The Results

The above picture shows the extent of our winter storm yesterday. It got above freezing in the middle of the day and rained a lot before it started freezing again. The predicted vast amount of snow didn't happen, but there seems to be some ice. With the temperature staying around 25 degrees this morning, it might be here for a little while. I think the worst is over though!

Bring It On

We are getting ice and sleet right now mixed with some snow. They are predicting 4 to 8 inches of snow today. With the high at 32 degrees, it is a good possibility. I just hope the ice doesn't cause the power lines to break. I am having memories of the big ice storm in Kansas City in 2002 whenever we were out of power for 3 days. We have an electric stove so no cooking there, but we have a grill so maybe I can talk Andy into standing out in the snow to grill us some food.

I guess we shall see...more than likely we'll only end up with a dusting of snow since the weather people are so concerned about a huge ordeal. :)

Yummy Food!

We had chicken burritoes a couple of nights ago with black beans. Sarah ate 4 bowls of chicken, tortilla, and beans...she LOVED it! She was trying to get every last bit...



and needed a bath immediately afterwards.

New Wheels

We got a new van yesterday! It is a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan. It has a lot of the things on our wish list, such as rear air, lots of room, stow and go seating, and easy to drive so we are really excited! It has a lot of extra things too, but I haven't had a chance to see how everything works yet. I just know there are lots of buttons. We are loving it so far! I can't wait to take it on a road trip! Here's a picture I took in the garage. Please excuse our mess around it.

Fever, Fever Go Away...

Don't come back another day!

Sarah has had a fever every day since Friday night. It was just over 100 on Friday so I thought it might be teething. At supper that night, she had screamed while sticking her fist in her mouth. I couldn't see anything though because she wouldn't take her fist out. Saturday evening, the fever was over 101. Sunday afternoon, the fever was almost 103. She has no other symptoms, although she has a terrible diaper rash.

I had to mentor Emily in her Girl Scout class so Andy took Sarah to the doctor on Sunday afternoon. After almost 3 hours, he called to say they had done a strep test, flu test, and a catheter to check her kidneys. They all came back negative. Her ears were both clear of infection. The diagnosis was a virus based on her blood count in combination with teething. If she still had a fever in a few more days, we should bring her back.

Monday night was no different and right before bedtime tonight, it was back up to 102. The diaper rash is still there also, although it seems to get better off and on with the prescription cream. I guess I'll wait and see what tomorrow brings before deciding to call the doctor. I'm not sure there is anything else they can do.

Responsibility Dilemma

How do you teach responsibility to your children? I was so frustrated this morning. I was in car rider line dropping Emily and her friend off at school. As we were approaching the drop off lane, I realized I didn't see Emily's backpack with her attached lunchbox. I asked her where it was and she said she had forgotten it at home. Then I asked her to put on her coat which she also told me she had forgotten to bring.

I can tell you I handled the news badly. I yelled at her as we were driving down the lane, how could you leave that stuff at home? You need to be more responsible! She responded that it wasn't her fault she had left her things, it was my fault because I had rushed her out the door. I admit that I told her to head out to the van while I was getting Sarah ready, but she should still remember to get the necessary school supplies before leaving the house without me reminding her. She needs to have this checklist in her head of what she needs to have before she goes out the door for school.

I feel bad that I yelled at her...that is definitely not a good way for her to start off her day. I am just at the end of my rope when it comes to getting her to be responsible. I feel like I have to constantly remind her to get ready in the morning or she won't be ready on time. Do you think she is old enough to get herself completely ready in the mornings without me keeping her on track? When she gets to second grade, she is going to have to remember to write down her homework and to make sure she brings the right books home. I'm wondering how I'm going to prepare her for the new responsibilities next year when she seems to rely on me so much.

I told her that since it was the first time she had left her backpack and coat at home, I would bring them up to the school. However, if it happened again, she would have to face the consequences of not having it all day. I was tossing around the idea of having her wear a watch one morning. I thought I might call the friend we carpool with and tell her that Emily might not ride with them that day depending on if she got ready in time or not. Then, I thought I might just let her get herself ready without a word from me and see how it went. I can't think of any other way to get her to pay attention. If you have any other ideas/suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Go, Team!

Emily had her first cheerleading game this morning. She says she is bored with cheerleading, but then she has been practicing the cheers almost nonstop. The entire family went to watch her though and, by the end, only Andy and I were there. I ended up putting Sarah and Eliana in the Play Area there because it really was boring. I think the most exciting thing for Emily was getting her pom-poms, although when I asked her if she was having fun during the game, she said yes. Andy and I are now drawing straws as to who is going to be there for each of the other six games. Maybe the squad will get better as the season goes on since they do still have practice once a week.


On the plus side, I do think it might be helping her to speak up more in class. Usually, when Emily got called on in class, she would barely whisper the answer. She told me a couple of days ago that her teacher said she has gotten louder when she talks. As for right now though, I am already counting down the days to when this activity is over.