Update

Several things to update on:

1. First of all, Emily is still sick with a high fever. That "ear infection" I was so confident about turned out to not exist. Probably some viral thing which stinks because we have to wait it out rather than medicate. And everybody knows how I feel about waiting for anything!

2. The Babies! I went to the doctor Tuesday and since she couldn't tell the difference between the two heart beats on the fetal monitor, she decided I needed an ultra-sound. Darn! :) I asked the tech if she could tell what they were, but one was literally placing the little hands over itself, and the other she thought could be a boy, but then she thought it was a girl. She finally said that it is a little more obvious if it is a boy, so that makes me think it is a girl. I would love to have one of each, for no other reason than I think it is only fair that Scott should have to take somebody to a public restroom ! Being patient about this is so hard! (see above!)

3. Since last Saturday's restaurant cuss storm we have found a better restaurant that serves my favorite craved food: Spicy chicken wings! So that is that. No more going to the cuss barn for dinner with Emily.

4. Headaches-- man do they stink! Maybe this is God trying to teach me empathy for Scott when he gets migraines. I am learning to control them better with chiropractic care, and when all else fails my doc gave me a wonderful sedative/pain reliever called fioraset. I'm not ever too keen on pills, but these are a life-saver!

5. We leave for California 12/21. We can't wait! Emily keeps talking about sitting on her Papa's lap to watch a movie and eat popcorn. Personally, I can't wait for the food! Scott and I have a mental list of all the great restaurants that we don't have here, and I can't wait to go to a few of those!

** Looks like we should make it to Fresno at least over night. We're hoping to see Paul and Mary of course, but maybe we can get together with friends too! It may be a Monday though if anybody's up to it.

Sick Day

I got a call at work this afternoon that Emily was running a fever and not feeling well. Apparently after the first hour of preschool she decided she couldn't do it any more, and sat in a corner and whimpered. She was fine this morning, but something is making her feel awful!

The funny part is that when I got her home I put her directly in bed, where she wanted to go. She laid down and said that her top was not comfy because the hood was making a "bump on her back." When I took it off I suggested she just sleep w/o a shirt. Well, that was blasphemous apparently, because Emily got really frustrated with me. She said, "Mommy, that just wouldn't be cozy!" and then she burst in to tears!

Poor girl. Probably just an ear infection. Easy to fix, yet extremely painful. I'm glad we are getting this taken care of before the air plane ride to CA. Doesn't it seem like this happens every year before Christmas?

Dr. appt. at 2:30... I'll let you know what he says.

P.S. Em's pediatrician is one of her favorite people she knows. He isn't in today, and so she will have to see another doc in the practice. When I explained this to her, she was quite ticked.

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Frustration

Don't you hate it when you can't get your pajamas on?

My 3 year-old doesn't cuss, thanks!

Last Saturday night Scott and I took Emily to the Bethlehem Experience at a local church. Basically it is a drive-through of scenes from the night Jesus was born, complete with volunteers dressed up and preforming the jobs of the time. Before we went to this event, we decided to eat at a restaurant right across the street.

This restaurant is a family place, and Saturday proved no different. There were many families with children, I'm guessing many of which had the same idea about eating there before going to the church event across the street. But what also was going on this same night was the Florida vs. Alabama SEC championship game.

There is a bar in this restaurant that had many couples sitting around it watching the game. No problem, right? Well, this one drunk guy starts yelling "You suck" every time Tim Tebow is shown on the screen. (which was a lot of times, obviously.) That was annoying to me because this cute little Tebow character is such a sweet boy, or so it seems to me, and regardless of that, he obviously doesn't suck, and won the Heisman as a sophomore to prove otherwise. But whatever. Crazy Alabama fan, right? Well then it wasn't just him. Another guy who obviously was rooting for Florida began yelling things like, "get the little b*&O&rd! Rip is head off!" THen there was a "bad call," as defined by the other man who yelled, "What the F*&%!" and "Holy ____!"

So I guess we didn't know what to do. We were really annoyed at the jerks who obviously had no respect for the dozens of children in the establishment, and the manager who I felt let the "you suck" comments continue, which allowed the further cussing to escalate. But the large bar in this place with the huge TVs were obviously in place so that these guys could watch their game and drink their beer.

Well, as we walked out I just politely let the manager know that we would surely think twice about coming back on a Saturday, because we weren't sure what environment we would get... this night being so different from the other Saturday nights we had been there.

I guess what I am wondering now is if restaurants that are toted as "Family Restaurants" have different rules that apply when major games like that are on? Should we have been more aware of the situation before we went in, by connecting the large bar and TVs to potential drunk jerks with foul mouths? Or should they have been told by the management to be quiet in order to preserve the peace of the "family restaurant?"

Arkansas Trip

We drove all the way to Arkansas for Thanksgiving. My grandparents moved there from California, and we have never been there. They just finished a major re-model of their house, so we wanted to go and see their spot before the twins get here. With gas being so low, and Emily being an awesome traveler, how could we pass it up?
We stopped in Birmingham on the way there for the night, and stopped in Nashville on the way home. We took different routes so that I could see more of the country since I have never driven cross-country like Scott has.
Here are some highlights...

Emily with my grandpa in Arkansas riding on the tractor

Emily and I in front of the Mississippi

Emily at the Grand Opryland Hotel in Nashville

Scott and Emily on the river that goes through the hotel

Emily and I in front of the Smoky Mountains in N.C.

*I can't figure out how to get the pictures in order with the captions... but I bet you can figure out what goes with what! :)

Time to whine

I'm at home today from school. I have had headaches for the past week that get so bad that all I can do is lay around in bed from about six or seven on. This morning I woke up with another headache, and called in a sub so I can get some tests done at my doctor. I'm praying it isn't gestational diabetes or high blood pressure. I have tried all sorts of things, but they haven't worked. And I feel horrible for missing another day of work.

Nothing is done around the house except for what Scott has done. I feel like such a whiner, and those who know me well know that the one thing I can't stand is whining! So what does that say about me? :) I'm miserable to say the least.

I have all sorts of things that I need to catch up on at home while I wait for the appt, but there is no way they will get done. I think I am going to lay in bed and watch the Today show and hope the throbbing goes away soon.

We have some great Thanksgiving pictures but I will have to post them later.

Family Pictures

I'm sure we will use one of these for our Christmas card, so don't be surprised when you see it again! My friend Mona did a great job this afternoon getting Emily to settle down so she could take some great pictures. We were at the Irmo town park.

Road Trip!

This may be our only chance in a long time to take a car trip, and with gas prices at $1.65/gallon we couldn't pass it up! So off to Arkansas we go for Thanksgiving! My grandparents moved there from CA about two years ago, and they just completed a major renovation of their house, so they are set for us to come visit!

We plan on leaving right after school is out on Tuesday, and driving through Atlanta for dinner, and crashing at a hotel for the night in Birmingham. Then we are off to drive another eight hours or so on Wednesday until we got to their house in Arkansas. We will stay Wed, Thurs, and Fri night and head home on Saturday morning.

Emily is a great traveler. We will load up the car with her leapster, DVD player, crayons, and I wrapped up some cheap dollar tree toys and let her open one every couple of hours when she gets restless. We did this for our Disneyworld trip last summer, and she was a champ!

I hope everybody has a great Thanksgiving, and if you are traveling, that you travel safe!

Things I sometimes replace with sleep!

I was thinking today of all the ways I used to spend my time in the evening before I was in bed by 8 pm. Here is my list:

* Grey's Anatomy Thursday- Ladies from my neighborhood get together to watch and drink some tasty adult beverages. Needless to say, I no longer am able to participate... 9pm is well past my new pregnancy bed time!

* Talking to Becky on the phone. She and I are both busy sleeping, so less catching up has been a result.

* Keeping my house clean. 'Nuf said.

* Bible Study- Even though I am still trying to rise from bed at 5:30 most mornings to actually do my study, I am not able to come to Tuesday night Bible Study.

* Reading... there are two books I have started, and I am not any closer to finishing them now than a month ago.

Some days I even am in bed before Emily, which means that I don't help bathe or put her to bed with a story. Thank goodness I have Scott who is awesome! Hopefully the tiredness will end soon!

Exhausted

I can't believe how tired I am! Monday I was in bed by seven, and slept through the night with no problem. Last night I think I was in bed by nine, and that wasn't soon enough!

Tonight we had Marie Calendar's chicken pot pies for dinner. I have not bought those since being in college, but tonight I was so glad to have them in the freezer! I popped them into the oven, then headed upstairs for a nice nap while they baked for an hour! I can't tell you how happy I was to have dinner be so easy tonight! But then after dinner, I was back in bed feeling nauseous until almost nine. The constant nausea and fatigue is really frustrating, and I can't wait for it to be over! (I hope it will be over!)

Of course my sleeping constantly has Scott on his toes. He has to pick up my slack with the chores, and taking care of Emily. And Emily! She is continually sweet! This evening when they woke me for dinner, she had colored a picture that she thought would make me feel better.

A new obsession

Having twins will obviously make an impact on our budget. I am already looking for ways to be frugal, and wanted to share my new find with you. It really has become a new obsession!

The site is called The Grocery Game and it lists all of the specials for multiple grocery stores. The founder has researched the sale cycles for the different markets, and has come up with a brilliant list for each grocery store. The idea is that you buy things when they are at the "rock-bottom prices" and stock up so you don't buy them during the times when they are not on a sale cycle.

After the new market sale circular comes out, the site posts a new list of everything on sale for that store. It is color coded- black is "okay price" blue is the "rock-bottom" price, and green is free! It lists the item with the sale price, and then tells you exactly what coupon to use. (Coupons from the Sunday paper)

Every Sunday after church I log on and bring up three different lists for my three grocery stores. I click on the items I want, print the list, and then find the appropriate coupon and clip them to the list.

Today I went to my three stores and spent a total of $90. I saved over $30 dollars in coupons, and over $75 in market specials. The amount of groceries I got for the money was astounding. And after my third week of doing this our pantry, fridge, and freezer are very full, so I am saving time by not needing to run to the grocery store because we aren't out of things! I am so proud of my savings that I put the receipts on the fridge! :)

If anybody wants to try it, email me and I will give you the information. It does cost $10 for eight weeks, but offers a trial period for $1. But obviously I think it is worth it if you are willing spend about 2 hrs. a week actually using it. Becky and Jay tried it today. I hope that others will find it useful as well! :)

Two favorite views

After Sarah and Justin took pictures of their workspaces, I thought maybe I would do the same. But I don't really have a desk in my classroom. (takes too much space!) So that won't work.

But this morning I thought of a place where I could take a picture and surely call it my "space." The back table on our patio. This is where I do my bible study in the summer, but with highs close to 80 the past couple days, I was able to enjoy it this morning too. The trees are gorgeous! We got lots of rain this year, which made the colors much more vivid than I remembered from last fall. This is my view from the table.
And of course I snapped this picture of Emily this morning. While sitting at the desk in the office she walked in and asked me to take her picture. So I guess you could say this is the view I get while blogging. Thanks to Miss Emily the Great. At your service to help with all your needs! (and she even can unload the flatware from the dishwasher!!)

** and yes, that is her fearsome dog Dakota at her toes... always ready to back her in danger! (or eat a fallen crumb!)

Bed time cuteness

Tonight after the normal bed time routine, Emily decided that she would read to me, rather than me read to her. She picked this book. She read the title, and then pointed to the author and said, "by... Mom, who is this guy again?" So I told her the author's name, and then she was off reading me the book! Of course she had much of it memorized, but the part about the "bees in the peas" she didn't remember, so she looked at the picture for a moment, and finally got that line too! I was seriously amazed at her. Just that she remembered the predictable text to get words like "rousted" and "figs" really surprised me.

Of course I had to get Daddy so she could read the book again for him, which she proudly did!

Then after we tucked her in bed we went in the other room for a few minutes before she got up and wandered in with us. "I really want my rooster" she said with a smirk. I had no clue what she was talking about, but Scott did. Apparently when they cleaned her room last week they removed "baby" toys. The stuffed rooster was one of them, and it was very apparent that Emily was using a prime stalling technique so that one of us would be compelled enough to get into the attic where it is stored and fish it out form the rest of the stuffed baby toys. No. Such. Luck. Scott laughed hard and told her to get back in her room. Stalling has become a regular pattern around here. Sometimes it is rather comical what she will try.

Halloween Costume Pic for Justin

Emily wasn't sure what she wanted to be this year for Halloween. She started off saying she wanted to be a sushi roll, but she later changed her mind and wanted to be Peter Pan, and later a cupcake, and then later still a banana.

Finally my mom called and said she found a cute unicorn costume. We went with it, and Emily loved it! Her back two feet were the unicorn's back legs, and the front legs hung down in front of her. On halloween night we went to the neighborhood party where she won most unique!

These pics were taken from Boo at the Zoo. My camera broke, so thanks to Lori for snapping these and passing them on! Emily is with Sara (Tinker Bell). By the way, Emily did have face paint on, and we quickly removed it after she couldn't keep her hands out of it. But the red you see on her face wouldn't come off!
Hope your Halloween was fun!

Time to VOTE!

I stood in line for about two hours before voting today. I was glad to see so many people taking advantage of their civic responsibility. I read that only 51% of all Americans voted in the 2000 election. Hopefully we will see much larger numbers come out to vote this year.

Scott stayed at home with Emily while I voted, and he left a few minutes ago to vote himself. I hope the lines aren't as long now for him. I am very thankful that we are both off today. I can't imagine what the lines will be like after five.

How long did you have to wait today?

Coming May 2009

Imagine our surprise at our ultrasound a few weeks ago when we saw more than one baby! Suddenly it all made sense that I was going to bed by 8 pm every night, and coming home for naps right after work. The nausea has been yucky at times, but for the most part these two babies have only made me tired.

Scott and I are thrilled at the idea of adding two more at once, and we just told Emily a few nights ago. She said she would like "a boy one and a girl one." Nice. They are fraternal twins (two separate eggs) so they could be two different sexes, or the same. Only time will tell.

Even though I have always said I would love to have twins, we never thought that we would actually be blessed with two additions at one time! God is good!

My hope and where it comes from

Today I feel like the fight is just too hard. The day is too long. And all will never get done.

I just want to go to sleep and start over fresh tomorrow.

Maybe I am just really tired, and can't get over it, but it seems like everywhere I look there is negativity. The economy is horrible. People can't make ends meet. The war continues. Schools didn't make AYP. California is on fire. Politicians lie. It just seems to go on and on and on. Not to mention the woods by my house that are now cut down to make way for houses, and the kid in my class who will never have a decent family life.

It is during these days of pure negativity that my only comfort comes from my God. And I wonder how does anybody make it through this negative earth without Him?

I sure do hope tomorrow is better.

I have a doctor appt. that could only be scheduled in the early afternoon, which means I have to take a 1/2 day off work. I am going to take advantage of using this 1/2 day and I think I will spend a good hour in the coffee shop by myself, sipping tea and reading. Ahhhh. That sounds nice, doesn't it?

Tomorrow WILL be better!

Fair Highlights

We went to the state fair yesterday. It was a little overcast, and the high was in the low seventies but it never rained, and was just cool enough to be comfortable. We got there right after it opened, and it wasn't crowded at all. Some things worth mentioning:

1. Fair Rides- Emily loves them, and they always seem like a good idea until she and/or one of us are locked in the ride. Then I begin to question the capability of a ride to be safe when it actually isn't bolted down to anything, and is transportable. Hmmm....

2. Exhibits- How awesome is it that our child still will fall asleep and take a 1.5 hr. nap right there in her stroller? It sure made looking at the exhibits much more enjoyable, as she would have been bored to death viewing the winning rose display, amateur cake decorating contests, and sand sculptures that Scott and I love.

3. Farm Animals- Thank you Clemson Univ. students who took time to allow our daughter to pet your very pregnant dairy cow, explain where milk comes from, and show your baby calf on a lead line. In addition to this, she saw a chicken in the process of hatching from its egg right before our eyes, petted a beautiful bunny rabbit, and watched the equestrian team jump their horses in competition. Surely a highlight for Emily Grace.

4. Political stickers- If the definition of being a minority is not being in the majority, then Scott and I were certainly in the minority with our Obama/Biden stickers that we sported through the fair. Not that I thought too much about it when I stuck it on my shirt when seeing the Obama display, but later when I went to find a table to eat my funnel cake (mmmmm.... funnel cakes!) I really did question whether or not I would be as welcomed to share a table as I would be with a McCain/Palin sticker like most of those around me. (the tables were very long, and required asking those sitting on the other end of they were using the entire table, or if we could sit on the other end.)

5. Fair food- Yes, I already mentioned the fair food. But there are a couple things that the SC fair has that we didn't have growing up, or at least I don't remember. THe first is Fiske Fries. Yum. They are sort of like In-and-out fries, but they have a full-size spray bottle at the display filled with malt vinegar to spray all over the fries. That with lots of salt makes them better than in-and -out, imo. Thanks to my friend Lori for turning us on to those last year! There are also these cinnamon sugar donuts that Scott loves. Thanks to Jimmy for turning him on to those last year too! And of course there are the double corndogs that I love with lots of mustard, and the funnel cakes. Seriously, enough fat grams to last me through the remaining days of October!

So yes, those are my fair highlights. We left our home shortly after nine, and didn't return until after four. We felt we got our money's worth. :) Anybody else go to the fair where you were?

Yeah, so we've been busy

Scott never posts, and I haven't posted lately just because of all the stuff going on. With both of us in the classroom at the same time, it is nearly impossible to go an entire week without some sort of school activity crammed in with everything else. All great things, but they keep us very busy!

Emily has started taking ballet and tap. She thinks it is fabulous. Scott is so busy with writing his first chapter (due next week) and teaching. And I have had a royally bad day at school. ANyhow, that is my brief update. Today's school day made me crave the back patio with Adam and a beer. I miss you guys!

Emily's First day of Preschool

Thursday was Em's first day. I took the morning off to take her out to breakfast and to walk her in to her class. She was so excited, she had this outfit picked out for weeks before. The entire way to breakfast she told me that she and I were both "stylish" in our clothes.

After breakfast we walked into the class and there was another girl absolutely screaming for her daddy. Emily turns to me and says, "You can go now mom. I think that girl needs my help."

So precious.

Of course when I picked her up she was thrilled to tell me that she is going to be the helper all next week. I loaded Em and her friend Landon into the van to bring them to Shari's before I returned to work. I got to listen in on their conversation about their first days. (Landon is in another class right beside Em's)

She is growing up so fast! I can't believe my baby is in preschool!

First day of school

I didn't get my first day of school picture like I thought I would have. Oh well. IT was a great day. I really love starting on Thursday because after two days I have the weekend to recover, re-evaluate my lesson plans, and reflect. I always seem to forget that the kids that come into my classroom don't necessarily have the idea of community that I wish they did. Either that or they certainly don't have the idea of a community together. I also forget the extreme energy that it takes to get twenty or more kids to all understand the basic concepts about the most simple tasks. They don't know the rituals and routine of the classroom yet, and how should they? They don't know the importance of not whispering to your friend when another classmate is talking. All of these are things to come in the next few weeks. Slowly, but surely. Boy did I forget.

This is a great group of kids and I can't wait for the things to come. I love my job!

Can we find some free parenting classes please?

First of all let me say that I am PRAYING that some baker at Vons was just joking around and eventually frosted in a neat little 2 or 3 in front of the 4. (Shoot, even a one for goodness sake!)

But good gracious, I remember sitting on the couch watching Woody play this game (not the fourth edition, but whatever) and I thought it was horrible for me to watch as a 20-something. But a four year old?
Poor boy!

New Pre-school hair cut

So after weeks of pleading to cut her hair, Scott and I finally gave in and let Emily cut her hair off. She loves it. I must say that it is darling. And most important of all, she loves it. This isn't the best picture, but it is the only one I have so far with her new do.

That time of year

Every year when I go back to work I struggle with emotion. I fight back tears when I drop Emily off at Shari's (though Em is can't wait to get there and see her friends) and I think about her all day, especially the first few weeks. When I am done at school for the day and I walk out to my car I get this overwhelming desire to get to her as fast as I can. Kind of like a horse who sees the barnyard I guess, but I just can't drive there fast enough.

On the other side is the sheer joy that I feel about my job. I lay in bed before school starts wondering about the new children, their families, and the community we will build together. I get nervous about their expectations, and I wonder about how the first impressions will go. When I am setting up my classroom I really love it.

Somewhere in that emotion is a battle of guilt. And every year I start out feeling guilty about loving my job. It is almost like somewhere deep down I hold this belief that if I was a good mother I would feel guilty and miserable all day without my child. And though I miss her, I am happy at work.

Eventually I get to the point where I am this evening. I am reminded that I am doing the work that God intended me to do. I am not miserable because I love what I do! I find confidence in knowing that God fully gave me a purpose in my life that involves being a great mom, but also involves being a great teacher. And because of Him I can balance both of those things out... eventually.

So next year at this time of year I will probably post something similar. Similar seasons, similar thoughts I guess.It just seems to take me a few weeks at the beginning of every year. But through that process I am again reminded of my purpose. And it makes me feel good all over again when I am reminded of it all over again.

Moving closer to domestic diva status

So i decided a few months ago that I wanted to learn to sew. I told Scott that I would like to get a machine, and he nicely replied, "uh... really?" Then he pointed out the half-finished other crafting things that I have never finished. (a crochet blanket, and a needle point pillow case for starters)

In comes neighbor Meesh. She has a machine that she is not currently using and has allowed me to borrow it for the time being. Scott said that if I can finish, actually COMPLETE a project or two, then we could talk about getting a sewing machine.

I have now completed two projects. (sort of) The first was the first of two valances for my classroom. How easy was that! One is already hanging in my room and looks great, so I plan on starting and finishing the second this afternoon during Emily's nap time.

The other project was a sun dress for Emily. It is this cute orange and yellow fabric, and the entire thing is really simple. My mother-in-law came over and was showing me how to work some basic things on the machine, which really helped. THen I was off to finish the dress.

Let's just say that it is something to be desired. When Emily tried it on she said (and I am not exaggerating, this is how my 3 year-old talks) "Mom, this looks foolish. It is really awful."

Nice. So my daughter now thinks that if she wears clothes that I sew that she will look foolish and awful. Oh well. I will try another, but this time with adorable princess fabric that she picked out. (Yes, that was sort of a bribe, but oh well! Maybe she will wear it!)

I will post picture later!
-Malisa

Chicken anatomy for Emily

So this morning I thought that I would cut up a whole chicken and slow cook it. This makes the meat fall of the bone, and it shreds easily, making it suitable for many recipes. Anyhow, as I am knuckle-deep in chicken yuck, Emily walks into the kitchen.
This is the convo that followed:

Emily: Oh mom, what are you doing with that?
Me: I am cutting up this whole chicken so that we can cook it.
Emily: Is that a cat chicken?
Me: No, but what is a cat chicken?
Emily: It is a chicken that is also a cat
Me: Oh. I have never heard of a a cat chicken, but this is not one. This is just a plain chicken.
(Emily at this point sees me whack off a leg and makes a face)
Emily: But what about the eyes and the teeth?
Me: Well, chickens don't have teeth, they have beaks, and the butcher already took of the part with the eyes.
Emily: Oh, well then it must be a fish chicken (We have already had conversations about how the heads with the eyes are already taken off of fish before we buy them. I think this is why she said this.)
Me: Nope, this is just a chicken.
Emily: Oh. Hmmmm....
(Emily walks away.)

Needless to say, I will be shocked if she eats dinner tomorrow night when she finds out that I am serving this chicken. Maybe she will forget. I will keep you posted.

Stephen Curtis Chapman on Larry King Tonight

I have my DVR set. We shall see if I can get through watching it without crying. Let me know if you anybody else sees it.

Mundane Malisa

So we are home again. I love my home. I love seeing the progress my garden makes while I am gone on a trip. I love being greeted by my pets. I love the stuffy smell of the garage when I first open it after a long trip. And I really love having my family all together.

Two weeks was too long. Emily and I were both painfully missing Scott by the end of the trip. We couldn't wait to see him. The entire flights home Emily told everybody about how she was going to see her daddy because she missed him, and I just about cried on the way home because I couldn't drive there fast enough!

So now we are back to our normal routine. Mundane, but lovely. I crave the schedule of a day, and the ordinary chores of grocery shopping and picking toys. I mostly really like the predictable nature of our family. I can count on it I guess, and that is why it is so comfortable.

Don't get me wrong, we had a lot of fun seeing everybody. We loved all the trips we took and the precious time we got to spend with family and friends.

But I am so glad that we are home! Remember that the invitation is always open to those who want to come visit!

Leaving this evening

I will be in Fresno Tuesday evening 7/29 if anybody is available. Let me know if you would like to get together. I will be checking the blog from my parents' house.

Growing up

Yesterday I had an amazing day with one of my students. She was in my class this past year, and is seriously a marvelous young lady. We ran into each other at Walmart, and she said that she was having an okay summer, but was tired of going to day care. So I asked her mom if it would be okay to come pick her up and hang out with her for the day.

We really didn't do anything exciting, but rather just did the normal things I had to get done that day. We worked in my classroom with Scott, helping him move anything out of my class that was his and needed to go into his new classroom across town. Lunch at Olive Garden, and random errands like the bank and teacher supply store.

But even though there was nothing really that special about what we did, I loved every minute of my time with her. We talked about silly things during the time that she helped me do whatever I was doing.Little things, like putting the shopping cart away while I loaded up the groceries, and helping me unload the dish washer.

I guess part of the reason why I loved being with her yesterday is because it allowed me to see how things will be with Emily when she is that age. I spend so much time worrying about things that I will miss when Emily gets older. The things she will no longer do, and the things she will no longer need me for. But yesterday made me realize that even though Emily is getting bigger and growing out of certain things, she and I will do new things. There will be different ways that we spend our time together, and though they won't be better or worse in terms of their significance, they will still be wonderful things.

Just a random realization I guess, but nevertheless and important one. Reflecting on my day with my sweet student allowed me to be at peace with Emily growing up, and not mourning the loss of eras that come to a close with her growth. I'm excited to see who Emily will become!

Hurricane Preparedness

On our way to Edisto Island we saw this gem. Yes, those are cinder blocks holding up that trailer. I bet that really helps the danger of storm surge. If I was in a hurricane, this is the house I would want to be in. Safety all the way.

When I first saw the beach houses here it took me a moment to figure out why the entire house was built up, so that the garage is actually the first story, and the rest of the house is built on top of it. I get that. But a trailer? Do they really think that is going to help?

THe first time we drove by it I wanted to take a picture to send to my dad to show him the beach house we were staying in, just to see what he would say. Then I started really thinking about the cinder blocks, and what is holding them together. I wanted to get close enough to see if there is any mortar, but when we went by on our final day, there was actually a car in front for the first time. I didn't want to be rude, as if stopping on the highway and snapping a picture of his house wasn't rude enough.

All I have to say is... if there is ever a hurricane while I am in the Charleston area I will know exactly where to go for safety!

Adam: Can you really compare this to a pigeon?

Going Here tomorrow

We rented a house on Edisto Island with some friends. Should be lots of fun. Lots of relaxation. Lots of lazy.

We head out in the morning and our plan is to stop in Charleston (one of my favorite cities EVER) for lunch, and then head on down to the beach house. We are brining our bikes, as we hear there is a bike trail that goes all the way around the island. I wonder how long we could go without using the car?? :)

Plans may include fishing (?!) for blue crab, Charleston ghost tour, and/or a beach combing expedition to Otter Island. Nice.

See you next Saturday!

P.S. Fresno and Bako People: Em and I will be flying in to L.A. 7/24 and staying until 8/4. As of now we plan on staying in Fresno on 7/29-7/30. I am hoping that some of my favorite tower people will be in town the night of 7/29 and eager for a night out at Landmark, or wherever. :) I miss you all!

Any other possible solutions are welcome

When I was younger (and still on my parents' insurance) I was told by both my Bakersfield and Fresno dentist that I had no wisdom teeth. I guess I just wasn't made with any. (No wise cracks about me not being wise!) I always thought this was a wise (ha ha!) decision that God made, knowing how horrible I am with tooth pain, and my aversion to going to the dentist at all.

Now let me back a bit and talk about my dental aversion. When I was twelve I was just a couple days from getting my braces removed. I was playing outside with my dad, and asked him to throw me "A really HIGH POP FLY." So he did. And I caught it... with my mouth. I totally blacked out, and when I came to, my mom had just arrived home and was marveling at just how swollen I was already. Three hours of emergency oral surgery later, and I was back home to find out that my treasured mouth metal was to be with me for at least another six months. Nice.

Then comes pregnancy. How does this tie in you ask? Well let's just say that besides my hair getting much darker and my bladder permanately smaller, another after shock of pregnancy is that it "drops" wisdom teeth in some women, becoming impacted. So now my "non existent" wisdom teeth were very much existing in my oral x-ray. I found this out in winter '07. I came directly home and cried to Scott. It was horrible. And that was the end of that. I just figured I could ignore the entire problem, and hope that it goes away.


But that doesn't quite work. I was reading Katie's blog where she mentioned Denise's wisdom teeth extraction, and I couldn't help but immediately feel the impacted teeth. I don't know what to do about this, since going to the oral surgeon is clearly not an option. Wish them away? Pray to God to remove any wisdom he bestowed on me, including my now apparent wisdom teeth? Ughh.

If anybody has any thoughts on how to get rid of these pesky suckers I would greatly apprectiate it. (And for those mennos who attend church with my mother, please don't tell her. As far as she is concerned, I was never made with wisdom teeth. The last thing I need is her trying to talk some "sense" into me! :)

Hey Julie? You want some brownies?

I made brownies last night for my family. Not anything special, just the basic box brownie with a scoop of vanilla on top. It made me think of the summer of 2002. That was the "summer of the brownie" and "the summer of the failed cooler."

Julie had moved into the back sun room in the Vassar house, and Jenny was in China for a bit. With Jenny gone, Julie and I could make dessert every night with nobody telling us no, or reminding us of calories and fat content. It was fabulous. We went through too many brownie boxes to count.

And while reminiscing about that summer, I was reminded of the two weeks from hell when our air conditioning went out after Jenny got back. Now, this wasn't really an air conditioner, but a swamp cooler. Everybody knows that swamp coolers are great, until the temp goes over 100 and then they do nothing. This particular summer was very hot, as we all remember, and our cooler went out the very day that our landlord flew to Ireland for a two week vacation. It was awful. I was teaching summer school and Jenny was year round, so we came home every day and found some way to get cool. We went to a movie, Boarders, too much shopping at Marshall's, and I even seem to remember a great picture of Woody, Sara, Jenny and I in the back yard in the wading pool drinking some sort of icy adult beverage. I will surely look for that and scan it in for all to see.

Anyhow, I hope that I am not jinxing my air conditioner to go out by making many brownies this summer! :) That would be horrible!

Emily's Sunday Picture

Ever since we moved here we have left certain pictures on our fridge. Some are quite dated (Justin has dreads in one) but all are of our friends and family that we miss. Emily was asking me the names of the people, and pointing out the people that she now knows after the Colorado trip. I believe that is what inspired this piece of art. Watch out Ed, she may be displaying with you at next month's art hop.

One of the things that enamors me about Em is that she may not get to see these people very often, however she continues to think about them. That makes being far from you guys a bit more bearable.

The sweetest thing

Last night I got home from Bible study to find the cutest thing ever. It was after nine, and already dark and Scott and Em were outside inside the tent that he had set up for them to sleep in. They were already inside of it eating ice cream and watching Monsters Inc. on the portable DVD player. Too precious. I thought it was the best thing ever. Emily loved sleeping outside with him. (I enjoyed my cozy bed) THe weather was perfect too, the highs in the mid 80's during the day, so it cooled down nicely for them. I think that might become their thing to do in the summer.

I guess I'm a hag

Our house is the corner house to the entrance to our neighborhood. Since living here we have had a couple instances where teenage nuisances have annoyed us. By us I mean both Scott and I, but really me.

About a year ago there were two cars driving through our neighborhood being all loud. The stopped at the entrance, one facing in the neighborhood, the other out, and took turns throwing their glass beer bottles out the window to try to land them in the drainage ditch. Of course they missed, and glass was strewn all over the road for every car to drive over as they later would enter and exit. Lovely. So what do I do? I go out with my pad of paper and pencil and take down the license plate number of the car facing out. (in SC plates are only put on the back of vehicles.) They caught on to what I was doing and drove off... one in and one out. Well, there is only one exit, so I waited in the bushes for the one car that had to go out so I could get their license plate as well. Sure enough, eventually they came out, but not until I had proved what a stubborn hard head I was, waiting in the bushes in my p.j.s armed with a flashlight and a pad of paper and pencil.

After that incident, I got a little leery of people getting the idea that I was the neighborhood hag. I didn't want egg thrown on my house, or plastic forks poked into my grass, so I decided I would no longer confront obnoxious loud teens in that way.

Which brings us to last night. I have always said one of my favorite things about living here was being able to sleep with the windows open so many nights of the year. Last night we had the windows open to give the A.C. a break. At about 2:30 Scott and I were awakened by loud screaming and laughter coming from the neighborhood pool. Now we have posted pool hours, but I have always believed that those pool hours were almost meant to be broken by teens as the secretly took a dip. Isn't that some sort of right of passage? So it wasn't really the trespassing (they don't live in the neighborhood) that bothered me, but the loud shouting and laughing that made me furious. The more it continued I worried about my three year old girl waking up and I was truly ANGRY. I didn't want to confront them, because my thought was, "if they are so disrespectful to make so much noise, they aren't going to listen to me politely ask them to leave." And I didn't want to worry about egg or forks.

So we got the sheriff's dept. number, and called them. They came just as the loud five were getting into their cars to leave. Lights were on, and I am sure that the teens weren't happy. I don't think that they got a trespassing ticket, which is good, but I hope they won't make a habit of that.

Yes, I guess that officially makes me a neighborhood hag. When we lived on Floradora my lovely neighbor Bessie (in her late 80's) would sit on her front porch with a potato gun and shoot it at cars that went by too fast. I guess I learned from the best? :)

Looking forward to the Fourth!

I think we will have some neighbors over this Friday for the holiday. I am getting so excited about it, though I am not sure who will even be able to come. Oh well. Regardless, I am already planning the meal. Grilled hotdog and hamburgers topped with avocado and home grown tomatoes. My mom's recipe for potato salad, a pasta salad with fresh mozzarella. And hopefully Em and I can get out to the peach fields this week so that I can make a fresh peach cobbler and top it with home made vanilla ice cream. Yum! Last year we had a big freeze over Easter weekend that ruined all SC peaches, but this year I heard that they are so good!

Other than that, I am sure we will have some fireworks. Though probably relatively tame compared with some of the things we see people shoot off. There are hardly any restrictions and there are actually entire firework warehouses from which you can buy almost anything. We CA people aren't used to that (though I did grow up with Royce's big cannon-like thing at our church 4th of July party!)

So yes. Fourth of July will be great this year. I have already decided. Now I'm off to persuade our friends to ditch their families, and spend the evening with us!

P.S. On Saturday, the fifth, there is a fireworks display over the lake that we plan to go watch. Well, actually I plan on going to watch and will hopefully persuade Scott that it is a good idea so that he will come to. Happy Birthday to America!

Why I feel blessed today

1. The library. When there is nothing else to do, and funds are running low, the library is always good for a nice trip out of the house. I don't think I have ever thought specifically about the library being an indicator of the privileged country we live in, but I did today. I am thankful to have free access to so many books, and to visit there with Em.

2. Scott is home with us. Yes, he is working very hard from home to complete a video series, but he is still under the same roof. He still gets to eat his meals with us, and he still gets to tuck Emily in for her nap every afternoon when she asks. He doesn't have to run off every morning to work like so many dads do. I am so grateful to have him home again this summer.

3. Emily. Just in general I am so in love. Today at the market she asked me if we could get a watermelon. Then she asked if we could have it with dinner, like maybe with some hamburgers? Then she asked if we could have baked beans with our hamburgers, and if we could cook it all outside. This convo was very "give a mouse a cookie" style. I just love everything about her.

4. Nap time. Scott and I have always joked that nap time was the re-set button that Emily needed to be wonderful the rest of the afternoon. Well, I think that nap time is the re-set button that I need too. It gives me an average of two hours every day to do what I need to get done, or what I want to get done. Simply fabulous. Some days I take a nap myself, surely more than normal these days.

5. My birthday present. This year I asked if I could get my flute all fixed up and in good working order again. I have so enjoyed remembering how to play, and practicing some developmental pieces to get back in my game. Makes me ashamed I ever stopped, knowing how long it took me to get so good before, and now I can play only beginner stuff. Oh well. I am having a blast.

Now I have to figure out if I am going to use this free time during her nap to take my own nap, or practice my flute. Decisions, decisions! :)

To our Tower Friends

Scott and I enjoyed hanging out with our tower group so much this past week at the wedding. I don't think I realized just how much I missed everybody until we were given the opportunity to spend such a time together again. And watching everybody interact with Emily was seriously a highlight. Raising her so far away from this group of friends would make one think there would be no impact made with her interaction. But last week proved this is not the case.

She talks about the treasure she found with her friends Adam and Sarah and Heather. And Heather taking her swinging and how high she climbed on the slide. She talks about the dancing she did with Justin and Jay and Adam, and the bees she threw on everybody. She talks of the "yada" and how that candy just wouldn't come out. She talks of meeting Thomas, and how he doesn't like the cats. And she talks about Madison playing with her.

I hope that she will remember those things and remember the people who were willing to get to know her.

I got "bumped" today

So yesterday I had a lunch scheduled with my fourth grade team at Olive Garden. I realized I needed a new day planner, so I ran into Staples before heading off the the restaurant. When I walked out and into the parking lot, I had to walk around the back end of an SUV that was parked facing out right next to my mini-van.

Just as I quickly rounded the back tire and around the side, I hear this spitting sound. You know the sound. The nasty sound that comes right before a big nasty ball of spit. I couldn't slow down enough because just as my foot went down around the side of the SUV, the driver spat. Now imagine this all happening at once. At first I thought surely I had a spit ball on my foot. But no, when I looked down it was the biggest ball of gum I have ever seen, and it was stuck right on the top of my black sandal.

The entire thing was too much. I laughed so hard tears came to my eyes. The driver, who was a nice older woman in her fifties, was absolutely mortified. I think she expected me to yell or get upset with her. But when I was laughing she had no choice but to laugh too. She got a tissue out of her car and cleaned off the gum ball from my shoe, all the while the two of us laughing about how bizarre the entire situation was.

A friend of ours once gave a sermon where he talked about the "garbage in, garbage out" idea. He poured a glass of OJ and used the example that if one of us bumped the glass we would expect OJ, not iced tea, to come out. Same thing with our lives. The more we fill ourselves with God's word, the more that comes out when we are "bumped" in life.

Emily is memorizing a verse from her sunday school class. "Be kind and loving to each other. Ephesians 4:32" That is what came to my mind as I was laughing so hard. What a gift that was. I was so thankful that when I got "bumped" laughter was the first thing that came out of me. It was a reminder to me of that sermon more than three years ago, and of the way we truly reflect... if we allow ourselves to.

Jay and Becky

We leave tomorrow! I can't wait!! So I am the type that actually loves planning to pack. I love making sure to bring extra "new" and exciting toys on the plane for Emily. I love packing her matching hair bows with her dresses. I love making sure I have everything so that we are super prepared. Totally fun. (Now I don't enjoy the laundry part that has to be done prior to packing... but that is why God gave me Scott!)

But you know what has been even more fun about getting ready for this trip? When people ask me why we are going. I get this big goofy grin on my face and my shoulders raise in excitement as I tell them, "Two of our best friends are getting married, 'MY' Becky is marrying Jay, and we just can't wait because it has been a long time coming!" And if there is time and I didn't totally weird them out to begin with, I tell them all about the "Jay and Becky History." I talk about Jay being a little tipsy that first night I met Becky, and how he told me that he always thought she was really pretty, (insert a tipsy "Jay" accent on "really") and I tell the story about "Bad to the Bone... FOREVER" and the story about how Jay ruined all potential with the two guys that tried to hit on Becky and I (because that seriously NEVER happened) and about how they were roommates for awhile, totally platonic, because they just hadn't figured it out yet. (At that point I always like to point out that I had it figured out by then for them!) And I tell them about Becky moving to Colorado just to see if this could work.

And just in the process of telling this wonderful history (that could fill a history text book maybe?) I get all excited again. What fun our friends and I are all going to have as we get to share in their big day with them. The entire day will be fabulous... no, the entire week! Okay, I feel compelled to be actively packing or something!

P.S. The dresses becky picked are gorgeous too... which really helps a bridesmaid be totally excited!

Learning through people watching

So today after church the three of us went to Panera for lunch. Yummy. One of my favorite spots. It is a chain, though maintains a cafe appeal and has great food. It is normally very quiet, though full, and can be found filled with coffee drinkers and bread eaters who enjoy the newspaper.

Today was quite the exception in the corner where we sat. To the left of us on a large table was a group of five boys, one dad, and one mom. The mom and dad were not a couple, rather both had their son in the group from my observations. These boys appeared to have some sort of affiliation with a team, which I later gathered was a tennis team. They were in town for a tournament or whatever.

To be brief, let's say that all but one of these boys, all around 12ish, will grow up to become the stereotypical frat boy. Today they were obnoxiously loud. The farted, popped open their chip bag, complained about the cucumbers in the salad, and made fun of each other's interests in music. They annoyed everybody around them who longed for the typical "Panera Bread Atmosphere" but these boys couldn't have cared less.

One particular boy was being grilled by his friends after they saw he had "hollerback" on his iPod. They were relentless, and the hazing he got from his friends seemed to be blind in the eyes of his mother. She was too busy talking with the other father about the expensive private school where she sent her son, and the new mercedes her husband bought her. (Not a judgement, just an observation.)

As I listened to the talk these boys gave to the other, I began to feel sorry for him. The kids in my class would never talk like that to each other in class, and I all of the sudden prayed that they would never talk to each other like that anywhere in life. I wanted to grab this boy and tell his friends they were total punks, but like that would get him anywhere!

Then, the parents' conversation turned to the professional tennis match they had just watched where some big pro I didn't recognize made a huge blunder and lost the match. At this mention by the father, the mother turned to her son (the one being relentlessly teased by his peers) and said, "That is exactly what you did! You ruined the entire match with that same mistake, just like you did last time! You had better not do that again or you will never get a college scholarship!!"

Ahh.Shudder. I think it made me throw up in my mouth a little when I heard that. Now not only did this poor kid have punk friends, but it appeared his mom was one of "THOSE" parents. Those parents I remember from coaching swimming who took all fun away from sports and drained their children from healthy competition so that they burned out and quit long before college. Potential or not, that is no fun for some kids. It wasn't for this kid. Again I felt the desire to swoop in and save him from this entire situation. But of course I didn't. Couldn't.

But I prayed for that boy that maybe today was just an exceptionally bad day. That somewhere else in his life he had a parent/friend/teacher who talked to him appropriately, and who used words that lifted him up and encouraged. And I thought about times when I could have been that mom, either in the classroom, or as a mom myself or spouse. Not realizing how important and effecting my words are. I remember the book Choice Words that we read for professional development, and how applicable that book is to me with every interaction I have with people.

I don't know why today's interaction effected me so much, but it did. So much reflection due to such a little incedent. Maybe I need to re-read that book again. :)

Its beginning to look a lot like summer!

This is the last week of school. Good thing too. Everybody is ready to enjoy their summer. The kids are out tomorrow, my last day to sign out is Friday, and then my mom and sis arrive Saturday. The rest of the fam gets here Sunday and will stay until Tuesday, and then Mom and Sis stay till Friday. THen the following Tues. we fly out to Colorado! What a busy couple of weeks! I can't wait! It is such a blessing to know that no matter how far away we are from family and friends, that we can fly out or have people fly in to see us. I am so thankful for that. It is seriously a wonderful gift.

On another note... Em is quite the testy three year old this past couple of weeks. Scott has been the stay at home dad for a couple weeks now, and despite Emily's putting Tide detergent in the aquarium, marking her arms and legs with highlighter, breaking my african violet pot, and spilling yogurt on the carpet, it has been a great time for them! :) Em seems to crave independence so much. She is very mature in some ways, but she is obviously not old enough for me to explain that she can't do everything by herself. Right now her biggest quest for independence is to go into a public bathroom stall all by herself and have me use my own. That apparently in her world is a very big deal. So, it should be an interesting time. All this traveling will be a great time to talk with her and try out new examples of that independence.

Horton Hears a Who

There is a great little movie theatre in Irmo. They show all the older movies just before they come out on DVD. The tickets are $1.50 and the popcorn, though still still outrageous, is better than typical theatres. We took Emily to see Horton Hears a Who. I realize this will be on DVD soon, but the point was not specifically the movie, but rather the theatre experience. Em is a champ at the movies. She understands that unlike at home there is no pause button, and therefore we use the ladies room before entering the show. She sits still in her chair and watches the entire time without spilling popcorn or her juice. She doesn't talk loudly, actually rarely does she talk at all. She is very enjoyable.

I wish this was the case for the other children in the theatre.

Scott seems to have a gift for attracting every obnoxious child in the building. Tonight was no different. We had the little toddler boy behind us who was very cute, but after awhile his greasy fingers touching my hair and Scott's shoulder got a little annoying. Then there was the child (this one NOT a toddler) who sat on top of his folded chair, making him sit at a height above many NBA players. Add to that the annoying "loud talker" two rows below. No wonder I have to beg Scott to go to the show. Tonight I understood and didn't blame him.

However, all that annoyance beside, we did have a great time. I am thankful for our little theatre with stadium seats, cheap popcorn, and annoying families. The cheap admission will bring us back... especially on those summer days when the heat and humidity are too much to take.

Balance for the imbalanced

I have blogged a bit about how I how I am struggling with balance. My beloved family, my household chores, my friends, and the job that I am in love with all seem to compete with my time. I have struggled to figure out where balance falls between these things. My prayer has been for wisdom as I continually felt guilty for things I wasn't getting to. I knew I needed to get to the laundry, but felt guilty as I folded it about the precious angel that I wasn't playing with. So common a struggle, but continuous, and heart breaking.

Then I thought I was getting somewhere, and next Scott became the stay-at-home-dad for a few weeks in the interim between him finishing his semester and starting his summer video job once I am out of school. He does an amazing job with Emily, but the house lacked a bit, to say the least. I think any mom knows it is harder to keep the house clean when there are people in it all day. Such the case with Scott. He is an awesome dad, but sometimes I wished he could multi-task. I would come home and see the messes and get in such a funk. I would walk through each room loading my arms with toys, pajamas, empty water glasses, and books and huff my way through the house, delivering each item to its proper place. If you don't know what huffing is, I will explain it to you. Being huffy is when you walk through the house with your lips pursed together as tight as you can get them. (Scott calls this "butt hole mouth.") You scrunch down your eyebrows, and just when you see the recipient of the huffiness enter the room, you inhale through your mouth and exhale through your nose as loud as you can. Then you curtly walk out of the room so the recipient can figure out that you're peeved. (as if he doesn't already know this!)

After I was done being huffy, I figured out how stupid the entire thing was. I needed balance, and it wasn't going to come from being huffy with a multi-tasking-less husband. I am learning to let things go, and to enjoy my time with my loved ones without feeling guilty about what is left unfinished. I am learning that I don't have to get to school at 7 a.m. and that has lead me to faithfully starting my day with my Bible study. All of these are good things. I will keep praying for wisdom that I can figure out this balance. Maybe if I figure it out now it will make it a bit easier when we have more than three in our home and have so much more going on in our lives. But right now, I will work on balancing what I have.

Dancing with Cinderella

I think I have told many of my friends the phenomenon with this song. Its by Stephen Curtis Chapman, and comes on the christian radio station. Apparently it is not new, only new to me this past year. However, every time (and I seriously mean every time) this song comes on there is something going on that tugs at my heart.

For those who are familiar, it starts out with a toddler girl who goes to her daddy in her princess clothes and asks him to show her how to dance because she was asked to the ball. The dad thinks of all the things he has to do, but knows he won't have these moments long, because some day she will be "gone." Then the chorus is "... now I am dancing with Cinderella..."

Of course this alone can make a tear of joy come to my eye like a big joyful baby as I think of all the times that scenario has played out in our home. Emily is always asking her daddy to be her prince and I love Scott more every time. I am so thankful for my family and my husband who understands that she isn't young forever, and that every moment is precious. Sometimes I need that reminder more than anybody.

So knowing all that, I get into my car to drive to work yesterday and hear the news that Stephen Curtis Chapman's 5 y.o. daughter, who the song was written about, was killed by a car the night before. She was in the driveway and her teenaged brother pulled up and accidently hit her. She was taken to the hospital, but didn't make it.

There have been many "famous" people who have passed in my lifetime that have resulted in friends or family grieving. Princess Diana is the first to come to my mind. But for some reason this little girl who I never met represents something so precious to me that I feel I am grieving for their loss. Life is so precious and a child is such a gift. I seriously don't know if I can even listen to this song any more. But as we enter the summer months and I get to stay home with Em, I hope that I learn from this tragedy and remember to treasure the moments with my family.

Standardized Testing Starts Today

I had to pull everything down off my walls yesterday and organize the students into rows. When it was all finished I seriously was sad. There is no evidence of learning at all in our classroom now. The walls are blank. THe books had to be turned around. THe flag, globe, and clock have all been removed.

I hate testing. I seriously hate it. I even called our state senator yesterday (thanks for the heads up Meesh) to urge him to get rid of such test. Of course it will probably be replaced with another test. The issue I have is not with the test itself so much as the way the results are configured to compare students with each other. Our students keep doing better, but yet to look at the scores you would never know. Thanks bell curve.

One of the biggest phenomenons I have ever come across was when I worked in California. The state, the district, and even community (The Fresno Bee) all urged teachers to bring students up to the fiftieth percentile. Now I am not statistician, but isn't that statistically impossible? Every time I heard that, which was often, I giggled to myself and thought, "thank goodness these morons aren't taking the test..."

So if you live in my state and you happen to see a 3-5 grader at the market or something, give him a pat on the back and tell him he is smart. Because no matter how "smart" he actually is, he probably didn't feel that way at 8 am this morning.

Insurance Nightmares

I can honestly say that I can remember the most frustrating time in my life to date. It was after Emily was born and I dealing with the awful insurance company and FUSD. It wasn't until after Emily turned 2 that we finally got all of that straightened out. (And no. We didn't pay the bills that they said we owed. It was settled with the awful insurance company finally paid what they owed. 100% coverage means 100% coverage!)

Now here we are, shortly after her third birthday, and we are getting enormous bills from the hospital after a routine tonsillectomy. They are saying we didn't seek prior authorization. Our doctor's office said they did call to pre-authorize, and insurance company said it wasn't necessary for a standard tonsillectomy, so they didn't file the pre-authorization. Now we are told we really did need it, and we will now have to pay this astronomical bill. Uh. No. Super-stubborn Malisa isn't paying. I don't care if I have to take multiple personal days from work to sit down and settle this, we are not paying this bill. I feel like we are being taken advantage of, and that insurance companies prey on people who don't take time to research the issue, and just pay the darn thing. So no, we don't have that type of money laying around, but also it is also that I refuse to be taken advantage of and continue this system that rakes insurance consumers over the coals.

Add to that the complete wall of the house that needs new siding, and the totaled roof after the 3/15 tornado. Yes we have filed an insurance claim, and they were quick to say we needed to replace all that we thought needed replacing. That was great. What is not great is that we are being told that the estimates from the contractors are too high, and we don't know if the insurance company is going to cover the amount that we need. We bet in the end they will, but the hassle has left me angry sometimes and in tears at other times. We aren't dealing with a local agent because of the number of claims with the catastrophe, and I get that. But instead we are dealing with offices in Jacksonville, FL, Dallas, Tx and our local office here in Irmo. The tell us different directions with what to do, and last night one man in TX told me that I should "take the time to read the insurance estimate instead of listening to the guy from FL." I told him " I am now done speaking to you. Here's my husband." I threw the phone to Scott and said, "you deal with him."

I hope that in my daughter's lifetime there is a major change in health care. I hope that when she is 28 and life grants her with a family health issue that warrants a health insurance claim, and a disaster that warrants home insurance claim that she would be thankful to the wonderful people who take money out of her paycheck every month. Thankful to the quick system, whatever it should be, that took care of her like they are paid to do. Unlike me, who is very jaded and angry. Who needs a surgery this summer to take the painful cyst out of my hand, but is scared not of the surgery, but of the bills that surely will loom afterward.

All Done

Well, I'm posting my first blog in probably months! I am still alive. The year is officially over though I have work to grade but I have officially completed my coursework. No more going to classes. So instead I will be heading back into the workforce in about 4 months. I don't have to stay up late anymore so I'm wondering why I'm up late. Old habits are hard to break.

Scott

Princess Emily

Here is the latest picture of Emily. It is my favorite. We took her to the photography place and she was quite the ham. So much fun!

Field Trip today!

One of my favorite things about teaching fourth grade in South Carolina is the social studies curriculum. I get to teach from Berengia, all the way to the end of the Civil War. Challenging? Yes. But totally worth it. How fun is it to learn about the Rev. and Civil war, only to jump on a bus, drive 60 miles north, and actually tour a plantation home and actual slave quarters? On top of that, the place we're going today has actual battle trails from the Rev. war. Awesome!

So yes, I did wake up fifteen minutes before my alarm, and unable to get back to sleep, I am totally ready for school 45 minutes early. I do still get anxious and excited about a field trip just like I hope my ten year olds do. I do lay in bed the night before and play through everything in my mind to make sure that it will be a great trip. I do TOTALLY love my job. Nerd? Maybe. But I'm down with that.

This is your life...

You know that song about asking yourself if this life is who you want to be? Well that is me this week. More than a few times I reflected at the end of my day and caught myself thinking things like, "I really don't want to be a mom who relies on Little Ceasars for dinner so often." Or "I really don't understand why I took that tone with Scott."

So then I ask the question about circumstances. I feel like my frustrations and attitude are a result of these circumstances. Are they circumstances beyond my control? Or can I make some changes to avoid the circumstances that have shown results of a me that I don't want to be in specific instances?

A couple of months ago my life group at church did a study that focused on margins. The very basic premise was that relationship happens in the margins. It is in those margins that we are able to handle the unexpected. Whether that is referring to time, money, or whatever. So if we don't have some sort of margin in our life, we get stressed out when the unexpected happens.

This totally makes sense to me, and I pray that I will continue to reflect and see those areas that I want to improve by improving my circumstances. Maybe I need to spend the weeknights with less activities so that we are calmer, not rushed, and ready to go the next day? Maybe I need to say no to play dates or dinners out with friends so that we can have more time the three of us? Life at home is not bad. I think that I may need to spend more time just being here, and having more margin.

Feels like home

Tried out this place today. We were in West Columbia picking up my new cel phone from FedEx, and decided that it was a perfect time to go. The entire place reminded Scott and I of a cafe that could sit right on Olive St. and do so well in the Tower. It was completely decorated with local artist's pieces and had a simple, yet delicious menu. The place is known for its "hangover hash browns" that were written up in Sunset magazine a couple years back.

I had a half sandwich and cup of soup. Soup was curry lintel, and probably one of the best soups I have ever had. Now I feel compelled to find a recipe and try it at home. Scott had a great sandwich too but Emily, who ironically always finds the best dishes on the menu, got a breakfast sandwich on a croissant that was too good.

We followed dinner by splitting a huge piece of chocolate cake with milk for Em and coffee for Scott and me. The day was misty and overcast, and the ambiance of the place combined with that soup and coffee made my day. We will surely go back again. Its so nice to find a place like that when you least expect it!