Nursing School

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers regarding my admission to nursing school. After a long, painful wait, I found out this week that I was admitted to the ADN program at Heartland Community College.

For all of you out there wondering why I am so happy to be going to a community college for nursing school - there were over 200 applicants for 30 seats. You needed to have above a 3 pt GPA and have all of the prerequisites done (Anatomy I & II, Microbiology, Psychology, Chemistry, Nutrition etc.) plus score well on the entrance exam to have a prayer. I was already rejected by Mennonite (ISU's nursing school) where admitted students this year had an average GPA of 3.77 on a 4.0 scale - an all time high. My 3.45 didn't cut it there.

The blessing behind my admission to Heartland is that my two year program will only cost around $4,000. Compare that to around $18,000 for ISU or about $40,000 for U of I. And, although it isn't a Bachelors (BSN), I will be qualified to become a Registered Nurse (RN). So, I guess it's a pretty good deal. If you want to see where I will be going to school - here's a link.

http://www.heartland.edu/hhs/nurs/adn/

Hannah Regional Placement

Hannah did well this weekend in Quincy IL for the regional swim competition. Here's what she swam and where she placed. The time to the left is how fast she swam the event. The time to the right is how many seconds she took off of her best time. She has another year to swim in this bracket so coming in in the top 10 in all these events is great.(yes, she did beat her best 500 by 47 seconds). On March 14th/15th she will go to state as part of 2 relay teams: medley(backstroke) and freestyle.


6:51.16Y Women 10 & Under 500 Free 7 th--- -47.09
39.02Y Women 10 & Under 50 Back 10th --- -0.31
3:03.63Y Women 10 & Under 200 IM 9th --- -1.63
2:36.45YWomen 10 & Under 200 Free 4th --- -1.61
1:11.90Y Women 10 & Under 100 Free 8th --- -2.69

Sad Conversation with Hannah

We were sitting at the table Monday morning having breakfast. I had the Today show on in the background, getting the latest news on the NIU tragedy (my nephew attends there and praise the lord was not involved.) An article came on about Lindsey Lohan posing as Marilyn Monroe.

I asked Hannah, "Do you even know who Marilyn Monroe was?"
"Yeah, she was like the most beautiful woman in the world when she was alive."
"Do you know how she died?"
"No."
"She was so unhappy with her life that she killed herself."
"Oh."
"Do you think that's a good person to be imitating and immortalizing today?"
"No. It's stupid."
"Do you know who Mother Theresa was?"
"No."
"She devoted her entire life to bettering the lives of the poorest of the poor in India. She lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes. Do you think she was a beautiful person?"
"Yeah."
"Seems like that would be a better choice for a role model and for the cover of a magazine."
"Yeah."

Hannah

I haven't updated you on Hannah for awhile so I thought it was time. I have to get better about taking pictures of this one because she is always on the move!

She is taking piano now and just started the level C book. We all love to hear her play. She also made the honor roll this quarter.

Next weekend is her last chance to improve her swimming times. So far she has made 3 regional times and may go to state as part of her relay team.

A Toy Story

Late 2007, maybe around September, I was having a garage sale. I was putting out a bunch of old Barbie and Polly Pocket toys when my neighbor, (who always get's first pick of all my garage sale stuff because that's what neighbors do) told me that some of my stuff had been recalled by Mattell. Went on-line and sure enough, 4 of my heavily used items were recalled for lead paint and small magnets. So, I pulled those puppies right out of my sale and filled out the internet form to get the free mailing label to return the toys to the company.

Waited the suggested amount of time (several weeks) and then submitted another internet form because still no mailing label. After waiting another several weeks to no avail, sent an email requesting my label. Customer service emailed me back to say they couldn't help me on-line and I would have to call.

Called the number in the email and got an endless loop VRU that kept directing me back to the website. Called back and madly hit zero at every VRU option until I finally got a customer service rep.

Customer service rep said we had a bad connection and I would have to call back. I thought htis was odd because I could hear her okay. I moved to another room closer to the phone base and asked "Can you hear me now?"

Rep immediately responded- "Nope, still can't hear you. I think you will have to call back."

No. I am not making this up.

Proceeded to not hang up and insist on getting my mailing label. Rep informed me that they had been having trouble because Mattel emails the labels to customers (don't ask me what you are supposed to do if you do not have a printer!) and many times people's spam filters delete them. I explained that my filter didn't work that way and since I had recieved their customer service response from the same address, that must not have happened in my case.

She offered to snail mail me a label and after gathering the spelling of my last name proceeded to read me back my address. Seems they had my information readily available.

Anyways, several weeks later I recieved the mailing label. I put the toys in a big box and mailed them back to Mattel. This week my persistance paid off. Got a voucher in the mail for $66 for my old garage sale junk!! ! Woohoo!

Now here is Mattel's revenge. I have to use the voucher by April 30th and I have to spend the entire amount in one pop because no change can be given. And, the good stuff - American Girl - is excluded. HMMM. :(

My Uncle Leo

Please join me in praying for my extended family today. I am sad to share that my great uncle Leo passed away this morning. My uncle Leo was an extrordinarily kind and generous person who will be missed by many.

When I was a teen, I had a boyfriend who was in a terrible motorcycle accident while he and my family were vacationing in Wisconsin. The boyfriend was rushed to a hospital near my Aunt Jeanette and Uncle Leo's house. They opened their home to me, so that I could stay while he recovered. I stayed with them for awhile that summer. The boyfriend didn't last, but my love for my Great Aunt and Uncle did. I never could get over how they always seemed ot share more than they had, or why they would open up their lives to me the way they did.

My Uncle Leo was the kind of person who believed so strongly in Christ that you would think God was sitting right next to him in the flesh. As a teen, his faith was important to the development of my own. He was a rare soul, uninterested in material wealth or self-centeredness. He was a good father, husband and uncle, a volunteer, and an easy smile on a hard day. I didn't see my uncle often, once or twice a year since that summer, but I can tell you with some certainty that I will often miss him.

Madi's Birthday

Cake number 1. Small family party on the night before her actual birthday. (Aaron had surgery on her actual birthday). Mom and Dad got her a Wii game.
Gift from grandpa at small family party.













Gifts from grandma .













Party number two. Kid party at the bowling alley. Fourteen 6 year olds. Many more grey hairs.

Cake number two at bowling party. Yes it is in the shape of a bowling alley. Do I get points for being an over-achiever?

Party number 3. Extended family party with all of the cousins, grandma and grandpa P, aunts and uncles.

.

Cake number 3. We should be done writing thank you cards by next year.

Madi's First Cavity

Madi got her first (and hopefully only) cavity filled yesterday. It was so funny because about 2 minutes after they gave her the novacaine she started laughing hysterically. She kept sitting up in the chair to look at me and laughing and pointing at her mouth. She was a good patient, very brave, and now has a mouthful of healthy teeth. Well, at least the ones that aren't missing.

Caucuses and Primaries

Obama took Iowa and I am more excited than ever that there is hope for our great country. :) I was interested in knowing more about where and when Caucuses and Primaries are held and found this helpful site.

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/2008_Pres_Primary_Calendar.htm

Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum

I noticed that based on Aaron's last post - you might believe that I have been kidnapped or skipped Christmas. So, I wanted to sneak a photo in and say that I have been enjoying winter break as well.

Here's Aaron and I in front of the "White House". The Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield is a fantastic place to visit. We all had a blast.

WINTER BREAK

Snow a bit this fisrt day of the new year. Girls got out a bit this a.m.
This is the girls view of Grandpa as a Wii character. It looks a lot like him!
Yes, and the other item that I got was underwear.
What did Lincoln's youngest look like? I'll give you a hint...he's wearing a bow tie. This was from our visit to the Lincoln Presidential Library and museum.

Annual Christmas Message

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! Here’s wishing you a safe, healthy and prosperous 2008. Your first good deed of 2008 (or last good deed of 2007) is done – you are reading our 2007 Christmas letter on-line and saving a tree J!

This has been a fantastic year for all of us, filled with blessings and challenges. Madelin started Kindergarten in September and is preparing for High School next year. Well, not literally, but she is quite gregarious and fears nothing. A typical Madelin moment happened this year when she went to the store with Aaron. He was looking for some contact solution and couldn’t find his brand. After about 60 seconds of looking, Madelin said loudly “Geez Dad – why don’t you just ask?” and proceeded to go to the pharmacy counter by herself and got help to find the solution. Aaron said he was sure if he gave her his credit card and the keys to the car she could have made the purchase and drove herself home.

Madelin likes school but sometimes talks out of turn. She had been telling us that when she spoke without raising her hand, her teacher would send her to the “duck-tater table”. Aaron and I assumed this was some kind of “time out” place with a picture of a duck and a potato. At parent-teacher conferences we were surprised to learn that there was a “spectator” table that children sat at until they could rejoin the group – and Madelin hadn’t spent nearly as much time there as we feared.

She has also continued swimming lessons this year and started Soccer. The jury is still out on whether we have another Beckham on our hands. She seemed much more interested in telling her team mates what to do than to actually do it herself but she looked pretty cute in the uniform. She’s already lost about 6 teeth.

Hannah is still swimming competitively and doing really well. She recently made a regional time in the 500 Freestyle. Her favorite strokes are freestyle and backstroke and she spends about 10 hours a week in the pool. Somehow, she found time to take up the piano this year and also play 4th/5th grade volleyball. All of that physical activity must have gotten her in shape because she ran the mile in the fastest girl’s time in her 4th grade class this year. All of this while learning to be a fourth grader.

There are two things you should know about Hannah at 9yrs. First, she tends to be on the quiet side and kind of shy around people she doesn’t know. Second, she has blossomed into a beautiful young lady and we have stocked up on baseball bats to beat the boys back from our front door. She has also found her own preferences for clothes and hair and I have found a favorite headache medicine. These two things may or may not be related.

Aaron continues to work for State Farm but in a new management capacity. He’s the process guy -which means he is in charge of budget and important things like that. He reads books for pleasure with words like “Sigma” and “Economy” in the title. He watches CNBC and cares. In other words, he’s a perplexing, tie-wearing, cutie who holds down the family fortress.
He’s also pretty good around the house. We have a new fan in the family room, and a new sprinkler system in the yard that he and his father installed. He has also embraced green living. We have a composting system and some ecological rain barrels because of him. In addition, he found time to coach Madi’s soccer team this year and to take up Poker as a hobby with the neighborhood guys.

As for me, after I quit my job to stay home with the girls, I spent a year as a full-time, stay-at-home mom with Madelin before putting her on the bus for Kindergarten in September. I get Hannah on and off the bus everyday and have her all summer which is a blessing beyond belief for someone with a blended family and joint custody. I would not have given up the last 18 months with my kids for any amount of money and feel incredibly thankful to the Lord for giving me this time.

Now that the kids are both in school full time, I have returned to school to pursue a nursing degree. The degree will take me another 2.5 years which will allow me more time at home with the girls but prepare me for when they get older and need me less. I also keep myself busy as the VP of the girl’s elementary school PTO. In my free time, I write as a hobby, am a member of a book club, and am an avid reader.

Thank you for reading about our lives this year. We enjoy hearing from relatives and friends, so we hope you will share your family happenings with us.

God bless you in the coming year and always!
Love,
Our Family

Obamarama

Yes-I admit it - I am an Obama fan. Years ago, I voted Republican but now, due to an intensive 10 step program, I am cured.

Seriously, part of the reason I am an Obama fan is said best on his website-
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

• Barack Obama owes nothing to the Health Insurance Industry
• Barack Obama owes nothing to the Oil Industry
• Barack Obama owes nothing to the Weapons Industry

None of these industries are bad per se, but when politics is owned by them, I believe there is corruption at the expense of the people.

But, the primary reason I support Obama is much more personal. I am a passionate supporter of school lunch reform. To learn more about what's been going on with school lunches visit http://www.schoolfoods.org/ or http://www.pcrm.org/news/commentary060511.html or http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/junkfoodquiz.html
Here's my blunt synopsis. Public schools buy fatty, bad-for-you foods because they are cheap and their budgets so limited and then feeds it to our school children, even though the food is clearly contrary to the governments own food pyramid recommendations. In addition, they allow unhealthy vending machines in schools -also for profit motives. They can do this because they are operating under USDA regulations from the 1970's that are outdated and contrary to current nutritional standards. To me, it's the equivalent of disposing our food byproducts into our children. Hmmm.

I am a supporter of school lunch reform and have written to my Illinois house representative and senators. Obama was the only one who responded to my petition and in addition had an intelligent answer. He does support school lunch reform and recognizes the link with obesity. Go Obama!

A Good Read for the Holidays

If you are looking for a great book to read this holiday season, please pick up The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs. This is a secular book written by an agnostic who wanted to see what would happen if he tried to follow all of the rules of the Bible for an entire year. Although this is not a Christian book and was not written in a way meant to sway anothers belief system in any direction, it was also written with plenty of respect for those who do believe. I honestly think that anyone, from any background, could get a lot out of this book. It's incredibly funny and A.J. Jacobs is so accessible you feel like you are going through the journey with him. It's also very educational because he touches on

various Jewish and Christian denominations/belief systems - many that I didn't know existed. If you read it (or have read it), please let me know what you think.

IT'S SANTA TIME!

This year I think Madi really gets the whole Santa thing. Not that she didn't before, but this year she stood in line, had her hot chocolate and climbed up on Santa's lap all by herself.

Hannah Makes Regional Time

I didn't get a picture but wanted to share that Hannah made a regional time (also called an "A" time) in swimming tonight. She swam a 500 yard Freestyle - that's 20 laps front crawl - in 7 minutes and 38 seconds. The regional cut off is 8:30 so she beat it by almost a minute. She is 9 and swimming 10 & under events, so this is really good. She is excited and ready to hit the pool for day 2 of the holiday invitational tomorrow.

Something You Don't See Every Day

So, this is a picture of the brain I dissected on Wednesday in my last Anatomy and Physiology lab. In case you are wondering, it's from a sheep. It's oddly shapped because they come in a big vacuum seal bag of 50 and I guess that's a lot of Cerebral crowding. I know because I had to reach my hand into said bag to retrieve my pick of speciman. I decided to take a picture because it occured to me that this might be the last time I get the chance to dissect a brain. I mean how often does it come up - really? This might be the most edgy thing I do this year.
This is the eyeball I dissected next. Also from a sheep but from a different bag so I can't claim it was the same sheep. Not too bad after the first squirt.






The lab was interesting but I do have to say that the timing could have been better. I was on a clear liquid diet that day. All I could eat was jello. So, I cut open the eye to examine the retina and the vitreous humor came out in a big glob. Looks just like - you guessed it - Jello.

Got an "A" for the lab but I'm not sure I will ever eat Jello again.

Treading Water

If you are reading this blog and wondering why I haven't returned your call or email, please forgive me. This is a busy time of year.

Thursday was the Fall book fair at the girl's elementary school. This is my second year chairing this event. To put this in perspective, we sold approximately $5,500 in Scholastic merchandise in a 12 hour period. The event is terrific for fundraising and for providing the school with much needed books. But, organizing an event of this size with volunteers of varying abilities is always a challenge. The planning takes about six weeks, the event is one and a half days of intense work and then there's the financials and delivery follow up for orders. Anyway, the event went well but was all consuming for a few days.

But, I was already feeling tired. Tired because last week I had two major tests and a paper due. Have another one Monday. My last day of school will be December 10th, so we are down to the wire and my profs are squeezing what they can into the last class sessions. But atleast I got a break this weekend right?

Wrong. Hannah had a swim meet this weekend. Saturday and Sunday 6:30 a.m. -1p.m was spent hunched on bleachers, trying to get some reading in. Then, had to do some Thanksgiving shopping, I have 20 people coming for Thanksgiving Thursday. Oh, and my father-in-law arrives tommorow - while I'm at school taking my Chemistry exam. Lucky he's an easy house guest.

Hannah's throat started hurting today. No fever. I told her to give it 24 hours and if it still hurt I'd take her to the doctor on Tuesday - after our dentist appt- and during the time I usually do bible study but won't this week because we have a guest- and am cleaning house for Thursday.

In February, I'll be bored and look back on this week with fond memories of being so productive.

Atleast, that's what I tell myself.

Holiday Confusion

The window decor is Thanksgiving, the tune is Oh Christmas Tree, the words are "On Mothers Day". I guess at 5 it all blends together! :)

More Halloween Pics

Madi and her girlfriends trick or treating.
"Enchanted Tree" pumpkin.
"Cat Face" pumpkin
"Black Cat" pumpkin

"Classic" pumpkin. Hey, I had other things to do that night!