So...today was Taylor's
first day of school...and I got the homework.

She brought home no less than 3000 forms for me to fill out. Of course all of them had to be returned by tomorrow, or else the sun wouldn't rise and we would be thrown into an apocalyptic catastrophe.

Not wanting to be the cause of the end of the world, I begain filling out paperwork just after dinner.

Now before I share the questions (and my answers), allow me to defend myself. I have spent the last two days in training to learn a system that is the most convoluted procedure I have ever had the dubious pleasure to be a part of. In other words, my brain is fried, and I have little patience for nonsense.

Most of it was your run-of-the-mill "fill this out so you can tell us the same thing fifty times cuz we can't just access one sheet of paper" kinda stuff.

"Does your child have any allergies?" No--but I am allergic to filling out forms.

"Do you have any special concerns about your child?" Yes - I'm afaid that my daughter will incur a back injury from carrying all these forms back to school tomorrow...the ink adds weight, you know.

On and on with the same questions. Finally, over an HOUR later, I got to the last form. It was titled: "Introducing...Your Child". The description: We would like to know more about your child, through your eyes. The more we know as a team, the better we can tailor an educational and motivational program to fit his or her needs. Please complete the information below and have your child return this form to his or her Social Studies teacher, or if you prefer, mail it to the school.

You've GOT to be kidding me.

And yes, they actually put the instructions in BOLD. Just in case you were planning on making a paper airplane out of it, or had some great need to create an oragami pelican, you were warned. Thank heavens for that extra piece of info.

The first few questions were easy enough. Name, parent's name..address...blah blah blah...Then is gets weird.

List five words that best describe your child's character.
Oh good lord. I can't think of five words to describe MY character. So I gave the typical answers that a parent would be expected to give: "hard worker", "smart", "polite", "thoughtful" and "competitive". Not that they don't apply, mind you...but they are just so ordinary...and Taylor is NOT ordinary.

But wait...there's more!

What motivates your child? Uh..money...fear of my wrath...herself? I decided that the first and second answers, though true, might not cast either of us in the best light, so I went with the third. It's true too, by the way.

What upsets your child? Man's inhumanity to man! Geesh...isn't it obvious?

The next few questions were pretty basic, so I breezed through those. Then came the one that I *know* is going to cause problems:

Is there a regular routine for completing homework at home? Sure! She does it, and I don't yell at her.

By now, I was getting really tired of answering questions, so my answers were getting a bit..shall we say cheeky.

What academic subject is your child's best? Worst? Gee! I'm glad they threw "academic" in there...otherwise I would have had to choose Lunch as her best and anything class-related as worst. they musta seen me coming! (Math and Social Studies, respectively were my actual answers).

There were three more questions that didn't apply to us, so thankfully I skipped them. Finally, I reached the last question: "Other comments or concerns?"

Yeah, this questionnaire was stupid. Wanna get to know my kid? Talk to her. Ask her questions...buy her lunch..anything...just don't expect me to do your job for you. She's with you for 7 hours a day...you see her more than I do! Geesh...and I just spent the last week supporting and defending the public school system!

No, I didn't say that...exactly. I told them that Taylor was a unique child that does not respond to nagging. You only have to tell her to do something once -- she may take longer than you want, but she does get it done, and almost always above and beyond any expectations.

Either her teachers are going to think Taylor is a gifted child in need of specialized instruction (she does have a 3.85 GPA), or they are going to assume that her mother is a class A smart-ass. Oh well, both are applicable.


- posted by Kim @ 10:21 PM

 
Over the last week or so...
I have rediscovered an old passion -- education.

A list I belong to has been having a passionate discussion about the plight of the American Education System. I'm not going to rehash the whole discussion here...it would take days...but I will say that it has renewed my desire to get back in the trenches and head back in front of a classroom.

That would mean going back to school. When would I find time for that? How can I student teach while I'm working a full-time day job? I can't, I would have to quit my job.

Quit my job? My decent-paying, excellent benefit-having, tolerable, I-like-the-people-I-work-with job? I can't do that!

Or can I?

As you can tell, I'm not sure what I am going to do. I could make just as much teaching as I do now, plus get into a pension fund. Plus, I would be doing something I love to do -- molding minds and preparing the next generation to take over.

Decisions decisions. The right one will come to me. If I am meant to make this career change, the solution will present itself. I just have to keep myself open enough to recognize it.

There really isn't much else going on. Taylor starts school tomorrow and she's a bit apprehensive about going to a new school, even though she would never admit it. But that's a perk to having a Mini-Me for a daughter: I often know what she's thinking without her saying a word...and she knows this. I was hoping to be a ble to take her school shopping before school started, but it just wasn't possible. We'll do some shopping just as soon as I pay the rent for September next week.

Lou is still working...a record since we've been here. Today he told me that he made 38 batches of waffle mix and cracked 114 eggs. He also told me that I should steer clear of the waffles for the next few days...unless I like them extra crunchy. LOL Oh well, if you're going to learn to make an omlette, then you've gotta break a few eggs and in this case, eat some egg shells. I'm getting used to his "bare mug", but I still miss the old him. (See two posts back if you wanna know what I am talking about.."Taking One For the Team - Part Deux").

Well, that's about it. Not a whole lot going on really. Thanks for reading...you may resume your normal lives now.
- posted by Kim @ 10:17 PM

 
As I said in my last post...
We won something over the weekend..and it WASN'T kitty litter. We won two trips. One is our choice between Walt Disney World and Las Vegas, and the other is a Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop...you know, like when they tell me that the trips are ours as long as we pay a "nominal" fee for postage for the tickets or tips for the bellhops or something. So far, it seems like it's on the up and up...the only "catch" is that we have to pay for our own airfair. But if the trips are real, then I am more than willing to pay to fly to any of those three places.

Anyway..I'll let you know what happens.

There really isn't much else going on...I'm working on getting my book shopped around...and working on the proposals for the two followup books...otherwise known as sequels...of course one could be a prequel, but can you write a sequel and prequel for a current book? I kinda always thought they were done in groups...but, hey, there has to be a first for everything, right?

My job is still the same. The ladies and I went out after work Friday night..that was great fun. I had a most yummy strawberry margarita...and a taste of Teresa's Purple Pear Margarita. It was really sweet and yummy itself...but I prefer my strawberry concoction.

Okay...that's about it. I'm going to get back to working on my novel proposal. I'm trying to find books that are similar to Three Wishes (my book), but I'm not finding any. The best I've found is that it is Chick Lit..but I already *knew* that. But I'm not finding any books that talk about Women making decisions with the help of a "guide" with tinges of "It's A Wonderful Life", "Groundhog Day" and another movie whose title is escaping me at the moment. If anyone knows of a book similar, let me know...I need to know if such a book exists.

Okay..that's it for real this time. Resume your normal living routine in 3 -- 2 -- 1 --.....
- posted by Kim @ 12:16 AM

 
Taking one for the team Part Deux
Okay, I think I've made you all wait long enough. I apologize that it took me this long to post again...it was a LONG weekend!

Anyway.

This is what my husband looked liked up until five days ago:


Kinda cute in a trucker meets accountant kinda way... 

Kinda cute, in a trucker meets intellectual kinda way. Now, don't think I'm saying that truckers aren't smart...cuz I know that ain't true...I'm just describing how my husband mixes the two looks..

OH never mind. Now...

This is what he looks like now:


This is what he did for his family... 

Now do you understand? My husband had to shave off his beard and mustache, two things he had LONG before he met me...to take this job. Guess I need to give him his props, but my oh MY do I miss his beard and mustache. But I guess I'll have to get used to it...*sigh* You can bet we are BOTH looking for another job for him.

Anyway, there's the answer to the question. I'll post an update about everything "else" later....since I'm sure you are wondering how the contest went Saturday. I did win something..and it WASN'T kitty litter.

Heh

Go about your lives now.....go on...start living!



- posted by Kim @ 11:48 PM

 
Taking one for the team
There's good news...and then there's bad news. The good news is Lou got the job at the restaurant. More good news: it pays better than we thought, and advancement is more rapid than we anticipated. But wait...there is still more good news...we got a car loan (trust me, if you knew how crappy my credit rating has been in the past, and how hard I've worked to improve it, you'd understand why being able to go into hock for a car is good news).

But this is where the good news ends and the bad news begins...

Lou got the job, but had to lose something that he hasn't been without since he was 20 (he's 36 now). I'm not going to tell you what it is...I will reveal it in a later post. Yeah, I know...you hate me. LOL

The other piece of bad news...I got the car loan, but they want..(take a deep breath before you read this...) THIRTY PERCENT DOWN. Now, if I could afford 30% down, then I probably wouldn't need a car loan! For the record, the amount in cash would equate to $1000-1500. So...now we are debating about whether to get a second car (after we've saved up the downpayment..and by that time, the car we have might be shot), or just trade in the car we have currently and worry about getting a second car later. I can always get a ride to and from work, and on weekends when he works he can either drive himself, or I can take him and pick him up. Now sure which route to take yet...comments anyone?

Let's see...I don't think there's much more worth mentioning to blog about. This weekend, I'm taking Taylor school shopping and Lou shopping for clothes for work. I also need to pick up the items to make my parent's anniversary party invitations. Have I mentioned that my sister and I are giving them a dinner party for their 50th anniversary? Well, we are. Mre details about that later.

That's it. You may go about your lives now. :-)
- posted by Kim @ 9:29 PM

 
For most people...
wall-to-wall carpeting is a blessing. For me, it's the bane of my existance.

Okay, A/C makes my cramps worse. Got it. I can do something about that. And I can keep the dust and pollen in the air to a minimum in my house.

But the carpeting is something that is proving to be a "challenge". I vacuum...and the vacuum makes me sneeze...even with one of the high-flalutin HEPPA filters. If I don't vacuum, though, boy howdy am I in a bad way.

Boy howdy? Man, I've been in Ohio too long already! LOL

Allergies aside, life in the Francis household is about the same. Lou should meet with the manager tomorrow about the job at the restaurant, and I still haven't heard about the car loan...but I *did* get a key in the mail, and Saturday I find out if I won (say it with me, all you game show lovers out there!) Brand New CAR!

My guess: I'll walk out of the showroom with a coupon for a lifetime supply of kitty litter. Hey, it'll be more than I walked in with!

*sigh* I think my cold meds are making me slap-happy. Think I'm going to head for bed.

Oh a bit of good news before I go: Taylor got into the Advanced Math class. This is cool for her, cuz that's where she wants to be. For me though, well, let's just say that there is a reason I was an English major in college and NOT a math major. The day she looks at me and asks, "Mom what's a polynominal..or however you say it (see what I mean about the Enlguh vs. math thing)?" I'm going to have to tuck my tail between my legs and defensively say, "well, YOU'RE the one who wanted to take the advanced math class...figure it out!"

Yeah, it's a cop-out. So sue me! LOL

Okay...that's it for real this time. You can all go back to living your lives. :-)
- posted by Kim @ 11:32 PM

 
Okay..so it's been awhile...
since I last posted, but I've been sick, busy and..well sick and busy. :-)

I had an allergy morph into a cold which is now morphing into a respiratory infection. I've never been so glad to have insurance in my life! The guy at the pharmacy knows me by name, and I am wearing a groove in the backs of my insurance and prescription cards.

It is such a great feeling to know that even though you feel like crap you can go to your doctor or the ER and get treatment without feeling like a charity case because either you don't have any insurance, or you have a medical card. I've been in both places, and I have promised myself that I will do whatever it takes not to be there again. Not that medical insurance is perfect. I still pay a decent chunk monthly for the priviledge, and there are days that I think "if I wasn't paying out for health insruance I could afford a better cut of meat", but then I think of the last few weeks and suddenly ground round instead of ground chuck doesn't seem all that bad. Or should that be the other way around? LOL

Update on the family: a friend from work has set Lou up for a job, and if all goes right, he should be gainfully employed later this week. Guess what he's going to be doing (if he gets the job)? Short Order cook! The man burns water, and my friend knows this (I told her) but she said that most of the cooks didn't know how to cook before they started working there. I almost didn't tell him about the job, thinking he wouldn't want to do it, but he gladly accepted the help, to my suprise and relief. I'll let you know how things go.

Taylor tried out for the volleyball team, but didn't make the final cut. I think I was more disappointed than she was, since she's got oodles of other activities and clubs to look forward to, including band. A quick rant on the Ohio public school system: It's going to cost me close to $200 just to send her to school. Okay, so $90 of that is band-related, but the balance is for fees for classes that are MANDATORY! That's how strapped for cash the school system is. What I don't get it that I pay taxes the three..count 'em THREE different cities...and yet I still have to pay these fees for Taylor to go to public school? Incredible. I'll pay the fees and see what my money gets me...and if I don't think I'm getting my money's worth, oh my are they going to hear about it!

Let's see...what else is going on? We're shopping for another car. Well, an additional car since no matter where Lou works, we are going to each need one. I picked out a nice 2000 Malibu...and I've applied for financing, so we will see what happens with that. One perk to living in Ohio is that the insurance is MUCH cheaper than it was in WV. I'm going to go from $150 a month to just over $50 a month for full coverage. Can't complain about that. Of course, Lou had me convinced that the car we already have was about to die at any moment. It seems that when he and Jake went out Saturday night, the car started doing strange things...making noises and it seemed like it wanted to stall. The car has had engine problems for a long time, so I was assuming that the problems were finally catching up with it.

That's what I get for assuming things. Especially when the scenario is being recounted by my drama king husband.

I get in the car yesterday, and sure enough, it's making weird sounds and acting like it wants to stall, especially while idiling at red lights. There was also a strange, but familiar smell coming in through the vents. This concerned me, so I immmediately start car shopping (gotta love the www!).

This afternoon when I was heading for work (I took the morning off to take Taylor to her school orientation) I noticed something. The defrosters were on. That was the strange smell. The heater hasn't worked right for a long time, and the defrosters aren't much better. So, I turned off the defrosters (why either of them needed the heater on in August in Ohio, I'll NEVER know) and lo and behold...the car started running the way it had been before the noises and smell.

I gave Lou a good talking to...I won't go into details here, but it wasn't pretty. LOL And when Jake comes back, I'm going to yell at him too.

Okay, that's it. This post is longer than I anticipated, but I think you are all caught up. I'll try to post more often...I know..promises, promises. LOL

You may all resume living your lives now. :-)
- posted by Kim @ 10:35 PM

 
Bet y'all thought I was...
trapped under something heavy and that's why I haven't posted, right?

Well, that is sorta the case.

I'm still recovering from (for those of you who don't want to hear about female resproductive issues, you might want to quit reading or scroll down til you see "*****". Otherwise, keep reading)

The worst period of my life. Rereading my previous posts about the cramps, I seemed to have left out that these were menstrual cramps that were giving me such problems. Judging from the replies I received, I think y'all figured it out, but since I am about to continue the drama, I thought I would clear that up.

Anyway.

When we last talked, the cramps were calming down but my muscles were still sore. That "relief" lasted a few days...but then on Tuesday the cramps kicked in and along with that, the (scroll down to the "*****" if you don't want to read about menstrual flow) bleeding was the worst I have EVER experienced...I was making trips to the bathroom every TEN MINUTES! I was weak, nauseated, dizzy and in tremendous pain, so hubby took me back to the ER. When Lou informed the triage nurse of what was going on, you could see all the color drain from her face. I guess the amount of blood loss was unheard of...or maybe she was just squeamish...all I know is that she got me a wheelchair and bumped me to the top of the exam list...which kinda scared me. They bumped me up and got me in the exam room so quickly, Lou was filling out the insurance info in the exam room with me.

Then I found out the reason for the hurry-up: they thought I might be bleeding internally or suffering from some sort of infection (I had a slight temperature). However, after a pelvic exam, it was determined that there wasn't any "abnormal" (ha!) bleeding going on, nor was there an infection. (Side thought: when you are already suffering from horrific cramps...why does the doctor administering the pelvic exam bother to ask if you are comfortable? On a good day I'm not comfortable in a paper gown and stirrups..why would I suddenly be comfy now?!?)

Anyway, it was determined that I was having a sterodial period and that judging from the exam, it was almost over. Just in case, the doc gave me another prescription, this time for Naproxen, told me to continue to kill the AC (I did notice that when I went from a warm location into an AC-cooled location, my cramps did get worse...and as soon as I returned to the warmer climate the cramps lessened), and keep drinking plenty of fluids. Then they sent me home, with the warning that if the cramps worsened again, I needed to come back IMMEDIATELY.

Fortunately, things are fine now. No more cramps and the bleeding is over. I'm still sore though. Hopefully, this was just a one time thing, and it won't happen again. But I do urge all you AC lovers out there to pay attention to your bodies. If you notice that you feel worse in AC than you do in natural climates...you might want to cut back on the AC. It really has made a difference for me. Oh, and thanks to all of you for your good wishes and thoughts. I appreciate them more than you will ever know.

*********************

Okay, for those of you who scrolled ahead, it's safe for you to continue reading.

This weekend is the first that no one is here crashing on my couch and/or I didn't have to make a trip to WV. Cosidering the week and a half I've had health-wise, and celebrating the no guests/no trips situation, I am chilling out. Today, Taylor and I did the grocery, household shopping speil, and later went to a craft fair. After that, I sat on the couch and watched the X games with Taylor, then sat on the bed and watched Larry Miller's standup with Lou, then returned and watched Dave Chappelle, Bill Maher, and Chris Rock...all the while sipping on Strawberry Dacquiri's. Tomorrow? Maybe a trip to the mall, but the only major thing I plan to do is make Lou's favorite dinner for his birthday. I'm sure more dacquiri's will be involved, as well as sitting on my patio. I love "do nothing" weekends. They are so few and far between.

One of these days, I'm going to start writing again. You would think that with the move and everything, I would have plenty to write about. Uh, no. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I can't even keep my blog updated! UGH!

Someday...Oh well, for now, that's about all I have to say. I will try harded to update this blog more often. Til then, thanks for reading, and feel free to go about your lives now.
- posted by Kim @ 1:41 AM

 
Okay...so I've been rather
remiss in my blogging duties of late. It's been a long week!

Yeah, yeah, I know that by the time you all are reading this it will be a new week...but things have been...well...lemme just fill you in.

We we last chatted, I was waiting for my pain meds to kick in. Well, they didn't. Things just got worse. I went to work on Thursday and I musta looked pretty bad, because person after person kept asking "why are you here? You look awful!" Finally, one of the pharmacists took my work from me and pretty much ordered me to go home. See, at my job I am the "funny one"...the one with the snarky comment or smart-alleky remark (not that YOU ALL would know anything about that side of my personality...ahem). But on Thursday it took everything I had to concentrate on work, so I wasn't saying a thing to anyone. Therefore it was apparent that I really wasn't feeling well and I was sent home.

So..I come home and I feel even worse than I had before. So, to the doctor's office I went. Actually, I went to the Urgent Care clinic..less waiting. The doc who tried to do an ultrasound announced "your ab mmuscles are like sheetrock. No wonder you're in so much pain..you're having stomach cramps similar to a charlie horse!"

Yeah, I can believe that. Because the cramps were HORRIBLE! I've never had cramps like that in my life.

Anyway, the doc gave me some Vioxx and asked if I had air conditioning in my home.

"Yeah, I do."

"And do you work in an air condtioned office?"

"Uh huh".

"Well there's your problem. All that AC is wreaking havoc on your ab and uterine muscles. Kill the AC in your house and use a lap blanket at work and you should be fine. But, just in case, you might want to get a script for the Vioxx."

Like he needed to tell me twice!

Anyway, I headed home, the Vioxx kicked in and things have slowly gotten better. My muscles are still sore..but the cramps are pretty much gone.

My apologies to those who are now squirming on the floor. I'll move on to happier events.

MY BABY'S HOME! MY BABY'S HOME YAYAYYYYYYYY!!!!

I went to WV and picked her up today. If she ever wondered if I loved her, she shouldn't wonder now considering what I went through to pick her up today. Yeah, there's a story there -- isn't there always? LOL

On my way out of town, I stopped to get gas. That was uneventful, 'cept the cashier needed me to prepay because she couldn't see my license plate. Eh, whatever..I guess that station gets a lot of drive-offs...and with the price of gas these days, I can see why.

Anyway, after getting gas, I stopped at my bank to cash a check. I would have used my debit card, but it arrived in pieces on Thursday and I don't have the replacement yet. I recently switched banks...but that's ANOTHER story...for another day.

My new bank wouldn't cash my check because, although they knew full well I opened two accounts and made deposits on Friday, they hadn't posted yet, so they could not release any funds to me. So now I had to make a 5 hour round-trip drive with $3 and two starter checks. AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!

But I wanted my kid...so off I went.

I got about half an hour into the trip and my car started to make strange noises. So, I stopped at the nearest exit. I noticed that my front driver's said tire was a bit low so I put some air in it and got back on the road.

A half hour after that, it started making the same noise, but now it was shaking. So, again, I pulled off the road. At first I couldn't see anything...but then I saw it...a HUGE goose egg on the tire I had just put air in. I had two choices: I could turn around, wait til Monday and get the tire fixed, or I could buy a can of fix-a-flat and make my way to my parents house so my dad could put a new tire on the car.

Did I mention I wanted my kid back?

So, I continued down the road. The noise got louder and the shaking got worse. I was 50 miles from my parents house -- no stopping now. I babied the car...didn't drive over 55 miles an hour (the speed limit was 65) and obviously I didn't pass anyone.

Fifteen miles from my parents' house, a piece of tire flew off. I sighed and turned on my hazzard lights, and took the next exit.

The tire was completely flat. Not even the fix a flat would have helped. So, I got the jack and donought tire out of the trunk. yes, I DO know how to change a tire...it's one of the things my dad taught me when I was a kid. I also know how to use a flamethrower...but that's another post entirely. LOL

So, I'm jacking up the car when a nice man came to assist me. I was at a public rest area and there were lots of people milling about...several of which stopped to see what I was doing, but kept going. Anyway, the man asked if I needed help, and I told him that I knew how to change a tire, but I wasn't sure if I could get the lug nuts off. So he finished jacking up the car, I took the lug nut cover off the tire (he was afraid he would break it...me...well, I didn't care at that point...couldn't change the tire with it still on there) and he changed the tire for me. I offered him the last few dollars I had, but he declined. There are still nice people out there...thank heavens. I mean, I would have gotten the tire changed myself eventually, but it was nice to have someone do it for me. I'm such a girl. LOL

To conclude a LONG story, I finally get to my parents house, and my parent's car is gone. I knew my dad had gone in search of me...and I'm sure it was at my husband's prompting. the front door was locked but open...so I knocked. And I knocked again. And again...and again...and again...for 15 MINUTES I knocked. I assumed my mom was asleep...and if that were the case, she would never hear my knock, yell, or scream so I sat down on the porch to wait for my dad to come back home.

Fortunately, the phone rang...which woke Mom up..and she let me in the house. Half an hour later, Taylor and my dad showed up. We talked for a few minutes...then Dad, Taylor and I loaded up the car with Taylor's stuff...that kid has a lot of stuff!

Anyway, we made it back here, overstuffed car, donought tire and all. The kid was worth the hassle. I just tucked her in (she was frowing the whole time, but she catered to my need to be maternal) and gave her a huge hug and kiss. I feel complete now.

Okay...that's enough for now. I'll post again later.

Thanks for reading..you may go about your lives now.
- posted by Kim @ 12:15 AM