I've Been Boo'd!

BOOOOO! It's Halloween time and apparently the goodie ghosts have discovered where my blog lives. :)

The amazing Mrs. S of The Peanut Gallery (a fabulously talented teacher and dear friend) drifted by leaving goodies all around. And when I say talented lady- I AM NOT KIDDING! YOU TOTALLY NEED TO CHECK OUT HER STORE! Anyways, I am going to play along tonight. So below are the details. 

You've probably all played the popular game BOO at school where you leave a ghost on someone's desk or mailbox along with a treat.  Let's do the same by sharing some love from our stores...

Here's how to play.  Choose a fellow blogger that has MORE followers, another that has about the SAME number of followers, and last, someone that has LESS followers.Highlight their blogs with links to encourage others to check them out.  Don't forget to let your fellow bloggers know that you shared about them.  Lastly, leave them some love by offering them a goody from your store as their "treat."


So here are the three blogs I would like to share with you:

1) Ms. Joanne of Kids Teaching and Learning - I found her blog through a forum post and she is an experienced teacher that has a lot to share! You can find her TpT shop HERE.

2) Dive into Learning is another blogger that I would like to share with you. Not only can you find amazing science and math lessons, but they are all reasonably priced. Check it out HERE.

and my final stop on the tour is:

3) Jen over at Teaching, Life, and Everything In Between. A great blogger and a master of creating math, writing, and management items- Jen's store is worth taking a peek at! Click HERE to check it out.

I hope that you have enjoyed the BOO'D session. :)

Happy Haunting-

MrHughes

A Trip to the ER (Blah)

Yes, it is true. I went to the ER on Sunday. Happy Halloween to me. For the full story read the excerpt from my wife (with some of my additional commentary added in. Being I was mostly not conherent the whole time, I think we will go with her version!

From my wife's blog:
      Sunday started out as a normal day.  Everyone was feeling pretty good.  Halfway through Primary, Ian came and found me and told me that his stomach hurt.  He was in tears, so John decided to take him home.  When the rest of us got home from church, we ate lunch around 2pm and had a pretty relaxing day.  We watched TV snuggled under a blanket, I worked on my ward newsletter, the kids played.  John started not feeling well (again) and getting a headache and a fever.  About 8:30pm the kids were getting hungry, and as it was almost bedtime and we hadn't done anything about dinner yet, I put Eli in his high chair and was going to whip something up for them to eat real quick.  While I was doing this, John went to the bathroom.  The next thing I heard was a faint bang, and a few seconds after that the kids yelling, "Dad fell!!" I went running into our bedroom to find the lamp knocked off the nightstand, the Kleenex box smashed in the windowsill, and John laying on the floor next to the bed with his head against the wall about 6 inches from the floor.  It seriously took me about 30 seconds to wake him up.  The kids were freaking out, Zander was crying, and after I got everyone calmed down, we got John on the bed.  He said he didn't know what had happened.  He went to the bathroom, started feeling dizzy, so he walked along his sink, the tub, and my sink to the door so he could lay down on the bed.  He thought he had made it there, but apparantly passed out before he got that far.  He kept complaining that his hip hurt, but it wasn't the side I found him on, and I don't think he could have rolled over from where I found him, so we're not sure what happened.  He also had a few scrapes above his left eye, again, not the side he fell on. After making sure he was okay, I asked him if he wanted a blessing.  He said yes, so I called his Dad and a neighbor (thanks, Dale!) to come over.  His mom came with dad, and called Shlisa, John's sister in law,  to come check him out. (She is an EMT) Thomas and Shlisa came and after giving him his blessing and making sure he was okay, Shlisa suggested we take him to the clinic.  He's been having migranes which don't run in his family for about a week and a half, and sometimes he feels lots of pressure behind his right eye and it goes blurry.  She said since we didn't know how hard he hit his head when he fell it would be a good idea.  I called the local P.A. and had him meet us at the clinic.  Being Sunday, they weren't open.  They did a urine sample which came back normal, and a strep test that was negative. (John's throat started feeling really dry that afternoon.)He didn't like that John was only 35, and having 3 or 4 migranes the past week either and was worried about Encephalitis (swelling of the brain). He wanted blood work done and possibly a CT scan.  Since we are rural, if they did the blood work there, they wouldn't get the results until Tuesday and he didn't want to wait that long. They gave John some tylenol, and so, thus came a trip to the ER.  By this time it was almost 10:00pm.  John's dad offered to drive us, and his Mom stayed with the kids and got them to bed. (Thank you both!)  
   We arrived at the ER in Price at 10:45pm and by 11:15 John was admitted and in a bed with an IV and blood samples taken.  Around 11:30 an ambulance came in with a patient that had diabetes, congestive heart failure, and wasn't really coherent.  Of course with our luck as it is, they put him in the bed next to us, so we got to listen to him wail and scream for the entire time we were there.  He wasn't really comunicative with the nurses.  Just kept wailing away. :)  We waited until 1am to see Dr. Perkins.  He came in and did the usual temp, light in the throat, eyes, etc.  He said he could see some puss way back in his right sinus. (where all the pressure, and blurriness is occuring).  He also said he has a virus that is related to Herpes on the roof of his mouth and in his throat.  He had me look at the spots so I could tell if there were any more, or they got bigger after we went home.  They looked like pimples.  Really red with a white head.  He wanted a CT scan done (he was worried about the puss behind his eye and wanted to make sure that everything was okay everywhere else in his head.  The Dr. also told us that they may possibly do a lumbar puncture depending on the results of his bloodwork.
  They took John for his CT scan at 1:30am.  While he was gone, they moved us across the way to a bed that had opened up.  The nurses felt bad we were stuck next to the wailing man.  Although we could still hear him, it was much quieter. :)  They brought John back at 1:36am.  
  At 2:24am Dr. Perkins came back in with the results of the CT scan.  He said his brain was normal, which was what he wanted to see.  John also has some pollups and systs in his sinus' on both sides.  His septum in his nose curves to the right, and we may need to have those things taken care of in the future.  We weren't really surprised to hear this--his mom and his brother have both had surgery to take care of the same thing. John's blood and urine all came back normal, so no lumbar puncture, yea!!   The Dr. said that they usually don't put people on an antibiotic for sinus infections, but since it's been going on for 10-12 days, it was necessary.  To help with the antibiotic (they are hard on your stomach) he told us to get Kefir yogurt to coat his stomach.  He said to drink lots of fluids, and to get lots and lots of rest.  For the virus in his throat he told him to chew sugar free gum like Stride, or Orbit.  There is an ingredient in there that fights the bacteria in those kinds of infections.  We thought that was interesting.
  The nurse came in at 2:44am to take the IV out, gave him his first dose of antibiotic, and released us from the hospital.  We were out of the hospital at 2:55am.  Of course, at that late hour, there was no grocery stores open in Price, so we couldn't get the yogurt, and just came home.  
John's dad stopped for Gas in Wellington and to get a drink.  The clerks were doing shift change and were counting out the till, so we didn't get out of there until almost 3:30am.  
  We made it home around 4:30 and after figuring out how to set the alarm (that's usually John's job), fell into bed.  I got 3 whole hours of sleep. John got a few more as he slept on and off at the hospital.  I had to get the kids up and ready for school, and with two little ones at home, a nap was not in the forcast. I was actually feeling very blessed that I wasn't feeling the effects of my late night.  I was able to care for John and the little boys and even canned a few batches of apple juice.
  John's parents went back to Price to fill John's prescription and get the yogurt and gum for him.  They needed to fill a prescription anyway, and it made my day a lot easier!  Thank you, again!  We could have had the clinic fill the prescription, but they can only dispense once a day at 3:30pm.  We decided we didn't want to wait that long, and our grocery store doesn't carry the yogurt anyway.
  Ian called me from school at 11:30am saying his stomach hurt.  I asked if he wanted me to come get him, and he said he wanted to wait until 1pm so he didn't mess up his perfect attendance record. (He hasn't missed a day of school ever!)  I told him to call me if it got too bad, but I never heard back from him.  John and I decided to take him into the clinic.  He just hasn't been himself.  His appetite was less than half of normal, and he usually doesn't complain unless it's really bad.  After school we ended up at the clinic (2nd time in two days).  The P.A. just shook his head at me. :)  He concluded that he thinks Ian has an ulcer.  (**They are NOT caused by stress.  Just an overproduction of acid in the stomach.  My 10 year old is not worrying himself to death--just thought you should know.)   :)  So Ian is now on an acid reducer as a two week trial to make sure that is really what it is.  He's been on it two days now, and hasn't had a stomach ache, so yea!  That was a fairly easy fix.  The P.A. told us that after a month we could reduce the dose, and after 6 months, reduce it again, and hopefully after that he'll be off of it completely.  Hope it works! :) 




Here is my version:


I was watching Ghost Hunter's Live Event. I needed to use the restroom. I had had a fever all afternoon so I was huddled under a blanket. I hate having to get out of the blanket where I am all warm and toasty to go to the bathroom. As I stood up, I felt a little lightheaded, but not more than normal. I headed to the bathroom. I started feeling nauseous as decided to head back to bed. I remember feeling like I was going to faint. I remember calling for my wife as I worked my way around the edge of the bathroom to my bed. The next thing I know I am being shaken and I see my wife and kids looking at me. I was feeling a little freaked out and then the pain and lightheadedness hit me again. I finally made it up on the bed. After that most everything is a little hazy. I remember going to the clinic, answering questions, riding to Price, and off and on in the hospital. By the time we left, I was feeling really pretty good. (I won't be when I get all the bills. I may have to sell my house to pay my bills- :) )


Thank heavens my parents were around to help out. We would have really been in trouble without them here. Thanks mom and dad for your help and love. They made a special trip to Price the next day to get my medication AND yogurt the dr. recommended. Again, thanks mom and dad. And thanks to the school staff who helped my sub (who had NO lesson plans provided) make it through the day (I have amazing students as well!).


I am glad to report that I am feeling much better these days. I hope that it continues. I was getting very tired of feeling sick! I am still sore, I am still a little tired and weak, but I feel a 1000000000% better. 


I have to thank my amazing wife for all her love and support. I know I scared her and I feel bad about that too! Sorry honey! :) Love ya!


Later...

What a Day! Oh...and Happy Halloween!

 My what a day it has been! Phew!
Bountiful Baskets was this morning. My wife and I awoke at 4:30 am and started getting ready to brave the cold. I was getting dressed and suddenly there appears my 3 year-old son. "Daddy, can I watch cartoons?"
I am thinking What the crap? It's 4"30am! I told him no and that it was time to return to bed. He was a little pouty, but he did return. Of course he tried like 3 more times before we left. In fact, all but my oldest and youngest woke up for various reasons. We left and I assume they went to sleep. At least that is their story!
When we got there, there wasn't a truck yet. So I was thinking, phew, not too late! (We arrived 10 minutes after 5am). Oh no. No truck at 6am....no truck at 7am....the truck finally arrived around 7:20am. It was interesting- but with all the amazing volunteers that came to help (like 10 of them- thanks everyone) the produce was distributed out and ready for pick-up with 10-15 minutes! everyone came and picked up their food. We even had a man drive all the way from Rifle, Colorado (over 2 hours away) to train so he could open a site. So, after that we took my parents their basket and my brother his. By the time we got home, the kids were "starving" and so we had a delicious breakfast. I had to go and get eggs for breakfast my three-year old wanted to come. He didn't have a jacket so I carried him and snuggled him. When we got to the store he informed me that he was "fine" and could walk. I still carried him until we got to the eggs. Once there he saw the yogurt and we had to have a discussion about why we couldn't buy any right now. He was determined that I "had an extra dollar and could buy some ogurt (as he calls it)". I finally convinced him we didn't have the money right then and we made it to the check-out. As we headed outside he lifted up his arms and said, "Dad, I love sundays". I smiled told him that it was only saturday. He said, "NO DAD! SUN-DAYS!" pointing around to all the sun that was on the ground. He never ceases to make me laugh. Thanks buddy!

After breakfast everyone settled into their own thing. This means that the kids watched TV, my 1 year old destroyed the house, my wife worked in her scrapbook room, and I went to the school to finish report cards (and I did- yea me!).

I came home and tried to work on my college papers. I did get a little done. I even finally upload my 2nd case brief for scoring. Somewhere in there grandma called and told us that the kids needed to come and get their last tractor ride for the year. Of course they ALL wanted to go, so we loaded up and went. Grandma took each one for a ride, and bless her very, very, very brave heart- let them drive as well! Phew Grandma! You are brave!
Below are the pictures.

I love this picture of my oldest. Grandma took him on an extra-long ride and I think he had a great time. He loves to spend time with his grandma. They are two-peas in a pod! He looks so happy in this picture I love it!

My three-year old is a stinker! He was driving with grandma and when they came to an intersection, he looked both ways and told they were "good to go". Knowing him there was a thumbs-up involved as well. What a cute kid.

My baby wasn't sure he wanted to go for a ride with grandpa. But I think he really enjoyed after they got started!

After that, we went over to our neighbor's daughter's 1st birthday party. That was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time playing pin the spider on the skeleton, treasure hunting, and eating lots of yummy treats. Thanks Parson's family for inviting us. We loved it.

That brings us to pretty much now. The wind and rain picked up so strong that I thought I was going to end up in Kansas (or somewhere on the Mid-to-Eastern half of the States). It is still sprinkling a little. My wife still has the kids out and about Trick-or-Treating.

All that is left is to watch White Christmas after dinner.

I got a free $3 MP3 credit from Amazon today, and so I let the kids get a couple songs. We got AllStar Weekends Come Down With Love, Selena Gomez's A Year Without Rain, and my son and I found a song by Bruno Mars Just The Way You Are. I have to say I really like the song. It describes my wife perfectly-amazing how someone wrote a song just for her! :).




 These are from last night. My little buddy was so tired, he crashed watching "toons"

And, with a cute little look like that I HAD to add this one. He was just sitting there giggling and giggling. Not sure why, Maybe that dinosaur is more fun to ride than I ever imagined!

 I love my kids. My wife will post on their costumes and I do not want to steal her thunder so I defer to her for that post! I may add a picture in a few days so I have one in my record as well! :)

Later...

Hallloween Costumes At Last!

Well there you have it. A picture of my cute kids at Halloween.It was a great one. My wife took the kids trick-or-treating while I stayed home and handed out mozzarella cheese sticks (we went with a healthy option this year), After everyone made it home, we had dinner, finished off the cheese sticks, and then we turned off the lights, locked the door, and enjoyed White Christmas (it's a family tradition- thanks mom!)

Later...

Happy Halloween! (and a time change)

If I was a good dad, I would be adding photo's of my kids in the stinkin' cute costumes, but alas, I have none!
It was great day however. We got home from shopping in Price around 5:00pm. We had spent the night at my sister's house after helping her run a spook alley for her son's school. It was loud and crazy, and we didn't get done taking everything until after 10pm (the event ended at 8pm), but it was fun. Thanks sis for the invite.

This evening has been fun. The kids had a great time trick-or-treating. Tomorrow is going to be a great day as well, but I can't really explain more until after tomorrow is over! :)

Well, don't forget to set your clocks back an hour (if your state does day light savings) and have a Happy Halloween!

Later...

We Are All Okay, Except The Spider...

After the crazy winds today, our poor little (big) spider didn't make it. The wind blew it right over and messed up all the legs and body. It was quite sad. The temperature has been crazy the last few days. I am hoping that when I get up in the morning, early, to clean up the garden everything isn't frozen solid and that I don't freeze solid going outside.

I am also excited as we are going to go and visit my sister this weekend. It will be fun to get out of town and get away from things here.

Today at school was great. I took my 6th graders to the public library. The librarian was so sweet and wonderful. She had treats, she read them a story, and they got to check out books. We are planning on attending every other week. I am very excited for the kids to get the experience of being in public and learning to act appropriately. Not to mention it gets us out of the building every now and then.

I am really looking forward to this break. I can't wait to enjoy general conference on Saturday and Sunday and work in my room (getting caught up on all the things I have left to pile up) and spending time with my gorgeous wife and kiddos.

I received some very exciting news today, but I can not divulge it at this time. In the near future I will be authorized to discuss it at more length.  Let's just say I am mucho excited. Well, I have a few things I need to finish and I still have 25 minutes on my presentation video I am making, to finish. So,

Later...

Halloween is Coming...

Ok, I will admit up front that October is one of my NOT very favorite months. I feel I have the the right to say that because my birthday is in October! (But that just makes me feel OLD!) I am posting a picture of the amazing SPIDER we built in our front yard. We had built this one in Orem when we lived there, but hadn't ever built it here. We have had many compliments on it. It was truly a pain in the BUTT, but totally worth it.The kids love it and are creeped out by it!

On the flip side, school has been so relaxing and enjoyable. I am truly enjoying this year. What a great class. An extra-special class I think. I was told these classes would come along from time to time and I am SO thankful to have this class.

My master's classes are going. I have so many activities and projects that are due that I am surviving and keeping my head above water. I am so ready to be done. But it will come and go.

I guess i need to head to bed. I just wanted to share our cool spider.

Later...

A Pumpkins Point of View!

Hello All! I found this and just had to share! Have a Happy Halloween!

You Want Me To WHAT In 3 Weeks????

Well, today I learned some rather stressful news. The high school here has asked me to help with the music for the musical they are doing- School House Rocks (Jr. Edition). So I show up at practice today and finally got all the materials I will need to be in charge of the music. Then I find out that they are performing this musical in 3 weeks! 18 days TOTAL to get an entire production ready to go. WOW! It can be done, I know that. But Wow! The kids are going to have to eat, breathe, sleep, and even dream the music. She was able to get them rehearsal CD's. So that should really help. It was disappointing in how few of the older kids wanted to participate. Most of the kids in the show are in 8th grade or younger. It is going to be fun, and simply another adventure to share with in my crazy life. (What's even MORE weird is that I have taught almost all the kids that are in the play this year!)

I went to tutoring today. That was an exciting adventure. I show up and the student had an attitude. When I tried to get the student to work, the student told me that the work could be done when I was gone and to do something else. I told the student ok, but it never is. The comment that came out as the discussion continued was, "And you tell me that I'm immature." That was when I stood up and walked out. I don't need that garbage, especially when I have TONS of things that I need and want to do. I felt bad about leaving knowing that the grandmother will be left dealing all the problems from that.

School went ok. It was a better day than most others. Mrs. E joined us for writing again. That was a blast. She is such a great experience for my kids. And I am starting to hear from parents how much their kids talk about that being their favorite part of the school day. Yea for the author! She IS pretty amazing. I am excited to host her book in November. You'll have to stop by and check it out, ask questions, and such!

Well, I think that has sufficiently covered my day...Oh wait. We put up our inflatable pumpkins and real pumpkins all over the yard. It turned out good. It's weird to have grass. We didn't last year! Yea us.

Later...

P.S. My student that I tutor just called and apologized for being disrepsectful. Good for that student. Going back Thursday! I guess we will see how it goes.