Hello everyone! I hope everyone has had a very busy and productive month. I have noticed that for me it does take about that long for me to come up with something informative and interesting to write about and hopefully you will find this interesting and informative!
Most recently I have been blogging about my daughter and her IEP meeting and the results from that. I'm going to have to say that it is a slow process now. I never heard from her English teacher about this years books, so I could try and get them in large print. Instead, when the first book came home, I took turns reading it aloud with her. I guess it was a success because this morning she told me of a book club that they have at the school library! This from the girl who would never willingly read a novel on her own! We shall see how this developes.
As for my son, we attended his school's open house about two weeks ago. We were able to meet with his teacher and get a quick run down of the year. We are supposed to have a "real" meeting sometime this month, but I haven't heard anything yet. I really hate having to nag their teachers to follow up on what they say they are going to do.
As far as I am concerned, I have something that I am accomplishing this month. I am a woman over fifty who has high blood pressure. It stays under control with medication, but I do get seen twice a year by the doctor to make sure everything is good. I think one of the most important things we can do for our children is to take care of ourselves. We need to be around as long as possible, as healthy as possible, for them. With that in mind and also because my mom died of breast cancer, I get my yearly mammograms. They are easy, not that uncomfortable, and you can usually find a source that will do it for free if you don't have insurance. I urge all you ladies out there to take care of yourself. That said, that is not what I am having done this month. This month I am finally giving in to doctors orders and having a colonoscopy. In the United States it is recommended to have one once you reach the age of fifty. I am fifty-three, so the doctors have been after me for the past two years to get it done. I have finally run out of excuses, I mean who really wants to have one of these?! So off I will go on October 31st to make sure my insides are healthy. I keep telling myself that I am doing it for my kids. I am keeping myself healthy for my kids. I'll let you all know what it was like. According to the folks that I graduated high school with (we have a facebook page) it isn't too. too bad. I'm glad I have them rooting me on!
As you noticed by my the title of this post, my son has expressed an interest in voting this year. For those of you not from the United States,( and I know you are there and I am amazed!) we are having a big election on November 6th. Not only do we get to vote for our local officials, but it is a presidential election year as well. All the cities and towns have been checking their voter registration lists and sending out update/registration forms for the people. I got one in the mail about a month ago. It dawned on me that my son is 19 and could vote if he wanted. I asked him and he surprised me by saying yes. So we filled out the form and I am proud to say that my son is a registered voter now! That done, the political education of my son and as a result, all of us, has begun. It's been an interesting time. We have gone over again how our local government works and who is up for reelection. We are listening to all the presidential debates for the first time ever. He even wants to watch the vice presidential debate tonight, that I was going to skip! I am so proud of my son wanting to be informed and asking all the questions that he is asking. He is teaching all of us here how to be better citizens. I hope all of you from the United States of America join me and my family by going out to vote on November 6th.
It's autumn here, the leaves are turning beautiful colors and all kinds of apples are in the stores! I love the aromatic smells of ginger bread, pumpkin pie and all things apple! It just makes the house smell good! Here's a recipe I made from two recipes to get the flavor I like. Enjoy!
APPLE OATMEAL CRISP
7 medium apples, cored,peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter
Directions-
!. In a 1 1/2 quart baking dish toss apples with lemon juice. This is so they don't turn brown in the air. I usually skip this and just coat them quickly with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss and coat throughly.
2. In a small bowl combine oats, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cut in butter until it looks like course crumbs. Sprinkle over apples.
3. Bake in an oven set at 425, 30 to 35 minutes, until the apples are softened and the topping slightly brown.
It's sooo good! Oh! Almost forgot- Happy Halloween! I hope you are able to enjoy the holiday at some level with your kids. My son only wore a costume once. We just said he came as himself! I also read recently that the sound of the crunching leaves under feet can bother those with sensitivity issues. Another good reason to keep the leaves raked off your walkways! I'd love to hear how you celebrate. Do you go around the neighborhood? Do you do a family party at home? My church throws a chowder and chili cook-off followed by a trunk or treat. That means we decorate the trunks of our cars and hand out goodies from there! It's a safe, fun way to celebrate! Last year it rained, so we moved into the classrooms to hand out the candy. It worked out great. Love and hugs to you all!
Nancy
