Merry Christmas!

I'm not loving it right now

I don't have time for this post.

I have 300 papers to check and put in my grade book.
I have a flag routine to finish writing.
I have lots of paperwork to finish and mail ASAP.
I have checks to deposit.
I have checks to request.
I have kids to pay attention to, at home and at work.
I have Christmas shopping to finish.
I have to figure out how to work the sound system in the gym.
I have to breathe.

I don't want to do any of those things, except the shopping and breathing parts.

I want to be alone.
I want to get a massage.
I want to read blogs (which I haven't even had time to read this month).
I want to eat until I pop.
I want to watch my children, not my students.
I want this week to be over!

Because I don't have any real free time

A Meme/Forwarded email for you to enjoy:

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.
Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!!
Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send.
Change all the answers so that they apply to you.
Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you...Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? both, I like a nice mix under the tree
2. Real tree or artificial? fake, pre-lit!
3. When do you put up the tree? the first weekend of December
4. When do you take the tree down? when Adam makes me
5. Do you like eggnog? NO!!!!!!!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I have a hard time remembering early childhood.... probably Barbies or Dolls
7. Do you have a nativity scene? No
8. Hardest person to buy for? I'm not sure... Aunt Judy and Uncle Jim I guess
9. Easiest person to buy for? my kids
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Strange Catalog findings...
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, but sometimes late and called a Happy New Year card
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever... I start planning early but shop late
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes:)
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas: Mom's homemade candies, especially peanut butter balls.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? white!
17. Favorite Christmas song? I like lots of different ones. Currently our family likes the songs on the Nick Jr. Christmas CD... nothing says Christmas like songs sung by Dora, her backpack, Diego, baby Jaguar, Tyrone, and Linny the Guinea Pig!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, or at family homes
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen & Rudolph (okay..I stole the previous person's answer...I cheated! But they stole it from the person ahead of them!)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? angel, given to me by my parents when I was a kid because it looked like me.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning, except for the matching family PJ's mom gives us the night before.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? shopping in the snow and winter coats
23. What I love most about Christmas? Being with family and days off of school
24. Do you buy gifts for your pets? I don't have pets but I do buy gifts for other peoples pets so, Yes.
25. Have you ever been Christmas Caroling? yes, but I mostly pretended to sing because, I suck at singing on tune!
26. Hot chocolate or Hot Apple Cider? Hot Chocolate, extra marshmallows please!


Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

The word of the day is...

(click on pic to clarify words...)

Stole this from an e-mail... I can't take credit...
If I'd bothered to create it, then it wouldn't be true anymore!

Halloween

So, other than the most boring title in history... here come some of the most boring (but CUTE!) pictures in history. (Sorry people, between committee meetings, may shoot self....)

Here, see Ariel and Flounder ready to go scrounge for human stuff (aka CANDY!)



Here, see Ariel and Flounder with their adoptive land parents, Superman and the mystery witch.



And here, Flounder sees a ane... I mean a plane!

Smarter than the average bear?

So this weekend, I went upstairs to see what Brianna was doing... up there by herself, for over 30 minutes.... I peeked around the corner and caught her unawares. She wasn't doing anything wrong, I just caught her by surprise.

She saw me, and said, "Damn It!"
I responded with awe, concern, and a very loud, "What did you just say?"
She looked a little sheepish and said questioningly, "Forget it!?!"

So here's my question: Does your 4 year old know how to lie and cover their tracks? Because mine sure as heck did! We spent the next 5 minutes... me trying to get her to repeat it, her trying not to make eye contact and think of anything else that would get her out of trouble. She finally admitted to it with a little grin, and spent 5 minutes in time-out willingly.

Seriously people... I don't even know where she got that one, REALLY! That's not a phrase Adam or I really use much. And we always do our best not to swear in front of the kids. Maybe daycare..... But with Brianna, it would only take one slip, she picks up on EVERYTHING! E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G!

I was not prepared for this!

How old are your ears?

You are about 20 years old

The teen repellent will no longer foil you, but you can still hear some pretty high tones. The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 16.7kHz

Find out which ringtones you can hear!

I don't know how REAL this is, but it's pretty funny to compare with your co-workers.
My 24 year old co-worker can hear 1 step better than me but my 27 year old co-worker has worse hearing.... I love being 30!

William Tell Overture for Moms

Perfect for anyone who is a mom, or has a mom. This is the funniest 2 min and 30 seconds I've seen in weeks!
Sound is a MUST for this one!

Oh Blog, How lazy I've been!

I have not posted any new news in SOOO long!
I could say I've been busy, but that's always true. (See also title of blog!)
I could blame home computer issues, but that's boring and hasn't been a significant problem since I went back to work Aug. 27.

So... since Aug. 27... I feel like Indiana Jones in danger of being plowed down by the giant boulder and I just can't run fast enough.

In the meantime, lets just say things are calming down a little, I have some pampering planned thanks to the Pretty in Pink campaign, and I have tomorrow off work thanks to Rosh Hashanah AND the kids are going to be staying at my parents!

If you have any extra relaxation, send it my way!

It's Done

I just finished the last Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
(Don't worry, no spoilers here, I wouldn't dream of it!)

I picked up the book around 10:30 this morning from my local Borders and read all day. I stopped for food. I stopped a couple times to pay attention to the kids (who mostly watched TV all day). And I stopped for about an hour this evening... I had to hold off the last few chapters until the kids were asleep and I knew I could read completely uninterrupted.

It was an enthralling book. It lived up to all my hopes and then some. I have no idea that a day could fly by so fast. I estimate that it took me about 10 hours to read the book. I will have to read it again sometime soon because I'm sure I missed details along the way. I tend to do that... If I am really into a book, I read so fast that I miss some of the writers best nuances. I will read it again. And probably a third time next summer when I want to relive all the emotions of this time.

That being said... I find myself to be very sad. Not in any way related to the plot of the book, only that it is done. Now that I've read book 7, there won't be any more to look forward to. There won't be any more secrets, any more wonderfully written characters who grow and develop until I can feel them. There will be movies, which I always find predictably shallow compared to the books. You just can not take a book written with such depth and development and shorten it in any way. Even the most minor incidence, when left out, leaves a hole in the stories I love so much.

I will find new books to read. I will love them too. But I feel like Harry has left me.
This is silly, REALLY silly to some of you, but I feel like a good friend has moved very far away and I know we will lose touch.

I will miss you Harry. I've looked forward to all your adventures and I can't wait to share them with my children when the time comes.
Thank you J.K. Rowling for filling so many days with entertainment. However, if this should reach you... I do still have a few questions for you.

(I have intentionally left out links to all the copyrighted or trademarked items in this entry. Please don't sue me. If you want more information on any of the items, use Google. That's not my job!) :-)

No details, no energy

So, the rest of vacation was fine. It might have been just a little too long with my family but what are you going to do? A week's house rental means a week with the family. I was simultaneously glad and a little depressed to be home again.

Did a little grocery shopping... got back to normal... blah blah blah.

However, slight differentiation from blah when Tuesday night's stomach ache became uncontrollable pain with no position I could find relief in by Wednesday late afternoon. A quick call to the doctor led to a not as quick visit to the acute care center which was followed by a trip to the ER and an "emergency" appendectomy. That's right. I went to the doctor with generalized stomach pain around 6:30 Wednesday night and approx. 6 hours later I was no longer in possession of my appendix!

The surgeon, who had the personality of a door, said that it was the earliest case of appendicitis he'd ever operated on. That leads me to believe either; 1- I'm a wuss, 2- He says that to all the girls, or 3- I could have waited longer, been in more pain, and other people are just stupider than me. I vote for #3.

As of now, I am spending a lot of time on the couch... and loving the Vicodin.
I hope next week is less eventful.

Quick Change in Plans...

I said I wasn't going to post from vacation but....

Very cool vacation house, paid for by very cool parents who are here with us, has very cool wireless Internet for which new, somewhat cool notebook computer is compatible.

Quick re-cap so far:
Saturday... (WAY too much driving + with WAY too much stuff jammed in car) x (2 kids who do not want to nap on time + WAY too much Wiggles and Backyardigans DVDs) = INSANITY
Sunday... sleep in, grocery shop, rest, drink alcohol
Monday.... Pontoon boat rental, lots of sun, not quite enough sunblock on the grown-ups (Awesome day! I went tubing for the first time!)
Tuesday.... relax, grocery shopping, Dollar General going out of business clearance, shoe store with 50-70% off.
Wednesday... hectic morning trying to get kids out door to children's museum 1hour away only to get there and find out said museum was closed for the 4th of July holiday. Luckily, the kids think McDonalds playland is pretty cool and don't care about museum when nuggets are involved. Sparklers before rugrat bedtime, alcohol after rugrat bedtime.

So far... lots of fun. Still 2 days to go, and then another driving day... but we will pretend that's not going to happen.

Got to go... Wine coolers are getting warm.

Happy Independence Day Everyone!!!!!!

I'm Outta Here!

Nothing really new....

Adam and I had the babysitter come back last night and went to dinner and a movie as a couple!
Dinner was good... Movie was great (Pirates 3 anyone?) except that a REALLY annoying former student sat right in front of me with his detestable dad who thinks I suck. Sounds like a good combo for date night huh? I of course turned my back and rummaged in my purse as the lights came on and Adam told me when they were gone. I don't think they really noticed me since it was already dark when they entered... I HOPE they didn't notice me anyway... no one burst my bubble OK?

Today, a lot of laundry and packing. We are heading off tomorrow for a week in Tennessee with my parents, sister, and her boyfriend. My parents rented a house on a lake near Knoxville. The kids will be thrilled. I will be mostly thrilled... I'm hoping to gain a little alone time from all the live-in, free, babysitters next week! I only dread the 9 hour drive with the kids.... well, 9 hours driving + multiple potty/movement/food stops + lose an hour in the time change. We hope to make it to the house by around 6 EST if we leave our house around 5 CST!

I might have Internet access there, but I don't plan on updating my blog! SO THERE! But seriously... one of my 3 readers will be with me and the rest of you will just have to wait.
Luv ya anyway and Happy Independence Day!

And then the angels sang!

People, I hired a babysitter! Well, actually 2 because they are sisters and both were available and I didn't want to pick between them.

This morning, I called the nice neighbor girls and asked them to come by this afternoon. Currently, they are at my house with my kids. I am at the library ALONE! (Yes, I could be doing this from home with the kids but I had to do some computer stuff that my new computer at home is not yet set up for and/or to dang slow!)

Faithful readers (Hello to the 3 of you!) will know that Adam is not working this summer and will wonder why he's not with the kids while I get things done... He's golfing... with his dad. Which he sprung on me in the middle of Brianna's birthday party last weekend so of course I couldn't say no. Despite the fact that we have 900 things to do before this coming weekend and one car is in the shop!

Brianna was so excited to have new people to play with that she didn't shut up the whole 15 minutes I was giving the girls the important info. She has already planned that they will play in her castle after lunch, and then dress up, and then read some books. Yes, I could have done that with her to, but, I don't. Because she is annoying!

Don't start throwing things at me yet! You did not misunderstand, I said that my 4 year old daughter was annoying. And it's true. But she's only annoying to me. She is in that phase where she tests every single boundary I have, and does it in the most obvious, look-at-me-while-I-break-every-rule-you-crazy-mommy kind of way. To the average outsider or family member, she is sweet as pie and cute as a bunny. To me, she is 4 going on 15! Moms out there... you understand right?

Anyway, I think I will hire a babysitter more often!

Where does the time, and my brain, go?

If a few mere hours, my baby will be 4 years old. No longer a baby I guess, not even a toddler. She is a child, a little girl with a mind and opinions of her own.

Some days I am amazed by the clarity of thought with which she can tell a story, or remember some event that I'd never have thought important, or with how much love and caring she can show to us and especially to her little brother. And then, not a full 5 minutes later, I am amazed at the teenage attitude and stubborn streak that never fail to have me gritting my teeth and saying things like; "Because I said so" or the all time favorite "Just Because!"

Tonight after an especially trying trip to K-mart, I decided that I needed a quiet moment with her. I didn't want either of us to start her birthday in the morning by being irritated with each other. We pulled out her baby book. We looked at pictures and I told her some of my favorite little stories from when she was a newborn. We compared her foot now, to the little footprint the hospital made for us the day she was born. We measured how tall she was now, and then I showed her how big she was when she was born. I was a little choked up and surprised to find that I had forgotten some of the details of her birth... when did I start feeling pains, when did we get to the hospital, what exact time was she born. Those are crucial statistics and I already need a book to remind me after 4 short years.

She was only interested in turning the pages by herself and getting the tape measure off the counter. BY HERSELF, NO, I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO HELP! She didn't care that I couldn't remember that she was born at 9:58am. She only wanted to stay up 5 more minutes and practice sticking out her tongue like her 3 month picture.

I miss my baby, I'm a little unsure about this little girl, but I can't wait to see my daughter grow more each year. Happy Birthday Brianna, I love you!

Update

1. Computer Hard Drive was FRIED and we couldn't even use the little magic disk so....
2. Bought new computer! Nice HP notebook however....
3. Am waiting for Best Buy to set it up and then....
4. Will have to wait for new AOL CD or decide on new Internet server then...
5. Will have to upload/set-up etc.

We will still be limited by stubborn husband and his refusal to upgrade to ANYTHING but dial-up Internet. However, we will be back on-line and our marriage may be saved! (In the case that I don't get around to a post about that, let me just say, I didn't realize how much personal time I got when Adam was on the Internet instead of making me work!)

I may be back sooner than I thought! But don't hold your breath, because, this is me, I never posted all that much to start with!

Farewell, for now!

Well, this is good bye for now!

School is over for summer! I will be enjoying days at home with the kids and Adam... or I will be trying to endure spending the next 80 or so days (24 hours a day) with my husband and children... it depends on you point of view...

And in a further note... I think we may have killed our home computer! We haven't had reliable Internet access there for some time and now every time we turn on the computer, we can't even get to a workable screen. We get a message that basically says... you fried your system Jerk! (or something like that...)

Adam spent the better part of 4 hours on the phone with the helpful Utah Dell boys on Sunday and they have mailed us a magic disk that will erase everything we've ever done to the computer in last ditch hopes that this will save the thing! They say our operating system is corrupt or some other lofty computer jargon like that. I picture the computer laying on the operating table, with some doctor massaging it's heart and asking for everyone to clear!

On the upside, if it dies, we will be saving up all summer and looking for deals on a new computer. Yeah! (said dripping with sarcasm and a slight frown over all the dinners out she will sacrifice to pay for said computer)

On the real upside, I am hoping to convince Adam to take this opportunity to upgrade to wireless cable Internet and a laptop! Wish me luck!

SO- Enough said... I will try and get back to you all from the library or my in-laws...
Love!
and have a great summer!
Jo

Tag, I'm it!

Jamie tagged me for this meme....

She seems to think that I have all sorts of time on my hands since the school year is ending and I have a student teacher teaching my classes. She must not have noticed the severe lack of blogging due to the severe neuroticness of ME! I have been more busy now then ever before... AND I 'M NOT EVEN DOING MY OWN JOB!

Anyway... on with the meme....

3 things that scare me:

1. The death of close family
2. Spiders
3. people not thinking I'm smart and capable

3 people who make me laugh:

1. DH Adam
2. "The Kids" aka DD Brianna and DS Grant
3. my coworker and friend; Stephanie

3 things I love:

1. My Family
2. My Job (most days)
3. TV

3 things I hate/severely dislike:

1. reality TV
2. worrying about money around Tax time
3. having nothing to do (see comments above)

3 things I don't understand:

1. insensitive people
2. war
3. runny noses in kids

3 things on my desk:

1. Diet Coke
2. a To-Do pile
3. lots of pens, markers, highlighters, etc in quick reach.

3 things I'm doing right now:

1. Blogging
2. Listening to my student teacher and the class
3. wishing I had some chocolate

3 things I want to do before I die:

1. Travel
2. Be a Principal
3. hold political office?

3 things I can do well:

1. Teach
2. Have Babies
3. listen

3 things I can't do well:

1. talk on the phone and watch TV
2. be blunt
3. dislike you

3 things I think you should listen to:

1. your mother
2. small children
3. yourself

3 things I think you should never listen to:

1. People who don't know you well but give you advice
2. Internet medical info
3. People who are famous but haven't done anything worthy

3 things I'd like to learn

1. how to be blunt and nice at the same time
2. how to keep my house cleaner
3. How to get rich without trying

3 favorite foods:

1. Chocolate
2. pasta
3. peanut butter

3 shows I watched as a kid:

1. Smurfs
2. Solid Gold
3. Days of our Lives

3 things I regret:

1. debt before my marriage
2. not working harder at my early career
3. my own laziness

3 people I tag:

(This was the hardest because I don't have many blogging friends. I'm more of a reader than a chatter...)
1. Janet because I love reading more about my newest friends!
2-6. Stephanie, Heather, Jenny, Min, and Kate at Mama Drama. Because they are SO much fun!

SOOOO cute!

I found a great product when I was reading Dancing Through today.

Tutu Fantasy is having a contest! I LOVE contests!
But regardless of if I win or not, I think this might be a great gift for my niece for her birthday next month. She LOVES ballet class and LOVES dressing up... what could be better?

And I might get this one for Brianna!

Panic attack subsiding...

One of my favorite bloggers... Jenny over at Mama Drama... posted this post today.

Now, I love Jenny's posts and this one is no different. It is worded wonderfully and I can completely picture what she is saying. Therefore, the gratuitous scary picture is not needed. Seriously, I think I may have just died a little looking at that picture.

If you didn't know this about me... I am TERRIFIED of spiders. I currently have a pair of shoes sitting in the garage that I may never wear again because since they have been in said garage for several days, I am just sure that some family of spiders has made a home of them. I do a double take every time I pass the nail that has popped out of the wall in the office. I swear I just saw it moving and it will chase me down now.

I probably shouldn't laugh

I have been silently worrying for weeks (OK- maybe months) about Grant and his lack of words. He says Car, Ball, Cow, Meow, and Dada fairly regularly... but not Mama, eat, drink, etc... words that you would think he would actually need.

The past week or so has shown a good change in his language skills. He has added cracker, milk, and every mother's favorite... No.

That's right... last night... my precious baby boy said No for the first time! Except he doesn't just say no... he mimics the way Brianna says No when she's trying to keep him from stealing her toys! It starts really slow with a drawn out "N" sound and ends in a quick "O".

nnnnnnnNNNNNNNO!

I couldn't help cracking up! He says it just like Bri... and even makes the same little mad face! It never failed to make me laugh last night... and again this morning. I'm going to have quite a spitfire on my hands!

This may be my first attempt at recording, and uploading video... I just have to figure out the digital video part of my camera... and then actually get him to do it... and then upload it properly... By the time I do all that, he'll be talking in sentences!

And I love him anyway!

This weekend, my parents took the kids!! BOTH KIDS! for a whole 28 hours... not that I was counting or anything.

It was really nice having some time to ourselves. Even if we did spend the majority of that time doing manual labor. We ran errands with out tears. We worked in the garden without having to watch who was running in the street. We went out to dinner without rushing. We watched a movie with profanity. We slept in... until we just couldn't sleep anymore. We ate breakfast and simultaneously read the paper. We went for a walk without a stroller. And then... the best part... we went our separate ways! Adam went golfing with his dad and brother, I went to get a long overdue haircut and highlights.

By the time the kids came home on Sunday, we were ready for them.

It was so much fun to walk through the door and see little Grant light up... and lift up his little arms... and run toward me.... and call me "Dada".

That's right, my son calls his mother Dada... If you have a problem with that... Just don't tell me. OK- maybe I do have a little problem with this new development. Maybe I would like him to call me Mama. But maybe I will pretend not to notice and just enjoy his heart wrenching hugs and his big sloppy kisses and know that he loves me, no matter what name he uses.

Am I evil?

Is it wrong to think my own children are annoying?

Bri talks non-stop and usually in a "lovely" little whine. She is going through a very selfish phase and wants to be in my lap or next to me every time Grant is in the same place. She loves school as evidenced by the fact that she asks to go there during the weekend... but every evening when I ask her how school was; she only tells me bad things. Dylan hit me, Dylan bit Stacy, Arjun didn't share, I didn't get to play on the 'puter (Computer), etc. etc. etc. She actually has a hard time answering me when I ask her about good things that happened today.

Grant hasn't been feeling well this week. We've changing a LOT of dirty diapers and he has the killer diaper rash to prove it. Except now the Dr says that is doesn't sound like a true diaper rash, it sounds like a yeast rash and I actually had to go to the drugstore to buy Monistat for my sons butt! What a week! As a result of all this; he is clearly uncomfortable, often doesn't even want to sit down on his "ouchy tushy" and really wants to be held... A LOT!!!!! He won't eat properly and shakes his head No to everything but Ritz crackers and the Wiggles. Ugh.

At work things should be super easy. Note the careful use of SHOULD BE. The year is ending, lots of fun activities are getting started, and I have a student teacher so I don't even have to work all day! But here's the problem. My student teacher is awful. Her English language skills are questionable, her classroom management is non-existent, and her lessons barely teach anything. I am trying to help, I have done a lot of good things with her, she doesn't listen. She thinks she knows EVERYTHING and gets very defensive when people give her suggestions. She is barely on time each day, often arrives unprepared, and then blows out of here right at the end of the day.

Lord... what a complainer I am today.

I should be planning a fabulous weekend... Girls night out tonight and a weekend without the kids! (No, I'm not killing them or selling them, Grandma actually begged to take them!) I need to find a good mood quick! Maybe I'll see if anyone is selling one on e-bay....

My life is painfully NORMAL!!!

I have been trying to get better about posting... and finding nothing of interest to post.

I got some medical test results done... everything is normal, my cholesterol is actually great, and something called albumin in my blood is low but not dangerously so. The test showed that I need to work on my eating habits and loose some weight but a trained chimp could have told me that.

Grant is getting another tooth but I can't tell which one yet. He is up to a whopping 12 teeth now, we are expecting 8 more sometime in the next year or so. My guess is they will show up in groups of 2 or 3 about every 3 months, because, if nothing else, my son is "regular" in his every bodily function and behavior.

Brianna is talking up a storm and asks "Why" about EVERYTHING! This is not really of note though because she is 3 and 3 is the age of annoying and why! She says cute things, but nothing that cute. The most noticeable thing lately is that she repeats things.... apparently, I must say "Okey doke?" a LOT. She says it now but she says "obe dobe".

See... if your still reading... thanks.... what a load of nothing that turned out to be!

My brain is a steel sieve

A while ago, I read an article. No, of course I don't remember where or when.

Wait... don't leave yet... it gets better....

The article claimed that researchers had developed a theory about parental attachment with infants. The researchers had investigated especially the attachment of fathers and come to the following conclusion:

From birth to approx. age 3 ALL children are genetically programed to look more like their fathers than their mothers. The research went on to hypothesize that in the pre-paternity test world (and maybe the pre-monogamy days) that men needed proof that a child was theirs. therefore, all babies look more like their fathers at early ages to "prove" to the daddy that he should bother to bond with this baby.

What do you think?
Did you look like your dad when you were young?
What about your kids?.....

I know that both of my children look WAY more like my husband than me right now. It might be too late to save Bri, but I still have hope for Grant. ;-)

When in Doubt...

Post Pictures!


Brianna with her bangs cut by mommy!



Grant before his first haircut:



Grant after his first haircut:



Mommys worst picture of kids ever!

more about me

I know, I have been just awful about posting for MONTHS now! I can only say that work has been forced to take precedence. I am very proud of all the work I did in this time but miss my slow lazy days when I had time to update and read blogs.

Well, that time is here again and it's better than ever! I have a student teacher working with me this quarter and starting Thursday... She takes over all teaching and planning and grading and phone calls! I love it!

In the meantime, I have planned a few posts that will be coming soon.

For today: here is a little interview chain idea that Jamie took from Whoorl who took it from someone else... don't you love the blog world?

ANYWAY... Jamie's questions to me:

1. If you chose to max out your credit cards, at which store would you do so?

I could not just choose one store! I would need something for me, somethings for the kids, maybe a little something for Adam, lots of fun stuff for the house.... I guess if I had to pick one store it might be like Target because who can resist tons of cool stuff for cheap?

2. Facial hair on men: yeah, or nay?

I do sort of like facial hair on men, some men. I like beards on older men like my dad... if they can keep it trim and neat; no crazy-bum looking- Santa Claus beards! I do like my hubby with a little facial hair; I think he looks more mature. But again- I hate it if it looks scruffy!

3. What is your favorite winter sport?

Is drinking hot chocolate a sport?

4. Who is more annoying – Carson Daly or Ryan Seacrest?

I am not really annoyed by either. I try to avoid them both at all costs which is not hard since I am so hopelessly out of the cool 20-something zone! I only get to watch shows that come on after 8 pm or have some tie to cartoons! Show me cartoon versions of each one and then I'll vote!

5. Do you believe in heaven?

I think I do.... I mean I want to.... I mean yes. (sort of).
I am a very conflicted person religiously. On one hand I grew up with a strong Christian background and never questioned it. But I teach various religions for a living. I teach that one religion isn't right and another isn't wrong. That puts some of my earlier religious education into severe questioning. And if I question one thing, do I have to question it all?

Easter Pics

As always, Jamie is SOOOOO much better about posting pictures of my kids than I am!
Check them out...

I saw a famous person!

I am pretty sure I saw Randy Spelling downtown Chicago this weekend. His hair is longer now but I totally recognized the eyes and the stare! He was just walking down Ohio St, towards Michigan Ave around 1pm... I thought I handled it pretty well... I just walked backwards for about a block (looking at the back of his head) telling Adam that I was sure I knew that guy from a boy band or something. I wish I had looked more closely at who he was with but it was really fast!


In other news, I may actually have time to start posting again!
YEAH!
oh yeah... only 46 more work days till summer break!
(feel free to hate me now)
:-)

Of COURSE I have better things to do.... But....

A Meme I stole from Jamie:

(I am disappointed to find a distinct lack of Nora Roberts or Julie Garwood....)
And... I must note.... that I read many of these books while taking a "blow off class" called, Independent Literature, my senior year of high school. Thank you evil witch teacher for making us read the classics!

Look at the list of books below.

• Bold the ones you’ve read.
• Italicize the ones you want to
• Don't do anything to the ones that you aren’t interested in.


1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMavrier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

So, it's not my best post ever...

first haircut!

This weekend, Grant got his first hair cut. In all the process was a little sad because we loved his curls. Even now, 2 days later, I kind of do a double-take! I love his new do too but...

Before:


Note the Afro-like quality of the curls. My dear husband lovingly calls this "Jew-Hair". He's allowed to say that because he is Jewish and is the proud owner of similar curls!
(also a great picture of Brianna's hair and why mommy will no longer be cutting hair!)

During:


At this point we are all in Wiggle induced comas! BUT- no one is crying...

After:


My clean-cut little man is born, and LOVING the carousel ride as a reward! Mommy is only crying a little now.

as promised

Long ago, I promised you pictures...

The icky sweatshirts that meant well...



The sweater I exchanged for a cute red "denim" jacket....


Christmas Eve, our first experience with cookies for Santa....



Brianna on Christmas morning....



Grant on Christmas morning....



Brianna much later on Christmas morning...


Grant, a little later on Christmas morning...

No time but....

Everyone is doing fine!

Brianna LOVES the Bears all of a sudden now that I bought her a jersey.

Gymnastics was only 10 quadrillion times better when I switched her to a female teacher.

Grant is getting another new tooth and will only eat bread products! (crackers and pancakes really...)

Work is busy and won't slow down for a while but I will leave you with a snippet of my afternoons:

Bri: Knock, Knock
Me: Who's there?
Bri: (looking around randomly) Chair
Me: Chair who?
Bri: Chair Banana!
Get it?
CHAIR BANANA!!!!!!
(Ensue crazy cackling laughter!)

Be Strong

It finally happened.
Yesterday I had to follow through on one of those threats I seem to use too often.

At gymnastics, Brianna refused to go into the gym without me. She has been enrolled in the "big-girl class" for months but her new teacher is male. We have had a hard time getting her to go in and do her warm-ups but she has always gone in by the time they started the real stuff. This week, she REFUSED to enter.

I tried walking in with her, and leaving when she got to the group. NOPE.
The teacher tried sending one of the other kids out to get her. NOPE!
The female receptionist tried walking her in. NOPE!
- At this point I started threatening to go home.-
We stood at the door.... she clung to my leg.... I could not get her to tell me why...
- I threatened to take her home.-
The receptionist tried again... I tried again... the kid from her class tried again...
- I put on her first shoe.- BLOOD CURDLING SCREAMING ENSUED...
We went to the bathroom... I tried again... I tried again...
- AND FINALLY... WE WENT HOME!-

She kicked and screamed as I put her coat and shoes on. She cried and screamed, mostly the word "No", all the way home. She pouted and fussed for an hour afterwards.

But people... I made my point dang it! And I hated every minute of it. I tried not to laugh, or cry, as she screamed. I tried and tried again to get her to go participate. I tried to talk her down, I tried to talk myself down. I'm a teacher, I know that you have to make a point sometimes. But today, I am very sad.

I'll let you know how it goes the next time...
What do you think? Should I switch her to the class with the female teacher?

only 5 minutes now

All day long I have been meaning to post about how great Grant is doing with sign language. Sometime around Christmas he figured out that if he makes the same stupid hand motions mommy makes, he gets something he wants!

He now regularly uses "more" (although he usually means that he wants to eat.)
So we taught him "eat", but he only does that when we prompt him.
He is also quite good at requesting "milk" now. And that has prompted Brianna to use sign language to ask for milk too.

It's not quite the same when your 3 1/2 year old walks over to you and says "Mommy, can I please have some milk" while furiously pumping her fists up and down! She looks more like she's doing a dance then a sign... DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE CAN ALREADY TALK, she insists on using the sign, and of course giggling like a maniac afterwards!

Ah, kids!

Happy, Crappy New Year

I had planned on posting today to wish my 6 readers a happy new year and tell you all about my wonderful break. (If you're new to my insanity, I am a teacher and didn't have to work between Dec. 22 and Jan. 8).

That all flew out the window this morning.

At the daycare center I normally love, this morning I hated. Both of my children had to move up to new classrooms after the break so this morning was understandably nutty. Bri took everything very well, she didn't seem disturbed at all by the new classroom since she still had her good friends and one of her former teachers with her. We'll see how she feels when she realizes it's permanent and not just for a day or two.

Grant is another matter entirely. My baby boy made a big change. He has no familiar teacher faces. He doesn't care much about the other kids, but they are at least familiar. This morning, Grant cried when I put him down in the new room. He cried when I held him in the new room. He SCREAMED when I handed him to the teacher. He even did that little twisting thing that only small children can do... while being held by the teacher, he turned his torso fully around to reach for me with both hands while screaming and kicking.

I know, he'll be fine. At least 8 different people today have told me "He'll be fine". In my brain I know that after a few days (weeks at worse!) he'll adjust and he really will be fine. However, today my brain can't tell my heart that because my heart is broken.