Horton Hears a Who

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

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

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

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

Balance for the imbalanced

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

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

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

Dancing with Cinderella

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

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

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

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

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

Standardized Testing Starts Today

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

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

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

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

Insurance Nightmares

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

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

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

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

All Done

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

Scott

Princess Emily

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

Field Trip today!

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

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

This is your life...

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

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

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

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

Feels like home

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

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

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

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!