7/27/09-8/2/09

Monday 7/27/09

This whole week is English exams. I am so glad that I was finally able to get all of the exams written...now I just have to correct them all!! I took a piece of fleece that I had cut all of the edges. When the girls were done with their test, they all sat around and tied all the edge pieces for me. Now, I have a gift ready for the baby shower on Wednesday!!

Tuesday 7/28/09

Today I got to start the oral exams. What a pain!! I don't have a clue how I am going to grade these things! I feel pretty bad about the test grades. Obviously I expected a lot more out of the kids than they really knew!! I think they're going to have to do some makeup tests to earn some extra points!! I am definitely realizing that I will need to change some things if I continue to teach!

Choir tonight was hilarious!! I was able to talk with a few people and even joke around and laugh a little. Each month the stake has a practice hymn that the wards are supposed to work on. We started the one for August and it was HORRIBLE!! I wasn't really expecting to start the new song already but was able to play the song well enough even though it is a song that is not in the English hymn book. The singing was another story!! Counting means nothing here as well as singing the right note!! I was trying my hardest not to laugh through the whole practice. Hopefully it gets a little better before we sing for the ward!!

Wednesday 7/29/09

More tests!! UGH! I feel like I am correcting nonstop and getting nowhere!! And there are still two more tests to go! Today I was talking with Michelle (the principal) and the teacher that they were hoping to hire won't return their calls. The teacher that is out on maternity leave is coming back but rather than going to the little kids class like planned, she will be doing one big kid class and one small kid class. I was asked to stay on and teach the other big kid class. I think it will be really good for everybody. I'll still be at the school with the kids when they need me but I will have the mornings off so I can do some of my other stuff. I think Chris will drop the kids off on Monday and Friday. I will have a couple of hours to clean, shop, play, etc until I have to teach at 10:40. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I teach at 10 so I'll probably just take the kids in and then work on my Spanish and other activities. It'll give me the opportunity to be around other people and not feel totally isolated yet also give me some time to do the other things that I want/need to do. If it is still too much, school will be done in 2 1/2 months!! And then it's back to the states for a little while!

We had the quilting club again today. I am continually amazed at how excited 3rd grade boys get about tying a quilt!! They are pretty funny. I hope that the quilt idea works out and that the school likes it. After we finish the "bumblebee" quilt, I think I'll just buy a bunch of fleece and have the kids work on them to donate to a shelter or something. It's really tough to figure out where/who to donate stuff to since there are so many people in need!!

I got the most random request today!! I was asked to make another Laina for one of the teachers! Everybody makes such a big deal over her! The little kids love her, my students love her, the teachers and staff love her. It's a good thing that she's got a pretty outgoing personality!! If Alysa got the same attention, she'd freak out!! Alysa has even mentioned that she is glad that she doesn't have red hair because people leave her alone!!

The baby shower today was pretty good. None of my English speaking friends (Lily and Suly) were there for the first half so I was all on my own!! Another lady volunteered me to compete in one of the games. I was timed while I hung a ton of baby clothes on a clothes line and then took them all off holding a baby. I think I had a little bit of a disadvantage with this game since we don't really use clotheslines that much in the states!! I did remarkably well until the R.S. president got up and she amazed me!! She didn't even use clothespins! She had some sort of a trick that stuck the clothes in the rope or something that I couldn't figure out but she crushed my time!

The kids all had to go with me to the shower and I was so happy to see them interacting with the other kids there. They are really starting to fit in and make friends. They are even communicating in Spanish a lot more! I was laughing when a little girl kept coming in and asking her mom how to say stuff....her mom speaks no English!! Cole was the popular kid. He took his football and had a whole group of boys playing with him.

They had some Guatemalan food at the shower that the kids devoured! Cole couldn't stop talking about how good it was. It turns out that Suly made it and she has agreed to teach me how to make it!

Thursday 7/30/09

Alysa was sick today. She's got a bad cough but I took her to class anyway. I think Laina might be getting sick also because she didn't want to go to her class either!

After school today, the kids helped me sort papers. It was nice to have something to keep them busy while I corrected tests! I also was wild and crazy and decided to make some chocolate chip cookies for class tomorrow. It is Fun Friday and also the last day of the exams so I thought it would be a good change!

Friday 7/31/09

The cookies were a hit! I had 4th and 5th grade kids asking me for the recipe! Maybe we'll have to make them in class sometime...except there isn't a stove. I am really looking forward to having only one class. Next week I am teaching both classes so that the other teacher can see how I have been doing things before she takes it back over. Apparently she had absolutely no control of the class and the principal wants her to see how I control them. I must have somebody fooled because it doesn't feel like there is much control!! After next week, it'll just be the 4th grade class. It is a bigger class and there are the typical problem students but they at least seem to want to learn for the most part.

Alysa was miserably sick today. She had a fever and wouldn't move. She screamed bloody murder when we tried to put her in the car to go to school. Next to one of my classrooms is an empty room that is only used at lunch time. I took a bunch of blankets and made her a little bed. She also had a mini DVD player (Thanks Brittany!!) and some activities and some food. When I went back to check on her, she was on a mattress and watching cartoons on a t.v. (yes, in Spanish). The mom of the owners of the school saw her in there and her and another worker went and got her the mattress (I guess they keep it in the nursery room of the school for the owners kids) and helped get her situated. She laid in the bed the entire day. As soon as school ended, she fell asleep!! We ended up staying at the school an extra 2 1/2 hours waiting for her to wake up. When she did, she did not want to have anything to do with moving again!! I had to lay the seats down in the van and make her a bed just to get her home. Luckily when we got home, I gave her some tylenol and after about an hour or so, she was perking right up! By the time that Chris got home, you never would have guessed that she had been in bed sick the entire day!

Chris had another concrete pour at work today. It went for about 7 hours!! It really has helped the work progress since there hasn't been much rain for the past couple of weeks!!

Saturday 8/1/09

We decided to do something different today since we've kind of gotten stuck in a rut. We got some cleaning done as a family (yeah!! I didn't have to do it all by myself!!) and then we headed out for Lake Atitlan. We didn't get very far out of Xela when we decided to go to Totonicapan instead. The lake is about 2 hours away and the weather wasn't looking too promising. Totonicapan was just another little town. We found horrible roads, a tiny church, and lots of people selling the same stuff. I did get Chris to pull over and buy a coconut for me though. They open the coconut and put a straw in and people walk around drinking the coconut milk. The milk stains everything that it touches so I asked them to dump out the milk before we took it in the car. Instead of using cups here, they use plastic bags for their drinks. We told the guy to just give the bag with the milk and the straw to one of the little kids.

(gotta love these roads!!)

I used to laugh at people who always took pictures of the same things. (Dad and sunsets!) Well, I am beginning to realize that my "thing" is churches. I love the cool churches here.

We drove past the community laundrymat/community pool/community bathtub!! I thought it was so funny that all the ladies were in the water to do their laundry. They spend all this time and energy to clean their clothes and then they lay them on the grass to dry! When we drove by, Alysa said that it looked like a garage sale! I thought that was hilarious!

We were able to go on our little trip and be back home in time for lunch. We were able to relax a little the rest of the day and then enjoy a pizza/movie night since we didn't do it last night!

Sunday 8/2/09

Alysa has been pulling clumps out of her hair again at night. It is always on one side of her head so her hair is always lopsided. I cut her hair short today to try to balance it a little more. Laina felt left out so I had to cut some off of hers also. Now if I could just get Cole to let me cut his hair. Chris and Cole are growing their hair out to give them a little extra warmth!

I was asked today to play the piano for a baptism next Saturday. I was also asked to teach a quilting class on Wednesday at someones house. Plus I have choir on Tuesday. When I was getting ready to move down here, Chris' boss told me that the church wouldn't be as much a part of my life as it was in the states.....I think its the opposite!!

I'm not really sure how I am supposed to teach them how to quilt when nobody has a machine (and I am WAYYYYY too lazy to hand stitch stuff!!). I took two blankets to the baby shower last week....one was a fleece blanket with the edges fringe/tied. The other was made of fleece pastel squares that I pieced together and then snipped them rag style. Apparently the women loved them and now want to learn how to make the patchwork quilt. It is going to be another new experience!! I really wish I could find some better fabric here. I really miss the flannels from the states. The only flannel I have found here is pretty boring and drab. There is so much stuff that I need to stock up on when I go to the states!!

Alysa singing her days of the week in Spanish.

7/20/09-7/26/09

Monday 7/20/09

What a hard day!! It was definitely a Monday! You can tell when the kids at school have been off schedule with the weekends and it is miserable!! So, after a day with cranky kids, I got to go home and spend the rest of the day with my own cranky kids. I am really feeling a lot of demand for things that need/should be done that I just can't get done. It is hard when I need to help the kids with their homework but I don't understand it myself since it is in Spanish. It is a little depressing! I wasn't feeling too great physically either so I finally gave up and went to bed with Laina at 7:30 and let Chris help the other three kids with their Spanish homework when he got home from work.

Tuesday 7/21/09

Today was much better at school. The kids seemed to be back into their routines and in much better dispositions. Plus it always helps to have P.E. on Tuesdays so that I get a break during the day.

After school was bearable also but Chris ended up working really late so I had to take all of the kids with me to choir. Choir doesn't start until 7:00 and we usually are getting the kids ready for bed at 7:00. Our friends, the Orellana's, van broke down also so we went to pick them up. We had 10 people in the van which isn't too bad but for some reason the second that we put people in the van, our kids go crazy. They either fight like cats and dogs or they are so obnoxious that I just can't handle it!! By the time we got to the church, I was definitely out of patience with the kids. To add to the frustrations, there were no keys to get into the church. We sat outside the gates for 35 minutes waiting for somebody to find some keys. I definitely would have gone home if it had just been me and the kids. Since choir started late, they decided to end late also. It was almost 9:00 by the time I finally got out of choir, dropped off the Orellanas, and got home with 4 very tired kids. Apparently Chris got home just a few minutes before us. These long hours are killing us! Plus, he has to be back at work at 5:30 in the morning tomorrow!! Poor guy!

Wednesday 7/22/09

Today we had our 3rd meeting for the school quilting club. I took one of my big crazy quilts that I need to get tied and let the kids work on in when they were done with their block for the day. It was pretty funny that all the 3rd grade boys were the ones that were so excited about it!!

I think I did a much better job today or not loosing my patience. I think a big part of it was that Laina took a nap. Life is so much better when there isn't a tired, whiny 3 year old demanding every bit of attention possible while I am trying to deal with ten million other things!!

Chris was just as busy at the job site with the first concrete pour.

Thursday 7/23/09

Next week is English exam week. I am frantically working to get the exams written. There is so much that I would have done differently over the last 8 weeks if I had only known!! I can't change it now so I guess I'll just have to move on.

I am pretty pleased with how much the kids are starting to play with the other kids. Alysa has FINALLY started participating in P.E. (She would only sit and watch until this week!!) Morgan has been playing at recess with the other kids, and so has Cole. Cole commented the other day that in the states he thought the third graders were so big and the 5th graders were mean but here all the kids play together.

Friday 7/24/09

After school today, I had to stay late and try to finish up the exams for next week. The kids were so excited because they got to play on the computers. I kept asking if they were ready to go and they'd complain that they didn't want to go. I didn't have any snack time or lunch today so I was starving. I finally made them leave about 3:30. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, Chris called and asked if we wanted to come up to the job site. We made a little pit stop at McDonalds on the way and then went to see the progress at the job site. There were people working so Chris could only take two people at a time and they had to wear hard hats and safety vests. The kids LOVE to wear them!! Laina and Cole got to go first and while they were gone, Morgan and Alysa both had to go to the bathroom. Of course the port-a-potties have locks on them when we need to use them!! I finally went into the job trailer and with everybody staring at me tried to ask for the key to the bathroom. I recognized a couple of the guys and they helped me out and said that I was learning a lot of Spanish. If they only knew how much Morgan and Cole have learned!!

The job site is looking pretty cool. They poured the concrete for the footings of the basement. It is fun to be able to see where things are going to be. There is also another building adjacent that will have offices, housing, etc.

After having such a hard week, Chris decided we should go on a date. We haven't had a real date since we got here since we don't feel comfortable leaving the kids with anybody. Chris got a pizza on the way home from work and we let the kids eat pizza and watch a movie while we went to a new restaurant that just opened in the country club right across the street from our development. We have never left the kids before but they were so excited to be big kids. We left a cell phone with them and strict instructions not to go downstairs for anything.

The restaurant is Mediterranean and we weren't really sure what we were ordering but it ended up being very good. While we were there, the owners of the restaurant came in and introduced themselves. It was a nice couple from Holland. The wife talked with us for a while and gave us some great tips for stuff here. Apparently they came here on vacation and loved it. After four trips they decided to move here and have been here for 10 years and now have 3 restaurants.

I think we will be returning to the restaurant mostly because it is so close and we can leave the kids.

Saturday 7/25/09

I think we are in need of a change of pace. It seems that all we have done for weeks now is cleaning, working, going to the market, more cleaning, etc. We are all pretty worn out and in desperate need of a pick me up! I am definitely looking forward to our next shipment of stuff from the states when Dave comes in a few more weeks!! My wonderful sister-in-law Jamie, put together a care package and took it to Dave's house. I don't know what is in it so I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning. The anticipation is high!!

Sunday 7/26/09

Chris finally found a solution to Laina not going to primary by herself and Alysa going with Morgan to the 10-11-12 year old class. He sent Laina to Alysa's class with her. They have both gone together for two weeks now and I get to go to class with Chris. I do have to say that I don't understand anything but it is nice to sit with Chris and read the Ensign!

After church, I decided to spend a little bit of time working on some blankets. It has been the first time in a while that I have had some "me" time and it was very nice. Plus, the icing on the cake was when Morgan and Cole made dinner. They even cleaned up (somewhat) afterwards and Alysa did the dishes. I was so happy that I decided to make some cookies.

7/17/09-7/19/09

Friday 7/17/09

I was so nervous about sending the kids to Spanish class today. When it finally came time for the kids to go, I thought I was going to cry!! I am so glad that the kids were brave and went without any difficulties. During recess, Morgan came into my class and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Mom I learned twice as much as I would have in my other class!!" What a relief!! She also said that during math she understood what to do when most of the other kids didn't. There are a couple of specific girls that have been asked to help her out and they were reassigned desks to sit by her. I also told the girls in English that she has to help them out with their English also!!

Cole didn't come in to see me and I started to get a little worried. He finally came in after playing with his friends and told me that everything had gone o.k. There is a young guy that is student teaching and was helping him with some of the words. It is such a relief to know that the kids are enjoying themselves and that others are helping them to learn.

There was a baby shower today for a girl that just moved here (I think there's 3 siblings with their families that all moved here and live in the same house!!) a couple of weeks ago from Honduras. I found out that they make and sell flour tortillas. The only flour tortillas that I can find are in the grocery store and come in a pack of 5! Everybody uses corn tortillas here.

When I got to the baby shower (10 minutes late on purpose), the gates to the church were still locked!! I decided to drive around for a few minutes and see if anybody showed up. In my exploring, I was reminded that a typical 3 point turn is really a 25 point turn here! Luckily the other drivers are patient for the most part!! On my little adventure, I found the central park of La Esperanza. I never knew it existed!! There is supposed to be a little market a couple days a week I think. It also had a basketball court! There is so much stuff here that is just hidden away from the main road that I never get to see.

Once the gates finally got opened, I went into the baby shower. I am understanding more and even initiated a couple of conversations. The idea of baby showers was brought here from the U.S. so they even call them baby showers. Well any baby shower isn't complete without the cheesy games. It is the same here!! For one of the games, you have to take a piece of string. However long the string is is how long you have to talk to give advice to the person having the baby. My piece of string was about two inches long. When it was my turn, I said, "Mi pieza is pequeno porque no hablo muchos espanol. Recurde a jugar con sus hijos." The last time they played that game, I had to have an 11 year old boy translate for me just to say to always smile!! Baby steps!! I was also shocked that everybody gave blankets. This was the first shower that I was able to make a baby blanket for and of course she got at least 5 fleece blankets!! I think there were only two or three presents that weren't fleece blankets!!

We have started a family tradition of pizza and a movie for Friday nights. I had to hurry home from the shower so that I didn't miss out on the festivities! Morgan came up with a great idea last week that we tried this week. She said that Thursdays is 2x1 at Dominoes. If we bought the pizzas Thursday, we could get twice as much for the same price. So, yesterday Chris went and got 4 pizzas. I am mastering my tetris skills with fitting stuff into the fridge and freezer!! Half of us ate part of the pizza for breakfast because we ran out of milk and the gas ran out when I was trying to make pancakes!!

We had a great night eating pizza, grape soda pop, and watching a movie that we haven't seen. Chris was able to get the Slingbox to work. (Thanks to Duncan!!!!) It allows us to watch t.v. off of Duncans t.v. The kids enjoyed watching Journey to the Center of the Earth. Up until today all we've watched have been old movies that we've seen ten million times before!! Unfortunately though, it used up half of our internet connection allotment for the month!

Yes, we are still trying to get regular internet service to our house. Chris is now looking into satellite internet since we've had so many problems!!

Saturday 7/18/09

Rather than drag the whole family to the market, Chris dropped me and Morgan off at the fabric store. Morgan wants to help make baby blankets so I let her get some fleece. (I can't find any good flannel here!! I'm sure it's somewhere but where, I don't know!!) We ended up getting 7.5 yards of fleece for about $10. I think I might start making blankets and ponchos for a shelter or something here. (In all my extra free time!! (: ) After Morgan and I finished at the fabric store, we went up and down the rest of the market to get our fruits/veggies. When we were done, we called Chris and he came back to pick us up. In the meantime, he had taken the other kids to the park and let them buy bracelets made by a 12 year old boy. It is so hard to see the little kids out working to help support their families. Sometimes I wish that my kids really understood what it was like to work. Obviously not enough to send them out to sell stuff at the market!!

We saw a couple of missionaries getting on a bus while we were out. Cole said that he wants to go on his mission here so he can ride the chicken buses! I promised him that we'll go on a chicken bus before we leave!! He also likes to pretend that he is the bus helper guy. Each bus has a helper that collects the money, helps load/unload passengers as well as putting all of the stuff up on the top of the bus. Half the time the bus is moving when the guy is loading stuff on top so he has to climb in the back of the bus or chase after it to jump back on. Once back on the bus, they hang out the front door while the bus is going. They also wave their hands out of the bus to stop traffic. I don't know how they don't fall out!! On the smaller buses (very large vans) there are sometimes little boys doing the job. I have decided that one of the souvenirs that I want to take back to the states with me is going to be a little wooden chicken bus!!

Sunday 7/19/09

A typical Sunday. Went to church....didn't understand much.....played the piano.....came home.....ate leftovers......relaxed a little. I think Sundays are the hardest for Chris since we don't have the big family dinners to look forward to. We are really looking forward to seeing everybody in October/November/December!!

7/16/09

Thursday, July 16, 2009

My shins hurt so bad that I can barely walk today!! Mental note, don't run across the development when the guards don't open the gate!! Just lay on the horn until they come!!

Oh, boy, oh, boy. In the middle of Morgan and Cole's Spanish class, their teacher was called out by the principal. She came back in to get her key and never returned. Apparently she was pretty much forced to quit. She was crying in front of some students the day before and that didn't go over too well with the principal. Anyway, Morgan and Cole no longer have a Spanish class by themselves. Starting tomorrow they will be put into the 3rd grade and 4th grade Spanish classes. The principal thought (and I agree) that it would be better for Morgan to be with the 4th grade kids rather than the 5th graders. They will be able to help her out more and are nicer. Morgan will also be in my 4th grade English class rather than being my helper. This will be interesting!! Even though they are both scared to death, I am sure that in the long run they will learn more and make more friends. It's just the initial change that is going to be tough. Now they'll get a glimpse into Alysa's and Laina's world!!

In my classes, we have been studying the laws of motion. We have been having a lot of fun (especially 4th grade) doing our "experiments". We set up two strings with a straw on them that went all the way across the classroom. We blew up balloons and taped them to the straws to race them across the classroom. I was so lightheaded by the end of the day from blowing up balloons!!

Morgan and Cole had music and computers today so we had to stay late. I took the computer and was able to get onto Skype to talk to Brittany (my older sister) for a little while. It was so fun to walk around the school so she could see it on the video.....until I went to far away and the internet cut off!! All the 5th graders got to say hi and talk for a minute. It's always a good pick me up to talk to family!!

I was even more excited after school that Cole was playing with his friends!! YEAH!! He never plays during recess and when I try to get him to, he says that he wants to stay with me. I figured it was because he was just being shy but today he told me that it's because it's the only time he gets to see me during the day!! I guess I can't be upset that he still wants to spend time with his mom!! He has one friend named, Angel, that lived in the United States (just found out today that it was in Idaho!!) for a couple of years and his English is really good. He is going to be Cole's "helper" when he goes to Spanish class. There are two 3rd grade classes that switch back and forth with English in the morning one week then English in the afternoon the next. Up until now, Cole has been alternating classes each week since he always has to go to English in the afternoon. I am so glad that they decided to put Cole in the class that Angel is in rather than the other class.

Even though it is sometimes tough here, we are extremely grateful for the chance that we have to be here and to be learning and growing. We often think about how different things could have been if we had stayed in the states. With the lack of work and the economy, we are soooo blessed to have this opportunity. We realize that there are trials and hard times no matter where we go....just different kinds!!

Today we had our first Mayan lady come to the door trying to get a job cleaning the house. I am pretty amazed that it has taken this long. From what I was told when we first moved here, we'd have people lined up at our door. I am still really uncomfortable with the idea of somebody coming in and cleaning. I don't like the idea of a "servant" but it is pretty much expected here. Everybody has servants!! I always thought that's what I had 4 kids for!!

The kids and I have been talking about when we are going to go back to the states. I think we've decided to go back in time for Halloween. The girls all want to dress up as Mayan ladies (Laina also calls them bumbo girls) with baskets on their heads for candy. We keep joking around that we're going to have to have somebody teach us the art of balancing stuff on our heads before then!! It is amazing what people carry on their heads here!!

7/14/09-7/15/09

Tuesday 7/14/09

Random thoughts:

I was talking with my friend the other day and she told me that she had let some cows into her yard to eat the grass so that she wouldn't have to mow it!! I hadn't realized it but there are no lawn mowers here!! Either the animals eat it to keep it short or people use scissors to trim it!!

As I get more and more excited about our trip back to the states, the more I realize how much traveling time we're going to be putting in. I am hoping that all of the crazy car rides here have gotten the kids to the point where they won't get car sick on our trip to/from Texas!!

I really need to work on my numbers. I don't know if I have a mental block or what but I can not seem to be able to figure out my Spanish numbers!!

With the rainy season here, nothing dries...including our towels. They smell so bad if you don't wash them every single day. We've gotten to the point where we hang them outside in the sun in the morning and hope that we get home to pull them back in before they get rained on!! It makes such a difference to have a dry, non smelly towel!

Today at school, the P.E. teacher was handing out little pieces of paper for a gym. It is in the same little town (La Esperanza just outside of Xela) that we live in. I was trying to figure out where it was and he was giving me directions from the Iglesia (church). I didn't know what Iglesia he was talking about since they are EVERYWHERE here!! He finally said the Mormon (with a very thick accent so that I could barely figure out the word!) church and he asked me what religion I was. I got the impression that he already knew and was just wondering why I couldn't figure out what church he was talking about!! I'd like to check out the gym since it is close and I could really use some more exercise!!

Today I used bribery to get the 5th grade class to behave. They had won a pizza party but I told them they wouldn't get to go if they weren't good. They were much better!!

I am really starting to enjoy the 4th grade. They really seem interested in learning and want to be there.

I was able to carry on different conversations with several of the teachers today. I think we understood each other but I can never tell for sure.

When we got home from school, Chris was there. He was still not feeling very well so he was doing a lot of work from home today. His illness seems to be on the tail end though.

I left for choir with a ton of time. When I tried to get out of the development, I had to honk to get the security guard to finally come let me out of the gate. Halfway to the church, I realized that I had forgotten my hymn book and song list so I had to turn around and go back home. When I got to the gate, I waited, I honked, I waited some more, I honked again, I waited even longer and still no security guard. He had left half of the exit gate open and people were coming out of it but still no guard. I finally got so frustrated that I just left the van at the gate and ran in through the open part. I ran across the whole development to our house, got my book, and ran less than halfway back before I thought I was going to die. I made it back to the gate and still no guard!! I was not a happy camper! Chris sent a nasty gram to the developer and also went and talked to the security guard to make sure that they would let me back in when I got home!! I knew I was in for some serious pain when my shins were already hurting when I was trying to push the pedal while I played the piano at choir!!

I am really starting to like my friends at choir. They are starting to understand the words that I do/don't know and they really try to help me out. Even though I am the blacksheep of the choir, I feel accepted and welcomed!!

Wednesday 7/15/09

(The kids in my quilting club)

Has anybody read the story, the girl in a whirl? My brother told me that it reminds him of me. Well, this week, it reminds me of me and I am at the end of the story where the girl crashes!! I do not know how single working moms do it!! I am at school all day, come home to clean, cook, do laundry, take care of the kids, etc. Chris is usually really good about helping out but he's been having to work so late that the kids are ready for bed by the time he gets home.

I am definitely looking forward to being able to crash this weekend!!!

The Girl in a Whirl

By “Dr. Sue” aka Vickie Gunther

Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do if you only knew how.
I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray.
I always keep all the commandments completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I help in their classrooms! I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!
I memorize names of the General Authorities;
I focus on things to be done by priorities.
I play the piano! I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle! My checkbooks all balance!
Each week every child gets a one-on-one date;
I attend all my meetings (on time! Never late!)
I’m taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all.
I track my bad habits ’til each is abolished;
Our t-shirts are ironed! My toenails are polished!
Our family home evenings are always delightful;
The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.
I do genealogy faithfully, too. It’s easy to do all the things that I do!
I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;
I know all the names of each youth in my stake!
I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.
I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!
(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.
It’s the least I can do for my cherished ward sisters.)
I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
I seek each “lost lamb” on my Primary roll.
I can home-grown produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all.
I write in my journal! I sing in the choir!
Each day, I write “thank you’s” to those I admire.
My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!
My kids get straight A’s! And their bedrooms are clean!
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I go to the temple at least once a week;
I change the car’s tires! I fix the sink’s leak!
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
I make sure I rotate our two-years’ supply;
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!
These things are not hard; It’s good if you do them;
You can if you try! Just set goals and pursue them!
It’s easy to do all the things that I do!
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!
It’s easy!” she said…and then she dropped dead.

7/11/09-7/13/09

Saturday 7/11/09

Happy Birthday to me!! What a gorgeous day it was today! The sun was shining, it was warm, and it didn’t rain at all!! What more could I ask for for my birthday???

As a family we went to the market today. There are a couple little fabric shops there that I wanted to stop by and get some material for my quilting class and for a quilt that I need to finish. I was so glad that I was able to get everything that I needed!! I found fleece for about $1.50/yard. I think I'm going to have to get some more and start a humanitarian project!!

In addition, we got some more fruits and vegetables. At the very end of the trip, Laina wanted to get some flowers so just joking around, I told her to go ask the lady how much they were. To my complete astonishment, she walked up and in a little tiny shy voice she said, “Cuanto es?” I couldn’t believe it. Just for her asking, I HAD to buy the flowers. Luckily they were gorgeous flowers and they only cost $1.50!! They look very nice in our front room in a plastic Rubbermaid storage container/vase!!

To make the day even better, we went to the mall for lunch at Subway where the same guy (Mario….yes, another Mario!!) was working that has been there almost everytime we’ve gone. After we got our sandwiches and I went to pay, he commented on the improvements in my Spanish. The other lady working agreed. If they only knew how much that helped to boost my esteem and keep my going!!

After lunch we ran into a store that sells the rejects from the U.S. We were trying to find a white t-shirt for Cole’s environmental club. Instead we ended up buy 4 “painting shirts” for the kids. They were men’s XXXXXXL shirts from KMart. (I can’t remember how many X’s but they were huge). Apparently they can’t sell that size here since nobody is that big so they were marked down to Q3. (37 cents!!) Yes, I am still buying stuff that isn’t absolutely necessary, just because it is a great deal!!

Later on in our shopping, we ran into kids from Cole’s class, Alysa’s class, and Morgan’s/my class. It was weird to have the kids give me kisses on the cheek like the adults do. I guess it shows respect or something.

We tried to find a pair of dress boots for me to wear. Unfortunately, my size 8 ½ feet are too big!! We only stopped at one place though!

Before we left, we decided to reward the kids for being so patient and let them get a soft serve ice cream cone dipped in chocolate. The ice cream wasn’t very cold so the chocolate never hardened and as soon as we got outside, the ice cream melted everywhere!! I don’t think one of us managed to finish our ice cream without half of it dripping down our hands and all over the parking lot. When Laina was eating hers, she turned her head to see something and one pigtail ran right through the melted mess. So of course she has to turn around the other way to see what I’m yelling at her about and runs the other pig tail through the melted mess!! Oh, what fun!!

Finally home for a break! Everybody was exhausted but we still had to sanitize all of the food from the market!! Cole’s been a great helper for me!! Now if I could just get him to like all of the food that he helps me clean!! He has been eating a lot more vegetables without complaint though!!

We had a pretty late dinner at an Italian restaurant. Everybody was so tired by the time the food got there that they didn’t even finish half of their meals!! YEAH!! Leftovers for tomorrow!!

What a great, busy birthday!! Next weekend, exploring and looking for a cool lake that is around here!!....hopefully!!

Sunday 7/12/09

Yesterday’s great day didn't continue today!! We woke up to no electricity and no water. And, of course it was so late last night that we opted not to do baths even though Laina’s hair was two ice cream glued clumps that were once pigtails!! This was a city wide planned shut off that was in the newspaper but since we don’t get/read the newspaper, we didn’t know about it or plan accordingly! We did our best to comb out every bodies hair but I think that Chris had the hardest time. He hasn’t gotten his hair cut in a while and it is getting pretty long and a little on the untame side!! He was trying everything to get it to stay down! The kids and I eventually left him at home to work on his hair problem while we ran to the church so I could play the piano for the choir practice and prelude. Well, when the power outage is city wide, that means there’s no power to the church which means no power for the digital piano!! The choir ended up singing without the piano and I got to sing instead of play! It is so much fun to try to sing and worry about how to pronounce the words. It is a great opportunity to learn the pronunciations though!

Speaking of pronouncing the words, in Relief Society I was called on to read a paragraph from the manual!! It went much better than it could have been. The teacher is a very nice lady that reminds me of a combination of my second mom growing up, Betty Green and my neighbor in Las Vegas, Mary Peterson. She is really patient and kind and works hard to make sure that I am included. After I finished reading and my face was burning bright red, I got some great comments of encouragement. I have been told that the sisters in the ward are so excited that I am there and that I am trying to learn and to participate. Personally, I just think that I am there comic relief! Even though it is hard sometimes, I am really learning to laugh at myself and just have as much fun with the uncomfortable situations as I can. It really has helped even though sometimes I spent a little too much time giggling rather than learning!!

Alysa was doing a great job of going to her primary class by herself until her wonderful teacher went and had a baby!! Since then, Alysa won’t go to her class and has been going with Morgan (Who goes to the wrong class also!!) We can’t seem to get the kids in the right classes!! I think Cole goes to the wrong one also. Laina goes to the right one but I have to go with her still. Maybe in the new year we’ll be able to get it figured out!

After church, the power and water were still out. It was after 4:00 that it finally came back on. It was like coming back from a camping trip and everybody racing to get showered!!

Monday 7/13/09

I’ve definitely decided that I am not a fan of the 5^th grade class!! I can not believe how rude they were today. From what I have heard though, they are like that to everybody and that I shouldn’t take it personally. There are a few kids who are wonderful in the class but the ones that aren’t really make it miserable for everybody else! To make it even worse, I was supposed to (and planned for) teach from 7:20-9:20 then go to recess then switch classes at 10:00. Well, at 10:00 the Spanish teacher asked if she could have a few more minutes with the 4^th grade class after recess. I said sure not knowing that a few minutes was going to turn into an entire hour!! I was so ready to pull my hair out before recess started but to then be stuck with that class again for another hour with NOTHING prepared to do was pure misery!

When we finally did switch, the 4^th grade class was wonderful. I was dreading teaching the 4^th grade class when I first started but my impression of them has changed greatly. They at least for the most part act like they want to learn something!

Chris came home after work pretty late and sick as a dog!! He spent the entire evening/night between bed and the bathroom. I can’t remember the last time he was that miserable!! I tried to ask him what he ate that might have made him sick and he said he couldn’t even talk about food!! Poor guy!

Our main form of entertainment since we don't have t.v.!

7/10/09

Friday 7/10/09

Yeah, it's Friday!! Last day of the English contest also!! I had the fifth grade class all day today and I was really dreading it after how things went on Wednesday!! It went much better today though. We have been working on Newtons 1st Law of Motion and we were planning to do "experiments" today. We only got through a couple of them before I was pulled out of class to get something for Morgan and Cole while the Spanish teacher talked to the 5th grade class for a minute. When I came back, everybody was in the kitchen and jumped out and yelled "sorpresa". There were two girls in the class whose birthdays were today so they (Morgan, Cole, the 5th graders and their Spanish teacher) had planned a party for all of us. All the kids had brought different foods so I got to experience some more real Guatemalan food. It was pretty good. Some (most) of the things that I have tried will definitely take some getting used to!!

The kids played games and then I went and offended everybody when I took a toy gun away from one of the kids who was doing a "play" and shooting people with it. I don't know about the teachers here but I really don't agree with any form of guns in the school ESPECIALLY when they are pretending to shoot people with them!! Other than that little incident, the party was fun. It ended up taking up the rest of the class time until the English Contest so we didn't get to finish our experiments. I am definitely going to need to come up with some more fun ideas to keep the kids motivated and paying attention!!

Today was the last round of the English Contest and was the reading comprehension. This was the first year of their competition so there were some questions yesterday as to how it should be done. The principal, Michelle, the 3rd grade English teacher, Deanna, and myself finally came to a decision about how it should be run. Deanna and I prepared everything last night so we were all ready to go this morning. In the middle of class however, Michelle decided to change how to do it and wanted us to come up with 5 more questions for 5 different stories. (25 questions and the stories were only about 1/4 a page each) Deanna told Michelle that she couldn't do the questions because she was in the middle of teaching her class. Anyway, nobody was very happy and some feelings were hurt but in the end we went with the original plan which worked out great....in my opinion!! The competition was completed, awards given, and pictures taken with enough time for the kids to get back to their classes, get their stuff and be ready to line up to go home!! (It's always a big ordeal to get all of the classes lined up to go on time!!)

I got a great compliment today!! I was in the office after school with Michelle, her sister, Paola, and her mom, Patty. (The same one who asked Morgan to translate for me last week!!) I was trying to talk to them in Spanish and Michelle complimented me on how well I was doing with my Spanish. Then Paola agreed with her and said that she was amazed at how well I was doing. I was so shocked to hear that from them!! It made my day!

While I was keeping busy with my classes, Alysa and Laina were busy with their own classes!! They went on a field trip to the circus that is in town! They had so much fun. They even survived riding in the cramped school bus! They jabbered all night about what they saw.

On the drive home from school there is a little store called 'The Bake Shop'. It is run by some Mennonites that live here and it is the only place that has half way decent doughnuts here. It is only open on Tuesdays and Friday so I promised the kids that if today was a good day, I'd stop on the way home to let them pick out a doughnut. When we got to the roundabout where the store is, it was closed!! We were all disappointed except for Morgan who yelled, "There he is!!". We have been to the store once and she remembered the guy that worked there. He was getting out of a car so we hurried and changed directions to get to the store. As we were pulling up, he was opening the door with a tray of doughnuts!! What timing!! We were all able to pick out our doughnuts and everybody was once again happy. What a great ending to a not so great week!!

7/9/09

Today was about the exact opposite of yesterday!! Yesterday I only taught the 5th grade class because of the English Contest. Today I only taught the 4th graders. What a difference between the two classes!! Classes went well, the kids seemed to have fun, the English Contest went well, my kids had fun in their classes, and I got some planning done...much better!!

7/6/09-7/8/09

Monday 7/6/09

Each day that I go to school, I get more frustrated with the weird, unorganized ways that things are done!! For some reason the 4/5th grade Spanish teacher has the kids bring their pets to school. They bring them for the entire day and have to keep them in the English class. It is so annoy and such a distraction!! Today a kid brought a basset hound and it barked the whole day!! UGH!!

Tuesday 7/7/09

Today I was asked how the 4/5 graders were doing with their words for the spelling bee tomorrow. I said that I didn't know since they were given their lists to practice at home. Apparently the principal was expecting me to practice all the words with the kids in class!! I am soooo glad that she waited until the afternoon before the spelling bee to inform me of this!! (Yes, that was said with a LOT of sarcasm!!) Things tend to wait until the last minute to be taken care of here!!

Today we also had our first day of the "clubs". I did the quilting club but only had 1/2 the number of kids that had signed up. Oh, well, we'll just make a smaller wallhanging. It went fine but I was glad to have it over. Today was a packed day with things one right after another. After the quilting club, I had piano lessons for Georgy and Juan Fer at the school but they forgot the power cord for their keyboard so they had to cancel. I was able to use that time to get some planning done for school next week and to help Alysa and Laina with their homework. Morgan and Cole got done at 3:00 and we headed home to hurry and make dinner, do homework, try to breath, and then off to choir practice. Chris was working really late so all of the kids got to go with me. There was some sort of bribery announced on Sunday so our choir went from 2 people last week to over 20 this week!! A lot of the people I have never seen before. Each month the stake has a less familiar practice hymn for each ward to work on. Sunday I was told the song for this month and it was a song that isn't even in the English Hymnbook!! (At least not that I've been able to find!!) So, I had two days to figure out how to play this song. Not to toot my own horn but I was very pleased with how well I did!! (I have to really absorb those moments because they are far fewer than my frustrating moments since we've moved here!!)

Wednesday 7/8/09

The Lord must have a sense of humor and he is just laughing at us right now. I don't know what he was thinking when he sent us to Guatemala!! We are trying to figure out what it is that we are doing here!! Is it to learn patience??? Learning how to deal with more varieties of people???? Learning to laugh (or cry some days) at ourselves??? What ever it is, it is TOUGH!! This week has been especially tough emotionally for the whole family. Chris is really struggling with being able to express what he needs to at work and trying to get things done in a timely manner. Cole is struggling with being the youngest in the Spanish class and feeling like he is being made fun of. I am struggling to balance my time between school, home, family, personal time. I feel that I am putting in a lot of time/energy to teach these classes but that it isn't appreciated. The kids can be brats to put it bluntly!! I can not wait for the middle of August when the new teacher is supposed to start. I am however worried that if I am not at the school that I will feel even more isolated and alone than I already do. I also worry that I won't get as many opportunities to practice my Spanish. Laina is struggling to make it through the day if she doesn't get a nap! (Which also adds to my struggles!!) Alysa and Morgan seem to be doing better than the rest of us. We are also struggling to figure out what we need to do about the kids schooling. Morgan is getting absolutely nothing out of school other than learning Spanish. She is not getting any learning done in any other subject and she is not socializing with any of the other kids. She would rather sit in a room by herself than to have to go to recess. Cole is doing better at socializing than Morgan and he is doing work in his English class. However, he (and his teacher agrees) is not being challenged. His English teacher is great and feels bad that he isn't learning much but I have repeatedly told her that he is a special case and to not stress about him. She has suggested having Cole go into the 3rd grade Spanish class and just sit and listen for an hour a day but he refuses! So, we are contemplating home schooling those two. They are both all for it but if we do, they won't learn/use their Spanish. I can't seem to find a middle ground where they are able to learn Spanish but also learn the other things that they need to. (Not to mention having the chance to interact with other kids their age) Alysa and Laina are both doing amazingly well in school and seem to be fitting in with their peers in both Spanish and English. Oh, the agony of worrying about your kids and their well being!!

Well, if you can't tell, it's been a trying day/week/months! Hopefully I'll have a little pick me up this weekend and do something different.

7/5/09

Sunday 7/5/09

Cole was up all night with an upset stomach. At 5:45, it all started coming out. He must have still been half asleep because he threw up all over the floor in his room. He couldn't figure out what was going on and get to the bathroom. It was a lovely start to our morning!! He woke up pretty much the whole family and nobody was able to get back to bed by the time we got everything cleaned up and kids situated in different rooms.

Chris stayed home from church with Cole while the girls and I went. I was a little worried about taking Laina to sit with Morgan and Alysa for Sacrament meeting while I played the piano. She ended up sitting with me and having me scold her the entire time for bumping me while I was playing or leaning on the piano or running around. The other girls did remarkably well!

It was testimony meeting which has also been quite different here. People pretty much race to the stand! It is extremely rare to have silent moments in between people. The last bench on the stand is almost always full of people waiting their turn. I always sit there and try to figure out how to communicate how I am feeling in Spanish.

I had a few good conversations with people and am feeling a little encouraged to continue working on my Spanish. I need to force myself to find time to sit down and study my books and practice. I get so caught up with taking care of my kids, the house, and preparing stuff for school that I rarely take time for myself.

When we got home from church, Cole finally stopped throwing up. Apparently he spent most of the morning in the bathroom. Poor kid. I hope he's well enough to go to school tomorrow. If not, I don't know what I am going to do!!

I was once again blessed to get a wonderful nap after church. I could get used to this!! Laina curled up with me and we enjoyed a little bit of quiet. The day was even better since we had so many leftovers from the bbq that we had to use them up so we'd have enough room in the fridge for the kids lunches!!

Laina just asked me to write that she loves Grandmas and Grandpas.