Leaky Faucet

There is nothing more annoying than the constant *drip* *drip* *drip* of a leaky faucet. And that is the annoyance that I am currently dealing with. It started late yesterday afternoon, when I began to notice the tell-tale signs of leakiness beginning. By yesterday evening, the leaking officially began. Which faucet is it, you are wondering, right? Well, it's not the bathtub, or any of the sinks. It isn't even one of the outside faucets. It's the one that sits square in the center of my face. That's right. We're talking about my nose. Oddly, it is only the left nostril which is leaky. And the contradiction that generally accompanies a leaky nose is present as well. My sinuses on the left side are plugged, and even though there is a incessant drip from my nose, I cannot blow anything out. I am also plagued by thermostat problems (aka: alternating chills and hot flashes), and overall house settling (aka: achiness). I am hoping and praying that my kids and spouse do not end up with the same problems. It's bad enough having to deal with my own house falling apart. I don't want to have to hear the whining and the "hold me's" that will go along with any home owner issues plaguing my family.

So, here's to a house that feels ready to crumble, and lots and lots of prayers that I don't have to see a plumber to fix the leak, and that my family stays healthy :)

Christmas Joy

I hope that everybody had a great Christmas, just like we did. I love Christmas with little kids. It totally brings back the magic of Christmas. The sheer, uncontainable joy and excitement that they have is priceless, and thankfully, it is contagious. Watching them enjoy the gifts that I selected for them is great too.

Aaron is too cool (he's almost 7, you know) to show too much excitement. However, on Christmas Eve, he went to bed at 8. This was his own idea. He wanted to hurry up and fall asleep so that Santa would get here quicker. Aaron usually falls asleep in less than 5 minutes, but on Christmas Eve, it took him close to an hour to finally be able to keep those lids closed. Sadie was her typical self at bedtime...it took her close to an hour to fall asleep, too, but that's what we're used to.

On Christmas morning, Aaron woke up at 1 (we sent him back to bed), at 4:30 (he got in bed w/ us), and at 6:30 (he went and woke up Sadie). The kids looked at their stocking stuff for a bit, and then, on to bigger things.

Aaron opened his biggest gift first (the one from Santa). It was what he expected...a red electric guitar. But he was disappointed because there was no "box" (aka: amp). I asked him if he had asked Santa for a box, and he realized his mistake. I told him he could use his birthday money to buy an amp (but really, he got one the next day from his aunts, uncles, and cousins for his b-day...thanks everyone). He was fine, then. He was also excited about his Rip Stick (so far, no trips to the ER, but keep watching...there's bound to be a post about that when it does happen), and his game. He was less than thrilled with the gift that was clothes. Oh well. My kids always get 3 gifts from me and Toby, and one is always clothes. He'll just have to get used to it.

Sadie was visibly (and audibly) excited about all her gifts. I think she screamed the loudest for her gift from Santa. It was "Dora with a Flying Horse," which is what she had been asking for every time anyone asked her what she wanted for Christmas. That's pretty consistent for a 3 year old. She also screamed w/ excitement when she opened her clothes (typical girl?) She also got some pink Lego's and a jewelry box.

We then cleaned up a bit, and loaded up to go to my family Christmas. That was the mass chaos that I have come to know and love. There were 7 out of the 8 of us kids there most of the day, plus spouses and children (7 kids in all, not counting the grown men who act like children). It was noisy and hectic, but I loved it. It feels like home and I always miss it when it's over. We did Aaron's b-day, played, opened gifts (again, Sadie squealed with excitement for every gift...it was fun), and then ate.

Friday, we woke up to a child w/ pink eye. Lovely. So, we didn't get to spend all day Friday in the chaos. Instead, we packed up, and headed home. I feel like I have been cleaning ever since, trying to put up all the new stuff and figure out what old stuff we can get rid of to make room for that new stuff. We are so blessed!

So, like I said at the beginning, I hope everybody had as great of a Christmas as we did. Family and joy and excitement. You can't beat that!

Christmas Eve

Well, we just arrived home from Christmas Eve Mass. We attended the Children's mass, which has its pros and cons. The cons are obvious. There are a lot of kids, and along with those lot of kids, you get a lot of kids stuff...crying, talking, scurrying about, multiple trips to the bathroom, "hold me's" and more. However, the 2 big advantages of this mass both come from the fact that it is geared for kids. First of all, my kids fit in well. Aaron actually did great. And Sadie did pretty well, too, for a 3 year old. The 2nd advantage is that it is pretty short, to fit the attention span of a child. Short is about the only way I can tolerate being packed like sardines into a gym converted into a sanctuary.

Now, I just need to get my kids to bed. I'm not very confident that this will be a quick task...


I hope you all have a very merry and a very blessed Christmas!

27 Year Ago

27 years ago today was the last day of school before Christmas break of my kindergarten year.

27 years ago today, my Grandma Lucy invited me to go with her, her sister (Aunt Bertha) and her mom (Great Grandma) to Panhandle for some shopping.

27 years ago today, I begged and begged my mom to go with them, and I threw a fit when she said no.

27 years ago today, in the evening, I got mad at my dad when he interrupted a game of Payday that I was playing with my older brother and sister, and he made us go into the den.

27 years ago today, we sat in the dark as dad explained to us that Grandma Lucy, Aunt Bertha, Great Grandma, and Robert (Aunt Bertha's grandson) had been hit by a truck on their way home from Panhandle. Robert survived.

27 years ago today, I survived because my mom told me no.

Christmas Traditions

I love traditions, and this time of year is rich with them. The familiarity of those traditions creates a sense of security, belonging, warmth, and peace. Some of the traditions from my childhood are gone, many still remain, and still other new ones have been created. What are some of your treasured traditions? Below are some of mine...

Traditions from my childhood:

• We never put up our Christmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving. We would put it up one weekend in December (usually mid-December), but we always had to *clean* the house first. Then, dad would put the tree up and let it sit for a while (to let gravity "fluff" it). I'm sure he drank a beer or two during this process. He would then string our lights. We had bubble lights...candle shaped and multi-colored. All of us kids would then plaster it with a hodge-podge of ornaments.
• Dad would listen to LPs on the record player on Sunday mornings. During Christmas season, it would always be Christmas music. I never have been a morning person, but hearing that music early in the morning made waking up for mass a little more bearable.
• We always went to my Granddad's on Christmas Eve and ate supper there. Then we'd go to Christmas Eve mass, and return to Granddad's to open gifts from him. Christmas Eve will always be a special memory of my Granddad.
• We always opened all of our gifts Christmas morning, one present at a time. We rotated, either oldest to youngest or youngest to oldest, and every year, it was a fight over who got to go first the previous year.

Current traditions:

• We usually try to put up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. It never happens on the day after Thanksgiving, as I am an avid Black Friday shopper. You can read my blog posts about it here and here.
• My kids have to *clean* the house before we put it up.
• Our tree is pre-lit, so no one has to string the lights anymore. No bubble lights, and only clear lights. I like them, but I think there will always be that nostalgic part of me that misses the bubble lights.
• We still go to Christmas Eve mass, but we go here in Amarillo. Most of the rest of my extended family will still go to Christmas Eve mass in Groom, together. Part of me misses being at mass with my WHOLE family. That doesn't happen often anymore.
• My kids and me and Toby open our gifts Christmas morning here at our house, one at a time, with the kids taking turns.

Aaron just asked me why I typed that we open our gifts Christmas morning, so I had to explain that some people open gifts on Christmas Eve. To my surprise, he didn't wail and beg to please please please open ours then, too.

So, what Christmas traditions do you have? What ones do you treasure most? Which ones do you miss from your childhood?

Be Your Own Advocate (or One for Your Loved Ones)

Recently, a young, healthy friend of mine was admitted to the hospital with viral meningitis. I suppose healthy may not sound quite right, but for the most part, she is healthy...just happened to catch a nasty bug. While in the hospital, she was almost killed by a nurse who failed to follow proper hospital protocol and execute even a little intelligence. She administered a narcotic medication that was outside of her scope of practice to administer in the method it was ordered, and although she administered a dose that was within the range ordered by the doctor, it was way too high. This friend of mine was given the large dose and felt fine initially. She sent her husband to go get her some tea because she was thirsty. He returned 5 minutes later to find her blue and gasping. He could not revive her and ran out to the nurses' station and got help. Luckily, my friend survived the incident, but it just goes to show that you always need someone in the hospital room with you, to keep an eye on things.

Now, I want you to remember that I am a nurse, and a nursing educator, and I did my Master's thesis on medication errors. Med errors happen in the hospital, even when nurses follow protocol and the standards of practice. Nurses and doctors are human, and mistakes are going to happen. That is why I urge you to be your own advocate. Here are a few suggestions:

• Always question the nurse about your meds, especially if they look different from what you are accustomed to taking.
• Make sure the nurse identifies you so that you are not receiving a different patient's medication. Don't assume that s/he knows who you are, even if s/he's been taking care of you all shift, or even a few days.
• Make sure the nurse washes his or her hands (or gels) before touching you. Every time. Don't be afraid to ask them to if they forgot. This is the BEST way to prevent the spread of infection, and believe me, it is rampant in the hospital.
• If you receive any I.V. medications, make sure the nurse swabs the port (where the tubing for the medication hooks up to your main line) before hooking up the new tubing or syringe.

These are just a few things that you can do to protect yourself or your loved ones. And always make sure that you are not alone (or your loved ones are not alone) when in the hospital.

The EVIL That is Krazy Glue...and the Genius That is Me

Earlier this week, we took the kids to buy a new ornament for this year. Each child selected their favorite one, and we headed home. Sadie's was a Santa holding a candy cane. Well, Sadie played a bit too rough with it before hanging it on the tree, and the candy cane broke off. Friday, I bought some Krazy Glue at Walmart. I selected the Krazy Glue pen, thinking that it would be great. I read the instructions and attempted to glue the tiny red-striped cane back into Santa's hand. Well, I must have pushed a little too hard, because a copious amount of the evil stuff ended up coating my fingers. Instantly, this chemical-weapon-grade glue bonded my ring and middle fingers, while at the same time permanently attaching my anniversary ring to my ring finger. Guess Toby's really stuck with me now :)



Mumbling a few choice words under my breath, I found the packaging, and read the directions for how to un-stick myself. Either use acetone fingernail polish remover or warm soapy water. Let me assure you, warm soapy water is completely ineffective. And we had no acetone fingernail polish remover...just the non-acetone (aka, non-cancer forming) variety. Luckily, after poking fun at me for a while, Toby made a quick trip to Wally-World and purchased some. It worked fairly quickly, but not before soaking into the places where I had attempted to simply pry my fingers apart, and instead pull off several layers of dermis. Let me tell you...acetone burns if you are missing part of your skin. Finally, I was able to separate my fingers and could focus on working to remove the ring. After several more minutes, I was successful!



Yes, I feel like a dufus. Here is a picture of my hand...This is after I pried apart the top part of my fingers. Aaron has started referring to me as "Nine Fingers."

What Type of Driver are You?

Traffic the past few days has really irritated me...or maybe it's just those selfish drivers that are irritating me. You know which ones I'm talking about. Those rude drivers who always expect people to yield for them, even when they are the ones with the yield. This is particularly bad on the access, when some drivers refuse to yield for cars exiting from the highway. Or, those who refuse to change lanes or slow down for people getting on the highway. Then, there are those horribly selfish people who see the lane closure signs a mile ahead of the cones, and yet choose to wait until they get up to the cones to attempt to change lanes. They are probably the same people who won't yield for anyone else, and yet they expect all those people who did plan ahead to let them in. UGH!

With the Christmas shopping frenzy upon us, we all know that traffic will get worse, and people's attitudes/road rage will worsen as well. Why can't we all just be courteous drivers? It is not a competition, or some twisted game to see how many people you can block. We all have important things to take care of, and we all need to get where we're going. So if you're one of those drivers described above, please search your dried-up little heart and attempt to have some traffic compassion and courtesy this Christmas Season. Happy driving to all, and to all a good traffic report!

Through the Eyes of a Kid

Today, we got our first snow. It was windy and cold and an all-around miserable day, in my opinion. In stark contrast to my opinion about today's weather, I have the following story...

This morning, my son woke up and was very disappointed that it hadn't snowed yet. The entire ride to school was filled with snow-talk..."I thought it was supposed to snow." "When will it snow?" "How much will it snow?"

Fast-forward to 9 am. I returned to the school to help (supervise) my son as he selected gifts from the school's Christmas shop. He was allowed to buy for Toby, Papa, Sadie, and Mocha, and I needed to make sure that the stuff he bought was not too expensive or too cheesy (a difficult task). As these 1st graders walked out of the school, the snow was finally starting. I wanted to run the 100 yards or so to the building where the Christmas booty was, but they were revelling in the glory of the first snow, taking it all in, and taking their time. They were oblivious to the howling, bone-chilling wind. They were simply overcome with the excitement of catching snowflakes on their tongues. It made me slow my pace (just a little) and try to allow some of their enthusiasm warm and inspire me.

Thank you to the 1st grade class at St. Mary's for reminding me to find the joy in every situation!

Clarification

In regards to last night's post...

Those thoughts occurred to me Thursday night as I was watching Gray's Anatomy and ER. I watched as a husband became frustrated with the way his wife communicated with him...how the words had lost their meaning because she used them without putting any thought or feeling into them. Then, I watched as a character yelled at her friend because she was upset, and she said so awful, horrible, scarring words. Later in the episode, the character apologized and said that she didn't mean what she said. But it made me think. Once those words are uttered, you can never really, completely take them back. The damage has already been done.

So no, I wasn't mad at Toby (or anybody else) about anything he did or didn't say. I wasn't upset at myself for a recent verbal explosion. They were just some thoughts I had been mulling over for the past few days, and I figured this would be a good place to put those thoughts...And maybe by writing those words, it will help me to always remember the effect that words can have.

The Power of Words

I was thinking the other night about words...and how powerful or worthless they can be. We have all encouraged our kids to believe that "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but WORDS can never hurt me." However, we all know just how devasting words can be. And it seems that words have the greatest potential to wound when they are thrown out without thinking...taking the detour that allows them to pass straight from the brain to the lips, without passing the toll booth known as "the filter."

Words can also be powerful in good ways. Words, sometimes by themselves and sometimes when strung together properly, can make a person's day. Phrases like "I love you." "I'm sorry." "You're a blessing." "Thank you." These phrases are most powerful when they are thought about and have real meaning, real conviction behind them.

And then, those same exact words can be meaningless. They can be uttered without thought. Just a rote reply. The "I'm sorry" uttered because your mom made you. Or the "I promise" that has been broken so many times, you no longer have hope or trust.

I think that words have a tremendous power, and we have a tremendous responsibility in how we use them. Hopefully, I can take this thought and keep it close, and possibly block that detour that words so often take on their way out of my mind...

In Memory

One year ago today, my uncle passed away. So, in his memory, I have changed the music that plays for my blog...

To Aunt Prissy, Grandma, and my cousins--please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers today. {{{HUGS}}} and love always.

Heart of Gold--A My Town Monday Post

Fellow blogger Travis posts a My Town Monday post almost every Monday. I know there are others out there who do the same, so I decided that I will do one today. I don't know that I will get around to doing this regularly, but today, it is very fitting.

My town...I have lived in Amarillo for almost 6 years now, and before that, I lived in Dalhart for 5 years. But my home town is the metropolis of Groom. Population...somewhere around 600. For those of you who watched the local news last night, you already heard most of this story. But here it is, anyways...

Extreme Home Makeover...Groom Edition

A little while back, members of the Baptist church in Groom decided to do a service project for one of their members, Paula Brown.

Paula was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in high school. She told friends that her dream was to be able to WALK across the stage for graduation. And you know what? She did. But that was the last time she ever walked. She has been wheelchair-bound ever since. She was told that she didn't have long to live. That was close to 30 years ago. She has the most wonderfully positive attitude. She is grateful for things that I take for granted. She "babysits" her nieces and nephews (who actually look after her).

Last winter, some people from her church had gone to her house and noticed that there was snow in the house. That's how drafty her house was. But she didn't complain. She was happy to have a roof over her head. So this year, they decided that they would go in and fix her house before it got too cold. When they went in to fix the problems, they realized that the house needed way too much work and decided something else needed to be done. So instead, they simply painted the house to brighten it up, and didn't say anything else to Paula about it. She was so appreciative of the work they did.

Later, a member of the church looked into buying a small house that has been empty in Groom for a few years. Within 3 hours of talking to the owner about his asking price, he had raised the money to purchase the house. People from the community banded together to renovate the little house. Some people donated materials/supplies, or gave considerable discounts. Others volunteered time to work on the renovations.

As the work was being done, Paula had heard that people were doing this for her and asked a friend if that was true. The friend told her that she must have misunderstood...that they were fixing it up for someone else.

So yesterday was the "big reveal." They did it a lot like Extreme Home Makeover...had a truck or 2 parked in front of the house and then everybody yelled "Truck drivers, move those trucks!"

The house is fully handicap accessible. Paula was so excited because now she'll be able to reach the sink and microwave in the kitchen. She can now easily fit through every door in the house. She commented that she didn't deserve this, and that there were other people in Groom who needed it more than her. She has such an amazing attitude!

I am so proud of My Town. Talk about community! I am proud that they all worked together, donated time and/or money and expertise. What an amazing tribute. A tribute to Paula's heart of gold and to the hearts of gold of the people of Groom. Very fitting for the Season we have now entered!

Here's a link to the story on KFDA. You can click on the video to see the house and here the news report. And here's a link to the story in the Amarillo Globe News. On a side note, the columnist who wrote the story is a native of Groom.

A Hard Day at the Office

I walked into the office a few minutes ago, and this is what I found (I couldn't resist taking a few quick pictures). I think the pictures will speak for themselves...

It cracked me up that she still had her hand on the mouse :)

Black Friday Recap

Well, Black Friday has come and gone. I meant to post last week to rant about how disappointed I was in the deals this year. Best Buy's ad was appalling! Luckily, WalMart's ad was okay, and since they price match, I was able to prevent the need to go to a lot of stores that had only 1 or 2 items I wanted. So, here's a recap of how the day went...

Turkey day...My mom, 2 sisters, and myself made the final plans. My sisters would get everything at WalMart that we all wanted, while me and mom would work together at Kohls and then Target. We gave each other our lists, and got a few hours of sleep before the big day.

Friday...I woke up at 2:45 and took a quick bath. Then, I began the layering process: pantyhose, running tights, long johns, sweatpants, pajama pants, lined wind pants; 3 pairs of socks; a long-sleeved t-shirt, 2 sweatshirts, 2 jackets, and my coat. I also had my gloves and a toboggan from The Red Dog Saloon in Juneau. Grabbed some Visine, the walkie-talkies and cell phone, and headed out to Kohls (they opened at 4). Got in line, told mom that she could look around for about 5 minutes, but then she needed to get in line. She didn't believe me, and instead waited until I was done grabbing the things we all needed there, and then got in line. So, we stayed in line for close to 45 minutes. After we checked out, we went and got in line outside of Target.

Target: The Hell of Black Friday. Target always sucks on Black Friday. First, the electronics and toys are right next to each other, and those are the 2 most congested areas of any store on BF. Our plan there...mom grabbed a cart and got the movies we wanted there. I went (cartless) to the electronic section and grabbed the things we needed there. Mom and I were supposed to meet back in toys, and mom was supposed to use the walkie-talkie to let me know when she got to toys. However, she didn't realize she was using it incorrectly, so that plan failed. Finally, we found each other. Pushing carts in that section was impossible, so mom went to the kitchen section to get what we needed there, and then got in line. I waited in the toy section while a Target minion...I mean employee...went to the back to get a toy that they had more of in the back. Why on earth would they not have out all of their advertised toys out is beyond me. So we had to wait for her to fight the crowds to get to the backroom, drink a few lattes, take a nap, read a novel, do her nails, and then fight her way back through the crowds with the toy. Then, I went a got in line with mom. People were cutting in line, so it was a pretty slow line. I took this time to go to the bathroom and strip down to a single layer. Checked out, and then waited in line to get out of the parking lot...mass chaos.

Then it was to the mall, Walmart (a different one than my sisters had gone to) to look for a few missing items, Guitar World, Old Navy, Lowes, and Hastings. Then, the 4 of us met at my sister's to divvy-up our spoils and pay each other. Then, lunch at Ruby Tequilas and a nap. My car is still loaded with all my goodies. I am not sure where they will end up. I was going to wrap some of them, but our tree is not up yet, and most of the toys are in those half-boxes that can't be easily wrapped. Maybe I'll carry them up to the attic later today...

I hope you guys all had a fruitful Black Friday! I also hope that next year will have better ads :)

All I Want for Christmas...

...is my two front teeth!


Aaron has lost his 2 front teeth just in time for the holiday season. How classic! He lost the one on the right on Sunday at Hartley. Then, the second one got pulled out yesterday evening. However, I had to get a picture of his snaggle-toothed grin prior to yanking out that 2nd front tooth. So, here is that picture. It reminds me of those fake "Bubba" teeth you can get...



Just a little scary looking, huh? This final picture is Toby's favorite. I think that he likes it because it is the stereotypical athlete. If only he had been wearing a hockey jersey and was holding his hockey stick... Oh well...basketball players can loose teeth too.



Aaron asked what the Toothfairy does with his teeth, and Toby encouraged him to write a letter to the Fairy and find out. Thanks a lot, Toby. Needless to say, the Toothfairy left a little poem (very little...it was in 4 point font). Here is the poem:



What happens to the teeth I take
At night while you’re asleep?
I’ll share with you the answer
If my secret you can keep.

Each sparkling pearly white, you see,
I hang high up in the night.
You see them shimmer in the sky…
Stars, you call them, shining bright.

Clean teeth make brilliant stars, my boy
While dirty teeth stars are dull.
So look for your teeth up in the sky
And make brushing your ultimate goal!

Love,
T.F.



When Aaron woke up this morning, he got Toby to get out the magnifying glass so that he could read it. Then, since the Toothfairy had instructed him to keep the secret, Aaron would not read me the poem, and he wouldn't let me read it myself. But, after some persuading him (pinkie-swearing) that I would keep the secret, he read me the poem. He was so excited!!!

Now I just hope and pray that the 2 replacement teeth are not too big. At least Aaron has a big head, so hopefully the big teeth will not look quite so out of proportion...

Trip to Hartley

We decided to take a trip to Hartley this past weekend, to visit Toby's mom, Mary. We left out Friday afternoon, right after clinicals. Well, actually, right after clinicals, I came home and packed. Then we headed out. Here are a few pictures from our weekend...

Here the boys (Aaron and his cousin) are being very helpful carrying out Granny's trash Saturday morning. Sadie felt that it was important for her to oversee the operation.

That evening, the kids could not resist climbing the tree. Granny has the perfect tree for climbing. Even Sadie was able to climb. They had a blast!

For this last picture, Aaron asked me what I thought would happen if he jumped out of the tree from where he was. I told him I thought we'd end up making a trip to the ER. Then he asked me if I'd pay him a dollar to jump from there. Crazy kid...as if I'd pay him to do something I thought he'd get hurt doing. So after I told him no, he went ahead and jumped anyways...

Luckily, I my prediction was wrong! Thanks, Granny, for a great weekend!

My Son, the Writer

So, as I mentioned in one of my first ever posts as a blogger, one thing I would love to be is a successful writer. If that doesn't ever happen for me, perhaps it could happen for Aaron. Yesterday, as soon as I got home from work, he runs up to me and says "Guess what happened at school today?" A million possibilities ran through my head, but rather than actually guessing, I simply inquired "What?" Apparantly, they began "tub work" yesterday, and for his tub, he was instructed to "write a story he had never heard before" and to "use words that they usually don't use because if you always use the same words, your story gets boring." Aaron then told me that his teacher was so proud of his work, that she sent him to read it to the 4th grade teacher and the principal. The principal thought it was so good that she asked him if he would read it to the entire school the next morning (today) over the PA during the announcements. He was so proud (and so were we.) Today, he brought home his story, and I figured I would post it here. This is the way he spelled things (I'll translate)...

Cachup and his sawwr frend mostrd explr the hotdog

Ones apon a tim ther was a hotdog. That was lonly but thin Cachup and mostrd sol the lonly hotdog. Thin thae scwrtid on the lonly hotdog. Thin thae ol had fun. The End.

So, here's the translation:

Ketsup and His Sour Friend Mustard Explore the Hotdog

Once upon a time there was a hotdog that was lonely. But then Ketsup and Mustard saw the lonely hotdog. Then they squirted on the lonely hotdog. Then they all had fun. The End.

I am so proud of him for using so many wonderful adjectives! Usually, when he writes stories, there are no adjectives. His stories usually go like this:

My friend came over. We played. It was fun. The End

Because he did so well and got such wonderful praise from people at school, and from us, I hope that he will develop a love of writing (and hopefully reading) and will continue to use those colorful, juicy adjectives!

I've Been Tagged

Well, I was tagged. The rules for this game of tag are that once you are tagged, you have to write 7 interesting/unusual facts about yourself, and then tag 7 other bloggers. I don't know 7 other bloggers, and the blogger who tagged me (Tara) also tagged one of the other bloggers I know. So that really only leaves a few bloggers I could tag, so I figured I'd break the rules, and just post the 7 weird/random facts about me and forego the tagging part. Afterall, that's why you guys read this...to learn more about my weirdness, right??? So, here are my 7 facts:

1. I love math. I miss math. I love my job now, but math was my first love. You never forget your first love...

2. I am a published poet. As a project in grad school, we had to attempt to publish something in a nursing journal, and I was able to get a poem published.

3. I would love to go back to school again, but my husband would kill me if I did...And I'm not sure what sort of degree I would seek.

4. I loved being pregnant.

5. I'm a know-it-all, and I'm sure that is quite annoying to those around me, but I can't help it.

6. I don't like change...I'm a traditionalist. However, I am very very excited about a possible change that might be occurring at work by next fall!

7. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional roller skater.


So, now you know me a little better. Maybe as I blog more and more, I'll meet other bloggers and can actually tag other people. I was shocked to find out that one of my co-workers doesn't even know what a blog is. This is the same co-worker who will steal stuff out of your basket on Black Friday if you're not paying attention... I thought everyone knew what a blog was.

Handywork

Here are some pictures of one of the projects Toby has been working on lately. It's something Angie has wanted for awhile, and last month, Joey (my brother-in-law) made the rails. This past week, Toby and I have been working on a layout for the wooden part. Today, he finished, so here is the final product...

BRING ON THE SNOW!!!!!

A Conversation with Sadie

A few days ago, I was fixing Sadie's mop that is known as her hair. She was sitting on the counter in her bathroom, looking in the mirror as I attempted to detangle without causing any pain. Not an easy task. As I'm working, we have the following conversation:

Sadie: "Why does God always watch us?" (this question is thanks to her wonderful Catholic educaiton :)
Me: "Because He loves us and want to make sure that we're okay and that we are nice to each other and follow His rules."
S: "Sometimes I don't like to follow the rules."
Me: "That makes God sad."
S: "I know, I don't like to sometimes."
Me: "Like when?"
S: "Like when I want to lick Troy."

Troy is her best friend, and they are in the same Montessori class at St. Mary's. The one time Sadie had to sit in the "time-out" chair (or at least, the only time I know about) was because she had licked Troy "like giving her puppy kisses."

A Conversation with Aaron

Kids can be pretty entertaining. Yesterday, as soon as I arrived home from work, Aaron approached me and engaged me in the following conversation:

Aaron: "Hey Mom, can I ask you a question?"
Me: "Sure."
A: "Why am I wearing 2 pairs of underwear?"
(mental pause...it took my brain a few seconds to wrap itself around this question...was it a riddle? A trick question?)
Me: "I don't know Aaron. Why are you wearing 2 pairs of underwear?"
A: "I don't know, that's why I asked you."

I'm still not sure about how he ended up wearing 2 pairs of underwear. The only thing I can think of is that sometimes after his morning shower, he will put on a pair of underwear, but not finish getting dressed. After eating breakfast and/or watching cartoons, I think he went to the clothes that had been laid out for him, and put on the pair of underwear in with them without thinking. But who knows...there may be some other explanation...

Don't worry...he's only wearing one pair today!

Does coffee count as breakfast?

I'm not a morning person. I never have been. I have never awaken from my night's slumber feeling excited to get out of bed. Instead, I want 5 more minutes of PEACEFUL sleep, or 30 more minutes, or a few more hours. Everyday. There has never been an exception to that rule. One thing that confirms that it's my body that makes me be a non-morning person is that I am never in the mood for breakfast until I have been awake for at least an hour. This tells me that my entire body is wired for more sleep, even my GI system.

So, as a nurse, I am very well aware of the fact that eating a good, nutritious breakfast is loaded with health benefits, from weight loss to better attention. However, it is difficult to eat a good, nutritious breakfast when it takes that hour wait before anything even sounds good. And I know what some of you *bright-and-cheerful-morning* people are thinking...just wake up an hour earlier and then you'll have plenty of time to eat before heading out for the day. To that, I say "Bite me, Poptart!" Did you not read the first paragraph? I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON! I treat every single moment of sleep I can possibly get like a person stranded in the desert treats each and every drop of water in her canteen. Those few extra moments of shut-eye are life-sustaining, and no matter what, there are never enough of them.

Last night, I told Toby that I wished I could hibernate for the winter, like a bear. I think if I ever win the lottery, I may just try that and see how well it works out for me. I might just set a new trend. Who knows...it may have health benefits!

So, my question for everybody...does coffee count as breakfast? I load mine up with half a cow's worth of creamer, so I am definitely getting my share of dairy, and that is probably a part of a *good* nutritional breakfast...


...except the fact that most days, I use non-dairy creamer.

Countdown to Black Friday

Okay...I'll admit it. My name is Rebecca and I'm a Black Friday Addict. I have been addicted for about 4 or 5 years now, and each year, I sink deeper and deeper into my addiction. Last year, and this year, in September I began scouring the internet for leaked Black Friday ads. I recheck those ads numerous times a day, especially now that we are in go-month. I am very anxiously and excitedly awaiting the REALLY important ads, such as Best Buy, WalMart, Target, and ToysRUs. Currently, there are a few ads posted. Most are of no interest to me, or do not apply because we don't have the store here in Amarillo. Ads currently listed on the site I visit most frequently include Bath and Body Work, Walgreens, and Harbor Freight. I have no interest in those. However, Sears and Lowes are posted, and those are of some interest to me (but definitely of more interest to my better half).

So, we have 19 days until the Big Day. That means I have 19 days to plan out my strategy of attack. I am not one of those mean, viscous shoppers who will steal items out of your basket when you're not paying attention (I didn't even know such people existed until my co-worker told me she does that...now I know to keep a closer eye on my basket). However, I will plot and conspire w/ my family to ensure that I get everything I want that day. Last year's plan of attack worked out okay, but we learned a lot from the experience. Last year, my sister did all the WalMart shopping for everyone, and me and my mom lined up at Best Buy around 2am. We now know that 2am is not early enough for a lot of the items, and we also know what to bring w/ us. So, here is the plan so far for this year...

I will bring my son's small tent. I think my mom and I can both squeeze in it. I am also on the lookout for a propane-powered space heater. We will probably line up sometime on Turkey-day evening with the tent, and will most likely alternate time...one of us in line in the tent while the other one warms up in the parked car. We will still most likely split the shopping, with one sister heading out to WalMart. We may need to enlist other brave souls to shoulder some of the burden, because we may need foot soldiers in line at ToysRUs and/or Target. So, we're looking for a few good men or women who are interested in having a great adventure. Any volunteers?

Stinkpots with Tails

Yesterday, we got the pleasure of experiencing what life would be like with triplet, 6 year old boys. Aaron is six, and has a cousin who is 8 days younger than him, and another cousin who is about 6 months younger than him. We got to babysit both boys yesterday afternoon/evening. I now know that I could handle triplets for a day, but I doubt that I would manage so well on a permanent basis.

Sadie's view on the experience were interesting. She had the following conversation with Toby as they went to pick up Ethan (Caden was already at our house):

Sadie: Dad, Aaron is a stinkpot.
Toby: Who else is a stinkpot?
Sadie: Caden is a stinkpot (giggle, giggle).
Toby: Is anyone else a stinkpot?
Sadie: You are a stinkpot, Daddy (more giggles).
Toby: Well, what about Ethan? Is he a stinkpot?
Sadie: Dad, does Ethan have a tail? (this is how Sadie interprets the anatomical difference between boys and girls)
Toby: Yes.
Sadie: Then yes, Ethan is a stinkpot (giggle, giggle, giggle).

The Report Card

Well, I just got to look over Aaron's report card. He improved in almost every area, stayed the same in a few. and the only area he scored lower was in PE. So overall, I was extremely pleased, and Toby and I both praised him for his hard work and encouraged him to keep up the good work.

In regards to my previous post...I am not as overly excessive as it may seem...at least not outwardly. I temper my desire for my kids to be the best with a lesson I learned in Jr. High. That lesson is that we all are wonderfully, uniquely blessed be God with a variety of gifts and talents. We are not all blessed with the same gifts and talents, and that's a good thing. We must learn to work together, sharing our gifts with each other for the good of everyone. I know this, and this is what I remind myself of as the *crazy mom* starts to come out in me. I just wish my kids came with "product specs" that listed their individual gifts. Toby says he wishes that they just came with an Easy Button, like the Staples commercials.

On another note, since I haven't posted much about Sadie, I will mention that she is currently having a wardrobe malfunction. Those of you who know her are well aware that she has a difficult time keeping her pants up. They tend to show her *crackers* quite often. I guess I need to cinch up that pair of jeans another notch or two...

Reality Parenting

Okay, so when I decided to have kids, I had absolutely no idea what I was signing up for. I had babysat a lot growing up, and had tons and tons of yournger siblings, so I thought I had a pretty good handle on what it would be like to be a mom...


And then, my first child was born.


Talk about shock. I still remember the day that my husband called his mom on the phone, three days after we brough our son home from the hospital. The first words out of his mouth were not "Hi mom!" or some other greeting. Instead, the first words spoken to her were "Were you crazy or what?" I did not hear her response, but I am sure she was confused by this greeting. His next words explained why he asked this question. He wanted to know why she had more than one kid, implying that she must have been crazy to have 5 kids.

I still think my mom and my mother-in-law were crazy for having as many kids as they did (5 for my m.i.l. and 8 for my mom), and I think now they are probably a even more crazy. After all, raising that many kids has got to take a pretty hefty toll on a person's sanity. Heck, raising 2 kids is reaking havoc on my sanity.

So, today is report card day for my son. He is in first grade, and this will be his second report card this year. It is the first year we have gotten numerical grades. I am having a really difficult time not being that mom. You know...the one that expects my kids to be the best at EVERYTHING. My kids do pretty well in school, both academically and behavior-wise. But I want them to be the best. The best reader. The best mathematician. The best artist. The most creative. The best athlete. The best behaved. The funniest. The cutest. The nicest. The list goes on and on. And neither of my kids are the best at everything. Probably no kids (other than myself, of course, when I was a kid) are the best at everything. But I still want my kids to be able to be very successful at everything they do.

So, how do you resolve those feelings with reality? Any suggestions? So for the rest of today, I am anxiously awaiting the report card...

Titles

The first thing Toby said to me this morning was that there have been no updates to my blog yet. I informed him that yesterday was its first day in existence and that updates don't just magically appear overnight. He told me he was ready for another post, so here is the next installment.

I mentioned in my first post that I wasn't sure what I want to be when I grow up. Technically, I don't want to grow up, so that could be the hang-up. However, one career I would *love* to be successful at is writing. I think it would be great to be a successful novelist (and by successful, I mean be able to earn a decent living at it). Since meeting Travis (my son's flag football coach) and reading his blog, I have become even more interested in doing this (and more aware of how difficult it is to be successful). Over the past few weeks, my brain has been brewing possible novel titles, and I thought I'd share them with everyone. Is this blog copyrighted? If I put all my title ideas here, are they permanently mine and no one else can steal them? Oh well...here they are regardless...

Peaches and Battery Acid...a story about the struggles of a woman and a coach as they try to juggle love and life during basketball season.

Hit it With Your Purse, Hal...a story about the turmoils associated with the aging process.

Never Eat the Brown M&Ms...a collection of stories from previous careers (probation, teaching, nursing)

Failure to Descend...this title could be used for a variety of stories...action, romance, religious...who knows. The possibilities are endless!


And now, for the title of this blog. I told Toby that I didn't want to begin a blog until I had a good title for it, and my creativity was struggling. I also was using this as a last stronghold for my worst habit...procrastination. I figured that if I could use the excuse of not having a great title, I could hold out on starting this blog for a few more weeks...or months...or maybe even years. But then, Toby suggested "Sanding the Rails." He explained to me that when a train has been stopped on an incline and it is time to begin to move again, the engineer pulls a lever to release sand onto the rails ahead of the engine wheels to create friction. This allows the train to get traction and prevents the wheels from slipping (which would create a whole set of problems all on its own). This is known as "sanding the rails." After hearing this explanation, I knew that he had completely squashed my plans of procrastination. I felt that the title perfectly fit this situation, and life in general. Starting something new can be a slippery slope, but if we just remember to always sand the rails, we are much more likely to be successful than if we just continue with the status quo (which would have been procrastination for me). So, there it is. That's what the title of my blog means, and that's why I picked it. Any questions???

Eventually, I will add pictures and other cool stuff. I just don't have the time right now. Stay tuned for future updates.

Intro

So, this is my first blog post ever. I was first introduced to bloggin by my sister-in-law, Jennifer. She started a blog about her family and day-to-day living. I have loved reading her posts and find it to be a great way to keep up with everything that is going on with her family (her blog can be found at http://asteelersfamily.blogspot.com/ ). Ever since she started her blog, I have been thinking that I should start one too, to help everyone keep up with what my family is up to. However, I never got around to it.

Then, a few weeks ago, at our kids' school Carnival, my husband and I were visiting with our son's football coach. He mentioned that he is an author and has a blog. His blog can be found at http://www.traviserwin.blogspot.com/ , and is about his writing, his family, his job, and other day-to-day stuff. After reading his blog, my husband has been encouraging (read as "nagging" or "hounding") me to start a blog of my own. And who says that women are the ones to nag...

So, here it is. My very own blog. Kinda scary that they'll let just anyone have one of these :) And since it is my 1st ever post on my 1st ever blog, I figure I better let everyone know who I am...

My name is Rebecca. I have been married to Toby (aka the Nagger) for 10 years. We have 2 kids. Aaron is 6 and Sadie is 3 and they both attend school at St. Mary's. They both have great (and very different) personalities, and I'm sure as this blog grows up, you'll discover that for yourself.

I work as a nursing instructor at a local college. This is my 3rd career. My first career was as a high school math teacher and coach. My 2nd career was as a labor and delivery nurse. And now, this. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but Toby says that I can't go back to school ever again...We'll see about that.

Toby works as an engineer for the railroad. This is his 2nd career. His first was as an adult probation officer. So see...I've only had one more career change than he has...what's he complaining about???

So, that's us in a nutshell. Now, I just have to decide if I want to let my friends and family know about this blog...do I really want everyone I know to be able to read this? I'm sure I'll eventually get up the courage to tell them about it. Otherwise, there probably won't be anyone else to read this blog...