A week in review

It has been a packed week. Friday, May 5 the kids and I met Jeff after work at the zoo. I saw that there was a NASCAR IMAX movie in 3D starting at 5:00. Jeff thought it would be cool to see too, so he joined us. It was a very good film and the 3D effects were great! Afterwards we went home to enjoy a pizza from Papa Murphy's.

Saturday we started our day at the ConAgra Company Store. It's a small store located in Council Bluffs, Iowa (just over the river from Omaha). It has just a few freezers and a set of shelves. We loaded up on some popcorn, katchup, beans, frozen dinners (for me at lunch....I'm getting tired of sandwiches!), and beef jerky. Since we were in Iowa, we decided to swing by a casino and make a few bets on the Kentucky Derby. We didn't pick a winner. In the afternoon Jeff and Jackson went to Elkhorn to get the lawn mower blade sharpened. They decided to get me my Mother's Day gift early. A new video camera!!! It is small and compact. The best part is it takes digital pictures and everything is stored on a disc that is smaller than a CD, but can be played in a DVD player! Later, we all went for a drive to pick up the lawnmower blade and found some more flowers to add to our house. As we continued on our drive we found a state forest (Schram Park) and the Platte River. We also drove past an Outlet Mall (more on that later...) It's been fun finding all of these neat places.

Sunday morning we went to church and came home to a big brunch. Kids did their homework right away, so we could have some fun in the afternoon. Jeff and Jackson decided they wanted to check out a new State Park and do a little fishing. I took Joe and Jenna to the AWESOME zoo here in Omaha. We spent two hours there, and only saw about 1/2 of the exhibits. Everyone was tired out so we went to bed early.

Monday I ran errands. I found the public library and made some copies of my teaching application materials. I found a job posting for a 4th grade teacher in Bennington. It is about 14 miles away and a very small school district. Their mascot is the Badger. Looks just like Bucky the UW mascot...only this one is blue and white! I worked most of the day on the 6 page application.

Tuesday I hand delivered my application materials to Bennington then drove to Gretna to drop off some more application materials. Gretna doesn't have any posting right now, but I'll be ready for when they do! While in Gretna Jenna and I stopped by the Outlet Mall I mentioned earlier......I was so excited when I saw Oshkosh B'Gosh. I just had to stop in. Big sales going on! Jenna got an outfit for fall (for kindergarten) and 3 new sundresses. Joe made off with 2 new shirts for school for the fall and a t-shirt. We continued on our running around. I went to the Millard School District Administration Center to drop off a copy of my Nebraska license for my file and to signed Jackson and Jenna up for Summer School. Joe is happy that his class was full. He'd rather hang out at home with his dear old mom! Jenna had Hannah over to play. They made a bit of a mess in the sink...washing their Polly Pockets, but had a blast!

Today....Wednesday. Jenna had hearing and vision screening today. She has 20/20 vision in her right eye and 20/25 vision in her left eye *(With Glasses)*. She has perfect hearing...so she should be able to hear me when I tell her to pick up her room! After the screening we did some grocery shopping. Hy-Vee had 4 pounds of strawberries on sale for only $4.99. I had to get some! I made strawberry shortcake (angel food cake) for dessert tonight. After loading up on groceries, my neighbor, Charlotte and son, Kelen, headed back to the Outlet Mall. It was a quick trip just to show her where it was...but I had some fun getting a few more things for gifts!

Early Release was today, so the boys were home by 2:30. They had most of the kids in the neighborhood over. I've counted up the kids on our street. Between 14 houses (6 on each side of the street and the 2 houses at the end of the street) there are 21 kids! They are ages 10 (Joe is the oldest) to 1 month old (across the street is a new little boy - Jack Joseph). It's a great place for the kids! I just hope the people without kids are tolerant to the noises that come up and down the street! I can tell our kids are going to have a great summer!

Brats on the grill, homemade potato salad, beans, and chips ended our great day. Joe finished his homework, Jackson studied his spelling words, and we enjoyed watching "The Amazing Race"!

Looking forward to the weekend and Mother's Day!!!