Thanksgiving Week

Our week last week did not turn out as planned.  How many times in the last 5 years have I had that thought?  At least we are well versed in flexibility, and we have learned a bit about perspective when it comes to our kids' illnesses.

The week was scheduled to be a short one for school, but also a busy one, with evening activities on both Monday and Tuesday night in addition to a couple of test/quizzes for Anna.  Monday went well, with a half day sub position for me that required a little more childcare finagling for Kate and Ethan than we're used to.

By the time I picked Ethan up, however, he was starting on an illness.  We had hoped to meet Matt at our community Bowls for Hunger event for dinner, but Ethan's symptoms plus Anna's extra homework caused us to make some adjustments.  Matt came home; Anna powered through her assignments; Ethan kept going downhill.  In the end, the girls and I trekked back in to town for the event while Ethan and Matt ate at home.  Ethan was willingly in bed and asleep by 6:30 ... yikes!  But the girls and I had a good time seeing former teachers and other community members.

Tuesday morning Ethan woke up with the remnants of the fever so he stayed home.  Kate was grumpy about having one more swim day at school, but otherwise everyone was in good spirits.

Ethan had a low key day on Tuesday with lots of snuggle time and quiet activities.  He opted to make a book for Kate and worked on it for a fair portion of the day.

By the afternoon, he seemed to be perking up.  But then we picked Kate up from school and the first thing out of her mouth was, "I'm really sick, Mom."  So, instead of killing time before picking Anna up and then going all together for our haircut appointment, we took Kate home and put her to bed first.  Her temperature was already flirting with 101 degrees.

Anna, Ethan, and I got our haircuts as scheduled.  Actually, Anna and I did.  Ethan got his haircut at home on Sunday evening ... a mohawk this time.

For a few years, someone in the family talks about giving Ethan a mohawk whenever we cut his hair, but he's never had the ability to sit still long enough during a haircut for it to work.  This time it did; it was pretty awesome when it was spiked, too :)

Unfortunately, Kate didn't want to join us much for dinner that day.  Also unfortunately, Kate, Ethan, and I had to stay home while Matt took Anna to her first choir concert.

Matt said all went well, except that the black dress shoes Anna was wearing didn't stay on too well by themselves.  Duly noted.

Here's a video of (part of) the intro Anna wrote for one song as well as her choir singing it.

Tuesday night began the first of the troubling nights in our home.  Ethan woke up with an earache and Kate woke up out of discomfort several times.  (But we still caught her with her headlamp on and reading at 2 a.m.!)

Wednesday, Kate and Ethan stayed home while Anna was incredibly disappointed about having to go to school.  I took the younger two in to the doctor in the afternoon and, sure enough, Ethan was diagnosed with an ear infection.  I figured that if we were going into the doctor's office anyway, I wanted Kate to get checked out, too, so that if something did come up later in the weekend, we wouldn't have to head back in.

It turns out that we weren't the only ones with these kinds of troubles last week.  The 1:45 p.m. appointment that we scheduled at 8 a.m. on Wednesday was one of the last ones available that day AND our local pharmacy didn't have enough children's antibiotic to fully complete Ethan's prescription that afternoon!

Needless to say, our Thanksgiving weekend was low-key.  We were immeasurably thankful that we didn't have any plans to travel anywhere or have anyone over this year.  We worshiped at our church on Thursday morning, ate a delicious meal on Thursday evening, watched a movie together on Friday afternoon, managed a fun trip to St. Vinny's on Saturday afternoon, and basically just hung out and recovered during the rest of the time.

Ethan was feeling much better by Thursday, but still had trouble sleeping most of the weekend.  Kate felt pretty crummy on Thursday and Friday, but by Sunday was starting to have her normal energy level again.

We are hopeful that this isn't a sign of whatever other viruses are looming on the horizon this winter!

Finding a better rhythm

Last week ended a little better than the previous week.  Perhaps it went more smoothly because there were zero evening activities scheduled?  Or perhaps it was because I only subbed for 1/2 day on Thursday (at Ethan's school this time!)?  Or perhaps it helped that Matt had Monday off of work and decided to work from home on Friday?

For whatever the reasons, it worked better.  And partly because of this better balance during the week, we were able to enjoy a few extra activities over the course of the weekend.

Friday night we decided to have a campfire, albeit a cold one.  The field behind our house was finally harvested on Friday afternoon so I thought it would be fun to have headlamps and flashlights out there while we waited for good coals for roasted marshmallows.  Things started off well, even with a brief opportunity to view the stars.

But then the fire was having a hard time getting started ... and then Kate came down with a stomach ache ... and then Anna got cold.

However, some of us enjoyed a few smores and some of us enjoyed the goofiness of Ethan that evening.  Everyone was definitely feeling more chipper on Saturday morning after a good night's sleep.

Saturday afternoon the girls and I met up with some friends to see the high school musical production our school did this fall.  Their performance of Annie was spectacular.  The talent of some of these teenagers is impressive.  We all enjoyed ourselves and the experience was made even more fun by all of the familiar faces we saw.  Although this outing was very last minute in nature, I'm glad that we did it.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Matt went to another kindergartener's birthday party.  It sounds like it was a fun experience, but our boy was pretty wiped out by the end.

Sunday afternoon we hosted our monthly "mom and me" book club.  This time around Kate chose the book Wish by Barbara O'Conner.  The sweet story encouraged this group of elementary/middle schoolers to think about what a family really is.  After our discussion and snacks, the kids thoroughly enjoyed their time in our basement :)

Here's hoping for a smooth few more days before a long weekend, during which we don't have to travel anywhere this year!

Finding the balance

This life of ours still seems to be about finding that delicate balance of time and energy split between five members who all have their own needs, interests, and pursuits.  I knew that this school year would be a tricky one for me in particular, having three kids in school full days for the first time.  Many of the patterns and routines that I have developed over the last dozen years are shifting.

Knowing that I would have more time available than I am used to, I put forth some effort during the last few months to prepare myself to use my skills and knowledge to help others outside of our home.  Substitute teaching is one of those avenues; presenting information about childhood cancer is another.

Last week I didn't do a very good job of finding the harmony that would make all of these things work together.  Everyone else did fine.  I just ended up more exhausted by the end of the week than I should have been.  Lesson learned.  I will continue to work on the skills necessary to balance all of these parts of life.

First the kids, though ... Kate had swim week last week.  Of all of the aspects of school, swim week is Kate's least favorite.  She enjoys swimming, but she dislikes public locker rooms.  A lot.  We have tried to teach her strategies to help her deal with this, but she still dreads swim week.  We had a grumpy girl on our hands a different times last week.

But, Kate likes the leaf pile ... which is still growing thanks to some neighbors.

We finally had Ethan's parent-teacher conference last Tuesday.  This boy is loving kindergarten, and kindergarten is loving him.  Our family's culture tends to set our kids up for success in school, and Ethan is no different.  Not only are Ethan's academic skills growing by leaps and bounds, but he is finally having all of the social opportunities that he enjoys :)

Here's his disguised turkey for the yearly kindergarten turkey project.  (There really is a turkey hidden in there!)  Not only does this boy have some good ideas, but he also has the ability, desire, and determination to work on them from start to finish.

Some of our best stories of his year, though, so far include his interactions with his teacher.  Early on in the school year, we learned that his teacher has a "Friday morning dance party".  Apparently, after a few weeks, Ethan asked his teacher why they don't ever listen to any 80s rock songs during their dance parties.

(Side note ... 80s rock songs are part of our family.  Matt and I learned early on that they are some of the few songs that we both enjoy listening to.  Now the kids like them, too.  Anna's pretty good at identifying many of the bands as well ... Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Guns N' Roses ...)

At this point in the story, it's helpful to know that Ethan's kindergarten teacher is a big Bon Jovi fan.  She asked Ethan what songs he was thinking of.  His response?  "The Final Countdown."  So, Ethan's kindergarten class listened to The Final Countdown during their snack time one morning.

The next day Ethan came home asking us to write down a list of 80s rock songs that he could share with his teacher so they could listen to more 80s rock songs as a class.  Now they have a few "older" songs to add into the general kid songs during their dance parties :)

During the conference last week, we also learned a little more about what Ethan calls his "talk time" with his teacher.  The students have a variety of options during their open choice time and one of them is now being able to just sit and visit with the teacher.  Given the option, Ethan chooses to sit at the back table and have his "talk time" with his teacher.  She shared that he usually opens the conversations with "So what are you having for dinner?"

We always knew that Ethan's early childhood experiences of participating in Anna's appointments and therapies would affect him.  Now we are getting an idea of how :)

Anna powered through a long week with strength and grace.  She has been able to take more ownership of her classroom learning and homework than she has previously, in addition to taking on more responsibility at home.  There are definitely still rough times, but they seem to be fewer and less intense than they have been in the past.

Anna and Ethan have joined the 4H club this year, along with Kate.  Last year was a bit of a trial run for the family, but I think we're committed to this being a good opportunity for everyone in our family.  Thursday night was the monthly meeting, which made for a long day.  But Anna seems to be finding ways to develop her confidence and identity through the experience.

She also is enjoying an extended supply of Tinker Crates.  For some reason her birthday gift from grandparents went a few months longer than anticipated, but that's okay with us.  Anna and Matt have had a good time building all manner of contraptions with these kits delivered right to our front door (!) ... all while listening to 80s rock songs :)

Mom's week consisted of a busy Monday prepping the home life for an anticipated busy week.  I had hoped to land a sub job on Tuesday, but I'm learning that these kinds of jobs tend to pop up as the week goes on.

Wednesday evening I was a guest speaker at a class for UW students pursuing educational psychology.  The pieces fell into place for this opportunity in a God-directed manner and the experience went very well.  I hope to be able to continue to share some of what we have learned about children's experiences with cancer with those who can have an educational impact on those same kids.

As I pulled into the driveway on Wednesday night, Matt was holding a phone call for me about a sub position at the high school as an aide on Thursday.  Since I'd like to get my feet wet at each school and get my name/face out in the district, I took the job.  (This is where I should have just said no since I was already pretty fatigued ... but I didn't ... and paid for it on Friday and Saturday.)

It's been a long time since I have been in a high school all day as part of the teaching staff and by the end of that day, my brain and my body were t.i.r.e.d.  But, now the special education staff there knows my face and my name, and I feel a little more comfortable getting back into that building.  And, I got to spend the first block of the day making a pair of mittens during a sewing class with a handful of pretty cool high schoolers :)

And then on Friday morning, we woke up to snow!  Yikes!  At least the kids already had the day off of school (even if Anna still had speech therapy at 8 a.m.).

All three of them ended up playing outside for a good portion of the morning, which was better than the afternoon since the snow had already melted by lunctime.

Then Kate and I ended up going to a 4H activity where we learned about the Hispanic cultural traditions of the Day of the Dead.



Somehow we have already had to transition to winter weather, even though there were still leaves littering the yard on Friday under the snow.  At least Matt had Monday off of work due to the Veteran's Day holiday so we were able to finish up the rest of the fall yard work, even if it never got above 30 degrees that day!

And now we are thrust into the holiday and birthday celebrations that are all fast approaching.  Hopefully, I will do a better job to find the balance in my life during the coming weeks.

Halloween and more

Although the actual holiday of Halloween went off without a hitch in our family, I dislike all of the commercialization surrounding the event, as well as the effects of the excitement on the morning of November 1.  Oh, well.

Over the years we have seen our neighborhood transition from having only one or two groups of trick-or-treaters before we had kids, to being one family of maybe three that visited the houses in our loop, to this year when the street was bustling with families.

I must admit that this year's trick-or-treating was perhaps the most fun that we've had in our neighborhood, simply because there were more people out and about.  The weather was absolutely beautiful for a late October day, too.  After years of cold and/or wet weather, we were able to enjoy the dry and relatively warm fall evening.

Without further ado, here is our crew dressed up for the adventure.

We didn't attempt anything too creative this year.  Ethan opted for a ghost costume that was left over from years ago.

Kate was looking forward to being a black cat (again).  She was very proud of the foil claws she made, although it made for a tricky time collecting candy out of the bowls :)

Anna's witch outfit probably required the most work.  A cool velvet dress and spiderweb tights from St. Vinny's was paired with a spooky shawl and witch hat borrowed from a neighbor.  The most work was transforming one of her crutches into a broomstick :)

Anna happened to have her weekly physical therapy on Halloween morning and at the middle school the kids are allowed to dress up, so she wore her costume all day.  Anna's PT dressed up as a shark this year :)

Ethan positively ran from house to house; Kate was caught between wanting to join him, but being anxious to go up to doors without me.  Anna was a trooper and used her crutches for the first half hour, but then we had Matt bring her walker over to us.  That made the last half of the trip more enjoyable and much safer for her.

The other parts of last week included a couple of conferences for Kate, a call from the school nurse for me to come and pick Ethan up, and mom's first substitute job on Friday.

Ethan had a rough start to the day on Thursday, probably in part due to the different evening routines on Wednesday night.  We thought he'd perk up once he got to school, and apparently he did until lunch.  Then he came down with a headache (which is characteristic of him when he's tired or sick).  The school nurse called me with about an hour left of school and the poor boy was miserable.  I was able to run in to get him, settle him down for a nap, change Kate's pick-up routine, find a neighbor to sit with the sleeping boy, and then pick Anna and Kate up.  Not exactly what I was planning for that afternoon, but it worked.

By the time dinner rolled around (and Ethan had slept for 2.5 hours), he was feeling much better.  But ... we didn't want to leave him home with Anna while Matt and I attended Kate's parent-teacher conference.  So, Kate and I drove in to Waubesa and included Matt via speaker phone.

Big picture, Kate's doing great this year.  She has a good relationship with her teacher, has continued to branch out in terms of friendships, and is finding ways to challenge herself and be challenged.  She is a careful, methodical thinker, loves to read and write, and is continuing to gain confidence.  We're looking forward to seeing what this year holds for her.

Friday mid-day Matt and I were able to have a joint conference with the advanced learner teacher at Waubesa.  Although Kate has worked with the advanced learner teachers since 1st grade, this is the first time I can remember being invited to have an actual conference with one.  We learned about Kate's specific strengths as well as how our district approaches students like Kate.  In general, we are pleased with how Kate's needs are being met.  She is definitely being challenged at an appropriate level.

On to the subbing saga ... for the last two and a half months, I have been gathering all of the necessary paperwork to become a substitute teacher in the McFarland schools.  I didn't realize how much the process entailed!  It reminded me of all of the hoops I had to jump through to get my initial WI teaching license :)

The paperwork finally came through on Wednesday and with the excitement of Wednesday as well as the uncertainty of Thursday afternoon, I hadn't had time to figure out all of the systems.  But when I got back to the house on Friday morning after dropping the kids off, I had a few phone calls waiting for me, including one from the secretary at Waubesa.

In the end, I took a position as a student aide that day.  I even managed to spend most of the day in Kate's 3rd grade teacher's classroom!  It was the perfect way for me to get my feet wet again in regards to working in a school.  We're planning on me taking a job one or two days a week this winter.  I'm hoping it will be a good experience for all involved :)

The rest of life had included preparing for the upcoming cold weather.  Our leaf bin is almost full and the yard is almost ready.  Hopefully we can get a little more accomplished before the freezing temperatures predicted for the end of the week!