Tuesday, September 30, 2008

9/30/08

1. Errand running--and finding lots of deals! I only spent $43 at Target ;) And I found a lot of things for my Mom and her house, too.

2. Got information from the Medical College of Wisconsin about an Open House on Thursday for their Graduate Studies. I would love to do something in the medical field involving research and lab work, but don't know if my undergrad work is enough to apply for advanced education there. Guess Thursday will be the perfect opportunity to find out! :)

3. Received some information about a long-term Science subbing position at Nicolet (the next school district north of here) from mid-October to late November. It would be a nice, short test to see if I'd enjoy it. I have to see if it would work, and see how much it would pay.

4. Very funny story related to me by the mother of one of M's classmates. When Mom and I were out of town this weekend, G. had to get all three kids different places at the same time, and enlisted the help of several people. So the mom who drove M. to a birthday party related some funny stories about M. My favorite was where she said that M. said, "Sometimes M. likes to talk in third person."

5. Excellent Knitting Group--as always!

Monday, September 29, 2008

9/29/08

1. I got to be the PE helper in M's class today. It was cute to see all her classmates and neat to "meet" the ones that I didn't already know.

2. Received an email from the Medical College's Graduate program about an Open House this Thursday. I had contacted them to find out about their programs and this sounds like a perfect opportunity to learn more.

3. We actually have a pumpkin! I planted a whole package of pumpkin seeds and many vines grew, but one of them grew up the Arbor Vitae and that is the only vine that produced a pumpkin!

4. Out for Chinese food for C's half birthday. Her actual 13 1/2 birthday was yesterday, but we had so much other stuff going on that we decided to celebrate today.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

9/28/08

1. Good trip back "down South" with Mom. The weather was decent; traffic wasn't too bad, and the fall colors were BEAUTIFUL! Photos don't do it justice, but here's a few:2. SOOOOOO nice to be home! As much as I like "vacationing", I like coming home even more. :)

3. Mother-Daughter Book Club; I love this group. We have great book conversations, and then the moms (who are all great) have Mom talk, and the girls (who are a wonderful group of 13 YO's) have girl talk--although tonight's "girl talk" was some sort of snorting game... it sounded like a pigpen in the living room! :)

4. Quick little date with G. We went out to grab a cup of coffee and catch up on the things we missed in each others' weekends.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

9/27/08

1. Lots of meeting up with "up North" friends. Nice to see and visit with them all.

2. Great time hanging out with my brother while Mom was visiting with her friends and his girlfriend was at work. I do wish he lived closer and that we had more time to spend together.

3. Got almost all the rest of Mom's stuff packed into my van. We'll wake up tomorrow morning and head out right away.

Friday, September 26, 2008

9/26/08

1. Best news all day/week/month: Mom's oncology appointment--PET scan shows nothing--still cancer-free, and doesn't have to return for six months!!!

2. Beautiful weather on the trip up North. Colors are turning and seem to be at-peak here in the Hurley area. I took pictures, but forgot the camera cord at home. oops!

3. Seeing my brother in his "new house". He bought mom's house and it's so strange to be here where it's the same house, but it's NOT the same house. He and his girlfriend have changed a lot and made it their own. As always, it's so nice to see him!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

9/25/08

1. Got to sleep in a tiny bit this morning as both older kids had slightly later starts to their school days. This was especially appreciated since this cold is kicking my butt!

2. Open House at the elementary school. We got to see T. and M.'s classrooms and things they've been working on. I'm impressed with both, but especially with M's kindergarten classroom!

3. Another last-minute tutoring addition. Not the best timing with Open House, soccer practice, and packing to go up North tomorrow, but (again) the extra money is nice!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

9/24/08

1. Finished Calorimetry and found a matching button to sew on:


2. Made awesome CPK-ripoff Cobb Salads for supper:3. Surprise extra tutoring session tonight. Every little bit of extra money helps!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

9/23/08

1. Though C. was sick (and complainy) she did listen when G. sent her back to bed. She slept until after 10:00, then got up and went in to school.

2. Yummy Indian buffet for lunch with Mom after her tests at the hospital. I know Michelle doesn't agree, but I think Tandoor's buffet beats Maharaja's hands-down!

3. Knitting Club. Once again, such a great group of people! I have so enjoyed seeing this knitting club grow with every month. I think Michelle started it about two years ago and it's been so fun to see the change.

Monday, September 22, 2008

9/22/08

1. Back to routine! :) As much as I hate the end of the weekend, there's something to be said for the orderliness of Mondays.

2. Ran to the mall since it was the last day of Boston Store's Goodwill sale. Unexpectedly bumped into two friends and it was nice to see them!

3. Tutoring. I am *really* enjoying tutoring at the beginning of the week and being "done" by Monday night! (althought this week I have to go back on Wednesday, but...) Now if I can just start getting some subbing jobs so the financial crunch is lessened.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

9/21/08

1. Out for breakfast (Solly's) with the whole family. We never go out for breakfast, but my mom insisted. And it was YUMMY! ;)

2. Running errands with C. She's been so busy with her teenaged friends, and she really has an awful cold and I probably should have left her home, but it was nice to be able to spend some one-on-one time with her. I miss that!

3. Dar Williams in concert. It was amazing! Of the six times I've seen her, I think this was the best! :)

Saturday, September 20, 2008

9/20/08

1. M's soccer game; such cuteness of 5 YO's playing soccer! Beautiful weather, too.

2. T's soccer game; he's come so far as a player and he's on a GREAT team this year!

3. Trivia/Pizza Night with Knitting Club. The pizza was awesome (The Baconizer...YUM!), the (80's) trivia was fun, the ice cream (I had espresso) afterwards was soooo good, and the company was the best. VERY fun!

Friday, September 19, 2008

9/19/08

1. Coffee out with three very dear friends (moms of C's closest friends). It's so wonderful to touch base on where they are with their daughters (and to see that we're on the same page).

2. More errand running with Mom. We were quite efficient today, though--quick and got everything.

3. Fun "movie night" with neighbors up the block. The kids watched The Bee Movie (projected on the garage door) and the parents had drinks next door. I love my block!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

9/18/08

1. Mom's bathroom's almost done--and it looks great!

2. Heard back from all three people (and two backups) that I asked to write letters of recommendation for my Grad School application. YAY! Have to finish the actual application now.

3. Book Club: The Memory Keeper's Daughter; great discussion and such a fun group of women!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

9/17/08

1. Another busy day--time went fast!

2. C. got her musical rehearsal schedule--she'll be there almost every night for almost two months. But it means she'll be *in* this one more, so that's good. Right??? :)

3. The cuteness of kids dressed up for picture day:


4. Going to bed early to work on my book club book!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

9/16/08

1. Went out for coffee with my (potential) Grad School advisor; she answered a lot of my questions about the application itself (I need to finish it, submit it, and find three people to write letters of recommendation--which will be the hardest thing!) and put many of my fears of competence to rest; if I understand correctly, I'll only need to take 3 Chemistry courses and 2 Education courses (and do research and TA, of course) to get my Master's... Much more do-able!

2. Lunch with G. I met my advisor on the West side of town, so was able to pick up Noodles & Co. for lunch. Yum!

3. Painting at Mom's place. I do enjoy lots of home improvement stuff, but painting is such an immediate, huge change that it's probably the coolest thing to do.

Monday, September 15, 2008

9/15/08

1. Mom's bathroom is moving right along! It's so much fun to see it being done from the studs out.

2. Out for lunch with Mom to a local Deli that "everyone" raves about (Benji's Deli). We weren't all that impressed and thought it was quite expensive, but it was still nice to check it out.

3. Some positive things in the job department. I got an email from Sally Ride (the one I submitted my resume to yesterday) but we seem to be playing email AND phone tag. Still, they're interested. Then a teacher I used to work with emailed me about a long term Chem position in a Northern Suburb. I don't know that it'd be worth my commute (it won't be over 20 days, so won't be paid at the higher rate), but it's a possibility. Finally, I checked the WECAN website (for job postings) and found two long-term Sub positions (one General Science; one Chemistry) in the school district just North of here. Again, not sure if they're something I'd like to do, but it's fun to look and will be good experience to get my things together for the positions. On a similar note, I got to turn away my first tutoring request for the year. This one was referred by a current Biology teacher, so that's flattering, too.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

9/14/08

1. Indian buffet for lunch with Emelle and her family. YUM!

2. Finished my resume and sent it to the Sally Ride Academy. Fingers crossed...

3. Good tutoring sessions tonight. The first quizzes and tests are starting, so it's nice to feel more useful!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

9/13/08

1. Lunch out with my former neighbor. We always talk about getting together more often, and then it's months again. But it's always so nice--and we pick up right where we left off.

2. Another remodeling "date" with my husband. We did a lot of running around, returning and exchanging things at HOBO, Lowe's and Home Depot, and then had supper out.

3. Lots more done at Mom's house. The bathroom is going to look SO cool!

Friday, September 12, 2008

9/12/08

1. Nice heart-to-heart phonecall with a friend, followed by an impromptu coffee out with another friend; just what I needed after a rough yesterday ;)

2. Lots of (successful) shopping for Mom's house. Got (outside) doors, (bamboo) flooring, (inside) doorknobs, a toilet, and other little things.

3. Mammoth trip to Costco. Lots of great coupon items on sale.

4. Finally got an appointment set up with my (potential) Grad School advisor. Hopefully I can get the application finalized and sent in so I know how doable this really is.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

9/11/08

1. Coffee with the 5th grade moms.

2. Request for my resume for a job I'm looking at. The job would be mentoring HS teachers in the inner city and would be flexible and parttime--and days! So I'm trying to put that together.

3. Open house at the Middle School. Nice to meet all of C's teachers.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

9/10/08

1. Got a 30% off Kohls coupon, so hit the clearance sales this morning! I got some Xmas gifts, as well as really cool lunchboxes (Columbia brand) for about $2 each!

2. BUSY day--besides Kohls, I went grocery shopping and got the oil changed on the van. Then T. had soccer practice and we had the kids' orientations at the elementary school. Time just *flew*!

3. Cuteness in both M. and T's classrooms. Their teachers could not be more different, but they are both really neat! I think they'll have wonderful years!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

9/9/08

1. The new Dar Williams album came out, and I bought it as soon as B&N opened! It's called Promised Land. I'm sure she'll play a lot of songs from it when we see her in concert on the 21st.

2. A clean house... FTMP, my house is cleaner than it's been in weeks. I still have dusting to do, but both bathrooms are clean (I did one; Mom did the other) and the floors are clean and vacuumed. yay!

3. Knitting Club; I am enjoying knitting a lot more (working on Calorimetry for me) and Knitting Club is made up of such wonderful people--even if they *did* goad me into bringing brownies!

Monday, September 8, 2008

9/8/08

1. Though it rained most of the day, it was a nice, gentle rain--and it didn't interfere with the morning walking-to-school routine!

2. Shopping to Target with Mom. We didn't find curtains and rods, but found other good stuff! And all the school supplies are just now being marked down (30%) so it'll be awhile till they're marked really low.

3. More tutoring; tonight it was for a girl I've worked with since she was a Freshman (she's a Junior this year). And it's really nice to be "done" for the week at 8:00 on Monday night!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

9/7/08

1. Sunday morning--I love relaxing, making breakfast, and reading the Sunday paper.

2. VERY productive shopping trip--got almost everything for Mom's bathroom!

3. Though I couldn't go to the Indian Buffet with my knitting friends, I made Indian food for supper. A veggie curry and homemade naan:

4. First tutoring session of the year, but only one of the two I will usually have on Sunday, so it was an easy way to get back into things ;)

Saturday, September 6, 2008

9/6/08

1. M's first soccer game! Although they don't really keep score at her age, her team definitely won ;) They were very cute to watch, and it was also apparent that there are a lot of kids on her team with older siblings who have played soccer.
2. T's first game of the season with his new team. They tied, and played VERY well together! I like his coaches, I like his teammates, and I like the parents of his teammates!3. Having contractors work on Mom's house. No--having CAPABLE contractors work on Mom's house! :) I love doing work there, but it was really nice to be doing something else and to come home to what others had completed!

Friday, September 5, 2008

9/5/08

1. Yummy Caribou coffee (too much of it, actually) to start the day.

2. Got lots "done" on/for Mom's house--the basement foundation bracing and radon system put in, plus some shopping to look at tile and get ideas.

3. C. got a part in the local musical (Big). She is VERY excited.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

9/4/08

1. We finally got RAIN! After the floods this spring, we got almost no rain, so the steady rain all day was much appreciated.

2. MOM'S HERE!!! (not moved into her house, but all her stuff is down and she's here physically and she'll stay with us until her house is ready)

3. Overall lazy day with doing some housework and laundry catchup. It was nice to not have to be anywhere for most of the day (other than kid drop-off and pick-up).

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

9/3/08

1. Everyone still woke up (relatively) easily and got where they needed to be on time. T. survived his first day going to the Middle School, and made it back to the Elementary School, too.

2. Coffee out with the 8th grade moms. Talk about a rough week for me ;) It was nice to reconnect with some women I hadn't really seen since May.

3. C's tryout for "Big: The Musical". Very cute to see her practice, and she did a great job on the big stage belting out "Mama Mia" for her audition.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

9/2/08

1. First day back to school. Everyone had a GREAT day! Pics:
2. A bunch of moms went out for coffee after drop-off. We laughed about it because it was all a bunch of very active/involved moms and by the end of the morning, we'd all recruited someone or been recruited for a volunteer position of some sort (PTO, PTC, girl scouts...).

3. Supper out at the mall with the kids and their friends' families. We stayed until almost 8:00... YIKES! But the weather was nice, the kids were getting along (and having fun), and I love all the parents of my kids' friends. I'm so lucky to live in this community.

Monday, September 1, 2008

9/1/08

1. Last day of summer vacation. I'm somewhat sad, but I think it's time for school to start up again for ALL of us!

2. Fun lunch at the neighbors--leftovers from last night's cookout!

3. The trailer with all mom's stuff arrived, so the time is VERY near when she'll truly be my.neighbor.mom!