OMG

If I were to give you a summary of today's events in one sentence, it might read like this:
6th grade teacher arrives to work with throbbing migraine, spends the day trying to convince 11 and 12 year olds that they care about learning and ends the day trying to physically stop 2 eighth grade girls from removing each other's faces while attempting to corral her own children in her classroom, so they aren't injured in the fury. Good times, people.
((We'll be out of town this weekend. We're travelling to south-ish Louisiana to visit with PDaddy's sis and family which is rescheduled from our most recent Viral Holiday. It's Thursday, so I must go order pizza. And some Calgon. And a salt lick of some strong narcotic that induces memory loss and a feeling of euphoria.))
*Interesting Side Note:
Mine is a family of Wheel of Fortune junkies. My grandparents, as I type, are probably in their recliners in Heaven watching their show while my Ninnie despairs over the latest "mess" Vanna is wearing. So, it should come as no surprise, now that my own children are addicted, that I recently registered to be a contestant. Rest assured, if I get The Call, you'll know it!
I am not: H-O-L-D-I-N-G M-Y B-R-E-A-T-H.

Chop-Chop.

I thought I'd grab a minute here while PDaddy and Jack are out swimming and running errands. It is so stinking cold here today. Well, I mean, it's in the 40's, and that's cold enough for me. Ug.

Last night we met a friend (who recently remarried) and his wife for dinner while C came over to stay with the kids. The food was really good...mostly because I didn't eat the soybean burgers the cafeteria was peddling yesterday. They're not bad going down, but once water hits them, they swell up like dog food in your belly. When I eat one, no lie, I do not have to eat again for the rest of the day and half of the next one. Anyway, I was ready for food, and it was good...and the company was even better. We laughed and laughed until I think the people sitting around us thought we had mental issues. The jury is still out on that one.
Sophy is getting baptized tomorrow, and we're having those who want to come over after church for lasagna (or chicken enchiladas...I can't decide) and the fixings. I know my folks will be here, and I think PDaddy's folks will be here too. Not sure about the auntage and uncleage. We'll see.
Sophy and I have to sit down with the computer today and choose her dress for the Father-Daughter Ball. We have it narrowed down, but she wants like 4 different ones. And a pair of high heels.
I'm getting my hair cut later this afternoon. I've been letting it grow and it's in DIRE need of being shaped up and chopped up. I'm fairyly certain we'll get about 4 pounds of hair out of it when it's all said and done. Not to mention the grey that we'll be covering. Oh, the grey. Maybe I'll post before and after pics. Then again, maybe not.

A newspaper is born.

I teach reading, that much you know. In a small district, most teachers of core subjects are forced to get to teach an "elective" as well. (Elective here having a much looser implication than in actuality. It's something I HAVE to teach and the student HAS to take. Elective. HAHA) So, last semester I taught a sixth grade art class. We mostly worked on pencil sketching and the like. Once the semester changed, the course was changed to "journalism" and a new batch of kids was shuffled into the original bunch. It was decided that our class would give birth to a school newspaper for our middle school campus. It's something I've honestly always wanted to do, but I just never really got it off of the ground for one reason or another. We've been at work in this new class since Tuesday, and I don't think I've ever had so much fun (and that's saying something because I always have fun) or had kids so excited about what they're doing. Not only that, I've had kids not in the class begging me to get them into the class. Heehee. What, you ask, does one write about in a middle school paper? Well, so far we have columns called The Current Rushes In (Miss 7th Grade SmartyPants came up with that title for her current event column), The Fashion Police, Food 411, The Funny Bone, Book Nook, and Sportsworld..just to name a few. It's great fun! Our first issue should hit the masses a week from tomorrow. Good times!
In other middle school news, I had a group of kids who created a book club that needed a sponsor (i.e. someone to bring donuts when they meet and make sure they don't kill each other or burn the library down,) so we're having fun with that too. It's the biggest bunch of misfits you've ever seen. Totally not the academic kids, but man, are they taking it seriously. They meet every other Friday morning before school (I bring the donuts,) and they discuss the latest books they're reading. We've decided on a novel to read as a group, so we'll be starting that at our next meeting. Oh, and at every meeting we PASS THE TORCH. THE TORCH being a ruler with an Ace of Spades playing card taped to it and THE TORCH written on on the ruler in Sharpie. Ya know, I don't know what the story is behind it. With this age group, it's best to just not ask. At each meeting, THE TORCH is passed to the next person who presides over the next meeting (i.e. bosses the other kids around.)
Is there anything out there greater than a middle schooler? I don't think so.

Scooby Doo and Big Mona

For some reason Shaggy and Scooby are running from Big Mona. And a bunch of zombies.
Don't look at me. I'm not a writer for Scooby Doo.
I dunno.
What do I know?
Let me see...well, we saw the orthodontist today. We are definitely in line for braces, but we have about 7-8 months of getting procedures and one round of SERIOUS oral surgery behind us before we can get them. It would seem that Jack has the same hidden and impacted tooth that his mama and Pop have. Only Jack's has gone one twist further and grown another tooth on top of it. So one of them has to go, and it's not the one that is easy to get to. But before we can address that, we have 2 other procedures to get past this spring. The ortho, who we'll call Doc Hollywood, more on that later, said that we were looking at braces through most of 5th and 6th grade, and he was said it was "very puzzling" and "making him scratch his head" as to where to proceed because Jack's mouth is, apparently, an enigma. Welcome to the family, doc. Jack's mouth, is apparently on target with that of a 14 year old. Molars and all. I had the same issues when I was young. You know you have a weird family dental history when the orthodontist is investigating the mom's mouth as he investigates the 10 year old's mouth. I could write a 1,000 word essay on the procedures my mouth has endured. I mean, people, I had an apecoectomy once where the oral surgeon discovered that the dead root of my tooth was trying to live and was regenerating. The doc exclaimed, "We've only seen this once in a medical book and once on a medical mission trip in Guatemala." Nice! So, our first step is to see an endodontist this spring. From there we'll go to the oral surgeon. Thank goodness we have double dental insurance coverage. YES!
We really liked this orthodontist. His office was suhwankay. OMG. The waiting room had an arcade area, it was HUGE, and the exam rooms each had an office inside the exam room where the nurse sat and did her portion of the exam by computer. The imaging was awesome. No more do they put the big giant cardboard xray cards in your mouth that make you gag like a 2 year old. Anyway, Doc Hollywood was about my age with HIGHLIGHTED hair, a tanning bed tan, and the whitest teeth I have ever seen on a human being. He was so put together it was almost comical. Still, he had a really nice manner and was very thorough. Plus, he was recommended by a co-worker whose two children have been through this ortho group (it's a father/son operation.) So, anyway, Doc Hollywood does exist. And he's an orthodontist.
The mowers launched a rock through our glass door in the living room today. Actually, it didn't go through. It just pinged the glass just right to cause the entire thing to crack like ice without shattering out of it's frame. The glass company came out about 6 o'clock and hung a tarp, taped up what they could, and told us not to slam any doors because the glass that is cracked inside the frame would "explode like dynamite." So basically, we're safe now, but you should hear the grass crackling. It sounds like melting ice. Wonder how long it will take for the glass to come in? You might know it's a custom order size. Sigh.
Better run. Scooby Doo and Big Mona are calling.

I miss my flowers.

Sophy and I are ready to get back to our garden!

~ We're so very ready for Spring~
There are many reasons, but....

mostly we just miss our flowers.

Hurry up, Spring. We're waiting for you.

Well, we miss the butterflies too.

The Marlin Room

Jack's Room

So we're still working on getting Jack's room in order after moving him out of the room that he shared with Sam. His swim team mascot is a marlin, so we have sort of started with a water theme. One of the things we couldn't figure out how to address was a way to display his swimming ribbons and medals while still managing to account for future ribbons and medals. PDaddy came up with this idea which is basically a curtain or drape rod. We have a lengthwise poster of Michael Phelps doing the butterfly that will go over the top of the ribbon/medal display, and we'll add to the ribbon display as the years go on. This isn't the best photo of the bedding (which I got on ebay for a STEAL!) Man, I love ebay. The comforter looks like water ripples with shades of blue with splashes of neon green and orange. We've decided, for now, not to go with a headboard. I can't find one that I like, so until I do, we're headboardless.
On the other side of the room, we've painted two walls in Neptune blue, and we've added marlins and his skim board from Florida. Since this photo, he's acquired a 19 inch flat screen tv and dvd player (we stumbled upon a weekend before Christmas techno sale that we couldn't pass up) for this desk. He thinks he's something now.

Gymnastics

Gym class went a little better than I expected tonight. The class is much smaller than her previous class, and she was able to get WAY more one on one time than before. The best news of all is that she has a totally different coach, at least for tonight. I am hopeful that she'll have this new coach from now on. This group is mostly older girls, but they were all on about the same level. They did a lot of trampoline drills and worked one on one with a spotter on back handsprings, quickening up the round offs leading into a back handspring, and one hand cartwheels. Also, the time they spent on warming up and stretching was way more in depth. I think she got way more out of this class than she has since she had been moved to the Tuesday night class. She had a great time in class and worked so much harder than she had been working in the last couple of weeks.
Gotta jet. We just put the kids to bed, and we're gonna watch True Beauty. Have you been watching this? OMG. It's so sad. I can' t believe I'm admitting that I watch it!
(Julie! I did look up the cabins in the Smokies. We REALLY loved them!! We're going to call about a couple, but I'm pretty sure we'll be staying there! Thanks telling us about them!))

Ham & Cheese Quiche per Ang's request

Here it is Angaroo! I am not an egg eater, but this is out of this world good!

Ham & Cheese Quiche.
((So good, you'll want to slap your mama. However, I wouldn't lay a hand on Mrs. Ernestine. Totally not recommended. HA!))

• One refridgerated pie crust, uncooked (I always use the Pillsbury kind that is rolled up and comes in a red box with 2 crusts.)
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• pkg of sliced swiss
• 1 cup diced ham (I used deli ham meat and just chopped it.)
• Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 Tony Chachere's seasoning

Put uncooked pie crust in a pie pan (do not prick), but do crimp the sides up high as this will be really full when you pour in the egg mixture. Layer about 3 or 4 slices of Swiss on the bottom of the crust. Try to cover as much area as possible. Sprinkle/spread ham on top of the swiss, then do another less covering layer of Swiss on top of the ham. Beat 2 eggs in a large bowl and add heavy cream and beat again. Pour egg mixture over Swiss and ham layers. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese and Tony's seasoning. (I also sprinkled with a dash of salt and pepper at this point.) You could also add chopped bacon, cooked shrimp, etc., but I'm more of a simple girl. I did slice some tomatoes pretty thin and put them on the top of one half of the quiche prior to putting it in the oven. Bake at 350 for about one hour (although I had to watch mine and cover it with foil as the crust edges started getting too brown. You should be able to cut it open gently to see how the inside looks. Mine was a bit (just a teensy bit) watery at first, but I think it might have been from the tomatoes. The eggs will look fluffy and done on the inside.

Let me know after you make it?!?! You're gonna die! It's so good!

Memory Lane

I found some pics this evening. Oh my, did I find some pics!

I love this pic of Jack at poolside all chubby and splashing his feet. It's quite the contrast to his poolside pics now! And the shot of him sleeping with his arms over his head, he was four weeks old in that pic. Sniff, sniff. It's hard to imagine that there was a time when I only had one child!

Look at this guy! Even as a baby he had his mouth open!! Hehe. And the the bottom pic is when he was a day old in the NICU. He was born not quite a month early (and being a boy his lungs weren't developed enough), and on top of that, he aspirated amniotic fluid and filled his lungs up good. Little stinker didn't cooperate even then. I hadn't even got to hold him at this point (except for about 4 seconds when a NICU nurse had mercy on me and handed him to me for a kiss.) We were in NICU for 4 days and me with a c-section incision. Rolling to NICU every 3 hours for visitation in a wheelchair was NOT fun but worth every second we got to hold his little finger. I don't think I'll ever forget all of the wires and buttons. A little baby died one day while we were visiting in NICU, which made some aspirated amniotic fluid seem very inconsequential. Look at that smile!
She was about a week old in this photo...always wide awake and in our business. Not much has changed. She rolled over when she was 8 days old. Climbed out of her crib (and exersaucer) when she was 8 months old, so we took it down not long after and put her in a toddler bed. She took her first steps at not quite 9 months and was walking at a little over ten. The bottom picture with the pumpkins was taken when she was 11 months old, and she kept running away form us like Carl Lewis. We couldn't catch her. Not much has changed on that front, either.

Squeal!!

PDaddy and I are finalizing some of the finer points of our summer trip! We'll have an entire week (if my mama agrees to have the kids that long, ha!) We plan on renting a car (not PDaddy's fav part, but I LOOVVE nothing more on this planet than a road trip) and driving to spend a little time in Memphis and Nashville. I am trying to arrange for us to spend one night in the Smokey Mountain Nat'l Park. PDaddy would love that. After that, we'll head to Biltmore for the rest of our time, and we'll be flying home to Shreveport from Knoxville, I believe. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. Biltmore offers Segway tours throughout the estate. Hehe, I'm fired up!! Plus, they also offer the 'high tea' with our package. WHHEE! Ang, did you have the tea when you were there? Rach and I talked a lot about a trip to England for late this summer, but I'm not sure I'll be able to swing it with all of the other stuff we've got going on. Plus, I'm wanting to go see Ter in Vegas (WATCH OUT!) this summer. Did you have any idea that you can fly from S'port to Vegas for like $30? Seriously. I wonder if it's a hang glider? Hehe. I digress. Anyway, I'm sooo excited about Road Trippin'!!!

A List of Things You May or May Not Want to Know

• In regards to The Secret, I really would like to clear up the misconception that I am gestating. Let's just put that one to rest for good, shall we? Haha! Alas, no...Good and Gentle Readers, there isn't (nor shall there be) a bun in oven. It's a medical impossibility on several levels, not the least of which is the fact that my doctor told me on the day of Sophy's birth when he had to knit together a plethora of holes and near tears in my uterus that my womb couldn't have another occupant. At that point, DaddyP had the Giant Snip, and the rest, as they say, is history. Mind you, there would be #4 were it not for that little tidbit of history. If DaddyP were on board with the whole adoption thing, yes, I would do it in a heart beat. Why not? We have plenty of love to share, and so many babies in this world need it. Why not? PDaddy doesn't share my philosphy, so until he does...or if he does. There you have it. Back to The Secret, it's still A SECRET! It'll be a while before fruition, but it will materialize. Pins and needles for me too!
• Sam seems to be feeling A LOT better. As in, he's making up for 3 days of being out of commission. As in, he is a maniac today. Jack is still under the weather and as of this morning, still has a 101 degree temp. We hate for Jack to get a fever because it's never over in just a couple of days. The last time Jack had a fever it ran about 103 for 9 days. We're hoping this one is shorter, but history is not in our favor.
• We're hopeful that tomorrow may allow us to get out f the house and do something fun. I'd love to salvage what's left of our 3 day weekend, but we'll just have to see how it goes.
• DaddyP has come up with a way for Jack to display all of his swimming ribbons and medals in his room, so he is at Lowes getting the supplies. We'll do that this afternoon while I wash bed sheets and the like. I guess I'll clean all the bathrooms, mop and vacuum while I'm at it.
• We have a guy coming over today to see about putting a large pond (a for-real pond, not an ornamental pond) in our backyard. I'm excited about the upcoming growing season. After living here for a year, we've pretty much got a good idea of what works in the yard and what will not. We're ready to get started with gutting the backyard. The front will have to wait, but it's on the chopping block too. Lots of dirt for me to play in! YAYYYAYY! I'm not really sure about how things work, but I'm thinking of having a crop of cut flowers to peddle at the local florists (zinnias, sunflowers, glads, etc.) or to sell at the Farmer's Market this summer. We'll see. Our summer is crazy busy already, but I think it'd be fun. No $ to be made, I'm sure, but I'd love to do it anyway.
• Jack's ortho appointment is this week. I'm curious to see what we're hit with at that appt.
• Sophy starts a new class of gymnastics this week. She has had a new coach for the last couple of weeks that I have NOT been happy with, and I found out that this new class has the same coach. GGRRR. We'll see how long this lasts.
• If anyone is intersted in a ham and cheese quiche recipe that is so unbelievable and delicious, just let me know. I'm NO egg fan, but it's so good. So good! Yesterday we stayed in for the day, and I made blueberry muffins and the ham and egg quiche for lunch-brunch. Very good. PDaddy is grilling Tilapia today which sounds really good right about now.
• Loads of house cleaning to do, so I better put a shake on it.

Puke Glossary

((Edited to say: We just made it through a 104.3 temp fiasco with Sam only to find Jack laid out on the couch with a temp of 101.1. We've been sick on all the holidays now. It's official. MLK was the last hold-out. A hold-out no longer.))

As I sit by the scorching flames crackling in my fireplace wondering why it's so ridiculously cold, Sam is now on the love seat (which has a hide-away bed) watching Tivo'd AFV episodes and eating Town House crackers. The fever is down to 101.9, so we've made a little headway. While we have this moment of reflection, I thought I'd classify, for those not yet familiar with the intricacies of vomit & children, the different types of explosive scenarios one might encounter.

The Fluke Puke - This applies to various types of casting your lunch about, but one would be correct to assume that The Fluke Puke happens once, causes quite the viral scare, but never materializes into a full-scale purging event. One might even assume their child was just messing with them, in which case it really isn't a fluke at all, but a Vindictive or Conspiracy Vomit. I think the name sufficiently describes all you need to know about that one.

The Volley Vomitance - Do not confuse this occurrence with a game played on the beach with a bouncing white ball. This, rather, occurs when 2 children simultaneously empty their guts causing parent in possession of the catching receptacle to bounce back and forth in an attempt to catch what is being volleyed. Also known as the Ping Pong Puke.

The Coattail Effect - Just when you think you've dodged the spreading or passing of viral agent from one child to another, The Coattail Effect kicks in. As unpleasant as this may seem, this effect is to be preferred over it's much darker cousin, The Group Action Phenomenon.

The Group Action Phenomenon - Having been previously scarred for life by such an event, I can say that, without exception, all it takes is one incident of this nature to forever make a person A.)break out in hives, B.)break out in a cold sweat followed by hives, or C.)curl up in the fetal position while chanting, "I'm in a safe place. I'm in a safe place." at the mere mention of vomit. Not to be confused with the Conspiracy Vomit. The Group Action Phenomenon is purely an act of destiny. Fate if you will. The stars must align. No man, or child, can control such forces at work.

The Repercussion Upchuck - The outcome of The Repercussion Upchuck is the same as all of the others, but it's onset is usually spurred by a comment such as, "I can't believe the kids haven't been sick this month." Or even, "I can't believe I still have all of my sick days!" For these types of statements, there are serious repercussions.


The Priss Puke - More than an event, this term describes a style of output. The Priss Puke is characterized by a calm walk to the restroom, a unhurried gathering of the hair in a rubber band, a precise stance being assumed before the kerfuffle occurs, and a graceful finish complete with a brushing of the teeth. Sophy has mastered the art of The Priss Puke. Not to be confused with The Intense Terroristic Nauseant.

The Intense Terroristic Nauseant - This event is punctuated by a high volume of moaning and cursing. And a disorderly and boisterous journey to the restroom. A completely unpredictable and confusing bout of hacking, spitting, and hocking, ending in a vortex of writhing and incoherent muttering. PDaddy and Sam are included in this group.

The Puke Whisperer - A Puke Whisperer is a phantom. A mystery. A riddle. The Puke Whisperer is The Flying Dutchman of pukers. My Jackson, God bless his little heart, is a Puke Whisperer. Also known as The Spook Puke.

The Cookie Toss - Sadly, this is just as the term suggests. Literally the casting up of one's, literal, cookies. I told you it was sad.

The Trojan Horse Puke - This circumstance arrives cloaked as something else. Anything else. It is cruel and unpredictable.

May this glossary serve you well. It helps to know what you're up against. I never said it was pretty.

If Man Plans and God Laughs, Then

My life must be a constant source of amusement for The Big Guy.
We had planned to head south to visit with PDaddy's sis and family today after school, since this was a long weekend for all of us. In keeping with the viral traditions of our family, Sam commenced to vomiting at 3:30 this morning and hasn't stopped. We went to the doc fearing strep, but the test was negative. Doc feared the flu, gasp!, but that test was negative too. What we do have is a 103.4 degree temp, chest congestion that came out of nowhere, vomiting, and a headache with extreme body shaking chills. The red monster, I'm sorry to say, is a sick little guy.
Not only were our travel plans dashed, but today was our final day of semester exams as well as our St. Jude basketball game (students v. faculty.) Not a good day, by any standards, to have a sub standing in your stead. I only hope that things didn't go amuck. Riiight.
After we left the pediatrician's office, we headed to Super Target. I was starving and tried to tempt Sam into eating anything...something, but he wouldn't do it. I whizzed through ChickfilA and ordered a Number One to which the girl on the speaker asked, "Would you like to Super Size that to get a free brownie?" To which I replied, "I'll do anything for a brownie." To which she replied, "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHA." Seriously, when she stopped guffawing over the intercom like a lunatic, she told me to pull around where I found her still laughing...and missing some teeth. Well, glad I could add some cheer to her toothless world. At Target, we picked up some Motrin, a few sick-tummy friendly snacks (popsicles, crackers, Gatorade,) and a toy to make the Samster feel better. I also found these neato cold packs that are for bumps, bruises and fevers that have character covers on them that you slip the gel cold pack into. They're very soft, silky, and cute, so I got each kid one. Sam picked out some army men with army supplies to go with the tank Aunt Jewel got him for Christmas. He is now ready to wage WWIII when he is finished convalescing. I also found Soph some new gymnastics clothes. Target had just put out some cute cotton twirly skirts (that were double-lined and looked really comfy) and cute tees to go with them, so I picked up a couple of those as well. Add to that some Premysn, hallowed moment of silence, and we headed back out into the 26 degree freezer to get back to the car. Sam was begging (and shivering excessively) to go home, so here we are. He's managed to puke 3 times since we got home, and after the last bath, he is resting in his bed watching The Incredibles, and I'm keeping the fire in the fireplace company. Siigghh. I wonder who'll have it next.......

Thursday had it's moments.

Let's see. The day started off with me leaving Jack in the nurse's office at school with his head hurting (first migraine he has had in a long time) in hopes that his medicine would kick in allowing him to go to class. The nurse called me around 9 that Jack still looked and felt horrible, so I called PDaddy to see if he could come get him...but alas, no he could not. My mom recently had foot surgery, so Pop went to pick him up. I then took Sophy to the doc for a strep test (which came back negative) and returned in time to give 2 of the 3 semester tests I was required to give today. PDaddy ended up getting Jack mid-afternoon from my folks, and I passed Sophy off to him as I rolled back in to the school. I had been back in the classroom about 10 minutes when Sam's teacher called to tell me that Sam wasn't feeling well and was complaining of a sore throat. I talked with him on the phone and asked him to please try to make until 3 o'clock. Good boy that he is, he made it work. I checked his temp when we got home, and it was 100. UG!! Looks like we'll run to the doc in the morning with him, so we don't go in to the weekend with something brewing. There is sooo much mess going around the schools right now, that there is no telling what he has caught. Now Jack is complaining of pain behind his ear, of course. WHEESH!
Well, we've got a fire in the fireplace and pizza hut on speed dial. Thursday has been a week long all by itself.

I have a secret....

but I can't tell you!
Hehehee.
One day.
One day I will tell you.
Until then,
you must wonder.

Chicken, Braces, and American Idol

I've got a big chicken in the oven, and dang if ain't smelling good right now. Trouble is, I'm not exactly sure what spices I threw on it before I put it in the oven. Oh well.
DaddyP and Jack are swimming at the LC right now, so I have a while before I need to finish supper. Speakng of swimming, Jack is up to 50+ laps. 36 laps is a half mile, so he is well on his way to swimming one mile! Can you believe that? PDaddy said he could easily go over 50 laps because everytime they swim, PDaddy has to hold him back from doing more laps. He stopped at 52 last time and begged to go more, but they had already been swimming for quite some time and the elderly class was waiting for the pool lanes to free up. He absolutely is loving it. I'm not loving the 10 year old appetite compounded by the jump start swimming seems to be giving his hunger pains. UG! He is eating us out of house and home...as if he wasn't already. In other Jack related news, we'll be visiting the orthodontist for the first of,what I'm sure is, many future appointments next week. I met a lady the other day who has a girl who was a friend of Jack's when they were younger,and she was telling me that her daughter who is also fixing to be 11 will be getting her braces on soon. Seems like just yesterday they were playing together, and now they're getting braces. Braces are huge, people. That's like up there with the driver's license. Ok, maybe not all that, but hello. Uh, yeah. Serious, serious mama crisis. The fact that I have a child old enough for braces just doesn't even seem right.
The kids finished their homework in my classroom before we left school, so we are all set to do supper, bath, and watch the newest batch of strange people on American Idol. Anyone watching this season? Whaddya think of the new judge?
I'm off to check on the big chicken.

Comments and Conversations

Things said and heard around these parts this week:

How many times do I have to tell you to stop letting the dog lick your teeth?

Dad's head is not a launching pad for your rocket.

When Jesus went to Heaven, I bet he looked around and said, "Nope. No Hell here."

I wish I could wear one of them things what holds your boobs together....and the shoes with sticks on the heels too.

Oh, I can't wait to tell Mrs. D*** that my poo looked just like rocks this morning. She LOVES rocks.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a really good man, so they gave him a holiday. I don't know why nobody ever gave me a holiday.

Mom, the dog just accidentally swallowed a marble.

Anniversary #12 in Photos

This handsome fellow was my date for anniversary #12 (oh, and well...all the years in between.) Duh!

We went to our usual place, Roseville B&B. We started off with a green salad with a zippy vinagrette, strawberries, blackberries and tomatoes and a glass of rasberry lemonade.

Dinner was pecan crusted tilapia, corn casserole, crawfish etoufee on a bed of rice & asparagus, a tomatoe pie, and a lovely yeast roll.

Dessert was a pecan and cookie crust, cream cheese layer, chocolate custard layer, and whipped topping concoction with a cup of creamy coffee.

12 years of wedded bliss! (or something close to bliss...ha!)

Grandpa & The Wii Off

This looks like one of two things. 1.) Grandpa Arkansas was being restrained against his will, or 2.) Grandpa Arkansas was being restrained against his will.
If you guessed 1, or 2 for that matter, you were wrong. It was just Grandpa's first go at the Wii MarioKart.
Grandpa and Grandma Arkansas were at our house Friday when we got home from school. We didn't get to see them for Christmas due to their trip to Mexico, so they spent a nice, long evening with us. We boiled some shrimp, opened presents and introduced the G'pa and G'ma Arkansas to a Party of 5 Wii Off! Why didn't I video it? Why?

Chocolate Goodness

I have one more random SHAMELESS PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT to share with you, and I'm afraid this one, like the stew kit, is also for a food product. I don't care who you are, you've got mental issues if you do not take my advice on this one, my dear readers. I found this little bit of goodness by accident one day at Target. I think the sequence of events went something like Sophy begging for a pack of gum followed by Jack, Sam and Sophy begging for any form of candy that might elevate their energy level to astronimical proportions. I'm pretty sure I told them no as I put the aforementioned bit of yummy, delicious goodness on the conveyor belt for myself. Shortly after that, my life was changed. Changed, I tell you (no, not by my conscience,) but by the yummy, delicious, super goodness of the Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit. You should scroll and read the description of this yummy, delicious, super, wonderful bit o' goodness. A Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit is waiting for you at Target.
Hurry.
Go.
It's calling.

Where are you Christmas Break?

We headed back to school on the 5th...much to the dismay of my lagging brain. For some strange reason, my body and spirit were into the return to school. My brain; however, was on some sort of strange bender that prohibited normal function. The first part of the week was spent doing the typical double-time that comes with a return to school that coincides with the end of a six weeks AND semester. Even though I left my room ready for my return (yes, I'm Miss Super Anal), it seemed that hitting the hallways running didn't bring me close to being caught up. I swear, everyone who spoke to me on Monday was rewarded with a glassy-eyed expression that had DUH written all over it. Oy.
On Tuesday night, the kids returned to gym class, and Jack ended up swimming 4 nights this week instead of three. Things were going pretty good, all things considered. I managed to cook a hot supper every night, which is no small miracle in itself. (SHAMELESS PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT: If you come across one of these in your grocer's meat department, by all means, buy it. It takes all of 3 minutes worth of prep and 8 hours in a slow-cooker. Fresh veggies, fresh meat, a spice kit that is not overwhelming. Wow. Probably THE best stew I've ever eaten...and I'm not a stewie girl. Make some cornbread muffins and a salad, and you're set!)
Where was I? Oh yes, things were going fine until Thursday. I woke up with a migraine to end all migraines. I usually have about one migraine a month (wonder when that is,) but I never have a migraine that starts in the morning. I attempted to get dressed and go to school, but I called the school halfway there and told them that I was coming in but would only be there long enough to leave the sub a note. I was home and in the bed by 8:30 and stayed there until 7 that night. Luckily, Thursday night is pizza night, and PDaddy didn't have anything scheduled. He's the best nurse a girl could wish for, so I was glad his schedule was free.
Oops, PDaddy has bought Hancock on DirectTV, so I'm off to watch. We heard it was horrible, but as you know there is "I can't believe I paid $ to see this in a theater" horrible, and then there is "That was horrible, but at least we didn't have to see it in a theater" horrible.

PLEASE NOTE: The previously scheduled Topic Tuesday will air this Tuesday. Maybe I should rename that segment of my blog, "Topic Tuesday or Some Other Day That is Convenient To Me."

Tea Party

We attended a tea party birthday today at Roseville. This is the place where all of the cousin girls have our tea party every spring. It was nice, but with our temps hitting in the 80's today, the old house was a wee bit stuffy! The girls were all sugar & spice.
You may recall that tonight is the night that PDaddy and I were to go to Natchitoches for 2 nights, but we rescheduled our B&B dates to Valentine's weekend due to my mom's foot surgery & Sophy's tea party today that we didn't really plan on but didn't want to miss. So, we'll be looking forward to that come February. PDaddy is shooting a wedding tonight, so we're just playing We Skii. I'm telling you, we are getting our Santa's $ worth out of this Wii he got us for Christmas. We've been enjoying our 2 week break by having a "Wii Off" (Get it? We off. As in...we're off...get it? HAHHA. ok.) every night after supper and baths. Anyway, we broke their hearts today by telling them that there would be no wii on school nights. I wish I had been recording their faces when I told them. Horror!
Speaking of the S-word, we'll spend tomorrow after church getting backpacks ready, lunch boxes lined up, laundry laundrified, etc. Sigh. I'm ready for summer.
Oh, and speaking of tea parties + the S-word, a girl I taught 11 years ago (ELEVEN) was at the birthday tea today. O. M. G. How old am I? That is the burning question.

Temporary Adjustments

Hey folks! I'm making some temporary adjustments to my blog, so it may be up and down for the next few days. I am not sure if this blog will stay public or go private permanently, so just bear with me. Bear? That reminds me of Bear Grylles........

The Year in Pictures

I've always loved the year in review photos, so I thought I'd try my own!

January:

2008 started off with an illegal bang. PDaddy lit up the night sky with an arsenal of illegal fireworks.

February:

Sophy and DaddyP danced the night away at the Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance. It's true what they say, It's All About the Dress. She's already planning her attire for this year.
March Part I:
It's beginning to look a lot like...wait, it's not Christmas.....
March Part II:
Spring did eventually arrive in the Piney Woods, and we headed outdoors for some basic training....reminds me of the scene from Dirty Dancing.
April:
Honey moved to 201 Pinkie Drive and began to implement her plan for world domination. So far so good.
May Part I:
We traveled with family to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend of water on Mother's Day weekend. Who knew a water park could be so huge and indoors at the same time?
May Part II:
One member of the Pinkie clan graduated from kindergarten, and this means we are officially finished with grade K at this house!
June Part I:
We took our annual Cousin's Camping Trip. We played on tire swings, ate s'mores, flew kites, rode bikes, fished, swam, chased fireflies, had a picnic, floated in prehistoric Blue Hole and rode horses! Crazy good fun!
June Part II:
This guy turned TEN years old! EEK! This same weekend, PDaddy destroyed his collar bone and was awarded a metal plate and 8 screws to keep with him for the rest of forever!
June Part III:
We also went to Hot Springs to visit Grandma and Grandpa Arkansas just days after the Collarbone Incident and Sophy's tonsillectomy the day after PDaddy's catastrophe. The kids tubed for the first time!

July:

The Florida Family Trip! Ahhhh......warm sand! We had a great time with Grandparents, Aunt/Unlce, and Cousins! Oo-la-lah...check out those gorgeous legs. PAH! Good thing the photo excludes the butt and hip area.

August Part I:

Back to Florida, but first a stop at the Eudora Weltey House in Jackson, Mississippi. After this trip, we made a memorable, weekend-before-school-starts-jaunt to near-Austin to visit my bro's family and spent the night in their ER with Sam's exploding bowels. Like I said, memorable!

September:

Was this Gustav or Ike? Can't remember. Whichever it was, we got out of school for 3 days! Hoorah!

October:

After a very impatient year of waiting, this guy turned 8!

November:

Then 3 weeks later, this gal turned 7! (Jack and Daddy P went to DC & Philly with Pop and had a wonderful visit with DaddyP's Cousin N., but I can't figure out how to insert a pic out of order...and so I shall not.)

December:

This month we discovered Tut and ice skating all in the same place.

2009

May your year be bright, happy, healthy and prosperous!