SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION

Another school year is upon us.  Last Wednesday my kids headed back to school as second and fifth graders.  Where does the time go?  Really?  This is the second year of me being back in the cafeteria.  I do like the job and am thankful to have found something that works out well.  I am at work for only three hours while they are in school and I'm home when they are home.  It's nice.  I love interacting with all the other kids and the job itself really isn't all that stressful.  I really like the people I work with and do my best to ignore the gossipy chatter that's usually there.  The paycheck really helps us too. 

We are at the end of the second week back and this was the first full week.  172 more days to go.  Whew.  My daughter seems to love second grade so far and she has a really sweet teacher.  Her teacher called her on her birthday a few weeks ago and I thought that was just so nice.  My son is in fifth grade and he seems to like it too.  He doesn't really say much about school.  I see them during lunch but don't get a chance to talk to them. 

I'm glad that the kids enjoy school.  I have considered homeschooling them so many times and maybe that's a possibility during the high school years but for now we all seem to be happy with where things are at. 

Enjoy the year, kids.  Mommy is so proud of you!

DC TRIP PART 2

After we saw the White House our son asked if we could go into one of the museums we went into during our trip last year.  We had seen The Air and Space Museum, The Museum of Natural History and The Museum of American History.  As we walked around we found the American History one so we went inside.  After we went through security the first thing we saw was Batgirl's Batmobile.  That was cool.

We walked through the museum and saw some of the same from last year such as the chairs used in All In The Family and Julia Child's kitchen but there was a lot of new stuff added too.

My mom always speaks of her childhood obsession with Howdy Doody.

Our daughter loved the dresses worn by previous first ladies and they even had the dress that Melania Trump wore to the Inaugural Ball.

*Disclaimer:  Any negative comments made about President Trump and Mrs. Trump will be deleted.

Our son even tried to give a presidential speech.

Then after we left DC we found a huge mall nearby that had many great stores.  We stopped at Friday's for dinner, checked out the American Girl Doll store and made it to the Washington Redskins store just in time before they were ready to close.

We didn't make it home until almost midnight and thankfully had the chance to sleep in the next day.  The trip had some not-so-tolerable moments but enough good things to make it worth the trip.  I'm not sure when/if we'll make it to DC again but it is one of our favorite places to be. 

Arlington National Cemetery and DC Trip Part 1

Last Saturday we went to Arlington National Cemetery so our son and some of the other scouts could participate in the wreath ceremony at the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier.  This was the fourth time he was part of this amazing ceremony.  It's such a somber experience.  Since this is his last year in the cub scouts this may be the last year we do this.

My boy is the one in the tan Webelo shirt.  I'm so proud of him and all he's accomplished so far.

After walking from one end of the cemetery to the next we decided to keep the car parked there and walk over the Potomac River into DC.  The walk was supposed to be one mile but it felt so much longer than that.  As we walked over the bridge I realized it may not have been a good idea since we had two little ones.  I regretted that decision quickly.  We made it to DC and arrived right where the Lincoln Memorial was.  We walked from there to the White House and then took a tour around The Museum of American History before making our way all the way back to the car.  My husband tracked that we had walked seven miles but I swear it was so much more than that.  My feet are still sore.  I tried to enjoy the day and we did have some great moments but, whew, all that walking.  The coolest part was as we walked around the White House we passed by a face that seemed so familiar to me.  He was in a full suit and had security around him.  Within seconds I realized who it was and I tapped my husband and then pointed to the man passing us and said, "Hey, that's Ivanka Trump's husband."  It was so cool to see him but I wondered why he was walking down a main road.  There was a crowd of people around us but I seemed to be the only one who knew who he was.  I didn't want to bring any attention to him because I know he, along with the Trumps, aren't well liked people.  So, I didn't even snap a picture either.  Who knows what Secret Service would do if I did, right?

My kids loved how the ducks, squirrels and birds weren't afraid to walk right up to us.

The kids also had a chance to experience tacos from a food truck.  It was delicious if I do say so myself.  They seemed to enjoy it.

Even with all the walking and the disagreements between me and my husband as to what we should do it was still a good day.

I'm going to be back to share photos from the museum and also the mall we stopped at before heading home.  Those photos are on my camera and haven't been uploaded to the computer yet.  Once I find more time I'll get to that.  I also have more things from the summer time to add as well.  My days are filled with an abundance of chaos and so much to do but I would love to get back into regularly blogging.  It helps calm me down.  More on that soon. 

SHE'S 7!

Seriously, can someone please make time slow down just a bit?  My baby turned 7 last week.  7 just seems like such a big number to me.  7 years old and going into 2nd grade.  Her days of wanting to be a princess seems to be hitting her that it's not something possible and she now talks of being a kindergarten teacher.  I think she will make a fantastic teacher.  She has always been so caring towards others.  I absolutely love her sensitive soul.  She is a mama's girl and I hope that never changes. 

For her seventh birthday she chose to go to Hershey Park.  I haven't been there in a long time and she's never been there.  The place was CROWDED!  I can't remember it being so full of people.  The lines to a lot of the rides were long.  We didn't get to do many rides.  We waited in line for a new water coaster for about two hours and then it broke down.  Ugh.  What a waste of time.  However, through all the chaos I told the kids how important it was to find the good in the day and yes there were plenty of good.  I'm just hoping our trip to Disney World will be more successful. 

Also, when it's this girl's birthday it also means the end of summer vacation.  I didn't blog much, did I?  I really haven't had much to write about I guess.  I'm hoping to get back to regularly blogging because it's always been therapeutic to me, even if no one reads it.  In a few days the kids head back to school and I'll be starting my second year in the cafeteria.  It will be nice to make a little extra money again. 

Manic Monday

The Bangles "Manic Monday" plays in my head on repeat as I get through a mound of laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, sanitizing, putting away dishes, etc.  It's Monday, which means it's time to clean up after the messes of the weekend.  Weekends are for playing and making memories and this weekend was more laid back than most but we did manage to have some fun.

My kids were invited to a birthday party at the neighbor's house.  I only stayed during the time they were in the pool because none of the other adults were paying attention and my kids aren't close to being professional swimmers yet so they needed to have that close eye.  When they were finished swimming around I headed back to the house and allowed them to continue having fun with their friends.  Later that evening we set up our air mattresses in the living room and had a "camp in" as I called it.  We laid in our beds and watched Cocoa.  Lying on an air mattress that sits on top of a hard surface floor is not quite comfortable and I didn't get much sleep but it's the memory making that counts.  I also wanted to do something fun before the kids take off for New York with my parents this weekend.

On Sunday we made the tired decision to stay home from church and I spent the day straightening up the house until my mother-in-law's arrival.  I really wanted to make it a fun day but these other plans happened.  I like to have Sundays as family time.  Not cleaning.  Not for anyone else.  Just us.  Give God our time in the morning and then spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the company of each other.  Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen.  Sometimes the mother-in-law wants to make her once a month appearance so I have to scurry around the house to make sure it looks somewhat presentable because a messy house will just add to those judgements that are already made.  

Now we are back to Monday.  Another week starts.  Mondays in the summer means I allow the kids way too much television and video game time so I can get things done around the house.  The rest of the week is to be spent with them making more and more memories.  I have many fun plans for tomorrow but today is the day to clean, clean, clean.  Today is when I make sure we all have clean clothes for the rest of the week.  Today is when I attempt to organize whatever messes were made over the weekend.  Today is a fresh start.  A new beginning.

It's just another manic Monday ...

Me And My World

You can find more of my writings on my other page http://dawnmariewrites.blogspot.com

I'm keeping this blog for more personal and every day adventure stuff but the other blog is more formal.  I love writing.  I have always loved writing.  I'm not sure many people read my blogs and that's okay.  When I was on Xanga I had a huge audience but here it's nothing.  That's mainly because I haven't reached out and shared these sites with others.  If you have stumbled upon this site please feel free to stay, follow, and leave comments.  I know it's probably best not to give too many personal details into my life, especially my kids, but I love having a place to write these experiences and memories.  So often I look back on something I wrote and realize that it was something I forgot about.  With a mother that has Alzheimer's there's a fear in the back of my mind that I may get it too one day.  So being able to have a place to look back is good.  Maybe I could print some of these into a hardcopy of some sort.  

Summer Is Here!

It's been awhile since I found myself being able to take a moment for the blogging world.  I'm sorry for that.  Time moves on fast and life gets busier by the day.  We have now entered into summer vacation, baseball season is ending and my daughter is preparing for her third dance recital.  I sort of enjoyed my first year as a cafeteria lady and it was a wonderful thing to be able to help fill the gaps with my paycheck but let me be honest - I'm thankful for the break.  Stepping away from all the gossip, judgement and bullying by grown ups and having an entire day where I can do whatever I choose is refreshing.  I will be back in the fall but until then I'm going to try and make this summer break worthwhile.

The school year brings us so much chaos and a hectic schedule.  The kids spend their days at school and when I'm not doing my three hours at work I'm at home trying to keep this house in some kind of order.  My husband works a full-time job and when he gets home there's one day a week he's rushing to cub scouts with our son or to baseball practice or a game.  Then I'm off to rush our daughter to dance and this year she took two classes.  My husband will still be working in the summer but I look forward to having the evenings and weekends free from scheduled events and more for relaxing and enjoying one another.

We love sitting outside by the fire just as the sun is going down.  It's a time when we can all be together and relax.   I'm looking forward to many fun adventures and also those moments when we can lay back and enjoy some peace.