It's My Life and I'm Sticking To It

P90X and Single Motherhood

2010-09-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have been SO very busy with everything since school started that I have barely had time to take a shower, but I'm slowly figuring out a routine that gets everything mostly done and leaves a few minutes for a glass of wine at the end of the day. Last week, however, was the week of all weeks and I lived to tell about it!

Paul had to go out of town last week for the first time since we've had Zoe, and he couldn't have picked a more challenging week! First of all, I decided to join several of my co-workers in doing P90X, which is a very intense 90 day workout program. The workouts are about an hour long 6 days a week, and change every day. The very first day was shoulder and back (think push-ups and pull-ups), the second day was plyometrics (different varieties of jumping squats) the third days was arms, fourth was yoga, fifth was more pull-ups and arms, and the sixth was kenpo (kickboxing) with abs on days 1, 3 and 5. Oh yeah, did I mention it's super intense?

So, since I have not really worked out in awhile, I was INCREDIBLY sore Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, which was a problem because I have a 6-month old baby who weighs probably 22 or 23 lbs. My noodly arms could barely pick her up out of her crib, and my abs were so sore that I could barely roll (literally roll - I could not sit up like a normal person) my poor achy body out of bed at 2am to feed my poor 22lb hungry baby who seems to cry very, very extra loud at that hour. I was actually afraid that my biceps might just decide that they were uninterested in working and poor little Zoe would drop to the floor. Thankfully they held out enough so I could feed, bathe and dress my 'little' Zo-Zo without incident.

During that week two assistant superintendents from our district were visiting my school, and both came to my classroom. I could barely walk properly and had to ask one of them if our principal had explained the new fitness group the faculty had started so she wouldn't think something was seriously wrong with me.

Last was also the week that soccer started. Sophia is already in dance on Tuesdays, and normally Paul picks up Zoe on those days so I don't have to bring her into the small boring waiting area at the dance academy. But, last week I had to bring Zoe, and of course it was 'Bring your Friend to Dance' week, so there were extra parents, not enough seats and the 'air-conditioning' was blowing a cool 85 degrees or so. I was sweating just sitting there, and poor Zoe had to sit on my lab and was sweating and had little red hot-cheeks.

Then, on to the very first Soccer practice for T and S. They are on the same team, which is good, but having never been a 'soccer Mom' up to this point, I was very unprepared. My friend was going to watch Zoe so she wouldn't have to sit out in the 90 degrees and 80% humidity, but she hurt her shoulder pretty bad in P90X that day, so I brought Z with me. She was sweating up a storm in her very hot stroller that had a near-flat tire (so I looked pretty lame pushing it across the grass), but she seemed to have lots of fun watching everything. I almost forgot to bring water and then I left it in the car, and I didn't have any fancy soccer-Mom chairs like everyone else, so I got to sit next to the fireants in the grass. You only have to learn that lesson once. Thankfully there was one other Soccer-Mom-Virgin there, so we sat on the grass together like big dorks. I barely had enough time to get there on time, and the kids were so excited, and soccer socks/shoes/shinpads take alot of time to put on so they wore their shinpads on the outside of their socks and looked a little like nerds, but we'll plan better next time. I also forgot bug spray, but thankfully one of the other very experienced Moms let me borrow some of hers. In the end, the kids had so much fun that they can't wait to go this week, but it was mildly stressful for me. At least now I know what to expect.

Once we got home from soccer, I had to put the baby to bed, give everyone snacks, baths and put them to bed, and it was all much later than normal, so everyone was just a bit crabby. Then they were a bit crabby again in the morning because we all had to get up so early the whole week so I could get everyone to school so I could get to work on time (I have to be there at 7:30, so we had to leave by 6:55 or 7am at the latest). It was exhausting and we were all totally worn out and tired by Friday night, but thankfully Paul made it home around 9:30pm on Friday just in time for me to collapse with some earplugs in so I could get many hours of sleep in a row!

What a week! I also managed to feed everyone, do laundry, make bottles, clean bottles, make bottles, clean bottles, take out the garbage, find a new lawn service, get to the grocery store and keep everyone safe and relatively happy - nothing short of a small miracle in my opinion! Yep - motherofthreehood slapped me in the face this week, but I like to think I slapped back!

The Great Niles Roadtrip: Year 2010

2010-07-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this story of our vacation with 2 things.

First, I love roadtrips. There is so much to see along the way that you totally miss when flying places. Roadtrips are, however, significantly more difficult with children. Most especially with a 4 month old.

Second, I actually thought to myself before I left "I wonder what is going to happen this year" because something always happens to or at our house on our vacations. Three years ago our house flooded while we were in CA, two years ago God had a little mercy on me because Paul was out of town working the Phoenix mission from May to August, last year we had a smoke detector/house alarm problem (it wasn't that bad, just annoying for our house-sitter and us once we got home and couldn't turn it off).

I had no idea that this year's problem would join us on our trip. So, here's the story of this year's vacation . . .

CHAPTER 1
We left our house on June 29 in the most wonderful car for families ever invented: the Honda Odyssey. We packed stuff and more stuff and then some stuff that we really didn't need and STILL had room! It was awesome. We headed for our first stop: Mesa, AZ. We drove 2 half days and one full day to get there, but it was a much needed leisurely drive since the addition of little Zoe. We arrived in Mesa and stayed for a couple days with my brother, sister-in-law and 2 nieces. The kids had tons of fun together and we visited an olive oil mill and the museum I used to work at. It's easy to forget how dry it is there. Sophia's head was itching a bit, and I assumed it was from the dryness. Then we headed for California.

We got to Paul's parents house just in time for July 4. We went to the Pacific Palisades parade and then off to Paul's Aunt's house in Malibu to enjoy some yummy BBQ and fireworks with friends and family. The kids were EXHAUSTED!!!! Then my brother and his family came for a couple of days and we went and showed them all the wonderful LA/Hollywood sights. We even saw Pharrel Williams (a rapper, apparently none of our friends know who he is . . . ) pull out in front of us while driving along Sunset Blvd. Well, at least Lindsay (my sis-in-law) and I are 98% sure it was him . . . It it always fun to enjoy LaLa Land. Sophia is still itching at this point and we all thought it was dry scalp. I even commented that I wanted to get some head and shoulders for her.

No time for shampoo shopping, though, we were off to Anaheim for my cousin's vow renewal ceremony. We got there just in time to get ready and head on to the party bus to the ceremony and dinner. We had a great time with family we hadn't seen in a long time, and they even ended the evening with marshmallow roasting and s'mores on the beach! We went back on the party bus, and Thomas talked to one of his cousins for the ENTIRE one hour drive!! I mean he did not stop talking the whole time! He was a total hit!

The next day was Disneyland!!! We got all the kids (my kids and my nieces) ready (Zoe was staying with Paul's Mom during this time) and headed over on the shuttlebus! It was also my birthday so I got a little button that said it was my birthday so people could wish me well all day long. But, as it turns out, Disneyland is NOT the happiest place on Earth for toddlers. I think they had fun, but it was a bit overwhelming. There were SOOO many people, long lines and many of the rides were pretty scary for 3 and 4 year olds. But, they found a few they liked and we did the best we could.

CHAPTER 2: LICE

Sophia had really been itching her head pretty bad all day, and as we stood in line for the Autopia ride it just came to me that she might have lice. I've never had any kind of experience at all with lice, so I didn't know anything about it. But, I did see a bug in her hair earlier, but just thought it was a little gnat or something. We rode the ride, hooked back up with my brother, bought a couple things and headed back around 5:30pm. Paul immediately went to the store to get some lice shampoo, and the rest of us sat at the hotel's free happy hour and researched lice on the ipad. Ugh.

Paul got back and I treated Sophia's hair and tons of little dead bugs came out of her hair. It was sooooo gross, and I had to have housekeeping come and change the bedding and clean the bathroom because they were everywhere. I then spent the rest of my birthday sitting with my brother and sis-in-law eating Bucca take-out, drinking wine and being frustrated. Paul put the kids to bed and then had to drive to San Diego for work. He left at 11pm instead of the planned 6 or 7pm.

The next day I went to pick up Zoe from my mother-in-law's house and then headed to my Grandmother's in Stockton. I kept checking Sophia's hair and I didn't think I washed it good enough, so I did another treatment the following day after we got to my Grandmother's. The next day after that I was checking my own hair and found a bug. I almost had a nervous breakdown!!! We had already been washing everything like crazy, and now I was worried about the baby and my 95 year old Grandmother. I treated my hair and combed it out for 2 hours, and thankfully it was no where near as bad as Sophia's. Everyone knew Sophia had it, but I had to let Lindsay know that I now had them too and she should check the girls.

I should note that I don't know where she got the lice. Both kids had been at the YMCA kid area almost daily for 2 weeks and a drop off daycare for 1 day a few days before we left. I'm thinking it was the drop off daycare place, but I have no way of knowing. They've been there before lots of times. Apparently lice is VERY common because everyone has been telling me their lice stories, and the pharmacist told my sister-in-law that the lice shampoo just flies off the shelves. That made me feel a little better. But only a little. It still sucks.

She checked the girls the next day and they BOTH had them!! What a nightmare! She was already home in AZ, so treated the girls and washed everything too. We continued to wash, wash and wash some more. I thought the washing machine was going to die.

The same day I discovered my lice (Thursday), my cousin fell at Costco and broke her foot really bad. She was about to have a wedding reception for 110 people on Saturday and now she had to visit the orthopedic doctor, who put her in a non-walking cast for 4 weeks!!! So, she wheeled around her party like a champion and we all had tons of fun!

On Friday, Thomas got stung by a wasp. Super awesome.

Monday after the party (Paul joined us Saturday for the party), the Niles clan packed up the swagger wagon for the more than 2000 mile drive home. We stopped in LA for a day and a half, AZ for a night, and then headed home. We took a slight detour to White Sands Nat'l Monument in NM where Paul got pulled over for speeding and thankfully did not get a ticket(!!!), and Carlsbad Caverns. Both were awesome, although the kids were a bit scared of the cave. I've always wanted to go there, so I'm really glad we made the trip. We made it home on July 24 just in time. Zoe cried for the last 2 hours of the trip or so - she was totally done with sitting in her carseat!

Overall, we had alot of fun spending time with family and taking some scenic drives. I am now a scholar on lice and certainly have added a many more stress-caused gray hairs. But, I hear that lice don't like color treated hair . . .

View my photos here: http://ani.smugmug.com/

Amazingly we did not get a picture of the 5 of us together, so I"m still waiting to replace the blog photo with a a pic of all of us. Soon I hope!!!

Ears Pierced!!

2010-06-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Sophia got her ears pierced today! She had been asking to get earrings, and so we decided to do it since Dad gave her to OK. So, we headed to the mall after swimming lessons, met my good friend Molly there, had a quick lunch and then headed to Claire's. She picked out some little pink 'diamond' studs, and was ready to go. She did such a great job! The 2 girls did her ears at the same time just in case she decided to cry or something, but she didn't even cry. She did look a little shocked afterwards and looked like she might cry since we were all standing around her waiting for her reaction, but once she got a mirror and saw them she was excited. She kept looking in every mirror she could find for the rest of our time at the mall.

Waiting . . .

Getting them pierced!

Afterwards!

Adventures in THREE kids: Month 3, week 12 or 90-something days . . .

2010-06-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's day 4 of summer vacation and also Zoe's 3 month birthday! Time has really flown by, and quite frankly I don't really remember much of the first 2 months. I was far too tired and in too much pain to even have the energy or brain power to save anything in brain. Zoe is slowly becoming a much better sleeper. We've been able to go 8 hours at night recently, and last night she slept almost 10 straight hours!! I think she's been battling a little stomach bug, so I think it pooped her out (literally and figuratively!)! She's really smiley and happy for the most part and is starting to really respond to toys, her brother and sister, noises and is slowly figuring out how to use her hands. And, her eyes continue to stay a dark blue, but I know they can change at any time in the next 9 months or so.

Thomas and Sophia have been going to Vacation Bible School at St. George in Houston, and have been having a great time! They really put on a nice production, and it's been all week in the mornings. So, Zoe and I have been shopping, running errands and visiting with my 80 year old Great-Aunt LaSeema.

It has also been ridiculously hot here. It's been in the 90's here, which is not bad at all, but when you combine that with 85%-90% humidity, it's absolutely disgusting. I have been straightening my bangs only to have beautiful wings sticking out of the side of my head 30 seconds after walking outside. It's hopeless. Another fun side effect of the heat/humidity is that it's way too miserable to go outside and play, and so the kids seem to only know how to get in to trouble inside. They've been fighting, arguing, not listening and have been generally crabby in the afternoons. There is something about the late afternoon hours that brings out the crankiness in kids, but it's worse when the weather sucks. So, Thomas got all his toys taken away the other day, and Sophia had some of hers taken away, but in the end it's all a much worse punishment for me than for them. Again, it's hopeless!

The last thing is that Paul has been working late recently to finish up some grants he needs to write before we go out of town. So, I've been home with 2 cranky toddlers and a poor baby girl who's got a stomach bug and a very sore butt. This leads to absolute SCREAMING every time I have to change her diaper and then one or both of the others decide to cry about something totally insignificant in order to get some attention. Needless to say, I've been a bit frazzled. Paul came home last night around 9pm all jazzed up about Nebraska's decision to move to the Big 10, and all I could do was muster a little grunt before collapsing from exhaustion. On a normal day, I would have wanted to stay up to watch Sports Center and read/discuss everything I could about how this will affect the future of NU football. But, week 12 of having three kids has left me very, very tired!

One thing I did, that I'd like to share is I signed up with www.e-mealz.com. They create a week long menu for dinner, provide instructions and a shopping list for everything you need broken up by section in the grocery store. This has saved me unbelievable amounts of time so far, we haven't gone out or gotten take-out (so it's saving us money), and I don't have to think about anything! I've been loving it and would highly recommend it for anyone low on time!

Herding Cats . . .

2010-06-04T04:47:00.000-07:00

This is our last week of school (MOST THANKFULLY!!!), and it has been so hectic around here! I've been trying to pick up the pieces in my classes of having a sub who played the nice guy with the kids, didn't follow instructions and basically gave all the kids 'A's in my classes. That's all fine and dandy except when I have to come back and the students actually have to work. I gave them a project to work on IN CLASS for a week where they had to design a space mission and then make a poster of it. Can you get any easier than having to draw something you invented as a project??? Apparently the answer is yes because they complained and then I actually had 2 students not finish. It was A DRAWING for heaven's sake. Oh well. Then they just had to take the final to which I gave a VERY thorough review, but did anyone study? Not that I know of. Nor did they come in for help.

I am just happy that the year is over. Having a long term sub really messed up the atmosphere and momentum in my classes, one of which is physics and should be fairly rigorous. Oh well. Apparently sub guy thought I was too hard on the kids or something. Oh well.

On top of that, Paul watched the Zoe in the mornings when I returned to work, so that meant I had to rush home right after school at noon to relieve him so he could go to work. That also meant that he worked quite late (10 or 11pm) many nights leaving me to do bathtime, dinnertime and bedtime with all 3 kids. It's not impossible, but it's also not particularly easy. As a result of that, I didn't get much done at school, and then by the evenings I was extremely exhausted.

So, during this past week Zoe went to daycare. I've had to stay for tutorials in the afternoons, I have graduation practice this afternoon, and it was just too much if Paul was interested in working at all. Thankfully, Zoe has done GREAT, and everyone there loves her. I like the school, and the kids like it, so that made it easier for me to bring her. She will go there in the fall, so it's been fine. I've also been able to get alot done this week like cleaning and preparing my classroom for the summer and next year.

At any rate, the past few weeks have, for me, been a little like herding cats. Chaotic, busy, and I feel like I"m running in all directions all the time. Grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking (or trying to anyway), bathing the kids, doing laundry - it has been a challenge to figure out how to balance it all with the baby around the house. Thankfully she likes the sling, so I can carry her in it and still have 2 hands to do stuff, although she's growing out of it, so I'll have to figure out what to do when that happens. I"m looking forward to the summer, and being a little less stressed. We have to work tomorrow (YES, A SATURDAY, UGH), so my 'relaxing' summer will start on Sunday!

Post-baby Goal!

2010-05-24T15:33:00.001-07:00

I need to lose a few pounds after having 2 kids, and I need to do it soon!! The urgency stems from the fact that I really don't want to have to buy all new clothes, so I'm hoping I can be strong and have some success. I have a particular number in mind, which is right around my pre-Sophia weight, and will be a total of about 20 lbs. I have a hard time being strong enough to stick with weight loss, especially with 3 kids! It's nearly impossible to cook healthy meals because there is so much chopping and preparation involved, and it's pure chaos around here in the afternoons. So, Paul has offered me a special weight loss gift if I can do it, so I am trying to use that as my incentive.

I know I need to plan better and get more organized in my meal planning and grocery shopping, so I hope I can force myself into a good routine. Lately that has been difficult since Paul works late after watching Zoe in the mornings, so I just eat whatever and do my best to get all the kids fed, bathed and put to bed. The last thing I want to do after all that is clean up a messy kitchen!! My goal is to try to figure it all out once school is over and our schedules aren't so ridiculous. Any suggestions on making this work well would be awesome!!

Anyway, I started my endeavour last week and today I was down 1.8 lbs, but we just went away for the weekend to a wedding filled with yummy food and drinks, so I don't know how long it will take before that catches up with me. Oh well. Today is a new day and I'm starting fresh!! I'll keep you all posted on how things are going, and I hope by writing about this here, it will keep me even more motivated and accountable! And so the journey begins . . .

Back to Work

2010-05-18T17:29:00.001-07:00

I started back to work last week :-( I've had mixed emotions about this for several reasons. First, it's nice to get out of the house, and it's really nice to know that I've been missed! However, there's only a few weeks of school left, and it's really not enough time to fix what the sub did (or didn't as it may be) do such as teaching a variety of topics to be covered on the final exam. So, that is stressful in itself, but I"m figuring out how to do a quick and dirty review so the students have a decent chance at passing the final. It's hard to have motivation to do anything when TAKS is over and there's so little time left.

And, what makes it really bad is that I am physically EXHAUSTED!!! I am so, so tired from feeding the baby in the middle of the night, getting up early, working and then figuring out how to fit in laundry, dinner, cleaning, grocery shopping, yard work, and the list goes on and on! Paul has been working late because he's watching Zoe in the mornings so she doesn't have to go to daycare. So, that means I've been doing dinnertime, bathtime and bedtime all myself (not every single day, but often), which I think most parents would agree that those are the most exhausting and least fun parts of a toddler day. And, to top it off, Zoe is not as easy as Sophia was. She likes to be held most of the time, although I'm trying to get her used to lying in her crib for naps. So, that means I get to do all of the above while carrying a baby in a sling! I'm actually getting pretty saavy with the sling, and I was able to actually bathe Thomas and Sophia while holding Zoe in a sling and giving her a bottle. Thankfully, this current situation is just temporary until the end of school , but in the meantime I am so tired that I can barely keep straight what day it is and what I am supposed to be doing.

I know that it will be better in the fall, and I am really, really lucky that I love my job! I"m really lucky that it's part time, and that next year I get to teach Earth and Space Science. I'm hoping Zoe will be in a more regular routine by August, and I"ll be less tired. However, for now, I'm just barely making it, but I"m glad I can see the light at the end of the school year tunnel!

The iPad!!

2010-04-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

I think the first words out of my mouth when I first heard about the iPad were 'That is so stupid. Who would ever want a giant iphone???'. Well, I am eating my words now because we got one and I love it!

After reading and listening to many people talk about the iPad, Paul thought it might be pretty cool. I was slowly coming around, but we really didn't have a need. That is until the wireless card on my laptop overheated to its death and we discovered it would cost around $400 to fix. We also learned that Compaqs often have this problem and shorty after the wireless card dies, the motherboard dies. It's almost 4 years old, so I guess it's time. Anyway, we decided this was the perfect excuse to buy the iPad, and Paul even went to the mall at 8pm last Thursday only to discover they were sold out. He called the next morning and the store had recieved a shipment, so he headed over to pick it up and we were proud owners of a 16 gig iPad by noon.

I must admit it's pretty cool - much cooler than I thought. Here's WHAT I LIKE:
1. Quick on/off - it's turns on in a second and off in a second. The laptop took several minutes to boot up, so if I wanted to look something up quickly, it wasn't going to happen in less than 5 minutes.
2. Long battery life - enough said. I've never had a laptop with a battery that actually worked.
3. APPS!!! - The apps are really cool, although I really haven't fully explored them. Paul has been finding all kinds of cool things. So far, I have a calendar and calorie counting app. Paul has found much more interesting things like a magazine reader (download issues of mags you like), Pandora (which I really like), weatherbug, ABC (to watch shows), Chipotle ordering, and several others.
4. Portability - it's so easy to carry around. If I want to look up a recipe, an actor on imdb, check my e-mail, facebook, etc. I can do it quickly (see #1) and anywhere I want (bathroom, kitchen, outside, baby's room, etc.). And, it's so light and small, I can easily check things anywhere while doing other things like feeding a baby, walking around, cooking, talking on the phone etc. YOu just can't do that with a laptop.
5. Screen quality - it's very sharp and clear. Great for TV shows and pictures.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE AS MUCH:
1. Internet is limited - there are some features on the internet that don't work as well. For example, I can't chat with online friends on facebook. We have a desktop, so it doesn't really matter that much.
2. You can't print - there is no print feature, so I can't print anything from the web. Hopefully they will fix that in the future.
3. You can't do 2 things at once - Windows is really great for that. For example, I can't listen to Pandora and do anything else online like facebook or searching for things.
4. The Keyboard - it's pretty good, but I'm old fashioned, I guess, and I like my keyboard for fast typing. I can type pretty well with the touch screen keyboard, but it wouldn't (in my opinion) be so great for doing something like writing a blog. To its credit, it is big and pretty accurate when touching it.
5. USB - there is no USB port, so I can't do things like upload photos from a camera or install any other kind of software. But, I don't really think it's supposed to fully replace regular computers.

The iPad serves a particular purpose, for us at least. We used the laptop mostly for using the internet and checking/writing e-mails. So, for that, it is great. If we are watching a movie and want to know who that familiar actor is, we can turn it on and look up imdb.com in a matter of seconds. I can quickly check e-mails, facebook, weather, airplane status, recipes, etc. from anywhere in the house very, very easily. We still have our desktop for word processing, photo storing and editing, document storing, etc. We can take it on the road and use it easily anywhere there is wireless. So, overall we love it so far! I give it a 'B' because I think there are some things that can be improved, but hopefully that will come with time.

We are OUTNUMBERED!!!

2010-04-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Our parents are gone, and now it's just Paul and me vs. three kids. We were extremely lucky to have near constant help for an entire month after Zoe was born, but the honeymoon is over. And, reality smacked us hard in the face the first morning after my parents left. A newborn spends a fair amount of time awake at night needing to eat. As a result, this leaves Mom and Dad extremely tired, exhausted and zombie-like come morning. When the baby last eats at 5am and parents finally fall back asleep around 6am, it's near impossible to open one's eyes when 2 energetic toddlers come racing into the bedroom at 7am wanting pop-tarts and Dora the Explorer. So, morning 1 without Grandparents to feed and entertain energetic toddlers was ugly. Paul gave them food, turned on the TV and returned to bed for hopefully a little more sleep. But, NO. The pop-tarts were scarfed, the kids now wanted cereal, Dora ended, and they decided it would be the perfect time to antagonize each other by taking the other's monster truck or doll and running around the house. Ugh. Time to get up and face the day.

Well, we made it through that day and the five days since, and each day is a little easier. The kids returned to daycare, and were a little upset about it the first day back, but have since returned to their normal selves. They do much better on a their normal school schedule - they enjoy their friends and activities at school, especially when the alternative is a tired Mommy and crying baby at home.

Zoe is doing great so far. She is very different from Sophia already. She sleeps 3-4 hours at a time at night, and loves to be held and carried around in the bjorn. I am still breastfeeding, but have been supplementing with formula, especially when we are out and about and I can't easily feed her. She was having a hard time with the initial formula I tried, so I tried another kind for fussiness, and finally we hit the jackpot with soy formula. She never vomited (thankfully!!), but would just cry for an hour or 2 after feeding her and seemed constipated. It's extremely difficult to have a baby who just cries and can't be comforted. I feel for every mother with a colicky baby. She's happy and Thomas & Sophia are sweet and gentle with her. They push her on the swing, give her kisses and yell at me to feed her when she cries (You've got to feed her, Mommy!!!).

I am slowly recovering and feel better each day. I"m still sore and am not supposed to lift anything or do anything strenuous for another week, which is difficult, but I can definitely tell when I've done too much. My 6 week appointment is next week, so hopefully I"ll get the OK to start working out again. I'd really like to fit back into some of my clothes so I don't have to buy new stuff for when I go back to work in May.

We are surviving, and are really glad to know that this will be our last go-around with a newborn. Our eyes are heavy, our house is messy, but we know it won't be forever. We are outnumbered - someone always wants something, needs something, is having a crisis or needs a diaper change and between the 2 of us we are just barely keeping everyone satisfied. I"m sure we will eventually find a good balance, especially as the kids get more independent, but until then we are taking it a day at a time. And, above all, we are ecstatic to have the three most beautiful children anyone can ask for, even if it's leaving us a little googly eyed and delirious!

Baby Zoe Arrives!

2010-03-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Baby Zoe has arrived!! Paul and I headed to the hospital at 5am on March 10 for my c-section. We got there and immediately began prepping for surgery. One of the first things the nurses did was give me an IV, and it was probably the worst part of the whole experience!! The first nurse saw a big vein and tried to get the IV in, but it didn't work and was EXTREMELY painful. So she tried the other arm, and it still didn't work. It hurt SO SO bad, and I became nauseous and light headed, and Paul said I turned a funny greenish color. So, they went to get the nurse who puts IVs in newborns, and she did it just fine. I didn't have a problem last time, but I guess the big veins sometimes are deceiving. Ugh. I was so happy when that was over!

After they finished checking my vitals and doing everything they rolled me down to the operating room. It was FREEZING and I was totally nervous so I was shivering pretty bad. They administered the spinal epidural, brought Paul in and began. It was really strange being completely numb from the ribs down, but luckily it wore off after a couple hours. It was probably about 20 minutes later and she was on her way out!! Zoe was crying before she was all the way out, and once she was all the way out she really showed off her lungs. The doctor and nurses all commented how big she was and when they finally weighed her she was NINE pounds! And, a week early, so I'm really glad we elected to do the c-section. My doc also said she did not look like she was going to be making an entrance into the world any time soon, so it was definitely the right choice.

The whole thing was over pretty quickly and I went back to my room to rest. I was pretty out of it for the whole day and could barely keep my eyes open due to the anesthesia. My parents were there and eventually went to get Thomas and Sophia from school in the afternoon to visit. Sophia's teacher made her an awesome 'Big Sister' crown and they were happy to see Mommy and the new baby.

I slept most of the day, and then the morphine started wearing off, making my face extremely itchy. It was really wierd and I could not stop rubbing my nose and face so they gave me benadryl to alleviate some of the itching. It went away by Friday (Zoe was born on Wed.), but it was definitely a very strange sensation.

I stayed in the hospital until Saturday, which was awesome because I was able to really rest knowing that Zoe was well taken care of in the nursery and brought to me whenever she was hungry. They would have released me on Friday, but my insurance paid for up to 5 days in the hospital, so I stayed an extra day. I think I would have been too tempted to do too much if I came home on Friday. As it was, I was in a good amount of pain when I got home, was pretty weak and it was made a bit worse by having to move around more to tend to the baby than I had to in the hospital.

I'm getting better slowly but surely. The doc said there were 7 layers of stitches, so it's no wonder that moving around and doing things have been pretty taxing. But, Zoe is doing very well. She's eating like a champ, and looked great at her first doctor appointment. She seems to have her days and nights mixed up because she sleeps awesome during the day and then doesn't really want to go to sleep in the evenings until 1 or 2am. So, we'll work on that, but in the meantime it is awesome to have my parents here to help because I don't know how I would survive otherwise. Thomas and Sophia are adjusting, and they haven't been going to daycare, which I think it causing some stress. Between the new baby, Mommy not being able to do much, having a totally different schedule than before, they are a little extra whiney, but that is to be expected.

Anyway, all is as well as can be expected at this point! We're tired, but absolutely loving our newest addition!

Baby Zoe Set to Arrive March 10!

2010-03-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

I had my doctor appointment today, and it was decided it would be best to have a c-section next week. The medical reason for this is because I had a 4th degree tear with Sophia because she was so big and came out a little sideways (if you want more info on what that means, see this: http://www.babycenter.com/0_perineal-tears_1451354.bc - this was the most toned down version I could find). My doctor said that if tearing like that happens a second time (and if you read about it, it occurs often when there are big babies - Sophia was big at 9 lbs and Zoe will probably be big as well), it often doesn't heal correctly and can lead to bowel problems later on. And, if there is one thing I am uninterested in, it is bowel problems later on.

It also works nicely so that I can have a couple more weeks off, and as a result I won't have to return to work until the 1st or 2nd week of May making our childcare problems much more manageable. So, I'm pretty excited about that. I was also going to have my tubes tied at the same time, but since I'll be at a Catholic hospital, they don't allow that! I was pretty taken aback by that rule, but my Doc said that is one rule the Nuns were sticklers about. So, that means the ball is Paul's court as far as that department is concerned . . .

So, we are excited, and I'm feeling happy and relieved that the end is in sight as far as this pregnancy is concerned! I have one week left to enjoy and finish last minute preparations. I hope I don't get too relaxed and relieved, though, and go in to labor early. I will still have a c-section if that is the case, but I have a bunch of friends coming to stay at my house this Friday and I will be mad if I go in to labor before that! I only get to see these people once a year, if that, so we just need to hold out until Saturday afternoon or later!

I'll keep you all posted, but that's the scoop for now!

Yay! I"m Full Term and Done With Work!

2010-02-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

I was officially full term last Monday! I had a doc appt on Wed., and there hasn't been any more progress as far as dilating, which I expected. I was 1 cm dilated with Sophia for about a month. So, we wait . . .

Friday was my last day of work. I am glad to be done for now as I just don't have the energy to do a good job, and I simply can't stand on my feet for even a half day. The kids were sweet and several gave me hugs and wished me luck. They all wanted to make sure I was going to send pictures of the baby once she arrives, so it was very sweet. I hope she doesn't decide to come this week - I need some time to just relax and finish up getting everything ready before baby arrives.

Paul has a science conference this week in the Woodlands (about an hour away), and many of our good friends will be in town for it. So, it will be a very busy week for him, but I don't think he's going to stay the night up there. He does have a poster to present on Thursday night, so I REALLY, REALLY hope nothing happens before then! Then, on Friday night we have about 5 people coming to stay with us and hang out. I'm excited to see everyone, so Zoe can arrive any time after Saturday, but not before!

I must say I"m getting rather irritated with people. On Friday a lady asked when I was due, and so I told her March 17. She looked at me and said 'Are you sure it wasn't Feb. 17??'. I was a bit taken aback, since I am aware of how stinkin' HUGE I am right now, but it's not like you have to rub it in!! I said, well, look at my husband, he's a big guy. But, I don't think she was listening. It also seems like people are looking/talking at my belly, which is understandable, but annoying. Oh well. It's almost over! And, many people have been very nice, so I guess it balances all out. One lady told me my skin looked nice, and lots of people open doors for me or offer to help me out. But, it's never the nice people who stick out in your mind! Anyway, there's not much else to report. I'll keep you posted!

Opossums and Pains

2010-02-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

This week we caught a opossum in our garage. He apparently got in somehow, got into a bunch of water bottles and old easter candy and somehow got stuck under a ladder that fell over and dented Paul's car a little. :-( I discovered him, but had to get to work, so Paul took him to animal control. They said they'll take him far away and release him somewhere, but not sure how true that is. I just hope he won't find his way back to us! The night before that, Thunderball got into a fight with a stray cat that comes around and eats all the cat food and got a nice bloody food. Paul was able to wash him up and he seems fine. I LOVE living where we do - with the creek and wooded areas behind us, but we are wildlife central! I can handle the furry mammals - I just don't want to come in to contact with any of the poisonous snakes that come around here. Our neighbor had one in her pool (water moccosin? not sure) as well as a snapping turtle, so I would say those little guys are especially not welcome!

So, our renter wants out of his lease early. I know he's going through a divorce and someone spray painted 'sex offender lives here' on our garage door (he fixed it and repainted), but something else must be going on because he wants to get an apartment. So, either he's having extra legal troubles or he's getting not feeling welcome in the neighborhood anymore. There are lots of kids and when the sex offender thing happened they were all very concerned that we rented to a sex offender. He's not one according to the registry and all we know, but there must be an ugly situation to provoke that. I don't think random people just run around spray painting that on random garage doors. Anyway, so our house is now back on the market for sale or lease, and we've had several showings, so that is good. We won't let the renter out early unless we sell or lease the property. Apparently we had an offer for a 6 month lease to a person with bad credit and 2 dogs. Jeff, our realtor, quickly said NO. So, I hope something happens, and with the tax credit going through April maybe we'll get some kind of offer.

**37 Week Update!!**
So, I'll officially be 37 weeks tomorrow. I am 1 cm dilated, but I was that way for about a month with Sophia, so it doesn't really mean anything. The baby continues to move alot, and I continue to be uncomfortable. I have pulled a muscle in my right rib area, and it HURTS pretty bad. I think it was from coughing alot when I was sick and then picking up the kids at some point probably didn't help it. My doc said it pretty much won't go away until I have the baby. Yay. It makes getting comfortable for bed very difficult and I'm pretty sore in the morning, but there's nothing I can do. I've also been having lots of Braxton-Hicks (fake) contractions. I thought maybe I was going into labor last night, but they went away. I didn't have those with Sophia at all, but I guess they can go on and on and pretty much mean nothing as far as when I'll go in to labor. This week is my last week at work (!!!!) and the following week Paul has a conference in the Woodlands (1 hr north of here) that he needs to go to. He may stay the night 1 night, but we have 5 friends coming to stay the night at our house on that Friday, so it would be very inconvenient of the baby to come before that! So, I guess she's in the clear to arrive any time after March 6! Anyway, that's about it. Sophia will only be referred to as Sophia or 'Big Sister', and Thomas told the babysitter last night all the things he was going to do to help Baby Zoe. So, they are ready, or at least as ready as they are going to be!!

My shower!

2010-02-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

My friends at school threw me a shower last Wednesday after school. It was simple, but really nice, and Paul and the kids were able to join us. We had cake, punch & fruit and everyone was very generous. We recieved several super cute little outfits, an awesome diaper cake and a bunch of gift cards! I am so lucky to work at a great school with great people. That is definitely one of the advantages of being at a small school - the entire staff knows each other which creates a more family like atmosphere. Since we don't know tons of people here and our closest relatives live an hour away in Houston and Katy, it's nice to have someone to celebrate with.

The kids had lots of fun and a fellow teacher's wife brought their 2 kids (who are the same age as Thomas and Sophia) and they ran around playing with balloons and eating cake. There are a few pictures below of the cake and gift table, but I don't have any others.

**ALMOST 36 WEEKS UPDATE**
I'll be 36 weeks on Monday. The baby noticeably dropped from last Sunday to Monday. That can happen anywhere between a few days to weeks before labor. I can breathe a bit better, but now my lower back hurts more and she seems to push down & stretch out which hurts. As a result, I've significantly slowed down. I have 2 weeks left of school and then we have some friends visiting in town for a meeting, so I hope she doesn't come early!

Pregnancy Week 35 Update

2010-02-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will officially be 35 weeks along, so only 5 more weeks to go!!! I am officially very uncomfortable, especially at night. My back hurts in the morning and the baby is starting to like to stretch out, which hurts. But, I'm thankful because last time my back starting hurting somewhere along month 5 and never stopped. The baby seems to be fine and moving around ALOT! My doctor says she's probably right along target, size-wise, but then again last time she thought Sophia was maybe 7 pounds the day before had her (she was 9 lbs). I have 3 weeks of teaching left, and I"m very excited about that. I really hope that I go to my due date just so I can have some relaxation time before the baby comes.

I've also had a cold for about a month now. It started going away, but then Sophia got sick last week and at the same time my cold started resurging. So now I"m coughing again and am pretty stuffed up. I imagine it doesn't help that I can't get a decent night's sleep. Oh well. We put Zoe's crib together and put her bedding on it, and we just about having everything we need for when she arrives! I LOVE her bedding - it's so much cuter than it looked online:

Sesame Street Live!

2010-02-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to Sesame Street Live yesterday, and they had TONS of fun! They sat so well throughout the whole show, and were both clapping, singing and waving to all the characters. Elmo was the definite favorite as it seemed to be for most of the kids there - it seemed that everyone had an Elmo shirt on! The show was very well done, the singing and dancing was great, and it was alot of fun!

They sold all kinds of souvenirs, but it seemed like the cotton candy was at the top of the list for most of the kids. I am not so sure that an arena full of toddlers all hopped up on cotton candy is a good idea, but we had to succumb as well. During intermission a guy came out with about 200 Elmo balloons, so Paul took the kids down to get one thinking they wouldn't be too expensive. Well, after standing in a long line he discovered that they were TEN DOLLARS!!! For a stupid balloon!!! It really is a good strategy on their part - get the kids excited, get the parents to stand in a long line and don't tell the price, so that parents are forced to buy the severely overpriced balloon (which better be filled with Gold confetti) just to avoid a major tantrum. So, Paul made a deal with Thomas to get the $4 cotton candy instead of a balloon. Sophia still got a balloon. Luckily, we went to the 10:30am show, so Thomas had all day to burn off all that sugar! At least the balloon is mylar and we should be able to enjoy Elmo's head in our living room for awhile.

Sophia was so great throughout the show considering she'd had a fever for the past 2 days. Thankfully, it was gone the morning of the show. But, she threw a very impressive tantrum the ENTIRE way home - all 35 minutes. She was totally pooped and took a good nap. Thomas and Paul later went to the Monster truck show with some friends leaving me and Sophia to have much enjoyed girl time together!

Happier Things . . .

2010-01-23T05:49:00.000-08:00

On a happier note, I have been getting ready for baby Zoe's arrival! I just ordered her bedding because I saw it was on sale, so I can't wait to get it!! Here's a picture:

I ordered it from The Gap, and I just LOVED the colors and the pattern. We have also cleaned out the downstairs office, which will be her temporary bedroom until I don't have to feed her in the middle of the night anymore and we are getting ready to set up the crib so everything will be ready. She will sleep in the pack-n-play bassinet in our room for awhile, but I like having things ready.

I've also washed and sorted through all of Sophia's old baby clothes and there's definitely not as much as I thought. I think I gave some away and threw away clothes that were ruined. But, that just means I get to go shopping!! I also got the little outfit and matching blanket I want to bring her home from the hospital in. It's soo cute! Here's a picture:

We've also started seriously potty training Sophia - we started on Wednesday and yesterday (Friday) she didn't have any accidents at school!!!! She had 2 when she came home, but still, she's doing awesome! And, she of course loves her new Dora and Minnie Mouse 'underpanties' (that's what she calls them - Thomas calls his 'underwears'). So, she's doing well. We are getting ready for Thomas to turn 4 next week (on the same day my 'little' brother turns the BIG 3-0!!! Both kids have been telling everyone who will listen about their new sister and all the things they will do to help. Thomas said he will bring her one of his blankets and Sophia is very excited about helping to feed a bottle to her (she may be disappointed that she won't have a bottle for awhile, but hopefully she'll be equally excited about holding her and covering her with blankets!). So, things are going well around the house. I'm slowing down significantly, but that's just what happens!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-28T19:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! Paul's parents came for the week and we had a great time. The kids made cookies with Grammy, did lots of playing and Paul and his Dad put together a playset that I had bought for the kids in November. I made home made raviolis, rocky road candy, sweet potato cupcakes (sounds wierd, but they were really good - kinda like spice cake). Paul made an amazing rib roast on Christmas day, and we've been eating leftovers ever since!

Santa was awfully good to us this year! Sophia asked Santa for 'pink presents' and he brought her a doll bed, doll high chair and new doll (wrapped in pink paper, of course!) , and he brought Thomas a little garage/playset for matchbox cars and a lego firestation. The kids got lots of great gifts from other people too, including an awesome bouncy castle from cousins Bella and Gianna! Paul got an x-box, and I'm hoping that I won't regret that decision and we can play some fun games without it getting out of control :-) I really wanted to get guitar hero, but ended up not doing so. Maybe next year . . .

We certainly missed being able to be with all the rest of our family, but that's just the way it goes when you live far from everyone. Other than that our Christmas vacation has been pretty mellow. I'm officially in my 3rd trimester now, and I'm feeling pretty tired and generally uncomfortable. I found out today I'm a bit anemic, so hopefully I'll feel a little better in a few days after I get some extra iron in my system.

We'll be taking down Christmas decorations soon and begin preparing for Baby Zoe's arrival. We've only got 11 weeks until my due date, and that time will fly by! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!

The Holiday Season is Here!

2009-12-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

We have been extremely busy since getting back from Omaha. We bought a Christmas tree, decorated the house and outside (a little bit), and just doing that took me almost 2 weeks! I have also been frantically Christmas shopping! I had to get packages sent out to Arizona and California, and I wanted to make sure I did that before the shipping fees got too expensive. Somehow I managed to get it all done! I have a couple things left to buy, but overall I finished all major shopping! Yay1

In the mean time I had some cramping and wasn't feeling all that great. The doc said it was probably due to dehydration, so I've been drinking lots of water and trying my best to take it easy. I think I've been fighting a cold, too, so that doesn't make it any better. I've been really tired and taking 2 hour naps in the afternoon! Paul's been out of town at a meeting for a couple of days, but he'll be back tomorrow. It's increasingly difficult to chase around Thomas and Sophia as I get bigger and slower and they seem to get faster and faster!

We only have a couple of days of school left, and I'm pretty excited for Christmas break. I'll probably have a very hard time going back afterwards, but time will fly and soon I'll be on maternity leave! Well, that's what's happening here - not much! Hopefully there will be more exciting things to share after Christmas!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was great! We drove 1000 miles in the new Odyssey to Omaha, Nebraska for Thanksgiving, and we had alot of fun. I hadn't been to Omaha since we evacuated for Hurricane Ike, so I was really glad to be back. The kids did awesome in the car, and I must give many thanks to the DVD system in the car. We can put their movie on and they can listen with headphones so that we can listen to our own music in the front -it was completely awesome!!

My brother and his family also came, so Thomas and Sophia were able to play with their cousins Isabella (3) and Gianna (5 mos). We had family pictures taken, and I'll try to get those scanned and post one. I was able to visit with my friends and family and eat lots of good food! I saw my friend Heather and her new little baby Brookly, my friend Jaimie who got married in Jamaica today, ate at Runza and Big Fred's, got 5 chiropractic adjustments (Thanks Matt!!) and was able to squeeze in a little shopping, too!!

Baby Update: I'm getting bigger and bigger by the day, and it's getting increasingly uncomfortable to bend over and pick things up! The baby moves around alot and I'm definitely slowing down. I've got about 15 weeks to go, and I'm ready to be done already! I'm getting anxious to not be pregnant any more, and most especially to meet the new baby. We have most of the things we need, but there are a few things we are in need of, and if anyone is interested we have a baby registry at amazon.com. We gave away some things to a family in need awhile back before we knew for sure if we were going to try for #3, so that is why there are some things on there that we used to have. I certainly don't expect anything from anyone, but just in case anyone was interested we do have a small registry. Anyway, all is well so far.

The pictures above are: Thomas and Sophia in the Odyssey watching a movie with the headphones, my Brother Eric and his daughter Isabella, My sis-in-law Lindsay and my newest neice Gianna, and Thomas watching the Nebraska game with Isabella, Gianna and everyone else in Omaha.

The Odyssey

2009-11-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the Odyssey! I kept meaning to take a picture of it, but it was dirty and it was rainy for so long I kept forgetting. Anyway, here it it. I LOVE it, and can't imagine not having it. I love that I can open the doors remotely and the kids just run in and get in to their seats. It's comfortable, convenient and has great features for a family with kids.

My students have been making fun of me for getting a mini van and actually told me I should get a Tahoe instead! Haha! I laughed and said we have one and are trying to sell it. So, here's the family truckster!

Halloween!

2009-11-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so fun this year! We went to a friend's house who had a birthday party for her 3 year old daughter and also had amazing decorations including lights that blinked to halloween music!! Thomas was a bit scared, but Sophia loved it all. We then all went trick-or-treating together and the kids had a blast!! Sophia was Minnie Mouse and Thomas was a Lightning McQueen Racecar driver. They were sooo cute!

New Beds!

2009-10-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

When we bought Thomas's crib, we bought a convertible one that went from crib to toddler bed to full sized bed, but we did not buy the conversion set to make it a full sized bed thinking we would buy it later. Well, I went back to buy it and it was discontinued!! So, when we changed him to a full sized bed we had to buy bed rails and Paul had to drill into the head/footboards to make it work. Well, it didn't really work and the mattress kept falling between the rails almost daily and it was a huge pain. So, since we are having another girl, we decided to get Thomas bunk beds (can be put into 2 twins on floor if we want, and hopefull will be useful in the future). We then gave Thomas's old full sized mattress to Sophia (her crib is convertable as well), and we will use her old crib mattress for the new baby and Thomas's old bed/crib for the baby's crib. So, here are Thomas and Sophia's new beds! So far they like them and Sophia slept great in her big girl bed!!

Then, we will have a few years to figure out bedroom arrangements for the girls! We will put the new baby's crib downstairs in the office for awhile until we figure out what we'll do for a more permanent situation, and also that will assure that I won't have to run up and down the stairs all the time for feedings, etc. with the new baby. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-31T06:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago. We ended up not staying long because there were soooooo many people and the kids were a bit cranky and tired. But, we rode the tractor hay wagon out to the pumpkins and got a couple to bring home. Kids had fun and here are a few pictures.

The New Baby's Name Will Be . . .

2009-10-29T14:40:00.001-07:00

Zoe Elizabeth!

Long before I was pregnant, Paul said he liked the name Zoe. It is Greek for 'Life', and he came across that while researching Sophia's name, which means 'Wisdom' in Greek. He thought they were good names together and suggested it as a name if we ever had another girl. So, once we found out it was a girl I searched for lots of names, but nothing really stuck out and Paul kept going back to Zoe. I asked Thomas and Sophia what they thought and they immediately started calling the baby Zoe, so the name just kind of stuck. Other bonuses of the name Zoe are that I've never had a student named Zoe and none of my friends/relatives are named Zoe or have kids named Zoe. It's kind of different, and not something I ever thought I would choose as a name for my child, but it just happened. I also was somewhat partial to a short name and so it worked out.

Elizabeth is Paul's grandmother's name, and Thomas and Sophia both have names from my side. Paul wanted a family name and of all the names he suggested, Elizabeth sounds the prettiest with Zoe, and it sounds like his grandma was a pretty neat lady (she passed away years before I met Paul).

So, for a little background - here are the other kids' name explanations: Thomas is my Dad and Brother's middle name, and Paul really likes the story of St. Thomas (doubting Thomas). His middle name is Vincent and he is named after my cousin who I grew up with and he passed away in an accident in 1999. Vince was 10 years older than me and tortured me like an older brother when I was younger, but I was growing up to be alot like him. I miss having him around and wanted to honor his memory.
As for Sophia's name, we picked it mostly because I really liked it. Then, Paul did a bunch of reading about Sophia and how it means Wisdom and its significance in the church. Her middle name is Vallerino, which flows nicely with Sophia, and is my Mom's maiden name. There are no more Vallerino desendents - my Mom only had one sister and my Grandfather had all sisters who married, so no one carried on the name.

So, that's the story of the new baby's name! I'm 20 weeks along, so I'm about half way there. Baby Zoe is moving around alot, and my nausea has pretty much gone away. My students comment nearly daily that my belly is getting bigger, and I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable doing some things. But, so far so good! I'll keep you posted!

IT'S A GIRL!

2009-10-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

We found out on Monday that we are having another girl! I was a bit surprised by this because I was really thinking it was going to be a boy. This pregnancy has been different in Sophia's in many ways - much more nausea, different cravings and just overall different feeling. Maybe I was just hoping it was going to be a boy, but either way it doesn't matter. We are set to have another girl. We are still thinking about names, and will share with everyone as soon as we decide on one.

I've added 2 of the ultrasound pictures - one of the profile and one of the left and right foot. They were the best ones we got. Also, she is healthy and normal as far as they can see. She should be approximately 12 oz. right now, so about the size of a pop can. I"ve gotten noticeably larger in the past couple of weeks and everyone at school is really taking notice. One of my students keeps saying that my belly gets bigger every day. I tell her this is what is supposed to happen! But, I can happily and comfortably wear my maternity clothes now, and I can really feel her moving around in there. Some days she's more active than others, but that is about the only part of pregnancy I enjoy. I've had some nausea popping up again recently, which I'm not happy about. I thought that was gone!! Oh well. At least it's temporary.

Everything else is going very well. Thomas and Sophia are starting to understand that they have a sister on the way, and are helping to pick out names. Sophia's suggestion was "ABCD" and Thomas's was "Tiger". We'll definitely keep those on the list . . .

Garden Pictures

2009-10-03T14:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the garden. I've planted tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, gourds, basil and squash. You can see some of the plants that I've planted and then I planted a bunch of seeds in the empty spaces. I planted them last Saturday and there are aleady a few squash and gourd sprouts! I've got a couple more things to plant and I'll post pictures later when everything is (hopefully) growing!

Landscaping!

2009-10-02T17:21:00.001-07:00

We had to have our front yard re-landscaped recently for several reasons. First, the soil in the flower beds was too high and covering the weepholes which can cause termites and other unfriendly problems. Secondly, the yard sloped up away from the house, which caused some drainage problems. Thirdly, the 2 trees in the front yard died over the summer. And, lastly, the existing landscaping was crowded and not very well done.
So, they fixed the soil problem, added some rocks for drainage, rearranged some plants and added some new ones (there are a few left to be planted), added some trees and made me a garden in the backyard (pics yet to come). They also added some planters in the front to make it a bit more invited and friendly to look at. So, here are a few before and after pictures. We still have some annuals to be planted. We ended up getting 4 new trees for the front yard - 3 varieties of Oak, and one Crape Myrtle was replanted from next to the house to the front yard. Also, Paul transplanted a Magnolia tree that was too close to our house to the neighborhood common area in front of our house. I'll post a few more pictures as soon as I can take them - I ran out of light today.

Landscaping before

Landscaping after - pots in front

Landscaping after

Replanted Magnolia

Honda Odyssey Update!

2009-09-22T04:58:00.001-07:00

Well, it turns out we ended up winning the black Odyssey! I think what happened was the lottery winners before us turned it down and so we ended up getting it! Paul's Dad John went to inspect it yesterday b/c it is in the LA area, and everything looks good. We just have to pay for it and then John and maybe Marian (Paul's Mom) will drive it here!!

I'm really excited - it's a 2008, but only has 6000 miles on it and it's about 10-11K less than buying a new one of the same model. It's black with tan leather interior and a DVD system (super awesome for the kids on long road trips!!!). I'll post pictures when we get it!

School Days, School Days

2009-09-19T05:31:00.001-07:00

This school year is going so incredible, not just for me, but for the whole school. For me personally, my students are doing so well - they are working well, not complaining, learning stuff, and attending for the most part is pretty good (this is usually a big problem at our school). If you're not familiar with my school, we are a charter school in a large district and so students have to apply to come to our school. We are very small (240 or so kids), and that is the draw of our school. We also have no homework which attracts kids, but is a problem in my opinion (that's a whole separate blog!). The students who come to us are failing at the big (3000 or more kids) high schools for a variety of reasons - ADHD, falling behind, drug/alchohol problems, pregnancy/teen mothers, family problems, etc. Our students are officially at-risk, so it can be a number of things.

In the past as the school has been building it's reputation the administration has been forced to accept certain kids from other schools, and generally those kids don't want to be at our school and cause problems. Since we are so small (max class size 12), one disruptive student very seriously affects the whole class and the students in general (many kids have many classes together). But, this year we haven't been forced to take students and only took students who applied and interviewed well (each kid must interview with principal). As a result the year is going very well.

Last year, the whole school had a bad vibe, and I believe much of that had to do with Hurricane Ike. It really messed up our whole year and students seemed extra lazy, full of complaints and overall we had a hard time getting students to work and participate well.

I have at least 1 pregnant girl (she's due in April and is pregnant a 2nd time after having a miscarriage in the spring - I actually asked her if she knew how pregnancy happened) and possibly a 2nd (not 100% sure, although counselor said she was). It is wierd answering questions about pregnancy in my class, but this particular girl is living with her boyfriend and his family and I really don't know what kind of information she is getting. Other than that I have a great set of students. And, I've been working in the morning when kids are generally better behaved (they universally get crazy in the afternoons), and I have been loving it.

I did lose at least one student yesterday to drugs. We have drug dogs come to our school regularly and search classrooms and cars. I had one student sent to AEP (alternative education program - a school for the kids in trouble - they 'serve' time there and if goes well can return after some amount of time like 60 days) and another student who I don't have this year, but had for the past 2 years. That particular student had a decent amount of marijuana in his car, and the former had paraphernelia (I think, not 100% sure). Two others were sent to AEP as well, although I don't know who they are (it happened in the afternoon) and if they are mine or not. It's very disappointing when this happens because the dogs have already visited the school twice this year, and my former student has been here for 3 years and seen many students kicked out or even arrested (actually led out of school in handcuffs) for having drugs.

It's an interesting place and there's always alot of action, but I love it. One of my students actually told me this week "I don't hate you Ms. Niles. I think you're an amazing teacher, I just don't like your personality", which I find very funny. Essentially he's mad at me for not bending the rules for him and allowing him to answer his phone in class, leave class to call his veterinarian or play the guitar. It's hard for students to adjust to the rules at our school when they've come from schools where rules aren't enforced or are much more difficult to enforce because the school is so big. I truly say every day that I have the best job ever, and I am so lucky to have found it.

I've added some photoshop fun some of my students had in another class. They're pretty cute, except for the major man-hands I have in the 'Bill Nye' one!

Sophia's Interesting Day!

2009-09-19T05:17:00.000-07:00

Sophia had quite the day on Tuesday. First, I picked her up from school and she was sitting at the table with a paper in front of her with freshly distributed paint just waiting for her little hands to dive into. She normally sees me and drops everything and runs to me, but this time she did not want to leave and was not happy to see me - she refused to get up from the table and then started crying and fighting me when I picked her up and took her paint shirt off. 'Painting, painting' she kept saying and she cried all the way to the car. She was very unhappy.

We went home, ate dinner and then played outside. She then fell face first on the driveway scratching the tip of her nose, the space between her nose and lip and had a pretty bloody lip. She cried, but recovered pretty well. I really thought her lip had to hurt because it was scratched on the outside and I think her teeth cut the underside as well. But, she is a really tough girl and after a few minutes of recovery and sucking on a frozen 'Nemo' icepack she was back to business. Then a little bit later, Thomas threw a rock that ended up hitting her in the head near the temple. She had a huge bump and that drew some blood as well, leaving a little cut! Thomas got in trouble for throwing rocks and we ended our outside playing at that point!

I didn't take a picture and I really wish I had. I took her to daycare the next day with a scabby nose, fat lip and cut on her head and she looked a little pathetic. But, she was in the most amazing mood - even her teacher commented on how happy she was! She is such a trooper! She consistently has bruised/scabby shins, and I was exactly the same was as a kid. She's very busy all the time and never seems to let a little injury get in the way. Like I say, she's my little pistol!

The Inevitable - a Honda Odyssey!

2009-09-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

We have reached the time where the inevitable is necessary - a Honda Odyssey. Yes, a mini-van. We will be trading in our very cool Chevy Tahoe for a very stigma-attached supposedly uncool Mini-Van. Although, in the world of mini-vans, the Honda Odyssey has got to be the best. I like to refer to it as my new Mom Limo.

The problem with the Tahoe and all other large SUVs is that the 3rd row is nearly inaccessible unless you pull the middle row seat down (impossible with carseats) or climb over the 3rd row to sit inthe 3rd row. Also, there is no back storage room once the 3rd row is up and in use. The Tahoe certainly looks cool, and we love it, but it just isn't going to work with 5 of us!

So, we looked at the Odysseys, and there is so much room! This is underfloor storage (yes, like a secret compartment under the floor!!), removable middle seat for the 2nd row so the 2 other seats can be pushed together leaving a space to walk to the rear row, a spacious 3rd row with headphone hookups, still more storage space behind the 3rd rown and something like 15 cupholders! The model we will get will also have a DVD player and headphone jacks so the kids can listen to a movie and we can listen to the radio/cd/ipod. We discovered the importance of this after driving more than 5000 miles with our computer rigged up to show movies in the car - not the most awesome situation.

Other features include automatically opening side doors that I'll be able to push with a button so that the kids can just run into the car and not have to wait in a parking lot while I fumble to open doors (also good if my hands are full). There are also many other safety features that really do not become important until you have kids, but they will useful. The car will also be able to allow others to ride with us without having to maneuver and climb over seats.

Paul's brother works for Honda and is helping us get just the right car. There is a used one (available to Honda employees) available that we will be in a lottery for (if more than one person are interested they do a lottery) next week. If we do not win that one, we have placed an order for one that will be available probably in December.

I am very excited for this car (even Paul liked it when we looked at them) - it has all the little features that I wish the Tahoe had on a daily basis when I'm carting the kids around and doing Mom stuff. I very seriously never thought I would be the mini-van Mom, but it seriously makes things so much easier. I am also soliciting ideas on how to 'pimp my ride' - no stick figure families on the back windshield, please!

Pregnancy update

2009-09-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

The pregnancy has been going OK so far. The baby is healthy - we've had 2 ultrasounds and the heartbeat is good and my risk for genetic anomalies is that of a 20 year old! Can't get any better than that! I've had pretty yucky nausea (still no actual vomiting), although it's getting a little better in the past week or 2. I pretty much have to eat high protein foods (meat, cheese, yogurt, etc.) to best ward of the nausea, and yesterday was a perfect example. I didn't have my normal breakfast or lunch foods and was pretty sparse on the protein (cereal for breakfast, salad for lunch) and I felt awful last night. Even after I ate a piece of cheese and some crackers and dinner I was nauseas. So, this is unpleasant in many respects, but mostly because I have to eat all these foods that are probably going to cause me to gain more weight than I would like. However, I cannot stand feeling so awful in the evenings and it makes it very hard for me to take care of the house and the kids. Thankfully Paul is very helpful and Sophia likes to sleep alot!!

I have my 'big' ultrasound appointment on Oct. 19, so I am looking forward to finding out if it's a boy or a girl!! Then I can start planning! We have to figure out how to arrange the kids and probably get a new bed somewhere - we will probably use Thomas's crib because we don't have the conversion set to make it bed. Paul drilled some holes and was able to make it a big boy bed, but the holes are just far enough apart that the mattress slips through and falls sometimes. So, it will be easier to just put it back to a crib.

I'll try to post an ultrasound picture if I ever get a chance to scan it in.

The Big Announcement!

2009-08-09T13:53:00.003-07:00

It's official - we are expecting another baby on March 17!! We found out July 4, but wanted to wait until we had the first Dr. appt. before officially making an announcement. I finally had my doctor's appointment and all is well so far. The Dr. did a quick ultrasound to make sure everything is OK, and there is thankfully only ONE baby in there and it's heartbeat is healthy.

I have been feeling pretty crappy in the evenings, and I hope it goes away in another month or so. I have a generally nauseous feeling, although I haven't actually thrown up. I told Paul it kind of feels like I've been on a really turbulent flight and it just doesn't go away. Eating doesn't seem to help, not eating doesn't seem to help and so I am continually trying different things to see what might make me feel better. All the books say that morning sickness usually goes away after the 1s trimester, so I hope it does for me. I didn't really have this with Sophia.

So, that's our big news! Nothing much else is exciting around here at the moment. I'm just trying to make it through the evenings, school is about to start soon and we are starting the process of getting a mini-van!! I'll keep you posted!

A few road trip pics

2009-07-25T19:58:00.001-07:00

A Very Long Road Trip

2009-07-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our month long, 8 major stops, 5461 mile, 97.5 hrs in the car, 306 gallons of gas road trip. We are exhausted. Sophia has had a fever for 2 days, Thomas has had several meltdowns that I think are just a release of stress, I can't seem to get enough sleep, and to top it off, Paul is going out of town tomorrow. But, overall, we had a great time, and so I'll share some of the highlights.

First we stopped in Waco for a reunion on Paul's side. We stayed only for a day, but enjoyed meeting many of the Texas relatives and T and S were convinced that one of the cousins was their Grammy. They have the same hair and some similar features, and it was just hilarious. Thomas kept wondering where Grandad was. I finally had to tell him he just couldn't make it. Also, just as we were heading out the door to the reunion dinner we saw that Michael Jackson died!! I was a HUGE MJ fan as a kid, but I was pretty excited that we were headed to L.A. We decided to tell anyone we talked to that we were road tripping to L.A. in mourning of MJ.

From there we headed to Los Angeles making a stop in Phoenix to visit my brother's family where we met my new niece, Gianna, who entered the world June 14. T and S had a great time with their cousin Bella, but it was a short stay and we moved on to L.A. Paul and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary by going to a fabulous Japanese restaurant, Yamashiro, that overlooked Hollywood and had an awesome outdoor bar overlooked by a Pagoda from Japan. Lucky for us, the restaurant had a shuttle that we convinced to take us down to the Hollywood Walk of Fame so we could walk by MJ's star (this was much easier than driving and trying to find a parking spot)!! It was INSANE - full of people, police, newspeople and his star was covered in flowers, notes, posters, etc. We took some pictures, and I'm glad we went. Then we went to little bar near Paul's parents house and had a few drinks and ended up listening to the bar tender tell us all about her out of body experiences and how Jesus saved her from them. Or something like that.

The next day we went to a Dodger game where we had the most awesome seats EVER!! they were the 1st row behind the visitor dugout, and the Rockies 1st baseman threw Thomas a ball!! Very cool! After that we headed to San Francisco for Paul's cousin's wedding. The kids were the flower girl and ring bearer, and they did awesome! They were a total hit and actually walked down the aisle! Thomas carried the actual rings (!!) and Sophia refused to carry the flowers, but they held hands and everyone loved them. They did have a hard time sitting through the ceremony, but I guess you can't have everything! The next night we were able to see the San Fran fireworks display right from our window! It was awesome. We were also able to squeeze in 2 visits with several friends who live in the Bay Area. They all have kids now, so it was cool to have all the kids together.

From San Fran we headed to Stockton, CA to stay with my 94 year old Grandmother on her farm for a week. My parents were there, and Paul left to do a week of field work in the Black Rock desert, so it worked well. T and S were able to play with my cousin Michelle's daughter, Elianna, as well as my other cousin Marc's kids. It was great to see everyone and spend a little time in the country. And, we were lucky enough to catch some of the MJ memorial on a TV in Sacramento while taking Paul to get his rental car. After that we headed to L.A. again for a couple of days. It was pretty low key, but we hung out with Uncle Matt, Grammy and Grandad, as well as Paul's 95 year old Grandmother.

After that we headed to San Diego with my parents (they drove down from Stockton) for a Skaff Family reunion. There were 125 people there!! My brother and his whole family came as well as all my relatives in Omaha, so it was really great to be all together. Plus, SD is just an awesome place to have a reunion! We had a picnic on the ocean and just enjoyed time together.

And, if that wasn't enough, we stopped one last time in Phoenix for a couple of days to hang with my bro and Sis-in-law. Bella, T and S had a really great time playing together. I really wished we all lived closer, but I suppose we have to go where the jobs are. After that we spent a very long time in the car driving through AZ, NM, and Texas to get home. It's so much worse driving home than when starting vacation! Thank goodness for ipods! And, thankfully we had some MJ downloaded on the pod! We picked up my grandmother's old antique Singer sewing machine, some new toys, and our car was literally filled to the brim. There was barely enough room for the kid's feet!!!

Overall, the kids saw and met more relatives and friends on this trip that probably either one of us ever have! We literally saw almost everyone we know and/or are related to in this month long journey. So, as I said earlier, we are tired, exhausted and run down, but very happy to be home. Now I just have to unpack, do laundry, clean, organize, and grocery shop. But, I do have a month's worth ofmail to sort and magazines to read, including all the MJ gossip I can possibly handle!

I need a vacation. :-)

Aaahhhh. Summer Begins.

2009-06-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Summer is here! It is all to wonderful to be finished with school for the summer. We had graduation last Saturday, and it was very nice. One of my students gave a speech at graduation and said she wanted to become a science teacher. Her mother pulled me aside afterwords and told me that it was because of me that she wants to become a science teacher. I think that is probably the greatest compliment I have ever recieved! It is sometimes very hard to imagine that I have any effect on students at all, but at the end of the day I must make an impression on some of them. The student also wrote me a little note thanking me, which is the best thing to recieve from a student. She has been through alot since I've known her, and she has shared many of her struggles with me, some of which are simply unbelievable. I am proud of her, and I know she will do well.

The kids have been in day care all this week. I like to have them go an extra week so I can have some time to myself to run errands and do things that are miserable to do when you have 2 kids along for the ride. I've been shopping for flower girl dresses, boys' suits, hair bows and some clothes for me. It's taken longer than I had hoped, but I'm finished. It took me most of the week, so now I'll only have 1 day left to myself. And, since the house desperately needs to be cleaned, it looks like I'll have about 5 minutes to myself. Oh well. I've had a pretty good time shopping and doing whatever I like without anyone naggine me or complaining.

So, although pretty boring, that's what's been going on since school's been out. Hopefully some inspiration will come my way about something interesting to write in the near future. I'm clearly still coming down from all the stress from the last few weeks of school! I'll get back to you soon with something more intellectually stimulating!

The end is near, and TAKS Sucks.

2009-05-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a very interesting year at school. We were out of school for 2 1/2 weeks for Hurricane Ike, I had 3 students become mothers and 1 become a father, I had a fairly serious situation with an irrational parent and a most unpleasant April full of TAKS review and testing. It's been long, exhausting and challenging, and I am very excited for the year to be over.

April was filled with TAKS review and ended with the TAKS tests the last week of the month. For a few seniors, this was extremely stressful because if they did not pass they could not graduate. It was somewhat less stressful for the 11th graders, but if they pass they don't have to worry about it next year. The 10th graders still have to take the 11th grade test, so it was more of a pain in the butt because they know they have to do it all over again next year. And so, the focus has been nothing but TAKS for April, and it looms over the school like a dark cloud for the rest of the year.

The test results came back this week and we were able to share scores with students and I found myself hugging and congratulating many students on the passing of the science TAKS. I was giving high fives, and in the midst of all the celebrations I realized that we are celebrating and focusing on nothing but taking a standardized test. Lawmakers and other officials like to say that teachers don't need to teach to the test and they should do just fine with regular knowledge they learn in class. This is complete crap, in my opinion.

I have seen old released science tests, and they are full of random facts that they require students to memorize. As a scientist you would not have to memorize such things as what the mitochondria does or how a virus reproduces. You might come to know those things because they are important to what you do, but science is not about memorizing facts. Science is about the process of questioning and discovering, and the joy of that has been completely removed from high school science classes because of these tests. We have to teach students how to memorize as much as possible, and how to answer tricky multiple choice questions. Again, I have seen old tests, and many of the questions are tricky and poorly written. They do not assess how well a student can do in science, but how well they can memorize and answer questions.

I felt very sad today when I realized the hold that the TAKS tests have on schools and teachers. We should be celebrating students asking interesting questions, designing experiments and wanting to learn more about something they find intriguing. Students hate science because it is very difficult to make it fun and interesting while covering everything we need to for TAKS, especially at my school. In the end the students at my school did fairly well, but we did extensive after school tutoring and review in class. And, we celebrated what a wonderful state 'report card' we will have, but it's all at the expense of learning to love learning so that politicians can have their numbers.

A weekend without the kids!!

2009-05-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

Paul and I had the most amazing weekend! We went to a wedding in Dallas, and it turned out to be the most extraordinary party we've ever been to, and probably ever will, for that matter! There were more orchids, peonies, roses, hydrangeas and little mini hydrangeas than I've ever seen!! There was a 10 tier cake, an amazing band, caviar, and an after party with scantily clad models handing out pink boas, blinking rings, pink hats, chocolate cigars and cotton candy and a lady who read everyone's lips!!! We enjoyed connecting with many of Paul's relatives who live in Texas and hopefully can get together with them sometime.

The best part was that we were able to sleep in until we were forced to get up at 10:15 on Saturday morning to attend yet another lunch celebration. We came home and literally slept all afternoon until we had to get ready for the wedding. It was so relaxing to not have to worry about the kids for 2 1/2 whole days!!!

The wedding was at the Ritz Carlton, and so we stayed there as well. When we pulled up in the car they knew somehow that we were Mr. and Mrs. Paul Niles - they had the parking ticket all ready and when Paul walked up to the front desk they said "Welcome Mr. Niles" - it was unbelievable!! There wasn't a single soul around the lobby or outside who knew us. We are still baffled as to how they knew who we were. I guess that's why they are the Ritz Carlton! After the rehearsal dinner we hung out at the hotel bar, which is quite the hot spot, even for locals! We got a glass of wine, and it was $16 for one glass!! That's probably more than the whole bottle it came from, and clearly explains how they (at least partially) make all their money!! But, the hotel was beautiful, and they did an exquisite job on the reception and the food.

It was so awesome to be away from the kids for 2 nights to refresh! They had a wonderful time with my parents and barely cried while we were away, which made me feel very happy!! In fact, they were really sad when they left today. Thomas told me he was very sad! I think one of the most important things in being a parent is to have time to ourselves as a couple, and to teach my children that we will always be there for them - I think going away for long weekends only strengthens that idea. They learn that even though we left we will definitely come back. Plus, they get to hang out with their grandparents, and everyone knows kids always behave better for others than for their parents!!!

Well, I forgot to bring my camera to the wedding, but have a couple pics from my phone of a particularly me and Paul next to a large flower arrangement (there were at least 8 of these), the cake (the pink wall behind the cake is made up ENTIRELY of pink roses) and a really awesome fruit sculpture from one of the three buffet tables at the cocktail hour (bottom pic - there are tomatoes, raspberries, some herb and blueberries in it!!).

A few more of the outside

2009-05-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple more. The one on the left is taken from our backyard looking at the empty lot next to us, and the one on the right is our backyard as seen from the back door. The sidewalk leads to the garage.

Pictures of the new house

2009-05-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

I've gotten several requests for some pics for the house, so here goes. We are still unpacking and so things are still a bit messy. But here are some pictures. From top to bottom it's the back patio, my fountain, the living room, the kitchen from the living room, and a different angle of the kitchen. We are getting settled and would love to have visitors anytime!!!

The Sky was Crying . . .

2009-04-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

I am clearly terrible at this whole blogging thing, but I'm trying to stick with it! I'm so tired at the end of the day that the last thing I do is want to write a blog, but I'll try to do better in case anyone actually reads this!

We've gotten all moved in to the new house, and we LOVE it! We moved in April 11 and sat down after unloading boxes and moving things all weekend, and I think Paul said it best - it finally feels like we are home! The neighborhood is great, the house is working out well, and it works so much better for us. The kids seem to like it, and I'm really loving our big yard! I can't wait to have a party - it's coming soon!

We moved in with no incident, but things have been a bit hairy as we try to get settled in. First, a floor length mirror fell on Sophia (she was not hurt), then she fell down the stairs (again, not hurt but they are wood with no carpet, and as an added note she fell down the stairs 3 times at old house and it doesn't seem to phase her), and then Sophia's dresser fell over after Thomas was opening all the drawers - it was really light b/c it was nearly empty. Thomas was only bumped on the head - I was changing Sophia only a few feet away. It's amazing how quickly some things can happen.

Then, last weekend it rained like I've never seen before. It was worse than Ike. I was painting at the old house, and then the power went out. I could barely see across the street and then I heard something that sounded like a mix between a siren and a train horn. I thought it was a tornado, but had no way of knowing the news b/c the old house is COMPLETELY empty. I found out on Monday that a tornado did touch down not too far from our house in Seabrook, and that several teachers who live close by heard the same thing. I was SO scared, but thankful that it didn't last too long. After a couple hours the rain stopped and I tried my best to get home. The neighborhood was flooded, major streets were flooded, water was up to the middle of car doors in some parking lots, cars were stuck in high water and the creeks and lake were VERY high! Paul told me not to come home b/c there was probably 1.5 feet of water in the cul-de-sac. However, by the time I cam home the street was clear. The creek behind our house, however, was like a flowing river! I would say we had about 6 more feet and the house would have flooded. It's been since Saturday, and I don't think the creek is down to it's original level yet.

At school I heard from many students and teachers of flooded homes and cars. Many people spent Sunday ripping up carpet and trying to get their cars to work. I heard Clear Lake got a total of around 11 inches in 2 days (Fri and Sat). It was one of the craziest storms I've ever seen. Luckily, our house didn't flood!!!

So, that's been the action around here for the last few weeks. We are slowly unpacking and getting things in order. I've been working extra the last couple weeks doing tutoring at our school for the state test, the TAKS, which is happening next week. I am going to be VERY, VERY excited when it's over and my life can return to normal. The pics are of the high water at our house and one of a street when I was driving home.

2009-03-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the new house. It's on a cul-de-sac, has a creek behind it, and and empty lot next to it. All the houses around this area are brick because of the hurricanes. But, we are really excited and I'll try to post pictures of the inside after we move in.

Moving!

2009-03-31T18:29:00.001-07:00

I am super excited to be moving to our new house soon! We close this Friday, and hopefully everything will go well. I am not, however, excited for actually physically moving. I have been packing for 2 weeks, but it's just amazing how much crap people can accumulate over several years! And, as I sort through stuff I've been finding lots of stuff that I don't really want or need (tea, eye masks, 15 boxes of dayquil and other assorted cold medicines, old envelopes, books I don't like, etc.) that I feel bad for throwing away, but I know that I"ll never use. So I have been doing my best to throw things away that I know I haven't used in the past 4 years and I definitely won't use any time soon. Still, it's hard to throw things away that are completely fine and functional. I do have a huge bag of stuff for Goodwill. But, there's always the little thought in the back of my head that says 'well, I might want this sometime and would hate to have to go buy it if I've already got it'.

I also did not realize how much baby stuff we have!!! And, the kids' clothes are just piling up faster than I can sort it. They grow out of stuff SO FAST!! We are keeping everything in case we decide to have one more baby. It will be an awesome day when we can get rid of everything for good!

It is a cleansing feeling to go through drawers, closets and bedrooms cleaning things out. We are renting a truck this weekend, so I hope i can get alot done this week. Movers are coming the following Friday, so I hope we can get organized and packed fast!!

Students and Personal Responsibility.

2009-03-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

I've had it. I reached the end of my rope today. As I was giving out gradesheets to my students, many of them realized that they had many zeros for assignments they haven't turned in. So, I would either show them the assignment or tell them when they did it, and most of them said 'well, I wasn't here. I didn't know we did anything!'. And, on occasion they actually ask if they have to make it up since they were absent. Seriously. I wonder if they actually think the entire school shuts down and doesn't do anything on the days they are gone. So now they are scrambling to make up their zeros which is a huge pain in my ass while simultaneously blaming me for their terrible grades. This makes me mad. I have been known to ask the kids if they are serious and if they think the school revolves around them and their lame excuse absences.

My class is somewhat difficult, but generally if you are there every day, pay attention and at least try to do the work you will pass easily. If you try really hard you can easily make an 'A'. But, the majority of the students have no personal responsibility, especially when it comes to grades. They are rude, blame me, throw tantrums and then expect me to bend over backwards to help them make up their work. I gave a test today, did a review yesterday and gave them a review sheet. But, did they study? Wait, study? What's that? Do you have to do that after the 45 minute class is over? They're too busy doing who knows what to even remember to bring a pencil to school.

I attribute this to several things. First, the parents. Parents are way to quick to make excuses for their kids and they hardly ever punish them. Parents actually have to said to teachers at my school that they just don't know what to do anymore, yet the kid is out late every night, drives a decent car that is paid for, has a nice cell phone and computer. But, parents don't take that stuff away or ground them. So, what is the reason for a student to be worried about anything? Their parent will just come along and take care of it for them.

Secondly, many teachers just give grades for the kids if they are there or just do the assignment. There are students in my school who have missed 5 - 10 days of school, yet still have a 90%. What is the incentive if they can miss every other day of school and still make an A. I also have to wonder what in the world is going on in that classroom if kids who are gone so much have A's. But that's a whole separate story.

And, lastly, society doesn't do anything to help. We glamorize drug use, sex and people who commit crimes or don't get an education yet are still successful like some musician and athletes. The students have to grasp of reality when this is what they see every day. Most likely they are not going to become the next greatest guitar player or football player, or they are not going to start up some business and become a millionaire when they can barely multiply. And, I'm not kidding about the multiplying - it's unreal.

Well, this is my experience at my school, which is an alternative school, so I understand that we have a different population of students. But, it's still just as disheartening to see this lack of personal responsibility among young people.

Possible Winner . . .

2009-03-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well, everything happens for a reason. The other house did not work out, but after looking at a few more we found one that we really like. It is laid out almost exactlly how we talked about building the other one. It has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and is just slightly bigger than this house. The whole layout is more conducive to families and having parties which will work great for us. The bedrooms are laid out wonderfully for kids, and 2 of them have a nice jack and jill bathroom. The lot is bigger and there's a creek behind the house although that land is owned by someone else. There's an empty lot next door and it's on a cul-de-sac and there's lots of mature trees everywhere. It's perfect for us, and I hope it works out. The sellers have accepted our offer, and so we have to have an inspection and everything. And, the bank has agreed to give us an awesome interest rate as our primary residence as long as we move in within 30 days, which will be a little crazy, but doable.

We do still have to sell our house which is the most worriesome part of this whole deal, but we've added some nice upgrades and can really competitively price it. I'm hoping it won't take a super long time, and this is the best time to sell since it's the spring. And, we have a great realtor. I think it will show very nice and it will be probably be a bit easier and nicer since we'll be moved out. So, say a few prayers for us that we can sell it quickly!

I am hesitant to put any pictures or anything up, so I'm going to wait until we actually own the house. We're going to have to do a little painting and someday I'd like to change the stain on the kitchen cabinets, but that's all cosmetic and easy to do when the time is right.

So, hopefully everything will work out. My friend Molly's friend lives right next door and seems really nice, and Molly will only be a couple minutes away. And a few other friends live closer which will be nice! I'll keep you posted!

Goodbye House

2009-02-28T04:39:00.000-08:00

We had to cancel our contract last week with the house we were trying to buy. We had all agreed to get an engineering report, and the sellers supposedly ended up picking the engineer saying that our choice didn't seem fair. Well, no engineer came to the house - it was some guy who collected data, wrote the report and then had the engineer look over the report. He said he would put recommendations for repair, measurements, etc. in the report and that it would have an engineer's stamp.

We got the report and it was the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. It had no data, it referenced repair recommendations and an elevation diagram that were not there and it had absolutely NO substance whatsoever. And, I find that a bit strange considering the house was slanted off the level by over 4 inches. Our realtor, Jeff, called their realtor (whom I'll refer to as RH from now on) about this. RH said he spoke to the engineer and that he didn't want to get sued and in the middle of anything so he basically didn't say anything. I"m not sure how putting repair recommendations in a report is a bad thing, but whatever. I think what is more likely is that RH asked the engineer to make a vague report that he would be able to give to future buyers and not scare off. We are thinking about filing a report with the BBB.

Jeff tried to call the engineer to no avail. So, as a last resort we wrote a letter to the sellers themselves and explained that we love the house, would actually still like to buy it if the repairs could get taken care of and outlined all the inconsistancies and problems we've had with RH. It was a good letter. They actually replied saything they live out of the country so sometimes communication is slow, but that they would address our concerns with RH. We replied and said that we would still have to cancel the contract because we cannot proceed further this way, but please let us know if and how they would like to move forward. So the ball is in their court and we are just waiting I guess.

In the meantime, RH wrote Paul and e-mail that was supposed to go to his client that was totally misspelled and claimed we had missed our deadline for canceling the contract without penalty. Paul wrote back (cc'd the sellers and Jeff) and attached the contract that very clearly showed that we did not miss the deadline. Then Jeff wrote to RH saying how difficult this has been to work with him. RH also called Jeff and as Jeff was voicing his complaints about this whole deal RH hung up on him. I think Jeff is also going to file an official complaint about RH. He has been totally unprofessional and ridiculous to work with. He kept mentioning to Jeff a backup offer that he had, and so when we sent the contract cancellation we were sure to attach the foundation report we had gotten that says this house has major problems and an engineer is needed. That will have to be disclosed to any future buyers. Hopefully if anyone else ends up buying the house they will see what a serious problem it is.

I guess there is a small chance that the sellers will want to work with us and see that their realtor really screwed some things up. But, I'm really disappointed - it's a great house that we were really going to be able to make our own, it has an amazing huge back yard and it's the perfect location. Otherwise, I suppose it just wasn't meant to be.

15 Memorable Moments from Teaching

2009-02-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about some of my more memorable moments in teaching so I thought I'd write them down. I am continually amazed at what students share with me. Here goes in no particular order:

1. One day while I was student teaching I had to take a small group of students from my class out around campus for something like a scavenger hunt. Well, one of the students said something incredibly funny (unfortunately I can't remember what it was now) that got me totally laughing. He was a pretty funny kid in general and whatever it was completely set me off and I was laughing so hard I was crying. We got back to class and my mentor nearly had a heart attack - she thought the student, Jeremy, did something terrible to me and that I was actually crying. I have since never laughed so hard with/around my students. I'll never forget that kid - he kept me on my toes.

2. Pardon the language here, but a student once asked me if pre-ejaculate (although she used much more graphic slang) could cause pregnancy. I decided to take it as a teaching moment since it was a biology class and hopefully educate them. Maybe a pregnancy was prevented . . .

3. I once had to counsel a student on what to do after she came to me and told me she discovered her mother was having sex with her boyfriend and esentially paying him off in college tuition in exchange.

4. My first year of teaching I had a student come to me with a 'lady problem'. It ended up being that she, a 14 yr old freshman, had contracted herpes. And, she thought herpes caused AIDS. I was mortified at how uneducated students were when it came to sexual health/education.

5. I was once the first person a young lady (senior in HS) came to when she found out she was pregnant. She was terrified to talk to her mom, but I convinced her to do so and her Mom reacted better than expected.

6. I had several students who were refugees from Somalia and Burundi. They told a few stories of family members murdered right in front of them, as well as young people running around with AK-47s. They lived in refugee camps before coming here and several had lost most of their families, and I know they had many more stories and memories that they could probably not bear to share. All they wanted to do was learn. The girls did not even know which way to hold a magazine up, and by the end of a couple years they could read and write English fairly well. Knowing them changed me and my perspective on life. One of them lived through the situation depicted in 'Hotel Rwanda'.

7. At one school I used to have fights continually outside my classroom. One was between 2 boys who were punching each other in the face and blood was splattering all over the lockers. Others involved girls pulling out each other's hair. I'm not sure which was worse (boys or girls), but it was pretty crazy.

8. At the same school in #7 the students once got so riled up about something in the lunchroom that they banded together and started running around the school in a huge group yelling and screaming and knocking others down. They were unstoppable by teachers and it was one of the craziest things I've ever seen. That school was out of control.

9. I once said a semi-curse word (shit) in Arabic around a student who spoke arabic. He got the most surprised look on his face and then ran out of the classroom and then came back a few minutes later. He absolutely couldn't believe I just said that!

10. I had a parent tell me (after I called home about failing grades) that her child was ADHD and didn't take meds, and as a result couldn't be held responsible for coming in for tutorials because he just couldn't remember and wouldn't be able to do any homework because he just couldn't remember to do it and there wasn't really much she could do about it. He failed.

11. There was a girl at one of my schools who got in serious trouble (police were involved) for sending around photos via cellphone of her 'lady parts'. Instead of addressing the problem her parents immediately withdrew her and took her to another school.

12. One of my greatest guilty pleasures is taking cell phones away from students. My 1st year was the best for this - the girls would always sob and sob and sob because I wouldn't give it back to them. It was interesting to see students in such a tizzy and tantrum over a cell phone.

13. I teach a hard class, no matter which class it is (Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Conceptual Physics, Earth Science). My students are always saying it's one of the hardest, and more currently they wish they could just switch in to one of the easier classes. I am proud that I teach a challenging class and more often that not the students also say that they actually learned something in my class. I don't believe in dumbing down science for students. I continually believe they will rise to my standards. It's generally very exhausting.

14. A fellow teacher once asked me if I was still teaching the algebra (for formulas in physics). That teacher didn't think I should teach it because the students wouldn't be able to get it. I continually teach students how to algebraically solve equations and they are certainly able to learn it. It pisses me off to no end when other teachers think that because our students are unmotivated and at-risk that they are also unintelligent. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

15. I have taught gang members, rich kids, minorities. I fell out of my chair once, I accidentally cursed in class once, I nearly passed out on a field trip to a gross anatomy lab, I have had to educate about STDs, sex & pregnancy, I've recieved about 5 gifts, I have had kids stoned out of their mind in class, I've deliberately passed a kid because I felt it was better for them and society in the long run if they passed instead of failed, I've been thanked by parents and I've recieved one love letter. It's all in a day's work!

One more step . . .

2009-02-09T17:50:00.001-08:00

Saturday night we got word that the sellers have asked us to submit a couple engineers to them. They will pick a couple and then we will agree on one to come out and do the inspection. This is a step in the right direction for sure! Once they have a report that says the foundation is out of spec they will have to fix it. Our mortgage company said they wouldn't finance a loan for a house that is in need of such a major repair and insurance won't cover it unless it's repaired. So, most likely no one else could really get a loan for the house in this condition.

Theoretically they could decide to just not sell the house and rent it for awhile, but the problem will still exist in a few years from now. I guess all we can hope for is that they will be willing to do the repairs.

Our option period ends on Saturday, so it looks like we will have to extend it in order to get this all sorted out. The sellers are not exactly quick at getting back to their realtor when it comes to making decisions and I'm not entirely sure they are acknowledging the reality of the situation. Who knows. Time will tell.

!!

2009-02-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

We are still waiting to hear from the sellers. It's been more than a day, and apparently they sellers are in their home in Costa Rica and have left power of attorney to some relatives here. So, their realtor is trying to get ahold of them (supposedly) and we are just waiting. Also, supposedly, the realtor has been in realtor classes (continuting ed.) all day and can't recieve phone calls. Who knows. Our realtor doesn't believe it.

I should take this minute to just say that we are convinced that we have the 'James Bond' of realtors!! He has been digging around and strategizing on what to do depending upon what their response is and gathering lots of important information that we never would have thought to find. He is doing some good research and giving good advice.

So, here we sit. Waiting. Waiting for these people to him-haw around during our option period. I hope they realize that they are totally screwed if they don't agree to work with us because no one is going to buy a house that has a major foundation problem looming over it. Hopefully I'll have something to report soon.

Spoke Too Soon?

2009-02-05T04:48:00.000-08:00

We had the inspection of the house yesterday, and I believe that went well. We also had the foundation inspected per a suggestion from an architect. That did not go so well. The house is tilted to one corner by about 3-4 inches. This is not good for many reasons, but the main question is if the house is still moving or if it is done settling.

The house had the foundation repaired in 2005, andd the seller disclosed that report to us. That particular report said that the house was originally built on a slant and that adding some piers to one side should stabilize the house. But, after a little more digging we found another report from 2001 that showed significant settling due to lack of rain the previous year. The 2005 report looked as though the house moved back up, probably due to rehydration of the soils. Sellers are not required to disclose reports, inspections, etc. any farther back than 4 years, so that's probably why they didn't give us the 2001 report.

The foundation guy yesterday recommend that we hire a structural engineer to look at the house and try to determine if it's still moving and what the repair recommendation is. He seemed to think it would need a full outer and inner repair which can cost as much as $30,000. Yes THIRTY THOUSAND!!! So, our realtor, Jeff, was at a total loss of what to do as of yesterday. Paul is not sure he wants to spend the money to hire a structural engineer when he's going to most likely tell us what we already know - that the house needs major repair (who knows, he could also tell us it's fine). But, the other question is if it's stable enough to add a second story, but at this point that is secondary.

So, we will probably ask the sellers to agree to get a struc. engineer and then if they determine a repair is needed that they agree to pay for most of it, but that we will pay for some of it. We are hoping they will work with us - they will now have to disclose the foundation report to any further buyers, and most of them would probably see this problem as too big and ugly. And, if we end up not purchasing the house it will be the 3rd deal to fall through, which would make it look bad to future buyers. We are in a unique position because we don't care if they have to rip up all the floors, etc. since we plan to remodel.

I'm totally stressed. I"m grinding my teeth and can't concentrate at school. I love this house and the lot - it is so perfect for us in many ways. But, we are also not going to buy this house for the current price on the table if a $30K repair is looming over it. We'll have to make a decision on what to do today, but at least we got all that taken care of in Day 1 of the option period!! I guess if it's meant to be it will work out some how.

New house picture

2009-02-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the back of the house - the yard goes out significantly behind where I am standing and has tons of huge trees. The lot is basically 2 full lots deep and the neighbors also were able to buy the property behind their lots and no one has fences, so it's essentially a huge woody greenspace. I'm not really sure why the fence is there - it marks about half of the total property. I didn't take any pics of the huge yard because it was online but now I'm unable to grab those pictures, so I'll have to take some more and post them. But, this one give you a little idea.

The other picture is the front - not terribly beautiful and I really don't like the landscaping, but all of that will change significantly since we are going to most likely add a 2nd story and do a major remodel. But, who cares when the back yard is so awesome!! Oh, and I will MOST CERTAINLY be getting rid of the teal green door and trim. Yuck!!

Offer accepted!

2009-01-30T05:29:00.000-08:00

We finally came to an agreement on the house yesterday. The owners finally settled for 10K over our asking price and 20K under their original asking price. Compared to other homes in the area, it was way overpriced when we looked at price per square foot. Either way, we got it for less than I thought we could, so we're pretty happy. Our realtor is very agressive so it worked out in our favor. When we purchased our current house with him, he actually ended up making an offer to the sellers for less than we had decided on, but they accepted, so it really worked in our favor.

Anyway, the sellers won't be able to sign the offer until Sunday, so our option period will start Monday. We will have to do all the normal house buying stuff like getting the inspector and appraiser, but we are going to have to really forge ahead on getting some remodel plans in the works.

I am pretty sure everyone thinks we are crazy, including our realtor! But, this idea is just so crazy that it's going to work. The lot is so gorgeous - I will post some pics when I get a chance - that no matter what we will make it work. We want to add up to 1500 sq. ft. or as much as we can afford. In order to figure that out we really need to have some plans made up and some contractors look at them. So, this brings us to our next major hurdle. Finding an architect to draw up some official plans. We have spoken with one who we had mixed feelings about, and so now we are on the hunt for more. We just have to call them and set up some meetings, and I really think this is going to be quite the process. Thankfully they have their portfolios online so we can see right away if we like their style.

We have a meeting this morning with another contractor and his architect so it will be interesting to hear what they have to say. Paul really wants to make sure we are able to put the plans out for bids by contractors, so it may be best to find an architect who is not directly associated with a contractor.

This really is going to be an experience. I told Paul that if we make it through this without getting a divorce that we're in it for the long haul for sure! Just so you know, we both laughed!

I'll keep updating as we progress along!

Our Next Adventure!

2009-01-26T05:50:00.000-08:00

I've been hesitant to write anything about this in case we changed our mind or things didn't work out, but I guess it's time to tell everyone what we've been scheming about behind the scenes.

For a long time I've wanted a bigger yard and we are entertaining the idea of having one more child. If we do have another baby we'd like to have a 5 bedroom house (need a spare bedroom for all our out of town guests), and I still want that yard! So, I started looking around for houses and found a nice little house with a beautiful yard that is about 2/3 of an acre, but it's too small - only 3 bedrooms. So we looked at it and really loved it and started thinking that we might be able to get it and remodel to make what we want for the same price we could get or build a new 5 bedroom home. And none of the new builds have anything close to the yard this one has. We researched, talked to contractors, read online and looked at the house again.

We decided to make an offer on the house yesterday and we are still anxiously waiting to hear from the sellers. They've already turned down one offer and had one offer fall through, so I'm hoping 3rd time's a charm! From what we understand they are a retired couple with a ranch somewhere in Texas and a home in Costa Rica so I'm hoping they are ready to get rid of the house!!

The house is great and we'd love to add a second story if we can. It has a nice layout, but it's really the yard that is so great. It's got big trees and backs up to some heavily wooded property owned by other neighbors who got together to purchase it so nothing would be developed on it. It would be so perfect for the kids to be able to play out there all the time.

So, as I write this I hope I'm not jinxing the situation and I hope we hear some good news today - I'm sort of expecting a counter offer and that if they were going to say 'no' we would have heard last night. If we come to an agreement I'll post some pictures, but I don't want to get too excited yet.

Only a week left . . .

2009-01-13T20:10:00.001-08:00

From slate.com:
Being able to laugh at yourself is a rare quality in a leader. It's one thing George W. Bush can do that Bill Clinton couldn't. Unfortunately, as we bid farewell to Bushisms, we must conclude that the joke was mainly on us.

1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000

3. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

4. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."—Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

5. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001

6. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''—Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

7. "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."—Washington, D.C., April 18, 2006

8. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."—Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

9. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."—discussing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as quoted by the Sun newspaper, June 27, 2007

10. "And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."—meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008

11. "We ought to make the pie higher."—South Carolina Republican debate, Feb. 15, 2000

12. "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

13. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."—speaking on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

14. "We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers."—Houston, Sept. 6, 2000

15. "It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000

16. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."—U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 3, 2000

17. "People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."—Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

18. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."—CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000

19. "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend."—on the prospect of visiting Denmark, Washington, D.C., June 29, 2005

20. "I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to—the beauty of playing baseball."—Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

Share this article on DiggBuzz up!Share this article on Buzz22. "You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war president. No president wants to be a war president, but I am one."—Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006

23. "There's a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.' "—Boston, Oct. 3, 2000

24. "They misunderestimated me."—Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

25. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

Christmas 2008

2009-01-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a wonderful holiday, but I think my husband put it best - 'Christmas morning is like giving your kids a drug overdose'. It is so true. The toys, the excitement, the toys, the wrapping paper, the music, and the toys. There is so much new and wonderful stuff that they don't even know what to do with it all. There is no sharing of any kind and letting another child even touch or look at their new toy creates a meltdown that the neighbors can hear 2 doors down.

We had a very generous Christmas this year. My parents, brother, sis-in-law and 2 1/2 year old niece were all staying with us to celebrate. With everyone in the house plus gifts sent from relatives who don't live here, we had an absolute drug overdose of 'new stuff'. The 3 kids played together so wonderfully that they lost interest in eating (except Sophia) and sleeping (also except Sophia). They did not want to go to bed, they woke up early, they would only eat if the food was consumable within 2.5 seconds, and they did feel a bit territorial over their toys.

Sophia likes to push stuff around, Thomas likes to put small cars into his new garbage truck and big wheel, and Isabella likes to undress dolls and color. Kids were running everywhere at all times and Isabella was a little overwhelmed by all the action at times. There were fights, a fall down the stairs, crayons smashed all over my kitchen floor, food everywhere and toys even more everywhere. I am still finding odds and ends that I"ll have to send home to respective owners.

Despite the craziness, it was really wonderful to be together. Many people don't have a family or the opportunity to be together at the holidays. In the past year I attended the funeral of a young soldier (son of a teacher friend, also a husband and father) killed in Iraq, had a friend pass away from complications related to skin cancer (his wife died of cancer several years ago and he left behind a son), and 2 other friends died (one unexpectedly in an accident and then his wife died about 6 mos later of pancreatic cancer - they have 2 daughters in college). The experiences of losing all these friends made me realize how lucky I am and how important it is to spend time with the people who matter most, even if it is completely chaotic and crazy. I would rather have that than an empty, lonely house any day of the week! Here's a few pictures of the 'new stuff' overdose.

Week from Hell

2008-12-17T19:02:00.001-08:00

Paul has been gone for a week and a half. And, of course, during that time, everyone decides to get sick. Sophia ran a fever last Wed. at daycare so I had to leave early to pick her up. It turned out that she had an ear infection, and so I had to stay home with her the next two days. She got over that pretty quick and then I started catching a cold. Then Thomas started catching a cold and had a small fever on Tuesday. I took him to the doc and no ear infection or anything. Well, this evening he became feverish, lethargic and unlike himself. So, now I have to take tomorrow off. It's basically the last day of school before break (Fri is a half day with fun stuff planned) and I had tests planned that I will now have to cancel.

I hate missing work and I've never missed 3 1/2 days in a matter of one week before! My kids definitely come first, but my students rely on me and ultimately their grades are in the balance. So, it's hard for me to be absent! And, it sucks that we don't have any relatives around here that could watch the kids for a day if they were sick so I could go to work. I give many, many kudos to single Moms who are doing all this stuff by themselves on a regular basis. I'm completely exhausted, out of energy and just plain worn out from these past 2 weeks. I only have a day and a half to go . . .

More BB

2008-12-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

BB King

2008-12-07T17:26:00.000-08:00

Paul and I went to see BB King at the Houston House of Blues on Nov. 19. It was awesome - he is so incredible and is still touring at 83 years old!!! We've seen him 3 times now and each has been an awesome show. I took some video that I"ll share here. It is him playing the song 'I need you so bad' (not sure if that is the actual title), which is one of my favorite songs. It is one of my regrets that I didn't choose it as our wedding song. I had another I wanted to share, but it was uploading. I'll do this for now and see if I can get the other one to work. Sorry if the video is not complete professional quality - due to my vertical impairments, I had to hold the camera up kinda high. Anyway, enjoy!

The Christmas Tree

2008-12-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Spirit has found our house and it is moving in with full force! We went on Saturday to find our Christmas tree - not just pick it out of a lot, but to actually wander amongst neatly sowed rows of pines and pick the most fabulous tree we could find. It was cold for Texas - Paul was wearing shorts and nearly shivering, Thomas was crying because he was afraid of the tractor and Sophia wandered into the trees to end up with sap covered hands rolled in dirt and pine needles. Yay for the Christmas Spirit!! But, damnit, we were going to have FUN!!!

We found the perfect tree, which didn't really seem that big compared to all the other ones surrounding it. So, Paul sawed the trunk and I gave it the final push over after photo documenting the whole wonderful experience. The people shook it out, wrapped it up, helped us load it up and then we were off. After a few miles we had to pull over due to strange noises coming from above which turned out to be the tree slowly slipping off the top. The teenager who tied it on did a crappy job. We retied it, loaded up on some caffeine from Starbucks and headed home.

We brought the tree in, unwrapped it and it almost blew the windows out of our living room like Christmas vacation it was so big!! It is 9 feet tall and VERY wide!! Paul actually could not quite reach the top with a step stool to cut the wrapping all the way off. Paul is 6'6" tall - a sign that the tree is clearly too big. It looked so small out there in the forest . . .

Because the tree is so big we had to rearrange all our furniture, and it's all shifted slightly to the left so that all seats can see the TV. We put it in a stand that seems a little small for the size of the tree, but we had no idea that there are different size tree stands. I guess you live and learn. The trunk is very crooked and at one point nearly splits in 2, so it took five tries of anchoring it in the stand before it looked like it was fairly stable in all directions. Who knows. I am just waiting for the cat the take a drink and the whole thing to come tumbling down.

We are having lots of family come for Christmas, and so this tree will easily nestle all the gifts that will come, and it will spread all the Christmas cheer we can stand. It will be beautiful, if not a bit too big, and provide a lesson in just how big a tree we should consider in the future. But, it's environmentally friendly and smells good. I just hope there's not a squirrel in there somewhere . . .

Teaching

2008-11-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

I teach high school. It is the most wonderful job in the world as well as one of the most underpaid jobs in the world. It's really hard to describe what my days are like as a teacher, but I thought I'd share some highlights from the past 5 years of my life as a teacher. Most of those years have been spent teaching at-risk students in 2 different states.

I don't think most people have an idea of what it's really like to be a high school teacher. We've all been to high school, but it's usually such a miserable experience that we all forget about it very quickly. Plus, no one is really in their right mind in high school, so once you've straightened yourself out, you lose all sense of what that time in your life was really like. So, it's easy to forget. Plus, a teacher sees alot more than one student experiences.

Teaching is not a dull job. Here are a few of the stand-out situations in my 5 years of teaching. I had a girl come to me with a problem about her 'girl parts' that ended up being herpes (9th grader at the only 'rich' school I ever taught at). I've had to comfort a girl because her mother was having sex with her boyfriend. I had a gang member explain where he could buy any gun you could imagine a few blocks from our school, but then didn't know what an i-pod was. I've had many pregnant girls, and even a few who confided in me that they were considering an abortion. I had a student experience a miscarriage of twins. I had one young man who lost his mother in a terrible battle against breast cancer. I've had students who are in alcoholics or narcotics anonymous as well as students who had abusive, alcoholic or drug addicted parents. I've had a student who was told by another teacher that he would never graduate and just end up in jail - he proved that teacher very wrong.

This biggest challenge for me is to explain to these students why some stupid standardized test is important when they are dealing with these kinds of situations at home. But, law makers keep telling us that these wonderful tests are extremely important and the only way to gague learning (whole other post there . . .). So, I struggle and do my best.

I am more than a teacher to many of my students. For some, I am one of the only stable role models they have (as well as their other teachers). I am a counselor as well as a teacher. This is what I was meant to do. I always thought I was supposed to be a paleontologist, but I was wrong. I fiercely love my job, and could not imagine another job making me happier. It stresses me out, it makes me grind my teeth, it saddens me, it stretches me, but there is no greater joy than seeing my students proud and excited about their success.

I'll be bringing more stories as I remember them or they come up. If you want to know about anything, just let me know!

Hi Everyone!

2008-11-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

People have been bugging (encouraging . . .) me to post a blog, and I keep hearing about everyone else's blog. I'm starting to feel left out. So, here goes. I guess I'll just dive in and do it. With that, I'll just give you a little background about me.

I've been married for 5 1/2 years, and my fabulous husband and I have been together for a total of 9 years. We have 2 kids, 2 cats, 2 cars and a house. We live thousands of miles away from our families and are trying to do the best we can.

I"m a teacher. This is an all-consuming job. It is my calling - what I was meant to do on this Earth besides being a Mother to my children. It is fun and crazy and heart-breaking and motivating all at the same time. It is difficult to be a teacher and mom and wife all at the same time, but I do it because it is what I was meant to do.

This is my story. This is my life. It is busy and intense and exhilarating all at the same time. I hope it is interesting. Either way, it's my life. And, I'm sticking to it. :-)