My baby goes back to School

Here is a picture I took of my son this morning just minutes before it was time for him to head back to his first college class for this fall. Doesn't he look excited and ready? With his eager mind ready to learn?

it's back to school

The nieces, nephews and cousins in Ohio start back to school today. Those north of the border start school a week from today. It's good-by to summer and hello to homework. Here are a few pictures of our last swim of summer.

Hours with No Power

Bad News: Husband and son spend time outside in bad weather looking for tornados
Good News: They did not see any

Bad News: It was difficult picking up pizzas when just about everyone in the place crying due to tornado warnings.
Good News: They charged us for one pizza and not two.

Bad News: Due to strong thunderstorms we were without power most of the night
Good News: Our house looked cute glowing by candle lights

Bad News: No TV to watch
Good News: Conversations got very interesting without interruptions.

Bad News: Due to the storm Tommy was awake and happy most of the night
Good News: After being sick all week, Tommy was awake and happy most of the night

Bad News: due to the storms in Ohio, the school’s first football game of the season was cancelled
Good News: Due to all the rain & flooding in Ohio, game will be played at home tonight.

Upset, bad day

I wend to another funeral for a student in Tommy’s class. The student is/was a lot like Tom with multiple handicaps since birth. He is/was an 18 year old foster child, whose foster parents openly admitted that they took in for the money. The more severely handicapped the child is, the more money paid in taking care of the child, whether you adopted the child or not. One of the reasons you adopt a foster child is when the parents given up their rights to the child. If you don’t adopt them, then someone else could take and adopt the child.
Thomas being our biological child, we are not entitled to the same things these foster parents get. The foster parents complained to me about how the help they were getting was being cut back. They had an aide show up at their house daily and would stay at the house and take care of him until he went to bed. Did I ever get any kind of government aide at all? NO! Not even for family emergencies. All of this foster child’s medical bills were paid too, supplies that the child needed were paid for, and he also received money for clothes and gift. We still have had medical bills coming out our ears.
Twice while Tommy was in the hospital, so was this child. We never saw the foster parents at the hospital the whole time both boys were in there. When someone was there for him, it was a government paid aide. Another time while waiting in the doctor’s office waiting for an appointment, this family came in. We were surprise to find that they had taken in another foster child. The foster father said that they thought they were going to lose this boy, and if they did he was afraid he’d have to go back to work. So they took another child in for the money, just in case. And since then have taken in even more.
At the funeral yesterday, if you want to call it that, the family received guest for an hour at their church and then they had a little pray service. Dad wore short and tennis shoes, the foster family member were dressed more for a picnic or a reunion. I am still having a hard time with that and what they had put in the newspaper “He had many special needs, and his family lived their lives caring for and loving him with every fiber of their being.”

Our Weekend

This weekend was a pig roast party for a cousin that was married in New York. lately it only been at parties where I get to visit with all my sisters. Can you tell by these pictures that my niece didn't feel well that day?

Bad Poetry Day

August 18 is Bad Poetry Day.
In celebration of that day here is my bad poem.

Welcome to my home
I’m so glad you came for dinner.
I know it hasn’t been that long
But the last time weren’t you at bit thinner.

Dinner is one of my favorites
My personally choice I like to boast
Spent all day yesterday making it
You’ll just love my liver and noodles on toast.

Wait until you see my talented kids
After dinner they have a surprise for you
They going to sing every song
That was ever sung by the group Blink 182.

Dessert will be a special treat
Made by my old friends at the home
Glitter pudding on crackers
That they topped with polyurethane foam.

We’ll end our evening together
In our most unusually way
As we give thanks for our time together
We will dance the nutcracker ballet.

we look forward to went we meet again
We’ll be so glad you came to dinner
So happy that you really love us
And it's not just because we're the mega lottery winners.

Working

My routine is thrown off. Each morning after a long ritual of morning chores and getting my self and my son ready for the day, I would then sit at the computer, drink coffee and read emails. Now that L is back to work, even just part time this week; I don’t get to wake up to find new photos or stories from the other side of the state. It’s only been two days and it’s just enough to bother me. Her routine has changed and mine has not. Did G go to bed like she should have? Did A pull his own hair any more? Do you still have dumpster kitty? Did your stroller arrive? I hope C is being a big help. What adorable thing did my grandkids do today??

One of My Pet peeves

Boarder crossers - it’s not what you think

It’s not hard to spot a boarder crosser; they push shopping carts overflowing with an assortment of cans and bottles of all types. They arrive at any of the local grocery stores just over the Ohio boarder into Michigan. They are here to recycle their empties; the pop/beer bottles and/or cans that they brought in Ohio that has no deposits and return cans here in Michigan for the deposit money. It is now estimated that 100 million cans and bottles were illegally redeemed each year for the 10 cent deposits. That’s $10,000,000 that is paid out that isn’t paid into our system.

Party Pics

Favorite Photos

Georgia showing us how she can swim like a fish










Aidan is ready for his deep swim








I think this is a new way to play croquet












Yes, Laura you look like your father













Austin's reply after I ask him if he enjoyed his weekend here