I want to thank all of you for your posts and PMs regarding Mary's death. It was very helpful for me to have a place to share about Mary, with people I "know", since I didn't have the opportunity to attend her funeral and get some measure of closure that way. Her death has caused me to realize anew that the deferral that goes with the medical lifestyle during the training years is NOT a good thing. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow, you know? I don't advocate throwing caution to the wind and getting yourself into tons of debt, either, but it is important to find a happy medium, I think.

Tonight was "meet the teacher night" at my school. What that means for me is that I talk really fast for seven minutes to the parents who show up in my classroom, a bell rings, they leave, new parents come in, and I do the same thing again, etc. I feel like an auctioneer! The stuff we are supposed to cover will NOT fit into the amount of time they give us. I never get to meet the parents who attend, and that is really my only chance to meet them.....at concerts I am WAY too distracted and stressed out. Oh well. I had a much better turn out tonight than I did last year, especially with my 7th grade parents, and involved parents tend to mean a nice group of kids.

School in general seems to be going well. My 8th graders are doing well....I have a few new students, but most I had last year. They are pretty sweet (most of them....) and enjoy singing, but they are not the smartest bunch (collectively) and are a little immature. The 7th graders already are showing more responsibility in some areas, and they are definitely more together (again, collectively) then last year's 7th graders were. I am feeling SO much better about everything now that I am not the *new* teacher. It is a nice place to work.

The boys' school had their "meet the teacher" night last week. DH and I scrambled in order to get through all three of the boys' teachers presentations. We have high hopes for this year....we'll see how it all pans out. DS#2 has struggled in school. He is not as quick to get things as his brothers, nor is he as verbal. Moving after 1st grade was really hard for him, and then he was in a class with a first year teacher for 2nd grade. He just shut down for a while, and got behind. I was confident that 3rd grade for him would be better...he had settled in and the teacher was older and had several years experience, and was a very nice lady. Oh, was I wrong! Last year was SOOOO frustrating! His teacher was gone ALL THE TIME! Training to be a mentor teacher (what-EVER!) followed by foot surgery followed by jury duty followed by the premature birth of a grandchild......it went on and on! NO consistency for the kids, and DS#2 really needs that. The last straw was that during the 3rd trimester (btw I hate trimesters for early elementary....) she took ONE grade in reading, and counted it twice. That was IT! And it was over a book report, the first one they had ever done, and they did it in class. :huh: I couldn't get away with only taking 2 grades in a choir class....and reading is a core subject! I was livid and saw the principal about it as well as being very clear about my thoughts on the end-of-the-year survey that they give us every year. I shared the experience (in general terms) with the 4th grade teacher and told her I was expecting consistency, a schedule, and *regular grading* this year. And I had better get it! The gangsta is coming out. You don't want to see her when she is angry! Honestly, she already seems more organized, but it is early yet and I will remain vigilant! Ds#'s k-garten teacher is scary-organized. I already knew this because she lives on our cul-de-sac and I have gotten to know her, but it is almost to OCD levels, seriously. Great for the kids! He is loving kindergarten. He lost another tooth over the weekend, so he got to bring home the "tooth fairy bag" that she keeps for these occasions....he got a little certificate about having lost a tooth, he got to borrow an Arthur book to read to us about losing teeth, and he had (got) to do a journal page answering the question "What does the tooth fairy do with the teeth?" He said that she smashes them and uses them for sand and shells on beaches, and he drew a picture. He is really thriving in there. DS#3 has the same teachers as last year, so nothing new there, other than the attitude he is sporting this year. Not all the time, but enough so that DH and I have been doing some venting about him after he goes to bed! Other times, though, he is very responsible and helpful and very pleasant to be around. Just another part of the roller coaster of parenting, right? ("Parenthood", anyone? I love that movie!)

DH ended up sleeping at the hospital both Saturday and Sunday nights this weekend. Saturday night I was prepared for....he had signed up for an in-house shift. I had BIG plans....painted my toenails, read my stash of magazines, and watched Saturday Night Live until I fell asleep. Slept like a baby. Last night....totally unexpected that he was out all night. I didn't sleep well at ALL. He had this afternoon off, and wanted me to try to get home by 2:00 so we could plan his weekends off for the next two months. (Yes, we really do this. His weekends off are precious enough that I can't stand having one "unplanned".....I feel like it is wasted. If we "plan" to do nothing, I am okay with it. Control issues, maybe? Hmmmm.) I was running late and hurried to get home by 2:15. I rushed in the house to find him SOUND ASLEEP. I was disappointed but didn't have the heart to wake him up. He got up in time to go with me to get the kids from school, and of course he was with the boys this evening for homework and piano practice while I was out at school. Finding time for each other is such a struggle at this point in our lives.

I am looking forward to the upcoming three day weekend, and hopefully some cooler weather, too! But in general, life is good right now.[/QUOTE]