Tag. I am it

Ok. I have been tagged by Painted Maypole for a meme--my first ever. Thanks Painted Maypole!

Eight things about me.

Here are the rules:

A. Each player lists eight facts/habits about themselves

B. The rules are posted at the beginning of the game before those facts/habits are listed.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Ok so here it goes!

1. I cannot physically start my day without a cup of coffee--more like a jug of coffee. Fresh and made one cup at a time. With a coffee basket, not a coffee maker. None of that thick, acidic concoction that could actually be used to make glue. Then I put it in a thermos/travel container and out the door I go.

2. I should have gotten into more trouble as a kid--for the simple reason that now I don't have any stories to tell my kids or reasons to attempt to convince them to do the right thing...hmmm. I am way too boring.

3. I am going to be a gestational carrier so I can help someone else have a family--well, that is if the clinic ever gets things moving.

4. My favorite animal is the elephant. I think it simultaneously represents strength and gentility .

5. I tend to fall asleep whenver I sit down in front of the TV--especially if it is actually something I want to see the conclusion.

6. On the same subject as TV--I absolutely love a totally predictable crime drama--Law & Order are my faves. I hate CSI Miami though.

7. I am just now graduating college--with my bachelor's, not my masters. Yep ten years late. But, better late than never and I couldn't have done it without my mother. Thanks Mom. I love you.

8. I was an exchange student in Rudolstadt Germany after I graduated high school. I went to stay with the family of the girl that stayed with my family for my senior year in high school. It was truly an amazing year in which I learned a new language, culture, and family. I fell in love with everything over there and deep in my heart I would love to pick my family up and move there. Oh, nostalgia is setting in. I am going to have to go pull out my photo books from my stay and reminisce!

I now tag:

bubandpie
notdoneyet
slouchingmom
joyinchaos

guess you will have to forgive me. All the other blogs I keep up with have been tagged. Not bad for my first try, though. Look forward to the next one!

Dear Ms. Tooth Fairy

So I have mentioned before how organized and methodical my second-born son tends to be. Here are the carefully thought out instructions he left for the toothfairy when he lost one of his front teeth not too long ago. Because it can't just be simple, like throw the tooth under the pillow and the toothfairy scrounge for change and make the switch at 2 a.m. when it hits her like a Mack truck that she forgot. No siree.

Max decided that he needed, yes needed, to take his tooth to school the next day to show his friends that he lost it. "They won't believe me otherwise, mom". Huh?was my reaction..but it just wasn't worth going there. So, he came up with a plan. And, carefully executed it was indeed.

He decided that if he placed the tooth in this bag then it would not become lost in his bed while he slept and he could communicate with the toothfairy--at once. So, here it is. The Note.

And, here is Max...quite toothless. Well for now anyway.

On a lighter note...I promise

Chinese astrology fascinates me. I find it interesting because of it's portrayal of everyday animals as the signs.
According to Chinese astrology my children are, from oldest to youngest, a Tiger, A Dragon, a Horse, and a Rooster. I have a book entitled Children of The Moon that offers insight into each lunar sign. It gives descriptions of the personality that the child will likely display according to the time of birth and the birth order.

My oldest child, a boy of nine, is indeed a Tiger. The personality description describes him as hyperactive and inquisitive; expressive with a natural curiosity. He is by nature a humanitarian and a very giving soul--the child bought $8(of his own money) worth of ice cream treats from the ice cream truck yesterday for his buddies and himself. He is a natural entertainer, impulsive and if left to his own devices tends to drift from one project to another. Unfortunately, my little ferocious beast is also a...p.r.o.c.r.a.s.t.i.n.a.t.o.r. This trait, my friends, he acquired from me.
Tomorrow, my little Dragon (a.k.a. Cheekie Boy), the organized sensible one. Perhaps I will even include a picture of the note he left for the tooth fairy with explicit instructions.

Moment of Silence...

Not a lot to say tonight except that I think we should all take a moment, in light of what has occurred to Jessie Davis, to glance around and be thankful for what we have in this moment. The deep, soul-wrenching pain that her family must feel at the loss of a daughter, and a granddaughter who had yet to even lay eyes on this world, or her mother's face. The tragedy of a little boy who will likely not even remember his mother except from pictures and stories, and the terrible scars now imprinted on his psyche at having witnessed such horrer. A benchmark for the lowest members of society, the outcasts, to strive toward, for there is nothing lower on the todem pole of criminality than he that murders his own flesh and blood and the mother of his children. The enigmatic, criminogenic mind leaves it's mark once again in gross atrocity.

All too often we become preoccupied with concentrating on what we do not have, what we wish we had, what we desire, when in one instant all that we truly love and care about can cease to exist and we may find ourselves clinging to the crumbs of the slice of cake we unabashedly assumed we could 'have and eat too'.

Be thankful. Be kind. Hug your children.

Goodnight.

Caution: Vent session straight ahead.

I am in the store with my children yesterday afternoon. You moms out there know how it is to try and actually shop for something in particular when the little angels are in tow. I was trying to find a certain type of sheet protector for the pages of my son's Kindergarten journal. I make scrapbooks and journals for like...well, everything, so since he just finished K I am now ready to assemble the journal, which consists of different writing assignments, artwork, special things, and pictures throughout his year.
Anyways, I am in the office supply aisle and of course the younger two are starting to pick at each other. They began to fight - and between a 1 year old and a 4 year old (girls), that is pretty much like pulling hair and screeching so loud the people in the outer edge of the parking lot could hear them. Embaressed, yet still determined, I am trying to just find what I need and calm them down ( I asked them to stop fighting please) when a lady walks up to me and says..."you know the older one is teasing the younger one, they are not fighting. There is a difference , you know". WTF?
I was flabbergasted and had no retort to grab from the recesses of my now-blown mind. OMG was I boiling inside. I looked at her and calmly asked her if she had children. To which she simply stomped off muttering something under her breath...I took that to emphatically mean no. Hmmph. Such a strong comment from a non-mother, and then couldn't even stand there to back it up.
We did find what we were there to purchase and I gathered my brood and we left the store, still reeling from this comment from little miss non-mommy who apparently thinks she has the most to offer. Let's just see how it is for her after she actually has children and can call herself a mom...who will be giving advice then?
Just saying...

What a Life...

Meet Serenity.
Life is not better than in this moment. With an oversized hat, being pushed in a swing, on a warm Carolina summer day. Juice box and cookie only moments away...

Ms "J"

The phone rings...as it often does in the evenings in our busy household. But tonight, oh tonight, it is someone so very special on the other end - my daughter's teacher. Now, it may seem odd that her teacher calls her, and under typical circumstances I would tend to agree, but allow me to explain.

My daughter Journey started attending a wonderful daycare/preschool immediately after her second birthday. At first impression, I was a bit leery of the classroom in which Journey was being placed but I knew the reputation of the center and I had considered the move for a long time. However, I was not prepared for Ms "J".
Ms "J", upon first observation, was a loud, abrupt, no-nonsense kind of teacher and quite honestly I was frightened of her myself. My baby. In there with her. On the contrary indeed. This is a perfect example of how utterly wrong first impressions can be.

Over the next few months, I saw a relationship grow between these two people - my daughter and her teacher. Strange as it may sound, but oh so precious. Journey bonded and responded to Ms "J" in remarkable ways. She became a 'teacher helper' for the little boy with autism, she became a leader for the younger children, she cuddled on Ms. "J"'s lap after naptime every afternoon for a coveted story, she learned to "potty"; essentially Journey grew from a small dependent toddler to a thriving, independent three year old as I watched in astounded amazement. As time progressed Journey grew and was close to being of the age to move to the next classroom - a transition all three of us were dreading. The day arrived and Journey took her place in the preschool classroom. Even though her brother was still in the classroom, it was a traumatic separation for her. She still saw her beloved Ms. "J" every morning during outside time, but it just wasn't the same. Until...

As it happened, another teacher had been out on maternity leave and upon her return, she was going to be placed in another classroom - thereby displacing our wonderful Ms. "J" ..where else but right smack into Journey's classroom...a twist of fate for sure. The angels were smiling on us that day I am certain.

And so it remains...Journey is thriving and growing more with each passing week. Ms "J" has taught her so many skills that will prepare her not only for Kindergarten, but the "real world". You see, Ms. "J" has high expectations for the children in her classroom, which I have come to respect. "There is nothing you can't at least try to teach a child" is kind of like her motto. She stresses self-help skills as well as preschool learning - both are equally important according to her. For someone looking into the classroom from the outside, as I did three years ago, he/she would observe a loud, seemingly very abrasive teacher, when nothing is further from the truth.
This summer Journey is taking a small break from school although not by her choice of course and Ms "J" is going on a month-long vacation, so back to the phone call that prompted this post.

This evening Journey crawled up to the table and began creating a masterpiece to take to Ms "J" and who should call? The one and only. You got it. Ms "J". Just to chat with "her baby" to tell her she misses her and that her little friends at school miss her. Like I said, they are connected, like two old souls reunited if only for a short while in this human experience we call life - an unexpected chance to enjoy each other's company once again.

Love truly is timeless.