JustLisa

Northern Iowa is getting snow. We're getting thunder and lightning. Weird way to start a year.

School is back in session. This was the longest, toughest winter break yet. A big issue over C's head was to be resolved during break and it wasn't... again... so there was the whole buildup to it and then the fallout afterwards. We'll do it again in a week and hopefully for the last time. It's now spanned across three years and that's way past long enough for everyone.

The rut of everything going wrong seems to have jumped across the gap into the new year with us as well. Sick kids, sick dogs, thunderstorms!!, we've had it all. Now it's back to the grind for everyone. I am hoping the frenzied pace of the break was to remind us that our normal routine is really a blessing.

but I don't. I am getting very tired again. A couple of weeks ago I was so tired that I was doing really, really dumb stuff. One morning I was washing the big picture window and it was streaking so bad. I was on the phone with my brother at the same time and I said something about the damn windex not working. He asked if I was sure I was using windex and I said of course I was. Well, I wasn't. I was washing the window with the dog's allergy spray. $30 bucks a bottle and it doesn't even do windows! What a ripoff!

On the good news front, Christopher had his very first win at wrestling last week. Pinned his guy. I was so proud but he didnt seem as thrilled as I thought. I asked him later and he said he didn't want to seem too cocky. Thatta boy. Yesterday he pinned one and lost two. I am just so happy he's getting some wins. Will do wonders for his confidence and his drive.

On a personal note: Aunt Rose, if you read this, do you have a crotchet or knit pattern for fingerless gloves or wrist warmers? I think a pair would be great for keeping my hands warm while still leaving my fingers free to type. Some days my hands are like ice all day long.

I seem to be awake almost every night around this time so maybe I should make a 3AM category and lump all my middle of the night posts into it.

I think I'm trying to come down with a cold but it's too late at night to take anything for it. I have to get up in a couple of hours again and start a new day. Funny, I always feel most alert in the middle of the night.

I've started working out again after a 2 month break. I should've never stopped. I had over two years of exercising every day under my belt and now that I quit, I have 5% more body fat and 7 more pounds to show off. There are days when I think I'd be better off smoking again but no worries, I'll never really do that. Quitting was way to hard to ever go through again.

In case you're curious, in two months, I'll have three smoke free years. As the country song says, "That's something to be proud of..."

Okay, rambling is over. Back to bed for me.

The cover story of the latest Newsweek is The Boy Crisis. I've read it twice already this morning because they are definitely talking about our boys. From the article, "He's 16, but he can't stay organized. He finishes his homework and then can't find it in his backpack. " I wish I had more time to elaborate on this but I don't.

I could pull quotes like this out of it "By almost every benchmark, boys across the nation and in every demographic group are falling behind. In elementary school, boys are two times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with learning disabilities and twice as likely to be placed in special-education classes. High-school boys are losing ground to girls on standardized writing tests. The number of boys who said they didn't like school rose 71 percent between 1980 and 2001, according to a University of Michigan study." but it'd be easier if you read it yourself.

I've heard several of our teachers complain about the No Child Left Behind method of education and how it really has way too narrow of a focus. Hopefully as more studies come out showing it's hurting rather than helping, those in charge will change it quickly.