Good Morning!
5 Days!!!! 🙂
Today’s header photo is from Kare.
*It’s now Sunday the 21st, so I believe someone has a birthday today.
Happy Birthday Linda. 🙂
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On this day in 1790 the first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, RI.
In 1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede from the American Union.
In 1879 Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, NJ.
And in 1968 author John Steinbeck died at the age of 66.
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Quote of the Day
“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”
Dale Evans
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This one is a request.
And this one is because I like it. From King’s College Choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aL9rKJPr4&feature=player_detailpage ______________________________________________
Wandering Views 
Cheryl, what Kizzie said. The prednisone (prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis) is for inflammation. To help with the coughing. Husband was coughing up nasty stuff even after two rounds of antibiotics. The increase in prednisone, which he then immediately decreased, seems to have finished it off. We hope it is not leaving infection in the lungs or some such thing.
His dad, ninety two, has been on a daily dose of prednisone for twenty years with no apparent ill effects. Hardy and healthy. His prednisone is for asthma. It has kept him in an active lifestyle.
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If Hubby had lived, and was going to be taking the new med (chemo in pill form), he would have had to take a low dose of prednisone along with it.
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Trust that everyone is getting healthier in this new room. Must be the meds!
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Well, I hope to be getting healthier. For the first time in months, daughter was stable enough for me to go on a nice walk.
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I am glad you got your walk before she went over the edge again. You know, there is a student in my class who is pushing me toward the edge. I think part of it is parents not being strict enough. Trying to decide on appropriate measures to take.
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I don’t think I can be any stricter with her. We are planning to take her in to the hospital to be placed in the psych ward this morning. The docs told us we would have to be belligerent to get them to keep her. I don’t want to do this if it is not the right thing but her behavior is driving husband batty and can’t be good for the youngers.
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Praying for you and the hubby, Mumsee. You need help and some answers. Wisdom and stamina. Glad that you are doing this together.
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Praises that it was clear yesterday that the boy was lying to me. When I told him he was lying he loudly protested and even had tears in his eyes. So thankful that I knew the truth. When I called the other boy over and asked what happened, he calmly told us. Then the first boy said, “what he said is the truth.” Wisdom and eyes to see and ears to hear.
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Amen to that, of course.
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So icy out this morning, the cats that were walking around to help me with my chores, kept sliding and slipping and otherwise losing their footing. Kind of amusing.
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I imagine that that was a funny sight. Don’t imagine they got hurt as they are so flexible. Not like if I began to slip or slide.
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My aide, Wendy, had to leave for the day, after she got a couple of things done first thing. Praises that the difficult boy was home sick today. Made the day doable.
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The other PNG boy who is slightly challenging, needed a challenge. So I called him aside and taught him to play checkers. he loved it. By the end of the day, he was teaching others.
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That seems to be about half the trouble in a school, under challenged. The other half is the over challenged.
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The Boy does especially well in math. He gets 100% on all his math papers and tests. His mommy is really good at math, too.
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The other boy came back to school. I am seeing progress. I think he is realizing that I say what I mean and mean what I say. Plus I treat him courteously. But the volume of his voice is hard on this introvert.
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Pray for the energy to get a cheesecake made this evening for another teacher’s birthday tomorrow.
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Jo – The Boy can be very loud, too, and boisterous. (Or should that be boysterous? 🙂 ) I try to enjoy his boyishness, but it does get wearing at times. (I’m an introvert, too.)
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Consistency goes a long way for a lot of folk, young and old.
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I like consistency. And routine.
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another incident yesterday. I saw him punch a boy in line, so sent him to the office. The other boy innocently said he did nothing. I sent Wendy over to get the story. Yes, the other boy had punched first and then lied to me. Solution, now neither can stand in line, actually that is too hard for them, and now stand next to the wall but not close to each other.
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I can hear and see planes coming in bringing folks back from the dedication of the Menya New Testament that happened yesterday. The Whiteheads arrived here in 1975 to begin. A long term project. a life project. I loaned my camera to another teacher who went. Can’t wait to see her pictures.
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It is exciting to see different ways God uses people. It will be interesting to see it from the other side!
It is frustrating when children can not respect others’ boundaries or the truth, but it is expected up to a point. Sixteen year old used to be such a gentle person, respectful of the others (though not understanding the dangers of her lying and stories she would tell the youngers). Now it is a daily thing for her to say she is going to kill people and is it alright if she knocks down the ten year old as she goes by and is it alright if she kicks me in the stomach.
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Mumsee, with her asking if it is “all right” if she does those things, it sounds to me like she is asking someone to be firm enough to say “No.” She already knows it is not all right, but she is telling you that such thoughts are crossing her mind and she needs you to help her learn the control to say no.
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Cheryl, that was true up until about a year ago when she decided she no longer needed to follow any rules. Right now we are focusing on one: do not cross this line. The line is in the dining room and it gives her and me space. She is free to stand on her side of the line and say whatever vile things she wants. But crossing the line requires a consequence.
For example: I am going to the Catholic Church. Can I go to the Catholic Church?
When you turn eighteen and move out.
I am leaving Sunday and you won’t know where I will be but I will be home after dinner. But that would be running away and I told the Sheriff I would not run away so I can’t.
For now, she respects the Deputy enough to not run away, I don’t anticipate that will hold much longer but is nice for now.
But as to me? No. On her really good days, when she sits quietly spinning on the chair, she stays on her side of the line. Most days, she tests it. I decided, after many comments that she was going to do something unpleasant, to let her do it and receive the consequence. I set her on her behind, pulled her to her room and hung her by her shirt on her doorknob. Now she says, it is not a good idea to kick your mom in the stomach. Lesson learned? I hope so. She also now says it is not a good idea to throw eggs at people. Yes, we have told her not to throw things at people. But when she threw the can of eggshells at husband, I swept them up and laid them out in her bed, between the sheets. Lesson learned? I hope so.
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And it is another day. She is not allowed out by the others when they are eating as she makes all sorts of disgusting comments to try to get them to pass on their food. So she is in her room singing a song she made up about how her brother sexually abused her….Loudly, nonstop. She does not realize that she is just as guilty and how much of it was just little child stuff.
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Cheryl – I could be mistaken, but I didn’t take Mumsee’s comment about her daughter thinking something was “all right” to be a verbal asking or saying. I took it as Mumsee commenting on her attitude according to her actions. IOW, by her kicking her mother, it shows that she thinks (or may think) that that is all right to do. (Or maybe Mumsee was being a little sarcastic in her use of words?)
“Knowing” Mumsee as we do, I highly doubt she would let Daughter think those things without repercussions (as she wrote above).
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Yes, Kizzie, she verbally asked if she could kick me in the stomach. Obviously, she has been taught that is not okay. And I could have continued to tell her no but it reached the point where I felt she was not getting it and needed to learn it was not a good idea from actual experience.
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Well, I did say I could be mistaken. 🙂
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But I was right that you didn’t let her do those things without repercussions.
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We do try to follow up though our follow up may be a bit out of the ordinary. It is designed to get their attention without hurting them. People that can not accept words need something a bit more concrete.
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I agree, but as I am not the parent, I am a little more restrained. I am finding I have a very low tolerance for being yelled at, especially in the store with Mom right there.
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That incident left me so frazzled. So, this morning I am in the office and as I turn to leave, there he is waiting for me to give me a sweet hug. I sorta would rather have given him a bop on the head, but I was good.
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Maybe the lad just needs retraining on what is appropriate communication. As in ignoring the loud voice and responding quickly to the quiet one. Maybe he is just a brat.
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Did you get the chance to talk and pray with him?
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not yet, didn’t feel like the right time. He has issues, principal mentioned autism, but that is a medical diagnosis, so we can’t talk about it. However it did help me to have a little more understanding. I do feel that being calm and firm and consistent will go a long way.
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I did talk to him about the need to pray and ask God’s help. He was deceitful yesterday, which is the same as a lie. I had a quite talk and introduced the topic. Sometimes he likes to say, my mind just shut off. I wonder who told him that. I tell him you are making choices and your choices are bad. Still, it is a choice you are making.
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not a quite talk, but a quiet talk!
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You know, I think that brats are just undisciplined children. The parents are no longer doing their job. So, as teachers, we have to do the job. In some ways, it is more important than teaching academics. My little Romanian boy, often tells me, teacher, they are…. I ask him, have you talked to them or asked them?? He does not seem to know how to do anything but complain to me.
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Ten year old is a brat at times. I suspect you are right. I give her too much credit for things because she is so far ahead of the other three. And then she pulls some little child thing. Lying is a big one for her. “I couldn’t tell the truth because I did not want to get laughed at by (sixteen)” I try to remind her that when sixteen laughs, it is probably not at her but at sixteen’s own little world antics. But ten is not strong enough to withstand it. We are working on it.
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Yes, being a truth teller is hard. I point out that God’s word is truth and He wants us to live in the truth. Easier said than done.
Just had a great Skype call with a friend from here on furlough.
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I have not enjoyed Skype but I understand many people do so I am happy for you!
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Twenty one year old has had a migraine for three days. She asked me what to do about it. I suggested she stop hanging out with her friends who drink and drug and hang out at frat parties. Think she will take note?
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If the migraine is bad enough, she may.
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One kid slugged another at recess. Of course, he was on the swing that the boy wanted. And then, a little while later, that kid bit another. You could still see the teeth marks an hour later and this was through a shirt. Am I really cut out for Kinder.
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The first kid, who did the slugging, I am beginning to feel is not safe to be out of someone’s sight. I did tell the vp that I felt that way. Remembered later that they are neighbors. Not sure if he understood.
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It is the friends from my church that are headed for Australia. Feeling the stress of two medevacs and no answers for school staffing. I am committed to staying another three and a quarter years, but the school itself may be changing.
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If the boy is like that in the neighborhood, he may well know what you are talking about. There is a different mindset on child rearing these days, but I think it is more than that. I think the mental health problems are increasing and, who knows, it may well be due to the way people are being brought up.
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yes, and parent conferences are in a week. Four days left in the term as Friday is a teacher prep day. The last few days I have been writing down in detail what he has been doing. I have trouble remembering the details so figured I’d better get them down. I even wrote up Friday’s when I went to school yesterday. I need to be prepared.
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I was encouraged to hear that the boy yelled at the principal, so he knows exactly what I am talking about. And it was the principal’s wife who saw him tag the girl in the face.
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That’s good that there are other witnesses to his behavior. I hope he can be helped to control those behaviors.
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Husband went to sixteen year old’s conference. They greeted Mike and then spent the entire time talking with son. I do believe they are as frustrated trying to get through to this boy as we were. They kept reminding him that he signed up for this NIM program (kind of an apprenticeship to get him into metal working at any one of many local businesses that do that: ammo, gun building, night vision building, boat building,etc) and he would start at nineteen dollars an hour. It is an IDL class which means he has to do it online. And they all know he is not allowed online at home due to his poor choices with computers. So they gave him his own scheduled hour in school to do it with a teacher overlooking his time on the computer, as they demand due to his misuse of their computers. And still, he won’t do it. He is going to get to it later. So, I ask, what is he doing in that hour and do they even know??
I am not a fan of teacher conferences.
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It is strange to me that they include the student in the parent-teacher conferences. They don’t do that here.
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I have been to quite a number of conferences where that was not the case but here it appears to be a student lead teacher conference where the parent is allowed to attend and listen. I no longer attend but I do keep in email contact with the head teacher and various others in the school.
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As a homeschooler, do you have parent-teacher conferences with yourself? 🙂
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Yes, on a daily basis. And no student is allowed any input. It is just me and myself. We discuss all sorts of important things. The different aspects of teaching each student. Sometimes I will attend as well. At those times, either I or me will tell myself how each student is doing, the positives and the negatives and we will devise a plan to make learning more accessible in each case. We never end the meeting with things unsaid or on an angry note. Very encouraging.
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Oh
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running low on the list
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Can’t let that happen.
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Sorry, I forgot to come by for few days. It has been busy. The lunch I prepared for the teachers went very well. We sat around and talked over lunch for an hour. One teacher had added to my note on the white board, so I wasn’t sure if she would try to change the lunch and have it be for employees too. She didn’t. But she gave me a lecture on did I know when avocados were good. Pretty funny.
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I made a double batch of the Taco Beef soup and there were leftovers, just as I hoped. I then went and rounded up the employees so they could all come have a bowl. Someone had signed up for bringing rolls, which did not go with this soup at all. However that was just what the employees loved. Enough for all, even for the teacher who came when everyone was done.
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Funny about that late teacher. She had been off touring around centre with her class and the art teacher. For Art this term the fifth grade class designed and painted the Art teachers van. This was a trip around centre for the unveiling, complete with noisy whistles. Even had class of 2025 written on it.
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The things you people come up with…
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Another spring day here. Ice, snow, fog, rain. maybe even some sunshine later.
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We have sunshine today, but it is very cold. The weathermen are looking at the possibility of another Nor’easter snow storm. (Although, last I read, it looks like it will miss us, or we’ll only get the fringe of it. I hope so.)
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Sunshine here this morning. Though every day’s weather varies very little. Three more conferences to finish off. So excited as I am cleaning out my classroom. Made so many trips over to the office to dump things on a table yesterday. Then other teachers were looking through it and finding treasures. Today it all goes to a PNG school. And I keep thinking of more to get rid of.
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It feels good to get things off loaded, especially when they go to somebody who can use them.
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Well, turns out that those folks picked through and only took a few things. What a mess. But someone else came by today and took some more things. Now that it is out of my room, I am not responsible and my room looks much better.
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I could not do the run yesterday. Of course it is so rocky and hilly here that that makes it hard. and then I had already done five miles going back and forth carrying things at school. When it cools off a bit today I will try again. This week instead of going up by a minute or two, the challenge went from nine minutes of running to sixteen. We will see….
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I went and walked the high school track to see if that would be a good place to run. It was overgrown with grass, very rough and wet. I could hardly walk it.
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Running is supposed to be good for you if done without injury, I don’t know. I have done it a few times but never stick with it.
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I went for a walk today and prayed for you, Jo and Kizzie. Jo is an encouragement. And it was not raining or snowing.
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Well, that was yesterday, I have not gotten out the door yet this morning.
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I am trying to get up the gumption to go out and try to run/walk again.
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Snow on the ground this morning.
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But I got a second walk yesterday afternoon so am optimistic.
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I had planned to work on the grape vineyard today but high winds and snow falling might deter me. But it is warm out so it may all be done in a few minutes.
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The snow we were expecting the other day, originally expected to be 9 – 12″, turned out to be only about an inch, and the above-freezing temps for the day melted it all. That was a relief. We thought we were going to have a lot of shoveling to do again, but the sun took care of it for us.
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I have spent most of the weekend inside. Waiting for folks who said they were coming to get something. Today it was the offering. I handle it and brought it home so someone could pick it up. She said in the afternoon, but it was close to five. oh, well, I did get cookies made. you have to realize that I never make cookies. This is quite unusual for me. I even got all of the dishes done and most of the cookies are in the freezer.
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I also just read World magazine on my kindle. I read the one on Billy Graham. I also appreciated the article on the gymnast who reported on the doctors abuse. They told me at the beginning of the article there would be bad stuff in it, so I skipped reading it.
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I know you really want to know, so they were pumpkin raisin cookies.
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Jo – The article on the gymnast only contained one reference to what he did. The rest of the article was very good.
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Your cookies sound delicious!
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I like cookies. Which is why I rarely make cookies anymore.
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I am tired of all the attacks on men. Some are legitimate, I doubt they all are.
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In that particular case, it appears he was a mess and messing with a lot of people’s lives and the court found him guilty, not just the press.
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What case are you referring to, Mumsee?
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The gymnast doctor.
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We have had our afternoon rain and it is clearing out. It was funny to go to a bank, a very little bank, where you stand on the porch to conduct business at the window, and be told that they do not accept cash. I had to have a bank card. Then the other gal sitting inside said she would take my cash and I could use her card. Very strange.
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Interesting how different folk can come up with solutions.
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Mumsee – Oh, yeah, I am familiar with that case. I thought maybe you were referring to something else.
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Spring is in the air. I did not even need a jacket for my morning chores. But it sure was cold around the campfire last night.
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still waiting to connect with my daughter, but I am excited to have a new granddaughter. Since they have a sweet little boy, I was hoping for a girl. A very quick labor. It all happened while I was asleep.
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They sent one little video of Archie giving her kisses and then falling over backwards on his mattress. then another kiss, he was so excited and sweet. Her sister had taken her family to Tahoe for the week and was skiing yesterday. She must have come back rather quickly. Not sure what the rest of the family did. I am also sure that Bec must have been covering everything at work as this little girl came early.
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Fun times! I am still not anticipating joining daughter for her delivery. I figure she is in good hands, and the hospital where she works is the hospital where she plans to have the baby. Plenty of people who know her and care about her. Not to mention her husband and in laws. Might just be my frugal side but I cannot see spending several hundred dollars for a hotel room while waiting for the big event. She does not want me around after the birth, or really before the birth, just during. Seemed kind of odd to me.
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My daughter had her baby on the couch as they did not want to wake up Archie.
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I missed going to market this morning, just forgot til it was too late. I still haven’t used my produce from last week, so not worries.
Had mushroom soup for dinner last night as I seem to have a stomach ache.
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Today, good Friday, is a national holiday here. Also Easter Monday is a holiday. So we just have one more workday until school begins. I need to get to work on a newsletter and a few thankyous.
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Thought that I should catch up here since we are on the very bottom of the list. 🙂
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Still waiting to hear of a name for the new little one. I feel that God has told me the name, and it will be difficult for me, but He has let me know ahead of time. If not that name, I will simply be relieved.
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Jo – There have been a few times in my life when God prepared me for something bad that was on the way by dropping a thought about it in my head.
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Mushroom soup? Is that good for the digestion?
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Yes, mushroom soup was nice and bland and delicious.
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She has a name!! and it is not the one I was dreading. Lucy Rae, for a ray of light. Also it is a family name in a different form.
They even sent more pictures, now I can finish my newsletter. One where she has her eyes open, which I hadn’t seen.
Having these apple devices with the rest of the family is worth every penny. It is like we get to talk together from far away.
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I am glad it is working for you! It is fun to get to talk and share pictures with those who are too modern and sophisticated to use mail or email…But I realize there are times when the internet is down though I suppose the phone can be as well.
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this is a whole new world being able to comment with the grandkids. Just went to a baptism down at the river. Only one girl baptized, but dad mentioned that her first teacher, me, and her current teacher were both there. I think we made it during a brief interlude of no rain.
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Was invited to lunch with some other singles. I took my homemade croissants and they were a hit. I shared Lucy’s photo. I was the only single there with children and grandchildren. Years ago one gal would have me over so we could talk about our children as she didn’t feel the other singles would want to hear.
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One of the twenty one’s came home for a visit yesterday. She helped me get some work done on my vineyard. A twenty came home last night, to spend the day with his sibs and us. That is nice. But I will say, to you, that I get a lot more visits from the adoptees than from the bios. Seems a bit odd to me but it is what it is.
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Jo, when I was single I always had more married friends than single ones, and I also knew single moms (and had one or two among my closest friends). Whether married or single (or formerly married), women are women, and I cannot imagine not being interested in another woman’s life and the people important to her just because your own life circumstances are different from hers. Now, a mother of young children might feel like she can’t relate to or understand the life of a career-driven woman, and other “too different” scenarios might make fewer connections between women, but I don’t think that overall the connections are just gone.
When I was getting married, I was vaguely worried that other past-40 singles might be jealous, “Why her and not me?” Especially since I had really been more ambivalent about marriage than most of my single friends had been–I “needed” or desired to be married less than they did. Well, at my bridal shower in Nashville one of those older singles, who was a few years older than me, commented on it being “extra special” when it is “one of us” who gets married. In other words, rather than feeling jealous, she shared my delight in a marriage outside the normal course of events. Whether other older women felt the same way, I don’t know–but it let me relax and trust that they did. (I do know that when you are 35 or 40 and you see some starry-eyed 19-year-old bride, it’s hard not to think she doesn’t know enough about life to marry yet, and how can someone young enough to be your child be getting married?)
Anyway, as someone who was single till 44, I think it is safe to say that “offspring” is an important subject of conversation to all women, and as long as one isn’t rubbing her fertility in the face of a single woman who longs for a family or an infertile married woman, it is a healthy and normal conversation with other women, even single women. One of my married friends thought I talked about Misten too much, and I was like “I live alone, and she is the only creature that lives with me, so it’s natural that I have ‘Misten’ stories. It’s not that she is out of priority in my life, as I really don’t think she is. But I just happen not to have a husband or child or even a housemate to talk about, and I do have a dog.” Since I had friends who were married with kids who talked about their cats more than I talked about Misten, I had no fear that her concerns were valid. Nevertheless, I say that to say this: All of us talk about what is going on in our own lives, particularly the people in our lives. If someone doesn’t understand that, it’s really their problem. But it’s definitely not true that all (or most) Christian single women don’t care about the offspring of other Christian women.
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Lots of snow and sleet and rain. Must be spring!
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Got my house all decluttered for the haus meri to come today. However I just realized that I don’t actually know if she is coming. There was an email sent, but I never saw a response. Oh, well, it is looking good around here. Just don’t want to wait too long for her to come before I head to school.
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What problem to have! Waiting for someone to come clean your house, Must be nice, huh?
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My daughter finally posted online of the birth of Lucy. Of course it was a day after my newsletter.
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My daughter asked what my plans are for coming down for the birth. I thought we had already discussed it and realized it was not a happening thing. If she calls on her way to the hospital, we may make the drive, figuring we can be back in a day. One child in public school, can’t leave girls alone with dad for fear of accusations, can’t have the children in her house….no babysitters lined up….
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tough times, Mumsee. I would love to hold Lucy, but will have to wait. priorities as God has given us each a job to do.
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okay, can we say bad housekeeper? I finally realized that I have never washed my comforter. It is always covered by a duvet, so that helps. Also I have no way to do it, as no machines that will hold it and haven’t tried the laundry room tub. In the middle of the night I realized that there is now a sorta laundry room here. It should have larger tubs. I went over, but you have to buy tokens when construction is open. However it is in the guest house and the manager is a friend and she let me do it in their machine. I even saw a place to sign up to pay, so I am good. We will see what this comforter looks like after it is washed. I don’t have any idea what the filling is. I also want to put it in a dryer as who knows what could be in there???
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Modern conveniences are rather convenient.
As to the babies, daughter says she only resents the adoptees about five percent of the time. we figured we should be up and doing rather than waiting for our bio’s five percent times of needing us. It is all good.
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When I went to get it, the place was all locked up, so I will get it today after church. Had to scrounge for someway to stay warm last night as I only use the one comforter.
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Trying to work on my attitude over the haircut I got this week. I really liked the way it was looking and mentioned the nice curl at my neck. I just wanted a trim and a little shaping. She cut it all off. It is not the way I wear it at all. Much too short and all curl is gone. I paid for that perm and wanted it to last. I will not be going back to her. I am griping on here as I can’t gripe here as everyone knows who cuts hair.
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That is why I stopped getting my hair cut. Too many people with stories of how it did not get done the way they requested. Plus I am too lazy.
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Daughter number three was just talking about that. A friend from childhood is a hair cutter and they have gone to her for years, but she never does what they want. Finally, daughter said she is done as the last time she went home and ended up just shaving it off again.
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Once as a teen, Nightingale cut my hair for me, but ended up cutting it much shorter than she’d intended, or I’d wanted. She was more upset than I was! But I told her not to worry – hair grows back.
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In college I had a haircut, and then a friend said she wanted to do something further with it. I told her OK, but don’t take much off. She cut it quite a bit shorter than I wanted–she cut it to about shoulder length–and I regretted having let her touch it, and had a hard time not looking really disappointed when I looked in the mirror, since my hair grows quite slowly and it had taken years to get those extra six or eight inches.
I ended up getting so many compliments around campus–even from people I didn’t know–that I left it that length for many years.
But four or five years ago I thought I have left my hair shoulder length for a quarter century because other people like it shorter, but I myself keep wanting it longer, and regret it each time I get some cut off. I may not always be able to wear it longer, and may someday return to shoulder length (personally I can’t imagine ever cutting it much shorter), but I should let it grow out again and see what I think. I asked my husband about growing it out and he was OK with it. Once it grew, he told me he liked it long. Well, if he likes it and I like it, that’s enough. I am happy, though, that I now look around and see a lot of women my age and a bit older growing out their hair. We went through a phase when most women over 30 had it fairly short, and where even at shoulder length mine was definitely above average for a middle-aged woman. I am happy to see we have moved past that and a lot of middle-aged and older women are growing it out if they want to. And that I’m not alone in letting it be gray. (I attended a baby shower a couple of weeks ago. One of the grandmothers was a woman I haven’t met before, and she commented she had just “allowed” her hair to go gray and was getting used to it. And I looked at her, and her gray hair was so pretty and so flattering I really couldn’t imagine it being any other color and looking good. And the lady who cut my hair a couple of weeks ago told me two or three times I have “gorgeous” hair and she commented on gray hair being stylish now, even for younger women, and I have it pretty naturally. (About a third of it is gray, with the rest a mix of colors, mostly shades of brown but some blonde and some reddish–my mom’s was a vivid red.)
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I will still wear mine fairly short, though longer in the back. I think I will let it grow out on the sides and just push it behind my ears. Glad I am not going anywhere, but school.
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My aide missed a day of school this week as she had a boil under her arm. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. The doctor at the clinic told her to go home and rest.
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If it was me, I would have been counting on the aide. Glad she could go home to rest, sorry she needed to, and overwhelmed.
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My aide certainly makes my life easier, but I can do it alone. I can tell she isn’t feeling well as I have had to ask her to help some students. Normally she would be already helping them. She borrowed some money from me last week and paid most of it back today, her payday. I can’t imagine how little money she has. And there are school fees for her children. One of them is in his last year of college. I helped some and will consider helping more. You have to be very careful here and not let anyone know if you help someone. The jealousy is real and they can suffer.
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Knowing when and how to help can be challenging. But helping is good, for the giver anyway!
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yes, Wendy almost never asks me for anything. It was unusual that she asked me to bake a cake for her daughter’s birthday. She now owes me 10 kina, which is $3.20.
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I gave her, unasked, money to help with her son’s college fees. he is in his last year and some other funding had ended. Before that I had been praying about helping her with school fees, not even knowing she had a son in college. Later she asked me for my email address so that he could write me a thank you note, which he did.
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It is neat how God puts people in our way so we can participate with Him in helping them.
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It is hard not to feel guilty sitting here in my comfortable home. I am safe and secure and my roof does not leak. I even own a car. Yet, to most of you, my home is so humble. Perhaps 400sq feet. Yet it is all I need and so much more than others have in this country.
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And here we are in this enormous house, wondering what God has planned.
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I am wondering what God has planned for the rest of my life. Nightingale and her boyfriend are taking things slowly, which is good, but they like each other a lot, and may end up together. That will bring new changes and challenges to my life as well as hers. We’ve done some “what if” talking, thinking of different scenarios. Of course, that is just talk, and only God knows at this point what will or won’t happen.
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That is hard, Kizzie. Only so many changes at a time, please. I remember when my last one left home for college and I was left alone, yikes. That is when I began working at JCPenney on evenings and weekends, as well as substitute teaching. Kept me busy. That empty house was so hard. My new place has neighbors and is in a community. I loved my woods, but all alone was too hard.
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Mumsee, your house is so large that I couldn’t find my way out!
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Well, Kizzie, we always have room for you here.
Yes, Jo, I am thinking of putting up signs.
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We might have done better if we had used an architect, but this fits our needs quite well.
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My new student is doing well for the beginning of Kinder, however this is term 4. I met with the parents. Pray for wisdom for them and for Wendy and me.
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Always. A beautiful day here. Husband is getting a bit frustrated with sixteen year old boy. Boy told him yesterday that he has a date for the prom. We have told him in the past that he is not going to the prom. He says D means diploma. We say, D means done.
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yup, I know your frustration. My one boy in class is challenging me continually. Even in the little things. He was on the mat, which is for sitting on, and he was kicking up his heels in the air like a donkey. I told him to sit as the mat was for sitting. Turned around and he was doing it again. I had him sit on the hard wooden floor. Told him you made a bad choice, to do things your way instead of the way you were told. He left the classroom last and I told him the next two days he will not sit on the mat. That is after a series of other infractions. I want to be firm, fair, and consistent with him. Makes me wonder if anyone else is??
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Got a new propane tank yesterday. Then tried to light the stove this morning. Wouldn’t light, so I had to go out and check. Realized they wouldn’t realize that both tanks were empty as you usually have a spare. Sure enough, it was turned to the empty tank. Changed that and tried to open the new tank, but it felt like perhaps it was open. Went inside, nope, nothing. Okay, by now I am wondering who I can call if this doesn’t work. Went outside again and tried harder to open the tank. It worked. Came inside and was able to finally cook my eggs.
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Of course this was frustrating and I was hungry. I stopped to drink some milk and eat a banana before going out the second time. But, at least it was daytime and not raining. I had been thinking this week of my bills and perhaps needing something extra. I have a 200 dollar shipping charge for my ladders and now the propane bill.
Well, May, the other teacher who lived in my flat, saw my facebook post, where I mentioned what had happened. She felt that saying sorry was not enough, so sent me a gift through Wycliffe New Zealand. I told her not to worry, it was no problem. But God used this to send me something totally unexpected.
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Frustrating, i am sure. I am not a fan of propane or natural gas. Probably due to lack of familiarity.
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Same here.
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Actually that is the only option here.
Sunshine on this Monday morning with a wall of fog off across the valley.
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Mumsee, where are you? Do you have a new grandchild? Were the folks at home taken care of? Did you get lost? Were there any problems?
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I don’t have any answers, but I will be praying for you. The light is always on over here.
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Still praying. I know you are trying to be there for your daughter, but it is so hard to be away from home. Prayers for whomever is watching the home front.
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hmmm…. I seem to be talking to myself over here.
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of course, as I live alone, that is not unusual.
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I was so worn out yesterday after everything that went on, that I just left. I need to head over to school later to get ready for next week.
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Hi Jo! I’ve been paying attention. (Or maybe I’m eavesdropping on your talking to yourself?)
I talk to myself a lot, too, maybe even more so since Hubby has been gone.
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Mostly I read. I woke up early this morning and God gave me ideas for school and how to be more organized. I find it easy to have things ready and to teach on the fly, but I need to have all my plans down. I thought and thought and then got up and took notes.
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Mumsee, I trust you are having a lovely time somewhere.
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Lots of rain here and looks like more on its way across the valley.
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We’re having a rainy day today, too.
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Mumsee, we miss you. Lots must be happening for you not to be here. For such a homebody, this is a long time to be gone.
Hurry home.
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I was planning to do my walk/run, really I was. Then the deluge began. I saw another teacher walking towards my room, obviously hoping for a ride home. So I gave up and took her home. And her husband whom she had already called because she forgot her umbrella.
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It rains so hard and so frequently here that I never go anywhere without an umbrella. You just never know and you can get drenched to the skin very quickly.
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Well, the boy spit on a classmate at recess and then ran behind the classrooms into an area where he was not supposed to be to avoid the yard duty person. It gave me a good reason to leave him in the office for the last hour. Certainly made our day end much more peacefully.
I think he just cannot handle Friday afternoons.
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Oh, no, Jo! He sounds like such a challenge, and at the same time, having his own mental or emotional problems.
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The Boy is struggling with his own emotional problems. His father’s attack on his mother was very disturbing to him, and affected his behavior for quite a time. Then his Papa’s death came along, and has affected him, too. (We’ve noticed he’s gained a lot of weight just since then.) Lately, he breaks into sobs when he is disappointed in something (like being told he can’t do something he wants to do). (For the record, Nightingale is a firm mother, not giving in to him, so it’s not a matter of him thinking his crying will get him what he wants.)
I notice that the last time Mumsee posted on this thread was on April 21. I hope and pray everything is going well with her and her family.
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In The Boy’s case, he is well-behaved at school, for which we are thankful. I’m sure his teacher is thankful for that, too. 🙂
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Good morning. I am back. Thanks for your prayers and for thinking of me. It is nice to be missed.
Baby boy, still unnamed, arrived nearly two weeks late but the labor was much shorter than last time. She let them start the pitossin right away, then they broke the water, and things progressed quite normally. He was a big boy at about nine and a half pounds. Then they dealt with jaundice and the bili lights. But they are home now and we are home now and all is good. It is a long time to be away from home. Most of the animals survived but the plants in the greenhouse and raised beds suffered mightily.
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Thanks for your comment on the prayer thread, Mumsee. I am experiencing the same thing. I have to make short visits and keep my mouth closed. I got in trouble last time for not smiling at dinner when all were misbehaving. I did not frown, just had no smile. Guess they have to learn their lessons. It is hard to get close to grands who are being so bad and even cruel to each other at times. Good thing that I am faraway.
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Every day at school is hard, but I am learning. I was so much more organized this week. And the prayer really paid off as God gave me answers. The vice principal had the boy in his office and the boy yelled at him over something. The principal, who is quite large, was across the hall and stepped in and told him how disrespectful he was being. I realized later that the vice principal is the boy’s neighbor. I am bringing standards into the boy’s life and not letting him get away with anything. While also trying to be positive and notice the good behavior. It is hard.
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Hi Jo. And Kizzie. And anybody else. It is funny because daughter was saying how determined she was not to have her child behave like her brother’s. They used to run rampant, not listening to anybody, doing whatever they pleased, taking whatever they wanted, etc. And her eighteen month old was doing exactly that but they said she was given freedom to explore. Over and over she told me how well she and her brothers turned out and how she gets compliments from others on her attitude and work ethic, etc. But she rarely asks for advice on anything.
She did comment that he maybe has different ways of guiding daughter than she does. I took the opportunity to say that whatever they decided on they needed to do it consistently. If she has a behavior she wants to see than she needs to be consistent on looking for it and same with him. The child would be able to be flexible and do what they both wanted. And that lead us into the challenge of granddaughter throwing her food on the floor as she was eating. They would tell her not to and ask if she was finished and so on. And she would keep throwing. I suggested telling her she was done if she threw it and removing the food if she did. I noticed the next meal they gave it a try, the world did not end. And the next and the next. Amazingly, she was no longer throwing her food when I left. She was telling them she was done but they were not listening.
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Yes, I wanted to say just one thing, too. When he took the girls for a time out for bad behavior, he needed to say that is the end of your dinner, go to bed. That would have ended it very quickly.
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I am glad that Nightingale is a firm mother with The Boy. There are a couple areas where I wish she did things a little differently, but nothing major.
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They all turn out one way or another.
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yes, but it does sadden me to see some of these things. Yet, there were two of my son’s children that I watched for a few days. They were so kind and loving to each other that I was amazed.
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The gift I mentioned on today’s thread, which of course I haven’t seen, it was only mentioned in an email and a facebook post, is to be from my former sister in law. She said that she wanted to share her inheritance with me. What sweet love.
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People are amazing and, as my daughter mentioned when we were discussing the ever changing but nothing new under the sun views on child rearing, it is a wonder any of us survive.
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I never even got caught up from my vacation, now I have to catch up from an internet outage.
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I answered the email from my former sis in law. At the end of it, God prompted me to ask how I could pray for her. I got a long email back as her father’s death is truly causing her pain, plus they found his home ready to fall down from Hurricane Harvey damage. Said that he would accept no help. A privilege to pray for her.
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We had a good day today. Now tomorrow is a teacher’s workday. So nice to have a day to prepare for the last four weeks of school.
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It is amazing how fast time slips by while days sometimes just creep along. Daughter is off again so days are longer.
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I could see the one boy going that way. God is giving me the privilege to put restraints into his life and show him the way to go.
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Had an excellent conversation with the vice principal yesterday about another boy in my class. The one whose mother lives in another town so he is not with her. I understood that he could not do much, but I was able to share my concerns, which he understood and appreciated. I will have another sibling next year, but this one lives nearby. Perhaps someone in admin will be able to share with the father sometime.
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Family communication both ways is helpful generally.
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53-88.
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Another beautiful day. Interestingly, I am told that son has something for me. He never buys gifts for birthdays or Christmas but he always buys me a Mother’s Day gift. Interesting dynamics.
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Well, no gift from son. He was mad at me because he is supposed to be taking his boots off when he comes in.
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Glad to hear the Turmeric is working for you, Jo. I stopped using it several months ago and got my first cold in over a year while helping daughter. I ususally get just about whatever is passing through. Back to it.
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Yeah, if The Boy brings home a cold or some other virus, I am bound to get it. I especially hate when it’s a stomach bug that’s going around the school.
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I was wondering if turmeric would help Roscuro. I am sure she knows what to do, but it must be hard feeling yourself get weaker. So glad that it is Friday. I will end the day with a Planet Earth dvd.
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So just yesterday I mentioned how I get every virus The Boy brings home, and later in the day, I felt a cold coming on.
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One of our daughters, who is allergic to lots of stuff, or sensitive, tried it. She thought it helped quite a bit so she took more and more and ended up stopping due to stomach issues.
Eleven year old tried it due to his asthma but stomach issues ended that as well.
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I am wondering if they took the capsules with food?? I take all of my pills when I eat breakfast. Even advil can be very bad for you if you don’t take them with food.
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I did remind them and I thought I was giving them to eleven year old just after his breakfast.
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I enjoyed looking at royal wedding photos. They both looked joyful and happy to be together. I also like that her dress was modest. That will set a trend. And it was delightful to see someone begin a new trend that is modest.
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Another rainy May day here. I took advantage of a bit of sun yesterday to get some mowing done though I don’t generally use Sunday for that. But figured I won’t be doing much outside today and I do want to keep the snake cover down in the interest of my children and myself.
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Praying for you today, Jo, that the love of God would shine through and give you wonderful times with your children as they see you showing them Christ.
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Thanks, Mumsee. A wonderful way to open a new room with prayer. Prayers for Roscuro as I just read the prayer thread.
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I just saw the three official royal wedding photos. They were so joyful and the children were in all of them, very special.
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It is neat to see the family connections. And to hear that some are believers.
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There was a joy in this wedding that I didn’t see in the last one. So fun to see.
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I was bold or obnoxious at school today. Another mission in this country has a rule at their school that they don’t accept students after the year begins. So the families that come have to home school until the next school year begins. It is to lessen stress on teachers, or so they say. So today I asked that they consider lessening our stress by saying that no one can enroll after the first week of term 4. When you are trying to end the year well and get several new students it can be really hard. Anyway, we have quite a few new students and I thought that I would at least mention it. Teacher burnout is a very real problem.
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Getting new students at the end of the year must be hard. In some ways, it may help the children settle in as they get to know the other children a bit. But our experience with foster care and adoption is that the children need to meet the new situation more than anything. So it would make sense for them to be with their folks, getting to know the area and meeting little friends in other ways. I vote with you.
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