Family

The Lloyd family consist of David, Donna, Caleb and Madilyn. We are just like any other family and are trying to make the most of our lives. The post found within this section are about our everyday life from my point of view and maybe an occasional musing from David.

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How to get a teen to leave the room : )

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

My days are so busy and filled with work, home and my two kids. I often time have very little time to spend with my husband before I go to bed exhausted.

Madilyn was out like a light at 8:30 and tucked into her bed soon after. Caleb was being a lounge lizard laying on the couch. Well I finally found a way to get him to go to bed early. Every parent reading this will want to read on….

I turned off the television, and turned on the Bose music system. I turned it to my setting that has only love ballads. The artist include the Platters, Chicago, Boston and other groups from the 60- present. It took only one song and then the start of the second song for him to tell us goodnight. I asked why he was going to bed and he said he did not want to listen to “The Platters” sing Only you.

So next time I need time with David the Bose will be coming on. Hopefully it works again.

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M. Ed.

Thursday, May 14th, 2009


Those 3 letters and 2 periods are now what come after my name in my official work correspondence. I did a ton of work to earn the right to add those 3 little letters and those 2 periods to the end of my name.

The past 2 years of my life have been CRAZY. Two years ago when I started the Masters program at KSU life was slow and easy. The first year went pretty smooth. However, around March of last year I decided I could no longer stay at my current work place. Along with going to school I set out to find a new job closer to home. I was blessed with the wonderful job as a Career Pathways Facilitator with the Cherokee County School System. My thought was that I had a year of grad school under my belt and I could handle a new job with very few issues.

I was suppose to attend summer school but was unable to do so due to having to be in training for my new job. Well it was not a problem because I could take the missed classes during the fall and spring and still graduate on time. So the plan would be that I would go to class on Thursday’s and Saturday’s. David and Caleb were already used to me being gone on Thursdays, and it would not be too hard for them to adjust to me being gone on Saturday’s.

But then we got the call about Madilyn. I spent July with her and then it hit me in August. I have a new baby, a new job and have to go to graduate school 2 days a week. I did not think that I could handle all of these life changes at one time.

Thankfully I did not have to do it by myself. David made sure that he was always home on the days that I had to go to class. My KSU schedule made for long days for both of us. When I needed to study or work on a project David was always there to entertain Madilyn so that I could finish what needed to be finished. Without his love, support and understanding I would not have been able to complete my graduate school work on time, and I would not be able to add those 3 little letters and 2 periods after my name.

Donna J. Lloyd- M.Ed.

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Great Week

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Last week was a wonderful but busy week. First we had David’s b-day, then our 18th wedding anniversary and ended the week with Mother’s Day.

For David’s b-day we stayed in and invited a co-worker of his for dinner along with his wife Laura and thier son Bo. We had a great time with them. It is too bad that they live in MN and were only in town for the week.

We both took off work on our anniversary. This has been our tradition since our first year of marriage. The day was busy, because for the 1st year ever we had to focus on things other than us on this special day. Madilyn had a doctors appointment and I had to get my tire and rim replaced on my van. So the morning was shot. We ended up having a late breakfast/early lunch and then just going home and vegging out watching a movie. Thankfully we have found a reliable sitter for Madilyn so we were able to leave the kids at home and go to dinner. At dinner we reflected on our early years together and how much we have grown as a couple and a family.

We had a nice Mother’s Day. We never go out to eat on this day. The resturants are entirely too crowded. So David grilled up some nice steaks and I baked some potatoes. I would rather spend time in my home than in a loud resturant. It was our first Mother’s Day with Madilyn. Last year we had given up hope of having another child and then she came along. I have more to say about this but will save it for another post.

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13 Possible Reasons

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

I called the school that did not admit Caleb and they sent me the following list of 13 possible reasons for him not being accepted.

1. It is our perception that the student does not want to attend- Caleb very much wants to attend this school and said so in the interview.

2. The work schedule of the parent seems to indicate that necessary supervision will not be available when the student is at home- David works at home. We discussed in the interview that Caleb and David would share an office/classroom space and work together during the day and that help would be available to Caleb all day.

3. Academic evaluation indicates that the student is working below grade level.- Caleb is working above grade level and scores above grade level on all state test.

4. It is our understanding that the student has educational needs that the school can not meet.– Caleb has no “special” educational needs, he is a normal student.

5. Apparent student behavior would tend to suggest that the student would have a difficult time in classes where continual attention toward school work is demanded.- I have no clue what this means since he is an A student sitting in a class room everyday of the week, and he is currently expected to pay continual attention.

6. Apparent conflict and/or lack of respect between the parent and student tend to suggest that a challenging parent-led education program is not the best alternative. – Caleb is not the CEO of our home, and we do not have a problem with a lack of respect on either part.

7. The applicant family has no regular church membership or involvement.- We attend church, host a home team, all of us volunteer and we pay our tithes and have a history of doing so for many years.

8. Information suggest that one or both parents are not in agreement with the philosophy and goals of the school.- This was a form that we had to read and sign that we agreed with. We both read the form and signed the form.

9. Indications on your application suggest that one or both parents are not in agreement with the statement of faith.- This was part of the form mentioned in #8

10. The student has been expelled from another school.- Caleb has never been expelled.

11. The student has a juvenile record- Caleb has no juvenile record

12. The student has a history of alcohol, tobacco or drug use. – Caleb does not drink, smoke or use drugs.

13. The student has a history of disruptive classroom behavior, and is disrespectful to authority.- Caleb is in 7th grade and during all of this time he has only been sent to the office twice. Once in Kindergarten and once in 4th grade. I do not see this a pattern of disruptive classroom behavior.

David and I feel the rejection of our application is bogus. We are are now moving on, but angry that Christians will not come forward and tell us the reason as to why our family was not accepted to be part of this educational program.

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Disappointment 2

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Spoke with the school that denied Caleb’s application. They said that “Our family and religious values do not align with the mission of the school.” All I can say is WHAT??? That really hurts that our christian values and family values are being questioned.

It makes my heart hurt, that Christians can not be accepting of others. During our interview when we mentioned the church we went to a few eyebrows raised. As we left the meeting I told David if Caleb did not get in it would be because of the church we attend. It was a joke. We have found out that the school did not call the church to verify our involvement and they did not call one of our references that works at the church. We have no proof that Caleb was denied admission based on our church preference, but we have heard through the grapevine that others who do not attend “traditional” churches have also been denied admittance to the school.

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Disappointment

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Several months ago we applied for a new school for Caleb. The school is 1/2 home school and 1/2 traditional school. We really liked this model of education for Caleb because of his learning styles, and his becoming bored and frustrated with his current private school. Well today we received word that he was not accepted. They gave no reason, just that they could not accommodate him for the upcoming school year.

We do not want him in the public school system, (I know all too well what goes on). We like his current school, but the cost is way too much. We are also not in the position to home school. I am disappointed at being rejected as a family to participate in the educational program that we applied for.
We need to pray about what we need to do about his education.

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Spring Break (Thursday and Friday)

Friday, April 10th, 2009


Thursday was an awesome day in Tybee. We went to visit the Tybee Island Light House and Museum. The Museum was closed for renovations, but it was cool to see the lighthouse.

We had lunch at “The Sugar Shack” http://tybeesugarshack.com/index2.html. This place was looked really dumpy but had the BEST milkshakes I have ever tasted. The food was really good too.

After lunch we went the beach. It was a beautiful day to relax in the sand and by the water.

Friday we packed up and headed home. We had an uneventful trip, but has heavy traffic. David and I are both sick with allergy problems so the trip seemed to take forever even though it only took about 5 hours to get home.

Now we are watching the news and listening to the radio to see if we are going to have a tornado.

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Spring Break (Wednesday)

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Today was a lazy day for the Lloyd family. The weather was still chilly but warmed up during the late afternoon. We took Madilyn to the beach for the first time. She crawled on the sand and explored her new surroundings. We had a nice walk along the shore of the island.

For dinner we went to Uncle Bubbas Oyster House http://www.unclebubbas.com/ for dinner. The food was really good. We left stuffed and all of our plates still had a ton of food on them. The wait time to for seating was around an hour which is long when you have kids with you.

We have upload pictures to our flickr account. Friends and family please let me know if you have lost the link and I will resend it to you.

Tomorrow should be awesome with temps in the 70’s. It will be a great way to end our trip to Tybee.

Caleb and Madilyn at Tybee Beach

Madilyn crawling on the beach

Tired Madilyn

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Spring Break (Tuesday)

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009


Today was entirely too cold and windy for the beach, so we spent the day in Savannah site seeing. We first went to the Savannah History Museum http://www.chsgeorgia.org/shm/home.htm. It was not as glamorous as the brochure made it out to be, but it was something to do that was inside away from the cold air and wind, and did have some interesting displays.

After we finished at the museum we went to historic River Street. We visited a lot of the shops and had to buy fudge at both of the candy shops on the street. For lunch we went to the Moon River Brewing Company http://www.moonriverbrewing.com/restaurant.html. Service was slower than slow, but the food was pretty good.

For dinner we went to AJ’s Dockside Restaurant http://ajsdocksidetybee.com/. The place looked like a hole in the wall. But we all know that the hole in the wall restaurants serve the best food. Dinner was great. They have both inside and outside seating. We would have loved to enjoy the sunset while eating outside, but the winds just made it too cold to do so.

After the kids went to bed, David and I spent time planning our adult only trip in June. It has been almost 2 years since we have taken a trip by ourselves. The trip we are on now was originally planned for July of last year, but due to Madilyn’s unexpected arrival we postponed the trip and made it a family trip.

Our allergies are killing us but we are still trying to have a good time. Hoping for a warmer day tomorrow.

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Spring Break (Monday)

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009


We traveled from Kingsport TN, to Tybee Island GA on Monday of Spring Break. The trip went very well. We traveled through the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. The views we saw were beautiful. It was neat to see the different colors of spring emerging.

We arrived in Tybee around 4 pm. The condo is wonderful, very nice and spacious with a view of the beach. For dinner we ate at the Crab Shack, not to be confused with Joe’s Crab Shack. We had a shell fish platter that more than fed the three of us. I think it was some of the best sea food I have ever had.

Madilyn is miserable, due to sinus issues. Her nose and eyes will not stop draining. She has been as happy as ever, but she hates it when we have to clean her eyes and nose.

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