I can:
~ Tell you all the different flavors of Axe body spray for men solely by their sent.
~ Speak fluent sarcasm. I've got the eye roll down too
~ Give you great gift ideas for either a teenage girl or guy. Girl...anything with Twilight or make-up (bonus points for anything that's sparkly). Boys...Axe body spray for men or flat brimmed hats.
~ Identify the names of songs that I have no desire to listen to. The same goes with the singers who sing them.
~ Say with confidence that middle school students should NOT have a cell phone of their own!
~ Persuade a 13 year old boy to clean something for a mere Jolly Rancher. (the blue flavor)
~ dream of the day when alcohol is allowed at the work-place. There are some days when a Tylenol just won't cut it and I need something just a little stronger...
~ Be cheered up immediately by a silly story or a kind gesture...yes they do happen!
~ Argue why there should NEVER be year-round-school. Spend 9 months in an 8th grade classroom...by month 8 you are inches away from a break-down.
~ Know now that when my own kids are middle schoolers they will not like me. No cell phone of their own. No skimpy skirts or inappropriate shirts. I will not call a coach to tell him/her that my kid needs more playing time. I will not tell a teacher that my child's poor performance is the teacher's fault. I will not hold drinking parties for my kids and their friends. I will NOT be the cool mom... (and will be thanked for it later...Thank you mama Julie!)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thank You...
...to all the men and women who serve our country.
I lived for a while in Emporia, KS. The birth place of Veteran's day. Veteran's Day used to be called Armistice day, which celebrated the cease fire of WWI that is said to have occurred at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. A business man in Emporia worked to get it changed to Veteran's Day in order to honor ALL veterans of the military. Because of this, Emporia takes great pride in Veteran's Day and everything is shut down. Businesses are not open, there is a very large parade and other events, and of course there is no school. Now, ever since having lived there I have always taken the stand that there should be no school, just like other national holidays.
Today was different. I went to school knowing that today would be a different type of school day. The kids were going through a health fair in the morning and then after lunch we were having a Veteran's day program to honor all those who have served or are currently serving our country. Little did I know just how powerful today would be.
At 12 we all gathered in the gym and welcomed local veterans into the gym with the band playing. We had Veterans from every war from WWII to one individual who was leaving at 2:00 TODAY for Afghanistan! They were all recognized, the choir sang the Star Spangled Banner, the band played, students read Veteran's Day essays, and many of us had to blink back tears throughout the presentation.
After this the students were lucky enough to be able to listen to our heroes speak about their experiences. We heard stories of years at sea carring bombs to the Pacific Islands, having to pull the bodies of fallen soldiers on the beaches of Normandy to be buried, flying aircraft in Vietnam, experiencing "friendly fire" and marching in the hot desert in Kuwait. WOW. What an awesome lesson our middle school kids learned today.
I now firmly believe that EVERY school should do something like this to honor our Veterans. If we would have let out school not one of those kids would have showed our soldiers the type of respect they saw today. What our teenagers learned today was far more important than any algebra problem or science experiment they would have done otherwise.
Far too often we take for granted the things that are most important...for all you who have served, are serving, or have lost loved ones, thank you.
I lived for a while in Emporia, KS. The birth place of Veteran's day. Veteran's Day used to be called Armistice day, which celebrated the cease fire of WWI that is said to have occurred at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. A business man in Emporia worked to get it changed to Veteran's Day in order to honor ALL veterans of the military. Because of this, Emporia takes great pride in Veteran's Day and everything is shut down. Businesses are not open, there is a very large parade and other events, and of course there is no school. Now, ever since having lived there I have always taken the stand that there should be no school, just like other national holidays.
Today was different. I went to school knowing that today would be a different type of school day. The kids were going through a health fair in the morning and then after lunch we were having a Veteran's day program to honor all those who have served or are currently serving our country. Little did I know just how powerful today would be.
At 12 we all gathered in the gym and welcomed local veterans into the gym with the band playing. We had Veterans from every war from WWII to one individual who was leaving at 2:00 TODAY for Afghanistan! They were all recognized, the choir sang the Star Spangled Banner, the band played, students read Veteran's Day essays, and many of us had to blink back tears throughout the presentation.
After this the students were lucky enough to be able to listen to our heroes speak about their experiences. We heard stories of years at sea carring bombs to the Pacific Islands, having to pull the bodies of fallen soldiers on the beaches of Normandy to be buried, flying aircraft in Vietnam, experiencing "friendly fire" and marching in the hot desert in Kuwait. WOW. What an awesome lesson our middle school kids learned today.
I now firmly believe that EVERY school should do something like this to honor our Veterans. If we would have let out school not one of those kids would have showed our soldiers the type of respect they saw today. What our teenagers learned today was far more important than any algebra problem or science experiment they would have done otherwise.
Far too often we take for granted the things that are most important...for all you who have served, are serving, or have lost loved ones, thank you.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Be careful what you say around your little ones...
Me: Hi "John" how are you?
"John" (Name has been changed to protect the innocent...or in this case, the cute kid): Hi
Me: Have you been practicing your 10 Commandments?
"John": Kind of.
Me: ok...why don't you give them a try.
"John": Well...I really only know the first one "You shall have no other gods besides me" and the 9th one "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife." Cause that's what our neighbor does!
I love 2nd graders!
"John" (Name has been changed to protect the innocent...or in this case, the cute kid): Hi
Me: Have you been practicing your 10 Commandments?
"John": Kind of.
Me: ok...why don't you give them a try.
"John": Well...I really only know the first one "You shall have no other gods besides me" and the 9th one "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife." Cause that's what our neighbor does!
I love 2nd graders!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Our Little Houdini
I awoke Tuesday morning to barking dogs. This is not unusual. Ethan and I live out in the country a bit and there are many things that grab the attention of our two "guard dogs." However this was different. This was louder. Hmmm...I wondered what had those to all wound up, so I got out of bed (moving rather slowly, as it was the 2nd day I was waking up with the flu) and checked out the window. All I could see without my glasses was some blur of a shape that looked to have four legs. Great. Some animal has our girls all excited and I'll never get back to sleep. I grab my glasses and go to the front door to see if I can't make out exactly what is causing all the commotion.
It was Breck!
How in the hell did she get out of our fenced in back yard???
After getting her safely back inside and causing enough commotion for Ethan to decide to come upstairs and see what was going on. (He slept downstairs while I was sick...how nice of him to give me the whole bed to myself!) He bundled up and went outside to investigate the situation and see how our little magician worked her way outside. All gates were closed. No chairs were next to the fence. Hmmm....
He decided that there was a tree branch that had grown low enough for her to use that to propel herself over the fence, and we decided to keep her inside the crate until he could cut down the branch.
True to his word, Ethan got the chainsaw from his parents house and cut the branch off the next day, and just to make sure the problem was solved we took Breck outside to see if she could still get out...
Yeah, she climbed the fence.
I'll tell you again...SHE CLIMBED THE FENCE!!!
There is roughly 1/2 acre of fenced in backyard for her to run and play in. There are many dogs who would give anything to have that much yard. Not Breck. She needed more.
We should have named her Houdini...
It was Breck!
How in the hell did she get out of our fenced in back yard???
After getting her safely back inside and causing enough commotion for Ethan to decide to come upstairs and see what was going on. (He slept downstairs while I was sick...how nice of him to give me the whole bed to myself!) He bundled up and went outside to investigate the situation and see how our little magician worked her way outside. All gates were closed. No chairs were next to the fence. Hmmm....
He decided that there was a tree branch that had grown low enough for her to use that to propel herself over the fence, and we decided to keep her inside the crate until he could cut down the branch.
True to his word, Ethan got the chainsaw from his parents house and cut the branch off the next day, and just to make sure the problem was solved we took Breck outside to see if she could still get out...
Yeah, she climbed the fence.
I'll tell you again...SHE CLIMBED THE FENCE!!!
There is roughly 1/2 acre of fenced in backyard for her to run and play in. There are many dogs who would give anything to have that much yard. Not Breck. She needed more.
We should have named her Houdini...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wedding Planning Surprises
As I am in the middle of trying to plan my wedding I am finding out more and more that the "perfect wedding" I had in my mind as a kid sure has a lot more to it than just pretty dresses and matching colors. There is so much more to wedding planning than anyone can really tell you about. Here are just a few of the things I am finding out as I go...
~ EVERYTHING is expensive. That stupid TLC "Wedding Show" that had me hooked into watching and getting ideas when I was in my early 20s in college should really include the prices of these beautiful weddings they show. Cause I'm betting not one of them was less than 10,000.
~ You will constantly want to talk about it. I can't help it. I even make goals NOT to talk about it today...and at some point I mention something about it.
~ You will count down the months, weeks, and days. It's so corny...but true!
~ He might just care about helping with the planning. Mine does...and it's nice. :)
~ All the little tiny details...like writing the petitions for Mass or feeding your bridal party lunch on the day of the wedding. (Good thing Bird got married a couple weeks ago so I could see what all I had to do)
~ Everyone will want to be invited. I've had people tell me they had marked the day down on their calendar so they would be sure to be there... How nice of them to remember my wedding day, but I hope they make other plans when they don't get an invite...
~ Apparently it is absolutely necessary for you to have background music while the guests wait at the reception hall for everyone to arrive.
~ The hard part about registering for gifts is actually picking the places you want stuff from. When Penny's has the bath towels you want and Wal-Mart has the shower curtain and Bed Bath and Beyond has the dishes and Sears has the grill and Target has the fire pit it sure makes it hard to narrow it down.
~ There are ultimately not enough of the "good" jobs for all your friends and family...someone has to be the guestbook!
~ EVERYTHING is expensive. That stupid TLC "Wedding Show" that had me hooked into watching and getting ideas when I was in my early 20s in college should really include the prices of these beautiful weddings they show. Cause I'm betting not one of them was less than 10,000.
~ You will constantly want to talk about it. I can't help it. I even make goals NOT to talk about it today...and at some point I mention something about it.
~ You will count down the months, weeks, and days. It's so corny...but true!
~ He might just care about helping with the planning. Mine does...and it's nice. :)
~ All the little tiny details...like writing the petitions for Mass or feeding your bridal party lunch on the day of the wedding. (Good thing Bird got married a couple weeks ago so I could see what all I had to do)
~ Everyone will want to be invited. I've had people tell me they had marked the day down on their calendar so they would be sure to be there... How nice of them to remember my wedding day, but I hope they make other plans when they don't get an invite...
~ Apparently it is absolutely necessary for you to have background music while the guests wait at the reception hall for everyone to arrive.
~ The hard part about registering for gifts is actually picking the places you want stuff from. When Penny's has the bath towels you want and Wal-Mart has the shower curtain and Bed Bath and Beyond has the dishes and Sears has the grill and Target has the fire pit it sure makes it hard to narrow it down.
~ There are ultimately not enough of the "good" jobs for all your friends and family...someone has to be the guestbook!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Random Chatter
~ I only blogged one time in September. Where did this month go?
~ My nephew turned 2 today. He is getting so big and talking so much. It is so fun to watch them grow from a distance...
~ Why is it that the one night you actually want the volleyball games to go fast so you can get home in time for your TV show everything will be done in the universe's power to make sure that it runs as slow as possible and you end up late for your show and eating dinner at 8:15 at night.
~ I like to eat dinner as early as possible without seeming too weird...I don't like to eat past 7:00 or 7:30.
~ I'm coaching the JV volleyball girls this year and I find that no matter what level of girls you coach you will indubitably have drama, weenie-itis, and players that MUST leave practice early to go fix their hair for the football game.
~ Ethan and I are having our engagement pictures taken this weekend and I'm really excited. I think it will be a fun way to spend a Saturday evening along with dinner out downtown.
~ On Monday Ethan and I will have been seeing each other for 2 years...where does the time go.
~ My dad is planning on breeding our new puppy Copper. He is such a good looking and well-mannered dog that dad thinks he needs to help have puppies. I'm hoping that he helps have many litters and someday I can talk Ethan into getting one!
~ I came home tonight to a cleaned kitchen and laundry going. I love that man!
~ My friend Bridget, also known as "Bird" finally got married last weekend. It was such a beautiful wedding and everyone had such a good time. I am very happy for her and Ruben!
~ My mother has a facebook account... I helped her set it up...
~ I got my nails done again. It lasted about 2 months of not going in to have them all "prettied up." I am so glad that I have girly hands again and doubt that I will stop any time soon.
~ I know that I have plenty of time, but I just can't decide how I want to have my hair for my wedding... With the style of dress I have I really should probably have my hair up. But I just LOVE how pretty my hair is down. I guess I have a while to make that decision.
~ My sister is about to start her Senior year on the ESU basketball team. SENIOR! Wow.
~ HA! At the wedding last weekend my dad ended up taking over the bar tending... It was awesome!
~ We are in the process of redoing our bathroom. I will post before and after picture once we are finished. It will look so cool! I can't wait :)
~ My nephew turned 2 today. He is getting so big and talking so much. It is so fun to watch them grow from a distance...
~ Why is it that the one night you actually want the volleyball games to go fast so you can get home in time for your TV show everything will be done in the universe's power to make sure that it runs as slow as possible and you end up late for your show and eating dinner at 8:15 at night.
~ I like to eat dinner as early as possible without seeming too weird...I don't like to eat past 7:00 or 7:30.
~ I'm coaching the JV volleyball girls this year and I find that no matter what level of girls you coach you will indubitably have drama, weenie-itis, and players that MUST leave practice early to go fix their hair for the football game.
~ Ethan and I are having our engagement pictures taken this weekend and I'm really excited. I think it will be a fun way to spend a Saturday evening along with dinner out downtown.
~ On Monday Ethan and I will have been seeing each other for 2 years...where does the time go.
~ My dad is planning on breeding our new puppy Copper. He is such a good looking and well-mannered dog that dad thinks he needs to help have puppies. I'm hoping that he helps have many litters and someday I can talk Ethan into getting one!
~ I came home tonight to a cleaned kitchen and laundry going. I love that man!
~ My friend Bridget, also known as "Bird" finally got married last weekend. It was such a beautiful wedding and everyone had such a good time. I am very happy for her and Ruben!
~ My mother has a facebook account... I helped her set it up...
~ I got my nails done again. It lasted about 2 months of not going in to have them all "prettied up." I am so glad that I have girly hands again and doubt that I will stop any time soon.
~ I know that I have plenty of time, but I just can't decide how I want to have my hair for my wedding... With the style of dress I have I really should probably have my hair up. But I just LOVE how pretty my hair is down. I guess I have a while to make that decision.
~ My sister is about to start her Senior year on the ESU basketball team. SENIOR! Wow.
~ HA! At the wedding last weekend my dad ended up taking over the bar tending... It was awesome!
~ We are in the process of redoing our bathroom. I will post before and after picture once we are finished. It will look so cool! I can't wait :)
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