Do I really need another adventure?

It’s been somewhat of a grading frenzy at work for the past few days, not to mention the other hundred things that have to done, so I took a little break. I decided to take a look at houses for sale in the area. It’s actually pretty reassuring that my purchase was a good one as I look at all the other crappy houses for sale or for rent. The quality of housing around here is, well… not fit for HGTV. More like Extreme Home Make-Over. I still remember the “Museum of Carpet” house I toured five years ago. Each room (including the bathroom) had a different color and style of carpet. And the ever present wood paneling. Big kitchen – carpeted in navy blue, but I digress.

While perusing, I found a house that could be perfect. Of course, it was on the internet, so it could be a perfect nightmare.

On the plus side:

1. 1. it’s on two acres, out in the country. Very rural.
2. 2. it’s next door to my cousin
3. 3. it’s a price I can afford
4. 4. it’s go two bathrooms!
5. 5. the school district not only boasts 100% of students passing state assessments, but the kids would be in a class of probably 5.

On the negative side:

1. I’m calling it the “goat house” – because a previous owner kept goats… in the house. Someone else bought the house from the goat family… maybe they fixed it up and maybe they did not. Also, goat family lives on the other side of the property.

2. it’s 30 minute drive into town. 40 minutes to my job. On a twisty, not always safe road. Right now my commute is about 10 minutes. On a state highway.

3. it’s rural and subject to all that comes with it… like a septic tank, water well, wild animals, electrical outages, no cable! (jk)

4. it would be tons of work. Even if the house is in great condition, there is still a lot of maintenance. Six times the amount of lawn to mow, fences to be mended, trees, painting… There are weeks like this one where it’s hard to stay on top of the dishes, let alone get up in the morning to feed the chickens or spending the day trying to mow the lawn.

5. single mom, with toddlers out in the country?!? does it not sound utterly crazy?

 

And let’s not even get into the real estate market for homes like the one I currently own. Or that it’s possible that I will be RIF’d this spring. Or that Lala may have surgery coming up. A major part of me says that a house in the country is just some far flung dream and it’s completely unrealistic (I know my parents are reading this with heart palpitations), but the other part says, “this may be your big chance!”

I’m guessing that tomorrow I will have a doozy of a story of how bad it is. I will take photos of the goats.

 

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until January 28th!

Wordless Wednesday

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until January 28th!

Tulip Day

According to several blogs I follow, Sweden celebrated Tulip Day. Given the dreariness of the tale end of January, it sounded like an excellent idea to me. After all, the holidays are done, everything has been put away… going to work in the dark and getting home, in the dark. Toss in a couple weeks of rain and it’s just dreary.

Unfortunately, it’s a little early for tulips around these parts. We like our flowers in order, darn it! Even if they are flown in from California! Instead, I brightened the kitchen with some lovely daffodil buds. They bloomed in just under 24 hours, looking very cheerful against the red table cloth.

Only three months until spring!

 

Don’t forget about the CSN $50 giveaway! Click here to enter! Contest is open until January 28th!

Giveaway!

Free Stuff!

What a great way to start a week! A little somthin’-somthin’ for my peeps. (does sound hokey? ‘cause it sounds totally smooth in my head).

CSN.com is letting me hand out a little gift card to one lucky reader! And by little, I mean, a substantial amount. $50 smackers. 50 semoleons. 50 clams, baby. Which can buy you something very nice to make your January quite fun or your Valentine’s Day a little more romantic.  CSN is comprised of over 200 online stores, where you can find everything from modern duvet covers to Le Creuset cookware! Of course, if you are like me… you’ll end up spending it on your kids. How cute is the butterfly ballet duvet cover?

Unfortunately, this giveaway is limited to those in the US and Canada only. Giveaway ends on Friday, January 28th at midnight, Pacific time. The winner will be announced next Saturday, January 29!

To enter, just leave a comment! Easy peasy! Want another chance? become a follower and post it in the comments!

be sure to leave an email address or some way to contact you, if you are the winner!

Thanks CSN!

Dysphagia Continued…

Since Lala was nine months old, she has had every liquid thickened to a honey consistency. She has never had ice cream or soup and only had a popsicle twice. For her third birthday, we had cake with chocolate pudding. It was more successful than ice cream would have been, by the way.

Last month she had her seventh swallow test – she has had one every 6 months for the past two and half years. It was hoped that she would outgrow the dysphagia, but in over two years, she hasn’t shown any improvement. In fact, at one point she actually complete aspirated the barium and didn’t make a peep. No cough, no sputter. Really, that’s not good.

We now had a decision to make. Either continue as we have been or start looking for cause. We saw a new ENT specialist on Saturday to start that ball rolling. He doesn’t have the full picture, but given her history, he believes that she may have a laryngeal cleft. Although leaving well enough is a viable option, she is growing up (as she keeps reminding me). She already begs for juice boxes “like Bobby”. Juice boxes cannot be thickened before drinking, that straw hole is just too darned small! And pouring it out into a cup is just not cool. Can you hear the screaming fit on that one? My ears are still ringing.

I can’t watch her for the rest of her life and kids make bad choices when faced with a restriction – it’s just a fact. Retainers are lost, glasses are broken, make-up gets put on in school, healthy lunches are traded away… you know you did it too. However, that juice box isn’t just an expression of independence. It represents another respiratory infection – possible damage to her lungs, scarring on the ear drum, pneumonia, hearing damage, etc. If we can fix it, we need to do it.

Our next step is Laryngoscopy. Lala will have to go under anesthesia for the procedure – not looking forward to that – but it should only take a few hours. At that point we will find out if what exactly is going on and how best to proceed.

Wordless Wednesday

 

How we used a village to make a diagnosis

Although I’ve told the story of Lala’s “special need” many times to several people, I’ve never actually written it down or posted it here. I put “special need” in quotes, because, of all of things that children can be afflicted with, Dysphagia is not that bad. In Lala’s case, she just needs an thickener in liquids.
Within a week of being placed with me, Lala began a loop of ear and upper respiratory infections. We would see the doctor, get a prescription for an antibiotic. Ten days later, the prescription would be finished. Twelve days later, we would be back in the doctor’s office, getting stronger/different antibiotic. This went on for a couple of months.
Then Lala stopped drinking. She would literally toss her bottle across the room. Remember, as an infant, she is still getting a majority of her nutrition via formula. If she won’t drink it… well, I was more than a little freaked out. Luckily her doctor has a calming personality and we came up with a plan. Ear/respiratory infections stop. She continues to cough and sputter seemingly at random. Is this a problem or just a kid learning to eat solid foods?
While this is going on, the manager of the daycare tells me a story about another child who had recurrent respiratory/ear infections. Eventually, his doctor discovers a kernel of popcorn lodged in his lungs. Apparently he had either been fed or found and ate a kernel of popcorn at his home before being placed in foster care.  I started to wonder if perhaps there was a french fry particle stuck someone where inside Lala – french fries being a food she regularly ate (at 4 months!) before she was placed in foster care.
A couple of months later, Lala’s cough has gotten worse. Yet again, we visit the doctor. I tell the doctor the story from the daycare. We get a chest x-ray. This time she is diagnosed with a “tiny spot of pneumonia”. There are, however, no french fries.
Two weeks later, ear infection again. This time, in addition to the antibiotic, we get a referral to a major children’s hospital in a nearby urban city for a “swallow test” and a pediatric ENT. Maybe she’ll need ear tubes, maybe something else is causing the recurrent infections… the story has Lala’s doctor thinking of a variety of possibilities. A week later, the ENT rules out the ear tubes, cystic fibrosis and a variety of other possibilities.
We waited a month and half for the swallow test – they were very, very busy! Finally we got in and there is a lot of muttering amongst the techs, speech pathologists and doctors. Dysphaia. When Lala drinks any liquid, she is actually aspirating/nearly aspirating the liquid nine out of ten swallows. No wonder the bottles were flying! Besides the constant illness, I imagine that drinking was painful, as well. To counteract this, we thickened all of her drinks so that they are just a hair above pudding thickness.
She hasn’t had an ear infection since!
Long story short, if the daycare manager hadn't told me the story of popcorn boy, and I hadn't told Lala's doctor, who knows how long it would have been before we discovered the cause of her illnesses? She might have even gone through surgery to put tubes in her ears and still been getting sick. We were all needed on this one.

Diapers Be Gone!

This weekend, I ceremoniously tossed out the last princess pull-up package.

Knock-on wood… Lala hasn’t had an accident for over a week and is regularly using the toilet on her own.

I’m a little too superstitious to do the happy dance, but I think I can confidently say, one down, one to go!

Boys are supposed to easier than girls, right? Tips?

Bargain Alert!

I was able to hit my local Cost*co today and found that they have Easter dresses available for $15! Good quality, nice embroidery, tulle underskirts, totally cute!

Added: I realized that Lala's easter dress from last year (also from Costco), is still fresh and new looking for wear on Sunday. It's no longer tea length, but the tulle underskirt keeps it just below the knee.

Busy Week

seriously, first moment I've had to myself where I didn't want to collapse and not think...

• the cuddler started swim lessons; hopefully,next time, there won't be any screaming.
• Lala started gymnastics again. VERY, VERY excited and spent the entire half hour jumping up and down.
• Lala also has an appointment with a specialist on Saturday - the cuddler is going to my aunt's house and we are dropping him off at 6am! We have to leave the house by 5.30am... fun!
• the club I'm the adviser for at my school is hosting a dance next weekend... these things take FOREVER!, plus the amount of hours I have to hang around is enormous.
• drove to a high school 2 and half hours away to see what they are doing. they are doing what we are doing. Validating, but five hours in a car people!
• lost 6 pounds so far is New Year's diet. Desperate to eat a cookie.
• will be spending MLK day working to get stuff done... will only have the enjoyment of silence.
  

Wordless Wednesday

Love Drop

Have you heard the word? Love Drop is just that… dropping love to those in need. Each month the members suggest a family they know who is in need. When one is chosen, the love starts dropping in. It could be in the form of money, good, or services… whatever you think would help. The sponsors are open for suggestions! The goal is to change the world, by changing one family a month. Believe me, it spreads! They’re not asking for much. Whatever you can spare – and by spare, I mean probably the amount you would hand someone at a freeway over pass, or find in your couch cushions. But added with a couple of hundred other people it makes a big difference. It’s not the amount of money, it’s the knowledge that someone else gives a damn.


Through out the month, the members will be working to raise as much support and awareness as they can and at the end of the month everything will be delivered to the recipient. On film.
And the next day, they’ll be starting over again.

Survived

I would have taken photos, if the cuddler had let go of my neck for a second, but he never did.

He was all excited until I was putting our clothing into the locker. Then, he decided that he didn’t want to go swimming. So, professional parent that I am, I tricked him. I told he we wouldn’t go swimming, I just wanted to talk to a friend. That got us to the water’s edge. (it’s a walk-in pool)

Luckily, there was a bin of toys next the edge. That got him into the water for about five seconds up to his ankles. He really does like to play with water!

After about three minutes, I was able to convince him to take the mammoth swimming. He got wet up to his shoulders, although it was iffy at times. He did the back floating for a whole minute (in the fetal position), but all in all, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The circle singing time – Lala’s favorite – was a total bust. Hated it.

We’ll see what happens next time. We will skip next week because of a doctor’s appointment (on a Saturday! I’m loving this specialist already), so next time may be a repeat.

Best part? I like this class time because it’s too early for anyone I know to see me in my suit. This morning I walked in to see my boss sitting in the bleachers. His son is in the class, and apparently I will now forever been in the videos of his swim lessons… in my bathing suit. Yay.

Wordless Wednesday

A Little Sun

I’m always hungering for a sunny vacation in January. I get sick of cold and wet weather and just want to laze about in the heat of a sun a bit closer to earth. At least I did when I lived in a less coastal climate. Now my body just gets confused. It’s never really hot in the summer and rarely very cold in the winter. Although we had a skiff of snow a few days ago, we’ve had bright sunshine for the last four days. I keep want to go into the garden… only to remind myself once again that it is January and only 38 degrees outside. Maybe I need to get one of those really big outdoor thermometer to hang outside my back door.

I’m sure it’s only a matter of days before it starts raining again. For the next four months. I really don’t like rain, and yet live practically in a rainforest. Life is weird.

Anyhoo… back to the topic at hand. Vacations. I really want to go on this summer. Somewhere warm, with pools, where they don’t mind screaming kids. And which doesn’t cost a zillion dollars or have a zillion people walking around… suggestions?

 

Growing Up

Last Sunday was Lala’s last day in the nursery. This morning she starts in the youngest Sunday school class.

On the one hand, I’ve been waiting for this day for a year and half and on the other hand, it’s kind of bittersweet that she’s graduated from nursery. Next is Kindergarten (in a year in half) and I’m sure college is just around the corner. I know… it might be a bit slower than that, but still it’s the first step. I’m tearing up, already.

She’s been going for half of the class for the past few Sundays (the singing time) to get used to a new routine, new teachers (no mommy), and no snacks. She still has a bit of separation anxiety, but the class will have children she’s been attending with for the past year and half. Hopefully that will help with the change. Am I being too much of a worry-wart?

New Year’s Day Pancakes

We’re a bit young around here to be celebrating at midnight and two thirds of us have no idea what “Happy New Year!” means anyways. It’s not like you’re suddenly having to learn a whole new finger spread to use when someone asks how old you are.  And there aren’t any presents.

Instead we had homemade pancakes to celebrate waking up ready to face to the new year! It sounds a lot better than starting out with a polar bear plunge, right?

I found this recipe on allrecipes. It had a pretty good rating, so why not try it? It can’t be worse than Bi*qu^k pancakes. I can report that the ratings were spot on! These pancakes are just as quick as a mix and taste much, much better. In the reviews, I saw that several people reported adding vanilla and had success, but that seems a little too sweet. We’re more of a savory family.

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Bookmarked!

If you saw my Google Reader, you would probably be stunned by the number of blogs saved there. 258. One I added today. Every once in a while I’ll see another blogger refer to their reader and how they have nearly 100 posts awaiting to be read there… I usually have around 1000. In my defense, some of those bloggers post ten to twenty posts per day. But the bargains I find on the days when I do have time to skim through make it worth it to keep them in the reader.

There are, however, some specific blog posts I’ve bookmarked because I keep going back to them. Recipes mostly, but some design ideas.

• The Best French Toast Ever – Kimba has a pretty nice blog, writes very well and probably publishes with a typo. This is the French toast we had on Christmas Day and it was pretty good.
• Shipwreck Casserole - $5 Dinners is great for quick dinner ideas. This casserole is kinda like a upside down Sheppard's pie, but with sliced potatoes instead of mashed.
• Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Muffins – Angie is full of recipes and great tips! I made these muffins for our dessert auction just before Thanksgiving and they were fabulous! And if you make without the chocolate, they’re low-fat, low-calorie treats! Perfect for those new year’s resolutions.
• $150 Greenhouse – it will probably be a couple of years before I build this, but for now it’s nice to know that I have the directions.
• You have the Power! – Contains instructions on how to ship a box of… something to an orphanage in Siberia. These kids have little and even less of a chance of being adopted. For $13, you can let some children know that someone actually cares.
• Free Embroidery Patterns – should I ever get a few minutes to embellish something
• Hand-made Barrettes Tutorial – see above
• Foil-Baked Tilapia – all I can say is yum! Even the kids will eat it on their current “I hate everything” kick.
• Identifying Load Bearing Walls – if you are into remodeling or think you might, this is a good one to have on file.

What blog posts do you have bookmarked?

Calendar

Anxiety is a normal part of my life - seriously. I'm juggling a lot of balls these days and as time goes on, I know that will only increase as the kids get more into activities and school. Two kids, meals, grocery shopping (if I can't keep milk in the house when the cuddler is 2, what am I going to do when he hits 13?), a job where I asked daily to take more and more on (who isn't these days?), while simultaneously remembering every appointment, class and the never ending to-do list. Some days I don’t stop until I collapse on the couch after getting the kids to sleep.

When I worked as a nanny, I had a boss who literally was a SuperMom - it was a sweet job - and managed to make it look easy. She grocery shopped, she was a partner for a major accounting firm and still managed to be a classroom mom and attend all the games for three boys who played all four seasons. She lived and died by her day planner. She took it everywhere and kept everything in it; insurance cards, notes, stationary, coupons, train tickets... somehow it worked. That’s what I aspire to… but without having a nanny.

To keep track of everything, I've tried paper calendars - really cutes ones, small ones to carry around, huge ones to hang on the wall, even a FlyLady Calendar, with stickers. I’ve tried daily to-do sheets, organizers, and everything in between. None really worked for me. I would write something down on a piece of paper or on another calendar at my office and forget about it at home... and miss it completely. Or get caught up in one thing, and forgetting to stop by the grocery store to pick up milk. I am famous for completely forgetting appointments or to bring something I was responsible for.

A few weeks ago I got a new smart phone and one of the features was Goo*gl@ Calendar. Although I've attempted to use that feature before it's one problem was, again, the mobility. No computer, no access, eventually abandoned. But now that I can use it on my phone, it's mobile! Cue choirs of angels.

I can instantly type in an appointment, reminder, to-do item and it's stored on-line. Since I'm not allowed to use my phone at my job, I can still access the calendar on my computer and keep up with what I need to do. If I wanted, I could print it out and tape it to the wall. (not going to, but it's an option). I can make notes on the reminder, like when I special instructions for Lala's medical appointments. And I can set it to give me a reminder alarm, so that when I forget an appointment (Monday's doctor appointment), I can get a reminder and run out the door. Ha! As much as I like to have a piece of paper to cross things off as they are done (so satisfying), so far this is working much better for us.

Organization is the only I'm going to get through the next 18 years with some semblance of sanity.

2011- Better

At the beginning of the month I heard about Reverb10; daily prompts to really reflect upon your life and the passing year. Unfortunately, the month turned out to be a bit more busy that I planned, so while I signed up for the prompts, I didn’t do anything with them but let them sit in my mail box.

The first prompt of the month really stuck with me and I’ve been pondering it for the past 23 days. Basically it asked me to come up with a word to describe 2010 and another one that I would like to be the “catch-phrase” for 2011. Yesterday I posted what the word for 2010 – today on to 2011.

In choosing a word to describe 2011, I think the I would I hope I choose in December 2011 was “better”.

I know that I will probably set all sorts of New Year’s Resolutions in January, that is just the kind of person that I am. I set new resolutions all the time – random Mondays, first days of months, etc. I just like to think I’m going to turn over a new leaf. Doesn’t mean that I actually do that – in many areas I’ve failed for years!, but something in me is the eternal optimist in that I will achieve that resolution. Tenacity, my dears, tenacity.

I hope that I will always be striving to be a better parent, have better health, be a better household manager and better teacher. There are many things that are out of my control – I cannot ‘better’ my salary, but I can better my employment options. I cannot control the actions of others but I hope that I will strive to create better relationships with those I love and treat strangers in a better manner.

Really, what is the point of doing anything if we are not striving to do better?

2010 - Realization

At the beginning of the month I heard about Reverb10; daily prompts to really reflect upon your life and the passing year. Unfortunately, the month turned out to be a bit more busy that I planned, so while I signed up for the prompts, I didn’t do anything with them but let them sit in my mail box.

The first prompt of the month really stuck with me and I’ve been pondering it for the past 23 days. Basically it asked me to come up with a word to describe 2010 and another one that I would like to be the “catch-phrase” for 2011.

If I had to choose a word that would encapsulate the entire year of 2010, it would be “realization”. Obviously, the watershed moment of the year was the finalization of the adoption of my children. That was the realization of a long held dream and something I had worked, dreamed and cried about for many years. Probably a lot more than most people perceived.

The word also stands for the realization that I can be a single parent to two small children. I can balance my home life and my school life. I can admit that I need help and I can prioritize what’s best for me and not worry about what others need or want. I can let go of perfectionism and let go of the paralyzation that comes with that. I can let go of the judgment of others and let go of my own judgments.

Realization.

What to Remember - Christmas 2010

• popping the bubble wrap with the Cuddler
• Lala playing with her dollhouse
• having force Lala to open more presents because she really wanted play with her dollhouse
• french toast for breakfast
• The Cuddler not letting “Woody” go for 36 hours straight
• Searching for Woody’s hat every 10 minutes
• driving around and looking at all the “Kiss-mas lights”
• Lala working so hard to keep the Cuddler from opening the presents before Christmas
• Lala’s constant talking up Santa, but utter fear when actually confronted with the big guy
• Lala wearing her princess shoes – all six pairs within 30 minutes
• our hideous blue gingerbread house
• opening presents with the Cuddler before Lala woke up
• watching Scooby-Doo seven different times
• candy wrappers every where!

Christmas Morning



Christmas Morning Breakfast

 This morning the cuddler woke up as usual - telling me he "waked up". As we walked into the living , I said ""Guess who came to our house". He looked up and said "Santa?"

We had about ten minutes of quiet present opening, just the two of us. Woody is a huge hit! Calm before the storm.

Our talking woke Lala up and she discovered the new dollhouse. The other presents were completely ignored... I remember reading an article once about how at a certain point, a child's enjoyment of presents goes down as they continue to increase. I could definitely see Lala getting frustrated that she couldn't just play and had to open yet another present as I basically forced her to open yet another one.

Three hours later they're still working their way through playing with everything at least once and there have only been a couple of fights over space. I guess it wasn't too overwhelming... although I will admit to have a couple of presents still sitting in the closet.

My Year

Ok, Maybe I shouldn’t have worried…

This morning the Cuddler found the Follow Me Thomas – apparently Mommy trusted on his obliviousness a little too much. Once he saw it, it was all over for that toy. No way to get it away from him.  And that meant that Lala had to get one too… or else the cries would have been deafening.

It’s probably better this way.

I May Have Overdone It

Last year, I restrained myself from purchasing a lot of gifts. Although I knew/had an inkling about the permanency placement of both children, I figured that they would be inundated with copious amounts of toys. Both biological parents would be sending at least several bags full of toys, plus things from the caseworkers and, of course, my family. It was a haul, I can say.

This year, there will be no presents from the state or biological parents (so I thought). I figured it was my time to go a little crazy. Now, I’m not so sure… And I’m pretty sure that toddlers should not be greeted by huge pile of presents that will be waiting for them on Christmas morning. I got the cuddler the follow me Thomas (very fun to play with, but takes practice – I fear for my walls) and I’m thinking that there won’t be any room to run that train!

I’m not even sure that they will unwrap the presents currently under the tree – once they see the presents from Santa they’ll want to play – not continue to did through and unwrap. Maybe we’ll open them up on Christmas Eve and string out the gift giving.

Where is the “overboard” line?

More Cookies!

I know that just a few days ago, I was worried about the state of our Christmas cookie larder. However, thanks to this little baby on the left, the situation has almost totally been rectified. (yes, I really do talk like this… I am an English teacher for pity’s sake.)
In the last 24 hours, we’ve completed a few dozen gingerbread men, a few dozen “exploding cookies” and the buckeye’s are currently chilling in the refrigerator. Honestly, I cannot believe how I managed to make cookies without a kitchen aid mixer. Of course, the best part is that I obtained it completely free.
I can’t wait to try it out in making bread.

*About four hours after posting this, I received a phone call... guess what one of my Christmas presents was? Well, the new one has all of the parts, so maybe all things work out for the best? I just had to laugh.

Cookies

 

Last week was a busy one – last minute work projects to get done before the end of the year and Lala had her bi-annual swallow evaluation at an uber-hospital two hours away. Immediately after the cold that has been stalking me for the past two weeks stuck with a vengeance. In between downing various medicines promising relief (none so far have worked), I’ve been trying to finish up preparations for Christmas. The cards are slowly trickling out, hampered by the fact that I’ve lost my address book. If you want a card and haven’t received one, please shoot me an email! I’ve also been trying to clean the house. It’s been a bit of nightmare over the past week. I am happy to say that that one has been crossed off the list.

Meanwhile the cookies have been lost in the flurry of activity. Those picture above are the first dozen we’ve made and they were ready made. Plans for passing cookies to the neighbors are shaky. Although, this coming Tuesday seems to be looking good for baking.

What are you scrambling to get done?

Things that make you go Awwwww…

This morning, I asked the cuddler where Mommy’s kiss was. He quickly pointed to his mouth and laughed.

It finally happened.

Last night we attended our church holiday party. Probably not too surprising our seats were surrounded by those of a similar age – other children from the nursery. One little girl made a big point of introducing her entire family to me. Apparently, she loves to this whenever the family is out – Santa got the whole schpiel last weekend. After she introduced her daddy (who I work with and see on a daily basis), Lala leaned over to me and whispered “I don’t have a daddy?”

“Ummm…” She said it somewhat sadly, like she knew she was probably missing something. And while I have no problem with perpetrating Santa, I find it hard to lie to her about this one. I told her that we don’t and she just nodded her head and then asked “Where’s the piano?” At point, I guess she at the point of trying to figure out what is versus trying to figure out the whys of what is.

I know there will be more questions in the years to come… I just need to start thinking about how to answer them.

Growing Up

Last night, I watched the Cuddler playing with his cars. He's been doing that more and more. Actually playing with a toy, creating some sort of game or story-line in his head and going for it. I can remember thinking this summer that I had no idea what to buy him for his birthday because he just wouldn't play with it any ways. He was happier with a couple of sticks, than any toy designed. He's also been spending time playing with Lala and her pretend food. They cook it, eat it, line it up on the floor, hide it from each other and cook it again. He's still working on what to do with play-do (likes it, but no clue what do with it besides mash it up) and we cannot keep a crayon around for more than 2 minutes without it being eaten or snapped into multiple pieces, but it'll come, I'm sure.

It's also a little sad to watch this stage, because I missed it with Lala. She returned to her BM still not really playing with toys and came back fully into pretend play. I didn't get to see her day to changes like that... now she's into the "when did you learn that?!?" stage. All of sudden she started singing jingle bell rock by herself or wrote the letter "L". She hears or we practice something, but it doesn't seem to click, until one day it just does. It's not gradual changes, it's jumps and bounces. There's a lot more thinking going on inside her brain, rather than physically trying it out.

It's so amazing to see them growing into this amazing little people. I just wish I could hold on to the cuddly baby stage a little longer.

Shutterfly

Are you a Shutterfly user?

I've been using them for years. Years, I was shocked to discover. I mean, I knew I've been buying stuff from them for a long time, but I guess I never put it all together until I realized that I have albums that go back to 2005!

After my grandfather's death, I scanned all of the old photos I could find. I put them together and used Shutterfly to create a family album with everyone identified (at least as much as I could) for my father's Christmas present. My cousin thought it was so cool - yes, he brought it show his siblings at a family gathering - I made one for her mother. All of the photos are still safely stored at Shutterfly, as is the project. Anyone who wants one of these albums can easily get one delivered to them in less than a week!

Although I've done lots of cards, etc. using Shutterfly, probably the most important has been the "Life Books" for my kids. For kids in fostercare, photo books are extremely important. Can you imagine growing up not having a single baby picture? Or photos of yourself as a child? For a lot of foster kids, this is the case. They move around a lot, things get lost, they loose touch with people... it adds up to a big blank. When Lala was placed with me, I took photos all the time - but most importantly I took one every month for the first year. When I was told that she would be returning to her birth mother, I created an album of all the photos for her. I had another one made for me (can you imagine how much work that would have taken to do by hand? Yah, that's why WE don't have baby books!). I know her birth mother loved it.

When Lala came back to my home, the first thing we did was look through that book. It not only reminded her of who I was, but also comforted her. She understood that this was a safe place - a place that she knew.  The cuddler has one too!

I also use Shutterfly to send photos to both birth moms - it's quick and easy.

This year I'll be creating our holiday card using Shutterfly's "Keep Believing" template. With 5 photos available on the card, I can do the obligatory holiday photos, plus photos from our Adoption day. This will not be just the average holiday card, because it's also a family "birth announcement" too! I know if will look so professional that I'll probably frame one.

PS. Shutterfly has so many freebie offers throughout the year, I'm never without current photo cards.

PSS. Shutterfly is giving away 50 free cards to bloggers! If you want to sign up for this freebie, click here!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I won! In the 5 Minutes for Mom Christmas Giveaways!

The cuddler will be receiving a CAT preschool truck - which is totally awesome! My cousin's little boy has one and the cuddler became very enamored playing with it. (He also loves playing with Lala's pretend hair dryer, but we'll just chalk that up to "has buttons, makes noise" mmm-kay?) Plus, I really didn't have a lot of cash to buy him a big present - at least not as big as Lala, so this was a sweet addition!

I also won a Shox scooter with the truck. As both kids are way too small for such a prize and I'm not going to store it for the next three years, I offered it to another teacher in my building. They've got three kids and, let's face it, teaching is not the most lucrative of careers. I was told that it was exactly what their youngest boy had asked for! Again, totally awesome! Spreading the Christmas Spirit...

Least you think that poor Lala was let out... well, perish the thought. Lala is getting the Fisher Price Lovely Family doll house, complete with family and furniture. It's around two feet tall! I found it on Cra*gsl*st for $25! In a town where an old friend lives and the day after she picked it up, she just happened to be heading to my town for a sporting event. I didn't even have to drive two hours to pick it up! Even more the bargain. Really, at this point of the game, second hand does not bother me in the least. The kids really don't care at all - they'll play at a friends house with their toys, so what's the difference? Plus, in about 10 years I'm probably going to be forking out over $100 to buy one pair of "cool" jeans, so I better enjoy the savings now!

Can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning! I know that it won't be a Hall*mark moment, but the fact that I get to do this at ALL, when I wasn't sure I ever would, makes it perfect.

Off to see Santa

We're off to see Santa today - maybe. Lala is still pretty shy around strangers, so I'm not sure how she will react to the whole stand in line, jump on Santa's lap, talk to him, take photo and say good-bye in less than five minutes thing.

I'm trying to figure out which will be the least crowded in town. The furniture store? Our nearly desserted mall (some day I'll have to post photos... it is truly pathetic)? Or the local elementary school? The school will be our last option as they are offering free photos and goodies bags. Nothing brings out people like free stuff. We'll be trying the furniture store first...

Potty Thoughts

I don't want to jinx it, but Lala has been without diaper for the entire week at school! No accidents at school and only one at home. Night time is still an issue, but she's been waking up and using the bathroom, rather than wetting.

 

Could the end be near?

Patience

One thing that small children do not have is patience. I remind myself this about a hundred times every day as I am asked once again to "get" or "give", "find" or "help" while I'm up to my elbows in laundry or trying to grade yet another paper.

Last night, I put up the advent calendar I made while waiting for a child to placed with me. It taught me a little about patience in the making.  We all had that first piece of chocolate and then the cuddler and I went into his room for something. When we returned the living room, I found Lala standing on a chair next to the advent calendar with chocolate on her face. This one per day thing was pretty lost on her at the time. What was there to do but tell her that she had to forgo her chocolate tonight and tomorrow night.

This morning, the cuddler climbed up and grabbed two chocolates while I was getting Lala dressed. He wasn't showing a lot of patience this morning.

Now I'm left with a quandary. Do we start the advent calendar again? Leave for the next two days as each ate two chocolates? Bag the whole thing until next year? Find a different kind of advent calendar? Opinions?

Holiday Home

Much to the excitement of the cuddler and Lala, I finished decorating the house this weekend. In honor of “Small Business Saturday”, we drove out to a local nursery and picked up the door decoration. They do an excellent job and are pretty inexpensive for the amount of foliage used. This year, in addition to the usual wreathes and swags, they also did candy canes. Obviously, we went with the candy cane this year. It smells gorgeous!

Yesterday, I braved the crowds and my head cold to grab a new tree. My previous white tree had really seen it’s last Christmas last year and we needed something to greener. The new tree is also pre-lit, which I totally recommend if you’re going the fake tree route. If you look closely at the decoration on the tree, you can see that all the indestructible ones are on the lower half of the branches, while the upper half features some of the more delicate ones. Convincing the cuddler that the ornaments aren’t toys is going to be an ongoing theme for the next month. Yes, those are presents under the tree already. My mother insisted. This photo was taken while the kids were alseep – about five minutes after they awoke, one had been partially ripped. When the cuddler was told not to open it, because it was Lala’s, he brought me the other one and “momma, open for me?” Momma won’t be stopped by Grandma…

The mantle was the final piece to put the holiday spirit into the room. I think it looks better than ever! Or it could be the “stove” under mimicking an actual fire that adds the homey touch… the whole thing together just screams Christmas holidays.

All the decorating is done, but for first time in years, I don’t have the Christmas cards done. I just don’t have a good recent photos of us – maybe that will be tonight’s project? Wrestling kids into fancy holiday clothes are part and parcel with the holidays right? Maybe I’ll even have the cuddler hold that partially unwrapped present.

Serious Sale

If you have time, head over to Sears to snag up some very nice and rock bottom cheap clothes! The clearance is on sale. Seriously, I bought a shirt for 60 cents! Brand new, really good quality – brand name, for 60 cents! You can’t beat those prices at a thrift shop!

Thanksgiving

For the holiday, I believe the thing I was most thankful for was a full table for dinner. My brother drove down for the day and my mother and grandmother braved three mountain passes to join us for dinner. And the kids, of course. My table was indeed full of loved ones. Lala and the cuddler absolutely love their uncles, and playing with Uncle J is indeed a good time!

Remember when I said I dislike cooking? That goes aside for the holidays. I cooked the full Thanksgiving dinner! Huge turkey? Check! Oyster stuffing? Check! Garlic mashed potatoes? Check! Green bean casserole? Check! Ok, I was forced into that one. But since I had to have green bean casserole, I went the Marth* St*wart route. Yes, I chopped shallots and fried them for the crunchy topping. I fried the mushrooms in butter and created a lovely creamy sauce for them. I then blanched the green beans – mixed them with the mushroom cream sauce, topped with the homemade onions. I, literally, cooked all day long. Over 7 hours.

But it was so  worth it.

Christmas Giveaways

You may have noticed the new button on the right side of the page – Christmas Giveway from 5 Minutes for Mom. Ordinarily I’m really not so much for blogger giveaways. First of all, I’ve only every won once, and I’m pretty sure I was the only to enter. Otherwise it’s just not worth my time. Plus, most of the stuff I’m just not that into… again, not worth my time.

 

This giveaway is a little different. The giveaway page has an ever growing list of giveaways for the holidays. Some are toys, some are for “mom” and some are for “dad” – you can pick and choose which ones are worth the time to comment and ignore those that aren’t that a fit for you. And since there are so many listed, you can maximize your limited time.

Really, only enter the ones you like a lot… because I’d like to win a little something for the kids.

Snow!

 

Ohmigosh! Snow!  And we are excited!

It’s really the kids first snowfall… at least one they could play in. Although they’ve seen snow at my parents house, it did not snow and was pretty crusty – not good for making snowmen. And and home, well… we had a single snow fall that melted in a matter of minutes. I didn’t even time to put on their snow pants!

This morning, as we were going to church I looked out the window and thought, “is that snow? or particulate from someone’s roof? Twenty minutes later, large fluffy flakes were flying and all the kids were taking turns standing on the table to look out the nursery windows. Very exciting!

We came home and immediately changed into snow type clothing. The cuddler was not too happy with that idea. He’s in this “I’m not wearing a coat” stage that boys seem to go through from age 2 til 37. Mittens didn’t last very long either. I’m surprised he wasn’t out there in a diaper.

Lala on the other hand was very determined to make her first snow man. She was a snowball rollin’ gal. And just stacking the snowballs was not acceptable, we had to have arms, eyes, nose… the whole works. It took a lot of convincing to get her to go with a hatless look, but in the end, hot chocolate won.

BTW, hot chocolate is apparently a good idea, but in reality is a hot drink they were both suspicious of… Lala also asked me several times if her thickener was in it (it pretty much melted to nothing). It wasn’t quite as magical as presented on television.

Holiday Feel

  A couple of weeks ago, I was watching listening to QVC and they happened to have this little baby on sale. Those who know me, know that I have a love for cozy fire places. I am, however, not all that fond of the whole cutting, chopping, stacking, chopping and carrying of wood for said fire place. Plus there is the whole issue of whether or not the fire place is emitting heat at all… my last apartment had a severe issue with emitting cold air. Plus there was the whole catch the building on fire thing, but I digress.

I have priced gas fire places, electric fire places, as well as their “wood” stove counterparts. As a single mom, I have said to myself on numerous occasions that it’s a cost and hassle that I don’t need. So, when I saw this little beauty on the QVC on sale for the lowest price at that quality level, I took the plunge. It arrived early this week and yes, I had to rearrange the entire living room to find a place for it. But I would have had to do it anyways for the tree. Yes, it’s fake. You can tell. It’s also a bit small, but it works really well in our house. Lily adores it! She asks me to turn it on the minute we walk in the door and will sit in front of it, fascinated by the flickering lights. I’m calling it the family holiday present. It does give the room a much more Christmassy feel. What are you doing to make your home feel more Christmassy?

Babysitters

If you are a single mom, the most important thing you need to make your life livable is a reliable, competent and responsible babysitter. It just doesn't work without one. And you'd think in teaching high school I would have the perfect in...

For the past few years, I've been very spoiled in having a couple of really responsible people I could turn to - seriously spoiled. I see that now... alas. They have all moved on to bigger and better things, ie. university far, far way.  This whole year I've been scrambling to find someone who would fit the bill. Compounding the problem is that I just can't think of any one to even ask... sad to say.

My mother is very helpful, but she also lives about 600 miles away. I tend to save her for weekends and days that are going to be very, very long. Not really an option for the days I need someone for a couple of hours.  Somehow I've got to find an alternate solution and quick.

Blogging

You may have noticed a lot of color changes around here… I’ve been trying to find the right one for a few days. As you can tell, it’s been a bit a hard decision to make. I used to be able to a bit of coding myself, but these days I just don’t have time to keep up with all the new crap. (and yes, I’m a bit disappointed in myself).

It’s possible that in the future I might actually have a template made for me, but I guess for now I’m going with plain white. Or was the maroon better?

Christmas Stockings

Do you do Christmas Stockings? What do you put in them?

  I’ve been slowly gathering little do-dads over the past few weeks to put in the kids stockings. According to family tradition, they will get an orange in the toe. In a few years, I’ll add in a bag of peanuts.  I’ll also toss in a few candy canes, but the rest… oy.  Even though they are “little” things, they can really add up!

So far, I’ve been really lucky at the dollar store. The quality can be questionable on many things, but a coloring book is a coloring book, ya know? I also found some solid plastic dinosaurs for the cuddler and some new baby accessories for Lala, plus D*sne*y stamping kits for both. I’ll pick up some coloring crayons to toss in later, there’s no point in stocking up on them now – and no one should buy them from the dollar store. Quality counts on things like that.

After this, though, it’s getting harder to find things that won’t break the bank. Ideas?

Relaxing

I finished baking and decorating about 10 minutes before my cousin arrived to babysit for the night. We packed up all the muffins and cupcakes into the car and I took off! Sadly, I left the cookies in the freezer.
Or was it good?
The cupcakes were pretty basic, but had a splash of hot pink sprinkles.
From The American Homemaker, I tried out the Simple Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.  They turned out very, very yummy! I did add a bit more pumpkin than the recipe called for, as the first batch was a bit dry. Also, if serving to guests, I really recommend frosting them with a thick type of frosting – taste good, look not so good.
I also made Butter Pecan Cake Mix Cookies. These were also quite yummy, especially after being drizzled with melted chocolate. These are the ones I left in freezer – my attempt to get the chocolate to harden before I left. I hope the kids like them better than I do – or at least that they end up eating more than I do.


I think the wreath turned out quite well. Perhaps a few more grizzlies? Or bells? Probably not. My one weakness in creating things is adding too much. I never know when to stop. Anyways, it sold for $40, which all told is probably close to what it cost to make. It’s all for a good cause, right?
I’m spending today recovering. Five hours straight on my feet just killed me. I mean, I’m on my feet all day at school, but I try to plan out time to sit or grab a chair a kneel on for a few minutes. Last night there just was no time to do that at all. I think I sat for about 10 minutes total… at the end of the night while I was doing paperwork and counting money. The total for the night was nearly $1000. About half of our usual haul, but given the local economy and the fact that the football team was away at a state play-off game, it’s not so bad.
At least now I can relax my way into the Holidays. What should I make next?

It’s barely noon and already Gerald’s had more than he can handle…

You know you’re a parent of toddlers if you can name the movie that line if from in less than a minute!

I had this much more detailed post planned on my morning activities, complete with photos, but honestly, I just don’t think I have energy to do it and still be going tonight at 10pm.

I’ve made around four dozen cup cakes and 2 dozen cookies so far. The only thing stopping me from continuing on is a lack of eggs.

Tonight is the dessert auction and I will be so glad when it’s over. Yesterday my reading class spent their hour making bid cards, while I completed the item inventory. I really hope more shows up tonight, although I’ll be a bit pissed when it does. It’s a bit hard to be doing inventory while bidders are walking in.

I keep telling myself that it’s really just one event and it could be so worse. I could be the staff member who is in charge of the whole thing!

Fundraising

The one thing I love about the town I live in is the generosity of the people. When someone needs something, there are others there to meet it. Our local schools hold a competition to see who can gather the most food/cash to donate to local food banks. It’s a week long effort. Every night features a different event, plus the daily trudging through the rain to garner donations house to house. I did the math one year and the amount collected is about equal to 55 pounds of food for every single resident in the town. This is not your local can drive.

For my part, I’m the advisor for the dessert auction. Students ask for donations  and get their parents to make various goodies which we auction off. We do a silent and live auction. Every year I do a little freak out the week of… I’m positive that there will not be enough items to be auctioned off, that there will not be enough food and it will fail miserably. Thus my activity for today. These are three baskets for the silent auction. Two are Thanksgiving table decor – centerpiece, napkins and napkin rings. Granted there are only four napkins and rings… but really, I am a living on a teacher’s salary here. the Snowman one a large holiday popcorn bowl, filled with microwave popcorn, hot chocolate mix, mugs and a Holiday movie. Altogether, they cost about $26 to make, plus $2 for the cellophane to wrap them. Hopefully, they’ll bring in at least that.

   The wreath is still a work in progress. The woodshop teacher is creating some wooden cut outs of our mascot for me to add on – I’m hoping that she will be able to do one large one to hang on the middle. I also found some jingle bells in our school colors to add to it, as well.  The principal has already said that she will send a proxy bidder in to purchase it for her office… so I’m hoping that she’s willing to pay big bucks for it!

Usually, we have one community member who shows up with some big checks to purchase stuff. I think one year she walked out with about half of the donated items because she just bids big on everything! I’m really hoping that she shows up again this year… because last year I came home with a toilet. Now, I didn’t really want to come home with a toilet, but I was the only one to bid – just to get it started – and paid a whopping $25 for a brand new kholer toilet. Yah, I gave it away to a cousin who is building a house. It was that or have it moved to my classroom… start the jokes about the education system now.

Just In Time

Seven things to do with a toddler on an odd day off…

1. Go for a walk – test out that umbrella and boots, do a little puddle stomping
2. Build a fort with blankets and pillows
3. make hot chocolate with marshmallows. drink while watching a movie
4. dance!
5. teach how to do a new  chore – toddlers think it’s really fun
6. make peanut butter bird feeders
7. read a book

Just A Tip

You can use baby wipes to remove dry erase marker from your ultra-suede couch cushions.  Really it works.

Also, windex will take out ball point pen.

Just in case you need that knowledge.

Bring On The Paperwork

Now that the adoption has been finalized, all the new paperwork begins. Not that I’m sad about it… but I’m sure it will be fun!
This morning, I will turn in all new paperwork at the daycare. New additions include real emergency contacts!!! You cannot believe how weird and yet free-ing it is to be able to choose who would be responsible for your children in an emergency.

Then I will be attempting to change the information for their birth certificates, insurance documents, social security cards, medical records at every office and the Y. I’m sure there are others that I'll be adding to the list...

Apple crumble

celebratory apple crisp

We're official!!! Somehow we managed to make it to our court appointment this morning. After a short wait, we were ushered into the jury room (I was there last spring as a jury member... at the time, I never thought I'd be back in there to finalize the adoption!). I think the introductions of who was who took longer than the signing of papers. My cousin wondered where the fireworks and balloons were...

How did we "manage"? On Sunday, I attempted to drive to my Aunt's house. About a block away, my windshield wipers quit. Nothing I did could get them work. I checked the fuse, attempted to examine the relay switch - which on a Volkswagen is not easy! - but nothing worked. Of course, on Sunday there is nothing open and without wipers there was no driving in the rain. So, how do we get to the courthouse on Monday? Luckily, my cousin with a minivan had the day free - whew! Four car seats (she's got two of her own) and we were off!

Then on the way there, my mother - who was following the minivan - was pulled over for speeding in a school zone. Please note "she was following the minivan"... which was going the same speed. But she's a magnet for these things. We had to leave her behind and hope for the best. Luckily, the officer lead her to the courthouse (one last stop before going to court?). She made it there just in time to meet us.

Afterwards, I wondered what would be the third thing to go wrong. Luckily, it was just a dumped coffee.

The car was fixed. Just a loose nut.

Cozy Home

I wishing for a sharing of ideas...

How do you make your home cozy and comfy for the winter?

VOTE

Don't forget to go out and vote today - mail it in, stand in line... whatever you do in your local area, just do it!

Even if you think your vote won't count - do it!  Over the past three elections, many contests have come down to a handful of votes... your voice won't be heard if you don't cast a ballot.

Even if you think your candidate has no chance of winning - do it! At least someone else will realize they're not alone and may lead a new group. Grassroots organizations do make a difference and they had to start somewhere.

Even if you think you can't fit one more "thing" into your daily schedule - do it. Will stopping to buy yet another overprice coffee drink affect your future? I mean, beyond the your personal financial bottom line? Skip it today and vote.

Who knows what kind of world you'll wake up to tomorrow if you don't.

It’s coming!

  We now have a confirmed finalization date! Hopefully, all will go according to plan and there will be no massive snow  storms over the next week or so… I’m hoping my cousin can make to the proceeding and take photos that actually look good. Got a new phone this week, with a very nice camera on it and still with the bad pictures; I may have to give up.

Today, we drove into to town to do a little early trick-or-treating and visit the “not-so-haunted house”. A local photographer was offering photos of kids, instead of candy. I’m eager to see how the photos turned out – as I’ve mentioned before, it is not easy to get a good photo of the kids. The Cuddler has started making these scrunched up faces whenever told to “smile” and Lala won’t smile at strangers. Also, the cuddler does not listen to directions very well (I’m already worrying about the teenage years). Again, I’m awaiting the photos to make a final judgement. If they turn out good, I may actually hire the photographer to do a family photo.

Tomorrow will be our first trick-or-treat expedition. Or it may be. So far, we’ve had back to back rain storms. We may just suck it up and hand out candy. There will be those who would wade through a foot of flood waters to get free candy.

Still in a Holding Pattern

and feeling like I’m circling the airport…

No one called back. Do we have a Monday court date? I don’t know, but if I don’t hear anything by tomorrow, it’s doubtful that I will be able to attend even if I do have one. Unless I want the sub from Planet Brainless. Can we say, “set the desk on fire!”

This Monday would have been perfect for me. Unfortunately, the whole week was not perfect timing for my lawyer. Isn’t that they way it always goes?

Christmas Shopping

Have you started yet? The other day I had an extra 20 minutes, so, of course, I went shopping! I found some stocking stuffers and movies on sale, so why not pick them up?
As for everything else… I’ve been at somewhat of a loss. Partially, because I can’t think of single toy the kids would enjoy. Lala has about 9 baby dolls! Seriously, they are everywhere. All of which are “neeh-kid” because she doesn’t like to play with the clothes, just covering them with blankets. The cuddler is just starting to play with his cars-he’s got tons! And so on. Also, we don’t watch enough TV or they’re just not old enough to start pointing out things in commercials. What do I get them?
The other day we visited some friends who had a robot dog. The cuddler loved it! I have the cutest pictures of him trying to get the robot dog to eat food… it was hysterical. They bought it at Goodwill for $3, but apparently they sell for $100 on Amazon. I’m heading up to the friend’s Goodwill, because apparently there are some really good bargains to found there.
Meanwhile I was thinking of getting this for Lala and the cuddler:









It’s a cardboard house that the kids can decorate themselves! How cute is that? Plus, active for all those yucky winter days. But apparently, they are out of stock. Once again, out of ideas. I’m battin’ a thousand here. Suggestions? Cannot involve markers, glue or any type of wet substance that will not easily wipe away.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

This weekend, I wrote a post and scheduled to publish on Wednesday. Among other things, it had an update on our adoption journey. I had to go in and edit because this morning I got some big news!!!

All of the paperwork has been completed and everyone is working to get a court date next Monday, Nov. 1st. Less than a week away!!! I spent the entire time on the phone with my lawyer giggling... and now I am in the process of praying for his wife. She's having a baby tomorrow and hopefully, there will be no complications that would cause him have to postpone. Also, you know, that everything goes OK because that would be really bad if it didn't and all. After three years a little selfishness is ok, right?

Hopefully, someone will call and let me know for sure tomorrow. My mother is trying to get that day off, my cousins are checking their work schedule (designated photographer) and I've been penciled in as being gone at work - but, as we all know, there aren't any guarantees.

By the way - the previous update said that I probably had another four to six weeks to wait. Ha!

Read This!

Great post here. To bad policy makers won’t read it or grasp the meaning – they’re too busy figuring out yet another way to cut funding for schools, cities, roads and anything else not devoted for their exclusive use or mailing them a check.

It’s amazing to me that someone can justify a multi-million dollar bonus for some financier hawking yet another scam as needing to pay a high salary to get the best, will in the same breath demand that the guy saving their life after an auto accident work for minimum wage… because they’re not in an accident every day.

Growth Spurt Oncoming

I’m thinking another growth spurt must be oncoming for the cuddler – he’s been eating breakfast for the past hour and a half and I don’t mean, eating slowly. So far, he’s eaten three eggo waffles, a banana, many grapes, a bowl of cereal and 1 and half cuppies of milk. Luckily, we have clothes up to 4T stored.

Board Games

How old does a kid have to be to play a board game? And how long does one have to endure "no, put that back" or "it's not your turn yet" and "come back here with those pieces" before you can actually get down to playing a game?

I would seriously, love me some CandyLand if I could figure out how to explain how to play to Lala, while keeping the cuddler from running off with various pieces.

Also, I need to read books more often.

What brought this on? A school week where I got to see the difference between how my remedial class and my advanced students play with language. It really brought home the impact parents have on the educational/academic abilities of their children. I know it's politically popular to blame teachers for all the nation's ills lately, but an involved parent will just about beat any obstacle society throws at a kid. I want mine to beat the odds.

Pumpkin Spice and Picture Books

I am trying to wean myself from pumpkin spice lattes. It is probably not good to have that much sugar every morning and I’m sure it will do something dastardly to my energy levels. As the days get shorter, my energy level drops inverse with the lengthening of night.

I hate to admit it, but lately, I’ve been falling asleep at 8.15pm. Sadly, getting up early has never been one of my strong suits.

There are morning people and there are night owls… I am a mid-day kind of person. Around 1 pm my energy level picks up and I’m ready tackle that endless to-do list. Then it drops back down around 5pm. By the time I can actually get stuff done without kids, I’m ready to fall back asleep. I need a new plan.

Did you see the NYT article about the waning market for picture books? Supposedly, more parents are pushing their kids to read chapter books earlier and earlier, eschewing picture books as something only for infants. Picture books are just a bunch of pretty pictures. Often the stories explain very complex ideas in a way that kids can understand (Pink and Say ) or include reading/speaking skills are important for advanced language development (Dr. Seuss ). Even when a child is reading, the ideas and themes expressed in a picture book lend themselves to important conversations between child and adult – not mention giving them the chance to really develop those comprehension skills needed for those big chapter books. You’ll find a lot of high school teachers using these books not only to explain ideas, but using them as examples of characterization, plot development, rhetorical argument, importance of setting, voice and tone in building the story. Just because your kid owns Harry Potter, does not mean that most of their information doesn’t come from the movie. Subtle plot development doesn’t work well with five year olds… as any parent of one will tell you when they are trying to get them to stop asking about the “fat lady” in line at the bank.

And I dare you to try to read Pink and Say without blubbering – but it’s so good and so important.

School Choice

I’m becoming less and less enamored with this whole work 80 hours a week lifestyle. If I’m not attending a meeting, I’m preparing for one… while the demands of my actual job keep piling up. I’m seriously starting to think about trying to find an online job this spring. The problem is that no one seems to talking about what actual salaries are being offered and what benefits there really are. Of course, everything ties into various things going on at work and what I need to do for the kids in the future. And if I believe I seriously can be at home with two children every day while working – it’s not as fun as some people make it out to be. At least not at age three/two.

In two years Lala will be heading off to kindergarten. And sending her off to the district school (we don’t actually have “neighborhood” schools around here) just doesn’t sound appealing. Although I know she would be psych’d for the school bus ride, and what little kid isn’t?, it just doesn’t sound like the best educational experience. Class sizes are over 25, despite state laws against this. Teachers aren’t given time to plan during the day and there are no extras like art or PE. It’s reading and math for hours at a time – no structured play, limited recess, science and social studies.

And then there is the whole “good kid” vs. “bad kid” issue. I hate to break the news to my sister, but my niece is doomed to sit next to the class loony for the rest of her academic career. Not just this month. It’s a very common classroom management tactic – one I’ll fully admit to using myself if the “good kid” doesn’t whither too fast. Even better… if the loony sitting next to my niece improves his behavior, she will be moved to sit by a new loony (another one will always pop up) and so on. Our local elementary has more than it’s fair share of loonies. I assume that neither Lala or the Cuddler will be the “bad kid”, so am I dooming them to a poor educational experience? Or at best, one filled with psychotic breaks and swear words instead of Little House on the Prairie and science fairs?

Then again, what are my other options? And can I afford them?

Nothing new on the adoption front. Waiting for the last piece of paper to be signed – hopefully by the end of the month?