Doc McStuffins

http://disneyjunior.com/

Have you seen Doc McStuffins? I love her. I think she is awesome for a lot of reasons.

1. She is the main character in a Disney show and she is not a princess
I like princesses, Carly loves princesses, but if she is going to watch cartoons, I don't want them to all be about princesses. Often the princess is a damsel in distress. Carly doesn't like them because of this - she likes them because animals are their friends and they get to wear pretty dresses. Doc's best friends are toys that "wake up" when she puts her stethoscope on. While this is also not realistic, Doc is the rescuer, not the one needing rescued. That is much more realistic. Imaginative play is good, it is important for toddler development.


2. She is a girl who wants to be something professional
So many jobs geared towards girls are not jobs in which you need education or training. As a CTE teacher I see the benefit of these jobs every where, however, I want my daughter to know that if she wants to have a career that takes lots of training and dedication, she can.

3. She is nice to her friends and her goal is helping people and their toys
Doc (real name Dottie) has empathy and talks kindly toward her friends, her brother, and toys that she knows or finds. She helps those who are in need and nicely explains things to them so that they can understand. Empathy is a hard thing for a toddler, I hope Carly is learning empathy from us, but also from the things she sees around her.

4. She promotes taking care of your toys and belongings
If something is broken she tries to fix it, she doesn't throw the toys away. She finds pieces and parts and explains that scars and patches are just fine to have. She expresses how each toy is different and that is good. She promotes getting along and being a team as well as finding a place where you belong and not changing yourself to fit a mold of what others want you to be.

5. She is a girl of color and the main character in a cartoon
I don't want my daughter thinking that only people of a certain ethnicity or gender are made for certain jobs based on where they live or what they look like. I like when there are role models that don't look like my daughter. Even though my husband and I try hard to set good examples, she is bombarded by media and I think instead of saying "the media is a horrible thing that promotes bad ideas, don't let your kid watch any TV" that we should choose carefully the media we let her consume. The ideals she grows up with now will shape her ideals later, and knowing that she is being taught by us and her favorite people on TV that it does not matter what you look like, is a big deal to me.

6. She has a mom that works A LOT and dad that stays at home most of the time.
I am a teacher, I work a lot, not as much as Doc's mom who is a doctor, but a lot. Sometimes Carly's dad is the one making supper, giving her a bath and putting her to bed because I am at a Scholars Bowl meet or away at an FCCLA function. I think it is wonderful that my daughter can see that in her life and on TV the fathers can be the caretakers too. Not only is she feeling secure that her daddy will take care of her, but she is learning that you do not have to hold to traditional gender roles. Doc's dad is at home quite a bit, he has a part time job, and is usually the one making supper and taking care of Doc and her brother during the episodes. I love that my husband is so good with our daughter. They laugh, they cuddle,  they eat steak and mac n cheese for supper. It is a good time when mom is not home.

Photo from http://disneyjunior.com/doc-mcstuffins

Just a little after Thanksgiving

A couple of years ago I tried to do this thing called Every Day for a Year or ED4AY. My cousin did it on Facebook where she took a picture every day for a year.

That didn't work out so good for me because I tried to make a blog post every day for a year.

I lasted 4 days.

I then tried last year to do "Thanksvember". This is where I would post every few days and do the "What am I thankful for today" thing. Also a fail, I did not attempt to repeat.

So this year I did a "Thanksvember" redo - I decided to find something every day to be thankful for and pray about it on the way to school/work or in the shower if there was no work.

I found the last part to be hardest because if there is not work and no where for me to go - why would I shower? What happens on days where I don't need a shower?

Yeah, I am one of those people that don't shower every day - whats it to ya? I don't need to, I always smell like roses. Okay, not always, but if I am just cleaning house and playing with the little people play set with Carly I am NOT dirty enough to shower. Water conservation aka - lazy!

Back to the point of this - I was successful in this endeavor. I did find something each day, it wasn't hard at all. I am much better at saying thank you than asking for help. I blame it on the Cope/Ralstin combo of genetics. 

Those days when there was no work or shower, remembering was usually bed time and Carly would say her nightly prayer "Thank you Lord for a good day, Amen" and I would silently in my head say "Shit! I forgot to pray for something I am thankful for!" yes, sometimes I curse when I am in Jesus mode - I am me, Jesus and God know I curse all the time, no use pretending to be something I am not when I pray. I imagine them giving me a  frowny face as Peter writes on a sheet saying "She'll account for that one later." Does it deter me, yes, have I cut way back, yes, am I cured...hell heck no.

I am almost always thankful for something trivial.
*Thank you for a sound sleep last night
*Thank you for Cody having a job
*Thank you for there being enough french fries for tator tot casserole last night after I told Carly we were having it and then forgot we ate all the tator tots.
*Thank you for a cloudy morning so I don't have to drive in to the sun
*Thank you for making that deer stay on the side of the road

I think those are the best things to be thankful for because they help you to see that there are a lot of things going right in your life. If you focus only on the bad then all you see is the bad.

So a little past Thanksgiving I am still going to do "Thanksvember", and maybe I will do "Thankscember" also.

A short note to Bill Self

Dear Coach,
I am not a fan of Jayhawk basketball, or actually any basketball unless it is middle school kids because that is HILARIOUS. They just chase the ball around and look at the coach to tell them exactly what to do (Do I pass or shoot coach?) Then they get something right and the entire gym erupts- both sides cheering for one kid because they made a basket or set up a screen correctly. It is beautiful and exciting - is this what other people see in regular basketball?

While I am also not a Jayhawk fan I respect what you do. Coaching is hard. I coached middle school volleyball for one year. That is right, ONE YEAR ONLY. I couldn't handle it, it is a lot like middle school basketball, only there is no one in the gym to cheer when someone does something right.

Back to the reason for this - I am a fan of NCIS. I have had a sick child at home with me. Sick child decided to finally cry herself out and take a nap. I turned on the TV to my beloved recordings of NCIS (my guilty pleasure)  NCIS Episode from a week or so ago and you know what? It wasn't on...It. wasn't on......IT WASN'T ON!! Not because it didn't record but because the FREAKING BASKETBALL GAME WAS ON.

You know what happened next? I cried. As I looked at the screen to see if it was overtime, or just a few minutes left I realized that there was none of the episode left. Your game crapped up my plan but then a small lightbulb appeared over my head and I had an idea.

NCIS is on ABC, ABC has streaming of recent episodes. TA DA! Except when I turned it on the ridiculously loud ads WOKE UP THE CHILD.

WTF Coach. If Jayhawk basketball is so fancy why can't you get on ESPN like everyone else...or at least wait to have a televised game during the holidays when there are just re-runs, huh?

Yes, this is ridiculous of me to complain about but I am pregnant and irrational. Take heed coach, take heed.

Misconstrued

It was brought to my attention that the things I say in class could be misconstrued by those walking by in the hall.

While you can't hear most teachers from the hallway, you can always hear me. I do not scream all day, I do enunciate really well, and louder than the rest of the teachers.

Okay, I yell sometimes.

Anyways....today I tried to think of how my words would sound in the hallway.

I have to admit it, a lot of what I say can easily be misconstrued especially to someone with a dirty mind. Also I am funnier than I thought or I have a dirtier mind. Anyways here is a sampling of the day.

"Either of those places is acceptable just don't put it in your mouth." - when a student was asking if he should put raw cookie dough in the trash or a paper towel or if he could eat it.

"BAM!! Science in FACS class, is your mind blown?" - when discussing how lipids are another name for fats.

"Apples are like people, they are the same on the inside, different on the outside and some are better for different things" - 8th grade FACS. This was meant as we all have different skills and some apples make better pie.

Why we don't need to be good at everything.

Did you know that students today have a bazillion choices about activities?

Even in my tiny school of just 65 students the kids can be in FCCLA, FBLA, FCA, FFA, student council, eco meet, scholar's bowl, forensics, volleyball, cross country, football, basketball, track and that is just within the school. There is church, 4-H, youth group, summer league volleyball, basketball and softball/baseball, work and volunteering.

So I decided to have a little talk with my students that are in everything.

I asked them...." Would you rather be really good at a few things, or just okay at a lot of things?"

The response was exactly as I anticipated "What are the choices?"

There are not choices kids. You can do every activity and be in every organization, get all your homework done and hang with friends but what does it boil down to?

A feeling of failure when we aren't good at all of it. Society makes us think we should be doing a bazillion things and be really good at all of them.

I am not and I came to this realization this weekend and so on Monday I withdrew from the master's program.

Yep....I am a quiter.

I can be a mother, wife, teacher, daughter, advisor, sponsor, and student and I can do them all well. But I can't be good at all of them.

So I am no longer a student myself, at least not in the traditional sense. My masters program will always be around but my husband may not and my daughter will not be small and welcome my company greedily for very much longer.

So I am going to "Practice what I teach" and be really good at a few things. The important things.

Feels less like icky

The beginging of school always feels icky to me. I am never prepared enough nor am I in the swing of things.

This year felt more icky than usual. I don't like not being prepared - seems strange coming from a person who flies by the seat of her pants 90% of the time, but those are choices I make - so maybe I am a control hound.

Situations I can't control are okay to an extent, I can't control how many kids are enrolled or which kids, but I can control where they sit and my expectations of them.

I can't control how my day is set up, but I can control how I use my time.

I can't control who comes in to my classroom after school and wants to chat for thirty minutes while I am anxiously trying to enter grades and pick things up so I can go get my girl. I can control if I shut off my lights, lock my door and move my computer away from the windows so everyone thinks I am already gone.

About that last one....I don't feel icky about doing that. Sanity saving measures are sometimes necessary.

Now that school has started and I have come to terms and begun to plan and deal with the icky things school is less icky.

By November I will think it is icky again and wonder why I keep doing this job. But I know why, because if I left these kids I would feel icky.

Overwhelmed and Happy About It

I am overwhelmed.

School just started.

Carly is fighting with a girl at daycare.

I am the FCCLA district advisor this year.

Graduate classes started today - I have to have 150 observation hours which might not work out because I can only observe during my planning time.... of which I do not have 150 hours in a semester.

I don't have a planning time because I am observing for grad classes (this is my own doing, I know, stop judging me)

Carly keeps peeing herself during supper time even if we potty immediately before supper.

I am the scholar's bowl coach this year, guess which activity the activities board decided needed to take a written rules test??

Website administrating is getting out. of. control. I hope the new technology guy learns fast because I don't want it anymore.

There is a giant pile of laundry in the basement, and behind the door of our bedroom and behind the door to the bathroom.

The dishes from tonight aren't done....the dishes from yesterday aren't done, the day before...you guessed it. NOT DONE EITHER.

All of this is my own doing. I have volunteered for things because I know no one else will do them and things are falling behind because I can't stop hugging my husband and daughter.

For the 12 of you who read this and are my friends in real life you will know I like to read. I read a lot of things, journal articles, research articles (damn you grad school!!), novels of all genres including smut, I enjoy smutty books the most. I believe it is a form of escapism, not that my life is that bad, but wouldn't it be nice to have a man know exactly how to sweep you off your feet and make you a cup of tea? Sheldon from BBT and I have the same tea making OCD.

I also enjoy blogs- it is probably because I am a snoop curious and love a good laugh from funny bloggers.

One of the blogs I read took a turn to the sad a while back when this woman's husband was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away this week.They have two children, he was only 34.

Everything in my life melted away. She has no idea I even read her blog, or how much I have enjoyed reading her posts and how she is funny and real at the same time. She doesn't care, she is trying to find a way to make her and her children's life make sense again.

So I am not worried about grading papers, or observation hours or even if I have to move the dirty laundry over so I can put my feet down when I squat to pee.

I am hugging and giggling and getting play-doh in the carpet. We ate raw cookie dough and watched Dora for an hour. The garden is overgrown and there is a sizable layer of dust on everything.

So be it, Carly is sleeping in bed with us tonight and I will get her sweet curls damp as I cry myself to sleep and hold her and Cody as tight as possible.

I am overwhelmed and I am okay with it.

Dear Nick Junior....

Dora the Explorer is giving my daughter unrealistic expectations of traveling with men. I have compiled a list of things that Dora is doing that are setting her up for failure. This is something I have thought about for a while. We are going on a short road trip soon and I thought that this is a valid time to express my concerns.

Pre planning:
Using landmarks your friend told you were on the way is frustrating to them (as is repeating the directions a bunch of times!)

Also, you can not ask for input from all of your friends....or ask them to come along just because they showed up at your house right before you were ready to leave.

Backpack:
Men don't like you taking that much luggage so you can't bring a backpack full of all the stuff you want or might need just in case.





If you do bring something that gets used, you can't say "Great, good thing I brought that extra large bottle of hydrogen peroxide." They will scoff at you and say "Yeah we needed the peroxide..but we are hiking in the mountains....why do you have three kinds of lip gloss, who are you planning to make out with, a bear?"


Map:
Don't even think of bringing your map because having it will just make them feel like you don't have confidence in their ability to navigate. I suggest laying it on the table near, but not next to their belongings so they think it is their idea to take it.
*On a side note, my husband likes having the map and requests it if it is not in the car. He is an excellent navigator and can read a map.*

Being passive aggressive by saying "map" over and over if you do get lost is just asking for a fight.

Don't be smug when you figure out where you need to go. 

On the way:
Do not suggest to help anyone you see on the way. Distractions throw them off the end goal, getting to the location before the time the GPS said you should be there.

Do not repeat the directions every time you go past a scheduled stop. "Yeah....lunch at Hardee's was great, next we go through the toll booth off of I-35, then across the big red bridge and we will get to the giant blue lake!"

Getting to your location:
Throwing confetti and running in circles is not acceptable. This implies you hated being with them and are excited to not have to listen to their rock music anymore.

It is also not okay to tell all your friends all the crazy things that happend on the the trip. Mostly because they probably don't care that there was a hairy homeless guy under the big red bridge yelling "Rojo bridge, you made it across the rojo bridge, Great Job!"

That's what he said...

My daughter is being a real whiner here lately. She is 2 1/2 so it is to be expected but it is really getting on my nerves.

The other day (no wait, EVERY DAY) wants a drink so she says "I neeeeedddd sommmmm juuuuuiiiiicccceeee" with her face all scrunched up and a pleading look in her eyes.

I sigh first then respond "We need to say it nicely."

Blank stare with scrunchy face from the kid.

"Say, I would like some juice please" with an upbeat sound and a plesant smile.

In a tone that I will call imitation...instead of mockery "I would like some juiiiiicccceeeee peas"

Insert internal sigh and a bright smile on the outside with more upbeat sounds and words of praise we skip off to the refrigerator to get some juuuuuuiiiiiicccccceeee.

5 minutes later the kid comes crying to me. I have no idea what she is saying it sounds like this "alkakfhnf **sob** (wipe a tear) lskjfifonn slfnfn aldkjaoinf and kandionelajndfk andka **sob**" (throw head in my lap and sob again)

"Carly, I do not understand what you are saying. Stop crying and whining and just talk to me."

" I....**sob** ...need alkdnakjnakj aknakjnas and I want some alknafnka ajnanff cause it is." (more on the "cause it is" bit later)

"Carly, you have to ask for what you want, I can't understand you when you cry like that. Just ask me for what you need and I will do my best to get it."

Insert a flouresent object with a pull chain above my head and in your best Gru voice (from Despicable Me) say "Lightbulb" as you pull the chain.

 This picture came from.....here >   https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p480x480/301605_10151315760852592_481221594_n.jpg

I have never been one of those people who say "God told me to!"

Maybe God is giving me the silent treatment or maybe I can't hear him (I have a hearing deficiency on the left side...maybe he is whispering on my left side!!! OH NO!!)

I do believe in the JFV (Jesus' Funniest Video's) if you would like more information on these please see my friend Sharita's blog. She has a great explaination.

So...back to the kid and the whining. When I told her that she needed to stop and just tell me what she wanted I had a lightbulb and JFV moment.

In my head I imagine God looking a Peter and chuckling saying "See what I did there...."

You see, I had a thought. That is exactly what I need to do. Stop whining and crying and stomping around about something and just tell God what is going on. He will do his best, He knows my heart and what is best for me. He sees the big picture that I can't see, but sometimes we just have to say it in a plain voice instead of assuming He knows what we want and will make it happen.

I really hope I haven't caused Him to grit his teeth and say in an upbeat voice "Use your grown up words and grown up voice, I don't know what you want unless you ask for it."

Side bar: In movies God's voice is often Morgan Freeman's voice. I always think of it as Patrick Warburton's voice - he is the voice of Kronk from The Emperor's New Groove, The Wolf in Hoodwinked and a bazillion other characters.

Why Father's Day is in June...

I don't know why Mother's Day is in May...but I do know why Father's Day is in June.

When you get something to drink out of the fridge about five seconds after you sit down your husband says..."Hey, I want one of those."

Father's Day happened like that.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was last weekend....it was great.
I got to sleep in (by 15 minutes), at a location that was not my home (thanks Aunt Tonya for putting us up for the night)

Eat breakfast I did not cook (again, thanks Aunt Tonya)

Take a trip (home from Oklahoma)

Take a nap (in the truck home from Oklahoma) 

Read a book (in the truck, yes it was smutty and fantastic!)

See my Mom (thanks for supper!!)

Eat some super delicious strawberry pie (Thank you JoAnn!!)

Play with my own daughter (we played with the paper doll house books, watched Dora and played with magnets on Gamma Ciny's fridge)

And got a very cool metal wagon that my hubs is going to transform, with his magical building skills, into a strawberry bed. I am SO EXCITED!!!

Both Direction and Magnitude

I have been reading lots of blogs lately. I enjoy them, I am kind of a snoopy curious person and enjoy reading about other people's lives.

One of such mentioned blogs said that to be a successful blogger you need to have direction in your blog and write about a passion.

Which is great advice-kind of. My passions include eating, napping (not so much sleeping - a post for later), teaching, crafting, cooking and friend/family time, reading - mostly smut and historical fiction, oh! and crime novels.

Here is the "kind of" part. Passion is abundant in my life but direction is not. It is like on Dispicable Me when Vector (my favorite character in this particular movie) explains his name "I go by Vector. It's a mathematical term, represented by an arrow with both direction and magnitude. Vector! That's me, because I commit crimes with both direction and magnitude. Oh yeah".

So I have the magnitude part but not the direction part.

I think teaching and other educational things would be good topics but there are all these "laws" about privacy and what no, that I don't think I can write about just that.

Napping is a serious passion of mine but not good blog fodder. I should do a post on my napping vs. sleeping philosophy.

Eating is a great blog topic but I am not a foodie or a good photographer and I forget to take a picture until half the casserole is gone - you know how appealing a half eating shepherd's pie is??? It looks awfully close to the bottom of a trash can but it tastes SOOO GOOOD... okay, cooking blog is also out of the question.

Crafting is out too. I do "crafts for real people" not that ambitious stuff on pinterest.

Reading seems like a great topic, people are really into smut currently with 50 Shades of Grey being so popular but I don't think I want to give suggestions on books, as my tastes in smut are varied and depend on the author. While I like a little action and a lot of romance in my smut I mostly enjoy the banter and character development. SERIOUSLY!!

This is one of my FAVORITES!! It is Rule, by Jay Crownover. This book is yummy!!

  So lastly I am left with friend/family time. This I can write about. I don't want this blog to be a daily journal or just a list of all the cutesy things my kid does but it would be nice to have a place to share favorite memories and happenings. This pretty much sums up all of the above items.

So we are basically no where...just me trying to figure out which direction and with how much magnitude this should be pursued.

Trippin' 2013

That time of year again, Senior Trip!! WOOOOO!! (did you feel the sarcasm?)

I enjoy planning the trip but not necessarily going on it. It is simply because I am a worrier....like a MEGA WORRIER. I worry that a kid didn't put on sunscreen, or she will over sleep, or he will sneak to the qwikie mart to get a Dr. Pepper and be kidnapped, I worry that someone will mess up and I will have to call parents to come get them.

Not because they are bad kids, they are really, truly good kids, but the worry is because of follow through. I follow through on my consequences and those consequences can be harsh.

This trip we didn't even have to remind them of the consequences after we got there...we just went and did and enjoyed.

Dallas was good to us, minus the ridiculous road construction that made me want to scratch my eyes out...it took us 47 minutes to go 6.3 miles to the MALL, oh and the lady down stairs. She called the front desk at 2 am to tell them the kids were being too loud. One of them had gotten up to go to the bathroom and flushed the toilet. Anyways - we switched rooms and all was well.

The JFK memorial was neat to see, this group of kids found it interesting, we also went to the Dallas World Aquarium, Six Flags, USA Bowl, Adventure Landing and Zero Gravity.

We ate at Rudy's BBQ which is inside a gas station and reminds me of Oklahoma Joe's in Kansas City and we also ate at the Iron Cactus, it was beautiful on the rooftop patio where we ate.

The hubs went too and I think he enjoyed himself. I enjoyed his company as did the students, he provided lots of comic relief and another set of eyes and ears.

Providing

Today I saw on the intranets this quote or maybe this inspiration and it reminded me of a revelation I had over Christmas break this year.

"God is making things happen for you. Even when you don't see it, even when you can't feel it, even if it is not evident. God is working on your prayers."

This reminds me and encourages me that God is providing for us.

It is difficult to remember that sometimes.

I want my husband to find a job he can be happy and fulfilled in. He left a job he disliked (that had full health benefits and a good wage) to go to school to be a lineman. I supported him, and still do, 100%. It was a good move for him personally and for us, our marriage is stronger because we had to lean on each other more.

We both thought he could find a job right out of the gate of his internship. The company he interned with for the summer did have an opening, but someone else with the same qualifications got the job. So we were back to one income and I was feeling really terrible about the situation itself and for my husband. He worked so hard to get excellent grades and work small electrical jobs on the weekends to help with bills. He did everything right and he still didn't get the job.

I was so upset, I started being mad at God. Thinking things like...we are good people, who don't live beyond our means, we just want to buy our house and have enough money to pay our bills, why isn't God doing anything? 

And then I realized God WAS providing for us...my husband was finding enough work to make his truck payment and help out with groceries. He shot a really nice deer so we had other meat in our freezer. Our vehicles were not breaking down, we were not ill and didn't have medical bills. When we ran out of propane (because I forgot to shut the windows one day when it was nice and it got really cold that night and the furnace ran all night. WHOOPS!) our propane man was headed to our area that very day.

So as I sat this past Christmas break and thought about all of our blessings and thinking that I wanted our daughter to grow up thanking God for his blessings, instead of asking God for prayers to be answered that were already being answered, we just didn't notice it.

Can't beat 'em, build 'em shelves

My hubby hates my cluttery mess. I do also, but I prefer to call it "organized chaos". It could be my (sometimes) outstanding memory because he will ask me where something is and I can tell him. I can not tell him what I ate for lunch at school.

He just hates all clutter. He wants everything put away - I like it that way too but sometimes things need to be spread out, like when matching socks.

In this case he hates that we have a thousand things in our basement all over the floor. I have been slowly....very slowly getting rid of things and consolidating things.

That old course catalog from Spring semester 2006 - THREW IT AWAY, didn't even hesitate.

Cody decided that enough was enough and built me shelves. Aren't they glorious! I can't wait to fill them up, hee hee!

Breakin' it down

This year I took a different approach to Spring Break, I did it realistically. I also left ALL the school stuff at school and it was the best Spring Break ever...except maybe for that one where I was in Mexico and ended up having a baby in December ;)

Here is a re-cap and comments on how it went.

Realistic To-Do List

1. Watch cartoons every morning. - Check!
2. Go to the library at least once. - Does returning books but not getting new ones count?
3. Catch up on laundry. - Check!
4. Take naps. - Double Check!!
5. Do one and only one extra homework assignment per grad class - umm...I didn't do any so I am not sure if I succeeded or not on this one??
6. Open the windows. - Check - but only once.
7. Plant flowers. - ummm...no, it snowed.
8. Mop kitchen and bathroom. - Check!
9. Get out new 31 My Home items and sort toys. - Kind of check, 31 is out, some toys sorted, most toys in a giant pile.
10. Vacuum all rooms. - all but our bedroom
11. Watch Cinda lella...but not more than once a day. - Nope, Aristocats is the new favorite...everybody wants to be a cat!
12. Play dress up. - Triple Check and kudos to daddy because he put pretties (aka hair clips) in his hair.
13. Have ice cream for snack.- Yes We Did!!
14. Go for walks - No Check - it snowed, we walked on the porch for a few minutes one day and ran laps around the house at the farm, otherwise it was just way to stinking cold.
15. Remove at least one tote from basement. - Check!! See my next post for an update of this!!

Breakin'

It is almost time for SPRING BREAK!! 48 more hours and I am "home free" WOOOOO!!!!

A whole week of Carly and I chillin at home. Open windows, folding laundry, sorting toys, etc...I am not going to make a huge and unrealistic list of things to do like I do each year and it never gets done so this is my list for the next week.

Realistic To-Do List

1. Watch cartoons every morning.
2. Go to the library at least once.
3. Catch up on laundry.
4. Take naps.
5. Do one and only one extra homework assignment per grad class
6. Open the windows.
7. Plant flowers.
8. Mop kitchen and bathroom.
9. Get out new 31 My Home items and sort toys.
10. Vacuum all rooms.
11. Watch Cinda lella...but not more than once a day.
12. Play dress up.
13. Have ice cream for snack.
14. Go for walks
15. Remove at least one tote from basement.


There, 15 things and only 6 of them are actual work things. I feel much more confident about this than usual.

Lint versus Lent

Lint is the stuff you take out of your dryer and throw away - or if you are my students you have a blatant disregard for properly disposing of this laundering by product.

JUST PUT IT IN THE TRASH!!

                                                             

 Unless you are one of those lint artists...then by all means, keep it, in fact, come get mine, it is on the floor next to the trash can...that's right.... next to it. Like those people who walk right past the dish washer to put their plate in the sink. Infuriating. 

                                                 

Lint that floats in the air and pills up on your sweater, it sticks to you. You often don't know its there until someone picks a piece off and says "Oh yeah, you just had a piece of lint right there...I got it for you."

I feel like during Lent we are doing that with God. He is pointing to a little tiny piece of lint on us and saying "You've got something right there, can I help you get it?" Not that what we are giving up/refraining from, etc is something that needs to be picked off and thrown out forever. Maybe just moved or changed - or given to that crazy cat lady down the street that makes catnip filled pockets of light blue lint for her cats.

I gave up seconds last year and I am doing it again. It was hard last year and it is hard this year. Each time I really want more I try to be thankful for what I have and pray to God and tell him that I do not need more, He is enough to fill me.

This doesn't mean I am starving myself...dinner plates are 9'' in diameter around here, there is plenty of space for a filling meal on there.

This doesn't mean I don't slip. I had a snack the other day - a handful of cashews, then I got another. Then I thought "Crap, I got seconds on snack time."

For me this is all about being thankful and finding contentment with what I have. My husband has a job right now and I am trying to be thankful that He and he are still providing for us. (upper case and lower case..get it? He=God and he=Cody)

I am trying to not go overboard, which is hard because there are fancy dinners I want to cook and sweets to bake, and well....to be honest. Clothes I want to buy for myself and daughter, home furnishings to purchase to update my home, paint because I am tired of the color.

This is called "Covered Wagon" and is the current living room color.

Color I want in the living room/kitchen.

I am not being thankful that I have a home that does not have lead paint, that I have furniture that is safe and clean,  clothes on our backs that are not in disrepair and are clean. Also, that we have a way to clean them, Even if they come out wrinkled and with a little lint on them. I bet after Lent I will be a little wrinkled too, but I hope this Lent sticks.

Glad it wasn't me!

You know those moments when you are like...Geeezzzz I am glad that didn't happen to me.

I have one of those for you....not for me, because it happened to me.

This is the snow hanging off our front porch roof.

Her in the midwest it snows frequently in the winter - crazy, right?? Just this past week, it snowed A LOT - like no school a lot - which has to be more than a few inches right?

Maggie standing in a truck tire path.

RIGHT!!

Try 8-10, depending on which farmer you ask ...it is always the same with those farmers - always trying to out do one another!




Annnnyyyways - so my sister comes home from college and decided to come to my house - only she misses her corner, not so bad but the road grater has only done one lane down the gravel road so she has to go clear around ( 4 miles out of her way) and gets stuck, did I mention she also shredded a tire on some pretty wicked ice?

So Carly and I load up - and we get in a friend's vehicle because Cody is at work and his truck is in the body shop because a different friend had a minor brain fart and backed into it. WHOOPS! So a friend of ours lent us me his 4 wheel drive truck very similar to Cody's, just in case I needed to go somewhere.

Which I did...my sister was stuck....... remember?

So I get to her, we get her lug nuts off (this is not a crude joke, these are technical terms, look em up!!) and the jack under the door of her car and my step dad gets there to help.We are laughing and joking and I hear a "clicka"...then another "clicka" and I go to our friend's vehicle...

and Carly...

fervently pressing the lock button with a very broad smile on her face as she proudly says "Mama, I do it" ......

my brain stops, my heart stops and then my brain goes a thousand miles a second

She locked herself in, maybe I can get her to push the other buttons...at least the truck isn't on, she can't get too hot, oh no, the truck isn't on, she will get too cold, my phone is in there, Caitlin's phone is dead, Mark doesn't get good reception, our friend may not answer, Carly thinks this is fun, Cody is going to be so mad at me, where is the crow bar!!

I end up coaxing her to push the lock/unlock buttons again but she only pushes the lock. She can't get the window to go down and now sees the panic on my face. I very sternly but rationally tell my sister to get a way to call our friend with the truck, if they call more than twice and can't get a hold of anyone I am breaking the truck window.

Long story short (heee heee heee) our friend is there, comes with the spare key and Carly is locked in all of 15 minutes. She of course is jamming to music and I am hollering things like, "Where is the moon?" "What color are your pants?" through the window to try and keep her entertained.

The second our friend comes around the corner and the doors unlock I wretch it open and grab for Carly and immediately begin to sob.

Not my usual tears - which fall often. No, those are civilized tears that slide down my face out of my control.

This is uncontrollable vocalization and gasping with tears pouring down my face, stinging my cheeks with their warmth and making a very damp spot on Carly's head. Carly then begins to cry and push me away saying "Ouchie Mama, too tight, squish me Mama" I don't care. I am just holding her because you don't let yourself think what if until after.

See, aren't you glad it wasn't you??

That's a Chicken!

The super bowl was great wasn't it?

What you didn't have fun?

I did...had breakfast with the cutest kid ever, played with Mags, went to church, went to a fabric store because they had $1.00 fat quarters, came home, took a nap, made a corn n macaroni casserole, went to a super bowl party, did some for-reals college homework, graded some student homework, laundry, bed.

Back up...you went to a fabric store for fat quarters...what the heck are those?

Fat quarters are a fourth of a yard of fabric but instead of the fabric being cut into four even "strips", the yard of fabric is divided into four quarters...giving it a nearly square appearance.

For those of you who like visuals

And those of you who need a real life scenario

This is a big deal?

YES, fat quarters are typically between $1.75-$3.00...these were ONE DOLLAR!! (Do you feel like you were just in an episode of Sheldon Cooper Presents Fun with Flags on The Big Bang Theory..'cause you should!)

This little adventure with my mom, grandma, and Carly was the highlight of my super bowl...Paul Harvey's "Why God Made Farmers" was a close second.

We have been talking about farm animals and wouldn't you know it - 5 minutes into shopping at the fabric store Carly decided she was bored. SURPRISE!! Luckily there was another little girl there and they had so much fun running in between tables and undertables and trying to knock down 70 year old women and break their hips...fun was had by all.

Finally I corralled my heathen and took her over to look at the cool wall hangings that looked like this...

I pointed to one similar to the above picture and asked her what it was..."K-State Wildcats, Mama" and without missing a beat she pointed to the next one and proudly said...."That's a Chicken!" Oh yes. The KU wall hanging, she thought, included a chicken.

 

Close enough. 

Christmas Crafts - Letter shirts

I don't like crafts that involve a lot of skill, because I don't have a lot of skill.

I call these, crafts for real people.

Not that other crafty people aren't real - they are super. I am not super. I am just me.

Things I do that make me less super than the super moms that blog a new craft each day include: eating foods from their containers, spending hours on Pinterest with no intent to do any of the things I pin, only folding half of the laundry, not ironing a thing until 5 minutes before we need it, watching crap TV when I should be sleeping, napping with my daughter, playing outside when it is really warm, taking Maggie to the creek to cool off, gardening -sort of, only cleaning really well when we are going to have guests.

This is why when I get crafty, I also get real.

 These shirts are from the Walmarts, they were super cheap. I had my husband draw some letters for me. An I and an E for my cousins' daughters.

Then I took those letters and I cut 'em out to make stencils. Using my white colored pencil (not a good idea to use crayon) then traced the letters on the shirts.

Next the buttons were sorted and the ones I liked were put on the stencils.

I sewed the buttons on as they were layed out on the stencils. That's right...I can sew. I am actually a 4-H Champion seamstress several years in a row. BOOM!

Only a few buttons were sewed on at a time, then the thread was tied off and a few more were sewed on at a time... like 3-4 buttons.

Why do this? That is a simple question, if a thread gets caught and breaks you only loose 3-4 buttons not all of them. Mind blown again? Thought so, you are welcome.

Oh, you don't have a giant container of sweet buttons lying around? Go get some, now. There are a billion buttons at flea markets or your mom or grandma might have some old ones lying around they aren't using. USE THEM!! No one wants some old stuff lying around, people would rather wear it.

Especially your two year old child.

Birthday time!!

Carly's birthday was a great time. As usual we had it at the community building here in town because our house can not fit everyone in it and I refuse to have 40 b-day parties for her. Our divorced/remarried families can just suck it up and come to one party.

Since Daddy was really sick last year, he got all the fun of helping to open the presents! I think he really enjoyed it. Carly did.

 The balloons are from my dad and Kim. Instead of packing peanuts they packed the tricycle in about 200 balloons. Wow guys, thanks.

Carly's shirt says "Happy Birthday To Me". The hilight of the party was when Carly pulled a card out and took it out of the envelope. She opened it and Cody said "What does it say" without missing a beat Carly said "Happy Birthday to You!" the promptly pitched it to the side and dug into the paper!

 This was from Mom and Daddy - we got her a "Meowsic" piano. Shaped like a cat - it is a little freaky looking but Carly is super into it.

Last but not least - CAKE! yes those are shot gun shells and feathers - I washed them all, no worries!

Fa la la la la it's finally over

I love Christmastime! I love the family part, the Jesus part (Advent is my favorite time of the year at church!), getting to make festive treats, the buying things for people and they can't give you the "you should not have done that" look part, the getting to run around like a crazy person part...okay not that.

We have a bazillion Christmas functions to go to. This is what happens when your parents get divorced and remarried - both sets of parents, yours and your husbands. You end up with a thousand Christmas functions. Which is great, until they all plan them on the same day and it feels like this...

Hello - thanks for the food and gifts, here are your gifts, Merry Christmas, BYE!

Repeat, 40 more times...or maybe 7...that is correct, we had 8 Christmas functions that we attended this year, all family.

We are blessed to have so much family. I really do try to keep my complaining about all the running during Christmas to the fact that we don't get to spend very much time with any of the family.

If we could spread Christmas out a little and get to spend more than a few hours at each of our family gatherings I would enjoy it a lot more.

Having changed our schedules for some to "every other year" has helped. As in we only go to step family gatherings on the "off" year. It has helped but we still miss seeing them (obviously this was NOT the off year) when we don't go.

There is no happy medium so I just embrace the chaos as much as possible and smile when the family members fill Carly up on candy and crap food - she still doesn't understand why she can't have cookies for breakfast.