We have been still working on B's discipline lately, along with trying to get the house finished up. I have not had a chance to pack much from the apartment, but then again, there isn't much that I unpacked. I am taking a day off work tomorrow to do some of that, and also to just try to catch my breath after a whirlwind couple of weeks before the whirlwind weekend.
Braxton has still had some red days lately, but as he said the other day, "At least my folder's colorful!"
Going to watch the last presidential debate now. The last one almost put me to sleep, so if it isn't a good debate, it will at least cure some of my insomnia!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Lately...
Lately, I've been working hard on keeping the house blog updated, so I haven't been spending as much time here. But after the house is done, I really need to think about what I'll do with this blog. I guess it can still remain just a place for my random musings.
Philip suggested that I use it as a way to update my friends on my son's discipline status at school, which has kind of become a running joke (or it would be if it weren't so darn sad). You see, he gets in trouble daily, but instead of the same old talking, talking, talking, he has found all new and creative ways to break the rules. Last month, in addition to talking in line, talking in class, talking in the hallways, etc., he also got in trouble for all of the following reasons: swinging around the poles, not paying attention in class, playing in the bathrooms, climbing the walls in the bathroom (twice), chasing another student around, picking up another student, and peeking into the girls' bathroom. I might have missed one or two, but I think that pretty much covers September. Who knows what October will bring? Today he was in trouble for lying to the teacher about having to go to the bathroom and playing instead.
We have had several meltdowns this week because of the "no TV if you're bad at school" rule. We've had that rule for the last month, but this week Ironman came out, and we bought it. So here it sets, unopened, just waiting for Braxton to have a green day at school to be able to watch it. He knows the deal, but somehow that just doesn't help him control those impulses at school.
All that said, he is generally a good kid...very smart and incredibly funny. Most of what he does is to be funny, and often it is. I think his teacher likes him, too, which is definitely needed to be able to deal with him, but when he's dealing with 23 kindergarteners, I know he has no time for B's general horsing around.
So, in between house postings, I'll keep you updated on B's school behavior. Hopefully, one day I'll have more important things to ramble on and on about! :-)
Philip suggested that I use it as a way to update my friends on my son's discipline status at school, which has kind of become a running joke (or it would be if it weren't so darn sad). You see, he gets in trouble daily, but instead of the same old talking, talking, talking, he has found all new and creative ways to break the rules. Last month, in addition to talking in line, talking in class, talking in the hallways, etc., he also got in trouble for all of the following reasons: swinging around the poles, not paying attention in class, playing in the bathrooms, climbing the walls in the bathroom (twice), chasing another student around, picking up another student, and peeking into the girls' bathroom. I might have missed one or two, but I think that pretty much covers September. Who knows what October will bring? Today he was in trouble for lying to the teacher about having to go to the bathroom and playing instead.
We have had several meltdowns this week because of the "no TV if you're bad at school" rule. We've had that rule for the last month, but this week Ironman came out, and we bought it. So here it sets, unopened, just waiting for Braxton to have a green day at school to be able to watch it. He knows the deal, but somehow that just doesn't help him control those impulses at school.
All that said, he is generally a good kid...very smart and incredibly funny. Most of what he does is to be funny, and often it is. I think his teacher likes him, too, which is definitely needed to be able to deal with him, but when he's dealing with 23 kindergarteners, I know he has no time for B's general horsing around.
So, in between house postings, I'll keep you updated on B's school behavior. Hopefully, one day I'll have more important things to ramble on and on about! :-)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Discipline & My Son
I hate to admit defeat, and I'm not quite there yet, but I just don't know what else I can do with my son to make him listen. Here it is, approx. 9:30 on a Sunday morning, and I've already had to spank him. There is just nothing that he respects...spanking, talking, time out, losing privileges, nothing! He will purposely defy me and laugh until I get the belt and start walking towards him, and then he screams to the top of his lungs...bloody murder. Who knows what the neighbors think here in this apartment???
Those of you who know me have heard the stories, and they aren't exaggerated, I'll assure you of that. I've never really thought I couldn't handle it, but the last few weeks of being in this apartment and his getting into trouble at school and seeming irreverant about it have made me wonder. He is difficult and strong willed, and I really don't think he's ADD or ADHD. I'm just at a loss for what to do.
I guess my only hope is that once school becomes more routine and we get moved for the last time into our house, he should settle down. If not, I'm calling Super Nanny.
Those of you who know me have heard the stories, and they aren't exaggerated, I'll assure you of that. I've never really thought I couldn't handle it, but the last few weeks of being in this apartment and his getting into trouble at school and seeming irreverant about it have made me wonder. He is difficult and strong willed, and I really don't think he's ADD or ADHD. I'm just at a loss for what to do.
I guess my only hope is that once school becomes more routine and we get moved for the last time into our house, he should settle down. If not, I'm calling Super Nanny.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Biltmore's Flower Carpet
We went to Biltmore Estate over the Labor Day weekend to see the flower carpet display, and it was truly incredible. It's amazing what you can do with 144,000 plants. It was very beautiful.
I think my favorite part about Biltmore, even more so than the winery, is the walled garden. The house is just too awful big and excessive, but the garden just doesn't seem that out of reach to me. My grandmother used to have a flower garden with a rock wall and brick-lined paths through the beds. She used to have lots of rose bushes and a cement fish pond in the center. I remember sometimes people would stop at her house and ask if they could see the flower garden, which she was always more than happy to show off. Basically what she had was a (very much so) scaled-down version of the Biltmore formal gardens. I really loved that.
My landscaping tendencies in the past have been to buy the plant and then figure out where to dig the hole. However, I think I would like to do something more formal with my new blank slate of a yard, something more like my grandmother had with her rose garden. I hope my husband doesn't read this anytime soon; I'll have to break this news to him very gently as he's my hole digger! LOL.
My problem is that I have absolutely no eye for design. I really don't know how to get started laying out a formal garden. I have looked at some landscape design software, but the good stuff is fairly expensive, and most of it gets marginal reviews at best. I'll have to ponder this for a while and maybe get out my pencils and paper and see what I can draw up. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know. I'm really anxious to plant something, but I also really want to plan this out carefully. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit much of my grandmother's artistic talent, so I'll need all the help I can get. Wish me luck!
I think my favorite part about Biltmore, even more so than the winery, is the walled garden. The house is just too awful big and excessive, but the garden just doesn't seem that out of reach to me. My grandmother used to have a flower garden with a rock wall and brick-lined paths through the beds. She used to have lots of rose bushes and a cement fish pond in the center. I remember sometimes people would stop at her house and ask if they could see the flower garden, which she was always more than happy to show off. Basically what she had was a (very much so) scaled-down version of the Biltmore formal gardens. I really loved that.
My landscaping tendencies in the past have been to buy the plant and then figure out where to dig the hole. However, I think I would like to do something more formal with my new blank slate of a yard, something more like my grandmother had with her rose garden. I hope my husband doesn't read this anytime soon; I'll have to break this news to him very gently as he's my hole digger! LOL.
My problem is that I have absolutely no eye for design. I really don't know how to get started laying out a formal garden. I have looked at some landscape design software, but the good stuff is fairly expensive, and most of it gets marginal reviews at best. I'll have to ponder this for a while and maybe get out my pencils and paper and see what I can draw up. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know. I'm really anxious to plant something, but I also really want to plan this out carefully. Unfortunately, I didn't inherit much of my grandmother's artistic talent, so I'll need all the help I can get. Wish me luck!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Once you go club, you'll never go back!
That's how I feel after attending the Panthers game tonight. We lucked into some tickets at the last minute, and they were club seats. The club level, aside from just being good seats, has a whole array of amenities that "regular" ticket holders cannot access, like sushi in the little markets, access to game side restaurants, plenty of available seating in the air conditioning, and just plenty of people being nice to you and offering to help in any way. Wow!
While much of that stuff we didn't use, just walking through the carpeted and much less-crowded hallways instead of being herded like cattle through the concrete walkways was enough to make it worthwhile. Oh, and the extra 2 inches in the chairs was a comfy surprise. Throw in clean restrooms and free parking, and you've got a convert! Not that I could have afforded these seats on my own. These were $150 seats, times 4. Yeah, wow again.
We have attended once in the lower section (the excitement of that was quelled by the 20 degree weather that night), but since then, the only tix we've been able to buy have been in the upper section, usually as close to the back of the stadium as possible. One time we sat in the next to the last row, and paid well over $100 for the privilege, to be sure. The last time we did that, we realized that it just wasn't worth the expense to sit that far removed from the field. Why pay that much when you have a much better view on TV? So we haven't been back in the last couple of years.
Of course, sitting in the club section, you also get a sneak peek into the luxury suites. That's my next goal, finding someone to invite me to a fully catered luxury suite with the comfy leather arm chairs with an awesome view of the field. That'll never probably happen, but I just won't be going back to the nosebleed section; that's for sure. LOL!
While much of that stuff we didn't use, just walking through the carpeted and much less-crowded hallways instead of being herded like cattle through the concrete walkways was enough to make it worthwhile. Oh, and the extra 2 inches in the chairs was a comfy surprise. Throw in clean restrooms and free parking, and you've got a convert! Not that I could have afforded these seats on my own. These were $150 seats, times 4. Yeah, wow again.
We have attended once in the lower section (the excitement of that was quelled by the 20 degree weather that night), but since then, the only tix we've been able to buy have been in the upper section, usually as close to the back of the stadium as possible. One time we sat in the next to the last row, and paid well over $100 for the privilege, to be sure. The last time we did that, we realized that it just wasn't worth the expense to sit that far removed from the field. Why pay that much when you have a much better view on TV? So we haven't been back in the last couple of years.
Of course, sitting in the club section, you also get a sneak peek into the luxury suites. That's my next goal, finding someone to invite me to a fully catered luxury suite with the comfy leather arm chairs with an awesome view of the field. That'll never probably happen, but I just won't be going back to the nosebleed section; that's for sure. LOL!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Apartment Living at its Finest?
We moved into The Legends apartment complex which bills itself as "luxury apartment living." Well, somehow, I don't quite feel like I'm living in the lap of luxury. Maybe it's all the boxes that I'm refusing to unpack that are stacked up everywhere. But it could also be the dated cabinets and rustic stove and dishwasher. Or, perhaps it could be the nice family upstairs who seems to be constantly doing laundry and their kids who like to run laps around 11 p.m. at night. And let's not even think about how much I'm paying to live here. That's probably my real issue. I really do wonder who chooses to live here and pay this amount versus buying a house. My house was like $500 cheaper than this apartment.
It also could be that I have stuff strewn all over the county. We have our tools at one person's house, outdoor stuff at mom's, indoor stuff in storage, and even stuff stored in the new basement. Philip was wondering the other day how and where all this crap will go in the new house. LOL.
Okay, enough rambling for now. Off to lunch and Target to look for Tug a backpack. (That's his new thing. I got to calling him B, and he informed me that he already had a nickname, Tug, and I should use that.)
It also could be that I have stuff strewn all over the county. We have our tools at one person's house, outdoor stuff at mom's, indoor stuff in storage, and even stuff stored in the new basement. Philip was wondering the other day how and where all this crap will go in the new house. LOL.
Okay, enough rambling for now. Off to lunch and Target to look for Tug a backpack. (That's his new thing. I got to calling him B, and he informed me that he already had a nickname, Tug, and I should use that.)
We finally closed!
I was reading my last posting and had commented that we were hopefully on track to close on the 30th. Well....we didn't close on the 30th. We didn't close the next Wednesday either. We finally signed the papers on August 8, yes, 10 days late.
I think I mentioned earlier that the buyers were getting some kind of grant to help with their downpayment, or a 100% loan, or something of the sort. So their loan was held up with whatever governmental agency that was. Everyone seemed shocked that in this mortgage and foreclosure crisis, a governmental agency would take extra time. It was as if I was the only one who expected this. Those of you who know me and heard the stories first hand, remember the last minute septic inspection and the water test? Those results weren't in until the Friday before closing. Who in their right mind thought that any government agency could process a loan in two days? Anyway, it's finally over and that chapter of my saga is over. Wahoo!
I think I mentioned earlier that the buyers were getting some kind of grant to help with their downpayment, or a 100% loan, or something of the sort. So their loan was held up with whatever governmental agency that was. Everyone seemed shocked that in this mortgage and foreclosure crisis, a governmental agency would take extra time. It was as if I was the only one who expected this. Those of you who know me and heard the stories first hand, remember the last minute septic inspection and the water test? Those results weren't in until the Friday before closing. Who in their right mind thought that any government agency could process a loan in two days? Anyway, it's finally over and that chapter of my saga is over. Wahoo!
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