Dieting

After three weeks of eating out, mom's good food, and all that other crap we ate on vacation, we... no really just I have started to diet. Scott is just sort of appeasing me. Anyhow, I have tried a few things in the past with no avail, however this weight watchers "points" thing really seems like it is going to work. No, I don't go to meetings and stand on a scale to be weighed in while people call me a cow in the back of their minds. But I do go on-line to see that I get to eat 22 points of food daily with my weight, and I see how many points different foods are.


I have to say that it really hasn't been that bad. It has really just been a matter of choosing different foods at the grocery store and paying more attention to the foods that I buy. They really don't taste bad at all, maybe I can tell the difference with some, but not all. (Scott by the way will totally disagree with me. He watched me unpack the grocery bags a few nights ago and heaved big sighs every time he say the words "fat-free" on the food labels. )

So far I have lost 3 lbs in a week. That is what will keep me going. That and the "skinny cow" ice cream sandwiches that are only three points each.

The only drag is that after my successful weigh in this morning at home, we had a pizza dinner tonight with the fourth grade staff at the new school. I think I ate way over my 22 pts. Oh well. There is always tomorrow, right?

It's hot, so add water!

Today we came home from church during a rain storm. It wasn't one of those summer southern rain storms that comes in and dumps for twenty minutes, and then heads on. Today was pretty much wet all day. Finally the drizzle went away for a bit, and the sun even came out. I dashed for our shoes so that we could get Emily out of the house and on her tricycle that she points at each time we go in the garage to get in the car.

So, off the three of us go to walk around the neighborhood and push Emily on her tricycle. When we get to the furthest point on our walk, is starts to drizzle a bit. By the time we passed two houses, the flood gates opened from the clouds and we were wet.



You would think by the picture that we might have been pretty cold. Not at all. The rain cooled us down nicely. I'm sure to any neighbor that may have driven by we looked rather ridiculous. But it was one of those times when being ridiculous was kinda fun. I'm sure that Emily loved it, probably Scott loved it, though he may not admit it. I think it will make a fun scrap page.

Three weeks is long enough

It's Sunday night, and we have a little over twenty-four hours before our plane leaves back for SC. I can't wait. I love to see all of our friends and family, and I am grateful that we have fit in as much socializing as we have, but we are all pooped!

So far, we have gone from SC to Fresno, to bakersfield, to fresno, to arroyo grande, to bakersfield to fresno to bakersfield to san berardino to fresno. No, I am seriously not exaggerating. Today when we were coming back from San Berardino we had about an hour drive left and Emily started pumping her legs and screaming in protest of being in the car seat so long. Can't say I blame her. Scott, Emily, and I have really not had a space of our own for going on three weeks, and living out of suit cases is getting old.

This trip has made me realize how much I love my home with my own little family. I can't wait to get to cook dinner for Emily and Scott in our kitchen. I look forward to Sunday morning breakfast with coffee and newspaper around our little kitchen table with Emily in her own high chair. I love that our house will be completely baby-proofed and I will finally be able to sit down on the couch in peace knowing that Emily is safe, and nothing will be broken. I can't wait for some night next week once Emily is in bed so that I can get out all of my scrapbooking stuff and get to work on all of the pictures from this trip, and have everything I need right were it goes in my room, and spend some time alone... just with me.

Our home is sacred to me, I guess like everybody's home is sacred to them. I know that for the rest of the summer I will be more thankful to be home. I think that I will also be thankful to have just the three of us at home... at least for a little while that is! Now if only we survive the plane trip back!

I've always wanted to be a gangsta pimp

I got this from Jay's blog. I thought that it was a bit weird that he should score so high, but then I did as well. I don't think that it takes much!



Prevent (or Cause) Do You Know the Hip-Hop Lingo at LiquidGeneration!

Seven more hours...

... until the taxi comes to pick us all up. 3:45 am in the morning. It should be interesting. What is kind of funny and sad all at the same time is that this will be Emily's fifth time going back and forth from the east to west and west to east. I have to say though, this time I am more nervous than ever. Tonight we went to dinner, and she wasn't "bad" at all, but she was surely loud, and excited to see so many people. She talked, and yelled in a very happy tone, however, Scott and I couldn't help but think that if this was a precursor for tomorrow's flight, we may need to invest in Xanex. But maybe she was just getting it all out of her system. Yeah right.

But I have to say I don't really blame her. She is only fourteen months old, and to her everything is an exploration. The idea of being restrained in a high chair, shopping cart, or car seat just really aggravates her as it deprives her from "exploring" everything from the stray dog to the chewed piece of bubble gum on the side walk. Maybe she will find the back of the air plane seat in front of her thrilling, and it will make her want to stay seating in our arms the entire way. Or maybe she will "strong arm" us every time she wants to get down and walk on her new walking legs as she waves and "talks" to all the other passengers who are tying to sleep.

Either way, she is not the first baby who has flown at this age, and I guess what we need to really be hoping for is patience. We could use some prayer for patience please.

Tomorrow at this time, we will all be in California visiting family and friends. Woo hoo!

Historical "Stuff"

Last night Scott, Emily and I went out to a great Greek restaurant ( I even had a gift certificate from a student... nice!) After dinner we took one of our random car drives that we do when we don't know an area of town well. We ended up in downtown Columbia, which Scott knows rather well. We drove by the state house, or capitol building, and we decided to stop because we had never really walked around it before.

It was really wonderful. First of all, there were no thunderstorms, and the heat and humidity took an evening off, so the walk itself was great. The gardens around the buildings were immaculate, and that was great to look at in itself.

By the history. Oh, the history. There were so many different statues, and monuments, and plaques to read. Scott was in high-heaven. Eventually as it neared her bed time, Emily went off to sleep, and Scott and I were left to read everything at our leisure. Of course there were the statues that were unveiled in the late 1870's from groups like "women of the South" that spoke of the "tragedy" and the horrific outcome of the civil war. The pride of the south is so evident in those statues and plaques, and of course we all know the confederate flag still flies at the capitol, which is pride as well. And there is also an annoying large statue of Strom Thurman, and plaques all the way around making him out to be the savior of the world.

There were also markers of where the original state building stood before the Yankees burned it down. There is also an old grave of a Revolutionary war hero on the grounds with a fence around it. The original grave marker is there, with a modern marker going around it to explain what the worn marker said. There was also a great african-american bronze monument that went through the various changes for blacks in our history. It was beautiful.

I guess I felt kind of guilty living here almost a year and not ever really paying close attention to the history everywhere. Sure, I noticed the remains of the original bridge that was burned by Sherman, which now is part of the zoo, and I drive by neighborhoods where new houses have been built on old family land where family plots still mark the dead.

I hope that this next year I can find more time to look for more of the history that is everywhere, especially living here in South Carolina. I don't want to move away years from now and look back and think, "Why didn't I take better advantage of learning more of U.S. History while I was living right in the middle of where so many events took place."

Baby no-nap

Today I had planned to get all of the laundry going, most of our things packed, and also the house straightened up. Well, to do this I was COUNTING on Emily taking her normal 1 hr. morning nap, and then her 1.5 hr. afternoon nap. "Hah!" is just about what she said to me. She slept for a whopping forty minutes this morning, and has yet to fall asleep this afternoon.

Normally we read a story, lay her in bed, and she falls asleep in 2-3 minutes. I have been listening to her fuss for the past twenty minutes. I really feel like I am going to pull my hair out. And then there is Scott, who wants to go get her out of bed because "she just isn't tired." Yeah right. If I go get her up without napping, she is going to be MONSTER baby this evening, and trying to keep her up until bedtime is going to be disastrous.

Oh well. As we speak he is in getting her out of the crib. I can't really blame him. After two rounds of trying to put her to sleep this afternoon, it seems as though her screaming will never end. Oh well for the packing. Hopefully we can do it all tomorrow... that is IF she takes a nap.

The Family That Is Liberal Stays Together

Here is my crack at this:

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 35% Conservative, 65% Liberal

Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Scott

Birthday Calendar

Here is an interesting website. Put in your birthdate and it will give you all sorts of interesting information about the day you were born.

http://www.paulsadowski.com/BirthData.asp

Hmmm... not too surprising!

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 40% Conservative, 60% Liberal

Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Ethics: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Last Day of School!

Today was my last day of school. It was pretty much the hectic, emotional, quick-paced day that most last days are. However, this was really a special group of kids that I have, and I am really going to miss them! The entire year was great, the school was fabulous, and even though I volunteered to go to the new school (i have always wanted to start a new school) I couldn't have been happier where I was this year. The district is the country club of school districts, and they are the nicest people all the way around. They even provide district movers to come into our rooms after we have packed up and move our things to the new school. FABULOUS!

Now saying that, the past four days Scott and I have had more dealings with FUSD. Long story short, it was ANOTHER bill that never got paid, and we never got the bill in the mail since we moved, and we actually got sent to collections... all taken care of now thank goodness. However, in dealing with our stupid, lame, district that I HATE I found out that FUSD stopped paying our insurance company on my behalf. They told the insurance company that I had been terminated from employment as of 4-1-05, and thus stopped paying them for me to be covered. But they still took a few hundred out of my paycheck the entire time. Hmmmm. The insurance company lady said this was the fifth case of this from FUSD, and she things personally that it is some sort of fraud, because this had only happened to those families with both spouses working in the district. I guess they figure if most of the bill gets picked up by the primary holder, it won't matter if the secondary holder isn't covered... maybe they won't notice. What the heck? It all got handled, but not before I called the district benefits office and they looked me up only to say they had no record of my employment. ??????? HUH??? Ughhh!

I guess my point in all of that is I am so thankful to be where I am. I know that this move out here was for Scott and his program, but I really believe that God's plan included me being where I am just as much as Scott. Maybe this week's medical bill fiasco was sent to remind me not to forget how fortunate I am to be working in such a great place. And to get me out of FUSD before I burned down the District Office.

Sorry

Sorry if Malisa and I haven’t posted in a while but nothing has been going on. I’m a stay-at-home dad taking care of Emily most of the time. We go the library, the mall, the zoo, and feed the ducks. I have even been going to a mom’s group. Emily is very social and loves to be around other kids.

Other than taking Emily places, I have been reading the books I’m using for the course I’m teaching in July. I have a meeting with my supervisor Friday to go over my schedule for the research I’m conducting as well as what to study for the comp exams which I will most likely take this semester. When you begin a doctoral program, you are merely accepted into the program but not as a full fledged doctoral student. For that you have to pass your comp exams which is usually answering three questions over a period of three days. You’re basically summarizing what you have learned so far in your program and they want to see how well you write.

Malisa finishes school this week. Each day is a half day but she has to stay at school all day. After school has ended for Malisa, we begin getting ready for our trip back to CA.

Stop Sign Vandalism

A while back I was leaving for work and every stop sign that I passed (three in all) had "Bush" spray painted in white underneath the "stop."

Okay, so my first reaction was, "hee hee! Funny! This republican sleepy suburb is going to FLIP when they see these three signs. It will be the topic of all conversations. "

And it was. But the thing is, it wasn't just the three signs. Literally every stop sign has "bush" spray painted. Then a couple weeks passed by, and I was coming home from work when I noticed that now somebody spray painted in black "don't" ABOVE the stop. Woo, I feel a battle a-brewin! So now late at night, I am guessing these vandals go around and either spray out or re-spray on top of the other's marking. It is rather stupid, and I am sure they will eventually be caught either way, but still. What a bunch of cowards. "let's go out in the middle of the night when nobody can see us, and vandalize street signs to promote out view of the president."

But, I guess that the attention they were seeking was achieved, because every morning when I go to work, i make sure to look to see who is winning the battle of the stop signs, and I guess the presidency. It keeps me amused.

Confederate Memorial Day..... huh?

Yes, in the good 'ole south we celebrated Confederate Memorial Day. This apparently was only a holiday to counter Martin Luther King Jr. Day which was only celebrated in our state for the first time a couple of years ago. But today, on this great day, our state celebrated the loss of all who died in the civil war. Hmmm. We still had school because it wasn't a federally recognized holiday, but still all state offices were closed. We are right in the middle of standardized testing (aghhhhh) and though we tested Monday and Tuesday, we couldn't test today because the state office of education was closed. Here was the legal mumbo jumbo that I found when I at first didn't believe this possible:

LEGAL HOLIDAYS

SECTION 53510. Legal holidays enumerated; state employees.

The first day of JanuaryNew Year’s Day, the third Monday of JanuaryMartin Luther King, Jr. Day, the third Monday in FebruaryGeorge Washington’s birthday/President’s Day, the tenth day of MayConfederate Memorial Day, the last Monday of MayNational Memorial Day, the fourth day of JulyIndependence Day, the first Monday in SeptemberLabor Day, the eleventh day of NovemberVeterans Day, National Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and the twentyfifth and twentysixth days of December in each year are legal holidays.
The holiday schedules of public colleges and universities, including technical colleges, shall not be in violation of this section so long as the number of holidays provided for in this section are not exceeded.

The End of My First Year

At times the year was tumultuous; at time exciting! I finished my first year at USC. Thank goodness you only have one first year. I finished the year with 5 A’s and a B+. Regular grades and + / - mean quite a bit here since the difference adds or detracts from your grade point average. That B+ was in my Educational Statistics course. I’ve never had a math class above algebra II so I thought it was quite an accomplishment.

Next year I will begin my first full-fledged research of which I plan on having an article written up. I also begin working on my cognate in anthropology.

Well anyways I look forward to seeing everyone in 4 weeks.

The End of My First Year

At times the year was tumultuous; at time exciting! I finished my first year at USC. Thank goodness you only have one first year. I finished the year with 5 A’s and a B+. Regular grades and + / - mean quite a bit here since the difference adds or detracts from your grade point average. That B+ was in my Educational Statistics course. I’ve never had a math class above algebra II so I thought it was quite an accomplishment.

Next year I will begin my first full-fledged research of which I plan on having an article written up. I also begin working on my cognate in anthropology.

Well anyways I look forward to seeing everyone in 4 weeks.

Tornados today

This afternoon we had a tornado warning for our county. A "tornado watch" is when they expect that the current conditions could eventually produce a tornado. A warning though means that an actual tornado has formed.

Well... wasn't this exciting. We spent over an hour in the hallway where it was safe. Some students cried, and when it was time for dismissal, we couldn't dismiss students. I think we only stayed about fifteen minutes after dismissal, but still. When some children had parents who were picking them up, the others who were left got upset that their parents weren't there. Besides that, we had to sit with the fifth graders too, and the entire hallway was packed. Ah, and I can't forget to mention that the hallways aren't air conditioned... just the classrooms but the doors had to remain closed for safety. Very stinky in that hall, but I guess if something drastic happened, we would all be safe.

But then I get home right away (scott had already picked up Emily) and they are calling for tornado watches and warnings all over the state. Nothing much came after that. Rain and a bit of wind, but surely not the golf ball-sized hail that was predicted and pelted other towns and quite a few tornados formed, and many of those touched down. Scott thinks about a dozen in all.

Very interesting. I learned a lot today.

92 degrees on Easter

So what is up with the near 90 degree temps here? Oh my gosh! And Hurricane season doesn't "officially" begin until June 1st. But apparently the forecast came out that a "major" hurricane will hit the east coast this season. I guess just because it hasn't happened in awhile statistically makes it more likely, therefore the 81% number was flashed on the news. Either way, Scott has prepared our family with an "all weather" "S.A.M.E" technology radio that is set to wake us if a terrifying warning were to come through for our county in the middle of the night. (Thanks Sam for that info!)

But, until then, we are just going to enjoy this early humidity and high temps. Emily sure did enjoy the baby pool in the back yard this afternoon. (As did Dakota.) I sure hope they get moving with our neighborhood pool so that it will be ready soon!

I can't remember the last Easter that I had when the temps were around 92. Happy Easter everybody!

Look what bargain I found?

I'm a little bored tonight, so I decided to go on-line to look at toddler forks for Miss Em. However, I came across these shoes. Aren't they so cute? And they are made by Stride-right, who offer widths for Flinstone feet babies like Emily. I just had to share my great deal. I got them totally cheap. I'm sure she will be stylin' in these new shoesies!

Apple now runs Windsows XP

In case you haven't heard the new already, the new Apple Intels will run Windows XP using a free piece of software called Boot Camp.  You have to provide your own Windows XP.  All you need to do is hold the control key to tell the computer which system to boot from.  It will burn all your Windows drivers onto a CD.  Damn I love Apple.