Kindergarten is for the Birds

First off, thank you everyone who left comments yesterday and are keeping me in your prayers. I feel better today, not quite so lost, or alone, so the prayers are working.

Aannnndddd, now that I know not only my friends from high school are reading, but their mothers as well, no more drug crazed orgy stories for you! (Don't bother searching Google users, it was just a joke.)

Seriously though, I really appreciate the thoughts and prayers and I am so very glad that our little chorus group has reconnected!

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eight
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen

These are the words that Peyton's KINDERGARTEN reading teacher sent home last night for a SPELLING test on Monday. I really don't even know how to begin teaching my son how to spell these words. I mean, really, twelve? How many five year olds know that tw make the twah sound?

I'm planning on making him sit some each day to write a couple of the words, but again, five years old, we all know the attention spans of this age. I know they are not graded, but I just hope he doesn't feel bad for not being able to spell them all.

I hate to see what first grade will be like.

East to the West

I could listen to Casting Crowns "East to the West" on repeat all day long. They will be here in February and I really wanted to go to the concert, but Mom had a wedding they were commited to and my friends here that I know listen to Christian rock are planning a wedding and can't afford the extra expense. Anyhoo, maybe Way FM will give tickets away and I can win some.

Pretty much all of Casting Crowns' songs strike a nerve within me and "East to the West" is no exception. It's so incredibly hard to live in an area where none of our close friends are church goers and having a husband that is Jewish. Larry's gone with me to church, but he's just not comfortable there. I never appreciated how difficult it was for mom to take me alone week after week until I had the kids and got myself together enough to find a church home.

Tamara and I were talking the other day about those videos they would show us in high school about drug addicts and the like hitting rock bottom and finding Christ. I remember at the time, and even sometimes now, envying them in their struggles because they had something in their life that was so difficult that they had to rely on their faith and the changes in their life were so drastic.

I know this is silly and immature and I don't wish heartache on myself or my family. My personal demon is waiting for a huge sign when I should be listening for the whisper. To know that even though I don't feel the change, that it is being made within my life and my children are benefiting more than I could ever know.

About a Boy (or Two)

Because so many of you are nosey and want to know the sordid details of our fellow seniors that I kissed, here are the stories. Please remember, I was 17 at the time. With all that said, they aren't as interesting as I made them out to be.

I'm pretty sure it was winter time our senior year when the first non-boyfriend kiss occurred. My parents were somewhere for the weekend and I think Robert and I were either on the outs or in a fight. I know I wasn't happy with him and I was feeling bold, wanting to do something bad. ooooooooo ha ha It's funny because when I think back on the incident, I can conjure up the feelings of that night, my restlessness.

I remember that I wanted to loosen my inhibitions, so I raided dad's liquor cabinet, which wasn't that much really, and made a vodka and orange juice. Robert and John M had become friends, so the three of us had been hanging out a lot. Since Robert and I were fighting or whatever, John agreed to come over. He shows up, we're hanging out, I may have had another drink, I don't recall. The next thing I know John was sitting on the couch and I straddled him and then we were kissing. Right after that Tamara and her date showed up and I freaked out. I remember pacing up and down the kitchen and John left. ha ha ha I never did tell Robert about that and I don't think John and I ever talked about it.

The next kiss happened in the spring, I think. Ashley C, Heidi, Tamara and I had planned a trip to Gulf Shores, I think. Ashley and Michael D were friends at the time and Ashley had a crush on him, so somehow he was invited along too. The exact sequence of events is a little fuzzy, but I know that Heidi and Tamara were out at the beach with some guys we met and it was night. I was laying on the bed and I remember hearing Ashley and Michael talking in the bathroom/changing area of the hotel room. I think they may have kissed, but I'm not sure as I was trying to block them out. It was obvious though that Ashley liked him and something was happening.

Sometime later, Michael came over to where I was lying down and was rubbing my back and the next thing I know, his tongue was down my throat. Ugh! I was soooo not attracted to him and did not ask for that at all. Ashley got extremely pissed off and left to find Tamara and Heidi. I was mad because I didn't do anything wrong and everyone was mad at me. I remember Michael and me looking for Ashley and Tamara and Heidi because everyone had disappeared. I'm not sure where we all slept that night, and it was a long quiet car ride home.

So there you go. Now girls, it is your turn to share!

Heath Ledger

A small percentage of the population can claim friendships with celebrities; however most everyone who has seen a television show, movie, magazine, interview, etc feels a connection with the bigger than life stars. Many of us recall first movies we saw with loved ones, the song that was playing when the first kiss finally happened or the actor who always draws us to the box office.

I fell in love with Heath Ledger after watching A Knight’s Tale. I quickly became enamoured with the leading man and his quest to rise above the life into which he was born. I imagined myself as Lady Jocelyn who experienced the thrill of having a man chase her so unabashedly. My eyes shining with tears as the Prince of Wales bestows the title of Knight to William Thatcher.

Heath Ledger was quickly added to my “list” (you know the one) and I sought out movies with my new favorite actor.

Despite the controversy surrounding Brokeback Mountain, I made it a point to see the film at the theaters and was not dissapointed. Aside from a few raw scenes at the beginning, Brokeback Mountain is a brilliant movie and Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are phenomenal in portraying the struggles their two characters face. Also the cinementography is beautiful and the musical score haunting.

There were other movies as well The Patriot, Monster’s Ball, Casanova and the most recent movie I TiVoed of his Candy, a gripping story of two addicts in love and the struggle that comes with it.

When Larry pulled up Yahoo News yesterday and I saw the heading Heath Ledger dies at 28, I was shocked and saddened. I thought of his baby girl, Matilda, who will grow up without her daddy, his family who lost a son and a brother, and those who knew him who lost a friend. And while his passing may not affect my normal everyday life, I mourn the death of a talented actor.

Bring on the Weird

Because I was chastised yesterday for taking the easy way out. Here are 5 things about me. (Most of them you already know.)

1. I have chin hairs that I have to pluck almost every day. I am so tired of the chin hairs, seriously! My plan is to get laser removal sometime this year if we can swing it.
2. I snort salt water every morning in the shower in an effort to clear my constantly congested sinuses. It's sorta working.
3. I kissed two of the guys in our senior class even though I was dating someone else from another school at the time. One I instigated, One I did not.
4. I'm teaching myself to knit.
5. I dream vividly almost every night and I remember most of my dreams. Last night I dreamed about two of the characters from Lost, Syiad and Jack. The Others were trying to get us all. They were letting Syiad go because he was on the "List" but they were running after Jack, then I turned into Jack.

Tagged

I was tagged by Rebecca.

The Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
or
Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.
or
Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old.

Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.


5 Places that I would like to visit

1. New Zealand
2. Europe
3. Isreal
4. New York City
5. Australia

Most of my readers/friends have been tagged, so if you would like to do it as well, drop me a note so I can read it.

New Hair

After high school I would change my hair color every few months or so. I get bored easy and that was my way of having a big change without cutting my hair. It seems though in the last couple of years, I have eased up on the coloring and now I cut my hair off just to grow it out just to cut it off again. Which I did again last night. I think it may be about an inch shorter than I would like to keep it and I'm not sure about the bangs, but it's just hair and it will grow. I'm also posting some pics of the bathroom since it's been finished, well, almost, a couple of places need grout and I need to hang something on the walls.



I seriously have a LARGE nose.

Larry's Kidney

For those of you who know us in real life, or have been reading along for over a year, you may remember our huge scare last year with Larry's kidney. (You can read about it here, here, here, here, ok, you know what, it's pretty much throughout Nov and December of last year) Anyway, many links later and long story short, Larry has a mass on his right kidney that was approximately one and a half inches big. It was odd because it's not solid, but not completely liquid either. After seeing three specialist, we finally had a diagnosis of benign mass with retesting scheduled in a year.

On Friday the 4th, Larry went in for his CT with contrast. Larry is a wuss when it comes to anything medical related, so he popped a Xanax when we got there, which promptly put him in drunkville. I looked at the Rx later and the dr. had prescribed him 2mg. Holy Cow, it's a wonder he could walk. So anyway, we make it through the IV and the CT and now we just had to wait.

Last year, the waiting was brutal, we went back and forth with doctors who wanted to remove the kidney, to doing nothing, to freaking out, etc. This year, I was ok. He hasn't had any problems and I just had faith it was all right. Apparently, Larry had been a bit more concerned because when the doctor called him last night with the report, after the conversation, Larry's tone was noticeably lighter.

The Urologist told him that not only had the mass not grown, it had actually shrunk about a half an inch and was clearer for them to see. He followed by saying it is definitely benign and we will recheck again in a year.

For everyone who lived with us through this scare last year, I thank you again for your support and prayers.

Worse than Crack

Thanks to Kristin for pointing out just how addicted I am.

75%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

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Who Know if I will Survive

I hadn't thought to share this story, but here goes. For Tamara.

Peyton is definitely our high maintenance child. Shey, well, he's newly 3 and acts it, but it's a normal 3, not a sly, cunning, whatever I can do to piss you off 3.

Peyton, well, I'm generally not sure what to do with him. He's slick, if you know what I mean. I worry a lot that if we don't get it under control now, he will be out of control later on. Not much works for him, though, in the form of punishment. Any sympathy he has for acting up, hurting one of us and so on, quickly fades.

Yesterday after work, I picked the boys up and we headed to Wal-mart to get a baby present, school supplies and some juice. The boys were acting pretty well behaved and we were moving through the store with little incident. Shey had picked out a Dora coloring page and we were keeping an eye out for something for Peyton as well.

As I got to the very back of the store, Peyton suddenly says, "I have to go to the bathroom." His eyes were big and he kinda grabbed himself. (Which is a WHOLE other story and one I will ask for suggestions on later, the grabbing, the incessint grabbing!) I asked him to hold on, we were almost done and the bathroom is at the front of the store, next to the registers.

He whined a bit about needing to go, but that he could probably hold it. I tried to finish up as fast as I could and we quickly walked to the front.

I couldn't find a register directly in front of the bathrooms (I would have sent him to the women's), so we walked past the clerks and went to stand in front of the restroom. I told him to go on in, I was going to wait with the stuff and Shey right outside the door (still the women's and there is no real door, per se). He got a funny look on his face and said, "I really didn't have to go. I just wanted a drink of water and I knew you wouldn't let me get one."

I was livid.

As calmly as I could, I told him, no, I wouldn't have come to the front for a drink of water, but you could have gotten one on the way out. He argued that some time in the past, he had asked for water and I denied him. The nerve of me, I know!

I further informed him that because he had lied, he would not be getting a drink of water, OR a toy. Well, that got his attention and his eyes welled up.

We marched back to the line as he tried to plead his case. Nope, not hearing it.

I really don't think he would have felt any shame for what he had done had I not mentioned the toy. I think it is his lack of remorse that bothers me the most. He really has become a disrespectful smart mouth, and I am afraid one day, I may just slap the smirk off his face.

Larry and I talk about it quite often, and we try to be more patient with him, not raise our voice and so on, but he can just be infuriating most of the time. Even when he is being sweet, he goes overboard.

I really don't want to use medication for him, if it was maybe necessary, but I wonder if it wouldn't slow his mind down enough that we could actually work with him and enjoy being his parents.

New Ideas for X-mas Lights

Now that the holidays are over, most people are removing their outdoor Christmas lights and storing them away for another year. I say most, because there are always the few stragglers who leave their lights up for most of January and sometimes heading into February. It appears though, with the new LED Christmas lights, these neighbors may be on the right track.

LED lights, which have become quite popular over the past couple of years, are highly durable and relatively cost efficient to run year around. There are several great ways to utilize the lights, and since we have parties pretty often, it would be a great way to decorate the yard and back patio.

The LED lights are also nice for outdoor weddings and birthday parties. I think it's a great way to keep the holiday spirit prominent all year around.

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This post is sponsored.

Mark the Date

A remarkable event occurred last night. For the first time in his five and a half years, Peyton came to me, before his bedtime and asked if he could go ahead and go to bed.

*thud* (jaw hitting floor)

Larry and I said, "sure" in unison and I hurried to get up and brush his teeth before he changed his mind. In two minutes flat, teeth were brushed, toilet was used and his back was rubbed.

Of course, ten minutes, eleven minutes and twelve minutes later, he came to the living room to tell us something, but hey, it's a start!

Shey, on the other hand, woke us up about 12:30 crying and kept crying until Larry brought him into our bed. Then he woke up at least 3 times during the night carrying on, still mostly asleep. One time when I asked him what was wrong, he wailed, "Peeeyyttton."

Ooookay.

Reason number one for not wanting any more children: The ones I have refuse to sleep

If I had a third child to contend with, they would have to lock me up.

Happy Day After my Anniversary to Me

Five years ago yesterday, I made my very first mark on the blogging world. In honor of that stupendous occasion, I decided to bring you my opening post. Peyton was just over 7 months old, and as you will read STILL not sleeping through the night.

Drugs for Babies?

I'm going to invent Tylenol PM for babies. Think about it. No more accidents due to sleep deprivation. No more crying through the night because your kids don't sleep. Just pop them a pill and out they go.


I think that my son thinks his crib is his own personal hell. Why else would he scream bloody murder every time we put him in it? All those well meaning people just tell me, let him cry, eventually he will learn that it is bed time and go to sleep. We have been. For almost three weeks. He still carries on for at least 20 minutes when we put him down.


Other friends tell me, just bring him to bed with you. We've done that too. He sleeps and I doze. He kicks and I roll off the bed. It's my bed, damnit. I love my son but I don't want to go with him to college cause he needs me to go to sleep.


I could live with this if he would sleep the whole night. But no, he must then wake up at 12, 3, 5 screaming as the flames are turned up and he thinks he needs to make us, his poor sleep deprived parents, aware of the situation.


So baby Tylenol PM is the only way. I'll get right on that. In just a few minutes. Actually the floor is looking pretty comfy. I'll just lay down for a bit first.


zzzzz.........

The Celebrity

It seems Zeus has been discovered and has no been immortalized on the net. Four years I've been blogging, and one picture of my drunk dog gets me on the map. ha

We always knew he was a good dog.

And a Happy New Year to You

I must say that I have been blessed in that I have never faced a new year thinking "wow, this past year just sucked" and this year is no exception. Of course, there are always the stresses that plague everyone, but life keeps moving and I try to remember that. I tell myself that a lot, "This too shall pass." And sometimes with the help of meds, it does.

2007 was a big year, Larry and I both turned 30, I got uplifted boobs, Peyton started kindergarten, there were no hurricanes that affected us, we remodeled our bathroom and installed new wooden floors, the list goes on and on. For 2008, we hope to quit adding to our debt, the boys and I are going to make it to church more, and we're turning the office into a weight room. Larry won his fantasy football league for the second year in a row, so that money will come in handy with the last endeavour.

If nothing else, I want to slow down, attempt to enjoy my children more, and just appreciate life. That, of course, will be the biggest task of all.