Growing Pains

Do you remember your legs aching when you were growing?  I sure do.  All of our kids have gone through it, especially our tenacious one.

This is her growth chart for the past 10 months:

We have had to shop  for clothing twice in the past 6 months because she is growing so fast! Folks at church comment all the time on how tall she is. 

September '14

March '15

She has almost caught up to her big sister, but she has a ways to go to catch up to her big brother. 

She's not the only one with growing pains.  A few years back I was saddened when she told me she did not need help in the bathtub any more. She told me plainly, "you'll just have to accept the fact that I'm growing up, mom."  

Now, she has decided that it is no longer cool to hold my hand.  Sigh.  

However, she did come and sit on my lap and let me read a book to her today so I will cling to that! 

That seems to be the one thing none of the kids have given up completely as they all find their way to my lap at least once a year.  I knew, however, when our 6' 4" kiddo, pictured above, sat on my lap just the other day that he definitely was warming me up so he could ask for something! (He wants his own room so he can set up his drums.)

It's a really good thing that there is a grandbaby on the way.  My arms and lap will never get tired of holding a baby, toddler, small child, or grown child for that matter.  

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Ready For A Break

This has been a very busy school year.  Busier than any in recent memory although they have all had their moments.

This year our tenacious one is taking gymnastics once a week.

My Dear One and I are taking Year A of Catholic Biblical School of Michigan which meets once a week but includes homework.  LOTS of reading and writing.

Our HS Junior is on the swim team and practices 6 days a week unless there is a meet and then the meet takes over practice for that day.  Once a month they have a team Mass and now the team dinners are starting.

Once a week, for a couple of hours, I get to do ultrasounds.

Once a month I have Lay Dominican meetings.

Our 8th grader is getting ready for Confirmation and has meetings once a month (usually the same weekend as Dominicans only on Sunday.)  I am a group leader so I am invested in this a little deeper than just getting her there and back.

Throw in some homeschooling, helping with homework when the two who are in school get home, getting those two to and from school everyday and all the other things that go into running a home and we're all a little worn out.

Luckily the kids get mid-winter break this weekend. Five days off to sleep in and relax.  Five days not to have to drive to and from school (except for swimming). Five days of no homework.  Our homeschooler will have those days off as well.

Our tenacious one has a countdown chain on the wall in the dining room. She and I get to go to Florida for a little fun in the sun at the end of the month.

And, my Dear One and I have a weekend away planned soon.

These little breaks will lead into a busy spring which will include all of the above plus a wedding shower, a baby shower, two of our children graduating, a commissioning ceremony which will make Josh an officer in the Air Force and my Dear One putting in a few more new windows.

Thank God winter will soon be over and spring will come with warmth and more daylight.  That in itself feels like a huge break even if we're still very busy.

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A Short Trip to the Bank

I went to the bank today to complete a very simple transaction: deposit two checks, and a $50 bill and get $10 back.

I got a new teller.  I've had her one other time and it seems that it's taking a long time for her to learn all there is to learn.

She put in the account information, added the data about the two checks and the cash.  She proceeded to take the $10 out of the drawer and then looked back at the screen.

What?? Why is the deposit number wrong?

She then proceeded to reenter all the information and came up with the same, wrong, deposit amount.

So she waited for the next teller over to come and help her.  Turns out she needed to mentally subtract the $10 out of the cash and enter $40 instead of $50.  Okay, problem solved.

Then she had to get permission to take one of the checks.  I had not noticed that the person who wrote the check put 2014 instead of 2015.  Since it was 2 days past the year-old mark, she was unable to deposit the check.  I would need to have the check reissued with the correct date.

So I filled out a new deposit slip, minus the misdated check, and the teller inputted the information into the computer, again.  This time she got the $40 right.

I really was waiting very patiently!

As she is about to hand me my measly $10 and my deposit slip, I glanced at the very large sign behind the teller's head.  It said:

I expect my bank to: ACT LIKE THEY NEVER WANT ME TO LEAVE!!

She apparently learned that part really well!

Now I have to go pick up the reissued check and go back tomorrow to deposit it.  Hopefully the next transaction doesn't take nearly the 20 minutes this one did.


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The Many Gifts of Christmas

This was a wonderful Christmas.

The kids were all home for Christmas Eve festivities which include Mass, pizza and presents.

There were several awesome homemade presents this year:

Michael made, for a secret santa gift, and received from loving sisters, a tie blanket with the 21 Pilots logo on it.

It's actually black, not brown.

It involved a lot of knot tying:

A WHOLE LOT of knot tying!!!

Our tenacious one made a jewelry box, and some jewelry for her cousin:

A friend from church made this angel for me.  Yes, she made this!  

And our oldest daughter and our son-in-law made us 

GRANDPARENTS!!!! 

Christmas gets better every year! 

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The Home Stretch on Several Fronts

Once again, it's finals week and the week before Christmas.

Josh is done!

Amanda is done!

Michael has one more final.

Our high schooler has three more. (Four if you count the hour he has to spend in study hall tomorrow.)

And the youngest final taker has one more.

So far everyone is pleased with the outcomes of their exams.

This has been a busy week of extra driving because:  Michael is moving home from college and has decided to commute for his finals.

The high school only wants the kids there for finals, which means they go in at the normal time and get out before lunch.

The middle schooler, who is also taking finals, has to be there all day every day all week.

Throw in swim practice and a meet, gymnastics, Bible School, driving number one son to the dealership for car repairs and then to work, and then taking him to  and from school since he did not have a car that night and it adds up to a lot of extra miles.  Thank God gas is so cheap right now.

Christmas is a week away (we open on Christmas Eve which gives me one less evening to prepare) and the shopping is only mostly done.  More driving to come for shopping, than wrapping and celebrating.

My other countdown is to the shortest day of the year.  Four more days and they start getting longer again!  Woo hoo.

I was really looking forward to not driving for two whole weeks, but our high schooler is now on the swim team and has practice just about everyday all of vacation.  He has the hard part though. He has to swim for two hours. I just have to get him there.  I'll take it!

Merry Christmas to all.

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Grand(ma) Inspiration

It started with an idea.  A friend asked my mom if she wanted to walk the Detroit Free Press 1/2 Marathon.  She accepted and so did a mutual friend from California. (Leave California in October to come to Michigan to walk a marathon?)  

Let the training begin.  New shoes made for walking long distances were a must.  Have to protect those feet!  Mile after mile, she built up her leg muscles and her stamina.  She got to see lots of Dearborn in her efforts to find longer distances to walk.  She even made it 13 miles down Hines Drive. 

Then came the excitement when the race was getting closer and we, her children and grandchildren, wanted to show our support.  So we ordered t-shirts.  Green of course, since she is 100% Irish.  

Hers says: NOREEN  75 YEARS STRONG & STEADY on the back and Detroit Free Press 1/2 Marathon Walk 10/19/14 on the front. 

Ours say, TEAM NOREEN on the back and pretty much the same on the front but include the words Pit Crew. 

The  13.1-mile walk included the Ambassador Bridge and the Tunnel. She and her friends finished in under 4.5 hours.  

L-R Dorothy, Noreen, Sandy

Way to go ladies! Congratulations. 

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Cooking For How Many?

Well, in the past year (Sunday is the Beams' first anniversary--how did that happen?) three "kids" have moved out of the house.

I don't even know how to cook anymore!  Nor am I really sure what to buy at the grocery store. Not only was I used to cooking for our family, we always had extras at the table with fiancés and friends. That's not the case any more.

It is taking me a long time to figure out just what to buy because I didn't really keep track of who ate what, other than what I made for supper.  That and what disappeared from the pantry shelves.

So far I've figured out that it is Michael who battered and fried the cheese sticks (keep those around for weekend visits home.) Michael is also the only one who regularly ate turkey sandwiches.  Hold off on the Italian bread and sliced turkey.

Liz liked the instant oatmeal which is why I have an 18 pack still sitting in the basement. Note to self--give oatmeal to Liz.

Caitlyn's favorites changed depending on how her head was feeling and if she felt something she was eating was contributing to her migraines.  Then she would stop eating that and try something new. (Her hubby is doing a great job cooking for them and trying new things that taste delicious but don't cause pain.)

Liz and Caitlyn must be the ones who ate all the hummus and pita because now it turns green faster than I can finish if off by myself.  I know it was Liz who ate the guacamole--eww.

Portion sizes at dinner have drastically diminished even though Amanda eats like a guy because she works out every day and keeps track of her macros.  (Don't ask.) The leftovers sit in the fridge and beg for someone to eat them. Never mind, that's ME begging someone to eat them.

I made vanilla cupcakes and there they sit, tempting me, but no one else.  And birthday cakes don't disappear as quickly as they used to.  I guess I figured out who was eating cake for breakfast.

Somehow, though, the food bill has not gotten any lower.  Because the other foods I used to buy are being replaced with things like protein powder and lots of extra fruit.  That's okay, fruit is good for them, right?  I rarely get any of that though because it now disappears faster than cupcakes.

Change is good. It keeps me on my toes and gives me something to look forward to!

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