Highlight

Late last Sunday night (11 pm) Meesh mentioned something about Austin wanting to go to Carowinds to ride the roller-coasters. I have been wanting to go since we moved here, and Scott really needed Em and I out of the house so that he could get some work done. We went on-line and found out that Monday was the only day during spring break that they were open. We brought a tape measure in to Em's room so we could measure her in her sleep to find out exactly how many rides she could go on, and then we bought our last minute tickets.

Austin is now 54" (with some minor manipulation of truth by me to the man who carried the big measuring stick) and that is a big deal at a park whose rides require a minimum of 54" for all the largest rides. He got his green bracelet, and we were off! He and I got to ride on all the big coasters while Meesh and Em hung out on some of the kiddie rides. Austin is seriously one of my favorite people of all time. Em also went on her first ever roller-coaster. She did say that she was "skayerd" (two syllables) but then asked if she could go again. She was quite the trooper, missing her nap and finally falling asleep on the way home. Never whined of fussed at all.

What a fabulous way for me to procrastinate doing my national boards stuff, huh? It was a fabulous day!

I don't like fiery hoops!

Ughh. That is all I have to say. I haven't been posting much as of late because I have been typing my fingers to the bone working on the entries for my NBCP. Can I say UGHHHH again? UGHHHH.

It isn't just the writing. It is the video segments that have to be of specific length, put in specific cases, and labeled specifically. It is the papers that have to be numbered a specific way with a specific header and a specific candidate I.D. label outside each envelope that contains them. I am done with the writing today. Like, just now. But I still have to box them all up in the envelopes so that my box can be postmarked by Monday.

All the fiery hoops are getting me down and discouraged. I don't like fiery hoops.

Besides that, I feel like I have worked on this my entire spring break, something I said I wouldn't do. Thank goodness my gracious husband has been a wonderful help to me. And my wonderful neighbor whose husband helped me with the DVD catastrophe after catastrophe.

I feel like if I pass (and I won't find out until the last week in November!) that I will feel just as special as an Emmy award winner. And if I do pass, I will give an award winning speech formally thanking all who helped me a long the way.

But until then? Ughhh!

Water Bug

One of the best jobs I have ever had was being a swim coach. I loved the RBG swim team that I worked for. Loved my first boss who was also my 6th grade math teacher and vice-principal. I even loved teaching swim lessons. However, when it is your own child, it is not so easy.

For Emily, it is hard to differentiate between playing with mommy in the pool, and mommy "teaching" how to swim. It is all the same to her. Which is why Scott and decided it was time to try out the structured swim lessons.
Emily was ready to go in her two piece speedo bikini and Little Mermaid goggles. She couldn't wait to get there.

After three weeks, she is still fearless and excited to go each Saturday morning. I think we may sign her up again. Not that I don't have the occasional comment that asks what in the world they are doing when I think I could do a better, more age-appropriate job, but still. The class setting and structure at this point are more important than the "learning to swim." And she is having a ball.

Path of the Tornado

Today on the news we heard NOAA had finished their investigation of the possible tornados that touched down. There were seven that hit South Carolina. The worse one was the one that hit Newberry County and tore through Prosperity which is just a 6-7 miles away. According to NOAA, the tornado started out as a EF-3 tornado which means 100 mph winds I believe. When it hit the Ballentine/Chapin area, which is about 2-3 miles away, the tornado turned into a funnel cloud which went above our house. That's why we got the giant hail and strong winds. The tornado "skipped" over our house which explains why some tornados will damage one house but not another. The funnel cloud turned back into a tornado on the other side of the river about 5-7 miles from us causing more damage.

If you look at the map from the NOAA website you can see the black line that begins in Newberry County. That black line means the tornado/funnel cloud moved in that direction. That red dot is approximately where we live.

Our first major storm

Saturday night was quite eventful at the Johnson house. There was a storm that was coming, and the meteorologist predicted it was coming right for our area. And by right by our area, apparently it meant right down our street. It is crazy how specific these storms are. And unlike an earthquake, we know right when one is about to strike. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing because waiting anxiously for a bad tornado to come is sort of like bracing yourself for a car accident while driving on a Los Angeles freeway.

Anyhow, the funnel cloud did major damage in Newberry county. If you watch the weather channel (like my grandfather) you would see the wide spread damage where the tornado hit with 100 mph winds. THe funnel cloud passed over our house and didn't touch down, but we did get some major hail. Our entire lawn was covered, and we spent the time locked in the downstairs bathroom. It sounded like our home was going to fall apart as we were pelted with golfball size hail.

And the damage is that one side of our home will have to be completely replaced with siding because the hail tore about 100 holes into the siding. Scott's truck is fine, but looks like somebody took a hammer and dinged up and down the side of it and the hood. You can't really tell because they are that deep, but if you look in the light it is obvious what happened.

This is the best picture we could get. Interesting that it was covered in ice out, but yet the temp. was 75.
Oh, and my daffodils are ruined. Bummer!

Feeling

I am in sort of lazy/comatose/reflective mood as we go into our weekend. I have National Board Certification stuff to work on, since the entries are all due 3/31. I spent today sitting at a coffee shop trying to finish the second of four. (that's where the lazy part comes in).

We don't have much for weekend plans, which is good. Other than the Saturday morning swim lesson and church Sunday morning, we are pretty much free to get some things done around the house, catch up on school work or vege. (that's where the comatose part comes in.)

Talked to Becky the past couple nights. Boy do I miss my friend. Now that I have been in SC for almost three years (Holy gracious... seriously three years already... we've been in this house a year longer that the Floradora house?!? Crazy.) I realize that I go through this varying level sequence of reflection about friendship. Specifically about different friends and my relationships with them.

Some times I miss them, and I pick up the phone and it is all good. Other times I am the complete opposite, and all I want to do is find a way to visit, or have them visit. If we had more funds, this may have resulted in irrational last minute air fare at astronomical prices. When I am in this level of reflection I get very sad and have a pity-party-table-for-one attitude. Then sometimes I get to have somewhere in between, where I talk with my friend and have a wonderful conversation. Then I hang up the phone and fill overjoyed for the blessing that true friendship is, but at the exact same time I feel this overflow of emotion that makes me miss my friend so much it literally hurts.

That was me the other night. Thank God for the times that we have to fly out and visit. I am so lucky that we can fly out to see our friends and family, even if it is only a couple times a year. So I guess there you have where the reflection part comes in.

Happy Birthday Emily Grace!

Friday was Emily's third birthday. It was one of those moments when I felt cheated with time. Where did the time go?

She had a wonderful birthday, though the weather wasn't so great. She got a 14' trampoline from Papa and Grammy, but we were unable to play with it at her party because the wind gusts and the cool change in temp. Oh well. We had a great time playing indoors with all her friends.

Emily choose a princess theme this year, and so everything was the Disney princesses. She told me she wanted a Cinderella cake, and I tried my best. When Em saw it she was very concerned that Cinderella's legs would have cake all over them. (Little did she know that I had turned Cinderella into an amputee in order to make the cake work!) Then she told me that the cake was beautiful, but did the doll talk? No Emily. She doesn't. Oh well, it was beautiful anyway.

Now that she is three, she is trying to master making her fingers say three. This takes much effort. She is getting so big!

Busy me

So I don't mean to make excuses, but I decided to post the top ten reasons why i haven't updated my blog. Ready?

1. Emily. The girl just takes time. And it is a good time. And she just got a trampoline for her birthday. Three is a fine time.

2. Scott+Malisa+Guitar Hero = more wasted time than I want to realize. But oh, what fun we have together!

3. Going to the gym requires going to bed early. Most blogging takes place at my house after 10 pm

4. Student Intern: Love her, she will be a FABULOUS teacher. But unlike popular belief, this is not just a free time for me while she teaches. This is a explain-everything-and-talk-through-each-lesson thing. A good thing, but time consuming nevertheless.

5. Church Women's Softball. Need I say more?

6. Emily's birthday party on Saturday. I'm attempting to make her a Cinderella cake, among other time consuming things.

7. I probably haven't even mentioned that I am attempting my National Board Certification this year. Four entries, 13 pages each, plus two fifteen minute video entries of me teaching. What a procrastinator I am! Oh, and it's due 3/31!

8. Saturday mornings are now consumed with Emily's swim lessons. Fun!

9. For some reason, this year I have subscribed to more magazines than ever before. The list goes: Time, People, US News & World Report, Newsweek, Real Simple, Better Homes & Garden, and some new women's magazine. Fun to read, all of them.

10. Probably the most important thing is that I have finally acted on the importance of a daily quiet time. I am still in Joshua, but I am learning. And I am sticking to this new habit and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing my time is spent well.


So... all of that to say, I will try to post more often. I have some great pictures of Emily on the trampoline. What fun! Hope everybody is well.

Bridesmaid Dress

Holy goodness. I got the most beautiful bridesmaid's dress in the mail that Becky ordered from Anne Taylor. I got home yesterday and was racing around in order to make it to Emily and my hair appt. (that's a whole other post!) but I was so excited to put on the dress, that I ran upstairs and tore into the box.

I LOVE the color, and the style. Technically, yes, it did fit. In that I-got-the-zipper-up-finally type of fit. But boy could I loose some poudage to make it better!

Here's to losing 25 pounds before 6/22!

Before and After

I already sent out text messages and an email, but in case you didn't see those, Emily is doing great! You can see her huge tonsils in the first picture, and if you make it big enough you can even see the blood pumping through those bad boys. She was such a trooper with the entire process. We were amazed at how quick she recovered! This is surely something more easily done with little ones. Em went into surgery at 7:30 and was out by 8:05. She was thirsty in the recovery room where she started sipping juice. This was a very good sign since most kids won't drink at all the first day. Em had jello and broth for lunch, and kept asking for a hamburger. So for dinner she ate a nice hospital meal of baked fish, potatoes, bread and squash followed with chocolate cake for dessert. The only reason she had to stay over was because kids typically get dehydrated if not drinking, but with this not a problem, they detached her I.V. before she went to bed, and our ENT came in to discharge us by eight the next morning.

So far we can see a real difference with Emily's snoring... there isn't any! So much in fact that while she was napping yesterday I kept wanting to check on her since I couldn't hear her through the baby monitor. So quiet! She is pretty much down to one pain medicine dose a day, and is back to her normal self. She ran errands with me this afternoon, and will go to Ms. Shari's tomorrow as normal. I thank God for my amazing little one!

Tomorrow's the big day!

Emily has her surgery tomorrow to remove her tonsils and possibly her adenoids. Really, I am not worried about how the surgery itself, but rather how Emily will feel when she wakes up. She is really tough, and I hope that is evident tomorrow when her little throat is in need of healing. I will stay with her overnight, and I imagine Scott will stay until she is asleep for the night. Then we come home Saturday.

Through the process of going to the pediatrician, the referral to the ENT, and the hospital date, I kept thinking about what it would be like if we didn't have health care. Yes, we did pay a deductible of which the insurance company will reimburse 80%. But what if we really didn't have health care at all? Or what if we lived in a nation where doctors and facilities like these aren't available? We are so blessed to have access to all that we do!

Once Em gets to feeling better I can't wait to snap a picture of her new tonsil-free mouth. I am sure that sounds bizarre, but I got a really good one of her tonsils last night and I can't wait to put the before and after next to each other. Like some sort of demented makeover?!? :)

Tsunami Tuesday!

With the debates on t.v. and the primaries making their way through different states, I have never been so attentive to politics. What amazing nation we have, that people here are so dedicated to serving and getting the message out. Yes, the phone calls and t.v. adds right before the S.C. primaries were atrocious on both sides, and annoying as they came in during the dinner hour. However, the roll that we all play in our government when we vote is so crucial! Maybe I am extra passionate because I am studying the Revolutionary War with my kids at school, and the combo of that with the presidential primaries is sending me over edge in my call to civic duty? Maybe I have made some subconscious connection between Bush and King George III? Who knows.

We have a field trip tomorrow, but I can't wait to come home and see what is happening with the primaries. I hope everybody in 2/5 states votes tomorrow!

Funny Monday

Thanks to Mindy for sending me this!


Democratic Primary

This being our first South Carolina presidential primary, I have noticed some differences. First of all, the Republican primary was last Saturday, while the Democratic one was today. THe voter decides which to participate in, but can only vote for one.

Now in California for the 2004 primary I recall that I didn't get to vote, because I am registered Independent. Don't you only get to vote in the primary there if you are registered with either party? Am I misinformed?

I am curious when I look at the numbers of total democrat voters compared to last week's republican numbers. It could be that the total number today was so much more because the weather today was beautiful... cold, but blue skies. Last Saturday it was freezing cold outside, and the weather man threatened snow, sleet, and rain. Or could it be that there are so many independent voters in SC that cast out for Democrat today? Hmmmm. Though Obama did a lot of campaigning here in recent weeks. Clinton too, but did you see the SC debates? I really didn't like her. I didn't really like her before, but I really really didn't like her after that.

Anyhow, Obama won... by a lot. The latest numbers are
Obama: 55%
Clinton: 27%
Edwards: 18%

It will be interesting to see what happens Feb. 5.

Wii are having fun!

Friday night

MIL closed on her house earlier

No work tomorrow

Dishes are done

Emily is in bed

and the Wii arrived earlier this afternoon

Scott and I have reason to celebrate

What fun Guitar Hero III will be!

ENT Update

Scott took Em to the ENT. Sure enough he was amazed at the size of the "golf balls" in her mouth. The earliest they can get her in is 2/8. She will have to spend the night, and I will stay with her. (Scott may want to fight me on that, but he will lose.)

I have tried to get her to open her mouth wide enough so you can see the big things and how they touch the uvula (thanks Adam!) but she keeps moving and wanting to say "cheese." I will try again later. It is pretty fascinating. They will also take out her adenoids, so maybe that will help her allergies. I'm sure she will be fine, especially if we tell her she gets to eat lots of popsicles.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Tonsillectomy

Before we flew out to California, Emily had a sinus infection that landed us in the Dr.s office. An antibiotic and we were good. However, our wonderful pediatrician noticed that her tonsils were unusually large, and that they hadn't been noted as such last visit. He asked if she snored. "Yes, like an old man" was my reply. He asked if she still fell asleep in the car. "Yes, sometimes when the car is stopped at preschool, Ms Shari, who watches her, has to unbuckle her and stand her up just to make sure she doesn't fall asleep before the older kids get into the car."

They probably need to come out. And she probably has sleep apnea. Let's refer you to the ENT.

At that time he said Emily's tonsils look like they are blocking 80% of her breathing way. Now, more than a month later, they are even bigger as far as I can tell. She snores loudly, has trouble swallowing food, and tosses in her sleep. See the illustration? Emily's tonsils touch that little hangy thingy in the back of the throat, and they are larger than a marble each.It really must be uncomfortable for her, yet not much slows her down. What could be really painful for one child is just minor discomfort for Emily. She doesn't complain, so I don't know how extensive they bug her. I see her having trouble swallowing pieces of food, and I really hear her snoring, and it worries us. So much in fact that Scott has spent multiple nights in her bed with her, scared the sleep apnea will keep her from breathing.

The initial appt. wasn't until 1/31, but Scott called the ENT and explained that just wasn't going to do. He takes her tomorrow. What we really want to happen is for him to tell us they are really big, and they need to come out soon, like as in Friday or something VERY soon. I am nervous that I don't get to go to the initial appt. but figured I should save the days for when she is home recovering.

Which brings me to my next concern. I have been reading about tonsillectomy, and I found in a couple places where they keep children under 3 over night for observation in most cases. Does that mean they let the mom stay over night too? They must, right? I have many fears. But I am thankful for our pediatrician and that Emily is so tough!

I will post an update after tomorrow's ENT appt.

Reputation

After studying the book of Daniel and loving the Old Testament, I decided to go all the way back to Joshua. My thought was that I didn't really know the history that I thought I did, and possibly I could make it all the way through I II Kings. So here I am now in Joshua 6. I have heard the story about the walls of Jericho, and I even remember the song I learned as a child about the story. What amazed me was how much I have learned already before the walls of Jericho fell.

Reading about Rahab and the fear her people had shows the Israelite's reputation before they ever got to Jericho. This made me think about the reputations we have. Maybe it is the parent from the beginning of the school year who accused me of "screaming at kids" or "never letting the kids talk in class." Obviously not true to any who know my teaching style. But this idea of reputation is something that I have fixated on in the past few months, and I can't shake it. She (Rahab) talks about what happened with Sihon and Or (I had to reference Numbers 26 on this one... I was clueless to these kings) and gives examples as to why her people were fearful of them. Then a couple of kings west of the Jordan we are told were "paralyzed with fear." How great was this reputation that God used?

Even though this "reputation" was so different than the reputation of a teacher, it made me a little more at peace with my reputation as a teacher... at least in the eyes of parents. No matter what I do I can't change the ways that people see me, but I can rest assured that God will allow the reputation of me that he sees fit to be the one to prevail all others.

Totally not what I expected to get out of Joshua, but applicable nevertheless.

Trip to the mall

Yesterday the weather was pretty crumby. The weather man kept saying we were going to get more snow, but with accumulation this time. Though that would be fun, we also didn't want to do our typical Sat. dinner out with the potential of black ice. So, we adjusted and spent the mid morning through lunch at the mall.

Scott and I are not big "mall" people. We aren't ones to necessarily go to the mall to "look around." Nor do we have funds for such. However, the pair of brown shoes I wear to work with all my "warm" clothes (i.e. pants) ripped all the way down the sole. It was time to replace them. I found these.
I have been wanting to get these shoes ever since my mom bought me a brown velour suit for christmas, but didn't want to pay full price, and I already had brown shoes. They were on sale, and so I bought them. Very cute.

After lunch at the mall food court we did the normal Emily thing of riding the carousel. The big thing sits right in the food court, and it is always a treat for her to go. This time Scott took her and I sat and watched. Emily rode that thing around and around, each time waving at me as she passed and shouting "Hi Mommy!" She was so proud of herself, and I was beaming with joy. Who knew a carousel could be so thrilling for child and parent?

Anyhoo, off to church we go, and in my head I am trying to negotiate a way for me to wear my new shoes!

Two subject Post

First of all, here is the birthday cake picture as promised. Very rich, but yummy. I didn't make enough frosting, or I put too much frosting in between the layers, so the outer coat isn't as thick as I would have liked. Though I am loving my frosting gun for the lettering.




Second thing is we had some friend's kids over this evening so that their mom could go to a retreat and leave before dad got home. They're not just any kids either. They live down the street from us, and the older boy, Austin, is a formal student of mine. I absolutely love this kid. If you heard Jay and Becky talking about the kid who came over and played guitar hero, this would be him. His little sister is Kori, and Emily thinks she is quite the princess of the world. She loves to play with Kori, and Kori loves to dress Emily up in dresses, and show her how to do all sorts of "big girl" things.

We spent the evening making our own pizza dough and topping it with our favorites (mostly cheese) before baking it. There was lots of playing going on all over the house, and I totally loved it! I loved having three kids running all over the place. They were entertaining each other and laughing and having a great time. It made me happy. Maybe having a "tribe" isn't so bad?

Happy Birthday Scott

In honor of Scott's birthday I thought this picture was too priceless not share. This pretty much sums up Scott. Let me give you the story behind it. First of all, my mom, sister, Emily and I went shopping many days of our Christmas break while my dad worked. This left Scott to be forced to come with us. On this particular day my mom was checking out at the register while my sister and I were looking at socks. Emily was fully amused in the costume jewelry section (always her favorite) where she had wound up a disney princess musical box and was dancing around in full costume jewelry fashion. Naturally, she wanted her daddy to twirl around like a ballerina with her. How could he say no? This is Scott we're talking about! I walked back just in time to whip out my camera, much to his chagrin. His facial expression says it all.

What a guy to do whatever it took to give me time to entertain our two year-old so that I could spend much needed time with my sis and mom.

For the official cake of his 35th birthday I plan to re-create the four-layer triple chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting that I made over the holiday. Too bad my dad won't be here to eat the remains like he did the holiday cake. Picture to follow.

Happy Birthday Scott!
Love,
Malisa

New duds for the bed

When we got married my Aunt Becky gave us a beautiful silk duvet cover for our bed. Of course it was one that we picked out, and we really loved it. However, it wasn't long before the embroidered stitching began to pop and the button holes tear. (My friend and seamstress goddess Jenny tells me it was probably polyester thread used on raw silk, which is a no-no. I'm sure she's right) And when we moved into this house we loved the green bedroom walls, but when we added our furniture with our green duvet we didn't care for the sea of green that our room became. With our fourth wedding anniversary coming up, I decided it was time for us to invest in something else to dress up our bedroom.

This is the spread that I picked out. No duvet cover to slip and pull away from the feather duvet. No ripped stitching. Just multi-colored bliss to break up the green. It has almost the same pattern of embroidered scroll on the green panal which was what I loved about our old cover, with the added rust-red and gold. I absolutely love it.
Now maybe I can figure out what to put on the beautiful curtain rods that have hung empty above the four giant windows in our room!

Commentary

This past November I finished a Bible study using Beth Moore's Daniel. This was by far the best study I have every been a part. One of the major differences with this study from others I have done is that it didn't concentrate on me. There was a focus of course on applying what we read and studied to our lives, but mostly this study focused on bible history.

Before this study I thought of Daniel and remembered the childhood Sunday school stories about the lion, the 3 in the fire, and such. I didn't remember anything about the prophesy in the later chapters. I was amazed at what I found out about our God through studying this prophesy. One of the reasons why I think I learned so much was the commentary that was referenced.

So, I got myself a commentary. Scott told me different ones that he thought would be good, but I didn't want a set that consisted of multiple volumns. I wanted a consice commentary that noted each verse in bold, with timelines, and such. I decided on Nelson's new illustrated commentary. I don't know much about commentaries, but so far I am glad that I got one. So... yeah.

Saturday plans... sort of

Today is one of those days where we are busy, but not really. We have a lot of little things that need to get done, but no apparent time frame or order in which to do them. So far the Christmas tree and decorations have been taken down, but there are still needles in the carpet, and the rest of the downstairs needs a good thorough cleaning. I guess that's next.

I also have plans this afternoon to add mulch to the vegetable garden, do some winter weeding, and plan where I am going to plant the late winter seeds that I just ordered. Oh, and this year I am going to try potatoes... from potato eyes indoors, and transplanting them out when they are larger. We shall see how that goes. Another new try this year will be onions. I ordered green, red, and sweet walla wallas. Besides the trip to Colorado for the wedding, we should be home most of the summer. Hopefully this will help the veggie garden. All the weeks gone last summer combined with the severe drought did not bode well for growing. I have big expectations for this summer.

Have a great Saturday!

We're back!

So without too much delay, we're back in SC. Yes, our flight was delayed out of Bako. Yes, we had a taxi can drive to LAX over the grape vine with 50 mph winds, and yes, we brought in the new year while sleeping in front of the ticket counter. But all in all, not too bad. :) First class tickets on a direct flight to Charlotte sort of made up for the above. Emily loved her first class seat, and enjoyed the breakfast including fresh fruit served on fancy china.

Now that we're home we are adjusting to the time change, which I think was mostly impacting us because of the over night trip difficulties. We got in around seven last night, and I had to get up for work this morning. Not as tired as I thought.

What a great time we had! We saw tons of our family and friends. We got to meet Melanie Foster for the first time, I got to go to Becky's bachelorette party, and we both stayed out late at karaoke. Thanks to all! I only wish we could have spent more time!

Now I am off to explain to Emily why she really must go to bed now that it's 11 pm. She is really struggling with the time change this trip. I guess I am too because I can't get tired for bed. Hope all of you had a wonderful new year's eve!

Summer in December

Today was one of those days that could've turned out crummy, but actually turned into an unexpected blessing. Emily is still running a fever, so I stayed home with her to take her to the doctor. Sure enough, one sinus infection and a prescription later, and problem solved. We got home right as she fell asleep for her afternoon nap.

Quite unexpectedly I found myself home on a Monday, with a sleeping Emily, most all housework done, and my MIL at an orientation for her new job. Fabulous! Not to mention the high today was 80. I opened all the windows in the house, and then changed into my summer uniform of jean shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt. Yes, it is December, but when it is that warm with 90% humidity, that's what I where.

I spent a couple of hours outside at the patio table catching up on the bible study that I was worrying about finishing. It was fabulous. Hopefully we will get some cold weather in Bakersfield so that it will really seem like Christmas. :)

My tough kid

For those who haven't experienced Emily, she is a very tough kid. She knows no fear, and there isn't much that stands in her way of experiencing life. She isn't afraid of swimming pools, loud fire trucks, or riding horseback. Sometimes this fearless tough attitude really freaks me out! The full effect of Emily's toughness was in full effect this week.

Wednesday night Emily got sick. Some sort of viral stomach thing we guessed. Every time she was "sick" it would be really horrible... one of those things parents loath, as being unable to comfort. When each occurrence was over, she made some comment like, "I think I should go the doctor mom." Then she was off playing again. God must have figured I could never handle watching my child in pain, because my kid just shrugged her shoulders and off she went. No whining, no crying, no drama. I stood amazed, remembering all the times I (even as an adult) would be so disgusted and teary-eyed after vomit. (such a gross word)

Finally one last thing I'm reflecting on in regards to my kick-butt toddler. We were outside today (in shorts and t-shirts in the 78 weather) playing and Em was walking down the stairs from our kitchen to our back yard. She fell down and ended up flat on her back at the bottom of the three stairs, laying on the brick patio. Since she is laying on her back, she looks up and sees me. I must of looked horrified, because she immediately popped up, saying "I'm okay mom. See? No boo boos! It's okay mom, really!" Thanks for the comfort, I guess. I really love our tough kid.

Elf on the Shelf

Last year a friend showed me this book, The Elf on the Shelf. It comes with an elf, and the idea is Santa sent the elf into the family's home to watch the children and to make sure they are not naughty. Then, after everybody goes to bed, the elf flies all the way to the North Pole each night to report to Santa. Then when he flies back, he sits in a different place, hiding. When the child(ren) wake in the morning, they must find the elf.

Scott and I have had some fun to say the least. This was one of my favorite hiding places for little "Alex" the elf. (The book tells you to name him... and Emily chose Alex.)

Fun fun fun. Emily thinks this is great. I guess it will be a new holiday tradition in our home.

Immigrants

Often times in my class I like to bring in a text set with differing views of a certain issue. I keep my nose out of it, but listen as children share their thoughts. This summer I read two books (both realistic fiction) about illegal immigration. One was a story of a young boy trying multiple times to get to The North to find work and help feed his family, and another about a Cuban boy making the little league world series with his team from the bronx, only to find out that he wasn't allowed to play because he was not a legal, and when this came out he risked deportation for him and his family of five.

Today, I found this news article. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21950265/
Again, a great story to give an altering view to some considering the issue. And also sheds some light on the humanitarian efforts of even those "illegal." Here's the thing. I haven't been able to find appropriate texts with a differing view point. I know I should be able to find something, either a news article, or press brief about new laws. But all seem to be a little confusing to young people. I surely won't bring in the above things until I have something to counter. And I'm looking. Any ideas?

Waiting...

Yeah, so patience has never been my area of expertise. Today Jay and Becky are flying in for Thanksgiving. There were some flight trouble due to snow and ice, so their flight is not here until 11:30 pm instead of 4:55 pm. I can't tell you the last time when I was this excited. I think it was probably when I was waiting for Emily to be born. Seriously. I haven't seen Becky since Matt and Jana's wedding in June of 2006 and I haven't seen Jay since when he crashed the baby shower when I was pregnant with Emily and my aunt Gywnn thought Mindy hired a stripper. Seriously though, I think that was the last time. Two of my favorite people.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody.

Farm Boys

We found this place, Farm Boys, a couple of years ago. It is a local restaurant, no chain. It actually moved into a new building about year ago. This place is awesome! They have the best BBQ of those we've tried. For those who were as clueless as I was before I moved here, most of these style restaurants have a buffet line. In that line you can find both mustard and vinegar based pulled pork, hash to be served over white rice, creamed corn, collards, lima beans, smoked ribs, cole slaw, homemade mac and cheese, hushpuppies, and of course your basic white roll. It is seriously a carb fest, and most times everything on my plate is the same color. But it is so good.

Friday night we went here with Linda. THe entire restaurant is decorated in country farm/pigs. (Think BJ's Kountry Kitchen decor). There is a sign in the bathroom that says, "If there are no more towels in this here dispenser, use your clothes." Nice. Everybody knows everybody, and the dining area resembles a dining hall at the church camp I went to as a kid. Everything is throw away plastic plates, and styrofoam cups, which is a whole issue in itself. The pitchers of sweet tea sit out on each table, and there are rolls of paper towels on a stick to be used instead of napkins.

The place is huge now that they are in the new building, however there was a wait that extended around the cash register. People just wait for an open table, and then go sit down. It has made quite the name for itself.

I wish the place would be open this next weekend so we could take Becky and Jay while they are here, but the entire restaurant closes down for both the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is a culture all in itself, and something we totally want to share with anybody who comes to visit.

Monday Disaster??

I meant to post regarding this last week. But I'm just now getting around to it.

Last Monday as I filled my coffee cup before work, there was a loud bang, loud enough that I dropped my cup. Now mind you, it was 6:40ish ( I typically leave for work by 7 am) and where we live it is extremely quiet. The bang was so loud, I thought a bomb had gone off in our garage. I opened the garage door, and there was steam everywhere. Once I opened the big garage door and the steam blew away, I noticed our hot water heater was gushing water out the bottom.

I ran back inside and yelled up the stairs, "EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY!!!!!" Scott still thinks this was absurd of me, but it was however an emergency! As I waited for him to come downstairs, I pulled the car out of the garage and made sure none of the picture books from Scott's classroom were in the line of water. But they weren't.

Scott came down, we frantically pulled the water off and the gas to the water heater off. Then all we could do was watch while the hot water heater emptied, and hot steamy water poured down the driveway into the street.

We stood there, somewhat helpless, and realized that a huge purchase was about to set us under for the month. (Sure enough, we have some sort of "special" set-up with our water heater that safely releases the carbon monoxide from the unit. And by safe I mean EXPENSIVE!) But all we could do was grin and shrug. We sat there in a hug and all that came to my mind were the lyrics "It's just another manic Monday....."

I don't think I will ever forget that moment. I was so happy for both of our calm attitudes, and for Scott being able to tell me he would handle it. Off I went to work with a smile, and before I got home, the new unit had been installed. Expensive purchase that we didn't expect? Yes. But no big deal. I love life. :)

Boo at the Zoo

This wasn't from Halloween (more on that costume when I get the pictures) but this was from Saturday's Boo at the Zoo. We got to trick or treat the animal houses, roast marshmallows, dance, and play in bubbles. Here are some picture highlights.

This guy

This is one of those times when I just want to brag on my husband and tell everybody about something I know he is too humble to mention.

Well, let me explain that Scott has a cohort of about 30 undergrads that are studying to be teachers. They are in their internships, and they are also taking his class this semester. He taught them in another class last spring semester, and he will also have them again for their final course next semester. One of them was in my room last spring doing her student teaching, and through her I know that these kids love having Scott as their professor. They were all so pleased to know he would be continuing with them in the additional semesters, and have really gotten to know him.

The mortor board society in the honors college has awards they give out each year for excellence in teaching at the university level. Scott was nominated by his students to receive this award. So, last night we got all dressed up and went to this really awesome building on campus (built in like 1801) and went to the awards reception. Each member of the mortor board stood and made remarks about the professor that was nominated. The student who nominated Scott made wonderful remarks about his passion for teaching, his integrity as a professor, and other things. She also said that it was not just her, but a cohort of thirty students who unanimously agreed that Scott was deserving of the award.

Anyhow, after the reception we went just the two of us to an awesome restaurant downtown and got to have an actual dinner conversation. It was fabulous. So yeah, just had to let you know he's doing such a great job! :)

Have I reached my censorship line?

When Harry Potter came out and so many families deemed it unfit for their children, I was annoyed. I understand the point trying to be made regarding magic and all that, but goodness, should Emily not watch Cinderella? And yes, I read the 2006 Newberry award winner with the word scrotum on the first page, and I got over it. Not. A. Big. Deal. Both Harry Potter and The Higher Power of Lucky are sitting in my classroom.

I believe kids can be culturally aware without being consumed. Books with different ideas and messages birth conversations about beliefs that allow children to define themselves and their own beliefs... if parents are willing to allow that sort of independence. But it is this independence that grows a faith in oneself, grounded in the identity of the individual, not a reflection of a parental pair. Therefore, I have books in my classroom that reflect different viewpoints from what many hear at home, hear on the news, or even hear in other books. We read them, discuss them, and through much thinking, I believe kids in my class learn to develop their own beliefs regarding the material. Of course these beliefs are formed not just by the experience in our classroom, but I know the experience helped them own an idea that they might not have otherwise paid any attention. This makes them responsible thinkers who form opinions after reviewing different viewpoints.

However, there is a book that is getting a lot of attention lately because a movie coming out next week is based off of the trilogy. The movie is The Golden Compass, and the book trilogy begins with His Dark Materials, by Phillip Pullman. Now at first I got that simple comment from a friend about this book being "harmful to kids" and "it is against God" and such. And then I got the mass forwards talking about how irresponsible we would be to allow a child to watch the movie, or worse read the book. Honestly I thought this was another christian bandwagon to jump on, similar to Harry Potter. But I did some research and what I found was specific. Apparently this author wrote the series as a direct opposition to C.S. Lewis. The first was published in 1996 and the next two followed. In this book Pullman "kills God." Now I haven't read the book (though I think I will) but I read multiple reviews, and an article the BBC put out after interviewing Pullman. He says that he believes the world would be a better place without God, and that religious tyranny has caused much pain to the innocent. Yes, he is an atheist. It's not the beliefs that I have a problem with but it is that he says he needs a way to infiltrate the relationship between parent and child so that children won't be brainwashed into religion. Thus, the book. Hmmmm. Okay, so yes I have a problem with his motives, and of course I don't agree with his opinion of God or christians.

But here comes the hard part. Would I keep this book out of my library? I'm not saying I was even thinking about buying it before the controversy came about, because I had never heard of it. But would I make the choice to keep it out, or do I include it to offer an opposing viewpoint, similar to the books I have on both sides of other issues? And if I do keep it out is it because I would not be allowed, if the situation arose, to have a conversation with a child reading this book regarding religious beliefs as per the law regarding such? Or would I be keeping it out because it conflicted with my own personal beliefs about God? I ask because I seriously don't know. If my reasoning is because of separation between church and state, well then fine. I know I couldn't sit and chit chat with a student about religious beliefs. But if my reasoning is because it just makes me uncomfortable, well then I am not comfortable with that either.

Anyhow, it's been on my mind for a bit. Just curious as to your thoughts while I am trying to sort through my own.

Home body

This evening when I got home from work all I wanted to do was stay home. I think maybe because it was raining? Sometimes I turn into the biggest home body, and it seems more often than not when it is rainy. Not because I don't like to drive in the rain, or anything, but rather because I think rain is my symbol of relaxation and comfort. I put on a pot of chili beans, and while they stewed on the stove Emily and I played and read books. The t.v. stayed off (an indication of a good evening) and we made a huge mess out of her toys. After dinner Scott bathed Em, and Linda and I cleaned up the kitchen. Now Em is in bed, the rain has stopped, and I am enjoying the house aired out with the windows open.

Pictures As Promised

Emily playing ball in the backyard with Dakota

Singing and dancing in full dress-up costume

Me and Em playing "we're asleep" to Scott

Emily sitting in my vinca.

Fair Highlights

Some of you probably know that I am not the best at being still for long periods of time (I know, shocking isn't it?) which makes me not the best person to go to a concert. However, I can handle a fair concert which lasts only ninety minutes or so. By the time the did their couple of encore songs, I was ready. Don't get me wrong, I like Third Day a lot, and was enjoying it, but the length was perfect for my short attention span.

Of course we ate way too much food last night. There was great greasy food everywhere. I have to chuckle at the person from the Pepto Bismol advertising department who decided it was a good idea to pass out free samples in the middle of Food Row. Nice. Scott made sure to pick up plenty. We had corn dogs, fries, lemonade, and funnel cakes. Yum! I love funnel cakes. Now I am not the type that likes that canned fruit compote garbage on top. Just the word "compote" sounds nasty. Too close to "compost." Maybe the same idea. Just some powdered sugar and cinnamon for me please.

We met some friends there to go to the concert, and the three wives went on some rides together. The husbands all made dumb comments about not wanting to go on the rides... something about not being bolted to the ground... meh, whatever. We did the twirling swings, the spinning cars that go round and round, the euro slide, and that ride that you lay down on and it makes you look like you're hang gliding. Fun fun fun. I seriously felt ten again.

After we looked at some exhibits, we decided to head out for a beer before going home. I had such a great time, and I think Scott did too. I haven't seen him that relaxed in months. The fair is always a good date.

wednesday ramblings

This is what's on my mind about now:
* Going to the fair tomorrow. We're seeing Third Day, eating food, and hopefully going on the big people swings. I sure hope the huge thunder storms and possible "severe weather" doesn't ruin our fun. I have been looking forward to this date for weeks.

* Oh darn. I forgot to tape Grey's Anatomy. Shoot.

* I love my job. Have I said that lately? I love it, love it, love it. I had a fabulous day today.

* Emily went to bed so much better tonight. I tell ya, the kid hasn't been falling asleep until well after 9:30 this week. I can't deal. Finally today she went right in and read her books, I turned off the light, she fell asleep. Just as it should be. Thank goodness.

* I probably need to wash the car this weekend. Boy do I procrastinate with that. I hate washing the car. Anybody else want to do it for me?

* Only a few weeks until Becky and Jay get here, which is great because I am really having issues with missing my friends and family as of lately. Their visit is going to be so needed. I can't wait!

TODAY'S THE DAY!

This morning at 5 am, Emily and I dropped Scott off at the airport here in Columbia. He will fly to CA and meet up with his mom and they will drive back here. For those of you who don't know, Linda is moving to Columbia with us for awhile. The plan is she will find a job here and then find and buy a house. For the past year or two we have anticipated this happening. We knew that when David was gone there would really be no reason for Linda to stay in San Bernardino. (Seriously one of the ugliest cities I have ever visited, among other things.)

Now I have really been thinking about this, and gearing up for it since August. I joke around with friends about how miserable I am going to be, and how mother-in-laws should never move in no matter if they are nice or annoyingly awful. But really, Scott and I are thinking this will be okay. Linda really has no relationship with Emily, as they have never spent any length of time together. This will give them the opportunity to learn how to interact with each other. I know Scott likes the idea of being able to help her out, and we're both glad that she will finally be closer. (Though in another household is preferable of course.)

I know there will be rough times as we transition into the new addition to our home. I know that uncomfortable conversations about disagreements are things that come with the territory. But these conversations are quite necessary if we are ever going to spend more time together, same house or not, and I do want to get to know her better.

Above all, I am proud of myself for being the wife that says this is okay, I am proud of Scott for being such a loving son to his mom, and I am so thankful that God provided us with a house with an extra bedroom.

We're already off to a great start because she sold her house and it successfully closed escrow Friday, she bought a new car (something she completely deserves), and she is all packed up. Scott hopes to have the drive finished by Thursday. I will keep you updated.

Monkey Bread

I don't make it that often, but it goes great with a big cup of coffee and a newspaper.
INGREDIENTS
3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube pan.
Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.
In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.

The one and only Emily

A good friend of mine got these shoes for Emily when she was shopping for her own daughter. They were on the front step when Emily got home, and wow was she excited!

Now that a couple weeks have gone by, I thought that maybe the princess shoe fixation has worn off. But alas, this evening we found a new love for the shoes. Emily insisted on wearing them outside. She provided me with a lengthy explanation about how these fabulous shoes actually make her princess, and that she must wear them.

So out she goes. And what does she do? She found a snail, and two lizards. “Mommy, look! The lizard is just a baby, and he isn’t green!”

What I just love about her personality is she loves so many things. She isn’t just a tomboy, and she isn’t just a princess. She isn’t a drama queen, though she can throw a good fit. She will eat sushi, yet doesn’t care for ranch so much. She is so unpredictable, but yet so Emily. She’s not like anybody else, and that is probably my favorite thing about her.

What a Saturday

This morning started off like any normal Saturday. But it just seemed better. I'm sure my good mood began because Scott and I got to sleep in until seven. That's late for Emily. But also, I loved waking to the house nicely chilled with the widows open. I think Autumn is my favorite season followed by Spring, both of which are longer here than I am used to. Everything is just so fresh and airy when you can leave the windows open and the air conditioner off.

Emily and I made monkey bread together while Scott got ready for his class. It turned out great, and Emily loves making things in the kitchen with me. He had breakfast with us before heading out. I had a women's ministry meeting at our house, and then Emily's friends stayed for lunch and to play. Our playroom was a wreck, but looked like a playroom should. After picking up a bit, she took a long nap, and I got to spend some time reading before Scott got home, and Em woke up.

We grilled outside for dinner, and now we're watching Toy Story. I am the only one who has seen it here, and I guess I forgot how cute it is. Emily loves it and Scott thinks it is pretty cute too.

Once Emily goes to bed, we have some blended fuzzy navels in the freezer. Yum.

I haven't even stepped foot in the car today, the laundry is still piled up, there's homework to grade, and the bathrooms all need to be cleaned, but I've had a great day playing. Oh, and the Gamecocks beat Mississippi State, but that's just icing on the cake. :)

It's Been a While . . .

During the summer I tried to get better about posting but this semester has been brutal so I won't be posting all the much. And if I'm that busy than Malisa is picking up my slack.

My reading schedule has been pretty demanding this semester. The amount is quite extensive but it's not the most I've had. It's mainly WHAT I'm reading. One of my classes is Anthropological Inquiry. I was excited about this class but I've been disappointed due to the teacher's lack of teaching. Each week she has apologized for not doing a good job of explaining some pretty difficult concepts to understand. So far we have read people like Darwin, Marx/Engles, Durkheim, Mead, Foucault, Spencer, Tylor, Malinowski, Boas, etc. These are the foundational people in anthropological thinking. I have little background in anthropology so understanding social Darwinism, functionalism, historical particularism, etc. has forced me to do lots of research on my own. My teacher's explanations are just as clear as these people's writings. I will admit one thing - I understand atheistic perspectives a bit better. I'm not going in that direction but it's a perspective that's important for me to understand as it pertains to culture and sociocultural perspectives.

My other two classes alternate on Saturdays so I have class all day every Saturday. They are my typical education courses - challenging but comprehendible. So I teach my Reading Assessment on Tuesday and head to my anthropology class. I supervise student teachers on Wednesday. I have anthropology again on Thursday leaving my Monday and Friday. Except in two week I will begin volunteering at an orphanage so that will take up several hours a week.

What's hard to imagine is in December I will begin studying for my comprehensive exams so I will begin my dissertation this time next year.

So sorry I won't be posting as often but I will be trying to read everyone's blog as often as possible.

Scott

Restaurants.com

I thought I would pass this deal along since this is the last day at Restaurants.com. You can buy $25 gift certificates to many restaurants in your area for $4 and you get a free $10 gift certificate to wherever. There are some limitations: only good Monday - Thursday . . . you can use one certificate once a month and with one party . . . you can't combine certificates.

Scott

8 things

Here are the rules:
- Each player starts with eight random facts about themselves.
- Those who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight facts and post these rules.
- At the end of the post, choose some people to get tagged and list their names.


So here are my 8 facts about myself:

1. When I was little I decided I didn't really want a little sister, so my parents helped me put postage stamps on her forehead and tried to put her in the mailbox to send her back. It didn't work, but by the time I figured that out I decided I didn't want to send her back after all. I bet my parents counted on me changing my mind, but I have always wondered what they would have done if I hadn't?

2. My favorite time of the week is Sunday morning before church when we all eat breakfast together, followed by Scott and I drinking coffee and reading the newspaper while Emily watches cartoons.

3. At school I like getting the "bad kid" that nobody wants. I guess I am prideful in a way that makes me think I can do what they can't.

4. I was born in Taft. (big sigh)

5. One of my biggest fears is that one day Scott is going to get so mad at my cat's (ethel) devious acts that he will make me get rid of her, and I know nobody else would want her, and a shelter would euthanize her. I think about this too often. (and it doesn't help when she goes into Scott's walk-in closet and pees all over his silk ties. or when she waits for the moment we get home from a trip, makes eye contact with us, and pees all over the kitchen rug.) Thank goodness I have a patient and loving husband.

6. I have an addiction right now with a local Italian cafe that makes their own gellato. I could go there every night.

7. As a nine year old I remember watching the coverage right after the 1989 San Fran earthquake. While taking a bath that night my dad climbed under my bed. Then when I climbed into bed for the night and the lights were out he started jumping up and down, shaking me and my bed. I should be seriously scarred for life after some of the crazy things he pulled with us.

8. One of the biggest things I miss about CA is sitting on our back patio with friends late at night.

Justin, Julie, and Dana... if you take the time, you're next.

"Looks like somebodys got a case of the Mondays"

Fifty percent of my struggle with going to the gym is getting my bag together the night before so I can shower there and make it to work on time. So last night when I was getting things ready for the week I put together my bag of things for the morning shower at the gym. I put everything in the car, including my school bags, lap top, etc.

So this morning when the alarm went off at 5:15 I didn't mind getting up because I was well prepared, and that's half the battle, right? I even had new gym clothes which is always a plus. I change and walk out the door and drive the few miles it is to the YMCA.

WHen I get there I realize I can't find my gym card. As I rummage threw my bag I feel a sting on my pinky finger. I take it out to look, and realize I have caught the tip end of my finger on the four-bladed razor in my shower bag. Oops. The darn thing took the entire top off, making my nicely rounded finger into a flat top. It was bleeding like crazy.

Luckily I found a wash cloth and wrapped around my profusely bleeding finger so that I can drive home. It didn't stop bleeding for long time, and now it looks gross as you can see the actually chunk that is missing. I bet if I go back to the razor I could actually find it.

Ughh. And all I wanted to do was get a workout in.
Other than that, my Monday went fine. Anybody else?

And... they're off!

We are back from our trip. We spent time with family, the funeral was arranged beautifully, and Scott gave a beautiful eulogy that I know honored David. Seriously, the boy can write. It couldn't have been worded more eloquently, and I was proud of him for it all.

Now school has officially started. We got back for CA in the wee hours of Monday morning, and then I was up at 5:30 to get to work early and make up all that I didn't get to do the days I was out the week before. Meetings, and then Thursday was our first day with students. I have a great class of 20 (how I love not teaching in CA) who all seem excited to be fourth graders.

Luckily, Scott's start is a little slower than mine, as he began with student interns this past week, started a class today, begins teaching and taking another this week, and then his final class he's taking doesn't begin until mid-September. He is busy, don't get me wrong, but it is staggered. This has been great, because of all that he has done around the house to make up for when we were gone. How thrilled I was to return home last Mon to have my laundry all clean and folded!

Emily started back with Ms. Shari, and she is thrilled. The only drama in her two year-old life is that her special friend T.J. went to Kindergarten this year, and she misses him. Other than that, and she's having a ball.

Today I made a to-do list that included going to Sam's, the market, cleaning toilets, and vacuuming the carpet. I got the shopping done, but think I'd rather take a nap. It's been a long, but good week.

(my first day of school picture to follow)

Sad News

Many of you had the chance to meet my brother at our wedding a while back and said how much you enjoyed meeting him for the first time. Sadly enough, my brother David passed away early this morning. We believe he died in his sleep and the nurse was alerted when his ventilator alarm went off. The paramedics, and later the emergency personnel, attempted CPR on him but couldn't revive him. We don't believe he was in any pain. We are not sure what he died from but it seemed he may have died from a massive heart attack. When I visited last month, he had two orange-size cancerous tumors, diabetes, he couldn't eat, couldn't drink, malnourished, we could no longer understand his speech, and he was extremely depressed. Because of the pain he was in, they had him on many drugs to make him comfortable. While he was painfree for the first time in months, we only shared about 20 words during my 7 day visit but it was enough time to tell him I loved him.

We are heading to California tomorrow (Tuesday) until Sunday to help with arrangements and the funeral. You can contact us through email or cell phone. You are welcome to the funeral once we know when and where it is.

Scott

Heat = Lazy

This week was my last full week off before I return to work Thursday 8/16. Normally before school starts I have this unyielding list of things that I want to do around the house in order to make the return to school more pleasant for everybody. The list usually includes things like cleaning out the pantry, donating used clothing to Goodwill, cleaning out the garage, and weeding all the flower beds. Basically things that will surely get put on the back burner once the shot gun start signals school.

However... this year is quite different. In case you aren't like my grandpa who watches the weather channel regularly, I'll update you to our heat wave weather in the Carolinas. Yesterday the temp was 107 with a heat index of 118 with the 90% humidity. It was the hottest day on record ever for our state. Holy Crap. It was hot. It has been like all week. We have a break today with the temp only reaching 99 (normal average temp for August is 90) with a heat index of 110.

Now I have had plans in the back of my mind to do fun stuff with Emily like go blueberry picking in Lexington. Not-a-gunna-happen. We have stayed in-doors all week, literally not using a backyard once, and Emily has broke records herself with the amount of t.v. she's watched. Typically I turn off the t.v. and make everybody mad at me, but lately there just isn't anything else to do. There is only so many pictures you can water color paint, and animals you can make out of play dough. We have spent time at the library, and reading many books. Emily has been quite taken with Peter Rabbit.

Add to that the number of times we have eaten out this past week (1- because we just needed to get out of the house and 2- because I wasn't going make anything that required using heat) and you have a truly disrupted Johnson household.

So please, somebody tell me that my child's brain isn't going to fry from too much television this week, and that the Johnson's will transition to the school time schedule even easier after this much needed lazy time. Please somebody, reassure me! :)

Heat and two year olds

It was 106 today in Columbia, with a heat index and humidity making it feel like 115. It hasn't been this hot since 1901. What do you do when it's this hot? Emily doesn't seem to notice, and can't understand why Scott and I won't go out to play. Seriously, when it's in the nineties by 8 am we just aren't going to be going out to play. So that leaves us with an ancey toddler stuck indoors for multiple days at a time. Oy Veh. We have watched entirely too much television. I have refused to cook, resulting in eating out way too often, and eating only fresh fruits and other cool things at home. And it feels way too hot to be so close to the end of summer.

On another note, there were two shark attacks on our favorite local beach (Isle of Palms) today. Yes Jenny, this was where we played in the ocean with Ryan and Emily. Oops.

facebook

Okay, so I finally broke down and got a facebook account. I tried the myspace thing, but after I kept randomly sending out porn, I decided that was a no go. So, I will try out the facebook thing and see how that goes. If you have an account, find me because I am having a hard time figuring out how to do that.

ED in 08

I came across this website via one of my RSS feeds and I had to get this to Ed in some way. Make sure you order the T-shirt in the free kit.

Living in the moldy south

Houses in the south are composed of brick, vinal siding, or a combination. Our home like most in our neighborhood, has vinal siding. It is white with black shudders. The worst thing about vinal siding is the mold that grows all over it. I am not sure if brick grows mold too, but I think probably so. We get an average of 48" of rain, so you can imagine the brown and green guck that attaches to the sides of our home.

When we first moved in Scott immediately went out a bought a preassure washer to take care of the mold. Our neighbor gave him a quick schooling of what chlorine product to buy, how to apply it, and how to spray it off. He took care of it, but now two years later it has to be done again. The process is he sprays a chlorine product on, lets it sit, scrubs it with a nylon brush, and then sprays it off with the high power preassure washer. That would be easy, except for the two story part. Scott has been dragging that ladder all over the house, raising, leveling, lowering, and climbing it. Poor Scott. I feel bad sitting inside with the air conditioning.

Ma Bell

"It's a great day for education, because we now have substantial alignment among all the key constituents--the public, the education community, business and political leaders--that results matter." -- Harold McGraw III of McGraw Hill speaking at a dinner hosted by President Bush back in 2002. What he really meant was, "It's a great day for textbook companies. This new pres is going to make me rich!!!"


Looks like Houghton Mifflin is buying McGraw Hill for a reported 4 billion. I guess if I wanted to be rich I could have trashed this whole teaching thing and gone into the textbook industry. That's where the money is, apparently. I hope some antitrust lawyer is pursing her lips together...thinking... Hmmmmmmm.

Oh, and Murdoch bought the Wallstreet Journal. Fabulous.

Summer re-run funny

I love Chris Rock. Scott and I just caught the opening of SNL which originally aired in March. I remember Juila Louis Dreyfus hosting, but I don't remember the opening with Rock talking about the next president. Lots of funny in that opening, but the finale made me laugh so hard I cried. "Is America ready for a black president? Why not, we just finished with a retarded one."

Oh my. Funny. I think I need to rent Bigger and Blacker one more time. It's been awhile.

Johnson's July

Seriously, where did this month go? A couple of July highlights:

** Jenny, Debbie, and Ryan visit at the beginning of the month

** Emily decided she wore big girl panties... a few accidents, but over all going strong

** vegetable garden completely ruined by lack of water (half me not watering, half drought) and squash bugs. Ughh

** seminar all week this week, and lots of upcoming planning for school

** Emily's big girl bed (finally) arrived this afternoon. Complete pictures with her new pottery barn bedding and drapes to follow. It couldn't be more cute, and she couldn't be more big. Wasn't she just born a couple weeks ago? Oh she's so big!

** Finally, an Emily quote. Daddy's painting her bedroom a lovely color of lavender. Emily walks in and says very articulately,
" Daddy, thank you for painting my room... it's a lovely color... I like yellow."

I could seriously squeeze her until she pops! I continue to be totally taken by her.

Best Places to Live . . . Where Homes are Affordable

Most people think we live in Columbia, SC but we actually live in a little suburb outside Columbia called Irmo. It's not a very big town but there is much to it since it is spread over quite a bit of land - the city planners did a good job of annexing quite a bit a land some time ago. Many of you have heard from how affordable the housing is out here. CNNMoney.com has rated Irmo as one of the top 25 Best Places to Live Where Homes Are Affordable. This is mainly due to the schools, Lake Murray (you can buy lake front property for cheap), and we're pretty central to rest of the state and other big cities (4 hrs from Atlanta, 1 and half from Charleston, 6 hrs from Tom, 8 hrs to D.C.).

Mary Poppins

This summer I will remember of being the summer of many things... the summer of the great disneyworld trip, the summer we went to Charleston four times, the summer we spent hours at the pool.

But this summer will also be the summer of Mary Poppins. We bought this movie as one to watch while in the car, but it has quickly become the favorite above all Disney Princess movies, cars, or little einsteins. Emily loves the dancing and singing, and I find I don't mind watching it over and over again. I wonder if we will feel the same way about Bedknobs and Broomsticks? We don't have that one, but maybe Emily will love it too. But like it or not, I don't think anything can replace her love for Mary Poppins.

Saturday evening T.V.

Lately I've been paying attention to the commercials that are during shows we watch. This evening Scott decided to show us this new t.v. show on the network G-4. The show is called Ninja Warrior. Think of it as a mix between American Gladiator and the Most Extreme Challenge. Emily loves to scream at the athletes "DON'T FALL IN THE WATER!!!"

The commercials during the show are hilarious. First of all there were the variety of video games rated "M for Mature," and then there was the male enhancement pills and finally the commercial for cheap student loans. Finally, totally not fitting, was a commercial with Lindsay Wagner for a sleep number bed.

HUH? I don't get it. Who is the target audience here? I guess this network wouldn't expect me to be tuning in either.

Tag . . . You're It!

Since Kelley ushered this little challenge (and to show her that I read her blog often), I (Scott) will respond to her tag:

What were you doing ten years ago?
I had just finished the teacher ed program and was living with Justin, Ed, and Slappy . . . Ed took me to get my tattoo . . . I was to begin my first year of teaching . . . I was single and not dating . . . that's about it.

What were you doing one year ago?
I was on summer break and was about to begin teaching my first course in the MAT early childhood program . . . I discovered poison ivy in the backyard and it took me two months and 3 bouts of steroids to get over it.

Five snacks you enjoy.
1. M&M's
2. Red licorice
3. Pretzels
4. Boiled peanuts
5. Cheese

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics.
1. Most of the songs by The Wiggles
2. Tom Sawyer (Rush)
3. Keep the Car Running (Arcade Fire)
4. Pyramid Song (Radiohead)
5. Upside Down (Jack Johnson)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire.
1. Pay off all debt.
2. Make sure family is financially stable.
3. Purchase home along the lake.
4. Take a vacation once degree is completed.
5. Move my brother and mother to South Carolina.

Five bad habits.
1. Biting my nails.
2. Not being more affectionate.
3. Not making better use of my time.
4. Late night snacker.
5. Not admitting bad habits.

Five things you like doing.
1. Completing an assignment.
2. Sunday mornings with my family.
3. Snuggling with Emily while watching movies.
4. Reading
5. Watching brainless TV.

Five things you would never wear again.
1. Tighty-whities
2. Cavaricci's pants
3. White Levis
4. Knee-high socks while wearing shorts
5. Black heavy metal shirts

To repeat Lefty's idea of concluding his post, I would wear an earring again if I had more hair, I still think slip on checkered Vans are kind of cool, parachute pants around the house might be kind of comfortable, and I hear Underoos are next years lingerie . . .

Scott

Four things I'm happy about right now

1. Now that we're home, I'm back to cooking real meals, and not eating out. I really like to cook, and just tried some great new recipes. Friday night it was curry chicken with couscous, and last night it was chili verde casserole thanks to the RBC women's cook book (specifically Debbie Enns' recipe!) Both were a hit with the husband.

2. The new bedding set that we picked up for Emily at Pottery Barn kids. Lovely lovely! While shopping at the very upscale Charlotte Southpark mall ( Tiffany's & Louis Vuitton were some of the first stores we saw) I was waiting for Scott to come out of the Apple store and Hark! There was the Pottery Barn kids where the very set I wanted for Emily was marked down incredibly low. So low that I bought this set (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/sw4660/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C16%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cjordan%20bedding&cm%5Fsrc=SCH) with these window treatments (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/srch/index.cfm?words=dragonfly+drape&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=search) with a green canvas drape over it. Lovely lovely. So of course Emily doesn't have a twin size bed yet, so that's what we ran out and did after we got home. She was ready. The new bed will arrive from Ashley furniture 7/16. Pictures to follow.

3. The neighborhood 7/4 party. Thanks goodness somebody organized it, because the past two years we have been able to see most of the fireworks that the neighbors down the street have set off, but we aren't the type of people to go out and blow $200 on fireworks. But we sure don't mind pitching in $10 for a big neighborhood show. This year everybody will now be at the pool across from our house for a cook-out and a firework show. There are really very few limitations on the purchase of fireworks (which you can buy at warehouse stores year-round) so it should be fun and hopefully not too dangerous. I like watching, but don't like my husband to be the one lighting the things off.

4. Marry Poppins. Bought this movie for Emily because she needed a new movie to watch in the car with all the driving. We never got around to it on the trip, but we all sat down to watch it last night. Scott had never seen it all the way through. We did a field show in high school to the music from the movie, and I remembered it well as we watched it. Emily loved the movie and I think it will quickly become one of her favorites, which is good because it's one of mine too!

Anyhow, happy fourth if I don't post before then!