Offline...

Well, our computer is displaying the "blue screen of death"
and until its repaired (cross fingers)
or replaced (yikes)
I will be very intermittent.
I miss it already.

Lots on my mind

But, most importantly a Flash story...
He's having an imaginary friend over for a sleepover tonight.
The Imaginary friend was tucked in next to him, closer to the wall.
He asked me if I would make muffins for them to have for breakfast tomorrow morning,
since its a sleepover.
Apparently we often have muffins for breakfast after sleepovers.
I never paid attention.

Both dogs escaped today. They are recaptured.
Work is getting better and better, but payday needs to come soon.
Baby is doing well I think.
Hubby is going to get the oil changed in the car tomorrow
because we think it was last changed last summer...hmmmm.

Its my birthday!

I am 35 years old today
and looking forward to cake and a football game at the high school
...if it doesn't rain too much.
Not enough folks around for a party, sadly but I do have the day off.
So when Flash comes home from preschool
we're having lunch of PB &J, baking a cake
and heading to Home Depot to get some things to make doors for our back porch.

The dogs have been AWFUL in the house for the past few weeks,
so I'm banishing them to the porch during the day...until it gets too cold of course.

Then slushy drinks at Sonic before we come home and have a little supper
(the guys will have hot dogs at the game)
and then High School football home opener! Not glamorous, but a happy birthday nonethless!

Gettin there...

AHHHHHH.
I finally get it.
OK mostly finally get it.
Got lots done at work today.
The tech came and explained stuff to me
and it turned out that one of the things I just couldn't get to work
was a tech thing that I hadn't been allowed access too yet.
An oversight. Hooray!
Visiting another school tomorrow to learn something else. Yay!

Unfortunately Flash didn't have a good day.
I left before he woke up this morning and it threw him.
And I was trying to get him excited that he starts preschool tomorrow
...not realizing that he thought that meant another place...
Very upset. Soccer practice did not go well.
Now I think he understands
and we have agreed to wake up in the morning and have breakfast together.
He understands SO much, and I take it for granted.

And my birthday is coming up. Flash and I have decided on my cake.
I was leaning towards spice cake with cream cheese icing.
He thinks chocolate cake with whipped cream.
Maybe chocolate whipped cream.
What kind of cake do you like?

Soccer

Here's a picture of our soccer team. It was really funny.
Flash was an alien for mot of it. All imagination, no soccer focus.
Been a rough couple of days for me.
Needed the laughs.

Fall Friday5

Seems like its a bit too early for Fall, even though school has started.
Labor Day isn't here and its still hot.
Although we aren't using the air conditioning as much anymore.
Our tomatoes are mostly done too.
But the most telling transition-to-Fall thing hasn't happened yet - my birthday.
I have a summer birthday which occurs next week
and Fall cannot possibly end until after my birthday.

This "Fall" brings a new job and in November a new baby...
so it is a very transitional season this year.

My Kid in Church

Yesterday on the Revgal blog they were talking about kids and worship...this was my comment:

Boy you've hit a sore spot with me... so here goes. I have an "energetic" 4 year old who is excited to go to church, play in the nursery (service plays on the PA in there) and eat snack after. He is the only child his age. Then we have a handful of 4th graders and 2 high schoolers.

Church is, in my opinion kid-unfriendly. We only have one service and is unlikely that we will ever have two. Church folk give off the vibe of "serious grown-up stuff". Stuffy hymns, not formal at all but, traditional, traditional traditional. They keep talking about bags, have a different nursery volunteer every week and have children's church from the children's sermon till end of worship. Communion is brought to them in their classroom. My child has been included from time to time, but their 4th grade activities are not suited to him.

In November I'm having a new baby and am seriously considering staying in the nursery with the two of them! And yes...I'm the pastor's wife. SIGH.

Over last summer we attended a church in another state where I could drop him off in a class that would sing church songs and draw pictures with other kids his age while I enjoyed church with the grown-ups.

I wish we could do things that way but I fear lack of children and church support means nothing will ever change. And all those little old lady volunteers will be so excited to care for the baby and I'll get to wrestle my boy in the pews. Some Sunday. There are lots of Sundays where I'd rather go to another church...and if I was a visitor...


If you have some suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Hubby knows of the problems, but there is a lot of entrenched opposition, and I suspect, sentiment that our child should be more well-behaved.

School bells

Well it started today!
I am still climbing that learning curve and will be for a while but the kids came today and despite some glitches (mostly busing problems) everything went OK. Tomorrow I actually have students coming to my library for a lesson. No checkout, cuz I haven't figured that out yet. But a wonderful woman who knows all is supposed to come and straighten me out tomorrow. I hope so.

Then I dashed home (40 min) picked up Flash at camp, ran by Micky D's for a Happy meal on the way to soccer practice. The first soccer practice, which went quite well all things considering. He was only an alien for part of practice. Mostly the end part when the kids had devolved and the coach hadn't realized it yet. Unfortunately he seems to be a soccer player in the mode of his Uncle Alex, who was really good and played in college, but was known as an "enforcer" I think. Meaning that he'd get the ball and mow down folks in the pursuit. But it was just the first practice, and the first game on Saturday should be a hoot.

The Olympics ate my homework

Oh I love the Olympics!
The competition, the splendor,
the "human interest" stories,
I've been building up to it in our house...hoping Flash will be interested.
Last night...during the opening ceremonies
he wanted to have his own Olympics outside.

Outside.
Where there is no TV.
No drummers,
No scroll thing and dancers
or people in boxes pretending they are water droplets.
No fireworks or parades.
Luckily he wore out quickly and finally went to bed.

Hubby has been working the church booth at the town festival this week.
Small part fund-raiser, other part BEING VISIBLE.
So he's there now and its my chance to finish that paper I've been grousing about.

Its due Monday, and its written but not very good.
I should really, really redo parts of it...or add something.
Or I'll heed a revgal who says about sermons "If you've got a dog, walk it"
OK,
OK,
I'll work on it now.
But its done tonight before 10:30...dog or not.

Crazy week

New job
paper due
hubby away
Flash... being Flash
training
and...


So you think you can dance finale.
I voted for Joshua. Hope he wins!

Be prepared

Hubby is going to disaster training tomorrow for a few days.
He is quietly excited about it.
We had some serious flooding here this winter.
Our church was an emergency shelter
Hubby became the local "point person for a while and he's still ona long-term recovery team.
And now he'll have training!

I'm hoping that the training will actually prevent a disaster.
You know, that now that he has training, we'll just be unscathed.
Like washing your car will make it rain.
Isn't that strange?

Anyhow, Flash and I will be on our own for a few days.
That means fishsticks for supper.
Hubby doesn't care for them, so we always have them when he's out.
Flash'll go to "camp" and I am going to the school to get myself set-up this week.
Getting a little worried about what I'm doing, and how.
But excited too!