Happy New Year's Eve Eve!

I cannot believe tomorrow is the last day of 2007. It takes me months to get used to writing '07 and then Bam! it's time for a new year. Crazy.

And I still have a week left of Christmas Break.

Yahoo!!

I know I'm a Grammar nut, but this is just ridiculous!!

One of the presents Mason got for Christmas was this generic Lego set, with jungle animals. And according to the label, it came direct from Taiwan. And apparently no one in their shipping and labeling factory could translate. Here's what the package says:

Jungle Bricks Set: Special for you of children design!!

There are orang, elephant, giraffe and so on they are very likeness!

Bricks Set: The excellence designer. Collect all these new exciting set. It will give you infinite pleasure.


I especially appreciate the "infinite pleasure" statement. Maybe I should play with it...

Tag--I'm it!!

Okay, I've had a few friends "tag" me lately (post a blog and then basically dare me to do the same theme) and I've pretended not to notice. I have decided to finally pass it on. So here goes...

Here are random things about me that you may or may not know:

• I chew the skin around my fingernails until it bleeds. Yeah, bleeds. I don't know why. It hurts like the dickens and it's extremely disgusting and embarassing, but I can't stop. I want to. Can't figure out how.


• I don't get Sudoku. I've had my hubby try to explain it to me, but I just don't get it. Nor have I ever been able to solve the Rubix cube. Or see those pictures you're supposed to be able to see within another picture.


• One of my favorite movies is Mean Girls. I know it's super cheesy and it has Lindsey Lohan in it, but it makes me laugh. And as a teacher, I totally find humor in revenge on The Plastics.


• I subscribe to People magazine. And I like to say that I don't care about celebrities, but I think deep down I do. I keep track of that crap.


• You know that song "Christmas Shoes"? It makes me cry just telling people about it. If you've never heard it, Google it. But have Kleenex handy. And Tim McGraw's song, "Don't Take the Girl" and the Lonestar song, "I'm already there" (especially the version with the audio clips of wives and children saying hi to their daddies that are deployed) makes me cry every time.


• When I first get into bed, I have to twist my back around in this contorted position so that it will make a Snap, Crackle, Pop! sound and it grosses out my hubby every time.


• I take showers that are so hot that my skin is a nice pinkish red when I get out.
• I could eat pizza every day. Really, I could.
• I don't know how to play chess or checkers. Or know how to sew. Or knit. Or cross stitch.
• I wish I never had to move out of this town. I hate moving to a new city. But I know I will probably have to leave and that scares me.

I guess that's it. Hope you learned something. Now, let's see...I don't have a lot of blogging friends, but I'll tag Hip Mommy. :)

Merry Christmas!!

Well, only 2 hours and 15 minutes until Ol' St. Nick is expected to plop his plump self down our chimney (which we don't have) and eat our cookies and drink our milk (which we're not leaving out) and then leave us presents (which we've already opened, because we're splitting up the Holiday). Ho ho ho!!

Hope tomorrow is a blessed day for all and Santa is good to you.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS WITH A TWIST:
1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. Multiple Personality Disorder ---We Three Kings Disoriented Are
3. Dementia ---I Think I'll be Home for Christmas
4. Narcissistic ---Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
5. Manic ---Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and...
6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me
7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire
8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why
9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, Why is France so far away?
10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder --- Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...


Merry Christmas!!

The Countdown

5 days until Christmas. And more immediate...

1 1/2 more days left of school!! Yippee!!

I don't sound excited, do I? :)

Was this really a month ago?

Here are some belated pictures from Thanksgiving. And yes, that's Mason in a pool. Hard to believe, since it's been bone chilling around here lately!!

Much waited, much anticipated...much invigorated??

Before you start thinking to yourself, "Finally! Princess Lionhead finally got off her dairy aire and wrote a blog!!", remember how busy things can get for you and then realize that it's about the same here. So, get over it. :)

Anyways, I know in my last blog I promised to write the next one about the genius things my lovely hormonal angels have said to me. And I still want to. So I'm going to attempt to conjure up the ones I can remember (my memory can normally be lacking, but having a baby sucking at my brain can make things even less likely to stay in my cranium). Here are a few:

1. Mrs. Lionhead, what if your baby is born Amish? (yes, like the guys with the sideburns, tophats and the horse and carriage)

2. Can illiterate people think? Breathe? See colors? Wouldn't they just shrivel up and die?

3. If I could correspond with someone from another country, it would be from Hawaii. (I told her that Hawaii was part of the United States, and she said, "but it's not connected?")

4. (I had written some instructions related to research papers on the board, specifically regarding using resources. I had written that they need to use at least 3 resources and 1 must be a book and a hand went up...) Why does it say "I must be a book on the board?" (I had to laugh--especially when another student admitted she had actually written "I must be a book" in her notes!)

5. (This one's not mine, but it's a story worth telling. The science teacher was having a discussion about how the brain sends signals to parts of the body. And one student asked how a newborn baby knows how to breathe for the first time. The teacher reminded them that they had learned about which part of the brain is responsible for body functions and he asked if anyone could remember the name of that part of the brain...) I know what part of the brain does that!! Isn't it the Uterus?

I think that's all I can remember right now. My hubby hears my anecdotes from teaching everyday and he gets a little worried of that generation. They could be one of his students in just a few short years!! They'll be serving our food at McDonald's soon!! And they'll be the ones administering our medications when we are old and rotting in a nursing home!! Isn't that a comforting feeling?

I love them, but I worry about their common sense. Or lack thereof.

Update on my sister

I talked to my dad this afternoon and my sister is doing well. They took 1/3 of her liver and a growth just about the size of a soccer ball!! The surgery went faster than expected, and they say she should be able to go home in a few days. The recovery will be the tricky part. Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts for her. I know they were felt and heard in her heart...

On a lighter note, you can look forward to my next blog that I plan to write this weekend: a continuation of the blog I wrote about a year ago: Things My Students Have Said Part Two or Teenagers Are Common Sense Deficient. I wish I had written down every little mind blowing anecdote in the past year, but alas, I'll have to devise a list from my memory. And you can look forward to that...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just a note to say that I hope all of my readers (my huge total of about 4) had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, ate loads of fattening foods, enjoyed some laughs with friends and family, and then slept well. If you were crazy enough to go out on Black Friday today (which we actually were!!), hope you didn't get trampled by angry shoppers and you got what you went out for. Have a fantastic rest of your weekend and I will post pictures later.

Settling in

Our house looks like a real house now. We've unpacked most boxes and every room looks lived in. We're finding things in the drawers we put them in, and we've figured out which lightswitch goes to what. It feels good to be settling in. Eventually we'll actually have friends over and then it will feel like home.

We also went down to the little park near the house last weekend. It was fun, especially for Mason. He took LarryBoy and the Larry Mobile down the slide and he of course wanted Mommy and Daddy to take their turns going down the slide with him. I'm just getting around to posting the pictures, so here ya go.

Hooray for a Trash Can!!

I never thought I'd find myself delighting in the sight of a green plastic trash recepticle sitting outside of our house. But I am very happy.

Long story short (because it's too frustrating and too boring to retell), we have been trying to get a trash can from the new company that is required in our new subdivision, for 3 weeks now!! We are the first residents that have moved into our cul-de-sac (but certainly not the first residents to live in our neighborhood, by far), but the Trash Company basically said we didn't exist. They thought we were in a town that's a 4 hour drive from here!! After 5 phone calls to the Trash Company (and many aggravating moments where God tested Hubby's patience), a truck pulled up this morning with our can. It was a lovely sight. It means we don't have bags upon bags of trash that we have to lug to the nearest dumpster.

Hooray!!

Think Pink!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen (but I think I just have Lady readers!), we're having a girl! She was showing all at the doctor's office, so there was no doubt!!

We can't wait to meet our little Grace Maureen in less than 20 weeks!!

Boo!

Yeah it's me. Yeah it's been over a week. Get over it. Things have been a teensy bit crazy hectic around here.

We got our keys to our new house today (supposed to happen yesterday, but that's another story). Hubby's been over putting up vertical blinds and he is currently still at the house installing our automatic garage opener. Yep, brand new house in a brand new subdivision and it didn't come with a garage door opener. Lame. Tomorrow he'll be putting in ceiling fans, finishing the blinds, along with many other things. I still don't think it's really hit me that we're moving first of all, and that we actually BOUGHT this house. It's so very exciting, but also so scary. It's a good thing, I know.

Next Thursday we find out if our baby lion cub will be a king or queen of the jungle. I had a teacher at school today predict that I'm having a boy. We'll just see. Maybe I should have a pool going?? If I'm having another boy, praise the Lord. Mason will have a playmate, and I'll know what to expect. And Lord knows we have boy crap up the wazoo (and trust me, that's a lot!!)!! We'll just see I guess.

Any boy name suggestions? We haven't really agreed on one yet. And maybe we won't have to...

I'm tired, but I will say that yes, yesterday was Halloween. And yes, my students were a little wired and talking about candy and costumes and trick-or-treating. And yes, today, I had about 5 or so kids absent in each class. Out too late? Candy hangover? Who knows?

Alright, tomorrow's our last day in our current house and I have work and the In-Laws are coming. And I have my state test Saturday morning. Lots to do. And not a lot of time to rest. Goodnight.

Blue tape, so many signatures, a fat check...and a dead snake??

We did our initial walk-through for our new house today. What a crazy event. It gets really hard to stare at white walls and find tiny cracks or nicks in the paint. The superintendant followed behind us, slapping blue tape on the mistakes and looking bored. Nice guy, but he looked bored out of his mind.

Then, there's all the signing. My goodness. So much signing. And I'm pretty sure by the 95th time I signed my name, it didn't look a darn thing like the first time I signed it. I guess they don't care as long as you signed it. We even signed a paper saying that our name with middle initial was the same person without the middle initial!

And the fat check: yeah, that's a little painful. I've never seen so many numbers on one check before. It's a good thing, but also a a little frightening.

And the dead snake, you ask? Well, we drove by our place the other night, and as we were pulling out, our headlights shone on one of the trees and we saw this thing that looked like a skinny rope hanging down. Taking a closer gander, my hubby realized that it was a little gardener snake and it was dead. Weird. I've never seen a dead snake that was coiled around a tree with its head hanging down, have you? Well, that was a week or so ago, and when we went for our walk-through, it was still there. But not as pretty. It was decomposing and smelled like rotting kitty litter. And when the superintendant attempted to yank it off the tree with a hammer, its insides dripped on the concrete. Yuck.

A lot goes on when you don't go to work on a Tuesday, eh?

Uhhh...what?

Here are some recent "what is going on here?" moments going on in my life, brought to you by Yours Truly:

1. Apparently the Everything bagel makes me throw up. Yeah. Last Sunday I had one for breakfast, and within 10 minutes, I was puking "everything but my toenails" (as my dad would say). And this morning, I had another one (not thinking it was at all related to the last time...silly me) and by the time I was well on my way to dropping Mason off at Ms. Cindy's, my stomach exploded. All I could do was snatch up a Target bag I had on my passenger seat, shake everything out of it and place it under my chin. I didn't even have time to stop the car. Mason was needless to say, a little confused.
Note to self: stay away from the Everything bagels.

2. Somehow, in some other dimension, a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, 2 weeks ago, I was able to be in a town about a 4 hour drive away from here at the same time I was here. We got a Traffic Violation Notice in the mail today, from the said town. They had blurry pictures of a license plate that looked vaguely like ours, a driver that looked sort of like my hubby, in a car that was a Toyota, but not the same model. Interesting. I gave them a call, and they laughed. I guess we just need to mail in our vehicle registration, and prove that it wasn't us, that drove 55 in a 40 mph zone. Weird.

3. I guess one week of Fall Break was not enough for most of my students. All day they were groggy and whiny and sloth-like. By 7th hour, they were a bunch of slugs that could barely keep their eyes open. I told them they were spoiled, as every other school I've worked in never had Fall Break, and furthermore, I NEVER had Fall Break when I was in school. The neighboring district gets 2 WEEKS off for Fall Break. I tried to explain to my distraught students that you are still in school the exact same amount of days as any other district, it's just how they break it up. They just don't see it that way.

Sometimes in life, I just have to stand there, with my eyes squinty, my mouth hanging open and say, "Ummm...what?"

Trick or Tater

We will be moving around Halloween this year, so sadly, no decorations will be put out. But, since Mason's been going through a lot of changes and disturbances in his everyday life (Ms. Cindy getting baby Joe, then they moved, then we're having a baby and we're moving), I found him a Halloween gift at Fry's. This is Mason and his new Trick or Tater Potatohead. Boo.

Ahhhh...

I have a new reason that I've been slacking on my blog the last few days: I'm on Fall Break this week. Ahh, glorious Fall Break...

The end of last week was pretty busy but not too stressful. I did, however, send a kid (whom we shall call Name Name, since he has the same first name and last name) to the office BEFORE the first bell on Thursday, for being rude to me and then flipping off two students. That was special. Friday was uneventful, as it was an Early Release and the kids were just finishing the movie "Hercules" (we just wrapped up a unit on Greek Mythology and they wrote Mythology Narratives of their own). Oh, and grades were due. No sweat. Saturday, I had some time to myself, as Hubby attempted to take Mason to an airshow (but it was too much of a hassle). I went to the Christian store to get the new Veggietales, "The Wizard of Ha's" (very funny parody of the original), got a smoothie nearby and went to Kohl's, since it just opened here last week. I managed to get brand new master bath towels and stuff for when we move. That was fun. Yesterday, I felt very drained and yucky, so we skipped church. Later, I felt better, so we ran some errands, then met Ms. Cindy's family for lunch. Today was my first official day of Fall Break. Mason and I have had a nice, restful day. I spent the morning playing with Mason, watching "Wizard of Ha's" (this is Time #3, by the way), packed a box and played outside a bit. We also went to Target and Costco. In a little bit, we're off to meet Hubby at my doc for my monthly prenatal visit. Nothing exciting planned for this appointment, as I am only 15 weeks along. But I think next visit (next month) should be my UltraSound. Yeah!!

Well, Mason's been left to his own devices in the living room long enough. Hope all is well with my faithful readers and Fall is finding you in a pleasant mood. See ya.

I made a funny

I actually originally wrote this blog over at my myspace, but I thought I'd share it with you all too. Hope you get a chuckle out of my lack of attention--look, something shiny!!

I saw a student in the halls today with a really funny shirt. And I have to say, it takes a lot for me to say that, as most of their shirts are either just dumb or insulting (like, "Genuis by birth, Slacker by choice" and crap like that). But here's the funny one: "9 out of 10 doctors say I have A.D.D.--look a butterfly!!" Now, that's funny. I know A.D.D. is overdiagnosed and a term that is overused and overemphasized, but it's still a funny--Wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah, A.D.D. Yeah, A.D.D. is funny. Wait, no it's not. I don't know what I'm saying. Hugs are nice. Especially ones that are warm and just the right amount of tightness and come from someone you love. Ahhh, love. Robots are cool. I want one that will clean my house. I hate cleaning my house. It's always messy and the bathrooms are my least favorite.Have you read the book "Everybody Poops"? That's a funny book. It's about how every animal poops and it's supposed to help kids go potty. It's funny.

You know what else is funny? This shirt I saw on a kid today. It said: "9 out of 10 doctors say I have A.D.D.--look a butterfly!!"

Isn't that special?

First thing first hour this morning, a kid throws up on my carpeted classroom. Nice. He wasn't looking too good beforehand, but said he was fine. Luckily, there wasn't any wretching noises and it wasn't chunky. The kids, of course, acted like they had just witnessed the most utterly disgusting event ever in the history of humankind. They were pulling their shirts up to their noses and flying out of their seats to get away from it. I told them to get over themselves. Yeah, it was gross, but I'm pregnant and I was standing right near it, and couldn't smell anything. Buncha babies...

Today, Mythology Narratives were due. I told them about the Final Drafts on Thursday. Thursday to Monday is how many days?? Apparently not enough days, I realize, as I glance over my puny pile of stories that made it in today. 36 were turned in today. Out of 77 students. Granted, about 10 kids total out of my 3 classes were out today, but still. Let's just say for the sake of being hopeful, that all of the absent kids would have brought their papers today had they been at school (which is doubtful, as I am assured that some were "out sick" for the very opposite reason), that's still a whopping 46 out of 77. That's shameful. In fact, I think that's the worst percentage I've had in my 6 year teaching career. Oh, and by the way, I gave them an extra 15-20 minutes at the beginning of class today to finish! Problem was, most that didn't turn in their assignment didn't even bother bringing it to class. I even had one, for now we'll call Complacent Boy Reincarnate (since Hormone Boy last year was the first Complacent Boy) that flat out admitted that he didn't do it, didn't plan on doing it and didn't care that he was getting a big fat 0 out of 100 for not doing it. I told him that he was a big boy and that I wasn't going to hold his hand, and that I was sorry that he didn't think he had to do the assignment, but he would be very unhappy when he saw his report card. He just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I know." Sigh...

What a day.

We got rid of our crap!!

We had a yard sale today. I hate yard sales. I really do. I hate scavenging through the house looking for items that we haven't used in decades but still manage to have a reason to keep around. I hate compiling all the crap to sell. I hate labeling and pulling it out into the driveway.

That being said, we needed to get rid of some crap. We're moving in like 5 weeks and I really don't want to pack up stuff that we don't need or use anymore. So, we had a yard sale. It went pretty well. We made about $36. That's not a lot, but it's something I guess. It's like 2 visits to fast food. We didn't really have any big ticket items, just a lot of odds and ends. Ms. Cindy and her crew brought over some furniture and baby gear to sell, which they did, for the most part. Luckily they had a trailer, so when the sale was said and done, we just loaded up the leftovers and dropped them off at a donation place.

Yeah for having less to pack!!

Whee!!

This weekend was fun. Friday night we went to the County Fair. We took Mason last year, but I don't think he cared too much about it. This year, he got a kick out of all the animals and the people and the lights and the food (we had nachos and an incredibly greasy corn dog--not to mention the deep fried Twinkie, deep fried Oreos, deep fried Nutter Butter and deep fried Snickers that we shared with Ms. Cindy's family!!) and the rides. This year we took him on his very first ride: the Merry Go Round. He looked a little scared at first, but after one or two rotations, his eyes lit up and he couldn't stop smiling. It was pure joy.

Saturday, we went to two parties: one for a friend at work (whose house will be just a few blocks from our new one!) and one from Ms. Cindy's middle child's 7th birthday. Both were fun, but parties with cake are always better!

Sunday was church and me helping out in the nursery.

Today I woke up feeling like doody (yes, AGAIN) and Mason was a bit sniffly. I called out and stayed home with my son. We both went to the doctor and she said we both just have a cold. So, she didn't prescribe any meds. I just hope it goes away on its own.

That's it. You now know everything there is to know in the history of everything.

And now, what you've all been waiting for...

(or at least the frequent visitors of this blog--not people that just happened upon my blog hitting the "Next Blog" button...)

A BLOG ENTRY FROM ME!!
I know it's been over a week. I'm sorry. Every night I get online to check me email and read other blogs and I come by here and think, "I should write something" and then guess what? I don't. Just don't feel like I've had much to say I guess. And I know you dedicated readers wouldn't admit it, but no one wants to read uneventful blogs. Who cares if I went to the store or took a shower or watched tv?

So yeah. I haven't been avoiding you, just my blog. :) Work's busy as it's been since August. Tomorrow's our first Fantastic Friday of the year, which should be interesting. For those who are actually able to go, there will be a teachers vs. students volleyball game and BINGO going on. Too bad I can't hang out to see how that turns out. I'm assigned one of the Retraining Rooms (where the kids who've been slacking on their grades get to go!) so, I'll just be sitting in my room with 15 students that have bad grades. And honestly, I'm going to take a guess and say less than half show up, because last year proved that kids that know they're not going to Fantastic Friday just don't come to school that day. Nice, huh?

I can't believe we have 2 weeks until Fall Break. That means 2 weeks until the Quarter's over! And 2 weeks before I'm 1/3 of the way through my time this school year! Yowza! And on top of that: 6 weeks until we move into our new house!! Our closing date is October 23, and we'll probably move the next weekend. That's unbelievable. It feels like there's so much to be done. I know it will all work out in the end, but right now, I feel like I'm at the bottom of Mt. St. Helens and someone's telling me to climb it in an hour! (thank goodness that's not the case, huh?)

Well, just wanted to check in and remind you that I'm busy and lazy. Not a good combo. Will write again when there's something interesting to say, I promise.

6 Years

This time 6 years ago, I was in the second or so week of my very first year teaching. I was teaching 6th graders in Virginia and didn't live all that far from D.C. and the Pentagon. It was a very scary day. I didn't know how to handle it or what to say to the kids. I remember my hubby being in Korea at the time. I remember living with PBAF and how it took her all day to evacuate from her job in D.C. I remember going to New York the following March and seeing wreckage and hearing the silence and feeling chills up my spine.

My current students were in 1st grade at the time. Some remember and some don't. We talked some today, because I think it's important that they know something.

And my story might be a little more hard hitting and personal than a teacher that was in the West at the time.

I will never forget.

Ba Bump Ba Bump Ba Bump...

We went to the doctor on Thursday. We heard a heartbeat. Everything's a-okay with the baby. :) I'm 11 weeks, due March 28, with a C-Section at about 38 or 29 weeks. No Ultra Sound until probably late October or early November, when we will hopefully find out the sex. Yippee. :)

Here's a couple of magic tricks for ya!!

Poof! A week just disappeared and it's now the next Tuesday and I am writing another blog!

Ta-Da! Our son accomplished extreme potty accomplishments this weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house: he told Daddy he needed to go potty when we were at IHOP, he peed like a champ at their house (and preferred going WITHOUT the potty seat!!) AND pooped 2 times in the potty this weekend! We were so proud of him!! Hopefully that means underwear is around the corner. (as long it's around a corner that comes before Baby #2 arrives, I'll be happy!)

Abracadabra! Our son is growing up before our very eyes. Aside from the potty achievements, I realized sadly the other day that he has grown out of his cute orange shoes. If he's wearing thin socks he can get his feet in them, but his little toesies are at the very ends. So sad. So now he has all these orange clothes and boring white shoes to wear them with...

And the most powerful yet aggravating magic trick of them all...

Voila! I am down with the snotty junk!! Yee-haw!! It came around right before we headed down to see the in-laws this past weekend, and it just kept getting more and more debilitating. I napped everyday and tried to drink lots of fluids and administer the slim list of meds that I can take now that I'm pregnant (nose spray, Sudafed and Robitussin). Nothing worked for too long. Luckily I have my first OB appointment this Thursday, so I figure if I'm still a sickling, I'll have my doc prescribe me some antibiotics. I really don't want to take medication while I'm pregnant, but this sickness is taking its toll on me and I can't get proper rest or even spend quality time with Mason if I'm feeling lousy.

Hope you enjoyed the magnificent magic show. Don't forget to tip your waitress...

Yeah yeah yeah...

I know. I haven't really blogged since my birthday. Sorry about that. As usual, time has been whizzing by my head and all I can do is whip my head around and blink twice and say, "What the heck was that that just flew by?" Plus, I'm 9 1/2 weeks pregnant, people!! I'm busy making a baby! I NEED MY REST!!

Anyways, school is definitely keeping me busy. The team leader thing is very time consuming, as most of my after school time is spent making the list of detention attendees and preparing reminders for the following day. My kids aren't too bad this year (as of yet), but once again, my last block of the day seems to be my most challenging. It goes in order this year, actually. My first block is really sweet and participatory. My second block is mostly good but a little talkative. And the last block, well there's a lot of blurters in that class. Yet, they don't have anything to say, when it comes time for volunteers to share answers. That's a little frustrating. We're working on that.

I'm feeling okay by the way. Fatigue is by far my worst symptom at this point. Yeah, I wake up feeling icky and again before mealtime, but it's not too bad. No throwing up, so that's a blessing. I just feel whooped at the end of each day. And on the weekends, my energy level is that of a paralyzed snail. I want to get more done, but my body wants to just let the couch suck me in until Monday morning. I really hope my stamina picks back up or I'll never get essays graded over a weekend! But hey, at least I'm prodcutive at work. Although, I do feel a little forgetful and ditzy lately. The baby is sucking my brain!

Well, hubby will be home and Mason's watching Elmo. Ta ta for now.

Found 'em

Here are the other shoes I got yesterday. And these were only $4.50 (because of BOGO at Payless) Yeah for more shoes I won't have to tie when I can't see my feet anymore!!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Today was a pretty good day. Most of my kids remembered to tell me "Happy Birthday" (since I mentioned it yesterday) and one even gave me a book. My hubby bought me a laser printer for my classroom (so I don't have to use the communal one like everyone else), Ms. Cindy gave me a Target giftcard (worth $29!) and my in-laws sent me a check. Which I took and bought these shoes.
And another pair of Airwalks, which I couldn't find a picture of. They're cream with brown and pink plaid stripes. Fun.


Happy Birthday to me!

Stucco, Doors and Shelves!!

Our new house is on its way! We went by there today, and they've stucco'd the outside and put interior and exterior doors on. And there are shelves in the closets! It's exciting. It's one step closer to being ours. :)

Week Two: Almost Done. Really?

Wow. It's been a crazy week. I'm just getting into the swing of things with being one of the two Team Leaders for the 7th grade, so it's taking some practice (things would go smoother if I had an aide, but that's another story!). I've started actually teaching some (mostly still review though) and it's gone okay. Most kids are being receptive and are well behaved, but there are already a few that are trying to make themselves known. I'm enjoying Mrs. Principal's son, which is a lot of fun. I have a handful of kids that are really, really a lot of fun to have in class and they've already begun to share things with me and it seems that their comfort zone is real relaxed with me. That's good. We'll see how the year progresses.

Well, I'm off to watch a little mind-numbing tv and then beddy-bye time. Goodnight and tomorrow's Friday!!

P.S. My birthday's in 5 days!! :)

The greatest day of Mason's life. Ever.

Yesterday was the ultimately perfect day for Mason. The best part was when we went by our local Christian store and Bob and Larry from Veggietales were there! We weren't real sure how he was gonna react (I really predicted he'd stand off and look at them from a distance), but he ran right up to them and hugged them and gave them high-5's and wouldn't leave them alone!! It was really cute!!

Later, we went to Ms. Cindy's littlest daughter's 4th birthday party. Mason had fun there too, as he knew most of the kids and they played with Play Doh and Potatoheads and he got to help her open her presents. Later, we had cake.

I'm sure Mason won't remember yesterday as years pass, but as of right now, it was the best day of Mason's life, by far.

Week One: Done!!

I can't believe it's Friday. Really. The week went by really fast. I guess with the first 3 days of school being a weird schedule and doing the Boot Camp thing, the days just zoomed by. I was really happy when yesterday arrived and we were on regular schedule. It was nice to start the real routine. I'm still not exactly in the real swing of things (as I feel it would have been wasted to delve headfirst into the curriculum too soon as a lot of kids move around and leave and whatever for the first couple of weeks), so I had some down time at the end of each block. Luckily I have Mad Libs which keep them entertained, and they love reading my Guiness Book of World Records or Ripley's Believe It Or Not books. Next week we will do some real work.

And I'll be glad when next week comes, then I will only have after school duty. The first week, everyone is on morning and afternoon duty, as kids get used to maneuvering around the building and finding their classes and getting into their lockers (oh, how the 6th graders look to be on the verge of tears the first few days over those darn lockers!!) and all that jazz.

Now I just need to get a T.A. I had my pal Hockey Boy (one of my 7th graders from last year) as my 1st period T.A., but the P.E. department stole him from me! So, because I am one of the 7th grade team leaders, I am scrambling to find another former student to be my T.A. There's a lot to get passed to other teachers and stuff 1st period every day. We'll see if I can snag one up on Monday.

Now, it's Friday night, I feel whooped and I have 2 days of rest!! Ms. Cindy's littlest girl is having her 4th birthday party tomorrow, so that should be fun. No other plans. Just resting. And getting ready for Week Two.

Day one: DONE!!!

I survived the First Day of School and I can say it wasn't THAT bad. I was really stressed and even felt the anxiety on the inside, just because I didn't feel like I was as prepared this year as I was last year. I ran around this morning before school, trying to get some things done and I didn't get much of it done, as they asked teachers to go to their duty stations 10 minutes earlier than planned. Apparently since school starts an hour and 15 minutes earlier than last year (last year: 8:45, this year: 7:30), there was some confusion on when we would open the doors in the morning and let them in for breakfast. I sure hope they get it figured out, because if I don't get to school until 7, 7:05 is gonna be unreasonable to start duty. We'll see.

Meeting my kids was interesting today. I have 4 students this year that are siblings of students I had last year. That's kinda weird. I am going to try not to compare them. I also have Mrs. Principal's son this year and I think he's gonna be a firecracker (and if you knew Mrs. Principal, you'd know why. She's admittedly ADHD and very high spirited!)! I predict he's smart but a little quirky. I can deal with smart but quirky...

Didn't tell them I won't be there the last quarter of school, as I wanted to ease them into that. I'll probably tell them soon though, because I don't want it to be a secret and they're gonna start asking pretty soon, since a lot of my regular clothes don't really fit me anymore! And perhaps if they know, they will be sensitive to the fact that I will need to eat in class and run to the potty while the neighboring teacher watches the class.

This year I'm helping with Boot Camp. Not military Boot Camp (yeah, could you really see me doing sit-ups or running or anything resembling an excercise?!?), a kind of training we give all of the students on the rules and regulations and procedures for our school. Basically, the first 3 days of school are Early Release Schedule for regular classes, and then they spend the last 2 hours of school in Boot Camp. It's mini classes on all the stuff we want them to know. I am getting to teach Drills (Fire Drills, Lockdown Drills, etc.). We teach the class 8 times a day. That's saying the same thing 24 times over 3 days! I don't mind being a part of it, but I really wish I had recorded my shpeel and could just press play for each class...

Well, I would really like to spend time with my son and hubby now. I shall get back to you soon!!

A lot to say and not a lot of time to tell it

We are heading out here soon to celebrate our 7th Anniversary (the real day is tomorrow), by going to see "The Simpsons Movie" (Hubby's choice, of course) and eat at Red Lobster (my choice!). But I wanted to stop by and say I didn't drop off the planet or have my baby yet (we've got another 7 1/2 months to go, people, so calm down!). Just been REAL busy. School starts Monday and I guess I'm ready. Eeek! Can you ever be ready? We handed out schedules for 7th and 8th graders last night and that was interesting but tiring. I saw some of my students from last year and they were bummed to hear I wasn't going to be teaching them for 8th grade. Oh well. At least I get to see them every once in awhile when they pop in to say hello. I even saw a few of my 8th graders from last year, as their parents were getting their siblings' schedules. That was fun. We've also been doing a lot of house paperwork stuff and tomorrow we go to pick out countertops and flooring! Yippee!! Lastly, I've had little to no energy a lot of the time, being that I'm about 6 weeks pregnant now. The morning sickness kicked in the day teachers had to return to work (of course!). It hasn't been too bad, I just feel icky and my stomach churns. No blowing chunks. Yet. Yeah, and I've been trying to enjoy the last few moments of summer with Mason and my hubby before school starts.

So that's what I've been doing. And it's only gonna get busier. I will try to write again, probably Sunday about the house stuff or after the First Day of School. Ta ta.

6 days until school!!

That's crazy. I can't believe the summer's over. It was so wonderful being home for the summer (since I've never been at least not with Mason) and we did so many great things (lots of art, Summer Movie Fun, waterplay, working on potty training, Family Camp, etc.) that I don't want it to end. But, I'm also ready to go back to work (and now, my state of mind is the sooner I go back to work, the sooner we move and the sooner we'll have a baby!!).

I went today and moved some things around, put some posters up, unpacked the rest of the boxes and tried to arrange my room just the way I want it (for now). And then I got visitors. Two of my 8th grade boys from last year popped their heads into my room. It was Hormone Boy and Jock Boy (d0n't know if I mentioned him last year--HUGE kid, all about football and a bit chauvanistic, but very smart). I inquire why they're at the school, and they proceed to tell me why they were suspended the last 3 days of last school year, AND currently suspended for the first 4 days of high school. Apparently another kids had a Swiss Army knife (or something like it) in his backpack on the school bus and Jock Boy wanted to see it. He started playing with it, and then Hormone Boy wanted to see it. Needless to say, the bus driver saw it as "three kids were holding a knife" and the 3 boys got 10 days of Out of School Suspension. And since there were only 3 days left of school, their suspension carried over to this coming school year. To total 10 days of suspension, they are serving 2 of them helping around our school--taking out boxes, moving things up and downstairs, etc. I even saw Jock Boy with a mop and bucket when I was leaving. It's good for them. It's humbling. But I will admit it does suck to already have a suspension hanging over your head before school even starts.

I don't plan on going to the school tomorrow, as it is my last opportunity to spend time with Mason before I really start working. Wednesday is my real return date anyways, and I can finish up odds and ends in my classroom the rest of the week.

Well, Mason just fell asleep and I have Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows waiting for me!

Wow. Today was surreal.

We are buying a house. Our first day out. What a crazy day.


What? You want more details? Fine.

We went out with our realtor friend and he showed us a bunch of so-so houses, some pretty good ones and 1 REALLY CRAPPY ONE. Let me just pause here to tell you about the Craptastic one. Let's just say that we learned the owner was a cat lover with no peeing boundaries for her feline friend! We barely got through the threshold and we all covered our noses. Oh my Lordy, it was soooo bad! The smell of cat urine is no aromatic, if you've never taken a whiff. Especially with the carpet is saturated with it. So gross. It didn't matter that it had walk-in closets and a spacious kitchen--IT SMELLED LIKE AMMONIA!! That was a "no" before we even got inside.

Our last stop today was in a subdivision where Ms. Cindy and her family are moving. We went with our realtor into the sales office and chatted a bit. They are having incentives for buying immediately, PLUS, if you could make a committment before the weekend was over, they'd knock another $10,000 off the price! The salesman showed us a model home and it was real nice (as they always are), and then showed us a spec home that was in the framing stage. Oh so pretty. And just what we wanted. And we could get it for over $30,000 under the value! We hemmed and hawed and went home and talked about it. But it didn't take long to feel that this was the house for us. We were getting a brand new house right off the bat!! It was (and still is) really scary, but so very exciting too. My hubby made some calls (including my dad that's helping us with the down payment) and went back to the sales office during Mason's nap to sign papers. Yes, sign papers. And give Earnest money!! Tomorrow we take some more paperwork back to them and get the ball rolling! Yikes! We are both elated (and so is Ms. Cindy, as we will be about 2 blocks away!!) and scared out of our minds. A lot to think about. Oh, and we will be moving in either November or December.

Then 3 or 4 months later, we'll have a baby. We must like change.

Good things

My class is over. Hallelujah. I came away from it with some fresh, new ideas on how to approach my entire class, but especially those who are usually lost in the shuffle. But I am glad it's over, because I'm not one for sitting in a classroom for hours and hours at a time, listening to one person speak. And I'm expected to pay attention!! I'm good for retaining information for the first hour or so, but after that, it's questionable.

The other piece of good news is that my hubby got somewhat of a promotion. Well, it increases the consistency and stability of his hours and gives him some extra responsibility, which is good. He wasn't sure that he would get the position, since others were also applying, but he found out today that he got it. Yeah for him! Yeah for us! Yeah for more money!!

Last little tidbit: we're going to meet with a realtor (friend of a friend) tomorrow to look at houses. It's exciting but a little scary too. I hope we make some progress. It would be fun to start the process of buying our own house and not paying someone else's mortgage for a change.

And that's it. That's all. Ta ta.

Nighty night

I know some of you (mostly one of you) can't stand it when I don't blog for a few days. Heaven forbid, if I have other things more taxing to do than to keep you afloat on my every move!! JK

Anyways, not much new to report. Still pregnant. Real tired all the time. No other symptoms yet. I'm probably about 4 weeks by now. I don't see my doctor until September 6. That's over a month away.

I've been in this SEI (Structured English Immersion) class for the last 4 days and I'm about SEI'd out. It's all about how to reach the students in your class that speak little to no English. They are trying not to let those kids fall through the cracks. And as much as I appreciate the effort and training, I'm done. Well, I'm not done, I'll be done tomorrow. But I'm mentally done. There's been a lot of lecture, PowerPoint, videos, notes and worksheets. For 6-7 hours a day. Blah.

Maybe I'll have more time to blog when this class is over. Ha!

Goodnight.

A few minor things to report

I just read an email from a cranky, pregnant friend of mine that pointed out that I hadn't blogged since last Wednesday, and apparently she needs reading material and explained that I had information to share. ;) I suppose she's right.

Let's see...Well, for those of you in the know, my brother is doing well and is back at home, after two trips to the hospital. There was a very good chance he was going to lose his leg to an infection he had ignored for years, but it looks they caught it and now he's on a plethora of prescription drugs for the infection, the pain and his heart. Thank you to those who had him and our family in your prayers.

Two weekends ago, we almost bought a house through an auction, but the owner decided not to sell it to anybody. I guess it wasn't meant to be. I'll admit, we were a little frustrated and disappointed, but we're okay with it. There's a house that's meant for us, and we plan to find it real soon!! In fact, we are meeting with a realtor that our friends know this evening, and hopefully he can help us get down the right path.

Hmmm...was that all? Was there anything else exciting or worth telling anyone? Thinking...thinking...Oh yeah, one last tidbit: I'M PREGNANT!!!! We just found out early Friday morning (and took another test Sunday, to be sure), so I'm probably only about 3 or 4 weeks. I know it's new and some people would say to wait to tell people just in case something goes wrong, but oh well. We told everyone who would listen as soon as we found out we were pregnant with Mason, so I don't see anything wrong with it. And if you know me at all, you know I can't wait for anything!! If we're doing our math right, Baby #2 is due around late March or early April. And since I intend on having a scheduled C-section, Baby #2 will most likely be born around mid March or so. (Maybe St. Patrick's Day??) I guess we'll know more accurate information when I actually go to the doctor.

It's been fun trying to get people to figure it out on their own, as we had things planned to do when we found out: my hubby was growing a goatee until we got pregnant and I wanted to donate my hair for Locks of Love (for cancer and Alopecia patients). My hubby shaved Sunday morning, and it took my parents an hour to notice, and later, Ms. Cindy a half an hour!! I guess people aren't as observant as we'd like to think sometimes.

Anyways, that's my news. Hope this satisfies you, PBAF! :) Feel free to send congrats and love my way!

No more Summer Movie Fun

Well, at least not after today. And at least not for me. The movies keep going for another 4 weeks I think, but today is my last one. Next week, I'll be in a training (for highly qualified stuff), the following Wednesday is my first official day back to work (Inservices), and the Wednesday after that, school will have started. So sad. I've enjoyed the weekly visits to see movies I've already seen, just to get out and give Mason and I something to do. Ms. Cindy will probably still take Mason with her next week, which is good. I'll be sitting in a classroom at the high school, listening to someone drone on and on about God knows what, and Mason will be stuffing his face with popcorn and sitting in front of a big movie screen. Not fair.

I can't believe that technically today is my last day of actual summer. Tomorrow and Friday I will be doing Team Leader stuff at the school, and like I said, I have that training all next week and then the next Monday and Tuesday I plan on working on my classroom (right now it's in shambles, since all I've done is move everything upstairs), and it's Inservices after that until school starts. But you know what gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling? I am so excited that when we go to that first teacher meeting, I won't be the Newbie! I know people and know stuff about the school!! I remember last year (and every year before that), the first meeting day was so nervewracking. I'd sit nervously at a table and try my hardest to remember everyone's names and act as casual and as comfortable as I could. This year is different. I know my way around the school and I can introduce myself to the Newbies. What a comforting feeling...

I'm of course a little sad that my one-on-one time with Mason will be diminishing significantly after today. Although it's been an adjustment for both of us, I have honestly treasured my time with my son. I have watched him grow and change and do new things everyday this summer. And I wouldn't trade it for any summer job out there. But I know it must come to an end, and I'm more at ease by the fact that he's returning to Ms. Cindy, at least for now. He's nowhere near fully potty trained (he's peeing a couple of times a day on it, but no poopy and he doesn't tell us when he needs to go), and she offered to take him as long as we needed. Well, I'm sure she'd probably step in and say something if he's getting his driver's license and still wearing diapers. Pretty sure we'll have it conquered long before that. At least by Kindergarten. ;)

So, instead of spending any more time on here while Mason's in the living room, I'm going to watch the rest of Veggietales, "Duke and the Great Pie War" with my son. Time is precious and getting away from me as I write this...

Rain, glorious rain!!

I live in the desert. Well, the entire state is considered the desert, and I live in what is more like a flat forest: some trees and mountains and cooler temperatures than a desert, but it's a desert still the same. And this desert is always in danger of droughts and fires. That's why we rejoice in rain. We haven't had much to speak for in a very long time. Today it rained. And it's still raining. It's such a lovely sound. I love sleeping at night, hearing the distant thunder and the raindrops dancing on the roof and windows. It makes for such a restful night. Ahhh...

My Bad

Sorry I haven't written since Sunday. I guess I've just been enjoying my week at home. I don't have many of those left, ya know. I recently started playing Sims 2 again, and as before, I've become addicted. I pride myself on not playing it when Mason's awake, as I get so into the game that I might miss my 2 year old starting fires or shaving the cat or finding the keys to the car and heading for Wendy's for chicken and ranch. And we can all agree to that being bad.

Anyways, I don't remember all that much from the past 5 days, but I do remember a few snippets: Monday night we went with Ms. Cindy's family to see "Ratatouille". Very cute. But it was Mason's first REAL movie (since I don't count the Summer Movie Fun) and he got a little restless about halfway through. Daddy graciously ended up taking Mason into the lobby and entertaining him until the movie was over. Tuesday, I talked to my dear friend PBAF for awhile, which was nice. I got to be the "experienced mom" in the conversation, which is still a new concept to me. Wednesday was the Summer Movie Fun, which was "Happy Feet". We'd seen it before. Cute movie, but a little too long for the attention span of a toddler. Thursday was yesterday. (Duh!) I went to the grocery store and then on over to Ms. Cindy's for most of the day. I helped make Rice Krispy Treats that Ms. Cindy's sister will send to her friend that's an Air Force Colonel in Iraq. Today I went to Walmart and afterwards, Mason napped for almost 3 hours (of course I was hypnotized by Sims 2 the whole time!!)!! Now, we're just hanging out until Daddy gets home and then we'll be back at Ms. Cindy's for dinner.

Tomorrow we're going to look at a house that's for sale. It's highly unlikely that it's meant for us, but it's worth looking into. If we have a chance, I'll tell you more about it.

Sorry for the lack of humor in this blog (and most of the ones in recent past). Didn't really feel inspired I guess. At least I filled you in on my week, right? Can't you just be happy with that?!?

That was Zoo-tastic!!

Yesterday was Mason's first visit to the zoo. Around here, we don't really have a full-fledged zoo per se, but it is an animal rescue sanctuary. We thought Mason would enjoy it anyways, since he loves animals. And he did. He kept running from one exhibit to the next, and climbing on the split rail fence and calling to the animal. We saw all sorts of animals (mostly native to this area): a black bear, lemur, badger, deer, jaguar, mountain lion, javelina, among others. It was already toasty out at 9 am when we went, but that's okay. Mason had a good time and that's all that matters.

This is a coati. Isn't it cute? We're

convinced that it's Max's distant cousin!! They sure have the same nose and dig dig dig the same!!

This, of course is a llama. Llamas are funny. They have squinty eyes and buck teeth. And they like to spit. They are really furry and tall. This was my report on llamas.

I also like peacocks. Peacocks are birds. They are pretty and have lots of colors. They have feathers that look like eyes.

So, although we were sweating like overweight pigs in a sauna, we still had fun and Mason got to see a tiger get fed chunks of raw meat. That's always a good time.

Holy Frijole!!

It was a hot one today!! I don't live On The Surface Of The Sun (that's about 2 hours away!!), but it's close enough. Mason and I tried to play outside a little today, and it was just too darn hot for a penguin to be walkin' around...

His little watering can that he got for a late Christmas present from a friend (you know who you are!) has long since faded in the blistering sun. It used to be a bright orange (you can kinda tell by the color of the spout) and now it's a dull peach color. Sad.

So, needless to say, Mason didn't have to be told more than once to skeedaddle back into the house.

With that event, we stayed inside the rest of the day. Which was a good thing, because our power went out around while Mason and I were at Costco, sometime after 3:30. Yuck. We came in long enough to unload the groceries and head back out to meet Ms. Cindy and her family at Del Taco (ahhh, glorious air conditioning!). When we returned home around 8, the air was back on and I was so relieved. That could have been ugly.

Oh yeah, on a different note, I don't think I mentioned that I will be teaching all 7th grade next year, not 8th grade like I had thought. Things have changed already this summer, and I'm basically taking over for a teacher that left for the high school. Which is fine, since then I will only have to plan for 1 grade level not 2. But today, the principal's secretary called to tell me that I will be moving rooms from last year. I was kinda bummed about that, as I was downstairs and centrally located. Now I will be upstairs and not near much of anything. Oh well. I plan on heading over there Thursday and taking a look at my old classroom and my new classroom and deciding what I need to move or change. Wasn't expecting to have to do too much when the summer ended, as I was FINALLY returning to the same school two years in a row, but oh well. At least I can take my time making changes and getting all settled in before school starts, as opposed to the mad rush I'm too familiar with. So that's good.

Tomorrow's the 4th. Plan to have a little girly time with Ms. Cindy as the Daddies take all the kids to the Summer Movie Fun. I'm looking forward to that. And later, we're having a barbeque with them. Have a great Independence Day, people!! And for goodness sake, stay cool!!

I knew it!

I knew I had a #5!! Sometimes it just takes my brain a little while to remember, process and then complete the thought. So here goes:

5. Saying a toddler thrives on repetition is an understatement. I know Mason is my husband and I's child because he loves predictability and consistency. I can deal with that and even take the blame. But sometimes the repetition just about brings me to the point of insanity!! I mentioned in #4 above that he chooses the same toys all the time, which in itself can make you question his thought process, but then there's the Elmo toy. After blogging yesterday, I decided to get out in the living room and rearrange some things. I kept his Potatoheads and farm animals out still, but I just put them in different places. I took some toys out and replaced them with others from his closet. And that's when the Elmo toy came out of hiding. Daddy and I don't like this Elmo toy too much. It was a Christmas present from my parents (and you'll know why, in just a sec), and he loves it. It plays all these different kids songs ("Wheels on the Bus", "If you're happy and you know it", etc.), but just the first 4 or so lines. And he has discovered he can press the buttons and switch up the songs (or make the same song repeat over and over and over and over!) faster than a speeding bullet. Oh, that's fun. Don't get me wrong, I usually bask in his happiness, but this toy can grate on your nerves.

Then there's this "Maaawwwwmmeeeee!!" thing. I've wracked my brain and I still can't figure out how to get him to stop yelling for me when he wakes up. HE CAN JUST ROLL OUT OF BED NOW! He doesn't need me to come get him. I would so rather hear him playing with a toy in the living room (maybe not the Elmo toy though), than listen to him holler for me like he's trying to go for some World Record. I'm serious, if I ignore him (which I've tried, trust me), the yelling gets louder, and "Mommy" turns into
"MAAAAWWMMEEEEEE!!"
and man, that can bring the hair on the back of my neck to attention. I love my Mason Monkey Mover, but my patience is more than tested with this shouting out thing.

I know he's a child that's world revolves around habits and routine, but this habit would be great to break. Any ideas out there??

Some Things I've Learned About Toddlerhood

Lately, with being at home with Mason all the time and things changing for him, I've learned a few things. Here are the ones I can remember:

1. Taking the side off of a convertible crib to make it a "big boy bed" doesn't have to be that big of a deal. A few days ago, we took the side of Mason's crib off, and just put up a safety rail. We gave him a real pillow and made a big deal about him being a big boy now, but still in the back of my mind I was sure he'd have a rough time--whether it was crying, confusion, somehow falling out, or thinking he could get out of bed whenever he wants and not staying in.. He's been pretty good with it, actually. The first night we had a little trouble. Five minutes after laying him down and we went off to the bedroom to put away laundry, he came right out onto the couch and just sat there, with a bewildered look on his face. That was kinda funny. So I calmly walked him back into his room and told him it was bedtime. No other real problems, except that he forgets he doesn't need to call to me to get out of bed. He's still waking me up by yelling "Maaawmmmeeeee!" from his bed, instead of just coming out. We'll work on that.

2. It's true what they say: potty training isn't always easy and boys often take longer. Yeah, I get that now. In the past, I've worked for like 5 different daycares and worked with a lot of toddlers. I've helped them learn to talk, walk, eat and potty train. It doesn't seem that big of a deal when you're only their caregiver for the day. Having a two year old 24 hours a day is a whole different story. At first, my hubby and I were so excited because Mason was so enthused about the whole potty thing. He would run at full speed for the bathroom and say, "Yay, potty!" We thought, wow, this is easier than we thought. He would sit happily on his potty seat for as long as a half an hour, reading books and singing. This is a piece of cake, we thought. Then the cake was snatched from our prideful hands and all we were left with was smeared icing and hunger pains. Apparently the potty is not that exciting afterall. He started saying "no" and refusing to go. What is a parent to do? I don't want to be that parent that drags their child by the arm to the potty, all the while their toddler is kicking and screaming and crying. What does that teach them about the potty? So, we tried the M & M thing. Also great for a little while. He would receive an M & M for just sitting there and another one for peeing (and a handful for pooping!). He would sit gleefully on the potty with his sticker-laden jar of candy and I was positive this was the thing that would get him in underwear. Nope. He doesn't care about it anymore, no matter the inflection in our voice or our body language. So now we have a jar of M & M's in the bathroom, and he is pretty indifferent about them. Any suggestions out there? A sticker chart was suggested, like the M & M's and you could have a goal of so many stickers for a toy or something. I don't know. I guess it's worth a try. I don't want to be buying my 10 year old adult diapers someday, because we just couldn't find anything that motivated him.

3. A parent of a toddler usually has a harder time with transitions than the toddler does. Case in point. My hubby and I had been discussing moving Mason up to the older toddlers classroom at church for awhile now, but we thought we'd wait until after Family Camp. Well, Family Camp was last week. Last night, we signed Mason in at his regular class, but since there was still a half an hour before service started, Daddy took him for a walk around church. Next door (the bigger kids room) there's a fishtank. Mason loves the fishtank. So in they went to admire the fishies. I was still in Mason's regular class, chatting with the lead teacher. I came out and couldn't find my husband and son, so I walked across the way to the coffee shop and got a Frappucino. A little later, my hubby walked up to me and told me that Mason was in the big class. I was taken by surprise. We hadn't said we'd do it right then!! I began to get upset with him over it. I guess two of the main teachers in the older class had told my hubby that Mason was totally ready, so he left our son there. He was ready. And he knows and loves quite a few of the people in there. So why did it bug me so much? I don't know! But I eventually began to tear up and feel a string of emotions--sadness, confusion, happiness, frustration, among others. After talking it over with my husband, I realized my emotions were mostly driven by the fact that Mason is growing up faster than I would like. I've told you before being a mom can make you crazy (you just wait, PBAF!!)!!! Ms. Cindy told me that it was totally normal to feel this way, especially with your first (which she immediately added that we needed to have more kids, and then we'd be celebrating when they move up!). That made me feel better, and probably made my hubby feel better, since he wasn't quite sure what to say or do to make me feel at ease. I am now happy he moved up. He loved it in there. I peeked in on him before picking him up and saw him sitting in a little chair at a table, smiling and enjoying himself. And they got to take real Goldfish home. They had a little pool and let the kids catch their own fish. Mason caught two (which one has already died) so we brought two home. And I'm fine with him being a big boy. Or at least I'm fine with this event.

4. No matter how many toys a kid has, he will pretty much pick the same ones all the time. Mason has an array of toys and activities to choose from on a daily basis: 7 or 8 board puzzles, big bins of books, a bucket of cars and planes, a sit-down play piano thing, a bucket of blocks, a bin of shape sorter things, play phones and other musical toys and lots of stuffed animals. But you know what he spends most of his day playing with? Mainly potatoheads at this point, but sometime he'll switch it up and play with his farm animals and farm. That's pretty much it. I can rearrange the toys, bring out toys he hasn't seen or played with in months, be he still gravitates towards the potatoheads and farm animals. Why is that? The comfort of predictability? He doesn't like his other toys? Who knows? But I could pack away or throw away everything else, and I'm not sure he'd notice or care.

5. I'm sure I have a #5. I just can't think of it now. So, I guess you're left with only 4. And as I'm glancing back up at this, I think that's plenty. Sorry for the extensive length. Guess I was in a chatty mood this morning.

Summer, Summer, Summertime

...time to sit back and unwind...(name that tune)

Today has been a good day. This morning Mason and I went to the post office to mail a package and then to Fry's for some things. (I'm making an ice cream sandwich/oreo/chcolate pudding/whipped cream pie thing for a party we're going to on Saturday. Yum!) After we got home, we took a Rubbermaid bin and some toys outside and played in the water. Mason really liked that. He's a big fan of filling up a pourable container with water and pouring it into something else. He splashed and poured and spilled and laughed and drenched himself. It was too cute. I was going to take pictures, but I think Daddy took the camera to work with him. Oh well. It won't be the last time. Afterwards, I made lunch (fish sticks, popcorn shrimp and those smiley potato things) and we watched Veggietales "Minnesota Cuke". Mason is now resting peacefully in his bed (without the side on--just a little safety rail that we bought. He seems to be handling it well and seems almost more excited to go to bed now!) for his nap. I need a shower so I am off for now. Happy Tuesday and Happy Summer!

Am I making you crazy yet?

If you don't know me that well, than you may not know how stir crazy I get and how much I like things to change (but only on my terms and on my timeline!). So, I yet again changed this around. Not much, but I got tired of the black. Thought this seemed more summery. Hope it's easier on the eyes and it didn't make you want to grind your teeth in aggravation that I changed things up again. :)

You asked for it...

Okay, no one actually asked for it, but here it is anyway: My Post Family Camp Photo Extravaganza!! Be ready to be amazed!!



Here's Mason in the shirts we had made. Mommy, Daddy, Mason, Grandma and Grandpa (My hubby's parents came along too!) all had shirts with Mason's picture on it, and it said, "Mason's Mom" etc. Turned out cute.



During camp, there was a Lego building contest, and here was our entry. (I'm sure those who know us know which parts my hubby did and which parts I did--my favorite addition was the bear in the spaceship!)

The winning Lego creation was this giant dog, doghouse and dogbowl. We only had 1 hour to build, and this is what they came up with!! Amazing, huh? Each team had 2 pounds of Legos, and I think the winning team used 95% of theirs!



Mason's Grandpa brought along his telescope and my hubby managed to take a picture with our digital camera through the eye of the telescope and this is what he saw. Nice, huh?







During our week at camp, there was a Free Day--where you could sit around and do nothing or go off and find something different to do. One family went all the way to San Diego (more than 2 hours away!), but most stuck around and just lounged. We decided to drive about 5 minutes around the mountain to Lake Arrowhead. It's this pretty little town around the lake that is definitely built for tourists. You can rent boats, feed the ducks and do lots of shopping. We found a playground and saw TONS of squirrels. Mason spotted the toy store and looked longingly into the window. We picked up some things from the Harry and David store and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (my mom loves Divinity!) and just enjoyed the fresh air, oceans of green trees and serene water.



Later, Mason woke up from his nap in the room and still seemed groggy. He stumbled over to the arm chair and cuddled with his beach towel. And fell asleep. Thus the picture.


As we expected, the trip was more than enjoyable. It was great that the grandparents could come too and I know they enjoyed themselves immensely. There were tons of activities that were new this year: a race quite similar to Amazing Race (called AmazinGrace), a game show with just the grown-ups, a pygmie skit (oh, that was something else!), a treasure hunt, a cannonball contest (which my hubby won!), Rock,Paper, Scissors competition, Fear Factor for the teens and tons of other stuff. Along with swimming, playing in the sand, enjoying fellowship, lots of laughter, praying, a baptism in the pool, more laughter, eating loads of junk in the game room (including but not limited to: Corn Nuts, popcorn, trying a different Frappucino or smoothie every night, Oreos, Twinkies and more!) some intense games of Yahtzee Turbo, learning to play Mexican Train dominoes and even more laughter, it was bittersweet for camp to end. You walk away with new friendships, a renewed sense of faith and so many fantastic memories, you really don't want it to end. But it did. It's nice to be back in our own beds and get Mason back on his routine. (P.S. We took the side off of Mason's bed yesterday, because he managed to climb out of the Pack N Play at camp, put on his socks and shoes and greet me at the door as I came to get him up from his nap!)

We are so thankful God gave us this opportunity to share with friends, make new ones and create memories that will last a lifetime.

I know this seemed lengthy and perhaps too much information, but at least I didn't give you a day-by-day replay of all the events. :)

Thanks for reading through all of this and hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Have no fear, Princess Lionhead is here!!!

Yes, I'm back from Family Camp. What a great week. We actually returned from camp yesterday, but we stopped in to see my parents last night before coming home. We are still unpacking, doing laundry, putting things away and just plain settling back in at home. We had a great time, as we expected and I plan to tell you all more tomorrow. For now, I'm off to bed. Nighty night.

On Hiatus

THE FOLLOWING BLOG WILL BE IN LIMBO FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS. DON'T BOTHER COMING BY DURING THE NEXT WEEK, BECAUSE THERE WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT BE ANYTHING TO NEW TO READ. GUARANTEED. THE NEXT TIME THE BLOGGER WILL HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER WILL BE NEXT SUNDAY. THE BLOGGER WANTS TO WISH YOU A PLEASANT WEEK, A HAPPY FATHER'S DAY AND WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW THAT SHE WILL BE THINKING OF YOU. GOD BLESS AND SEE YOU IN A WEEK.

Mission Completed

We're done with Family Camp stuff!! Well, my hubby still has some work to do this weekend on the Photoshop classes he's gonna teach at there, but the part I was helping with is done!!

Yesterday was another day spent mostly with Ms. Cindy and the visit was mainly Family Camp related. We went to Walmart and Target to take care of some loose ends. Today, I went with her to the church to copy off the newsletter that's going to go out everyday we're there and we went back to Walmart. Ms. Cindy and her family headed off to California tonight and we will be leaving early Monday morning. Can't believe it's actually time for camp. There's been so much build-up for it this year that it felt like there was so much to do and so little time to do it. (I know it's all I've talked about for my last couple of entries, but it seems to be the major theme and topic of discussion around here!)

Now, tomorrow will be spent with me going to get a pedicure (because I desperately need one before I wear summery shoes all week!), dropping our dog Max off at the boarder (it's cheaper to take him tomorrow than to drop him off on a Sunday), my hubby working on his Photoshop classes, maybe doing some laundry and packing some more.

I may or may not find the time and the effort to write again before we leave Monday. So, if this is the last blog entry for a week, don't be sad or lonely or worried. I will be back home next Sunday and I will do my best to have something posted by Monday at the latest. I promise! I know my dedicated readers (the ones I can count on one hand!) depend on a constant update of the mundane workings of my everyday life. I will try not to disappoint. Have no fear: a lengthy, picture-filled blog entry is just around the corner! Until then, I hope everyone out there in cyberspace (or at least my 3 or 4 dedicated readers) have a fabulous week and don't miss me too much. Hasta!

Folding, counting, packing, cutting

Yesterday was a long day. In fact, I'm almost sure that God lengthened the day, and it was in reality two days total. I spent pretty much all day at Ms. Cindy's house, preparing things for Family Camp. There are loads of neat things that all the campers are getting in their gift bags: a foam bookmark kit for the kids to make while the parents are unpacking, popcorn to pop and share with friends, lanyards to keep the room key on, friendship pin kits to create and give away to fellow campers, inflatable beach balls, rubber relgious bracelets and paper and instructons to make paper airplanes for a contest later in the week (my hubby's the judge), just to name a few. So, of course all of these things had to be sorted and assembled and organized and packed. Whew. It was fun to sit around her kitchen table to put it all together, but it was tedious and a bit tiring. I'm happy that I could help (and she did keep me fed!), so I'm glad I took part.

Most everything is done now, except a few odds and ends, which will be done in the next couple of days. Before this all began a few months ago, I really had no idea there was this much work involved in planning and establishing Family Camp! It'll be neat to see it all together when we arrive.

Today was Movie Day. We saw "Over the Hedge", which we've seen. Mason wasn't all that interested, which surprised me. He sat still for maybe the first 10 minutes or so, and then started squirming and whining and climbing in and out of his chair. I guess it's a toss of the dice with a two year old, but it's still a little frustrating.

But now we are home and Mason needs a nap. I will try to write again at least one more time before we leave Monday. Ta ta.

A week from today...

I will be very close to Lake Arrowhead, California. We are going there for Family Camp with our church. We are leaving Monday morning and are planning on arriving around 4 in the afternoon. We are really involved in the planning and details this year, so it's been crazy, busy, a little stressful and fun. Today I spent most of the morning with Ms. Cindy and Mr. Super Organized Camp Leader making copies and organizing stuff for next week. It was fun, but time consuming. And tomorrow, I will be back at her house to fold and staple and organize papers, giftbags, packets, etc for our pre-camp meeting tomorrow night. I told her that my labor is at her disposal, as long as she keeps me fed. :) My hubby is doing most of the work that we're responsible for, since he's the computer guru. I think he enjoys the responsibility and the sense of accomplishment immensely, but he can also get carried away with getting the details just right that he lets the perfectionism take over. I know we'll both be glad once we arrive at camp. We just need to remember the overwhelming sense of peace and relief we felt when we drove up to the camp last year. It is so beautiful there, among the trees and mountains. And it's so lovely to be surrounded by friends and just fellow churchgoers that are outright good at heart and love the Lord. It's more than a vacation for us--it's a spiritual experience that uplifted us and created new pathways and friendships that changed us forever. (see blog entry Monday, June 26, 2006)

There are a few odds and ends that need to be taken care of before next Monday, but we are well on our way!! I am excited and anxious to see how camp will different from last year. Trust me, you can expect a similar blog entry after we return home, as I posted Monday, June 26, 2006. You can look forward to hearing about that, as it will be a much more eventful and uplifting week compared to my summer so far.

Until then, I have some things to do, not to mention just daily routine stuff. When there's time again later in the week, I will write.

Ten Thrilling Things About Me

Just for the fun of it:
Here are Ten Thrilling Things About Me (not in any particular order)

Number 1) I am a very big fan of food. Huge. And I'm not particular or have high standards on its quality.

Number 2) I love reality television, especially American Idol, Hell's Kitchen and So You Think You Can Dance. I know a lot of people cringe at reality tv. But I'm not afraid to admit I'm a junkie. The first step is admitting I have a problem, right?

Number 3) I am a very, very, very big wuss when it comes to scary movies, and yet on occasion I attempt to watch one, telling myself that it's just a movie. And then I have a week of nightmares. "Saw" was the last scary movie I watched. It scared the bejeesus out of me. I have vowed never to watch another one. I don't have to prove anything!

Number 4) I'm still not sure if I'm in the right profession. I plan on staying at the same school, doing the same thing for awhile, and then I'll re-evaluate.

Number 5) I love to make my son laugh. The deep belly laughs are my favorite. It warms my heart.

Number 6) I'd like to lose weight (like 20 pounds), but I like food too much (see Number 1)

Number 7) I find that my life is much more fulfilling and joyful and blessed, now that I am committed to walking with the Lord.

Number 8) I get really silly when I'm sleepy. Everything makes me laugh. My hubby says he knows I'm really tired when his jokes are hilarious to me. :)

Number 9) I have secretly been buying baby girl clothes for a few months now. Nope, not even pregnant yet, but it's a level of insanity that I'm okay with.

and Number 10...
Sometimes I stay in the shower longer than I need to, just to have some "me time".

Ta-Da

Decided it was time for a change. It's not much, but it's different pretty colors. I'm not sure about the black background, but at least the other colors and summery! :)

My fellow royalty is expecting!!

(if anyone says, "expecting what?" I'll give them a wedgie, then a swirly, then a purple nurple!!)

Yep, that's right!! My very good friend Princess Baby Ass Feet (if you don't know why she's called that, don't ask. you had to be there, many years ago in a different time in college) is having a baby!! Yeah!! I'm so excited for her!! She called me at 6 o'clock this morning, and as soon as I saw that it was her, I knew what she was calling for. She caught me a little offguard at first, but I soon became ecstatic for her and her hubby! They just found out, and even their parents don't know yet!! (and since you're all in cyberworld and don't know her parents, this doesn't count as people that know before their parents, right?)

They've been trying for a little while and there were doubts that they'd even have a baby. There was even talk of them attempting fertility treatments soon. But guess what? (if you say "what?", I will spank you like the bad bad donkey that you are!!) God had other plans. Yippee!!

Now it's her turn to get fat. And whine. And cry for no reason. And eat for two...oh wait...