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...