Thursday, September 25, 2008

Enjoy the Swing

Today was an enjoyable day for me. I got to take a trip down memory lane. As many of you know, Lynne over at And Babies Make Six and I are good friends. Great friends, actually. Well, her husband is in the hospital so she needed someone to pick the kids up from preschool so she could stay with him. Since I was home "sick" today, I was glad to help.

So when we got home, it was a beautiful fall day out, they just got a new swing last week for their birthday, and the first words out of Austin's mouth were, "Can we play outside today?" And who am I to be a spoil sport. Of course, we can play outside, Austin! So outside we went.

And we swang, and we played in the sand, and we played on the Little Tikes climby thing, and Tyler and John "hiked" through the woods (I mean shrubs...), and we swang some more. And as we were swinging, and the boys were calling to me from the top of the fort, my mind wondered.

It seems like only yesterday that Youngest Child and I were swinging in our backyard waiting for OC to get off the bus. It seems like only yesterday that I took YC to the park for the first time to feed the ducks and play on the baby slide that was way too big for her. It seems like I have only blinked a couple of times since the girls used to love to go out in the backyard and play in the sandbox together. Now, getting them to do anything together is quite an accomplishment. One of YC's favorite things to do was wait in the driveway for the school bus. We would go out extra early so she could get in plenty of bike-riding time before OC got off the bus.

So as the babies were swinging, and Austin was saving the world, I was walking down memory lane. How quickly I've gone from "Will my girls remember this?" to "I hope my girls forget about this one". Where have those days gone? The carefree days of play dates (for moms as well as the kids), spending mornings at the park feeding the ducks, story time at the library...far be it from me not to have the most well-educated child on the block.

When did it get to be school/homework/dinner/bed - and wake up tomorrow so you can do it all over again? Where has all the time gone? The girls have gotten older, but I certainly haven't. So enjoy the swing. Swing them high, swing them low. But by all means, swing them. For you, too, will blink your eyes only once or twice and they will be in high school and middle school, you will be the dumbest person on the planet, and they will need your help for nothing other than driving them somewhere to do something with someone they like.

Enjoy the swing, babies...and happy birthday! (Maybe by the time you're 30, I'll quit calling you babies!)

Thursday, September 4, 2008

100 for 100

This post has been a long time in the making...just over a year, actually. But one hundred little-known, boring facts about yours truly. I promise it will be boring, so if you want to stop reading now, I'll understand. If you're nosy like me and just like to know "stuff", keep reading.

1. I've been married to Dear Husband for 16 years
2. It has been a wonderful sixteen years
3. I am married to my best friend
4. Oldest Child is 14, Youngest Child is 11, The Dude is 23
5. I teach fourth grade in a public school
6. I love teaching fourth grade in a public school
7. I worked as a secretary for a major athletic company for 7 years right out of college
8. I was a stay home mommy after Youngest Child was born
9. I wasn't a very good stay home mommy
10. Being a stay home mommy is, by far, the hardest job I've ever had
11. Midnight, the black Lab, will be sixteen on October 18th
12. Midnight was DH's Christmas gift the first Christmas we were married
13. Montana, the black Lab, is seven
14. We got Montana to lessen the blow because we knew Midnight wouldn't live forever
15. Midnight may very well outlive Montana
16. Spencer, the black Lab, is 4
17. We rescued Spencer from an abusive relationship
18. When Spencer first came to live with us, he wouldn't go near DH
19. Spencer has come to love his life of luxury and his unfortunate beginning is far, far removed from his brain
20. Reggie the cat is 5ish.
21. Youngest Child used to have trouble substituting "W" for "R"
22. Youngest Child began speech therapy in kindergarten
23. Reggie the cat is quite happy YC started speech therapy at such an early age
24. I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't believe in God
25. My mom died when I was four years old
26. You never truly get over #25
27. My favorite sport is Nascar
28. My favorite driver is Dale, Jr.
29. I lived in the same house the first 20 years of my life
30. I only went to one elementary school
31. I love to go camping
32. My students think its "cool" that I have a dirt bike and a 4-wheeler
33. I love living in the country
34. It's not really "country"; its not in a subdivision. It's off the beaten path
35. I've actually borrowed a cup of sugar from my neighbor
36. I wish I was in better shape
37. I have good intentions of walking 30 minutes daily
38. You know what they way about good intentions
39. I love my mother-in-law
40. I was sad when she moved two hours away
41. I like high school football games
42. Karen Kingsbury is one of the best authors I've ever read
43. I'll be sad when her last series comes to an end
44. Could this list get any more random than it already is?!
45. I am a good friend to others
46. I put up a wall around myself that hinders me from letting others be a good friend to me
47. It's hard loving with everything you have
48. You get hurt a lot when you practice #47
49. Sometimes it's hard to forgive
50. It's always hard to forget
51. One of my biggest college regrets is not joining a soriority
52. I didn't think I needed #51
53. I hope OC and YC join a soriority
54. I hope they choose a good one
55. I would love to live at the beach
56. I hate airplanes
57. If I never fly again, it will be one day too soon
58. I have vertigo
59. I think #56 and #58 are connected
60. My vertigo is triggered by stress
61. I'm a control freak
62. Blogging relaxes me
63. Painting rooms relaxes me
64. I have repainted almost every room in my house
65. I love sitting by the fireplace on a cold, rainy evening
66. I hate snow
67. I could never go back living where it's really cold
68. I could eat out every night of the week
69. I would have to be independently wealthy to do #68
70. I am not independently wealthy
71. Financial Peace University was one of the most beneficial classes I ever took
72. I used to be able to water ski
73. I still like riding the boat and watching people water ski
74. I can't water ski anymore
75. I enjoy the challenge of keeping indoor plants alive
76. I have one of the biggest (real) violets I've ever seen. I'm tempted to seperate it, but I'm afraid I'll kill it...so it continues to be overgrown.
77. My grandmother always had a violet in her kitchen window when I was growing up
78. We go with that which is familiar
79. Sometimes, familiar is not so good
80. I learned my multiplication tables when I was in 4th grade.
81. My fourth graders don't believe #80
82. They also don't believe all the tears it took to make me memorize my multiplication tables 83. Some things you learn in school are good for you
84. 9th grade math is too hard for me
85. I showed up to take the Praxis (teaher certification test) with the wrong calculator
86. I failed the test
87. I got certified anyway
88. I'm glad I got certified anyway
89. I love teaching
90. My perfect dream day includes sand, the ocean, a cold beverage, a comfy chair, and a Karen Kingsbury book
91. I love homemade macaroni and cheese
92. I have a goal of reading the Bible from cover to cover
93. I hope I have lots of time left to complete #92
94. I drive a truck that is paid for and hope to never have a 5-year-truck payment again!
95. I hate paying bills
96. Paying bills, the physical act of paying bills - not the stress of is the money there, causes me stress
97. Refer back to #58 and #60
98. Antivert is a wonder-drug
99. I hope you have enjoyed reading this
100. I have enjoyed writing this; it made me relax, reflect, and remember. Sometimes that is a good thing.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Alas...

beforeafter


You don't honestly think I went through the whole ordeal of painting my living room and now I'm not going to get credit for it, do you?! I think not! Although I have to admit that I didn't get to the organizing the kitchen cabinets. But hey, I've still got...let me do the math...a few more days to get it done. And I actually bought the bins I need to clean out the cabinets. And the dogs actually broke the lock on the pantry and we've been trying to find one that's black-Lab-proof so I can, hmmm, use the pantry. As opposed to coming home the its contents strewn all through my kitchen. And, as an added bonus, I may actually have something, the perfect something, on my mantel.



And, as another added bonus, you'll have to come right back here tomorrow, because as of this post, it is now time for me to post my famous 100th post and I know you wouldn't want to miss that one!