I love May. I used to love the little mayflowers in our back yard when I grew up in New Hampshire, and thought for sure they were there for me since my birthday was the last day of the month...And since I am a mom I feel more sure that the month of May really is mine in our little family.
Since May is my month, I have also made a decision about this years birthday. I am calling a do over. I am going to redo 34. I am supposed to turn 35 on May 31st but I am really not feeling 35ish, so I am going to go for round 2 of 34. I will gladly be 36 next year, but I am pretty much refusing to be 35. Aaron told me I can't do that. I however feel differently. As a kick off of sorts for my 34 redo I have some plans. Here they are:
1. I am going to start waking up on the week days at 5:30 so I can Zumba and start the day off with exercise. This is a big deal for me...I am not a morning person. I will also actually write down my Weight Watchers points since I have scientifically proven that it only helps you lose weight if you actually do the program. I will actually get on my other blog and post all this stuff to keep on track...like I was planning on doing when I started it a couple of months ago...I have really bad follow through.
2. I will read my scriptures EVERY day. I am slack in this department. I admit it. Don't judge me. No one's perfect-and some of us are further from it than others...I will be better at planning actual Family Home Evenings, instead of forgetting and saying "Well, we are spending time together so this must count right?"....
3. I will read the following books in the month of May as home schooling prep: Little Britches by Ralph Moody, Laddie by Jeanne Straton-Porter, The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour, Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning by Oliver and Rachel DeMille, and reread the Declaration of Independence (and study it).
4. I will read Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery, because I absolutely love Anne Shirley and after just having finished Anne of Avonlea I have to know what happens next...I feel sure she will marry Gilbert Blythe and live even more happily ever after...I will also read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (...if there is time left in the month, because although I love to read this list seems to be getting really long....). I have never read it *GASP!* I know I am pitiful and I really want to because all versions of the movie I have seen have been amazing. It is also on the list I need to read for home school prep, so I will be killing to birds with one stone!
5. I will finish the following projects: my daisy painting (I have it hanging up and although it isn't done...I still don't know what I want to do to it...), 2 aprons that I bought a pattern, fabric, and all the other stuff I would need to sew them back in January and have been too chicken to start sewing; and my 1000 piece puzzle.
6. I will take and post "A Picture A Day In May". I have been wanting to do a picture a day all year but keep feeling like that is something you start January first...But picture a day in May rhymes so it works out perfectly! :) I am hoping Jake will do it with me since he has his own camera now (in case you missed it, it is an old one that wasn't being used-we didn't go out and buy him one!) and likes to take pictures of random things like I do.
7. I will completely Spring Clean and organize the whole house...Well the part of it we live in. Once school is out we will begin the "switching rooms around project" to prepare for Nee and Papa's return. Yes, I will probably bribe Jake to help me get it all done, I have no shame in telling you this.
8. I will try 2 new recipes a week.
9. I will actually call a babysitter and go on a date with Aaron. That NEVER happens. The last time we did was last June when we went to the John Mayer concert. That is sad I know...
10. I will...think of something else because ending on 9 just seems weird...
Saturday, April 30, 2011
A Sadie Update, at almost 18 weeks...
Today we noticed Sadie trying to eat something and found out it was this:
-Her first lost puppy tooth. *Sniff, sniff. My little puppy is growing up.*
-She has graduated from the little crate to the big crate and likes it so much she snoozes in it even when she doesn't have to go in it.
-She keeps ringing the bell, but she thinks it is for anything she needs not just going potty. If her water is gone: she rings it. If she needs food: she rings it. That works to as long as she isn't peeing on the floor! She only had 2 accidents this week-both of which we knew she had to go and told her to hold on a minute. She apparently doesn't know what that means so she didn't hold on...But she does know what "Where's Jake?" means. :)
-She is thrilled that she is allowed on Jake's bed and get on and off of it with no problem.
-Sadie is already calming down a little. She still goes a little crazy when she is tired, but she really likes to cuddle more and just sit next to you and be loved. Before she just wanted to chew on us, now she wants to sit on our laps. :)
-Her first lost puppy tooth. *Sniff, sniff. My little puppy is growing up.*
-She has graduated from the little crate to the big crate and likes it so much she snoozes in it even when she doesn't have to go in it.
-She keeps ringing the bell, but she thinks it is for anything she needs not just going potty. If her water is gone: she rings it. If she needs food: she rings it. That works to as long as she isn't peeing on the floor! She only had 2 accidents this week-both of which we knew she had to go and told her to hold on a minute. She apparently doesn't know what that means so she didn't hold on...But she does know what "Where's Jake?" means. :)
-She is thrilled that she is allowed on Jake's bed and get on and off of it with no problem.
-Sadie is already calming down a little. She still goes a little crazy when she is tired, but she really likes to cuddle more and just sit next to you and be loved. Before she just wanted to chew on us, now she wants to sit on our laps. :)
Friday, April 29, 2011
For posterities sake...and my sanity.
I thought back on the week and realized there were a couple things I need to document so in 20 years I can look back and realize it wasn't as bad as it seemed at the time. Also, so my posterity can look back and say "Yep she was just as crazy as we thought she was." Just kidding. Hopefully they won't say that, but I do need to jot this down so I remember how I felt and I can look back and learn from it. Consider this to be a journal entry and ignore it if you don't want to read my blues...
To my future self and Posterity,
Remember a couple of posts back when I posted the mean email Jake's 4th grade teacher sent the whole class? Well, it's got nothing on the 2 she sent me personally. I will not post them here because it would be to lengthy. You will stumble across them somewhere in my file cabinet. It will be the file marked: "I only forgive these people because Heavenly Father is making me." (That is a joke, and very irreverent I know but I am just keeping it real and saying how I am feeling at this very moment. In a few days I will probably feel the same way...I mean be over it. Can anyone tell me how you do that cool thing where you type something and then make a line through it and then type something else? That would be extremely useful for me...) Any who, she sent an email to me saying Jake should have talked to her about an assignment before he left school on Thursday early...because he had to go to the doctor and wasn't feeling well. (He has some kind of a bug bite on his neck that has caused all the glands on that side to swell and be hard as a rock. It hurts to turn his head and he is now on what the pharmacist called, and I quote, "a whale of a dose". It is a dose usually reserved for adults, but the doctor felt we really needed to treat as if it is Lyme's Disease to be on the safe side. The pharmacist even called and spoke directly to the doctor to verify it was indeed the right dose...Fun times people! The poor kiddo has to take a HUGE horse pill twice a day for 14 days. We will get the lab work back next week, which I am sure will verify it isn't Lyme's Disease, but better safe than sorry...Back to the email). I was upset due to her poor choice of words, I read it to Aaron (it was his long day so I read it to him over the phone on his way from school to work..), we agreed on our response, and I hit the send button. (Again to long to post here...especially since this is already long enough...) I waited, checked my emails, waited some more, and then checked again...This went on until I finally hit the sack. When I woke up in the morning I figured I would check one more time...and there it was. A long, nasty, and critical email back. Critical (in a mean way) of MY CHILD. I pointed out in my email that he is intimidated by her and doesn't always feel comfortable talking to her because she cuts him off. In her email she actually said: "I listened to him (and walked with him) quite a bit on the trip yesterday, but even then it would be something he had already told me, or he would begin talking when the guide was talking to us or I wasn't quite finished with someone else and he would begin. It is very awkward sometimes on how to respond to him." Wow lady. He is 9 1/2, likes to talk, and on occasion gets excited and interrupts. In your 20 years of teaching is the first time you have come across this? Or are you just completely on the defensive and need to take a dig at a kid to make yourself feel better? I could go on, but I won't because it makes me want to send her an email saying: "You are a really big bully to all the kids in your class and the parents. But guess what lady? My child has never caused problems or gotten in trouble in your class. He does his homework and gets good grades. I am the class parent and have shelled out countless amounts of money and made sure everything is always taken care of for class events whether I can be there or not. I feel really bad for the children who are trouble makers, get bad grades, and have slacker parents. I wonder how you treat those poor kids, because you treat MY CHILD like crap"
I am giving myself a day before I respond, but I will respond. I am printing the emails and bringing them to talk to the Principal on Monday. I realize it will make no difference but it will make me feel better. If I had my choice Jake would only be back in his school long enough to pack up his desk, but there are laws on how many days you have to be in school and how much notice you have to give before you can home school. In the meantime we are literally counting down the days until school is over. There are 23 left. He still technically has 5 days he can miss so we will use them if we have to. On the last day we will throw a party that will rival the Royal wedding and we will be happy as can be. Until then I will cry myself to sleep on most nights, and toss and turn and feel an overwhelming guilt that I am making my child spend 7 hours of his day with Satan's Sister. That may be a little dramatic, but it did make me smile and I needed that. :) I am sure at some point she was an adequate teacher, but she is burnt out now. And Heaven knows that all 9 and 10 year old's and their parents are horrible, idiotic, and slack people so I guess I should cut her some slack. :) Now I feel even better. I have been called a doormat before and I admit I most definitely am-but this week I wasn't...It seems easier at times to be a doormat-but not when it comes to my baby. My mother bear instincts are lethal women, and you are messing with the wrong cub! :) Am I terrified of coming face to face with her because I finally told her how I feel? You bet I am...
Could my life be so much worse? Absolutely! I could have lost my home or worse yet loved ones in one of the horrible tornado's that hit our country this week. Some one in my family could have a terminal illness. We could be homeless. It can always be worse-I realize that and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for all he has blessed me with. But at this particular moment I needed to let it all out, feel a moment of pity for myself and family, and now I can move on. I am not proofreading this so ignore my ramblings if they make no sense...
Ahhhh. I feel so much better now.
Blogging is so much cheaper than therapy.
Okay, I am done.
To my future self and Posterity,
Remember a couple of posts back when I posted the mean email Jake's 4th grade teacher sent the whole class? Well, it's got nothing on the 2 she sent me personally. I will not post them here because it would be to lengthy. You will stumble across them somewhere in my file cabinet. It will be the file marked: "I only forgive these people because Heavenly Father is making me." (That is a joke, and very irreverent I know but I am just keeping it real and saying how I am feeling at this very moment. In a few days I will probably feel the same way...I mean be over it. Can anyone tell me how you do that cool thing where you type something and then make a line through it and then type something else? That would be extremely useful for me...) Any who, she sent an email to me saying Jake should have talked to her about an assignment before he left school on Thursday early...because he had to go to the doctor and wasn't feeling well. (He has some kind of a bug bite on his neck that has caused all the glands on that side to swell and be hard as a rock. It hurts to turn his head and he is now on what the pharmacist called, and I quote, "a whale of a dose". It is a dose usually reserved for adults, but the doctor felt we really needed to treat as if it is Lyme's Disease to be on the safe side. The pharmacist even called and spoke directly to the doctor to verify it was indeed the right dose...Fun times people! The poor kiddo has to take a HUGE horse pill twice a day for 14 days. We will get the lab work back next week, which I am sure will verify it isn't Lyme's Disease, but better safe than sorry...Back to the email). I was upset due to her poor choice of words, I read it to Aaron (it was his long day so I read it to him over the phone on his way from school to work..), we agreed on our response, and I hit the send button. (Again to long to post here...especially since this is already long enough...) I waited, checked my emails, waited some more, and then checked again...This went on until I finally hit the sack. When I woke up in the morning I figured I would check one more time...and there it was. A long, nasty, and critical email back. Critical (in a mean way) of MY CHILD. I pointed out in my email that he is intimidated by her and doesn't always feel comfortable talking to her because she cuts him off. In her email she actually said: "I listened to him (and walked with him) quite a bit on the trip yesterday, but even then it would be something he had already told me, or he would begin talking when the guide was talking to us or I wasn't quite finished with someone else and he would begin. It is very awkward sometimes on how to respond to him." Wow lady. He is 9 1/2, likes to talk, and on occasion gets excited and interrupts. In your 20 years of teaching is the first time you have come across this? Or are you just completely on the defensive and need to take a dig at a kid to make yourself feel better? I could go on, but I won't because it makes me want to send her an email saying: "You are a really big bully to all the kids in your class and the parents. But guess what lady? My child has never caused problems or gotten in trouble in your class. He does his homework and gets good grades. I am the class parent and have shelled out countless amounts of money and made sure everything is always taken care of for class events whether I can be there or not. I feel really bad for the children who are trouble makers, get bad grades, and have slacker parents. I wonder how you treat those poor kids, because you treat MY CHILD like crap"
I am giving myself a day before I respond, but I will respond. I am printing the emails and bringing them to talk to the Principal on Monday. I realize it will make no difference but it will make me feel better. If I had my choice Jake would only be back in his school long enough to pack up his desk, but there are laws on how many days you have to be in school and how much notice you have to give before you can home school. In the meantime we are literally counting down the days until school is over. There are 23 left. He still technically has 5 days he can miss so we will use them if we have to. On the last day we will throw a party that will rival the Royal wedding and we will be happy as can be. Until then I will cry myself to sleep on most nights, and toss and turn and feel an overwhelming guilt that I am making my child spend 7 hours of his day with Satan's Sister. That may be a little dramatic, but it did make me smile and I needed that. :) I am sure at some point she was an adequate teacher, but she is burnt out now. And Heaven knows that all 9 and 10 year old's and their parents are horrible, idiotic, and slack people so I guess I should cut her some slack. :) Now I feel even better. I have been called a doormat before and I admit I most definitely am-but this week I wasn't...It seems easier at times to be a doormat-but not when it comes to my baby. My mother bear instincts are lethal women, and you are messing with the wrong cub! :) Am I terrified of coming face to face with her because I finally told her how I feel? You bet I am...
Could my life be so much worse? Absolutely! I could have lost my home or worse yet loved ones in one of the horrible tornado's that hit our country this week. Some one in my family could have a terminal illness. We could be homeless. It can always be worse-I realize that and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for all he has blessed me with. But at this particular moment I needed to let it all out, feel a moment of pity for myself and family, and now I can move on. I am not proofreading this so ignore my ramblings if they make no sense...
Ahhhh. I feel so much better now.
Blogging is so much cheaper than therapy.
Okay, I am done.
I am even luckier than I thought!!!!
I was talking to my mom on the phone and I asked her if she saw the awesome book safe I won. She said she did and that I also won the earrings....Huh?...I won the gorgeous earrings too???? I was so excited that I won the book safe from HollowBound, I didn't even realize I also won the gorgeous Anne Shirley earrings from Ella Belle Boutique!!! (I saw them the day I found out I won and thought they were beautiful-so beautiful I actually went Ella Belle Boutique to see what else she had and to dream of actually putting those beautiful earrings in my beautiful book safe....) THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH COCOA!!! Now I am doubly excited. :)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Simple Pleasures: Winning, Blogging, and Sharing.
I hardly ever win anything, but I was so excited when I went over to Chocolate on My Cranium and read Cocoa's post I missed yesterday. Imagine my surprise to find that I had won an Anne of Green Gables book safe from HollowBound! Thank goodness for random drawings!!! Click here and you can see the beautiful book safe I won...I am going to warn you, you will be totally jealous! Thank you Cocoa for your amazing blog! If you haven't visited it yet, then where have you been people?!? :) Today is a great day to check it out. Every Thursday is "Simple Pleasures" day-a time to think of those simple things in your life that bring you pleasure. I have 3 simple pleasures today...One of them is winning my book safe!!! :)
The second is blogging. I love it! I am so grateful to have a blogging community that is full of people with the same values and goals as me. I am thankful for all I have learned from my amazing blog friends. Home schooling, homemaking, being overwhelmed...You name it and you will find a blog friend that can teach you, lift you up, and understand what you are going through. But you all know this already since you are bloggers...
My last simple pleasure for the day is that Jake is back safe and sound from his field trip. :) He is so sweet. (I realize that my blog may make him sound like a perfect child since all my posts paint him as such...He's not. But he really is amazing.) When I was walking up to the school to pick him up, he had his hand hidden behind his back. He used part of his field trip money to buy me a DVD about "Grandfather Mountain in May". He said he watched a little bit of it and didn't really like it but he thought I would. He told me when he grows up he will probably watch it and wonder why he didn't like it when he was a kid-but he was sure I would like it now. I will have to do a post on all the "stuff" he bought. He cracks me up...You will see why when I do that post! He also made my heart fill to the brim with pride (the good kind) when he told me one of his friends, Maddie, lost her money and kept asking the store clerk if anything was free. :( Jake ended up buying her a rock candy lolly pop and a self inflating whoopie cushion. See what I mean by amazing? Life is good. :)
The second is blogging. I love it! I am so grateful to have a blogging community that is full of people with the same values and goals as me. I am thankful for all I have learned from my amazing blog friends. Home schooling, homemaking, being overwhelmed...You name it and you will find a blog friend that can teach you, lift you up, and understand what you are going through. But you all know this already since you are bloggers...
My last simple pleasure for the day is that Jake is back safe and sound from his field trip. :) He is so sweet. (I realize that my blog may make him sound like a perfect child since all my posts paint him as such...He's not. But he really is amazing.) When I was walking up to the school to pick him up, he had his hand hidden behind his back. He used part of his field trip money to buy me a DVD about "Grandfather Mountain in May". He said he watched a little bit of it and didn't really like it but he thought I would. He told me when he grows up he will probably watch it and wonder why he didn't like it when he was a kid-but he was sure I would like it now. I will have to do a post on all the "stuff" he bought. He cracks me up...You will see why when I do that post! He also made my heart fill to the brim with pride (the good kind) when he told me one of his friends, Maddie, lost her money and kept asking the store clerk if anything was free. :( Jake ended up buying her a rock candy lolly pop and a self inflating whoopie cushion. See what I mean by amazing? Life is good. :)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Venting...
This is the email we got from Jake's teacher last night as a reminder for the field trip today. This is actually one of her nicer emails. I copied and pasted from my email...
I have not received all the promised snacks for our trip tomorrow. PLEASE make sure you bring yours if you committed.
REMEMBER......CHECK THE WEATHER
BE ON TIME
EAT BREAKFAST
BE ON TIME
GO POTTY (WE WILL GO HERE AS WELL)
HEADPHONES WITH GAMES
BE ON TIME
BE ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR
BE ON TIME
BE ON TIME
HAVE A GOOD TIME
AND, OH, BE ON TIME (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.....:)
(The smiley face makes you think she may actually be nice or joking. She's not.) Guess who was supposed to be there at 5:45 but didn't show up until 6:03? The rude lady who sent the email. Guess how many parents were not happy about the email to begin with (if she were a nice and friendly teacher it wouldn't be a big deal...Like I said this is one of her nicer emails.) and really weren't happy when she showed up late with out even an apology? All of us. Guess who had to get off the bus and use the restroom before they could leave-after she told all the kids to go to the bathroom, "I don't care if you went at home! WE ARE ALL GOING AGAIN BEFORE WE LEAVE (the caps are her rude voice)!"...If you guessed Jake's teacher you are right. 6 more weeks...I thought it was 5, but I was wrong again....And now I am done venting.
I have not received all the promised snacks for our trip tomorrow. PLEASE make sure you bring yours if you committed.
REMEMBER......CHECK THE WEATHER
BE ON TIME
EAT BREAKFAST
BE ON TIME
GO POTTY (WE WILL GO HERE AS WELL)
HEADPHONES WITH GAMES
BE ON TIME
BE ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR
BE ON TIME
BE ON TIME
HAVE A GOOD TIME
AND, OH, BE ON TIME (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.....:)
(The smiley face makes you think she may actually be nice or joking. She's not.) Guess who was supposed to be there at 5:45 but didn't show up until 6:03? The rude lady who sent the email. Guess how many parents were not happy about the email to begin with (if she were a nice and friendly teacher it wouldn't be a big deal...Like I said this is one of her nicer emails.) and really weren't happy when she showed up late with out even an apology? All of us. Guess who had to get off the bus and use the restroom before they could leave-after she told all the kids to go to the bathroom, "I don't care if you went at home! WE ARE ALL GOING AGAIN BEFORE WE LEAVE (the caps are her rude voice)!"...If you guessed Jake's teacher you are right. 6 more weeks...I thought it was 5, but I was wrong again....And now I am done venting.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
A promise I can keep...
Jake and I just finished getting everything ready for his field trip tomorrow to Grandfather Mountain, Linville Caverns, and Linville Gem mine. (What we could get ready at least! The camera batteries and his ipod shuffle are still charging. Aaron wasn't here to help because this is his long day...and night.)The alarm is set for 5 am and we will be leaving at 5:30. He is really excited about it expect the fact I am not going...again. (We will both survive, he will have a great time and I will bite all my finger nails off worrying the bus driver is texting while driving or something awful like that!) I keep checking his bag to make sure he has everything. He isn't supposed to have medicine but what if he gets a head ache? I always carry stuff in my purse for him...I did stick a couple of band aids in his bag. Along with anti-bac wipes (of course), tissues (no brainer), 2 chap sticks (just in case you lose one), extra money (just in case...they get stranded? I have no idea why but-just in case!!)...I thought about extra socks...but if he needs extra socks than he would need extra shoes too and there is not enough room for that. He will probably be the only one on the bus without a DS or other hand held game system but he has 2 books-paperback because they are lighter...AHHHHH! I may just jump in the car and follow the bus up the mountain!!!!!!! ....Deep breath...I missed a field trip last year-but it was local-this one is 3 hours away. Say a prayer that I don't go insane before he gets home at 6:30 pm. I know he is growing up. I get it. When he is 19 going on his mission I will be the same way. I'm a mom, so sue me....No, actually just say a prayer for me.
I made a promise to him that in the 5th grade I would be at every field trip he had no matter what or I would pay him $5 each time I couldn't. Little does he know how easy it will be to keep that promise since I will be his teacher. :)
I made a promise to him that in the 5th grade I would be at every field trip he had no matter what or I would pay him $5 each time I couldn't. Little does he know how easy it will be to keep that promise since I will be his teacher. :)
I am over here today...
I am loving an amazing blog called "Welcome to the Madness". I stumbled upon JRobert's (is is okay to put your first name here, J? I should have asked you before...Today you will be "J". :) ...I am paranoid I will put someones name on my blog that doesn't want it out in cyber space...) blog a few weeks ago and have been reading it ever since. She is AMAZING! She is a home schooling, canning, book reading, mama! I am pretty sure we would be BFF's if she didn't live so far away. :) But that is okay because blogging buddies works for me too! A couple of weeks ago she asked me if I would write a book review for her blog. I immediately said "YES!", because any one who wants to here me ramble on about something I love always gets a yes. :) Then I began to stress out a bit when I realized I am not so hot at book reviews...My wonderful husband then reminded me that J wasn't expecting some incredibly intellectual review from me. He said "If she reads your blog and likes it, she probably wants you to write it like you write your blog-just like you are talking to her." I shouldn't use quotes because I don't remember exactly what he said...but it was something like that. So, I thanked him for reminding me not to stress and typed my little heart out...Then I sent it...And now I am biting my nails hoping I don't sound like a total idiot and that someone will comment that indeed I am not! I am just realizing that maybe I should have been a little offended when Aaron said J isn't looking for something really intellectual from me...What are you trying to say Aaron? :) J/K!
So, PLEASE head on over to "Welcome to the Madness" (that's the link you click on Mom.) to check out my book review on "Anne of Green Gables"...And while you are there check out all the other amazing posts J has. She is my "Home Schooling Mom-Inspiring Hero Of The Week"-SERIOUSLY!
So, PLEASE head on over to "Welcome to the Madness" (that's the link you click on Mom.) to check out my book review on "Anne of Green Gables"...And while you are there check out all the other amazing posts J has. She is my "Home Schooling Mom-Inspiring Hero Of The Week"-SERIOUSLY!
In need of some serious brain declutter...
*I am supposed to be at work right now...instead I decided to take a mental health day...which translates into: my sleeping the last 3 nights has been not so good, I had food left over from YAD (I will tell you what that is in a minute...) and didn't want it to go bad in the car, I am slack, I just didn't want to go, I realized a couple of hours in the house by myself sounded heavenly, and since I was going in late I am only missing a whopping $32.46-before taxes. I can live without that $32.46 for a few hours of peace.
*I still haven't watched all of General Conference. I think I will go do that in my remaining time in a quiet, empty house. I need a spiritual uplift...and an easy one that I can just listen to and feel it sinking in. I don't have the energy to have to work at it today.
*I feel guilty talking about not having energy when Aaron works 3rd shift full time and goes to school full time. I am glad one of us is not a big baby.
*Yesterday I was taking a picture of a bell (you will see why in a minute) and Jake said "when are you going to take my picture?" I responded that he never wants me to so I wasn't going to bug him. To this he said: "Now that I have a camera I understand why you want to take pictures." I hope this lasts! I gave him Aaron's old work camera that never gets used and he is loving it! All this leads up to why I took the next picture...This is a new Lego set he got with the Easter money he got. Yes, he got enough Easter money to buy a $20 Lego set...I call it "guilt money". I thought I was going to feel guilty that we told Jake there is no Easter bunny, but I don't...I still need to post about our awesome conversation and coloring Easter eggs....
*Remember the 1000 piece puzzle I started...weeks ago? I am still not done with it. I have only really sat down about 4 times and worked on it. I ended up moving it to a small table so I didn't have to put it away. I WILL FINISH IT. Aaron said one day I am going to come home and it is all going to be in the box because he is sick of picking pieces off the floor. I will do it Aaron I swear. In fact I am going to do it tonight! I like doing it, I just don't make the time. For example I could be doing it right now, but instead I am blogging! Priorities people. :) I keep dusting it carefully so I don't lose any pieces. It is amazing how you can stare at the pieces and all the sudden your mind just spots one and knows right where it goes. I think that is the closet I will ever get to feeling like a genius.
*Jake is really not a great sneaker-picker-outer. His sneakers are pitiful and needed to be demoted to play shoes. After school yesterday we went to look for shoes. We found the "perfect pair" that was on sale and it was BOGO 1/2 off so he got a pair of nice flip flop sandals for 1/2...Both pairs together were still less than the sneakers were full price. I love a bargain. Long story short: he has a field trip tomorrow and want to wear his old sneaks...This after he put on his new ones this morning and then decided to wear his flip flops...Finally he admitted they aren't as comfy as he thought....He just like the way they look, I think...UGH! I told him today after school, indoors, he needed to wear them a few hours and see if they are going to be keepers or not. You can exchange shoes after one day of very light wear right?...
*I realized on Sunday how out of practice I am on so many domestic things. Yes, I only work part time...But that means my home making skills are lacking for that part of the time, which adds up to 20-25 hours a week. That is enough to get me behind... a lot. Not to mention I am a slacker to begin with! On Sunday while I was trying to get the Easter meal all finished, Jake reminded me, oh so sweetly "If Nee was here (we always have Easter dinner with Nee and Papa Graves but they are on a mission) we would already have eaten on the fancy table by now."...Thanks for reminding me dude. We have gotten so used to quick meals served from the counter (not in serving dishes on the table. We still eat at the table...after we move the half done projects to the side...Seriously...help me please...), that it makes we wish for the "normal life" again. I will be the best home maker ever when I am at home full time again. I will never take it for granted again!
*The mom of a friend of Jake's from school called me the other day to ask if Jake is going on the field trip tomorrow. (He didn't go on the over night field trip last year...that's right an over night field trip in the 3rd grade...?...I didn't get it. I think that is why she was wondering if he was going) I told her he was and that wasn't the answer she was looking for. She is not feeling good about sending her son and was hoping I wasn't sending Jake so she could convince her son it was a good idea not to go. Two things went through my mind: I kind of take it as a compliment...and does it mean I am a bad mom that I feel okay about him going on the trip? Isn't it strange where your mind goes?
*I cooked down the ham bone from Easter dinner and made what I like to call a "poor mans meal", that was straight from my childhood. We are calling it ham bone soup. It smelled just like when I was little and my mom made it. It tasted just like it did when I was little...all except that part where the noodles absorbed so much of the juice the were totally mushy and gross...and no one like it except me. And I didn't like it enough to eat it again. Can you imagine how mushy the noodles would be after reheating it again?..
*Sadie may be smarter than I thought...We once saw a video on America's Funniest Video that showed a little lap dog dinging one of these bells to let her family know she needed to go out. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, and since we have a puppy I thought we would try it out. Long story short, when Sadie has to go potty we bring her to the back door, ding the bell with our foot and say "Potty?" and then open the door. We started on Saturday and she is already catching on. Last night Jake and I were sitting at the table and Aaron was at his desk, when we notice Sadie sliding the bell on the floor. Aaron was like, "I think she needs to go out." I asked her if she had to go potty, she wagged her tail and jumped around, I opened the door and she went right outside. She is a little doggy genius. Now we are going to take her paw and show her how to tap it (instead of us tapping it) and see if it will really work. (Ignore the messy floor and spots on the door that need to be painted please.)
*I need to be cleaning right now....
*YAD-Young Authors Day. Today I got up at 5:00 am (I am not a morning person...) to cook the 2 breakfast casseroles that I needed to bring in to Jake's class today. I am the class parent and I am counting down the days until it is all over...Today parents were invited to come in and hear the stories their children have been working on. I came home loving Jake's stories, having 1 1/2 casserole's left (the kids really just wanted the doughnuts...No surprise there. That is what I thought would happen, but that is what Jake's teach wanted...), and frazzled because I really am not a fan (at all) of Jake's teacher (she is mean. picture me saying that period rather than typing it...). I am so glad it is almost over....
*I still haven't watched all of General Conference. I think I will go do that in my remaining time in a quiet, empty house. I need a spiritual uplift...and an easy one that I can just listen to and feel it sinking in. I don't have the energy to have to work at it today.
*I feel guilty talking about not having energy when Aaron works 3rd shift full time and goes to school full time. I am glad one of us is not a big baby.
*Yesterday I was taking a picture of a bell (you will see why in a minute) and Jake said "when are you going to take my picture?" I responded that he never wants me to so I wasn't going to bug him. To this he said: "Now that I have a camera I understand why you want to take pictures." I hope this lasts! I gave him Aaron's old work camera that never gets used and he is loving it! All this leads up to why I took the next picture...This is a new Lego set he got with the Easter money he got. Yes, he got enough Easter money to buy a $20 Lego set...I call it "guilt money". I thought I was going to feel guilty that we told Jake there is no Easter bunny, but I don't...I still need to post about our awesome conversation and coloring Easter eggs....
*Remember the 1000 piece puzzle I started...weeks ago? I am still not done with it. I have only really sat down about 4 times and worked on it. I ended up moving it to a small table so I didn't have to put it away. I WILL FINISH IT. Aaron said one day I am going to come home and it is all going to be in the box because he is sick of picking pieces off the floor. I will do it Aaron I swear. In fact I am going to do it tonight! I like doing it, I just don't make the time. For example I could be doing it right now, but instead I am blogging! Priorities people. :) I keep dusting it carefully so I don't lose any pieces. It is amazing how you can stare at the pieces and all the sudden your mind just spots one and knows right where it goes. I think that is the closet I will ever get to feeling like a genius.*Jake is really not a great sneaker-picker-outer. His sneakers are pitiful and needed to be demoted to play shoes. After school yesterday we went to look for shoes. We found the "perfect pair" that was on sale and it was BOGO 1/2 off so he got a pair of nice flip flop sandals for 1/2...Both pairs together were still less than the sneakers were full price. I love a bargain. Long story short: he has a field trip tomorrow and want to wear his old sneaks...This after he put on his new ones this morning and then decided to wear his flip flops...Finally he admitted they aren't as comfy as he thought....He just like the way they look, I think...UGH! I told him today after school, indoors, he needed to wear them a few hours and see if they are going to be keepers or not. You can exchange shoes after one day of very light wear right?...
*I realized on Sunday how out of practice I am on so many domestic things. Yes, I only work part time...But that means my home making skills are lacking for that part of the time, which adds up to 20-25 hours a week. That is enough to get me behind... a lot. Not to mention I am a slacker to begin with! On Sunday while I was trying to get the Easter meal all finished, Jake reminded me, oh so sweetly "If Nee was here (we always have Easter dinner with Nee and Papa Graves but they are on a mission) we would already have eaten on the fancy table by now."...Thanks for reminding me dude. We have gotten so used to quick meals served from the counter (not in serving dishes on the table. We still eat at the table...after we move the half done projects to the side...Seriously...help me please...), that it makes we wish for the "normal life" again. I will be the best home maker ever when I am at home full time again. I will never take it for granted again!
*The mom of a friend of Jake's from school called me the other day to ask if Jake is going on the field trip tomorrow. (He didn't go on the over night field trip last year...that's right an over night field trip in the 3rd grade...?...I didn't get it. I think that is why she was wondering if he was going) I told her he was and that wasn't the answer she was looking for. She is not feeling good about sending her son and was hoping I wasn't sending Jake so she could convince her son it was a good idea not to go. Two things went through my mind: I kind of take it as a compliment...and does it mean I am a bad mom that I feel okay about him going on the trip? Isn't it strange where your mind goes?
*I cooked down the ham bone from Easter dinner and made what I like to call a "poor mans meal", that was straight from my childhood. We are calling it ham bone soup. It smelled just like when I was little and my mom made it. It tasted just like it did when I was little...all except that part where the noodles absorbed so much of the juice the were totally mushy and gross...and no one like it except me. And I didn't like it enough to eat it again. Can you imagine how mushy the noodles would be after reheating it again?..
*Sadie may be smarter than I thought...We once saw a video on America's Funniest Video that showed a little lap dog dinging one of these bells to let her family know she needed to go out. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, and since we have a puppy I thought we would try it out. Long story short, when Sadie has to go potty we bring her to the back door, ding the bell with our foot and say "Potty?" and then open the door. We started on Saturday and she is already catching on. Last night Jake and I were sitting at the table and Aaron was at his desk, when we notice Sadie sliding the bell on the floor. Aaron was like, "I think she needs to go out." I asked her if she had to go potty, she wagged her tail and jumped around, I opened the door and she went right outside. She is a little doggy genius. Now we are going to take her paw and show her how to tap it (instead of us tapping it) and see if it will really work. (Ignore the messy floor and spots on the door that need to be painted please.)
*I need to be cleaning right now....*YAD-Young Authors Day. Today I got up at 5:00 am (I am not a morning person...) to cook the 2 breakfast casseroles that I needed to bring in to Jake's class today. I am the class parent and I am counting down the days until it is all over...Today parents were invited to come in and hear the stories their children have been working on. I came home loving Jake's stories, having 1 1/2 casserole's left (the kids really just wanted the doughnuts...No surprise there. That is what I thought would happen, but that is what Jake's teach wanted...), and frazzled because I really am not a fan (at all) of Jake's teacher (she is mean. picture me saying that period rather than typing it...). I am so glad it is almost over....
Monday, April 25, 2011
I am almost late for work everyday...
...because I can't stop reading your blogs! On week day mornings I drop Jake off for work and come home to "check my emails"...and end up spending 30 minutes (at least) checking out all your posts. Would you all stop being so darn charming and interesting?! :)
I have a lot of blogs to catch up on since we had Spring Break last week and I want to read them all- NOW! But...It is 8:26 and I have to be at work at 9. What am I doing? Sitting here unshowered reading your blogs!!! I have getting ready for work down to an art. I go with my hair wet, pulled back with a head band almost everyday. Luckily I only live 3 minutes away...Love ya all my blog friends!!! Can't wait to read about your Easter, kiddo's, joys, sorrows, brain farts, burnt meals, and what ever life is throwing at you! You all rock.
I have a lot of blogs to catch up on since we had Spring Break last week and I want to read them all- NOW! But...It is 8:26 and I have to be at work at 9. What am I doing? Sitting here unshowered reading your blogs!!! I have getting ready for work down to an art. I go with my hair wet, pulled back with a head band almost everyday. Luckily I only live 3 minutes away...Love ya all my blog friends!!! Can't wait to read about your Easter, kiddo's, joys, sorrows, brain farts, burnt meals, and what ever life is throwing at you! You all rock.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Spring Break...It was all a blur...
...And now it is over. :( Here is what we did, since the last time I posted:
*I haven't mentioned that at work we are doing this Fit for Life challenge and one way to get bonus points was to walk the parking lot at Bi-Lo (you get 15 points for every loop-I only got to go 2 times-more than anyone else did-but I did 10 loops-2 miles-each time). I wish I had had my camera because on Monday night I took Jake and Sadie with me (keep in mind we had gone on a walk/run with Erin when she was at our house and the boy and dog were already pooped...), and after 6 laps they were to tired to keep going so I had to push them in a shopping cart! I am sure people thought I was crazy but I wanted those bonus points!...Come to find out my team is a bunch of slackers so we probably won't win anyway, but I am still going to do my best! Aaron told me I am going to win it for the team...I don't think he realizes this is not just our store...it is the whole district....And people are on the honor system for entering there points and we have a known cheater in our store...But any way it would have been a real Kodak moment...Me pushing a little over 100 pounds of boy and dog in the dark, in the parking lot of a grocery store...Nice redneck story...
*Wednesday-I worked until 2 (Aaron was home sleeping so Jake wasn't by himself) and when I got home we went and picked up one of Jake's buddies from school (Corey) and they played until we got home after dropping him back off at 8:30ish.
*Thursday-We headed down to Spartanburg, SC to visit Aaron's fam. (Aaron had class and work so he couldn't go, but that didn't stop us from visiting!) . Sadie has a great time with the "big dogs" (Penny-Nana's golden that we dog sat, and Fynn-Erin's lab mix). We had a great time on a little hike with Erin, Nana, and the dogs. Jake even swam in a little creek with the dogs (I wadded in...Sadie was really trying to get me to go in further but that was it for me. Jake brought an extra set of clothes-when the weather is nice we always do. You never know when you will have the chance to take a dip!), until we got kicked out for trespassing...We didn't know we were. We looked in the windows of a house down the street that was for sale (it was under contract...I know this because I called. Not that we were going to buy it or anything but it always fun to dream...especially when the house is on 1.5 acres, has a rocking chair front porch, 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and an in ground pool all for only $128k!!), and dreamed about it's amazing potential. We hung out and when the cousins got home from school they did this:
One second...Random cute Sadie picture. She was thirsty on the way to Sparkle City...
Tree climbed! Getting ready in this shot...
Waiting patiently for their turns. Addie Kate is too small for the harness but she doesn't seem to mind at all.
Riannon climbing...with a little help from Erin!
Jake getting ready. Love the crazy face dude. That is Fynn in the background...Sadie hasn't grown that much...yet.
Jake had fun swinging rather than climbing.
And another random dog picture..This is as good as it got-they wouldn't stop moving!
Della made it the highest. We thought this was the highest she was going to go but...
We were wrong! You go girl!!
Before heading home we stopped by Ranee and Jeremy's (Ranee was getting ready for a yard sale and Riannon was selling her old bike...Jake is bike-less at the moment...) and laughed our heads off as Jake showed them his new found talent that Erin had taught him...Making fart noises with a straw under your arm pit. He mastered the Star Wars theme so well that Jeremy recorded it and texted it to Aaron...Poor Aaron was bummed he missed out on all the fun! We ended riding home like this:
Since this was in the back seat: 
Jake's new to him bike (he has ridden and LOVES!) we got for $5..And his walking stick from the hike that he just couldn't leave behind! Sadie was sitting in the back but as we went around a curve it shifted just enough to wake her from her DEEP (she was wiped out from playing all day with her doggie cousins) sleep and made her cry :(. Poor thing. It didn't hurt her at all-it barely touched her but she was too tired to be woken up so Jake decided he wanted her up on the floor in front of him. He ended up falling asleep and his feet were on Sadie...I think by that point she was too asleep to care!
*Friday I worked until 3, Jake and Aaron did...I don't really know what they did!..That night we just hung out with Daddy.
After Jake went to sleep Aaron was a P.T.P.P.
*Saturday I was supposed to work 11-7 but ended up being lucky enough to leave at 3! Jake and Aaron watched the last Star Wars (no I do not know which one that is...They would be so disappointed in me right now for not knowing), and just hung out while I was gone. So, we hung out with the neighbors (they have a new lab puppy named Bear who is Sadie's new BFF), we colored Easter eggs, talked to Jake about the Easter bunny (Santa, tooth fairy...) not being real and wanting to focus on the Savior more than the traditions (...It went well-more on that later...It deserves it's own post), and had our Easter Egg hunt....Basically we have hung out and had fun staying up late every night (we did a million other things I can't think of at the moment I am sure.) and wishing that school was over already! Five more weeks!!!! I think I said that last week, but I think it really is 5 more weeks now...I got a head of myself before. We are counting down the days until summer!
*I haven't mentioned that at work we are doing this Fit for Life challenge and one way to get bonus points was to walk the parking lot at Bi-Lo (you get 15 points for every loop-I only got to go 2 times-more than anyone else did-but I did 10 loops-2 miles-each time). I wish I had had my camera because on Monday night I took Jake and Sadie with me (keep in mind we had gone on a walk/run with Erin when she was at our house and the boy and dog were already pooped...), and after 6 laps they were to tired to keep going so I had to push them in a shopping cart! I am sure people thought I was crazy but I wanted those bonus points!...Come to find out my team is a bunch of slackers so we probably won't win anyway, but I am still going to do my best! Aaron told me I am going to win it for the team...I don't think he realizes this is not just our store...it is the whole district....And people are on the honor system for entering there points and we have a known cheater in our store...But any way it would have been a real Kodak moment...Me pushing a little over 100 pounds of boy and dog in the dark, in the parking lot of a grocery store...Nice redneck story...
*Wednesday-I worked until 2 (Aaron was home sleeping so Jake wasn't by himself) and when I got home we went and picked up one of Jake's buddies from school (Corey) and they played until we got home after dropping him back off at 8:30ish.
*Thursday-We headed down to Spartanburg, SC to visit Aaron's fam. (Aaron had class and work so he couldn't go, but that didn't stop us from visiting!) . Sadie has a great time with the "big dogs" (Penny-Nana's golden that we dog sat, and Fynn-Erin's lab mix). We had a great time on a little hike with Erin, Nana, and the dogs. Jake even swam in a little creek with the dogs (I wadded in...Sadie was really trying to get me to go in further but that was it for me. Jake brought an extra set of clothes-when the weather is nice we always do. You never know when you will have the chance to take a dip!), until we got kicked out for trespassing...We didn't know we were. We looked in the windows of a house down the street that was for sale (it was under contract...I know this because I called. Not that we were going to buy it or anything but it always fun to dream...especially when the house is on 1.5 acres, has a rocking chair front porch, 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and an in ground pool all for only $128k!!), and dreamed about it's amazing potential. We hung out and when the cousins got home from school they did this:
One second...Random cute Sadie picture. She was thirsty on the way to Sparkle City...
Tree climbed! Getting ready in this shot...
Waiting patiently for their turns. Addie Kate is too small for the harness but she doesn't seem to mind at all.
Riannon climbing...with a little help from Erin!
Jake getting ready. Love the crazy face dude. That is Fynn in the background...Sadie hasn't grown that much...yet.
Jake had fun swinging rather than climbing.
And another random dog picture..This is as good as it got-they wouldn't stop moving!
Della made it the highest. We thought this was the highest she was going to go but...
We were wrong! You go girl!!
Before heading home we stopped by Ranee and Jeremy's (Ranee was getting ready for a yard sale and Riannon was selling her old bike...Jake is bike-less at the moment...) and laughed our heads off as Jake showed them his new found talent that Erin had taught him...Making fart noises with a straw under your arm pit. He mastered the Star Wars theme so well that Jeremy recorded it and texted it to Aaron...Poor Aaron was bummed he missed out on all the fun! We ended riding home like this:
Since this was in the back seat: 
Jake's new to him bike (he has ridden and LOVES!) we got for $5..And his walking stick from the hike that he just couldn't leave behind! Sadie was sitting in the back but as we went around a curve it shifted just enough to wake her from her DEEP (she was wiped out from playing all day with her doggie cousins) sleep and made her cry :(. Poor thing. It didn't hurt her at all-it barely touched her but she was too tired to be woken up so Jake decided he wanted her up on the floor in front of him. He ended up falling asleep and his feet were on Sadie...I think by that point she was too asleep to care!*Friday I worked until 3, Jake and Aaron did...I don't really know what they did!..That night we just hung out with Daddy.
After Jake went to sleep Aaron was a P.T.P.P.
*Saturday I was supposed to work 11-7 but ended up being lucky enough to leave at 3! Jake and Aaron watched the last Star Wars (no I do not know which one that is...They would be so disappointed in me right now for not knowing), and just hung out while I was gone. So, we hung out with the neighbors (they have a new lab puppy named Bear who is Sadie's new BFF), we colored Easter eggs, talked to Jake about the Easter bunny (Santa, tooth fairy...) not being real and wanting to focus on the Savior more than the traditions (...It went well-more on that later...It deserves it's own post), and had our Easter Egg hunt....Basically we have hung out and had fun staying up late every night (we did a million other things I can't think of at the moment I am sure.) and wishing that school was over already! Five more weeks!!!! I think I said that last week, but I think it really is 5 more weeks now...I got a head of myself before. We are counting down the days until summer!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wordlful Wednesday: Easter Memories
All my childhood memories of Easter are purely Easter bunny, dying eggs, and hunting for candy. We didn't go to church when I was little, but I do remember fancy dresses and shawls so maybe we went for Easter. Did we Mom?
I watch commercial's on TV that show children hunting for plastic eggs outside...I grew up in New Hampshire so April is mud season (if there isn't still snow!), which meant our egg hunts were in the house. My mom hid individual jelly beans instead of the plastic eggs. There may have been chocolate eggs too, but I am a jelly bean fan so I don't remember anything else-except peeps of course. We have kept up the same tradition with Jake. Plus it always fun to find random jelly beans 3 months later that no one found. :)
I remember one Easter Tina (my older sis) swore she saw the Easter bunny and said he had a huge head. :) I am really considering coming clean on the whole Easter Bunny thing this year. I was torn at Christmas with the whole Santa thing but I didn't tell him. I think this Easter is going to be it. Jake always says "don't you trust me?" when I ask him something, and then ask him again to make sure...and yes I do trust him. So, it feels kind of like we are big fat liars. I can't believe he has believed this long! One year I forgot to hide the candy before I went to sleep and he still didn't catch on...
Easter...actually any holiday was special when I was growing up because my parents rock like that. :) I hope Jake will say the same in 20 years. We will see. I love the memories of Jake on Easter. He gets excited about everything and then is so thankful after wards. I think this is a good year to shift from Easter Bunny and Jesus' Resurrection, to just the real stuff. He knows what Easter is really about (His kindergarten teacher called him "little preacher" because a girl in his class said Jesus died on Easter and he corrected her and told the whole story of what really happened to the class), and it is about time we focus on what is really special about the day. I know that the Savior rose again and I have a testimony that we will all be able to live again. I am so thankful to know the truth and to be able to share it with Jake. Wish me luck that dashing Jake's childhood dreams of the Easter Bunny, will lead to better understanding and a stronger testimony of the Savior. :) We can still have egg hunts and jelly beans, even with out the Easter bunny...We have been doing it just fine all these years. So here is to our new Easter memory: complete focus on the Savior. Sounds like a great new tradition to me.
What are your Easter memories? Learn about other peoples over at Cocoa's blog.
I watch commercial's on TV that show children hunting for plastic eggs outside...I grew up in New Hampshire so April is mud season (if there isn't still snow!), which meant our egg hunts were in the house. My mom hid individual jelly beans instead of the plastic eggs. There may have been chocolate eggs too, but I am a jelly bean fan so I don't remember anything else-except peeps of course. We have kept up the same tradition with Jake. Plus it always fun to find random jelly beans 3 months later that no one found. :)
I remember one Easter Tina (my older sis) swore she saw the Easter bunny and said he had a huge head. :) I am really considering coming clean on the whole Easter Bunny thing this year. I was torn at Christmas with the whole Santa thing but I didn't tell him. I think this Easter is going to be it. Jake always says "don't you trust me?" when I ask him something, and then ask him again to make sure...and yes I do trust him. So, it feels kind of like we are big fat liars. I can't believe he has believed this long! One year I forgot to hide the candy before I went to sleep and he still didn't catch on...
Easter...actually any holiday was special when I was growing up because my parents rock like that. :) I hope Jake will say the same in 20 years. We will see. I love the memories of Jake on Easter. He gets excited about everything and then is so thankful after wards. I think this is a good year to shift from Easter Bunny and Jesus' Resurrection, to just the real stuff. He knows what Easter is really about (His kindergarten teacher called him "little preacher" because a girl in his class said Jesus died on Easter and he corrected her and told the whole story of what really happened to the class), and it is about time we focus on what is really special about the day. I know that the Savior rose again and I have a testimony that we will all be able to live again. I am so thankful to know the truth and to be able to share it with Jake. Wish me luck that dashing Jake's childhood dreams of the Easter Bunny, will lead to better understanding and a stronger testimony of the Savior. :) We can still have egg hunts and jelly beans, even with out the Easter bunny...We have been doing it just fine all these years. So here is to our new Easter memory: complete focus on the Savior. Sounds like a great new tradition to me.
What are your Easter memories? Learn about other peoples over at Cocoa's blog.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Inevitable things...
There are 2 things that were inevitably going to happen and they have. Here they are:
1. As Aaron and I were trying to go to sleep last night (Mondays and Wednesdays are the only nights Aaron is at home, since he works 3rd shift), neither of us could get comfortable. Then we realized we are both used to sleeping in the middle of the bed by ourselves. I sleep in it at night, and Aaron sleeps in it during the day (except on Tues. and Thurs. when he is at school)...Pretty sad, huh? There is light at the end of the tunnel though, it really is just for a few more months...Hopefully...We are praying when he graduates in December he will be able to get a teaching position right away...
2. Jake has grown up. I blinked and he is almost a decade old. I remember when he used to need us to leave the hall light on to go to sleep. Now we have to do this:
...to keep the light out. We started doing this because Sadie would sneak into Jake's room to try to sleep with him, but the extra door was too much for her to figure out so she gave up. Now we do it because it blocks out the light better because he needs it to be dark now...
Jake is an adventurer at heart (at least he thinks he is...He still doesn't like to go down in the basement by himself...). He can't wait to go on an adventure all by himself. I was switching a load of clothes from washer to dryer, when from the top of the stairs I hear: "Bye Mommy" (He isn't too grown up to stop calling me Mommy yet. :) ). I came up the stairs to find him with a back pack and all the "essentials" (you know a change of clothes, a hammer, plyers...?...We need to have a Family Home Evening on 72 hour kits so he will know what essentials really are), and was ready to go on an adventure all by his self. He wanted me to let him just go where ever the road took him, but he promised to be home by 5-he had his watch on so he wouldn't be late. He talked about walking to Bi-Lo (the grocery store I work at that is a 5 minute drive away and off a main, busy, road...) and buying a drink, he had his money with him...?...Of course I wasn't about to let him go by himself. We don't live in a bad neighborhood or anything but 2 or 3 streets over it gets a little questionable. And there are crazy people out there! AND I am paranoid. We finally agreed on me following behind him, a little ways a way, in the car. Even though I had a million and 1 things to do I agreed. I mean it is Spring Break and I had the boy cleaning the windows on the ladder earlier, he deserves to go on an adventure right?
Sadie had to get in the car because she was "ruining the adventure". She was not to happy to watch Jake walk away. Jake ended up getting her back out because he was happy to see how much she wanted to be with him.
...Long story short I laughed in the car as he walked all over the neighborhood on his adventure. He stopped to read signs with historical facts on it. He sat down in the grass to relax. He had a sign that meant I should drive up to him and he would pay me a penny for a drink of water. Finally when a couple of people a street over, that don't know us, came up to ask Jake if he lived in the neighborhood (I am pretty sure they thought he was a run away...), I told him it was time to end the adventure and head home for dinner. He said it was the best day ever and the best adventure ever. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast...
1. As Aaron and I were trying to go to sleep last night (Mondays and Wednesdays are the only nights Aaron is at home, since he works 3rd shift), neither of us could get comfortable. Then we realized we are both used to sleeping in the middle of the bed by ourselves. I sleep in it at night, and Aaron sleeps in it during the day (except on Tues. and Thurs. when he is at school)...Pretty sad, huh? There is light at the end of the tunnel though, it really is just for a few more months...Hopefully...We are praying when he graduates in December he will be able to get a teaching position right away...
2. Jake has grown up. I blinked and he is almost a decade old. I remember when he used to need us to leave the hall light on to go to sleep. Now we have to do this:
...to keep the light out. We started doing this because Sadie would sneak into Jake's room to try to sleep with him, but the extra door was too much for her to figure out so she gave up. Now we do it because it blocks out the light better because he needs it to be dark now...
Jake is an adventurer at heart (at least he thinks he is...He still doesn't like to go down in the basement by himself...). He can't wait to go on an adventure all by himself. I was switching a load of clothes from washer to dryer, when from the top of the stairs I hear: "Bye Mommy" (He isn't too grown up to stop calling me Mommy yet. :) ). I came up the stairs to find him with a back pack and all the "essentials" (you know a change of clothes, a hammer, plyers...?...We need to have a Family Home Evening on 72 hour kits so he will know what essentials really are), and was ready to go on an adventure all by his self. He wanted me to let him just go where ever the road took him, but he promised to be home by 5-he had his watch on so he wouldn't be late. He talked about walking to Bi-Lo (the grocery store I work at that is a 5 minute drive away and off a main, busy, road...) and buying a drink, he had his money with him...?...Of course I wasn't about to let him go by himself. We don't live in a bad neighborhood or anything but 2 or 3 streets over it gets a little questionable. And there are crazy people out there! AND I am paranoid. We finally agreed on me following behind him, a little ways a way, in the car. Even though I had a million and 1 things to do I agreed. I mean it is Spring Break and I had the boy cleaning the windows on the ladder earlier, he deserves to go on an adventure right?
Sadie had to get in the car because she was "ruining the adventure". She was not to happy to watch Jake walk away. Jake ended up getting her back out because he was happy to see how much she wanted to be with him.
...Long story short I laughed in the car as he walked all over the neighborhood on his adventure. He stopped to read signs with historical facts on it. He sat down in the grass to relax. He had a sign that meant I should drive up to him and he would pay me a penny for a drink of water. Finally when a couple of people a street over, that don't know us, came up to ask Jake if he lived in the neighborhood (I am pretty sure they thought he was a run away...), I told him it was time to end the adventure and head home for dinner. He said it was the best day ever and the best adventure ever. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast...
An unexpected visitor and Support.
Yesterday after work, Jake and I were hanging out (Aaron was at the library studying for 2 tests he has this week), when the door bell rang. I actually thought it was on TV, but Jake convinced me to check. I am glad I did because my sister-in-law Erin was standing at the door! She had come up to Charlotte to take a test for a job and dropped in for a visit. We had a great time spending the rest of the day with her. Jake was dying to show her his Wii Lego Star Wars game, which worked great for me because I wouldn't let her in my kitchen until I filled up the dishwasher. While they played I unloaded the clean dishes and reloaded the dirty one. (It used to be Aaron's job to unload, but he is a little too busy with school and work right now. Jake still isn't quit tall enough to put the stuff in the top cabinets so I am left to do it...I am great at loading things but unloading? Not so much...The dishwasher, the dryer...then when I fold the clothes-the laundry baskets...I am not a fan of any of these things.). I will never leave the clean dishes in the dishwasher so that the pile of rinsed (or soaking...), but not washed dishes pile up again...Not that Erin would have cared, but I did!
Erin brought some fun books that Nana found to give to us. Jake doesn't know they are for home schooling, but the rest of us do! Erin couldn't remember the story behind them...Something about a school giving them a way for free so Nana picked them up for us...I will find out on Thursday because we are headed down to visit for the day. I will call you tomorrow Nana to make sure that will actually work for you! :) Thank you Nana-some people think we are crazy for home schooling, but I am glad to know that you support our decision. It really means a lot.
I thought there was something spilt on the green book before I read the title: The Science of Really gross things: Grossology. Jake thought it was hysterical (so did I)! It teaches you the science behind things like farts, vomit, and zits. Perfect for a boy! I am really excited (so is Jake) about the one titled: Mirrors: Finding Out the Properties of Light. Thanks again Nana!!!
Erin brought some fun books that Nana found to give to us. Jake doesn't know they are for home schooling, but the rest of us do! Erin couldn't remember the story behind them...Something about a school giving them a way for free so Nana picked them up for us...I will find out on Thursday because we are headed down to visit for the day. I will call you tomorrow Nana to make sure that will actually work for you! :) Thank you Nana-some people think we are crazy for home schooling, but I am glad to know that you support our decision. It really means a lot.
I thought there was something spilt on the green book before I read the title: The Science of Really gross things: Grossology. Jake thought it was hysterical (so did I)! It teaches you the science behind things like farts, vomit, and zits. Perfect for a boy! I am really excited (so is Jake) about the one titled: Mirrors: Finding Out the Properties of Light. Thanks again Nana!!! 
Spring Cleaning
It has finally and officially begun: Spring Cleaning. I used bribery to get Jake to help. Yes, he would have helped any way but he wants money for his upcoming field trip and I wanted to accomplish a lot. I told him I would pay him $3 an hour. I am a nice mom, right? Let me tell you that is the best $6 I ever paid anyone! He earned it and we completely Spring cleaned the living room-including washing, drying and rehanging the curtains and everything! Thanks Jake for your help! I have to work 9-2 tomorrow, so while Aaron is asleep I have some more Spring cleaning projects for Jake to do while I am gone...Cleaning the outside of the kitchen cabinets, cleaning the baseboards, cleaning the doors (you know all those smudges...), cleaning the french doors...I am sure I can come up with a few more tasks to occupy Jake's time. :)
Jake had his own window cleaning technique: 2 sprays, wipe, 1 spray, wipe again...It was effective, but slightly time consuming...I may...or may not, have gotten a little aggravated. I was paying by the hour! That piece of tape is on the inside and is left over from our Valentine's day hearts...
This is what under the couch cushions looked like...You can barely see the quarter hidden in all the crumbs! This is Jake's favorite place to sit so I am blaming it all on him. :)
We thought we were done...but we hadn't cleaned the Nativity (we keep it out year round because I love it so much).
Jake is the Nativity arranger. It was a great last step in Spring cleaning the living room! Now on to the next room...
Jake had his own window cleaning technique: 2 sprays, wipe, 1 spray, wipe again...It was effective, but slightly time consuming...I may...or may not, have gotten a little aggravated. I was paying by the hour! That piece of tape is on the inside and is left over from our Valentine's day hearts...
This is what under the couch cushions looked like...You can barely see the quarter hidden in all the crumbs! This is Jake's favorite place to sit so I am blaming it all on him. :)
We thought we were done...but we hadn't cleaned the Nativity (we keep it out year round because I love it so much).
Jake is the Nativity arranger. It was a great last step in Spring cleaning the living room! Now on to the next room...
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday: Egg hunt and Spring Break Kick off!
...Hold on! One picture before I get to Friday! Jake was player of the day 2 days in a row for "First in Math" (an online way to practice math skills. It counts as 2 grades a period). They get to wear a fancy necklace...I of course had to take a picture of it...Wait this may actually be a picture from Friday...Yep, same Star Wars shirt from the other pictures. That was the day he had to bring it back to school...AWESOME JOB DUDE!
On Friday, I slipped out of work early so I could hide Easter eggs and help with Jake's class Spring treat. The kids searched for 3 eggs: one with their name on it and 2 with the answers to questions they had to answer before the hunt. I loved this idea, but I can't give credit to Jake's teacher. She got the idea, questions, and answers from another 4th grade teacher. I am not even going to go into being there in Jake's class...It is the same it always is..Okay I will go into it a little. I was getting to the school in enough time to spend the last 15 minutes of lunch with Jake before hiding the eggs. On my way to the cafeteria I happened to see one of Jake's class mates who told me they were eating lunch in their class room...?...They were all rushing to finish some work their teacher had to have them finish before Spring Break so they did it while eating lunch. As I walked into the room Jake looked so stressed out and just about on the verge of tears. I sat at his teachers desk while they finished and Mrs. P complained to me about how none of them had finished the in class project...Hmmm...None of them did? She either has a class full of slackers or didn't give them enough time to finish...*Sigh*. Enough venting...There is much more but it isn't worth stressing over any more. It is what it is...I whispered to Jake not to worry about it (he didn't get his finished the way he wanted to...they had to rush through it and he was worried about his grade), and just have fun at the egg hunt. I am not going to worry about it that is for sure! Just 6 more weeks and this will be over!!!...I spent Thursday night (after the Primary Presidency meeting at my house) stuffing the eggs and writing the names and answers on them.
This is a picture of Jake searching...Can you see he is still stresses out? I told him not to worry about it. He did his best and now he just needed to have fun...So, he did. So much that I never even got another shot of him hunting because he was running all over the place! :)
Jake and his new best bud, Connor. (Ken hasn't shown the reform he promised Jake after the last "incident", so they are just kind of friends. Ken keeps calling everyone names, so Jake is being nice to him, but not hanging out with him as much. We think that is a good decision. He hangs out and plays with Connor and Kayla the most now.) That is the smile I like to see-not the stressed out face!
At home we kicked off Spring Break by having a slumber party in Jake's room on Friday night. (The mattresses are still on the floor, from when his cousins slept in his room 2 weeks ago...I have vacuumed the part of the floor unoccupied by them...) Aaron had to leave for work at 9:00 pm, so he missed the slumber part of the party. We didn't go to bed until 11:00...I was ready at about 9:30 but Jake wanted to make Lego people and play, so we did! The sleeping arrangements (I was supposed to sleep on Jake's bed...):
Jake created this spaceship/robot/...a lot of other things that was pretty cool.
This is a before of Jake's very unorganized shelves...We will have a follow up of how it looks after we reorganize it this week. This is how Jake wanted to pose for the picture. :)
Sadie even brought in her rope toy to chew on while we played. The pillow was a divider so she couldn't (in theory) eat any Lego's...Some how she ended up underneath it...
Meet "Jake", Jake's Lego guy who is an inventor/bounty hunter.
Last year I did a post about our first Lego girl we named "Rachel" (after Rachel Ray, one of Jake's crushes from his younger years) and I said how I would love her hair. Well, move over Rachel! I am all about Hermione Granger's hair now. (Hermione from Harry Potter...if you live under a rock and don't know who she is).
This is "Jane". She is a Warrior-Ninja-Princess. (The head and hair are Hermione...I think the body/outfit is Prince of Persia...maybe. We haven't seen the movie but the Lego set was on sale at Christmas time and was very cool. I thought it made a pretty great warrior-ninja-princess outfit.) How awesome is her hair?...and she never has to do anything to it.
This was a ball all in one piece when we started playing...Puppy teeth are lethal, I am telling you.
Sadie ended up working her way over to see what we were doing...She moved on to her teddy bear at this point (it is hard to see in the picture, but she is chewing on it on my lap...It is dark blue and she is black, so it all kind of blends together...)
Jake moved to another area...so Sadie did too. At about this time I gave up and said I was going to bed. I started out in Jake's bed and he was on the floor with Sadie...That lasted about 5 minutes and we switched. Sadie slept the whole night...lucky girl. She is used to sleeping in her crate so I was afraid she might get up and wonder (and maybe pee...) but she didn't...I know this because I think I woke up every 20 minutes to make sure. I woke up at one point to her over on my mattress curled up next to me. :) We had a great slumber party and are looking forward to our camp out in the back yard on Monday night!...Oh man that is tomorrow night isn't it...I better get to sleep...I love this picture. Sadie is so intrigued by Jake. :)
On Friday, I slipped out of work early so I could hide Easter eggs and help with Jake's class Spring treat. The kids searched for 3 eggs: one with their name on it and 2 with the answers to questions they had to answer before the hunt. I loved this idea, but I can't give credit to Jake's teacher. She got the idea, questions, and answers from another 4th grade teacher. I am not even going to go into being there in Jake's class...It is the same it always is..Okay I will go into it a little. I was getting to the school in enough time to spend the last 15 minutes of lunch with Jake before hiding the eggs. On my way to the cafeteria I happened to see one of Jake's class mates who told me they were eating lunch in their class room...?...They were all rushing to finish some work their teacher had to have them finish before Spring Break so they did it while eating lunch. As I walked into the room Jake looked so stressed out and just about on the verge of tears. I sat at his teachers desk while they finished and Mrs. P complained to me about how none of them had finished the in class project...Hmmm...None of them did? She either has a class full of slackers or didn't give them enough time to finish...*Sigh*. Enough venting...There is much more but it isn't worth stressing over any more. It is what it is...I whispered to Jake not to worry about it (he didn't get his finished the way he wanted to...they had to rush through it and he was worried about his grade), and just have fun at the egg hunt. I am not going to worry about it that is for sure! Just 6 more weeks and this will be over!!!...I spent Thursday night (after the Primary Presidency meeting at my house) stuffing the eggs and writing the names and answers on them.This is a picture of Jake searching...Can you see he is still stresses out? I told him not to worry about it. He did his best and now he just needed to have fun...So, he did. So much that I never even got another shot of him hunting because he was running all over the place! :)
Jake and his new best bud, Connor. (Ken hasn't shown the reform he promised Jake after the last "incident", so they are just kind of friends. Ken keeps calling everyone names, so Jake is being nice to him, but not hanging out with him as much. We think that is a good decision. He hangs out and plays with Connor and Kayla the most now.) That is the smile I like to see-not the stressed out face!
At home we kicked off Spring Break by having a slumber party in Jake's room on Friday night. (The mattresses are still on the floor, from when his cousins slept in his room 2 weeks ago...I have vacuumed the part of the floor unoccupied by them...) Aaron had to leave for work at 9:00 pm, so he missed the slumber part of the party. We didn't go to bed until 11:00...I was ready at about 9:30 but Jake wanted to make Lego people and play, so we did! The sleeping arrangements (I was supposed to sleep on Jake's bed...):
Jake created this spaceship/robot/...a lot of other things that was pretty cool.
This is a before of Jake's very unorganized shelves...We will have a follow up of how it looks after we reorganize it this week. This is how Jake wanted to pose for the picture. :)
Sadie even brought in her rope toy to chew on while we played. The pillow was a divider so she couldn't (in theory) eat any Lego's...Some how she ended up underneath it...
Meet "Jake", Jake's Lego guy who is an inventor/bounty hunter.
Last year I did a post about our first Lego girl we named "Rachel" (after Rachel Ray, one of Jake's crushes from his younger years) and I said how I would love her hair. Well, move over Rachel! I am all about Hermione Granger's hair now. (Hermione from Harry Potter...if you live under a rock and don't know who she is).
This is "Jane". She is a Warrior-Ninja-Princess. (The head and hair are Hermione...I think the body/outfit is Prince of Persia...maybe. We haven't seen the movie but the Lego set was on sale at Christmas time and was very cool. I thought it made a pretty great warrior-ninja-princess outfit.) How awesome is her hair?...and she never has to do anything to it.
This was a ball all in one piece when we started playing...Puppy teeth are lethal, I am telling you.
Sadie ended up working her way over to see what we were doing...She moved on to her teddy bear at this point (it is hard to see in the picture, but she is chewing on it on my lap...It is dark blue and she is black, so it all kind of blends together...)
Jake moved to another area...so Sadie did too. At about this time I gave up and said I was going to bed. I started out in Jake's bed and he was on the floor with Sadie...That lasted about 5 minutes and we switched. Sadie slept the whole night...lucky girl. She is used to sleeping in her crate so I was afraid she might get up and wonder (and maybe pee...) but she didn't...I know this because I think I woke up every 20 minutes to make sure. I woke up at one point to her over on my mattress curled up next to me. :) We had a great slumber party and are looking forward to our camp out in the back yard on Monday night!...Oh man that is tomorrow night isn't it...I better get to sleep...I love this picture. Sadie is so intrigued by Jake. :)
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