Kristin's Arc

I figure I will soon be getting the phone call telling me where I am going to be now that I have spent 3 days getting DMS room ready. I have my tank of Giant African Millipedes ready (found 3 babies in the bottom of the tank, VERY exciting!)...I went to meet with my "Bug Lady" contact in Lansing yesterday and now have the Hissing Cockroaches ready too. I also acquired 6 baby mice that were way too cute to pass up on. When your putting a science room together on a budget of $0 you will take any handouts you can get. I can't tell you how GOOD it feels to be back in the science mode. Another reason I think I will get the call that sends me back to PE.

In other news....Football is in full force this week. K2 and K3 are at practice from 7 AM to at least 1:30 PM....with coaches meeting following practice. This Friday we travel to Summerfield for a scrimmage. K3 starts around 4 and K2 starts at 6....what a long day that will be. And where the heck is Summerfield anyways?!

Konnor and I started soccer last night. We have moved up to U10....larger field....bigger goals...and alot more running. Konnor's stamina was pretty pathetic. He is so used to riding 4 wheelers and dirt bikes for pleasure, he doesn't spend a lot of time running. We will definitely need to start running more.

Blue-Gold Scrimmage

I decided that I will need to find a different angle to take pictures from this year because I haven't been able to get anything but K3's buttt. (He is the center)


Saturday morning started early for the HHS football teams. They had their annual Blue-Gold scrimmage that is the kick off to the season. After the game, the guys sell Gold cards which have discounts to area businesses. Kraig has always enjoyed going out and selling for the "Team Putnam" even though he doesn't HAVE to do it. This year Kraig and I broke last years record time. He sold all 20 cards and had the money turned in 30 minutes early. Whew! what a salesman he is! Ok, so maybe I had a little to do with it.....drove faster this year I guess?! He also had a career change after selling a card to our Vet's Wife. He decided that he would be a vet so he could have a huge house too. I still think that he will make a better Lawyer, since he loves to argue and can't let anything drop.

Week long wrap-up!

I want to start today's post by thanking my parents for keeping Kraig and Konnor for a few days this week. I am sure they thoroughly enjoyed the cottage. This summer has definitely been too hectic to even enjoy it! The men from Ft. Custer got back into town about 4PM yesterday. I am never prepared for the return ( alittle on the crabby side) I know they are tired and that it takes awhile to unwind, but YIKES! I had done half of their laundry on Wednesday night when I got home from camp. That sure made getting the rest of it done last night easier. I had them unpacked and laundry done by bedtime. We went to Cavoni's with K3 last night. Our favorite hangout when we don't have Konnor, too much milk.

Today the men where out the door by 6:45 for their 1st day of practice. They were doing their team picture first. It was a little chaotic for a bit this AM....not the peaceful mornings I was starting to get used to having. I am on my way to pick up the boys at the cottage. Later today, I am meeting Beth and Jill at Brown St. to scrap. Can't wait to get moving on stuff again. I have only done 1 page since the last time we met in June. How pathetic?!

Oh, yeah, job update #625.......got a email back from Mr. Ames that said they still don't know where I will be teaching this year. Steve is checking into some possibilities of disability vs. retirement. I am going to Lansing on Tuesday to get some more cockroaches and millipedes from my "Bug Lady". I figure I will kick myself if I don't get DMS ready. Better to be safe than sorry!

Another trip to Ft. Custer

I really can't believe that I was willing to give up my "duty" free day to go to camp again today. It really was fun seeing little kirk in action and feeding 85 guys is an incredible undertaking. They are very complimentary and thankful for the food. Today we brought out the frozen icey treats and you would have thought they died and went to heaven. I decided to go because with this not knowing where I am going to be teaching this year, too many things were occupying my thoughts and I couldn't chill. Better to have the distraction of camp than go insane wondering and thinking about it.

I forgot to give the Chloe hip update ....the vet was right and she did fail on the left side. She has an appointment on Monday to be spade! Shhhh...I haven't told her yet.

Ft. Custer Football Camp

I had the opportunity to spend the day at Hornet football camp today. I had to drive the bus driver from Hillsdale to camp. Today they took the boys to Fort Custer State Park where we had a picnic and the boys got to cool off in the lake. Mr. OHearan and myself cooked 240 hamburgers for more than 80 guys. Let's just say, I really don't want to even see a hamburger for a couple of months or more. The flames were so high and hot the hair on our hands and forearms singed(sp) off. I also learned not to wear khakis and mascara. The tears from the smoke where streaming down my face and the shorts are covered in splattered grease. All in all it was a very nice day. I had never been on base which was really fun to see what I had only heard stories about. Of course, my husband and son really didn't chum around with mom....but I guess I should have expected that.

Thank You!

Just a quick thank you to Beth and Kyle for letting me share their little princess for 24 hours. We had a blast! She is incredibly cute and says some of the funniest things. What an imagination?! Kraig and she really hit it off. I almost had to wrestle her away from him a few times. She loved driving the tractor to see the horses. OK, so she called them cows a few times, but I will tried to ignore the slip up. Thanks again for the estrogen fix!

splish.....SPLASH!!!!

Riddle of the day: What do you get when you take one swimming pool and add in 8 kids.....give up???? A big WET ZONE! The Hamlin kids and Beth came down tonight after work to visit. It was a short but productive visit...and I think that fun was had by all( OK, beth and i probably would had more fun with a few less kids and a few more drinks). The kids seemed to enjoy eating pizza and playing in the pool. Our summer schedules have be so chaotic that we haven't had a chance to get together like we normally do during the summer. It was especially funny to watch the oldest two interact. It was almost if they were posturing for male dominance?! How funny!!! I hope that we can get together again before "scxxxx" starts....too soon in August to actually say the word.

The makings of a farm girl......

Can you feel the estrogen flowing? I can!! I happened to stumble across this all too cute little girl on the way home from a visitation in Chelsea today. I called to see if Corey would like to come home to stay with Kraig until Beth came down on Monday for dinner and a swim. Unfortunately, Corey had his cousins over. So I said, "well then can I have Madi?" And guess what? I have Madi for 24 hours. We have already been shopping for clothes (and boy does she know how to shop)....she drove us to the barn on the tractor....and we got to visit the Mini's. Oh, yeah, and we painted our toe nails while watching a movie with Kraig and Kayla. What a fun night! Hopefully I will be able to keep up with her on Monday. She choose to sleep with "big Kraig" (what she calls him...too funny) over me. She said it was because "he luvs her!" He's not the only one Madison!

Great Week!

I wanted to post pictures from PAC camp, but I can't get the freakin' card reader to work right now. I guess you'll have to settle for another sunset picture for the time being. The boys finished PAC camp yesterday. They had a great week. Lots of fun activities and no injuries, Hooray! The gears quickly shifted from PAC to football....K2 is already at Fort Custer lining the fields and unloading equipment. I am supposed to be going to Binder Park Zoo to meet with "the bug lady" (my contact for my exotic bugs). I am having a very difficult time getting motivated though. It feels good to not be running somewhere. Yesterday I found out that the man that was taking my PE position is in VERY poor health and may not be teaching this year. I'm now back on the Career rollercoaster and I don't know where I will be teaching this year. I hate it!! Not knowing stinks! I had accepted the fact that I was going back to DMS and was ok with it...now I have to wait and wonder some more. Not that I don't feel bad for the man, but I don't do change well.

The boys and I are supposed to be heading to the cottage to hang out with Kevin, Shirely, Mom and Dad after the zoo. I would really like to skip the zoo and head to the cottage. Also my dad's great aunt died on Thursday and we have visitation on Sunday and the funeral Monday (in Chelsea). I think I will go to the visitation on Sunday with Grandma Abbie. K2 and K3 will set sail for camp at 6 Sunday PM so they get to pass on both days.

PAC Camp pictures.....

Putnam household update....

Just another quick shot of vacation. Why does it look like I was goosed by a seagull. My chiropractor would be proud of my posture though.


Plop...plop....fizz...fizz oh what a relief it is?! This isn't a commerial for antacid but the feeling I had Monday morning. This was the first time in 6 years I haven't been sweating bullets and completely frazzled the first morning of PAC camp. Konnor became an all day camper this year and I thought it was appropriate to take a year off. I am still helping monitor the pool and making 2 dozen cupcakes, but that is sooooo small in comparison to the 100's of hours I usually put in this week. The boys have had a blast. Kirk3 is a CIT(Counselor in Training) this year. Kraig is in squad 7A and gets to go tubing as their extra activity tonight. Konnor finally gets to fish, do archery, swim everyday, etc. He begged me for 3 years to take the midgets fishing, but I couldn't swing it with 42 campers (ages 4-7).

You would think that would give Kirk and I sometime to hang out and "chill" for the week. WRONG!! I woke up on Monday morning to drill sargent Putnam. I think that now football season is starting, he is just in that mind set. Monday I stained some more of the deck (major sun burn)....Tuesday we washed and waxed the vehicles....Today (well he hasn't quite found me yet to give me a list) We did get up at 6 though to walk this morning. I'm trying to hide out upstairs for a bit since I haven't checked my mail or blogged yet this week.

Sunsets on the Lake

We had a great vacation. It is unfortunate when they end though. Kirk and I were able to take in sunsets at Grand Haven and South Haven this trip. I don't think there is anything prettier in this world than watching the sun set over the lake. I love how you can almost see it move down in the sky. I especially like that last little bit you can see before it goes into the horizon (water-sizzle). We spent a lot of time walking the Pier in Grand Haven and on the trails in Holland. Unfortunately, the temperatures were so high that the sweat just poured off of you. So much for looking good in the pictures. Just won't show any of those....just sunsets. So for 2 days we visited the coast at Holland, Grand Haven, Saugatuck, and South Haven. Not too bad for 2 old farts.

Ten reasons for some well deserved R & R

Konnor and his hand made mogel.

I know this post will make some of you sick...but it will be my last post until Sunday. Kirk and I are off for some much needed R&R. My MIL is coming today at 4 to watch the boys for a few days. We had big plans to go somewhere new, but I think we are going to settle for the comfortable and familiar Lake Michigan Coastline. I am going to try to give ten reasons why this trip is necessary...let's see if I can do it?! 1. Too many projects to relax around our house.
2. Grandma said she would watch the boys for a few days.
3. Baseball season is almost over.
4. Football starts in 9 days.
5. Football starts in 9 days.
6. School starts in a month.
7. Running kids around is taking a toll on my health.
8. Konnor has run me ragged (constantly on the go!)
9. Kraig and Konnor haven't been able to get along for more than 30
seconds all summer.
10. We have been going non-stop all summer and need some "alone" down time.

Too much whining I know, but I get so frustrated with myself when I'm stressed out. It is good for me to take a look at what I actually do in any given 24hours. It's enough to make your head spin.

White Sox win again!

For all of my friends that know me well, try not to laugh out loud at the next statement. I really do try to be non-competitive. Unfortunately, for reasons out of my control it doesn't always work that way. 2 years ago when I started coaching baseball, I would loose because I didn't understand the proper way to make a line-up. I had all of these fancy ways to pick the order (ie: alphabetical, rotating top to bottom, bottom to top, etc) I hated loosing just because I was trying to make everything "fair and equal". Well, guess what, this world we live in isn't always fair and equal. So now when I do my line up, I make sure that we will get those big hits and runs we need in an inning and then try to shake things up position wise. I know this is probably the wrong way to look at baseball at this level, but nobody likes to loose....right?! Some kids are out there for the mere fact that their parents want them to be there. I still have kids playing in the dirt, while my 3 strongest players are turning double plays. Hmmmmm??? I still think I have the best interest of the team in mind, so does it really matter that not everyone gets to play every position?

Another new NEIGHbor!

You would think that it would be no big deal to have a new baby at the barn, but each time it happens, it is like a party around here. First, I think that it is absolutely amazing that an animal that small can have a baby that big inside them. Secondly, WOW isn't nature grand! This is our newest and most "special" little friend. He had some trouble in the beginning, but seems to be gaining his own quickly. Tiny Tim (his name says it all) was carried in the uterus with his front legs tucked under him. Because of that position his tendons in his ankles (hocks) aren't stretched enough to let him walk and stand normally. With time that will hopefully correct itself. May need braces but should be fine. Secondly, Tiny Tim wasn't strong enough to stand and nurse. To make a long story short....I located a breast pump....worked with him on a few times....fed him with a bottle....and last night between the 3 and 6 o'clock feeding he is strong enough to nurse himself. HOORAY!!! I knew all that LaLache training would come in handy someday.

Baw Beese Indians

The baseball season officially ended yesterday at 1 PM and football season unofficially started at 6 PM. K3 had his last baseball game yesterday. They won 5-3 and were back to the same team we haven't seen for a couple of weeks now. Hitting the ball and making key defensive plays. Charger Football Camp started yesterday at 6PM. Both Kirk and Kraig get to attend this year. How exciting is that?! K2 and all the hornet coaches also attend this camp to watch for new skills and drills. I celebrated my 2 hours of peace and quiet by mowing the lawn until 9:45. I still need to trim mow but I could see in the dark. I also spent about 3 hours staining the pool deck. We started this task on Friday and now have to slowly finish all of the rungs. Not a very speedy or fun job.

Hey, batter batter...SWING!

I have to chuckle everytime someone asks me how my summer is going. Summer, oh yeah, that is the thing that is in between baseball games, if I remember correctly. Last night Kraig had practice at 5....k3 had a game (picked up by the 16 and under team) at 5:30....and Konnor had a game at 6. Not a single one of them in the same location. Both boys are in tournaments this weekend. It is the last of the baseball for them. Kraig has games at 4 tonight (jonesville) and K3 game(hillsdale) is at 5. Tomorrow we have a game at 11 and 3 for Kraig (jonesville) and 9 and 1 for K3(hillsdale). Kirk3 also has a game at 11 on sunday. The boys start Charger football camp from 6-8 pm on Sunday through Wednesday. Oh my....how fast summer is going.

I visited my old room at DMS yesterday. I was checking out the critter situation. I only have 1 millipede left. Definitely have some work to do before school starts. My room is supposed to be on the books for carpet here in the next few weeks. It would be nice to have it done so I could start getting the room in order. I am getting excited about being back in the "science" world. I did miss it! Not looking forward to pulling out the dress clothes and uncomfortable shoes though. Really enjoyed sweats and tennies on a daily basis.

Do you SMELL something?!

It is really a good thing for you that blogger doesn't allow for smell-a-vision because right now you would plugging your nose and covering your mouth. Chloe got sprayed by a skunk at 11 pm on Wednesday night. I was not willing to give her a bath that late at night, so she suffered with herself through morning. K2 found a recipe for shampoo that gets the smell out. Skunk spray oil which makes it impossible to wash out with regular soap. Here is the recipe that you will definitely want to make note of 32 oz peroxide, 1/4 baking soda, 2 tsp. dish detergent. It really did work. Last year when chance got sprayed I used tomato juice and special "expensive" soap from the vet. It didn't even come close to this brew. She is now fluffy and very white. I think the peroxide helped with that. You know what they say "Blondes do have more fun!"

No more POOP!

Fly poop that is....took us 4 hours to power wash the crap off the house. I can't even begin to tell you how disgusting that job is. Oxy clean is the chemical of choice though, melts that shxx right off the siding. It always amazes me at how dirty the house really is and you don't even know it until you start cleaning it. Hmmm....what other things around here are dirty and I just don't realize it?!

Konnor and I had a great game last night! He was able to hit and run without causing too much trauma to his neck. I'm glad there weren't any negative effects to his playing because he follows up with the surgeon this afternoon. That would have been hard to explaining how he blew open his stitches.

Update on Ms. Chloe...the vet is concerned that her left hip won't pass the OFA certification process. He said it won't hurt to send it in. If it doesn't pass, she will have to be fixed and NO puppies. What a bummer?! I felt alittle sad when he showed me the xrays, but better to know now instead of after she has had a litter. I would have felt bad if I allowed my dog to pass on the Hip Dysplasia gene. Her dad was certified, but her mom was not. Hmmmm....guess we will wait and see.

Miss Chloe Ann of Hillsdale

Today Chloe is having her hips xrayed and certified so we can breed her. The last time I took her she was two days too young, what a bummer?! Both the vet and I had her birthday wrong. What a bad momma, I know?! She had to be dropped off by 8:30 this morning. Not a good time to take her in because there were 5 other dogs being dropped off and you know what a social issue she has. True to form she tried to rip another dogs head off. She is such a brut. Not nice...doesn't really fit the personality we see at home. Oh well, hope I can find some sorry sucker that will actually survive breeding her.

We are off to power wash the house today. Thanks to the cows next door, we have more than our share of fly poop on a pretty yellow house. Even with 4 fly bags up, we still get pooped on.

Tonight is baseball as usual. Konnor has a game. I'm not sure how much he will be able to play. He still has a pretty stiff neck. I guess it will be trial and error. Drew and Konnor fished for 4 1/2 hours yesterday. I really don't care to see another worm or fish for awhile. He also swam in the pool for an hour (3 waterproof patches).
K2 and K3 have lineman night at the HS tonight also. Last night was a 7 on 7 at the college. I thought football didn't start until August?????

Bond....Kirk Bond!

Just a quick post of a "shot" (no pun intended) during the 4th of July festivities at Jim and Joyce's. We were actually trying to see how much more K3 had to grow before he would be as tall as his dad. He is still concerned that he has stopped growing. Not likely kid, you're only 14!

Day 4 post surgery....a little bit less whinny. He played with Bryan for most of the day. He rode his 4 wheeler and dug a tunnel in the back by his giant holes. Thanks to Beth he did get to be in the pool for a short bit. The 100% waterproof bandages work, but they aren't 100%, more like 98%. He went through 2 patches in about 30 minutes but it was definitely better than sitting on the stairs. It was so incredibly hot...the pool was very refreshing. He wanted to go to the Lake but didn't decide until 3 in the afternoon. I was not packing up at 3 just to turn around at 9. Maybe today, who knows?!

Saved by the .....BOAT!

I'M FINISHED....I'M FINISHED....It was definitely the funniest one yet! Too bad we have to wait a whole year for the next one to come out. I guess I'll have to switch back to my steamy books for awhile.


After another grueling day of Konnor whinning and throwing major temper tantrums, Emily and Darrin (Drew's parents) took Konnor and Drew out on the boat. They asked if I wanted to go for a ride too and I graciously said, "thank you, but I will enjoy sitting on the shore in peace and quiet". After a couple times around the lake, they decided Konnor would be ok to keep with them for awhile. PRAISE THE LORD!!! We had a few hours of QUIET! I had Drew all day thinking that would be the ticket. He did great until it was time to swim and he could only float around and sit on the stairs. Everything fell apart at that point. I will have to check into the waterproof bandaids that Beth suggested. I am a little leary because the surgeon told us a gross story of a man that took a bath when he had stitches.....yuck! I won't say any more. Konnor has his follow up visit on Wednesday. I am hoping he will give him the all clear at that point. I am hoping today will be better. I may end up taking him to the lake. I told my mom yesterday if she loved me she would take him for a few days....she said she did love me, but she didn't think that was the answer. Yeah, maybe not the answer for her, but it would work for my answer.

Not a good patient!

Well, the good news is that the surgery to remove the rest of Konnor's mole went very smoothly. The anethesiologist laughed when he told Konnor jokingly not to drive for the remainder of the day and Konnor said "does that mean I can't drive the 4 wheeler or dirt bike?" He said never in his years of practice has he had to tell and 8 year old that with a serious tone. He did a great job being big and brave through the whole thing. There were only a few tears by mom (and Konnor)as they wheeled them away. The bad news....he is not liking being on the couch at all. He has watched more movies in two days than he has all of his life. We also moved the game cube to the living room....not as fun as riding 4 wheelers and shooting birds. The tricky part will be not getting his neck wet in the pool. Do you think he could breathe very long with a garbage bag duct taped over his head?! NOT!! Wish us luck!

Dog days of summer.....

Don't really know what that saying means but it seem to fit this picture. This is Chloe and Chance telling us that it was way too muggy last night. Not much new and exciting around here. K3 starts drivers training today. I guess that is exciting when you think of adding another person to haul brothers around, but not too exciting when you think of your car insurance going through the roof. I guess this is one of those situations where you take the good with the bad.

Baseball update....Kraig has his final game tonight. Yippeee!!! K3 has practice tuesday night...Konnor has practice Wednesday night...Konnor is supposed to have a game on Thursday night (but won't be playing because of surgery on Thursday AM). K3 has District games on Thursday and maybe Friday. Kraig was asked to play in a tournament this weekend but we said NO. Enough baseball already?! K3 has one more tournament starting next Friday and then he is finished...just in time for football to start. Konnor of course has games through the 1st week in August because our season just started.

I would like to take the kids on a mini trip somewhere but there doesn't seem to be enough days in the week. We really haven't even been to the cottage this summer. How SAD!!

Forever a BOY!

Well, the tournament didn't turn out so great, but the boys sure did have a good time hanging out after it was over. They played 4 really hard games and finished 1-3. Not great standings, but the games were fairly close until the bitter end. The only problem with sports is there is always one winner and one looser. This Baw Beese team has only lost one game this season (until this tournament). It was a little hard to swallow the disappointment they felt. Good News! I made 15 pounds of sloppy joes and everyone brought something to pass for our after tournament picnic. As you can see, it didn't take them very long to shake things off. After the picnic, they all loaded up in Mr. Condon's motorhome and went swimming. Happy ending to a long week of games.

Happy Birthday to Kayla!

Our "girl" turned 18 years old yesterday. We had her over for cake and a really sad rendition of the Happy Birthday song. She picked out Vanilla cake with Vanilla frosting(and of course sprinkles). We finished off the afternoon in the pool. I sure do enjoy floating around in the sun.

K3 had his first game of the weekend tournament in Hudson last night. His team ended up mercying the other team. Same time and place tonight.

Konnor and I had our first game last night also. They played awesome and ended up tied 15-15 after 3 innings. Konnor had a great hit over 2nd base into the outfield. He picked up a double on that one. Not too many doubles are made in coach pitch.

K2 is at his second day of Hornet Football Camp. I love football season...he seems so much happier when he is coaching and hanging with his buds. I know it is tiring, but I still think he enjoys it.

AWESOME 4TH OF JULY!!

We had a great time at the Laingsburg Putnam's 4th of July get together. Konnor fished most of the day....not a lot of action but it kept him busy. I got to read on the dock(never enough though) while he fished. This series is so incredible I wish I could lock myself in a room until I finish 11 and 12. Sick I know! Kirk3 and Kraig also got in some fishing before the fireworks started. We had lots of yummy food, great conversation, and beautiful weather....what more could you ask for?!

Today is Kayla's 18th birthday. I made her favorite cake with PINK icing and SPRINKLES. Can't wait to cut into it. Unfortunately, it will have to be after football camp and before baseball games....I guess it's never dull around here. Konnor has his first game tonight and Kirk is in a tournament this weekend in Hudson. So I guess that answers the next question about what we are doing for the next couple of days.

Happy 4th of July!

We are off to Jim and Joyce's for a day of fishing, eating, and watching fireworks over the lake. Every year Jim puts on the most spectacular fireworks display for the residents of his lake. People will come from all over the lake on pontoons to get front row seats. We watch from the deck and I'm sure it's much safer there. The boys have all graduated from deck watching to in-the-hole helpers. Yes, makes me a little nervous but their dad is there to keep them safe. It is amazing what lighting fireworks does to even the eldest of the bunch. It is like watching a bunch of little boys run around....especially when they unexpectantly come off the launch pad and start shooting in a wrong direction. Joyce stands ready with the garden hose...I think it makes her the most nuts of the bunch.

Friday-Saturday-Sunday

Friday and Saturday were jam packed with all types of activities around the Putnam homestead. Kirk finished his basketball camp at Albion College on Friday @2pm. We hustled back to Hillsdale...changed gears...and headed off to Homer for a double header. K3's team mercied them two games and we got finished around 10. Kraig had a game in Camden on Friday night too. His team got mercied. Saturday morning both boys had games in two different locations. Kraig's game was in Jonesville (ended up getting mercied after a good battle) and K3's game were at FOD. His team split their double header. We got home about 1:45 and had to be at an open house at 2. Matt E. graduation party was great. The kids swam until they were prunned and we drank Mango Mohitos and chatted. Didn't get home until 10:30. Sunday morning was a sleep in morning. The boys finally stirred around 11:30. That was nice. I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house, doing laundry, and fishing with Konnor. Oh, I also got to give Chloe an hour bath after her swim in the swamp. She was completely BLACK. That really stunk!

Oh yeah, job update....I got my letter from the Superintendent on Saturday that stated....This letter is notification of your involuntary teaching placement to DMS science due to No Child Left Behind....yada Highly Qualified...yada...yada. I just wish they would admit to the real reason I am being moved. I was more highly qualified for the PE job than the science job anyways. (Masters vs. minor). Go figure. Well, better get a move on ....three physicals in less than an hour. Later.