The windowsill says it ALL!

As I was doing my dishes this morning, I noticed that my windowsill was sending mixed messages. The fundraiser daffodils are sending one message(spring is just around the corner) and the snowman(winter is hanging on way too long) another. That is exactly the same message the weather is sending us. We may have beautifully sunny skies, but the tempratures drop into the teens last night. Hunter is way too comfortable being a house cat and will soon find that her house has been moved back out to the garage. The sunset last night was beautiful. The light was reflecting off of the snow falling from the clouds.

Watch out WNBA!!

This morning I was greeted by a husband holding the newspaper still laughing outloud! Yes, you guessed it! I made the paper Friday for being an AGGRESSIVE TEACHER. Not really good press if you ask me. Especially since I had that run in with the upset parent just last week.

I was so excited that I actually had about 8 pts. this game. I had backed off on defense and just concentrated on making the shots. And what do I get in the paper for....DEFENSE!

The boys were talking smack all week....so we did what we had to do....beat them!

LOOK MOM....no more food in my braces!

Today was an exciting day around the Putnam house. Kirk got his braces off!! His teeth look wonderful. Please excuse the close up of the scruff, I don't know how to do the fancy picture editing on the computer. Kraig is writing a letter of protest because he got his braces 4 months before K3 and now he still has a long way to go. I told him Dr. Mayer won't be impressed by the letter.

19 DAYS until we leave for FLORIDA!!

Only 19 days until we leave for Florida....but who's counting?! Yeah, that would be me. The 3 day weekend and warm weather sure got me in the mood. I really need a break from work before work BREAKS me! During PT conferences Thursday, I spent the time getting everything around for 5th grade boys vs. Staff basketball (this thursday), puberty ed. and HIV ed (April), tie-dyed t-shirt project (April), and Track and Field days (May). Why couldn't one of these major projects have been in January or February when things weren't so busy? K3 starts official baseball practice tonight. Spring sports already! Yippeee, Kraig is started weekly baseball practice on Sat., and I'm sure it's just a matter of a couple weeks until soccer starts for Konnor and I. So in order to cope with this busy schedule....I'm staying focused on Spring Break!

Last day of SNOW?!

Konnor decided to make the most of his last day of snow for the season. He and Mitchell snowmobiled all morning and then I took them snowboarding in the afternoon. By the end of the day yesterday, everything was pure slush! Kayla got to find this out first had when konnor pulled her behind the snowmobile on the sled....there wasn't an inch of dry anywhere on her body. Today Steven and Konnor have already been hunting and are now playing in the melting ice dam beside the garage. I was even able to open windows yesterday and today to clear out some of this winter air.

Whatever happened to brotherly LOVE?!

I know that it is fairly normal to hate your brothers at some point and time....but why does it have to be everyday? I know that many of my friends that have boys this age are able to leave them alone for a few hours and everything goes fine. Unfortunately that does not happen in my case. Yesterday K2 and I had parent teacher conference and decided to let them stay home by themselves with the help of Kayla....after my 5th phone call by 11:30 I decided that it wasn't gonna work. I took Konnor to Jen's....thank God she could help me out. Unfortunately we have not been able to discuss this issue with the kids yet, but that discussion will definately happen today. Any suggestions Kandi?

I am applying for a job at Walmart today!

I can't believe what a stressful day I had yesterday....hence the reason I am applying for a Greeter job at Walmart. I had a girl-boy fight in the morning that included hair pulling, face scratching, clothes ripping, etc. Not a pretty sight. Then my really naughty Kdg. girl (I swear she is possessed) decided to go on a pinching and hitting spree and then told me "it was an accident". OK, maybe she has terrets of the hands?! NOT!! The afternoon started off fine and then a boy that I had asked numerous times to sit down, be quiet, and keep his hands to himself decided it would be appropriate to tell me "he was going to punch me in the face if I yelled at him again". Of course, Scott (the principal) was in a manifestation hearing and could not deal with the situation, so I had to snap suspend him per the 2nd in charge (Mr. Coakley). When the mom came to get him, I tried to explain what had happened and she then decided that it must have been my fault that Burley snapped so easily.....excuse me??? She said I was getting an attitude with her....accused me some more of yelling at her and her son...and then finally said she would not be spoken to that way and she was done talking to me. Of course, the non-confrontational Kristin, started to cry (after I was back behind closed doors of the gym) because she couldn't believe that the mother had sided with the child that just threatened me. During the whole mother-son thing, Bailey called to say Konnor's stomach was hurting and he needed to be picked up. It was his first day back this week. So he went a total of 3 hours this week. Today and tomorrow no school for kids. Hmmm....yeah I think that about sums up the day. Today is professional development in the morning and confrences all afternoon and evening. I used to really enjoy conferences, but now they are just a looooong day! No one comes to see the PE teacher. Yep, I'm definitely applying for the Wal-mart job today!!

What a BUMMER!!

I know I'm not supposed to whine.....but this weekend definitely didn't turn out the way it was supposed to. Friday night K3 had his last basketball game at Columbia Central. It was a great game and Kirk had 11 points. What wasn't so great was the drive home. The roads were horrible. There were times when you couldn't even see the road in front of you or there were times the road turned into a one lane trail with high drifting snow. Thank God for 4 wheel drive. I decided I wouldn't head back up to Jackson to scrap with the girls. That really was a big bummer because it was probably the last time until May or June that everyone can get together. Instead I did laundry, cleaned the house, and ran children around town. Kirk 2 and the varsity coaches were a Soaring Eagle speeking at a coaches clinic. Then to add insult to injury Konnor started puking at 3 AM. He seems to be doing ok today....just a few trips to the bathroom still. Hopefully he can go to school tomorrow.

Stations 4 Heart is OVER!!

What usually last 5 days or 35 sessions has gone on for over 2 weeks because of snow days, delays, and sick days. Blickum! For those of you that know what a control freak I am, it won't surprise you that having 7 stations of stuff going on in one gym is enough to drive me insane! The good news....I had 68 students donate a total of $2,019. I had set my goal at $2,000 this year, so I guess that means it was a success. Here are just a few shots from today.

Week at a glance

So how do you spell A BIG WASTE OF YOUR TIME? Not a John Mayer concert, but definitely a trip to the Gastroentrologist in Battle Creek. He pushed on my gut and told me to keep taking the meds that gave me last week for a month and he would see me in 6 months. What a waste of a 1/2 day?!

The concert was INCREDIBLE!!!

Actually the whole 24 hours break from parenting was pretty amazing. I can't believe how many complete conversations 2 people can have when there aren't 3 kids to interrupt. We left Thursday after work and headed to G.R. We made really great time....got parked....stood in line and finally got to go into VanAndel. Very nice place to watch events. We were in the top bowl and the end. The seats were great....a little loud because the speakers were pointed directly at us....hard to see John (upclose and personal) but the songs and music we WONDERFUL! He sounds just like he does on the CDs. Had an exciting dinner of poptarts and popcorn at 11:30 PM and fell asleep. Had a liesurely breakfast at Big Boy and then shopped in Lansing and Okemos until K3's game in Stockbridge. We liquidated all gift cards....some were 2 years old. Kind of fun to shop with someone else's money for a change. K3's game was great. JV won by 30 points...2 more games this week and then baseball starts March 12th.

In other news......

Except from the dishwasher repair job, things have been going rather smoothly on the homefront. Tuesday and W

ednesday were snow days....thursday I was home sick...Friday Kirk3 played an EXCELLENT game against Leslie and we had pizza with the Putnam's and Harkness's after the game.....Saturday I watched Shawn K. wrestle at Districts.....Konnor had a birthday party at the college (swimming).....Kirk and I had the reverse raffle (we won NOTHING).....Sunday we did laundry and cleaned and then went to the movies with Kraig and Konnor....Today we have the day off....K2 is lifting.....K3 is at basketball practice....and the other two are just now waking up! Ahhhh.....peace and quiet! Today we plan on riding the snowmobiles and sledding as much as possible because we are going to loose the snow with the temperatures reaching 40 degrees today and 60 degrees by Saturday.

Thursday after work Kirk and I head to Grand Rapids to watch John Mayer inconcert. We are spending the night and then running some errands on our way to Stockbridge to watch K3 play Friday night. I am going to try to make an appointment with my Gastroenterologist on Friday in Battle Creek. I think it is time to switch meds. Sunday was the first day that I actually could eat since Thursday's sick day. Not any fun at all!

Isn't she lovely....

Isn't she lovely.....isn't she wonderful! Trying to remember the lyrics to the song but they aren't coming to mind at the moment. This is the new addition to our household. Your wondering why I am posting about a dishwasher?! Me too! Don't know what else is noteworthy to post??? Tuesday night Konnor backed up and landed on the open dishwasher door....completely broke it off its hinges.....and left us with the age old question....fix it or get a new one? The parts alone were going to be around $100 and the dishwasher is 7 years old. So we got a new one. Then the fun began. The old one could just be slid out, unhook the plug and water supply, move it out of the kitchen. Wala! The new one however took 6 hours to install. They don't tell you that the old fittings won't necessarily aline with the new ones....the plug is not attached....that copper piping does not bend too well....need I say more. But we now are the proud owners and operators of a NICE dishwasher. There is definitely more cleaning surfaces than my old washer which is another plus. So Happy Valentine's Day to me!

I think I danced too hard?!

We have this little dance in the teaching profession called the "Snow Day Dance". It is one that they actually teach us in college and we have to perform it before we can get our diploma (NOT!). I think that the teachers in Hillsdale County were dancing a little too well on Monday night because we have now had two glorious Snow Days this week! I always enjoy the extra time to get the things done that would normally have to wait until the weekend. I actually went to school and got some work that I've needed to get done since November. The boys had a great time riding the snowmobile and snowboarding all day. Kraig invited Hayden over who had never been on a snowmobile before....that was especially exciting for him. They would come in just long enough to put their stuff in the dryer and grab something to eat. We also let them get Guitar Hero II with their xmas money yesterday. I think they will have a lot of fun with that too. On a not so good note...Konnor tripped and fell on the open dishwasher door and broke it off. NOT GOOD!! I am not liking doing dishes by hand....we produce a lot of dirty dishes around here. I tried to give them French toast and bacon on paper plates this morning and was told "NOT ON VALENTINES DAY!" Tomorrow we will start using the paper!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!

Weekend Wrap-up

Where to start.....well, Kay was home this weekend so I thought I would send her back to CMU with a little Valentines Cake. She is definitely a sweetie and LOVES white cake with white frosting and sprinkles. We decided her famous quote would be "Home is where the cake is!"

The Ron's Rods book is finally completed and will be headed towards Florida later today. I had done the layout portion of it for Father's Day 2005. It took awhile for him to compile his car pictures and get them to me. I am very pleased with how it turned out though. I posted my favorite page. The boys have always been amazed by the Mercury Lead Sled that actually shoots flames out it's tailpipes.

It is NOAH'S FREAKIN' ARC around here still. Ever since the bitter cold weather last weekend our house has been swarming with animals. We've had a few close calls with the cat and hamster sharing the same space. I also thought I was being very nice to bring the rabbits in and put them in some empty clothes tubs.....little did I know they would figure out how to share the same tub. I'm hoping they are both boys....otherwise their behavior will be yielding numerous bunnies. You know that famous quote about "rabbits", well it's TRUE! Don't worry about Easter presents this year.....I think I will have everyone covered.

I knew it was going to be a long day when.....

I woke up this morning thinking that it was Friday AM. It really puts a damper on your whole outlook when you figure out you actually have 2 more days of work instead of one. Is anyone else ready for Spring/Summer? I am definitely voting for a short winter. After being bummed with no "cold day" off on Monday, I was not looking forward to dealing with 390 students that have had inside recess for 4 days in a row. Now this may not seem like a big deal to most, but let me tell you when the Gym is their only outlet to release energy....WATCH OUT!! I think this job is going to kill me or make me go insane (oh yeah, I'm already there). Mom and dad finally got to leave for Florida on Wednesday. Wishing them warm days and quiet nights in beautiful Florida. I'm already ready for them to come home. If they're smart they will drag their feet on the way home.

Saturday Silliness

I am so excited!! Dad finally got me his pictures so I can finish his scrap book today. I'm picking up the pictures at Walgreens in an hour. Yippee!!!



It was a hectic but very enjoyable Saturday. Kraig had a basketball game at 7 AM. His team did very well and defeated Pittsford without much effort. K3 did his little referree time for the tournament at 8 -11:30AM. He decided that he would NEVER question another officials call. It was hard to see it all. Good life lesson for him to learn now. By 9:30 AM I was happily scrappin' away with my Jackson buddies at Parma Elementary. Besides from the artic temps. in the cafeteria, it was a very fun day full of laughs, slams, and rude jokes. It feels so good to get together and LAUGH our butts off. Back to Hillsdale by 6 PM to watch Kraig's last game against County Western (qwinkydink). This game was not as pretty as the other two. Our team definitely couldn't hold their own against the height of the Western players. Must have fertilizer in the water there or something?! The fun didn't end there though. We picked up pizza and crazy bread on the way home and grabbed a couple of movies. The "big" boys joined Kirk and I for a great video...Grid Iron Gang. Konnor was supposed to be spending the night with Drew and going to his wrestling tournament today with him, but by 10 PM wanted to come home because "he just likes his bed better!" K2 is now on his way to Hanover Horton to drop him off so he can watch Drew wrestle. All is well in Putnamville.

Not much to say!

STRIKE A POSE!! WHAT A NUT?!

This week has started off rather slowly, but I know that the momentum is quickly picking up. Monday I taught in the morning and then went to a great conference called Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn. It made complete sense to me because we expect so much out of our students and some of them are just trying to "survive life". Kind of sad to think about all these kids have to deal with. I figured out that I got my degree in Health Ed. 15 years too soon. The 2007 Wellness Initiative would have been exactly what I wanted to be teaching and doing. Oh, well, I also dreamed of working for the CDC when I was growing up. It is kind of ironic that such a big germaphobe would want to work there. Tuesday...K3 had a game that they won. It was another fight to the biter end kind of game. Kirk wasn't really thrilled with his play but I thought he looked good. Wednesday...laundry and homework. Thursday...basketball practice and homework. Friday...K3 has a game at Western and Kraig has a tourny game in Hillsdale at 8 PM.

Saturday...Kraig game 7 AM...Kirk3 doing some refing (sp) at 8AM for Rec. Basketball...Kristin has scrapping at 9 AM with her buds in Jackson. Konnor is going to spend the night at Drew's and go to his wrestling meet on Sunday. Did I mention the momentum of the week was going to start picking up????

Homecoming 2007

After a nail biter of a JV game and a complete hammering by the Varsity, the homecoming festivies began. Kirk and Anna looked absolutely wonderful together. It was amazing

what putting that boy in a tuxedo did. He was a hoot!! You would have thought he was dubbed President for the day. He was so comical and whitty it was amazing! He had a great time at the dance and did a great job representing the Freshman Class. Way to go ANNA and KIRK3!!

Forget your AGE and LIVE your life!

One of the many little tikki huts on the beach infront of our condo.....oh, that was definitely the life.

It is amazing to me how you read things differently when they apply to you. Take this billboard add that was infront of the Eye Dr. office. Forget your AGE and LIVE your life! Ahhha....makes complete sense to me now. You really can't dwell on the years but work at the quality. I also was making some scrapbook pages for a friend who is trying to complete the book so she can take it up north to her father who is dying. A few of us fellow scrapbookers said we would be happy to do some of the pages to make it go faster. I came across this quote and had to call Beth (my scrapbooking mentor and friend) to see if it was appropriate for one of the family pages.... it said "the life given us by nature is short but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal" Cicero I think it says a lot. So to all my friends and family....let's try our best to enjoy the LIFE in our YEARS!!

Nanny 911 HELP ME PLEASE!!!!

I know that I shouldn't be posting such a blog, but Jill told me that I can say whatever is on my mind, whether it sounds whinny or not. So here it goes.....I think we need to call in that Kick Xss Nanny that takes over your house and completely overhauls your children and parenting skills. Kirk and I work our butts off to give these boys everything we "think" they will need to be successful adults. .....well, let me tell you....I don't think it is working. K3 proceeded to get a very bad grade on his Math final Thursday which dropped his math grade to a B. I can't tell you how much effort we put into making sure the homework is getting done and all the support is there to do well. He is just not putting enough time into his homework. He is a social butterfly and a sports nut, but how does he think he can get into college (scholarships?) with this wishy-washy attitude about studying. I guess we will have to take back some of the freedoms?! Kraig is Mr. Procrastinator with a capital P. He went to a birthday/slumber party last night and then decides to start working on two projects that are due this week tonight. YIKES!! I don't know if he thinks he works better under pressure or what?! Konnor.....need I say more....as much as I love him, I think Boarding School may be a very viable option. He is in perpetual motion and is never quite happy enough with whatever you try to do for him. Not a happy camper....which in turn makes for a very STRESSFUL LIFE!! I know that this is what we got ourselves into when we signed up for Parenting 101, but Holy Cow....this sure ain't easy!!!

PS I decided in my next life to come back a cat!

My very own ANSIL ADAMS

These are a few more pictures that Kirk took on our 2nd Ice Day. I think he has a knack for sunsets and icy shots.

In other Putnam news....Kraig's CAT Scan came back normal and he was cleared to play in his last game on Wednesday night against Hudson. The 7th graders won their final game of the season. Kraig starts a tournament team this morning at 11. He decided to play some more basketball instead of wrestling this year.

K3 played a tough game last night against Albion. I don't think he is too thrilled to be on JV this year. HE ends up sitting more than he would if he was on the Freshmen team. I guess it will work to his benefit in the long run, but it is hard to watch this year. Baseball batting practice has already begun for him too.

Konnor is still "hunting" with his buddyDrew. They have already been out hunting rabbits for two hours this morning and is going back out in a few. I wish that we could put him in wrestling club but there isn't enough "parent mobile" to go around with the other two going a mile a minute. I don't think he really cares as long as he gets to play with his friends.

Brrrr....who turned down the HEAT?!

Just a few icy pictures that Kirk and Konnor took this morning on their walk. It is pretty as long as the electricity stays on. Luckily for us, it was only out about 10 minutes.

PS I opened my Birthday card from Kirk this morning....guess who's going to see John Mayer?!!! YEP, you guessed it! Yahoooo!!

There is only 1 place I'd rather be.....

than home on an ice day.....sitting on this rock in Cancun. This was just one of the great weather days we had on our trip. I decided after seeing Jen's pictures last night that I am definitely a canidate for LA Weightloss. Unfortunately, I like food too much! I just don't understand how I can carry extra weight with my job? It must be one of the wonderful benefits of the over 40 club?!

Hope that you too are reaping the benefits of this winter storm!!

Homecoming Court 2007

Kirk3 found out that he is on the Homecoming Court for Winter 2007. Pretty excited momma, I have to admit!! No fufu dresses, but shopping for a tux will be fun though. I'm hoping that I can post his shinner from last night's game. He got hit with another players head just underneath his right eye. This morning he has a maroon eye....not really pretty. Hopefully it will disappear before January 26th (homecoming).

PS he was not a happy camper about me taking this picture:(

40 and doin' FINE!!

......actually, a little tired(didn't get home until 3:30 AM), but still doing fine! I never would have imagined how easy it was to turn 40. Probably made the situation much easier to swallow since I got to spend it in CANCUN.

How many people can say that?! We had a fabulous time....weather was great, except for Tuesday, food was good, laughing was awesome, and Happy Hour by the pool was truly HAPPY!!

I had always wanted to travel somewhere that had white sand and blue water. I definitely got that wish. Cancun is gorgeous this time of year. We were able to be at the Beach or pool by 8 AM. The afternoons were actually a little too hot to lay in the sun, but we didn't have a problem lounging by the pool with a Tropical Punch in our hands.

The worst part (I guess if there was one....) was being cut off from friends and family. My cell didn't work and emailing was out of the question. So when I finally did get through these were a few of the things I found out....Monday Chance had surgery on his ears for hemorraging blood vessels.... Wednesday Kraig was in the ER for abdominal pain and now is done for the rest of basketball season and has a contrast CAT scan next Wednesday....and my parents aren't leaving for Florida because of a "small hiccup" in plans???? They found two growths on my dad's thyroid during a chest xray for something else. WOW!! I don't think I will leave home again. Kirk did an awesome job with keeping the household moving. He had so many "drama" issues to deal with too. I am very happy to be back home and sleeping in my OWN bed! I think I will head there now.

Oh my GOODNESS!!

I can't hardly believe that the trip to Cancun is only 3 days away!!!! You would think that I would be super happy and ready to leave, but I am a wreck. There are so many things I want to have done before I go to help Kirk and the boys out next week. I have tried to pack for the last couple of days and all that is actually in the suitcase is a beach towel and 2 bathing suits. What more could I possibly need?! I am looking forward to finding the "Florida Kristin" that my friends tease me about. I guess I have a total personality transformation on these trips....completely layed back, suprising I know.

K3 has a game tonight at home and then I will get that packing done. We leave around 4:30 on Friday for Cleveland and then 7 AM Saturday for Cancun. I can't wait!!

5 Days until CANCUN!!

These are the bewildered faces of the girls on a hectic trip. Hopefully this year will go more smoothly. We have been anxiously counting down the days until we (the coaches wives) leave for Cancun. Due to the unexpected flight problems last year, we were given free airfare for this years trip. When Gloria stumbled upon a timeshare in Cancun....we said, "why not!" We leave Friday after work and will be going to a hotel near the Cleveland Airport (3 hours away)- don't ask! Saturday morning we will be taking off at 7 AM arriving in Cancun by 9:40. Yahhhoooo!!!! We will be returning on Wednesday 10PM in Chicago (again, don't ask!). I hope that we will have a wonderful time. I am very much looking forward to sunning myself on the warm beaches. Where could I have found a better place to spend my 40th birthday?! Yes, that is the downside to this little countdown....it also means 5 days until I reach the top of the hill. I figure it will be all downhill from here, so I might as make it a special one.