my world

There were many things to remember this Christmas. Little Man went snowboarding with us, a first. We drove through a blizzard to make it home for Christmas. Baby Girl, being the perfect age for the holidays, was fascinated with Everything Christmas; the lights, the tree, the songs. . . She believes in Santa Claus wholeheartedly and every present she opened was the best present ever. But, all that faded in the background, with the news that came the day after Christmas. A good friend from my past passed away during the holidays. He was in his late 30's and had either a heart-attack or anurism (undetermined). Our worlds collided (literally) 15 years ago. I was headed home. He was hauling some big, huge pipe-like thing back to his work. It fell off his trailer and I ran over it. It was lodged under "Rhonda the Honda" and only two things were replaying in my mind; My dad's gonna kill me and This Guy is really Cute!" We became good friends and at times a lit

Baby Girl's playing in the tub. I run in, grab dirty clothes, and ask "you doing okay." She answers, "Yes. . . . But Mama, my booty has got a hole in it." Isn't she just the cutest ever!?!

Girls night out was scheduled for Thursday night. At my suggestion, we were going to a Karoke Bar. I've been practicing for several weeks. . . ready to tackle Carrie Underwood, Lorretta Lynn, and Janis Joplin, all in one night. The days leading up to the big event have been crazy. I'm not going to whine too much, I'm sure it's been equally chaotic for the rest. It's like there are a million and one reasons not to go to girls night out and one main reason to go, It's called SANITY. The day of our night out was the absolute longest day ever and not b/c I didn't have much to do. It just was crazy busy and crazy long. But the time finally arrived and we walk into the bar. They are setting up for a band. Are you kidding me? I ask the waitress what about Karoke. She says that's on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I was sooo disappointed. We're suppose to have these nights out once a month, but in truth, we'll probably not get another chance until after

Sitting at the table doing homework, Little Man asks, "Mom, is Holy Shit a bad word?" Trying to keep from laughhing I reply, "Yes honey, that is a bad word!"

The other day at school, my Little Man lost a tooth. He's been visiting the school nurse every day for the last week seeking medical advice and a general time frame on when it will fall out. She was probably one visit away from yanking it from his head in sheer frustration. She gave him a cute little container to put it in and he was back off to class like a king caring his most precious possession. I don't know exactly what happened but somehow he lost it. According to him, it was there and then it just. . . poof . . . disappeared. In reality, I'm sure he just showed it off one too many times. If I know my son and I do, he was seconds away from complete meltdown, tears welling up in his eyes, and the end of his world approaching fast. His teacher, so quick and witty, saves the day. She says, "Find a rock that looks like a tooth, the tooth fairy won't know the difference." What an amazing woman, her solution, simple and perfect. And he bought it hook, line, an

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged. I miss it terribly. So much has happened, many of which would have made killer blogs, like this: I interviewed between 40 and 50 teachers. I'm looking forward to working with them. In looking for some bilingual assistants, I ran into some pretty interesting people as well. One was from Peru but she's been in the States for the past 9 years. She's going through a divorce b/c her husband says she's too Americanized. Ten years ago, her parents had her make a video for American men who were looking for a slave, I mean wife. This guy chose her, he flew to Peru and married her, 2 months later, she's leaves her country, family, and friends and moves to the States. She doesn't speak English, he doesn't speak Spanish. It's a match made in Heaven. Two children later, she wants to venture out of the house and make a life for herself, and he's ready to look at new videos. Another inter

Friday, I finally took Little Man to the doctor. He's been complaining for some time about a stomach ache. First of all, you must understand my son. He tends to be a complainer and if you'll lend an ear, he'll give you an earfull. He's one that sees the cup as half empty rather than half full. He's quick to point out what's wrong rather than what's right. I'm having to teach him how to be thankful (definitely another blog). It's hard for me b/c, being thankful has always come easy. And as far as being sick, it's something different each day. His legs, his head, his belly, etc... So when he started regularly complaining about his stomach hurting, it took me a while to pick up on it. You know, it's kinda like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. On the way to the appointment, Little Man asked if he'd have to get a shot. I said I'm not sure, but if it makes your belly better, do you want it? His reply was I'll do anything to stop my belly from hu

All things considered, this could have been a terrible day. I'm extremely tired, incredibly moody, and have zero patience. But, I made it through the day without so much as a . . . . . knockdown, drag out fight with hubby ( we did have a pretty intense argument, however) . . . . . the kids somehow escaped mom's wrath without even a spanking (this is definitely a miracle considering we grocery shopped at Walmart). . . . . and finally I managed to have a productive day at work (even in a foggy state from the night-time cold medicine I took not for a cold, but for sleep at 5 this morning) Impressive, I know! Through it all, I even found some cute moments that made me laugh. Heading out the door to grab dinner (definitely wasn't going to cook tonight), Baby girl says, "You is Crazy!" Little man replies, "No, I'm Not! I'm your brother." Sigh. . . . . My kids, one minute making me crazy, the next making me smile. Little Man's collecting rock fossil

It's after four in the morning and I can't get back to sleep. It's becoming a nightly thang. I can go to sleep at midnight and I'll wake up around 3:00. Last night, I went to sleep after 9:00, same thing, up at 3:00. I don't think there's anything more frustrating to me than not sleeping, with the exception of dieting. In the past, I've been quick to blame hubby, but I don't know. I'm kinda seeing a pattern here. Last year, sleep deprivation and head, neck, and shoulder aches were a constant. This summer, a had the occasional bad night, but it was much better. I had almost written it off as I'm cured. But, over the past few weeks, it's come back in full force, same as work. Is there a connection? I'd rather blame hubby than I can't handle stress. And it's true, he's a loud sleeper. I compare it to the hose of a vacuum, you know the sucking sound it makes if it gets to close to an object. I've tried to talk hi

Not that she's Numero Uno on my list of those who've shown me Amazing Love, I've just been thinking about her over the past few days. My Stepmother, a word that could represent all things wicked and evil, instead represent love and all things beautiful. I was a snotty-nose runt of a kid, when she came into my life. From toddler to teen, she showed me Amazing Love. I wasn't the easiest child to love. While I had my good points, I tended to be a little spoiled, demanding, hard-headed, stubborn tyrant who demanded nothing short of Disney Land each and every summer! By personalities, we were complete opposites. She embodied all that was proper, elegant, and good, completely ladylike from head to toe. She had impeccable style and beauty, truly a picture of perfect etiquette and grace. While I dreamed of having those qualities, in reality, I was a tomboy, lacking any style whatsoever, a total cluts, an accident waiting for a place to happen. I liked the music of Hank Williams

At church last Sunday, we were put into groups to discuss one key person in our life that was a friend who stuck closer than a brother. You know, someone who came along during a dark time in life offering support, love, and guidance. Someone that radiated light during a dark time. We actually had a whole week to come up with that one person. He gave us the assignment the Sunday before, we were even suppose to bring a picture of that special someone. Sounds easy, but not for me. I spent time throughout the week contemplating who that person was in my life. I actually drove to church that morning without a specific person in mind. Several times throughout the week, I broke into tears because there's not been one person that fits that description. There's a zillion! Many have flooded my life in the shape of family, friends, church members, schoolmates, and those I met at work. Some were intentionally living a life that pointed to God, others, not even aware, were shining with the

I think I love the Cub Scouts! Hubby does not share the same feelings yet, but I'm hopeful. Baby Girl's at Grandma's. Daddy's taken Little Man and his best friend to the meeting. They will be gone for at least 2 1/2 hours. So, I'm home alone, eat your heart out!!!! I need to get some work done in the office. . . I need to catch up on blogs (several stories come to mind) . . . I need to clean house. . . I definitely need to wash clothes... But, I think I'm going to turn on the Nora Jones CD, jump in the jacuzzi tub, and soak all troubles away for the next, oh, at least, 2 hours. Right this moment, life is great! (Spell check says I spelled "Jacuzzi" wrong, it's suggestion was "Jackass.") ha ha ha

This past week has been a struggle. I couldn't quite figure out why . . . Do I have PMS, nope .... Am I too busy with work, nope... I feel tired and 100% drained, but I'm sleeping fine. So what's the deal? The kids are going crazy, maybe it's the weather change, doubt it. It's been one fight right after another with emotions running wild. Little man has been so moody, baby girl totally defiant, and me a picture of frustration combined with depression. What's going on? Finally, it hit me like a ton of bricks. We miss Grandma! While I appreciate Grandma, I have not realized, until now, the importance of her role. Baby girl spends the night with Grandma usually twice a week. She gets her Grandma and PawPaw fix which, believe me, is vital to her and my well-being, while I get to spend quality mom/son time with Little Man. Every weekend, Grandma and PawPaw spend time with us, going out to eat, watching movies, riding 4-wheelers, swimming at the lake, and hanging out

Little man came home with a story he wrote at school. Ants in yor pans by Little Man ants in my frends pans. Ty has ten ants in his pans. I Do, too. Ty has ants pans. Ants in yor pans Make you Do the Boogee Dans Isn't he sooo cute and check out that punctuation. He was just beaming with pride as he told me about school today. He said that's he's in reading group #3, that's the best!!! Last year he was in group #2. He says, "Now, all my dreams have come true b/c I'm in the best reading group". We didn't read at home much last year, I was so busy with work and Daddy's motto is "Why read, when you can see the movie." Okay, so I wasn't the best last year (did I say I run a tutoring program specializing in reading, oh the guilt). My redemption, this summer when we were in town, my kids participated in the library program. Little Man read over 100 books, sister had probably twice than that read to her (she wants the same book read o

Adventure use to be river rafting, bungee jumping, and scuba diving, now it's surviving car trips with hubby and the kids. First mistake, we left the TV at home. Second mistake, I realize it at the convenient store down the road from home and didn't insist on going back for it. As God as my witness, I will not travel further than our city limits without the TV when kids are in the car. TV might rot their minds, but it's better than hubby and I losing ours. We traveled thousands of miles over the summer, it wasn't all that bad with Popeye, Tom and Jerry, and Scooby Doo on board. This weekend, we were in the car just over 3 hours and I can't tell you how many times we heard, "Are we there, yet. . . She's touching me. . . Roll window down, Brother stinks. . . I'm Bored. . . It's taking too long." Whine, whine, whine, fuss, fuss, fuss, fight, fight, fight! NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!! Oh, and to top it all off, when we mad

That would be my son. (thank you, thank you very much) Don't hate me because he's a little ray of sunshine, we had to pay major dues to get here. Thursday night was Open House at the school. Little man showed Daddy and I around the room. . . here's my locker, here's our pet hermit crabs, here's my cubby, here's my desk, etc.... While I'm going through the motions, inside I'm building up the courage to approach the teacher with the big question. How's my son doing, how's his behavior? Finally, I ask and stand back bracing myself for the answer. With a sweet, sincere smile on her face, she answers, "He's a joy." I immediately was flooded with emotions. I could have instantly broke down and had a major Oprah moment on her, or on the other hand, lost all regard for personal space (a lesson we are still trying to teach my son) and given the teacher the biggest bear hug ever. Somehow I gained some composure and fumbled out something like,

So, you ask what is with me and my hang-up with Victoria Secret? WELL, Let me tell you. When I was but a young, impressionable girl of 11ish, an event happened that so changed my life forever. My dad took my sister, then 13ish, and I shopping. Thinking back, I can't remember if my step-mom was there or not. (They say you purposely have mental blocks when you experience something so traumatic) My sister needed a bra, could possibly have even been her first. As she was looking through the different sizes, trying to muster the courage to approach the sales lady about trying one on, that's when it happened. My dad grabs the biggest bra ever seen, straps it to his head, and starts flying around the store saying, "Come In Berlin . . . Come in Berlin." And now you know, the rest of the story. Yes, it is a true story. Although I don't think it had any impact on my current dilemma with V.S., I thought it would make a terrific blog. You might think that now you've heard

Tonight, the house was quiet, brother finished reading a book (his third book this week, we might actually read all the books before having to return them to the library (a first)) I tucked him in for the night and he was quickly off to dreamland. Daddy is out with the guys. Sister, just out of the tub, puts on Bear and the Big Blue House pjs (sweet hand me downs from brother, I might add a great garage sell find) She smells like strawberries thanks to Suave Smoother shampoo (I love all their flavors). She wants to brush her hair as she said "by myselt!" She then says, "I can brush my teet by myselt too." As she's making her way to bed, I have a great idea, "Sis, why don't you let me rock you to sleep?" Her reply, "I not a baby, I a Big Girl." I try to talk her into it, she refuses. Last resort, I'll let you have some chocolate milk.... she caves. She grabs her blankie (the one given to her when she was just a few days old) , I grab t

My son has been in school for 4 days, of those I've walked him to school 1 time (I'm not a morning person, at all), I've met him for lunch 3 days (it took all I had but I reframed yesterday), and walked him home all 4 days. Hubby is complaining. Your treating him like a baby, you're coddling, him, I bet you're embarrassing him, blah, blah, blah. First, you have to understand hubby. He's ex Air Force (probably said enough there), macho macho man complete with the buzz hair cut, totally top gun material (wait that's the Navy, he'd be mortified) It's why I fell in love with him! But, I just can't help myself . We've spent the whole summer having soooo much fun with the kids and now that school has taken my little man away. In just a few short weeks, I will be buried up to my ears with work. It will take me out of town, definitely away from home in the afternoons/early evenings, basically consume me. I'll forget I even have kids. N

I walked over to get my son from school. Our home is right behind the cutest, little country school. One thing I find incredibly adorable about my son is his facial expressions, they're the best. When he see's me waiting outside his classroom, he gets embarrassed. His eyebrows raise, his mouth makes an oval shape, while his eyes dart back and forth to see if anyone is watching. He does this over and over. While I could be sad of his embarrassment of me, I'm instead too busy smiling and laughing, sooo proud that he's mine. We walk home, get a snack, and he begins his homework while I look through the papers in his backpack. Now remember, when he tries to be funny, it definitely doesn't work but when he's not trying, he's hysterical. Here's a story he wrote today in class; My Pireet Tale Me and Dad saled. Ahed was fog We sol (saw) a Pireit We ran ane hid and I sol Dad wocking the planek (plank) I bet (beat) them up We had sam (some) rump I asked

Okay, I just have to write about yesterday's exciting trip to the mall. Sunday morning, I actually went to church, and believe me that's totally amazing in itself but even bigger is my hubby volunteered to go with us. Did I say volunteered, wow. We had a good time, I saw all the girls from Thursday night (Girls Night Out at the Honky Tonk), kids had a ball with the best Sunday School Teacher ever (she's a pretty good line dancer too) It was great! We went to Fudrucker's afterwards, I love their burgers and fries. It doesn't get much better than this And then the clouds moved in as a sign of things to come. We went to the mall, I need to replace holy panties and lumpy bras, but there's a problem I hate shopping for them. I don't know why, I always have hated it. Hubby wants to go to Victoria Secret, did I mention those stores make me uncomfortable. So, we are enjoying all the stores heading towards Victoria Secret, my favorite being the one with the ma

A friend introduced me to her blog and now I'm addicted. She's hilarious and I love reading hers. Sometimes she goes several days without blogging, it kills me. She has said numerous times that I should start one. And so it's taken me months to build up the courage, but here goes nothing. Not quite sure how to start.... I'm probably suppose to put this stuff on my profile but being new to the blogger world, I haven't found that prompt. Soooo, I'm a newly 35 year old (been recently accused of going through a mid-life crisis) wife to my perfect man, mom to two cuties and currently residing in the suburbs. In the over-all-sceam of things, life's great sprinkled with crazy. My husband is my knight and shining armor. We dated in high school, did the prom thing, and then went our separate ways.... he the Air Force.....I finished high school and off to college. Years later, right before I was about to give up all together on the male race, our paths crosse