Well, it's that time of year again...time to start thinking about school. I remember back-to-school shopping when I was younger. A part of me loved it (I got new stuff) and a part of me hated it (summer vacation was almost over).
Hubby and I used to talk about the joy of being able to send our kids off to school like our parents used to do and how we were sure our parents loved back-to-school shopping because it meant school was about to start (freedom from kids). This year, things are different. This year, I have to get ready for school long before my kids do. I've already purchased the text books, but I really need to start figuring out what I'm going to teach when.
It brings me back to my time in school. I really want to procrastinate, but I know that if I do, I will not do as good of a job. I guess it's finally time to suck it up and get cracking... in a couple days.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Extended Stay
Right after we got back to Virginia, my daughter ended up with a recurrence of a non-contagious infection. Her pediatrician has decided that because of the recent frequency of this particular infection, that they would like to run some tests once she has completed her current round of antibiotics to figure out what could be causing it.
Considering the antibiotic will not be completed till next Saturday, we've decided to stay in Virginia a little longer than we'd originally planned. That way we can get the tests run now, rather than once we settle down somewhere else (very important since we want to make sure we prevent possible permanent damage).
A part of me is a bit bummed because there's a chance that some of the things we were hoping to be able to do on our way to Ohio may not happen now. The other part of me is happy that I will have more time to visit with friends and family. Oh, and maybe hubby and I will be able to fit in an extra date night too :-)
Considering the antibiotic will not be completed till next Saturday, we've decided to stay in Virginia a little longer than we'd originally planned. That way we can get the tests run now, rather than once we settle down somewhere else (very important since we want to make sure we prevent possible permanent damage).
A part of me is a bit bummed because there's a chance that some of the things we were hoping to be able to do on our way to Ohio may not happen now. The other part of me is happy that I will have more time to visit with friends and family. Oh, and maybe hubby and I will be able to fit in an extra date night too :-)
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Going Out of My Way
I have never been a fan of the dentist. I've never had a root canal and I've not had that many fillings either, but it seems like every time I go to the dentist for my cleaning I end up with a TMJ-induced headache and canker sores a couple days later.
Hubby doesn't like the dentist either. In fact, it's safe to say he HATES the dentist and he has every reason to (lets just say he had a bad experience as a teenager and leave it at that). Anyway, the dentist I had when I was in braces has an office near where I used to work. When I stopped working, I used a dentists more local to our house and regretted it. I then decided, the drive was worth it.
Today, I had a dentist appointment around lunch. Being that the dentist's office was 30 miles away, I knew it would take a while, but last night I received an email from a friend (thanks Jennifer) letting me know that there was a big celebration that would have traffic on my normal route a bit backed up so I found a longer route that would completely avoid the area in question.
I pulled up to the dentist with two minutes to spare. Good thing, because I parked way across the parking lot so that I could park in the shade. You see today is supposed to get close to 100. I am a firm believer in going out of my way and parking far away from the store/ doctor/ dentist if it means parking in the shade (especially if you know you are going to be inside for more than 5 minutes). It was SO worth it, because when I got back to the car almost an hour later, it didn't feel that bad.
The thing that gets me, is that people give me a look when I park way out in the parking lots. It's like they think I'm crazy for passing up the parking space that is closer to the store. Yeah, I walk outside in the heat longer, but I will be getting into a car that feels like it's in the 80's rather than the 100's. Which of us is smarter? Hmmmm....
Hubby doesn't like the dentist either. In fact, it's safe to say he HATES the dentist and he has every reason to (lets just say he had a bad experience as a teenager and leave it at that). Anyway, the dentist I had when I was in braces has an office near where I used to work. When I stopped working, I used a dentists more local to our house and regretted it. I then decided, the drive was worth it.
Today, I had a dentist appointment around lunch. Being that the dentist's office was 30 miles away, I knew it would take a while, but last night I received an email from a friend (thanks Jennifer) letting me know that there was a big celebration that would have traffic on my normal route a bit backed up so I found a longer route that would completely avoid the area in question.
I pulled up to the dentist with two minutes to spare. Good thing, because I parked way across the parking lot so that I could park in the shade. You see today is supposed to get close to 100. I am a firm believer in going out of my way and parking far away from the store/ doctor/ dentist if it means parking in the shade (especially if you know you are going to be inside for more than 5 minutes). It was SO worth it, because when I got back to the car almost an hour later, it didn't feel that bad.
The thing that gets me, is that people give me a look when I park way out in the parking lots. It's like they think I'm crazy for passing up the parking space that is closer to the store. Yeah, I walk outside in the heat longer, but I will be getting into a car that feels like it's in the 80's rather than the 100's. Which of us is smarter? Hmmmm....
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Grandma Would be Proud
Today I finished my first pair of knit socks. Until the last couple of years of her life, my grandmother knit socks for all her kids and grand-kids, as well as many of her nieces and nephews each and every year.
About a year before my grandmother passed away, she came to Virginia to visit with my parents (and by the fact that I lived 6 minutes away my family as well). While she was visiting, I made a point to have her teach me how to knit. Granted, her eye sight wasn't what is used to be, nor was her manual dexterity what it used to be. But she showed me a few basics and she made sure that I had all of her patterns (including the pattern she used for the socks she made for Christmas presents).
Since that day, I have had a few friends give me some pointers and I've also found a website that has some videos I've been able to watch, but I owe my knitting to my grandmother. I wanted to carry on the tradition of knitting socks for my family at Christmas. In fact, I was going to make my first pair of socks for her, but she passed away before I was able to make them. Instead, the first pair of socks I made are for my nephew (due in mid-Sept). I did not use my grandmother's pattern (I wanted something a little more "baby"), but I'm planning on working on some of those for my kids next.
About a year before my grandmother passed away, she came to Virginia to visit with my parents (and by the fact that I lived 6 minutes away my family as well). While she was visiting, I made a point to have her teach me how to knit. Granted, her eye sight wasn't what is used to be, nor was her manual dexterity what it used to be. But she showed me a few basics and she made sure that I had all of her patterns (including the pattern she used for the socks she made for Christmas presents).
Since that day, I have had a few friends give me some pointers and I've also found a website that has some videos I've been able to watch, but I owe my knitting to my grandmother. I wanted to carry on the tradition of knitting socks for my family at Christmas. In fact, I was going to make my first pair of socks for her, but she passed away before I was able to make them. Instead, the first pair of socks I made are for my nephew (due in mid-Sept). I did not use my grandmother's pattern (I wanted something a little more "baby"), but I'm planning on working on some of those for my kids next.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
So Close, Yet So Far Away
Well, yesterday we traveled 418 miles. We had every intention of going the full 501 miles, but it was not meant to be. We left SC at 10:30 and were making good time, till we got just South of Richmond, VA. It would appear that VDOT was working on repaving part of I-95 N and only one lane of traffic was open. I'm not sure what they were thinking (or smoking) because it was 4:30 on a Saturday in the summer!
Anyway, from what we could tell with Google maps, traffic was backed up for about 3 - 5 miles, so we found the first exit that could accommodate our truck and camper and stopped for dinner, gas, and to see if traffic would clear any. Well, an hour later it hadn't, so out came Google maps again and we ended up finding an alternate route.
Part of the time we were paralleling 95 so we were able to see the traffic that was stuck. We saw 2 tractor trailers that had passed us earlier in our trip stuck in that backup. I'm guessing they had stopped at the same truck stop we did, but then got back on I-95 after their stop (at least I hope for their sake that they weren't stuck there that whole time).
Needless to say, the delay made it so that rather than pull into my parent's driveway at 8PM we were just clearing Richmond at 8PM. Rather than take our chances with murderous deer after dark, we decided to stop for the night. This morning we are 83 miles away from my parent's house (and about 2 hours when driving the camper).
The natives are restless to get to our ultimate destination, so I'm guessing we'll be on the road soon. Maybe we'll be at my parent's in time to greet them when they get home from church... provided of course that VDOT isn't doing any more construction today.
Anyway, from what we could tell with Google maps, traffic was backed up for about 3 - 5 miles, so we found the first exit that could accommodate our truck and camper and stopped for dinner, gas, and to see if traffic would clear any. Well, an hour later it hadn't, so out came Google maps again and we ended up finding an alternate route.
Part of the time we were paralleling 95 so we were able to see the traffic that was stuck. We saw 2 tractor trailers that had passed us earlier in our trip stuck in that backup. I'm guessing they had stopped at the same truck stop we did, but then got back on I-95 after their stop (at least I hope for their sake that they weren't stuck there that whole time).
Needless to say, the delay made it so that rather than pull into my parent's driveway at 8PM we were just clearing Richmond at 8PM. Rather than take our chances with murderous deer after dark, we decided to stop for the night. This morning we are 83 miles away from my parent's house (and about 2 hours when driving the camper).
The natives are restless to get to our ultimate destination, so I'm guessing we'll be on the road soon. Maybe we'll be at my parent's in time to greet them when they get home from church... provided of course that VDOT isn't doing any more construction today.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Get Up, Get Up, You Sleepy Head
My daughter has been on an antibiotic for almost a week now. As prescribed, I'm supposed to give her a dose every 8 hours. Considering she sleeps for 11 hours and I like to sleep for as many hours straight as possible, getting that done exactly as prescribed has been a bit difficult. What I've been doing is sneaking into her room right as I'm about to go to bed and give her a dose then.
To date, she has not remembered one single night dose. That's because I can't actually get her to wake up. I talk to her, I shake her, I flip her over and she STILL doesn't wake up (I will be discussing that with her pediatrician in a week). Good news... I have been getting her to take the meds. though. As soon as I stick the syringe in her mouth she starts sucking on it like she was an infant nursing as she fell asleep.
I've heard about smoke detectors where a parent records their voice telling the child to get up. I guess the theory is that the child will wake more easily to a parent's voice than to a blaring beep. Considering how well I can wake my daughter up, I'm thinking one of those would not work for us. I just pray I never have opportunity to find out if the standard smoke detector will wake her or not.
To date, she has not remembered one single night dose. That's because I can't actually get her to wake up. I talk to her, I shake her, I flip her over and she STILL doesn't wake up (I will be discussing that with her pediatrician in a week). Good news... I have been getting her to take the meds. though. As soon as I stick the syringe in her mouth she starts sucking on it like she was an infant nursing as she fell asleep.
I've heard about smoke detectors where a parent records their voice telling the child to get up. I guess the theory is that the child will wake more easily to a parent's voice than to a blaring beep. Considering how well I can wake my daughter up, I'm thinking one of those would not work for us. I just pray I never have opportunity to find out if the standard smoke detector will wake her or not.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Preparations
Well, the bitter-sweet preparations have begun for us to pack up and leave the Manatee Hammock. I am happy to be heading North to see family and friends, but we have spent 7 weeks of our 12 weeks camping thus far, here. We've seen dolphins, manatees, and alligators in the wild here, Jason learned to swim without a life jacket, we saw 2 shuttle launches, 1 rocket launch, and hopefully a night rocket launch tonight while here. We've also gotten to know the area and the people who work at the campground.
We have every intention of coming back here again some time. This campground is a good location for getting to Cocoa Beach and we both have the surfing bug (unfortunately the weather the last 3 weeks has not cooperated even a little for that to happen again).
It's really sad to think how different things could be when we return. I was talking to one of the staff the other night and there are predictions that because of the shuttle program shutting down, they think unemployment in the area in 6 months will be 28%. The county parks department (that he works for) just laid off 14 workers. I really hope for the sake of the people in this area that NASA and government officials can get their act together and figure out the next goal that needs to be achieved, or this area is going to be hurting in a big way and very soon.
We have every intention of coming back here again some time. This campground is a good location for getting to Cocoa Beach and we both have the surfing bug (unfortunately the weather the last 3 weeks has not cooperated even a little for that to happen again).
It's really sad to think how different things could be when we return. I was talking to one of the staff the other night and there are predictions that because of the shuttle program shutting down, they think unemployment in the area in 6 months will be 28%. The county parks department (that he works for) just laid off 14 workers. I really hope for the sake of the people in this area that NASA and government officials can get their act together and figure out the next goal that needs to be achieved, or this area is going to be hurting in a big way and very soon.
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