2006 October Archive at Jenny On the Spot

Monthly Archive for October, 2006

Still Scrappin’

Rockin’ out to 80’s music, a little disco, 3 bottles of Perrier down, one latte, 3 pages done, many digital pics organized, lots of laughter…

Katie and I were joined by my friend Sara for our “long run” this morning. We needed to get in 9 miles, but with the breakfast schedule and lack of light, we could only manage 6.

I was able to get in 9.5 over this past week, a swim and 2 weights classes. That’s cool :)

I haven’t talked to my guy today… It’s a bit strange, I have wireless internet access, but nearly no cell reception. Thanks honey for giving me this time - hope the kids are’nt being too ornery :)

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 28, 2006

in Artsy Fartsy, General and Jenny Jen-Jen

. 1 Comment

Feelin’ a little scrappy…

Blessed lil ‘ol me is taking a couple of nights away at a scrapbook retreat - the bonus is I am scootin’ in on some wireless thing. So… I get to blog if I wanna.

I have my computer with me because I’m trying to back-up all my iPhoto pics. I am so unorganized, I need to tend to that before I begin scrapping. Maybe, just maybe I’ll get to be a little creative later on. But right now, I am a little distracted by having this wireless connection!

How do I feel right this moment - blessed. I get a little break from the kids, am surrounded by most of my precious girlfriends (ON my actual birthday), chocolate, a couple of days of photo organization, a chance to visit with my creative-self, and even a bit of time to write.

AND I have been given some really sweet gifts. I even got one of each of these. Just call me “Cupcake” from now on :)

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 27, 2006

in General and Jenny Jen-Jen

. 1 Comment

17 Again

OK, so tomorrow, I will be 17 times 2. 17 years past 17. For those who don’t get the math - old. Mid 30’s, not early thirties. A thirty-something…

My mind has grown past age 17, and my body most certainly has… how is it that I am perpetually 17 when it comes to zits? I don’t use Aqua Net anymore and I don’t drink “Thirsty-Two Ouncers” of soda from the Quik Trip on the corner anymore either. Certainly such life changes have set me free from such affliction???!!!

I tell my kids not to say “stupid”, but golly-gosh-darn-it-to-death - this is like, totally stupid… like, gag me with a chainsaw… stupid.

Stu. Pid.

stupidstupidstupid

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 26, 2006

in General and Jenny Jen-Jen

. 5 Comments

Look what I found….

Thyme on my hands!

(No thyme was harmed in the making of this photo. However…. some thyme was wasted :)

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 25, 2006

in General and Waxing Philosophical

. 1 Comment

Homeschooling and the School…

I have been taking Joel to our local elementary school 4 days a week. He has been going to get some extra help as a result of evaluations conducted at the end of kindergarten last spring.

When I met with the specialist at the beginning of this school year, I was very discouraged because I didn’t feel Joel needed as much help as was prescribed. I was encouraged to enroll Joel full-time, or at least for half-day because the learning plan developed for him prescribed over 2 hours of daily help.

We opted for a half-hour of reading, 4 days a week, with an additional half-hour of speech and 40 minutes of occupational therapy. It has been time consuming to keep to that time commitment. The 30 minutes actually take and hour of our school time. Though the time commitment has been challenging, I have been very appreciative that the specialists have been so willing to help this family who is daring to do their own thing…

Today was a marker day. He had been given 2 brief assesments earlier this month - both showed he was above the first-grade benchmarks for this time of year… Today his reading specialist said that she thought we could start meeting less - maybe not even at all by the end of the year. Apparently, he is almost reading at the second grade level :) I knew he was doing very well, but even better than I suspected.

He is so hungry and ready to learn. He is so inquisitive. And bless his heart - he loves homeschooling. He can’t wait for the experiments to start in science. He whizzed through his first language arts packet - passing the packet test after completing only half the packet!

The reading specialist said he is such a sponge. She is amazed at his ability to learn - once he gets it - he gets it. Period. Where homeschooling really benefits him, is we can get that extra focus time (one-on-one or just added review tailored for him) he’ll lock it in.

This is a really exciting time for us. I just see the light bulbs going on. Academically… spiritually. We have been having the most meaningful conversations about God, life… Oh, and that memory… it is impressive how quickly he memorizes his verses for AWANA. Some kids need to be prodded… almost daily he reminds me we need to work on his verses. He is just so hungry for information. I hope I can keep up with him :)

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 23, 2006

in General, Homeschooling and Joel

. 2 Comments

Bound by Money

It is a commitment only one step short of blood - money. I am financially committed to the half-part of the Seattle Marathon. Money is on the line. But it’s not only money that’s been invested - a good portion of my sweat has been paid as well.

Yesterday was a big marker for me - 8 miles in the long run. OK, not all 8 was completed even at a jogging pace, but I’m still gonna call it 8 miles. We (Katie and I) did it in 1 hour and 50 minuted. Ellie did it about 10 to 15 minutes faster. She’s half our age, and then a decade, so I am OK with her kickin’ my butt.

There are only 5 weeks left to train… next Saturday is a 9 miler, then a 10, then 11, then 12, then we top it off with 13.1 miles the day of the ~~race~~ event. Some shorter runs will pepper the weekdays. Yesterday brought a new type of pain I’ve not yet experienced… my tail end actually felt like I had been bike riding. It hurt to sit. Strange. My heels hurt too. Yet, it all felt so good…

We ran in our new reflective vests! Could we actually be “runners”? Another runner ran in the opposite direction, on the other side of the road. I waved cooly to my new peer. I was hopeful. Would we get a return wave? After all, we were wearing reflective gear with the bright yellow not found in nature… just like him. The slender man waved back, affirming my hope that we too… belonged.

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 22, 2006

in General, Jenny Jen-Jen and Swim/Bike/Run

. 2 Comments

Children of the Corn

No, this is not a review of the terror movie I never saw. I can freak myself out enough without having any Hollywood-generated ideas adding to my mania. This story is about our visit to a local pumpkin farm with Olivia’s preschool…

Last Friday - ahem - Friday the 13th, no less… we went to a local pumpkin patch. It’s a popular attraction for the locals. You have the feeding of the goats, Mrs. “Farmer” gives the detailed history of the farm, Mr. “Farmer” talks about the life cycle of the pumpkin, then everyone takes a little gander at the turkeys (a friend told me they are named “Easter”, “Thanksgiving” and “Christmas”), the pigs, and the chickens. Once the children's eyes and noses are full of farm animal fun - we head to the corn maze.

The Corn Maze.

We entered with excitement and wonder - “Look at all those beautiful stalks of corn!” The path under our feet was framed by bright green clover. The leaves from the stalks reached out to whap or just graze our faces, arms and legs. A scarecrow popped up every-so-often … Lucy said “Hi” to one of them. She greets cars too. Sometimes she says “Hi” to the air.

We walked. We walked. We walked. Blind trust led our band of preschoolers and mommies. We believed Mr. “Farmer” was ahead, guiding our young ones to…. the pumpkin patch.

“Hey - we just saw that scarecrow!” A short time later, “Hey, there he is again!” It was then I finally got it - Mr. Farmer was no longer in the lead, and quite possibly gone — F O R E V E R. Um… where’s Lucy? Where’s Olivia? Where’s Joel? A twinge of panic pulsed though my maternal veins. All roads lead to home (the pumpkin patch) right??? Not in the land of, The Children of the Corn on Friday the 13th!

Joel emerged through a thick bank of fog… not really, but it you scooted closer to your screen - didn’t you :) Actually, Joel popped out of what seemed like nowhere as I yelled, “Mr. ‘Farmer’, we need some help!”. You see, Joel had started the maze with the aforementioned farmer. It was then I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, we were truly lost - in a corn maze ~~with~~ without our 20 preschoolers.

Through the stalks I could hear the cries of the mommies - “Katelyn Ann!” “Joey!” “Noah!” “Sarah!”,

A few of us cut through a bundle of stalks to reach the outside (”Go to the light!”) Once we scoped out a portion of the perimeter, I went back in for the rest. There wasn’t time to gather supplies. The mission was clear - get in, get out. No one would be left behind, While I went in, Lisa stayed behind with the refugees, and withstood a scolding from Mr. “Farmer” for breaking the maze barrier - oblivious to the wave of fear growing within that acre of corn.

Since I am here to tell the story, it means we all survived. Call me crazy, but I went back again today with my MOPS group. I asked Mr. “Farmer” to make sure no one got lost. He said no one can get lost in the maze. I guess it depends on what one’s understanding of “lost” means…

The visit today wasn’t quite so dramatic. But there is a story - it lies with Mrs. “Farmer”, It’s her job to tell the history of the farm. The house was built in 19??, the barn burned down by hay that spontaneoulsy combusted in 19??. The glow of the great barn fire was probably seen as far as Seattle. It’s interesting, the kiddos were lost at 19??…

Today she got a little more instructional and took the opportunity to instruct the moms to give our kids chores (because kids today don't do enough chores). She also added we shouldn't let them watch TV either. Appparently her grandson only watches TV, and it’s because his mother lets him. I think that since we were all moms (except for the kids) she took a moment to speak into our lives. It was fine - she’s aged, and deserves to be heard - it just felt like odd timing - sitting on bales of hay and all. She smoothly transitioned from child rearing to the local government. She expressed how ridiculous the permitting process is to build a barn. I agree. Permits are expensive and take too much time. Yep, the 2,3 and 4 year-olds really dug into that discussion. I guess it's never too early for our preschoolers to start developing a broad worldview… they are, as you know, Children of the Corn…

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 18, 2006

in Family, General, Joel, Lucy, Olivia and Spawn

. 2 Comments

I Dunno…

I just feel like writing. I don’t know what to write, but I have this gnawing urge.

I am trying to encourage my 7-year-old to accomplish the task of wiping his own #2. He CAN, but he just thinks it’s a bit too dirty a job. So, as I check email, I keep saying, “Wipe 3 times and flush, wipe 3 times and flush…” After quite some time I hear his voice echo through the house, “OOOOOOH - my legs are burning!.”

I don’t really have the time to sit here and write. I am behind on homeschool with Joel - by 3 days. I’m sure Harvard will read this in 11 years and reject his application - right? I don’t even think I want him to go such an institution… All this guilt.

I had a blood test today - my third since January. The naturopath did one, then the hormone specialist, now my gynecologist. All have different approaches to health and wellness, but all agree on nutrition. The other two tests were not fasting tests, but this one was… we’ll see. The naturopath wanted to treat my hypoglycemia, the hormone specialist is treating my remakably low progesterone levels, and now the gyno thinks maybe I have a problem with my brain - no kidding. Seriously, maybe some equilibrium issue?
I need to edumacate my offspring now.

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 6, 2006

in Family, General, Spawn and Swim/Bike/Run

. 3 Comments

Fa’ Real…

At first sight, I thought this little contraptions seemed a bit, well… like a conTRAPtion… Then my maternal instinct and wisdom surfaced. I immediately felt the pang of regret - you know the regret - the one where you should have been pregnant THIS fall and not last fall because only NOW are the pregnancy clothes cute. Or the regret that your baby was born in 2002 and the super-cool, utlra shine baby saucer you decided to spring for back then performs like a jallopy compared to the hyper-drive, super-juiced version of 2004… Oh, and have you seen the pack and plays they make these days???

My point- where was this Babykeeper, this little piece of heaven the DOZENS of times at Target or Costco or Toys R Us, or, or, or, or… while I held my littlest one - near death in a modified-strangle-hold position while wiping poop from my preschooler’s bottom?

You see, strangulation is surely a kinder death than death brought on by fecal matter and urine… because, most assuredly, the wee-one would run her fingers, head, knees and tongue along all of the stall surfaces (floor included) - if not securely held in said modified-strangle-hold position…

While holding a 10 to 20, 21, 22 pound flailing, sweating, screaming, infuriated toddler - this mother had the esteemed calling to adequately wipe her sister’s poopy bottom . Inevitably, the poop is not a “clean” poop. If you are a mother, you know what I mean… I’ll save the details for those with weak stomachs - OK, except for the time I swear I burned 500 calories using the “hold of safety” on the baby, making sure the oldest stayed IN the bathroom, and wiping no less than 12 times on aforementioned preschooler. No. Less. I needed the Babykeeper that day.

Triathlons. Ptooey. I have 3 kids, and am living to tell about it.

Thank you to Shellie for sending this link to me :)

Published

jennyonthespot

on October 2, 2006

in General, Mutha' Hood and Spawn

. 5 Comments