Millie was up by 7 am, but the boys continued to sleep. I can only assume they stayed up way too late. Oh how I loathe sleepovers. Ken and Maytee came over in the afternoon, as did Liz. We all had dinner together and just enjoyed hanging out. Just after dinner, Jack and Gavin were wrestling and Jack fell on Gavin’s toe and broke it. They came downstairs and Gavin was hysterical. I asked him if he wanted me to pull it out. That’s what my dad would have done. Vicki ended up taking him to urgent care and they put him in a boot. It was the pinky toe. I think I would have just had them cut it off. Why do we need pinky toes, anyway? Oh, so we can ram it into anything on the floor that will catch it and make us howl with pain? Right!
Monday morning I was awake just before 5 am, worried about my school day. I can’t say I regret taking this position, but I can say this may possibly be my last year in education unless something changes soon. The day was absolutely awful. We had a staff meeting after school, which added to my ‘wonderful’ day. I left school just in time to get Millie to gymnastics. I then picked up Jack, took him home and returned for the fall sports talk at Casteel High School.
I then went to get a burger for supper and stalled until I had to pick Millie up. I spoke with Stuart on the way home. He was in New York. He enjoyed his UK trip and was on his way home the following morning. When Millie and I got home, she showered And had a snack. I then put her to bed and then Jack followed.
Tuesday morning Millie wouldn’t get up. She was refusing in a huge way. I ended up leaving her at home. She called me when I was taking Jack to Gavin’s and insisted I come back and get her. She was yelling at me so I hung up. She then texted Jack and myself to say she was sorry and ask if I could go back to the house to pick her up. I had Jack text her back and say that she had better be sitting on the porch when I got back to the house and I had better not get any grief from her. She said ‘okay’, so after I dropped off Jack, I drove back to the house. We talked about the fact that she just can’t be like that anymore.
So, that was the start to my day. Once the boys were in the classroom, we explained the new incentive program we had for them. started a new incentive program with the boys in my class. It really is just meant for one student, but since they all deserve the reward, we made it effective for all. It involved Pokémon cards and they were all excited.
After school we had another staff meeting. Then I headed to get Millie. We picked up Jack and headed home for Jack to get some food. Millie had her annual doctor appointment to continue to be serviced by Jewish Family and Children Services. We then headed to the Meyn’s to drop off Jack for volleyball open gym.
Millie and I then traveled to the airport. Stuart was to be in from New York at 11:30 am, but through a series of events he didn’t show up until after 5 pm. He was worn out for sure. We went to grab a bite to eat then picked up Jack. We went home, Stuart unpacked, the kids and I showered and then it was time for bed for all.
Wednesday morning I was awake a bit before my alarm. I was glad Stuart was home. I never want to be a single parent, and I really love Stuart, so there’s that. School was great as the Pokémon cards were still on offer for kids with good behavior and work ethic. They all managed to do what they were supposed to do. After school we had a meeting about one of my students who is being evaluated. We are hoping we discover why he behaves the way he does. I left school and went to get my hair cut. It was so cute and I forget how much I love the shorted length. Maytee gave me this cut for free as a birthday gift. Yahoo!
Stuart took Millie to gymnastics and then picked Jack up from football practice. When I got home, we went to try to find dress shirts for Stuart. We decided to eat dinner at Sauce. When we got home, Stuart went to pick up Millie. She came home, had a grilled cheese sandwich, showered and headed to bed.
Thursday at school things started off rather good. As the day went on it was obvious that my little angelic child was upset about something. Things ended terribly, unfortunately. It’s the first time in my 30 years of education that I can’t find what makes him tick. I feel defeated.
I stopped at Wal Mart to get last minute items for Millie’s birthday. I then picked Kyle and Jack up from football, ran by McDonalds to feed the boys, then home for a bit to deliver cookies and donuts I had purchased for Millie’s class. Then I took Kyle and Jack to volleyball open gym.
Friday was Millie’s birthday. Alice, her bestie from Ireland, called her. Millie got a SIM card for her birthday, so the entire family messaged or called her. She opened a few gifts before we left for school. Stuart took her to school and picked her up. School for me was okay until the end of the day and my Pokémon King went off the rails. It was fun.
This is what her sister, Hope, got her for her birthday. She was able to wear it to school.
I picked up Jack from football practice. We got home and Millie opened her presents from us. We then headed to KTR, a bounce park, for her birthday party. She had invited some friends from school. One boy showed up that she didn’t invite, or at least that was her story. Oh well!
Cutest cake ever, made by Jenni Janizec.
The bouncing crew.
Friday night, 4 little girls came back to our house for a sleepover. Two of the girls had never had a sleepover before. They were so squeaky!
They did face masks, at candy and stayed up way too late.
Saturday we took Millie’s little friends home and then took Millie and Mallory to gymnastics. We stopped and did grocery shopping for the ‘family’ birthday dinner we were having that evening. I had told Millie that our family wouldn’t be in town for her birthday, but then she started to tell me that most of our friends are ‘family’, right? I couldn’t disagree, so we planned a ‘family’ dinner.
We picked Jack up after our grocery run. He had spent the night at Gavin’s after his first junior high event at Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center. Seems he may have been the biggest man on campus that evening. He messaged me and said, ‘Mom, it was so much fun. I may have hugged a girl’. Oh lord, here we go.
I went to collect Millie from gymnastics. She was tired for sure. She spent the rest of the afternoon playing with her new toys and organizing what she got for her birthday. Liz came over around 3 pm. Then Tim and Sue came and then the Meyns showed up as well. We all swam for a while, then Stuart fixed smash burgers. We ate and had a great time. Jack got bent out of shape when I told him Gavin couldn’t spend the night. Sleepovers wear me out.
They all left around 8:30. Millie and Jack watched tv on the sofa while Stuart and I went for a dip in the pool. The door bell rang around 9:45 pm. Liz’s air conditioner was on the blink. Looks like we were having an overnight guest.
Sunday morning I got up and Liz, Millie and I booked a mani pedi. Liz gave that to Millie for her birthday.
After our pedis we went to eat lunch at Fuzzy Tacos. We then went home and I was to take Jack to a girl’s house. Unfortunately he had a snag with his texting. We spent the rest of the day sorting out his behavior. Have I mentioned I’m bit crazy about junior high yet?
Monday my student was off the rails. The day was exhausting. It was decided at a meeting after school he would be formally evaluated. I’m hoping there are some answers to our questions.
Jack had his first flag football game after school on Monday. He didn’t play much. He was disappointed. But we did eat at Elmer’s after the game with Todd and Kyle Daniels. We’ve waited a long time for these kids to be in sports together. We are going to have some amazing times over the next six years.
Jack is number 10. Kyle Daniels is on his left and his new friend, Andrew, is in his right. These boys are starting to really love junior high, at least the sports aspect of it.
Of course, Elmer’s was a must after the game.
Tuesday morning it was pouring. After I dropped both kids off at their designated places, my low tire pressure light came on. Lovely! I had to stop, but the result was the wet rat look.
Tuesday Pokémon King was off the rails again. I had decided I would start letting him do exactly what he wanted to do. I don’t have the energy to ‘fix’ a child who has no interest. Stuart had to be the shuttle bus because I had a training for non-violent crisis intervention for three evenings in a row. We got out of the class early, which was nice, and I did take away a few tricks to help me in my classroom the following day.
Wednesday was another day of ‘fun’. But I did realize that this is not my circus and these are not my monkeys. I had my class again, which gave me further insight into tricks to use for my students. I got home and Stuart had made steak for dinner. It was so nice and delicious, but I was exhausted.
Thursday was much of the same as far as school was concerned. Millie had a med check to continue her medication, and Jack had a football game where he scored three touch downs and then was interviewed by the yearbook staff. Of course I wasn’t there because I had my last night of my class. Thank goodness Stuart took videos.
He’s so famous.
Friday I went to school knowing it was not going to be good. It’s such a horrible feeling knowing things are going to be tough each day. The child in question did not disappoint. Wow! However, I have used chalk on the carpet to let him know his boundaries and he is actually staying in them. We had to wait for him to be collected by his mother because the bus won’t take students home who are not in control of themselves.
After school I headed to pick Jack up from football practice. Stuart had been shopping at Costco and washed some laundry for me, so it was nice to come home and not have to do anything. Oh, wait, I had to take Jack to Vicki’s so he could ride with them to volleyball open gym. He’s convinced us to let him play club volleyball. It doesn’t interfere with any other sport and it will be good for him to continue to just love all sports. We have decided he can specialize when he is a bit older. Stuart put meatloaf, from Costco, into the oven and after I got home from picking up Jack, we had dinner. There was a lot of television and just sitting around the rest of the evening.
Saturday morning I was supposed to get up and walk with Sue. We haven’t walked since school started. But wouldn’t you know it? It was raining. So that got canceled and I ended up sleeping about an hour later than I would have. When I finally got up, I made coffee and then went to wake Millie for gymnastics. She’s become a bit easier to wake in the last couple of weeks, thank goodness. I took her to gymnastics. Then Stuart, Jack and I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods to get him some knee pads and a head band, which was not intended, but a bonus purchase. We then went to Costco to buy a new laptop for Stuart. He claims he needed an updated one for work, which is probably true. His old one will be used at our house for Jack to complete any homework should he need it. We then headed to breakfast, much to Jack’s chagrin. Isn’t it funny how when things are about the child, he or she is all in on going somewhere. But when things are not focused on the child, he or she is grumpy and horrible to be around. Such is the life of a parent, I assume.
We got home and I headed to return a shirt to Old Navy. It’s possible I popped into a couple other stores before heading back home. When I got home, I switched out laundry and unloaded the dishwasher. Stuart went to get Millie from gymnastics while I headed to volleyball club tryouts in west Chandler. Jack was really excited. Since Gavin broke his toe, he wasn’t able to try out. Fortunately, the coaches know him and we are pretty sure he will make the team anyway. We are so thrilled since it’s Jack’s fault that he can’t try out anyway.
The dynamic duo. Anyone notice the headband? Oh, it’s hot pink, yes it is.
Sunday we had tickets to the Diamondback game. They suck! But free tickets can’t go unnoticed. And the super jumbo cotton candy is always necessary.
Todd and Kyle came with us, as we had extra free tickets.
Monday at school my student was so derailed he ended up spending most of the day in my principal’s office. She decided he would be considered an in-school suspension for two days since we can’t suspend students under the 4th grade any longer, due to new legislation.
After school I took Millie to gymnastics. Jack had a football game at Casteel. He played well. He decided he wanted to stay for the 8th grade game, which was fine with Stuart and myself. We ended up going to sushi after his game. Then Stuart picked Jack up after the 8th grade game and brought him to the sushi restaurant before going to get Millie from gymnastics. Jack and I went home and chilled for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday was an okay day at school. With one student in ISS and the other two phases for part of the day, it was all a bit more manageable. After school I met Stuart to see a dune buggy, which in the end we didn’t like. We are trying to find something we can tow behind our RV for when we go out of town and need a vehicle to see whatever town we are in. I then had dinner with Diane and Lisa. We had a wonderful catch-up. It was great to commiserate with them.
Wednesday I finally got to walk with Sue again. And she brought me some tennis shoes. They are so cute. Jack had a game that was cut short because of lightning. The monsoons are still in full force. Millie had gymnastics after school, so I took her and then picked Jack up from practice. Stuart left for Gallup for his first official day of work. Because Gallup schools start so much later than we do, he has had some more time off.
Thursday my students were a bit better. I decided to go out and assist another teacher with a student she was having difficulty with. While I was helping her, we went into the multi purpose room. I rounded the corner to try to get the students to stop yelling in the boys’ bathroom. I think slipped on a puddle of water that I clearly didn’t see. I ended up having to fill out a workman’s comp form. My knees and shoulder were bruised, but I don’t think there is long term damage. After school I picked the kids up and we went to a surprise birthday party for my friend Sally. It was a retro theme. It was in Tempe and my kids were the only kids there. They were not impressed. However, Sally has been a friend of mine for nearly 30 years, so her 60th birthday could not be ignored.
Stuart had been in Gallup for the day, working, and was home when we returned from the party.
Friday my day at school was the calmest it had been since school started. Things weren’t perfect, but better for sure. Friday after school Millie went home with a friend and then returned to the school to play Bingo for a family fun night. I went to happy hour with my friends Marty and Brenda. Stuart picked Jack up from school after football practice. Jack had received an ineligible letter for football the following week. I was really confused because grades were pulled on Friday morning, or at least that was what I was told would happen. On Friday morning he was completely eligible. Don’t get me wrong, he had some grade issues that he was working really hard to rectify before Friday morning. In the end, it all got sorted out after mama bear sent an email to the athletic director, the teacher, and the coach. I told Jack I hoped he had learned a lesson in procrastination. The test that he was supposed to take on Monday but then decided to take on Wednesday instead, and then wasn’t able to take until Thursday was the culprit. Lazy!
Here is the back story that I hadn’t had the energy to write: this all started the previous week when I got a notification that Jack had a study guide and a test he had not shown his work on. It stated ‘no work, no credit’. Hello, F! Ugh! By the way, his ore-algebra teacher might be 22 years old. This is her first year teaching. I emailed her and asked her what we could do about the grade. She messaged me back and said he could redo the study guide even though we had acknowledged her grading policy, which by the way Jack got 10 points for on his grade. Why is my signature on a syllabus a grade for Jack? I hate the young, inexperienced humans. She sent his study guide back. It was on a regular sheet of paper, 32 problems. Really? Where is he to show his work, then. I told him he had to finish it that night, which was a Thursday. He said, ‘but I have until Monday’. Uh, no, you are doing it tonight, turd! He sat down and did the work. He turned it in the following day. That is the story to this point.
Saturday I was awake by about 5 am. I went to see a golf cart that we thought we might want to buy. It turns out we have no need for a golf cart. We kind of get excited about stupid novelty things at this point in our lives.
We were supposed to go to a Rattlers game but we never received the free tickets via text. So I messaged Debi and told her she and her boys could come to our house to swim and we would order food. She ended up bringing pizza and we had a grand time.
Sunday morning we were up doing our normal; mowing Pop’s lawn, washing beds and towels, and we went to get the RV so I could practice driving it.
I spent the rest of the day helping Millie with a book report project. She swears she had read the book prior to us reading it that day, but I would guess she hadn’t. Ken came for a visit Sunday afternoon while Gigi was at church. Later in the evening, Stuart and I went swimming. For now, I would guess that pool has been one of our smartest investments.
Monday morning we decided we would walk the dogs. Big mistake. We had been told by a friend of ours that if we got a rope choke collar that the dogs would learn very quickly to stay with us. So we ordered those on Amazon. They were supposed to arrive on Tuesday. Foolishly, we decided to take the dogs out on Monday morning. We put their harnesses on and they went bananas as they always do when we put their harnesses on. We started out going in the same direction. That proved to be a a silly idea. As we were walking around our park we noticed a lady on the sidewalk so we scooted to the other side of the road. As soon as we passed her, Chloe slipped out of her harness, which was unbelievable, and headed toward the lady. Chloe barked and barked and barked! The lady stopped in her tracks. I came up behind her and continue to tell her that the dog wouldn’t bite her. I’m sure she was totally convinced as Chloe barked like a mad dog. I kept apologizing, but all the lady could say was, ‘why is it your dog on a leash?’ I showed the lady Chloe’s harness, and told her that she slipped out of it. Again, I’m sure the lady was livid and I don’t blame her. What an absolutely insane dog!
Monday at school I decided I needed a mental health day. So I made a plan for Tuesday and told my paras I would not be there on Tuesday. After school I took Millie to gymnastics and Jack had a football game. We kind of forgot he would have to go directly to volleyball practice, so were a bit more rushed than we had intended. We ended up meeting his ride at a Starbucks a bit closer to us so that gave us a bit of time.
I got a text from a girl from Jack’s school. Brave! That boy needs to sort himself out. She basically texted back and forth with me about how mean Jack had been to her. I told her if she wanted to give my number to her mother then I could speak to her about the issue. It was super odd. I can’t imagine as a twelve year old feeling I could text an adult about an issue I had with their child. Jack returned home at 9:30 pm, showered, did his math homework, and then went to bed. I had told him he needed to stay completely away from this girl. Again, don’t like the pre-teens.
Tuesday morning we got up to walk the dogs with their new choke collars. We decided we would go in different directions on this day. It seems that the choke collars actually do deter the dogs from being maniac! They walked much more calmly and didn’t lunge out towards cars and people. It was definitely a better walking day.
Once we were home from walking, I took a shower and got dressed. I actually put on a sundress. I had decided when taking a mental health day, I could wear anything I wanted to and didn’t have to put on jeans. We got the kids up and ready for school and then we took them to their designated places. Stuart and I went to breakfast and had a lovely time just sitting and talking. We did stop by our house for a little bit before heading to Walmart to get a sunshade and bungees. We did a little more shopping before we headed to lunch and I might’ve had an adult beverage. We went home for a few hours and watched a little bit of television before having to pick Millie up at school. We then headed to Cooley Middle School to watch Jack play football. Because there were so many kids on his team who were inelegible this week he got to play a lot. When we got home from the game everyone showered, we had dinner and just sit around for the rest the evening..
Wednesday morning and I got up and went to walk with Sue and we had a wonderful, yet a bit a heartbreaking conversation about her brother. It’s so good to be able to walk with someone, share some of your hurts and be able to help bear the burden of some of this pain. The following day was going to be Sue’s birthday and so I celebrated her a little bit by giving her a little gift. In hindsight I wish I would’ve bought myself the exact same gift I got her. It was a lovely pillow that said ‘Enjoy the little things’. I got home, took a shower, took both kids to school and headed to school myself for a half day. We had parent teacher conferences after school, yet I didn’t have any conferences on Wednesday. I ended up helping with the book fair at school. I also organized some things in the classroom to try to make my life a little more tolerable in my job.
Stuart picked Millie up after school and took her to lunch. He asked me if I wanted to meet up with them but I decided not to as I was afraid I wouldn’t go back to school. Stuart then took Millie to gymnastics and picked Jack up from his football practice. I got home and Morgan arrived around 615. She and I then got in the car to go watch Millie in gymnastics. After we picked Millie up, we came home and had dinner. Stuart had made salmon, new potatoes and summer squash. It was delicious. Morgan and I stayed up until after midnight talking. I so appreciate and love the adult relationship we have now. She’s an amazing woman and is going to be such a good mother. They find out in four weeks whether the baby is a girl or a boy.
Thursday morning Stuart got up just before 5 am to take Morgan to the airport. She was flying to Arkansas to see her mom and dad. She left her car at my mom and dad’s house and would drive back to Arizona with Russ the first weekend in September. After the kids and I left for school Thursday morning, Stuart took the RV to get the tires checked and he found out that it needed a little bit of work done, which we decided to do in a couple of weeks. We need to make sure the RV is ready to go to Mexico over fall break.
School was much of the same. I did get kicked on Thursday. We had another half day and my three students had their conferences later Thursday afternoon. Jack had a football game against Payne junior high and they lost. I told Jack that is likely to happen when almost half of your team is ineligible because of grades. He was discouraged with himself because at the end of the game there were some players that were trash talking and Jack felt like he let them get into his head. So that upset him.
I met Stuart, Jack and Millie at the Meyn’s house. I took the boys to volleyball practice. I then went down to Fry’s Pharmacy to get the kids’ medications refilled. It took forever. Why does everyone need to pick up a prescription at 7:15 at night? Makes no sense. Gina came over to get some things sorted out for her new position with Empower. Stuart has been able to help her a bit. Stuart went to get Jack around 9:30 pm from the Meyn’s house.
Friday I decided to take the computers out of my classroom. The kids used to have stand alone computers accessible all day. However, I decided this was not a good thing. As you can guess, my one student did not cope with this change. He was the worst I have seen him. He really made me sad and I wanted to cry. He was so distraught, as if something had happened outside of school. It was very upsetting. We needed up needing to have his mom pick him up from school. I left school on Friday just after 3 pm. I picked Millie up and we went to get a slushy before collecting Jack from football practice. When we got home, Stuart and I decided to go for a swim. Jack joined us and decided we needed to have a one on one game in the pool. We did, but it got out of control and he accidentally kneed me in a previous bruise from a kid. It hurt like nobody’s business. I ended up quitting. We all took showers, and while three of us were swimming, Millie was setting up for our Friday evening movie, with snacks and everything. We watched The Black Panther, well, most of it. Millie fell asleep at 8:30, Stuart fell asleep around 8:50, and then there was just Jack and myself. I fell asleep on the sofa around 10 pm, then woke up around 10:30 to tell Jack it was time for him to go to bed.
Saturday morning we were up and at it. I took Millie to gymnastics, while Stuart and Jack went to Grammie and Pop’s to shape up their shrubs and mow the grass. Jack has been being paid to do the work. He’s done a fine job.
I went there to throw out all the bad food from the fridge. Russ would be back in a little over a week, so I thought I would save him some trouble.
Jack asked me if I would take him and his friend, Gavin, from Ryan Elementary to a place called Pure Esport, a video gaming store. I took them and dropped them off. They stayed for two hours. I took that time to finish up my blog for the month of August. It was a win-win situation. When I picked them up we went down to collect Millie. I had to go into the gym to video her while she did her new floor routine.
Once we were home the kids played upstairs and Stuart finished getting things ready for our dinner. The Reynolds, Tawneys, and Lauren Glessner, a friend from years ago, were coming over for smash burgers. They all arrived around 5 pm. The men got in the pool while the women sat inside and chatted about everything. Our main topic was how much pressure we were all feeling this year at school. Dinner was amazing, as usual. The company provided laughs the entire evening. We always have a great time together.
Another month has come and gone. We are all a bit sick of the heat and ready for cooler days. I try to remember how blessed I am with all I have. It’s been a difficult start to a school year, but I am trying to readjust and not sweat the small stuff.
