My busy life

Just a quick update here on my blog, cause I haven't had a chance to post lately. I'm SOOO busy...I know I have said that over and over on here, but really, I function better like that!!! Keeps my mind off certain things...if you know what I mean!
But, I think I have almost bit off more than I can chew...but I'm not backing down...I decided at the end of last semester that I could handle 3 classes...FORgetting, that at the beginning of the last semester, I thought the same thing with 2 classes... :-)
So, I took 2 classes online and 1 class on campus, which has class 2 times per week.
needless to say, with church, church activities, both kids are in basketball, class 2 nights per week, working 5 days a week, mommy stuff (laundry, house, supper, etc) I am worn to a frazzle most of the time. I know there are friends who think I have abandoned them...LOL, I haven't...just don't have time! Do I plan on slowing down? No...not a chance!!!!!
So for my online classes, I'm taking English Comp and Computer Science...which usually have assignments due every day of the week. And on campus I'm taking my Algebra that I am so happy I am conquering!
I do have a dream. I hope that in about 4 years, I can look back and see that I have reached my goal. I want to be a FNP by 2013; or at least very close. That is if all goes as planned...but you know how that goes when you try to plan your life. I tried that once...that didn't work...so just gonna have a goal to work toward and we will see how it comes along. Hey, everyone has to have something to work toward,right???
Morgan and Lukas are great...they are such strong children...I have never been any prouder than I am of them at this point in their life. They pull their share at home, they are trusting in God, and I am just soooo proud of them. They are only seeing their father about once every 2 weeks at this point, and I think it is better this way...keeps them less upset...
Well, better run, got lots of homework to do!!

Smart as a 6th grader

So, we are sitting in the cafeteria and a child comes by and tells us of the boys making fun of the bulletin board...see if you are smart as a 6th grader...




you just gotta love those boys!!!!!!! LOL

BUSY Life!

I am soooo busy...actually, that word wont even describe how busy...
so, I started back to school at my job and then on top of that, I am taking 2 college classes at night to begin working on my RN. I had wanted to do that for a long time, but it seems now, the time is right...so actually, I am excited about that, but I really think 2 at this time of the year was more than I could chew... that explains why I haven't posted alot in the past month! Morgan is in volleyball, in a starting position sometimes and I try to go watch her games on Thurs nights.., and of course she has practice every other night...then Lukas has his football games on Monday and practice every other night except Wednesday and Friday...Then I have class on Tues and Fri nights...and church on Wed. so that is my work week schedule...and then...Sunday is church....Saturday is usually filled with kids plans or my plans of fun...

I am taking 2 classes at night...one is in Morristown and one in Greeneville. I actually love getting to meet new people and of course I love school anyway, so just studying and attending is wonderful for me...I would truly be a student for life if I could afford it!!!! LOL As Morgan says, Momma likes to "know it ALL"...LOL The first class is Intro to Speech...I have no problem talking in front of people, so this class is actually a breeze...I teach Sunday School, I teach First Aid/CPR, I teach at my day job usually every week...so I love this class...
The next class is a developmental class! UGH! Algebra!!!!! I hated math in school, and never tried to learn it! not that I would have remembered any of it 20 years later! LOL I have spent the last 2 weeks just reviewing myself over all those math things you never use...not fun!!! But the teacher is good and I like her...we actually had a test yesterday and I am hoping for an A!
I expect nothing but A's...I know that sounds weird, but I have a confidence now that I didn't have in my earlier years...I know I can do it...When I graduated high school, I used to think I never would make it thru algebra...but unfortunately for me, I wasn't pushed by the right people and I settled for less...so now it is my turn! My turn to get the degree I always wanted! When I went to LPN school, I graduated with a 3.97 GPA...I don't want to settle for that this time...I want a 4.0...Sorry, that's just my goal...
Okay, so gotta run, Lukas coming home, gotta go get Morgan from practice, let her change clothes and it is off to church.

My children on first day of school...

Here is Morgan on the first day of school at RMS...going into 8th grade....And Lukas going into 4th grade at HES...he's really enthused....

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

I got the privilege of hearing the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra today...went to the Niswonger Performing Arts Center with our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders...It only lasted an hour and being that classical music isn't my favorite, I didn't want it to last longer...BUT I love to try everything once and I totally enjoyed the hour of music... We got to hear the different cell phone rings original pieces and where they come from...we also heard a Concerto Cell Phone Ring which was a combination of different cell phone rings all in the same piece of music...here is a link to the blog... http://knoxvillesymphony.blogspot.com/ if you would be interested in reading about them...kinda cool...It was very pristine to see them all dressed in black and some white and all the shiny instruments with the stage lights bouncing off them...wanted to get up there with my camera for some closeups to capture the mood...

Then..., I got asked to go to 4-H camp next week for 3 days and even take my kids...so i am considering doing that...If they can find a replacement for me here at school while I am away...so Ia m not sure...will just have to see how plans turn out...I LOVE SCHOOL...:)

My Fall Field Trip...

I did go on a field trip the other day with the 4th and 5th graders...It was to a Civil War re-enactment...Beautiful day and I saw this photo op and decided to shoot. I thought it was pretty...kinda made me wish I was a maiden about to be swept off my feet....trouble is, it would probably take all these horses to do it!!!! HA!!!!!

Cifford, the Big Red Dog

Guess who this is???!!! Guess who had a blast???

School Started...

Well, back to the old routine....it consists of...

Finally getting back in a routine
Early alarm clocks (four goes off in our house each morning)
Football practice
Volleyball practice
Lukas shower each night
Morgan shower each morning
Cook supper or not???
Homework
Sign Homework folders
Get snacks for the day each morning
Spelling words
Math facts
State Capitals
Lunch money
Read AR books!
New friends, old faces
New schedules
Tired all the time
Rushed weekends!

Last week!!!!

This is the last week of school and I can't wait till tomorrow, cuzI will get to sleep late!!!!!!
FYI, I am gonna be working at the nursing home this summer...only about 30 hours a week....yahoo!!!!! I just can't believe that summer is actually cut down to two months these days...I mean, when I was in school, we got three months...then two and 1/2...now, just two months!!!!! I hate that for my kids. By the time we get camp and VBS out of the way, and then our vacation, that only leaves 5 weeks till school starts!!!!! ARG!!! I don't like that!!!!!
Morgan's teacher sent home a workbook from Social Studies and asked that the students complete it the last two weeks of summer...Morgan asked what if they didn't? And the teacher siad they would be behind in 7th grade! I was so mad!! NO, absolutely NOT!!! The school system is not going to take up part of her summer also with work!!!!!!! So what if she is behind! I mean, she is a straight A student!!!!! Who cares!!!!??????
I did get to attend both Morgan and Lukas' end of year programs and will post some pictures later...

2nd Grade Field Trip...

I went on a field trip with the second grade last week, cause my little diabetic girl has to have someone with her all the time...we went to the Doak Museum. We ended up having a great time...First, they did marble painting...cool technique! In this the two pictures below, they threw out 100 marbles between the fence line and she let them go marble hunting...Of course, you can see that some of the boys got kinda rowdy trying to get the most marbles!


By the way, I am posting these pictures, cause no child's face is visible to identify, so therefore, it isn't against any rules, right??!
Okay, they also got to make marbles out of clay...well, this little guy decides to scuplture his own "thing" while the instructor was talking...we were cracking up, the parents and teachers, cause, bless his heart, he had no idea!!! Really, he had no idea! It was funny!

A day in the life of a school nurse

For sake of an update, I did get my job at Baileyton Elementary as the school nurse. I really like it and wanted to give you a blow by blow account…
8:00am…I am greeted at my office by an 8th grader who states she was combing her hair this morning and heard a pop in her neck. Basically, there is nothing I can do here, but give her advice…
8:05am…A little cute freckled faced, red haired 2nd grader steps into my office complaining of a stomach ache… She does this quite frequently and it almost seems as if she is wanting to smile. I am not sure if it is attention she is wanting, but I check her temperature and it is fine…after a little conversation, she goes back to class…for the record, I see her in an hour and she is playing and jumping around…
8:30am…A young man (8th grader) comes into my office and states he has got a splinter under his fingernail and wants me to help him get it out…we work on it and succeed without any blood…he does look at my daughter’s picture on my door and asked about her and states, wow, she is pretty…Does he want me to break his nose????
Nothing exciting happens in the next hour or so…I do make a trip to the office to copy an emergency card…I have to have a copy of all 370 students in my office… I also check immunization records on two new transfer students, putting a red stamp check mark on their permanent record to confirm I have checked it and they are up to date.
11:00am Meet Julia…she is a little2nd grade diabetic, who I am principally here for. She is on an insulin pump and I have to check her blood sugar before meals and then administer a bolus of insulin after meals. Today, she is high, so we go off to the bathroom to check ketones in her urine. None, so we are fine…Off to lunch she goes. I usually make my way to the cafeteria sometime while she is eating. I glance at her plate to see what she has and then either help the teacher on lunch duty roll around the garbage cans, or wipe off tables… I can’t stand just to sit and not do anything!!! After Julia finishes, we figure her carbs and she puts in the bolus amount into her pump. I then decide to eat. Today we had soup beans and cornbread…their beans are very good…it was that or fish sandwich or corn dog nuggets….They usually have a pretty good lunch and if they don’t they have a very good salad bar.
12:00noon I have 2 children that I administer daily medication to. Both of these meds are for ADD. I usually catch one child in gym and the other in the library.
12:30pm Most of the classes are out on the playground at some point between now and 3 pm. So I usually get several abrasions, cuts, and scratches…at the beginning of the year, we were getting several yellow jacket stings…but that seems to have passed.
1:00 I sit down and work some on a newsletter I am getting prepared to send out to parents. Just introducing myself to the parents, reminded them about medication policy, wrote a little article about the importance of breakfast, handwashing, and one about lice. In one particular week, I had to send 3 kids home with live bugs in their head!
1:30 pm It is time for the little diabetic girl to come up and get her afternoon snack bolus of insulin… she is very rambunctious and everyone in the library knows she has arrived when she does.
1:40pm I spend the rest of the day just piddling aroudn... not really doing much...I know several children have gotten sick with the stomach bug, so I take the sanitation wipes down with me and wipe off the banister on the steps, doorknobs, etc. I got the stomach bug, but that is a whole other story...
3:00 I get my things and go home to wait on Lukas getting off the bus. Not a bad day at all.

Smarty pants...

Morgan takes after her Mommy...and as much as I hate to say it, her Daddy...LOL
She comes home today from school telling me that her teacher tells her her STAR score...which is the Accelerated reading program that they participate in beginning in Kindergarten. They read and take tests moving up by grade levels in reading...Morgan's score as of the beginning of 4th Grade...was the highest in the class...7.7!!!!!! I was soooo proud!!!!! I asked her if her teacher told her what that means...she says "yeah, that is almost an 8th grade level..."
I am just soo proud...