When Mom Is Away...

I was going to show you a picture of what happens when I take a week off from sweeping & mopping the floors...but that picture turned out blurry...not sure why. Take it from me, it was gross, it was just from the kitchen too! There are some things I do nightly, bathe the kids, clean the toilet while they play, under the toilet, piping leading to the toilet, the slight gap between the floor & toilet by running a washcloth or paper towel under it, around the screws, the lid, you get the idea-I also clean around the highchair, the floor that is, because let's face 9 months is not the time to teach neatness while eating. Last night I got home (more to come later) and I was giving the boys a bath (talk about a welcome back to reality-get home at 5:30 do baths by 6:30 kids in bed at 7:00) and I was sitting on the toilet going, man it stinks in here, man it stinks in here before I actually voice, it really stinks in here at which time I am informed the toilet hasn't been cleaned since Thursday night. Now the toilet not being cleaned for four days isn't a big deal in most homes, but in our house in that bathroom this is a huge obviously stinky deal-I was tired the toilet went another night without being cleaned. Have no fear it is C-L-E-A-N now. So tonight after a rather eventful dinner with Roo including real bananas instead of jarred bananas there was a lot to clean up...as I cleaned I looked at the paper towel-it turned my stomach. After the boys went to bed I swept the floors-gross-felt nauseous and then proceeded to mop them. I feel a little better now-tomorrow night I will tackle the kitchen counters & our bathroom. My other thought as I was sweeping up & taking a blurry picture of the mess in the kitchen is my husband had his family over this weekend while I was gone-another stomach churn. All will be well and clean soon. Very soon.

I could be digging here, but can a 9 month old show attitude? I know they can show more emotion and discontent and are WAY more vocal at this age, but can they throw attitude? The reason I ask is because I swear Roo sighed at me today as he plopped his fat butt down in the tub. He likes to stand in the tub and I don't even have to begin to cover the reasons as to why I prefer him not to stand in the tub. So when he stands I say, "Sit down" and he usually happily obeys...today...much different...today, he I promise sighed and then with a big thud sat down-now how this didn't bruise his butt is beyond me-he sat I guess I should be happy with that, but my big question is, is he already starting to throw attitude? :) Today my two year old gave me the sign for "don't talk to me right now", that they use at school-which I haven't researched to see if that is A. really a sign and B. if he is using it correctly-but I was in complete shock because while I have gotten this "sign" before I have never gotten it when asking, "What do you want for dinner?" Craziness!

Good news: Report cards done...a week ahead of time...some unhappy parents will be in my room on Oct. 3rd-if you pray you might want to pray for me-it would be a shame for me to get murdered on my birthday.

Better news: I am not going to bed as late as I originally thought, I just have to do lesson plans for Monday. I was going to do all of next week just in case I died or I get stuck in Jamaica but I don't think either one will happen, and if it does I can always say, HEY MY REPORT CARDS WERE DONE. :)

GREAT news: I leave in ONE day-not packed-need stuff-going to get it done before Friday at 6:45 a.m.-did I mention that I leave in one day? Did I mention that my good friend is going to treat me to a pedicure for my birthday before I leave...that is nice. Did I mention that another friend called tonight to wish me a safe & happy trip? How thoughtful!

Feel good news: Today at school I got this wonderfully decorated pail (pictures after the trip) from all my coworkers with cool stuff inside, it was a thank you gift. I felt very loved. :)

Off to do lesson plans for Monday!

THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL JAMAICA MON!!

LOST DOG!!

Perhaps she is here....
Possibly here.....

FOUND HER!!

Maggie May got a hair cut today...I did it myself, I saved $40. When I purchased the clippers they were $28 that was a few months ago, so they have more than paid for themselves if I never use them again.

Fall Weather

The first time Rhino wore jeans he was about 9 months old, I thought he looked so cute in his white shirt & Levi's I had to snap a picture before going to work. Last year on the first day it was cold enough to wear jeans I snapped a picture of him (no clue where to find that picture)and this year was more of the same except it was camo. Now, these pants have a story. I purchased them 2 years ago when Rhino was almost 1 thinking he could wear them LAST FALL...but they just now fit. So we will enjoy our $10 camo pants this year!

As traditions go, Roo is wearing the Levi's today. MAN HE WAS CUTE!!! I love a baby in jeans!

Monday Again

Today I picked Rhino up from school because I came home early, anyway, he wasn't happy I picked him up. It was my first time picking him up and he cried, he wanted his daddy. I won him over in the end because I had fruit and chocolate milk! :) When we got to the house he said, "Mom, I want to hear that toker smoker song again." I fell out laughing!! We were listening to The Steve Miller Band's The Joker

Other than feeling kind of crappy all day and visiting the toilet multiple times, today was a good one. Dinner was obviously very good for Roo today:

I mailed out a letter to family asking them to buy Rhino's $10 raffle tickets for a chance to win $1,000 in gas at a gas station of their choice. It is the first of four fundraisers! :( Well today I get this letter from my uncle who we mail pictures to religiously but I haven't seen him in 5.5 years, not since I got married.

Dear K.B.,

Sorry so late in writing to thank you for the pictures of those beautiful boys. What a pair!

We sold our hides last week and have some to spare. Possum-n-coon (Hides, not stew) brought good. I was gonna just send hides but shipping was ridiculous so we'll send a check. Don't feel bad 'bout having to send yer kids to an Italian school; our kids went to a mostly African school. If Rhino keeps thriving he'll get out of the lower class. One thing, Ms. Mylinda can use her last name outside of AA meetings. Those Italians are bad to drink but AA sure did turn me around.

*The rest is about his kid. *I copied his letter exactly and grew up in a different time and in a different area of the country so the African school thing is not my point of view.

But seriously, isn't that a hoot? I laughed and laughed and then let my jaw drop when I saw that the check wasn't for $10 but $50. :) SCORE!

Now to be fair some pictures of Rhino coloring yesterday, he is pointing out each person's parrot:

A Bummer Moment & A YES Moment

We have a kid in our school and they have missed 10 days out of 26 days. One day I noticed that they weren't at school and I asked my parapro to count up how many days they had been out...7, SEVEN days I said? That is crazy! So I went to my director and said, I have a kid that has been out 7 days, which then led to 8. Then yesterday was 9 because they came in too late for it to count as being present and there was a heart to heart meeting with the mom and this morning they weren't present...so I got a call, they'll be here just a little late. Then about an hour later I get this call, "----- is here, they are here to withdraw her." Me, "Really? Okay.", hang up bummed. There is A LOT to this story A LOT one of those, this is a great kid in a bad situation and you are about to lose touch with it. :( That is the part of teaching that sucks, you get attached and connected emotionally involved and then in these situations you are vested and then BAM it is taken away from you. It is like being 2 and all of the sudden someone comes and takes your very favorite blanket/stuffed animal/Spiderman costume. So, I just have to pray for that person and that situation and leave it at that.

A YES moment! I missed all the new S.S. training last year by not being in a public school, so I am just going by the state created curriculum map, where focus/unit 1 says you must teach certain concepts so students can make connections throughout the rest of the year. So yesterday we talked about ideals & beliefs and then today conflict & change. (It all ties together) I tried to think about how I would teach conflict other than using this example: conflict is when you and your friend or brother or sister fight. I had an idea and hoped it would work. I gave everyone a hunk of Play-Doh and told them to make something, then when they were done I made everyone move to one side of the room, I went by and ruined everyone's work. The kids were none to happy with me, but I said we have a conflict, blah, blah, blah. We were able to discuss all four points after all of that then EVERY SINGLE kid could tell me what conflict was how conflict caused change (negative or positive) and most were able to tie it together to ideals & beliefs...that made this morning's drama all worth it.

Growing Stronger

I have been pretty private about a lot of things, especially some parenthood things, but I had a "funny" thought today. I was looking at Nick and I thought: We are going through some things, we are going through some stuff that tear marriages to pieces in an instant. We are leaning on each other more than ever, we are sharing, we are sharing our feelings, we are going through such a tough time and here we are closer than ever, wanting each other more and more (not like that), I miss him every 3rd day when he shares himself with the county. I never thought that stuff like this could bring us closer, it is supposed to drive us apart not bring us closer. I asked him randomly today that if he could go back and re-do us would he, he said no way, I said do you feel as close to me as I feel to you, like this insane almost overwhelming need, a I need you need, I am glad you are here, I am glad I have you to talk to, confide in, my best friend, my best friend the one I can trust the most tell my inner most horrible thoughts-usually to find out you feel the exact same way, it makes it feel less lonely, it makes it feel okay, it makes all of this easier as hard as it is to know that you are there to experience it all with me and it is bringing us closer together and not ripping us apart. All he said was, "Exactly." So it isn't a funny thought, but it is a funny how life got us here thought.

Today, Rhino was painting and got very excited, excited doesn't begin to explain his voice, his eyes lit up and he was running to me with paint in his hand, do you see it mommy?

"Do you see this orange?"

"Yes, I see it!"

"Do you see this orange, it is different, it is a different orange, I never realized that before, did you?"

"No, I have never noticed that before but I am glad you have taken time to notice."

"Don't go anywhere, I will be right back, right back mommy. LOOK!! Do you see this orange? Do you? It is different because I mixed it with this brown but it is still orange!!"

To get that excited over orange he must know this girl. I was impressed with the quick painting he did, but more impressed that my 2 year old just used the word realized and used it correctly.

Roo, man that kid is so happy, I have never seen such a happy kid! Fat, yes, but this happy, no way! Today we went to the flea market just to check it out and countless people made comments on how happy he was, cute, fat, & happy who could ask for anything more?

Lesson plans anyone? That is in order for the night.

Do You Know TOMS?

Do you know about this company? I am very excited about finding this company and I am looking into buying these shoes for the kids and maybe around my birthday when I have some birthday money I will buy some for me. :)

For Roo, he is only a week maybe two away from walking: Buffalo Canvas
For Rhino, he needs some shoes for school: White Canvas Shoes

I am not one to spend this much on shoes normally, but for a good cause I am all over it!

Ron Clark

Who wouldn't want to go to this?

http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/conference.aspx

I saw a kid recently with a Ron Clark Academy t-shirt on at the Tanger Outlets and I so badly wanted to ask him if he went, how he liked it, what was special about it, etc. But I thought better of it since I am a stranger and his mom might try to kick my butt or kill me for talking to her kid. (Get me on the right day I am liable to do either one!)

My favorite part of that conference is not only Movie Night but Prom Night. Besides getting awesome & inspiring ideas, I would love to do a fun Prom Night! But at $495 a conference, I better win an entry rather than even begin thinking about it. :) Check this out: https://www.ronclarkacademy.com/test-scores.aspx to see test score gains...now that my friends to me is inspiring, having fun while learning and then gaining that much-SIGN ME UP!

Off to a bath to read a novel that lets me feel a little more normal about mommy hood and then off to bed...hopefully early.