Back To School

I returned to work on August 17th for the inservice and prep for the new school year. Elijah started high school this past Monday on August 24th and I started my last semester of grad school. Elijah had a very good first week of school. There were no major issues, except for him getting on the wrong bus the first morning, but he managed to get to the right school. I managed not to panic when Jacob told me he got on the wrong bus....I am still not sure what happened, but lets just say it ended well and that is all that matter. The bus route did change after the second day, because he was being picked up late and dropped at home around 5:20. Now he is picked up at 8:05 and dropped off at 4:30! This is much better. He is in ROTC and seems to like it. He is also taking a digital media class and that is going well!

This is my last semester of grad school. I am taking two class, which both involved intelligence and achievement testing. I have to get 160 hours of internship hours through my school. I am going to be practice the testing on my honey and Jacob on the weekend. I have a MAJOR project that is to be completed in place of a Master's thesis or Master's exam. I am still trying to figure it all out. I have a LOT of videos to take....giving assessments, mock consultations with a parent (my sister in law has agreed to help me), interventions (with my niece, but this one is not videos), mock ARD meetings and a few others. Lets just say I'll be BUSY...between family, work and grad school!

Jacob was home this past week for a few days. His semester starts on Monday at TSTC. He will graduate in May of 2016. He is no taking classes that are all focused on his major, computer maintenance.

I'll try to post and keep y'all updated, but it may be DECEMBER before you see me again, or at least get more than just a few sentences in a post!

Almost Halfway through Summer

I cannot believe we are approaching the middle of July! It has been a busy summer. My niece has been coming to stay with us on Mondays and Wednesdays. We have visited one museum, gone to one movie and been to the library several times. The library has a "TEEN ROOM" for kids in the 6th-12th grade, and this is the first year she could go into the room. She was SO excited! She and Elijah hang out there for about an hour or so and I read the paper or look for books. We plan on doing a few more things this summer!

Elijah, my mom and I all went to Alabama to see our family there. My grandmother just turned 89 years old and I really wanted to see her. I also got to see several aunts and uncles as well as cousins. It was a long drive, but we had a good time!

My grad school class started on July 7th and boy is there a LOT of work to do. I am not doing many shops for my mystery shops ( I think have three shops scheduled for the rest of the month), so I have plenty of time to do the work. I am driving and seeing two hearing impaired babies this month as part of their early intervention program. Extra pay for me and it is fun to play with the babies, even if it is work. I have also driven into work for a few meetings, but nothing too serious and I also get paid for those. I start my internship in the Fall and that will be VERY interesting. I did get a $7,000 scholarship for the summer class and for the fall, so I really don't need to mystery shop. I got a small grant too. Jacob even got a scholarship for school!! I will be graduating in December!

Jacob has been home a few times this summer. He is taking a FULL summer semester, meaning 15 weeks of school. He will be graduating in May of 2016! He likes his classes and is doing well living on his own. He does listen and take my advice most of the time!

We have had NO 100 degree days so far this summer but that may change next week. Elijah has a few more doctor's appointments and he will be seeing the ophthalmologist next week. HE MAY NEED GLASSES! Just one more thing!!

My honey is doing well and working hard. She hopes to have a day off in a few weeks and maybe we will go shopping. I almost forgot, we have gotten the guest bathroom redone. We are still waiting on the vanity, but everything else is done! I am so excited!! I think that is all for now! How is everyone else doing?

Counting the Days

I am counting the days until Summer break. I have 5 1/2 more days with students and then 1 1/2 work days. It will be a busy summer. I am planning on doing some mystery shopping in June and my mom and I are taking Elijah to Alabama to visit the family. My grandmother turned 89 this month and I really want to see her. It has been two years since I have been back home. Jacob is down in Waco for his summer semester at TSTC. It is a full 15 week semester, not summer school which moves at a much faster rate and is only about four weeks. He has already texted me to tell me he needs some help with math when he comes home this weekend.

I got some good news this week! I received a $7,000 scholarship for graduate school. It will cover my summer class that I am taking that starts July 7th and my Fall semester classes. I am going to call Texas Tech and cancel my school loan! This will cover tuition, books, and any other supplies I need. I plan on quitting mystery shopping come July 1st and focus on school and the family. It will be hard to give it up, because I love the thrill of getting good shops and extra pay. Next Fall is my last semester in grad school and I will graduate in December. I will be completing my internship for my certification as an educational diagnostician, so it will be a tough semester, but I know I can focus on school now and still be able to focus on the boys, my honey and the rest of my family! It is really wonderful that this happened, and I feel blessed!

We really aren't doing much except for the trip to Alabama. I have one two day workshop in June and Jacob's girlfriend is going to watch Elijah for me. It is close enough that I will drive back and forth each day. I plan on taking a few days here and there to go to the movies, visit some museums and plan some other activities with Elijah. We are also planning on joining the rec center here in town. It is a good price and I like to go walking there. The library is right next door, so Elijah and I will go and walk and then go to the library. Once my class starts, it is a good place to work and let him hang out in the teen room. He also likes to check out books and read. I want to have him read to me this summer.  Hopefully, my honey will be able to join us on a few of these days when we go to a museum or go shopping!

Jacob: Life at College

      Jacob started his second semester at Texas State Technical College in Waco in January. He only has three more semester until graduation with one of those semesters being over the summer. He has become more independent each day. Today he texted me that he was having some issues with his car. He said it was "sputtering" and the check engine light was on. I called him to get more information. One of the other staff suggested he take it to Auto Zone and let them run a diagnostic. I searched the web and found one close to him. I told him to ask them for a suggestion on where he might take the car to be checked over.


       He called me a little later and said Auto Zone suggested a garage and I looked it up for him. He was still at Auto Zone. I gave him the address and he found it. He then called me back and said that he made an appointment to take the car back on Friday morning for them to check it. It could be any number of things. They also said they would give him a 10% discount since he was a student at TSTC and many of their mechanics come from the school. I reminded him to call me with a quote prior to approving the work and I told him how proud I was of him for handling all of this. It is a learning opportunity and he did well!! I am VERY PROUD of him. He listened and handled the situation and made some decisions all on his own. He still has some growing up to do, but he is on the right track. Life is a journey!

Camp, Grad School, and Jacob

We have been busy the last few weeks! My honey and I took Elijah down to camp a few weeks ago. This is a camp for children with Tourette Syndrome! We drove down on Friday and arrived in Brenham around 12:30. We made it down in time to tour the Blue Bell Creamery Factory and see how they make their ice cream. I spent about $100 in the gift shop buying some Christmas presents and of course a shirt for me! The tour was awesome and we got to have a HUGE scoop of ice cream at the end. We got to chose from 16 different flavors. Then for another $1.00 we could get another scoop if we wanted. Well, of course, Elijah and I had to sample another flavor, so we each got another scoop!




We checked into the hotel and then took Elijah to camp. He was SO ready to be there and didn't even look back when we left. My honey and I had an awesome dinner that night and then crashed at the hotel. We spent the next day shopping in Brenham and at some other places between Waller and Brenham. We visited our first Buc'ees gas station. We ended up there on two different occasions and dropped some money there! It really was an interesting experience!




We picked Elijah up on Sunday and participated in the closing ceremonies. He had an awesome time and can't wait to go back in March. Jacob had come up to stay at the house that weekend while we were gone, but we didn't get to see him. He had actually come home the weekend before and we enjoyed his visit. He is REALLY liking college and I think he likes being on his own. His financial aid FINALLY came through this week and we were able to figure out how much he will have between now and January. I was able to put some money back into his savings account and pay myself back for the books and other things I had fronted him the money for. I think we were both relieved to finally have the money arrive! He is coming home next weekend. I do think he misses us and I know he misses his girlfriend AND the cats!




Grad school is going well for me. I am staying at least one week ahead if not more! I have even turned in two large projects that aren't due for at least another month. This time next year I should be doing my internship and preparing for graduation! That is really hard to believe. I am ENJOYING being back in the classroom and the kids are awesome. One of kids told me that I am a FUN teacher and he likes learning. That really made my day!

School Year 2014-15

The last three weeks have been a little hectic and crazy. Elijah started the 8th grade back on Aug. 25th and so far things are going well. He has settled in nicely with only a few emails needed to keep me informed of behavior. I started back in the classroom on Aug. 25 with grades 3-5! I have five students who keep me very busy and I am happy to say that my sign skills are as good as they were five years ago! I am really loving being in the classroom!

I also started graduate school on Aug. 25th.  Thankfully, the first week of assignments consisted of "introduce yourself" activities and no real work was required. I am happy to say that all of my assignments that are due by this weekend (Sept. 14th) are done and I am working on next weeks assignments! I am liking the material and as always learning a lot.

Jacob started college this year at a state technical school that is two hours away. Elijah and I helped him move on Aug. 30th. Lets just say, IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE! The major issue that day was getting him a key for HIS room in the apartment he shares with three other guys. Once that got sorted out, we got him moved in quickly. It was an all day event though with getting his wireless services set up and waiting in a LOT of lines! I was exhausted when we left, but had two days to recover before heading back to work.

Jacob seems to have settled in nicely. He texts at least once a day, per my request, so that I can make sure he is still alive. He likes his classes, from what he tells me and doesn't seem homesick. I have talked to him a few times on the phone, but I am trying to let him spread his wings! I think he will come home the weekend of the 20th.

I do miss him, but I am happy for him. Elijah has done well with the transition and as always my honey is very supportive! The cats seemed to have adjusted as well. I am curious to see what happens when Jacob comes home for a visit. If it weren't for the cats, I don't think we would see him until Christmas!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well this year for all of us. It is a big year of change. This time next year, Elijah will be a FRESHMAN in HIGH SCHOOL and I will be in my last semester of grad school! YIKES!

In a Little Less than Two Weeks

In just a little less than two weeks, Jacob will graduate from high school. Oh, where has the time gone. Time has passed way too quickly for me. In just about three months he will be moving to Waco to start school at Texas State Technical College to pursue an Associates Degree in Computer Maintenance.

 

We plan on visiting the school in July so he can attend a financial aid seminar that he has to attend in order to get his financial aid. He also needs to talk to a success coach to get his classes planned for the Fall and find out how registration works. We also  plan on taking a look at what his apartment will look like, so he knows what he needs. It will be a four bedroom apartment on campus. He will have his own room that he can lock and there will a common area and kitchen for all four of the residents to share. We are going to see what all is in the area near the school and he is also going to look for a job. It will be a busy day!

 

I still can't believe he is graduating and that things will change a lot in the next few months. I hope I can handle it all! here are some pictures I wanted to share.

 

2005

 

 

 

Jacob and Elijah at Disney World 2007

 

 

Jacob 2007

ROTC 2010

 



Jacob 2011

2012

 



2013

2014

 



Sometimes the Old Way is the Better Way

As I posted earlier, Jacob has been accepted to the Texas State Technical College in Waco, TX. We completed his FASFA information and then TSTC contacted us yesterday. We need to send in a copy of both of our IRS Income Tax Transcripts for 2013. I called the school to find out exactly how to do this, and the gentleman explained it to me.

Last night, I got on the IRS website and found what I needed. I completed the request online and was able to print a copy of my transcript. I actually was able to save it right onto my computer and then send it by email to TSTC. Before doing this, I wanted to get Jacob's transcript. Well, I completed the form online just as I had done mine, but the webpage said the information didn't match what was on the return. I tried again, thinking I had made a typo and got the same information. Jacob then sat down and did it, and again we got an ERROR message and we were then locked out.

I tried again tonight and the same thing happened. I then searched the web for "irs transcript" problem and found a FORM that you can complete and mail in to get a copy. The form then had a phone number you can call to request a copy. I called the number and it took all of three minutes to complete the request. I was NOT told that the information didn't match what was filed(there was information I had to answer to prove Jacob was Jacob) and we should get a copy in 5-10 business days. I will then scan the form in and send it to TSTC. I still don't know what the original problem was when we tried to request it online, but I am glad I could get it done over the PHONE!

Jacob Has Been Accepted into College

Jacob applied to Texas State Technical College back in November. He received his acceptance letter a few weeks ago. I have been so busy, that I forgot to blog about this! He is very excited about going to school there. He wants to get his associate's degree in computer maintenance. The school is in Waco, TX, which is about 90 minutes from Wylie, maybe 2 hours on a bad day!

We discussed his living arrangements, and decided on an apartment complex that is on campus. It is not managed by the school, but the complex will assign him three roommates. It is four bedrooms and he will share a bathroom with one of these roommates. They share a common living area, but he will be able to lock up his room. He will have to buy a meal plan for the first two semesters, but I think he will use it! He has learned to do some cooking, but I am sure he won't want to cook every day. We sent in all of the paperwork and a deposit.

I sent his TAKS scores to the school, so they could look over them. I am thinking he scored well enough that he won't have to take any of the exams to test his language and math skills. He completed his FASFA and I completed mine for grad school. Things are moving along. He has to get his final high school transcript sent to the school and he needs a meningitis shot!

I am excited that he has a plan and he is so very happy. I can't believe he is all grown up!

State Testing and Summer is Coming

Here in Texas we have the TAKS and STAAR testing for our state testing. Such fun acronyms. Jacob took the TAKS test this year and his Junior class is the last group to take the TAKS. He passes his English/Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Math tests. He got commended on the English/Language Arts and the Social Studies test and even got a perfect score on the Social Studies test.

A few years ago the state decided to change the TAKS to the STAAR test and make it even more rigorous. Elijah took the STAAR Modified test, since he is in resource classes. The modified test is on grade level, but has fewer answer choices and the reading passages are broken into smaller passages. Elijah passed his math test and almost passed his reading test. I think he has the skills needed to pass the reading test, but he rushes and doesn't put much effort into the test.

With all of that being said, Elijah has many more years of STAAR testing and Jacob is thankfully all done. He is on track for graduation next year!

We don't have too much going on this summer. Elijah and I are going to Austin in two weeks for a Family Weekend Retreat at the Texas School for the Deaf. We will then go and see my sister for a few days. Jacob is staying home, because he is no employed at a grocery store and will hopefully be working while I am gone. My partner is staying in town too, so he won't be home alone. Jacob and I will make a trip to Waxahachie in July to the Texas State Technical Institute to see what they have to offer. He wants to go to school there after graduation. We will be swimming and going to movies this summer too. There are a few doctor's appointments each month, but nothing too horrible! I will also be doing my mystery shopping to make some extra money. I am blocking out two days a week though, so I make sure to spend time with the boys and RELAX!

My brother Alex!

The boys and I travelled to Texas A&M University in College Station, TX this morning to see my little brother Alex receive his commission as a Second Lieutenant. I was 21 years old when he was born which seems like just yesterday. My sister Katie arrived three years later. I didn't become a mother until Alex was eight years old and Katie was five years old. I babysat these two so many weekends and even for a whole week at times when their parents travelled. These two hold a special place in my heart! They helped me be a better mom, by letting me practice my MOM skills on them. They even helped potty train Jacob! Katie has been attending Texas A&M, but is not in the corp of cadets. Alex was in the corp for four years and loved every bit of it.

I am hoping that by visiting the university today and seeing Alex, that Jacob will realize he has two years left before he graduates and he needs to start looking ahead. He has talked about joining the military, but I am not sure that he will. He still has time, but as we all know time passes way too quickly!