Looking for Control Freaks & Worry Warts - Part 4!!!

[DizzyErin]

I love to read during the summer, but I'm having a tough time finding an author this season. I've read so much I'm having problems. Who's your favorite author?

Have you read any Jodie Picoult? I love crime writers and some faves of those are Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell

I had a hard morning - got down about my hard time with DS and DIL.

Oh Tammie i am so sorry you are feeling down and am sorry you are still having these problems, huge huge across the pond hugs

 

[TinaLala]

Tammie - hang in there ol' gal! We had grilled brats for dinner the other night - love grilling!

I've read Patricia Cromwell before, the other authors I'll have to look into.

So we tried to put our pool up today but after 2 hours the pool was spread out and cleaned, but then the rain started. So maybe sometime this week I can sit out and watch the water rise. It's one of those inflated ring pool so you have to watch it go up if the ground isn't even and - yeah our ground isn't even.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Can I join in? Were not going to disney this year but Mackinaw island, and im in a panic (2 months, 3 weeks out). My issue:
Were all planned, We have enteriment bags (for everyone) but whats got me panicked is the car. Its a small car, theres 5 of us, 2 pooh sized adults, 1 adult that has to ride up front (me) and two kids (10,9). Thats 5 suitcases plus all the extra stuff. Plus we need my brace, netipot, pillow (medical need) and a travel pillow (cause if my head tips to much I get sick). Im freaking about it all fitting.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Have you read any Jodie Picoult? I love crime writers and some faves of those are Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell



Oh Tammie i am so sorry you are feeling down and am sorry you are still having these problems, huge huge across the pond hugs

Thanks Erin - worse today, and then DS called to see if Jim could help him fix his truck - oh yeah, when he needs something he calls. Anyway, it was good just to see him, and he explained that Mason was sick all weekend. Dana sent me a link to order copies of his 3 yr old pics - lately others have gotten pics when she has them taken and I don't get any, or just small ones, so I decided to order my own - at least she sent me the link

Then we skyped with Jim's uncle and aunt in Anaheim and planned a pre-cruise visit and DL with them in April, so we were cheered up just enjoying a call with them!

Tammie - hang in there ol' gal! We had grilled brats for dinner the other night - love grilling!

I've read Patricia Cromwell before, the other authors I'll have to look into.

So we tried to put our pool up today but after 2 hours the pool was spread out and cleaned, but then the rain started. So maybe sometime this week I can sit out and watch the water rise. It's one of those inflated ring pool so you have to watch it go up if the ground isn't even and - yeah our ground isn't even.

Hope all goes well with the pool, Tina!

Can I join in? Were not going to disney this year but Mackinaw island, and im in a panic (2 months, 3 weeks out). My issue:
Were all planned, We have enteriment bags (for everyone) but whats got me panicked is the car. Its a small car, theres 5 of us, 2 pooh sized adults, 1 adult that has to ride up front (me) and two kids (10,9). Thats 5 suitcases plus all the extra stuff. Plus we need my brace, netipot, pillow (medical need) and a travel pillow (cause if my head tips to much I get sick). Im freaking about it all fitting.

Welcome! Stick around and introduce yourself! We are always ready to make new friends here. You will probably be fine - I think a long time ago when I was a kid, we traveled in small cars with lots of kids, and we just made it work, and made some vacation memories. Maybe you can find ways to pack tighter - those space bags work great for that!

Oh, and I am a MN girl, too! My fam is in Fergus Falls, and we lived in Hastings before coming to Oregon when I was 14.

 

[TinaLala]

Can I join in? Were not going to disney this year but Mackinaw island, and im in a panic (2 months, 3 weeks out). My issue:
Were all planned, We have enteriment bags (for everyone) but whats got me panicked is the car. Its a small car, theres 5 of us, 2 pooh sized adults, 1 adult that has to ride up front (me) and two kids (10,9). Thats 5 suitcases plus all the extra stuff. Plus we need my brace, netipot, pillow (medical need) and a travel pillow (cause if my head tips to much I get sick). Im freaking about it all fitting.

Welcome funkychunkymonkey!!! Sounds like you've got some close quarters! I LOVE Mackinaw island, of course I've never been there, but I love the movie Somewhere in Time and have always dreamed of walking the lawn infront of the hotel. Sounds like some pre-packing so everyone knows how close the car is going to be. Then maybe others can downsize their suitcases.

Tammie - the positive side is she sent you the link. I hear you about only calling when they need something - sounds like my mil. The vacation sounds GREAT!!

So just heard a rumor that hey are going to cancel all of the elementary specials (music, computer, art) and/or close one of our elementary schools. Of course their scheduling the meeting for tonight - we have DD10's bridging/bronze award ceremony tonight -DH is going to run from the ceremony to the meeting. They're already saying they're going to cut 20 jobs and teachers have already gotten their pink slips. I just wish they would start making their cuts at the top and then make their way down to the teachers. I know of at least one teacher who should loose her job (she's a bad bullying teacher) but she continues while good teachers loose their job. WHY!! Ok ranting over!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

That's so frustrating, Tina! It is hard to watch sometimes. We have had alot of cuts in the schools here, too. That is why my kids moved to Texas. It is so sad that the kids are the ones suffering from less education.

 

[TinaLala]

We have this crazy No Child Left Behind thing here where they teach based on a MCAS test - it's ridiculous!!! So all kids are taught based on a standard schedule regardless if the kids catch on or not. My bil is a firefighter and he goes in with a MCAS schdule of what he can go over with the kids - he's a firefighter!! Some kids can't learn the way the MCAS schedule dictates the teacher to teach and lots of kids get lost. Now they want to get ride of music, art and computers and that's where some of these kids shine. crazy.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

We have this crazy No Child Left Behind thing here where they teach based on a MCAS test - it's ridiculous!!! So all kids are taught based on a standard schedule regardless if the kids catch on or not. My bil is a firefighter and he goes in with a MCAS schdule of what he can go over with the kids - he's a firefighter!! Some kids can't learn the way the MCAS schedule dictates the teacher to teach and lots of kids get lost. Now they want to get ride of music, art and computers and that's where some of these kids shine. crazy.

Every state has that - some deal with it differently. In Oregon, they required all the teachers to get Master's Degrees - my kids did. They learned how to be creative and use all the different learning styles to help all the kids. They have to show progress, but their whole career is not based on who passes the test. We have had some program cuts.

In Texas, they have the TACTS tests. They spend 3 months covering new material, and 6 months studying how to take the tests - at least where the kids are. They are really frustrated, because they are not allowed to be creative teachers, just teach to the test. If too many kids fail, they lose their jobs. I know the idea is to be sure the teachers know their stuff and do a good job, but there is no incentive for the kids to study and care about the tests - the kids who fail are usually the ones with parents who don't care, either. Hard for a teacher to control what happens at home.

I like Laura Bush, but this one was a bad idea for everyone!

 

[TinaLala]

Tammie - it's true. It's all about funding and how to get points for the the superintendent, but they're forgetting about the children and their future. They want the teachers to be the best, but then force them to teach a mediocre program that 1/2 of the students can't understand. It's sad.

Well there's another meeting tonight, of course they've made it even more inconvenient for the parents to attend - 8pm when most kids are going to bed, but hopefully we'll have full attendance like we did last night!

So our plans of going to OH have been cut short due to finances, but it sounds like we might be going to Hershey, PA again. I have to say based on what I see online, I'm disappointed that Cedar Point and Kings Island look so much alike even down to the Snoopy characters. AH - Cedar Point and Kings Island are owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment now - that explains it. Also disappointed that Kings Island and Kings Dominion got a makeover and do not have the Nickolodeon (sp?) characters anymore. That's why we went to Kings Dominion to see SpongeBob and the Fairly OddParents - now they're not there!! Come on!! Anyone been to Dorney Park?

So just found out DD10's best friend is having her birthday party on the same day as DD10 - I doubt the mom's going to want to combine parties, but I guess I'll have to move ours to the Saturday, but I don't know if people will go to back to back parties in the same weekend?? I know not the same day!

 

[TinaLala]

So I finished my 4th of July skirt in time for Flag Day tomorrow. It's not great, but I'm happy with it!

 

[ShellyShellfish]

Tina - DH and I went to Cedar Point probably 5 years ago and had a BLAST! If you love roller coasters, that is THE place to go. You'll have a blast...and will probably drive right by my house if you go through NY.

Not much planned for the weekend. Gotta vacuum out the pool, I'll no doubt be looking over my shoulder the whole time I'm out there. When we got home Tuesday our neighbor called and said to be careful, there was a bear in the neighbor's backyard, 3 houses down from us. I saw a picture of it in the local paper online. I am afraid to let the kids out by themselves now until they catch it. They have also spotted them in other very populated areas around town in the last week. Our local authorities and the Wildlife Commission said they had no intention of relocating them, that they usually leave on their own. I sure hope they are right and it leaves soon. I would never have thought a bear would have crossed 7 lanes of traffic to get to our neighborhood to begin with.

We get bears around here too every once in awhile, it turns into a big to do and they tell us the same thing - leave it alone and it should disappear on it's own. Last year though, a cub got stuck up in a tree and was just hanging out there. The DEC came in and shot a tranquilizer into it so they could get it down and remove it safely. Well the bear fell and landed at an awkward angle and broke it's neck, basically dying on impact. The outrage was insane, but there was no other way to safely remove the bear. It's just unfortunate that it didn't fall the way they expected it to.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Michelle, That's so sad - I can just imagine the uproar. When we move in to their neighborhood, sometimes we have to take measures to control them.

Tina - very patriotic skirt! Do you have a flag day celebration there? People put flags up here, but nothing really goes on until the 4th.

 

[TinaLala]

We don't really 'do' anything for flag day. The elementary schools bring the kids out to the flag and say the pledge, but nothing really. I just thought it was a cute idea. Then she can wear it for the 4th. I was just proud I visualized it and got it done by my due date! It's been so crazy around here I've barely gotten myself showered every morning!

 

[LydiaAch]

Checking in again...we are planning a trip for October, a Disney Cruise! We are going to book the 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise as a "last hurrah" vacation. Why a last hurrah?












We are pregnant! About 2 months along and at cruising time I will be just shy of 24 weeks (talk about cutting it close!). I know it's early to be telling you all but I'm not a superstitious person and I figure if anything happens, it happens for a reason.

Woo!

 

[tttessa]

Yay Lydia!!!


So pleased for you.....

Tessa

 

[CRdisMom]

congrats!!! on the trip and baby.

I think we will all be in WDW in October at some point..LOL

 

[ShellyShellfish]

Congrats Lydia!!! That's great news!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Checking in again...we are planning a trip for October, a Disney Cruise! We are going to book the 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise as a "last hurrah" vacation. Why a last hurrah?












We are pregnant! About 2 months along and at cruising time I will be just shy of 24 weeks (talk about cutting it close!). I know it's early to be telling you all but I'm not a superstitious person and I figure if anything happens, it happens for a reason.

Woo!

CONGRATULATIONS LYDIA!!! I'm sure you're

We did that DCL Eastern! It was the best trip EVER!!! It will be so fun! There are alot of us traveling in October!

 

[lshaw6]

Congratulations, Lydia!! Here's hoping your cruise and your pregnancy are smooth sailing!

 

[TinaLala]

I'm just logging on and saw the news YEAH LYDIA!!! So excited for you and your family!!!

Well our summer has just started! Pool yesterday, beach today, GS leader daughter cruise around the Cape tomorrow, sleepover, birthday party -whoo! LOVE IT!!