Oops!

Girls, I promise I am still here, alive and kickin'! I have just been oh-so-busy with Christmas and all the traveling that comes with it when you live far from family. I will tell you one thing I am learning from living far away from home is that you appreciate your family so much more when you aren't local! Praise God for the bright side of things! :)

I have to make this quick because I am about to make enchiladas for my man, plus his favorite pie for dessert. I just wanted to alert you all that I am here and I will be back soon, blogging with the same ferocity in which I have been updating you.

Girls, I am SO excited for the New Year! Not only are we gonna have a rockin' New Years Eve with some of our most precious friends, but I am pumped for 2009. This is going to be a wonderful year for me and my man and our family. We have a few great trips lined up, we're going to have a third "niece/nephew" in August (just found that one out today!), we're going to hit two years of marriage, and most of all, I'm gonna make this a Jesus year. The Lord has done such a great work in my life in 2008 that I can't help but just be so lookin' forward to 2009!

Let me know how you're all doin'. I've been checking your blogs, keeping up!

Monday Again!

Oh, friends. It is Monday. You know what that means, right? Not Me! Monday! This is my fourth glorious Monday, and boy, do I need it today. Much thanks again to MckMama. This girl knows what life is all about. And now...

I am not really obsessed with Pandora. I do not type in the most random of Christmas songs everyday in order to come up with new playlists for my 3rd graders that they absolutely adore. And I don't let them sway and dance move rhythmically to the different songs that they hear every day.

I was not knock-down drag out sick last week for two solid days. I did not lay on my couch for almost 48 hours straight because I was so achy I could barely move. Every time I was thirsty, I did not pour water into a new cup and my house was not so trashed with stray cups, used tissues and layers upon layers of clothing on the floor that on Friday night, my hubby had to come home and wonder if he was actually at home and not at a trash dump. Ew. Not me.

My laundry is not currently overflowing from the hamper because last week when I was sick, I so had the energy to do laundry, fold it, and put it away neatly. My husband did not kindly say this morning, "I might need some socks, babe." I'm totally Superwoman, FYI.

I did not have the most wonderful date night on Saturday night with my hubby. We did not go to Don Pablos (oh, sweet glory!), then to Barnes & Noble for some Starbucks and he did not get me a book I have been craving for quite sometime (The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters). I did not have him drop me off at home later so that he could go watch the Xavier/UC game with a friend while I snuggled in and read my book and went to bed at 9:00 early. I'm not that boring.

After he dropped me off, I did not watch the Rockettes Christmas Show on WE as a poor substitute for not being able to go this year. I did not actually enjoy it and I did not applaud after every single dance and song. I was alone and I was not actually there, so that would be ridiculous.

Yesterday, after making Christmas cookie dough (we are cutting/baking/decorating today!), I did not continue to sneak little bites of dough throughout the dough after telling T not to by ANY means take ANY dough. That would be hypocritical and entirely too much sugar for me. And he's probably not finding out about that because he's reading my blog... hi, babe! :)

And finally, after making real progress with my diet over the last few weeks and losing a good chunk of my goal (I am shooting to lose 20 lbs by April! Woo!), I did not throw most of it away this weekend by feasting on pizza, Mexican food, and cookie dough. I am far more disciplined than that.

Have a most wonderful Monday! If (and that's a big "if") I post next week, I will be in Michigan with my family and my amazing friends. I just can't wait. Merry Christmas!!!

Stuffy Nose... Ick.

Today, I am one sick cookie. I am calling it as either a bad cold or a sinus infection. Either way, I spent the day in bed with aches, chills, a dull headache and lots of sneezing. I missed my little ones today, but I knew I would not be in tip top shape if I had gone to school this way. I went through an entire box of tissue in a matter of just a few hours! It was NOT a small box, either. Praise the Lord for Puffs with Lotion and Vaseline for my poor, red nose. Also, praise the Lord for substitute teachers!!! We could not do it without them. If you are a sub, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I will be going back to work tomorrow barring any worsening of my nose problems. We have Cougar Mall, which can be explained another time (trust me!), and Fridays are generally a little bit more low key in my room. If I explain to my sweeties that Mrs. H doesn't feel good, they quiet down and are more obedient than usual. They also will give me more hugs, which is totally fine with me! :)

This weekend will be full of Christmas stuff and time with my handsome man. Tomorrow, we are going to try and catch dinner and a movie if I feel up to it. If not, we will do dinner and a movie right here at home and it will be just as lovely. I think we are going to wrap Christmas gifts and I am going to MAKE some Christmas gifts on Saturday. Yes, I said "make". I am not the craftiest, but I do try and I am going to try something new this weekend. I will update next week if it goes according to plan. I think it will. :)

A few weeks ago, I heard a first grader say at the end of his prayer, "Have a very happy birthday, Jesus!" I love, love, love that childlike wish. I'm trying to remember this year more than ever that without our Savior, we wouldn't have this holiday! We are blessed. Happy birthday, Jesus!

**Friends, would you join me in prayer for my friend Jennifer's sister, Connie? You can read about it here on her blog. I know Jen is very close to her sister and this has got to be so frightening for her entire family. Please pray that the Lord would erase all questionable cells from her body and give the family peace. I work with Jen and she is a sweet friend and a great teacher. Please pray that the Lord would give Jen focus with her kids and students as she waits to find out the results of these tests.

Rudolph

This morning, while singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"with my class, I was reminded of my favorite version that was sung last year by one of my favorite little people who shall remain nameless. It went something like this...

"...you'll go down in hissssstorrrryyyyy..... like Hitler!"

Kids say the funniest darndest things.

Not Me! Monday Three!

I used to strong dislike Mondays. I still dislike Mondays, however, the strong part is gone and that is thanks to Not Me! Mondays by MckMama. What a stroke of genius. Hallelujah to the fact that she decided to follow the prompt of God to start this wonderful little gem.

I had one doozy of a week. Is doozy even a word? I don't even care at this point...

I did not spill some egg on the floor and wipe it up with a Clorox wipe. I did not consequently think that it was a great idea to wash the floor with Clorox wipes and wipe a large chunk of my floor with Clorox wipes until I realized what a stupid idea it really was.

On Friday, I did not have to turn my back to my class, count to 20, and then turn back around to deal with some of them because they would. not. be. QUIET. My precious babies are always total angels because I am an AWESOME teacher.

I did not pass out multiplication tile bags (20 tiles per bag) to each student and ask them to calculate what 6 groups of 4 would be. I did not truly think, for a while, that 6x4=20 and then, when a child politely informed me that "THERE AREN'T ENOUGH TILES HERE!", I most certainly did not realize my mistake and say, "Hey! I tricked ya!"

I was not extremely slightly irritated this morning when they showed our President Elect on "Meet the Press" admitting that he is still a smoker.

I did not miss my best friends so much this week that I looked at pictures of us all for about an hour and cried about how I want to see them immediately and how I miss having them close. I did not seriously try to figure out some way for us all to live by each other soon. I also don't know the number of days until I see them next... 12? What does that mean?

I am not storing my husband's Christmas gifts in the trunk of my car and I did not tell him that under NO circumstances is he to go back there. I am much more responsible than that and I always find great hiding places for gifts.

I did not get irrationally excited on the inside when my husband made a comment about buying a new baby-friendly car once I get pregnant. I did not try to read into this statement as much as possible until I couldn't read anything else into it. Poor man.

And I am not wearing the pants that I have blogged about twice before. And if I was wearing the pants, I would definitely not admit that I was. Maybe I need to rename my blog something regarding pants...

Have a great Monday!

Hmmm...

I enjoy medical shows about as much as the next person. I was hooked on House when it first came out, but have kind of lost interest. I don't feel as though it's as good as it once was and Dr. House irritates me to no end. I do, however, still enjoy Grey's Anatomy and have for a long time. It's one of my Tivo'd shows that I don't like to miss. Call me crazy, but I'm really sick of the whole McDreamy/Meredith story line. It's been too many years going and I would just like some true closure. I think this season is about the closest to "closure" that I've gotten.

Last year, Grey's aired a spin off show called Private Practice. It was pretty good and I really love Kate Walsh, so I would watch from time to time. This season, I have enjoyed it a lot more than last year. That is, until Wednesday's episode. Truth be told, I am still digesting it and trying to figure out what I thought.

The episode I am referring to is the one that was aired on Wednesday, December 5, 2008. In this episode, a new doctor decides to perform abortions. Most of the practice is okay with this, however, there are two doctors who are starkly against it. Throughout the episode, two of the female doctors admit to having abortions themselves. In the end, abortions are "okay-ed" at the practice and the first one is performed. At the very end of the episode, one the two doctors who was opposed to the abortion says, "A baby died here today." Ooooh, that sent chills up my spine.

Part of me wants to say that I appreciated that they presented both sides of the issue well. The female doctor who was against the abortion was also a fertility doctor, who stated that she believes "life begins at conception". The other doctors said nothing about where they believe life begins, which I have come to find is generally the case with people who are pro-choice. I was appreciative of finally hearing the pro-life stance on network television. I was also glad that they didn't choose to make it an "obsessive religious issue" as I have also seen before. I do think they did a good job with the pro-life side of the practice.

The other part of me wants to say that I refuse to watch a show that presents abortion as a viable and understandable option. May I be so bold as to say that I am pro-choice? I believe that every woman has her choice and it's made when you decide to sleep with someone before marriage (don't even GET me started on married women who abort babies for "health" reasons). That's where your choice ends and God's choice begins. He's in control of that baby's life and health and the mother's health. If you weren't asking for a baby, there are thousands of people in this country that want a baby who can't have one. Give the gift of life to your baby and to another family. Adoption is an amazing course of action that I have seen firsthand.

Back to Private Practice, though. I think I have come to the conclusion that I don't really want to watch a show that advocates abortion in any way. One reason I didn't vote for Mr. Obama is because he advocates partial-birth abortion and although he will be inaugurated in January, I don't have to support that particular belief. However, as a Christian, I believe that God has called me to pray for him and I do so faithfully. But, having him in office was not my choice. Watching a show is my choice, so I will choose not to watch.

Finally, I know that there are women who are put into awful and horrible situations and please, don't think that I'm judging you in any way. I ache for the pain you must have or are going through; I truly do. That is why I am so grateful for the option of adoption (didn't mean to rhyme just then, I promise!). It reminds me of Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." What an amazing promise for us to remember! God can work amazing and incredible things through the worst of circumstances. Now if only I could remember that one from day to day... :)

On that note, does anyone have any good show options for Wednesday nights? :)

Grapefruit & Britney

FYI, I did just squirt grapefruit juice IN MY EYE. I was sitting at my desk, working on grading while my students were oh-so-quietly working on their phonics. I thought I would enjoy my delicious grapefruit for breakfast because, let's all face it, a cup of coffee just does NOT cut it for breakfast... at least in my house.

Back to the grapefruit. I only had a few bites when some juice squirted directly in my eye. Instead of screaming out in pain like I wanted to, I turned around in my chair, covered my poor eye and whispered, "Oh. My. Gosh. OW." over and over again until I felt sufficiently better. I did not rub my eye, because that would have messed up my eye makeup and God forbid that would ever happen.

If you're wondering, my eye is fine and the grapefruit was delicious. I am still trying to gear myself up to go back for more. I'm not sure if I want to risk more pain/ ruined eye makeup. We'll see.

On a totally different topic, I am totally psyched about this.

If you know me at all, you know I have been a Britney Spears fan for a LONG time. Really. I promise. I bought her demo tape back when it came out. I even remember the sides of the tape. Side A: Baby One More Time and Side B: Autumn Goodbye. Wow, that's embarrassing. I know it is juvenile, I know it is shallow, but I am a fan. I always had faith in her while she was going through her crazy stage over the past few years. Through her shaved head, custody battles, hospital admittance(s), I've been rooting for her. I'm so glad she's back-- I knew this day would come! Doesn't she look GREAT? That's the Britney I love. Call me crazy, but I am not a fair weather Britney fan. Ask my girls. They'll tell you. And no, I am also not a 14 year old girl.

I'm most definitely buying that Glamour the moment I see it. Can't wait. Oh Britney-- you go girl.