not right. Parents should be informed if their children are going to be subjected to punishments of this kind. Is it not enough that children are threatened with silent lunch all the time? Now they have to worry about a teacher who seems to be taking her bad day or frustrations over the problems a few children are causing on whole classes of students who were not disobeying the rules? There has to be a better way of dealing with our children then threats and taking away the little bit of fresh air they get everyday at school. Perhaps one teacher escorting two classes in from recess is not enough supervision.
I do not want my child to participate in this lap walking punishment, I do not believe she was talking in the hallway, nor do I believe that Ms Preston saw her breaking the rules. Therefore, I do not think she should be punished if there was no rules broken.
Thank you for your time,
Dana Roig
Well, today I had not heard back from anyone and nearly forgot about the issue. Until dinner tonight. We asked Makenzie if she had to walk laps today. She kinda smiled and said "no.. When I was in the hallway, Mrs Preston told Mrs Rufty that "apparently we are not walking laps cause of the email" Ms Rufty I guess then told the class that they would instead be having a class meeting about how to do things better and that after school She and Mrs Preston, the counselor and Principal were going to meet to talk about things... I felt very good about deciding to write my email... Then a few min ago I checked my email and had this response that was also sent to the principal, councilor and other teacher involved...
Mrs. Roig,
Ms. Preston and I have discussed the situation from Friday and have both agreed to hold a "class meeting" to discuss the issue of talking in the hallway. We will brainstorm with the students alternative solutions and consequences. We appreciate your concern and we are addressing the issue of recess coverage. My class we will be escorted to recess and back to the mobile by an assistant.
Thank you,
Mrs. Rufty
I feel a little victorious in this. Sometimes standing up for the girls and rocking the boat just a little does make a difference.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Its been a while...
Well, were to begin? We have been pretty busy as of late. We Had the girls parties and they had a wonderful time. I think I posted pictures of their cakes, they were yummy and the girls loved them. We had a smaller turn out than we are used to so it was a bit odd. The girls got to celebrate their first birthdays with my mom so they thought that was pretty neat. Adams dad made it out for their parties, and they enjoyed getting to see him. It's been pretty hard on the girls since we moved. They have certain people in their lives this whole time who are suddenly not there. It's been pretty rough on them, so it was nice that Adams dad could make it out. We went to a museum, they took walks, went shopping, hung out and watched some movies, read stories and just overall enjoyed some time.Halloween was so different this year from years past! It's kinda hit or miss here. Living in the south has been a very interesting transition on us. First, it's a pretty Churchy area... mostly just a Sunday thing though! Ya know where they go on Sunday but the rest of the time, you wouldn't know! Anyhoo, most of the celebrations for Halloween are "Fall festivals" at Churches. We chose to go to a "farm" and have a hay ride and corn maze that was pretty laughable to us. The hay ride was a 4 min ride around the "corn maze" which by most standards was about the size of my kitchen...took us about 10 min to get through the thing. Do I sound agitated? It's probably cause it cost us 50 bucks to get through the thing and last years cost us half that and took us nearly 2 hours. So, I kinda felt cheated. The on Halloween, we woke up to looming clouds and rain threatening to mess up Halloween... okay well lets back up. ON the eve of Halloween, we carved pumpkins. It was a lot of fun. The girls each carved their own pumpkins this year. Put on the design and carved them.They loved it. It took them a couple of hours but we had a lot of fun watching them. My mom was over and carved her first pumpkin ever in her life. This is hard for some to understand, but we grew up Pentecostal, and you just don't celebrate Halloween, it's an evil holiday. So, this year she came over to celebrate her first Halloween with the girls and carved a pumpkin, she had a lot of fun and the girls laughed watching her try to do her pumpkin, she did a pretty good job and had fun, what else can you ask for? The next day we awoke to those scary clouds... Adam had to work.. I know your shocked too! So we spent the day just hanging out and waiting to see if it would rain. My step dad brought us over a canopy to set up in the front yard so we could sit under it and pass out candy and light our fire... I got the girls ready including spraying their hair black to go with their costumes. Jacqueline was Snow white, Alexandra was a witch and Makenzie was Snow whites evil queen! It was very cute. We bought them ponchos since it was supposed to start raining at 4 pm..and the city of Concord will only let you trick or treat until 8... ugh anyhoo, off they went with Adam and his dad on the walk around our little area. My mom and I sat out in front of the fire and passed out candy.then it kinda sprinkled... then with out much more notice the bottom just fell and the rain was so hard you could not see across the street. I made this comment. "I'm so glad we bought the ponchos for the girls, so they don't have to stop trick or treating" just in time for my mom to say, well here they come now....wet. Yep, Adam.....forgot their ponchos. They were pretty upset since now Halloween was over..they were drenched and their black hair was now a mess and their faces black from the dye... I waited a couple of min to see what the new plan was...and since no one else had one, I grabbed my keys, and the girls and off we went around to the rest of the houses... they made off with a lot of candy since most of the kids went home people were giving them whole hand fulls. We got back and hung out in front of the fire to dry off and get warm. All in all it was a pretty good Halloween. 
mine
The girls are now doing girl scouts and their project for the week was this Samaritans box. Its an organization that takes filled shoe boxes and ships them around the world to children and teaches them about Christmas, our culture and God... so we had these boxes we had to fill for GS. So, we took the girls to the $1 store and gave them 10 bucks to fill their box. They thought it was pretty neat to do and had some cool ideas as to what to put inside. We love that the girls understand that Christmas is a privilege and not everyone gets the things they want.
We took the girls to have their Christmas pics done and while we will never go back to Sears.. cause of their prices, we did get some cute pics of them. I posted them on my Face book and myspace, if you would like to see more of them let me know. Every where we go it's Christmas already including some houses with trees up already! I soooo don't get this.. I love Christmas, but really... it's much to early for trees!
The girls are so busy counting down for Disneyworld, they haven't really asked about Christmas much. 53 days by the way... We added a stop or two on our vacation, one to see a friend Adam served in the Navy with and we are going to go to the Kennedy Space Center on our way, so we will be leaving New Years morning and be back on the 15th... so excited about our trip. The girls finally showed us some stuff they were wanting for Christmas, if you need ideas or want to know whats on the list.. I can share now =)
Jacquelines of course wants anything littlest pet shop but high on her list is the littlest pet shop comforter. Alexandra wants anything and I do mean anything Barbie! She is such a girlie girl. Makenzie has been pretty hard for us this year since she seems to be so much older than 8..or maybe I didn't realize how grown up 8 was... either way. She seemed to have out grown toys and was not into much of anything that was not Icarly, Jonas brothers or Hannah Montana and if it can't be listened to on her MP3 player, or played on her DS or PSP, she has not been interested. Then last night we were walking around walmart and she found a doll she wanted and said shes been wanting... it was great! Her name is Kaytlyn and she wants a dog to go with it and some extra clothes for her...shes like an American girl doll which she really wants but we can't afford. She said she really hopes Santa brings it to her, which is great so it means she still believes in Santa =)
Adams sister gets in tomorrow for a short visit with the girls and luckily the girls have Wed off for Veterans day so they can spend some time with her. The we have a little break before Thanksgiving.
It's been a very busy time for us and has made this year go by that much faster. We are all doing pretty well and just going right along in our little life. Hope everyone had a great October!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
walking for a cure
Well, it's almost October. This time of year always makes me stop and think. Its an amazing time of year. The leaves change, things seem to slow down and almost pause. Its crisp and feels magical. It is my favorite time of year. October however, brings more to my mind. It is in fact Breast Cancer awareness month. Most people just remember that mammogram, but few pause and think about the meaning. Breast cancer has touched so many lives, women and their families. It has touched ours, with my grandmother having it a few years ago. This year, I'm making a commitment that I have been thinking about for a couple of years. Next year in October my girlfriend and I are in fact walking in the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer three day walk for a cure. It is 60 miles in three days!! We are starting some training next week to get us in shape and prepare for this trek. It is in Atlanta and we will be doing some fundraising over the next year to come up with the money we have to pledge to raise to do the walk. My whole heart is in this and I just know my loving friends and family will stand by me in this. With some many women in our family, and my beautiful daughters, I hope that someday there is a cure and that women can stop worrying about this terrible disease!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A lil update
Well, it's been a little while since I posted, so, I thought I'd share some things before I headed off to bed!
First, we made our trip to Texas to see my Aunt. It was great to see her and my Uncles. It was nice for the kids to really enjoy some time with that side of the family. The girls did so great on the drive and we made it in 18 hrs even with Alexandra getting sick half way through Georgia! After spending some time there, we realized we would be able to sneak in a trip to Tulsa since we were so close. Being a five hr drive, we headed up there and stayed with my other Aunt (Thanks Verna and Randy =) ) The girls loved this as Randy was a super hero and helped them capture some of the most ruthless villains in Jacquelines imagination!! We were also able to sneak in some swim time between thunderstorms! The girls love the water and are swimming quite well with there little swimmers. Jacqueline was not feeling well on our way home but did great and we made it home in about 19 hours.
The day we got home from our trip, we had the girls back to school and we had to meet their teachers. SO, we grabbed some naps and headed to school. We met the teachers and the girls were so excited about seeing their classes.
We rested over the weekend and the girls began classes on the 24th. They have been doing pretty well so far and are of course loving it. Jacqueline was sad that she is not old enough to begin school this year, so I am looking into getting her into some dance classes so she can make some new friends and get out of the house and away from mom for a little bit each week.
Alexandra can finally play all of Twinkle Twinkle little star on her violin. She is pretty excited about that. She is still taking her lessons every week and though it is a fight to get her to practice (too many other fun things to do after school) she loves it and seems determined to get better. She just lost a tooth tonight and was thrilled as it's her other front tooth and now she can whistle through them lol... now if I only had some money to put under her pillow!!! She has two more that are pretty loose, so she will be with out them soon as well I think. She has a revised birthday wish list if anyone is interested in that lol
Makenzie is about the same, just doing her thing. She spends a lot of time texting people and hanging out with her friends. She reads a lot and is not really into toys these days. She is becoming a pretty good helper around the house even puts dishes away from the dish washer now. She wants to help cook, but I'm not ready for that yet. She might get to do cheer leading for basketball this fall. We are looking into it.
Adam was going to make a trip to Ca for work for a class, but there is mix up with his company CC and now he is going to wait until next year to go. So, we will be just hanging out for Sept.
I have a job interview tomorrow, as a receptionist at a vet clinic. Wish me luck!! We are looking to ease some tension in finances for all of the kids extra activities!
Other than that, things are about the same lol
Hope to catch up with everyone soon
First, we made our trip to Texas to see my Aunt. It was great to see her and my Uncles. It was nice for the kids to really enjoy some time with that side of the family. The girls did so great on the drive and we made it in 18 hrs even with Alexandra getting sick half way through Georgia! After spending some time there, we realized we would be able to sneak in a trip to Tulsa since we were so close. Being a five hr drive, we headed up there and stayed with my other Aunt (Thanks Verna and Randy =) ) The girls loved this as Randy was a super hero and helped them capture some of the most ruthless villains in Jacquelines imagination!! We were also able to sneak in some swim time between thunderstorms! The girls love the water and are swimming quite well with there little swimmers. Jacqueline was not feeling well on our way home but did great and we made it home in about 19 hours.
The day we got home from our trip, we had the girls back to school and we had to meet their teachers. SO, we grabbed some naps and headed to school. We met the teachers and the girls were so excited about seeing their classes.
We rested over the weekend and the girls began classes on the 24th. They have been doing pretty well so far and are of course loving it. Jacqueline was sad that she is not old enough to begin school this year, so I am looking into getting her into some dance classes so she can make some new friends and get out of the house and away from mom for a little bit each week.
Alexandra can finally play all of Twinkle Twinkle little star on her violin. She is pretty excited about that. She is still taking her lessons every week and though it is a fight to get her to practice (too many other fun things to do after school) she loves it and seems determined to get better. She just lost a tooth tonight and was thrilled as it's her other front tooth and now she can whistle through them lol... now if I only had some money to put under her pillow!!! She has two more that are pretty loose, so she will be with out them soon as well I think. She has a revised birthday wish list if anyone is interested in that lol
Makenzie is about the same, just doing her thing. She spends a lot of time texting people and hanging out with her friends. She reads a lot and is not really into toys these days. She is becoming a pretty good helper around the house even puts dishes away from the dish washer now. She wants to help cook, but I'm not ready for that yet. She might get to do cheer leading for basketball this fall. We are looking into it.
Adam was going to make a trip to Ca for work for a class, but there is mix up with his company CC and now he is going to wait until next year to go. So, we will be just hanging out for Sept.
I have a job interview tomorrow, as a receptionist at a vet clinic. Wish me luck!! We are looking to ease some tension in finances for all of the kids extra activities!
Other than that, things are about the same lol
Hope to catch up with everyone soon
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
an unexpected trip
Well, we got a phone call this morning that my aunt Bert was in the hospitol after having a heart attack overnight. She is mostly stable but having trouble mainting a healthy blood preasure and keeping it in a safe range. After thinking about it for some time, I just have to say, I am sick to death of waiting for some one in my family to die to see them again-one last time. I don't have much family left and while we have not been close in the past, it's just rediculous that we only see eachother at a funeral! So, the girls and I are going to leave in the AM for a trip to Texas to see my aunt and cousin and uncles. We will be gone about a week and home before the kids start school on the 24th.
Please think of us as we make the 16 hr drive down there and home next week
Dana
Please think of us as we make the 16 hr drive down there and home next week
Dana
just us
Our Summer is drawing to a close soon with the girls return to school on the 24th. Our Summer was much more laid back than we had hoped it would be, however, this was not a bad thing all in all. We have started making some new friends and enjoying getting to know them. This Sat I am hosting the first girls night (no kiddies allowed) at my house. I am looking forward to it and I am expecting about 8 other women. So, it should be a great time. The girls are going to my moms and Adam and a couple of the other hubby's are going to the Monster Truck show at the Speedway. I am in school still even though I was going to take a break. I still have moments where I'm not sure if I can go on with it, but I am afraid if I take a leave, I'm not going to want to go back and then that will be bad!
So, whats going on here? Adam has been working some pretty long weeks at work. There was a guy with an injury and Adam had to pick up the slack. He has been working some pretty big projects and he seems to like that a lot. He has to go to SF in Sept for a training class, so he will be gone about a week for that. We just celebrated our 8th wedding anniv a couple of weeks ago and neither of us can believe we have been together over ten years. It just goes so fast~
Makenzie has spent her Summer hanging out with her BF. She's getting so big! It's so hard to see how mature she is getting so fast. She takes really good care of her sisters and is always up for something new. We just bought new school shoes for her and I'm afraid she has her mothers big feet! She is really looking forward to getting back to school and seeing who is in her class this year. BTW-school supplies have gotten out of control! I'm just sayin!
Alexandra has nearly finished learning to play twinkle little star on her Violin. She truly loves her violin and picks up the next level of song almost instantly. She has a birthday coming up the end of Sept. which feels both far away and right around corner! She wants to go to Chuck E Cheese, I'm so trying to get this changed to anywhere else. We go to CC all the time, but during the day, during the week, and not at birthday party prices! We will see, I'd much rather do something here at the house! Her list this year consists of Barbie and the Diamond castle- the castle, the dogs and the little kids... she has everything else for it. New barbie clothes and toys. A Nintendo DS, a scooter and..."everyone we know to be able to move here and see us"
Jacqueline informed me that for her birthday, she wants toys! But this could change since it's so far away lol. She is doing great. She is pretty sad that she can't go to school yet and did not get new clothes, shoes and supplies. I'm planning on getting her some work books she and I can do during the day's for "pre- school" here at the house. I have not began to plan their party yet, but I guess I need to do that so I can figure out what kind of a cake I'm going to be constructing this year!
So, whats going on here? Adam has been working some pretty long weeks at work. There was a guy with an injury and Adam had to pick up the slack. He has been working some pretty big projects and he seems to like that a lot. He has to go to SF in Sept for a training class, so he will be gone about a week for that. We just celebrated our 8th wedding anniv a couple of weeks ago and neither of us can believe we have been together over ten years. It just goes so fast~
Makenzie has spent her Summer hanging out with her BF. She's getting so big! It's so hard to see how mature she is getting so fast. She takes really good care of her sisters and is always up for something new. We just bought new school shoes for her and I'm afraid she has her mothers big feet! She is really looking forward to getting back to school and seeing who is in her class this year. BTW-school supplies have gotten out of control! I'm just sayin!
Alexandra has nearly finished learning to play twinkle little star on her Violin. She truly loves her violin and picks up the next level of song almost instantly. She has a birthday coming up the end of Sept. which feels both far away and right around corner! She wants to go to Chuck E Cheese, I'm so trying to get this changed to anywhere else. We go to CC all the time, but during the day, during the week, and not at birthday party prices! We will see, I'd much rather do something here at the house! Her list this year consists of Barbie and the Diamond castle- the castle, the dogs and the little kids... she has everything else for it. New barbie clothes and toys. A Nintendo DS, a scooter and..."everyone we know to be able to move here and see us"
Jacqueline informed me that for her birthday, she wants toys! But this could change since it's so far away lol. She is doing great. She is pretty sad that she can't go to school yet and did not get new clothes, shoes and supplies. I'm planning on getting her some work books she and I can do during the day's for "pre- school" here at the house. I have not began to plan their party yet, but I guess I need to do that so I can figure out what kind of a cake I'm going to be constructing this year!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Bad day
Okay,
so I'm having a bad day.. nothing special, just a good old fashioned, annoyed at the world, feeling sorry for myself- bad day!!! I don't need lectures on feeling better, or how life will work out, or how sunny and wonderful the world is... nope it's not, not today! Today it just sucks.. A LOT!!!
I miss my friends, plain and simple! I want to go to the movies with Sarah, hang out and have a drink with Heidi and see Jo do something crazy we will laugh about for weeks. You can't replace that or get it over.. I miss them, I miss how simple and fun my life was... and I MISS MY FRIENDS DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm pretty pissed about it today, I should be planning a bbq with my gals, getting ready to watch firewoks over my house tomorrow. Iv'e tried to make the best of it, Im trying hard to be okay with it, Im trying to find things we enjoy doing and trying really really hard to like it here! (and I do on most days!!) but today I can truly say- I WISHED WE HAD NEVER MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes-I yelled that!
***dont get me wrong, this has nothing to do with NC, its a lovly state, with tons of neat things to do and I am sure in time... it will be fine. (like when I move everyone out here to me =)..)***
Okay- Im done-for now!
so I'm having a bad day.. nothing special, just a good old fashioned, annoyed at the world, feeling sorry for myself- bad day!!! I don't need lectures on feeling better, or how life will work out, or how sunny and wonderful the world is... nope it's not, not today! Today it just sucks.. A LOT!!!
I miss my friends, plain and simple! I want to go to the movies with Sarah, hang out and have a drink with Heidi and see Jo do something crazy we will laugh about for weeks. You can't replace that or get it over.. I miss them, I miss how simple and fun my life was... and I MISS MY FRIENDS DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm pretty pissed about it today, I should be planning a bbq with my gals, getting ready to watch firewoks over my house tomorrow. Iv'e tried to make the best of it, Im trying hard to be okay with it, Im trying to find things we enjoy doing and trying really really hard to like it here! (and I do on most days!!) but today I can truly say- I WISHED WE HAD NEVER MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes-I yelled that!
***dont get me wrong, this has nothing to do with NC, its a lovly state, with tons of neat things to do and I am sure in time... it will be fine. (like when I move everyone out here to me =)..)***
Okay- Im done-for now!
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