2023
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Migraine Relief
Well, it has finally come down to it. As much as I hate to take daily med's (serioulsy, I'll pop anything for short term, but hate taking stuff everyday!) after 14 migraines since January 1st, I cry Uncle! But, I'm not happy with what the dr gave me - it has a long list of side effects, and I'm sure suicidal thoughts, excessive sweating, balding and nausea should be higher on my list of concerns, but the weight gain and insatiable cravings for sweets & carbs is what's really getting me worked up. I just took the first pill. Let me know in a week if you can tell I'm getting fat, cranky, have facial tics and homicidal tendencies, and/or depressed. I'll let you know if I get any migraines, deal?!
This Week's Performances
Gib participated in a symphonic band performance at a local high school last Saturday. Mike took alot of photos of Gib behind a giant drum, but I liked this one the best. He got to play a piece from The Pirates of the Carribbean on it. I'm sorry I missed it (migraine - bummer!). Mike said it was really good. We have a snow day today, so I think I'll try to take Gib in for a hair cut since we had to cancel his appt last week due to the band rehearsal. Unless you know the kid, he's almost incognito under all that hair!
Last night, Mariah played "See U Again" from Hannah Montana on her electric guitar in the talent show. She did great! It was exciting, even though she wanted to sing and dance, but her mean mom made her play her guitar....and she told everyone that too. I heard it from her Girl Scout leader, her teacher, the backstage act mom, and the talent show coordinator! At least she received many compliments from her fellow students, which proved me right when I told her nobody would be making fun of such a cool talent!
Last night, Mariah played "See U Again" from Hannah Montana on her electric guitar in the talent show. She did great! It was exciting, even though she wanted to sing and dance, but her mean mom made her play her guitar....and she told everyone that too. I heard it from her Girl Scout leader, her teacher, the backstage act mom, and the talent show coordinator! At least she received many compliments from her fellow students, which proved me right when I told her nobody would be making fun of such a cool talent!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Skiing!!
Gib and I left with the scout troop on Friday night at 6pm. I was driving one of the 12 passenger vans and we were heading for Boone, North Carolina. We arrived at our lodging, Boone United Methodist Church, a little after 2am. We got our gear all situated and hit the hay by 3am, we were only going to get about 3 hours of sleep, we lost an hour due to time change.
The wake up call came quickly. We assembly lined a lunch making table and everyone prepared their own lunch for the day and then we headed out to McD's for breakfast. One of the adults stood outside the door and handed each person a $5 bill as they went in the door. With that completed we headed up for Sugar Mountain.
Saturday turned out to be the busiest day of the season there and it took us 2 - 3 hours to get our lift tickets and rental gear. Gib decided to go with a snowboard instead of ski's, this is his first time skiing. All the first timers were enrolled in a group lesson. The lesson was essentially worthless, they allowed too many skiers in the same time and basically told them how to do a few things and were told to go practice.
I headed up the lifts for two runs while Gib did the lesson. On my second run down I headed over to the "Easy Street" slope to find Gib. As I get toward the bottom, I see him in a lift line with another scout, so I join them. I am assuming that this is the "Easy Street" lift and that he has been on it previously. So as Gib an I approach the head of the line, Gib turns to me and asks how to get on the lift, he hasn't done it yet. Ok, no problem, I can help with this. So, on we go. Now we find the real surprise, this lift is not "Easy Street", but is one of the lifts that goes all the way to the top of the mountain. Needless to say, we have no choice now.
What would take me 10 minutes to ski down took Gib and I almost 2 hours. There was a blue square path all the way down the hill, but still was a little too much for Gib. He struggled all the way down, got frustrated, and was near ready to just quit. When we finally got to the bottom, we did our lunch thing and then headed over to the correct "Easy Street" lift. The afternoon was much kinder to Gib, he actually had learned a good deal on that torturous trip down the mountain. He was now comfortable with snowboard and could do some basics and the slope was more his speed. The lines were so long, We only got two more runs in that day.
The next morning, I spent skiing with another adult who was closer to my skill level and Gib worked all the green circle runs with some other scouts. I hooked up with Gib at lunch and skiied with him and his buddies for a couple hours. Gib was having a great time this second day and is now in favor of another trip next year.
We headed home on Monday. All in all it was a great trip for the boys and I enjoyed skiing again for the first time in fourteen years.
The wake up call came quickly. We assembly lined a lunch making table and everyone prepared their own lunch for the day and then we headed out to McD's for breakfast. One of the adults stood outside the door and handed each person a $5 bill as they went in the door. With that completed we headed up for Sugar Mountain.
Saturday turned out to be the busiest day of the season there and it took us 2 - 3 hours to get our lift tickets and rental gear. Gib decided to go with a snowboard instead of ski's, this is his first time skiing. All the first timers were enrolled in a group lesson. The lesson was essentially worthless, they allowed too many skiers in the same time and basically told them how to do a few things and were told to go practice.
I headed up the lifts for two runs while Gib did the lesson. On my second run down I headed over to the "Easy Street" slope to find Gib. As I get toward the bottom, I see him in a lift line with another scout, so I join them. I am assuming that this is the "Easy Street" lift and that he has been on it previously. So as Gib an I approach the head of the line, Gib turns to me and asks how to get on the lift, he hasn't done it yet. Ok, no problem, I can help with this. So, on we go. Now we find the real surprise, this lift is not "Easy Street", but is one of the lifts that goes all the way to the top of the mountain. Needless to say, we have no choice now.
What would take me 10 minutes to ski down took Gib and I almost 2 hours. There was a blue square path all the way down the hill, but still was a little too much for Gib. He struggled all the way down, got frustrated, and was near ready to just quit. When we finally got to the bottom, we did our lunch thing and then headed over to the correct "Easy Street" lift. The afternoon was much kinder to Gib, he actually had learned a good deal on that torturous trip down the mountain. He was now comfortable with snowboard and could do some basics and the slope was more his speed. The lines were so long, We only got two more runs in that day.
The next morning, I spent skiing with another adult who was closer to my skill level and Gib worked all the green circle runs with some other scouts. I hooked up with Gib at lunch and skiied with him and his buddies for a couple hours. Gib was having a great time this second day and is now in favor of another trip next year.
We headed home on Monday. All in all it was a great trip for the boys and I enjoyed skiing again for the first time in fourteen years.
Tennessee Governor's Academy
Wow! Taryn received nomination to apply!
http://tga.tennessee.edu/academics/index.shtml
Taryn is very interested. She loves the idea of learning in a non-traditional environment and I've seen her in action getting way into field studies in environmental studies, hiking, science/research, and boldly forging into rivers and caves on field trips in middle school. She loved the outdoor classroom. She also really likes the idea of helping deaf students with math & science while learning ASL. I wonder if this program is way beyond a normal American kid though.
It is a long shot, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. What an amazing opportunity - especially to springboard to a college.
Email I sent to school teachers and counselor:
Taryn has been offered an opportunity to apply to the Tennessee Governor's Academy, and for the past month, has been steadily working on her application essays, while rehearsing for the school play, studying, and hopefully, competing ALL her school assignments. We're proud she is willing to put herself on the line at a vulnerable time a teen's life, knowing that her chances of receiving one of 12 spots for girls is very, very slim. She is not a perfect student, but she is intelligent and unique, and as parents, we'd like her to walk away from this experience feeling good about herself. If you could please let her know that you are working on the teacher recommendations and provide some encouragement, it would go a long ways to boost her morale and self-confidence.
I'll try to be brief, but I'd like to share something about Taryn that may help you to see how far she has come as a student. I'm by no means trying to put words in anyone's mouth for the recommendations, but Taryn has overcome some adversity that I feel is worth mentioning. (If anything, this information will probably rule her out of TGA). As you may know, Taryn has ADHD. When diagnosed in the 3rd grade, she could not read a book by herself because her eyes could not focus on the words. She got grades each week ranging from A's to F's. We never knew what day she'd get an A or an F in the same subject! It was horrible to see our child withdrawing and losing her sense of self worth. But a wonderful thing happened - multiplication tables! She was the first girl and the 3rd child in her class to memorize them all. Excelling at math was the only thing that saved her self confidence. Another positive occurred when the school counselor listened to our concerns and helped us get Taryn tested and diagnosed. The miracle happened the first weekend Taryn tried medication for ADHD. She read an entire Harry Potter book. My child, who was faking reading along with the class so nobody would know she couldn't read, was able to finally read for her own enjoyment!
From the beginning, Taryn has been adamant about not being labeled by having an IEP. In our home, we do not oversee homework or manage our children's time for them. It's not easy, especially for Taryn and her younger sister who also has ADD, and sometimes this has hurt her grades. But Taryn tries to give her best effort, and we decided to celebrate that over straight A's. While in middle school she was not placed in the pre-algebra class she was capable of, because she didn't test well on the english portion of the placement exam, and the school would not make an exception. An IEP might have changed that. This year, Taryn is trying to regain ground by taking both algebra and geometry, so that she can go as far as possible mathmatically in high school to put herself in a better position to get in a college of her choice.
Even though TGA sent out a larger mailing this year to double their applications, after all she's been through to succeed academically, we think it's pretty special to have made the list to begin with. Thank you Ms. Foster for your kind words about that in an earlier email. Considering the obstacles, we're so proud of Taryn; she has taken the initiative herself to complete this application to TGA with NO help from her parents.
Slightly off subject, but still pertinent, I'd like you all to be aware that Taryn recently requested a reduction in her medication, and has been on a lower dose this week. Will you please let me know if you see her struggling or notice any changes that could be something to keep an eye on.
Thank you very much,
Chrissie
http://tga.tennessee.edu/academics/index.shtml
Taryn is very interested. She loves the idea of learning in a non-traditional environment and I've seen her in action getting way into field studies in environmental studies, hiking, science/research, and boldly forging into rivers and caves on field trips in middle school. She loved the outdoor classroom. She also really likes the idea of helping deaf students with math & science while learning ASL. I wonder if this program is way beyond a normal American kid though.
It is a long shot, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. What an amazing opportunity - especially to springboard to a college.
Email I sent to school teachers and counselor:
Taryn has been offered an opportunity to apply to the Tennessee Governor's Academy, and for the past month, has been steadily working on her application essays, while rehearsing for the school play, studying, and hopefully, competing ALL her school assignments. We're proud she is willing to put herself on the line at a vulnerable time a teen's life, knowing that her chances of receiving one of 12 spots for girls is very, very slim. She is not a perfect student, but she is intelligent and unique, and as parents, we'd like her to walk away from this experience feeling good about herself. If you could please let her know that you are working on the teacher recommendations and provide some encouragement, it would go a long ways to boost her morale and self-confidence.
I'll try to be brief, but I'd like to share something about Taryn that may help you to see how far she has come as a student. I'm by no means trying to put words in anyone's mouth for the recommendations, but Taryn has overcome some adversity that I feel is worth mentioning. (If anything, this information will probably rule her out of TGA). As you may know, Taryn has ADHD. When diagnosed in the 3rd grade, she could not read a book by herself because her eyes could not focus on the words. She got grades each week ranging from A's to F's. We never knew what day she'd get an A or an F in the same subject! It was horrible to see our child withdrawing and losing her sense of self worth. But a wonderful thing happened - multiplication tables! She was the first girl and the 3rd child in her class to memorize them all. Excelling at math was the only thing that saved her self confidence. Another positive occurred when the school counselor listened to our concerns and helped us get Taryn tested and diagnosed. The miracle happened the first weekend Taryn tried medication for ADHD. She read an entire Harry Potter book. My child, who was faking reading along with the class so nobody would know she couldn't read, was able to finally read for her own enjoyment!
From the beginning, Taryn has been adamant about not being labeled by having an IEP. In our home, we do not oversee homework or manage our children's time for them. It's not easy, especially for Taryn and her younger sister who also has ADD, and sometimes this has hurt her grades. But Taryn tries to give her best effort, and we decided to celebrate that over straight A's. While in middle school she was not placed in the pre-algebra class she was capable of, because she didn't test well on the english portion of the placement exam, and the school would not make an exception. An IEP might have changed that. This year, Taryn is trying to regain ground by taking both algebra and geometry, so that she can go as far as possible mathmatically in high school to put herself in a better position to get in a college of her choice.
Even though TGA sent out a larger mailing this year to double their applications, after all she's been through to succeed academically, we think it's pretty special to have made the list to begin with. Thank you Ms. Foster for your kind words about that in an earlier email. Considering the obstacles, we're so proud of Taryn; she has taken the initiative herself to complete this application to TGA with NO help from her parents.
Slightly off subject, but still pertinent, I'd like you all to be aware that Taryn recently requested a reduction in her medication, and has been on a lower dose this week. Will you please let me know if you see her struggling or notice any changes that could be something to keep an eye on.
Thank you very much,
Chrissie
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Snow Day
The kids finally got a real snow day. Even though it was a light dusting, it was good enough to call off school. They all enjoyed the relaxing sleep in day. Now I know for all you Utah folks, a little dusting is nothing to get excited about, but here in Tennessee people tend to get a little worked up over even the slightest hint of snow. And really, its OK with me that the girls don't have to drive to seminary and school early in the morning with potentially icy conditions.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Backyard Progress
The rock walls are complete, the patio on the top level is complete and the walkway is complete. Here is what it looks like so far, it is a rainy day today. We still have the landscaping to do and we are looking at putting in some wrought iron railings at each set of stairs. Also, they still need to do a stone landing at the bottom of the first set of stairs.
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