Busy weekend

My parents, my sister and her daughter are in town this weekend. Mallory was supposed to play in a tennis tournament here in Huntsville. But, right after they arrived Heather checked the website to see if they needed to go check in and they had canceled it! She drove all the way here from Atlanta to find out that Mallory would not be playing. The weather has been crappy the past couple of days, lots and lots of rain! I told Heather that I would be surprised if she played, but I never thought it would be totally canceled. Caeden was supposed to play ball, Lael had soccer practice and Chace had several games scheduled for Saturday. It was going to be a very full, very busy weekend. But, only Chace’s games went on – somehow they managed to get Liberty’s field ready to play on Saturday. It was nice to be able to visit with the Fam. On Saturday, in between Chace’s games, we went out to Greenbrier BBQ to eat. It is the best BBQ we’ve found in town – ok, it’s not really in town, just a few miles from County Line Rd, although it feels like much farther!!! They have the best hushpuppies I think I have ever eaten, I could make a meal of just them! That night we watched Twilight again. It was just as good the second time around!

Team Mom for Baseball

By default, since Todd is the coach for Caeden’s team again – I get to be Team Mom. whoo-hoo!! No, it is not really bad, not a huge load of stuff to do. At first I need to make out a schedule for who brings snacks to each game. We all know that the snack at the end of the game is THE most important part of the game! All the boys are most concerned with it!! I had to get the uniforms, and sort them all out for our players. They are just like the ones from last year only we don’t have the names on the back of the jerseys, which I was bummed about. It is so much easier to tell who is who with the names!!! Finally, the concession stand duty and end of year party is the last thing to do. Oh, wait and trophies and pictures….can’t forget those!

The Opera

Going to the opera has been something that I’ve always wanted to do but never had the opportunity. It was just one of those things on my Bucket List. My opportunity came up through our neighbor, Ms. Jeanne. I’m not really sure how it came about that we would go with her, but I am sure that Todd had something to do with it. Somehow though, she got the idea that we both just LOVED the opera, and went to them all the time. That is not the case. Todd does actually like them a lot, I had never been, so I had no premise to base judgement on.

Anyway, this particular opera was in Birmingham, at the Alabama Theater. Going to this theater was actually a treat in itself. It is absolutely beautiful! It reminds me of the theater Todd and I saw BB King play in Albany, NY. They don’t build theaters like that anymore! Ok, so the opera – first off – it was in Birmingham, I said that, right? Well, we are in Huntsville. So, we have to get to Birmingham and somehow coordinate it with Ms. Jeanne. She has a niece who lives in Bham, who was supposed to attend as well, but somehow that fell through. The ride to and from Bham was painful – Ms. Jeanne did not stop talking the entire time, kind of like Lael – only she talks about stuff that I have absolutely zero, zilch, nada, no interest in and my eyes glaze over immediately when she gets in the car. And she won’t even let you add to the conversation, and she repeats stories over and over, so I’ve already heard everything she has to say at least twice before, and of course she is just waaaayyyyy too excited about this opera!

Did I mention that I had never been to an opera? Todd was kind enough to print off a synopsis of it, La Traviata. Apparently this is a famous opera that anybody who is anybody knows all about. He also mentions that there will probably be a screen somewhere with the words in English so that I can follow along easier. Ummmmm, in English? – you mean they don’t sing in English? He looks at me as if I have grown another head and patiently says no Lisa, operas are usually sung in Italian. Of course they are, what was I thinking?!?!?!? Many of the people in attendance are apparently of the same mindset that Jeanne was in – they live for the opera. They had those little binocular/eyeglasses thingies, {I’m sure there is a technical term for them!} One man actually had some tiny binoculars like I imagine bird watchers use. The only use I could tell he had for them was to zero in the lead opera lady’s cleavage. I swear, every time she was front and center with the spotlights on {which was quite a lot} up came his binoculars. The cleavage was plenty visible enough without the binoculars, I guess the abundance of cleavage showing is another part of the opera that I was unaware of!

Ok, so there is my experience with the opera. And no I don’t think I need to go to another one, I can check that one off my list and move on to more exciting things, like bungee jumping!

Sci-Quest Visit

We’ve been wanting to visit Sci-Quest for a while now here in Huntsville.  It is a science type hands-on center like the McWane Center in Birmingham.  This is what their website says:

Sci-Quest is a hands-on science center with more than 100 permanent, interactive exhibits in seven different subject areas. Unlike a typical “museum,” Sci-Quest’s exhibits are designed to engage, educate and entertain.

It is not nearly as big as the McWane Center, but the same type of fun stuff.  Actually a couple of the exhibits were exactly the same!  The kids had a blast!

Spring Break!

Yay!  It’s Spring Break – one whole week with nothing to do!  Ok, I should re-phrase that – nothing we have to do!  I don’t have to drag any kids out of the bed, hustle them to get ready, there’s no homework to harass them about.  We don’t have  concession stand duty, no baseball games or practice, no DFL – whew!

We decided to go to Birmingham to spend part of the week.  As we are leaving Chace asks if his friend Dylan can go with us.  Sure, why not??  Since Hoover was also out it worked out well, MiMi was home.  We went down to Tuscaloosa to visit Monday.  Traci was there with Mayson and Trey so that was great – we got to see them.  The kids had a blast riding down the driveway, coloring with chalk and swinging.  Chace and Dylan were more interested in exploring the woods and getting covered with mud.  Actually the highlight of their day was probably eating at Milo’s.  Dylan had never eaten there and it is prob Chace’s fave place on earth.

The next day we introduced Dylan to the Galleria.  He was impressed.  So much so that he and Chace wanted to go back the next day!  That was weird – Chace hates to go shopping!  Caeden was not happy about one day at the Galleria, so no way were we going back!  We also went to the movies.  Love the $1 movie in Hoover.  Soooo jealous that we don’t have one here in Huntsville!  I can’t remember what the twins saw, Bedtime Stories maybe?  Chace and Dylan wanted to see Valkyrie, the one with Tom Cruise, about Hitler and the Nazi’s.  I never got to the movies to see Twilight, even though I devoured the books – so I decided to go see it – ALL BY MYSELF.  I’ve never been to see a movie by myself before, but let me tell you – it was very nice!  Nobody interrupted me to tell me they had to go the bathroom, I didn’t have to get drinks or snacks for anyone – I could stretch out and use the seats next to me, plus I had the full armrest!!!  Loved it – and the movie – wow!  really really really good – not quite as good as the book, but pretty darn close.  I was really thinking that Edward IRL was not going to measure up to the Edward I had pictured in my head, but he did.  I was also worried that the visual representation of him as a vampire was going to ruin it – but nope – he is still hot!

Back home on Wednesday – still several days of Spring Break left!

Pinewood Derby – District

Our Cub Scout troop had their Pinewood Derby about a month ago. Caeden was very excited about his car. He and Todd made it look like a Wii controller – and it is awesome. However, it was not very fast. So Caeden was kind of bummed. But then they started calling out names that won in the “Looks” Category. He was sooooo thrilled to hear his name called. So, his car along with the others chosen from our troop went on to the district level. It was at the mall today and wow, it was a huge event. I don’t know how many entries they had, but it was a LOT! Caeden’s car was entered in the Looks only category, so it did not race at all. He wanted to race it – but forgot about that when they called his name for a door prize! He won a free ticket for admission to the ice skating rink in Huntsville. So, he was very excited. Lael was more interested in shopping – she kept asking to go into that store, or that one, or hey, what about that one on the upper level???? such a girl!
Here is Caeden with his car – and then one of a bunch of the cars, his is on the bottom row, 5th from the right.

My New Job

I’ve been working for about 1 1/2 weeks now. It is a dream job! Well maybe that would take it too far……a dream job for me would be getting paid to scrapbook!! Ali Edwards or Donna Downey or one of those uber talented girls have THE job! But, the one that I’ve stumbled upon is pretty good!!

I am a home inspector. Mortgage companies pay my company to hire inspectors to go out and check on properties that are either on the foreclosure path or for insurance purposes. I get about 10-15 orders a day, right now. Most of them are just pull up to the address, note the house characteristics and snap a picture. Some of them I have to write a note to the homeowner to call their mortgage company and put it on their front door. Those are both simple and take about 5 minutes tops. Then on other kinds of inspections I might have to inside and do an interior inspection and take photos of any damaged areas. Others are for insurance purposes and I have to go in and take photos of repairs made or repairs that still need to be made. Those take a bit more time, usually 20 minutes or so.

I usually leave the house about 10 or 11, go out and do my work orders for the day and am home by the time the kids get off the bus at 3:00. Pretty sweet!!! Plus the pay is pretty good, especially when you think I can do 15 in that short time period. I am happy!

Mayonnaise and Beer

Todd sent me this in an email, I think, or maybe he found it online somewhere.  Anyway, it is a good way to look at life.

Mayonnaise and Beer
by Anonymous
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours
in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar…and the beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in
front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very
large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it
was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them
into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the
open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if
the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a
box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up
everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students
responded with an unanimous “yes.” The professor then produced two
cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the
jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students
laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things–your family, your children, your health, your
friends, your favorite passions–things that if everything else was
lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles
are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else–the small stuff. If you put the sand into
the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf
balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on
the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your
happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be
time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. “Take care of the golf
balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The
rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer
represented.

The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you
that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a
couple of beers.”

Re-Zoning

Due to the massive growth in Madison, they have built a new school.  When they build new schools, they have to re-zone.  Here in Madison, they have to do it often.  Back when they first started talking about it, I never thought we would be re-zoned because we live like a mile from Columbia.  But, proximity to schools wasn’t necessarily a factor.  We’ve been re-zoned to West Madison which Google Maps says is only 2 miles from my house, but it really feels like longer to me.  Oh well, there goes that argument……Anyway – when I first heard my heart just dropped to the floor.

I freaked out!  I was at Columbia for school pictures when I heard and was stunned.  I actually had to go to the bathroom to compose myself and dry the tears up! Now, a few days later, I am processing it and have come to terms with it.  We will be fine!  There is plenty of people still all aflutter though – in my neighborhood there are emails flying around, phone calls being made etc.  We just moved to Madison last January. When we were looking at houses, I would not even consider any houses that were zoned for West Madison. I admit that decision was based solely on the outward appearance of West Madison and the fact that it is smack in the middle of the apartment complexes. Now that it looks like my children will be attending there next year no matter what happens at the board meetings coming up, I figured I could either get with the program and make West Madison the best it can possibly be, or curl up and just let someone else take the reins of my children’s education.

Yesterday, I was driving by West Madison on my way home and decided that I would go in and check it out for myself. After walking through the front doors, I am beginning to come around. I met the counselor, Mrs. Sparks, and she gave me the tour. When you walk in, you are on the 2^nd floor. It is a square shape with an outdoor courtyard in the middle, completely enclosed, where the children can go out for their DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time, the children can plant flowers, seeds etc there to watch them grow, or they can eat snack there.

There are murals painted on the walls, tons of artwork hanging around and it just gives off a warm, cozy vibe. Each room has a red sign hanging above the door which gives the teachers name. I also met one of the 2^nd grade teachers, Mrs. Elliot, and she seems to be a wonderfully nice person. I checked out the computer room, which looks exactly like the one at Columbia.

I forgot to ask her about the Smart Board technology, but I have a friend who said that Madison city purchased Smart Boards for all the classrooms in all of the elementary schools, except for two grade levels. The reason that Columbia has them in all the classrooms is because they got grant money to pay for more and also the PTA purchased some.

I met the Media Specialist, Mrs. Wolfe and also the aide there in the Media Center. It is absolutely fabulous! They have soooooooo many more books than Columbia! My daughter asked if they had bookends on the shelves. I said No! There is no room for bookends. She asked if the books fall over when you pull one out. I said No! There is no room for them to fall over. If any of you have volunteered in the Media Center at Columbia, you know what she is talking about.

Some of the classrooms are smaller, and the lunchroom is smaller, but that is not a bad thing! Everyone knows that smaller class sizes are better for children to learn.

There are two playgrounds. One is directly behind the school and is 100% shaded. The other is behind it and it is nicely shaded as well. There is a walking track that goes around the second playground. Parking and the carpool line is also in the back. The children have to go outside to go to the gym, which is not ideal, but there is a covered walkway to get there. The gym is definitely old school, with wooden floors, it brings back great memories of my days in elementary school!! I don’t know about your kids, but mine do not enjoy PE at Columbia at all! They say that they have to sit and wait for the other class to finish, so they are effectively sitting for half of the PE period, when they are supposed to be playing, having fun and exercising. This will definitely be different at West Madison.

I asked about the rumor of mold. She said that the school passed the OSHA standards for mold inspections and that they are 100% clear.

That is all I can think of right now. I encourage everyone who has been re-zoned to any of the schools in Madison to wait to judge the school until you can make a first-hand observation. I think a school is only as good as the students, faculty and parents make it to be. Let’s all work to make West Madison the best – or at least to dispel the myth that it is the ugly stepsister of the Madison city school system.

Snow! Really!!

We did finally get some real snow.  Just barely enough to go out and play in.  I think our official count was like 3″.  They say that since Madison and Huntsville lies in the valley that we are somewhat protected from the weather.  I am jealous – Birmingham got more than we did!  My parents lost power and cable and all that – they got pounded,  well, relatively speaking, nothing like what is going on up north!

The little bit that we got did not dampen Lael’s enthusiasm.  Sunday morning at 6:48 she is at the side of our bed fully clothed, with all her snow gear, hat, scarf, gloves, boots – “Can I go play in the snow?”  Caeden was not all that impressed.  I had to bribe him to go out and throw a few snowballs so that I could get some pictures!!!  In one of the pictures you can see that Lael just hit him with a snowball, and he is NOT happy.  Then in another one, he is ready to retaliate and she is hiding behind me!  Lael was determined to make a snowman too – but it was melting fast.  She did make one, miniature size.  Of course, then he was the perfect size to stick in the freezer and save, so that is where he is hanging out now.