Guess what I'm doing tonight?

Well, while some of you are undoubtedly out to dinner, curled up on the couch, playing checkers, with your loved ones I am doing this...
Please if you see my instructor, I think he lives in Texas, let him know I'm being a good student. I'm working hard tonight. I've even found a few good sources for my paper. Hallelujah! I truly mean that too. I tend to stress over school work. I think my maniacal side developed long ago because it seems like ever since I can remember the mere mention of a "paper" sends me into diabolical shock. I simply can not cope with the impending shadow of doom that looms over me until I have turned it in.

It's funny I don't even stress so much about the grading process. It takes me forever to "let go" of the paper but once it's gone I resign myself to the simple fact that what's done is done. I have two weeks to churn this paper out. I say churn because it makes me think of smooth and that is how I want my paper to be. Smooth and flowing. I am grateful that the paper is due BEFORE Thanksgiving so I can enjoy my family dinner. Procrastination is my middle name after all.

It's late here and I've much to do. So, a blog break...


and a snack...
Mmph, I umph cravfed this umph -chomp- Havarti cheese all day at work. Good stuff people. Way good. The crackers aren't too bad either. Fiberous. Flavorful. It does a body good.

Have a wonderful evening.

It's (sniff) Over...

Boot camp ended today. I'm a bit sad. I got butterflies approximately 30 minutes each time it was time to pack up at work and head to the field. I whined when I was tired and sweat was dripping in my eyes. I muttered, "You have GOT to be kidding me." When the exercise was not doable. But I had fun. I mean I worked hard. But I had fun. Every single time.

I shaved almost two minutes off my run time. I was able to do TWELVE girlie push-ups today. That was twelve more than I could do when I started. I'm down a total of four pounds. It might have been more if those darned sinful Girl Scout cookies had not come in mid-training. Oh and if I had any will power.

I am proud of myself nonetheless. So since this is my blog I'm tooting my own horn. A)Because I want to remember that I CAN achieve if I try and B)Because I'm unofficially NaBloPoMo'ing. Yes I said unofficially. Mostly because I'd be insane to actually put that on paper. I just can't promise anyone but myself. I needed a post in a hurry so this was it.

I will have a follow up post on this when I get my post assessment test done. To me that will be the true test of what this camp has done for my 20 year old body. What? You say I'm not 20? Um they say 60 is the new 40 so that makes me 20. Do the math. :)

GET OUT!!!!!

Okay, so the week has been busy and it's only Wednesday. Sad right? But Monday. I think it was Monday. Yes it was MONDAY. I received this!!!!
Let me tell you I am in shock and awe! I got this way cool blog award from Jennifer. My very first one. I'm going to virtually frame it. Somehow. So, Jennifer, she has a nice wholesome blog and there are some similarities that make me think we'd be good coffee buddies. She hooked me with her honesty when talking about her age (close to mine but younger), and being a little cranky with the kids one day. I know it happens to all of us sometimes but hey, she wrote about it and it made her real to me. I think she's awesome.

That someone reads my every day ramblings and thinks I'm special is just. Well, shocking. So I think I'm supposed to do something. I mean after all I have manners. (and instructions)

1. Five things I love, my God (He's big enough for both of us if you want me to share Him), my family, friends, lazy afternoons when the snow is falling and I have time pick up a good book and hunker down in a comfy chair, and places with babbling water and trees all around--especially in the fall.

2. Blogs I love (no particular order)...
Mud and Coffee I only recently found this one but her perspective on things is just well, pretty awesome.
Snobound Hopefully I won't freak her out. I've never commented on her site but I've poked around and she's pretty spunky and she provokes thought. I also saw at least two recipes that I really really want to try.
McMama I found this one through another site (mentioned next) and of late she has chronicled her miracle baby. I have to say I was on pins and needles and praying daily for her little guy. It's amazing to me the impact bloggers can make on folks.
Bring the Rain I'm talking real God given strength here folks. Nothing else I can say. She amazes me.
Roy and Brenna I found this one while googling someone. Yea, I do that. Sorry to share. Anyway, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma while pregnant with her baby. Talk about scary. She is free now and her baby is just sooo adorable.
Technology and MSG I used to work with this guy. He was the person I consulted when I first thought of blogging. He's my subject matter expert and runs on the cautious side so I trust him in telling me what NOT to do. Thanks buddy.
Noticing Life this is my sister's blog. She's been blogging since before I even knew what blogging was and apparently had stopped until she found out "I" as blogging now. I gotta keep up with her blog to keep up with her. Busy busy busy that one.

I tell a lot of my friends about PDub. I think a lot of people have been linked because of her blog. She's funny, real, a great cook, and well an interesting read. If you haven't checked her out yet do it. I'm pretty sure she won't ever know I referenced her because she has a gazillion readers but still I read her so I gotta tell ya. Rules folks. I follow the rules.

Oh and if I left you feeling left out I didn't mean to. I read a ton but I'm not sure you would want me to post every one I have in my reader. It could get a little time consuming and I've got kids to bed down sometime tonight and myself too. Thanks again Jennifer!

PS Can you tell that I'd be the type pushed off the stage if given an Oscar? Wow. I'm so good at rambling.

Home again home again jiggity jig...

or so I had hoped. Today was one of those days that if I had to do over again I'd try to plan better. To me that's comical too because I planned it as best as I could. It was supposed to go like this.

1. Get to work at 6am.
2. Go to boot camp at 330pm
3. Stop at Chik Fil A around 530pm because I know I will be starving and I just crave their chicken strips and oh I can have just 3 for dinner and not have fries. I can be strong.
4. Go vote 6ish
5. Go home and spell my hubby so he can get ready for work--hopefully by 7pm

This is how the day really went...

1. Got to work at 615--not bad actually
2. Started logging off my computer to go get dressed for boot camp. Phone rings. It's my favorite first born son. He wants to know where is the best place to go vote. ??? Ok. Stop. This IS his first time voting. I have to stay calm and realize that. Of course its 315 and if I'm not "on deck" at 330pm other people suffer. Because boot camp is tough like that. I don't like to be responsible for other people's pain.

3. Calmy asked a co-worker how to find that out and when we weren't able to help him I told him to call Grandpa because he has his finger on everything and HE will KNOW. That's his job.
4. Went to boot camp--327pm--don't ask me how. I think it was the mom powers (almost too sore to type mind you)
5. Skipped Chik Fil A because actually I'm feeling pumped and I'm sure I can zip in and out of the polls and be home to have the delicious chicken barbecue I've been simmering in the crock all day
6. Voted--527pm
7. Got accosted by a tiny girl scout--that just happened to be in my daughter's troop and hit up for girl scout cookies.

(this is where things go strangely off course)

You see my girl's troop was supposed to be at a different location. I didn't sign up to help with this one because my schedule was screwy as it was and I was assured I'd be waiting hours in line to vote if I went at the time I did. I was in and out in five minutes and I seriously am not kidding you.

So, I chuckle and call the girl by name and say, "Hey, I know you. I'm (my girl's) mom!" She starts looking at me like, "Really? Hmmm." Oh now see this was another part I left out. I totally could understand how she didn't understand. Like I said it was boot camp day. I looked, well, I looked like I was praying hard to God that I would not see a soul I knew. I didn't smell so good either.

I walked over and although sales had been great those poor tired girls and the troop leader had been there, in the chilly damp air since noon. I felt terrible. That is when my "Just can't say no" guilt-ridden conscious kicked and my mouth opened up and said I'd stick around if they needed help.

I'm all for helping but I felt just a bit guilty about calling home to "ask permission". I was sure I'd get the slightly miffed side of my husband. I waited for about an hour before calling. Thinking surely I can "pretend" it took me all this time to vote but I'm not a good liar or story maker upper. So I called. He wasn't happy but I helped and I feel better about it. I have to say though I don't recommend a smelly--just left the gym--too sweaty for her shirt mom as a cookie sales person. I kept testing the air to make sure I stayed downwind.

830 Home in time to get a shower, thank you hunny bunch for letting me do that before settling down with the kids.

The most important thing I did today was this....

I hope you had the opportunity to do that as well. We live in America and we have choices. Regardless of who wins tonight (I'm praying it's the one God would have picked) we still have this privilege and for that I'm thankful.

New Song Tonight

As I scraped the leftover roast from the pan tonight my kids were singing to me. A song they were quite giddy about. It went like this.

"I loooooove you Mom, I loooove you."
"I looove you tooo, Mom."

What did I do to deserve this song? I'm not quite sure. It wasn't because I volunteered in my daughter's class today because there has been some confusion so far I've only been able to help out once. I didn't really get to help because there ended up being a clueless substitute who didn't know what if anything I was supposed to be doing there.

It wasn't because my diet has been going splendidly and I'm turning into super buff mom. In fact I polished off an entire sleeve of Little Brownie Baker Thin Mint cookies this afternoon out of shear boredom. In fact if truth be told I should adjust my "loss" total in the sidebar because, well, I've gained back the only three pounds I had lost.

I spent my day having lab work done, picking up a few things from the grocery store, a bank run to square away checks so I could turn in cookie money for my Brownie. The future pilot tried to talk me into going to his favorite pizza joint but I just wasn't up for that today and by the time we contemplated on a different restaurant he had decided he would just rather go home.

I did put about eight of my daughter's favorite CD's on her iPod as well as a couple of TV shows she enjoys. That made her happy.

I carted them around while we dropped off a table for Girl Scout cookie sales tomorrow, drove another 20 minutes to deliver some cookies, back to the G.S. leader's home to pick up additional cookies ordered, over to my little brother's home to deliver cookies, and a drive-thru to get the kids a bite to eat then over the my husband's mom's to deliver a few more cookies. They were giddy when we left. Screaming shrilly actually. But happy.

Then we got home and well the singing began. This post is actually one of the hardest I've ever written and not emotionally but physically. I'm okay with it though. Because the future pilot is laying in my lap with his thumb in his mouth with Pooh Bear and Bwankie in his grasp. My favorite little girl in the world is tapping me with her toes. Touches of love I tell you--and it isn't even annoying me.

Why? Why is this pure delight for me? Well, because lately they are just seeming so grown up to me that I'm having a hard time letting them. The future pilot has announced several times in the past few days he is not my baby anymore. He is a big boy. Oh my but that is hard when I know he is my last. Yet I know it's true. I see it more everyday. I asked him today what I was going to do when he went off to Preschool next year and I was all alone on my one day off. He told me, "You can come with me!" He was totally serious. I won't be surprised if I spend my whole day up there. Look out school. Here I come!

Midnights- 6 Weeks to go...

My husband started midnights last night. He'll get two days off a week for the next six weeks. He picked Thursday and Friday. A, it makes child care cheaper, and B it means he will be home and possibly coherent for Thanksgiving. For me it means I will have to find places to shuttle the kids on the weekend so he can sleep sans rambunctious voices.

Today was round one of getting the future pilot out of the house. I had an agenda that could not be changed. I had nursery duty at church. I don't like to trick my kids but my pilot is the home body sort and given the choice he'll stay home with Daddy on Sundays. It's a major event to get him to church. I don't believe in beating my kids into Jesus' or He into them. Sometimes though I gotta be there and he has to come.

I got him showered. Major feat--he fears cleanliness. I got him in the car to "go for a ride". I know. I wasn't exactly truthful. Hey, I didn't lie. We DID "ride". Thankfully we had a time change so we were ready way ahead of time. So we headed down the road.
I asked him where we should go on our ride. Would you believe he wanted to go here?
No really. I didn't coerce him. HE wanted coffee. Me? I had the Vivanno. With Matcha. Hey, I needed to prepare for the possibility of baby duty!

So off we went. To Starbucks. People. It was decaf. It was kid temp. It was tall--which means small. If you've ever had a White Mocha with whip you know that it's more sweet that pow. I also poured most of it in his sippy cup for AFTER church. I'm not an unkind parent. I do know that teachers don't need children who are hopped up on sugar.

After we left Starbucks we had time left still. So we went to his favorite place in the world. The airport. God blessed us with not one but TWO take offs!

All from the comfort of our car while the future pilot sipped on his delectably warm beverage.
I used this time to explain to him that Mommy had to be in nursery and asked him for suggestions on what to do with him. We discussed it and he decided he should go talk to his fellow class mates about airplanes. Thank you God that this went well. We got to church and he announced he was hungry. We were there in time to go to the fellowship hall where he was able to pick out a small donut and some grapes. He sat in the nursery with me while he ate them acting very grown up. My main concern was bathroom breaks. I haven't mentioned it yet--I should have since it's so astounding to me, but the future pilot is potty trained now! He made the decision on his own and he's been great. Fabulous. I wasn't sure how he'd do in the company of strangers but he was dry when I picked him up I was ecstatic. Oh and he had a great time there. Me? We didn't have any babies. They've all graduated to the toddler class so I got to go hear the sermon. I needed that.

We had lunch at the airport. Not really the airport mind you. The restaurant near it. His favorite pizza joint. There were no cheese container licking incidents this time. He did belch really loud about four times though. THAT I do NOT know how to stop. He gets it from his father I'm sure.

Two potty breaks and some pizza crust later we were out the door. Just in time to see two more take offs!
It was a beautiful ride home. A good mommy/son day. One that I will be relishing for days. Oh and the scenery. God ROCKS!

The Day After Boo

As a kid I looked forward to Halloween and it's promise of endless candy. It also seemed as if we were allowed to stay up just a wee later so we could hit all of the houses of folks we knew. I remember beaming when they complimented us on our costumes--even the years when they were less than creative.

When I had my oldest I made the decision not to celebrate "Halloween" but the Harvest. I had my reasons. One of them being the knowledge of some "sacrificed cats" in my friend's neighborhood the year before. It was then that I realized that this day is, to some, a bit more evil. It took me a long time to get over that. I don't know why. Unfortunately it's a fact of life. There are two sides to everything--sometimes more but really just two.

Over the years I have relaxed a bit about this. After I got married and my daughter was born my husband was more excited about dressing her up than anyone I knew. He wanted to take her around and show her off. For the first few years we did Harvest parties. We don't live in a neighborhood so to speak. There are wide spaces between us. Enough that we don't really know them. Well, unless you count my mama and papa. They live right behind us. Blessings I tell ya. Blessings!

Last year we started taking the kids to my husband's mom's neighborhood. He had grown up there and still knows most everyone that lives there so it was a place we could be comfortable with. Our kids only hit about ten houses total and that was plenty for them. We had a blast.

Our first stop was my parents' house.

Ringing the bell...
Playing with Grandpa...
Notice my mom's candy basket. You have to understand the care she takes in everything she does. My kids were her ONLY trick-or-treater's and yet the basket was still adorned with a nice linen towel. Just for show.

Well shiver me timbers it's a Pirate!!!
Restless children and a headless husband...
Once home again the daughter curled up on the couch to watch the "Munsters" marathon. The pilot's favorite word became "No" so instead of snuggling up with my daughter I was off to bed with the grouchy pilot. Not all bad I tell ya. I was tired! I hope the night was safe for all of you.