What was I thinking?

I try to be a good mom and stay involved in my daughter's life and especially her school. Since she is only in second grade, school is the main portion of what she does anyway. I like to know her teacher and stay in constant contact. I also enjoy being actively involved in the PTA so we can make the most of the program and be aware of what is going on with PTA and with the school.

Sometimes being an active member is difficult since I'm not a stay-at-mom who can drop by the school on a whim to volunteer in a classroom or help organize an event. Therefore, I often have to say no to requests to be involved. When the PTA President mentioned the elementary school student directory, I agreed to take on the responsibility of putting it together since it could be done from home.

Little did I know the amount of time and work this directory would entail. Let's just say her school has an enrollment of 461 students. While not all of them elected to be included in the directory, it was still a major undertaking to design and layout the directory while adding about 300 names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and parent/guardian names. Needless to say, I did not do much else the entire weekend.

I finally finished my directory thanks to Microsoft Publisher (Microsoft Word was very uncooperative) and emailed the PTA President to let her know I just needed to double check everything before sending it to her. She then informed me the school decided to overlook the deadline because students were still turning them in and they didn't want to leave anyone out and she has several more forms for me. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as just plugging them in due to the design, but at least the bulk of the project is finished. Now I'm just wondering what I was thinking when I volunteered to do this project.

The swine flu

This week has not been fun at all. Sunday night Aurea started feeling bad and it got progressively worse on Monday. We went to the doctor Monday afternoon where she was diagnosed with swine flu (they called today to also say she has a staph infection!) and she wasn't able to go to school or do anything fun. She missed school M-Thurs. and finally went back today. She has been taking Tamiflu and cough medicine. They are giving her the weekend to make up her homework, but that doesn't make for a fun, exciting weekend -especially after being sick and not being able to play with her friends all week. I stayed home with her Mon. and yesterday and her dad stayed with her on Tues. and Wed. Needless to say, it's been a difficult week for all of us.

Mon. when I was home I at least got some stuff done around the house while she rested. Yesterday though I started feeling badly and did not get anything done. I don't have the flu, but I just feel really tired and run down. My allergies have also kicked in. I think I have the rainy, nasty Kentucky weather to thank for that.

Tuesday afternoon I left to go to Franklin, TN for UK Preview Night for work and then stayed the night. I got up early on Wednesday morning and drove 4 hours back here and went straight to work. That probably did not help my immune system any either.

Luckily, I was able to work today and Aurea is back in school. Now we have the weekend to rest and regroup. Hopefully next week will be much more fun and nobody in the family will be sick.

Which is more important?

The last time I posted was almost a month ago, but that seems to be the way it goes. I would love to blog every day. Unfortunately, even if I have something to write about - I don't always have the time. One of the joys of being a full-time, single mother and a full-time employee.

My sister got married earlier this month. I was not thrilled about it since I was really close to my ex-brother-in-law. They were married for 10 years so it was hard to see them get divorced and even harder to watch her get remarried. The wedding did not start out so well since it came a huge downpour up until the ceremony began (it was an outdoor wedding) and pushed pictures until the end. Once the rain lifted though, everyone was able to gather under the tent. The ceremony went well and the reception was a load of fun.

Aurea is back in Girl Scouts and Upward Cheerleading signups just began. Between her stuff and everything I've got going on at work lately, the fall is going to be extremely busy! It gets hectic sometimes and I wish it would slow down a bit, but then spring comes and we have nothing going on and I miss it. The Academic Team hasn't even started yet either!

The few warm days we actually had of summer have officially faded. The high today is 59 degrees, in September! That's ridiculous for this time of year.

Last night I was supposed to attend a meeting (the optional kind without children, the kind parents actually look forward to attending) and told Aurea she was going to my friend's house for a couple of hours. "A couple of hooouurs!?" she whined like it would be for days on end. I told her it wouldn't be very long and she would be okay, but she decided she wanted to stay home, in her house, with me and she was NOT going anywhere. Then, I told her I had a meeting I really needed to attend. She gave me a sad look and asked, "which is more important - me or your meeting?" Needless to say, I did not attend the meeting last night. I just don't know where kids come up with this stuff. She is only seven for goodness sake, she shouldn't be able to con and guilt me like that!

August is gone

August flew by, where did the summer go? This was unusually cool summer anyway, but it seems gone already. The kids are back in school and the crazy schedules have already begun. Aurea loves school, but gets frustrated with her math homework. She is great at reading and enjoys basically anything unrelated to math, but she gets so upset over math homework. It is frustrating and heart-wrenching all at the same time. We had our first PTA meeting that went really well. These meetings aren't generally well attended. I hope the nice turnout at this one is a sign of things to come and not just due to the fact that it was the first meeting of the year. We have also begun our first PTA fundraiser for the year. Doesn't take long does it?

I'm glad to report my book has officially sold 16 copies. While I'm glad it has sold, 16 is not a significant amount and those are from family members. If you know of anyone with Multiple Sclerois, has a family member with MS, is merely interested in the topic, or simply wants to support me - please tell them about "Multiple Sclerosis: The Many Faces of the Disease." It is available at barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. You can find it at www.outskirtspress.com/multiplesclerosis or by going to amazon.com and typing in the title or author (Kathy Reed, FYI Reed is my maiden name). I would really appreciate it. Also, if anyone reads it and likes it, please post a review. Reviews help in listing strength on amazon.com.

We went to the Jonas Brothers concert here in Lexington. There were approx. 17,000 young girls whose screams erupted throughout Rupp Arena. I am not a Jonas fan, but they did put on a nice show and Aurea loved it. Likewise, I'm not a Wonder Girls or Honor Society fan. However, I do enjoy listening to Jordin Sparks and she did a great job as well. It was a long night, but the look on Aurea's face was worth it. I'm glad she loved her first concert.

This coming weekend is Labor Day weekend and my sister's wedding. I'm not looking forward to all of the family time this weekend. However, I have to work close to my hometown Thurs. night so I am taking Friday off and staying down there. Therefore, I have a four day weekend to look forward to. Now that is something to get excited about!

School is back in session

It's official, school is back in session. My children started school yesterday, but the differences amaze me. Adam is 13 and no desire to go back to school. He could care less and was less than enthusiastic about getting up, going, and starting 8th grade. Aurea is 7 and was overly excited and anxious for school to start. She got up half an hour before the alarm clock went off and said she couldn't wait to start 2nd grade! After school, he decided school "sucks, it's middle school." She could not stop talking about the afterschool Prime Time program. I'm still not really sure what either of them actually did in school all day! I do know she had a great first day of school and was wide awake again this morning. I'd like to think she would stay this excited all year, but somehow I doubt it.

The next few weeks are going to be extremely busy at work and at home. As most of you know, I work at the University of Kentucky. Classes at the university start back Aug. 26th and we are preparing for all of the commotion and chaos surrounding the beginning of a new semester. My cousin and her two girl, Aurea, and I are going to see the Jonas Brothers in concert next weekend. They will be coming up here to visit for the weekend so we will be busy. Labor Day weekend is my sister's wedding in Glasgow. Therefore, I will be spending this weekend shopping for dresses and shoes for me and Aurea so we don't wait until the last minute. The weekend after Labor Day is my birthday and I'm going out with the girls. I think I have a few weekends free before birthdays and holidays start, but I'm sure school events, friends, and family will quickly change that.

The weather outside might still say the season is summer, but all of the hustle and busy schedules of fall are certainly here!

It's almost August!

I received my author copies of my book! I'm really excited. Now I get to pitch it to stores in hopes they will agree to place it on shelves. Right now, it is only being run as print-on demand. While this is great and cost effective, I'm hoping to actually see it sitting on shelves in bookstores. I have one store buyer who has agreed to review it and then let me know whether or not they will carry it. I will not name any names yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. In the meantime, it is available at: www.outskirtspress.com/multiplesclerosis.

Life is starting to become hectic once again. I have a very busy week this week. My daughter's back-to-school bash is next week and then they start school on Aug. 12. I can't believe school is only two weeks away! That just does not even seem possible. I'm sure life will be extremely busy once school starts. I guess that's all part of the fun though.

I'm still trying to adjust to being single. It's only been four months, but it feels much longer. I do not have a problem with single part - I actually enjoy being able to come and go as I please and work my schedule around myself and the kids. It's also nice to have time just for myself. The problem is that this can be very lonely, especially at night when the kids are in bed and I'm awake and alone. I'm adapting and taking it one day at a time, but some days are easier than others.

An Awesome Weekend

This weekend was wonderful. It has been a really long time since I was honestly able to say something like that. I'm so happy things are finally starting to look up for me. After everything that has happened in the last few months, I'm glad to have good news for a change.

It's official, my book is published! I found out last night. Since Outskirts Press is a cross between traditional and self-publishing, the book is not on shelves anywhere. However, it is on barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com. The title is "Multiple Sclerosis: The Many Faces of the Disease." It is the story of my Aunt Suzanne and her battle with MS. The author is listed as Kathy Reed. Please do not think you are in the wrong place, Reed is my maiden name. As soon as I receive my printed copies in the mail, I can take them and actually pitch the book to local stores. Hopefully, my book will be on actually shelves soon. Regardless, it is available on the World Wide Web. I met a lifelong goal and I'm thrilled!

I bought a car on Saturday. I spent most of the afternoon at the dealership, but I drove away in a 2008 Pontiac G6 GT. Thanks to a wonderful friend and employee of the dealership, I got a nice discount and I tried in my old Daewoo. I got a great deal on the car and I'm very excited about it. I'm having fun just driving around now. Unfortunately, I am stuck at work right now, but this afternoon will be nice.

Saturday night I took my daughter to the Bluegrass Fair. I was really impressed with her. I paid for her to ride the rides. However, she is usually scared of anything tall or fast, so I did not expect her to ride many of them. She did though. She even did Ring of Fire, a ring roller coaster that goes upside down. She didn't like it and swears she will never do it again, but she braved it for the one ride anyway. That's not bad for a 7-year-old! She had so much fun that I had a hard time getting her to leave.

The kids both had wellness checkups on Friday afternoon. Aurea is 4'10" and Adam is
5'2". They will both be passing me up in no time! They both received clean bills of health. Yeah, that is always good news to the ears of a parent.

All in all, things went great this weekend and I'm just hoping this week is just as great and productive. I hope everyone else has a great week!