The World According to Leslie

I know I keep posting about the countdown for the Princess to finish 8th grade. We have had some trials and struggles this year, but who hasn't? It really is going to be bittersweet. She's finishing 8th grade. It was like this when she finished 5th grade too. (Our transition years, 5th and 8th) have been struggles.  :(  But, she always does really well with it. She's going to be in high school in the fall. How did that happen?  Before long, she's going to be taking Driver's Ed and wanting to drive the car.  (Please note I said WANTING TO.... no guarantees we're letting her drive!! That might be more than I can handle!) This year, I've seen her change from the kid who didn't want to go back to school because she was being bullied last year to the kid who can't wait for this year to be finished because she's ready to go to high school. She's taking 3 high school classes. She's already ahead of the game, in that department. We ar...

Yesterday, I posted about all the tests that the Princess has to take over the next 6 school days. You can read that here . When I picked her up yesterday, she said she felt good about her Math test.  She should be fine with the English test today. She usually does well on it. However.... This morning, when I dropped her off at school, she looked at me and asked me if she has to keep going to school. Seriously? I didn't want to make her get out of the car and go in for another day of testing! It's only going to get worse, I figure. So, as I sit here with tears in my eyes, I have to force myself to force my kid to go to school for tests. I'm just hoping that for the next 6 mornings she doesn't ask me to keep her at home.  It will only get harder for me to say "Go to school" every day. What heart-breaking questions have your kids asked you?

I have mixed feelin about the end-of-year testing. Did you know that in middle school, there are 3-4 different types of tests?  There's the EOG (end-of-grade test, for selected middle school subjects), the EOC (end-of-course test, for students in high school classes in certain subjects), the NCFE (North Carolina Final Exam, for most subjects that do not already have an EOC/EOG), and teacher-made exams (for classes that don't have a state test but still require a final exam grade)!!  My daughter gets to take 4 EOGs/NCFEs, 2 EOCs, and 1 teacher-made exam!!  Yes!! That adds up to SEVEN!!!!  SEVEN tests for my ONE child!!!! As a teacher, I can see that it is useful to see where students may have deficits in certain areas. I do not, however, think that the tests should be used at the end all/be all for the students. They should be used to help differentiate learning for the students. Find a way to teach the students what they lack. Find a way to enrich what they do ...

"Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present." Bil Keane Over the past couple of weeks, I have still been on autopilot . I have just been going through the motions. Mother's Day is bittersweet for me. On May 9, 2002, Tony's mom passed away. That was on Thursday before Mother's Day. We buried her on Saturday, May 11. Now, every year, it's hard to face Mother's Day. Don't get me wrong, I love my Princess! This year, she got me an awesome card.  It said to relax and have time for myself. Then on the inside it said, "for about 10 minutes because I need a sandwich!"  Loved it!  We got together with my parents on Friday night for Dad's birthday!  Then on Saturday, the whole family was together for Mother's Day.  All of us, including my brother's kids were there!  Papaw Paul even got to come hang out with us! The quote I chose for today is one we h...

Have you ever been on "autopilot"? For the past couple of weeks, I have had so much stuff to get done. I just feel like I'm on "autopilot" trying to complete stuff. I am still working on VBS.  While I have a core team of people, I still need about 15-20 more volunteers. Plus, we have to do volunteer training (May 20th) and get all the supplies together for everyone!  While we have a good bit of stuff already for The Princess's Silver Award, we still need a lot more stuff.  As of today, she has been approved to have a yard sale on May 27th and to put up wish lists on Amazon and Dollar Days.  I will post the details of those here when we get them set up. We are still working on getting stuff collected and raising money for the Better to Give project at church. I have a Wish list set up through Dollar Days for that, and I will post that information here ASAP! It's also the end of the year--school year! Next week, the final progress reports for ...

Most days, there are just not enough hours to finish the "to do list" I have. There just isn't enough time to do all the things I want to do. I really don't even know where to start with my "to do list" most days. However, I'm learning quickly that there simply isn't enough time to do all I need to do with the Princess. In just a couple weeks (34 days), she is going to be finished with 8th grade. We've already enrolled her in high school for next year. But, what scares me the most (in a good way) is that tomorrow morning, we are going to do our FIRST (of many, I'm sure) college tour!  We are going to be touring Appalachian State University. (I went to school there my first year of college, so I wouldn't be opposed to her being there!! Plus... we could get season passes to Tweetsie so when we go visit!!)  It's crazy to think that there are only 4 short years before she is graduating from high school and going to college. ...

This morning, bright and early, a few buses of kids from The Princess's school loaded up and left for Washington, D. C. The Princess and I were not on the bus. :(  Last year, about this time, we WERE on the bus to Nags Head, for 3 days. This year, we are not on the bus. We just couldn't do it! Actually, Tony, The Princess, and I were all going to go, but we just couldn't swing it. That means, she's carrying on a (somewhat sad) family tradition. She is not going on her 8th grade field trip to Washington. I didn't get to go. (I don't remember why, now!) And, unfortunately, I have never made it up there yet.  However.... The Princess has determined that we WILL be going to DC! :)  I want to go. I want to see Arlington, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I want to see all the museums! I want to tour the White House. I want to see the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall! I want to see the giant Lincoln at his memorial and all the other t...

Some of us have been bullied. Some of us have bullied others. Some of us have been bullied and then "toughened up" and started bullying others. No matter which of those categories you fall into bullying is wrong!  Unfortunately, it happens on a daily basis. It happens in homes across the country. It happens in classrooms across the country. It happens in public and in private. It just happens. But.... it shouldn't!  No one should ever be bullied. When I was growing up, we called it "being picked on". Now, it's much more serious. With social media, it's often much more private, as well. I was bullied as a kid. I was taller than most of the kids in my class. I was bigger than most of the kids in my classes. I was bullied. Luckily, I had a family that told me how awesome I am, and I am stronger for the battles I have been through. The Princess has been bullied. She has beautiful long blond hair. She has been called Rapunzel many times, and...

Today is January 20, 1017. Around 12pm EST, in Washington, D.C., the United States will have a new President. We will have a new President. I will have a new President. Whether you (or I) voted for him or not, he will be our President. As you know, I keep my political thoughts to myself (most of the time). He will be President for at least 4 years, maybe 8. We have to support him and believe that he's going to do what's best for our Country! Today, I'm watching ABC News. It's what I watch every morning while I'm getting ready. It's what I've watched for years. You can hear as you listen to the reporters that some of them are excited about the events of today. You can also hear the disapproval of the new President in the voices of others. I know that news reporters are supposed to be neutral no matter what, but it's interesting to listen to. I'm sure that it's happening on CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, and all the other stations too. I have watched ...

Yesterday, our schedules around here got back to normal. Tony went back to work. I went back to the daycare (but only for about a week). My friend I have been covering for is supposed to be able to come back next week. :) The Princess went back to school. After school, the Princess and I went to the gym. She's wanting to get healthier and get her knee back in shape. I need to get back in and get back to working out. I have not been sitting still, but I have not been to the gym since June 8, 2016. :(  Our summer schedule was crazy and then I got sick. Once school started, I was at the daycare and subbing. It has been one excuse after another. So... yesterday, the Princess and I went. We were there a little over an hour. She completed a circuit on the machines and did 3.5 miles. I did 5 miles at the gym (6 miles for the day)!! That's a good start.  We're planning to go back today after school too. :)  I think she enjoys it.  At least, I hope she does...

As you all know, I have a 13 year old daughter. Sometimes, she's a handful. Sometimes she seems to have everything together. Her grades are awesome. She has everything when she needs it, where she needs it. Sometimes, she seems like she would lose her head if it wasn't attached. That has been our house the last couple of weeks. Last week, she forgot her Spanish notebook. Luckily for me, she remembered it (and yelled, "I don't have my Spanish notebook" and scared me to death) as we were pulling in to the school parking lot for drop off. Then there was the lunchbox that we had to turn around to get. She remembered it before we got too far down the street. Yesterday, it was her flashdrive, her pencil bag (one of those zipper bags that holds pens, pencils, markers...everything), and flash cards for Social Studies. So, I came home from dropping her off and rounded up all of her stuff and took it to school before I went to work at the daycare. Today, well, tod...

I've known for a long time (you know, forever) that my daughter wouldn't stay little forever. In fact, she's 13 now! It's crazy! She's in 8th grade. She's so smart. She's so pretty. She's becoming so independent. She's taking high school classes, while still in middle school. In short, she's growing up too fast, and she's AMAZING!! Last night, however, she proved that she's even more amazing than I could have imagined. We went to the College Fair sponsored by the local school district. There were about 200 schools there. She grabbed this list/map and decided on the schools she wanted to visit. She already has a chosen major. She walked up to the reps and introduced herself and asked about the program she wants. After talking to the reps for a few minutes, they all offered for her to give information and "be sure you apply early." So, the Princess says, "How early can I apply? I'm in 8th grade." Out of the...

Yesterday, we had another appointment with the Sports Medicine doctor. The Princess can now bend her knee.  However, she is not playing softball yet. It's ok. She wouldn't have time to do the workouts anyways. The last practice is today, and, unless they win, the last game will be tomorrow. We should be ranked next to last. That means we will be playing the 2nd place seeded team. As of right now, the 2nd place spot is held by a team that has walked on the our team twice already this year.... like 17-0 and 18-0 games that only went 3 innings. The Princess has 4-6 weeks of physical therapy. I have to get that scheduled. She has to go 2-3 times a week for 45 minutes to an hour each time. That's going to be a workout!! For now, we will keep the knee rested, therapied (is that a word?), and iced. Hopefully she can do winter workouts and get back to doing Karate! 

The doctors told me to "return to normal" so I have been doing everything I normally do.  Almost everything.... I haven't had a chance to get back to the gym. I'm still trying to work that into my strange schedule.  I get the Princess off to school in the mornings. Then I head to the daycare to help my mom, since my friend who really works there is still out on medical leave. After I leave there, different days are different times, I head home for just a little bit before heading to get the Princess from softball practice. Two days a week, she has games. As of last Wednesday, the first game, she is the starting first baseman! Last year she only got to play in 2-3 games because she was in 7th grade. This year, as an 8th grader, she's a starter!  She got her same number too!  #18!!!! We have school stuff, like meetings and stuff to handle in the evenings. We have church stuff. We also have Girl Scout stuff. We stay pretty busy!  However, it's nice to be ...

Today, I met with the Neuro-surgeon. It turns out that the aneurysm behind my right eye is about 1mm. The one behind my left eye is about 3mm. At this time, the surgeon thinks surgery would do more harm than good. In February, we will re-do all the scans/tests. Then, if they are the same, we wait 6 more months. If they have grown, then we discuss other options. There is a chance that these aneurysms have been there for years and we only discovered them while the doctor was trying to diagnose a cause for my headaches.  BTW.... the aneurysms have NOTHING to do with the pain!! I am allowed to return to normal....whatever that is. Today, the Princess started 8th grade! (There's NO WAY that's possible!) Tomorrow, I'm hoping to get back in the gym!

Since July 10th, I have been sick. I have been to the ER 3 times in 3 weeks. I have not been out of my house, except to go to the doctor, for 3 weeks. On Thursday of last week, I had to have a spinal tap done to see if they can figure out these headaches. On Saturday, I ended up at the ER again because my neck and shoulders were completely stiff and painful. They gave me meds that made me sleep all day. Yesterday, my neck and shoulders started feeling much better.  I can now sit up for longer than 20 minutes at a time. My headache is only at about a 3-4 instead of a 8-9. On to better news..... We have finally decided where the Princess is going to go to school next year. She has agreed to play softball again at the school. We are excited. We just have to make sure that she gets the classes that she needs to get into the IB program in the high school. I'm still working on finding a full time job, but if I don't, I can always be a substitute teacher again this year....

I guess yesterday will be one of those days where I will remember exactly where I was and what I was doing….  tragic!   When I heard the news about 9/11, the first person I called was my mom.   When I heard the news about the Boston Marathon yesterday, the first person I called was my mom.    I was in the car.  The radio announcer had just said, “There were a couple of explosions at the Boston Marathon today.  Several people are injured.  More information on our website.”  That didn’t really help me while I was driving.  So I called my mom.  I was on the way home.  I had to grab something and leave again, so I didn’t have time to stop for the news at that moment.   Mom looked it up to see what was online.  Very sketchy details.    I ran my errands I had to run.   Then as we sat at the middle school baseball game for my nephew, more details started coming out online.  People ...