Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for May, 2009
Pomp and circumstance, part II
Today was Ryan’s graduation in Sycamore.
I was looking forward to going up by myself to enjoy the day with the family. Not that I don’t love my kids, but there are times when it is nice to be by myself so I can relax and focus on what is going on around me besides tantrums, dirty diapers and the desire for juice. Even though I was totally looking forward to this day, I really had no idea how much I would enjoy it. Being up there by myself brought back so many memories of the time when I lived there and was totally a part of the Swartzy. Don’t get me wrong…I really do love my life now and I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. It’s just that hanging out with all of them was such a huge part of my life for so many years that it was really great to visit that time again. I don’t think I’ve talked to any of the boys as much as I did today in years.
But I digress. The day wasn’t about my enjoyment, but it was about family. We had such beautiful weather that we took a ton of pictures outside before the ceremony. 
I swear we thought of every combination of family we could to photograph. We took pictures of the boys alone…the whole Swartzy family…Ry with his grandparents…Ry with both sets of grandparents…the whole family with the grandparents…Ry with just his parents…and Ry with his mom and with his dad alone. 
Then the Johnsons came over and we did it all over again with Jenna and Ryan in a whole new set of pictures…all of the kids were complaining that their cheeks hurt from smiling so much! 
After pictures we were off to the high school for the ceremony. It was very nice, with the exception of a couple of stuffy speeches from the “suits” (the district superintendent and the president of the school board) that rambled on a little. The highlight for me was definitely the student speaker. SHS has a tradition of choosing the student speaker based on speeches submitted by interested candidates. The boy who was chosen to talk was poised, well-spoken, and wrote one heck of a speech. He had us all chuckling one minute and wiping tears the next. He spoke about some of their teachers specifically and about some of the things that every high school students faces. It was a really great speech. In fact, my dad actually searched out his parents to compliment them on his performance.
After graduation we all went for some dinner together. Again, I was taken back in time to my pre-married life when this was actually pretty customary. I had a really great day, and I’m so excited for Ryan to begin this new phase in his life. One of the first things I said to him after the ceremony was, “Ry, you’re an Illini now!” By far, my favorite picture of the day is this one.
Oskee-wow-wow, Ry!
Pomp and circumstance
This afternoon I attended my first NCHS graduation. I hadn’t gone in the past for various reasons, but this year I really wanted to go. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this class were freshmen my first year at NCHS. Maybe it’s due to the fact that since I finally feel like I know my job pretty well I was able to focus on getting to know more students this year. But no matter why, I felt like I knew many more seniors than I ever had in the past. So off I went to the US Cellular Coliseum in downtown Bloomington in a little bit of apprehension since I really didn’t know what to expect.
I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. I was happy to see many of the kids in their caps and gowns, and to give them one last “Congratulations” before they were gone from NCHS forever. The ceremony was nice, the crowd was generally pretty respectable, and the speeches were short and sweet. Towards the beginning of the graduation the diplomas of Rachel and Michelle, the two seniors who passed away this year, were presented to their parents. It was an emotional thing to see those parents accept the diplomas from the senior class president and treasurer. I’m sure everyone in the building was wishing that both girls could have been there themselves, but none more than those two couples on stage. My heart went out to them. The senior class also presented scholarships in both girls’ names, and both were awarded to the girls’ best friends. Again, the waterworks started for many of the graduates and us teachers. I was happy that this was all done at the beginning of the afternoon!
Overall, I was really happy that I went to celebrate with the seniors and their families. I do love such tradition and pomp & circumstance.
A new phase
Tonight was the open house at Ben’s new preschool. Starting next week, he will be an official student of Tomorrow’s Promise Learning Centre. The summer session is an 8 week program during June and July, and then he will also go there for 4 pre-K in the fall. The best news of all is that Ali will also go to TPLC this summer, and they will be in the same class. Having a great friend like Ali there with him will definitely make Ben more comfortable. We were all a bit apprehensive going to the open house tonight, but I now know it’s going to be a great place for him. Everyone there was really nice, and they have awesome toys. Ben and Ali were both really excited to play in their room. In fact, when the time came to leave, Ben was very upset that we had to go.
This summer their theme is “community helpers” so they’ll be learning all about service careers. I’m really excited, and I know Ben will love it. They have all kinds of cool things planned including picture day, book orders, scheduled “splash days” when they wear their swim suits, and even a field trip to the post office! It was a bit overwhelming to me, because this is really like school. I hope he is (and I am) ready for this!
Emma’s checkup
Yesterday afternoon Emma had her 2 year wellness checkup. I took bothkids withme, which is always a bit hectic, but I was hoping for the best. After we checked in at the reception desk we went into the little play room and I smelled her. Man, she was ripe. Of course there was nowhere to change her there, in public, so we just had to wait for the nurse to call us. After about 5 of the longest, stench-filled minutes ever, the nurse called us and we went to the examination room. Of course in there, a tiny little room withno ventilation, the smell intensified. Her response? “Wow, she really doesn’t smell so good, does she?” Nice, eh? Anyway, being the ever prepared mom I am, I had no wipes with me. I only had a spare diaper because I thought of it last minute as we were leaving Danielle’s on our way to the doctor. So I changed her nasty poopypants old school…with a couple of wet paper towels. The poor little thing. And that ever-so helpful nurse’s contribution to the whole ordeal? She got a plastic bag to put the diaper in so “no one else would have to smell that!” My love for her was growing by the minute.
Finally, when Emma was back to her sweet self, the nurse could get her height, weight, temperature and information. Once Dr. Peters came in and looked at all of that, he had some concerns. It seems that Emma has consistently been in the 50th percentile for both height and weight every at every checkup. This time, however, she was in the 10th percentile for both. From 50 to 10 in six months? Yeah, that’s why he was concerned. She’s lost three pounds and hasn’t grown much at all in that time. That’s according to their records. So now we have to go back in three months to make sure that she’s making positive progress and not losing more weight.
While part of me wants to laugh this off to an error in measuring, I do feel a bit concerned, too. I know she’s a little short, but come on…neither of our kids are going to be tall. We’re not. But she’s wearing 24 month clothes and she’s 24 months. Doesn’t that say something? For goodness sakes, she eats more than Ben at most meals…what else can we do?? I just hope that this all gets straightened out when we go back in September. I hate having something to eat away at me until then. Can’t there ever be a time when I don’t have to worry about these kids???
Happy Memorial Day!
I’m a little sad today. Memorial Day is usually a day I love. I mean, really, what’s not to love: it’s the day off preceding the final run of school before summer break, the weather is almost always nice and it’s usually when we get all of our flowers planted outside, there’s often a family cookout, it’s a day to remember loved ones we’ve lost and to decorate the cemeteries in which they’re laid to rest, and it’s a day to remember and appreciate the many men and women who have given their lives to protect and serve our country. But today just didn’t turn out like that at all.
This morning Dave woke up feeling very sick. He was not himself at all, and never really felt any better all day. So, the family cookout that was going to be at our house got moved to his parents’ house and the kids and I had to go without him. The weather was crappy all day, and it’s so muddy under our landscaping rock that we could not get our flowers into the ground. Since he was sick and the weather sucked, we didn’t even consider going to the parade this morning, so there was no reflection or memorials at all. And even though I literally drove through Earlville yesterday, I didn’t visit the cemetery where both of my grandpas and all of my great grandparents are buried.
Overall, it was just kind of a sucky Memorial Day. At least there are only 6 official days of school left. June 2nd cannot come soon enough.
How do you explain graduation?
Today the kids and I went to a graduation party for my cousin’s son Brock. He graduated from 8th grade at good ol’ LGS and will soon become an LHS Panther. It was a really fun party, and the kids had a blast playing with all of the other kids there. With the exception of Ben completely freaking out over their puppy chasing him, it was a really fun afternoon. That poor kid is terrified of dogs, I tell ya. This was a little shitzu chasing him around and he was screaming like a pitbull had charged him! I hope that this doesn’t last, because I feel so badly for him…seeing a dog just paralyzes him with fear.
Anyway, both kids thought we were going to a birthday party, so on the way there I was trying to explain that it wasn’t a birthday party, it was a graduation party. Here is where we ran into a little problem. I couldn’t really get a handle on the best way to explain what graduation is to Ben. On the last day of preschool we never really used the term graduation, so that wasn’t a reference for him. And he doesn’t really know what grades in school are, so saying that Brock was leaving Jr. High and starting High School meant nothing, either. It was a tough one. And actually, I never did come up with a good explanation at all. Once we got to the party he saw the cake and the balloons, and it was just a birthday party to him. Luckily, Brock and his brother Brady both actually had birthdays last week, so we lit candles on a big cookie for Brady and a strawberry pie for Brock and sang to both of them and all was right with the world.
Our first graduation
Today was Ben’s last day at the NCHS Iron Kids preschool. 
They didn’t have an “official” graduation ceremony, but they did make and wear mortar board hats and received diplomas. Although I can’t say that Ben understood anything that was going on, it was officially our very first graduation.
There is a big part of me that is kind of sad today. This was such a great year for Ben. Coming to NCHS for preschool was really a great experience for all of us. He loved going to school, which to me meant that it was always fun for him to be there. He and Ali had fantastic big kid buddies in Erica and Jamale, and by far the greatest thing about him attending preschool at NCHS was that I got to visit him down there whenever I wanted to.
Many of the high school girls who were in the preschool class really seemed to love Ben. They would tell me little stories about him when they visited the IMC. Sometimes, when there was a particularly funny Ben story, I’d hear it 3 or 4 times throughout the day! It was great. 
Many of them have already predicted that Ben and Ali will end up dating at some point in their lives! They were referred to as “a little old married couple” on more than one occasion. It cracked me up. I heard many, many times that they always sat by each other on the carpet and one would always look for the other before any transition. I have to tell you, too, that visiting the preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, hearing, “MOMMY!”, and having Ben run over to give me a hug & a kiss was a pretty nice break in my day.
Here are a few pictures from the festivities of the last day. The kids painted their handprints on the wall, were visited by “the best balloon maker in the world” (Ben’s term) Sam, and spent some quality time with their Big Kid Buddies for the last time.
Painting handprints Sam
Ben & Erica Ben & Jamale
Overall, it was a really great year for Ben and for me. I will miss knowing so much about his day-to-day activities next year. Although I’m very excited about his new preschool, I will certainly miss the NCHS Iron Kids.
A retirement question
Tonight I hosted a retirement party for my co-worker Terry in our IMC. It was a small party, but it was nice. Again, as she has several times throughout this year, Terry got a little emotional when people starting asking her about her plans for retirement. I really don’t think she’s looking forward to retirement at all. And that’s so difficult for me to understand. I can’t imagine not wanting to retire. Don’t get me wrong…I love my job…and I really do love having a career. But if you’ve worked hard for 34 years, you’d think that you’d be ready for a break! Instead, I think Terry is worried that she won’t have an identity if she’s not a librarian. I don’t know that for sure, but I get the impression that’s one of her fears.
I’ve seen a lot of people retire…my parents…friends from almost all of the districts in which I’ve worked…and now a close co-worker here. And I don’t think I’ve ever even thought about the fear that can be attached to this step. I just always thought people would look forward to it. So I guess my big question is…what’s there to be afraid of? How can unlimited time and the freedom to do whatever you want possibly be a bad thing? Maybe I’ll never understand because I almost always embrace change and love the thrill of new challenges. I’m trying to empathize with Terry even though I can’t imagine feeling as she does. I have approximately 17 years left in my teaching career, and although I’ll probably enjoy the changes and challenges of each one of them, I just can’t imagine not being excited about it being over. I’ll get back to you in 17 years to let you know!
Sometimes I forget
Tonight I had to go to school to do some work for tomorrow. We needed to run a report for each senior listing the items they have to return to the IMC before they can get their diploma. It’s something we do every year so that the seniors are informed in case they don’t actually get their diploma while walking across the stage. Anyway, we need them to run in alphabetical order and nobody else can send a print job while we’re running them. So I decided the easiest time to run them would be in the evening when I wouldn’t be disturbed.
I certainly don’t mind doing school work at night these days. It happens rarely, and if it does, it’s usually something that doesn’t take very long. Either that or it’s something I’m really excited about and I simply want to get it done quicker. No matter which, it always reminds me how happy I am to be teaching in the media center now instead of the classroom. I put in those long evening and weekend hours when I was teaching art, and I remember how many nights I dreaded grading or planning at home. And that was when I was single. I can’t even imagine doing it now, while having Dave and the kids. I honestly don’t know how so many of my friends do it. The title of this post isn’t really true at all. I never forget how lucky I am to now work in a field that requires very little homework. Sure, there are days when I don’t get a break and things are absolutely crazy for me, but most of the time I can walk out of the school and try to forget about it until tomorrow. There are not many teachers who can say that.
So next time you poke fun of a teacher for getting those “three months off” (which, by the way, is not even close to really being three months…I get done June 4th and go back August 10th) just remember how many hours he or she is putting in outside of work. I guarantee you there are not a lot of professions who have to work so hard when they’re not being paid. Don’t forget to appreciate and recognize the great teachers you know, because they are working harder than you can imagine!
It’s been awhile…
I know that it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. This has been one crazy week, and I just haven’t taken the time to sit down and organize my thoughts. But now it’s Saturday, and I finally have found some time to relax and write. I want to share one of the reasons I haven’t been here most of the week.
In December, I went to a baby shower for Katie. She now goes by Kate, but to me, she will always be Katie. She’s the daughter of Mary, one of my dearest friends from Earlville. Mary is truly one of the most kind-hearted genuine people I know, and Katie is certainly an apple who hasn’t fallen far from her tree. Anyway, Katie was talking about the nursery, and mentioned that she wanted a few paintings for the room. I immediately jumped at the chance to paint them. Not only was it something I would love to do for a friend, I thought it would be good for me to paint again. Katie seemed excited to have me do this, and we made arrangements to get the supplies.
Of course, I got the canvases, paint and the window valance (for the design inspiration) in February, and I did very little in the way of painting. Once May hit, I knew that I absolutely had to get those paintings done. I mean, Katie’s little guy Keaton arrived just before New Year’s, and if I waited much longer, he’d be out of his nursery before it was complete! So I told myself that this was the week. I was going to work on these paintings every night until they were done. And that’s what I did…4 out of the 5 nights this week after the kids were down I sat myself down and painted.
Boy, have I missed creating art. Most of the nights, I reluctantly cleaned everything up only because I was so tired that I had to quit. I can’t paint all night like I used to! I only hope that Katie and Mary like the finished paintings. I’m happy with them, but in true perfectionist fashion, I see a lot of little flaws and imperfections that could be much better. Of course Dave thinks I’m nuts, and keeps telling me they look great. It’s just that I want them to love them, and to not regret their decision…especially since Katie had to wait so long to get them!!
Here are pictures of the finished paintings. Of course they don’t photograph very well, and the actual paintings look much better than this, but at least you’re getting an idea of what I’ve been working on.
This is the 24 x 36″ canvas. It’s really quite similar to the valance. Keaton’s room is painted the green color at the bottom, and his nursery furniture is a rich, dark brown. 
The bedding for his crib has much of the same pattern with the grass and plants. It’s really a very sophisticated and beautiful room. The other two paintings are little 8 x 10″ canvases. 
I’m not sure if Katie’s going to put them all together as a group or if they will all be in different places, but I’m hoping that either option will work for her.
Thanks, Katie, for the opportunity to paint these for Keaton’s room. I truly hope you like them, and I hope you can forgive me for taking so long!
