Mommy Moments

Snow Day

2012-01-09T09:49:00.005-05:00

We finally got some snow over my winter vacation from work. TJ decided he wanted to help me shovel the driveway. Who was I to turn down free labor?!

Trying to get the hang of the shovel.

Making a snow angel.

Hitting the tree with a stick....isn't that what you do when you play in the snow?!

Warming up with some hot chocolate.

Breaking the Habit

2012-01-09T09:39:00.005-05:00

TJ has always been attached to a blanket. Didn't matter what type of blanket, just a blanket. We would take a blanket away and he would simply find a new blanket to carry around the house. Over my vacation from work, I tripped over that blanket (a toddler bed sized blanket of Elmo flying a plane) a million times. I decided that Elmo had to leave. I simply waited for TJ to leave the room and then I made Elmo disappear into the deep dark back corner of our closet. When TJ asked for the blanket at nap time I simply said, "You don't need him." Later that night TJ asked Ayron for Elmo and Ayron honestly replied, "I don't know where he went." Ayron had no clue I had taken Elmo away. TJ hasn't asked for Elmo since. That was two weeks ago.

About a week ago I decided that since the removal of Elmo went so smoothly I should work on TJ's thumb sucking habit. I had noticed that since Elmo disappeared the thumb sucking had decreased, but I wanted it GONE. I started putting band aids on TJ's thumbs at night and one week later, thumb sucking free! He hasn't even tried to suck his thumbs. I have been keeping an eye on him and I think we are in the clear. For every day he goes without thumb sucking, he gets to add a sticker to his calendar. Once he gets enough stickers (we haven't determined the exact amount) he will get an "adventure" with Mommy and Daddy. We are thinking of taking him to Chucky Cheese, God help our souls.

Since he had been doing so well, we decided to give him a little reward. We took him to Penske (where Ayron works) to see "Daddy's monster trucks." TJ thinks that Daddy gets to drive "monster trucks" all day, he couldn't be further from the truth, but why smash a little boy's dreams. We had to go to Penske to pick up Ayron's paycheck anyway, so we took TJ along. When we got to the lot, Ayron was able to take TJ into a semi cab and drive it in a circle around the lot. TJ was in heaven!

I can only hope that we have permanently broken those two habits.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2011-12-09T11:06:00.004-05:00

Santa Claus came to the Auburn Birthing Center yesterday. I took the kiddos and they both did amazing! TJ really wanted to talk with Santa but then clammed up as soon as he climbed up on his lap.

TJ's shirt says, "Dear Santa, my sister did it!"

The woman responsible for my children!

Laundry Basket

2011-12-09T10:52:00.002-05:00

Who needs expensive toys when your Mommy has laundry baskets?!

Turkey Day!

2011-12-09T10:43:00.006-05:00

I know that Thanksgiving was last month, but I just got around to uploading the pictures. It was the first Thanksgiving where I prepared ALL the food.....stupid me forgot to take a picture of our beautiful apricot glazed turkey breast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, herbed bread and pumpkin cheesecake. I did get some shots of the kids though!

TJ spent the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving at my mom's. They made a hand turkey and a balloon turkey.

Then Ella got a hold of one of the balloons.

This was taken one random Saturday before church. She doesn't seem all that happy to be wearing her new, and super cute, pink dress.

Sibling Rivalry

2011-12-09T10:28:00.005-05:00

I know that one day, my kids will hate each other. It happens. But for now, I am trying to enjoy the fact that they love each other. Ella will make a screech and wait for TJ's replied screech. She then will crawl to where he squealed from. It is like her own version of echolocation. TJ loves on Ella all the time. I have to remind myself that as long as he isn't hurting her, it is ok. Here are some recent shots of all the sibling love at our house.

TJ is always smooshing all over Ella. She doesn't seem to mind.

Don't they look suspicious?!

What are those things in your mouth and how do I get some?!

He was playing behind her exersaucer.

The he fell asleep behind the exersaucer.

All Grown Up

2011-11-16T14:25:00.002-05:00

This past weekend our Worship Pastor got married. We used the occasion to get all dressed up. Heck, I even had TJ's hair cut! I was uploading some pictures today and I was dumbstruck by how grown up my little TJ has become!

I cropped out Ayron and myself for several reasons. I don't like pictures of myself and Ayron's eyes were closed.

Here he is at the reception drinking his "coffee" which was really just water out of the coffee cup.

How to Turn an Ordinary Boy into a Superhero

2011-11-01T08:35:00.012-04:00

Step one: Find a seemingly innocent young boy.

Step Two: Find him a small, look alike toy.

Step 3: Teach him the superhero pose. Also, teach him to be nice to any random strawberries he finds.

Step 4: Test his ability to fly.

Step 5: Teach him to be friendly with fellow, look a like, superheros.

Step 6: Remind him that even superheros need to hold Daddy's hand when crossing the street.

Step 7: Reward your superhero's hard work with a treat.

Step 8: Allow your Clark Kent time to rest with his doggy.

Step 9: Hide the kryptonite!

Pumpkin Carving Time

2011-10-25T09:43:00.004-04:00

Thanks to PawPaw Mike (Mr. B for those of you who had him for sixth grade science at DMS), we scored 4 free pumpkins! I also decided to purchase a "large" pumpkin from the store in hopes of fitting Isabella into a pumpkin for some pictures. Well, I forgot that I grow rather large children and that my not quite 7 month old is really as long as a 10 month old....fitting her in a pumpkin was a challenge. Not to take challenges lightly, we made it work!

Too Cute Tuesday

2011-10-25T09:35:00.003-04:00

I spent the morning clearing off my work laptop. I was just awarded some money to purchase a new laptop. The current laptop is falling apart, I am not joking. The only thing connecting the top screen to the bottom keyboard is the display wire (I don't know the technical term...the wire that makes the screen actually show what I am typing). The poor thing has been tripped over, knocked off desks, and just plain used to bits...literal bits. A piece of the outside plastic fell off this morning in my hands.

As I was cleaning the laptop off, I finally condensed all my pictures to one flash drive. I found these pics from last week and they made me smile. I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have two beautiful and healthy children...who know two goofy looking people could create such gorgeous kids!

I Am More Than A Teacher

2011-10-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Fall Fun

2011-10-11T07:57:00.005-04:00

The kiddos before church one Saturday. I thought TJ was looking extra cute, so I took a picture.
Scooter found a stick. TJ stole Scooter's stick and ran like lightening because Scooter started chasing him. They chased each other for 10 minutes. I know, running with a stick, not a smart idea...but thankfully, no one was harmed during the process....except the stick. Scooter bit it in two.
TJ throwing leaves at me. At one point Ayron threw a handful at TJ (who was screaming), thus filling TJ's mouth with leaves, thus causing TJ to gag, which caused me to gag.

He finally stopped running long enough to sit down. I love his hair in this picture!

Getting ready to throw leaves at Mommy.

Favorite shot of the afternoon.

Isabella didn't really care for the leaves after about 30 seconds.

Inspecting the leaf....is it edible?

I will find out!

My happy girl!

She started to fall backwards, and I didn't stop her. I just took a picture. I'm a mean mom!

Such a serious, yet lovable face!

If the first leaf was edible, what about this one?

Baby feet!!

Domesticus

2011-09-22T11:11:00.003-04:00

Domesticus is the nickname my dad has recently given me. I am not sure why everyone is so surprised by my ability to cook or be crafty. Both of my parents can cook and I have always been creative. Thanks to my recent fascination with pinterest.com, I am able to expand my recipe options and craft projects. I LOVE it.

I have greatly expanded my recipe collection (ask I type this, my 4" recipe binder is open on one side of the laptop while a pile of new recipes sits on my right, patiently waiting to be added to the collection). I enjoy trying new foods and making Ayron (he is a meat and potatoes type of guy) try them too. We have discovered quinoa and LOVE it. I just got sick of cooking the same 5 things over and over again and took matters into my own hands, no biggie.

I have also decided to make most (if not all) of our Christmas gifts this year. Why not? It's cheaper and more heartfelt. I can personalize it and truly make the present fit the person. I am excited to start buying my supplies and get working on those projects.

I also cracked out the sewing machine. My sewing machine used to be my Grandmother Reese's machine. My grandfather bought it for her 2 months before he passed (if my date calculations are correct....the receipt was still in the box). My mom helped me get it all set up and re threaded with the proper color thread (I still can't do that on my own!). So last night, I began my latest project. A blanket for Miss Isabella. I have never quilted anything in my life. My blanket making abilities encompass those "no sew" tie blankets and that is it. I decided to take the semi easy route (like my Dad always says, "Work smarter, not harder."). I found pink and brown (well, Ayron found them) bandannas that match Isabella's room. I am making them the front of the blanket. Last night I (Ok, ok. Mom came over and kinda hijacked my project and did all the sewing....I think it killed her that I was just going to wing it and see what happened) sewed the top panel. I am going to attempt the batting and backing tonight....we'll see how far I get!

I love them but come on now, give me a break!

2011-09-06T11:42:00.007-04:00

This past weekend was Labor Day Weekend. In our household that means two things: Ayron's birthday and the disappearance of Ayron. For the past 3 years Ayron has worked some form of classic car auction in the Auburn area. Heck, he was even on the front page of yesterday's paper,(the smaller picture, look hard....on the left...no, your other left....the big guy with his arm raised...yep. That's Ayron.)

He only really likes to skate inside. He flips as soon as he realizes you are going to attempt to get him to skate outside.

I told him if he was going to keep acting like a monkey, I would put him in the tree.....He wound up in the tree.

This is how he sits if he doesn't think anyone is watching. I don't know how he finds that comfortable, but he does.

When he realized I had my camera out, he instantly went back to sitting normally.

When you are rocking a black eye (accidental), you must rock a mohawk...regardless of your gender. Mohawks and black eyes go hand in hand.

And if you are rocking the mohawk and black eye, you must also then rock a derby t-shirt! Thanks to Dodger L. Bows for the t-shirt. FYI, the shirt is a 12 month sized and fits her now....at 5 month.

This shirt cracks me up! She happily sat and watched while I cleaned her room, just like her father would have ;)

The kids are CRAZY when Ayron isn't home. Ella has always been a Daddy's girl and with TJ's traumatic 3's....it was "fun." At one point Sunday afternoon I called my mom and told her, "If you don't want me to sell at least one of your grand kids to a travel circus, please come over now!" I am happy to see that the pictures I took this weekend don't show me losing my sanity or my kids screaming, rather they show semi-happy kids!

Swinging

2011-09-02T08:59:00.003-04:00

We have been experiencing the traumatic threes with TJ. We didn't do the "terrible two" stage, so now I guess we are getting it even worse now that he is 3. We have found that rewarding his good behavior is the best thing. He loves slides and parks. If he has a good couple of days, we take an evening and go to the park. Since he often doesn't stand still for more than 2 seconds, I can't get many good pictures of him. But these two shots of Isabella crack me up.

Wordless Wednesday (a tad early)

2011-08-30T14:52:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T10:01:00.003-04:00

You Hope You Never Need Them...

2011-07-27T14:25:00.003-04:00

...but they are there when you do. Firefighters. This past week, the Waterloo Volunteer Fire Department lost a member of their family. Travis Miller passed away in his sleep after helping battle a fire.

I drove past the funeral home hosting his viewing last night and the sight of the fire trucks and firefighters in their dress blues got me. I can't imagine the pain his family is going through.

I know many firefighters. My brother in law is the Chief of a volunteer department and my sister in law serves with that same department. My sister in law's brother (did you follow that odd family tree jump?) is a volunteer fighter as well.

I don't think people stop to realize what firefighters, especially volunteer firefighters, do to keep us safe. They are the people who go out during storms to spot for tornadoes, the ones who drag trees out of the road at 6 am on their birthday, the ones who have permission to leave work to go battle fires. They give up family time, regardless of the holiday (Do you realize how many idiots start deep fryer fires around Thanksgiving and Christmas?). They get called out in the middle of the night to help with medical emergencies. Volunteer firefighters risk their lives as a hobby. They don't get a personal pay check for running into burning buildings. They don't get paid to sit through hours of training on how to put out fires, save lives, use equipment, etc. They do it because they care.

I have seen my brother in law in action (a rekindled house fire) and let me tell you, it's scary! What person in their right mind RUNS into a structure on fire?! I have seen the back of his coat and helmet burned from the flames. I have to wonder why people run into fires, I wouldn't. But as much as I wonder, I appreciate them even more!

So if you see a firefighter (volunteer or paid), thank them! They deserve it! You might not appreciate them now, but if you need their services, they will come!

Cereal

2011-07-27T10:06:00.004-04:00

Last week we decided to see what Isabella would do with cereal. She has had cereal mixed in her bottles since she was a month old (thank you colic and acid reflux), but her bottles were never thick. Lately we have begun making her "bedtime" bottle a little on the thick side and she hasn't had any problems. So we thought we'd try our hand at spoon feeding cereal. All bibbed up and ready to go!

First bite is in!
Trying for a second bite.

Clearly, she wasn't i impressed with her cereal.

She had more fun playing with the spoon!

TJ sure loves his cereal tho!

28 years

2011-07-20T10:43:00.002-04:00

So I have been reminded that Saturday I will turn another year older.

I started thinking....28 years. What have I accomplished in 28 years?

Learned how to walk, talk, feed and dress myself, and all that other basic stuff.

I have spent 21 years in school. Graduated with Academic Honors from high school, graduated on the Dean's list from college and currently maintain a 4.0 in grad studies. Big deal. All that tells you is that I am a DORK!

I have witnessed the effects of cancer and strokes on my grandparents. I have hid in the bathroom at a funeral and laughed at another. I have crowded around a cousin's car to listen to the end of the Purdue vs. Michigan State football game before officially saying goodbye to my grandfather.

I have coped with the loss of two classmates way to early in their lives.

I thought I found love, only to be dumped on my butt. The next week, I met my new boss and thought that my job was gonna suck. I didn't know that 2 months later I would be dating my boss and then end up married to him!

I have been fortunate enough to leave the country 3 times. The one time to Canada doesn't really count since we left the States just to say we left the States. I have toured the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria with a choir. I have fallen down numerous spiral staircases while in the Netherlands (seriously people, straight stairways work too!). I have sat on a beach in Spain and watched the sun come up. I have gotten buzzed in a Naval base bar while singing an annoying song about jumping. I have taken a boat ride hung over eating ice cream for breakfast before unknowingly watching the filming of a James Bond movie. I have ridden the moving sidewalks at the Miami Airport for 4 hours out of sheer boredom.

I lived through the divorce of my parents and the ending of childhood.

I have experienced a year at a Big Ten school and dealt with a roommate from hell, and survived!

I have been married for 6 years (been together 11), have two wonderful kids. I have given birth twice without any big pain meds. I have witnessed the joy/terror on my husbands face as he delivered our daughter. I have taught my son many cute habits and probably some that will end up getting him in trouble one day.

I have given blood only to then pass out in front of my students. I have been carried by my students (and football players) to a cot only to wake up utterly embarrassed!

I have witnessed the growing up of my three beautiful nieces. I have watched them take on personalities that are distinctly their own.

I have seen how a horrible accident can break you down, but build you up stronger than ever. I have witnessed family growing stronger through trying situations. I have prayed for a miracle and received it.

I have a job I love, despite how much I can complain about it. I have helped keep 120+ students out of juvenile placement, thus saving Steuben County roughly $1.28 million. I have worked through the suicide of a student and still miss her crazy sense of humor each fall when I see a pumpkin.

I have flown across the states to be with a friend and be "one of the guys" for the weekend. I have witnessed the beginning of two marriages (other than my own) from the front of the church. I have worn uncomfortable undergarments and shoes for the friends I love.

I have gone against what I knew would upset some people and did something solely for myself (my tattoo).

I have loved and lost. I have cried and I have laughed. I have been patient and I have been restless. I have run away and then came right back. I have done a lot, but mostly I have tried to live every day to the fullest.

I wonder what I will accomplish in my next 28 years?

Cornflake Chicken and Blackbean Salad

2011-07-20T08:42:00.003-04:00

This meal seems like it has a lot of steps, but it is SUPER easy and tasty! It is a great meal to have little hands help you make too!!

Cornflake Chicken
Crushed Cornflakes - the amount really depends on how much chicken you want to make
1C. Milk
1 egg
salt/pepper - to taste
1 C. flour
Chicken- I cut breasts into tenders, but you could use whole breasts or a quartered chicken
melted butter - the amount depends on how much chicken

Put the cornflakes in a big resealable bag and crush with a rolling pin (or let your child go to town dropping the bag on the floor). In a separate bowl mix the milk and beaten egg. Then add the salt and pepper and flour. Mix until smooth.

Put an oven proof cooling rack on a foil lined baking sheet/cookie sheet. Spray the cooling rack with cooking spray. This will prevent the chicken from sticking and will keep the chicken crunchy on all sides.

Dip the chicken into the wet batter and then put into the cornflakes. Use your hands to make sure the cornflakes coat all of the chicken. Place the chicken on the cooling rack/baking sheet. Drizzle with melted butter.

Bake at 350. The time depends on the type of chicken. I did chicken "tenders" and they took about 17 to 20 minutes. If you are doing a bone-in quartered chicken it could take up to an hour. Just keep checking the chicken and once the internal temp is 165 degrees, they are done.

Black Bean Salad w/ Crispix Croutons
Salad
1 can of black beans - drained and rinsed well
1 C. canned corn (or fresh)
12 cherry tomatoes, halved- I don't know why 12, you could add as many as you want
1/4 C. red onion, finely chopped
4 oz can of green chilies - I didn't actually use the chilies and it tasted just fine

Vinaigrette
zest of one lime
juice of one lime
olive oil
4 tsp. agave nectar - I couldn't find this anywhere so we just added some honey instead
1 tsp. chili powder

Croutons
2 C. Crispix cereal
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. melted butter

Mix together all of the "Salad" ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the "Vinaigrette" ingredients. Start by mixing together the zest, juice, nectar and chili powder. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking. Stop adding oil when you like the taste/consistency. There is really no right or wrong here.

Drizzle the vinaigrette's over the salad. You can then place the salad on top of actual lettuce greens(we ate ours without the greens and it was tasty). Put all the "Crouton" ingredients into a ziplock bag and shake to coat the cereal. Use the cereal as the croutons for the salad.

Dear Taylor and Isabella

2011-07-19T08:21:00.004-04:00

Dear Taylor and Isabella,

I promise to always love you. I promise to do my best to make it known you are loved. I am so blessed to have you in my life. After thinking we couldn't have kids, we were blessed with two wonderful babies who are growing up so fast.

You will soon learn that I am not perfect, in fact, far from it. I will make mistakes, and I apologize now. I can't promise that I won't embarrass you. I may yell too loud at your future sporting events, or wear embarrassing outfits when we go shopping. I will probably even do the "crotch jiggle" test (see old episode of "Home Improvement") when shopping for jeans. I am sure I will cook some meals you hate, and I know I will make you eat your vegetables.

I will push you to do your best. I will expect you to study and complete your homework. I will expect you to respect your teachers, elders, family members, etc. I won't let you give up or drop out.

I also promise to love you regardless of the mistakes you will make. I won't laugh when you fall (sorry, but you have your mother's sense of grace!). I will make sure you always have a roof over your head and food in your belly. You may not always have what you want, but you will have what you need.

I promise not to embarrass you too badly in front of your first date (TJ). I will try my hardest to prevent your Dad, Grandfather, and Uncle from cleaning their guns in front of the house when your prom date shows up (Isabella).

I promise you will always be surrounded by love!

Love,

Mommy

Day in the Sun

2011-06-14T08:28:00.005-04:00

I took yesterday afternoon off to rest and spend some time with my family before my crazy summer schedule kicked in. We took TJ to the park in Hicksville Ohio and then swimming at a friends house. Here is a photo montage of our day.

She has recently become a smiling fool! She loves to giggle at TJ, which makes him laugh harder, which makes her giggle harder...it's a cute never ending cycle!

Giving me a goofy smile while climbing up the stairs.

Enjoying the shade and Grandma Reeves lap.

He was afraid to walk across the bridge. This was the split second he was brave enough to let go of the handrails.

Taking a break on the stage coach.

Giving Grandma Reeves the stink eye and tongue. When we told Grandma that Ella has recently began rolling over she said, "No, she's too young to know what she's doing." Ella made this face and rolled over. It was her way of saying, "Oh yeah?! I'll show you I can roll over!"

Action shot of the twisty slide.

Ella all ready to go swimming. Too bad she fell asleep and never actually made it into the water!

Swimsuit FAIL for Lilia!

TJ decided he needed some shades too.

Insert your own Elton John joke here.

Lilia decided she didn't want to stand still for a group shot. Who needs swim trucks when underpants will do?!

Super Saturday and Sunday

2011-06-06T09:37:00.004-04:00

Once again, limited access to facebook has me "publishing" pictures on my blog knowing they will eventually make it to facebook in the form of a "note."

TJ is always around Ella. He is always in her face and thankfully she doesn't seem to mind.

If TJ isn't in Ella's face, he is in Scooters personal space. That poor dog tolerates a lot!

Ayron and TJ in our "Tree Top" seats for the Tin Caps game...I have no clue what is up with Ayron's face!

TJ trying to enjoy the game. He was upset because he thought we were going to the game so that he could play, not sit and watch.

We took TJ down to the fountain to cool off. It took some persuasion, but once a little girl grabbed his hand and lead him into the water, we couldn't get him out!

He is stepping on one of the jets. He got a thrill when it came back on and shot him in the butt!

He was having a grand ole' time.

We let him continue his water time once we got home. We wanted to make sure he was good and tired! He is actually spraying the dog (off camera) in this shot.

Apparently he got thirsty.

Just relaxing on Daddy's chest.

Brief Moment of Panic

2011-06-06T07:55:00.003-04:00

On Saturday and Sunday mornings I have the kids all to myself. This used to frighten me, but now that Isabella is on a schedule and TJ has become even more independent, the situation has turned from panic to delight.

I enjoy my time alone with my kids. I often put Isabella on the floor and let TJ talk/read to her. She loves him and it is apparent by her constant smile and giggles when he talks to her. He is ALWAYS in her face and she doesn't seem to mind. Scooter is even learning to like her. Scooter never showed any dislike towards her, but when we brought TJ home he was always with TJ. Scooter could really care less where Isabella is, but he will still follow TJ to the ends of the earth....dumb dog!

This past Saturday I had Isabella on the floor and was working on her physical therapy (she has some tight neck muscles) and TJ sat down beside her on the blanket. I had this brief panicked thought of, "Holy crap. I am responsible for these two. What was I thinking bringing two lives into this world?! How am I going to raise them to be polite, God fearing, respectable members of society?!" I had to remind myself that we have managed to keep TJ alive and safe for 3 years. He is polite and well mannered and just darn cute! I guess "faking it till you make it" is working so far with parenting. I just hope that I don't fail my kids in the parent department. At times I feel like I know what I am doing and other moments I feel like I have no control and no idea what I am doing. I guess every parent goes through that feeling so I shouldn't panic. It still amazes me that these two are mine!

Long Weekend

2011-05-31T09:33:00.006-04:00

We spent our long weekend relaxing and hanging out with friends. I know I am putting a lot of pictures into blogs/notes (my blog uploads automatically to facebook), but lately my only facebook access has been through my phone, and thus I can't upload pictures that way. This way our family across the country can still see pictures of the kiddos. Both kids are battling sinus infections that are oozing our their eyes....so not joking. They are both now on a highly powerful antibiotic so hopefully they both start feeling better soon!

For both being sick, they're behaving fairly well.

I have a pictures of TJ wrapped up like this, in the same towel even!

TJ got a Cars 'pishing fole.'Practicing his casting in the front yard. He is doing pretty well considering he is 3. All 3 of my kiddos!Tossing a football, probably at Eli's head.
Uncle Kerry was trying to coax the kids to actually run THROUGH the sprinkler, not just around it.

Ayron, torturing our children.

Tj sporting a dirty face and new 'do.

Waiting for water balloons to fall from the sky.

Watching the water ballon fight from the comfort of her bouncy chair.

They were attempting to play catch, which really turned into TJ beaming the ball of Eli's head.

Butt cracks!

Shiver Me Timbers!

2011-05-26T13:01:00.003-04:00

Our church has been doing a series called "Pirates of the Caring Church." After church on Saturday the kids had the opportunity to have their pictures taken with the pirates and get a gold doubloon. TJ has recently gotten into watching Disney Channel's "Jake and the Neverland Pirates." I thought that the pirates at church might freak him out since they weren't cartoon drawings, but he walked in after church and exclaimed, "PIRATES!!!!!!!!!" He was thrilled he got a gold doubloon like Jake gets on the tv show.

Still Amazes Me

2011-05-24T10:50:00.003-04:00

It still amazes me that two goofy looking people like Ayron and I can make such cute kids....then again, I am a bit partial!

2011-05-23T09:00:00.002-04:00

I was up most of the night thinking and praying about the victims of the tornado that struck Joplin Missiouri last night. I am running low on sleep, but my mind will not stop racing.

I am watching the tree across the street. It is swaying in the morning breeze. The bright green leaves are stunning against the blue sky background. It seems peaceful outside. The kind of morning where I would like to do nothing but sit in a hammock and read a book. Yet I know that storms are on the way. My morning text message from the local television station warned me of today's storms. So do I sit here in fear knowing what is coming? No, I have decided to focus on what I see, blue skies and swaying trees.

How many of us get wrapped up in what we think is coming our way? How many people were truly worried about the supposed rapture that was supposed to take place Saturday? Who sat by their clocks counting down the minutes?

Who lives their life in constant fear about what could happen instead of focusing on what IS happening? Why waste what time we are given worrying about what is next? Why not take advantage of the time we have been given? Take time to focus on the swaying tree, not the supposed storms that could be coming.

Real Men

2011-05-20T12:15:00.003-04:00

A friend, let's call her B, like to exchange silly stories about our husbands and their antics. It occupies our time at work. We both know that our husbands are great men, but it is also nice to share frustrations with someone.

While surfing the net the other day, I came across this article/video. (I know that Facebook imports my notes from Blogger, so I hope the link transfers properly). The article was interesting to me, and not because I follow Idol, because I don't. It was Chris's back story that got me. Maybe the back story hit me because I watched my brother in law stand by his wifes side when she was in a terriable car accident, who knows. The lyrics of the song hit me too. It just made me think that real men don't leave, even when times get hard.

In a world where divorce seems to be the norm and for idiotic reasons (Note: I do feel that in certain situations, divorce is better for all involved, but in today's society it seems like one minor disagreement leads to divorce) it is nice to know that real men still exists. I see these real men when I look around at my family, church and my friends. I know they aren't going anywhere, no matter how difficult it gets. So to all the real men out there, thank you! You are appreciated!

What Are Words

Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
Anytime you whisper my name, you'll see
How every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most

What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then they don't
When it's love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone

And I know an angel was sent just for me
And I know I'm meant to be where I am
And I'm gonna be
Standing right beside her tonight

And I'm gonna be by your side
I would never leave when she needs me most

What are words
If you really don't mean them
When you say them
What are words
If they're only for good times
Then they don't
When it's love
Yeah, you say them out loud
Those words, They never go away
They live on, even when we're gone

Anywhere you are, I am near
Anywhere you go, I'll be there
And I'm gonna be here forever more
Every single promise I keep
Cuz what kind of guy would I be
If I was to leave when you need me most

I'm forever keeping my angel close

I Love My Job (Not Being Sarcastic Either!)

2011-05-18T12:07:00.003-04:00

I love my job. It has its struggles, but I love my job. For those who don't know I will attempt a Reader's Digest of what I do.

I run a school in Steuben County for students who struggle with the traditional academic setting. I work with students that range in age from 6th through 12th grade. Some students have issues with the law, some just can't hold their tongue in check when in school. I work with the students that most teacher try to avoid. I love my job. I love the non traditional student. At times the drama here can be RIDICULOUS but I think I might be bored if I were in a traditional school teaching the same thing for 7 hours a day. Due to the ratio of students to teachers (7.5 to 2) I am able to get to know my students on a more personal level.

I get emotionally invested in my students. I have tried not to, but it's not possible. It kills me to know the struggles they are dealing with, and at such a young age. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a home where my parents were married, had jobs, and cared about me. I was able to have a nice roof over my head and clothes on my back. I had food in my belly and parents that made sure I stayed on track academically. Growing up, I might not have appreciated all that I had, but I do now. Basically, I had people that gave a darn about me and held me accountable for my actions. I thought it would be easier to just not care about the kids and get jaded, but I can't do it. I do know that at time I get jaded, but I honestly try to avoid it. At times I wish I didn't care, it would make this job a lot easier, but I know these kids need someone to care about them, so I care. I know this will keep me awake tonight, but I am willing to shoulder that burden so that they know I care.

I know that for legal reasons I cannot share what I am dealing with today, but I can ask for prayer for my student. They are struggling and my staff and I finally pulled them aside and pieced the puzzle together. We are figuring out what the next step is. It could go in so many different directions and we are trying not to get ahead of ourselves. So I am doing what I do best, asking for prayer.

Do You "Martha?"

2011-05-16T13:18:00.005-04:00

Decades ago, a woman named Martha opened a small popcorn stand in Auburn. It was just a small building (some might call it a shack) with a few lights out front. While the surrounding buildings have changed (to an extent), Martha's hasn't. I remember Martha becoming ill and passing when I was in second grade. I only remember this because my second grade teacher was taking Martha to her doctors appointments.

I remember asking my dad to take me up to Martha's to get some popcorn. At the time I just wanted to see what the hype was about. I wasn't impressed. It was popcorn. Couldn't I just make this at home by throwing some Orville Redenbacher in the microwave? The atmosphere and charm were lost on me. I was 9 so forgive me. Fast forward about 17 years.

Last summer Ayron, TJ, and I began biking up town at least 2 evenings a week (they are open Wednesday through Saturday) to get some popcorn. The stand is now ran by Jack and Ruth Randinelli (with help from their daughter, Kim. Kim was Ayron's band teacher in high school). They are the perfect grandparent type. They know EVERYONE and don't forget them from one season to the next either. On a nice evening you can find Ruth in the stand making her carmel corn or pouring freshly melted butter over a brown sack of popcorn. Jack can usually be found sitting outside on the bench reading a book or discussing classic cars with my husband. TJ will often ask to go visit Jack and to eat some popcorn. He loves being able to sit at the picnic table with his own bag of popcorn and bottle of water. Last summer he could often be found talking with Vince (friend of the owners) about the finer things in a then 2 year old's life.

Five days ago, we restarted the Martha's tradition with our children. While I am sure Isabella wasn't too impressed with the outting, TJ was thrilled. As soon as he heard me told Ayron that Jack and Ruth would be up town he began to beg to head up to Martha's. If you are in Auburn on a lovely summer evening, I encourage you to go buy a bag of popcorn and just sit. Watch the customers that come to the stand and how Jack, Ruth, and Kim personally greet each customer. I would much rather walk up town instead of turning on the microwave! The first time we let him have his own bottle of water. I was sick of his backwash in my bottle! (2010)Chilling at the picnic table with his own stash of popcorn. (2010)

Relaxing on the bench outside. (2010)

First trip to the stand for 2011. I can't believe how different TJ looks from the pictures from last summer. The stand isn't any wider than it looks in this picture, and it doesn't need to be any bigger! It has been open for years and will hopefully be open for many more!

Moody Monday

2011-05-16T09:38:00.005-04:00

I am a bit moody today, and while I have valid reasons to be, I decided to cheer myself up by looking at pictures of the kiddos. Here are some more random pics from the recent happenings in our life that make me smile!

He is such a little ham!

Easter morning...not sure what he is trying to "Ta Da"...maybe the fact that the hallway walls need repainted?

I love how he is pointing at Isabella. The looks on his face just says, "She's crying, shut her up!Apparently Easter egg hunts are easier if you are pantless, wearing your grandmother's rubber boots, and watching Curious George. All set for library graduation. He was happy that I let him stand on the bench!She isn't really a big fan of the dog yet....and he isn't a big fan of her colicky screaming fits either!

Driving the "Gator" at the Froggy Family Kite Fly event. Look at the excitement on his face!

Learning how to skate outside. He had skated inside the house, and did just fine, but he is still a bit cautious outside. We are trying to encourage him to be physically active and develop a love of all sports. He recently got a soccer goal, his skates, and now a 12" kids bike. The bike throws him for a loop. On his old tricycle he could pedal backwards and the bike still rolled. With the new bike, he pedals backwards and the brakes stop the bike from moving!

Isabella Dawn Reeves

2011-05-13T12:40:00.006-04:00

I have decided to relive Ella's birth and post some pics. I can't believe she is almost 7 weeks old already. Everyone has been telling me how much she has changed, but I wasn't see it. Now that I have looked back through the pictures, I see it! We were fortunate enough to have Stephani take professional pictures during the labor and delivery. She took a TON of pictures, so it is hard to choose just a handful, but I think I have picked my favorites to share!

I was admitted to the hospital on March 26 (Taylor's birthday) and started taking meds right away. I opted for a pill instead of the pitosin because I didn't want to be tied to an IV all night. We had our friend, and Ella's Godmother, Dawn, join us during the whole process. It was a good learning experience for her...she is pregnant with twins and due in October.

That night we struggled to fall asleep. It was the oddest "3 some" that room had ever seen. I was in the hospital bed, Dawn claimed the couch and they brought in a cot for Ayron. In order to have me sleep they gave me Ambien. I had never had Ambien before and now I understand why you are not supposed to take it and then operate heavy machinery! That stuff can mess you up! I was still having troubles falling asleep so our nurse came in (Jessica H. is THE best...so is Heather H.) and tucked us all in. She even let us listen to the heartbeats in Dawn's stomach!

After laboring thru the afternoon of the 27th, Ella was born at 5:57pm. I am sooo thankful that Dawn was there for the birth. She was awesome at whispering "sweet nothings" in my ear during the intense pain. I used the birthing stool (I tried finding a picture of one similar to what I used, but I can't. Imagine a purple glittery toilet bowl with the front half cut out) and Ayron actually delivered Ella. I remember the mid wife (God Bless Stephanie VanderHorst!!!) telling me to look into Ayron's eyes....the look of panic in his eyes was not helpful! Come to find out, she had just told Ayron, "I will do all the medical stuff, you just worry about not dropping the baby." I guess that explains the look of panic in his eyes! We learned that Ella had actually managed to tie a good sized knot in her umbilical cord. We aren't sure how long it was there, and am actually happy we didn't know. I didn't effect her development and we had a normal birth, so it was one of those moments where we blissfully ignorant. In the end, it was all worth it. Here are some of my favorite pictures!

Look at how concerned Ayron was! I think he was watching the monitor and the heart rate.

Proof that I did lean, both physically and emotionally, on Dawn. I am on the stool and she is sitting behind me so I had something to lean on. I didn't smoosh her babies either...too badly.Ayron delivered his daughter. It was the coolest thing! I wish he could have done it with TJ, but TJ's delivery was a bit more complicated, ok, A LOT more complicated!Ella's jump rope, er I mean umbilical cord! We have no clue how long she had it in a knot, but it didn't affect anything! She looks EXACTLY like TJ (right after he was born) in this shotAll cleaned up and ready to meet the family. Look at that cleavage!TJ ran in and immediately jumped on my stomach! When he left the room he proudly threw his fists in the air and yelled, "WE DID IT!"Can't tell I planned his outfit for the day can you?! Aunt Natty got him this shirt when she found out we were expecting.If I had to put the photos in order of my favorites, this one would be #1!!!This one ranks #2. The Reeves with their 4th grand daughter...that's a lot of wedding dresses for Grandpa to buy!

She still prefers to be held by grandpa over grandma. Always has and probably always will. I think she likes the deep sound of male voices....that could be a problem once she's older!I LOVE this shot too. They were chatting in the hallway while I was feeding Ella.

Paddle Boat For Sale

2011-05-11T15:08:00.003-04:00

My father in law is looking to sell his Leisure Life Sun Lounger paddle boat. It is a 5 person paddle boat with 800lb limit. I am going to hopefully get a picture of it tonight. Since they moved out of the house that had a pond, they no longer need the boat, nor want to store it. If you are interested, contact me!

My Talented Family

2011-05-10T08:53:00.004-04:00

So apparently, my family has decided to make some youtube cameos and videos. Here are some of my favs!

This is my cousin Chris. He wrote this piece for his senior project.
http://youtu.be/pr1Eg5LEoF4

The CIA agent is my now adult (really makes me feel old to admit he is 18) cousin, Aaron. He was helping out a friend. Aaron's brother, Ben, makes an appearance during the soft pellet gun scene.
http://youtu.be/7UD308W1LYA

Why Can't I Let Go?

2011-05-10T08:16:00.002-04:00

So this weeks marks a huge change in our lives. Ayron and I are both back to work and have two children. Ayron's work schedule is a bit odd, but it's a job and he loves it. I got used to getting all the chores done before 9am when I was on maternity leave and it is make me neurotic that I can't do that now that I am back at work. I like having a clean house, even though I know no one expects me to, especially since I have two kids, a husband, and a dog.

Ayron does chores when he is home, but I come home and pick his efforts apart. Why do I do that? Why can't I just be happy that he did the laundry? I found myself getting upset because he waited until yesterday afternoon to do laundry. I was upset because I would have done it in the morning. WHO CARES?! I should have just been happy he did the laundry! I freaked out because the end of the counter had a pile of disorganized paper. Looking back now, I wonder, "Why the heck did I flip out?"

So how do I learn to let go of this....I don't even know what to call it...control? Why do I feel the need to be superwoman and have a spotless house, no dirty laundry, spotless kids, and dinner on the table? Who am I trying to impress? I wasn't this way before, but suddenly I am. It's aggravating because I know it grates on Ayron's nerves. I think I am super uptight this week because this is the first week we are both back at work and the kids are at my mom's/babysitter and I want to prove to myself I can do the whole "working mom" role. I know if I can't find a way to relax I will burn out, and fast. If I burnout, I will be of no use to anyone.

I'm Baaaaaacck!

2011-05-09T08:03:00.002-04:00

So I am officially back to work today. It's been a crazy past 3 months (was only off of work for 6 weeks). We have had 2 deaths, one birth, two major car issues, a niece hospitalized, a new job, schooling completed, terminal cancer diagnosis (family member), jaundice, the flu, hip issues, etc.

While I am happy to be back at work, I am a bit overwhelmed. I got here super early and just walked around trying to get back into the teacher/case manager/life manager frame of mind. It is amazing how much can change in 6 weeks. The little things got me. All of the bulletin boards are different (good thing) yet the room looks the same. The board in my office is plastered with information and I can't even decide where to begin so I just sit, staring at it. It's like information overload. I don't even know some of these students! Heck, I have two kids in court today, and the one kid I have never met and have no clue why he is in court!

But alas, I am back, and happy to be wearing actual clothes and away from diaper changing for awhile.

Photo Update

2011-03-17T08:18:00.003-04:00

I just thought I'd post some recent photos. I haven't taken a lot lately because I have had the camera packed in my hospital bag for three weeks. It was so nice out last night, that even after the whole car mess, we all went outside to burn off some energy.

Who Needs Wednesdays

2011-03-17T08:07:00.002-04:00

Seems like everything always happens to me on a Wednesday. I was hoping that yesterday would bring our family another member, but since it's Thursday and I still sit here with my belly smooshed against my desk, no such luck.

When I left work yesterday I discovered I had a flat tire. I went to my other office, borrowed a guy (Yes, I do know how to change a flat, but frankly, I am 40 weeks pregnant and didn't want to do it). After messing with it forever, we finally got the tire pulled off and discovered it was WAY more than just a flat tire. Apparently the front spring had snapped and sliced a huge gash in my tire. I don't know how I managed to get to work without the tire going flat or having a blow out (Thank You God for that!). There was a huge piece of spring just stuck in my tire. I called Ayron and he came up to Angola and took me home.

On the drive home we started calling our insurance company and mechanics. While we do have towing insurance, we do not have the $800 one place wanted to fix the whole mess. We found a place that would do it for $275, but they are backed up by 2 weeks. If I was already on maternity leave, it wouldn't be a big deal, but since we have no clue when this kid is coming out, we didn't think we could do the whole 2 week wait thing. I managed to stay calm the whole time this mess was unfolding. I never once cried or freaked out...that's a big deal for someone who is 40 weeks prego! I decided we would just go to mom's and pick up TJ. Then it hit me. My mom's neighbor is a big machine mechanic. He works on the cranes at places like SDI and he can also fix semis, etc. He was home so we went over and chatted with him.

Tony is an amazing guy. He shovels my mom's driveway, they take turns mowing the two yards, etc. Ayron asked him if he knew how to fix our problem and Tony laughed like it was as easy as licking an envelope. He said, "Got all the tools right there on my work truck. When you wanna do it?" So for $50 (and we buy the parts), some cupcakes, and some slave labor (Ayron is going to help him put the roof on his new shed), Tony is going to fix our car. It was at that point that I wanted to cry. I think Tony noticed because he said, "Ah, no biggie. Take a couple hours on Saturday and we'll get it fixed. Bring TJ over, drop him off to play with our kids (between him and his wife they have 5 kids), let Ayron and I fix the car and you go do something girly, like give birth or something."

So God Bless Tony!!!!!! That man is a saint!! So now I am sitting at work waiting for a tow truck to come get the car. I know that I shouldn't be surprised, after all He works in mysterious ways. Heck, He kept me calm the whole time yesterday!

Trying Something Different

2011-03-08T11:02:00.002-05:00

The end is near, or so I hope. Seems like this week will provide me/us with the time to get the final puzzle pieces into place for Isabella's arrival. The nursery will be done tomorrow afternoon (just need to rip out the old carpet and put in the new) and the dresser will be brought up by the end of the week, hopefully.

With Isabella's birth we are going to try something different. Birth photography. We have a friend who is a photographer, Stephani Lynn. Stephani approached me over the weekend about wanting to expand her services by offering birth photography. She asked if we wanted her to photograph Isabella's birth. We decided that it would be an opportunity to get some once in a lifetime shots by a professional.

The more I think about it, the more I really want to do it, but the thought of exposing myself to someone in that fashion is a bit odd. I know that the pictures will be tastefully done and nothing anatomy wise will be shown, but it's still the idea. I immediately started to rethink the clothing I had packed, is that shallow?! I mean come on, I am already going to be sweating like a pig, I might as well look decent right?!

I am very excited about this and curious to see how it all plays out. Now if only Isabella would decide to show up!

Really? People Do This Crap?!

2011-02-28T12:58:00.002-05:00

So I am all about prepping your body for labor. I am taking evening prime rose oil capsules and drinking red raspberry leaf tea, I am not however smearing Crisco on my butt. I have a "membership" to babycenter.com and love to read the ridiculous stuff people post. I once read a debate about what type of oil to drink to cause labor. One person truly thought that they were to drink motor oil. If people aren't smart enough to realize that is dangerous, do we really want them creating offspring?

I ran across this "trick" for labor induction today and laughed my non Crisco covered butt off.

"So I know a lot of people have been looking into and posting about homemade inductions, my OB told me about this Garden Method of Induction, I did it and the next day my water broke.
You take a bowl with Orange juice & Green Tea and then stand in it. Than you take basil leaves and crush them up in a bowl, add crisco, pepper, dried red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper and rub it on your butt cheek alternating ever 5 minutes.

Take a shot of brown sugar and lemon juice. And sit on top of a bowl of 5 hour energy shot.
Do for 30-min intervals until contractions start. It was so amazing I am definitely doing it again for my next child."

REALLY?! I am pretty sure that smearing Crisco on your butt is only going to give you a greasy butt! Sitting on a 5 hour energy shot? Am I just supposed to place the container in the bowl or dump out the little liquid and then sit in that? Wouldn't the lovely coat of grease prevent the energy shot from properly absorbing into my butt? (These questions are all said in sarcasm on my part). I decided to read some of the comments for more giggles.

One person is freaking out because no one will tell her what brand of cayenne pepper to use. Should she go with McCormick or will the kind from the dollar store work? Really? Should you be allowed to care for a child?

Another reader commented this way: If all else fails, you can always recycle all of the ingredients over a nice pot roast in the slow cooker. Waste not, want not.

This reader and I have a similar sense of humor: MY GOD, I swear some of these are just made up to see how stupid pregnant women are haha! I'm going to make one up and spread it around to see how many people try it. Here goes: I heard if you stand on your toilet backwards for an hour while sucking on a tootsie pop and then drive to a mountain top and blow bubbles for 20 minutes it will put you into labor. Let's all try it!!!!!

As impatient as I am to meet my daughter, I know that she will come out when she is good and ready. TJ waited till 42 weeks to show up simply because he was warm and toasty and didn't want to come out. I know not to rush nature, but I also know how hard it can be to sit and wait. I also know that a good way to induce labor is the same thing that caused the pregnancy in the first place. I am going to print out this "natural" method and show it to my mid-wife though. I bet she could use a good laugh.

Let The Count Down Begin

2011-02-28T09:42:00.002-05:00

It's the last day of February, finally! For being a short month, this month took forever to get through! As I sit here typing this, with my eyes closed (TJ had the flu all weekend so we are all tired), I can't help but run through the mental list of things that have yet to be accomplished. I know that the necessary ones (get car seat out of attic, move cradle into bedroom) will take all of 10 minutes to accomplish, but I can't help by panic a little. I have three different due dates: March 20, 22, and 26th. I can't help but hope she comes early.

Ayron and his dad spent most of the past week (and the weekend) working on our bathroom and Ella's room. We finally have tile up around the new tub and can seal the tile tomorrow, then put the trim molding back up and then I can finally have my bathroom back! Ella's room has the paneling ripped off, the glue sanded down, 2 skim coats, and the trim ripped off. Ayron is going to sand and prime today and Tom is going to lace the ceiling. Then we can paint!

Ayron and I keep having these dreams that Ella shows up early. That would be fine with me! Heck, I threatened my mid-wife and said, "If I go so much as 2 days past my due date I am having my friend and mom do a c-section on my kitchen table!" I went 42 weeks with TJ and do not want to do that again! Stephanie (the mid wife) says she thinks that Ella is smaller than TJ was at this point, but I beg to differ! I am ready for her to be here. In fact, I am silently praying that the false labor I am having right now leads to REAL labor!

Boys With Long Hair

2011-02-22T08:36:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning Taylor and I went with Ayron to get his hair cut. We sat at a station next to the one being occupied by Ayron. A lady who was getting a pedicure asked me if we were there for TJ's for hair cut. I polite said, "No. He's had haircuts before, but we like his hair long." She looked at me like I had just admitted to beating my child.

Why is it such a big deal for little boys to have long hair?! This lady looked so appalled. You could tell she was thinking, "Well that is just irresponsible parenting." So my son has long hair, WHO CARES?! People always comment on how long his hair has gotten. Someone said, "You're going to get it cut before the baby comes right?" Why? Were they afraid I was going to get my 3 year old son confused with my newborn daughter?! Why do people care so much about my son's hair?!

We like TJ's hair long. Frankly, he looks silly with it short. We've tried it. It just doesn't look right on him. So we have decided to keep it long. He knows what a hair cut is and he often pretends to give us hair cuts. If you ask him if he wants his hair cut he will simply tell you, "No. My hair stays long." So I have let my 3 year old decide to have long hair. So sue me!

I Still Believe

2011-02-17T09:07:00.003-05:00

I got some upsetting news yesterday. A family member has stage 4 cancer. I felt my heart break. This person has been through two other types of cancer and survived. I felt like screaming at God, "HASN'T SHE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH?!" She has 5 children and she is an amazing person. She helped her mother in law through a battle with cancer only to discover she had cancer.

It breaks my heart to know that she is so young (37, I think) and has managed to survive so much, and now this. She has decided to try one last round of treatment. We are praying, but the realist in me knows the odds.

I was cleaning my office this morning and thinking about her and just praying out loud. Well, basically I was yelling at God. I am wondering what it is He wants us to learn from this. I'm finding it hard to see the light at the end of this tunnel because I know the odds.

I decided to turn on my iPod and the first song that it played was "I Still Believe" by Jeremy Camp. I cried through that song and almost had myself settled down and then "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton started playing. I lost it again.

The first time I heard "When I Get Where I'm Going" was the evening after Ayron's Aunt Cathy's (the mother in law of our now sick family member) funeral viewing. The song touched me so much that for Christmas that year I made a framed picture of Cathy with the lyrics of the song surrounding the picture. I know He is trying to comfort me through these songs, but frankly, I am still just confused and hurt. I wonder what the future holds for her family, her children, her husband. They have all been through so much and now this. I am reminded of a church sign I saw on the way to work today. It read, "Having faith is not hoping He will, it is KNOWING He will." I know He will take care of everything, but it is still hard to see someone struggle so much.

Parenting Tips

2011-02-16T11:18:00.003-05:00

Everyone does this thing called "parenting" differently. I say, to each their own. I came across an article by Alice Bradley (REDBOOK) on yahoo today and it cracked me up! Here it is:

I have nothing against friends and family offering advice when you come to them with a dilemma. It's the people who pipe up, unbidden, because they see you with a child and assume you have no idea what you're doing. Too often these people are elderly great-aunts. Fortunately those ladies are afraid of the Internet, so I can rail against them and they'll be none the wiser! Thanks, ladies.

1. "Sleep now, because once that baby comes you'll never sleep again." Technically this is a pregnancy tip, of course, but I'm shoving it in here anyway. Yes, Great-Aunt Hildy, I will sleep throughout my entire third trimester. Because I am part bear.

2. "Sleep when the baby sleeps." Everyone gives you this one — annoying relatives, pediatricians, the cashier at the drugstore where you were buying newborn diapers. Are these people all robots, capable of instantly dropping off to sleep whenever their child is unconscious? Do they not have other things to do, like bathe, or simply relish the rare moments of silence you get when you have an infant?

3. "I think your baby's hungry." Whether you're nursing or bottle-feeding, everyone assumes you don't know how to feed your child. And every time your child cries, whines, grimaces, or squirms, they are going to assume you are starving your poor baby and you need reminders to feed it. Lest you forget! This advice is especially maddening when they turn out to be correct.

4. "Relish every moment of your baby's first years, because they'll be grown before you know it." You mean, time only moves forward? I had no idea! I thought we'd be like this forever and ever! This sort of advice, obvious and innocuous as it seems, always put me on the defensive, as if I had just been carrying my baby under my arm like a football, muttering, "Grow up already, why don't you. Just GROW UP."

5. "I hope you're sleep training that child. Do you WANT him to be spoiled?" Oh, distant relative/person whose aisle I shared at the supermarket, I'm so glad you know exactly my child needs. And that you know, from your years of scientific research, that any child not allowed to cry it out will be a horrible waste of flesh! (See #6 for this parenting tip's counterpart.)

6. "I hope you're not doing that 'crying it out' thing. It's so barbaric. Enjoy your baby all through the night!" Again, kudos to you, whoever you are, for knowing what's best for our unique family situation! I will be calling you at 4 a.m., so you can enjoy our baby as well.

7. "Why are you bringing your child outside when it's so cold out?" It never ceased to amaze me that, no matter what my child's age, total strangers will express alarm and revulsion that I dared expose him to the elements. "And WHY ISN'T BE WEARING MITTENS? He's going to get consumption!"

8. "Your child isn't really sad/angry/injured. He's just manipulating you." There's no doubt that children can push our buttons as if they've had professional training in it, but the notion that my kid's authentic feelings are in fact manufactured to elicit a reaction really chaps my hide. If that were always true, he'd be a pint-sized sociopath. I'm pretty sure that's not the case.

9. "Schools are just glorified prisons. If you loved your child, you'd homeschool." Oh, if only I loved my child enough to abandon my livelihood, tear him away from the community he so enjoys, separate him from the professionals who have dedicated their careers to childhood education, and forced him to stay home all day with me, where we'd be at each other's throats for hours! If only! Please note: I am not opposed to homeschooling, at all — in fact I wish it would work for us, but it would not.

10. "If I were you, I'd just—" OH NO YOU DON'T. I know where this is going. Listen, unnamed distant acquaintance who last parented in the 19th century (it's true — I often get my unwanted advice from ghosts) you don't know diddly about my kid, and our relationship, and what works for us.

Well! That felt good. What did I miss? What parenting advice could you do without, forever? Speak now!

Teacher's Who Blog

2011-02-16T09:33:00.002-05:00

I am a teacher. I am teacher who blogs. I try to be really careful about what I post. It can be therapeutic to blog. I don't use names, or give enough details about one person so that they can be identified. I am not your normal teacher. I deal with a stressful group of students (if you don't know what I do, see below). The ones that no one else can get through to, or the ones that no one wants to bother trying to get through to. I love them though. I view them as simply misunderstood. If you find out who they are as a person (and not just as a student), then BAM, usually they will open up and you can help them get back on track.

So as a teacher who blogs, this article intrigued me. She's right people. Students are becoming more and more unmotivated and lazy. They have been handed everything and now expect the teachers to just hand over perfect grades. That's not how I operate as a teacher. You have to prove to me you know the stuff. I don't care if you choose to prove your knowledge to me through a test, project, or just conversation, but prove it!

I liked her comment about how kids want everything now, they wanted it yesterday. When did students become so impatient? I think this has been a shift in society as a whole and not just in students. With today's technology we are able to gain stuff (information, goods, contact) within seconds. We are able to buy unlimited number of things on line. We can talk to friends and family who are half way around the world after only a few simple clicks. So who is to blame for the growing lack of patience? It is society's fault? The parents? A combination?

It bugs me that this teacher was simply venting and now she is being punished. She did not use her name, nor did she mention the school. The blog was simply for her friends and family to read. No one bothered to praise her for her positive comments, but the minute she calls her students out about their lack of effort, motivation, etc. people get upset. Instead of getting upset at the person who blew the whistle, why not look at the students who caused the whistle to be blown in the first place?!

Her comment about parents trying to be more of their child's friend than their parent is true! Your child(ren) have friends. What they need is someone to create and enforce rules and boundaries. Believe it or not, kids who have boundaries feel safe and loved. So if you truly love your child, stop trying to be their best friend and start trying to be their parent!

I blog because it's therapeutic. I will keep blogging. Heck, if/when the time comes that I am in a public school, I will probably start a blog for each of my classes. I can post the homework, classroom topics, discussion questions, etc. So I am a teacher. I am teacher who blogs. Get over it.

**I run a school for juvenile "delinquents" (I hate that term, I like to call them the misunderstood). I get students who are suspended or expelled from local schools (for various reasons ranging from truancy, to fighting, to bringing weapons/drugs to school). I am often the last stop before placement (detention centers or boys/girls school). If we can't help them turn their lives around and get back on track, the judge will have them placed. We are often the first stop out of placement as well. It gives the students time to adjust to being home before throwing them back into the craziness of public school. I work with 6th through 12th graders on any subject. I LOVE MY JOB! I really do!

Changes

2011-02-14T08:12:00.002-05:00

Nesting SUCKS! I can't seem to just be happy with a clean house. I spent yesterday morning organizing my baking pans cupboard, the mixing bowls cupboard, and the Tupperware drawer. I don't know why I bothered because I know that in two days they will be back to chaos.

I got a bur up my rear yesterday and decided we needed to move TJ into a big boy bed (twin sized) right then. We went to the store, let him pick out some sheets, came home and made the swap. TJ seemed excited at first, but his resistance to sleep last night may have been a sign. He didn't fall asleep till after 11. Ayron and I both spent time in the bed with him before we gave up and just left him in his room.

I got a new dryer on Thursday, so that was a nice change. It is not new, but new to us and dang that sucker can put out some heat! After not having a dryer for a week I actually had fun doing laundry all weekend....sick right?

Right now my bathroom is being torn apart. A little over a year ago we had the flood remodel of 2009. We finally got the walls the color we wanted, the vanity painted, etc. Now it is being torn into again. We are finally able to replace the shower with a real tub! The lady we bought the house from 4 years ago was an elderly lady who had one of the shower conversion things done so that she didn't have a high edge to step over. Ayron loves the shower because it has a bench seat built into the back wall. I miss having a tub. We finally saved up enough money (seems like every time we got close to having the money something else would break and our money would be diverted) and the tub was ordered. The shower is getting ripped out today and the tub is being installed. I can't wait to crack out the Mr. Bubble and take a bath tonight!

I know my life is headed for a lot of changes so why am I in such a hurry to make a bunch of changes right now? I have the urge to start tearing into the nursery (it has some ugly painted wood paneling that needs to be ripped down). I know these projects take time, but I want them done NOW! I can't help it. It's like I think the sooner I get all the stuff done, the sooner Ella will be here. Why can't I just relax and enjoy what little time I have left with just one kiddo?

What Happened to Books and Cursive Writing

2011-02-09T11:00:00.004-05:00

I am not against technology. I have an e-reader, I'm "hip" like that. But I also appreciate the beauty of a nicely bound book.

A local school has just announced that instead of getting textbooks and workbooks, the school is going to invest in iPads for each student. They admitted they haven't fully thought through the process yet. Who will be responsible if one breaks? What if a student loses one? Who can take them home versus who can't? What if the student doesn't have Internet at home and their iPad homework requires it? Seems to me they should have figured all that out before they announced to the local radio and television station their plans.

If I were a parent of a kindergartner, I would ask that the school NOT give my child the iPad. I don't want to be financially responsible for that! I think it is one thing if each classroom has X iPads that are used during the day. Those can be "checked out" and accounted for before the students leave.

With all this technology, I have to wonder what things TJ and Ella will miss out on because they were born in 2008 and 2011. I know they won't be taught cursive. Most schools have done away with that. Frankly, I see that as silly. A local radio station did a call in about it and one gentleman had a good point. If we don't teach our kids cursive, how are they going to learn to actually sign their names on important documents? I enrolled a student on Monday who didn't know how to sign his name. He is 15 years old and has no clue how to write cursive letters!

I know we are pushing our kids to learn more at an early age, but without actual books how are they going to be able to truly enjoy reading? Without cursive writing how will they learn to sign their names? It seems like we are in such a rush to teach all we can at an early age that some basic things/pleasures are being tossed aside. I remember learning how to count to 100 in kindergarten, now they expect your child to be able to do that before kindergarten. Things I don't remember learning till second grade are now taught in preschool! Why are we in such a hurry to make our kids grow up at an early age?

Funeral Schmunearl

2011-02-08T08:51:00.004-05:00

I went to a funeral viewing last evening and was reminded of how much I dislike funeral homes. I think it's a great business to go into because people will always need those services, but I just don't like them. Never have, never will.

On the way home Ayron and I got to talking about funerals and all that goes with it. I know that my mom wants cremated and I know where her ashes are to go. I know my dad used to joke around about having a clear topped casket that had a keg attached at the end. I know my sister wants a casket made by some priest group (can't remember where) and a GIANT batch of perfection salad. I have finally decided what I want......NOT A FUNERAL! I want a party. Cremate me, put me in a jar and place me next to the punch bowl. I have no clue where I want my ashes spread, but all I know is, no stuffy funeral homes please!

Ayron and I got to talking about funerals and agreed that the funniest funeral every was my grandfathers. Grandpa Eaton was an avid motorcycle guy. He passed away shortly before Thanksgiving in 2001. Normally, motorcycle riders winterize their bikes beginning of November. All of his friends de-winterized their bikes and rode them to the funeral. I have never seen so many leather clad people wearing chaps in one location before. It was AWESOME! To the people who were shocked to see such a sight, I say, you obviously didn't know Grandpa because he I know he LOVED it. We had a motorcycle lead procession to the cemetery and I remember we all refused to get out of the car until there was a break in the Purdue vs. Michigan State football game. To the people who found this offensive, I again say, you obviously didn't know my grandpa. Now that was a funeral.

So while I don't know where I want my ashes spread, I know that I want a party. None of those posters full of old photographs. No crying or Kleenex. Just a big old party full of chocolate, punch, and some chex mix!

Excuses

2011-01-31T10:58:00.002-05:00

A side benefit of my job is listening to absurd excuses. I call it a benefit because 9 times out of 10, the excuses offered always make me laugh. This year, I have heard several new excuses. I had someone tell me they smoke pot to cure their anorexia. They believed that smoking pot caused them to have the munchies, which caused them to eat...ta da, anorexia cured. That one quickly jumped to the top of my list of top 10 excuses.

I heard a new excuse today. We noticed someone was very tired and unmotivated so we asked what time they went to sleep last night. When they told us what time, we talked about appropriate bedtimes, etc. We asked why they were awake so late and they told us, "my tv wouldn't turn off." We asked if they tried the power button on both the remote and the actual tv. They told us, "yeah." We asked if they unplugged the tv. They said, "Yes, but it stayed on." I had to get up and leave the room to keep from laughing. It was clear they were grasping for any "straw" to keep from getting in trouble.

Desk For Sale

2011-01-27T07:53:00.003-05:00

In an attempt to futhur prepare for Miss Ella's arrival, we have decided to sell our Sauder computer desk. We are asking $100 or best offer. I didn't realize how dusty the thing was until I looked at the pictures I took last night! We were using it as a catch all for papers instead of an actual desk and it's time we find it a new home. So ignore the dust and my lack of motivation to clean the spare room! We are only selling the desk, not the computer. I just didn't feel like moving the computer off the desk to take pictures.

At the tallest part (the "tower") it stands 42" high. The tower dimensions are 42" x 19 1/2" x 26". The lower part of the desk stands 29" tall. The whole thing is 58" long. Let me know if you are interested. If you can't come pick it up and live locally, we can probably deliver it. It does have a slide out keyboard/mouse shelf. The CD storage part is NOT broken. I just didn't realize some of the slots were folded in on themselves and not pushed all the way back.

Avoid the Princess

2011-01-26T12:47:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I read an article written by Pamela Paul in Parents magazine. Pamela interviewed Peggy Orenstein about her new book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatched From the Front Lines of the New Girly-Girl Culture. The article intrigued me. The Pamela and Peggy discussed how our culture has turned girls into uber girly-girls. Pamela says, "what can we do to help our daughters who are coming of age today have the best sense of girlhood possible."

It seems our cultures have turned our daughters into wimpy princesses. Why must all girls be associated with such helpless (usually they are portrayed that way) characters who are patiently waiting on a man? Really? Can we not teach our daughters to be happy with who they are? Peggy said, "...what does it mean that our little girls are all about being pretty princesses? Have girls made so much progress that it's no big deal? Or is this the first step towards hypersexualization? I don't remember everything being so pink when we were little - we were all 'Free to Be You and Me' - and I didn't know where this new culture of girl came from."

I just want my kids to be what they want to be. I want them to be strong, independent and happy. I worry that the new found cultural obsession with princesses (do you know how many princess themed bedroom sets, toys, etc there are? Thank you Disney!) will cause my daughter to define herself by making her think that how she looks is who she is.

Don't get me wrong, some cultural princesses are strong women, but they are always waiting around for a man. I think that the new found obsession with princesses is causing younger girls to grow up too fast. Have you looked around the schools lately and noticed what the little kids are wearing? Heck, some of the little kid Halloween costumes I saw in the store this year I considered smut! Do we really want our elementary school girls thinking they have to dress skimpy and be all "made up" to be happy in life? Oh, and what is with little girls using the word "sexy?" I'm sorry, if anyone calls my little girl sexy I may snap. How can a 3 year old be sexy? Really? I have had someone tell my son he looks sexy and I about flew off the handle. HE IS ALMOST THREE! Three year olds don't need to know that word! He can look handsome, but sexy? That word should be reserved for married adults if you ask me! Maybe I am just too conservative, but no child of mine will be "sexy."

I am not knew to the culture of little girls. I have three nieces and have been in their lives since the oldest two were three and four. I have watched them grow into their own. The oldest is a farm girl with a touch of girly-girl. She could kick your butt, hunt her own food, and then put on lip gloss. The middle one is still trying to find her way. I think she will go towards the girly-girl side, but who knows. The youngest will be a mix of both. She likes her make up (lip gloss) but isn't afraid to get in the barn with the cows, goats, rabbits, etc. I want my daughter to be well rounded. To know that it is ok to want to play sports and still be prom queen. If she wants to play on the football team and wear nail polish, good for her!

I look at the female students I have and wonder how they got to where they are. I have had several that use their bodies (or the promise of their bodies) to persuade males to do what they want. What/who taught them this is ok? that not only gives them a false sense of worth, but can make them seem like they are "easy" even if they are virgins. How do I limit her access to the materials that influence that kind of thinking without sheltering her?

So how do I raise a well rounded daughter? I really have no clue. Heck, I don't even know if I am raising a well rounded son. He says "please" and "thank you." Plays well with others, and is happy go lucky, so I think we are on the right path. I see many sleepless nights filled with prayers in my future!

Preparing for #2

2011-01-26T12:38:00.002-05:00

7 weeks. 49 days. That's how much longer I have to go, or so I've been told. Taylor didn't show up on time (he was 2 weeks late) so I am not holding my breath that his sister will make her arrival on time (or even early). The past week has brought on the desire to want her here NOW. I don't remember having this feeling with TJ. I think I was too scared about the birthing process. I want Isabella (or Ella as I call her) here NOW! I want to snuggle a baby and rock her to sleep, etc.

I am a lot less paranoid this time around. I know what to expect, or so I think. I know where all the bottles are packed away. Have some of the "supplies" moved to the easier attic access spot, etc. Her room isn't done, but we know what we want to do, so that counts for something right? Her cradle is ready (handmade by my father and brother in law for TJ) and we have some clothes.....diapers....I must remember diapers.

We have finally made a decision about the birth. After much consideration and discussion, we have chosen to use the hospital instead of the birthing center. I like the idea of being able to have pain meds if I choose to. I have not made up my mind yet if I will use meds, but I like knowing that they are available if I want them. I also like the idea of being "pampered" by the hospital staff right after giving birth. I had an amazing team of nurses the first time around (Thank You Nancy Hill and Mrs. Reese, no, not my mom). They were firm, but polite, etc. We have someone to watch TJ and Scooter so I don't feel like I need to rush right home afterwards. I will admit that TJ's birth has me scared crapless to do it again, but she's gotta come out!

In preparing for a new baby, I have sorted through all of TJ's old things. Since they will be born almost exactly 3 years apart (we are talking almost to the day people, can we time it or what?!) their seasons of outfits will match up. I have pulled the gender neutral ones and sleep sacks (do I really care if she is sleeping in a baseball themed sleep sack? Nope!). I still have A TON of boy clothes left. If you know of anyone who is needing baby boy clothes, please let me know! I have a ton. If I can't get rid of them this way, I guess I will have to suffer through a garage sale....please don't make me have a garage sale!

Fish Sauce

2011-01-24T09:53:00.002-05:00

So I have been on the hunt for fish sauce all weekend. I have a Pad Thai recipe I want to try and it calls for fish sauce. I checked at Wal-Mart, but apparently they don't feel the need to carry it. So I looked at Kroger. They don't find it important either. I checked at Meijer this morning and low and behold, I found fish sauce. I read the ingredients, out of curiosity and discovered it is is anchovies, salt, and sugar. Ok, simple enough. Then I read the final line under the ingredients. Warning: Does contain fish. Well DUH! It's called FISH sauce. As a consumer I would be upset if my fish sauce didn't contain any fish!

Made me think off all the dumb people who have done stupid things that now require companies to list the obvious on their warning labels.

The first thing that comes to mind is the lady who spilled coffee in her lap and then sued McDonald's for her coffee being hot. Well, had they given her cold coffee she would have complained that it was cold! Coffee is hot, we all know this. Just because you are klutzy enough to dump it in your lap doesn't mean you should be able to sue!

The lady who recently fell into a mall fountain. Ok lady, your 15 minutes of "fame" are up! Heck, your theft wrap sheet has been made public. You were the one texting and walking. It's not like the giant fountain jumped out in front of you and swallowed you up! Sure, you're embarrassed, but why not just laugh at the situation instead of having the public drudge through your criminal records to prove you are an idiot?!

Some irons remind users to remove their clothes before ironing. I guess I thought most people already knew that....apparently not.

Liquid Plumber reminds it's users to not reuse the bottle for beverages. Ok, gotcha.

Windex tells us not to spray it in our eyes. I really don't know what to say to that one.

Arm and Hammer Scoopable Cat Liter wants us to know that their product is safe to use around cats....well, I'd hope so!

A child's size Superman Costume reminds the wearer that although the costume has a cape, it does not enable the wearer to actually fly. Crap! There goes my new idea on how to fly south at an inexpensive rate!

You know all of these dumb warning labels exists because someone was stupid enough to try something, got mad that it didn't work/or they hurt themselves and then decided to make a dollar or two off their stupidity.

Is our culture that stupid?

Do You Derby?

2011-01-20T08:39:00.002-05:00

So a year ago I was turned on to a new sport, roller derby! I remember watching the banked track style on tv when I was younger, but being at a live event is awesome! The fact that Ft. Wayne has not one, but two teams is even cooler! If you have never been to a Ft. Wayne Derby Girls bout, you need to go (Claire, if you are reading this, this means YOU!).

If you are not familiar with derby, check out the Ft. Wayne Girls website. If I could skate, I would soo turn Ayron into a derby widow. But since walking provides me with enough challenges, I will remain a screaming fan. Heck, I commemorated my first tattoo with a derby girls bout....ahhh...memories!

Derby starts this Saturday and I can't wait. I have my tickets, do you?

My Creative Mind

2011-01-12T09:50:00.003-05:00

I want to start by stating that this post is NOT intended to "diss" the Amish. In fact, I think we all could benefit from a simpler life style. I respect their culture and their beliefs.

I am taking a class about special education and just completed an assignment for class. For this assignment I had to use 2 students from my current teaching assignment and complete a "project" about them. The students I currently have are not culturally diverse nor are they disabled (2 requirements for this project). I had to get creative. I created a student and with the help of a friend (Leah) here is what we created.

Student Name: Benjamin Graber
People who can provide information on this student: Benjamin, Ben’s counselor,
Cultural background: Very limited access to “modern” world
Language considerations: Fluent in both English and German (Amish). English is spoken in the home, while some German is spoken during traditional services/ceremonies
Accommodations needed: Larger student desk that is easily accessible.
Socioeconomic considerations: Traditional Amish family; several extended family members live in the home; dad is a furniture maker; mom tends to gardens and the small siblings.
Learning style information: Written learner
Instructional considerations: If homework assignments require Internet, computer, etc, Ben will need accommodations made so he can complete the assignment.
Back story: (the back story WAS not submitted with my assignment, Leah and I created it just to amuse ourselves....we were amused). Ben lost both of his legs in the freak butter churning accident of 1999. He wanted to get the shiny red wheelchair but the community elders decided it was to ostentatious, so he was forced to get the black and blue version. Ben likes to spend his weekends racing Jacob Yoder and Jacob's miniature pony. Ben can often be heard yelling, "4 wheels are better than 4 hooves. Eat my dust Jacob Yoder!"

Let me finish this post by restating that we are in no way against the Amish. I wish I could live such a simple and religious life. This assignment was simply fueled by my need for a culturally diverse and disabled student, my lack of sleep, and the fact that I slammed a Pepsi for breakfast. This is the amount of creative genius I am capable of on 3 hours of sleep and 12 ounces of Pepsi. Please do not be offended. This was intended to make people laugh. Heck, it sent both Leah and I running for the comfort of our toilets!

I'm an "expert?"

2011-01-10T08:58:00.002-05:00

I will be going to court in less than an hour, this is nothing new to me, especially on Monday mornings. Juvenile court cases are done on Monday mornings in the county I work in. The court room doesn't scare me, testifying doesn't scare me, the judge doesn't scare me, mean defense attorney's don't scare me, being considered and "expert" scares me!

I was talking with the judge last week about a particular situation and he asked me to come to court and be an "expert" during that case. Really? Me? An expert? I don't view myself as an expert. I have been doing this job for 5 years now, but I don't consider myself an expert. I am only 27 years old people, how am I old enough to be an expert in anything?! I have some knowledge (thank you Indiana Prison For Women or I Paid For What if you prefer....aka: IPFW) but I am by no means an "expert." Heck, I only hold a bachelors degree! I just start going back to school to renew my license and just this past weekend decided what master's degree I wanted to work on. It just slightly frightens me that my thoughts and opinions could/will be viewed as an expert opinion!

I am an expert in some things, that I will admit. I don't mean to brag or boast, just being honest.

I am an expert at panicking. I do that very well (hence this blog post).

I am an expert at multi tasking thanks to my adult onset A.D.D. I can finish laudry, do dishes, cook dinner, help TJ remember that "E" is a letter of the alphabet, and sing along to the radio at one time.

I am an expert at tripping, especially when pregnant. In order to be considered an expert in this field, one must be able to fall gracefully and not seriously injure themselves. I have fallen so many times throughout my two pregnancies. I usually fall at work. I usually stand up and bow for the jail security cameras and hope that I gave them a good laugh. I wonder if they have a tally board somewhere in the "nest" where they keep track of my falls?

I am an expert on bugging my older sister. I have had 27 years of practice people, 27 years makes you an expert.

I am an expert at changing dirty pants (TJ's, not mine!) in odd locations.

I am an expert at deciphering song lyrics. Sadly, my husband is not. He still thinks that Gwen Stephani's song is "I ain't no Harlem fat girl" instead of "I ain't no holla back girl." I will admit that while we both know the lyrics, we still sing "I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God, he calls me FRED!"

I am an expert at butt kissing. I don't deny it. Heck, today is the first official day of "grad school" for me and I have already done one homework assignment, submitted one project, aced a quiz, and started on my lengthy online homework assignment. If that's not kissing up, I don't know what is. My sister might say that I am also an expert at kissing the butts of my parents, but she's just jealous. We all know that parents love the baby the most :) I am totally kidding (kind of).....Love you Natty! Dear Dad, insert gut chuckle here, come on...you know you wanna...don't bother trying to stifle it. Go ahead, leave a comment....you know you want to!

I am an expert at a lot of novice activities (nice oxymoron huh!) but an expert in my old field?! I guess we'll see how this morning goes, then maybe I will consider myself and expert in educating juveniles who are "at risk."

Gone and Forgotten

2011-01-07T11:55:00.002-05:00

I read an article on yahoo yesterday about things babies who are born in 2011 will never know. It made me think about things that I remember from my childhood that are no longer in existence.

Anyone remember a rotary phone? Our old church had on in the basement and I HATED that phone. It was such a pain to make the wheel circle all the way to the left then wait for it to go back to the right, etc. I remember when we got our first cordless phone at home. The pull out antena went for miles! I also remember not being able to stand by the running microwave while on the phone due to noise interferance. That could just been our gigantic and dinasour like microwave too.

Beta tapes anyone? I remember at one point we had a Beta AND VHS player. There was only one place in town that still rented BETA tapes. I don't know why, but if I wanted to rent a movie I wanted it to be a Beta tape. For some reason I preferred Beat to the VHS. I can't remember now why, but apparently when I was 5, I had my reasons.

Cassette tapes have gone by the wayside. I remember putting blank tapes in the boom box (yet another lost treasure) and taping songs off the radio. Making mixed tapes for my friends was the coolest! I found one the other day and laughed at the cruddy sound of the songs I taped from the radio. Does anyone still own AND use a walkman anymore? I remember my dad had one that was HUGE. You might as well lug around a full stero, but man was it cool to be able to listen to music while waiting at the bus stop.

Old style printer paper that had the removable side strips...oh the joys of ripping off the sides and then folding those two strips over each other to make a springy object to throw. Getting mad when you ripped the sides off too fast and ripped your paper. Oh, lets not forget the old dot matrix style printers.

Good, clean, humorous family sitcoms seem to have disappeared. I'm talking Full House, Family Matters, Doogie Houser, etc. Although as I watch these shows as an adult now, I do catch a lot of adult humor that I missed as a kid. I remember being very upset if we weren't home so that I could watching ABC's "TGIF" line up!

Why does no one write handwritten letters anyone? I know that I am guilty of this, but I also know how fun it is get a real hand written card in the "snail mail." Oh, and Christmas cards that have a typed "what we did this year" letter folded up and smooshed inside DO NOT COUNT!

Pepsi Clear, oh how I miss you! I had a craving for one the other day and it broke my heart to realize they haven't made that drink in YEARS. I remember there was one gas station on the way to Purdue that would carry the drink. I would beg my mom to stop at that gas station when we were driving to visit my sister just so I could get a Pepsi Clear.

What things do you remember that don't exsist anymore?

In Vitro Humor

2011-01-06T08:07:00.003-05:00

I have a friend (well, they are a couple, but let's face it, the guy just gets to fill a cup and be done with all the physical stuff) who is in the process of in vitro fertilization. This couple is great and really needs to have a whole boat load of kids. They have taught all of our children so much (and we can't wait to repay the favor :) ). They have been trying for over a year now to conceive and have been to countless doctors and specialists. On paper, there is no reason why these two should have any trouble "being fruitful and multiplying." My heart breaks when I think about all they are going through, both physical and emotionally. They are both such strong people and I can only imagine the mental and physical toll this is having on them.

She has always had a crazy sense of humor and lets face it, the fact that he married her shows his sense of humor (seriously, I tease because I know they can handle it and will just dish it right back at me). She sent me this message last night and it cracked me up and I had to pass it along. I know the struggles they face are hard, but I am sure that with humor like this, they will make it through.

"Things I'd rather do than In Vitro Fertilization"

1.lick a septic tank
2. get a Brazilian wax with gorilla glue
3. "spoon" with my father-in-law
4. get a colonoscopy from a Parkinson's patient
5. have a cotton-candy enema then sit on a fire-ant hill
6. take a slap-shot to the face
7. do a soft-core porn with Michael Moore
8. do a hard-core porn with Michael Moore
9. have a slumber party with Sarah Palin
10. do my own bowel-resection with a rusty x-acto knife
11. take a bath with my husband's ex wife
12. go to a Jonas brother's concert

How Did We Turn Out Alright?

2011-01-04T09:21:00.003-05:00

I was going through all of TJ's old baby clothes the other day and it hit me....I am a mother of not just one, but two. How did I get to this point? Who would have ever thought? Not me! I am now responsible for raising these two kids to be respectful, decent, productive members of society. At times that task seems so daunting. I can't even get my 2 year old to pee in the potty (that's another blog post for a later time), how in the world am I going to raise him to be kind, decent, loving, etc. Ayron walked in and caught me thinking while folding tiny baby clothes and we began to talk.

We talked about how we were raised. Our upbringings were similar and we like to think we turned out just fine. We respected (and still respect) our elders and were well-rounded teenagers (perhaps a bit geeky, but that's ok). I see so much disrespect for parents at my job and it amazes me. My students say things to their parents' faces that I would have never thought, let alone said.

My parents never told me not to smoke, do drugs, drink, or have sex, yet I never did any of those things. I have never touched a cigarette in my life, never taken an illegal drug, and was a virgin on my wedding day (think what you want, but how many people can honestly say that?). Even though my parents never lectured me on those things, I just knew not to do them. I wasn't afraid of the legal consequences, I was more afraid of my parents.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't afraid they'd beat me or anything. I was more afraid of that look of disappointment on their face. That look of hurt and pain would have killed me! Dad always joked that if I ever got arrested he'd make me sit in jail overnight, but I don't know if he really would have left me overnight.

Ayron and I are wondering how we raise our kids to be like we were. How do we instill that....that fear (I hesitate to use fear because it's not the word I am searching for) in TJ and Ella? I know part of it is by just living a life worth modeling, one with strong values, beliefs, etc. We talked with one of our pastor's about it during a New Year's Even party and even he wasn't sure how to go about it. I want our children to have a healthy dose of respect and "fear" but I also want them to be able to come to us when they have problems. I want them to know that we won't judge them when they come to us with problems, concerns, etc.

Starting to Freak

2010-12-29T09:23:00.002-05:00

So I am going to admit something.....I am starting to freak out about having another kid. I know, I know, kinda late huh?!

TJ was throwing a wonderful 2 year old tantrum (actually, his aren't that bad and have just recently begun in the last month) and I looked at Ayron and said, "What were we thinking wanting another one?" Potty training has been a nightmare and TJ's sudden attitude shifts from happy to demon possessed child make me wonder what we are in store for with Isabella (or Ella as I have taken to calling her). I know that each child is different, but I still can't help but wonder.

I am also starting to freak out about the actually birthing process, for like the third time this pregnancy. TJ's was such a traumatic birth that the thought of having to do that again makes me want to never get Ella out. At one point Ayron and I were discussing using a birthing center. We talked to our mid wife (she is associated with the center) and even talked to insurance provider, etc. Now I am leaning towards the hospital, for several reasons. At first I thought a short length of stay would be great (at the birthing center) because then we could get back to taking care of TJ, the dog, etc. My Aunt has agreed to come up and help with the 2 kids we already have (Scooter and TJ) while I recovering from having the 3rd. I know the cost factor has played a part in Ayron's mind. He doesn't want to start labor at the birthing center then have to go to the hospital for some reason and then have two bills. I am really leaning towards actually using pain meds during this birth. If I were to deliver at the birthing center, I would not have access to any pain meds. I have not made up my mind 100% on the use of pain meds, but I want that option there. I was talking to a friend (she is due a week after me with her second daughter) yesterday and we both decided we like how we get "pampered" at the hospital and I think I want that. Now I just have to tell our mid wife that I am wanting to deliver at the hospital. She is awesome and won't care, but for some reason I am nervous about telling her.

I also keep having this reoccurring dream that I have to have an emergency C-section. I really don't want to deal with the recovery from a C-Section! At our big 20 week ultrasound Ella was breech, but dang that child moves ALL THE TIME. Even if she does get herself head down, I doubt she'll stay there! I am hoping to have another ultrasound tomorrow to determine her position.

In some ways having 12 weeks left seems like such a long time, in other ways, 12 weeks is not nearly enough time! I want to meet her so badly, but I also feel like we need more time to get her room cleaned out, painted, furniture set up, etc. Heck, she only has 2 onsies and some booties right now! I need to go through TJ's old stuff and pull out the gender neutral clothes and start hunting for some pink and purple stuff!

Not Scared of Anything, Except Maybe This Book

2010-12-28T09:53:00.002-05:00

I suggested to my sister that she and dad record some books for TJ for Christmas. My dad has recorded one before and TJ loves to hear grandpa's voice. Nat and Dad recorded two books for TJ for Christmas. When he opened We're Not Scared of Anything he immediately flipped to the last page. The last page begins with my sister "roaring" very loudly. Tj dropped the book, grabbed his mouth, and then whispered, "I peed." As soon as Natalee stopped roaring and began reading, TJ realized who it was. He got a very confused look on his face and said, "Natalee a liren?" (lion). He still flips to the page and roars right along with her. I wish I would have had my phone out the first time he opened to that page. The look on his face was priceless. I was able to capture him "reading" it later in the day. Here is some of the footage I caught.

Year End Wrap Up

2010-12-28T09:24:00.005-05:00

It doesn't feel like the year should be coming to an end. Heck, it didn't even feel like Christmas time this past weekend. 2010 had it's ups and downs and I think we are finishing on a high note, so I am thankful for that.

I am curious to see what 2011 holds for us. It seems we have several avenues we could take, but are just being patient and praying for wisdom and guidance. I think He is using this time to teach me patience, so it is especially frustrating for me.

The holiday's were good. We had plenty of family time and I enjoyed watching TJ discover his new toys (nothing fancy or electronic) and interact with all his cousins and relatives. We did have some heart break. My great Uncle CJ passed and we are dealing with a reoccurring cancer on my husband's side. I know these things only bring us closer and make us stronger, but they still made the holiday's bittersweet.

I don't make resolutions, why set myself up for failure? I am simply looking forward to what He has in store for us and meeting the little girl that will make our family complete!

Here are some pictures from Christmas for your viewing pleasure (that and I can't get on facebook from here to upload them, so at least this way I can get some of the pictures out there).

Santa (aka: Pat Bennett) showed up at Leah's house, so we had to go say "hi."

Tj wouldn't get off the floor to go to the Christmas Eve service at church.

How many Reeves does it take to build a train table?

Scooter guarding the "wrapped" train table.

Tj on Christmas morning.

The shirt my mom got TJ for next Christmas.

My youngest niece modeling her new fashion skills.

My mom decided that Marisa's new life like baby doll needed tending. The baby actually blinks, coos, sucks on a pacifier, etc. Mom was rocking it and it was hysterical!

Chicken Bundles

2010-12-12T18:56:00.003-05:00

Ingredients:

2 cans of crescent roll dough
6 oz of cream cheese, softened
13 oz canned chicken
garlic powder, to your taste
green onion, to your taste
sesame seeds

Directions:

Mix together the cream cheese, chicken, garlic powder, and green onion. Let sit all mixed together for an hour (in the fridge).

Unroll the crescent roll packages, but don't pull them apart into triangles. Keep every 2 triangles together and press the perforations together to make a rectangle (each package of crescent rolls will make 4 bundles). Gently use your hand to push the rectangle into a bigger square.

Put a decent sized spoonful in the middle of each crescent square. Fold up the corners and sides of the crescent dough around the filling. There is NO wrong way to do this. Just make sure all the sides are seamed shut. Continue making bundles till you have all 8 made.

Place on a lightly greased (I lined a cookie sheet with foil and then sprayed the foil) sheet. Brush the tops (lightly) with water. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Next time I make these we are going to make a buffalo chicken type filling. It's a general concept that could really be used with any type of filling.

If you want to see a picture of the finished product, check out my mobile uploads on my facebook page.

Pants On The Ground

2010-12-09T14:51:00.002-05:00

I was reminded of this song today. Apparently properly wearing your pants around your waist is too difficult for my male students. I snapped. I should not be able to see the "fly" on your boxers. The back pockets on your pants should not be sagging down to the back of your knees. Why is it so freaking hard to wear them correctly? Here is what gets me, they all belt them at the sagging length. NO MORE KIDDO's! The suspenders are coming out tomorrow and I will make sure you look like Urkle. I don't care if you are uncomfortable, I shouldn't have to constantly remind you to pull your britches up! I come to work to educate, not run the risk of seeing your teenage anatomy!

Time to Rant

2010-12-08T13:04:00.002-05:00

I read a friends facebook status the other day that talked about how she was sick of hearing people complain about what they didn't have. It didn't hit home until a recent conversation I had with an individual.

This individual was complaining about a lack of "cost of living" increase in her husbands pay for the 2011 year. I quickly said, "I haven't had a raise in 4 years, so I don't really see where you are coming from." She quickly got defensive and I just let the conversation drop.

The more I think about it the more upset I get. Shouldn't she be happy that both she and her husband (has a NICE, cushy, high paying job) have jobs? She doesn't have to work, she chooses to so that she has something to do on a daily basis. They just took a nice 2 week long vacation and are taking a cruise in June. The live in a nice neighborhood, drive new cars, and their children want for nothing. Shouldn't she be happy that she has that much? I think the reason I get so frustrated with her is because she was raised in a different social class and currently still is in a different social/financial class (of this I am not jealous, I truly think I am more grounded and "normal") and she just can't see things from another perspective. She has never had to budget, save up for something, wait for it to go on sale, etc.

I know that I am just as guilty of this, but I am trying to get that under control. I am thankful for what I have. Could we use some more comforts in our life? Some would argue yes, others would argue no. I am grateful to have a full time job with benefits that I love (most days). Would it be nice if Ayron had a full time job with a consistent pay check, sure. We are finding ways to make ends meet, so it's ok. Would it be great to be able to take a vacation, heck yes. But we find ways to make do with what we have (date night, close attractions, etc).

So this holiday season, stop focusing on what it is that you DON'T have and start looking at what you DO have. Do you have a roof over your head? Do you get to eat at least twice a day? Do you have a coat? Boots? Warm clothing? Do you have family that loves you? Why focus on the things you don't have, when you can look at the ways you have been blessed.

Jernigan Auctions and Real Estate

2010-12-03T11:57:00.003-05:00

Ayron has recently began working for Jernigan Auctions and Real Estate. We have known the owner, Ryan Jernigan, for years (Ryan's mother's sister is actually married to Ayron's mom's brother...think about...draw a family tree if you are still confused).

Ryan, Ayron, and Ryan's brother are all graduates of Repert's School of Auctioneering and hold valid Indiana Auctioneer's licenses. Ryan is a licensed real estate broker and hopefully Ayron will be going to school to become a real estate agent. Ryan is also a licensed fire arms dealer.

If you are looking to sell or buy a house, antiques, guns, collectibles, tractors, arcade items, etc. Let Ayron know. He would be happy to hook you up!

Next Thursday they will be auctioning off a house in Kendallville at NO RESERVE!! They have an arcade auction scheduled for December 11th in Auburn, and a winter consignment and gun auction on the 18th of December.

Need to pare down on your belongings? Looking to find a great deal on an awesome Christmas present? Check out their website and call Ayron.

Ok, my shameless plug is now complete.

Early Nesting

2010-12-03T11:48:00.002-05:00

I have been "nesting" for the past month. It is driving me crazy! I can only clean and re-organize my desk at work so many times. I have filed and refiled the same things in an attempt to calm my urges.

I have cleaned out TJ's closet, his dresser, his toys, and his book case. I have actually managed to find a desk under the pile of ruble in my home office. I made Ayron help me reclaim our hall closet. Ayron cleaned out and organized the garage and started working on the backroom this week as well.

I made a "to do" list around the house and am slowly working on that (paint touch ups, etc). The only thing left to do is conquer the closet in what will be Isabella's room (now we call it the office or the dog's room). This closet is FULL of craft supplies, scrapbook stuff, and books. I am afraid of what I will find in there! I hope to start this project sometime this weekend. My goal is to just pare down our belongings. If we don't use it on a daily basis, it's got to go.

I didn't start this freakish nesting phase with my first pregnancy till about week 38 (keep in mind I went to 42 1/2 weeks, so I had 4 1/2 weeks to freak out and clean). I reorganized the pyrex/mixing bowl cupboard about 4 times...which reminds me, I need to do that again.

My mind never stops! The problem is that the urge hits when I am at work. By the time I get home around 4ish, I have no energy to actually do anything. With the holiday season approaching and Ayron's new job (post about that later) taking off, we have very little time together on the weekends. Good thing I have till March to get this all done.

If anyone is looking for the perfect present for me, a maid would be awesome....I am totally joking...maybe.

Only My Mom

2010-11-30T08:23:00.002-05:00

Last evening TJ and I had a "mommy and son" date night at home. Ayron was at an auction for work so TJ and I took the opportunity to hang out. I turned off the TV, and turned on the radio and we worked on some Christmas projects.

As we were cleaning up our mess, TJ ran into the living room to dance, did a funky move, and fell on his stomach. He came back into the kitchen and told me, "I hurt my tummy." I thought he fell on a toy and bruised himself. I gave it a quick kiss and sent him back to dancing.

About 20 minutes later my mom stopped by with a blood pressure cuff (thank you cruddy family genetics for my blood pressure issues). I had just taken the cuff off when TJ walked over to me and I noticed he was bright red. I thought maybe he was trying to poo. As I was getting ready to usher him into the potty, he spewed. I mean like a volcano (sorry if you have a weak stomach). My mom stood up, had a helpless look on her face and then just started to laugh. I am not kidding you. My mom, one of the most compassionate people on the earth, stood there and laughed as my son covered me in a pile of half digested cheese, bologna and crackers. I then began to gag (I was covered and SOAKED), which only caused my mom to laugh harder!

It took us both a minute to get our wits about us. I was finally able to stand up and usher TJ into the bathroom. Mom stripped us both down and threw us in the shower, the whole time, you guessed it, LAUGHING! I managed to send 2 texts to Ayron before getting in the shower informing him to get home quick and help! By the time we got out of the shower, Ayron was already home and cleaning up the mess. We did have one causality in the process, our satellite remote! We happened to have an old one and called dish network to have them walk us through programing it. The tech was like, "why not just use the old one?" Ayron said, "My son just puked all over it and frankly, I don't want to touch it." The tech said, "Oh.....gross."

We spent the rest of the evening (till close to midnight) trying to comfort TJ (who got sick 3 more times, but thankfully we were prepared and had a bucket right by him). I still can't believe my mom laughed. All she could tell Ayron was, "I just started laughing." Great mothering skills there mom :)

Never Grow Up

2010-11-29T11:03:00.003-05:00

I recently checked out Taylor Swifts new cd from the library. I am really not a big Taylor Swift fan, but wanted to see what the hype was all about. I came across the song Never Grow Up and while I know Taylor doesn't have a child or who her motivation was when singing this song, it made me think of TJ.

Never Grow Up

Your little hands wrapped around my finger
And, it's so quiet in the world tonight
You're little eyelids flutter cause you're dreaming
So, I tuck you in
Turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funny
You got nothing to regret
I'd give all I had, honey
If you could stay like that

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt you, won't let no one break your heart
And no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, and never grow up

You're in the car on the way to the movies
And, you're mortified
Your mom's dropping you off
At fourteen, there's just so much you can't do
And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots
But, don't make her drop you off around the block
Remember that she's getting older too
And don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJ's getting ready for school

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
It can stay this simple
And no one's ever burned you
Nothing's ever left you scarred
And even though you want to
Just try to never grow up

Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room
Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home
Remember the footsteps, remember the words said
And all your little brother's favorite songs
I just realized everything I had is someday gonna be gone
So, here I am in my new apartment
In a big city, they just dropped me off
It's so much colder than I thought it would be
So, I tucked myself in and turned my night light on

Wish I'd never grown up
I wish I'd never grown up
Oh, I don't wanna grow up
Wish I'd never grown up
Could still be little

Oh, I don't wanna grow up
Wish I'd never grown up
It could still be simple

Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling don't you ever grow up
Don't you ever grow up

It can stay this simple
I won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
And even you want to
Please, try to never grow up

Oh, whoa
Don't you ever grow up
Oh, whoa
Never grow up
Just never grow up

1 Cookie, 2 Ways

2010-11-23T09:13:00.004-05:00

I stumbled across an amazing cookie recipe. I made it for the first time last night and well, darn it, they are tasty! Here is my proof. My mom, who NEVER eats raw cookie dough, was caught sticking her finger into the batter! I tried the first version last night and you better believe I am going to attempt to make the second version tonight! So here it is!

Version 1: Vanilla with Chocolate Chunks

Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
2-1/4 cups flour
1 pkg. (12 oz.) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks

Directions

HEAT oven to 375°F.

BEAT butter, sugars, dry pudding mix and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add eggs and baking soda; mix well. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in chocolate.

DROP teaspoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.

BAKE 8 to 10 min. or until golden brown. Cool 3 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

My Changes
I used real butter. I only ever have real butter in the house around the holidays. Nothing makes the best pies, cookies, desserts like real butter!

I started by dropping the cookie dough on the sheet, but decided that the "peaks" were getting brown faster than the rest of the cookie. I then started rolling the dough into balls before placing them on the cookie sheet. This allowed for a more even browning on the cookie.

Next time I might actually use chocolate chips instead of the chunks. Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate as much as the next gal, but some of the cookies were full of chunks and hardly any batter.

Version #2: Chocolate with White Chocolate Chunks

Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 (3.9 ounce) package JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
1 (6 ounce) package BAKER'S White

Directions

HEAT oven to 350 degrees F.
BEAT butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add dry pudding mix; beat until well blended. Add eggs and baking soda; mix well. Gradually add flour, beating after each addition until well blended. Stir in chocolate.

DROP tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.

BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 min. on baking sheets; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

My Changes

I DO NOT like white chocolate. Heck, it's not even really chocolate! I have decided to use Reese's peanut butter chips instead. Who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter?!

I plan on rolling the dough into balls before baking like I did with the "vanilla" version.

Ayron loves the holidays because that is the time I really hit the baking hard. I will try just about any cookie, pie, cake recipe I can find. He is always my guinea pig and it's not like he minds!

4 Years Have Passed

2010-11-22T08:59:00.004-05:00

In some ways 4 years seems like a lot of time. Other times, it seems like such a short span. 4 years. 1460 days, or 35,040 hours, or 2,102,400 minutes. December 7th will always hold a special (is it odd to call it special?) day in our hearts. December 7th is the day that everything changed.

http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day.html

Every year I blog an update on or around December 7th. Partially for the semi driver, who witnessed the crash, who I hope still checks in, and mostly for me. Now that this blog automatically uploads to facebook, I really can't be sure who reads it. Heck, Nikki might find it, or McKenna (my niece), Cindy (Nikki's mother), or any other host of family and friends. While I am not going to seek them out and say, "Hey read this." I am not going to try to hide it from them either.

For those of you who didn't know about the accident, or had never read my updates, here they are, in chronological order.

http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/randomness.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/amen.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/amen-part-ii.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/devery.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/moving-on-up.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2006/12/moving-on-uperdown-part-ii.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-year.html
http://amrac.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-long.html

This year has brought about more changes for our family and yet some things will stay the same. Nikki and Phil were able to settle a lawsuit with the trucking company. It is nice for her to have some closure. While the whole process drug out a year longer than we had originally planned, it is nice to know that it is over, to a point. Nikki will always have to live with the results from that day, but her attitude about the situation could not be better.

Thursday night I spent the evening browsing ads with Nikki and just talking. I missed doing that and it was nice to just chit chat with her. She showed me the file boxes her attorney had given her, and the pictures from that day. I was awe struck when she showed me the picture of the semi. The inside picture of her car got me. You could see blood on the seat and I had a flashback to that day. We had just picked up my two oldest nieces from school and when were pulling out of the school, we saw the wrecker with Nikki's car on it. I had to swallow my vomit. Seeing that picture caused the same reaction. We ended the evening by watching a video the attorney had made for the mediation. We all went to the basement (Nikki, Phil, the girls, Tom, Jo, My mom, Ayron, Taylor, and Myself) and watched the 20 minute video. It was amazing to see the accident reconstruction and how everything actually played out that day. I was doing fine until I looked over and saw my two nieces crying, then I lost it! I think the only one who didn't get misty eyed watching the video was Nikki! Hearing her old voice got me too!

I am still amazed that she is here. No one should have survived that accident. Thank goodness for her hard headed and stubborn personality! I jokingly held up a picture of the front end of the semi and told my mom, "Look what Nikki's head can do to a Mack truck! What can your head do?" Nikki laughed, and I knew then that it was ok to go ahead and finish this post.

Holiday Hoopla

2010-11-22T08:47:00.002-05:00

Growing up, Christmas was an affair at our house. The tree, decorations, and lights went up the day after Thanksgiving. Dad would climb into the attic and pass down those terrible looking red plastic candles, curse while we untangled the lights, and mutter under his breath while we fluffed the artificial tree in an effort to make it look like it hadn't been shoved in the back of the shed for a year. Christmas music would be played and mom's carmel corn making process would begin. But that was ages ago.

I have to wonder what began to dampen our holiday spirit. My paternal grandmother died right before Christmas my freshman year in high school. The holiday's just weren't the same. We didn't drive up to her house after Christmas Eve service and listen for Santa on the police scanner. Then 3 years later my parents got divorced, and a year after that by maternal grandfather passed away. It seemed like the holidays were only a curse.

All of that still seems like ages ago, and I have my holiday spirit back, but it's a new spirit. I no longer freak out about buying the perfect gift for everyone. Why? Since when is finding the "it" gift the reason for the season? I know my view changed on December 6, 2006. That is the day my sister in law was involved in a horrible accident (I will blog my annual update later). We realized that Christmas wasn't about the presents, but about spending time together as a family. Even if it meant eating crappy hospital food.

2 years ago, Ayron and I (along with TJ) were asked to play Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus at our New Hopes Christmas Eve service. It truly was a life changing moment. Sure, we were on stage, but we were in our own little world and something hit home. The holiday is about HIM not us.

Our family (both Ayron's family and mine) has decided to shift the focus of the holidays. We spend time together, simple as that. Sure, there are some small gifts involved, but nothing like it used to be. I am grateful for that. I didn't want my children growing up thinking that toys were a staple at Christmas. We keep the budget REALLY small (I will probably only spend around $150 - $200 for everything) and just enjoy the time together. I happy that my kids will grow up not knowing any different.

I am also happy because I no longer spend the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas frantically searching sales and wrapping presents. I spend my time with my son making ornaments and baking cookies.

Adventures in Cleaning

2010-11-19T13:20:00.004-05:00

I often wonder why I even bother cleaning my house. With a husband, son, and dog, it hardly stays clean. Last night I decided to tackle the beast we call an "office." The goal is to turn it into Isabella's room, so I figured last night was as good of a night as any to attempt to unearth the desk. Tj is normally a great helper at cleaning, not last night. Here is a photo (and video) show of our adventures in the office last night.

The "Before" shot. I can't remember the last time I actually was able to work at that desk.

What's wrong with this picture? Scooter actually whines when TJ shuts himself in the cage.

I had been talking to TJ and realized that he wasn't responding. I turned around and realized that he had disappeared. I found him in the living room watching tv.

The "after" shot. I ended up finding a big box worth of things that I need to scrapbook, now if only I could find the time!

My next project is the closet in this room and the hall closet. Maybe I will attempt one of those tonight, or maybe I will be happy that the office has been cleaned and the desk has been found.

Dancing Duo

2010-11-19T09:56:00.003-05:00

Today Taylor is at my friends house (Leah). Leah has a son who is 6 weeks older than Taylor and they always have a blast together. I love when Leah watches TJ because I get a ton of videos and pictures throughout the day. Here is what I have gotten so far.

Second Super Supper

2010-11-18T18:22:00.003-05:00

I just made a great dinner, I don't mean to toot my own horn, I'm just saying....it was quick, easy, and soooo tasty!!!

1 C. veggie broth (I used Chicken)
1 T. butter/margarine
1 garlic clove chopped
4 green onions, cut on the bias
3/4 C. quick cook couscous
1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly (I left this out)
1 jar (6.5oz) marinated artichoke hearts
1 pkg. of cooked chicken strips
Feta Cheese
Olives

In a small sauce pan combine the broth, butter, garlic, and green onions. Bring to a boil. Add in couscous and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes.

While the couscous is cooking, saute the red peppers in 2 T. of the artichoke marinade (just the juice, not the artichokes...yet). Add in the artichokes and cooked chicken along with 1 T. more of the marinade. "Cook" until heated through.

Put a spoonful of the couscous on a plate and top with the veggie/chicken mixture. Top with feta cheese and olives (to taste). We also drizzled Tuscan House Italian dressing over the entire thing.

This meal took all of 8 minutes to make! The most time consuming part was waiting for the broth to boil so I could add in the couscous!

The original recipe said it served 4, but I would say it serves 2 1/2. We had a good amount of the veggie/chicken mixture left over, but not a lot of couscous. It was DELICIOUS!!! My proof? TJ ate it!

DWTS What The Heck?!

2010-11-17T11:31:00.002-05:00

I am a fan of Dancing With the Stars. While I am a bit confused as to why Bristol Palin made it to the finals, I am not as outraged as this guy.

I do wonder if she would have made it as far as she has, or even on the show, if her last name wasn't Palin and if her famous mother wasn't always captured in the audience.

No More "F's"

2010-11-16T08:39:00.002-05:00

I read this article this morning and I am slightly torn.

At my program, we also don't give "F's." Our mentality is this, we don't' get the world's best students, and that is ok. Often times our students will "give up" and take an "F" so that they don't have to put forth any effort. Not on my time!

You have to prove to me you understand the material before we move you on to the next assignment/chapter/class, etc. In fact, our students are not allowed to move on in their work until they earn a 70% on their work. If we allowed our students to fail, they would fail on purpose just to get done with the class. I have a freshman now who keeps asking, 'Can't you just let me fail this math class so I can move on?' Heck no! If he fails it now, he's just going to have to retake it at his public high school. At most public schools the student would fail and no one would bat an eye. Thus he would be pushed along in the system having never actually learned the basic math skills. Not happening with me! I always tell my students that learning is like building a house. You have to have a good foundation before I will let you put up your walls, roof, etc.

We don't give "I's." Our kids have to keep working on their class and complete it before we will move them on. If that means we have to rewrite some of our curriculum, then we do just that. If we need to alter our teaching approach, we do just that.

I do agree with the line about how the focus is on sports and not academics in some high schools. The term is STUDENT athlete, guess which comes first in my mind? I am not against sports, don't get me wrong. But I don't think a student should be passed on in a class just so they can play in Friday's game. What are we teaching the students then? It's ok to give up on your academic work because sports will always be there for you? How many athletes are able to actually turn pro and be successful? I always tell people that I don't care if TJ get's a sports scholarship or is asked to go pro, but I will stress the importance of his education first. Take the scholarship and get a degree, then go pro. That way, should an injury occur, he will have a decent education to fall back on!

I am curious what other teachers and/or parents think about the no "F's" thing. "F's" were not acceptable in my home growing up. I remember bringing home a "C" in Algebra II and fearing the wrath of my parents. I struggled so hard in the class and was happy with a "C," but my parents knew that I wasn't grasping something and wouldn't let me move on until I had retaken that semester. So the next year I retook that semester, and I am thankful I did. I was able to keep my academic honors diploma and actually understand the material! So what do you think? Are "F's" gone forever?

Super Supper

2010-11-14T19:08:00.002-05:00

I am not one for following recipes, unless I am baking. We have been in a dinner rut lately so last week I spent a day surfing the web seeking inspiration for this weeks meals. I played around with a recipe that was called "Easy, Cheesy Tortellini Bake." The name is a bit misleading because, well, you never actually BAKE the thing!

20 oz package of your favorite refrigerated tortellini
26 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce
16 oz jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce
12 oz of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed "dry"
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (I used the shredded kind and it worked well)

Cook the tortellini according the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, in a sauce pan mix together the two different sauces and the spinach. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it simmer until it is hot all the way through.

Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce. Pour into a greased pan (couldn't tell you what size of casserole dish I used....I know it was bigger than an 8x8 though!). Top with a mixture of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Mix enough cheese to cover the top of the pasta.

Broil the casserole for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the top turns a nice golden brown.

To be honest, when I started mixing the sauces I became worried. My morning sickness is back and just the thought of a marinara mixed with an Alfredo sent me running for the bathroom. It was delicious! I did take a picture of the dish, but am currently too lazy to get the camera, plug it in, download the picture, upload the picture to the blog, yada yada.

This made enough for 4 people with enough left overs for maybe 2 people. Keep in mind I have a husband who is close to 7 feet tall and could out eat an army! We served it with a nice salad and it made an awesome dinner!!

Some People Shouldn't Be Parents

2010-11-10T10:54:00.005-05:00

I was just forwarded an email. Normally I hate forwards, having to scan through all the email addresses of the recipients before me, just to get to a stupid "Email this to everyone you know within the next hour and something good will happen" crud annoys me. This one cracks me up.

I don't know how many of these pictures were retouched, but I am willing to guess some were NOT retouched. I am not claiming to be an excellent parent and I never will be, but I am pretty sure I would rank better on a parenting scale than most of these people.

Are they protecting him from rain, wind, bugs, or fresh air?

I firmly believe in the caption of this photo.

This is wrong on SOOO many levels. She is WAY to young, terrified (check out her face), not wearing eye or ear protection...Father of the year award right there.

Why couldn't they just walk and push the stroller?

Does this zoo lack the "Don't Feed The Animals" sign?

I am speechless. The fact that the dad put the trunk cover up as a sun shade is a nice touch.

Maybe he is craving beer cheese soup?

So if they had twins would they have put the other child in the other side compartment?

I just pray she is a better driver than Jimmi Heselden.

Makes you wonder if he was conceived after watching that video...or maybe his parents "star" in the movie?

While your helmet will keep your head from being smashed, I'm pretty that coat hood won't do anything for your child.

I winced when I saw this picture. The caption got me too.

YIKES!

At a loss for words on this one.

Am I the only one who noticed the poor girls look of horror!

$6 Education

2010-11-08T08:12:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Ayron and I decided we wanted to go experience the liquidation sale at the old K's Merchandise building. It was not worth the $6 they charged us to get in! We asked Ayron's parents if they wanted to go along and since my mother in law was curious they came along.

We walked around the maze of craziness and pirated DVD's. We came to a both that was selling incense and smoking devices. One case had a HUGE sign that read, "For Tobacco Smoking Only." I looked at the display and laughed. It was full of crack pipes. I looked at JoEllen and said, "Tobacco my butt!" She said, "Well they are pretty, what are they?" I looked at Ayron, looked at Joellen and said, "crack pipes." JoEllen calmly replied, "Well I guess I've always wondered what a crack pipe would look like, now I know."

We didn't end up buying anything, but decided the whole trip wasn't a busy because we were able to education JoEllen on the use of a crack pipe.

Messy House

2010-11-05T13:54:00.002-04:00

I may not have a spotless house, but I will always have time to play with my children.

I may postpone sweeping just so I can rub my dog's tummy.

I will always have dirty dishes in the sink, but my family will never go hungry.

I may have dust on my entertainment center, but there will be no dust on my books.

I will always have dog nose prints and finger prints on my door, but I will have a son (and dog) who love to discuss the great outdoors.

There will always be laundry to do, but there will never be a shortage of cuddle time for my children.

There will always be toys scattered around the room, but the "tickle monster" will never go away.

I will never have a perfectly spotless house, but I will always strive to have a happy family.

Traditional Family

2010-11-03T09:29:00.002-04:00

Ok, so my crazy family is anything but traditional, but I like the craziness, keeps me on my toes! That being said, we had an ultrasound yesterday and it was confirmed. Baby #2 is a girl. Our mid wife had a sneaking suspicion from the start she was actually a "she" because this pregnancy has been so different from my first pregnancy. Last ultrasound she was able to catch a glimpse, but would only give us a 75% girl rating. Yesterday she gave us a 99% (she never gives 100%) rating. Seems we were the third girl ultrasound in a row they had that day and ours was the most obvious.

While I don't have a scanner, so I can't be one of those annoying pregnant ladies that posts every single ultrasound shot, just know that I do have all the ultrasound shots and 3 shots that prove she is a she.

The ultrasound also showed me measuring a week ahead of where I thought I was. They took the date based on her femur measurement, so we could just be having another tall child and her height is throwing off my due date. At this rate, looks like mid March we will have our new bundle of joy.

I jokingly texted my dad that I would have a typical family: older son, younger daughter, and dumb dog. He offered to send us his whiny Siamese cat, Morty. We declined (that cat whines worse than a two year old who was just told "No.").

I used to think keeping the name a secret would be a good idea, but I failed. After last appointment I told several people (including her namesake) the girl name we had picked out. We wanted to keep up the idea of naming her after someone like we did with TJ. Taylor's middle name, Josiah, is a family name on my side. TJ happened to be Grandpa Reeves's name. It worked perfectly. This time around, we struggled with a first name. Took us about a week (I know, that's not that long, but we picked Taylor's name in about 20 seconds, we just knew). So, come March, Isabella Dawn Reeves will be joining our family.

Isabella was the only girls name we could decide on. We can call her Izzy or Bella for short (and while I am a Grey's Anatomy fan, that was not our thinking). Dawn comes from one of my best friends Dawn Yingling. Dawn is a crazy character who lives life to the fullest and can make anyone laugh. She has been there for me since the 6th grade and it just seemed fitting to name Isabella after her. Dawn has already started in on creating her special nickname for Isabella.

Dawn wanted to call her "Mimi" (kinda like a mini me), but I shot that one down. All I could picture was that clown looking lady off of the Drew Carey show. So somehow we settled on Lizard. I have no clue how she came up with Lizard, but Lizard it is. Keep in mind Dawn (along with the help of my sister) came up with Tater Monkey for TJ, so I guess Lizard isn't that far out there.

So there, there is my annoying pregnancy blog for the month.

Witty Wednesday

2010-10-27T12:05:00.003-04:00

I was doing my usually noon time search around yahoo for interesting articles and came across the following. While TJ is only 2 1/2, I know my time is limited before we hit this stage.

User post: How to awaken a teenager

user by Manic Motherhood, on Fri Oct 22, 2010 7:50am PDT

When you first become a parent, nobody tells you that the tiny, cute, little baby in your arms will someday grow up to be a teenager. Oh sure, we all expect it to happen, but seriously, are any of us fully prepared for the teen years?

No, we aren’t. Or at least, I’m not. And that’s why I’m reaching out, helping others to survive the turbulent years we call the teens. Okay fine. I’m complaining and venting, but really…is there a difference?

One of the first things you notice as your child morphs into a teenager is sleep. They do it all the time. I swear some days my teen sits at the breakfast table, eyes fully open, shoveling food in his mouth and all the while he’s totally asleep. Turns out teens need lots and lots of sleep. Which isn’t the problem.

But waking them up? That’s the problem. Seriously. I’d rather wake up a bear two days before hibernation ends than wake up a teenager in the morning.

Waking a teen is dangerous. It requires you to go into the teen’s native habitat (his room) and tell him to stop sleeping. Really. Once you’ve tried this, I swear to you, the bear thing looks better and better. Anyway, through extensive personal research and at great risk to life and limb, I have come up with a way to awaken a typical teenager without having my head ripped off.

First, understand that the teenager’s bedroom must be approached with extreme caution. The teenage species has laid many traps to deter waking. These traps include piles of clothing, shoes and textbooks on the floor.

Once you have approached the teenager and gotten through the hidden traps, you should stop and assess the situation before proceeding further. If there are animals in the room (other than the teen), use treats and/or your best happy voice to lure the animals from the bed.

Congratulations! Now the teenager is defenseless, except for his smart mouth.

At this point, you will need to locate the teen. Like many of his species, the teen will be wrapped in a cocoon of blankets with pillows stacked on his head. Due to the mess associated with their habitat, finding the teen in all the piles can be difficult. However, if you simply locate the cords to his ear buds and carefully follow them, you will discover the teen’s head. Note: If you locate his iPod, you are on the wrong end. Just follow the cords the opposite direction.

Now that you have located the elusive teen, you can wake his butt up. My favorite way to do so is the “let the sunshine in” method. By simply opening all the shutters and turning on the lights, the room is flooded with intense light that even the most buried teen cannot bear. If they yell or scream, “it’s too bright” you can be certain the method worked and that they are awake.

Once the teen is awake, his primitive response system will send him into “fight or flight mode” which means he will curl up into a tiny ball, pull all the blankets over his head, stack some pillows on top and ignore you (some teens will also whimper and cry; don’t fall for this, it’s just a ploy to let them sleep for 5 more minutes). At this point in the teen wake up process it is critical that you do not leave the room. To do so will enable the teen to sleep even longer, ensuring the teen misses his 0 period class.

Your only choice now is to scream “get your butt out of bed now” and then steal his iPod. Really. That whole bear thing is looking better, isn’t it?

Now there are other methods, such as allowing the teen to set his alarm clock. In my personal experience, this method doesn’t work well. Once the teen hits the snooze button, he will immediately fall back into a deep sleep. I also know of parents who have tried increasingly desperate methods such as allowing siblings to jump on the bed, playing a bugle or pouring water on the teen, but I don’t support those methods. Frankly, the siblings could lose an eye, I don’t play the bugle and the water just gets the mattress all wet and makes the teen even more smart-mouthed than usual.

Of course, once you wake up the bear, you could send him into the teen’s room. That could work.

This article cracked me up. Maybe because I am sitting in my classroom observing 3 very sleepy teenage boys.

Throw Together Pasta

2010-10-26T12:55:00.003-04:00

Last night I decided to clean out our fridge and see what I could make for dinner using what I found. We had some tomatoes that needed to be used, an onion that was about ready to go soft, some pretty wilty basil, a half bottle of dressing that was about to expire, and half a bag of mozzarella cheese. I am not the type who can just throw stuff together, but this turned out well.

I cooked a box of thin spaghetti according to the box. In a separate skillet I slowly heated up the dressing and added the chopped onion and some garlic. Once that was warmed through I added the diced up tomatoes and continued to let the sauce heat up. I combined the cooked pasta with the sauce. Ayron and I each added some mozzarella cheese and basil to our bowls along with some diced grilled chicken. It was a nice light meal, but still managed to fill up Ayron, which says a lot!

Ayron Can Cook!

2010-10-19T08:06:00.003-04:00

If you know my husband, you shouldn't be surprised that he can cook. You can hand that man an empty kitchen and he will come up with something tasty! Since he is now working from home, he does a majority of the cooking, and for that I am thankful!

If you know my husband (and his family), you will know that they cannot eat enough chicken wings. I have managed to get them to step back from the messy chicken wings and into the buffalo chicken dip I make (much easier and neater to eat). Ayron decided to combine his love for cooking (although he isn't a big fan of doing the dishes) with his love of chicken wings and this is what he came up with.

He took a 2lb pork roast and put it in the crock pot. He poured 1/8C. of vinegar over the meat and made sure to roll the meat around in the vinegar. He then added about 1/4C. of Franks Red Hot Sauce. He set the crockpot to high for 4 hours and let it go. The meat was actually cooked after about 3, so he pulled the roast out and shredded it. For dinner he made a mix of chunky bleu cheese dressing and mayo and spread it on sandwich buns, topped it with the shredded pork, and ta da! A spicy (but not too hot) pulled pork sandwich with bleu cheese spread. It was actually very tasty! We did both take an antacid pill before we ate though, we didn't want to risk it.

I will admit that I was skeptical at first when he told me what he was making for dinner, but it was very tasty, and we had enough left over for lunch today.

Adventures in Potty Training

2010-10-17T11:43:00.002-04:00

We have really begun trying to tackle the issue of potty training with TJ. Some days he is ok with the idea, other days the mention of the potty sends him in to a tail spin.

Yesterday morning we ran some errands and then decided to go to a restaurant for brunch. TJ needed to have his pull up changed so Ayron took him into the men's bathroom. Since the bathroom didn't have a "diaper deck," Ayron stood TJ up on the toilet tank and took of TJ's pull up (Thank you easy velcro sides!) He told TJ to stand still as he bent down to get a new pull up out the diaper bag. He heard TJ say, "Uh oh daddy. I peeing." Ayron looked up and saw that TJ was peeing (while standing on top the toilet tank) down into the toilet bowl. Ayron laughed and told him to just keep going. TJ came back to the table and proudly announced, "I peed!"

I briefly thought about letting him stand on the back of toilet tank at home, but the medicine cabinet on the wall would prevent him from being able to stand up. Hopefully we can get this potty training thing figured out soon!

Teacher's Life

2010-10-14T09:01:00.002-04:00

I have been teaching (professionally) for the past 5 1/2 years. In that time span I have been cursed at, yelled at, praised, and torn down.

I have witnessed emotional break downs, mental break downs, physical fights, temper tantrums, fits of rage, fits of jealousy, frustration and elation.

I have seen success and I have witnessed failure.

I have been called every name in the book and bitten my tongue.

I have had to have students arrested, and I have had to testify against them.

I've had students runaway and be found. I have had students run away and not be found. I have stayed up many nights worrying about those students.

I have blown the whistle on child abuse and sexual misconduct.

I have seen students fight, flip tables, destroy books, scream, yell, cry, pass out, destroy my property, and destroy themselves.

I have witnessed students on meth, cocaine, marijuana, and various other prescription medicines.

I have worked with students who refuse to take their mental medications and suffer from the voices in their head.

I have had students cry on my shoulder and then turn around and spit in my face.

I have worked with exhausted parents and guardians.

I have been lied to and deceived.

I have given up personal vacations to work on strengthening my curriculum.

I have spent countless hours rewording my materials and tests so my "LD" students can comprehend their work.

I have done a lot, but the one thing I haven't done....given up on teaching.

Lexophiles

2010-10-12T13:36:00.002-04:00

My sister sent me these (from www.bouldertherapist.com) and they made me giggle. I thought I'd blog them to brighten someone else's day...that I am procrastinating. I should be working on my take home mid-term, but reading these is much more fun.

1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
2. A will is a dead giveaway.
3. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
6. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
7. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
8. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
9. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
10. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
11. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
12. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
13. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
14. Local Area Network in Australia : The LAN down under.
15. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
16. A calendar's days are numbered.
17. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.
18. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
19. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
20. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
21. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at large.
22. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
23. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
25. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
26. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
27. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
28. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
29. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.
30. The roundest knight at king Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
31. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
32. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
33. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
34. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
35. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
36. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
37. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
38. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
39. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
40. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'
41. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
42. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
43. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
44. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
45. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
46. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.

I Love Ayron

2010-10-08T13:43:00.002-04:00

I bet you thought this post would be all mushy and romantic didn't you. Title's can be deceiving. I love Ayron because he cracks me up. The following is a phone conversation I had with him today.

Me: You called?

Ayron (sounding freaked out): There are people raking our yard!

Me: Who are they?

Ayron: I don't know!

Me: Maybe they are supposed to be raking the neighbor lady's yard (she is elderly and has dementia) and have the wrong address?

Ayron: Oh.

Me: Did you think to ask them who they were?

Ayron: No....I'll call you right back.

A minute later

Me: Yeah?

Ayron (still sounding freaked out): It's a group of middle aged ladies and they are in our yard.

Me: Ok....who are they?

Ayron: They said they are from Lakewood Park and are just out and about town today doing community service by raking leaves.

Me: Oh, that's nice! Make sure you tell them thank you. Offer them a banana muffin or brownie.

Ayron: Ok, Oh I gotta go, they are back!

A couple of minutes later

Me: Hello?

Ayron: Ok, they're gone.

Me: So they were just people from the Lakewood Church out raking leaves huh?

Ayron: Well, they had like 2 high school aged girls and 3 older ladies.

Me: Did you tell them thanks and give them a brownie.

Ayron: Yeah. They had to take a picture with me as proof they did rake a yard.

Me: Oh, ok. Well, at least you don't have to rake this weekend!

I think this struck me as funny because he didn't think to go outside and see who the strange group of ladies in our yard were. He seemed freaked out by the fact that strangers were raking our yard. Most people would have been like, "Alright! Cross that chore off my list!" I would like to thank the lovely ladies from Lakewood Park that raked our front and side yard!

ABC and Baby Update

2010-10-06T08:25:00.003-04:00

I hope I am not becoming one of those women who are "LOOK AT ME, I'M PREGNANT! Let's talk about nothing other than me!" I just use blogging as a way to process my thoughts.

We had our 16 week appointment with Stephanie VanderHorst (our mid wife) and all is well. Looks like Baby will be here around March 22. We were able to see the ultrasound and I was hypnotized by the heart beat. Baby is pretty calm and mellow, which is totally different from TJ. TJ was on the go ALL THE TIME. Baby was content to just lay there and let Stephanie try and reposition her. We are pretty sure we are having a girl, but at 16 weeks, it is hard to be certain it is a girl. We will check again at our next appointment on Nov. 2.

I was also able to ask a TON of questions about the ABC (Auburn Birthing Center) and that helped ease my mind. The ABC will be open well before Baby arrives and I really think I want to deliver there. My only concerns are the short length of stay (anywhere from 6 to 23 hours after delivery you are sent home. A nurse does come and do a home check on mommy and baby). I also need to check and see if my Insurance will cover a birthing center.

I thought I was comfortable with the thought of no pain meds, but now I am wondering. She will have several non-drug methods for pain relief and I am really looking forward to the birthing tub (they are now offering the option of actually birthing IN the tub, but that still freaks me out).

I think TJ's birth has be freaked out. I told Stephanie that yesterday and she said, "That was the worst case scenario of any birth I have done. Had you been at the ABC, we would have transferred you and done a c-section, but with TJ he didn't give us the time. I have done 901 births and that was the WORST way to have a baby! That is the only vacuum extraction I have ever done, and it failed. Nothing about his birth was typical. We will just pray that his sister is more cooperative that TJ. I can tell already she is a lot calmer and ok with me positioning her. You have nothing to worry about." That really eased my mind. I said, "He is still here and so am I, so for that we are extremely thankful to you!"

I guess the next step is to call my insurance company and see if they will cover the ABC.

Teacher Tip # 13

2010-09-29T13:55:00.003-04:00

Teacher Tip #13: Take time to talk to your students

I am lucky in my "classroom." I have a lot of educational/instructional freedom. We currently only have two high school students. We spent an hour this morning talking about addictions and methods to help overcome them (a continuation talk that started after their morning session with our counselor).

We then talked about owning your mistakes and how accepting responsibility helps you develop into a responsible adult. A student finally realized how bad his situation could have gotten and since he was finally able to realize the whole situation, he had a break through. We are now comfortable recommending him to the alternative school for his next step the educational journey.

After lunch we spent 30 minutes teaching the students how to complete Sudoku puzzles. The one student loved it! We found a way to reach out to him. I printed out several puzzles from the Internet and struck a deal with him (he isn't the most motivated student in the world). For each assignment that he thoroughly completes, he can take time to do one Sudoku puzzle. He jumped at that offer right away and is diligently chugging away at his work.

Since we were able to take the time to talk with our kids, we were able to help one student have a realization and find a motivation tool for another student. It is amazing what teachers can learn if they just take the time to talk with their students. The key word is "with." Talking down does nothing but berate the students and make them more defiant. This is important in my "school" because we have to develop that trust. Without that trust, it will be an uphill struggle the entire time they are under my care.

I encourage each teacher to take some time each day to just talk to their students. What is going on in their lives? You will be surprised what connections you can make from their personal lives to the curriculum you are hoping to teach. Take the time and talk. It is amazing what you will be able to teach the student and even more amazing what your students will be able to teach you.

Moment of Reflection

2010-09-28T14:32:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, shortly at noon, I checked the wane.com website. It's a habit of mine. I don't get time to actually watch the news, so I check the website. I learned of a fatal crash at the DeKalb County / Allen County Line. I had a feeling. I can't even describe the feeling, it was just this feeling.

On the drive home from work I passed the wrecker that was towing the SUV involved in the crash. I had to pull over for a moment. There was nothing left of the SUV. That feeling came back and I actually became physically ill. I started crying and just praying for the family. At that time, the name of the deceased had not been released. I still couldn't shake the feeling, so I just kept praying. I prayed off and on all night. Nothing glamours, just small little, "Lord, be with that family."

Right before dinner I received a text from a friend and I discovered the lady who passed was the daughter in law of my favorite teacher, Mrs. McCurdy. My heart broke. I know Mrs. McCurdy both in and out of school. Her and my father acted together in the Auburn Actors Theater and she often played his wife. She was hysterical and inspired me to become a teacher. My heart broke for her and her son. She lost her daughter in law and her son lost his wife. Their children lost their mother, parents lost their daughter.

I couldn't sleep last night, the sight of the SUV on the back of the wrecker kept haunting me. I finally realized why. We are coming up on the 4 year anniversary of Nikki's accident. I remember driving to the school to pick up my nieces and when we pulled out of the school parking lot, we passed the wrecker towing Nikki's newly compacted car. Thank God my nieces didn't realize that crumple piece of white paper was really their mom's car. I remember having this pit in my stomach. When we got the call, we didn't know if Nikki was alive or dead. We didn't know what to expect when we got to the hospital. It was a nightmare for all involved. We are lucky that four years later we still have our daughter/wife/sister/mother with us.

I don't know what caused Amy to run the stop sign, we may never know. But I am taking her accident as a wake up call to be more alert in the car. To avoid the distractions of texting and ipod surfing. I urge the rest of you to avoid those distractions as well. It's crazy to think that one minute you can be here, and the next your family is mourning.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the McCurdy family during this time. May they find peace and understanding. May the Lord provide them with comfort and words of wisdom.

Touchdown Tuesday

2010-09-28T09:28:00.002-04:00

Check out this heartwarming video from a high school football team. If it doesn't make you smile, you have something seriously wrong with you!

http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Down-syndrome-football-player-scores-TD-in-Washi?urn=highschool-272803

Monday Morning Funny

2010-09-27T11:33:00.003-04:00

My sister posted this video on facebook this morning and it cracked me up. I think Apple should turn it into a commercial and make the grouchy curly haired girl a pc user!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWhUeAy35qc&feature=player_embedded

Homework Help

2010-09-27T09:38:00.003-04:00

I am currently taking an on line course (Detective and Mystery Literature) through IPFW for my license renewal. Our one big paper has me stumped. Here are the directions from the syllabus.

Monograph 7 contains a “top-ten” listing of books, movies, and TV mysteries that I have selected as among the best mysteries of all time on TV, in books, and in movies. Most items listed are not covered in the semester. The purpose of the list is to provide a reading and viewing list for those who want to sample the best of what is out there. Obviously, there are many outstanding books, movies, and TV shows not represented. I am very much interested in expanding the list to include the best 25 in each category. The purpose of this assignment is to give you a role in determining the list. Here are the steps involved.

1. Read Monograph 7 and the accompanying lists.

2. Pick a movie, TV mystery, or novel that you have seen or read, or one you would like to read or see. Note that if you choose a TV show, you must see at least three episodes. You can not use any book, movie, or TV show already on the list.

3. In a two or three page, non-research paper, argue for the inclusion of your book, movie, or TV show in an expanded best 25 list, or show why your book, movie, or TV show does not belong on the list.

4. You may talk about plot, characters, or devices used that make your selection unique. For example, the movie “Lady in the Lake,” which is included in the top 10 list, is cited for the unique viewpoint (The detective is always behind the camera). You might argue for inclusion of the TV show “Numbers” because of the unique view of mathematics as a crime-fighting tool. If you chose the TV show “Bones,” you might say you liked all the eccentric characters; then list each one with examples of their eccentricities.

5. You should include lots of examples to illustrate your reasons.

6. You may submit this assignment at any time up until the week before final exams. I suggest that it is best to do this paper at a time when assignments for other courses are light. Note that two bonus points are available for completing this assignment by the date listed in the syllabus above. This the date is November 6.

7. Also, submit to the default bulletin board a list of 5 reasons (no examples) for placing your choice on the list or not.

8. To repeat, length of assignment should be about two to three pages. No references other than the show or book itself are needed.

I have read Monograph 7 (written by my professor) and can't come up with any ideas! HELP! All of the topics I had, I don't want to use because my professor uses them as examples in Monograph 7. I don't want to have him think that I couldn't come up with my own topic, but at this moment I can't! I really want to write this paper this weekend and get it out of the way, but I am stumped. The only other mystery thing I can think of is Murder She Wrote and we all know how thrilling that show was!

I just read the line, "does not belong on the list." Hmm... I wonder if that means he wants use to take one of his examples from the list and tell why we think it shouldn't be there, or come up with our own topic then tell why it doesn't fit. The later idea seems a bit silly, so I am going to guess it's the first option.

Keep in mind this is only a 200 level class (why strain my brain to renew my license?) and my professor has told me on more than on occasion that I over think my assignments. I just can't come up with any good ideas!

The ABC

2010-09-20T08:23:00.002-04:00

Every morning I pass the construction site for what will become The ABC, The Auburn Birthing Center. The ABC is being built by the Auburn OB GYN which consists of Dr. Chaffee, Dr. Weghorst, Midwife Stephanie Vanderhorst, and Midwife Michelle Hileman. The new "home" is on CR 40A, just past Smith Farms Manor.

I have nothing but love for the medical staff at Auburn OB GYN. I have been utilizing Stephanie Vanderhorst's skills for years. She helped us conceive TJ, and was there for every minute of TJ's crazy birth (If you don't know that story, trust me, he came out sideways, elbow first, umbilical cord in his hand, I stopped breathing, the whole ten yards). Stephanie jokes that TJ caused her to grow her first grey hair. He was birth 565 (or something close to that) and the first one where she used vacuum extraction, and it failed! Dr. Chaffee was called in, and without those two, I would not have been able to deliver TJ. They were able to keep me calm during the whole process, even when they were probably freaking out on the inside. Stephanie has been with us through the conception and first tri-mester of Baby #2. The point being, I thoroughly trust these people!

I was ecstatic to learn that the birthing center will be open long before I am due. So I am faced with a problem....do I deliver at the hospital or at ABC? I know each have their pros and cons, but I think it boils down to the fact that I am scared to give birth again. TJ's delivery was traumatic, to say the least. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful he is here and extremely thankful to all the OB staff (as they were all crowded in my tiny delivery room) at DeKalb, but I am afraid this delivery will be like that last. I know, I know, "every baby is different." So with that in mind, what is to say this birth won't be worse?

I have been weighing the pros and cons of each and I think what it comes down to is fear over two subjects: pain management and after care.

I have very little pain meds with TJ. I started on some through my IV, but had them turn it off after only 30 minutes because I didn't like the feeling. I felt like I wasn't in control of my body and I couldn't feel what my body was doing. I know that is the point of pain meds, but I had studied the Bradley Birthing Method and for my own peace of mind, I needed to feel what my body was doing. I am afraid that this time around, I won't be strong enough to deliver without pain meds. I don't have any grand philosophical thing against pain meds, I will use them if I see necessary. But I also feel that babies who are born without the mother having pain meds are just more alert. TJ came out bright eyed (although he had given himself a lovely shiner) and I didn't have to have a giant needle in my spine! I will also admit that I am a bit afraid of a giant needle in my spine. I know, I know. I have a tattoo that runs along my spine, but that was different. That needle didn't go INTO my vertebra! I have other ways of coping with the pain. Breathing and the blessed birthing tub! (Disclaimer, the staff at Auburn OB GYN does not do underwater births, the tubs are simply there to help with labor pains). I loved the birthing tub with TJ and when asked what I want this time around, I stressed that I want a birthing tub. Luckily for me, The ABC will have tubs.

After care is also something I am curious about. Most birthing centers have you on your way home anywhere from 6 to 24 hours later. I guess not knowing how long their aftercare is, has my mind going. What about the 96 hour test? What if it's a boy? Do we take it to the doctor's office for a circumcision? TJ's jaundice didn't kick in until we got him home 3 days later and even then it was a pain to figure out why he was so sick (he didn't turn really yellow till several days after so we had no physical clue as to what was wrong).

I meet with Stephanie at the beginning of October and boy do I have a long list of questions for her. All of this "weighing of the pros and cons" might end up being a mute point. She might not consider me a good candidate for The ABC. There are just so many unknowns. I know I have a ton of time to plan, but every morning I drive past the construction site on my way to work and it gets my mind going.

That's Your Defense?

2010-09-16T10:53:00.002-04:00

I was watching the news last night and saw this clip. I was disgusted. Really Mr. Brown, your defense of your actions was pathetic. "They are misdemeanors." SO WHAT?! Why should you be trusted with the responsibility of a school districts decisions when you can't even be trusted to have a valid license, registration, current plates, and insurance. Let's not forget you were under the influence of alcohol and driving. What qualifies you to make decent decisions for tomorrows leaders when you can't even be trusted to not drink and drive?

As for the whole, learning from your mistakes, you obviously haven't. You were arrested in 2007 for domestic battery and again in 2001 for OWI. Shouldn't elected officials to such offices as school boards be citizens that students can look up to as role models? You may always represent what your constituents want, but you sir are no role model!

I don't live in FWCS district, nor do I work for that district. I understand that people make mistakes and forgiveness should be given. He obviously hasn't learned from his past (2001 OWI charge) nor does he accept any responsibility for his actions. I might have more respect for him if he had said, "You know what? I screwed up again. I realize I have a problem and I am going to take all the steps necessary to rectify the situation." I will always have more respect for people who own up to their mistakes than those who just say "BS" in an attempt to save their hide.

Picture Time

2010-09-14T13:07:00.003-04:00

I am in the mood to blog, but the lack of precious sleep prevents me from being able to actually write anything. Instead of words, I'll share pictures from the past week. Keep in mind they were taken with my cell phone so the quality is a bit cruddy.

Tj studying a caterpillar we found by Martha's Popcorn Stand.

TJ in the library's "Secret Garden." We were the only ones who came for Saturday morning Mother Goose Story Time.

Rocking out to Guitar Hero at Uncle Phil's.

First time swinging on a "big boy" swing at J.R. Watson Elementary School. He was a bit freaked out at first (notice the open mouth).