Holiday Favorites

Christmas break is always one of the best times of the year. Here is my list of favorites from Christmas Break 2008.


My favorite....

*Christmas Food: Sugar Cookies


*Christmas Tradition: Christmas Light Night


*Christmas Gift: Jewelry from my mom, although my husband wishes it would be the skillet he told my parents I really wanted for Christmas.


*Christmas Letter: Alan and Emily's. I look forward to it every year because it makes me laugh, plus it's the only letter we get that is written by the male in the house. That's worth extra points.

*Christmas Card Photo: Professionally - Ryan and Miriam; The one the kids think is the funniest: Cooper in the dryer


*Quote from the week: "I don't have to use my silverware because I'm a crocodile!" (2 yo)


*Movie (from those we watched during break): Made of Honor


*Phone Call (during break): When my husband called me last night from the roof and told me he was stuck up there and asked if I could come rescue him.

Happy New Year!

Holiday Happenings

Life is fairly low-key around here, which I guess is good, but I'm going to sum up the holidays anyway.

• We have yet another new addition to the family. Some friends of ours got our boys a fish for Christmas (they asked first). The kids love Tommy, who got his name because he's blue like Thomas the Train. I sure hope he fairs better than all the plants we've tried to keep alive.


• We are also the new proud owners of a 10-in-1 game table, which arrived because we had to take back some other gifts that were broken or did not work like we thought they would. The 60% off sale had something to do with it too. This table brings much joy to the 6 yo and much grief to the 2 yo, mostly because the little guy can barely see the top.


• Speaking of taking gifts back, that seemed to be the theme this year. Broken parts, gifts too hard to operate, missing pieces...it got so bad my son started asking after each gift he opened, "are we going to have to take this one back too?"


• We took the boys to see "The Tale of Despereaux" because we had free movie passes that expired tomorrow. None of us really liked it, and we spent as much on a small popcorn and two drinks as we would have on 4 movie tickets for a movie worth watching.
• Sunday morning my 6 yo was innocently playing on the floor when he instantly started crying like crazy and holding on to his neck. The pain kept him from doing much all day, but by evening he was moving around slowly, although he looked a bit crooked. A trip to the chiro today gave us the diagnosis of torticollis. Interestingly enough, he had this as an infant and couldn't turn his head all the way to the left. Six weeks of physical therapy did the trick - until yesterday. The chiro says he'll have him good as new soon, which I think means about 3-6 months of visits. Oh, and he says when this is cleared up, he probably won't suffer from allergies either. It's safe to say I'm skeptical, but the kid does need to be able to turn his head.
• We're getting ready for another Illinois trip. I wonder how 10 hours in the carseat will feel with torticollis?

Catching Up

On the 7th and 8th days of Christmas break, my true love gave me to me...
eight crazy cousins...
seven hours of eating...
six layers of wrapping...
...five extra pounds...
four games of cards...
three noisy toys...
two happy children...
and a date-night with my wonderful husband.

We interrupt this Christmas song...

for a silly kid moment.


It used to be that when kids would say something really cute or memorable, people would say, "Oh you have to write that in their baby book." Now when something funny happens, I find myself saying, "You HAVE to blog about that."


Interestingly enough, I am way better about blogging those moments than getting out the baby books anyway. So, in lieu of locating and dusting them off, here's what had me laughing today.


Those of you who know my 2 year old have noticed that he has a bit of a thumbsucking habit. Well, today, for the first time ever he came up to me and asked if I would wash off his thumb. Thinking he must have something on his thumb that doesn't taste the best (not gonna mention what I thought it might be), I said, "Sure, what's on your thumb?" He paused for a moment, obviously trying to come up with the right word, and said, "ummm...sucking stuff?"


To which I replied, "Your thumb is just wet? You want me to dry it off?"

"Yes. Dry it off."

And so I dried it for him, and asked, "Why do you need it dry? Just so you can put it in your mouth again?"

"Yep." And off he went.


Apparently he got a memo today that the most sophisticated thumbsuckers only suck DRY thumbs.


I'm waiting for him to get the memo about the fact that he is going to have to wear braces for 10 years if he doesn't stop.right.now.

The Fifth Day

On the Fifth day of Christmas break, my true love gave to me...a four hour school meeting.
...A semi-clean house...
...Christmas caroling...
...Crazy, noisy kids...
...And a 2 year old with a bloody lip.

The 12 Days of Christmas Break

Slightly similar to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas", with a few minor (or major) changes.

On the first day of Christmas break, my true love gave to me...a 2 year old with a high fever.

On the second day of Christmas break, my true love gave to me...canceled plans with friends...and a 2 year old with a high fever.

On the third day of Christmas break, my true love gave to me...a Christmas celebration with family...rescheduled plans...and a 2 year old without a fever.

On the fourth day of Christmas break my true love gave to me...friends from out of town...jewelry from yesterday's Christmas...rescheduled plans...and a 2 year old who needs more sleep.

Stay tuned...

Almost Done

I'm almost done.

d.o.n.e.

DONE.

D.O.N.E.

DDDDDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEE!!!


I was chatting with my cousin (who is a freshman in college) the other day about how teacher's look just as forward, if not more, to the end of the semester and a long break from school. She laughed and said that she always wondered if that was how we really feel. Yep, it sure is. I love teaching and I love my students. I have never regretted for one minute my decision to go into education. But I love having a break too!


I have one test to grade, one more grade to calculate and turn in, and then vacation begins.

I can't wait.

Performance Time

Sunday was my son's "Christmas Program" at church, which really just means that the kids get up on stage and sing two songs. Here he is getting ready to sing his four line trio. The excitement on his face is almost uncontrollable.

And here he is actually singing. First service was pretty good -- mostly on pitch with a little bit of monotone. Second service didn't go quite so well -- a little bit of pitch and a whole lot of monotone.
Oh well, he's six. But he's already talking about doing it again next year. We better start practicing now.

Can You Feel the Love??

Countdown to Christmas

Last year when I wasn't working, I had this faabbbuullouuusssss idea to make a 'Countdown to Christmas' chain for my kids. We wrote one "fun" Christmas thing on each link to do each day of December until Christmas. The activities varied from painting a Christmas picture, to wrapping a present, to making Christmas cookies, to looking at Christmas lights. Low key stuff - just the way I like it.

My kids thought it was great. So great in fact that my son begged to do it again this year, only he "wanted to do some things that were more fun than last year." Oh yeah, that line got me in the Christmas Spirit.

So here is my very brave husband assembling the gingerbread house for the kids to decorate. He took this on with our boys and our niece and nephew.

It looks yummy, but have you ever seriously tried one of these things? I kept looking for "NOT AN EDIBLE PRODUCT. FOR DECORATION ONLY." on the box. Thankfully, decoration was our main goal anyway.

And here is the Christmas puzzle cookie that was created the other night. It's gingerbread too, and actually pretty tasty. Just ask my hips. I'm wearing the evidence.

See how much fun this was? He was lamenting the fact that he couldn't eat the pretty yellow star. NOW.

His life is so hard. I'm feelin' his pain. Aren't you?

Tonight is Christmas light night, which we look forward to every year. I love this link of the chain. The lights are beautiful, it's fun family time, and it requires no creativity or baking from me!!!!

Stupid Me #2

December is turning in to be the month of posts of stupid things I have done. If things don't turn around soon, I am going to be really fed up with myself by Christmas.


Saturday and Sunday I went on a fabulous girls shopping weekend with two of my friends. We did lots of shopping, saw a movie, wrapped gifts, stayed the night, and shopped some more. Oh, and I had my Chinese restaurant initiation. Here's proof of me at PF Changs, my very first experience at Chinese dining.

On to the stupid part...Saturday afternoon we made a trip to Beau Monde, where I stocked up on $70 worth of make-up. Later that day we unloaded the car (so we could shop some more) and carried everything to the hotel room, where the make-up sat untouched for the rest of the time.

Monday morning when I was getting ready, I couldn't find my precious bag of supplies. I looked around a little bit, but just assumed it must not have gotten unloaded at my house with all my other bags. So I called to check. No, no make-up there. So I called to check my second possibility. No, no make-up there. So I called the hotel. No, no make-up there. I have to admit, the first thought that went through my head was that the hotel cleaning lady just got a REALLY nice early Christmas present. It's terrible that I thought that, but I did.

For the next couple of hours I beat myself up that I had been so careless, why didn't we double check the room one more time, why have I become so irresponsible, blah, blah, blah.

Then I got the phone call. The people at the hotel found my bag. It was safe and waiting for the rightful owner.

Ahhhhh. The phone call didn't do anything to fix my stupidity, but it sure did make me feel better.

Don't Tell My Dad

I know my mom reads my blog sometimes, and my brother occasionally checks in, and even his mom will stop by, but I'm pretty sure my dad does not spend any of his time on the Internet. This is a good thing, because if my father would read this, he would either die from a stroke, or he would disown me as a daughter.

You see, my dad is a practical guy. I think I've written this before, but my father's picture has to be beside the term "risk management" in the dictionary. He's cautious, responsible, and as he would say, "simply a realist -- not a pessimist." That's still up for debate in the family.

My dad tried to teach me many lessons - turn off the lights, close the door behind you, don't leave your keys in the car...and fill up the gas tank when it hits half. Pretend the half mark is zero, and you will never have to worry that you might get into a situation where you'll run out of fuel.

One might say I've struggled with that last lesson. Two days ago I was in a town 20 miles away when my low fuel light came on. No problem, I thought, I'll just fill up after my son's doctor appointment. Turns out I didn't have any cash, or my checkbook, and I had for some silly reason taken my credit card out of my purse. Oh, and I hadn't yet activated my new debit card. More of dad's lessons down the drain...

That wasn't a huge issue at the time, because I had plenty of fuel to get home that afternoon. However, as I was backing out of the driveway to take my son to school the next morning, I realized I was now VERY low on fuel. According to my dash, I had 17 miles to empty. We live in the country, my son's school is in the "country" (a very small unincorporated, gas-station-less town), and we were on tight time constraints. The school is 5-6 miles from my house, so I did the math and off we went.

At first all seemed to be going well, but it soon became apparent that the "miles left" were decreasing at a much faster rate of speed than the miles driven. In the six (max) miles to school, I went from having "17 miles to empty" down to 5. Hmmm....

I tried to call my husband to let him know he might need to be on standby. His cell phone was off, and his work phone was down. Great. I got my son into school, grabbed the books I needed, and came back out to attempt the journey home. When I started the van, the little screen on the dashboard read "0 miles to empty". It's a mystery to me how I went from 5 to 0 while sitting in a parking lot, but you gotta love technology.

Wondering what I was going to do, I looked out my window to see Jamie driving in to drop off her daughter. I quickly tried my husband's phones one more time, to no avail, and then jumped out to see if she would rescue an idiotic friend. She said yes, she could take me home (like she really had a choice - what was she going to say, "No, I hope you brought a coat"?). Her concern about whether I was having car trouble quickly turned to laughter as I sadly entertained her with my story of stupidity.

The van stayed at school for the day until my very pleased husband (he actually handled it quite well) was able to take a gas can to its rescue. Of course, when we pulled into the school parking lot to fix this little issue, my boss was walking out the front door to his car. Just what I needed to feel even more like a fool. I very maturely asked my husband not to get out with the gas can until my boss drove away. It worked, and all is well again.

The morals of my story: Don't trust the technology in your vehicle. And...if you ever see me looking distraught on the side of the road, know that I still haven't learned my lesson, and please pull over to rescue me!

Because pictures are so much easier than words today...

Getting ready for Christmas...



Round one of Christmas cookies...as much fun as this was, there's sure to be more...



And fingerpainting gone mad....

Yep, he deserved it...

Black Friday

Today marked the first time in my 33 years of existence that I set my alarm to get up to go shopping on Black Friday. I've attempted shopping on this day before, but never at the sacrifice of sleep to make it happen. Before you think I've gone completely crazy, my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., not 3:00 a.m. like many I saw today, but nonetheless, it still felt ridiculous to be driving to the mall before sunrise.


Never before have I experienced...

~So many females shopping who looked like they just rolled out of bed (me included...).

~People pushing three or four stuffed carts at one time.

~Making a decision to buy a TV in about 5 minutes time.

~Someone telling me that her husband has been searching all over town for a Leapster...at 7:30 in the morning.

~Having 10 hours of shopping time with my husband and no kids.

~Standing in a line to check out and not being able to see the register.

~Having this much of my Christmas shopping done before December 1. It was totally worth it!

Time to Breathe

I love days like this. I cannot remember the last time I was able to stay home all day. I haven't showered, I'm still in my pajamas, and the children are entertaining themselves. Sure, the house is a wreck, the laundry is not done, and my suitcase is still 1/2 packed from my trip last week, but I finally sat down and caught up on everyone's blogs and made it back to my own. I was seriously contemplating not returning here, because there are just moments when I can't fit in one.more.thing. But after catching up on everyone else, I realized this is a piece I'm not quite ready to let go of yet.

But I feel disconnected. I haven't watched TV in weeks, or read a book in months. I haven't talked to friends for days that I usually check in with regularly. In fact, one of my closest friends called this morning and she had moved to a new house since I talked to her a couple of weeks ago. WHAT?!?!

So, I must say, I am very thankful for few days of rest this week, and only three weeks to plow through before Christmas break is upon us.

I am going to try to take some time this week to enjoy the simple and overlooked things in life...such as...

~Enjoying the numerous and unique differences in my children (their pictures say it all).

~Times of complete silliness.

~Dreaming of what we might be someday...

~Celebrating successes, no matter how small.

~Gaining a little sweet revenge...all in fun of course (I had to get her back).

~Thanking God for the blessing of my family.

Did I say a couple of weeks ago that having a new person living with us was going well? Yeah, well, that was before she captured this shot of me attempting to prepare for my upcoming accreditation visit...not so successfully, obviously.

She posted this on her blog, and after I locked her in her room for a few days, I realized this picture quite appropriately portrays my life right now. I'm either working like crazy...or I'm dead.

So, unless something amazingly monumental occurs, I will return to my blog next week after my trip to Kansas City. And after I catch up on a little more of this.

Have a good week, my friends!

To say that the past week has been stressful is the understatement of the year. But, we're all busy and stressed at some level, so I'll spare you the details. Let's just say I haven't been all that pleasant to deal with, I've consumed copious amounts of sugar, and I actually felt a little giddy yesterday when my 2 yo came down with a fever because I was forced to clear my entire schedule for today. OK, maybe not giddy, but I sure haven't had any trouble seeing the "glass half full" of this situation.

In spite of the craziness, we continue to have Comedy Central - the 2 Year Old version - living right in our house. Here are some recent moments that have kept me smiling.

~The other night we were walking through Target and I noticed my two year old suddenly laying down spread eagle on his stomach on the floor. When I asked him what he was doing, he said, "Just licking the floor, mom." And I wonder why he's sick.

~After retrieving his Sonic slushy from the counter a few hours after it was purchased, he came running to me shouting, "Mom, the coldness has melted all out of my slushy!"

~Yesterday evening I was asked about going to play outside. I told him no he couldn't, because it was cold and windy outside and he was sick. He cried out, "I'm not sick, I just have a fever!!"

~And my personal favorite..."Mom, does Bob the Builder work?" "Yes," I said, "I think he does."
"No he doesn't. He just helps Wendy!" Right on, kid.

Family Life Update

*I went with my son on his kindergarten pumpkin patch field trip. There I learned that the straw in hay bales can slice your thumb worse than any paper cut you've ever experienced. That, and my son still an extreme introvert. His lack of good friends makes me cry inside a little more each day.


*On a lighter note, we have discovered that our 2 yo no longer wants to be cinnamon toast when he grows up, because, and I quote "If I was cinnamon toast, people would eat me all up and that wouldn't be good."


*My husband's fire pager must react to the cycles of the moon like pregnant women. It has been silent for days, but now has gone off 3 times in the last 24 hours. Seriously, how can that many people need assistance in a town of 1,500?

*I just heard my 2 yo ask my 6 yo, "Did I just pull your head off?" The 6 yo actually answered, "no," to which the 2 yo exclaimed, "because it's super glued on!"

*I have a coveted haircut appt. tomorrow and nowhere to take my son. Wonder if the girl with the magic hands would mind some entertainment during my appointment. Her salon will be destroyed by the time it is over, but I can guarantee it would be entertaining.

*I have heard so many people complain over the years about the fact that teachers are able to retire so much earlier than most working people. After the morning I had at school, I'm thinking teachers should be paid roughly $400,000 per year, with a retirement age of 39.

*It's naptime. I think I might make it another 3 hours. Maybe.

Fired

This morning while I was putting on my make-up, I was reflecting on the fact that my son is now six years old. I was thinking about what I thought he would be like at age six, what responsibilities are appropriate for this age (like he instantly became more responsible overnight...I wish), and how he is growing up so fast. I was thinking about how it won't be long before mom becomes very uncool, he won't need me as much anymore, and I will have to fight for ranking in his life.

Then I hear my TWO YEAR OLD holler, "Mama!"

"What, honey?" I respond.

And he walks by the bathroom door, "Mama, I don't need you anymore, Mom."

I guess I will clock out now. My job here is done.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 6th Birthday, buddy!

I don't know why, but six feels so OLD. Maybe it's because the baby face is all gone now, maybe it's because you're in school, maybe it's because you being six makes ME feel old. Or maybe it's just because of the the many changes that have happened in the past year.

Since you turned five...

• You have started kindergarten.
• You have played in real "team" sports like soccer and t-ball (that I had to dip into my retirement fund to pay for...).
• You have lost your first four teeth.
• You are READING!
• You gave up your precious "hand blanket" (and by 'gave up' I mean accidentally left it at grandma's for an undetermined amount of time).
• You learned to ride your bike without training wheels.
• You have learned how to play the wii.
• You were diagnosed with more allergies than we ever wanted to know about.
• You learned to tie your shoes.
• You slept in a tent outside (well, inside too, but that doesn't really count) for the entire night.
• You caught your first fish.
• You vacationed in Chicago.
• You drove grandpa's boat for the first time.

I'm sure there are others, but wow, what a year! Happy Birthday!

Breakfast Conversation

5 yo: (to little brother): What do you want to be when you grow up?

2 yo: Superman!

5 yo: I thought you wanted to be a firefighter like daddy.

2 yo: I want to be a firefighter.

5 yo: You want to be Superman and a firefighter? 'Cause I think you could do that. He could, right mom? 'Cause Superman could put out fires.

2 yo: No, I want to be cinnamon toast.

5 yo: What?!

2 yo: When I grow up, I want to be cinnamon toast. No, I want to be paper.

5 yo: (laughing uncontrollably) You can't be paper! What do you want to be when you get bigger?

2 yo: Butter! I want to be butter!

5 yo: (a bit exasperated) Mmoooommmmm....

A New Era

It's time to face it, the kids are growing up. My son used to beg for farm animals and tractors, then we hit the Bob the Builder phase, and after that everything had to be Cars. Now we've entered a new era...

GUITAR HERO.

Our household of four recently expanded into a family of five. It's nice to actually have another female in the house, and the boys are feeling as if they have a new sister. Imagine their excitement when, along with all the boxes, and a new person in the house, Guitar Hero arrived.

Not that they had a clue what it was before she came. Nevermind the fact that their hands aren't big enough to run the colored buttons, let alone coordinate the right hand with left. They'll just play four-handed.


Or five-handed. The more the merrier.

And when the game gets too hard, which happened in about 2.6 seconds, just dance!

Please, God, use super glue...

Yesterday morning we made the mistake of letting our 5 yo pick where to sit in church. He, of course, headed straight down front, and plopped down in front of some friends of ours. Our 2 yo immediately headed to their bench, which at the time I thought was a great idea. A little peace and quiet for me, a little fun for him.

Then the children's director invited all the kids to come forward for the children's story. I immediately heard my friend ask my 2 year old if he wanted to go down front with her daughter. He, of course, said yes, while I took a moment to hyperventilate.

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not a "spur of the moment" kind of mom. We had never, up to that point, put him on display in front of the entire church of 500 to see how he would handle the children's story. And there he was, walking up to the stage without one "you sit still," "you stay with your brother," "you listen to the story," "you can't touch the drums," or "don't jump off the stage" preparatory lecture.

I eased my way to the front row -- just in case -- praying, "Please, God, super glue him to the stage."

The children's director started the story about the day her son's favorite basketball got lost. My child screamed out, "We have toys at our house!"

Then I prayed, "Please, God, super glue his mouth shut."

Apparently God was only taking one request at a time because he stopped talking, but soon began sliding ever so slowly backwards toward the drums. Then more sliding. And more. My 5 yo, who was sitting beside him, looked at me with big "what do I do?" eyes. I motioned for him to go get him, knowing that within seconds I was going to have to plow through 35 kids and tackle my screaming 2 yo who wanted to go to the drums and wasn't going to let his brother stop him.

Miracle of all miracles, the 2 yo stopped and slid back up into his spot next to his brother. Just in time to hear the end of the story - that they found the basketball in the microwave.

"IN THE MICROWAVE???" my child YELLED out, because he only has two volumes - sleeping and REALLY, REALLY LOUD.

Finally, the children's story was over. I was a little mortified, but honestly, I was laughing so hard I could hardly stop. He thought it was great. I think his next children's story will be when he's 12.

Breathe

I just had a moment of panic. Scratch that. I completely freaked out.

My 2 yo was out back in the sandbox, safely surrounded by a fence. My 5 yo was in the front yard shooting baskets.

All of the sudden I heard a horrible noise. A noise that sounded like a mixture of the neighbor's big black dogs barking and a little kid crying and moaning.

I raced to the front yard. No son.

I screamed his name. No answer.

I race to the back yard. I could breathe again.

There he was working on the fence latch. Turns out the fence latch is really hard for him to operate. It takes a long time for him to loosen it, open it, and tighten it back up again. And from inside the house it sounds like a screamin' banshee.

So Far...Practical

7:00-8:30 - Work on Lesson Plans.

8:30 - Talk mom into going on a quick run to Walmart and Target run with me. One adult for each child is my kind of trip -- well, if the kids HAVE to go.

8:30-9:30 - Shower, feed the kids, get everyone ready, gather the stuff to take back, run out the door.

9:30-11:30 - Hit Target, Walmart, and JCPenney. Endured 2 yo screaming every time we left the toy aisle. Took back shoes (both places), bought three birthday presents, tried on two outfits and decided against both of them. My husband will be so proud.

11:30 - Receive call from my boss in KC at teacher convention. He has job-altering news about our accreditation process that we have already started. I'll spare you the details, but the result is WAY MORE WORK for me.

11:45-12:45 - Lunch at Chili's. Thanks mom!

1:30 - Back home, carry sleeping 2 yo to bed, unload van.

1:45-2:15 - Clean out my closet while playing checkers with the 5 yo. I love multi-tasking. The 5 yo doesn't think it's so great.

2:15 - Hear the 2 yo screaming "Poop, mama, I have poop here!" That is NEVER good. Those words cause me to run so fast I usually pull a muscle. It means he has pooped in his bed...or grandma's bed...or on the floor...or wherever he happens to be. I found him standing up on his bed with his pull-up and jeans around his ankles. Thank God he had jeans on - at least it was all contained this time.

2:30 - Finish checkers and closet. Get out Moon Sand for the kids. Remember that it is called moon sand for a reason -- that's exactly where that stuff should stay. When toy makers produce something called "House Sand", I'll reevaluate my opinion.

2:30-3:30 - Put away laundry, sweep up moon sand, and receive another call from my boss. Sweep up more moon sand.

3:30 - Retreat to the computer for some "me time." Can't figure out what to write about, so I evaluate my day. Get a little depressed and post anyway.

Practical and Productive OR Laidback and Lazy?

I was supposed to be leaving right now for Teacher Convention in Kansas City. I was looking forward to two nights and two days of hanging out with my colleagues, eating good food, and soaking up enough educational creativity to conquer any dilemma I may face in the classroom.


Instead I have a sick husband, an iffy child who can't stop sneezing, and hours of sleep that were robbed mercilessly from me last night. Those three variables were enough to make me put my suitcase back in the closet and stay home.

Who am I kidding, the suitcase never made it out of the closet, but that's beside the point.

Now I have two days staring me in the face with absolutely no plans...other than taking care of my children, of course. So in ALL that spare time that I'm sure I will have, I have a few decisions to make. How might I spend these days?

Practical or Lazy?

I have a 'to do' list longer than any child's wish list for Santa Claus. I could clean out closets, go through the kids' winter clothes, dust, wade through the utility room, update the budget...and on and on it goes. But want I really want to do is waste away the entire two days, because, really, I wasn't going to get anything done anyway while being gone, right? I could sleep in (until my son wakes me up at SEVEN since he doesn't have school), watch movies (kid appropriate? nah...), read a book (and listen to the kids fight in the background), go shopping (with two in tow...).

It's crystal clear to me now. I should have never told grandma about the change in plans.

Counting Our Losses

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

A little blood. A little pain. A little visit from the tooth fairy to make it all better.

Admitting My Stupidity

Tonight I logged on to the internet and read the news headlines listed on my yahoo homepage.

This is what I saw:

"Dolphins earn big fines for choreographed dance"

What? I looked at it again. Did I read that right? I even looked at my friend and read it to her, following it up with, "how in the world do you fine a dolphin?"

So I clicked on the link.

Ahhhh, the Miami Dolphins.

I used to call those blond moments. Now I call those mother-with-small-children moments.

How could someone this sweet and adorable looking cover my entire bathroom floor inches deep of water all while making it sound like he was innocently playing in the bathtub?

180

It's so easy to get caught up in the little things - my water issues, the potty training fiascoes, my kids' latest terrible behavior, or how dirty the house is...


...and then something happens that makes me do a 180. It's amazing how one quick event can restructure my way of thinking and make me once again remember not to "sweat the small stuff." Cause it really is small stuff.

Friday night my husband came home from the fields and told me that he had just had his 2nd near-death experience (first one happened in 5th grade with a four wheeler). The story goes something like this: His dad was backing the wheat truck into the shed while my husband was watching so he wouldn't hit the mirrors. Apparently, one of the mirrors was in danger of decapitation, so DH instructed his father to pull forward a little bit. A "little bit" is somewhat of a relative term when it comes to large, old farm equipment. This "little bit" turned in to a significant lurch forward, somewhat like me learning to drive a stick shift. This, combined with a sloping floor, resulted in my husband being pinned at both his head and chest between the wheat truck and the metal shed doors.

Miraculously, he is okay. He has a scrape on one side of his head, a bump on the other, a cut on his ear, and a very sore chest. Sometimes we wonder if he cracked a rib, but really, for the most part, he is fine. Amazing. Even my DH, who is typically an "it's no big deal" kind of guy, admitted that he was within inches or less of being severely injured or killed.

So I'm thanking God I have a husband, and trying not to sweat the small stuff. It all pales in comparison to what might have been.

Good Grief Moments

~My 5 year old is fascinated with bottle caps. Don't ask me why, but I'm sure 10 years from now his therapist will be able to explain it. We visit the lake frequently, which assures growth of the bottle cap collection. Budweiser...Bud Light...you name it, we have it. The other night I went to a nearby Christian school to present to their board of education. Two of the board members were kind enough to carry my stack of manuals out to the van when the meeting was over. And as I opened the van door, what was there on the floor for all to see? Yep, the latest additions to the collection. Nice.


~This afternoon my 2 yo tried to refuse to take a nap. At 3:00, I finally won. And at 5:00 I went in to wake him up since it was getting late. The good news: he was already awake. The bad news: There he stood on his bed, completely naked, with his pull-up in his hand, declaring "Look, I pooped!" Sure enough. A nice pile of poop and a little puddle of pee right there on his sheets. Good grief.


~The other day in algebra class, one of my students pulled out a stack of papers to turn in. He was at least five lessons behind, which was not making me an incredibly nice teacher. Much to my delight, they all looked finished. However, he quickly let me know that he couldn't turn any of them in. Apparently, the night before, his mom told him he couldn't go anywhere until his math was complete. So he headed up to his room and filled numbers in every blank and showed her his "completed" math assignment. Then he brought them to class and told me what happened. Because he thought I would be okay with this??? So help me, if either of my boys ever try this...


One can only wonder what tomorrow will bring.

I've heard it's theraputic to write down what you're feeling...

Dear Water System People,

Two and a half years ago when you showed up at my door I thought you would be my knights in shining armor. We had just built a brand new house, and were overwhelmed with the fact that we had terrible water. It smelled nasty, tasted nasty, and made everything look nasty. You assured me that you could fix the problem for a mere $6,ooo. You were wrong.

We called you back because life was not good. You sent "technicians" that could not have been more than 18 years old and we kindly sent them back. We asked for our $6,000 to be returned to its rightful owner, and instead you promised that you now knew what we REALLY needed.

You even sent out the big boss to sweet talk us and convince us that the problem was fixable - for another $6,000. We laughed at you. But we still had disgusting water, so what choice did we have? We made you promise us that if this did not fix our problem you would come take every piece of your obnoxious equipment out of our basement and put $12,000 back in our savings account. You signed the piece of paper that agreed to this. Only you wrote that it was good for one year. WE.SHOULD.HAVE.KNOWN. You assured us that we would know in a years time if this was going to work or not. You were wrong.

The first year went fine. Of course it did, it always does. You knew it would. But now we have stinky, disgusting water again. You sent out your 18 year old technician, only now he's 21 and is the guru of technicians. He promised you could fix us up for a mere $600 dollars. At least you dropped a zero this time.

That was four weeks ago. It took you a week to get us a quote in writing (because that worked so well for us last time). It took another week to get us on the schedule. Then the day you were supposed to come we had a message that while you were loading the truck you noticed a part was missing. You would have to order it. That was 2 weeks ago.

I called you on Monday to find out what was going on. The secretary promised me that a technician would call me back. I never got a phone call or a message - nothing. So you can imagine that when I got home today and saw a "Sorry We Missed You" card on the door from you - I SAW RED.

Therefore, the purpose of this letter is to kindly inform you that we will no longer be needing your services. We have a pond out back to bathe and do laundry in, and a nice little creek beside our house that we can haul our drinking water from. The quality of water is about the same, so we should be all taken care of for about the next 60-70 years.

Sincerely,
Us

Cause I didn't know enough useless facts...

Today I discovered:



~No matter where I fill up with fuel, it will always be cheaper in the next town I arrive in.


~30 days of potty training has accomplished not a thing in the area of bladder control.


~Homemade applesauce is REALLY yummy. I still cannot believe I spent my evening making it, but I had to do SOMETHING with all those apples my son brought me from the apple orchard field trip. I had no idea I signed up for that many. I had to enlist my mother-in-law to help, cause there was no way I was tackling that much domestic work all on my own.


~I dislike visits to the dentist. Pretty sure I knew that, but it was once again confirmed.


~I'm also not overly fond of having my eyes dilated. I'm thinkin' that something about dilated eyes should be in that little book of driving safety laws.


~Thank goodness for grandma and DQ.


~Taking your kid to school 5 miles north, attending a meeting 40 miles south, heading to the dentist 60 miles north, and then to the eye doctor 40 miles south makes me question my sanity.

The Weekend Summary -- via the 2 year old

This weekend my husband was in the fields helping his dad get ready to plant wheat. The other grandma and grandpa were at the lake for the last time this season, so at the last minute the boys and I headed out Saturday for one final camping weekend of the year.

Here is the summary...quoted from my 2 yo.

"Daddy, the fish pooped ALL OVER THE BOAT.

And then we caught a fish and it got away and then we caught it again.

And I tried to touch the fishies.

And he kept wagging his tail!

And daddy, the fishy pooped ALL OVER THE BOAT!

And the fishy tickled and tickled me.

And we caught a fish and he fell off the back of the boat and dived in the water!

And the big fish pooped ALL OVER THE BOAT!"


Nevermind the stuff we did the other 30 hours. I guess playing with sand toys, time at the park, going on bike rides, watching favorite pbs shows, playing football, and sleeping in grandma's camper just don't compare to incredibly disgusting fish.....elimination.

Glazed Over

I'm currently sitting at the kitchen table observing my surroundings. The sink is overflowing with dishes. The dust on the piano is thick. I may have to take a putty knife to the hardwood floor to get all the junk off. There are toys all over the living room. Who wanted an open floor plan anyway?? I can see way too much nastiness all at once. I'm secretly desiring to put my house on the market just so it will end up being clean.

Beside me sits a pile of lesson plans, grading, and stacks of books for tomorrow. Tonight we are helping my sister-in-law move. My oldest son is chasing my youngest son around the house with a power drill (toy, of course). And here I am completely glazed over staring at my computer.

STRESS. I've brought a little more on myself this year than I had originally intended. I'm the first to admit, a lot of it is my fault. I'm teaching the Life of Christ in Bible, and today we studied the Christmas story. So, in order to set the mood a bit (since it's SEPTEMBER), what do I decide to do? Spend an entire afternoon baking Christmas cookies for the class. This morning while getting ready, I decided it would be fun to teach like terms in algebra today with skittles and manipulatives. I do weird stuff like this because I hate boring class times as much as the students. I wish I could just open the book and assign homework.

Here is the most annoying thing about stress. When I'm stressed, I eat. Then I get stressed because I'm gaining weight. Then I hate the way I look and my clothes are tight and...I just want to eat. How does one break THAT cycle?

But I digress. From what? - I'm not exactly sure. Hence the title: glazed over. All I know is I have about 24 hours of preparation needed for an in-service that starts in 19 hours.

Potty Training Fiasco #4,357

This morning I heard my two year old yelling from across the house, "Poop! Mom, poop!" I knew at that moment that the world was truly coming to an end -- my son was actually telling me when he needed to go. I went racing for him in a monumental attempt to make it on time.

Instead, I met him in the hallway CARRYING his messy underwear, proudly saying, "I took them off for you!" Oh good grief. Of course I couldn't have been lucky enough for this to be a one-wipe kind of poop. Nnnnooooooo, it had to be the holy-cow-someone-has-given-this-kid-too-much-apple-juice kind.

After an unsuccessful attempt at cleaning him up, I threw him in the bathtub and armed myself with rags, gloves, a bucket, carpet cleaner, and bathroom spray. Let's just say the bedroom looked remotely similar to someone throwing up all the way to the toilet.

And when asked why he pooped in his pants instead of going to the potty chair, he gave his favorite answer ever: "Because I did."

Yesterday I took my 2 year old to Walmart with me. He picked out a singing birthday card for his uncle and proudly held on to it until it was time to pay. When it was our turn at the check-out, my son flashed a smile at the must-have-retired-many-years-ago-but-needed-to-supplement-her-income cashier and shouted, "Hi!"

"Hello," she said, "Do you have a card there?"

Oblivious to the nice lady's question, he turned to me and declared, "Mama. It's great grandma!"

A bit stunned, and scrambling for something to say, I quickly became thankful for age-induced hearing loss.

"Oh, that's nice," she said, "you have a card for your grandpa?"

Yes, we do. Time to go. Thank you. And have a nice day.

Dear 2 year old son,

I've deemed it necessary to write you this formal letter because apparently no matter what I say or do, you are not understanding this most important concept: YOU ARE NOT FINISHED TAKING NAPS YET. Please take a few moments to process this information, and note that this is not a choice, this is your mother stating a fact, plain and simple. Please read through the entire document and sign on the dotted line.

I know you think it's funny when you are so quiet in your room that I think you are asleep, only you are running a three ring circus, complete with all the stuffed animals, right there in your bed. Or when you decide that every train that you own should drive through your covers. That killer ornery grin may be cute, but it's still not funny.

You know what else isn't funny? The way you go to sleep for daddy when all he does is tell you to close your eyes. I clocked it at 1.4 minutes. So from now on, that's all the time you have to be awake after I lay you down.

And don't even think about coming out of your room to see if you can 'wake up yet'. You tried that once, remember? If you recall, it didn't go so well. So scoot your body back into bed and GO TO SLEEP.

And no, you may not have another drink, and no, I will not turn your fan off, I just turned it on, and no, you may not sleep with your fire truck, and no, there will be no thunder today, and no, there won't be lightening either, and I will only leave your door open if you will GO TO SLEEP.

And don't think I can't hear you when you lay on your bed and bang your feet against the wall. Oh, I can hear you, I'm just too busy banging my head against the wall to do anything about it.

Just sign.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I, the precious 2 year old in this family, vow to sleep at least two hours every afternoon until I turn 6.


Love you,
Mom

Are You Smarter Than A Kindergartener?

Last week we watched someone win $1,000,000 on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" This week we have realized that not only could we not win much money on that show, but we are not even smarter than a kindergartener.

On the way home from school today my son asked me (with the sing-song "I bet I know something you don't know" voice) if I knew who the oldest man to ever live was.

I said, "Ummm....I'm not sure...Abraham?"

"No! I'm going to ask daddy!"

At home he asked his father, who said, "Ummm...Abraham?"

At least we are compatible idiots.

Are we the only people who do not know this incredibly useful piece of information?

I got nuthin'

How many times a year am I allowed to use that title?

I seriously have nothing to write about. But, I would rather read "nuthin'" that other people have posted than see the same entry day and after day when I check into their world. So, here I am.

I visited some other sites for inspiration. Here's what I came up with:

+I need to wish some friends a Happy Anniversary!
+I need to pray for some answers to medical issues.
+I need to get a "Happy Adoption!" present to welcome a new arrival.
+I need to care a little more about the political race our country is running.
+I need to go to the state fair.
+I need to get a birthday gift for a precious little girl.

Not quite the inspiration I was looking for - but I got a snazzy to-do list!

Things I Know

Way back when, I wrote about trying to complain less and focus on others more. I'm here to tell you this is NOT EASY. But in a gallant effort to "not complain", I'll just state the facts.

~I am tired. So tired that I laid down on the floor beside my 2 year old's bed to get him to go to sleep at naptime, which I never do. So tired that I let my 5 year old have free reign on the computer for 2 hours so I could sleep.

~Boys are loud. REALLY loud. If I had girls, would they play quietly on the floor with dolls?

~Freshman boys are a breed all their own. Today I had one ask me if he could jump out of our classroom's 2nd story window so he wouldn't have to do Algebra.

~My house is a mess. My kitchen floor has reached the "flip-flops required" category.

~My husband is a saint. I had something last night at 7:00 and at 9:00, something tonight at 8:00, and something else Thursday at 7:00. And he's taking it all relatively in stride.

~We should have made our entire backyard a sandbox. When the boys are in their sandbox they don't fight, yell, or complain. They actually play together. However, my house would be covered in even more sand than it already is...on second thought, maybe a little fighting is okay. I can always send them to their rooms.

~Our hot water has an odor that falls somewhere between rotten eggs and sewer. We have been dealing with the water system people (i.e. the company that put in our multi-thousand dollar water unit three years ago to fix this problem) for nearly two weeks. I should have gold running out of my faucet; instead it makes me want to vomit.

~We bought M&M's as potty training incentives for the 2 year old. I can't stop eating them. They are now rewards for me enduring the potty training process.

~I also know that these things pale in comparison to real issues in life. So, for now, I'll be thankful that this is my list!

The Wait is Over

Nearly three months ago my husband completed his firefighter training and took the daunting National Certification Test. They told him he should receive his results in the mail in about 21 days. A large envelope in the mailbox meant he had passed all components of the test. A small envelope meant - well, not such good news. That was June 7.

Beginning on June 28, the stop at the mailbox was filled with anticipation. Would the results be there? Would he pass? What if he didn't? Every day we would hope for a large envelope. And when the mailbox was opened and we didn't see one, we would pray that there would be NO results mixed in the small envelope mail pile.

The days went by. A couple of guys my husband works with said their results didn't come for 2 months. So, we waited some more.

Finally, last week he gave up being patient. He emailed his instructor to see if he had any idea when the test results would come. After a quick phone call to check, the instructor called him back. "Your results have been sitting in their office for weeks. They don't have your home address."

Oh, the agony that could have been avoided...The gray hairs we could have prevented...The TUMS that could have remained unchewed...The endless trips to the mailbox that could have been saved...

But it's all good now, because the big envelope finally arrived. Full of certificates and patches that prove that he is officially a firefighter and a hazardous materials specialist.

And what does that get him?

A pay raise? No.
Different responsibilities? Nope.
A promotion? Notta.
Tenure? No such thing.
Saved from the embarrassment of having to tell the crew he didn't pass? ABSOLUTELY.


Congratulations to the man who I'm sure will be mortified that I wrote this! I'm so proud of you!

Tag, You're It

I've been tagged. So, here goes...

Four places I go over and over:
~to school - everyday at 8:00
~to school again - everyday at 11:30
~to grandma's house - to drop off a kid, pick up a kid, borrow something, return something, or cash in on a great free meal
~to my computer - I'm addicted

Four people who email me (regularly):
~FlyLady (Don't worry, Casey, it doesn't help me either)
~Quiet Walk.com - can't figure out how to get them to stop
~Amazon.com - them either
~Mamasource.com - or them

Four places I would rather be right now:
~At a resort, laying on a beach (where, according to reliable sources, even I could wear a bikini. Excuse me while I go vomit now.)
~In Chicago, shopping on Michigan Ave.
~On the east coast, taking in the beautiful scenery
~At the lake, lounging in my lawn chair, pretending I have nothing to do

Four TV shows/programs that I watch and over:
~I don't watch T.V. Not because I don't want to, but simply because the only one we own is in the basement and I never go down there just to turn it on and sit. But, here are some I've watched over and over before...
~Extreme Makeover Home Edition
~Biggest Loser
~The Amazing Race
~Survivor
Now I'll be stuck analyzing why my entire list is reality T.V.....

Four things I have for breakfast:
~Toast
~Cereal
~Granola Bar
~Fruit
Not all in the same day.

Four animals I like best:
~Webkinz - no mess, little expense! - I know this is copy #3, but I totally agree as you will see below...
~Little dogs - when they belong to someone else.
~Kittens - when the belong to someone else.
~Monkeys - at the zoo, behind glass - again, belonging to someone else.

Four beaches I've been to:
~Malibu Beach
~Neptune, NJ
~Lake Michigan
~Does the local reservoir count?

Tag Four People - Here are the lucky winners! I don't know if these girls are okay with being linked or not, so I'll just leave it at this.
~Missy
~Emily
~Carol
~Joanna

Potty Training - Round 2

It's hour three of potty training.

I just put on his 6th pair of underwear.

Sixth.

SIXTH.

SSSIIIIIXXXXXTTTTHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taking a poll...

Here are a few things I've always wondered about...or need advice on...or just need ideas for.

1) Do you make your kids have a "rest" time even after they are past the point of taking naps? And if so, when does that end?

2) Do you tip your stylist? And if so, how do you know what an "appropriate" tip is?

3) Who tucks in the kids at your house?

4) What is one fun thing you are doing over Labor Day weekend?

5) Tonight when I was driving home, I had five things to ask...hmmm...I'll think of one...why does coffee taste so nasty?

What I've Done Today...

In no particular order...

**Watched a giant black bug crawl across my living.room.floor. It's one thing to see those occasionally in the basement, but that was about enough to make me move out until at least the first hard freeze.

**Caught up with two friends on the phone for the first time in several days. It was almost as nice as chatting with a mug (of hot cocoa) in my hands. Almost.

**Made 11 3D cylinders for algebra class tomorrow. Wondered the entire time what kind of insane teacher I have become. Verdict: I decided that 10 teenagers better think I am the best.teacher.ever by about 8:30 tomorrow morning.

**Fingerpainted with my 2 YO. 'Nough said.

**Cleaned the toilets and vacuumed the floors. Found a piece of glass from stemware I broke exactly two weeks ago. How does glass do that?

**Made dinner for my friends (and their adorable baby!) who are in the area for a couple of weeks.

**Got puked on by said adorable baby. It is true that it's easier to stomach when it's your own baby.

**Oh, and I must mention that when I kissed said adorable baby on the head (hours before he puked on me), he instantly screamed his head off. My husband and friends had all kinds of fun with that one.

**Chatted with two people on facebook. Look at me - I'm in the big-time techno world now.

**Got a phone call from the school about my nephew who wasn't feeling so well. His home phone was busy (off the hook). Cell phone went unanswered. Grandma was hours from home. Woke up my kids from their naps. Put puke bucket in vehicle. Traveled to school to pick up my nephew and delivered him to sister-in-law. Puke-free. Whew. Came home. Washed hands. Lysoled vehicle and children.

**Decided to post way-too-late-for-the-alarm-to-go-off-at-six. Betting I will regret this tomorrow.

My Prayer

When I can't seem to get a word in edgewise...help me be thankful that they are able to speak at all.

When the laundry is stacked to the ceiling...help me be thankful for the clothes we have.

When the noise level is more than I can bear...help me be thankful that they both have two healthy lungs.

When there is "nothing to eat"...help me be thankful that we've never actually experienced having nothing to eat.

When I can't ever speak in complete sentences because "little ears are around"...help me be thankful that they can hear.

When the house is a disaster...help me be thankful that we have more house than we will ever really need.

When I can't ever just have my own snack, drink, or slice of ANYTHING...help me be thankful that we don't have to battle food allergies.

When the car breaks down...help me be thankful that we are fortunate enough to have vehicles.

When they beg me to play with them...help me be thankful for this time when they are young and innocent.

When the work load seems overwhelming...help me be thankful for the opportunity to teach.

When they develop an attitude that makes me want to scream...help me be thankful for the opportunity to mold their character.

When too many things pile up at once...help me be thankful for family who will help.

When the sibling rivalry just won't quit...help me be thankful that they both HAVE a sibling to fight with.

It's All About Perspective

Tonight we had a great lesson on perspective.

My husband had been thinking lately that maybe we should buy an elliptical machine. At first I about passed out in shock, because he does not usually make purchases like this. Or more accurately, HE is not usually the one who has the idea to make a purchase such as this one.

But...for a couple years now we have been working out at the weight room attached to the local high school. The weight room where loads and loads of stinky, sweaty, dirty football and basketball players work out. The weight room that smells freakishly similar to a boys' locker room. The weight room that has the same weights that I lifted in junior high 20 years ago. The weight room with the dinosaur-age elliptical machine. The weight room that's FREE.

However, much to our surprise, we arrived at there several weeks ago to see a sign posted on the door. "No public access to the weight room until security cameras are installed due to destruction of equipment." This, and the issues listed above, led us to the decision to use part of our economic stimulus check in the way it was intended.

And that, my friends, is a long rambling story to bring you up to speed to tonight. We arrived at the sporting goods store and found an elliptical machine we liked. It was a great deal - a $1,000 machine marked half off. We, of course, being the resourceful shoppers that we are decided to shop around a bit first. However, at each stop, we decided we liked the one at the first store best, and what a great deal we were going to get!

Three hours later we arrived back at the first store excited about our upcoming purchase. We had done our homework, shopped around, and made the best choice. But when we came to the line of machines we noticed something odd - all the sale signs had changed.

Three hours previously, our machine said "original price $999.98 - 50% off - now $499.98".

Now the sign read "original price $599.98 - $100 off - now $499.98."

HUH??? In three hours the original price dropped $400? That's serious depreciation.

It made me mad. I wanted to leave and take my business elsewhere. And then it hit me. This is the one we liked. This is the SAME MACHINE. It is still the SAME PRICE. Why then was this purchase now so depressing? I'm a grown adult. I should know by now how these sales gimmicks work. But, honestly, I'll never be able to look at that machine with quite as much excitement as I would have thinking we got it for half off.

It's all about perspective. But I wish we would have bought it the first time we walked in the store.

Ignorance IS bliss.

Quotes from the Kindergartener

1st Day of School:

Me: How was school?

Him: Good. I'm the line leader!


2nd Day of School:

Me: How was school?

Him: She hasn't taught us how to read yet!


3rd Day of School:

Me: How was school?

Him: She said we would know how to read by the time we eat chicken on Mother's Day.

Me: Huuuuhhhhh? Oh, you mean by the time you eat turkey on Thanksgiving?

Him: Yeah! That's it!

(And to all my food-harrassing obnoxious friends...yes, I KNOW we probably eat CHICKEN on MOTHER'S DAY in this house, but that's not the point...)

SERVE

This week at teacher in-service, our administrator at school told us a story about three men who were incredibly close to reaching their lifelong dream of climbing Mt. Everest, when they came upon a man who was half-frozen, semi-delirious, and suffering from oxygen deprivation. They had a choice to make - abandon their dream or abandon this man. The man was already half-dead. Who even knew if he would survive the treacherous trip down the mountain? And even if he did, would he ever be "normal" again?

The men chose to let go of their dream in hopes of saving a human life. And, miraculously, the man survived, was reunited with his family, and recovered from his near-death experience. The whole point of the story centered on service. How willing are we to lay aside our own wants and desires to serve others? How willing are we to detour from our to-do lists and put the needs of someone else first? How willing are we to even take the time to stop and pick up the trash laying around?

After discussing the importance of serving one another, we were challenged to develop an acrostic for the word SERVE to create a theme for the school year.

Here it is:


S - Surrender Self

E - Encourage Others

R - Refuse to Complain

V - Volunteer for the 2nd Mile

E - Extend a Hand

I have to admit, this hit me pretty hard. I typically have an agenda, and a will to get it accomplished. I do not naturally or easily set aside what I have in mind to get done and let the needs of others take the place of my own. Oh, at times it may come across like I do this well, but usually only when I can fit it in neat and tidy with whatever else is going on in my life.

That is so sad. So, I am attempting to rise to the challenge. I know it's not going to be easy. I'm in way over my head with teaching (just added one more class to my schedule yesterday), accreditation work, keeping the family fed and the clothes clean, and still being a good wife to my husband, a good mother to my kids, and a good friend to my good friends. But I am going to attempt to filter it all through "SERVE" and see how it goes.

I may need a few gentle reminders along the way.

1st Day of Kindergarten

The journey has begun...

Ode to Free Time

Oh free time, how I miss thee
Let me count up the ways
I miss curling up to read a good book
And vacationing for days and days

Oh free time, how I miss thee
The TV is a thing of the past
My laundry is no longer caught up
And the dust is piling up fast

Oh free time, how I miss thee
I wish I could go to the pool
I miss my cell phone and all of my friends
Instead I spend hours at school

Oh free time, how I miss thee
My family wants a home cooked meal
I'm sure I'll get around to it soon
Is 8 days of hot dogs really a big deal?

Oh free time, how I miss thee
I don't have any more time to write
This page may feel very abandoned
Unless I drop in late at night.

Oh free time, how I miss thee
My scrapbooks all look really sad
But so does my desk and my shelves and my room
The organization has gotten quite bad.

Oh free time, how I miss thee
I will see you again come next May
The class will be taught and the work will be done.
Oh, what a glorious day!

TMI

35 minutes ago I tucked my little one in for a nap. 10 minutes ago I heard him upstairs talking in his room. There is absolutely nothing positive that can come from him being awake for nearly half an hour without me knowing about it. So, I walk into his room to see what's going on.

Him: "I have poop on my finger."

Yes he did. And all over his hand too.

Him: "And it's on the wall too."

Sure enough. Right there. Big streaks.

Him: "I wanted to get it off my finger."

No kidding. It sorta worked.

Him: "And there's poop on my bed."

Great. Cause when the wall doesn't work, one should always try the bed next.

Him: "I dug in my diaper and got poop."

This must be my genius child. At least he's honest.

Butterflies

I have all kinds of weird traits running around inside me. Sometimes I'm laid back about things, sometimes I'm way too detailed. Occasionally I'm overly perfectionistic, somedays I wish I was more perfectionistic. Today I'm nervous. Several things are running around my brain that I'm having trouble letting go of.

~I'm nervous that my son was misdiagnosed at the allergy doctor. Looking back, I realized that the doctor actually never looked at his puffy red back at all. Maybe that's normal, but the nurse had nearly the whole form filled out when she realized that she was an entire row off when analyzing all the little bumps and red spots on his back. She and the pre-med student observer studied it for awhile to make sure they were reading it correctly. That did not make me feel confident at all.

~I'm nervous that my children will be horrible this evening. Our dinner guests from England are sophisticated world-travelers with NO children of their own. Thankfully, she is an elementary teacher, but still...

~I'm nervous about teaching a high school class with no previous curriculum. If I had had the summer to prepare, I would be okay, but seven days is cramping my style.

~I'm nervous about going to the lake this weekend with six young children. When we planned this weekend, I thought it would be terribly hot. Now it is supposed to be 73. And rainy. When we planned this weekend, I was not teaching anything this year. Now all weekend long I will be thinking of everything I should be doing instead.

~Now I'm nervous there won't be enough hours in my day to get everything prepared for tonight. Thus ends my list for today.

Playing Catch-Up

Life seems to be moving one step forward, two steps back. It's a bit overwhelming at the moment. Here's what I've been up to...

~I found out last week that I am returning to the classroom. The good news: one class, very part-time, only girls (Bible class), block schedule. The bad news: have to rewrite the curriculum, seven days until school starts.

~Last Friday my father's close friend passed away. I cannot remember a time when this man was not part of our lives. He and my dad went to high school together. They stood up for each other at their weddings. They worked together at the same company for nearly 35 years. Our family camped with his family practically every other weekend from April to October every year. He worked last Friday morning, went to lunch, drove back, and got out of his truck to walk back into the plant. He never made it. They found him on the ground in the parking lot. My husband was on the crew who responded to the call. He performed CPR on him, but it was too late. This morning we attended the funeral and said one final goodbye to a long-time family friend.

~Saturday was my 15 year class reunion. A part of me was dreading this event since I was in charge. I was a little nervous that too much time had passed and we would all stare at each other with nothing to say. Thankfully, I was wrong. We had a great evening together catching up and reminiscing years gone by.

~Monday I spent half the day at the doctor watching my 5 YO go through allergy testing. The verdict: allergic to cats, mulberry tree pollen, johnson grass, and a ton of mold spores. "Mold spores?", my non-allergy self innocently asked. "Tell me more about that." The doctor smiled that sympathetic smile and said, "Those are pretty much everywhere...crops, hay, grass, leaves...". Now I have to add one more thing to my to-do list: research allergies. That sounds like a party waiting to happen.

~Tomorrow we are having guests for dinner. Last November we had an amazing week in England. Amazing mostly because this wonderful couple took tons of time out of their busy lives to be our personal tour guides. Now they are in the states for six weeks and we get to see them again! I'm not sure we can reciprocate on the tour guide thing here in the wild and crazy midwest....maybe we can take them to see the world's largest ball of string.

More dying brain cells...

Thirteen weeks ago I made a hair appointment. Yes, 13 weeks ago. I timed it all out, scheduled the haircut in the middle, and scheduled the coveted color date six weeks later with the girl with magic hands. See, my 15 year class reunion is Saturday, and since there's nothing I can do to look 22 anymore, I can at least have cute hair, right?

So I wrote my appointment on my calendar. Wednesday at 10:30. It's been there for weeks - 13 weeks to be exact. I've been looking forward to it for days - it's like a pampering session from heaven (other than the wax part, that hurts like...well, it hurts).

Yesterday, Tuesday, I walk in the door at 2:30 and play my messages. "Rhonda...is everything okay? I'm just calling because I have you down this morning for an appointment at 10:30 and wanted to check in with you since you are not here..."

WHAT?!?! I check my calendar - Wednesday. I check my appointment card - Tuesday. I want to scream. I want to cry.

Then it's my turn to leave a message. I grovel on and on..."I'm sooooo sorry. I had it written down for Wednesday...blah, blah, blah...I'm soooo sorry...call me so we can reschedule."

I felt way too guilty to even mention my reunion on Saturday. So much for the cute hair, I was just hoping she could get me in sometime in the next month.

This morning she called. Her first words: "Can you be here at 8:30 on Friday?"

I LOVE her. Guess who'll be getting a big 'ol tip.

Vacation Through the Camera Lens

Day 1: Visiting the family

The 5 Yo ran away from the dog, the 2 YO could have been the dog's lunch.


Da 2: The Brookfield Zoo

This polar bear had an amazing talent of stopping mere humans dead in their tracks to waste minutes upon minutes of their lives while he played with toys and swam.

Day 3: Shedd's Aquarium

Where my son begged all day long to see "the su-su-suber-super guy, I mean the scuba diver, in the big fish tank!!"

Next Stop: Giordano's Pizza and a concert in Millennium Park.

Day 4: The guys took the kids to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Sears Tower while the girls went shopping on Michigan Avenue. They dropped us off 2 miles north of where the van would be, thinking we would meander down Michigan Ave. as we shopped. At 4:30 p.m. we were one block from where we were dropped off. Oops, bad planning.

Day 5, 6, and 7: Mike and Vicki's house. The kids swam and played, the adults hung out like old times.

Day 7: Decatur Children's Museum

Day 8: And finally, a stop at the T-Rex Cafe in Kansas City on the way home.