A Foggy Bloggy

Okay...I've been working on too many word families ("at", "an", & "og") with my kindergarteners that I couldn't resist titling my latest blog with a rhyme. However, with this photo of our capitol how could I not?

We've experienced 12 consecutive days of fog in Lincoln. Ugh! It's not a wonder why I was so crabby and depressed and surrounded by other grouchy, lifeless people. Luckily today we got light again! Hooray! I was starting to think I lived in London.
Now if only we could get rid of those pot holes. They are everywhere and hundreds of them. I don't recall ever seeing so many. I think a small car could get lost in some that I found. I hope the city gets moving on fixing these things. Not good on vehicle tires or for those drivers who are swerving to miss them. All I can say is..."Please, don't hit me. I've met my quota for the year!"
Yesterday, I took Grant to see Sesame Street Live at the Pershing Auditorium. Can you tell by the look on his face that he's excited? At this age, he can't seem to give me a nice smile. It's this look or a tongue hanging out of his mouth.
I purchased the $19 tickets (that I got for $16 each with a coupon), but we still seemed to have to sit a long way up. Grant would say..."Hey Elmo, I'm up here!" I wanted to yell..."Hey Elmo, I'm way up here for a ridiculous amount of money!" Still Grant loved it, so it was all worth the expense.
Today marks the first day of indoor baseball practice. I think it's rather funny to take a picture of Tyler in his baseball gear with a pile of snow in the background. Seeing Tyler in his uniform does give me hope that Spring is just around the corner.

Grant got wind of baseball and thought we were going to go to a game today, so he grabbed his baseball hat and bucket of toys. He was so disappointed to learn that it was just Tyler going to indoor batting practice. Too darn cute!

Long time, no blog

To blog or not to blog....that is the question. It's been a busy time for me right now, so I haven't made the time to put what's been happening at the Broeker household this past week on the web. I had to work a five long days last week....really, how do I do it? I was exhausted! We've had so many snow days that I've forgotten what it's like to put in a full week and this week won't help either. We had today off for Dr. King's birthday and tomorrow is a work day for Elementary teachers. Unfortunately, I wished that today would have been a workday for staff and tomorrow a regular school day to help make up for one of our six snow days. However, the District didn't consult me, so starting the beginning of February we will be adding 36 minutes to the workday for ten consecutive days. That makes for a long day for a five year old and an even longer day for little, old me! :)

Our latest news is our new (rather used) vehicle we retrieved in McCook on Saturday. McCook is a four hour drive from our house, but the deal was too good to pass up and we got to experience some lovely unseasonal weather. Temps were in the low 60's, with almost no trace of snow on the ground. I walked around without a coat on. Loved it! Hard to believe I was still in the same state!

As you can see by the photo, this van looks exactly like our last van. Same color, different make. Well...it's about the same there too. This one is a 2007 Chrysler Town and Country and we originally had a 2007 Dodge Caravan. Now everyone will still know it's me coming their way!

Madison and I made the cutest Valentine's that we saw on an Archiver's email. These darling plastic boxes are made by Stampedeous. We had a lot of fun putting them together...with all the stickers and ribbon. The only downfall is that they do require a lot of candy to make them look full. We put 15 Hershey's kisses in each box and Madison has 27 students in her homeroom. I don't think two bags of kisses are going to do it!

So darn cute!

Andy and the kids are playing UNO while I am plugging away at my report cards. I don't mind the testing of students (and retesting), but the entering online by clicking buttons is rather tedious. I think I may need a secretary.

Last night, I went over to my friend Amy's house and did some more scrapbooking. Angie and Lenita were also there for some great conversation. There's really is nothing better than sitting around chatting, glueing, diecutting, cutting, etc. until all hours of the night!

Here's one of my latest layouts that I did here at home. Recently, I've been working on my Disney trip and have almost two of the four parks done. Yay!

The only other tidbit of info that's new to us is our membership to the YMCA. We've been meaning to do it for years, but finally got around to joining now that there's practically a new Y in our backyard....well almost! I can just feel the pounds of fat melting as I am typing this! LOL

A Bad Case of Cabin Fever

I'm sick. Yes, I am sick and tired of bitterly cold weather with loads of snow. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I would have gone to work this week. If I would have been at work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, I might have a guaranteed day of decent weather. Weather that would allow me to go to Omaha and spend my Archiver's gift card. It's burning a hole in my pocket and I need to spend it. However, I heard that the roads are "slicker than snot" according to my father, so I'm not going to risk it after my January 3rd fiasco. *Sigh*

So, I'm going to try to focus on the positive that I've seen lately during this very depressing kind of environment I'm living in.

The sun dogs were incredible to see on Thursday. I can't tell you exactly how they are formed, but you can google it. I can't recall if I've ever seen them before. I think it looks like one giant eyeball. What do you think? To be honest, I'd still rather see the Saltdogs instead of the sun dogs! ;)
The kids are getting good use of their toys. Unfortunately, I have to harp on them to clean their stuff up since it's everywhere. My house is NOT clean after having three snow days in a row.
Grant can be quite entertaining. He likes to dress up and says, "Mom, take a picture of this." What can I say to that? I think he's suppose to be a super hero who tackles home improvement projects?!

Madison also has been asking me to help her with a Science test that was suppose to be taken on Wednesday. She better ace this test since we've been studying for five days straight. I love that she is so concerned about her studies, but she does take it to an extreme and gets stressed out. Poor thing! I hope she outgrows this when she gets older! Life is tough and you got to roll with the punches!

Okay...here are a few of her questions. Let's see how you do. The answers are in the comments section.

1. Light travels in _______. (I thought I'd give you an easy one.)

2. The movement of heat by direct contact of particles is called ______________.

3. The movement of heat through gases and liquids is called _______________.

The latest blessing came at last night's Girl Scout Mother/Daughter Overnighter. Okay...Madison didn't think so, but I however am one who benefits from a good night's sleep. Our local Girl Scout Council rented a large room at a hotel for this lock-in that started at 7pm. The idea was to let the girls swim until 10pm and then play games, watch movies, eat munchies and sleep until a 10 am dismissal the following day. The swimming went as planned and then the fire alarms started sounding at 9:30 due to a water pipe breaking. The alarms sounded off and on about eight times, which luckily they didn't make us evacuate the building with wet hair and zero degree temps. Shortly, another mom and I were asked where our sleeping bags were located in the basement. Of course, the pipe broke right along the wall where our stuff was laying causing Madison's white socks to take on a soaked yellow appearance. Our pillows, sleeping bags and Madison's clothing were all damp...some soaked. That was officially the end of our overnight. I wasn't about to sleep on a gross, wet sleeping bag.

The Girl Scout is motto is "Be Prepared", which translates to me "Be prepared to sleep in my own comfortable bed".

The End of Project 365

This is finally the end....wow, one full year completed and with lots of adventures to look back on which include but, not limited to....potty training, holiday festivities, Big Sandy, kindergarten, grades 2 and 3, two middles schools (Goodrich & Schoo), soccer, football, baseball, softball, Girl Scouts, first family vacation of 5 to the Black Hills, Tyler's confirmation, Grant's baptism, Madison's bible presentation, our new church addition, our Disney dream vacation, my 39th birthday, Tyler's a teenager now, and the list goes on. I hope 2010 bring more excitement (minus a car accident) to the new year. I think I'll still document it, but may organize about 10 pictures a month at at time. Now, I just can't stop taking daily pictures! I wish I could stick to a diet plan the same way! ;)

Tuesday, December 29th - Madison has been asking for a new perm, so we finally found the time with school out this week. This perm took four hours and 146 rods for the price of $29.95 at a local beauty college. Madison loves it and I got to read a good book in peace!
Wednesday, December 30th - The Jensen clan came over to watch the Holiday Bowl. The Huskers won with a shut out against Arizona. I heard it was the first ever for this bowl game. Way to go, Huskers!
Thursday, December 31st - The kids took this picture, so that's why it isn't centered. We didn't do much for New Year's this year. We ordered pizza for the kids, wore party hats and went out for appetizers and drinks with friends for a few hours. We had to get up early for the Broeker Christmas, so we weren't too venturous.
Friday, January 1st - We celebrated the Broeker Christmas in Kearney. The girls are helping Grandma Sue read the Christmas story prior to opening gifts. It's a tradition that's done every year.
Saturday, January 2nd - I have to finish Project 365 with what I love to do best....scrapbook with my friends, Amy, Kandy, Kristi and Angie. Here we are at Ben Franklin South scrapping the snowy day away!

Starting the New Year with a Bang!

Literally!

I just had to start my new year with some excitement. Nothing that I wished for, but that's just sometimes how it goes. It all began with an invitation to go out to eat at Chili's restaurant with my former co-workers Amy, Trisha and Nancy on Sunday evening. My last hurrah before going back to work on Monday.

Before heading out the door, Andy says..."Honey, the roads are slick and there are lots of idiots out there!" Funny how that message resonates in my head.

I met the gals for a two hour dinner on the opposite end of town and we had a great time talking about teaching, Christmas, Nancy's knitting that's now on Etsy, Trisha's upcoming adoption and Amy's new life of being single. It was so much fun hearing what's happening in their lives and I haven't been out with them since last April.

So, we part ways and I am taking my driving extra slow....going about 30 miles and hour. I am about 3/4th the way home and have to venture on to an overpass. I am aware that bridges tend to be icier than streets, so I am cautious. But what do you know anyway, here comes a Jeep Liberty going the opposite direction and looking strangely out of control. My first thought is wow that vehicle is all over the place and then I quickly realize he's headed my way. I don't know if I screamed or said it in my head, but I was thinking...."Please, don't hit me head on." Without looking I headed for the outside lane only to find headlights directly coming. Thank goodness I didn't hit anyone in my quick right merge. The jeep hits directly behind me with a huge booming sound. It's amazing how that echos in my mind over and over. Thankfully, I was okay and so was the other driver. I am also very grateful that the kids, especially Grant, weren't with me either since it struck his side of the van.
This is what the Jeep Liberty looks like. The man who hit me is a very nice guy, who I know, didn' t mean to hurt my dearly loved van. *Sigh*

Ironically, the police officer who was first to report to the scene was Amy's soon-to-be former husband. Weird how small Lincoln actually is!
This is part of what came to me in yesterday's mail. Nine letters from lawyers and one letter from a chiropractor wanting my services. I won't be seeking an attorney, but a chiropractor, I might. I am still stiff with an ache in my lower back. We still haven't heard if the van is fixable or not. It's going to be a close call on that one. Such a bummer!

Here's the good news...I am blessed to be okay. God is good!