Today was a transition day. Every Monday my biological kids (Nara and Elan) switch off between staying with me and their mom. Today, they went to their Mom’s for the week.(Tuesdays and Thursdays are days that the non-custodial parent gets an opportunity to spend a few hours with the kids after school, that way the kids have an opportunity to see both parents at least twice a week).
I woke Sol up and helped him get ready before catching the bus to school. I drove Nara and Elan to their mom’s house in South Minneapolis and went to MCTC.
I went to my Positive Psychology class from 10:10 am-noon.
I ate some lunch that I brought from home in the cafeteria why studying for my American Radicalism class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I spent from 12:45-2:15 in the MCTC Library studying for my HRTB class and completing my discussion question for week 5 (Tannen opinion).
I spent from 2:30-3:45 in my 20th Century Pop-Culture class.
After class, I drove home. On the way I picked up some groceries, filled up my car with gas. At home, Jessica had dinner made (Pasta with vegan meatballs). Sol wanted to play some more Axis and Allies (the game we started Saturday night is still in progress). He had a couple of tough times overcoming disappointment, but didn’t have nearly as dramatic of a temper tantrum when playing tonight. I tucked him and had a short conversation. It was the first time talked how tough yesterday was for us when communicating. I felt like he responded really well. He didn’t apologize, but by expressed an interest in showing me he’s sorry.
I went to bed fairly early. Tomorrow I have one more appointment at the YMCA to work on my swimming mechanics.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sunday, 26 September, 2010
Elan woke me up at 7am. Sol and Nara got out of bed around 9:30am. Jessica slept in all morning (she needed the rest because she’s still recovering from her back surgery a couple of weeks ago). I fed the kids cereal for breakfast. Elan watched Star Wars, while Sol, Nara and I continued our Axis and Allies board game (we started a game yesterday. Sol and Nara are playing as the Allied countries Russia, UK and USA, while I play for Germany and Japan). After a half an hour, my parents stopped by the house and picked up Elan and Nara. Nara and Elan spent the day with their grandparents (Sol is my step-son, so he’s not as close with my parents as my other two kids are at this point in our lives).
Sol and I continued to play Axis and Allies for a couple of hours. We ended because of a tantrum (not uncommon, and often a multiple times a day occurrence). I was more proud of how long he went playing the game without having a tantrum. He has an incredibly difficult time overcoming disappointment.
I turned on the Vikings game and spent the next few hours cleaning the house (vacuuming, sweeping, scrubbing the floor, washing dishes and other chores).
For the remaining afternoon/evening, Sol seemed to be having a difficult day all of Jessica and I’s interactions were met with hostility. Any time he found a way to calm down, his attitude escalated quickly and with almost no incident or cause. Communicating was very difficult today with Sol.
I went to my parents to pick up Nara and Elan around 8:15pm. Elan fell asleep in the car seat because he was exhausted from spending a fun afternoon/evening at Grandma and Grandpa’s house without a nap. Nara called our friend Emily (she’s the equivalent of her “goddess” Mother, but lives way up north in Shevlin, MN). They had a good, long conversation which lasted until Nara’s bedtime. I was thankful that Nara was feeling better, recovering from strep throat. I was also thankful that her phone call distracted her from the chaos of some more of Sol’s behavioral breakdowns. It was a tough night for Sol and for me. Jessica tucked him in (I usually do at bedtime). Today was a tough day for both of us, but I’m confident that my relationship with Sol only gets stronger after tough days like today.
Sol and I continued to play Axis and Allies for a couple of hours. We ended because of a tantrum (not uncommon, and often a multiple times a day occurrence). I was more proud of how long he went playing the game without having a tantrum. He has an incredibly difficult time overcoming disappointment.
I turned on the Vikings game and spent the next few hours cleaning the house (vacuuming, sweeping, scrubbing the floor, washing dishes and other chores).
For the remaining afternoon/evening, Sol seemed to be having a difficult day all of Jessica and I’s interactions were met with hostility. Any time he found a way to calm down, his attitude escalated quickly and with almost no incident or cause. Communicating was very difficult today with Sol.
I went to my parents to pick up Nara and Elan around 8:15pm. Elan fell asleep in the car seat because he was exhausted from spending a fun afternoon/evening at Grandma and Grandpa’s house without a nap. Nara called our friend Emily (she’s the equivalent of her “goddess” Mother, but lives way up north in Shevlin, MN). They had a good, long conversation which lasted until Nara’s bedtime. I was thankful that Nara was feeling better, recovering from strep throat. I was also thankful that her phone call distracted her from the chaos of some more of Sol’s behavioral breakdowns. It was a tough night for Sol and for me. Jessica tucked him in (I usually do at bedtime). Today was a tough day for both of us, but I’m confident that my relationship with Sol only gets stronger after tough days like today.
Friday, September 24, 2010
I woke up Nara and Sol and helped them get ready for school this morning. Elan was still sleeping before he was finally woken up at 8:30 (That’s the latest he’s slept in this week). Sol caught his bus to school on time and Elan stayed home with Jessica for the afternoon while Nara and I went to school.
I dropped Nara off at her bus stop a little early (9:10am). Before her bus came, she complained of having a slightly sore throat. Her bus picked her up 9:15am.
I parked at the MCTC parking garage and jogged to the YMCA Downtown for my warm up jog. I did an light weight-lifting, and core muscle work out.
After the YMCA, I head to MCTC to make final editions to my English essay due that was due today.
I had English class from 12:45-3:25. During the class, my teacher (Ms. McLemore) gave me a couple of tips on my final paper and allowed an extension on the essay over the weekend. I went back to the MCTC Library after class and made the final changes and uploaded the paper to my English D2L dropbox. I am confident that it is “A” material after hearing suggestions from Ms. McLemore and making those final changes today.
I spent the remainder of my afternoon at the Library studying for my Positive Psychology and HRTB classes.
When I picked my daughter up at her bus stop, she was sick. She had vomited on the bus ride and her throat still hurt. I drove her to the Minute Clinic a couple blocks from our house in New Hope, MN. She was tested for strep throat and it came back positive. I filled her prescription at the CVS Pharmacy and picked up some meds on order for my son-in-law Sol (He is diagnosed with PDD-NOS, a spectrum disorder similar to autism and requires medication on a daily basis).
I let Nara pick out a Redbox movie to watch tonight while she laid in bed and rested. Sol, Jessica and Elan had already eaten by the time Nara and I got home from the Minute Clinic (about 7:45pm). Jessica had made me some vegetarian stif-fry (with curry mock duck, tofu, red peppers, broccoli and cauliflower in an awesome peanut sauce) for dinner. I fed Nara some ramen for dinner and she fell asleep watching movies in her room around 9pm.
Sol and Elan went to bed around 9:30pm.
I dropped Nara off at her bus stop a little early (9:10am). Before her bus came, she complained of having a slightly sore throat. Her bus picked her up 9:15am.
I parked at the MCTC parking garage and jogged to the YMCA Downtown for my warm up jog. I did an light weight-lifting, and core muscle work out.
After the YMCA, I head to MCTC to make final editions to my English essay due that was due today.
I had English class from 12:45-3:25. During the class, my teacher (Ms. McLemore) gave me a couple of tips on my final paper and allowed an extension on the essay over the weekend. I went back to the MCTC Library after class and made the final changes and uploaded the paper to my English D2L dropbox. I am confident that it is “A” material after hearing suggestions from Ms. McLemore and making those final changes today.
I spent the remainder of my afternoon at the Library studying for my Positive Psychology and HRTB classes.
When I picked my daughter up at her bus stop, she was sick. She had vomited on the bus ride and her throat still hurt. I drove her to the Minute Clinic a couple blocks from our house in New Hope, MN. She was tested for strep throat and it came back positive. I filled her prescription at the CVS Pharmacy and picked up some meds on order for my son-in-law Sol (He is diagnosed with PDD-NOS, a spectrum disorder similar to autism and requires medication on a daily basis).
I let Nara pick out a Redbox movie to watch tonight while she laid in bed and rested. Sol, Jessica and Elan had already eaten by the time Nara and I got home from the Minute Clinic (about 7:45pm). Jessica had made me some vegetarian stif-fry (with curry mock duck, tofu, red peppers, broccoli and cauliflower in an awesome peanut sauce) for dinner. I fed Nara some ramen for dinner and she fell asleep watching movies in her room around 9pm.
Sol and Elan went to bed around 9:30pm.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Jessica and I woke up and got the kids ready for school this morning. Elan spent the day with Jessica at home. Sol caught his bus on time and I dropped Nara off at her bus stop at 9:20am. We were a little bit late, but the bus was there waiting for her.
I parked the vehicle in the MCTC parking ramp and jogged to the YMCA downtown (about six blocks) as a pre-fitness test warm-up. At 10am I had a physical fitness assessment with Angela Webber. She showed me some proper weight-lifting exercises that would help me train for triathlons. We also worked on some basic swimming mechanics to improve my swimming technique.
I went to MCTC to work on my English rough draft which was due Friday (24 September). I spent over two hours on it and finished my rough draft. I’d say that up to this point I had spent over four hours total on research and in writing an outline and notes for this essay. The rough draft was a good start, but still had plenty of work remaining to make it more readable and in accordance with the grading rubric.
I then worked on a Positive Psychology assignment that was due next Monday (27 September).
I went to my 20th Century Pop-Culture class from 2:30-3:45. Afterwards, I spent time in the MCTC Library to read and review more of chapters 1 and 2 in my Human Relations/ Team Building (HRTB) Business class.
I picked up Nara from the bus stop at 5:45pm and we went home.
After dinner, Nara, Sol and I played some board games (gobble-it and stratego mostly) and I helped Sol with his math homework.
Elan went to bed around 9pm. Sol and Nara went to bed around 9:30.
I parked the vehicle in the MCTC parking ramp and jogged to the YMCA downtown (about six blocks) as a pre-fitness test warm-up. At 10am I had a physical fitness assessment with Angela Webber. She showed me some proper weight-lifting exercises that would help me train for triathlons. We also worked on some basic swimming mechanics to improve my swimming technique.
I went to MCTC to work on my English rough draft which was due Friday (24 September). I spent over two hours on it and finished my rough draft. I’d say that up to this point I had spent over four hours total on research and in writing an outline and notes for this essay. The rough draft was a good start, but still had plenty of work remaining to make it more readable and in accordance with the grading rubric.
I then worked on a Positive Psychology assignment that was due next Monday (27 September).
I went to my 20th Century Pop-Culture class from 2:30-3:45. Afterwards, I spent time in the MCTC Library to read and review more of chapters 1 and 2 in my Human Relations/ Team Building (HRTB) Business class.
I picked up Nara from the bus stop at 5:45pm and we went home.
After dinner, Nara, Sol and I played some board games (gobble-it and stratego mostly) and I helped Sol with his math homework.
Elan went to bed around 9pm. Sol and Nara went to bed around 9:30.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Jessica and I both woke up this morning to get the kids fed and ready for school. Jessica is still recovering from her back surgery (2 weeks ago from today).
Sol caught the bus on time (he attends the elementary school near our house in New Hope), I dropped Nara off at her downtown Minneapolis bus stop on time for her pick-up at 9:15 (She attends Southside Family Charter School in Minneapolis. Her school doesn’t have access to busing in the suburbs, so I have a bus pick her up near MCTC every day). Elan stayed home with Jessica, but was picked up by my sister for the day around 9:30am.
I spent about an hour writing and editing my essay quiz that was due in American Radicalism 1000.
I spent my class period learning about the Suffrage Movement in the early and Mid-19th Century.
After class I read some more background information for my English paper while eating a lunch that I brought to school.
I spent the next couple of hours in the MCTC Library working on Human Relations Team Building Business class. I read some more excerpts from chapters 1 and 2 in Effective Human Relations by Reece and Brandt.
Next I went to the student financial aid office to verify that my award letter was still pending and to inquire on a more specific date. There was no verification as to when my award letter would be received. Probably either this upcoming Thursday (23 September) or next Thursday (30 September).
After that I went to the YMCA in Downtown Minneapolis and jogged for 20 minutes (approximately 2.4 miles) and swam 8 laps.
My sister dropped Elan off at home and Jessica watched spent the afternoon with him.
I picked up Nara at her bus stop in Minneapoils at 5:45pm and we went home for dinner.
We ate dinner and I helped Nara and Sol with their homework.
Elan, Nara and Sol went to bed at about 9:20pm.
I took the garbage out before going to bed around 10pm.
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