Snow Day #6

I told everyone that I believed there would be no school on Thursday (due to the snow coming down) and that there would be no school on Friday (because of the ice from the previous day's snow). I was right and I had three kids home going stir crazy. Also, way too cold for them to stay out for long. So I went out and shoveled my driveway and sidewalk (we are fortunate that if I shovel, the sun will melt and dry the driveway and sidewalk for me). My oldest and youngest came out and helped for a little while, but the ice and heavy snow were too much for them, they went out back and played in the snow. The middle girl ran around in the snow until she got cold.

After that, I took the girls to Burger King to play in their playland. We stayed there for 4 hours. My friend brought her three and they just played and played and played. They were so exhausted.

While there I finished my Thanks Dishcloth. It turned out really nice, but it is very difficult to see the pattern in the cloth, but it is very nice. It was designed and shared by Enid Danforth. Here is a link: http://knittingmemories.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html She is very talented. She has the Cat in the Hat dishcloth, French Horn, etc. Check her out.

When we got home, my husband and I cooked supper for our children and each other. My oldest has been requesting that I make doughnuts. She really likes my mom's yeast doughnuts, that I have made them. Here is a link to where I have shared the recipe http://marysharingspace.blogspot.com/2009/03/recipes.html. They are very easy to make and lots of fun for the girl's. After you finish cooking them, you put them in a paper bag with powdered sugar and shake them.

After, the doughnuts were finished, I was finally able to finish the hat for my youngest daughter. She was so happy to have her hat, that she sat around wearing it for about an hour. She loved it!! My children are so very knit worthy!!!

I have many people that I deem knitworthy. My mother-in-law and one sister-in-law are knitworthy or just plain craft-worthy. Everything I make they use and show off. They brag about the things I have made them. My one sister is knitworthy...she loves dishcloths. She brags to everyone about her special dishcloths. My husband and children are knitworthy. They wear everything I make them and tell everyone, in the case of the children, their mommy made it for them!

Time to get back to work.

Snow Day #5

Yes, we have our fifth snow day today. Not much snow on the ground (at 9:30 a.m.) but it is supposed to get worse. Also, there is a nice layer of ice under the little bit of snow. So I am trying to get the children to do their homework (teacher and mom assigned) and be silent so that my husband can rest. Not working out very well. I am also in the process of making lots and lots and lots of bacon (one daughter can eat 1 package by herself). I will be sending them out to the hill in the back to work out some energy. Right now, one is playing a computer game, the others are looking over her shoulder. The other will be set up here soon (math) and the third will be given written papers to work on.

Last night, I finished another hat for my middle daughter and started a third hat. I also finished another dish cloth (not very exciting just a border of knit stitches while there is knit and purl in the center to make a flat area. I was showing my friend what she would be working on next. She is learning to knit. She made the mistake of saying to me one day, I just don't have time to knit...I cast on for her, taught her the knit stitch and gave her the yarn and needles and let her go. Now every time we are sitting at McDonald's she is knitting with me! So when anyone says I want to learn, I tell them to bring needles and yarn to McDonald's and I'll teach them.

Right now, I have to get off the computer....it is being requested. Math time...fun, fun, fun!

So Very Busy

I began work yesterday on a hat for my oldest daughter. Silly me, I did the one thing I know better than to do...I didn't have enough of the same colorway on one of the skeins of yarn. I ran out and the hat was not finished. So I took the children and went to the store to get another skein. Fortunately there was one more skein that colorway and that dye lot. I was able to finish her hat this morning. She loves the hat. She wore it when we went out and put it away when we got home. It is similar to two other hats that I made for her when she was in Kindergarten. My youngest wants a hat similar to this hat, just in pinks. My middle daughter doesn't want a hat that looks like it. So I am going to be very busy making hats for the girls over this week.

My daughter's also had their photo sessions this past Saturday. I was able to get two of them individually and their team photos. I promised the mom of one of the girl's that I would print a copy of the team photo for her, because her mother didn't want to buy any more photos of her daughter. I can understand that. But I also like to have these photos because one day the girls can look back and remember that their mom made them play basketball. At least, at first, I made them play, now they love it and ask to play.

Have a good week all.

I am Voting Yes

I found out this week that there will be a new Levy put on the Spring Ballot. This is to keep 60-90 teachers on payroll for the Lebanon, OH school district. I am voting yes.

My reasons:
1. We have some of the best teachers around. They have Masters Degrees or are working on Masters Degrees.
2. They put a lot of themselves into teaching our children. Many of the teachers buy a lot of things with their own money for their classrooms for the children to use to help in their learning "centers."
3. The kindergarten class has 375 students, the 1st grade class has 425 students, the 2nd grade class has 400 (these are approximate numbers because there has been a lot of moving going on -into and out of the district). Each classroom has 25-30 students to one teacher. If they let go of 60-90 teachers that number WILL increase!
4. The teachers agreed to a pay freeze (they did not get a pay raise). They are paying more for their benefits (just like many other people). Teachers with a Masters Degree are making about $50,000 to $60,000 for a year of work (yes I know it is really 9 months of the year, but it is still for a year). They work more hours in a day than 8 hours....think of all the prep they do for their classes daily.

If they are willing to let go of 60-90 teachers, how many bus drivers are they letting go also? How many secretaries (at the kindergarten we have one secretary and she is phenomenal and the 1st and 2nd grade secretaries are also wonderful) are they going to cut loose? How many administrators?

The biggest threat to our school district is from a district that has people who are not willing to pay for their children's education! They refused to approve levies many times and now they are looking at the closing of their school! Their children are going to be shipped into neighboring school districts and I don't want to pay for their children! If they don't want to pay, why should I pay for their children! I am more than willing to pay for my children! I am willing to give up something so that I can have a quality education for my children! So I will vote yes on the next levy and I hope that others are willing to do so as well. These teachers are very important to our school.

So before voting, pray and consider what is best for the children in your school district. Also, be willing to fight for what you believe in. I believe in education, if I didn't, I wouldn't work so hard with my children at home!

Snow Day #4

More snow overnight...slushy roads turned to ice....I71 North shut down in many areas...school closed! Yesterday, my children would go out, get cold and wet and come in and change out of the wet stuff. Then they would get warm and then back out they would go. I still laundry left over from yesterday. Today, I am back to laundry and the piles are all over the floor and the kids want to go out and play outside some more. All I want is to get caught up! They don't understand the work I am doing trying to get the laundry finished. So now there are more wet clothes left lying everywhere and I won't have any hot water.

Snow Day #3

So much has been happening over last few days. My In-laws celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on Friday, Jan 7! Many happy returns of the day. I asked that we be allowed to celebrate the day with them...We (my husband and I) would bring in the food (we bought salad makings from Krogers, veggie tray and cheese tray and Hamburgers from 5 Guys Burgers and Fries). My sisters-in-law would get the ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. We visited with them, helped them with some things and then cleaned up (with my sisters-in-law). We also celebrated my aunt and uncle's 56th Anniversay on Jan 8th and my parent's 45th Anniversary on Jan 8th. The girls 1st basketball game of the season was also on Saturday, Jan 8th. Nicole did better this year and I think had more fun. Hannah made a basket after stealing the ball from another player (on the other team). Esther stole the ball, but she said frequently, "I'm over here!" to get the other player's (that she was to guard and was to guard her) attention.

Sunday, I took the girls to a place called EnterTrainment Junction. This place has a train museum, model trains set up showing different scenes of railroading. They also have a large play area where kids can climb and play and explore. My girls had so much fun. We got a season pass called a "1st class boarding pass."

I discovered on Sunday, that a website that I go to often enough, called www.goodreads.com, is encouraging reading by having people choose how many books they can read in one year. Then it keeps a tally of how many you have read to date. I guess you could say I am cheating....but then I am reading the books. The books in question are the books my children are reading. As a result I am reading a lot of books in the Magic Tree House Series, the Junie B. Jones series and Level C readers. All of these are very fast reads and if I get close to my goal, I may have to change it! If you like to read, go to goodreads and join the challenge.

I took my youngest to McDonald's so she could have a playdate with her friends. She loves her McD's Mondays as we have come to call them. She eats lunch with her friends and the adults get to visit and have a good time together. We let the kids run and play and we all watch them. Our group seems to be growing and we need a whole section of the playland just for our group.

I finished some more dishcloths. I just keep working on them whenever I can, but these last few days just were not a time to work on them. I did get some work on one while at basketball games and driving to in-laws to celebrate.

Now for today, the third snow day of the school year. The girls loved it. I took them to Big Boy's for breakfast and then to Walmart (didn't want to go any farther) to get a new sled for the great outdoors and a new coat for my middle daughter. She has already outgrown her new coat that I just bought in October 2010. We slid into Walmart, fishtailing and praying. Thank God, we were safe and no one was following close behind us and there weren't that many people in there shopping.

The girls have been outside sled riding, throwing snowballs, attempting to build a snowman and making snow angels. They had so much fun. Now to the laundry I go. Have a safe day and enjoy the snow!

I don't want my children to be happy.

I read this blog today (you can click on my title and it will take you to the post)and I have agree, I don't want my children to be happy. Content, yes. Holy, yes. Self-sufficient, yes. Good people, yes. Happiness doesn't come from someone giving you everything. Happiness comes from contentment. I know that I had to pay my own way through college. It was hard to pay for everything and sometimes, my parents would help me, when they could afford to, but it was my responsibility to pay my own way. My younger sister had to earn her own way through college and she appreciates her education, also. My younger brother had to pay his own way. My youngest sister, being so much younger than the rest of us, had hers paid for. She had earned some scholarships, but she didn't have to work her way through college, like I did. Putting off certain classes because I didn't have the money or the job wouldn't adjust so I could take it. It took me 7 years to get a BA in Literature and a BS in Archaeology. I want my children to work for their education and I encourage them to study now so they can get the good grades that will help them get the scholarships. I will help them pay for school where ever I can...they need to remember that they will all be in college together for 2 years! But they will be able to work and they will be able to get an education, but they will have to work for it.

Happy New Year

It is 2011! It is the time where many people make a resolution to do something differently than in previous years. I think my resolution is not to try and make so many gifts for Christmas I stress myself out. I will make many, many dishcloths. They are quick. They are easy. I can work on a plain ones when I am somewhere that doesn't allow for me to work on patterned ones. I will work on patterned ones when I am alone. I resolve to learn how to make socks. I have tried and tried, but have not succeeded in getting past the heel. This year, I will get past the heel (even if I have to take a class). I will finish a few afghans (for next Christmas). They aren't hard, just time consuming and large. I have several in various stages of completion, so I will just complete them. I will finish the clown and the penguin. I can give them to my niece when I see her next (along with a few Barbies). I will learn how to make gloves and mittens. I want my children to have warm hands and feet. I will make their hats and scarves over the summer (same as always and I already have their yarn). So to all my friends who read this blog...Happy New Year. If you are inclined to make a resolution, make it something achievable. Seriously, this is going to be a successful year!