What a day!!

The day has started of rather hectic. First off, I didn't have enough sleep. I have to stop going to bed at 1:30 in the morning because it's Murphy's Law that one of my children will not sleep and wake me early as was the case this morning :^((

Anyway, we woke up bright and early and ran through our normal routine to get Marisa to school only to find out there was no school!! Some mother must have overlooked my number in the fan-out calling process. Thanks to that, I had to dredge through the snow and ice on both the street and my car to arrive there. I think being over tired made me more irritated! I'll be giving the school secretary an ear full on Monday.

Good news I forgot to report yesterday. My little Collin finally decided all by himself to mount the throne and take a number #2. I was soooooo excited and so was he. We made sure to say good-bye to the poo-poo as we flushed him down. Oh, the things we will do for our children!!! This potty training process is going really, and I mean really, slow with him. He refuses to wear underwear. I have a half-naked child running around all day who loves to have his hand go searching in all the wrong areas!! EEEWWWW, and then he wants to go grab food out of the fridge!! The little bugger won't keep those undies on, so I'm going to have to find some sort of alternative -- maybe boxers for the free fell they give-- I dunno?!?!?

I must finish up a bunch of projects I started along with some challenges I'd like to complete for my favo place Just4Keeps.

Okay, as I type, naked boy just ran past me. Off came the underwear again!!!! Now I must go find where they've been hidden. Hopefully not in the fridge---eewwwww!!

UUUGGGGHHHH!!!

I'm typing this to try and vent!!! My lovely 3 yr. old decided to play drums on the Christmas tree today and broke one of my most favorite and treasured ornaments. I had this ornament hand-made at a craft fair and I don't know if I can replace it!!!

Oh, this child of mine!!!! He has broken 2 toys already this week. Well, I'll try to look to the bright side -- at least I got a picture of it now that it's in a million pieces. Santa's going to have to bring him some boxes and foam for Christmas because everything else he breaks. He's in a time-out nap as I type. I really needed to distance myself from him. He's already been told a bazillion times to stay away from the Christmas tree. He's reminding me of this cat I once had that always knocked the ornaments off and then ran up the tree.

I'm feeling a little better now, so I'll go do something that will bring a smile to my face -- scrapbooking :^)

IT's FINISHED

The Christmas decorations are finally put up! I didn't go all out, but the essentials are there. It has taken me forever this year and I don't know why I didn't enjoy it like I usually do. I did pick up a few more snowmen for the top of my entertainment armoire. Love the color of these new little guys -- cream with olive and barn red accents. Oh, what a love I have for snowmen!!

As far as the outside lights, the main ones are up. It got way to frigid around here for me to attempt the rest. It's so cold that I don't even want to go outside to take a picture to show you all.....brrrrrrrrr

I had such a blast taking these photos. Honestly this is something I have never done with such detail. I had gotten an email and in it were some tips on how to take photos of your Christmas tree lighted without having to use special lenses. Usually you get that blurring effect, but not this time!! I just have a Kodak digital, but I'm loving the way these photos turned out. Well, off to get a cup of hot cocoa because I am continually cold anymore!

Well, at least someone in this house finished decorating their tree!! Marisa and Travis decorated her tree last night. Marisa just loves this purple princess tree we purchased for her two years ago. Believe it or not it was a bribe to get her to sleep in her new room. We had just finished her room on December 21, 2003 and she would not sleep in it. We did it all up in a beautiful Disney pink paints and I even colorwashed it; new comforter, furniture; the whole 9 and 1/2 yards!!! She still would not sleep in it. I resorted to buying her the tree hoping and praying she would get out of my bed and into her own.

While the house was under construction...actually, when Collin was born in July 2002 she moved her way into my bed and stayed there. They were supposed to share her room which was still a cute nursery bedroom until we figured something else out, but Marisa couldn't sleep in there because Collin was always crying and secondly because she was afraid to be in her new big bed all alone.

I know people have their opinions about kids sleeping in bed with them, but my opinion has always been "what the heck, they won't be little forever!!" I mean if she was 15 wanting to bunk with me nightly, then I might have worried. Wait a sec, I think I would still let them crawl in bed with me. They're my kiddies and it makes them feel safe and I love snuggling with them!

Well, she's now finally in her own bed for over two years, but still occassionally sneaks into my bed when she's had a bad dream. Only now Collin has taken over where she left off. Every night he gets out of his bed and I will find he's crawled into mine. Usually the kick in the side is what indicates he's arrived!! Marisa gets bummed now because if she sees that he's in bed with me already, she knows she can't crawl in. I have a king size bed, but the three of us cannot sleep comfortably in it with all the tossing and turning and kicking those two do!!!

I've gone off subject, but hey that's what I do best. I'm bound and determined to finish lighting our Christmas tree tonight. I did put up some more lights outside only to find out two of the strands I needed to finish it up were burned out. I refuse to go light by light to figure out which one needs replacing. I will get new lights. Hey, always a reason to go shopping! Off to decorate now that talking about it has put me in the mood.

Long time no blog

I haven't been keeping up with the blog since there haven't been any challenges. Bad, I know, but I just completely forget.

Today's been busy day with lots of decorating and cleaning. I managed to put some of the lights up outside and light half the tree while decorating the fireplace. I thought we could have a family fun night, but Dave just got home from work at 3:45 pm after 16 hours of work and almost 24 hours being awake. This man is crazy!!! He told me to wake him up at 9:30 or quarter to ten so he could go back to work tonigh after being told he could be excused from work tonight. I don't know what drives him, but I'd be getting my zzzz's. I do thank God for a man who goes up and beyond to provide for his family. I think he's worried that come the 16th of this month there are going to be a lot of layoffs and we're trying to get ahead(yeah, right!!)

So I don't much feel like doing this whole decorate the tree, take pictures, do a holiday craft thing by myself with the kiddies. I think we'll try again on another day. I do have to take my holiday photo. Travis is here today and won't be back till next Wednesday and that's cutting it too close.

I have to share this conversation I had today with Marisa on our ride to school. We were listening to the radio and a song came on that I liked.

Marisa: Mom, is this Rod Stewart? (How does she know who Rod Stewart is?hehe)

Me: Nope, Maris, it's Billy Idol. It's a song that I like from when I was back in high school.

Marisa: Wow, that's old!

Me: I'm not old, Maris. I'm seasoned!

Marisa: What is seasoned? Is it kind of like old?

Me: Yeah, I guess you could say that. But I'm not old.

Marisa: Can I use this word in school?

Me: Yes, you can. It's not a bad word.

Marisa: Oh, okay. I'm going to tell Miss Hasse that you and Billy Idol are seasoned.

Okay, this whole conversation had me feeling old by the time it ended, but I got a giggle out of it. Marisa is a cutie with lots and lots to say.

Blog Challenge #3

Post a list of 5-10 things that you do every day, without fail. It doesn't matter how 'big' or 'small' they are. Share them anyway.


1. Take my thyroid pill.

2. Have my first and most delicious cup of coffee with Fat Free French Vanilla cream.

3. Get Collin a cup of juice (half water & half juice).

4. Change Collin's diaper -- he refuses to be potty trained at this time :((

5. If it's a school day, then I wake Marisa up and get her ready.

6. Brush my teeth (2-3 times a day).

7. Take a shower, do hair and make up for the day.

8. Drive Marisa to school at 8:15 am and pick her up at 3:20 pm.

9. Get on the computer to check my email and Just 4 Keeps forum and gallery posts.

10. Pick up around the house.

11. Make sure to give my children at least one, but usually more, hugs and kisses during the day!

12. Make sure to tell my husband I love him and give him hugs and kisses.

13. Thank God for all that he has given me and continues to give me. Thank Him for blessing my family and keeping them safe, happy, and healthy.

14. Read to Marisa and Collin before bed.

15. Try to do something scrap related, but no always successfull on this one. '

16. I forgot to list this -- I talk to my sister, Pam, each and every day at least once but usually more!!!

There's so much more I do in a day, but these are the basics that I do without fail. Whew, we sure are busy in a day's time!

Just4Keeps Blog Challenge #1

I didn't get a chance to do this over the weekend, so I'll do it now before I start challenge #2. I'm not one to be much of a daredevil -- sky diving, bungee jumping and the like, so that's not something I'm afraid of because I wouldn't even consider doing it.

After thinking long about this, the one thing that comes to mind that I am afraid to do is go to work in the field that I spent many many years going to school for -- court reporting. Right when I finished court reporting school, seven long years going part-time evenings and many school loans later, Dave and I had decided that I would stay home a little longer. Marisa was only 10 months old at the time and I didn't want to put her in daycare to go to work. However, I kept up with my skills and kept taking the certification tests every six months.

Marisa had just turned two and I decided this was the time to go back to work. I prepared so well to take the certification test and passed two out of the three portions -- Literary at 180 wpm and the Jury Charge 200 wpm. I had just missed passing the Q&A portion by 4 errors. Well, I felt so good about it and that was it -- Here I come professional work world!!! Three days later my father passed away and then two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. Well that was the end of that :(

Now I sit here 4 years later wondering when I'm going to take that leap into the field I prepared so hard for, but afraid of the unknown and insecure about my abilities.

Blog Challenge #2

Where do you see yourself one year from now?

Hmmmmm..... good question. I'm not one who really thinks too far ahead because no matter how much we plan things or think they're going to go one way, they usually don't.

I do see myself working again, but where and doing what I don't know. I see myself being thinner and healthier. These are the two things I struggle with on a daily basis.

The one thing that just popped into my mind is that I am going to be debt or as close to debt free as possible!!! While Dave and I don't have much credit card debt in comparison to others, I want to have NO credit card debt and get out of this hole we put ourselves into when we had the addition built over two years ago. While the house is 99% finished, we just got whipped when it came to finishing it ourselves after the builder quit and filed bankruptcy and the legal bills that wiped out the rest of the money to finish it.

Yep, that's where I'm going to be one year from now -- out of our financial hole!!!!!

I'm Bloggin!!

As a challenge from Just4Keeps, I started a blog so I could take part. Let's see if I can keep up with this as I hope to be able to journal important moments in my life so I can then be able to remember when I eventually get to scrap them.

My day has been kind of bumpy. Started of good, but then the bright side of it ended when I took Collin to see a speech therapist at our local public school. Collin is my youngest who just turned 3 in July. I have noticed that his speech is somewhat delayed especially when I compare it to his sister and brother when they were his age. Well, as recommended by his pediatrician, I did so and the speech therapist actually brought me to tears. I don't know if they were more tears of anger or tears of failure.

She started off by more or less saying that his speech is impaired, but then went on to say he has behavorial problems, attention span problems, possibly could need medication to calm him and rein in his attention, and then the big kicker -- "he might be autistic". What the **** is she talking about. Now I don't know a whole lot about autism, but I know enough to realize that's not what my child has. I wanted to scream, but I was trying to hold my composure around my son and in front of this lady.

Collin is rambunctious, in a very defiante stage, and his speech is jumbled at times, but I feel he's made great strides over this past summer. I wondered how a woman, who I do know is a trained professional in speech therapy, could even begin to label my child with the things she did. Oh, and I forgot to mention she told me more or less, I need to have rules and defined boundaries in my home with set consequences. You don't even know me or my family, and for the whole ten minutes you take out of your time you can assess this much!!! It's amazing and sad to me.

If she'd like to come and visit my home for the day, she would see I have plenty of rules sometimes too many. I grew up with a very strict father and I believe a lot of him wore off on me, the good parts at least. If she bothered to even ask me, as I am his mother, what he is like most times, I would have told her that his behavior in her office was not usual. He only acts that way when he is nervous or afraid, and she definitely made him afraid. Especially when I was telling him to please sit down and I had to repeat myself a few times, she turned around and said I shouldn't have to ask more than once, I should direct him and she raised her voice and stated, "Sit down," to him.

Well, he freaked and stuck his head into my arm and after that he wanted out. That's when the tears started to fall. I tried like the dickens to hold them back, but the more I tried the more they strolled down my face. I couldn't tell her it was because I was angry at all the garbage she just fed me. I just wanted out of there, too!!!!

I have continued to cry off and on because somewhere I feel like I failed Collin. Failed him because I haven't given him the time or attention I gave his sister when she was his age. He has been a handful since the day he was born, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but somewhere along the way I just got tired and ,well, lazy I'd say. God gave him to us for a reason, spite fire and all. He's my little bubba all full of gumption. He's so sweet telling me over and over, "I lub you, mama".

Well, that's it I've told myself, I will make a difference with him and the changes started today. We worked on the alphabet flash cards and I've read to him in a one-on-one relaxed setting where he wanted to focus. I've cut back on the TV although he only watches the educational programs. Still I don't want to fail him. There's so much guilt already associated with mothering and I can't let this be something that I could have made a difference with and didn't. One day I hope to walk back in her office and show her the progress he made while having a big smirk on my fac