Hello!

Where have I been, you ask? Well, at least my dad has been asking! I am a PE teacher and our "big event" (aka. field day) happens in the Spring. All year I have had in my mind that our field day was scheduled for May 20th. No, I don't keep a planner. I have it all up here! *pointing to my head* Who needs a planner when you have a FANTASTIC memory! Well, evidently, I do. We were talking in the office the other day about something that is scheduled for May 20th and it wasn't field day. Apparently, field day has been scheduled for May 6th ALL YEAR! Needless to say, I had to kick it into high gear and start getting ready. I have shirts to order, schedules to arrange and stations to create! So until things settle down a little bit or until one of the kids does something too funny not to share, my presence on my blog will be minimal. Once field day is over and I am counting down the final THREE weeks of school, I hope to be on here more often! Ta Ta for Now!

Addie's Song

Addie loves to sing and makes up songs regularly or sings songs from movies or her CDs. She sang a very special, original song tonight. I will share it with you. "I love you, Toilet Paper. I love you, Toilet Paper. When I pee or poop I wipe my butt with TOI......LET.......PA.......PER!!!!!!!" You're Welcome.

Soccer

Jackson is LOVING soccer! He first expressed an interest in playing soccer a few months ago. Before that, he was all about playing baseball. When it was time to sign him up for a Spring sport I was sure he would pick baseball, but he proved me wrong. He wanted to play soccer. I was hesitant at first, but we signed him up. I was afraid he would go to a couple of practices and discover just how much running is involved in playing soccer and want to quit. Well, let me just say (again!) that he LOVES it! He is pretty good at it, too. Most of the kids on his team have played before, but he fits right in with them. In fact, he is one of the better players (If I do say so myself!). He is fast, persistent, attentive, quick and aggressive. He has scored in each of the games he has played so far. One of his coaches is surprised that he hasn't played before. He loves being good at something (Don't we all?!) and looks forward to practice and games each week. He has told us that he wants to play baseball again this Summer, but right now he is LOVING soccer. I am enjoying watching him play and learning all the rules and intricacies of the game. Who would have thought we would be a soccer family? Not I and especially not Drew! He wasn't looking forward to soccer games, but I think he really likes them, too.

He just LOOKS like a soccer player!

This is his coach that is VERY encouraging to him. He always has something nice to say to Jackson.

This is Jackson's first grade teacher. She was sweet to come watch him play yesterday. He loves her as much as he loves soccer!

Spring Break in Pictures (and some words)

The kids looking for things in the mud. They found some water bugs, frogs, crawdads and a salamander.

Bryson loves to search for creatures.

Addie searching with her net!

It got warm on Saturday, so Jackson and Addie took off their shirts. Jack didn't really want me to take his picture, but I did anyway!

Addison getting her feet wet in the pond.

Jackson climbing the side of the road.

Cousins~ Jackson, Bryson, Addison, Charlie, Grace and Kaelyn

Our trusty hike guide!

The boys on the hike. We made them walk at the end because of all the sticks they were swinging around.

Grace~ She had fun playing outside with the kids. She was a very good sport this week.

The kids at the creek. This is the spot we swim in during the summer. We LOVE to swim in the creek!

Addison on the hike.

Another picture taken during our hike. I can't believe that Bryson is almost as big as I am!

There are trails at my grandparents' house. Each trail is named after one of the great-grandchildren. My grandmother has painted signs that were hung at the beginning and end of each trail. Our goal on our hike was to take a picture of all the kids by their sign. We walked about 1.5-2 miles trying to make it to all the signs. I am proud to say the kids made it without much complaint. They were "rescued" right after we took the last picture when Amanda, Charles and Uncle Terry showed up with the four-wheelers. Drew and I got to finish the last mile or so by ourselves in total silence! That was the BEST part of the hike! :0)

Addie had a good time fishing. We were using a salamander lurer. We never even got a bite. Each time she reeled it in she would say, "Hey, I keep getting the same thing." Then she said, "We should name him." I think we settled on Sam the Salamander. Sam never did catch us a fish!

Wednesday we roasted hot dogs by the fire. Drew set us up so we wouldn't have to stand there and hold the sticks. If you know Drew, you know how he likes to makes things as easy as possible!

Amanda and Charles. We had a good time hanging out with them. We don't get to see them very often.

Addie!

Grandmother and Granddad relaxing out by the fire.

Friday evening we loaded up and headed up to my favorite place~ The Pond. I just love being up there. I have been going there since I was a little girl. It just feels like home and my kids love it, too. Drew would live up there if he could.

We just do whatever we want when we are there. We sleep as late as possible. Eat whenever we want. Stay outside as much as we can. I enjoy running up there, also. I ran three days while we were gone. I love running on the country roads. The runs are always challenging because of all the hills and the dirt roads that lead to the paved roads, but I just feel such peace when I run there.

Amanda and her family got there on Sunday evening. They also brought Grace, Amanda and Charles' niece, with them. Their son, Charlie, is the same age and Jackson and their daughter, Kaelyn, is about a year and a half older than Addison. Grace is a year younger than Bryson. The kids had so much fun playing outside together.

Monday it was cold and rainy, but the other days were just beautiful. We stayed outside most of the day and even got a little color from the sun!

We just spent five days playing outside and relaxing as much as possible. We hiked, fished, played cards, ate, road four-wheelers and talked. You can't have a better Spring Break than that!

We came home today and hope to get a few things done around the house before we have to go back to work on Monday. We have 10 more Mondays left before school is out for SUMMER! I love my job, but I also love getting to spend the summer with my family. Only 73 more days until Summer 2011!!!

Short post and not very exciting!

So, I have been just a little busy and haven't taken the time to post anything new. We are just living life and trying to muddle through until Spring Break. Which starts today at 3:45!!!

Bryson finished up his basketball season last night and Jackson is in full swing with his soccer. I always looked forward to the day my kids were involved in sports, so I am loving this! It gets a little hectic at times, but it really is a lot of fun. I love watching them play and interact with other boys. It warms my heart to see them offer a hand to someone who has fallen down and to shake hands with the opposing team before and after the game. I have always been a little competitive myself, so I love the feel of competition. It does make me want to get out there and play something, though. I would love to play basketball again, but I just don't have the time. Maybe one day!

My next event is in April. I am doing the Warrior Dash. I have never done anything like that so I don't really know what to expect. I am going into it with no expectations other than to just have fun.

I am still hoping to one day learn to love running. I still do it at least 3 times a week, but I have yet to experience a feeling LOVE for it. Hopefully, one day I can say that I love it.

Drew is doing well. I am really proud of him and he will probably be mad at me for posting this, but he has lost 20 pounds recently! We are trying really hard to eat well and set a good example for our kids. We do okay, but there is always room for improvement. Way to go, Drew, and don't be too mad at me! I just want to celebrate your successes with you!

That is all I have time for right now. I will post some Spring Break pictures in a week or so! Happy Spring Break! Only 10 more weeks of school until Summer 2011!!!

Not so shining moment

Some times when I begin to write a blog post I delete it because I feel like I am sharing too much. This is one of those times, but I am not going to delete it. I am just going to keep going. If you know me, you know I am an open book. I will share just about everything~ the good, the bad and the ugly. Some may think I share too much. I guess those people don't have to keep reading. Some people may read and see that I am normal (I hope!) and that we are all human. Judge me if you want, but I am going to blog about what moves me.

I am not perfect. I will be the FIRST to admit that. I have moments where I feel like I am doing pretty well navigating through this life I have been given. Then, I have moments where I am a total screw up. Last night was one of the screw up times.

My kids have been getting on my nerves the last couple of days. Most of the time they don't, but the last couple of days haven't been good. Yes, I am extremely thankful for them. Yes, I know I am blessed with three incredible and healthy children. Yes, I know there are people who would kill to have children. I know these things, but the fact remains that they have been getting on my nerves. Try not to judge me too harshly.

Yesterday afternoon we had a meeting after school and then Bryson had basketball practice. Drew had a late coaches' meeting, so I was single mom for the night. (As a side note, let me just say right now that I am SO THANKFUL that I only have to be a single mom for one day every week or so and not every stinkin' day. I don't know how they do it.) Anyway, we were going to have about 20 minutes at home before we had to leave for basketball practice. I was trying to make sure Jackson had what he needed to do his homework while Bryson practiced and I was trying to make sure Addie had something to do to keep her occupied. At the same time I was trying to get them a snack because we weren't going to have dinner until after practice. Addie was asleep in the car during all of this, so I only had two kids under foot. Yes, I left her asleep in the car in the garage while we were home for 20 minutes. That was so much better than the alternative of waking her up and risking a total melt down.

Practice was fine, Jackson did his homework and Addison woke up in a fairly good mood. She colored while Jackson did his homework and I was able to relax for about 5 minutes. On the way to the car Addie started running down the sidewalk. She was wearing flip flops. I told her to stop running and Bryson also told her to stop. Well, of course she didn't listen and ended up falling on her knees and then her head hit the concrete. While this was going on, Jackson climbed through the back of my car and couldn't shut the back door. When we left for practice I told him not to do this anymore because he wasn't able to close the door. I told him to go through the side door then crawl to the back. As I was gently reminding him of this ( Who am I kidding? I was yelling), Addison was screaming her head off because she fell. Bryson was asking about what we were having for dinner. I got in the car and pulled away. When we were about 1/2 mile away from the school where Bryson practices I had to make a right turn at a stop sign. I was still gently talking to (yelling at) them about following directions and why it is important to listen to their mom when I misjudged the turn and hit the curb with my back right tire. I hit it pretty hard. They were bouncing around, my sunglasses fell from the little storage thing they are in, my purse fell over and the cup of tea I had spilled in my car. (Luckily, it was unsweetened so it wasn't sticky!) Then I heard it~ ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. It was coming from my back right tire. Then my tire pressure light came on.

I was on a two-lane road with no shoulder or lights and it was dark. I knew I couldn't stop there. I wanted to try to make it home, but I was still about 3-4 miles away. By this time the kids are crying and freaking out. I am just trying to make it somewhere safe where I can pull over. I finally make it to a church parking lot and pull under one of their lights. I had been driving for a good ways on just the wheel. I knew this wasn't good, but there was no safe place to stop. When I opened the car to inspect the damage all I could smell was burning rubber. My tire was completely flat. This is where I was a total screw up. (As if all events leading up to this were wonderful and upstanding.)

I began yelling at my kids. I blamed them for my misjudging the turn. I blamed them for me being stressed out. I blamed them for anything and everything that came into my head. During all of the blaming, I managed to call Drew and tell him what had happened (I may have paraphrased a bit and may have thrown in a few explitives, I can't exactly remember. At least that is what I am claiming today!) He said he would be there in about 20 minutes. Yes, I yelled and blamed some more and I didn't feel badly at the time. I was so MAD! Drew came and I took his car and the kids home. He stayed to put the spare on and drove home.

The guilt didn't come until later. And, boy, did it come. I just pray that I didn't scar my kids for life. I am not perfect. I screw up. But, I do the best I can do at the time. Sometimes my best is pretty good and sometimes my best, well, just sucks. My kids have forgiven me. Addie has told me that I am her best friend. Jackson has told me many times that he loves me. Bryson has hugged me and told me that he loves me. Drew has forgiven me and told me these things happen. Now if only I could forgive myself.

Today we took my car in to get a new tire put on. The car won't be ready until tomorrow. They have to install the tire and fix the wheel. This temper tantrum of mine is going to cost us $300-$350. Have I learned a lesson? I hope so. Will I lose my temper again? Probably. Will my family forgive me? I am fairly certain they will. Will I finally be able to forgive my self? I can only pray I will.

Routine (or lack there of) and Sickness

I always forget how much I NEED a routine until I don't have a routine. Two weeks ago I stayed home from work with Jackson because he didn't feel well. That was on a Monday. Truthfully, I was a little thankful to be able to stay home with him and have a day to lay around in my pj's doing nothing. The next morning I woke up to the sound of sleet hitting our windows. Then we got the call (actually 7 calls) saying that school was closed for the day. So began our FOUR snow days in a row and our WEEK of no routine. The first couple of days were great, but after that I began to CRAVE my routine.

Monday started a new week and I looked forward to getting back to working out first thing in the morning and getting on with my day. This lasted for exactly TWO days. Wednesday morning we got the call, again, that school was cancelled due to some more ice. Seriously? We had just got back to normal. Luckily, this time the ice melted during the day and we were able to go back to school the following morning.

Thursday morning I woke up late (4:45) because the volume was turned off on my phone. It probably happened when Addison was playing with it the night before. I was a little miffed because I missed my morning workout, again. Once I got up I realized that I didn't feel quite right. My throat was hurting and I was getting achey. I asked Drew if he would call the doctor and try to get me an appointment for that day. This is unusual for me, because I haven't been to a doctor due to illness in recent memory. Seriously, it has been at least 4 years since I have been to my primary care physician. So long, in fact, that she is no longer at that office. I don't know where she ended up.

So, Drew found me a new doctor and got me an appointment for 11:00 Thursday morning. By the time I finished filling out the paper work I started feeling feverish. I had already take 2 doses of ibuprofen for the pain in my throat, so it probably kept my temperature down, also. My temperature was only 99.5 when checked, but I know it would have been higher if I hadn't taken the ibuprofen. Sometimes you just know your body~ at least I do. The doctor checked me out and decided to give me a prescription for an antibiotic for a sinus infection. She never tested for strep, but I know I had it. Again, sometimes you just know. I knew the antibiotic would take care of the strep, so I didn't ask for the test. I dropped my prescription off at Sam's and went back to school. I probably shouldn't have gone back, but I didn't want to leave Pam, my EA, alone with my afternoon classes. I just made plans to leave as soon as I could when I was finished with my last class.

I checked the boys out early, picked up my prescription and went home. I took a hot bath, put my pj's on and got in bed. By then I was feeling pretty bad. Drew brought me dinner at some point and I managed to swallow it. It takes A LOT to keep me from eating! Ha Ha! I had planned on taking the antibiotic a few times, getting some rest and going to work the next morning. Usually, I only stay home from work if one of the kids are sick or I have body fluids coming out uncontrollably! Sorry, TMI! A sinus infection and (undiagnosed) strep throat only keeps wimps home from work. WRONG! During the night, I got much worse. My throat began to hurt so bad that it hurt just to breathe. I had a fever most of the night even though I was taking ibuprofen ever 4 hours. My body ached and my skin hurt to the touch. I was miserable. Around 5:30 I dragged myself out of bed to put in for a sub. I knew I just couldn't make it.

I spent all day on Friday in bed. I only got up to eat and use the restroom. Remember, it takes A LOT to keep me from eating! I finally got out of bed around 3:00 to take another bath so I could go pick up Addison. Drew picked up the boys and took them with him to his basketball game. By that time I was beginning to feel better and knew I would live to see another day.

Today is the first day my throat hasn't hurt to swallow. I think I am finally back to "normal" (It's a relative term with me!) and I am looking forward to working 5 full days this week.

I need my routine. I need structure. I enjoy the occasional bonus day off, but I function so much better when I have a routine. Tonight I will set my alarm, and make sure my volume is on, and look forward to getting back to normal in the morning!