Sunday, November 30, 2008

11/30/08

1. Went through the Xmas gifts I'd already bought and, in the process, organized the mini attic. I did pretty well shopping-wise and don't have a lot of stuff to get yet.

2. Shopped some with C. at the mall. I had a $10 Kohls coupon and picked up a few more things. While there, I ran into a friend of a friend and we exchanged coupons (I gave her Boston Store; she gave me Kohl's). The mall was not very busy, either.

3. Heard from my Grad School advisor. I'm not exactly sure if it's good news or bad news, though! I was *sure* I'd need to take Calculus (and was actually kind of looking forward to it), but I guess the committee says I "only" need to take three courses before I get in. The three courses, though, are:
311 Inorganic
524 Instrumental Analysis
560 Non-Calc based P-Chem
And each is 3 credits and each is ONLY offered in the fall.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

11/29/08

1. Going out for breakfast (bagels and coffee) with my mom, brother, and his girlfriend. It was such a nice visit with them--they stayed a bit longer and weren't as rushed to leave. And Mom's got more room for them to stay--I hope they come visit more often!

2. M. went to a play with one of her classmates. She got all dressed up and they got cookies and juice, in addition to seeing the play.

3. Putting up the Xmas tree with the kids. I bought a new tree on clearance last year and wasn't sure if it would be hideously ugly. It's not bad--and as a bonus, it's narrower than our old one, so takes up less space. Oh, and it's a pre-lit tree, too! The kids did all the decorating.

11/28/08

1. Black friday shopping, starting at 7:00 am, with C. and my brother's girlfriend; we got SO many deals! ;)

2. M., marching in her first parade (the Holiday Stroll) with the Daisy Girl Scouts.
3. Coming home, after marching in the parade, to yummy turkey soup and sandwiches, which Mom had made.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

11/27/08

1. My brother (and his girlfriend) coming to see Mom's new house for the first time

2. Cooking Thanksgiving stuff with my mom (we're a good team in the kitchen!)

3. Pulling off a really fun Thanksgiving meal for 21 people; and everyone getting along great! I have the best family and in-laws!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

11/26/08

1. Kids off of school

2. Got almost all of the house clean for tomorrow

3. M., going to a birthday party (a boy in her class who has a crush on her)

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

11/25/08

1. Coffee at Mom's house for the first time! She's so excited that her house is becoming more and more of a "real" house. While I was there, we moved some stuff around and unpacked about eight boxes--which had been buried by other stuff.

2. Started the kindergarten carpool. In the winter we seldom walk (or bikeride) to school and it's nice to carpool with another mom so I don't have to bundle up and leave the house every day! Saves gas, too, as one person is driving instead of two.

3. Knitting club--first time I've been able to go in several weeks. I had really missed everyone and it was so good to be back. We had a new person join us, too, and I think she'll be back. Fun!

Monday, November 24, 2008

11/24/08

1. Coffee at the home of one of C's friends. Four of us moms shared coffee, great conversation, and admired new furniture! It's so nice that I really *like* the moms of C's friends so much (as well as their daughters).

2. I was PE helper for M's class. They're doing a gymnastics unit, and M. was having so much fun (and doing so well). She has a really nice class, too.

3. C.'s turn to take "baby think it over" home for Health class. It was kinda sweet to see her taking care of the crying doll, patting it and talking to it. (but man, is that cry annoying! And persistent!)

4. The Middle School choir concert. This year's choir teacher is such a great guy and the song choices were so much better than last years. Best of all, C. is in Chamber Choir (a smaller group that you need to audition for), and I was so proud of her performance in that group (of only nine kids). She really loves singing and you can tell.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

11/23/08

1. Leisurely Sunday morning reading the paper. It's the one day I like to get up early while everyone else sleeps in.

2. Got some little things done at Mom's house that I had been kind of putting off. Knowing that my brother will be here this week kicked my butt into gear.

3. Yummy Indian buffet with friends (and C. and Mom) for lunch. Almost ten hours later and I am *still* full!

4. Tutoring--there's Chemistry and Geometry tests on Tuesday, so I felt particularly useful!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

11/22/08

1. Going with M. while she traded in her Gameboy SP to get a Nintendo DS. She's saved her allowance and the money she's gotten from her grandparents for various holidays (best of all, now she has a new "toy" with no accessories, so buying her things for Xmas will be easier). She had a tough time choosing which color to get until the salesman described one as "metallic silver". (She's *very* into metallics!)

2. C. and her friends working on their Beyond project. They chose to read "Much Ado About Nothing", which they finished yesterday, so the girls (all but one) came over for breakfast, to watch the movie version, and then to write their final project (they're re-writing it as a current, teenaged version to perform for the class). It's so fun to have a group of highly-motivated kids working together! And they really worked hard, too.

3. Fun afternoon shopping. We had to pick up some stuff for C's Shakespeare (see above) project, wanted to use the Costco coupons, and had a few other errands to run. It was nice to see that both Target and Costco were really busy, too. With all the economy woes, it's a little scary, so it's nice to see that at least some local businesses are busy! And, I found a down vest (which I've wanted and been looking for for over a year) for $19.99! C. got herself one, too (though mine is brown and hers is black).

4. Accepted a subbing job for Math on December 1st. I hope it's a fun one!

5. Out for coffee (and a bit more shopping) with G. tonight. I wore my new down vest and it works GREAT!

Friday, November 21, 2008

11/21/08

1. All went well this morning with Mom coming over to finish prepping the big kids for school and get M. ready.

2. My full day of subbing Social Studies at the HS actually went pretty well! It was nice to see some former co-workers at lunchtime, too!

3. Coming home to dinner that I didn't cook (thanks, Mom!), then catching up on email, knitting a little, and watching Thursday night TV. Decadent!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

11/20/08

1. T. chose his piece for Art Docents this week and I was able to find a picture of it online:
It's a moving "mobile" sculpture done by Alexander Calder and entitled "Black, Red and Blue". I think it's fitting that Travis--so math and science minded--chose a mobile for his art piece.

2. Got almost all of the house cleaned for Book Club tonight. It's been a long time since I've had most/all of the house clean at once!

3. Lunch out with a friend/mom of one of T's classmates. We hadn't had a chance to talk for a long time and it was so nice to catch up on things!

4. Book Club here--The Glass Castle. We had great discussion about the book--and other stuff. I can't say enough about how thrilled I am with our block Book Club! Such a fun group of women, and so nice that no one has to DRIVE anywhere!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

11/19/08

1. Cleaned half of the basement--and I mean *cleaned*! Tossed out old junk and re-organized the toy and game closet and put away some things before Thanksgiving.

2. Made Zuppa Toscana for supper--YUM! Actually, did the whole Olive Garden type meal--soup, salad and breadsticks!

3. Just feeling generally better than yesterday. (Yesterday I felt like crap...)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

11/18/08

1. Grocery shopping; as lousy as the economy is, there are some really good food deals to be had.

2. Filled up my gas tank at $2.03 a gallon. Again, the economy, but...

3. I decided to skip knitting club--though I missed everyone, it was really nice to crawl into bed early...

Monday, November 17, 2008

11/17/08

1. After trying to figure out how to drive the older kids to school w/o having to wake M. or my mom, they ended up walking to school! It was under 30 degrees this morning! I was so proud of them.

2. Good night of tutoring--especially with one client that doesn't always have much to work on. Tonight we had stuff to work on, and I felt particularly helpful.

3. Done with tutoring for the week! (so nice to work a two day week...)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

11/16/08

1. Muffins, coffee and reading the Sunday paper.

2. Working outside on Mom's yard--raking leaves (they're still not all on the ground) and digging up the pest hostas. It was a very cold day, but at least the sun was shining brightly. I chased the kids outside, too, for one of possibly the last nice days for awhile.

3. C's last performance of BIG! She's loved being in this musical and I'm glad she did it, but I really am sick of how it cramps our schedule and all the driving.

4. T. ran two miles today (at least!). I'm loving wii Fit because he actually jogged for half an hour! This is the kid who would complain for WEEKS when they had to run the mile in gym.

5. I picked up our Xmas photo cards and addressed the envelopes today. We're just waiting for G's creative juices to flow so he can write the annual Xmas letter.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

11/15/08

1. Started the day with a big breakfast. I tried the biscuits from Amateur Gourmet, made bacon and scrambled eggs, and most of us created breakfast sandwiches. Yum!

2. Got to chaperone M's Daisy Troop when they participated in "Songs N S'mores with the Brownies". So cute!

3. Wonderful dinner (and shopping) 0ut with my wonderful husband. We went to Devon Seafood and had crab cakes and scallops and chocolate cake and key lime pie! (And we got some more Xmas gifts bought)

Friday, November 14, 2008

11/14/08

1. No school today (P-T conferences) so everyone got to sleep in! Why is the difference between 6:15 and 7:15 so wonderful?

2. Trip to Mayfair Mall with C. and M., several of C's friends, and one of my friends (who happens to be the mom of one of C's friends). We ran into other friends there, who we had lunch with. M. was wonderfully behaved the whole FIVE hours we were gone, and it was so nice to just get out of the house and be with friends!

3. We finally opened the wii Fit that I bought three months ago (and planned to use once school started). So far I really, really like it! I hope it makes me keep up with exercising. I'm not holding my breath, as I'm so terrible about it, but (like I said) it *is* fun!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

11/13/08

1. Coffee with the 5th grade moms. We had a new mom join us (new to Cumberland), which was very nice! She has a K5 daughter, too!

2. Mom and I bought almost 30 MORE pounds of meat at Costco! Found out that now is the time to buy pork and beef--after T-giving, people will be buying it for the holidays, so the price will go up.

3. Yesterday C. told me that I should buy some flats (I was complaining about my feet hurting from wearing heels half the day). I had just received a $5 coupon from Famous Footwear, so when I was out running errands, I stopped to look. I found a pair of black suede flats and a pair of brown leather flats and after the "Buy one pair, get the second half off" sale and the $5 coupon, I got them both for $23!

4. Had T and M's parent-teacher conferences. Overall, we have a wonderful set of kids ;) They are polite, smart, and helpful and their teachers all love them. (someone please remind me of this when they're being less-than-delightful!).

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

11/12/08

1. Grocery shopping today. They're doing another of those promos where you get a "certificate" for every $50 you spend and then you redeem the certificates for gift cards at the end of the promotion. So I spent $101--I usually spend just UNDER the dollar mark to get one. (it's the little things)

2. Subbing--I took a half day slot at the Middle School (6th grade Lit/Lang) as the first subbing I've done all school year. After last year, I'd vowed that I'd never take a Middle School job again, but this was actually really fun! The kids were well-behaved, the teacher left stuff for me to do with the students, and I'm glad I did it!

3. C's Parent-teacher conferences were tonight. Though there's room for her to work on her grades, her teachers all like her and had very nice things to say about her as a person, and as a friend to other students.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

11/11/08

1. Mom and I went to the giant "value pack" meat sale at Sendik's. We bought over 50 lbs. of meat (steak, ground chuck, baby back ribs, pork roast, pork chops) in value packs, then brought them home, separated, re-packaged, and froze them. Now the freezer's in much better shape for the winter!

2. Picked up my first subbing job for the school year! It's only a half day, and it's at the middle school (tomorrow), but at least I'm getting my feet wet ;)

3. Had a PTC meeting at school and I volunteered to do the minutes this year. I had felt so overwhelmed by years of volunteering at the kids' schools that I *really* stepped back this year--probably insanely so. It made me feel good to help out in whatever small way possible.

Monday, November 10, 2008

11/10/08

1. The beginning of three days where C. does *not* have to be gone four hours a night for BIG rehearsals! :)

2. First P-T conference of the week--T's math teacher had (almost all) good things to say about him. Funniest is how, when he forgets his homework, he lets her know by saying, "I'm being like my sister today..." (C. had her last year and was notorious for doing her homework, but leaving it in her locker)

3. Another short tutoring week. I finished both early and even had time to run to the mall and get some Xmas shopping done.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

11/9/08

1. Lazy Sunday morning, reading the paper, eating cinnamon rolls, and drinking coffee.

2. Got to see BIG! The Musical, which C. has been working so hard on for over two months. She did a great job, and I'm so proud that she pitched in to do stage crew as well when they were short-handed!

3. The Vikings beat the Packers; that's huge in Cheeseheadland!

4. G's parents came for BIG and stayed for supper, too. It's nice to see them, but the best part came when G's mom said that she hasn't had a cigarette since mid-September!!! I cannot express how happy that made me.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

11/8/08

1. Yet *another* trip to Target--this time Halloween was marked down 90%. I only got a few things (it was VERY picked over) but now I don't feel like I missed out on anything! lol We also got C. a new cell phone at Costco. She got the LG Shine and she is thrilled!

2. Wonderful Mother-Daughter Book Club. The hostess (Michelle) always makes delicious food, and we got to speak with the author of the book we read this month (The Remarkable & Very True Story of Lucy & Snowcap by H. M. Bouwman).

3. Because she was reading and re-reading the same books over and over (Junie B. Jones, My Weird School, etc.), I asked M. if she wanted to try some longer books. She picked the Little House books to try. M's about halfway through "Little House in the Big Woods" and she is *loving* it! It's so fun to see her excited about reading--and especially about reading a series that I loved and that C. loved!

Friday, November 7, 2008

11/7/08

1. C. and I went in for T's "Top Cougar" week today. He's had a week to display pictures and share his interests. Today anyone from his family could go in and talk about T. Luckily, C. had only half a day of school and so she could join me.

2. C. got a new haircut. She was very sad because she's decided to grow it out, and the hairdresser trimmed it up so much that it's significantly shorter. But it looks really very cute.

3. Mom watched the younger two kids while G. and I got started on our Xmas shopping (we got quite a bit done!) and went out for coffee. Yummmy Fa La Lattes are back at Caribou!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

11/6/08

1. Ran to Target since I was in the neighborhood :) I found SO many cute Halloween things at 75% off that I'm thinking I might head out tomorrow, when it's supposed to go to 90% off...

2. Lunch (at Qdoba) with one of my college friends. It was so nice to catch up with her and especially to hear how well things are going for her since her separation/divorce two years ago.

3. Watched part of the dress rehearsal for BIG! tonight (which C. is in). It's a bit rough, but still *very* cute! Performances start tomorrow night.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

11/5/08

1. Seeing (in person) and reading (online) all the smiles and positive comments and overall excitement about Obama's win.

2. Coffee out with the 8th grade moms.

3. Nice dinner with one of Mom's friends from "Up North". Great food (all cooked by Mom) and wonderful conversation (political and otherwise).

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

11/4/08

1. OBAMA!!!!
(nothing else can compare on this day)

Monday, November 3, 2008

11/3/08

1. Took both younger kids to the doctor today. M's 2 1/2 week long cough is just that--a cough. If she's still coughing in a week, we might have to do a round of prednisone (like last year at this time), but since she's happy and energetic, there's nothing to do. T., on the other hand, has a double ear infection--raging in his left ear and also bad in his right ear. He's on a 10 day course of antibiotics (the newer thinking is to avoid antibiotics unless things are really bad, and then give a long, strong course). M. went back to school for the afternoon and T. stayed home today, but will be back tomorrow.

2. Re-claimed my living room. :) Moved the furniture back to how it was pre-Mom's surgery and cleaned and dusted everything while I was moving. Feels good to get things like that done.

3. T. lost another tooth--while eating supper. It was very funny because he'd just showed me where the adult tooth is coming in and the baby tooth is still there. I'd asked him if the baby tooth was loose (he said "yes") and two hours later, it was out! :)

4. Another week done with tutoring on Monday night. If I could just sub one day a week and keep this schedule, I'd be SO happy!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

11/2/08

1. Ahhh... I love when daylight saving's time is over! I woke up (very refreshed) at a little before 7:00. Hope that feeling holds for the school week.

2. Shopping trip with C.--we've done a lot of that this weekend! Stopped to get a free latte at Stone Creek (they were giving them out to "celebrate" the time change) before going to Target and Michael's.

3. Got lots of little stuff done at Mom's house (see the blog if you don't follow it) and also learned that my brother will be coming down for Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

11/1/08

1. It was another beautiful day weather-wise. It's nice to have November start like this!

2. Shopping at Kohl's. They had clearance up to 90% off, plus I had a 15% off coupon. I got some really cute tops for summer next year for $3 to $6 each!

3. Ethnic potluck--Caribbean! We get together with two other families a few times a year and choose an ethnic theme. We had ropa vieja, black beans, two kinds of rice, a pumpkin soup, and vegetable curry, along with fried tostones, yummy rum drinks, and two desserts (mango fool and plantains sauteed in butter with brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla served over ice cream).