Outside Temp: 52 F (clear and beautiful, then cloudy, then rain, then cloudy, then rain, then clear, then... It's been like this all day.... I love it!)
What I cooked today:
Taco soup: It's just ground beef with taco seasoning, then carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes. But it's a soup, which Patrick wanted. It's ground beef, which was defrosted. And it's easy, which I wanted!
Update:
Church today, then into Great Falls for some shopping. Allen needed track shoes (as opposed to basketball shoes, as opposed to street shoes, as opposed to baseball or soccer or football shoes... I mean, really? Different shoes for each sport. lame)
So, I'm traveling down the highway at around 80 (which is pretty normal), when I see the highway patrol pass me, and immediately turn around on the highway and come up behind me. I mean, really?
"I clocked you going 79 MPH back there." he said.
Really? 79? And I wasn't getting passed?
I had my licence and my registration and my insurance info ready for him, and he looked it over and asked, "Where are you going?"
I explained that I was heading into town for my weekly shopping, since we're from Raynesford and we only go into town once a week.
He looked over my car (yes, my little Aveo) and said, "You can fit a week's worth of groceries in here?".
He was kind enough to give me a warning and let me go, which was totally awesome. I'm sure he ran my plates and my licence, just to make sure I wasn't wanted for murder somewhere. But I was totally stunned that he was letting me go. In California, I think they run your plates and issue the ticket before they even step up to your window.
There was a 'Officer in Training' standing back, so I'm figuring that he was training a new recruit. And my car is yellow, and I was going over the speed limit, so I was an easy target. And since I don't have to actually pay anything, and it only took a few minutes of my time, I'm more than willing to be a teaching moment for someone else!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
March 30, 2012
Outside Temp: 44 F (not sure of the weather here, but it was 70 and beautiful in Billings)
What I cooked today:
nothing... ate out twice, which makes me really want to cook tomorrow, since I'm decided I hate food at restaurants. I mean, Denny's... okay, I expect crappy food there. But we went to Red Robin for dinner, and it was, well, not bad, but certainly not good. Maybe it's not enough salt. Or maybe the beef wasn't as good as what we get here. There was nothing specific to complain about, it just wasn't good. Oh well, I have no reason to eat out for the next few day (or weeks...)
Update:
Allen had the Geography Bee in Billings today. He didn't win, and he could have done better than he did, but I think he did okay. We didn't study as much as we could have, but I don't think he took it that seriously. Now, we know the format and how the Bee is done. He did great on the US Geography questions, which is where we spent a lot of out study time. But he got 3 questions about Africa, and he is just not interested in that continent. So, we didn't study there as much as we could have. Next time, he'll do much better.
The drive out to Billings was about 3 hours, so we brought the other kids up to the Grandparents place around 7am this morning. I'm not usually up at 7, and I'm certainly not dressed and ready to go. And Ryan is NEVER up that early. But we somehow managed to get up and out the door. While I was bringing the kids up there, Patrick and Allen got ready. So we were out of here by 7:15ish.
We, of course, had to stop for junk food at Eddie's Corners (which is about 45 minutes from the house). We just needed to have donuts and soda and beef jerky and candy. I'm not sure exactly why we needed all this junk food, but I'm sure it was a matter of life and death.
We made it into Billings around 10:30, which was about an hour too early. So, we hit Denny's for breakfast/lunch. By the way, Denny's is just nasty. Just in case you didn't already know. I mean, Denny's has always been mediocre, but now, it just tasted terrible.
We went back to the Bee, and got registered. They split the 100 students into groups of 20. Each group went through 8 rounds of questions. Allen did fine on the first 3, but he got stumped on the 4th. By the time they got through 8 rounds, he knew that he had missed too many. Out of the the 100 students, there were 7 kids who didn't miss any. The 9 kids who only missed 1 competed for the remaining 3 spots in the finals.
We stayed to watch the finals, which were great. I'm sure if Allen had made it to the finals, he would have been so nervous, he would have missed questions anyway. The girl who won was so relaxed and calm. I was amazed at how comfortable she was, standing in front of about 200 people (the other 90 students, and their parents and siblings, etc). She was very gracious when she won, and we were rooting for her (especially since we no longer had to root for ourselves).
Allen was a little upset that he had let his school down, but I figure he made it this far and I was pretty impressed. And, since he's never done anything like this before, I think he did great. And now, he knows how to prepare better for next year!
We hit Red Robin for dinner and then started the 3 hour trek home. It was kind of nice, though, to be able to talk with Allen. We got to just have those awesome discussions about random things, from politics, to economics, to history, to life in general. I love our discussions!
What I cooked today:
nothing... ate out twice, which makes me really want to cook tomorrow, since I'm decided I hate food at restaurants. I mean, Denny's... okay, I expect crappy food there. But we went to Red Robin for dinner, and it was, well, not bad, but certainly not good. Maybe it's not enough salt. Or maybe the beef wasn't as good as what we get here. There was nothing specific to complain about, it just wasn't good. Oh well, I have no reason to eat out for the next few day (or weeks...)
Update:
Allen had the Geography Bee in Billings today. He didn't win, and he could have done better than he did, but I think he did okay. We didn't study as much as we could have, but I don't think he took it that seriously. Now, we know the format and how the Bee is done. He did great on the US Geography questions, which is where we spent a lot of out study time. But he got 3 questions about Africa, and he is just not interested in that continent. So, we didn't study there as much as we could have. Next time, he'll do much better.
The drive out to Billings was about 3 hours, so we brought the other kids up to the Grandparents place around 7am this morning. I'm not usually up at 7, and I'm certainly not dressed and ready to go. And Ryan is NEVER up that early. But we somehow managed to get up and out the door. While I was bringing the kids up there, Patrick and Allen got ready. So we were out of here by 7:15ish.
We, of course, had to stop for junk food at Eddie's Corners (which is about 45 minutes from the house). We just needed to have donuts and soda and beef jerky and candy. I'm not sure exactly why we needed all this junk food, but I'm sure it was a matter of life and death.
We made it into Billings around 10:30, which was about an hour too early. So, we hit Denny's for breakfast/lunch. By the way, Denny's is just nasty. Just in case you didn't already know. I mean, Denny's has always been mediocre, but now, it just tasted terrible.
We went back to the Bee, and got registered. They split the 100 students into groups of 20. Each group went through 8 rounds of questions. Allen did fine on the first 3, but he got stumped on the 4th. By the time they got through 8 rounds, he knew that he had missed too many. Out of the the 100 students, there were 7 kids who didn't miss any. The 9 kids who only missed 1 competed for the remaining 3 spots in the finals.
We stayed to watch the finals, which were great. I'm sure if Allen had made it to the finals, he would have been so nervous, he would have missed questions anyway. The girl who won was so relaxed and calm. I was amazed at how comfortable she was, standing in front of about 200 people (the other 90 students, and their parents and siblings, etc). She was very gracious when she won, and we were rooting for her (especially since we no longer had to root for ourselves).
Allen was a little upset that he had let his school down, but I figure he made it this far and I was pretty impressed. And, since he's never done anything like this before, I think he did great. And now, he knows how to prepare better for next year!
We hit Red Robin for dinner and then started the 3 hour trek home. It was kind of nice, though, to be able to talk with Allen. We got to just have those awesome discussions about random things, from politics, to economics, to history, to life in general. I love our discussions!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
March 29, 2012
Outside Temp: 46 F (sunny and beautiful all day...)
What I cooked today:
Chicken Soup: Dinner was late tonight, and I tossed in lentils into the chicken stock (with veggies) before I realized I was already putting in chicken (I diced up a chicken breast and sauteed it first). I should have cooked it a little longer, but it was still good.
Update:
Parent teacher conferences tonight. The kids are all doing well in school, although I had to get on Allen's case for getting a B+ in math. It totally should have been an A (yes, I am one of those parents). He did do an awesome project in Shop class. He made a fish out of wood, stained it and sanded it down. I was pretty impressed!
I also found out that my fingerprints were rejected... because they were too smudged (not because of a wild night in Mexico during college). I had to go back into Stanford to the Sheriff's office and get re-fingerprinted. It's amazing; they make it look so easy on TV to fingerprint someone, but it's actually really hard. I could not relax my hand enough and it took about 20 tries before we decided it might work. Oh goodness, I am praying that it gets through okay.
Tomorrow is Allen's Geography Bee in Billings, which means we have a very long day ahead of us. The other kids will be hanging out at the grandparents place, so they don't have to make the 3+ hours into Billings and the 3+ hours back home.
Allen is pretty nervous, mostly because an article came out in the paper today about the Bee. He made the front page, which is stinking awesome. I love it out here. But I have to make sure next time that I check his interview answers before it goes to press... there were a few things he got wrong, but I think he did okay. I just hope that he doesn't get so nervous tomorrow that he messes up. He really wants to make his school proud!
What I cooked today:
Chicken Soup: Dinner was late tonight, and I tossed in lentils into the chicken stock (with veggies) before I realized I was already putting in chicken (I diced up a chicken breast and sauteed it first). I should have cooked it a little longer, but it was still good.
Update:
Parent teacher conferences tonight. The kids are all doing well in school, although I had to get on Allen's case for getting a B+ in math. It totally should have been an A (yes, I am one of those parents). He did do an awesome project in Shop class. He made a fish out of wood, stained it and sanded it down. I was pretty impressed!
I also found out that my fingerprints were rejected... because they were too smudged (not because of a wild night in Mexico during college). I had to go back into Stanford to the Sheriff's office and get re-fingerprinted. It's amazing; they make it look so easy on TV to fingerprint someone, but it's actually really hard. I could not relax my hand enough and it took about 20 tries before we decided it might work. Oh goodness, I am praying that it gets through okay.
Tomorrow is Allen's Geography Bee in Billings, which means we have a very long day ahead of us. The other kids will be hanging out at the grandparents place, so they don't have to make the 3+ hours into Billings and the 3+ hours back home.
Allen is pretty nervous, mostly because an article came out in the paper today about the Bee. He made the front page, which is stinking awesome. I love it out here. But I have to make sure next time that I check his interview answers before it goes to press... there were a few things he got wrong, but I think he did okay. I just hope that he doesn't get so nervous tomorrow that he messes up. He really wants to make his school proud!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
March 28, 2012
Outside Temp: 40 F (pretty this morning... then thunderheads... a little rain... now clear... I love our changing weather!)
What I cooked today:
Walnut Chicken: We got home late from church, and I had to rush dinner. I got it on the table in 22 minutes, which isn't bad. But it still meant that we ate at about 9:05. And on a school night, too!
Update:
Ski Day!! Today was the second ski day for the school, so the kids headed up the mountain with Grandpa for skiing. They said the conditions were better than Sunday, except that there was a lot of ice. Allen tagged along with the other kids from school, and Katie and Connor took off on their own. I stayed home with Patrick and Ryan, since Patrick had to work and Ryan was a little cranky. No biggie, I spent an hour on the phone with medical billing, so it was productive!
As soon as the got home, I rushed Allen over to Stanford for Track practice. Although he told his coach that he probably wouldn't be home from skiing in time for practice, he asked to go. He said he really needed the practice (which I agree with, but I was surprised that he would be that mature!). His coach ended up letting him out early (which worked since we had other places to be), but I made him run a few more sets. Up and back on the football field, which works out well since he thinks he's going to do the 100 meter dash. Of course, the wind was a little high, so there was about a 5-10 second difference depending on if the wind was in front of him, or behind him. I see a lesson on physics in our future.
After practice, we raced back to Belt for mass, and then our Confirmation class. We had a great class tonight (as opposed to last week, when the kids were spastic). We've set up the class so that we don't have too much to cover each week. That allows us plenty of time for discussions, even those that go way off topic.
Tomorrow is Parent-Teacher conferences, so I'm looking forward to that. At least, I hope I am looking forward to it...
What I cooked today:
Walnut Chicken: We got home late from church, and I had to rush dinner. I got it on the table in 22 minutes, which isn't bad. But it still meant that we ate at about 9:05. And on a school night, too!
Update:
Ski Day!! Today was the second ski day for the school, so the kids headed up the mountain with Grandpa for skiing. They said the conditions were better than Sunday, except that there was a lot of ice. Allen tagged along with the other kids from school, and Katie and Connor took off on their own. I stayed home with Patrick and Ryan, since Patrick had to work and Ryan was a little cranky. No biggie, I spent an hour on the phone with medical billing, so it was productive!
As soon as the got home, I rushed Allen over to Stanford for Track practice. Although he told his coach that he probably wouldn't be home from skiing in time for practice, he asked to go. He said he really needed the practice (which I agree with, but I was surprised that he would be that mature!). His coach ended up letting him out early (which worked since we had other places to be), but I made him run a few more sets. Up and back on the football field, which works out well since he thinks he's going to do the 100 meter dash. Of course, the wind was a little high, so there was about a 5-10 second difference depending on if the wind was in front of him, or behind him. I see a lesson on physics in our future.
After practice, we raced back to Belt for mass, and then our Confirmation class. We had a great class tonight (as opposed to last week, when the kids were spastic). We've set up the class so that we don't have too much to cover each week. That allows us plenty of time for discussions, even those that go way off topic.
Tomorrow is Parent-Teacher conferences, so I'm looking forward to that. At least, I hope I am looking forward to it...
March 27, 2012
Outside Temp: 40's (I think)
What I cooked today:
Take and Bake Pizza: Which I didn't even cook, since we were up at the Grandparents' place and Grandma did all the work.
Update:
It was one of those days.
At the school, Connor's class finished all their reading goals for the quarter, and as a reward, they were allowed to duct tape their principal to the wall. Totally hysterical. Even Ryan join in on the fun.
The duct tape held after they removed the block he was standing on, for about 6 seconds. Not bad for some 5th and 6th graders!
After school, I ran into town, to pick up Ryan's meds and get some groceries.
Then back home. Patrick had picked up Allen from track practice, so at least I didn't need to then drive all the way back into Stanford. I picked up a TracFone for Allen in town. With him at Track practice, he usually will get back to the school around 6pm. But, if practice runs long or is cut short early, I wanted him to have a way to call me, to pick him up. At least these phones are only about $10, so if he brakes it, it's not a big deal.
Of course, the phone doesn't get really good service at our house, so as I'm trying to set it up, I had to take it outside and do the 'do I have service, yet' thing, with the phone in the air. It would seem appropriate that Ryan's teacher was on her way back from town, and saw me in the front yard, with my arm up in the air, praying to the cell phone service gods. She had to stop in and ask what on earth I was doing. Priceless.
What I cooked today:
Take and Bake Pizza: Which I didn't even cook, since we were up at the Grandparents' place and Grandma did all the work.
Update:
It was one of those days.
At the school, Connor's class finished all their reading goals for the quarter, and as a reward, they were allowed to duct tape their principal to the wall. Totally hysterical. Even Ryan join in on the fun.
 |  |
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The duct tape held after they removed the block he was standing on, for about 6 seconds. Not bad for some 5th and 6th graders!
After school, I ran into town, to pick up Ryan's meds and get some groceries.
Then back home. Patrick had picked up Allen from track practice, so at least I didn't need to then drive all the way back into Stanford. I picked up a TracFone for Allen in town. With him at Track practice, he usually will get back to the school around 6pm. But, if practice runs long or is cut short early, I wanted him to have a way to call me, to pick him up. At least these phones are only about $10, so if he brakes it, it's not a big deal.
Of course, the phone doesn't get really good service at our house, so as I'm trying to set it up, I had to take it outside and do the 'do I have service, yet' thing, with the phone in the air. It would seem appropriate that Ryan's teacher was on her way back from town, and saw me in the front yard, with my arm up in the air, praying to the cell phone service gods. She had to stop in and ask what on earth I was doing. Priceless.
Monday, March 26, 2012
March 26, 2012
Outside Temp: 37 F (a little chilly today, clear... then foggy... then clear... then rain... then foggy... The weather couldn't make up it's mind today.)
What I cooked today:
Tacos: Of course, after the meat was cooked and spiced, and the refried beans were heated up, and the tortillas were warming in the oven, I looked in the fridge and there was no cheese. I looked up at my husband and asked, "Did you eat all the Cheddar cheese?"... uhhh, maybe... So, we settled for mozzarella cheese. It was fine, but I still glared at my husband during dinner.
Update:
It's Monday, so Ryan had speech therapy at 8am. Which means that I have to, not only get the 3 other kids ready, but myself and Ryan. Sure, no problem. I'm pretty spoiled anyway, so doing this once a week isn't all that bad. But, we discussed next year today, and we'll probably have him go to school in the mornings until 11ish (or so). So, I'd better be happy not getting him ready for the next 6 weeks. Next year, it will be very different.
I talked with Ryan's speech therapist today about a conference that she went to over the weekend on Autism and Aspergers kids (like Ryan, and Allen, and Patrick and pretty much all my kids!). She brought me her notes, so I could look over them. There were some descriptions of how Asperger's people can overreact or react inappropriately. So, being the good mom I am, I discussed some of these over dinner.
Our favorites were:
One Sided Sid: The conversation is only about you.
Glass-Man: Overreacts emotionally to insults or criticisms
Destroyer of Fun: So competitive that it's no longer fun to play
The best part of the conversation was that these were generally perceived as negative personality traits, i.e. traits that you would prefer not to have. Yet, my kids (and husband) were competing on who had the most traits and which traits each could claim as ones they exhibited. I never claimed that my family was normal. Allen's claim tonight was that while Patrick is obviously Aspergers, Allen was 'tempered' Asperger's, since he wasn't as bad as his father.
Part of the conference covered the concept of a Perception Taker, which I understand to be your ability to recognize how other people see the world. I was talking to Patrick about the different levels of impairment regarding this, and while he was appearing to listen, apparently wasn't listening well. I said, "I think that you are an Impaired Interactive Perception Taker", (which was the most normal of the options, while still being Aspergers). He looked at me like I was talking Greek, and said, "What did you say? That sounded like 4 random words." Which prompted me to respond, "Candle, Bunny, White, Truck.". We both started cracking up, and the tears started running down my face. It took about 10 minutes to get us back on track to explain what on earth an Impaired Interactive Perception Taker could mean. I still don't think he got it, but he pretended to pay attention, so I had to give him credit for that.
The conversation ended with 3 kids laughing hysterically on the floor. Ah, well, that's dinner at our house. Discuss our mental abnormalities in a loving environment, and keep laughing!
What I cooked today:
Tacos: Of course, after the meat was cooked and spiced, and the refried beans were heated up, and the tortillas were warming in the oven, I looked in the fridge and there was no cheese. I looked up at my husband and asked, "Did you eat all the Cheddar cheese?"... uhhh, maybe... So, we settled for mozzarella cheese. It was fine, but I still glared at my husband during dinner.
Update:
It's Monday, so Ryan had speech therapy at 8am. Which means that I have to, not only get the 3 other kids ready, but myself and Ryan. Sure, no problem. I'm pretty spoiled anyway, so doing this once a week isn't all that bad. But, we discussed next year today, and we'll probably have him go to school in the mornings until 11ish (or so). So, I'd better be happy not getting him ready for the next 6 weeks. Next year, it will be very different.
I talked with Ryan's speech therapist today about a conference that she went to over the weekend on Autism and Aspergers kids (like Ryan, and Allen, and Patrick and pretty much all my kids!). She brought me her notes, so I could look over them. There were some descriptions of how Asperger's people can overreact or react inappropriately. So, being the good mom I am, I discussed some of these over dinner.
Our favorites were:
One Sided Sid: The conversation is only about you.
Glass-Man: Overreacts emotionally to insults or criticisms
Destroyer of Fun: So competitive that it's no longer fun to play
The best part of the conversation was that these were generally perceived as negative personality traits, i.e. traits that you would prefer not to have. Yet, my kids (and husband) were competing on who had the most traits and which traits each could claim as ones they exhibited. I never claimed that my family was normal. Allen's claim tonight was that while Patrick is obviously Aspergers, Allen was 'tempered' Asperger's, since he wasn't as bad as his father.
Part of the conference covered the concept of a Perception Taker, which I understand to be your ability to recognize how other people see the world. I was talking to Patrick about the different levels of impairment regarding this, and while he was appearing to listen, apparently wasn't listening well. I said, "I think that you are an Impaired Interactive Perception Taker", (which was the most normal of the options, while still being Aspergers). He looked at me like I was talking Greek, and said, "What did you say? That sounded like 4 random words." Which prompted me to respond, "Candle, Bunny, White, Truck.". We both started cracking up, and the tears started running down my face. It took about 10 minutes to get us back on track to explain what on earth an Impaired Interactive Perception Taker could mean. I still don't think he got it, but he pretended to pay attention, so I had to give him credit for that.
The conversation ended with 3 kids laughing hysterically on the floor. Ah, well, that's dinner at our house. Discuss our mental abnormalities in a loving environment, and keep laughing!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
March 25, 2012
Outside Temp: 35 F (foggy in the morning, clear as a bell in the afternoon!)
What I cooked today:
Sweet and Sour Chicken: Exhausted from our ski day (not sure exactly why, since I didn't ski), I decided to make something easy. I know, it doesn't sound easy, but it totally is! I put the rice in the microwave for 22 minutes (I need to add an extra 2 minutes, I think because of the altitude). Cut up the chicken, toss in a Ziploc with green onions, ginger, oil and cornstarch. Then put in the frying pan for about 10 minutes. While that's cooking, cut up some onions, celery, carrots and peppers (pineapple is already cut up, since it's in a can). Saute the veggies while the chicken browns. Mix up the sauce with some red wine vinegar, ketchup (I was stunned, but really, ketchup), sugar and honey. Throw the veggies in the pan with the chicken (once it's done) and cover with the sauce. Simmer for an extra 4-5 minutes. Dinner was on the table in less than 30 minutes! Woo Hoo!
Update:
Skiing today! There is only about 2 weeks left in the ski season, so we just HAD to go up today. Unfortunately, it was about 70 F up at the top of the mountain.
While I wasn't skiing, the others told me that the conditions were bad. Really, really bad. It was slushy and ucky most of the day.
That being said, Ryan did go up with Grandpa and Patrick for 2-3 runs. Once they were done, Grandpa took him on the beginners area and he practiced his turns. No really, he actually went around the cones, correctly! I was stunned. I'd been trying to get him to do that all season! Woo Hoo!
Katie, Allen and Connor went up on the slopes together, and they did great. Allen stayed with them on the intermediate slopes, and he said they all skied really well.
After skiing, Patrick and I had to run into Belt, and we started counting hawks. Yes, hawks, like the birds. By the time we got home, we were over 20. I'm not sure if it's the warmer weather, or the fog lifting, but apparently, the hawks are out in full force today! Of course, I forgot my camera, (ugh!) or I would have gotten some great pictures... Maybe tomorrow...
What I cooked today:
Sweet and Sour Chicken: Exhausted from our ski day (not sure exactly why, since I didn't ski), I decided to make something easy. I know, it doesn't sound easy, but it totally is! I put the rice in the microwave for 22 minutes (I need to add an extra 2 minutes, I think because of the altitude). Cut up the chicken, toss in a Ziploc with green onions, ginger, oil and cornstarch. Then put in the frying pan for about 10 minutes. While that's cooking, cut up some onions, celery, carrots and peppers (pineapple is already cut up, since it's in a can). Saute the veggies while the chicken browns. Mix up the sauce with some red wine vinegar, ketchup (I was stunned, but really, ketchup), sugar and honey. Throw the veggies in the pan with the chicken (once it's done) and cover with the sauce. Simmer for an extra 4-5 minutes. Dinner was on the table in less than 30 minutes! Woo Hoo!
Update:
Skiing today! There is only about 2 weeks left in the ski season, so we just HAD to go up today. Unfortunately, it was about 70 F up at the top of the mountain.
While I wasn't skiing, the others told me that the conditions were bad. Really, really bad. It was slushy and ucky most of the day.
That being said, Ryan did go up with Grandpa and Patrick for 2-3 runs. Once they were done, Grandpa took him on the beginners area and he practiced his turns. No really, he actually went around the cones, correctly! I was stunned. I'd been trying to get him to do that all season! Woo Hoo!
Katie, Allen and Connor went up on the slopes together, and they did great. Allen stayed with them on the intermediate slopes, and he said they all skied really well.
After skiing, Patrick and I had to run into Belt, and we started counting hawks. Yes, hawks, like the birds. By the time we got home, we were over 20. I'm not sure if it's the warmer weather, or the fog lifting, but apparently, the hawks are out in full force today! Of course, I forgot my camera, (ugh!) or I would have gotten some great pictures... Maybe tomorrow...
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