Alone with the Fibro, oh no! 16 Nov 2011

Well, I figured why I was up in the middle of the night with the joys of Fibro, I might as well catch up a hair.

Tonight was the last night of swimming for Faith (and Masie & Taylor). Faith & Masie graduated from level 3 swimming. They jumped off of the diving board, sometimes not so gracefully & swam from one end to the other. I am proud of my little fish! J Taylor also graduated from level 2 swimming.

They have this horrible top on the swimming pool, which makes Kerry & I feel like we aren’t breathing well. We have escaped more than watching this session, but we’ve had quite a nice time going down the road to have a soda & chat. J

 

Faith is doing really well in school this year I am happy to say. Her teacher, Mrs. Stanbrough, is brilliant.

 

Ian is also doing very well. He is happy & school seems to be doing fine. He got him some snazzy eyeglasses as well. 

We are going to see Connor this next week. We are going the day before Thanksgiving so we have things to do.  

My sister & I went to breakfast this morning. We are waiting until  Kerry will be able to go with us as well. J 

Christmas will be here before we know it. I can’t believe it & I am so behind! I have tons on my list & very little bought. The fun thing is a get together my sister, Tess, planned at Kerry & Chris’ house. I am very excited about it. It will be fun.

Of course we have some birthdays before then. My sister, Tess. My cousin, John, both my goddaughter, Vikki & her grandfather. And those are just the first bit. 

Today was my cousin Joe’s birthday. I hope he had a good day. 

Well, it would seem it is now, tomorrow, which makes it today! Yes, a bit loopy, but who wants to be any other way? J

                                                                                                                                                                  

Free at last - of Jim? - 10 Nov 2011

Yup, the day has finally come, Jim has a girlfriend!

Yahoo, Yeah, Ariba Ariba Ariba, Yippi Ky yi ya....oops better stop!

My sister said, "A Thanksgiving present?"

My reply? And Christmas & NewYears

"The gift that keeps on giving," she said. I laughed at that one!



So, I text my son, Ian this evening & he told me. Boy did I way Thank GOD to that - yes in the text to my son.

Apparently, she is a teacher, but nothing like Robin. 4th grade teacher, I think he said. I am just glad that I can finally be off the hook! Ian called after a couple texts to declare I was jealous. Uh, noooo. I was asking questions to make sure you were ok & happy because of what happened with Robin. (Jim's former girlfriend that my boys felt was good enough to date the devil himself.)

Ian had said Jim was "still into you". Apparently from comments Jim made about me when he was -drunk or high or something.....Okay....

Well, Ian is doing well. They are going to her home for Thanksgiving, going fishing & hunting for their own turkey. I am trying to refrain from the thought of Jim having buckshot in his back side, but guess I should be nice. Why? Hmmm. I know there is a reason. When GOD shoots me with lightening I bet I remember really fast!

So, school is okay & he talked about high school, etc., so I don't see him returning home anytime soon unless something goes really sour.

Well, I had to share the glorious news! :)

SMacLeod

Ian meets his 1/2 brother - 15 Oct 2011

Ian got to meet his half brother, Joey Schermer a couple of weeks ago. Joey is 19. Here are some photos.





Joey      *      Ian      *      Cousin Kyle Badgerow

  

Ian     *     Grandpa Harlyn     *     Joey

Where is Ian's ride? 1 Oct 2011

Well, Ian was to be on his way with his dad today. Jim was to meet us in town at 10 am....Yup, you guessed it Jim text to say he was 3 1/2 hrs away & had to stop to rest because he couldn't get things done in IA until 1:30. He only knew about this 3 weeks ago. He wanted me to drive to Dodge to make it easier for him!


We are supposed to leave town as soon as Ian is picked up. You knew about this for 3 wks! I am not back tracking to Dodge - had vehicle issues as it is.

I am in Great Bend. 84 miles from Dodge City. Then 69 to Ulysses at or right at 1PM. I had no choice. I had to get soe sleep or die trying to get to you. I appligize.
[CB]7123012295

You knew @ this trip! What will you do then, drive home & kill Ian? At least alone it wld just be you!

I am ok now. It is daylight and I have someone to talk to by Ian being in the car with me. It is boring by yourself. [CB]7123012295

Hurt Ian & you better be dead. You already disappointed him.

every thing happends for a reson. I had to take care of things yesterday and they ran long. I had no control over the other people. I had responsibilites and I understand when things come up. I was being respondible and safe. I did all I could to hurry. Typing this is slowing me down. See you soon. Thank you. [CB]7123012295

Your son was your responsiblity.

was or is my responsibility? [CB]7123012295

****

Well he showed up. No one had anything to say to him. I got Ian's stuff out of the truck. I told Ian to study hard, that I loved him & goodbye. Of course Jim had to ask a ton of questions, which I answered on the way to the house. Tess & Faith told him goodbye. Jim yelled bye to Faith & she raised her hand & yelled bye as she was walking down the side walk. She never even looked over.

Jim kept saying bye to Tess & I until we said bye. Talk about not getting the hint. Ian yelled bye & waved to us. He is on his way. :(

Going to Ulysses

Well it was an interesting ride! I had a speaker held to each ear so that I could hear the movie I was listening to (Rebus - UK). After that a little Soduku on the Kindle my son abandoned me for the warmth of the cab, so a nap with Brooklyn & Hamish was in order.

On the way someone thought it would be amusing for the truck to start having problems. During a stop it would also be great to see how we handled getting locked out!

So eventually with Ian back at my side we made it to Ulysses where Faith had a short ride as well. Kudos to my little sister Tess for driving the whole way.


My cousins Kim & Mark have a beautiful home & grounds. They are letting us stay with them. Kim is an EMT & a groomer. Since I didn't need revived, she groomed Brooklyn & Hamish. Although she worked hard, even through Brooklyn screeching like a banshee & Hamish looks great, I think Brooklyn needs her curly fluff back. Thanks so much Kimmy!

Hamish

Brooklyn

 

 

Beautiful Babies!

Last night it was great to see my cousin Joe as well. He is. Looking great so it must agree with him here. I did have a skip of a few heart beats when I saw my son on the riding lawn mower! He was having a great ol' time & Mark is great with the kids. :)

                            

Today we went to Dodge City to visit our Aunt Maggie & Uncle Paul. She reminds me so much of my mom, so I have to smile twice. After lunch we went outside. Uncle Paul was watering & we watched & laughed as Ian tried to play catch with
Faith.
Tess & I looked at a couple of her scrap books & read @ when she met our Uncle Paul. :) We took a few photos & are on our way back to harass Kim & Mark!

 

 
 
 

How well do you know my son Jim? - 14 Sept 2011

ok just wanted to confirm. What other foods does he eat and like?

[CB]7123012295

 

Bbq wings. He can live off them & Ramen soup. Get mine on base - the frozen wings. He likes rolls from bakery & will make sandwiches if stuff is there. He eats hamb helper but if you plan on eating too, you'll need 2 boxes! Loves spaghetti & I get galic bread from bakery there. He likes most things.

 

He needs not to eat out much. His weight is down & when he gets heavy it bothers him. Not too often on the Gatorade or coffee drinks.

 

he will need something to play basketball - he plays it a lot.

 

ok I hardly eat out any more as I am on the VA Move program to lose weight and on a 1800 calorie diet a day and track every thing I eat. Still have occasional pizza out. But a small instead of jumbo. I drink lots of water. unsweet tea and diet dr. pepper. I have a memebership to Sams club so I buy in bulk.

[CB]7123012295

 

This will be my first Christmas without him.

 

We have a water dispenser & he drinks it all the time. I get coke zero some times & the Diet Rite Sprite etc.

 

I get bottled water from Sams by the case and keep the fridge stocked.

[CB]7123012295

 

He will have no trouble telling you, you just have to tell him "not this time" "maybe next time" "I can't afford that this time". He runs through 3-5 gal in 2-3 days. That is going to cost.

 

I have to wait to see if they will do an out of district transfer to North Middle school as Robin teaches at East Middle school in Reading academy where he would be in her class or one of her counter parts. I dont want them in the same building together. So I am trying to get a wavier so he can go to North Middle for this year then East High next year. They will call me tommorow and let me know. The ball is rolling.

[CB]7123012295

 

The next day I text more stuff he likes to eat. Isn't that a bit sad?

Jim Las Cruces, Text & bike purchases - 29 July 2011

In the counseling session Jim made a comment @ how I never tell him stuff & he didn't know why. "I don't know if she doesn't think I am interested or what."

I held my tongue & after we got outside he asked where we were going next. I told him I would like to tell him where to go! He said I just wish I wasn't around. Darn right! My kids wouldn't have to go through the roller coaster of his coming & going. It was a year before he came down this time! He chose to move away from them. Basically I told him if the world was flat I would give him a push over the edge.

After all this we went to Barnes & Noble. This is what he text me inside:

you are right.. I left due to my own demons and being selfish and not thinking of you or our children and I made many mistakes in our relationship. I understand your anger and dislike for me. I just dont understand why when I ask you a question you never tell me an honest whole answer about our childrens welfare and you have kept me out of the loop by your own choice for your own reasons. I do care..You and I are not good for each others health and need to live 1000 miles apart. Thank you for being their Mother. I cant think of a better Mom then you for our children. I appologize for my actions and my words.

[CB]7123012295

 

What is so amusing about these "compliments" is how he will turn right around & use anything I or the kids tell him & use them to slam me.

 

Here was the issue with bikes. Both Ian & Faith were going to use their Christmas gift cards to purchase themselves each a new bike.

 

30 July 2011

 

Since you got paid early, it would show Connor's counselor your willingness to be involved if you went there Monday for that first face to face counseling session.

 

I did not get paid early. I do get paid until Monday. I have to be back to Iowa on Sunday night.

[CB]7123012295

 

I tried to pay for their bikes with my ATM card check the receipt you will see it was declined and I had to use my cash. I have $100 left to make it back to Iowa.

[CB]7123012295

 

You weren't to buy them bikes!

 

 

Ex - disgusting - 21 July 2011

Before Jim came down in July he was texting me. This again shows how his concern with the kids is about 1% & himself is 99%.

hello...what type of wand are you getting Faith for her birthday? What Harry Potter stuff does she like or wish for? Thanks

[CB]7123012295

It would probably best if you didn't get her HPotter stuff as I have already gotten her several items all having to do with it. I think she is expecting more up the lines of a gift card from you.

ok...however when I spoke with Ian last night and I ask him to ask her what she wanted her response was Harry Potter Stuff. Please tell me what you got for her. thank you

[CB]7123012295

 I think she is expecting more up the lines of a gift card from you.

that is not what I wish to get for her. She was hurt the last time I did that.

[CB]7123012295

yes but that was a bit of a different situation at the time. When r you actually going to be here?

I have to leave for NM on the 27th after I deposit the child support in your account so sometime on the 28th.

[CB]7123012295

 And leaving?

Probably on Sunday the 31st so I can be home on Monday the first to deposit your other payment in your account. did you have any plans that may include me for Faith's BD?

[CB]7123012295

Ok well here is how Faith wants her bday with you to go. She will have a party after lunch with her friends etc & then you can pick her up @ 3 or so to take her out to eat & either do presents with her or do shopping with her (if u do gift card) which is why I said that as she thought it wld be fun. She likes doing her own thing as you will quickly learn.

She does have your blood....

[CB]7123012295

Of that there is no doubt.

Ian said she has out grown Tinker Bell..Is this her feeling on the matter?

[CB]7123012295

She has outgrown many things including -she thinks - her own britches! She will be 22 by next week with a 15 yr olds temper! And she is a night owl as well.

Wow..I thought the boys were a handful...She probably give you a run for your money and you dont know what to expect.

[CB]7123012295

After her brothers? I don't know. She is a lot like Connor. But she is neater & when she cleans up I don't tend to find a science experiment 2 month later!

I never did tell you that when I move out of the house Connor and I lived in..when I pulled up Connor's bed I found an unopened box of Wells Blue Bunny Champ cones still in the plastic packs melted under his bed and numerous matches that he stole from the neighbors whenever her went outside and they were not on their porch smoking. He is very gutsy and brave enough to sneak up to their house next door while I took a shower.

[CB]7123012295

I warned you. He has to be watched. It is a compulsion he cannot control. He is going to get diagnosed again this coming school year. He had more testing done recently.

how is he doing? He lost my number or doesnt dial it right as he keep calling my Dad and asking for me. Dad enjoys talking to him and I do too. Am I able to call him and if so? at what number?

[CB]7123012295

Right now he is on respite while his foster parents are out of town they will be back soon. I will give him you # again then. He does pretty well. Has his ups & downs. We see him for counseling & visits. He likes them & misses them when they r gone.

Chet & Carols goal is to keep him in as long as possible to get the new diagnosis, get the DD Waiver to go thru so he will be able to have the job training & be able to live in a group home & have some semblance of a life or he will be living with one of us until we die. Which do you prefer?

Thank you for sharing that with me?

[CB]7123012295

He is a freshman this year.

that makes me feel old..

[CB]7123012295

Please..

How do you make it? I have not been there to help you other then paying child support. I tried to help by having the boys come to Iowa but I did not know how to be a parent and spoiled them by giving in to their wants and letting them do as they wished without proper parenting and no support from my parents as they could not handle and did not understand the special needs of the boys. I was overwhelmed and I think that you are at time also because you have no outlet or family support either. I believe you are a better parent then I am. I never intended for you to go at this on your own. My demons and past experiences in relationship and my insecurites were taken out on you. I have a lot of anger issue that were not your fault that I blamed on you as scape goat because I thought it was you and I judged you and thought I was a better person one in fact I was wrong and a hipocrite. I am sorry that I hurt you and I HAD NO RIGHT to judge you. You think differently then I do. That does not make you wrong we just have different out looks

[CB]7123012295

I do what I do because I am their mom & God blessed me with them. God also gave us great people who are helping us out with Connor & helping him get things that will help him be able to get work in the future. My best friend is here & now so is my sister & God has never left my side.

(Believe it or not, I deleted the most disgusting text that went here, @ how he'd have liked watching me with another woman. Ugh.)

I have always liked 3 somes where 2 straight guys please a women to the fullest extent possible via oral and straight intercourse. Does that make me a bad person? Or sick? As you know I love to please and I believe we had better sex after splitting up. you spoiled me after our divorce by doing things to me that you would not do while we were married. I got selfish and expected it all the time and took your pleasure out of it. My loss and my mistake. It should of been mutual expression and pleasure for both. I messed up a good thing...I regret all the hurt and pain I caused you becasue of my insecurities and such.

[CB]7123012295

That is no longer of any concern. It is over & done.

Thank you... I hope that you have found true happiness and contentment as I am still searching and may never find it. Thank you for chatting with me..take care and I will see you and the kids nexted week. Sleep well...thanks again....Good night

[CB]7123012295

Good night.

Tell me, why can't he just stay on topic with the kids? I don't give a care @ his sicko imagination! Then he wonders why I never want to talk to him! If he isn't like this, then he is slamming me for my personal life. Ugh.

Angry with Ian's School - 23 Sept 2011

I am so unhappy about Ian's school, that I hope he does well in the IA school. If he were staying, I would have pulled him out today & started home schooling him again. I am so sick of the way they "don't" handle things.

I was upset the other day & wrote his teacher an e-mail. You would think with what I wrote he would have informed me of what I wasn't aware of. Instead, this is what I got.

Mr. Gettler, I am having problems with how Ian is constantly coming home upset. If he can't tell a teacher what is going on without getting into trouble, then the bullies & brats will continue to pick on kids, do as they wish, & call nasty names.

I do not appreciate my son seeing another child going through backpacks, trying to tell someone & being called a faggot by the kid & getting into trouble by the teachers.

I also do not see why Ian cannot go to this Summit Room to get help with work. Getting a change once in a while from a teacher, may be helpful. Especially if work is actually getting done.

I am tired of Ian being harassed constantly & this is one of the reasons I was upset last year & pulled him out in the first place. If you don't want Ian to inform on other kids misbehaving how will they be stopped? When is it enough bullying? With one kid? Or does it have to be 10 or 20? This is not helping him or his self-esteem. Who is a kid to go to? I do not understand what is happening in the school.

Sonya MacLeod, mother

 

 

 

The teachers response:

 

I am sorry to hear of your displeasure, but we must keep in mind there are two sides to a story and I strongly believe you are not totally informed of the whole story. Now, myself and Mrs. Ross have addressed the issues at hand to the fullest and have properly handled them in a timely manner. I do appreciate your concerns and hope to keep positive lines of communication open.

Somehow I was not impressed at all. Honestly, he learned more at home!

 

So the next day Ian told me about his PE class. They had Health & he had to read a lot & answer questions. He needs help reading, which they should know. By the time the bell rang, he was getting to problem #1 & didn't understand what he had read. This sent me off on a new tangent & not being cheerful towards Ian either. (It was nearly bed time when he told me about it. Drives me nuts when he does that!)

 

So, I wrote this to the principal & after that, sent it on to the woman in the Special Ed Dept who helped us with Ian's IEP.

 

 

Mr. Farley, I am aware Ian is leaving soon, but I want you to be aware of a couple of issues we are having. One, he was having a reading/writing for Health in PE yesterday. He cannot read well & did not get done in the allotted time. After the reading was question answering. He does not understand what he read & then the bell rang. I am not sure who is supposed to help him during these reading type assignments. He did try saying he needed help reading. I am sure this is very embarrassing at this age. Also, I had an issue with Mr. Gettler. I e-mailed him & am placing it below as I do not feel the issues I mentioned were handled at all. They certainly were not explained to me & if he wasn't leaving, I would have more issues with that class & teacher. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Sonya MacLeod   I didn't hear from the princiapal at all......   This was to the IEP lady:   I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all the help you have given to Ian & myself, especially with his IEP. I am showing you a couple e-mails below. If Ian was remaining, I would be pulling him out of Mountain View & it would be the second time. I am not impressed with this school. He has been bullied & had other problems that the school seems to think he can just ignore. I think it is a problem. I figure if it is my son & he is gone, what other child is next? Thank you again. Sonya MacLeod   She did reply:   Dear Ms. MacLeod, Thank you for letting me know of the incidents that have been taking place with Ian. I will forward your email to my director, so we may follow-up and deter any future incidents. Thank you too for the compliment regarding Ian's IEP as I too enjoyed working with you and Ian.

Faith grad swimming class! - 21 Sept 2011

My Muffin Head, Faith graduated from Level 1 swimming!

Yeah!

Proud of my girl!

 

 

 

 

She did not want to jump off of the diving board however. The first day I nearly shoved her off!

The second day, I just sat waiting. She has to do these things on her own, she is stubborn that way. :)

 

 

But, Kerry told her she wanted a before picture.

This would be it!

 

 

 

Then Kerry told her that her camera would be wonky if she didn't have an after picture too. Love my best friend! :)

So, here she goes!

 

 

 

And that makes this the after picture! Wonder if she scared the camera with that close up!

 

Ian n Mom - 17 Sept 2011

Faith was all ready to go to her sleep over before I was conscious! Eventually, she hopped in the can & abandoned me. I would say she was much more ok with the sleep over than I. She will come home tomorrow.

So, that left time to look at her tornado of a room & want to flee for lands unknown. So, now the mess that was in her room is now gracing piles outside my room. Ooh fun, fun, fun.

Well, after picking up "dinner" for our snakes, Ian asked to have a mom & him dinner. So, we got lunch at the BBQ place, drinks at Sonic, & came home to watch X-Men First Class. It was a really good movie! How can it not when the guy who plays Xavier was born in Scotland! :)

So, it was nice & the food was really good. Now we are watching Thor. We have seen it, but it is really good.

Boy, what will I do when Ian is gone & Faith goes on the next sleep over!

Ian' IEP & leaving

So I am at the school waiting for Ian's IEP. This will be the last one for me for a while as Ian is transferring to East Middle School in Iowa.

Of course being his mum, I don't want him to go at all & was very sad over this last week & so was Faith. We decided since there are only going to be two of us that we are going to adopt ourselves out to the Dorcheus Clan. Luckily, they only live down the street so we won't have to go far!  :-)

More after the meeting.....

The meeting went well. It was the first one Ian sat in on. So, when everyone heard her was leaving, no one was happy. They kept telling him he couldn't go.

So, the IEP is all done & in place. He picked out classes for next year, in case he is here. They also set it up to have everything sent on to the new school.

He is carrying all A's. I like Mr. Getler. He is young & I like how he helps Ian sort through writing assignments & moments he is stressed out. It seems good.  He got good comments from both his other teachers as well.

And I am not sure how, but his home teacher never knew about the incident from a couple weeks ago where Ian was attacked by another student for the candy bars he was selling. The teacher was quite surprised as was I since the other kid got in a great deal of trouble. Ah, well.

Nothing much left for me to do now.....

Connor's Birthday #15! 10 Sept 2011

We went to see Connor the 10th Sept for his birthday. 14!!

 

We went to the Train Depot first where they had different puzzles you could try to figure out.

 

Ian was good at this pyramid one. I cldnt quite figure it out. The one next to him Tess did first. You have to move the pile to the opposite side but couldn't have big ones on the little one. Get that?

 

Connor opened his presents in the park.

 

  

Very happy with his new movies!

Later we were going to Baskin Robbin's before taking Connor back home & there was a car show going on in the parking lot.

 

 

 

Happy kids. :)  My Happy Kids! :)

Jim's Texts:

I am going to send Connor some things for his Birthday via FedEx to Carol & Chets. Legos Rocket. CD player and a Cher CD. The gifts are from my parents and myself. Also for your information. I will be paying you child support once a month again on the 4th Wednesday when I get SS. It is going into a Wells Fargo account and I will be able to transfer it to your account every month via online access. You will receive $900 on the 28th of this month. And every 4th Wednesday after that of the new month.

[CB]7123012295

He wrote this later:

Could you get Connor a plug in CD player that does not use batteries. either an alarm clock one or a small one. None of the 3 Wal Marts or Target and even Best Buy in my area had 1 that was simple and under $50. They were all sold out or dont stock them. Carol said that would be a good gift idea for him because he would not go through batteries like water. We sent him the rocket city legos and Io got him the 2 pack Cher CD and and card via FedEx. Thanks.

[CB]7123012295

Cottonwood Festival - 3 Sept 2011

We went to the Cottonwood Festival Saturday with Aunt Tess & Brooklyn. Brooklyn got all of the attention.

We had a lot of fun. There were a lot more booths & nice things this year. After looking & greeting Uncle Jerry, Chris & John, after their demonstrations, we went to the other end where there were carnival rides & booths. There was a particularly good man that got too many of my tickets!

Faith did well on darts. She won 3 stuffed animals. A frog, a pig for A Tess, & after the guy joked she almost had the whole farm, she went back & won the chicken! She also got a huge blow up sword at another booth.

 

 

We all went on some rides including Tess & I. It was fun. She ended up with bruises & let me tell you this ride could easily throw your body out of any alignment it had! Faith closed her eyes the whole time, but came off smiling.

Ian went on a Dragon ride & rode a bull! Sort of....video below....

 

(Yes, Kerry, I know it is sideways!)

New boarders at the house! 15 Aug 2011

We have a new critter staying in the house. His name is Hamish MacBeth MacLeod.

 

We have been expecting him for a little while, but he had to be older & my sister Tess had to bringing him from Ulysses, KS where his family reside with our cousin's Kim & Mark McGaughey.

 
This would be us having potty training issues.
 
The cat toy is very popular & saves my feet from being bitten! He can chew the top & there are two balls he tries to get. Very funny.

 
There are just some pairs that can't be explained! :)
 
Nothing like a dog to bring two oppossing forces together!
 
Reading time.

We also have a friend of the family's snake staying with us as well. He is like Tangled, a Corn Snake, Okatee & his name is Peach Tea.

 

He was in the bowl when I re-filled it & decided to stay for a swim!

On a sad note, I have lost my snake Druid. I do not know what happened but he died 16 Aug 2011 & I miss his funny little face very much. He was to be the mate to my Flicker girl.
 
  I love & miss you Druid. Mom