School is school...Thanks for the advice. We have a regular "first term is over" conference set up for 10/12. If anything happens again or gets worse we will go in before that. The biggest issue for Jake at school (I have a few more...) is that they are being told to be responsible for themselves, but they are being punished collectively. Jake's class has had silent lunch all week (except Monday) because a few boys won't stop talking. That is really bumming Jake out. Last year his teacher didn't like to go outside, so they hardly ever had recess. This year they don't get to talk at lunch. The fun is getting sucked out of it. Kids need to socialize. I feel like people are forgetting they are kids. But, this is supposed to be positive!!! Jake came home today and said school was awesome, besides not being able to talk at lunch. Great! And some other high points are how Jake is mastering the whole project thing on his own. He comes up with the idea and I let him go with it. (As much as humanly possible...Making posters is fun and I have some pretty good ideas sometimes...) I did help him with the glue on his latest and in his words his BEST project ever. I think it is pretty awesome too. Here is the 3 regions of NC, in macaroni, blue and green glass stones, and rice:
(Elizabeth remind me to give you your container back..See it there with the blue cap? It has been sitting on the counter for a while now, but I always forget to give it to you. This is proof that it is in good condition and waiting for you. :) You probably forgot we even had it didn't you? Boiled peanuts were brought to our house in it.)
How cute is Jake? His "summer do" is starting to grow out...Fall is here (YIPPPPPEEE!)!!! We have been just cutting the sides and back to grow out his "winter do".
This is the collage I couldn't help but put a few more stickers and words on after he went to bed (he told me I could). I am a HUGE fan of a good collage. Jake said he his teacher wasn't happy with a lot of kids collages because they only put a couple of pictures on it. She held his up and asked "Who's is this?" (really?..there is a picture of him on it and his name...) and he was worried (it says something that he expected something bad rather than good...Okay that was me being ugly. Pretend I didn't type that...but I am not going to delete it...) He raised his hand and she said "This is what a collage is supposed to look like!" That's positive right!?! It is pretty awesome and it really is soooo Jake.
There are several dogs on it. Remember Aaron we ARE getting a dog for Christmas!!! :) (I will have you convinced that it MUST happen by then. Jake needs a dog. We need a dog. I NEED A DOG.) The robot is perfect. For as long as I can remember Jake has said he is going to build a robot when he grows up. He said he will make me one to clean the house. What a sweet boy. It will be our house because he says I (Daddy can come too) am going to live with him forever. He's 9 and he still says that. I am a lucky mommy...
*U-Scan is...well it is U-Scan. I needed to vent. 98% of the people that come in the store are lovely. 2% are mean and grumpy. I feel lucky because my old grumpy cussing man wasn't so mean I cried. The same week another cashier was brought to tears. People are sometimes rotten, even to people just trying to make their day simpler. Maybe they just don't have anyone else to be rotten to. I LOVE getting paid to talk to people I really do. And I am mastering the art of finding the humor (rather than extreme annoyance) in watching otherwise intelligent people do totally ignorant things. The other day a very nicely dressed business women was trying to swipe her debit card in the crack where two parts of U-Scan are put together...She didn't notice the regular card swiper you see at the register, just a couple of inches to the right... :) I am seriously thinking about bringing my camera and reenacting some of the crazy things people do. Maybe my manager will let me have some of our regulars pose for me...And speaking of regulars: I feel as though I made a difference in someone's life this week. We call him "Chocolate Milk Guy" at Bi-Lo. He comes in every week day morning and buys a chocolate milk. He doesn't have a bonus card. He just pays at U-Scan and goes. Then Tuesday (the last day of the weekly sales. Wednesday starts the next week of sales), I saw in the sales paper that was coming out the next day, that his chocolate milk was going on sale! Chocolate Milk Guy hadn't come in yet, so when he did I told him to get a card because he was getting ready to be able to save a whopping 9 cents a day! He thought it was funny that we have nicknames for the regulars, but the next day he came through U-Scan happy and showed me his brand new bonus card. Seriously people I am changing lives here! He will save 95 cents thanks to me!!! :) But seriously it is nice to be remembered by random people right? I get to be that random person for a lot of people! Isn't it great when people remember you for things that you don't even realize they realized? There are several people I know by name now that shop at Bi-Lo. People ask me about my son, and how my husband is doing working 3rd shift and going to school. The coupon machine was spitting out coupons for a free Shutterfly photo book-it was a $29.95 value. I wanted one SO BAD! But we aren't allowed to take the coupons that people don't want. I had to throw a way 4 in a matter of an hour!!! (GASP!) One lady that is a regular, uses coupons, and has kids got one and was going to throw it a way!!! I told her all about it and she was so excited. I saw her today and she asked me if I had gotten one of the coupons yet (one of the baggers got one when he bought a soda and he gave it to me!!! I buy all my groceries there and I never get one. He buys a soda and a $30 coupon pops out...go figure!). I told her I had and she said "good, because I know you can't take them from us, but I got another one the other day and took it home, put it in a envelope and put your name on it, just in case you didn't." I wanted to cry! How sweet is that???? People are good. One of the managers in charge of hiring came up to me all excited and said "I am getting ready to interview a great lady for a cashier. I am so excited about her! I told Mr. B (I am not putting his name since he has no idea I have a blog and am mentioning him! The store manager), we've got another Carrie!" Wow, that felt good... Am I just bragging now or what? :) It just made me feel so GOOD! I am starting to realize it is okay to feel good about myself. I am not typing this to toot my own horn, I PROMISE. I am typing this so in 10 years I can look back on a bad day and say I did something little that made a big difference...There is a very quiet, gentleman, probably in his 50's that comes in a couple of times a week. I knew he was a diabetic (he told me one day) and was really getting worried about his health. I didn't see him for a while but when I finally did he looked a lot thinner, I commented on it and he was thrilled that I noticed. He said he noticed I had lost weight too. (I just wanted to hug him!!) He was in the other day again and looked even thinner. He has lost 61 pounds! I am resolving to get going again with my weight lose. I am a slacker and I have no idea why...It really is fun being one of peoples random kindness for the day. :)
I could go on and on...but I have rambled on long enough. Too long actually. Just one more thing...I have got to get ready for General Conference! We have big plans to make cinnamon sugar pretzels (like the big ones they sell at Sam's Club) as a treat to eat while we watch it. I love Conference. I need conference. I have been praying all week to get answers to some questions and I know I will get them, if I just listen...And so I will. :) For now I am going to sleep. Life is good. We learn from trials. Mine are simple compared to others. I vented the other day and it felt good. I feel much better. Thanks for caring and loving me in spite of my many weaknesses...and ramblings!!! I am stopping now!...But just for now. :)
