S-U-M-M-E-R!

Wow, the kids and I made it through the school year. Hip, hip hooray!

Last day of school was on Friday and as I watched 12 year old walk across the stage to receive a certificate for being on the honor roll for the entire school year, I was so proud of him for accepting the unexpected.

It wasn't easy at first. I remember the first day of school, he looked so awkward and self-conscious as I dropped him off. (He still looks awkward and self-conscious but so did all the other kids walking across the stage.) Twelve must be the most awkward age!

12 year old had a hard time leaving behind the old life and old friends. Several times a week he would ask if he could call some of his friends from our old life and though I would give in, the old life friends would never reciprocate the call. In other words, none of his old friends ever called him.

I started telling him "no" when he asked to call someone back there and would tell him to "call some new friends here, instead."

It's been almost three months since he has asked to call anyone from there and he enjoys texting here friends.

Not that I don't subscribe to "make new friends and keep those old" but I didn't want the boy to hear any gossip about his father (12 year old knows the truth).

Anyway, once baseball started, I think he begin to feel at home. Though he doesn't play catcher here (this team has several boys who also play on a select team, so their skills are a bit more advanced) he says he still enjoys playing. They will continue to play until the end of June. Karate goes year-round.

12 year old says he enjoyed the school year and all the field trips. (Back there, the kids got one field trip.) Two weeks ago, they went to the big city about 90 miles away to a restaurant that had knights fighting each other (didn't want to say the name) and the school chartered nice, air-conditioned buses to take the kids. This field trip was postponed because of the swine flu so I was very happy that they finally did get to go. His principal is a micro-manager, but he did plan a lot of fun things for the kids through-out the school year.

5 year old had a great year too and is currently reading on a third grade reading level. I don't think I knew how to read until I was 7. She played soccer in the spring and still has two more T-ball games left to play. Her dance recital was last night and I am ready for her activities to end!

I need a break.

I hope to be a better blogger now that my schedule will ease up a bit for a little while. I'm more of a reader/lurker than I am a writer these days.

Checking In

I got nothing new to report, just have been so busy with after-school activities and illness. When I do get on the internet I have been trying to read all of your blogs instead of blogging. I'm on dial-up and it is so slow that once I have read a few blogs, I have to either go pick-up children from school, or leave to take a child to a practice, dance class, or baseball/t-ball game.

Five year old had the coughing virus a couple of weeks ago that lasted for 10 days, then last week she threw-up around 11:30 pm and didn't stop dry heaving for 12 hours. She wouldn't try Helen's honey remedy and the promethazine gel (from an earlier pukey virus) didn't help. I NEVER want to see orzo pasta again. Ever. Never. Never. Never. Ever again!

I have been following the criminal trial court docket (vileman) and for the last two months his case was number 53 on the docket but I noticed on Tuesday, that it had been continued by agreement (CBA). Which tells me, they (the police/DA) have a good case against him and his lawyer is delaying the trial to keep him out of jail. Anybody out there really know what/why the defense attorney and the district attorney agree to delay a case?

The kids and I benefit (as long as he is still working) by collecting another month's of child support. Also, the vileman still owes me $$$$ on back child support payments and reimbursement of attorney fees. He owes about 50% of the note (I received all of his 43% portion of the equity in the house) and per the divorce decree those payments start in June.

Oops! Accidentally hit the publish button - Grrr.

School will be over with at the end of the month (Yippie) and I'm so happy that I was able to stay at home this past year, despite everything that has happened. But it is time for me to really (seriously, really) look for a job before vileman is shipped off to jail.

I have two posts running in my head and know I need to get them out here so I can "let go". One of them is about finding out vileman is probably a psychopath (I use the word probably, because he hasn't been interviewed and labeled that based on an evaluation. That is the word along with 'anti-social' that the healer has used in our sessions to describe him). I don't know why I can't sit down at the computer and write it out, but for some reason I would rather put it off. Hmmm.

Anyway, off to eat lunch. Have a great weekend.