(Not Very) Wordless Wednesday: Bathroom Overhaul

Nine and a half years...one very very old house...nasty bathroom with chipped paint, rotting wood, moldy walls, and falling apart surround. No money for redo but a woman fed up with being grossed out every time a visitor uses her "facilities".

Thus...

A trip to Home Depot, a quick lesson in scraping, mudding, priming and painting a bathroom and the woman goes to work...



There required an additional trip to Menards for goggles after dried putty invades her eyes during the sanding process, but having forgotten a mask, a kitchen towel and clothespin suffice quite nicely for protection against the "elements".








Results:
After four days of stealing time between working two jobs and running a household of men and beasts (and the same number of days taking baths instead of showers)...

Above the window before and after

















The divider between shower and sink area before and after















Two holes over the toilet left over from a falling cabinet before and after





















It is by all means NOT a great looking job. It's really not even a fair looking job.

But it's fresh, clean, probably much safer (I'm sure one of the exposed layers had contained based paint) and it is no longer a room that makes me cringe any time someone (including myself) needs to do some business.

Someday I hope to do the room correctly. But for now, I have to admit that I am quite pleased with myself.

Noah's Poem of Remorse

Sometimes the nine year old in our house just makes me smile, no matter how angry I can feel at him at times.

I am feeling quite horrible today, cough, headache, sore throat...you know the drill. So I went to take a bath while the boys were happily trying out a new Wii game I had rented for them for the day. I was so impressed at how well they were sharing.

About ten minutes after I get in the bath, I hear screaming, crying, and banging around. Hubby and two boys were in an all out battle about the Wii game. Of course, I got out of the bath a few minutes later and sent everyone to cool off in their own respective rooms.

I sat down to the computer to try to cool down myself when Noah came out to present his note of remorse, as he does very often when something isn't right. It is on a TINY piece of paper, as all of his drawings are minuscule in size. I had to read it twice before I realized it was a poem:

I hate to admit it
I yelled quite a lot
And I did get punished
But mad I am not

If you are reading this
It might seem tart
But your sons love you
With all of their hearts

Where did he learn the word "tart" ?

Yup, gonna keep this little scrap of paper forever.

Concert High Post

Hopefully others who have experienced "concert highs" will understand this :)

I just got home from my first performance with the symphony chorus for this concert season. We performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (the Ode to Joy one) and it was by far the best the chorus has ever sounded. It is just SO much fun to do be part of this ensemble. It is one thing that I do for myself and I love being part of a large singing ensemble performing wonderful music. Since I'm not on facebook anymore, I will probably post the review here just so I have for future reference.

So because of my concert high, I am feeling pretty happy so I was reflecting on this past week and thinking about the many good things that transpired. It is always good to think on the positive when I can...

A. Symphony performance-already stated above...went well and another one tomorrow night

B. Conferences- also went great.
No surprise with Noah, still holding straight A's at this time, although he has made it clear to both his teacher and myself that 4th grade is hard. It's about time the little stinker was challenged :) The best thing that came out of it was seeing that for the second year in a row, he has a teacher who recognizes his amazing creative talents and she is actually nurturing him by letting him doodle his comics on his papers. As she put it, "I know he's listening so I am okay with his doodles and besides they make me smile." She is even entering some of his comics into a scholastic contest. It is amazing that a first year teacher can be so in touch with kids like Noah. We are so lucky to have found the right place for him.
Aaron's conference was CRAZY. His teacher started out by stating, "You know, this kid should technically not even be here and he has the highest reading scores in the entire class, which consists of kids almost two years older than him!" She went on to discuss him in great length about how special he is and how I need to stop worrying anymore about having made the wrong decision to go ahead and put him right in first grade last year. She said that even though his writing is indeed at the first grade level, which matches his age, his reading and math scores are at second (or third in the case of reading) grade level and he talks, acts, and looks like a second grader in every way. He fits in well with his peers and as she put it, "Aaron is really discovering who Aaron is this year". It was so amazing how she talked about him. So I need to FINALLY stop worrying about whether we made the right decision last year and just continue to focus on the special little guy that he is. He will be working with the speech therapist once a week to help with his stuttering.

C. Work- went well this week. It is partly knowing that this is my last week of working all five days and it feels good to know I will get a little breather next week. I even spent some time painting a turkey on our front window which was hilarious because as talented as my son is artistically is how UNTALENTED his mother is. I will post a picture soon just for laughs.

D. Health- Got Aaron on antibiotics for bronchitis and had his well child visit as well. Got Noah scheduled for tonsillectomy five days before Christmas so it should be a interesting Christmas break. I am sick yet again like I get every symphony performance so I'll just keep pushing through knowing I will have Monday to relax and rest (in between loads of laundry).

E. Christmas Preparations- Almost finished shopping for one of the boys. Thank goodness since my income is about to drop drastically. All Christmas music has started on one of our local radio stations and it makes me smile to listen to both boys singing "O Holy Night" out loud in the car as we drive from place to place. Noah is asking for decorations, which may start appearing next week some time.

F. It snowed! I know in a month from no I'll be complaining but there is nothing like the first snowfall of the year to make a true Michigander smile.

G. Noah's Basketball Placement-Went well. He tried to say the night before that he didn't want to do it but that is the way he is with trying anything new. He gets nervous and works himself right out of trying. The Upward Program is a church league for children. It will have around 600 kids playing this season and there are devotionals before games and during half time. The kids are also expected to memorize scripture as part of the program as well as learning all of the skills of the game. I hope it will be a good experience for him. As of now, he is excited about it, which makes me happy.

So my concert high is starting to wind down. I wrote about my "joys" from this week and now that I am coming down it is time to take a bath and head off to bed. Tomorrow afternoon I have three piano students performing downtown and two of the three are not ready so it may be a shaky afternoon but we'll get through.

Have a great weekend!

Let the Crazies Begin!

Phew! Halloween is over. Yay! Now for the real stuff.

As much as I love the hullabaloo of the holidays, I do have to remind myself on a regular basis to take things one day at a time. And the next 2 weeks, there are going to many moments of one HOUR at a time. Why is it that we have weeks where we have absolutely NOTHING to do, and then weeks where there are four things that need to get done every day?

Thankfully, my boss informed me this morning that she may have finally come up with a solution to me getting a day off each week. And boy do I need a day off.

Our craziness goes into full force beginning on Saturday. In the next week we have:

10. Noah's basketball trials and placement on Saturday
9. MIL and FIL performing in a play that we are expected to take the boys to and pray that they actually sit quietly and pay attention the entire time on Sunday
8. Symphony week all week next week, meaning mommy will be gone every single night until after 10:00 with performances both Friday and Saturday night-Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (The one you all know as Ode To Joy)
7. Conferences for both boys
6. ENT appointment to schedule Noah's tonsillectomy
5. 7 year well child visit for Aaron
4. Daylight savings time-always throws the boys for a loop for a few days
3. Sonatina Festival next Saturday where three of my students are performing
2. Day off of school Friday meaning boys will have to come to Gymboree with me all day
1. Speech assessment for Aaron
I know I am missing a couple of things but I seem to be drawing a blank at the moment.

All of these are in addition to the regular work five days, four evenings, homework, housecleaning, carpooling, etc.

I am sitting here thinking about the approaching week with less stress than I would have figured. I think it's because I am thinking about where we were a year ago. Last year at this time I was starting an overnight stocking job, which turned out to be miserable and made me sicker than I've ever been for the entire holiday season. On top of that, we were facing foreclosure during the entire holiday season last year. And I was desperately applying for any job I could think of...with no success and the resulting despondency that accompanied unemployment.

So as I think of last year's approaching holidays, I can't help but be thankful that this year should feel a little more smooth. No, we really aren't really any better financially than we were last year, but I do have a couple of things to put under the tree for the boys, our extended family celebrations are planned and on the calendar, I have a job, and for the moment at least, our house is securely our own. I'd say that is definitely a better place to be than a year ago.

So the next week is going to be crazy. But it's okay. One day at a time...one hour at a time...one minute at a time...we'll get through it.

Whatever it takes, I am going to enjoy the season this year. I am going to try very hard to NOT let it go by in blur.

I am going to smile and wish goodwill upon others.

Here we go...

Halloween Scrooge

I have become a Halloween equivalent of the Scrooge.

I don't know. I use to like it when I was little so I'm not sure what changed. But really, I could take it or leave it. Thankfully, the kids go to a school that doesn't celebrate it so I don't have to deal with a sugar filled party during the day followed by door to door begging on a school night. I have no creative skills to make costumes and just can't bring myself to spend $20 for a thin veil of fabric that will be worn once so my kids can go begging at houses of people whom we don't know.

See, I told you...Halloween Scrooge. It's not for any big personal beliefs reason. I don't have any opinion on the "holiday" itself. I just really don't care about it either way.

So Monday night we will probably be handing out candy to the other neighborhood beggars and heading to bed on time.

But I have to give in to the kids' participation in the festivities at least a little. So tonight, there is a safe trick or treat Halloween alternative that I we will bring the boys to. It looks like fun and the boys are fine with re-wearing costumes from previous years in order to participate. So we will head to a local college, trick or treat from dorm room to dorm room, play fun games in each of the building lobbies, and come home for bed with our annual sugar high accomplished.

We'll get through Halloween and then finally be ready to start the preparations for the real holidays.

That's when I go overboard in the other direction. I imagine I will start playing Christmas music once November arrives. Yes, I'm one of THOSE people.

Wordless Wednesday: Children of the Corn

Oh How The Years Go By...

The song in the title of this post by Amy Grant from quite a long time ago is running through my head this morning. As are tears of sadness as well as joy.

My baby boy is seven today.

He has made it very clear that he is finally a big kid.

And he really did look older this morning.














































































Okay, you may be a big boy now.

But let me tell you something...

You'll ALWAYS be my baby.


Happy 7th Birthday Aaronator!