My son participated in a two week drama camp at the Hershey Playhouse which followed with an evening performance of their play.
Nicolas played Detective Richard Georges in the play, The Case of the Missing Violin which was co-written by the kids.
At Nic's age I would have been filled with nerves and nearly terrified to get up on stage. Nicolas was confident in his lines and I was so proud of his performance.
Catch my rising star...
Our family is moving to Memphis, Tennessee and leaving behind the sweet smells of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
It's been a whirlwind of a week. Michael lost his job with the West Shore School District. Although he is self-employed, it was his most lucrative contract and thus we were suddenly plunged into temporary poverty (or so it seems as I devise cheap meals such as grilled cheese sandwiches and cancel luxuries such as our land line phone).
But two days later, Michael received an enticing career opportunity in the Memphis area. Shortly after, we were on our way down 81 South to 40 West as we made our way to our possible new home.
All went well and Michael was offered the job. It's a great fit for him. A wonderful company. We found townships that we liked in which we could see ourselves residing. Our 9 year old son thought the area was nice too. We drove by houses for sale, schools and explored grocery stores, the mall and shopping centers.
Nicolas at the Mississippi River:
We are excited, nervous, sad, glad and many other emotions as we begin this new adventure. The most difficult part of moving is leaving behind our dear friends who have become like family to us. And we'll be moving farther away from family (now only a six hour drive away) too.
But. It's time. To find my blue suede shoes.
The rules:
Add a comment that includes the ways you are entering or comment more than once if needed. It's all for some Sun in our lives!
Giveaway begins today, June 13 and ends on June 22. Winners will be notified the week of June 23. I will email the winners as well as post them on my blog.
Our summer got off to a great start with our vacation to see Mount Vernon. All too quickly though our world was sent into a tailspin when my husband lost his job earlier this week. He had worked at this school district for over 10 years giving 110 percent of himself. As he cried, I told him it wasn't his fault. When I told our son, I made sure to tell him that Daddy didn't do anything wrong. That the school district couldn't afford to pay him any more and that is the only reason he won't be working there.
Quickly my husband has been scrambling to pick up any hours that he can in the mental health field. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. His specialty is Autism but he works with all kinds of special needs kids and adults. Unfortunately the opportunities here seem very slim.
A door closed. A window opened. Michael is being "courted" by a company in Tennessee. They are paying our mileage and hotel to visit the Memphis area next week. That is absolutely fabulous news. It's been a roller coaster of emotions here.
I feel blessed that so quickly our family has a chance to get back on our feet. Although it won't be an easy road. For the short term, I'm worried about bills being paid, having to cancel my son's summer drama camp and take him out of Karate classes. We have to cut all expenses that we possibly can. I know Nicolas will be okay as he's very understanding.
I am thankful for our friends that have supported us every step of the way. Friends near and far have been so helpful.
I sit here wondering...
what is Tennessee like?
how long will it take to sell our house?
should we rent a house in the new location first?
will the bills get paid?
will Nicolas still have a nice summer?
how will I say goodbye to my friends?
will the bills get paid?
should I take on a part time job at night?
what can I sell on Ebay?
And yet, I'm excited about this new opportunity. I just wish we could fast-forward to being on stable ground again. Right now, it feels just a bit too shaky for me.
Tomorrow is my son's last day of school. Well, last couple of hours, really. School dismisses at Noon but we may pick him up a bit earlier.
Then, it's time to hit the road to Chantilly, VA for a 3 night getaway.
We are staying at Westfields Marriott which I booked with a AAA promotion for $69 per night on March 30th. It's important to jump on hotel deals when you see them especially if there are reasonable cancellation policies. Total for a 3 night getaway $225.63.
I can't wait to escape for a few days. It's been a gloomy and stressful Spring and there's nothing like an escape from reality to help the doldrums.
Our plans are to relax at the resort's indoor and outdoor pool as well as have dinner out tomorrow night. We may visit a local Mall or a book store to pick up some vacation reading.
On Saturday (which just happens to be my birthday), we'll go to Mount Vernon. I haven't been there since my parents took me as a kid. We are all looking forward to our day of discovery visiting the museum, gardens and house that represent George Washington's life.
On Sunday, it's off to space with our feet still planted on the ground. We plan to tour the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. It is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall which we've visited many times. We can't wait to see the Space Shuttle Enterprise!
So, today it's all about tidying up things at home. Laundry, bills, WDW work, taking care of the pets, picking up snacks at the store, etc. I would have more motivation if the sun was shining.
This is also my last full day at home without the sound of "Mom" echoing through the house every two minutes. With karate, violin lessons, visiting with friends, drama camp and other fun things planned, the summer is sure to go way too fast. And I'll admit that I do look forward to Nic's "vacations" to his grandparent's homes in Buffalo and Rochester NY. While he's gone, every night is date night! Michael and I look forward to those evenings but inevitably we can't wait for our boy to return.
"What time is it?
Summertime
It's our vacation
What time is it?
Summertime
School's out, scream and shout!"
My friend Darcie from Such the Spot tagged me today. She's a talented writer and I hope that even if you do not have time to play tag today that you'll bookmark her blog. Trust me, you'll get lost over there reading about her honest and hilarious moments as a mom to four great kids - from toddler to teen!
So here's my eight things. If you want to play, copy and fill in your answers. Then tag 8 of your friends to play too.
8 Things I’m Looking Forward To:
1. Summer nights swimming in our pool with the water heated to 89
2. Our WDW vacation in September
3. Having the nerve to send my book out to agents/publishers
4. Finally getting my house de-cluttered
5. Nicolas going to his grandparents for a vacation and then his return home
6. Going to see Mount Vernon this weekend.
7. Sailing on a Disney cruise in 2010
8. Lazy summer days with friends and family
8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Eyebrows waxed
2. Ran another day of Couch Potato to 5K
3. Took Nicolas shopping for new sneakers
4. Answered questions at disneyworldmoms.com
5. Tweeted, blogged and facebooked
6. Paid bills
7. Spoke with the school nurse
8. Ran errands with Michael and Nicolas
8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. See my name on a book that I've written
2. Buy a beach house
3. Take my family on a Mediterranean Disney Cruise
4. Pay off all our debt
5. Return to my pre-marriage size (yep I'm blaming weight gain on my husband. yes i am.)
6. Travel more
7. Get a make-over with a new wardrobe
8. Re-live my son's babyhood as it went too fast
8 Shows I Watch:
1. General Hospital
2. Jon and Kate Plus 8
3. Lost
4. Survivor
5. Amazing Race
6. Oprah
7. Bachelorette
8. House Hunters
8 Favorite Fruits:
1. Strawberries
2. Bananas
3. Red grapes
4. Oranges
5. Mango
6. Watermelon
7. Peaches
8. Blueberries
8 Places I’d Like To Travel To:
1. Hawaii
2. Yellowstone/Grand Tetons
3. Mount Rushmore
4. Mediterranean
5. Paris
6. Australia
7. Fiji
8. Any Adventures by Disney tour
8 Places I’ve Lived:
1. Hilton NY
2. Syracuse NY at Syracuse University
3. Tonawanda NY, University of Buffalo
4. Greece, NY
5. A friend's basement while waiting to find an apartment
6 in our first apartment with orange hand-me-down furniture. (yes we were living in sin)
7. Our first house in Linglestown PA
8. Our current home
8 People I’m Tagging:
1. Mrs. Dogood Writes
2. Multitasking Mommy
3. Mommy Musings
4. A Work in Progress
5. Forever Young
6. Diane's Blog
7. One Fabulous Mama
8. All Things Choisez
No time to tag, No worries. Just delete!
Cut each potato in half. Then in half again. Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Pour in large baking dish. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons parmesan all over melted butter. Place potatoes on top, skins up. Pour a little oil over each potato.
So, my son's teacher replies via email:
" I don't think I was nearly as firm as I could have been in this situation."
What? The child was handing in work from his writing portfolio and he was missing one piece of paper which happened to already be placed in his school memory box b/c this Mom was proud of this particular writing piece and didn't realize that it needed to be returned to school.
LACK of communication.
After telling me that she tried to tone down her firmness with my son b/c "we both know" he is sensitive, she doesn't once express any concern that the kid returned to his desk crying and that she never checked on him.
I find out today that he privately asked to speak with the guidance counselor. Um, yeah. I think you were firm enough.
It's been a weird year. Where is the compassion for the student? The year began in this manner with a very strange encounter that our son had with his teacher that led to a rather heated discussion between us parents, the teacher and the principal. Now...it's ending on this sour note. There have been little issues all year with her teaching style but nothing that warranted calling the Principal or asking for another meeting.
Until this past Friday. And now, she's making it sound like a horrible offense that my child was missing one piece of paper. One piece of paper that Mom and Dad showed off to our son's grandparents and then proudly put in his memory box.
A piece of paper that she says "the fact of the matter is that he lost something that he is responsible for". Um, yeah. No. His parents failed to return it to school.
Now, I could see this severe uproar if missing papers and such were a constant part of my son's school career. But. Um. No.
I'm not in to conspiracies much but I'm gonna think again that the low scores that we put on that anything-but-anonymous survey just might have acted as some catalyst. I don't know. I'm just sayin'. Maybe.
Nicolas came out of school today and he's okay. But he's not his jovial, happy go lucky self. And shouldn't the last week of school be a little bit more, well, exciting? Maybe I'm just old school.
So, my son gets out of school this past Friday and he is deeply upset. This worries me as we have a fun evening planned for him and I know he doesn't want to miss it.
Instead, we sit in our living room with him sobbing. Finally, he calms down enough to explain that he was at his teacher's desk (another student was standing nearby) when she asked him where his rubric was for a certain writing piece that he did. He didn't understand what she needed. She told him that since he lost it, he would not get a perfect grade in writing on his report card.
Nic returned to his desk and cried.
All weekend, we tried to figure out what was missing. Of course there was no note, email or phone call from the teacher. Finally, my husband remembered that before Memorial Day, Nicolas brought home a creative story that he had scored 20 out of 20 on. But the score wasn't the most impressive element, the story was great. We kept it out as Nic's grandparents were visiting that weekend and we hadn't seen them since January. Nic proudly showed off his creative writing piece and the rubric with the grade. We had a fantastic family weekend and obviously I forgot to return the signed rubric. I'm still not certain if the actual story needs to be returned as well.
No communication. Today I get an email from the Principal defending the teacher. Not one sentence expressed any concern for my son. And I was told that in no uncertain terms did the teacher mention his report card grade to him, accuse him of losing the paper, etc. Basically, the email implied that my son was lying. What would be the purpose?
Now, I'm not one to jump at conspiracies but last Thursday night we were sent home a teacher survey. No explanation. Just a rate the teacher on different areas survey. And it was not anonymous. My husband and I wanted to throw it out. How could we express our true opinions with our son still having to go to her classroom for another week? Then Nic guilted us in to filling it out because the teacher had told the class that if at least 19 of them were returned, then they would get a prize. So, we embellished most of our answers but scored two the lowest possible. Guess what one was on? Communication, that's right, Moms.
So, the very next day that the teacher receives our anything but anonymous ratings of her work, our son is being chastised in her class for missing work, told he lost it and his report card grade would no longer be perfect in writing and back at his desk he CRIES. And apparently, our son misconstrued the teacher's comments and the teacher in fact said none of those things.
My biggest issue. That she had all day to write us an email, note or call and inquire about the missing work. And that she NEVER went to his desk and asked if he was okay.
I mean REALLY. Who lets a child cry if you never said anything to them to upset them? If you never said anything "mean", then wouldn't you go inquire as to why the child is crying?
Okay. Momma Bear is done growling. For now.
