Sewing Machine and Pastor Visit

I got my sewing machine fixed!!!!!!  I replaced the thread, needle, and it still kept breaking and breaking--this time on the top thread rather than the bottom.  It was so frustrating!!!  So I finally got so sick of re-threading the needle that I got lazy and threaded it from the front to the back instead of vice-versa.  THAT FIXED IT!!!  Now I can hem pants for the kids if I need to!!!

The pastor of Fern Creek Baptist is coming over tonight to talk to me and the kids.  Mostly about Sunday school and Bible study on Sundays.  They are doing re-structuring.  I want to be a member, but I'm not 100% sure about joining officially.  I like the pastor though-she is a good speaker and gets her message across very well. The fellow who is doing interim minister of music right now is REALLY good also.  The choir sings spirituals sometimes, and I love those-I've sang enough of them in my time.  He is a good director and easy to follow even with just the standard hymns.

Underpits

I was helping Logan get washed up. He wears swimming goggles to get his hair washed. Anyway I was scrubbing him up (mainly to make sure he did a good job) and he said "Don't forget my underpits, daddy!" I thought that was soooo funny! I have all the kids completed paperwork in 3 ring binders. They have both been doing really well on their homework.

Tomorrow the pastor of our church is coming over for a visit. She is a really nice lady, and she is coming to talk with us about bible study and sunday school. Fern Creek Baptist is doing a re-structuring of the classes.

Fringe-Friends

I have decided there is something that I call "fringe-friends" They are
like your "work friends", or "friends of friends" that you don't really
get together with, call, or write to of your own free will. You
associate with them only when they are around. In the old days they
used to call these people acquaintances. I like that term better. It
lends an air of sophistication to the whole mess.

That being said, I hate the fact that I even have any fringe-friends.
If someone is your friend, they should just be your friend.

Mom & Raising Kids

I was just telling somebody about my mom the other day. She did the
best she knew to raise us. It's really all any of us can do. You do
your best but there's some point where you have to realize that children
are also human beings with their own minds, wills, and ability to
choose.

Lexie's Math

Lexie's math last night took FOREVER to do. Third grade math should not
be this hard. It went something like this: The piano was invented in
1709. How many years ago was that. Well, I can tell you that in about
7 seconds, but not the way they wanted it worked out. You had to make
this chart thing that looked like a tic-tac-toe board. The first column
was hundreds(H), the second column was tens(T), the last column was
ones(O). You had to first draw 17 little boxes for the hundreds and no
lines for the tens and nine circles for the ones. Then on the next row
draw twenty hundreds boxes, and six ones circles. Then to subtract them
you break the boxes to lines and the lines to circles as necessary. It
took me a while to get it from just the instructions on the sheet. It
really really sucked and Logan fell asleep on the couch while we were
doing it. He had 4 pages of homework himself! AND HE'S IN
KINDERGARDEN!!!!

The Kids, Kentucky State Fair, Smelling...

The kids are doing well. The apartment complex closed their tennis
courts and had them with tables for yard sale. We stayed from 8am to
noon. I didn't take them to the Kentucky State Fair this year. We went
last year. Every couple of years is good for me to smell that much
barnyard animal poop.

It's a scientific fact---the olfactory system works like this: airborne
particles of what you smell enter into your nose and the signals are
transferred to your brain. So if you smell lemons, there's actually
little lemon particles that are going into your nose. If it's poop,
then that's what you just inhaled. Somebody's gas...same thing.

Pretty gross when you think about it.

School Lunch Fiasco

082806I sent in checks for lunch money of $10 for Lexie and $10 for Logan. I called the school several times, spoke with the teachers, the cafeteria staff, and some office people. The checks should have covered my children’s (reduced) lunches for several weeks. I am hesitant to send in more money that may also get lost, especially cash. I wrote an e-mail to the principal asking if I need to come in during office hours each week to pay for my children’s lunches.

The cafeteria staff were polite to me when I spoke with them on the phone, but I sent in a note last week to explain this situation and Lexie was told “It’s not my problem—I don’t deal with this.” I was told that if I had any problems I could send in a note to the nutrition services manager Ms. Williams (also in the information I have received in a memo from their teachers). Both of the kids are very worried about eating school lunch because of the way they have been treated by the cafeteria staff.

The checks were drawn on Fifth/Third. Their lunch numbers were NOT on the checks because it was the first week, and I did not have lunch numbers for them. I sure as hell don't want to cancel the checks...

T-shirts and human nature

I’m not dragging myself down any further than my human nature makes me. I say bad stuff about Shellie. I get angry and hurt. She wouldn’t even (given $16 from my pocket) pick up two t-shirts for the kids from school. I had to take part of my day off and do it. I was about ready to give her a bunch of crap about that but I decided putting both of us in a p*ss-poor mood while we are with the kids was something I could do without.

Transparenting class--no excuses

The Transparenting people also said to be careful and not build Shellie up or make excuses for her to the children. I don’t much like it, but I’m going to do what is best for the kids. If that means I eat a big sh*t sandwich served by my co-parent, then you’d best believe I will do it. I’d eat the 14-course and then some for them. They know who and what she is. They are bright kids. It all falls back on taking the high road and letting Karma do its work. If I go down the road towards revenge, I’ll dig two graves at the end, not one. I’m not doing that. The kids need me.

Transparenting class

Last night was the Transparenting class. The transparenting people said I was supposed to ask my friends and relatives to not talk bad about my co-parent. The first part is that I obviously need no more reasons to think poorly of her and extra will only make communication worse between the two of us. The second part is that Lexie and Logan are 50% Shellie. If you speak poorly of her, then you also speak poorly of them. I realized we weren’t supposed to knock her in FRONT of the kids, but I didn’t see how it might be damaging otherwise.

Although this may be unfair, and she might need this class much more than I did, she did not attend. I don’t know how this will affect the outcome of final hearing. That is a call only the judge can make. My point is that we both had the same opportunity to research and find out about this class.

Logan's Tooth

I pulled Logan's loose tooth last night. He was brave and let me do it.
He cried for about five minutes, then I did the same thing I've always
done and distracted him about other things. Soon he was not crying and
it was time for bed so he put the tooth under his pillow. The tooth
fairy did not come last night-apparently it was too late when he went to
be so she had already been past our place. She will probably come
tonight (I was able to get to the bank at lunch and get some shiny half
dollars).

I got the kids each another polo shirt for school...unfortunately they
are both one size too small. This totally sucks because I got the same
sizes as last time. They still fit into those clothes, so why not
these??? Irritating...

I just called the school to ask about sports and boy and girl scouts.
They said nothing has started yet as of the second week of school, but
they would send things home when something was coming up. They said
that basketball doesn't start until fall. I can't wait to get the kids
started into things they like to do.

The apartment complex sent around a flyer Friday. They are having a
yard sale and I called to get us a table. We are going to unload a lot
of stuff! I'm bringing home boxes tonight to pack stuff into.

Waiting for the bus

This is the kids 2nd day of school. I made sure they had all my contact info memorized and i headed to work. I was worried, but knew i can't wait every day. They are smart kids, the daycare is right there, and they will not leave each other's sight.

First Day of School

The kids woke up like half an hour early. They NEVER wake up on their
own unless it's a weekend, or CHRISTMAS! They must have been excited.
Then, as we all got ready, every ten minutes it's "Is it time yet?" I
let them go out 15 minutes early. We walked over to the daycare where
they catch the bus. So like 10 or 15 minutes late, the bus gets there.
There was only 1 other kid at the daycare.

Lexie was grousing because she had a ton of stuff to carry. She'll be
glad to get rid of her supplies! The driver asked if Logan was in
Kindergarten and I told him yes. He tried to give Logan a band but he
walked on past oblivious. The driver says "here take this for your
brother" and gives it to Lex...the one who is carrying a 25 lb backpack,
two Wal-mart bags full of stuff and a lunch bag. I KNOW she gave him
the exasperated look!!!

The lady at the daycare told me where the depot for transfer was. They
made the transfer just fine. The depot is a fenced-in secure parking
area just for busses behind Moore HS on Outer Loop (on my way to work).
I was pressed up against the fence like a convict. I lucked out and the
line paused right before getting on the 2nd bus and I hollered at them.
Logan says "Look, it's daddy!" then he looked at sister and said "How'd
he get here?!?!?!" It was so funny!

First day of school!

There was only 1 other kid at the daycare. They made the transfer just fine. The depot is a fenced-in secure parking area just for busses behind Moore HS on Outer Loop (on my way to work). I was pressed up against the fence like a convict. I lucked out and the line paused right before getting on the 2nd bus and I hollered at them. Logan says “Look, it’s daddy!” then he looked at sister and said “How’d he get here?!?!?!” It was so funny!

Lexie was grousing because she had a ton of stuff to carry. She’ll be glad to get rid of her supplies! The driver asked if Logan was in Kindergarten and I told him yes. He tried to give Logan a band but he walked on past oblivious. The driver says “here take this for your brother” and gives it to Lex…the one who is carrying a 25 lb backpack, two Wal-mart bags full of stuff and a lunch bag. I KNOW she gave him the Rachael look…

Transparenting???

I saw this "Transparenting" seminar on the Floyd Co. clerk's website. It looked like something I might go to and it would look good for the court. I call to find out about it and the lady I spoke to says it is mandatory!!! I can get in before 9/11, but that was luck!!! She asked if we had filed a provisional (thing?) and I told her "no". She said that was also mandatory, but I told her that both us parents had come to
an agreement to waive the provisional (thing?). She said that's almost unheard of. Also that we were sharing physical custody was something that people rarely agree on.

So, I am set on Aug 24th at 5:30-9:45 to go to this seminar. I hope it's not a waste of the $50, but since I can't hire a custody evaluator, then I thought this was something I might do to make things a little better. I get a certificate and it's also filed the next day with the court under my cause number (which I gave her), so there is proof.

Spirit Program

GOOD NEWS!!! The YMCA Spirit Program has awarded me 30% off my fees for the after school care!!!! It’s normally $80 for two kids after school 3 days. That drops it down to $56. I might be able to survive this.

Logan's Medicine--the scam

I got the receipt from Shellie for Logans medicine. It was $21. I’ve been giving her $35 this whole time on her word that that is how much it really cost. God help us until next pay day.

Price Elementary

The kids got to see their new school on Saturday. We had to sign them
up for busses and all that stuff. They had a "bouncy thing" outside
which kept a lot of the kids happy. They told me they were looking
forward to starting, and they seemed very happy about it. We found out
that their bus stop is right outside our door! They will be in the
Child Enrichment Program that the YMCA does after school on Monday,
Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, their mother is picking
them up to spend time with them. We went to church yesterday with their
grandparents, and then they took us to Applebee's for lunch. After that
we went shopping for clothes because Price has a uniform policy. They
can wear navy, black, or khaki pants, shorts, and skorts. They can wear
any color shirt as long as it has a collar. Tennis shoes are fine.
There can't be any sort of label or icon on the outside of the clothes.
The only exception is Price Elementary T-shirts. I am going to get them
a couple to wear because they are only $8 each. I don't have a
washer/dryer in my apartment so that will be rough for a little while,
but I'm not worried. You should have seen them trying on pants! They
were so thrilled about the fit and feel of real pants...they have always
had the stretchy-top pants (stretch-pants for Lexie, and sweat-pants for
Logan). They really did look sharp, and when you look good you feel good
about yourself too. I am so happy for them.

How to Make a Duct Tape Wallet - WikiHow

I have GOT to do this some time. I just ran into this by accident, and I thought (of course) HOW COOL!!!
How to Make a Duct Tape Wallet - WikiHow

Fritos are good for you

Something funny Lexie said the other day, which sadly defines much of
America's opinion:

"Fritos are good for you." She says.

I say "Not really. Why do you say that?"

"Because they don't taste very good."

I know what she meant. She is used to things that are bland, or without
lots of salt, sugar, etc. being "good for you" and things that are
sweet, salty, with lots of flavor being "bad for you". I am determined
to change her mind. Before it's too late for her like it was for me.