Thursday, May 16, 2024

When Nanaw picked Chase up from school on Thursday, he said the math test was okay and that he was more than half done with it. It turns out that the math test is a two-day test -- who knew! At Nanaw's house, Chase studied for tomorrow's DLR test, and then they studied for the vocabulary quiz. Daddy was going to study for the religion test with Chase, and Mama was going to study vocabulary. Next school year, things are going to change with Chase studying for tests and doing his homework. He and Nanaw only have an hour and 15 minutes after school to study and do homework and that’s not nearly enough for all the homework and studying. So Mama and Daddy are going to have to study with him in the evening and work around his baseball and hockey activities. Nanaw will still study with Chase when she goes to visit with him on the weekends if he has studying he has to do. Otherwise, they'll play. One of Chase's friends gets good grades, and his parents have him doing a lot of studying. So maybe with Chase studying with Mama and Daddy in the evening, his grades will stay high. In the evening, Mama sent Nanaw a text saying that Hunter, Mason and Brady came by Chase's house to get him to ride bikes. But he rode his scooter with them over to Cole's house and then Daddy came and picked him up. Maybe his bike is still not working from the last time they went bike riding. Nanaw worries so much about him when he's out riding his bike or scooter; she's scared he'll get hurt somehow. Mama texted the second photo to Nanaw of Chase talking about his favorite book on his special day when he was in kindergarten. Mama used to read Wally Woof to him every night at bedtime.

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Pepper rode to school with Chase and Nanaw. In the morning, Mama had carried him in, saying his usual thing of step - step. When Nanaw picked Chase up from school on Wednesday afternoon, Chase said he did well on the math study guide and didn't miss any problems. Nanaw had lunch with her brother Uncle Doug and her sister-in-law Aunt Rita at a place in Town and Country named Yellowstone Café, which specializes in fish. They had walleye, and Nanaw had Caesar salad and beef ravioli soup. Nanaw told them she wouldn't be able to have lunch with them again until after goes back to school in August. At Nanaw's house, Chase worked on his speech for English. Everybody has to write a speech about someone they admire. Chase is writing about Nanaw. The only part he shared with her is the part about them having arguments but then things are okay between them in a day or two. He says maybe he'll let Nanaw read it. LOL. Unfortunately, because he spent all his time working on the speech, he wasn't able to study for tomorrow's math final exam. Nanaw put together several pages of problems from the study guide for Chase to work on, as a way to study for tomorrow's math test. Daddy was going to work with Chase on the problems.

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Tuesday morning, for the first time ever, Chase put his jammies and underwear in the clothes bag. Nanaw was so surprised that he did it. His science test was today but he forgot to bring home his study packets to study again (he studied the packets over the weekend because the test was supposed to be Monday). After school, Chase had some of his Breyer's lactose-free ice cream. He really likes it. He also had a selection of his candy supply. Chase and Nanaw worked on his study guide for the math test on Thursday. He had baseball practice at 4:30 so Nanaw had to have him home by 4 p.m. Mama had Queen of Hearts so Daddy was going to pick Chase up at 5:30. Nanaw was supposed to come back over and continue to work on the math test study guide and the math extra credit packet. They finished working on the study guide and Nanaw said she would continue to work on the distributive property problems and would show Chase how to do them. 

Monday, May 13, 2024

When Mama brought Chase over to Nanaw's house on Monday morning, she talked about taking Sam to the vet's at 8:30 for his surgery of a big tumor on his side. He and Sylvester hadn't had anything to eat since midnight, and they weren't very happy about that. Chase said he'd studied for his science test and worked on his math extra credit packet last night. Later in the day, Mama texted Nanaw that the science test had been postponed to Tuesday. Mama also emailed Chase's teacher to tell her that Chase would not be in class next Monday and Tuesday, the last days of school. The teacher said she would have Chase give his speech for English on Friday and that he should be sure to clean out his locker and his desk by Friday. On the pickup call with Mama when Nanaw picked Chase up from school, Mama discovered that Chase didn't bring his science book and science packets for studying home with him to study some more. Chase said he was sure he knew things. At Nanaw's house, Chase and Nanaw went over his study guide for the math test on Thursday; the study guide is due Wednesday. Chase got a few of the problems wrong, mostly for math errors, which is unfortunate. He knows how to do the work but isn't careful with his math and doesn't go back to check the problems. His math grade might be better if he were more careful. Chase had a hitting lesson in the afternoon so Nanaw had to have him home by 4. His baseball game was rained out. Mama brought Sam home at five, and she said he was still a little groggy. He has to be carried up and down steps. When Mama got home from the Parents and Friends meeting tonight, Sam was sleeping in his bed in Chase's room. 

Sunday, May 12, 2024 -- Happy Mother's Day!

On Sunday morning, Mother's Day, Chase and Daddy went to church. The church was giving away beautiful long-stemmed red roses for mothers and grandmothers. Chase and Daddy brought home one for Mama and one for Nanaw. In the afternoon, as a Mother's Day present to Mama, Daddy and Chase washed Mama's car, waxed it and vacuumed it. This made Mama very happy. She sent a Nanaw a picture of Chase vacuuming and also a picture of Chase playing on the trampoline. They all came over to Nanaw's house about 4:30 for Mother's Day dinner. Uncle Mike grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. Mama brought party potatoes, chocolate crème pie, and cheesecake from a box. Others there included Aunt Becky, cousins Robbie, Kris, Nichole, Lindsey and her boyfriend Dylan. Nyeal and Irina were also there. Aunt Becky brought Chex Mix and her wonderful, special brownies. Nanaw provided Caesar salad, fruit salad, and ice cream and Cool Whip for the brownies. She also got some lactose free vanilla ice cream for Chase. Chase did a lot of playing on the keyboards, both upstairs and downstairs. Nanaw got lots of wonderful presents: her Mother's Day garden with tomato and cucumber plants, marigolds, beautiful celosia plants (Nanaw thinks of them as fox fire but nobody else does.) From Mama and Chase, she got an air fryer toaster oven, a Waino calendar with a picture of Waino and the puppy the Cardinals gave him when he retired, a Cardinals umbrella, a balsam and cedar candle, a Nanaw notebook, a candle that says from my favorite child (but it came from both of Nanaw's favorite children, Mama and Uncle Mike), bubble gum and an Amazon gift card. It was a perfect Mother's Day. 

Saturday, May 11, 2024

On Saturday, Chase had an exciting adventure. Daddy taught him how to cut the grass. He cut the front yard grass with Daddy's direction and got an increase in his weekly allowance from $5.00 to $10.00. Then, Chase's baseball team had a game in the afternoon. After the baseball game, Chase, Daddy and Mama went to Red Lobster for Daddy's belated birthday dinner. Nanaw came over to visit about six-thirty. She wanted to help Chase with his math study guide for the math final exam and with the math extra credit packet but Chase didn't really want to do it. He just wanted to play. Nanaw tried to explain to him how important it is to take his math seriously but Chase wasn't in the mood to listen. He promised to study his science study packets tomorrow for the science test on Monday. Nanaw told him that she was going outside to talk to Mama and Daddy about the math, and Chase went out to play in the back yard. Nanaw told Mama and Daddy that Chase wasn't taking the math seriously and that she needed them to impress on him how important this was. They said they would, and Daddy said tomorrow he would have Chase study his science and work on his math packets. Chase does well in his other subjects; he has an A in all of the other subjects -- it's just math that he has trouble with. He started out the year with an A in math in the first quarter. The next two quarters he had a B. For the fourth quarter, he now has a C. Hopefully, he'll do well with the extra credit packet and the final exam. Over the summer, Nanaw is going to go easy on him about math and try to get him to enjoy it. She'll also encourage him next school year to go back and check his homework assignments. She'll also encourage him to check his answers on his tests when he can and when he has enough time.

Friday, May 10, 2024

On Friday afternoon, Chase did his usual thing of not doing any homework after school, except for Nanaw asking him about math problems. She was doing the problems in his study guide packet for the math final exam on Thursday, May 16. He also has an extra credit math packet that's due on Thursday, May 16. Nanaw will do those problems too, next week. Friday night was the awards ceremony and dance for the 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Chase was very vocal about not wanting to go to the dance. He was not happy about going to the awards ceremony but had agreed to go to that with Daddy. Mama couldn't go because she was going to the celebration of life for Auntie LaLa's brother-in-law Scott. Nanaw was going out to the little house so she couldn't go either. Daddy took a picture for Mama and Nanaw of Chase getting an award for playing soccer. Daddy had insisted that Chase go to the dance for an hour. Then if he wanted to leave, he could call or text Daddy to come get him, which is what he ended up doing. He told Daddy he was bored. Mama found a picture of the dance with Chase in it on the school Facebook page and sent it to Nanaw. 

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Today was an important, exciting day for Chase. It was the day of the spring band concert and art show. Chase missed the Christmas band concert in December because he was sick. So he was really looking forward to this concert. After school, he practiced the songs on the keyboard for Nanaw to hear and did a really good job. Mama invited Nanaw over for a special dinner of tacos. They left for school at about 6:05; Chase was supposed to be there in the band room by 6:15.  Mama drove and was able to park on the lower level, which is really convenient. On the way in to the gym, they saw Brady's mom, and she said there were seats available next to where they were sitting so that's where Chase's family sat. Nanaw and Mama went to look at the artwork and saw Chase's Medusa picture. It's very cool and cute, not scary. Chase's art teacher does a wonderful job teaching art to the kids. And the band teacher does a miraculous job teaching the kids to play various instruments and music. Chase is in the concert band, consisting of 6th, 7th and 8th graders. They played Clutch, the Mandalorian and Anyway You Want It. Chase is lucky to have the teachers he has. After a great, professional-sounding band concert, Chase, Brady and Hunter wanted to go to Dairy Queen for ice cream so everybody did. The boys rode in the far rear section of Mama's car -- very illegal. Brady and Emma's mom came too. 

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

On Wednesday morning, Nanaw asked Chase if he would like it if Nanaw bought a used version of his mathematics book for them to use in their summer school, and he said an excited yes, he would like that. He said there was a green section at the back of the book with extra practice work. So Nanaw ordered it from Thrift Books for $13.00. Nanaw had gotten his math book out of his backpack so she could order the right book, and unfortunately, Nanaw forgot to put the math book back in the backpack. She discovered it on the dining room table about 8:30 a.m. and quickly took it up to school for Chase. Fortunately, he didn't have math till later in the morning. Nanaw went to run some errands, and she got a text from Mama asking if she'd received Chase's email. Nanaw called Mama to find out what it was about. He had sent an email to both of them telling them about a severe thunderstorm warning.  So Mama was going to leave the office to go work at home, and Nanaw went home instead of finishing her errands. Mama got a parent alert text from Chase's school saying they were taking the students downstairs to the cafeteria because of the severe storm warnings. A little while later, they were notified that the alert was over. When Nanaw picked Chase up from school, she asked him if it was fun going to the cafeteria for the storm alert, and he said yes. He also said they did the rosary. At Nanaw's house, they studied for his religion test. After studying, Chase was on the sofa playing with his phone, and Nanaw was sitting  nearby in a chair. Chase turned to Nanaw, and said, Nanaw, I love you so very much." He hardly ever does anything like that, and it meant so much to Nanaw. On the way taking Chase home, it poured down rain so Nanaw didn't go inside Chase's house. Daddy came out and got the bags. Chase's baseball practice was cancelled because of the storm warnings.

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Mama had to leave quickly when she dropped Chase off at Nanaw's house on Tuesday morning. She hadn't expected to drive to work and didn't have a lot of gas so she had to get gas on the way to work. Later in the day, ,Mama told Nanaw that Chase's math test grade was good enough to raise his overall math grade so Mama and Nanaw were happy about that. Mama also told Nanaw that Chase got a 100 on his War Stories book report, which is wonderful. Chase brought home a lot of the projects he's working on so Nanaw could look at them. He also brought home his math test paper. Nanaw got different answers on some of the problems so it was all very confusing. Nanaw read through the book report he wrote for Where the Red Fern Grows, and he did a really good job on it. He was supposed to have baseball practice tonight but it was cancelled. The coach gave the team an assignment to watch at least 45 minutes of tonight's Cardinals baseball game with their dads and to analyze the game and watch what the players are doing. The second picture below is of six-month old Sidney Crosby the Cat that popped up on Nanaw's phone.

Monday, May 6, 2024

When Mama brought Chase over to Nanaw's house on Monday morning, she told Nanaw that Chase was very tired from the weekend and from getting home so late last night, and he wouldn’t be talking much. And Mama was right. Chase hardly said a word before going into school. When Nanaw picked him up from school, he said he had a good day. They had chicken noodle soup for lunch. He had a math test today, and he said he thinks he did well. That would be good, if it could bring up his grade. He took one of the reading tests for AR and raised his grade to an A. He has several projects due this week -- and Nanaw doesn't know what the projects involve. She asked Mama to find out about them this evening if she can. According to Homework Central, the projects are: a Where the Red Fern Grows final project in reading; a moon phases packet in science; a Cinco de Mayo presentation in Spanish, and an Andrew Jackson poster in history. He's going to be a busy fellow this week.

Sunday, May 5, 2024 -- Cinco de Mayo -- Happy Birthday, Daddy and Cousin Joey

Mama reported to Nanaw that Chase's baseball team started playing their game in the early afternoon but the game had a delay. They had played part of an inning when it lightninged. That's a mandatory 30 minutes off the field. Then it started pouring down rain. They had lunch and had to be back on the field at 2. They lost their first game and then played their second game, which they lost also, 7 to 4. But they still won a medal. They headed home and hoped to be home by 10. Mama had Chase studying whenever he had a few minutes. He studied and English and math, Mama said he could study on the drive home. He has a math test tomorrow, and this is his last chance to improve his math grade. Mama said it rained all the rain home so hopefully Daddy was driving. Mama doesn't like driving in the rain. Mama told Daddy that she owes him a birthday dinner because of going to the baseball tournament  instead of celebrating Daddy's birthday.

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Mama sent Nanaw a picture of Chase from first thing morning, where he's sitting on the bed in the hotel room, still in his jammies, playing on his phone. Later in the day, Mama sent a photo from Friday night of Chase driving a go cart. Daddy took him to the go-cart place and then took a picture of him driving. Mama didn't go along because she was back at the hotel with the moms working on the bags for the boys. Mama said they won their first game in the tournament, 10 to 4. They had another game scheduled for 4 p.m. but it was delayed because of rain. Nanaw has been over to Chase's house twice today to take care of the dogs and cat. Both times, she went outside with the dogs so that they would go. The second time, they just barely made before the rainstorm started. Nanaw brought a brush with her and brushed everybody. They all certainly seem to enjoy being brushed. They also enjoy getting treats. The third picture is Chase batting today. Mama said he made a great play in the outfield.

Friday, May 3, 2024

Nanaw was happy to see Chase before school because it was the only time she would see him on Friday before he went to Branson for a baseball tournament. Before they left for school, Chase and Nanaw went over his vocabulary for the quiz today. He also had a DLR quiz, and he turned in his book report on War Stories and his compare and contrast essay on the Art Museum and the Sculpture Park. Mama came to school at 12:20 and picked Chase. They went home and finished packing, then left for Branson. They took Mama's car but Daddy drove. Mama got a hot spot for her phone so that everyone had wi fi on the drive. Mama sent Nanaw a picture of Chase in the back seat with his guys. He brought along Tee Tee, Lars, Creeper, Sid the Snake, Saeger, Grandma Ann, Annie and Grimace. Chase lost a screw out of his glasses yesterday, and this morning Mama took them to Clarkson where Chase's friend Courtney fixed them. Chase told Mama he had a good day, and he thought the DLR quiz and the vocabulary quiz went well. Nanaw went over to Chase's house around five to feed Sam, Sylvester and Tyler, to let them out (not Tyler, of course), and to give them treats. She'll go back at 10 to let them out and give them treats. Mama reported that they got to Branson about 5 and walked to a Mexican place for dinner. Back at the hotel, the boys swam and the moms put together the bags for the boys with all the special treats.  The first picture below showed up on Nanaw's phone; it's from July of 2017 at Suson Park, and it's probably the cutest boy in the world.

Thursday, May 2, 2024

After school, Chase and Nanaw did lots of homework. First, Chase studied his DLR on his own for the DLR quiz tomorrow. Then Chase and Nanaw went over is compare and contrast essay on the Art Museum and City Garden Sculpture Park and his book report on War Stories. Chase made a few changes to the essay and Nanaw put it in a file folder so the paper didn't get crumbled up. He had done his three math review pages in class, and he said they were going to go over them in class on Friday. Nanaw made copies of the math review pages and the math chapter test; she'll do them over the weekend so she can hopefully help Chase study Sunday when they all get back from the baseball tournament in Branson. Chase had a baseball game tonight, and they tied the game. Nanaw gets to see Chase tomorrow morning before school but then won't see him till Sunday evening, if then; it depends on when they get back from Branson. This trip, Sylvester, Sam and Tyler are staying at home instead of Nanaw's house so that Sylvester doesn't escape. Nanaw will go over there at 8 a.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. to let them go outside and to feed them. 

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

On Wednesday morning, Chase took flowers for Mary. All the students bring flowers to school on May 1 and place them around the statue of Mary in front of the school. Nanaw bought the flowers yesterday when she went to Schnuck's to buy her newspaper. Of course, she got purple flowers. After school, Chase did lots of homework. He had religion, math and vocabulary. Nanaw did the math also and then they compared their answers. They each missed one problem, different problems. Nanaw was happy to discover that she knows how to do the math problems, and Chase does too. The problems involved finding the surface area of cylinders, prisms and pyramids. For the vocabulary, Chase has a quiz on Friday over two chapters. They're going to study for the vocabulary quiz tomorrow afternoon. Chase left Nanaw a copy of his compare and contrast essay about last week's field trip for her to proofread for him. They also put together his book report on War Stories. Both the essay and the book report are due Friday, May 3, 2024. Mama has new plans for Chase's baseball tournament this weekend. On Friday, Mama and Daddy will pick Chase up from school at 12:20. On Friday morning, Mama wants Chase to take the vocabulary quiz in AR and the DLR quiz in English. Then they'll head to Branson for the tournament.