Every Court needs a... Minstrel?

OK, at first we thought it was a Jester, but after we stopped laughing at the lunacy of this, Todd and I decided that Minstrel was a better fit.Christopher told Todd and I of his news Saturday morning while we were still in bed. It's a good thing we were in bed. If we weren't we both would have fallen to the floor laughing.

Can you read this? Click on the photo to enlarge. I HAD TO go the Carroll High School's announcements to see it for myself. There it is in black & white. The 2009 Homecoming Court... includes none other than Chris Meyers. That would be our boy. He nominated himself as a joke. His class nominated him to the Court. So, "Chris"topher Todd Meyers is a member of Carrol High School's 2009 Homecoming Court. From what is posted in the announcements, he now has to record a "short video biography". "Dear God, Please bless Christopher with good judgement while recording this video. Please allow the eloquence of his voice and the complex depth of his thoughts be articulated through Your hand (even if You have to slap him with it!). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen"

OH... by the way... the top photo of Christopher is taken with a ukelele that he carries around school and plays while walking from class to class. Last night we visited Bill and Val. One of his classmates commented that it is "really cool" that he walks and plays through the halls. It seems as though he really is enjoying Senior year.

Huge Sigh of Relief!

2nd grade math

Maybe I should have thrown this in the previous post. I just remembered that this happened. A couple of weeks ago, Emma and I were in the van and she was doing a workbook. It was math. Second grade math. FRACTIONS!!!

She knows from years of hearing Todd and the boys talk about it (making fun of me sometimes), that I am not good at math. It intimidates me. I am particularly bad at fractions and algebra. So... Emma was doing her workbook and I heard her little voice from the back of the van telling me that she was going to explain fractions to me. I felt like I was a kid in our kitchen with Mom cutting pies in her attempts to "explain" fractions to me. I know what fractions are, I just don't know how to solve mathematical problems containing them. Addition, subraction, multiplication, division... it doesn't matter... I can't do them.

So, last night she proclaimed that she, "learned algebra today in school!" She had me sit in the game room, in front of her chalkboard. She proudly wrote... 6+8=8+?
She then went on to explain to me how you figure out what the ? would be (she actually drew a squate to fill in). Todd overheard the lesson and came into the room with a smile from ear to ear. His daughter was teaching his wife about the Commutative Property of Addition (a phrase used in understanding basic algebra).

Emma: "Mommy, do you get it? The answer will be the same on both sides even if you flip the numbers!"
Mommy: "Yes, Emma, I get it."
Emma: "Good. Now you show me an example."
Todd still standing there watching with a grin...
Mommy writes an example on the chalkboard...
Emma: "Very good Mommy! I'll keep teaching you as I learn how to do them!"
Mommy: "Thank you, Sweetie!" and walking into the kitchen muttering to myself, "Just don't throw a damn fraction in there!"

Senior Year & 8th Grade Blues

I'm not going to swear to it... I'm not even going to ask him if my observation is correct... I don't want to blow a good thing... BUT... I think Christopher may actually be enjoying his Senior Year so far. He has a relaxed schedule that is comprised of mostly classes he WANTS to take rather than classes he HAS to take. The only mandated classes are: Economics (fall semester), US Government (spring semester); and English 12 (fall semester English Composition and spring semester English Literature). What else is he taking?

Fall semester electives are: Applied Instrumental Music; Advanced Environmental Science; Stellar Astronomy; and Solar Astronomy.

Spring semester electives will be: Psychology; Painting; Advanced Environmental Science; & Ceramics.

The spring semester should be excellent for him. His English Literature class (an Honors class, by the way), has a test day 1 over Orwell's "1984". He has already read the book twice recreationally. First big assignment is already done! For a year he has been looking forward to Environmental Science and Psychology. Painting and Ceramics are relaxed and blow off classes. I think he is preparing himself for US Government. He has borrowed the van twice this week. Previously when he would borrow the van, the radio would be on an Alternative or Rock station. The two times that he's borrowed the van this week he's listened to N.P.R.

I heard your hearts stop beating and your gasps for breath. Do I care that he's listening to N.P.R.? No, not really. I want him to be well-rounded. I want him to reach his own decisions. I will put a Post-It Note on the channel selector the next time he asks to take the van... FOX NEWS IS CHANNEL 131. Listen to both sides so you can argue your point intellectually. Juan Williams does both, right?! I have heard him admit when Democrats go over the edge and I have heard him ridicule Republicans. It appears as though Christopher is educating himself and (maybe unconsciously) preparing himself for US Government class next semester. All I really care about right now is the "A" I hope he gets in the class.

Poor Cameron has the 8th grade blues. I don't remember him having more than 10 minutes of homework more than a handful of times since 3rd grade. He always got the majority of his work done in school. He has no Study Hall this year. He is taking Spanish I (a high school class) in lieu of Study Hall. He is also taking Algebra I (also a high school class). These two classes give him homework. However, he also realizes that these two classes give him high school credit!

The neighbors and Emma

The morning of my surgery I had to be at the hospital at 6 am. This left the children at home to get themselves to school. UH-OH... Emma's only in 2nd grade. I coulnd't leave her here alone for the 40 minutes between when the boys leave and when her bus arrives. I turned to the retired neighbors for help. They said, "Anything you need help with, just let us know." Very rarely do I take people up on this type of offer, but I took them up on it, and they were happy to help. I made these arrangements with Suzie: Cameron and Christopher would be leaving for the bus at 6:50. Emma would leave with them and stop at their house at 6:50.

This is not exactly how the plan executed. At 6:15, Emma was ready for school. She started asking to go next door. Christopher ignored her and Cameron kept telling her, "NO." At 6:30, he couldn't take it any more. He walked her next door and dropped her off early. I was mortified when I learned of this on Tuesday after school. I was in the hospital, in pain, and completely embarassed that my kids deviated from the plan. I don't like to impose on people to begin with, and they imposed 20 minutes early.

I saw Dave outside on Sunday and I went over to apologize for the intrusion. He laughed and said that it was not a problem at all. They enjoyed her. She was pleasant and polite. She was dressed nicely, her hair was brushed, and she had eaten breakfast. Since everything was in order and they had some time to kill, they watched tv and ate cookies. Yeah, Grandma and Grandpa neighbor jacked Emma up on cookies and sent her to school. Dave was laughing about it and I think he genuinely enjoyed having our little girl visit that morning.

Released

Last week was a milestone week for me. I had surgery to reverse the colostomy that I got in February. Surgery was the 18th and was successful. The average hospital stay for this surgery is 5-7 days. Being the over-achiever that I am, I wanted to beat this average. I was released on day 4. I did not coax or even bribe the doctor. He was pleased with my progress and didn't see a need for me to stay in the hospital any longer. He did ask where we live, and I told him that we live "Right around the corner from Parkview North." Check one! Todd has worked with this doctor's patients for 11 years. He knows that Todd has cared for well over 100 patients with this exact surgery. Check two! The doctor also knows that his rounding nurse is one of our closest friends. She was the first person Todd called when I was admitted in February and she lives only 13 miles away. Check three... Score!

Surgery on Tuesday the 18th. Release on Saturday the 22nd. Ninety minutes worth of grocery shopping and "Back to School Night" for Emma on Tuesday the 25th. Realization that I need to take it easy at around 2:30 am Wednesday morning. I'm staying on the couch today and doing nothing.

Expressing herself

We try to pick out school clothes the night before. It makes things a little more smooth in the morning. Sunday night, we neglected to do this. Emma came bouncing downstairs very proud of herself for "putting together" her outfit.

Yes, her t-shirt does say LOL. This is a texting abbreviation for Laugh Out Loud. I did just that when I saw her. I then grabbed the camera. This one was too funny to lose the memory. She went to school dressed this way.

After school we went to the next door neighbor's house (the retired couple). Suzie opened the door, looked at Emma, and exclaimed, "MY aren't you colorful!" To this Emma replied, "Yes I am!" This was another LOL moment.

Homestead Class of 1984 Reunion

Yes, it's been 25 years since Todd and I graduated from high school. Our class has always been close. The popularity of Facebook enabled many classmates to re-connect. Facebook assisted in making the turnout for the reunion higher.

We had a pre-event party on Friday night. It was a blast. Probably 20-25 people showed up. some people from the classes of 1983 & 1985 came out to play also. It was great.

The reunion banquet was held at the Grand Wayne Center. It is an elegant venue. We had classmates dress casually and dress up. It didn't matter to any of us what anyone else was wearing. We are beyond that. We just wanted to have fun.

Remember John, Mom? He's on the left. He still has beautiful blue eyes.

I wore a black dress of Cathy's It was lovely!

Todd and I went to the reunion together, I swear. The only picture of both of us is on Facebook, and when I saved it to our computer and tried to publish it on the blog, it was teeny tiny. We probably didn't get pictures together because he (along with his friends) reverted back to acting like they were in HS! We didn't spend too much time together. He re-connected with his friends as I did with mine.

Grandma's visit

About two weeks ago, I received a call from Todd's mother (Jan). She was wondering what was going on the week of 8/10. HA! Read below and you'll have some insight into some of the activities we had going on. I filled her in, and she came anyway. Brave lady wanted to be a part of our insanity.

She and her two dogs drove up from Florida. They arrived in Indiana on Monday the 10th. One of her dogs (Suki) had an eye injury, and the vet in FL mandated that Jan find a vet in IN for a re-check. Since Cathy is a vet, Jan stopped in Indianapolis to get Suki checked out. Christopher's wisdom tooth extraction and Suki's visit with Cathy were almost simultaneous. We met after we were both done with our respective visits, and she followed us home.

I was a little anxious about how Maui was going to react to having two strange dog in the house. The three of them got along wonderfully. Maui even tried to get his dog cousins to play with the duck.

We had a ball with Grandma Jan and the dogs (Bandit on the left and Suki center). Emma thoroughly enjoyed the dogs. She has the same love of dogs as Cathy has for cats. It would not surprise me if Emma grows up to be a Vet Tech or a Veterinarian.

Another event of the week was the start of the 2009-2010 school year. They went back on August 13 this year. I took pictures of Cameron in the morning, but they did not come out well at all. After he returned home from school, he made faces every time I broke out the camera. I missed his first day of 8th grade.

Christopher darted out the door while saying good-bye. I was not fast enough to get him before school, BUT I was waiting for him after school. I was snapping pictures and he said, "Mom really. Do you have to do this. Why are you taking my picture?" My reply was simple, "Because it's the first day of your Senior year, that's why."

I expected Emma to ham it up for me. Not so much. I drove her to school, and she turned her back and ran from me. She kept saying, "Mom stop. Stop it, Mom. You're embarassing me." I wish I could have caught up to her, grabbed her, and gave her a big 'ole kiss. Now THAT would have been embarassing.

Week of August 10, 2009

What a crazy busy week it was. All in all we had 4 doctor's appointments, 1 pre-op bloodwork/paperwork appt, and 1 missed bloodwork appt.: 1) Wisdom tooth extraction; 2) Othopedic appt; 3) ENT consult; 4) Pre-surgery assessment/Q&A appt.

I was supposed to have blood drawn for my family doctor some time during the week. Damn cholesterol. I'm tired of doctors so I didn't go. I thought about going this morning, but I had a cup of coffee before my memory kicked in. The bloodwork that he ordered requires fasting. Whoopsie.

Order of the Arrow

Cameron is now an official member of the Order of the Arrow. This is some super-special, elite Boy Scout Society. It is considered a "fraternity" of Boy Scouts. I read that it is considered to be the "National Honor Society" for the Boy Scouts of America. I had to reseach it because no one really talks about it! All I know about this super-special, super-secret group of boys/men is that he is honored to be a member and he is entitled to special perks because of his membership.

He had to be nominated by his troop to become a member. This in itself was an honor. He had to complete the Ordeal weekend. The weekend consisted of some sort of super-secret rituals, handshake learning, and work. I know that Saturday was labor day. I had to call the BSA Council office to see if he could participate in the Ordeal weekend due to his broken hand. They told me to note it on the application and they ensured me that that they would take proper precautions. The leader of the weekend gave me some insight into the labor he would be providing. According to Cameron it was more in depth than what I was led to believe, but he did OK. Supposedly the weekend rituals are so super-secret that he can't disclose what he went through. Whatever. I'll get it out of him eventually. He was smiling when he came home so it could not have been traumatic!

What kind of special perks is he entitled to you ask? Well, he is invited to go on more camping trips with the Order of the Arrow (OA). He is invited to go to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM at a reduced rate. Actually he works for a week and then he gets to play for a week for only $250. The camp itself at Philmont is usually $1,100. He can go to the BSA Sea Base in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. I don't know the reduced rate for this, but I'm certain I will within the year!

The thing is, Cameron is only 14, a Star Scout, and a member of the Order of the Arrow. He told me today that in January he is able to have his Scoutmaster Conference and Board of Review for Life Scout. He's such a good boy... I keep telling myself that even though he lied to me about how he broke his hand!

Can I go outside???

Saturday morning Emma returned home from an overnight at her friend's house. She came in, ate, showered, and then asked if she could go out and play with Landin. Being the good mommy that I am, I said, "Sure."


I could hear the two of them screeching down the sidewalk in his Gator mini car (By the way he was not involved in the traffic jam pictures. He was not home!). I heard them laughing and I reminded myself what an ultra cool cul-de-sac we live in... And then I looked outside. Emma and Landin were indeed in his Gator. Emma was in pajamas and had her hair wrapped in a towel.

I remembered the blog (thank you Cathy) and I ran to get the camera. I took the picture and then told her to get her fanny in the house.

Crazy Cul-de-Sac

We live in the best place EVER for kids. Our cul-de-sac is full of them. The other evening we had a traffic jam with little people cars. Emma was riding around on the electric scooter. Several neighbor kids were riding in their little electric cars. The pink Jeep is Emma's, but she let neighbor kids borrow it. The boys even had a Chinese Firedrill.

Our next door neighbors are a retired couple. They chose their lot because of all the kids in our cul-de-sac. They have no grandchildren. They will never have grandchildren. They love and spoil all of our kids as if they were their own grandkids. When the noise gets to be too much, he turns down his hearing aid and smiles like he can hear everything.

The New Damn Duck

I'm a blog slacker. I will easily admit it. I know I have the thing, I just forget to update.

One of the last updates was about the stupid dog and his duck. Todd did buy Maui a new duck, and Maui had duck guts out the next day. See the stuffing pulled out of the duck chest?

Todd shoved the stuffing back in, sewed the duck up, and gave it back to the dog. Emma had a friend spend the night. They slept in the family room on the sofa bed. This is what I walked down to in the morning... ... and I forgot to mention that the ducks have all had "squeakers" in them. I forgot about the "squeaker" until Maui started playing with this one. The dog chews on the "squeaker" and then barks at the squeak, and then he chews on the "squeaker" again to get a reply to bark at. It's a viscious cycle. Thank goodness Maui pulled the plastic bag, that holds the stuffing, that encompasses the squeaker out of the duck. This ain't getting sewn back into the duck!