Odds and Ends

It's been a while since I posted some odds and ends, so today, I will.

1. I am completely enjoying the silence in my house right now. The only sound in fact is the clicking of the keyboard beneath my fingers. It's sooo nice. After dealing with all those 5th graders the past week, I am loving the peace.

2. I cannot believe how powerless the public school system truly is. Because a child was labeled as "EH" (emotionally handicapped), he has an I.E.P. which spells out his behavior problems and sets goals for his behavior. When he gets in trouble, he is disciplined. He gets in trouble a LOT. He gets suspended. We (the school) get sued because you can't discipline a child labeled "EH" for anything that can be connected to the I.E.P. WHAT?!?!! This kid fights and cusses and disrespects. He MUST be disciplined. How are the other kids to know it's not okay if he gets away with it? How will he learn to function? Aren't we supposed to teach them how to function past their time in the public school system? Now that we are being sued, the child knows we can't do anything to him. I was returning a class of 2nd graders to their classroom last week, and there he was...screaming at both the principal and his assistant, at the top of his lungs. Dropping F-bombs and everything else. Now every 2nd grader with me has just heard the big daddy of all cuss words repeatedly. As a parent, I'm offended and outraged. If it were my child hearing that, I would have come unglued. As a teacher, I am sickened and upset. Obviously the kid has issues, but when do we say "enough is enough? We won't subject the others to it anymore. Sue me. I won't have you tainting the innocence of the rest. Call 911. Haul him away in the hand cuffs. If I get sued, I get sued."

3. Moose tracks = heaven

4. My new favorite song: PROMISES...is it new life worship? I think so.

5. Environmentalists have really irked me this week...I realize this won't be popular but so be it. I'm not one to TRASH the EARTH. I don't think we should do things that are unnecessary or frivolous. However, ease up a little, Green Giants. We have oil in Alaska. Allow us to build a refinery without all the impossible regulations....(sure, we need regulations, but not IMPOSSIBLE ONES). If we got all the oil we needed to keep gas prices down, we couldn't refine it. The last oil refinery built in USA was in 1976...that's the year I was born!! The number of cars has probably gradrupled since then, or something like that... Of course we need more oil. There are more people and more cars. Let's build a few refineries, use some Alaskan oil, and get the prices down. Sheesh!

6. I peeked in on my kids a few minutes ago. Adorable. Simply adorable. What's better than a sleeping, peaceful child who smells like bubble bath when you open the door? You guessed it. 4 sleeping, peaceful children who smell like bubble bath when you open the door. I peeked in on Drew and Evan first. Evan sleeps in a tiny little ball. Tiny enough that some nights I have to go in and physically feel the bed to see if he's there or if his blankets are just wrinkled up. Almost every time he's there and hasn't wandered to a couch. Drew refuses to sleep under his covers because it makes the chore of making the bed more difficult. Not only does he sleep on top of the covers, which just honks Chad off, but he snores (loudly - making Pappaw Bob proud, of course) and sleeps facing the opposite direction...so his covers open up one way, but he avoids them in two ways by sleeping on top of them and by sleeping on the wrong end of the bed. Luke sleeps like me. His arms up above his head most nights. I think he finally has that wetting the bed thing under control. THANK GOODNESS. But when I peek in on Gabriel every night, no matter how much I protest or how much I instruct, he is always quietly sleeping with no covers, hugging Bear, curled up in a ball wearing his "towboy" (cowboy) jammas....wearing his "fih fohs" (flip flops). There is nothing I can do. He won't take them off. They stink horribly....He sleeps with them on at the babysitters' too.

7. I still have not finished my homework for my classes. I wanted to be done with both of them by the end of the first week in APRIL. I am no farther than I was at that time. PLEASE GOD - MOTIVATE ME.

8. For the first time in a long time, things are good...completely good. Sure, there are frustrations with my job...but as far as my life goes and life in general? I don't think I have had insecure thoughts, feelings of not being respected or appreciated, or any of those moments that plagued me for so long. It has been a LONG road, but I finally believe all may actually be well. What a relief. Those of you with a clue, thank you for praying. Don't stop, but know that your prayers and mine are being answered continually.

9. Please pray that my old "itty bitty house," as my kids call it when we drive past, will sell quickly. I'd like to have that out of my mind and out of my bank account....that would be nice.

10. It's almost 1 AM. I haven't "enjoyed the computer time" this late in quite a while....I have a big week in getting some church work done, so I better get going....

11. I know I still have pictures to post of the new house. I haven't forgotten. Have a great day!!