It's snow joke!

Has the Day After Tomorrow officially arrived? It seems so, or at least in some form. After watching news reports for the past couple of days, it appears that most of the country has been blanketed in snow and ice. Some places have been hit harder than others, but in some areas it is just short of a freak of nature. The fact that cities like L.A. are getting covered in snow is just incredible. From the Pacific coastline to the Eastern seaboard and from the Canadian border to the tip of Texas, we are seeing mother nature in all winter in all her winter glory.

I bet climatologists are really eyeing the warning signs that our Mother Earth is beginning to grow tired of all of our shenanigans and is fighting back in her own way. We have been experiencing some strange weather patterns and devastating natural disasters in the last few years that should be getting people to pay closer attention. I truly believe it is all connected.

We have seen school closures happening all week. Even as I type this, I don't know what tomorrow has in store. I am sort of crossing my fingers for a another day off, but I have mixed feelings about it. We played in the snow yesterday for a couple of hours, but the novelty wore off today. I know, I am no fun. It was pretty cold out and so the kids and I stayed inside. Good news is, I got lots of homework done for a change.

Frosty Joe

Went to bed last night without any notion of what the morning would bring. When we woke up, there was four inches of snow on the ground and schools were closed. Got the kids up and fed 'em breakfast, and then we went out to play in it. They wanted to build a snowman, so we got busy gathering up all the snow that we could. Eventually, the neighbor boys came out and joined in on the fun. After an hour of packing snow into the snowman, we gave him a face. He got two barkchips for eyes, a carrot for a nose, tinker toys for arms, but we couldn't figure out how to give him a mouth. The kids named him Frosty Joe.

They eventually grew bored of that, so they made snow angels and threw snowballs at each other. We rarely get this kind of snowfall, so they had a grand 'ol time. Surprisingly, it hasn't melted away yet. We are crossing our fingers that it will stick around for another day. Too bad we didn't have our sled handy. We left it a my parent's home as it snows there all the time and the kids more use out of it there. There were some children from around the neighborhood trekking through the street with their sleds. If the kids had gone to school, they probably would've just stared out the window all day.

After a couple of hours, we called it a day and came inside to get warm. I made some hot cocoa for my kids. They resembled Rudolph with their cherry cheeks and nose. The water got a little hot, so they opted to use straws. I couldn't believe how fast they drank it up. The only thing missing today was a crackling fireplace to make the house seem all cozy. I am hopeful that our next home will have fun. Happy snow day to everyone!

Woohoo!

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz...oh what a relief it is! What I am trying to say is that my daughter finally went potty in the toilet tonight. This registers very high on the parental richter scale of achievements. We gave her lots of praise and her first star on her potty chart. As an incentive, she'll receive a Strawberry Shortcake character doll for every row she completes on her chart. When she eventually goes more frequently, she will have to complete more rows. For the last couple of weeks, she has been holding onto the package of Frosty Puff in hopes that she'll earn it soon. Tonight was the first time she seemed to connect the dots of what she needs to do to earn her rewards...her doll and her ticket to preschool. Here's hoping that she keeps up the good work!

Close Encounters

Have you ever thought about the famous people that you've seen or met over the course of your life? Well, in the midst of my attempt to shake off the stress of grad school and student teaching, I began to ponder this question. Just for fun and because I have insomnia, here are the people that have crossed my path or at least my eyeline at some point in my life. They are listed in no particular order.

• Henry Winkler - He was the first celebrity sighting that I can recall. He was signing autographs at Disneyland and was still playing"The Fonz."


• Joan Mondale - In 5th grade, my teacher was invited to interview the potential first lady during the '84 presidential race. All of the 5th grade classes were allowed to attend the big campaign appearance. I actually got her autograph.


• Keri Russell and Scott Speedman - My hubby and I were leaving our La Maze class and saw them walking out of a cafe in a little trendy shopping district. I wanted to stop so bad as I was a huge Felicity fan, but we opted to give them their privacy.


• Jared Rushton - He was hot off of Big and Overboard when he came to my high school. I was seated near him in English class and was a bit starstruck. Although I can't remember exactly what I said, I do remember that I stuck my foot in my mouth and that was that.


• Figure skaters galore - Courtesy of Stars on Ice and Tour of World and Olympic Figure Skating Champions, I saw Tai Babylonia & Randy Gardner, Michelle Kwan, Scott Hamilton, Tonya Harding, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Brian Boitano, Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov, Herbie & Fred (you gotta know skating for that one), Rosalyn Sumners, Katerina Witt, Todd Eldridge, The Duschenays (sp?), Tara Lipinsky, and a host of others.


• Jose Canseco and Ricky Henderson - At a Mariners vs. A's baseball game at the Kingdome many moons ago.


• Cal Ripkin, Jr. and Kirby Puckett - At a Baltimore Orioles game (forget who played for who) in the 90's at some point when I was visiting my big brother.


• Shannon Miller and the other Mag 7 - At an exhibition event after the '96 Olympic Games with my best friend, Shelley.


• Concerts - Def Leppard (2x), Bryan Adams, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks (solo), Depeche Mode, Martina McBride, Olivia Newton-John, Clay Walker, Diamond Rio, and Sawyer Brown.

On the flip side of this, here is a random list of people I'd love to still meet one day for various reasons:

• Midori Ito (my all-time skating idol)


• Nadia Comaneci (my all-time gymnastics idol)


• Maya Angelou (poet extraordinaire)


• Jodi Picoult (fantastic writer)


• Angelina Jolie (everything about her)


• Sean Astin (love his work and his book)


• Viggo Mortensen (yum)


• Matthew McConaughey (yummy)


• Will Smith (yummy and funny)


• Rick Springfield (just cuz I loved him as a kid)


• Matthew Perry (just cuz I love him)


• Courtney Cox (sometimes I am soooo Monica)


• Loretta Lynn (childhood hero)


• Michael J. Fox (cute, funny, and a hero)

Okay, this is the kind of ramblings you get at 2:45am. The more profound insights come around 10pm. Since there is no school tomorrow, I don't have to get up early. However, my children will probably be up at the crack of dawn, so I better try and count a least a few sheep.

Kids are teachers too

Freedom of speech. It's a truly beautiful thing. In honor of MLK, Jr.'s upcoming birthday, we celebrated with a little party and learned some things about his legacy in class today. The kids were pretty interested and asked lots of questions. My Cooperating Teacher taught class this afternoon as I just observed or chimed in as needed. However, I got to read aloud a story the other day called, My Brother Martin. It was written by MLK, Jr.'s sister and details their childhood and the events that led him to have his "dream." I wasn't quite prepared for some of the comments and questions I got from the kids.

Now keep in mind, these are first graders. As I am reading, there is a picture of the King children gathered on the floor and listening to their grandmother tell them stories. One little boy, I'll call him Lucas, asked why all the people were dirty. It took a second to click that he was talking about the color of their skin. I gently explained that it wasn't dirt and that it was just the color of their skin. This class of first graders consists of predominantly Hispanic/Latino children, with a just a handful of Caucasian and maybe one Asian mixed in. There was a little African-American boy from the class next door that was listening to the story. When I came to the part in the story that used the word, "negro," this little boy asked me what the word meant.

Again, I carefully explained that it was not a nice word to use, but had been used many years ago to describe people with black skin. What really struck me about this moment was that in a room full of other races, this little black boy was the one to ask THE question. This was a new word to him and I felt so uncomfortable having to be the one to explain it to him. I approached the situation as I would have if he had been my own child. I tried to think about what I would want my son's teacher to say to him about racial issues. I tried to be very honest, but in a child-friendly and tactful way. Needless to say, it was the most profound read aloud experience I've had to date and I learned a great deal from the kids. They see that they look different from one another, but it's not something that bothers them. It is the adults who plant the seeds of love or hate.

Breathe and reboot...

Rest, it does a body good. As much as my conscience is nagging at me, I opted not to do any homework tonight. I can feel a case of the sniffles creeping up on me and I am gonna need to stay healthy if I wanna make it through the next month. I found out that I need to speed up for Action Research stuff, so that means more to do. However, I need to see my kids and just not think once in awhile. Tonight I just vegged pretty much, surfed the net, and caught a little TV. My brain is still feeling a bit foggy, but I blame that on the cold that I've caught. Tonight I plan to get more than a meager 5 hours of sleep...I aiming for 7! There is a lot to be said for self-care. Many people take their health for granted and then later burn out when the daily grind finally catches up with them. I think we've all been there at some point on some level. I love to quote, so here is one from Miss Carrie Bradshaw of Sex in the City when her laptop and her life crashed..."Sometimes you just need to breathe and reboot."

"Prophet"-ic Words

After viewing a recent episode of Numbers that focused on a criminal cult leader, I posted a blog about Rajneeshpuram entitled, "Non-Prophet." This particular cult, or commune if you prefer, was located an only an hour or so from where I grew up. Well, someone left a lengthy comment for me in regards to my misperceptions of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (now known as Osho I believe and also the name of the blogger who left the comments). This person also stated that I should have taken the time to understand this religious sect and not be misled by mean-spirited propaganda. Since I cannot locate the blog of this person, I shall leave my response to their comments here in hopes that they see it.

First and foremost, I couldn't visit this cult back in the early 80's because I was in elementary school. I can't imagine my parents driving us out there to see such a thing. My parents raised us to think for ourselves and pursue faith on our own terms, whatever that would come to mean. I have studied many cults over the years as a college student (religious studies courses) as on my own as simply a topic of interest. I draw my own conclusions, not what the mass media feeds to me. I try to read factual information from a variety of sources to get a balanced perspective. While you make some valid points in your comments, I just do not see the point of giving oneself over completely to a mortal being. I believe in a higher power that can be seen, but only felt from within by having faith that something greater is out there and watching over us.

If someone wants to give up their material wealth for the benefit of someone who claims to be a messiah of some sort, that is their prerogative. It's just not my style. If someone knocks on my door to try and convert me to their faith, I politely decline. I will listen with an open mind and heart, but I will still choose to believe what feels right to me. I am sure the same holds true for the members of the Rajneesh sect. I know that there are still members from all over the globe that find this particular faith to be very profound. That is their right and their choice. I blog about whatever is my mind on any given day. That is my right and my choice. There are so many wonderful religions out there and that is the beauty of it. May the freedom to choose always be with us. Best wishes to you Osho, and thank you for your comments.

Swirling in a whirlpool

Today was one of those days when I should have just ignored the alarm clock and gone back to sleep. Let me backtrack just a little bit first. For those that don't know, I am in the fifth and final term of a masters program. There are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done, so I have to follow a very strict schedule to keep my head above water or risk sinking.

I swear that my head hit the pillow and suddenly my husband was telling me it was to wake up. I s00000 didn't want to get out of bed. It felt so warm and cozy. They had expected school closures due to snow, but no such luck. While it snowed later in the day, none reallly stuck to the ground. So much for sleeping in, eh? It was wishful thinking on my part I guess. Anyway, I dragged myself outta bed and struggled to find something to wear. Then I spent several minutes trying to print out my paper, but to no avail. Something wasn't connecting right, so I gave up. Then I literally forgot to eat breakfast. Anyone who knows me can tell you that is not something I do. Breakfast is the one meal I never skip. Luckily, I had remembered to pack a lunch, so I grabbed a cheese stick to tide me over. When I got to school (late), I went to the staff lunchroom and found someone had put out hot cocoa for everyone. Now that is God watching over us. It was just what I needed to get myself going.

So I made it through the day and rushed home to print try and print out that paper. Luckily, it worked this time. I grabbed a bowl of cereal for a quick dinner and was out the door to get to my first class of the term. Before class, I spoke with someone in the office about my finanical aid and got some unsettling news. The amount of my load disbursement was considerably less than I had been originally told it would be. As you can probably guess, I became a bit stressed about how that will affect our budget for the next four to five months. Class went by pretty fast. We went over the syllabus and I learned that I will have even more things to add to my to do list before I can graduate. I was did meet with my prof and got some great feedback about some things.

Now I am home and feel like I am coasting in on fumes. I feel like I am letting the pressure get to me. I do better some days and not so much on others. Today wasn't a fun day, but I know I will find a way to balance everything in time. As someone was never really raised with much religion, I cannot claim to know the Bible very well. Even though my faith may be in the fledgeling stages, I feel that it is strong enough to know that God never gives us more than we can handle. I want to believe that I can do all of this, but right now I feel stretched to the limit. Tonight I wanted to cry and just walk away from school. However, I realized that I must see this through and will be so grateful when all is said and done. Thank God that my husband has been so understanding of the sheer volume of time that I need to devote to my homework and time away from the family. I know that this has been hard on him and the kids as well. My son is really struggling to understand why I have to be gone all the time or working on stuff. Breaks my heart a little more each day.

I think the best analogy to sum up this whole thing that I am going through is to think of Mickey Mouse. If you have ever seen the movie, Fantasia, you might remember the scene where Mickey plays a sorcerer's apprentice. He secretly tries on the wizard's hat and makes the brooms do all the clean up work. Next, the broom splits into several and dump bucket after bucket of water. Soon things get out of hand and suddenly Mickey is swirling in a whirlpool. Mickey is nearly drowning, until the wizard restores order amidst the chaos. I feel exactly like Mickey.

What I get to feeling like this, I need to remind myself of is how lucky I am. I have a loving family, wonderful and supportive friends, a place to call home, and a fulfilling career path. These are only riches one ever really needs in this life. Maybe I should just quit my bitching and take what comes because it is what it is. However, that's why I write so often these days on this blog. It's a good place to vent.

Happily ever after?

One of Princess Diana's parting gifts in this life was her eldest son, Prince William, or Wills as the British press has affectionately called him since birth. He has proven to be a responsible, hard-working young man with a lot of class. While his younger brother, Harry, has found himself in a few scrapes over the years, Wills has managed to keep his nose out of trouble. It may be due in large part to his relationship with his college sweetheart, Kate Middleton. While it is wonderful to be young and in love, he has wisely paced this romance just right. He has so much living yet to do and to marry now would set him on a course for of royal duty that could lead to challenges he may not be ready for. However, it would be amazing to see these two tie the knot sometime down the road. Hopefully, they will continue to grow even closer over time and not drift apart with time. They have the weight of the world on their shoulders as expectations heat up with every passing year.

When Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer wed in a ceremony broadcast around the world, it was quite the spectacle. Full of pomp and circumstance, it was every little girl's dream come true to watch this hopeful young woman marry the man of her dreams. Even though I was quite little, I remember it quite vividly. My very first paper dolls were actually a very elaborate set of the couple. It cost some $7 and I had to save several weeks worth of my allowance to buy it. That is a steep price by even today's standards. While I realize that the fairy tale had an unhappy ending for Charles and Diana, it doesn't have to be that way for Wills and Kate. I for one believe in the possibility of happily ever after. We shall see.

Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee!

Okay, I've just spent some ten hours typing up several pages of my work sample. To break up the monotony of the evening, I sprinkled in moments of watching the new reality show on NBC called Grease: You're the One that I Want. Yes, I realize that it is a complete ripoff of American Idol, but with a twist. However, it was actually a fun show to watch.

If you are even a little bit of a fan of the movie version, you will love this show. One of the judges actually wrote the original script and conceived the characters based on his personal experiences. So that gives the show an air of credibility right there. The female judge has Broadway choreography credentials, and I am not sure who the British Simon knockoff judge is, but you don't pay him too much mind. It's just kinda fun watching these Rydell High wannabes try to be Danny and Sandy.

I am not sure how it will all play out exactly, but I know they are picking several hopefuls to go to Grease Academy. Again, they reference the Idol-style Hollywood bootcamp where they whittle down the final contenders. Olivia Newton-John even chimed in with a few random comments throughout the show. Overall, I think it was good enough to make me want to tune in again next week to see who makes the cut. I am a huge fan of this musical, so I like the concept of helpin pick the cast of the show. Hey, the real Idol starts in just a couple of weeks anyway!

Dreams can come true...

Okay, I am sensing a strange pattern beginning to form. We all wish for our dreams to come true...but not the bad ones. Last night I had another worrisome dream. This time it was my son I couldn't find. We were with family and a bunch of other random people from my past (dreams always do that for some reason). We went swimming and so my son went with his grandpa to get ready. Well, when I come out of the locker room area, I notice Nicky isn't around. This whole thing is a bit hazy, so bear with me.

Then when my dad agrees to bring him to the door of the locker room, I tell them I'll meet them both there. Then when I get there, nobody is around. I go back out to the swimming area and my dad is happily swimming with the others in our group. I question him as to where my son is and he says he left him by the locker room door. I tell him that he wasn't there. So begins my frantic and frenzied search. All those memories of my son's first diappearance come bubbling to the surface. I am referencing the day when my son's bus driver dropped him off and his babysitter arrived too late to pick him up. So my son went wandering around until our neighbor realized he had no one to watch him and took him in for a couple of hours. Can we say scary day?

Anyway, I had become almost incosolable until my son turned up in another area of the pool. He had been happily occupied by playing with a cousin or someone. The dream was a bit disjointed, but I just remember that I had that awful feeling you get when you don't know where your child is. Two dreams in a row about a similar theme. No expert in the field of dream analysis is needed to tell me that it isn't just a coincidence. I just wish I knew what to make of them both. If nothing else, it makes me want to cherish my time with my kids more and be very mindful of where they are at all times. People thought I was overreacting in my dream, but I don't care...we're talking about my children's well-being here.

I put a lot of stock into dreams. I've had many premonitions over my lifetime that have come true in some form or another. I don't proclaim to be clairvoyant or anything, but some of my dreams have become a reality. Most of the time, whenever I have a dream of any significance...it usually involves myself or someone close to me going through something major. Then if it comes true, it an event that happens to someone else. So anyone I know that is reading this blog, keep your loved ones close and be aware of those in your life that have children. I don't want to be a drag to anyone, but I also don't want to ignore the message of these dreams.

Without a trace...

I'm a big fan of the show, Without a Trace. I really get immersed in the storylines and drama of a it all. However, last night I had a very real dream that resembled this show just a little too close for comfort. In this dream, I was shopping at a nearby Winco with my two children. Though parts of it are a little fuzzy to me now, I remember chasing down some woman who had almost hurt someone or us or whomever. I must've left my kids supposedly by my car with intructions to wait for me right there. That was my first mistake.

After catching up with the woman I'd been running after, she acted very contrite for whatever it was she had done. She kept talking to me as if to distract me. When I finally realized I had better get back to my kids, I only saw my son standing by the car. I asked him where his sister was and he said he didn't know. Together we began to search the entire area. The Winco turned into some quaint downtown district. My son and I kept going into shop after shop, asking people if they'd seen my daughter. The police were called and I gave them my daughter's most recent picture so that they could get the word out about her missing. They felt that someone had taken her. My son was in a daze.

The awful thing is that I woke up before I could find her. It was the most horrible feeling to know that my baby girl was missing and most likely kidnapped. And worse of all it was my own fault for not keeping a better eye on my kids. It makes me think back to those times when I truly turned my back for all of a second to do grab something off of a shelf or pay for something. It only takes a second for someone to come along and scoop up your child.

You just never know what can happen, so I am so grateful that I happened to have that recent picture of her (in the dream). I pretty much always have my wallet photo album of the kids with me. It's pretty small and doesn't take up much room. What a saving grace it could turn out to be if such a situation were to really happen. You can never be too careful. I don't wish to lead a life fearing what could happen, but I think it doesn't hurt to be aware and cautious. My kids mean everything to me and I don't know how I could handle it if such a thing ever became a reality. I pray that it never does.

Non-Prophet

Wow. I had every intention of getting on the computer tonight and either doing some homework or just playing around. Well, I got on the phone with my best friend and next thing I knew a couple of hours had passed. I guess that's what happens when you get lost in conversation, you become oblivious to just about everything else.

My son even curled up next to me and fell asleep with his head on my lap. I carried him to bed, and he's getting big enough that I won't be able do that much longer. My baby boy is not so much a baby anymore. Tonight we read a book together and it was so awesome to hear him actually pronounce several words all on his own, some of them were pretty big too. I was very impressed.

On another. completely opposite train of thought, I took a short break from this particular blog entry to watch some of the show Numbers. It was a very intense episode. We've all heard of cults with crazy prophets. Think Branch Davidian, Jonestown, Rajneesh, and Heaven's Gate. This cult was about a twisted, self-proclaimed prophet that was creating a strange family tree to cover up for some genetic inadequacy of his own. I didn't catch the whole episode, so I missed a vital piece of that puzzle.

However, this guy raped and impregnated several young girls over many years. Then as his offspring came of age, he did the same to them. He was violet with anyone who attempted to leave his cult. Those too fearful to leave were ultimately sacrificed. In a Waco-like standoff, the prophet killed his followers by causing his compound to explode, unbenknownst to them until it was too late. It was really disturbing.

I swear, I am always fascinated by the people that buy into these nutty cults and what makes them give themselves over so completely. Some choose to willingly sacrifice themselves for their faith, while others get in too deep and are unable to get out alive even when they want to. It is a dangerous ploy to fall for. I grew only about an hour away from the Rajneeshpuram site. I still remember the haunting images of all those people wearing orange, pink. amd red. They almost took over an entire town, but failed in the end. They sort of imploded from within once the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh went down. I guess I just have trouble wrapping my mind around the psychology of it all. Scary stuff.

I think this entry gives new meaning to the term...random thoughts.

Back to School

Well, I have almost survived the first week of my second stint of student teaching. I have been crazy busy for the last few days. Just burning the candle at both ends I guess. In my last placement I had the luxury of just mainly observing for the first week or two, even though it was a short-term placement. Well, my CT (Cooperating Teacher) has the notion of throwing me to the wolves, so to speak. He feels that I'll get bored just watching him, so he has already been putting me to work. Starting Monday, I take over teaching a couple of things. I am grateful for his confidence in me, but just feeling a little ill-prepared to teach stuff I have no experience with. Let's just say, I am learning to think on my feet. My CT reassures me that doing is the best of learning, so I am just praying each night that I can get through each day and do a good job. Time will tell.

In one of the nuttiest moves I've ever made, I will begin my teaching my second WS (Work Sample) the same week as my AR (Action Research) project. For those that don't know what those two things are, let me briefly explain so you can get the full scope of this. A WS is a unit consisting of at least 10 lessons. In addition, you must complile a complete analysis of the school, your students, your own evolution as a teacher, and a full assessment student achievement of the unit objective. My last one was 116 pages long!

An AR is very similar to a thesis. I ask a question and then conduct field research on it by collecting and triangulating data. Then I report on my findings. There is much more to both, but that is both in a nutshell. Due to time constraints and some other extenuating circumstances, it was unavoidable. It might be academic suicide on some level, but the only thing I can do is push through and cross my fingers that the stars align for me. I've been doing a little bit each night, but the pace finally caught up with me, so I had to take a brain break this evening.

In the short time I've known them, I must add that I am really enjoying these first graders. They are so adorable and willing to learn. Kids at this age are still very much like sponges. All students are unique and wonderful in their own ways, but this group of children are extra special in that they have seen and lived through some major challenges in their young lives. This school has the highest poverty rate in the county and has many kids that come from very troubled homes. I met many of my students previously at a local Boys & Girls club that I volunteered at for awhile. It is heart-breaking and uplifting all at once to work with these children. I adore their energy and personalities. They love to shine, so I hope that when all is said and done, I get to help them experience that. I know I'll take away some amazing memories from this school.

Ready or not, here we go!

Alright, I will finally adhere to common sense and turn in early. Believe it or not, 11:00pm is early for me. I have spent the past three weeks of my winter vacation staying up LATE. It started out as just til midnight so that I could catch Sex in the City. Then it got later and later and I got online or hooked on some show on E! (we don't get too many channels). I became a little addicted to Girls Next Door and Dr. 90210. One really crazy night I got into watching stuff on www.youtube.com and stayed up until almost 4am. Yes I know, I am sad. I swear, I would have the TV for company (everyone else was in dreamland) and I would be online. When you're online time flies faster than you can imagine. An hour feels like a just a few minutes.

However, I finally accomplished many goals over the last two days. I was able to get many long overdue tasks completed. I guess I procrastinated until the last minute of my vacation, but at least several items are now off my list of things to do. Had to make room for new things. Like tonight, I had a lot notebooks and school-related materials to organize and prepare for tomorrow. I start my second and final student teaching placement, so I wanted to feel ready and not rushed. I will be working with a first grade class and they will keep me on my toes for sure.

Amazingly enough, I even got lunches made for my son and I so that I don't have to deal with it in the morning. My workbag and my son's backpack is all set as well. I just hope that I can keep up on this preparedness for the next four months. I know me, there will be days when it just won't happen, but I can give it my all. My biggest fear is falling behind on my coursework. There is no room for error at this point, so I am definitely feeling the pressure. However, I am trying to go into this next experience with a positive outlook and remember to breathe. I tell myself that as long as I do my part, all the pieces will fall into place. Time to get to bed if I wanna avoid the dark circles under my eyes. Here's to a new year, a good attitude, and bright beginnings for us all!

Year in Review

Alrighty, it is officially the last day of 2006. Granted it is still the wee hours of the morning where I live, but it still counts. No big plans for New Year's Eve, just hanging out with good friends. Just for fun, I thought I'd salute the past year's events. It was definitely a year to remember, eh?

In the world of entertainment, we had quite baby boom. Following in Angelina Jolie's footsteps, Madonna adopted a baby boy from Malawi. With the royal arrivals of such little princesses as Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, Suri Cruise, and Violet Affleck, we are in serious need of some little princes in 2007 so they can hook up in 20 years. I guess I am leaving out little Jayden James Spears Federline, but considering his lineage he has a bit of an uphill battle in his future if he's to overcome his mommy and daddy's shadow. Maybe Julia Roberts will give birth to a set of twin boys.

There was also lots of matchmaking and breaking up as several couples played the love game. Tom and Katie tied the knot Scientology-style, Brad and Angelina globe-trotted, and many more. There seemed to lots of couples that headed for splitsville such as Whitney and Bobby (finally!), Britney and K-Fed, Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson, and Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn (I had hoped that one would last). There are too many to list here, but you get the idea.

There were so many fascinating things that transpired, from Anna Nicole Smith's soap opera life to the ongoing sagas of club-hopping, quickly vanishing divas (a.k.a. Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, and so on). Taylor Hicks won American Idol, while a former Idol was nominated from a Golden Globe (Jennifer Hudson)! Mel and Kramer became revealed their inner bigot. The View played musical chairs as Meredith stepped in for Katie Couric, and Star was out and Rosie was in. A former child star from Kids Incorporated! hit it big in the form of "Fergalicious." Justin Timberlake brought "Sexy Back."

Food Network star, Rachel Ray, got her due in the form of her own mainstream daytime show, with a little help from Oprah. Dr. Phil continued to tell people like it is, especially when the issues are as devastating as not being able to trust your husband because he shoved a piece of wedding cake into your face 26 years ago (Puleeeeaaase people! Get over it already.). Hef turned 80 years old with a little help from his Girls Next Door. Of course I am leaving out so many delicious stories, but all's you have to do is tune into E!

As for the rest of the world, it was an extraordinary year. The US continued its tour of duty in a country that is still in shambles and ended the year with the execution of Saddam. Bush continued his evasive maneuvers when asked for a timetable or about our purpose abroad. I have to hand it to the guy, he sure sticks to his maverick ways and does not waiver. That could become his legacy or his downfall, only time will tell. kMaybe next year he'll have some new strategies to save the Iraqi people from further bloodshed and our troops can begin their journey home. One very noteworthy governmental change was when Rumsfeld stepped down after a controversial run as Director of Homeland Security.

Among many other national stories, school shootings returned to the headlines with a number of horrific killings. Perhaps the most disturbing of them was the massacre at a a schoolhouse in the heart of Amish country, Lancaster County. Like so many other terrible crimes, this one made no sense at all and thrust the quiet culture of the Amish into the national media spotlight. Needless to say, this will haunt many people for years to come, but in the Amish tradition...they have already forgiven the gunman and asked for mercy on his soul. Now that is a culture of people that truly adheres to the teachings of the Lord.

There are so many things about 2006 that will stick with us long after the ball drops tonight Times Square. One of the most telling signs that the "times they are a changin'" is the passing of the torch from Dick Clark to Ryan Seacrest. It will be interesting to see what 2007 has in store for us. To all, I wish you the happiest of new years and may you sing "Auld Lang Syne" with all of your might. Cheers!

Doin' the Raindance

Warning! Potty talk ahead...:)

Okay, I've had it. I am officially the worse potty training parent ever. EVER. Believe you me, there is very little that I haven't tried with my daughter. If I am the worst trainer, than she is definitely on the list for one of the worst potty trainees ever. She is so stubborn and wierd about it. Case in point, I spent the entire morning putting her on the toilet at regular intervals. Though she never actually went the bathroom, she at least sat on the her special toilet seat so she won't fall in. She got a little resistant once or twice, but overall she was a good girl about staying put. She ate both breakfast and lunch with no results. I even gave soup and turned on the water faucet (for the trickling sound effect) to help facilitate the peeing process. Nodda. Zip. Zilch.


At one point, she declared that she had gone potty in toilet. When I inspected the water, I couldn't see any noticeable color change. However, she seemed so certain she had gone that I cheered her for it anyway and told her how proud I was of her. She smiled from ear to ear. When naptime came, I changed her back into out of her undies and back into her pullup. About a half hour later I could hear her kicking the walls of her bedroom. I opened her door to find her happily playing on her bed. She not only had lugged half her toybox into her bed, but she also had a full diaper. Hello? All day on and off the toilet and she waits until she's in her bed to go. It's like she has an aversion to going potty in the toilet. I know she knows what she should do. Maybe I should just put a potty chair on her bed.


Another mom that I know suggest that I take her into the bathroom with me everytime I need to go and to try having her dolly pretend to go as well. I began doing that last night. I am mentally willing this child to learn. I am almost out of time. I go back to student teaching in just over three days. I will be working full time, five days a week and won't be as available to her like I have been this past month. I will be reliant on my babysitters for their help and am not sure how jazzed they are about having to help potty train.

Someone told me that Dr. Phil believes you can potty train any child in just one day if you do it right. I believe that it depends on the child. With my son, I tried everything under the sun. It wasn't until it just finally clicked with him. I had read books, researched the internet, consulted with my doctor and other moms for ideas. Once the lightbulb went on and he decided for himself that he wanted to be a big boy, he finally was figured it out. I used a potty chart to reward him for everyday he went without an accident to help with that aspect. I am putting together one for her now. That's the key with Kirsten I think. Until she decides she's ready, it doesn't matter what we do. I plan to keep at it, but I hoping for a miracle. If someone knows a variation of the raindance that will bring on the potty, let me know.

SpongeBob SquarePants

What is up with Legos? Yesterday, my son begged me all day to help him build his SpongeBob SquarePants Lego set. Finally, I caved in after dinner. He wanted to put together his house that's in the shape of a pineapple. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. We spent at least an hour just trying to build the bottom half of it. If I did it all myself it might've moved along faster, but that wasn't the point of it. We wanted to do it together and so it occasionally took us both some time to figure out where the tiny pieces went. Well, after sitting hunched over for an hour, my shoulders were killing me so we had to stop. We will pick up tonight where we left off last night.

I'm not sure what my son's sudden fascination with SpongeBob is, but it's funny. We don't get Cartoon Network at our house, so he only sees it when he's at Grandma's house. I do know that he gets to play some SpongeBob XBox game at our babysitter's house. In his note to Santa, he asked ol' St. Nick to bring him a SpongeBob DVD. Now, if I had would've mentioned this to me at some point prior to Christmas Eve, I could've taken care of this wish. Unfortunately, he save his secret wish for Santa himself.

Well, on Christmas morning he was a little disappointed that he never got his DVD. I gently reminded him that sometimes Santa doesn't bring us exactly what we wish for, but he gives us plenty of other things he knows we'll love. From various family members, he did get a mini SpongeBob pinball machine, two sets of SpongeBob legos, and from "Santa" he got a SpongeBob playdough set. He seemed to understand and didn't say anything else about it. I told him that maybe Santa will whisper his wish into the Easter Bunny's ear. Nicky is not hurting for SpongeBob anything.

I know some people don't think young kids should watch SpongeBob, but I don't really see why. From the cartoons I have seen, it's no worse than anything with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, Tom and Jerry, or any other classic. I am very mindful of what my kids watch, so if SpongeBob is the worse thing they are exposed to, then I think they're doing just fine.

Rock the boat baby!

Just a quick story...Nicky and Kirsten were eating breakfast at the table this morning when one of their favorite commercials comes on. It's the one where M&M guys were rowers on a slave ship and have to sing "Row, row, row your boat..." Then everyone switches to singing "Rock the boat!" Anyhow, Nicky and Kirsten break out into song and sing "Rock the boat baby!" It was so cute. Guess you had to be there...:) If you want, you can view the commercial for yourself by clicking on this link (it'll take you to M&M's website)...
http://us.mms.com/us/fungames/tv/

Sweatin' the small stuff

Okay, I can officially say I've been productive. While I may not be marking everything off my "To Do" list, at least some strides have been made. For instance, I've gotten going on some of my homework and feel good about that so far. There is a lot of it to organize and process, so progress is slow in that department. I just wanted to toot my own horn for spending several hours last night on it and I actually turned the tv off to do it. By the end of the night (or shall I say wee hours of the morning?), my brain was on the fritz so I had to stop. Still too wired to sleep, I started watching a movie that I recently bought and have been dying to see since I finished the book, Plain Truth. Didn't finish it because I was too tired. Will try to today though.

Then today, I managed to tackle a long overdue project: my son's room. It hasn't been very messy per se, but just a lot of little things in random places. I get so tired of all the tiny toys and miscellaneous pieces that don't seem to go with anything because they broke off, got mixed up, or whatever. So I sorted the bulk of his stuff into various piles to better organize his toys.
He has Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Magnetix, Thomas Trains/Railroads, a Jay Jay plane collection/airport, racetracks and Hot Wheels, Dinosaurs, Safari animals, and a bunch of other random stuff.

I think that it's time to let some of the random stuff go. We just don't have the space or the bins to contain it all. He's outgrown some toys, so I will just put them into box to give to a friend, family member, or just give it to the Goodwill. Part of me wants to keep a few things in case I ever teach Kindergarten and need toys to put in my classroom. Storage space and lack of containers for it is the biggest issue. Well, with the kids' help we were able to make his room a little bit better and less cluttered. Kirsten's room is pretty much the same story, but not something I'm ready to deal with today.