Blog.....FAIL

According to one of my 'Mommy magazines' I am doing my blog wrong.

see more Fail Blog


They say I should have one "theme" such as saving money, teaching, or stories of being a Mom. How could I choose just one of those things to talk about? Each one of those things interests me but isn't ALL me. I talk/blog as things come to me that I want to share. I am a simple person. I think about it. I have a second alone near a computer. I blog about it.

They say I should blog to a specific audience. I am doing this for me not for any one else in particular. More of an online journal. I don't mind if others read, in fact I like it. I REALLY like comments too (hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink). But that is not my purpose for writing. I write so I can remember later. Maybe even help others remember something or help them see things in a different perspective.

They say I should set aside time to blog on a regular basis. HA! I can't do anything alone on a regular basis. I am a teacher and a mother. I am rarely ever alone. Toddlers do not understand being ignored so doing anything on a regular basis is impossible.

This is my best.....my random thoughts and feeling on irregular intervals. Take 'em or leave 'em.

Hooked On....Planning

I am all in the planning mindset with school almost over for the summer. I would call this my summer plans but I think some are going to take more developing than that. Here goes....

1. Hubby and I are going to come up with a value scale for the girls. Since the oldest is 7 she gets $7. The Middie is 5 so she gets $5 each week. The trick will be to keep all that money. For instance (we're still working on developing this) if they don't hang up their towels after bath they lose $0.25. If they don't put their dirty clothes in the basket they lose $0.50. What money remains at the end of the week they actually get and can use as they wish.


2. I am going to actually buy the Twilight series so I can reread them (that is what everyone has said I need to do before I move on to some other series). Then I think I am going to get the Sookie Stackhouse series and see if I like those books. I am shocking myself that I WANT to read - thanks to the Twilight books!


3. This summer I want to digitize as much of my teaching arsenal as possible (scanning papers and organizing them on my external drive). AND I want to set up my Blackboard (the district's web server for educational purposes - like a specifically formatted, hosted web page) for my classes next year (which I hear right now is all Chemistry).

4. Organizing a binder for my coupons and getting serious again about couponing.


5. I hope to try more new recipes to add to my cooking routine. Many great recipes here and here.

I have all sorts of other plans floating around in this graying head of mine but many depend on the house up north selling so I can find a house here and and begin 'living' in a dwelling again (I haven't hung any pictures and somethings I refuse to unpack since I consider this a temporary establishment for us even though we just signed our lease for another year). I do miss my scrapbooking very much. :(


Don't forget to drop in to Hooked On Houses to see what others are hooked on this week..

Squeaky shoes contest

Try your hand at winning some! Click the button.

Public Service Announcement (PSA) for today

Cigarette smoke stinks.

It's stankity stankness sinks into things too.

Today I could barely stomach to be near a student's weather project and paper b/c it reeked of smoke so badly. I washed my hands several times after touching it b/c I could still smell it. I know what it is like to be a student of a smoker. My Mom smoked while I went through school and I hope my papers did not smell this way (gag). I always harped on her for smoking and since she quit (about 7 years ago) she now can smell the stench. (For the record, when she was a smoker she would say that I "made up" the smell b/c she could not smell it. HA!) In fact she complains about her older clothes that have been in her closet (yes, for that long...) smelling awful. I normally am not one for saying I told you so but... Mom, I TOLD YOU SO!!!! :P

In summary - smokes stinks. Don't smoke.

Noms

Our apartment eats things. Seriously. It is a small little place but stuff keeps disappearing. My necklace, Bean's Nike sandal, Oldest's water bottle, various papers, etc. I do wonder if we have a ghost who likes to take things to watch use all freak out while we cannot locate them. If so, how do I exorcise one? St. Anthony has still not come through for me on the necklace but I haven't stopped believin' either. (Got that song stuck in your head now, don't I? lol)

Sa-weeeeeeeeeeet Giveaway going on here

Go HERE. Like now. Enter and maybe win? Courtesy of this person

I love you

When I tell the toddler (18 months old) 'I love you' (or I ask her to say I love you) she says 'I love me'. Am I harboring a narcissist?

All alone....

I have decided that the communal bathrooms in college are just preparing you for when you have children - you never are in the facilities alone.

It could just be more of a 'Mom thing'. I know men have those unwritten 9well, what do you know - they are written somewhere so I guess unspoken is a more appropriate title) urinal rules (see below).

Here is a short list of the Unspoken Rules for Urinal Etiquette. (taken from this site after googling)

1. No Talking
This is the most important rule of urinal etiquette! There is no talking allowed. EVER! No exceptions!

2. Always leave a buffer urinal
Unless it is absolutely necessary, do NOT ever pick an empty urinal that is located directly next to an occupied urinal. Seriously. If there are five urinals, take the one that is furthest away from me. Why would you publicly park your penis right next to mine? This may result in a very uncomfortable awkwardness that resonates between you and your temporary urinal neighbor.

3. Look straight Ahead!
Count the tiles. Read the advertising. Mentally calculate your tab. Think of an ice-breaker for the girl you’re not going to even try to pick up. I don’t care what you do…. Just look straight ahead. Not up or down, or anywhere around…. Straight ahead! You don’t want people getting the wrong idea.

4. Posture & Position Is Very Important
Stand up straight. Don’t stand too far back from the urinal. And don’t lean back either. Nobody wants to see a side view of you holding your junk. On the same accord, nobody wants to see a stream coming from your genital-area. Get in close, and get down to business.

5. Don’t Waste Time
Get in. Get out. Especially if there is a line of people waiting to use the urinal.

6. Never Make Direct Eye Contact
Making direct eye contact with another man standing at the urinal is never a wise idea. Nothing good can come out of direct eye contact. Either a severe beatdown or unwanted sexual contact are the most likely consequences for making direct eye contact with another man, while he is comfortably urinating in public.

7. Making Sounds Is NEVER Acceptable
No moans. No grunts. No sighs. No satisfying sounds what-so-ever. Just step in front of the urinal, and get to the point. If you are behind closed stall-doors, then exceptions can be made. But, if you are holding your junk in your hands, while standing directly next to another man, you should NEVER make these bodily-noises! Ever.

8. Everybody Farts, Nobody Acknowledges Farts
If you happen to fart during urination, do not look around to see if anybody heard it. Chances are they already know it was you, and chances are, they’ve done it too. Just pretend like it didn’t happen and go about your business.

9. Flush It. Only If You’re Brave
Flushing is NOT always necessary. Mainly because nobody wants to touch a handle that other people touch directly after they were holding their junk. However, if there is a strong aroma of urine or a dark shade of yellow-orange, flushing may be a necessity. On the other hand, washing your hands is an ABSOLUTELY necessary! Don’t be lazy. Spend the 30 seconds to sanitize your hands. Because we all touch the same door handle on the way out.

10. Shake it, Don’t Spray It
When you shake it off, make sure drops of urine do NOT get all over you or the floor. It’s a bad idea to shake wildly, due to the mystery of where it will land. Nobody wants to step in it, and drops of urine on your pants or shirt may prove to be quite embarrassing. Shake with care, especially if the person in the next urinal is wearing brand new Air Jordans… Bottom Line - Just remember to shake with care.

11. No Cell-Phones Allowed!
We have established that talking to other patrons in a bathroom is never allowed. Ever! This also applies to those on your cellphone. Cell Phone conversations ruin the whole urinal experience, for you and everybody else around you. Honestly, one of the main reasons I leave for the bathroom is to get away from the noise. To get away from the constant chatter, and spend a few moment of peace with just me and my penis. I don’t want to hear your mindless drunk dialing.

12. Leave Your Beer Behind
Don’t take your drink into the bathroom. I understand that sometimes it’s necessary, depending on the venue in which you are drinking. But, Urinal germs can float in the air. And when I say Urinal germs, I mean some strange man just took a piss right where you are taking a sip from your beer. Why would you bring your tasty beverage into that area? You should ONLY take your beer in front of a urinal, is when it’s absolutely necessary! And you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! (yes, this includes bottled-drinks)

Good Advice

Here's Some Good Advice
Author Unknown


1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion,today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it is still a gift!

Nov 20

Wanna know what I'll be doing......




(not the Perez Hilton part but that is where I borrowed the image from...)

Yin and Yang

Why is it that when the school front is going good (well, as good as I think I am capable anyway - there just some things out of my control), the home front goes to hell? (And vice versa of course.) It's like all places cannot coexist in harmony in my life. It give me a case of the sadz.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Why?

Why am I NOT allowed to have a bad day?

On the same page....

DH and I had a nice little chat this morning (he was folding laundry and I was cleaning the kitchen - housework make the heart grow strong, lol). We talked about how when we do get to buy a house down here (see, positive thinking again...come on St. Joesph and since I am giving shouts outs to the Patron Saints....St. Anthony, what's up???), we wanted to be selective of our our purchases for it since we have been living with WAY less down here. (Moving from a 4 bedroom house to a three bedroom apartment, will do that to ya!) So some things we mentioned and agreed upon (getting this in writing so an not to forget...):

1) The office/computer room is going to be kept "show ready". We were both guilty of keeping it junky with papers, computer parts, trinkets, and other odd items but when we got the house into "show mode" once on the market, it really felt like a nice room to be in. It was light and airy feeling. Decluttered but homey. One of the things that I think helped was to cover the the stainless steel kitchen cart thing that DH used to house several of the computers (including our server...yes, we have one for our home...I don't argue...his deal...every one needs a hobby, I guess and there are a lot of worse things he could be doing). I used a silver grey piece of fabric and for being a monsterous piece it looked quite pretty after that. So for that room we need things to be hidden.

2) In addition to that I must store more of my teacher stuff elsewhere (like at school) or get rid of it. I had the whole closet in that room (the first year into the house DH put shelves in that closest so I could store my book s 2 or 3 deep. The closet was overflowing!) So, to help alleviate that one my part I plant to scan and digitize as much as possible. Colleagues of mine both past and present have down this and I think I need to b/c they always prove to be so organized with their stuff as opposed to me saying "I have this activity somewhere.....I'll see if I can find it" and then proceed to thumb through gazillions of files and books searching for it. Those said colleagues have organized their documents by topics too so that if textbooks change (and they always do every few years) or I change subjects/levels (as I seem to do every few years) I can still use my resources instead of being locked into the text supplementals or starting back over. I guess I am growing up. lol

3) When we purchase new furniture we will purchase a room's worth instead of mix matching AND we will NOT purchase a couch or couch like item from Lazy Boy. Recliner...maybe. Our couch - this first BIG piece of brand new furniture we bought ourselves 2 years ago as a custom order - SUCKS!!!! Service was poor while purchasing and delivery too. Warranty my foot! The padding had been worn down to where on certain pieces of the sectional it feels like you are sitting directly on the frame portion. Where the recliner piece's rip cords are (hidden between pieces), it has always been painful if you sit on that joint in the wrong way. There are more complaints we have but I will stop there for now....it would actually need an entire post of its own.

4) We want to have an idea of what and how we want each room before we go purchasing items so that we don't 'settle' for things. (Remember my post about trying to decide what I want for the girls' rooms?) We have been bad about that in the past. :( I think it is because we were both brought up to make do with what we have and not want for things we our families never had a lot of spare money anyway. We settled for the house up north. We actually wanted a basement and this one did not have it. We knew it was a fixer-upper and won't make that mistake again either. We learned a lot but it is someone else turn for that - we're too old. lol This reason is why I obsessively watch the home shows and follow certain blogs so I can get a mental picture of what I want. The problem is I don't have a set style (at least I don't think I do). If I had to classify my housing taste it would be modern country. See what I mean? I like the homey feel of country charm but not all the useless clutter so it has to have a modern flair or twist that is streamlined. Yeah, not hard to please. lol

Feels like I have already done a ton work today thinking about all these things. And I still have papers left to grade. hmph...

The Lord works in Mysterious ways....

This morning the middie has a gymnastics "meet" (basically hyped up presentation for the parents to spend $75 on for an obnoxiously pink leotard, admission, trophy, certificate, and many photo ops). I was there for the first session. The 'preschool' session. When I signed up for this I talked through the submission with the lady at the desk. The middie is in Pre-K. She is 5 years old and takes the beginner class. So for the last two months her class has been working on their routines for each apparatus (beam, bars, floor and vault). As I watch as the meet starts I notice she is about a head taller than every other child out there. I snicker about that to myself but the tallness is not unusual for my little family seeing how Big Daddy is 6'7". After the beam where each gymnast literally got to walk down it I began to get annoyed since I got the feeling she was in the wrong group. The middie learned real routines. She was even demonstrating for me last night "the candlestick" where she lays on the beam and pulls her toes up over her head. While this is all processing in my brain I hear another woman say something about all the kids being 3 or 4 years old. Mine's not! I was getting angry at this point and trying to figure out who to talk to as obviously a mistake had been made. The mull over this as the events pass. I try to smiles and laugh and clap like the other parents but I am very peeved. Then the awards ceremony took place where each child walked up the podium to receive their ribbon, trophy and other little goodies - photos galore during this time by loving family members. An announcement comes on saying there will be a raffle following the awards. We sit and wait. I am still simmering at this point about the receptionist not helping schedule the middie for the correct meet level/time. Then her name is called. She WON the raffle!!! It is for a year's scholarship for gymnastics! For the "normal" person this may not be a big deal but this made my boiling blood freeze in its tracks as we are talking about not having close to a $100 commitment each month for the next year!!!! You do the math. $75 fee for this thing (which Mamaw so graciously paid since we have no spare money) but win $1200 scholarship! Amen!!! I truly believe this is one of the ways God is providing for us as we are barely keeping afloat paying to live down here and not yet having the house sold up north. I am very thankful to be this blessed!

End of the School Year Frustrations.....

I know times have changed and I understand that my friends and I were probably “cut of a different cloth” (my BFF was one of 3 valedictorians and I was friends with the others as well)……but seriously – how can you as a student sit through an entire class period and do absolutely NOTHING! I do appreciate that you respect me enough to follow my rules and the school rules (extreme kudos for not sleeping, not texting, not talking and not skipping – I guess you know that I will take the time to write you up and turn it in) but geez…..you’re just sitting. Breathing. No doodling or reading. Nothing. Just there. Using Oxygen. Creating CO2. Blinking. Staring.

How?

I get it some of it. You, the student, know you have failed for the year. No sense in trying now as you have to recover your class credit somewhere else any how (summer school, virtual school, retake it next year, etc.).

I have been places (workshops, meeting, etc.) and been bored to tears but I cannot just sit. I draw, make grocery lists, plan lessons, create birthday party ideas, etc. But to just sit in a high school class is beyond me. I have been teaching long enough to know that most likely as a teacher you are not walking into a classroom of dry sponges eager to absorb any and all new information and practice using it. Especially in difficult content areas (like say….any SCIENCE….where it is just as much about information processing skills like predicting, analyzing and quantifying as it is about knowing basic facts) but I just don’t understand. I can empathize but not comprehend.

(Cue flashback sequence) Back when I was in high school….. I did my work not because I really wanted to learn at that point but because it was what I was supposed to do. I did not have a strict parent nor was I threatened to get good grades. I thought my teachers would think of me poorly if I didn’t do my work. I would have disappointed them or maybe even hurt their feelings. I bet that is why I am taking this so tough. My feelings are hurt.  I also feel helpless. I have tried since day 1 to change some of their minds – motivate them, excite them, interest them and would only get a glimmer every now and then (which is why they are in the position they are in now not passing the course). How can I make it better?

I am really trying to let it go as it is out of my control (choices they made against my advising) but I can’t cop out like that in my mind. I can talk that talk but not walk the walk. I know I can’t change their minds, habits, work ethic now but I am thinking ahead to next year all ready. What can I do differently to promote learning? I want a fool proof (pun possibly intended) way of teaching.

Want some Skinz?

I know I do!

UV Skinz is promoting awareness of sun protection and skin cancer prevention by donating up to 3000 Baby Skinz swim shirts; UV Skinz will ship a free Baby Skinz swim shirt with every order placed in May. UV Skinz is encouraging customers to "pay it forward" by sending a list of suggested places for customers to donate the extra Baby Skinz swim shirt. Babies under age six months should not be in the sun at all. Most pediatricians recommend no direct sunlight exposure for infants within the first few years. Melanoma rates within the U.S. continue to grow at an alarming rates. As many of you know my four year old niece had a scare this winter when she was misdiagnosed with melanoma. Although we were lucky that it was non cancerous tumor in my niece's arm the importance of sun protection is a now a number one priority in our family! UV Skinz is an easy and stylish way to protect your family's skin!

My girls always wear long sleeved swimsuits at the beach. I like avoiding the whole sunscreen hassle.

Skargyle - Pink/Black Argyle is my favorite with the cute little skull and crossbones.

And if I still haven't convinced you...try ">this blog for winning one!

Dumb dog...

(the one in the picture is NOT ours although I bet I could find a similar picture if I had the time but I need to go bathe some girls and stop enjoying myself blogging...)

We have two actually but this post is solely in reference to the bog one. DH has the theory that she has two brain cells that are arguing over territory in the skull. They rarely work in conjunction. She is a red doberman named Copper (after the hound dog in The Fox and The Hound). She is 10 years old and almost as hyper as the day we bought her. The breeder said she'd calm down in a year or so to be a nice mellow dog - again back to the brain cell theory. She only has two of her canine teeth left as she broke the two upper ones chewing on a cinder block.

Up north every year (usually around 11 pm or after on her last trip outside for the night), she would catch a skunk. She was always an avid cat chaser but one would think that after getting sprayed the first time (and then having to endure the endless tomato juice baths in the driveway...before we splurged on a skunk scent cleanser after realizing this was going to continue to happen) would make one think twice about a chubby, black and white furry creature that seems a tad to easy to catch. The last time she caught a skunk she bit its butt so we got to enjoy that pungent aroma every time she defecated for at least the next two week. What joy! Again....why did she not learn?

Down here in the South she has found a couple new creatures to torment with adverse results to herself.
Frogs and lizards. She catches them and apparently there is a reaction(?) of some sort in her mouth as she spits them right back out then proceeds to smack her jaws together producing a frothy concoction that Hooch (of Turner and Hooch fame) would be envious. I am guessing this is a defense mechanism of such creatures.
Once she has spat them out they usually sit there and smirk (or so I think) at her for a minute before taking their time to move away. Again....why does she not learn?

Can't teach an old dog new tricks, I guess....or any tricks when it comes to skunks, lizards and frogs.

Oh, and while searching for images for the post I ran across this.....

we have one of these that frequents our patio. I think it is eating the dog food.

A Perfect Mother's Day for this year.....

I was mentally making this list before Calen posted a description of her. (Or maybe it is a case of imagery being the greatest form of flattery....). Although I like the jeans skirt concept, I am going for a little more of my own possible reality. (Again think/believe it will happen and it will? Or maybe might?)

Anyhoo....

We as a family of 5 would go to the beach (as we have been at least once a month since moving here) BUT I would do no prepping for it. The nutritious yet fun lunches/snacks would be waiting in the fridge. The towels and sunscreen would already be packed so that everyone is happy with their necessities (no fighting over who gets the princess towel and who has the - let's say - Shrek towel). The sand toys, chairs and boogie board would be already in the car.

Once there I could immerse myself in one of the Twilight books I am now rereading (yeah, I plan to post more about that later....). I would not have to watch the big girls b/c they are perfectly safe (maybe the Daddy-o watching them) but so safe I could take a nap while basking in the sun.

After we've all reached our fill of sand and salt water, we would stop to grab a bite to eat on our way home (Yes, they eat ENORMOUS quantities of food while at the beach. It is really a sight to behold.) Maybe Applebees or the like (not fast food though). That would mean once we get home I would not have to go straight to the kitchen to cook.

After everyone showers, we'd either have a family movie night or a rousing game of Super Mario Party or Mario Kart.

Notice there is no school work in the Sunday scenario. :)

All those thing could possibly happen. Other things I would like to see occur but are far less likely: finding the necklace I lost some time last fall, getting a respectable offer on our house up north, a lavish shopping spree - after winning the lottery of course.

A girl can dream can't she?

For you bacon lovers....

Brandisms

The Middie came up with these two zingers w/i the last 24 hours.

Yesterday we were talking about how her older sister is very tall for her age. Daddy said she is a beanstalk. The Middie said "but she can be a mean-stalk".

This morning as the baby was doddling around in the kitchen I rhetorically asked what she was doing in there. The Middie replies, "Probably something evil that she will get in trouble for later."

Dreamin'......

WHEN (not saying 'if' here b/c I am being optimistic - think it and it will happen kind of action, ya' know?) our house up north sells these are the kind of things I want in a new house....

First, I want each little girl to have a room of their own. I am torn between each having the beauty of something like this....

or the functionality of something like this...

I do know none of them will have something as freaky as this....

This is freaky but I think would be novel not scary...

I want a hall tree/cubby kind of thing.....

Cool shower head I found while looking for other stuff...

Always wanted a faucet like this one (sans Sleeping with the Enemy)...


I have been searching for things for this post for hours now....now I know why I don't usually do these kind of posts. :( Ok, I am tired now....