NOT Sci-Fi

I typically watch The Today Show in the mornings while getting ready for work. While SuperD and I follow the stories, C is usually off in his own little world. But yesterday, a story caught his eye. He heard about a soldier who had a double arm transplant. He watched, riveted, as they showed computer animation of how they completed the surgery by attaching first the bone, then the blood vessels, muscles, tendons, and nerves, and finally the skin. We were all amazed. (And a little creeped out, since it brought images to mind of Frankenstein and his monster.) But C was truly impressed that such a thing is even possible. He couldn't hold in his excitement.

C: This is, like, the best hospital people ever!

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50628032/ns/health-mens_health/t/double-arm-transplant-soldier-getting-second-chance/

En espanol

After her 2 years of Spanish classes, I just heard A speak in Spanish for the first time. Unfortunately for me, she read the same 35 sentences over and over for 15 minutes as she studied for her Benchmark. Her teacher required a parent to listen to and sign off on the assignment. The unit she has been studying is over travel, so if I ever need to go to Costa Rica, we'll make it to the Museo de Oro Precolombio and La Playa Jaco with her brother, father, grandparents, cousins, and friends. Bon voyage! (I took French.)

Awesomeness

C: [while air drumming to the car radio] I was born with this awesomeness. Can you believe it? I bet when I was a baby, my first diaper must've been a parachute.

????????

The awakening

My daughter was giggling this morning. A had been sleeping on the edge of her mattress when her alarm clock sounded. It so startled her that she ended up on the floor! An interesting way to begin the day!

I woke up crying

I woke up crying this morning. The nightmare involved a fictitious student who was being abused by his mom and was afraid to go home. In my dream, I held him tightly and then turned him over to our school counselor. She called DHS to come pick him up. When the mom arrived at the school to pick him up, I had to sit through a meeting with her as we told her that her son was no longer in our care. I was a wreck, but I held it together. When she finally left the meeting, the counselor turned to me, and I broke down, sobbing. That's when I woke up. Tears were falling down my cheek, and I was scared because in my dream, the mom had been angry. We had been afraid she might snap.

It was at this moment that my husband rolled over in his sleep and draped his arm across me and I was comforted. (Then he passed gas in his sleep and made me laugh!)

NOT a birdcage

This is the image on the beautiful scarf I got for Christmas, and although I did get a compliment on it, not a single person said, "Oh, look! It's the TARDIS!"

What's in a name?

I won't ever understand this. Apple. Unique. Stone. Tequila. Shy. I don't think all words work as a name.

C-ism #4

"I think my ear's starting to eavesdrop."

So thoughtful!

A serving of frozen waffles contains 2 waffles. C opened the nearly empty box to discover there were 3 waffles left. He asked SuperD if he could go ahead and eat all 3 so that no one would be left with only one waffle!

Lazy day

SuperD gets the day to himself today. A is gone to a youth group weekend at our church. I am taking C to a workshop to prepare him for our state Odyssey of the Mind competition. While C is in workshop sessions, I will be sitting in a university atrium or coffee shop, reading books all day. (Heaven!) We will be gone all day. So, we're leaving SuperD home to sleep in, play Xbox games, and watch TV. In reality, he'll probably spend most of the day wishing we were all home with him!

Bubbles! Bubbles! Everywhere!

Remember these? I love teaching. But I don't like bubbling for standardized tests. Because of privacy laws, my volunteer helper could only fill in the names. I had to do the rest. Even with help, I still spent an hour prepping students' test booklets for next week. Oh, the things I do for those precious children!

Rock stars

C and I gave the performance of our lives. In our garage. In the car.

We had just pulled onto our street when "Don't Stop Believin'" came on the radio. C took air drums while I took air guitar, and we both performed the vocals at the top of our lungs. When it was over, my 10YO acted as if he was too cool to be in a band with his mom, but I know he had fun.

Doctor Mom strikes again

I think both of my kids have developed Fifth Disease. Last week, as C was recovering from a stomach virus, his cheeks were bright red. I thought it was another symptom of his illness. After all, he did have a fever. Now, I think he had a second virus at the same time because yesterday A's cheeks were red. Today, she developed a rash on her arms and chest. It wasn't until speaking with a friend that I found out that Fifth Disease is circulating. Unfortunately, once the rash appears, the child is no longer contagious and has probably already passed it on to others. Lovely.

Now that I think about it, while I had bronchitis, my cheeks were flushed for two days. That is the reason I kept checking my temperature. Maybe I was the carrier who started it in my family. Lovely.

A Good Head on her Shoulders

My daughter is a freshman in high school. I can remember worrying when she was younger about her teenage years and how she would turn out. Would she hate me? Would we butt heads? Would she need frequent attitude adjustments?

So far, so good. She is turning out to be a pleasant, kind, helpful, considerate girl with a good head on her shoulders. She is learning to make good decisions. She is learning to be responsible. She is becoming more and more independent (appropriately). She doesn't like to get in trouble. She doesn't lie (that we know of). She is respectful. She thinks of others, often before herself. I am quite pleased with who she is becoming.

Today, she complained to me about a substitute teacher that she had at school. While the other kids were saying, "Best. Sub. Ever!", she thought the sub was extremely unprofessional. The sub read for most the class period. She told the class to "shut your mouths". She was young and used phrases such as "like" and "For reals?" It really bothered A to have a sub who cared so little for her job. I'm really proud of her! She has a good head on her shoulders!

Hillbillies

While watching Discovery Channel's Moonshiners, SuperD said to A:
A word of advice - don't marry a man named Jim Tom.

A Perfect Team

I've now been blogging for so long that I can't remember if I've already blogged about certain topics before. But, bare with me if I've already said this.

I LOVE my job! I've had just over a dozen jobs in my lifetime and haven't really hated any of them, but this one, I LOVE! I am back home, in the town where I grew up, teaching 2nd grade at a school which is only 6 years old. Currently, there are 6 second grade classes, which are located together in one wing of the school, called a pod. All of our doors open into a common space with round tables, a computer, and a projector.

Our principal has assembled a magnificent team in the six of us. We range in ages from 3 years out of college to near retirement. We all have different personalities, none of which are too overbearing. We all bring different strengths to the table. We collaborate with one another. We listen to each other. We respect each other. We enjoy each other's company. We laugh together. A lot. We spend time together away from school.

From what I understand, what we have is rare. It's hard to put together a team of women who can cooperate with one another so easily. I cherish it. I pray often that we will continue to have 6 second grade classes so that none of us has to move to another grade level and break up the perfect team.

Weird, huh?

It's official. The codeine in my nighttime cough syrup, which the doctor and pharmacist said may cause drowsiness, actually causes insomnia for me. The good news is that I do feel some relief from my coughing. So, I've taken to napping during the day (since I'm still on Christmas break) and only getting about 4 hours of sleep during the night. Hopefully, this won't last much longer. I think the bronchitis is on its way out because I am coughing less frequently, and my coughs are becoming more productive. I now seem to be entering the asthmatic stage which always occurs just before I get well. In the meantime, I'm exhausted!

Stinky boys

I got a whiff of my future today. My son frequently closes himself off in his room to play on his game machine, play LEGOs, read, or watch SpongeBob. He's a normal 10YO boy. And he keeps his ceiling fan on day and night.

But today, he had a friend over. They went outside to play ninjas for a little while and then came back inside to play Xbox. The bedroom door was nearly closed, and, apparently, the ceiling fan was off. As I entered the bedroom to check on them, I was nearly knocked off my feet. The heat and the smell of sweat that hit me in the face was unbearable.

I guess I will need to keep some room deodorizer in his room throughout his teen years.

Happy 2013!

I begin the new year with a Bible verse, my iPad, and a new book to read.

I subscribe to KLOVE's Bible verse of the day emails, and today's verse is:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

I realize that we all tend to try to make a fresh start of things on January 1st, like beginning a new diet, starting a new exercise regime, vow to give up on old vice, pick up a new habit (like a new blog). A new year seems like a great time to begin something new. But I have found that this attitude sets me up for failure. I begin with an excitement for a new plan, a better way of doing things. I think, "This is SO gonna work!" That rush carries me through for a few days, or maybe a few weeks, until the excitement wears off, and I begin to tire of the effort. I guess I'm lazy. If it's too much work, it's easier to just give up. So I do.

That's when the feelings of failure set in. I forget that new beginnings don't have to start on January 1st. When I fail, I must start again. And again. And again. I learned that in 2012 when I signed up to try the 3-point commitment. Each time I complained, I simply switched my bracelet to the other wrist and started over. No more laziness. If I want to make a change, I must work tirelessly to achieve it.

So what do I want this year? For what am I willing to work that hard? I have a wish list, in no certain order. Do I dare share them? Who will hold me accountable? Some I have already begun, with varying degrees of success. But I am determined to mark a few of them if not all off my list.

I want to be a better mom. I want to be a better wife. I want to be a better housekeeper. I want to be a better Christian, a reflection of Christ to the world. I want to be thinner so that my sleeves aren't so tight and I don't have a muffin top or a double chin. I want to read more, especially my Bible. I want to stop wasting my money and start saving it for things that are more important to me. I want to stop complaining and be more optimistic. I want to become less prideful.

So there it is. 2013 has the promise of a good year. But it begins with me. Today. I begin my day with a powerful Bible verse, a post in my blog, and The Power of Six (the second book in the Lorien Legacies, which is a series my daughter is reading, too), a house which is guest-ready, and tools in place to help me spend less money. I've already begun. I already feel successful. I'm determined.