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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Fireheart Summer Update

Well it's been a while since I updated, and I thought those of you who still read the ole Heart of Fire might want to know if I am still alive or if I did something that would make my blog cease to exist.

Nope, still here, obviously, it's just been a busy summer...and it's only June 28th....

We'll start with the first weekend of June....Despite some financial hardships from recent events (funerals are not cheap, and neither is preparing for them, I've discovered once again), the girls and I went to Martha's Vineyard to see my youngest brother, Chris, graduate from High School. This is the same high school I attended my Senior Year and graduated from. It's the same high school my sister, step-mom, aunt and uncle went and graduated from. It's a big deal in our family's community to goto graduation. Almost the entire island shows up for it. The weekend was fun, relaxing and busy...if it's possible to bunch that all in. I saw people I hadn't see in a while, and all in all, I was glad to have made the trip.

Well then Emily had her last couple weeks of school. She did very well this year and is more than ready for first grade. Her "Kindergarten Progress Report" (that's Special Report Card for Kindergartens for those who didn't know) stated that her reading comprehension for educational material and leisure is that of a second grader. Doesn't surprise me one bit. And can't say that I am not doggone proud of my oldest kid. I've said it time and time again -- the kid is too smart for her own good! LOL

So that brings us to this week, which was the first week of camp. The town has a program for an all day camp (8-3pm which starts an HOUR earlier than her flippin' school, which means I am spending my SUMMER getting up at 6:30 am!!), that runs until the middle of August for a mere $125 flat. If you don't have kids, and they don't go to summer camp, you don't realize this, so I am going to say this as calmly as I can -- I couldn't get a better deal for her if I ran the dang camp myself!! Em loves the camp, and a few of our friends also have their kids enrolled in it, so she gets to play with kids she knows...pretty nice for all of us this summer.

There's been some other changes around the Fireheart House too.....Hubby has finally returned to full-time work on the boat...YAY!! Unfortunately he's still in pain at the end of the day, but I am managing to get things accomplished around here without the guild or puppy dog eyes which would normally persuade me not to lift a finger. You all should see my kitchen...it's not been this clean since BEFORE Hubby came home from deployment.....

Another big change around here is the fact that Mom has moved in with us. She was recently unemployed right before Dad went into the hospital and then subsequently passed. She's attempted to get aid from the VA and the SSA, as well as State and Federal assistance, until she can find a job....none of it has worked out for her, and she was broke, alone, and living in a tiny apartment that was dad's before it was both of theirs, thus making everything even harder for her to bear. Every corner of that place was a reminder of Dad and his death. Hubby and I agreed she would come live with us until she can get back on her feet, and get back on her own. We've been slowly getting all her stuff transferred over to my house in my van, but she had a lot of cleaning out. My dad was a pack-rat. and in their tiny apartment, it was a big hindrance. Mom is left to clean, sort and haul it all out to the street. It's been hard on her, but I know she is glad she will not be staying there. The memories and pain is just too much for her right now. I get my sensitivity from her, and trust me, I can truly relate to what she's dealing with.


So, Mom's moving in, Hubby's back out of the house on a regular basis, Em's at camp....that leaves Kaity....Kaity's got big news too!

Kaity was accepted and drawn from the lotto to attend the integrated Pre-K program at Emily's school as a Model Peer to pre-schoolers who have emotional, social, physical and other education-related issues/disabilities. As a model peer, Kaity will be one of the students in the class to set the example for these kids, so they will be able to blend in with the regular classes once they go into Kindergarten. This is the same program that Emily was in at age 4. I cannot tell you how proud I am of Kaity for even being good enough to be considered for the program. To be able to actually accepted in and going is like a dream. Kaity is ecstatic that she is going to school like a Big Girl in the fall. She's so ready to go, she asked if she could go this week. I had to let he know that unfortunately no, she has to wait til September. She's OK with that....My Mum (step-mom is called Mum, Mother is MOM, to clarify) has even told me that she will be getting both Kaity and Em backpacks and lunch boxes from the store. woot! $30 I don't have to spend, works for me!

July is rapidly approaching (it's in like 3 days, I think) and soon MY TRIP TO NYC will be upon us! I am so excited. I am buying my bus ticket tomorrow (buying at least 14 days in advance with military discount saves a lot of money!), and Mum says my present from her and Dad is a AMEX gift card for spending in the Big Apple. Pretty frickin' awesome if you ask me.

With all the changes going on, I haven't had time to really blog lately, and I suspect I won't blog again, except randomly for a little while. I will from time to time of course.....I also noticed that my layout is being wonky and the background and most of the pictures are not working. As I don't really have the time to fiddle with it right now, I am going to switch to a pre-made template that blogger offers, at least til I have the time to sit down and figure it all out....

I hope everyone has a great Summer, and I promise to check in from time to time and keep you all updated!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

For Jeopardygirl

So Jeopardygirl tagged me for this....and I feel obliged to do it.....I am having an emotional day, so this is a good way to channel it, I think....

1. Go to www.popculturemadness.com
2. Pick the year you turned 18
3. Get yourself nostalgic over the songs of the year
4. Write something about how the songs affected you
5. Pass it on to 5 more friends

Well the year I turned 18, was 1995. A big year, actually. in 1995 I graduated High School, I started college. I fell in love, not for the first time, but it did happen....

Many of the songs here I can remember being in a particular place and dancing, or singing to them. Some examples?

Alright, #2 for 1995 was "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boys II Men....C'mon, everyone knows that song! And if you went to high school in the mid 90's, chances are you went to at LEAST ONE school dance or function where this was played. I know it was played at My Prom.....so I get to thinking about Prom, and the fun, the friendships, and I am beginning to feel an aching to go home and see the familiar places....this is not the place I want to be at emotionally right now....I'm already upset about Home.....so I will pick another song....

Ohh "Gansta's Paradise" by Coolio...not that is a kick ass song. It had a powerful message. And it was teamed up with a Movie.....a really good movie with Michelle Pfiffer. I remember the video and she was in it, sitting in a chair while Coolio rapped to and around her. Powerful. He's a good artist. And even though he doesn't sing a whole lot, he does have a good voice. I remember being moved by this song, and the movie, it made me realize how sheltered I really was in my upbringing. Not necessarily a bad or good thing, but I was open to more things after this song.

Looking down the list some more, I see a song that brings back such powerful memories, I am laughing and tears spring to my eyes. "One Hand In My Pocket" by Alanis Morrisette. It was a fun little song. but I remember quite clearly an incident with this song....My friends and I were driving to Daytona Beach to go clubbing (I went to college in St. Augustine, a mere 1 - 1 1/2 hours away), and there was an accident or something on I-95. Traffic was at a standstill for like an hour at least. this song came on, and my friend Drew started lip syncing. there is a line "I've got one hand in my pocket, and the other is giving a peace sign" well, he acted it out, so flamboyantly, like He was a vaudville actor or something. His facial expression, his movements wer so comical, My friends and I who were with him, were litterally rolling on I-95 laughing so hard, that we were crying. It was a small moment, but it stands out.

And so I will end this Meme on a happy note...there were a ton of other songs I could have written about, but at this moment, I won't...maybe another day.....