I finally caved

If you don't know me, I'll let you in on a little secret (not so much a secret if you do know me)...I can be quite stubborn, maybe even a little rigid. When I say no, I mean no and I very rarely change my mind. Matter of fact, the more I am pushed, the harder I dig my heels in. Until now. You see today is Carson's birthday and he is a boy who really doesn't ask for much. This year for his birthday he wanted a journal and a cat. The journal was easy. The cat, well that just doesn't work for us because his sister is very allergic to cats (although she did say she would go through allergy shots if we were seriously considering getting a cat for Carson's birthday). I just couldn't bring myself to put Katelyn through allergy shots just so we could get a cat. So here we are at today and as of this morning, we had nothing for Carson's birthday, other than a journal. We (David and I) were racking our brains trying to think of other things for the boy--Dave had great ideas, but they were all >$500.00 so were quickly ruled out. Then I had a thought, yes the thought came from me and I couldn't believe I was even suggesting it. How about a PSP2 or a Nintendo DS for the boy? Did I make that suggestion outloud? Indeed I did and David jumped all over it. For years the kids (and truth be told, David, too) had been begging and pleading for a hand-held gaming system of some sort. I was adamant that we were not going to get one, EVER. Adamant, no way, no how! I argued that they were really a waste of time and money and the kids spent enough time in idleness. They did not need another reason to be sitting around. I held firm. I was a rock. No WAY! What happened? How could I suggest that we get Carson a Nintendo DS for his birthday? Where were my convictions? I don't know. And now I fear that since the door has opened a crack, they are going to push even harder! What's next? A Wii? A cell phone? What? And how what are we going to have to get Katelyn for her birthday if this is what we get Carson when all he wanted was a journal. Oh please pray for me when Christmas comes that I might just leave well enough alone. Carson would have been happy with a journal for his birthday. Why did I have to suggest more?

Oh what do you do in the summertime?

You convince your dad and grandpa to take you and 3 of your closest buddies to the St. Joe River for an overnight camping trip to celebrate your 12th birthday.

You then find a big "jump off" rock and go one by one

And you realize that maybe Josh is the smart one in the bunch because dang that water is cold! Josh said he didn't have a problem with the jumping, it was the falling that was the problem.

After jumping of the rock, you head back to camp for dinner and bed in the brand-new tent. You play sumo wrestling in your sleeping bags while grandpa and dad are snoozing away in the motor home.

In the morning, you find a suspension bridge and jump again. You then head out for a hike, almost lose Josh down a cliff, and everyone catches fish on the fly poles.

Finally, you head home exhausted, but thrilled.

This is what you do in the summertime.

What was that?!

2:10 a.m. Everyone is snuggled down in their beds, slumbering away. 2:11 a.m. A loud, bone-jarring beep. I waken with a jolt and immediately strain to hear anything else. 2:11 and 30 seconds Another loud, bone-jarring beep. This time I jump out of bed with David right behind me. I run to the door, feel the handle and door to check for heat and smell for smoke. Nothing. Out in the hallway we find Carson with a puzzled look on his face and squinting his eyes from the sudden bright light from turning on the hall light. So far nothing seems amiss. We all wander through the house (all except Katelyn who apparently did not stir at all). When everything checks out in the house, Dave and I take a walk around the perimeter of the outside of the house. Again, all is well. 2:25 a.m. Back to bed. 3:20 a.m. I finally drift back to sleep--sudden bursts of adrenaline really mess up my sleep schedule. 4:30 a.m. The alarm goes off to start another day. 4:50 a.m. I finally roll out of bed (after hitting the snooze button twice), dress for my run and head out the door. Why do smoke detectors always seem to die in the middle of the night? And why couldn't this one just go quietly into that good night with the pleasant little "chirp" that we usually get when the batteries are almost dead? I'm learning how to be a glass-half full person and so for this moment I have found this positive...David actually responded without me having to kick him in the shin to get out of bed to find out what was going on. This is a B-I-G moment.

Mom's taxi service

Having children is a huge blessing. Running them to all of their different activities...well, I should love it. Yesterday looked like this...Drop Carson off at weight training camp, drop Katelyn at tennis camp, pick up Carson from weight training, drop Carson off at Grandpa and Grandma Graham's, pick up Katelyn from tennis, drop Katelyn at a friend's pool party. Guess how many miles I drove yesterday. Go ahead, take a guess. No clue? 75 miles! 75 miles driving in circles. I should love that right? I mean I am holding the kids captive in a small enclosed space. It should lend itself to good conversation right? Not when they are teen-agers or pre-teen--talking is the last thing they want to do. Even with all of my open-ended questions and active listening skills (learned from years of working as a nurse and being mom) did nothing to elicit good conversation. On the brighter side of being mom's taxi service...I only had to drive 60 miles today.

My kids think I'm smart

The other night we were watching "Duel", a TV game show. I was on a roll answering the questions without missing a beat. Carson (my son) was ribbing his dad about his (Dave's) wrong answers. He then says "Mom is way smart. She gets all of them right." Who wouldn't love hearing that come from your child? He then asks me, "So how did you get to be so smart?" Quick-thinking me answered, "I was a voracious reader when I was young--I read anything from books to magazines, even the occassional encyclopedia. I also had a mom and dad who exposed us to much trivia and almost every road-side information sign there was." I am trying to convince my children that reading really is a profitable hobby. We continue to watch Duel and 2 questions later is this gem "Which company has as its slogan, The passionate pursuit of excellence?" (or something really close to that). I had no idea. Carson, on the other hand, got it before the choices were even displayed. He turns to me and says "Ha, that learning is from watching TV." The answer to the question...Lexus.

About me

Well I have been lurking in the blogging world for about a year and have decided to give blogging a try. Extemporaneous writing is not really a strength, but I am willing to stretch. All I ask is that you are patient with me. This blog is about motherhood, the art of school nursing, and other interesting things that occur in my life. I'm going to try and figure out how to do my profile, but for now, here a few facts about me...

• married for 18 years to a fabulous man.
• mother of 2 children, ages 12 and 14 (15 in October)
• I have been working as a school nurse for the last 6 years. It is a challenge, where some days I hate it and other days I totally feel like school nursing is my calling.
• I'm fairly active, with training for triathlons being one of my favorite pasttimes.
• our family lives in Eastern Washington, which gives us ample opportunities for outdoor activities.

Have questions about what a school nurse does? Feel free to ask. As school starts, more school nursing will be discussed.

Thanks for visiting.