Thank you once again, Mrs. 4444, for giving me the opportunity to do a fragmentary post catching up on the things that have gone on this week. If you're a blogger and don't "frag", definitely consider it. Visit Half-Past Kissin' Time to link up.
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I got to see both of my nephews on Sunday, which is a rarity.
My brother lives about an hour away, but he just recently moved into a new house and has been busy with that, plus he and his girlfriend work all week, so weekends are pretty much their only time together. They brought Pete down for a day at the beach, though, and it was as always great to see them.
My sister and brother-in-law spent some time at their cabin in Maine last week, and they stopped in on their way back to Maryland. It was wonderful to see them all, especially my nephew Eddie. They only stopped in for a minute because they had to get the rental car back, but Eddie and Belle had a great time playing together.
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I was so proud of my girls this week!
Belle has been desperately wanting to have a lemonade stand, and we've been putting her off. After attending day camp at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) last week (she wants to be either a vet, a scientist, or a lion tamer when she grows up), though, Belle decided that she wanted to donate the proceeds of a lemonade stand to the SPCA.
It was hard to say no to that ...
And I was very proud of Addie, who joined right in to help her sister out.
It's comforting to know that your kids really do get the moral lessons you try to teach them ...
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Since my ex-husband fell into the toilet of alcoholism and irresponsibility, this week has been a tough one, considering that August 4 was the day we got married. I still try to focus on the positives, but sometimes it's really difficult.
This is especially true when he gets it into his head to call and make me feel badly about how little he gets to see Belle (as though this is my fault), and I want to scream at him, "You're trying to make this about YOU, you SOB, and it's not about you at all ... it's about Belle and what's best for her. Well, at least it should be!"
I was as polite as I could possibly be, and I asked that future correspondence of this nature be done through e-mail.
That stupid high road is a tough climb sometimes ...
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Addie started marching band rehearsals this week. When she left, there was a severe thunderstorm warning, and she had to drive through one heck of a storm.
Although Addie doesn't mind thunderstorms (in fact, she actually enjoys them, something she certainly didn't get from me), she is still a very cautious driver.
I was really impressed that she drove slowly and calmly. I would have pulled into a gas station, hid in the bathroom, and cried until it was over.
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Belle learned to swim!
You might think that, growing up on the ocean, my kids would be strong swimmers ... but they're not.
They have water awareness and know how to go underwater and to respect the tides and such, but actual swimming isn't something that inherently comes with ocean water.
Anyway, Belle was invited to a birthday party at a local outdoor pool. As soon as she saw the water slides (and the lines of kids going down them), she asked me to teach her to swim (the water slides empty into 12-foot-deep water, and you have to swim a fair amount to get to the ladder or even the side of the pool)
She asked me to teach her how to swim and, after about half an hour, I felt she was a good enough swimmer to try the water slides. She was a superstar!
Belle's the one flying off the blue slide here.
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Summer school ended yesterday. While I always enjoy teaching summer school, it is exhausting beyond words.
I have three days to enjoy the summer, then I have a conference all next week, a two-day conference the week after that, and Addie and I are going up to UVM to visit the campus as soon as I get back from that one.
What summer ;-)?
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The summer of the dentist continues ...
Both girls went to the dentist this week, Addie to get an old filling replaced and Belle to get a cavity filled.
Addie hates the dentist (well, not the dentist personally, just the idea of dentists in general), but Belle as always viewed it as an adventure ... and a chance to show off her truly unique personality ;-)
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I've done a lot of reflecting this week, particularly about focusing on the positives. When you have blessings like this, how can you not?
