Staying Positive Among the Chaos

Non challenge related post

2011-11-15T18:25:00.000-06:00

Just cause. I just wanted to post that right now, I'm happy. Very happy. I'm busy, I'm doing 30 days of thankfulness, and I've begun dating. Life. Is good.

And no matter what my weight, or where I am in a challenge, I am important to me, and that's a lesson I've needed to learn for a LONG time.

Day 5 Challenge #3

2011-11-12T10:20:00.001-06:00

So.... it was essentially an off week, right? It's okay that I didn't lose anything, right? And it's acceptable that I went up a few (cough,4,cough) pounds, right? Geez.

However, on a positive note, I did get my reflection submitted, so that is HUGE. I'm DONE with school. Well, except like my son pointed out, I'm done with school so I can spend every day IN a school, LOL. :)

My other goal for the 5 days was to finish week 6 of the Couch to 5K. All excuses aside, I got 2/3 of the way finished. Which means I have one more day to run. I think I'll get up in the morning and run that one. It was a pretty easy week, running wise, once I actually got out of bed and did it.

Monday starts a new challenge. I haven't heard from Kristin (my cousin, the originator of all of this madness), but I know I'm in for another challenge. I'm thinking I'll do 9 days this time, which puts me finishing the day before Thanksgiving. According to the spreadsheet I did, I wanted to be down to 151 by the Saturday before Thanksgiving. That means I have to lose 6.8 pounds in the next 9 days. THAT is a very ambitious goal!! However, my biggest stress factor, school, is out of my way, so if I can really focus on eating and exercising, I should be able to do it, or at the very least come close.

Oh wow, I just realized that about 10 weeks ago, when I was starting the C25K again (yeah, don't do the math), I made a long term goal to finish week 9 by my official graduation date of December 9th. I was giving myself time to re-do weeks if I needed to. Well, here we are, 4 weeks out from that date, and I can still do it! So, by my next goal date, I should be in the middle of week 8, by the calender. I think that may be a bit ambitious, though, since I know weeks 7-9 are the very hardest for me. I'm going to say that by my new goal date, November 23rd, I will be ready to start week 8. That gives me 12 days to get through week 7 rather than the usual 7 days. That should also account for the weather we are bound to have since it is NOVEMBER! LOL. But, I'm also going to commit to doing either a walk, or Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, or a run EVERY morning. That way, I have a back up plan for weather.

Food. That is my biggest reason for my weight gain this week. I know it is. I went crazy, eating anything and everything in site. I had a few dt. drinks, I ate a ton of cookies, and hardly any vegetables. I also didn't drink much water at all.

So, I need to commit to a food plan for the next 9 days. I'll get busy on that when I get off, but I'm pretty sure I will be doing E-Mealz again, if only for the next 3 months. $15 is hard for me to spend, but I'm going to call it a gift for myself. It will help me get back on track, and it counts points for me, so I don't have to. Oh, speaking of points, I WILL start tracking points again. I took the week off of that, and it did not go well!!

I will not have soda, but I am going to buy some flavored water packets (or as Jessy calls them, Water Destroyer). I am going to stay away from dessert ...which will be hard since I want to start Christmas cookies this weekend, but 9 days. If I can get through the next 9 days, I can have dessert on Thanksgiving. Fair enough? I honestly can't decide about bread. I LOVE bread, but I'm sure it's not healthy for me. What do you say, BLOGGER LAND? Should I give up bread?
I think I'll give up white bread, and limit myself to one piece of wheat a day. And I can't "make up days" for the days I don't have any. For the next 9 days, I can do that. RIGHT?

As for alcohol. I think I'm okay with letting myself have it. I'm not a lush, nor do I drink every night. As long as I can keep it within my WW points, I'm going to allow myself to drink.

OK, so there's my plan. Laid out in black and white for all to see. Please keep me accountable!!!!!

Day 1, Challenge #3

2011-11-07T06:41:00.000-06:00

This challenge is going to be easier. It's only 5 days, I don't have any school work on my plate, and my schedule is relatively quiet.
Got up and ran my Week 5, Day 3, which in my opinion is the hardest of any of the runs. 20 minutes straight, up from 8.5.8. My GPS stopped working after about 18 minutes (including the 5 minute warm up), but since I had already turned around, I just kept going, and tried to estimate where my running ended. I think I may have run a little extra, but after all the brownies I ate this weekend, 1 minute extra is NO big deal!!!!
I have had my water for breakfast, and coffee is brewing. My exMIL sent the kids a box of organic granola bars (that the kids won't eat), so I need to do a points check on them and see if I can have them for lunch. Have a great day!

~Missy

Day 12!!!!!!- Challenge #2

2011-11-04T12:08:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of the 2nd Challenge. I am so relieved that it is over, this week has been SO hard for me. Everyday (except Monday and Tuesday), I have woken up and just dreaded the thought of going for a run. The weather has been yucky, I have been feeling a little dumpy, and I was just overall DONE with trying. I have the type of personality where it is all or nothing, and this week was SO nothing. I did manage to stay within my points goal, but haven't really focused on anthing else.

I kinda think two 12 day challenges back to back was just too much for me. Plus, with all the other stress in my life and my school, I just shut down.

However, all that being said, as of Monday, I was still at 158.8, and did not think I had a chance of meeting my weight goal. I didn't meet my exercise goal, didn't meet my school goal, and pretty much didn't think I had a chance of my weight goal. My weight stayed the same all week, and last night it was even up to 159.0 Sad. Very sad. This morning, however, when I weighed myself, I was at 155.2, which is only .2 off what my goal was!!!! WOW. I have no idea how I managed to pull that number, but I did. And right now, I am enjoying a mini Snickers, a Starburst, and a Dt. coke. When I'm done, boy, I'm done!!!!!

So, for the weekend, my goal is to stay the same--NOT easy since I'll be going home and Dad is sure to cook some good food!!

I think that will be my goal for next week too. I'm not going to try to lose, but I'm not going to try go too far off track, either. I think I was overly ambitious on my plan this 12 days, and I'm going to tone that down. Other than weight goals, I NEED to get my reflections done. My personal goal is to do 2 more by Sunday, and then the last 3 by Friday. It's pushing it, I know, since I only have 12 days left of the program, but I think I can do it. The last challenge I have for myself is to finish week 6 of the Couch25K. Notice I didn't say run everyday. I'm still working on accepting the fact that it's going to be cold when I run, so if I run 3 times (well, 4, I still need to do the last day of week 5), that will be great for me.

So, there ya go. My next challenge. I have 7 days to do it. Ready, Set, Go. :)

~Missy

Day 11, Challenge #2

2011-11-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

This week has been so stinky. Woke up this morning to RAIN. Not a gentle, steady rain, but wind and icky cold and something there is no way I would run in!! I'm not dedicated enough, I guess! ;) I may try to do Jillian Michaels tonight when I get home.

Still no weight loss this week. I'm debating even weighing in tonight at WW because I know there is no loss. This stinks!!! I can not wait until tomorrow when I can have chocolate and a dt. coke. :(

~Missy

Day 10, Challenge #2

2011-11-02T06:50:00.001-05:00

Well, praise the Lord, I'm feeling much more like myself this morning.
I was able to get up at 5:30 and go for my run...and it was 60 degrees!! Wooot!!! I can hardly believe that it is November and 60, but I'll take it! I have a feeling tomorrow will not be so pleasant!!!

I'm still a little frustrated about my weight. At the beginning of this challenge, I was at 158.8 (or a little below....) Today? 158.8. I have done the same amount of exercise, I have left candy and junk alone, and I have stayed under my points. Granted, not as far under as I did before, but under. I have not had any soda, dt. or not for 12 days. Am I going to have to eat salad every day to continue to lose? Bah humbug to that!!!

And no, it's not that time of the month, either. I just don't understand! I have noticed I lose more in the 2 weeks directly after that time than the two weeks before (does ovulation affect weight lose?), but this is ridiculous! (And sorry boys if that is TMI, this blog this time is about my feelings about losing weight, and for us girls, it's just the truth!!)

I do think stress may be contributing to this. I put it on myself to get my reflections written by this Friday, the day the challenge ends. I'm not sure if that's going to happen. So that is weighing on me as well....plus some other financial stresses.

I don't get it. Ok, I'll update tonight on food. I'm having my coffee for breakfast, and bringing lunch, but dinner is at church, so hopefully it's a great one that will get me below my goal!!!!!!!!

:) Happy Wednesday.

~Missy

Day 9, Challenge #2

2011-11-01T06:12:00.002-05:00

Well, I continued my non perfect status this morning. I just could not pull myself out of bed to go for my Week 5, Day 2 run. Maybe I'll do it tonight. I'm feeling a little discouraged this morning b/c I really don't think I'm going to get down to my goal of 155 by Friday. I've done everything right, I've only gone above my points ONCE (Saturday), and I've walked or run every day, but I'm just not seeing the pounds drop like I did last time. It could just be a fluke...and they will all fall off tomorrow, but today, it's discouraging.

I'm also discouraged about my reflections. I sat down to write one last night, and the words were just gibberish on my screen. I think I'm overtired, and crabby, and I HAVE to get these done!!

So, bring on Tuesday, but please be kind. I need to be treated with kid gloves today, or I might snap. Can you hear that students? Parents? Coworkers?

Not very proud today...
~Missy

Obligatory second half of the day: I ate well today, and left all candy alone. My mood was about the same most of the day, but I stopped for buns on the way home, and ran into my daughter (she's a checker at the grocery store. Why is it I have to go shopping to see her?? Anyway, I digress!) She told me she made 1st chair trumpet!!!! I'm so proud of her. She has worked really hard for this, so I'm very excited that her hard work has paid off. :) Then, as Rachel and I were shopping, she was BEGGING me for brussel sprouts. Funniest moment ever...a mom telling her daughter no brussel sprouts today! :)

Anyway, I'm thankful today I have such amazing kids that can get me out of a bad mood simply by being themselves.

I will get back to walking tomorrow morning, and hopefully be back on track. I'm still not thinking I will make my weight goal, but...it's okay. Maybe it's stress or hormones.

Day 8, Challenge #2

2011-10-31T06:41:00.004-05:00

Monday mornings are HARD. So hard, in fact, that I almost said,"To heck with it, I need the extra sleep" But, I didn't, and braved the cold and tired outdoors. Took a different route today, again on the new bypass (that's not yet opened, but much more paved!), and was rewarded by seeing two deer frolicking through the area. Frolicking is such a fun word, but my guess is I scared the crap out of them and they had to run!!! :) Didn't quite go 3.1 this morning, but since I went over last night, I'm going to call it good. Plus, I will be trick-or-treating with Rachel tonight, so I'll get some walking in that way. :)
Walking Activity 2.88 mi | RunKeeper
Today is going to be especially hard on the candy front. Cupcakes, candy, party junk at school all afternoon. Oh my. MUST.SAY.NO. I have 2.7 pounds to go by Friday...I can't give in!!!!

I'm drinking my coffee now, and then headed to my day. Talk again soon!!!

~Missy

Afternoon Edit. I'm not perfect, friends. I did awesome at the Halloween party, and didn't eat a thing. Not a swipe of candy or cupcake or even a juice box. I had my water filled and ready, and did wonderful.
And then I got home. That pumpkin cake from yesterday? The one I considered bringing to work b/c I KNEW I would eat? It totally called to me and begged me to eat it. Not just one piece, but two. Ahem. Three. Ahem.
And now I have that sickly sweet taste in my mouth. YUCK. I need to eat supper and then go brush my teeth so we can go trick or treating and I won't snitch candy from Rachel. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck. Good thing it's only 4 pts. a piece.....

Last update for the night: I did great Trick or Treating. I came home and tried to write a little. It really didn't happen. This is going to be a very long week, and my mood tonight is awful. I am frustrated with myself for not having these reflections done, but I don't have the time or patience to do it.

I'm going to watch a little junk tv, and then go to bed, hopefully by 10:30. Tomorrow is not too terribly busy, but Wed. and Thurs. will be awful. Friday...well, I can write Friday night. How's that for an exciting Friday night? Saturday is my reward day, so I want to have something to celebrate!

Better mood tomorrow, I promise.

Sunday, Day 7, Challenge #2

2011-10-30T13:01:00.002-05:00

Ahhhh Sunday. How nice Sundays are. I'm so glad they come once a week. :)

Today started off with church and coffee, my usual breakfast. I haven't had my walk in yet, but I'm going to try to get that in tonight. I've really started to like walking/running in the morning because then I have it out of the way, and I really feel like it keeps me more alert through my long days. But some days, it just doesn't work to get it in in the mornings.

Now I'm making the kids Spaghetti for lunch, but I think I may just have cauliflower with marinara sauce. Sounds healthier, anyway, and then I might allow myself a piece of garlic toast. Again, this is an option I NEVER would have thought of before this challenge. Really, I don't need those noodles (even if I did mix in some whole wheat ones for the kids), and it's the sauce (and BREAD) I really like anyway. Why not try it on something new?

This afternoon, I am going to Trick or Trunk at church, and have to bring a dessert. I'm thinking I'm going to make the chocolate cake I have in the cupboard with whipped cream for a topping and then sprinkles. I think there is a way to do the cake with applesauce too, so I'm going to try that.

OK, off to write reflections. And eat lunch. OH---good news. My paper is completely finished, submitted, and accepted. I'm just waiting on a grade. Woot! I'm one step closer!!!

For now~~~
~Missy

Update: I'm trying to figure out how to link my runs to my blog. Please be patient! Let me know if you can or cannot see these, please...Running Activity 3.36 mi | RunKeeper

OK, for dinner, I ended up bringing a pumpkin cake recipe I found on skinnytaste. Can you tell what my favorite new website is?? I was looking for a way to substitute applesauce in my devils food, and found a way to sub pumpkin in my vanilla cake. Perfect for today!! It was a soup dinner, so I had a very healthy looking southwestern chicken, a bunch of fresh veggies, and a cream cheese brownie. I also had about half a pumpkin bar, but counted it as a whole b/c of all the batter I "taste tested" What? I had to make sure it was okay, being a new recipe and all.... ;)

I stayed in my points, so good day! :)

Now. Those reflections aren't going to write themselves, you know....

Day 6...Challenge #2

2011-10-29T12:03:00.001-05:00

Saturday. Woke up with a killer headache. I think a walk would help, but I just can't motivate myself to get out there!

For breakfast, I made myself a pumpkin latte, and made pumpkin crepes for myself and the kids. The recipe came from skinnytaste.com. It was 6 points well worth eating!! :)

I'm currently snacking on more of those veggie straws. Seriously check them out if you get a chance!! They are sooooo non healthy tasting! :) And 3 points for 38 straws. YUMMO. And we got a huge care package today from my ex-MIL full of chips and goldfish crackers, and cookies and instant oatmeal (haha, my poor deprived kids thought it was early Christmas...I NEVER buy stuff like that!!! Jessy said over and over, "I LOVE CARE PACKAGES!!!" Note to self....remember that when she goes to college!!!) So, I'm glad I bought these straws rather than the junk in the box. Maybe it will keep me out of them!

Ok, I have papers to grade, and papers to write, so I'm going to go for now. Hopefully dinner plans are on for tonight, although I'm kind of doubting it.

I'll let you know if I get my walking in tonight!

PART 2:
The rest of the day went well. I ate granola bar mid afternoon, after I had gone for walk with my daughter. When we walk the "school loop", it is about 1.8 miles...so we did it twice. The second time around, Rachel was tired and done, so she went to the park that is across the street while I finished. Honestly, it did make my head feel so much better to get out there in the beautiful fresh fall air.

For dinner, I went out, and ate what I thought was pretty sensible. I shared a sushi roll, so that's only 3 points. Then we were at a Mongonlian grill, so I tried to fill my bowl with veggies. I also had the noodles (and I don't know what they are really called, so I couldn't find a points value. If they are just Chinese noodles, they are a LOT of points). And on top I put several meats...pork, crab, beef, and chicken, along with an egg. Not a lot of each, but some. Then I used garlic oil and mongolian sauce. It was a HUGE plate of food, but I left at least 1/4 of it on the plate. I ate all the veggies, though! :) I had water to drink, so at least that helped the points of the meal.

We went to a movie after dinner, and I didn't get any popcorn or soda...and I didn't die!!! I kinda always thought popcorn and movies had to go together, and it may have made me more alert, but it really wasn't too bad.

So, that was my Saturday. Off to start my Sunday tracking!

~Missy

Day 5- Challenge #2

2011-10-28T06:39:00.001-05:00

HAPPY FRIDAY! This morning I had my final run for week 4, and it felt pretty good. I had to push through some pain in my...stomach, I guess, but I made it, and finished with a total of 3.22 miles.

No clue what I'm eating today...I need to get ready for my day and plan that. Whoops.

Talk later!!

This is a little late, but the second half of my day was not as great as the first half. I brought a salad for lunch with Raspberry Vinegrette Dressing. It was good, but it was so hard to eat b/c everyone ordered Jimmy Johns around me! Then, it was a teacher's birthday, and someone brought in the most amazing looking chocolate cake with a marshmellow frosting....OH MY. I said no at lunch, only to have it reappear at our afternoon meeting! AHHHHH!!! I did good, though, and refused.

My dinner plans were canceled, so I made due with a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of wine. I also found some Veggie Straws that taste just like potato chips, but way less points, so I had a few of those.

I stayed under my points today, and had my exercise, so I guess it was a good day.

Day 4, Challenge #2

2011-10-27T06:53:00.001-05:00

This morning was a walk day, and I was up and ready to do it at 5:15. It was a little chilly, but very tolerable. I walked on Hwy. 63 since it is closed north of my house, and it is really torn up! Glad it was a walk day and not a run day!!

As I walked, I was thinking about my weight. It was only a few months ago that my weight was 174, and I'm now (as of this morning BEFORE my walk) 157.4. For some reason, it was really hard to wrap my mind around that lower number! Why was it so easy for me to adjust to the 170's, but now I am having a terrible time with the 150's? Crazy how I just accepted the bigger number. I can not wait to weigh in tonight at WW and see if their scale puts me in the 150's (probably not, but hey, a girl can dream!!)

Ok, coffee is gone, beef stew is in the crockpot for dinner, and I have a shower to take. Have a great day! Mine will include teaching, a meeting after school, a weigh in, and then a band concert. See you after 8 tonight!

Home for a quick dinner. My lunch was VERY late today...I had a late scheduled meeting, but I still stuck to what I brought (french dip on wheat bread...YUM!) Tonight, I had my weigh in, and was just where I wanted to be at WW. WOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!! Then, I stopped in and had some very yummy beef stew for dinner.

Oh, funny story. In my mail at school today, I had a very nice thank you note from the volleyball girls for helping keep the books this season. Included in the note? A Kit-Kat bar! I looked it up, and those are 6 points. I have the points available to eat it, but is it worth it? My goal for this 12 days was no candy. I am so good at finding outs, that I initially thought, "Hey, It's not Halloween candy, so it doesn't count, right?" But, I know myself, and if I let myself eat that, I will consider that part of the challenge defeated, and pig out on the candy that comes in my house next week, so I'm going to put it in a secret, undisclosed (to my kids) location, and eat it next Saturday. PLEASE PLEASE ask me if it's still there in the next couple days. I need the accountability on this one! My sweet teeth is going to be the best of me someday. :(
OK, off to a band concert. And brushing my teeth BEFORE I go, so I'm not tempted to eat whatever they offer.

~Missy

Day 3, Challenge #2

2011-10-26T06:42:00.000-05:00

Run for today, Week 4 Day 2, DONE. It was really windy, but I did it, and in better time than I did Monday's. I used my own playlists this time instead of the ones I had downloaded, but I have a feeling it was more that I had a great tailwind the first half that did the trick.

My weight is back down to where I was on Friday...so now I can start losing real weight (not recycled weight) again. I really can't wait for my weigh in at WW on Thursday to see where I am on their scales!

Today brings school, Tiger Club till 5, and then church till 7:30ish. It's a long one, but it also means I don't have to cook supper. YEAH! Hope they serve something GOOD and good for me! I'm planning on having a cookie for dessert, so I need to keep that in mind as I pack my lunch.

Day 2, Challenge #2- Part 2

2011-10-25T19:17:00.000-05:00

My afternoon went well, with no snacking. When I got home tonight, at 6:45, my pork roast was waiting for me in the crockpot. It was delish, and not a ton of points. With the rushing around after school today, I was so glad to be home and supper be ready for me!

My paper is submitted. She told me she will read it tomorrow night, so please say a prayer that she accepts it. I don't think I could get it back and have to look at it again! Now, I just have my 6 reflections to do, and I figure if I do one tomorrow, one on Thursday, and 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday, they will be FINISHED. I'm so looking forward to that moment. :)

I'm really craving something sweet right now. Trying to figure out what is in my fridge that would satify me. I think there is some frozen pineapple in the freezer, and that might have to do.

Heading out to get Rachel from Girl Scouts, but then I think I will call it a night. Pretty good points day, and I did get my exercise in. Calling it a night before I screw up sounds like a great idea!!! :)

~Missy

Day 2, Challenge #2- Part 1

2011-10-25T11:42:00.002-05:00

Today did not start off quite as easily as yesterday. I hit the snooze, and went back to sleep, waking up at 5:40....remember, I was going to be out the door at 5:30? Ah well, still enough time for a walk. As I walked around my area today, I was just in awe of what a beautiful morning it was. There was a storm blowing by, and so I was surrounded by lightning and a slight wind, but it was still warm. Perfect morning walking weather!

Luckily, I had a meeting at Central Office today, so I didn't need to be gone quite as early this morning. After getting my kids off to school, I had a few minutes to relax and just enjoy my morning and my coffee...by myself. That is a luxury I very rarely have!

At the meeting, there were muffins and fruit and juice, but I chose just the fruit. Although the muffins looked good, I know that one muffin leads to another carb of some kind, and I just didn't want to risk it, especially on a muffin that probably didn't taste half as good as it looked! It's amazing to me how many temptations I have in a day to eat like, well, less than well!!!!!

I came home for lunch, and had a ham sandwich on honey wheat. Love spicy mustard...not too many points, but full of flavor.

My weight this morning was up a bit. :( I'm still under my original 12 day challenge starting point, but above where I ended last Friday. It's so frustrating to me that two days after my nasty weekend, and the day after eating and exercising, I'm still paying the price...but that is the way my body generally works. Delayed compensation, I guess! Hopefully, as my cousin says, when it comes off, it will come off GOOD! :)

OK, it's now 11:40, and I have until 2:30 to finish writing an incredible (ok, a finished) master's paper. I'll let you know how I did....And I'm posting this now so you can keep me accountable on it!!!! I think I can, I think I can....

Logging off for a few hours....

Oh, and supper is in the crockpot for tonight. Pork Tenderloin is on the menu, since at 2:30 I head back to work until about 6:30, so I needed something fast for my hungry kiddos.

~Missy

Day 1-12 Day Challenge #2

2011-10-24T18:37:00.000-05:00

I'm going to keep a running record as my day goes today (and maybe most days...we will see how this goes!) and then post it at the end of the day.

I started out really strong. Woke up at 5:15 (because I KNOW I'm a snooze hitter!!!), and was out the door by 5:35. Yes, am. I know! I didn't know there was such a number either!! ;) It felt really good to be on target for the morning. I did C25K week 4, day 1. It was a run, but not too bad as far as runs go. Usually, I find myself counting down the minutes, either 1-60 several times, or 60-1 several times. It's a bad habit, and one I would like to break. I want to enjoy running, not count down till it's done. Well, this morning, I actually went for 2 segments just working on my breathing and listening to the music. At the end, I caught myself counting, but hey, it's a start!! I also had the RunKeeper up on my phone, so I was able to track exactly how far I was going (and my pace, but right now it's still so slow it's not worth looking at!!). I think I need to re-adjust my route, because going through the little cul-de-sacs in my neighborhood is going to get boring FAST.

Breakfast was my usual of coffee and creamer. Not the healthiest, but it works for me! Lots of creamer makes for lots of points, but totally worth it.

Lunch. Whoa boy. I brought a Banquet meal that was 5 points. Again, not a big deal. I walked in the workroom, and there was a spread. Oh yes, a true spread of desserts and pretzel mixes and JUNK that I don't need. So, I sat in there and ate the lunch I brought, found some apple slices in the mix of the junk, and then headed out because the cookies were calling my name! No milk with lunch today.

When I got home, I was a little snacky...so I ate 2 mini pumpkin chip muffins for 3 points.
Supper was Skillet-Style Lasagna from E-Mealz, and a whole half a plate of steamed cauliflower. 8 points. I found a recipe online somewhere for "banana ice cream"--slice 2 bananas, freeze, then blend until smooth--, so I wanted to try that for dessert. Wow. So easy, and fruit is free! I did add a tsp of peanut butter, but YUM!! Add a cup of skim milk, and I'm done eating for tonight. :)

I came just under my points for the day at 26 points. Now, I'm back up to school to get plans ready for my sub tomorrow. I have a meeting to go to in the morning, and then in the afternoon, I took some "me time" to FINISH the dang paper. We'll see if it gets done, but now you all have seen me write that it's my goal, so keep me accountable if you see me online (or on FB!)

Good Day 1! :)

~Missy

Sunday night...Day off.....

2011-10-23T21:01:00.000-05:00

Another 12 day challenge starts tomorrow, and boy did I overdue it today in anticipation! I went all out, remembering why I NEED these challenges!

So, here's my eating for today (as much as I hate to admit it!!!!)

No breakfast. I had every intention of having my coffee and creamer, but it just didn't happen.

However, not having coffee and creamer, I gave myself a pass to eat lunch out. I had a chili cheese burrito at Taco Bell. Nice. 10 points. Luckily, I only had water. Then, I had about a serving of candy corn. Another 3 points.
OK, 10 points at lunch, not so bad. Snacks are okay. Remember what I said my triggers are? Dt. Coke and Pizza, right? Sooooo, I went up to work to get ready for the week, and hadn't had caffene. Yep, you got it. I had a LARGE dt. Dr. Pepper (haha, take that Dt. Coke, you are not my only trigger!!!) No points, but man it made me feel I could take on the world...and whatever food I wanted!! So, for supper, we had our usual frozen pizza. 2 pieces, at 11 points. 2 glasses of Moscato wine (beacuse I could....), and some chocolate chip pumpkin muffin dough. UGH. 11 more points.

Tomorrow, I need another 12 days to work off all the points I ate today!!! I'm still down, but I hate to know how close I am to my orginal weight!! Totally NOT worth it. Except that it taught me that I am right about my triggers!!!

~Missy

2011-10-22T20:33:00.000-05:00

Today, Rachel and I had a girls' day out. We live in a very small town, so we decided to do some serious shopping...in a town an hour and half away. Sounds great, and it was. However, we did have to eat out, which really was tough for me. She wanted Panera Bread, and I thought, sure, how bad could it be? I ordered a 1/2 a Turkey Articoke Panini, because half is always better than a whole, an apple, and water. Then, she and I got a Peanut Butter Bar to share for dessert (I only had 1/4 of the whole bar). All together, the meal was only about 10 points, which is not bad. I did have to ask them for the nutrition information, and they gave me a huge binder to look through, but I tracked it. We also bought a loaf of sourdough to bring home, as it's Jessy's favorite. OK, OK, we bought two loaves. One for her, and one for us.

Then, we were about ready to head out of town, and saw a Steak and Shake. MMMMMMmmmmm... :) So, I got her a Strawberry Shake, but I think I may have had about 1/4 of it. Counted those points.

Then, we got home, and I had a roast in the crockpot waiting for me to turn into french dips, my all time favorite meal. I got out the sourdough, and MAN were they good!!! I had two.

Needless to say, I went over my points today. But, it's the weekend, and I haven't used any of my weekly points in over 12 days, so I'm kind of okay about it.

Only kind of, though, because while we were shopping, I was able to try on (and get past my thighs!!!) not just one, but two pairs of SIZE 10 JEANS!!!! They are feeling a little tight tonight, but I'm not going to grow out of them. They will fit again tomorrow, and they will definitely fit by the end of the next 12 days!!!

Till tomorrow!!

~Missy

12 Day Challenge...

2011-10-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

12 days ago, I started a challenge that my dear cousin, Kristin proposed. The guidelines were simple. Weigh yourself. Pick a new weight goal for 12 days out--4 pounds on the scale, bringing me to a new 10's. What the heck, no one reads this anyway...it brought me to 159. Figure out one or two food that you know are trigger foods for you, and cut them out of your diet (mine are pizza and dt.coke, and I've since figured out bread in general is a trigger for me). Her rules also included no alcohol. Since I'm doing Weight Watchers, I needed to stay within my points goal (and not use my weekly bonus points or exercise points). And, since I have been known to start and restart the Couch25K program several times, she wanted to me to restart, and commit to exercising daily. I choose to not only restart C25K on week 2, but I was going to walk the same route on my off days as well, which meant I was walking at least 2.2 miles a day. I also made the choice to park in the last parking spot at work for the duration of the challenge, to remind myself that I was doing this, and could this.

There were days during this 12 day challenge I woke up, and thought, NO WAY. I can not get out of bed early, I don't want to face the cold. There were days I really wanted a celebratory drink. This fell right in the middle of parent/teacher conferences...there were days I needed a Dt. Coke like nobodies business!! And last night, I ordered the kids pizza for dinner because I knew I wouldn't be home in time. I totally wanted to come home and eat a few pieces! There were days I wanted to buck out and be done with it! But I did it. For 12 days, I did it.    And guess what? I weighed myself this morning (and several time during the challenge), and I was at 158.8. Yes, folks, I was down 4.2 pounds.

For me, this was pretty big. I have been doing Weight Watchers since the beginning of August, and had only lost 8 pounds. So for 10 weeks, 70 days, I lost 8 pounds. But by being specific and intentional in my goals and my procedure, I lost 1/2 that in just over 1/7 of the time. Pretty cool!!! That's what you call a SMART goal, folks! And it works. :) So, thanks, Kristin, for motivating me to get busy and just do it.

Now, Kristin has challenged us to another 12 days. Re-evaluate what worked, and what didn't work, and do it again. She has also added the element of journal ling, which I think I will just do here for the world to see (what do I have to hide, anyway??) And last but not least, a to-do list of projects that are just there and weigh on us daily to get finished. I'm going to start that here.   I'll be honest, I usually have a to-do list around here or on my phone, and it's pretty fluid. But, I will comply with Kristin's request, and go one step further and put it on my blog for the world to see. :) Kristin has also asked us to come up with 5-10 smaller weight loss goals before we get to our big goal...and make a spreadsheet to track those goals. I will do that offline--OR on my new favorite place, googledocs! :)

My 12 day goal weight is another 4 pounds--155 by Friday, November 4th. I'm not sure it's possible, but hey...I didn't think it was last time either!

So, my plan for the next 12 days. Same triggers as last time. Pizza and Dt. Coke. Also, I'm going to add candy, because with the Halloween candy everywhere, it could easily pack on the pounds for me...quickly. I think I ate enough candy corn tonight for the whole week!!! Plus, that adds a level of discipline that I need right now.   I will sit down tomorrow or Sunday and prepare my meal plan for the week(s) ahead. I will bring my lunch to school 9 out of 10 of the challenge days. Another thing that I noticed myself doing was that in the past, I chose chocolate milk at school most days. During this challenge, I chose 1% or skim. I am going to commit to only drinking water or 1% for lunch every day.

I will get up by 5:30am. (This is a struggle for me, and I found myself getting out of bed later and later each morning). I am going to up my distance. I thought I had tracked out my walk and it was 3.1, but it was only 2.2, so this 12 days I will up my walk/run to 3.1 miles. I will continue to park in the last parking spot as my visual reminder to myself.

OK, this is getting too long, so I'm going to stop. Tomorrow, I will post a meal plan for the 12 day challenge.

~Missy

What I did today....

2011-07-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

Tupperware Cupboard AFTER

It all started here. In the Tupperware cupboard. You know that moment when you open the cupboard, and everything comes pouring toward you? Yep, I had one of those moments. Since we had a big storm last week that knocked out power for many days (not sure how many, we were out of town), I purged the fridge when I got home. That meant I had an abundance of smaller leftover storage pieces that were shoved in the cupboard. SO. I took it on. This is the result.

(Sorry I don't have before pictures on this one!) I can, however, tell you it was bad. Very bad.

In cleaning the upperware cupboard, I found lots of little containers, and knew I had more in a drawer. So....the drawers were next. And in with the drawers come hanging utensils...

Drawer before

Contents of Drawers BEFORE

Drawer Before

Drawer After

Utensils Before

Utensils After

Junk Drawer Contents Before

And last but certainly not least was the junk drawer. If this drawer had the ability to fall down on me or jump up and attack, it would have. So, I emptied it out on to the table and got busy. It looked MUCH better when I was done.

Junk Drawer AFTER

So, all in all, it was a successful day! It is such a good feeling to be able to open things without 10 things falling on me or the ground. Hope to finish the kitchen tomorrow. Night!

Who am I?

2011-04-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

For all who are still reading....sorry it's been so long! I will try to get some posting done this week....although no guarentees!

I was asked an interesting question yesterday , and decided to put it out here. Who am I? How do I decide if I am enough? Enough for me, not for everyone else....

As I began to answer the question, I went to the standard first. I'm a teacher, a mom, a student, a friend, a daughter. Yes, but that's not enough. Try to answer that question using "being verbs" rather than "action verbs". Good thing I taught being verbs to my 4th graders so I remember what they are!!! So, not only am I teacher, but what is a teacher? A teacher is wise. Therefore (according to this person, anyway!), I am wise.
So, what being verbs would you use to describe yourself? Tough question, right? I am struggling to figure this one out!!! Self reflection is not easy, but hopefully it will be rewarding!

Till next time. :)

Well dang, it's been a few days!

2011-02-01T15:01:00.001-06:00

Let me see....
Saturday, the kids went with their dad for most of the day. (10-10...a whole 12 hours!) I did a little laundry, took a shower, and went to a friends' Boy Scout Eagle Ceremony. With Jessy. So much for a day alone! Hehe. Then, I went and got a hair cut, came home and took a nap, and did some more around the house. Not a very exciting day, or much to take a picture of!

Sunday, was another ho-hum day. Went to church, got Andrew registered for his Confirmation class. It should be a great thing for him. We even get to take a day and go to a Jewish temple and a Buddist temple in St. Louis, as a family. Here is the picture I'm submitted for his confirmation. Pretty spiffy kid, if I do say so myself! ;)

Monday, we went to school. We got dismissed early b/c of the pending snow storm. It had started to ice outside, and they were worried about getting everyone home. The ice did not amount to much, but it was great to be home! However, the kids did not feel the same, and Andrew and Rachel were punished for fighting nonstop. Their punishment was to put together a puzzle in complete silence. This was quite the challenge for them, but they survived. Imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to this:

I am trying to decide what color to paint my living room. My interior design friend sent me paint samples to put up and help me decide. The kids have decided the last color to not fall off the wall is the color we paint. They hate the green. Guess which side has only one sample left??

And the last picture is taken from my car window (Jessy was driving), as we went to the store for new puzzles (and a new DVD player since both of ours quit today!!) yep, it's snowapalozza out there, all right! ;)

Weekend plans

2011-01-28T20:32:00.001-06:00

My plans for the weekend? Funny you should ask! I hope to:

Finish and submit my taxes X DONE
Clean the living room
Hang pictures
Laundry
Write a few papers for my online class
and....

Grade my mountain.

Sigh. I should get busy.

Dinner at our house

2011-01-27T19:16:00.001-06:00

Usually looks something like this.....

Although the kids were not in the best mood for this pic! (Notice Rachel's "theme" for the night....horses on the table....this is also her current theme for life!! If it has horses, it has to be good!)

Here's a close up on the food....it was YUMMY!

Braised Beef and Broccoli

And tonight's guilty pleasure?

2011-01-26T21:59:00.000-06:00

Yes, I probably should be cleaning the living room. But, I think it's bedtime.....

Tuesday

2011-01-26T21:40:00.000-06:00

Was my birthday. My 16 year old, who I love very much, made me a cake, "filled" up the van tank (with $5), AND wrote on my Facebook wall. Isn't she quite the kid? LOL. Not only that, but since she wasn't sure how old I was (math is NOT her strong suite), she guessed. And guessed LOW. Love that girl! ;)

Sunday/ Monday

2011-01-26T21:34:00.000-06:00

Hmmmmmm....may have forgotten to take a picture Sunday. Monday, however, my wonderful, beautiful, amazing friend at work gave me my birthday present (a day early), and it was this really cool bracelet! It's so fun to wear and look at. She knows me so well! :)

Saturday...And we're off...

2011-01-26T21:30:00.000-06:00

Leaving Kirksville in the dust as we head to Cedar Falls, and the much warmer, hahaha.....

Boat show! Well, warmer only because it was in the Uni-Dome. But it was fun to dream about warmer times! :) (BTW, this is also where my high school played all their football games. It feels like going back in time every time I step in that place! I can almost hear my friends....)

Friday "Celebrity Dinner" for a great cause!

2011-01-26T21:22:00.000-06:00

Friday night, I was recruited to be part of a fun night that was a fundraiser for the High School Band and Choir here in Kirksville. I was a "Celebrity" waiter...for my table. We had a great time, and here is the very embarrassing picture of me from that night. You can also flip through and see some other pictures from the evening. Thanks to all my tablemates, Julie, Ginny, Sandy, Maggie, and the Mitchell girls....you made the night so much fun! :)

The view from here...

2011-01-20T09:51:00.000-06:00

My guilty pleasure tonight...

2011-01-19T21:36:00.000-06:00

At 7:05 am...

2011-01-18T18:59:00.000-06:00

Supper was in the crockpot. (Chili).

6:35 pm, Supper was eaten, including cornbread that Andrew made while I was still working. Gotta love teamwork, and Crockpots!!!!! :)

Monday

2011-01-17T18:41:00.000-06:00

I started this puzzle last night, and when I woke up this morning, this is how it sat. Guess my kids did enjoy it even if they wouldn't help me last night!!!!!

Yum yum yum yum, deliciouso! (Sunday)

2011-01-16T09:49:00.000-06:00

This morning, I made my newest and most fun breakfast recipe. Pop tarts! I found this at Smitten Kitchen, and these are sooooooo good! Today, I did some with chocolate chips, and some with cinnamon sugar. I think it would be fun to make some with an apple pie type filling....or she suggests Nutella, which would be amazing, but I have to wait to summer when I'm more physically active to try that!!! :) Here's my pictures from the process.

She's going to kill me.... (Saturday)

2011-01-16T09:48:00.000-06:00

But I thought Jessy looked so cute in her Christmas pj's, I just had to share! Don't tell....;)

To be completely fair, she did know I took these, and I told her they were for the picture of the day.......

Friday nights around here...

2011-01-15T10:53:00.000-06:00

Are no longer fights over the tv. In fact, tonight, Jessy was out with friends, and this is what my view was from the couch....

Thursday's Picture

2011-01-15T10:44:00.000-06:00

Thursday morning, we were running late. I can always tell when we are running late because we get stuck behind the bus. So, rather than get upset or annoyed and focus on the bus, I looked around me at the beauty of the trees covered in beautiful snow and ice from our storm a couple days before.

Then, I turned my attention to the bus, and if you look really close, you can see the heads of two of my students waving at me. They thought it was pretty funny that A) I was behind them, and B) I was taking pictures on the drive to work!! When we got to school, I showed both of them that they were in my picture, and they laughed and laughed.... :)

365 Pictures, 3 days....

2011-01-12T21:12:00.000-06:00

Some pictures of the day....since we've missed a few! The first two are of the shelves before and after I organized them and got rid of a few books. I have also added a picture frame that a student gave me on the top....I love the new organized look. I'm working on getting my house more clutter free in 2011!

Rachel has been complaining for quite awhile about getting a headache when she reads, so I finally took her to the eye doctor on our snow day yesterday. Huh, turns out she was right...she does need reading glasses!

And last but not least, this is the way our tv will be looking more in the future. That's because I took the big step and canceled cable. I'm hoping it promotes a little more family time and a little less arguing between my kids. Hopefully it will also encourage us to pick the shows we want to watch more carefully since we will have to view them on the internet or with the Wii Netflix. Also, as a big Dave Ramsey fan, I'm excited about saving $50 a month!!! :) Just call me crazy!

Till tomorrow!

Sunday

2011-01-09T20:58:00.000-06:00

I took several pictures today, but kept coming back to this one. It's what Sundays are all about. Peace. Have a great week!

Lazy Saturday

2011-01-08T21:17:00.000-06:00

Very lazy Saturday around here. Andrew was convinced (by me) to join Quiz Bowl...today, so he rode down with the team. Turns out he got to play, and had a great time. If I had known he was going to play, and not just watch, I would have gone with to take pictures of his first meet! As it were, I took a picture of the medal he won for being 4th overall in the school. :)

I spent a little time up at school, then took a nap and bummed around the house Rachel baked more cake today (she LOVES to bake right now!), and Jessy hung out around the house. Jessy and Rachel even ran to the store together to get milk, and I got about 15 minutes of complete silence. :)

Tonight, the girls and I went to the basketball game where I worked the gate, Jessy played in the jazz band, and Rachel ran around with friends and helped at the concession stand.

It was a great day, but it's 9:15, and I'm ready for bed!!! :))

Till tomorrow.....

Two things...

2011-01-07T20:40:00.000-06:00

So, before I talk about the pictures, this title reminded me of Andrew when he was really little, like 4, maybe? When it was bedtime, or time to do anything that meant he couldn't talk anymore, he would always say "Two things..." and hold up his two little fingers. It was never just one thing. He always had to get two last things in before he would stop talking. So cute! What a memory!!!

OK, the pictures. The first one is Rachel. She is so very proud because she got her report card today and got all A's and all 1's! What a kid. :) Personally, at third grade, I just really want my kids to still like school, which she does, but she decided she needed to bake a cake and celebrate her perfect report card. So she did. If you look really closely, you'll see the candles are in the shape of an A. So creative....

After eating dinner, and I played on my computer awhile, Rachel begged me to play one of our new family games...again. I can tell Sequence is going to be a favorite with her, which is totally fine with me because it's a game I actually like! There are very few games I actually like, but this one will go on the list! Mostly because two people can play, it takes some strategy (but not too much), and it's over fairly quickly! :)

Have a great rest of your night, and I'll see you tomorrow!!

Tonight

2011-01-06T19:15:00.000-06:00

Andrew cooked dinner for us! It was BBQ hamburgers with sweet onions, and I added some cheese and sauted zucchini. Dessert was banana chip bars....a treat from my childhood!

I told you I wasn't good at this!!! :)

2011-01-05T20:15:00.000-06:00

This is where I crashed last night after the first day back! I was soo tired! :)

Any guesses at what this is? I'll tell you tomorrow!

The whole point of this blog is to document a year in pictures, so I guess as long as I show a picture for each day, I'm in the clear!

Yesterday, after being back at school all day (from 7:30am), until after Tiger Club Plus (at 6:00pm), I was zonked! After eating a quick supper of leftovers, I decided to take a small nap to see if my headache would go away. I woke up this morning! So, the first picture is where I spent my evening....although I do remember the girls coming in and saying good night, and Jessy showing me a gift she got from a friend. Guess I can function in my sleep!!

See you tomorrow!

Day 2....Rachel eats her last meal...

2011-01-03T22:06:00.000-06:00

Before she goes to bed and wakes up in the morning and heads back to school!!! :)

364 days of pictures?

2011-01-03T09:30:00.000-06:00

A friend told me about a fun project found here. The point is to take a picture every day and post it on your blog. It officially started on the first, but I got in a little late, so I'm starting today! I took a picture yesterday, and that will be the first picture for me.

Disclaimer: in order to get a picture in daily, some pictures may be taken from my phone (emailed to myself!)....and not the best quality. Also, I'm really not good at this type of thing, so we will see if I can keep it up!!!


The 3 amigos....Andrew and his buds playing wii Ahhh, to be in middle school again, NOT!

Grandma's 90th

2010-10-27T21:46:00.000-05:00

The Large J Family

My Family with Grandma J

The Great Grandkids

Dad, Mom, My Sister and BIL, My Brother and SIL, myself and all the grandkids


Another Large Family Shot

Here are the pictures from my Grandma's 90th. The really amazing part is that all of my family (cousins, aunts, uncles, kids, everybody) get along really well, and we all enjoy EVERY time we get together. We were up all hours of the night in the hotel, just talking (and watching a really really sad Iowa game....) I love my Family!!!!!

Rules

2010-08-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

In addition to being a list maker, I am also a rule follower. It drives me batty when people think they don't need to follow the rules. I believe that most rules are made with the person's or people's best interest in mind, and in most cases, you have agreed to the rules somehow. By taking the job, signing the paper, going to court, getting a driver's license, etc. Huh, now that I think of it, that's probably one of the reasons I enjoy teaching! There are mostly set rules, and it's my job to enforce them....OF COURSE, that's not my only or my most important job when teaching, but it is a nice added benefit!
Now, after saying that, I do understand when there are times rules have to be broken. I am flexible, if there is a good reason.
That being said, when rules are broken just to make someone mad? GRRRR.....which is why this page is now on my bookmarks.....15 simple ways to overcome anger!!!

On that note, I did have a great day back at school. I think I'm going to love my kiddo, and am very excited about the new challenges in my classroom. This is going to be a big year of growth for me, I think. And I can't wait!

In closing, here are my kiddos on the first day!

Beginning of the School Year

2010-08-15T12:47:00.000-05:00

Ok, first of all, I'm so sorry to those of you who commented on my blog....I just realized I switched my settings and had to approve your comments!!! They are there now! :)

School starts this week. My summer has been amazing, refreshing, relaxing, and wonderful. I am sad to go back, but just a little. Because if summer was all year long, I won't enjoy it as much! Plus I'm very excited to be starting a new year and meeting my new students! While searching for ideas online this weekend, I came across these prayers from one of my favorite blogger, Angela Powell. devotions.thecornerstoneforteachers.com Here are the two prayers I will be praying over my desks and classroom over the next two days:

Lord, even though I don’t know who my students will be this year, You do, and I am so grateful to be a part of Your perfect plan. I pray that you keep my students and their families safe as the summer comes to a close and bring them to me with an open heart, ready to learn. Please help me to get to know each student and family for who they are, and to see them as You see them: they are Your creation, your beloved children, and I want to love them like You do even when they don’t seem very lovable. Help me to stand strong when I want to speak negatively about my students and remember how precious they are to You. Please show me Your divine purpose for placing each child in my class this year, and help me to walk with You, relying on You for strength as I work to accomplish Your perfect will. Thank you for the fantastic year ahead, Lord! Amen!

And this one is from Who's in Charge Here? which is both a prayer and a classroom dedication:

Powerful and almighty God, You are so amazing! You’ve had a plan for these children since before time began, and you’ve always known that our lives would cross paths this year. Please give me the gift of discernment to understand their needs and how I can meet them. Show me everything I need to know to teach these little ones and develop the gifts that you’ve given them. Let my enthusiasm be evident every day, because my joy doesn’t come from having a perfect classroom, it comes from knowing You. Jesus you are ever-faithful and unchanging, and I pray that you would fill me with your strength and perfect peace each morning and carry me throughout each day. Put a genuine smile on my face and help me to be as patient and loving with these children as You have been with me. Remind me that this job is a privilege and that I am fulfilling Your call on my life by showing up in this classroom each day. Surround me with supportive, positive influences and help me to speak only truth and light so that my colleagues and supervisors will consistently see You in me. I dedicate this classroom to You: let Your name triumph over any negativity and may everything that happens here bring glory to Your name. I thank you for giving me Your holy Word so that I have a place to turn when I need to be uplifted. Thank you for filling me with the passion and enthusiasm that can only come from having ‘God within’. May Your name be glorified in everything that happens here as Your mercies are made new each morning.

I hope you have a great school year!!

Lists

2010-08-09T06:57:00.000-05:00

So, I'm a list maker. I fully admit this! And during the school year, I work with the ultimate list maker, Diane. Not only does Diane make the best lists, but SHE LETS ME COPY THEM! :) On Diane's blog this week, she has a list of the reasons she LOVES summer vacation, or things she will miss when she goes back to school next week. Since it's August, I thought it would be appropriate for me to copy that idea.

So, here are the top 10 reasons I will miss summer!

10) Sleeping in till 9 every day and then staying in pj's all day!
9) Going to bed at midnight
8) Not waiting for the weekend for a girls night out
7) Hanging out with the kids around the house
6) Branson

5) Minnesota
4) Mission trips and church camps for the kids
3) Clean house
2) No paperwork
and the #1 reason I will miss summer.....
WEEK LONG ROAD TRIPS!

Hmmmm....I could keep going, and going, and going....
I LOVE summer. :)

While the kids are away.....

2010-08-06T08:03:00.001-05:00

Rachel and I will play! Jessy and Andrew are in Colorado on a mission trip this week (which you can read about here....aren't blogs cool?), and Rachel and I decided we didn't want to sit around the house and be tempted of things like, oh, work and school! So, when my parents invited us to join them for a couple days in Branson, we jumped on the chance! They were staying with some of their good friends, and we prepared for a great time. So far, we haven't been disappointed.
We got here about supper time on Monday, and went directly to the pool. Because really, where else would you spend your 100 degree evening? Chatting and drinking wine made the night complete, with a fairly early bedtime to prepare for the next day.

On Tuesday, the girls (Mom, Rachel, Diane, Sue and I) went to Silver Dollar City. What a day! There were no lines and no crowds. Granted, that might have been because it was about 105, but when we were there, we could barely tell! Silver Dollar City is in a very shady part of the valley, and there was a wonderful breeze. We also saved all the water rides for the afternoon. Rachel was a trooper, and enjoyed the fact that she is now 49" tall and can go on all but one of the rides. Rollercoasters and water rides were the name of the day!! We left the park at about 4, after just "one more ride", we went to the Branson Belle for a dinner cruise. The highlights of the evening were the showtune medleys (me), the talking dogs (Rachel), and all Rachel's one liners (everyone we were with!) :) A GREAT time was had by all!!!

Today, we took things easy. We got on Dad's boat at about 10, and spent the day on the water. Swimming, tubing, and skiing passed the day too quickly! Oh, did I say skiing? Yeah, that's right. Rachel was able to get up on skis for the first time EVER thanks to Greg and Sue (Mom and Dad's friends). I was not so fortunate, but she was so very proud, and I'm almost glad I didn't get up to spoil her moment!!! :) She was a rock star, and even people in surrounding boats were clapping for her!

Tonight, we are headed to Dixieland Stampede. Rachel is very excited because horses are her new thing. I can't wait to watch her face as she enjoys the show. :)
This is a fabulous way to spend our last vacation of the season. The memories will be great going into the school year, I'm just sad it all ends tomorrow!!!!
Hope you are enjoying your last few days as much as we are. See you soon!!!

School for me....oh, is it summer?

2010-07-29T00:13:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know this blog is mostly about my kiddos and my life, but I have a request, and I'm trying to put it out there as much as I can. I have just built a "wiki" for my classroom (well, really for my MA classes, but it may be used in my classroom if it goes well), and I'd love for you, my faithful readers (and I think there are 4 of you) to join me in testing it.

Here's the plan. You go to www.wikispaces.com and get an account. Then after you've registered, there is a spot in the top right corner where you can search for a wiki. Mine is Room406B.wikispaces.com Request to join my wiki, and then let me know on here or with email that you've requested. I'll add you as a user, and then you can go in and add content to the pages I've created. The only thing I ask is that if you put anything, you sign your name so I know (and my teacher knows) what you did.

If you have any questions, please let me know, and I will try to help you out. Thanks so much!!!!!!!

(And more about the kids next time, I promise!)

~Missy

My Summer

2010-07-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

Once again, time has gotten away from me! I thought maybe I should give you an update of what our summer has been like.

Jessy and Rachel on the Silly Silo

Hectic, that's for sure! But, I've loved every minute of it!!!!! We started the summer off with a trip to Adventureland in Des Moines. It was a great day, and everyone got along so well for the whole day...which is no small miracle. Adventureland was smaller than I remember it from when I was a kid, but that was because they have added a waterpark, and I had no clue that was included in admission. Next time we go, we WILL be wearing swimsuits!

After Adventureland, we spent a few weeks at home, going to Cedar Falls only once for Sturgis Falls. Gotta tell ya, I love that town. It will always be home to me.

Rachel's Taco Bell Softball team

Let's see...then it was baseball/softball season. Rachel played for the first time this year, and LOVED it. Her coaches were great, and very patient with a group of beginners! The whole team had fun, and Rachel followed her sisters tradition of loving up with the coaches, earning her a special treat from one of them. She sure is a charmer!

Andrew also played baseball this year, and loved it. His team went on to very well in the championship, although I'll be honest I don't know how they finished because we missed the last few games of the tournament because.....Andrew went to Germany! Yep, you read that right. My parents have decided to make it a tradition to let the grandkids go on a trip the summer before they turn 13, anywhere they want to go! Andrew choose Germnay, and since my parents know people there, they had the adventure of a lifetime. I tried to give Andrew a notebook to write some of it down, but, being a 12 year old boy, that didn't happen!! We're going to try to give him a blog page, though and see if he can remember any of it. Plus, he'll have plenty of pictures....when we get those developed!

Leif Erikson Park Duluth

Before Andrew went to Germany, we spent a week up at the Cabin. Now, when Dad and Mom built this place, I really did not think we'd be up there very much. It's a VERY long drive, and um, it's Minnesota! I'm not much of an outdoor girl... Well, Duluth and the Cabin are growing on me. Largely in part of the fact that I'm spoiled rotten when I go up there! I do nothing, except read, knit, boat, and ATV! Ahhh, the life, lol. A day in town shopping and a girl has all she needs! We also stopped by Leif Ericson park this year, and the kids had a blast wading in Lake Superior. In fact, they requested we go back, which we did on the way home. I was very pleasantly surprised at how warm the water was...usually it's really cold, but this time it felt fabulous, like bath water. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that it has been so hot, even up there.

Let's see, other than that, the only eventful thing to mention about this summer is the rain. It has rained, and rained, and rained. One night we had something like 4 tornado warnings in one night. I happened to be alone that night, and spent a LOT of time in my basement, facebooking with all my single friends. It passed the time....;)

Chewie

Oh, and I almost forgot. (and this is way out of order, sorry!) We have a new addition to our family. Chewbacca joined us at the very beginning of the summer, and has been so much fun. She is a very frisky kitten, who loves to play with anything that moves, and is always sitting on my lap or my chest or draped across my shoulder (her choice, not mine!!) It's almost like having a baby again!

And now, the summer is quickly winding down. How is it that the two and a half months of summer go so very quickly? I'm starting to get back into the school mood, slowly. The other day, I was filling out my plan book for school, and Chewie decided I was done. She sat down on Spring Break, and wouldn't move. Yeah, I get it, let's just slow down!!!

So, until next time.....slow down and enjoy the last few days of summer!!!!

SUMMER!!!

2010-05-28T11:25:00.000-05:00

If you've ever worked with kids, you know how important summer vacation is. Jeff Foxworthy also knows how important it is to teachers. ENJOY!!! :)

Jeff Foxworthy on School Employees:

YOU might be a school employee if you believe the playground should be equipped with a Ritalin salt lick.

YOU might be a school employee if you want to slap the next person who says, 'Must be nice to work 8 :00 to 3:30 and have summers off.

YOU might be a school employee if it is difficult to name your own child , because there's no name you can come up with that doesn't bring high blood pressure as it is uttered.

YOU might be a school employee if you can tell it's a full moon or if it's going to rain, snow, hail....anything! Without ever looking outside.

YOU might be a school employee if you believe, 'shallow gene pool' should have its own box on a report card.

YOU might be a school employee if you believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, 'Boy, the kids sure are mellow today.'

YOU might be a school employee if when out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at children you do not know and correct their behavior.

YOU might be a school employee if you have no social life between August and June.

YOU might be a school employee if you think people should have a government permit before being allowed to reproduce.

YOU might be a school employee if you wonder how some parents MANAGED to reproduce.

YOU might be a school employee if you laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the 'lounge.'

YOU might be a school employee if you encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling and are willing to donate the U-HAUL boxes should they decide to move out of district.

YOU might be a school employee if you think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.

YOU might be a school employee if you can't imagine how the ACLU could think that covering your students chair with Velcro and then requiring uniforms made out of the corresponding Velcro could ever be misunderstood by the public.

YOU might be a school employee if meeting a child's parent instantly answers this question, 'Why is this kid like this?'

YOU might be a school employee if you would choose a mammogram over a parent conference.

YOU might be a school employee if you think someone should invent antibacterial pencils and crayons...and desks and chairs for that matter!

YOU might be a school employee if the words 'I have college debt for this?' has ever come out of your mouth.

YOU might be a school employee if you know how many days, minutes, and seconds are left in the school year!

School Funny

2010-05-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share a cute story that happened today, the day before the end of the school year. We have been reading City Of Ember this month, and I have tied it in to curriculum because we were also studying electricity. However, only a handful of kids caught the connection, and I'm totally okay with that (I don't believe every moment has to be teaching, kids need to just veg out sometimes and listen)!! Today, we were watching the movie for our reward, and there is a scene that didn't happen in the book where you can see all the electrical current rushing through the wires, in slow motion. My kids were soooo cute, "Oh, man, that's too much electricity!!!" Then another added, "Too much current for that wire!" and a third, "The wire is going to short!!!" And then, three of them at the same time, "HEY--you just used a science vocab word during our reward day!" HAHAHAHA!!! It's moments like that, I feel like they got it. I did something. I taught my kids something. It was a reward for me. :)
Happy 2nd to Last Day of School, friends!

Sad news

2010-05-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

A girl I went to school with, Stephanie, lost her 22 month old last night. It is such a sad story, and I tear up every time I think about it. (You can read it here) I can not imagine the pain of losing a child. I cry when I go to my daughter's high school and they say goodbye to the seniors (and she's a freshman!!)

But the strength this family has shown as their child has been in the hospital is amazing. I would love to say I have that kind of faith--the kind of faith that can just put it in God's hands, but I don't know if I do. I know we don't know how we will react until it happens, but I want to be Stephanie and Dave when I grow up. They have been an inspiration to me. They have been able to publicly lay it all out to God, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I hope (and pray) they will be able to rest in knowing Ben is with God now. If our mission on this earth is to bring others closer to God, Ben (and his parents) have done this well. God will say to them, "Well done, good and faithful servants!!"

Specifically, they have inspired my family to pray. Something we are not great at doing as a family. Oh, I pray. I pray all the time. I feel like my relationship with God is pretty good. And I'm pretty sure my kids pray. They know who God is, and not only do we go to church, we sometimes even talk about it. However, we don't pray as a family, aside from our mealtime prayer. We don't remind each other to pray about the little stuff and the big stuff. Sure, I tell Jessy I'll pray for her on the morning of a big test, and I tell Adnrew I'll pray as he is struggling with his problems. But, we don't pray together. So, in Ben's honor, I think we will start to do that. Because Ben did not die in vain. His death will be used by God, and in my case, it will to bring my family closer to Him.

Godspeed, Ben. I pray you are resting in God's hands, eating marshmallows with angels. We'll say a prayer for that at bedtime tonight.

~Missy

So, my news?

2010-05-10T13:27:00.002-05:00

I offically enrolled in Grad school today. Yep, that's my big news. As of May 19th, I will be going back to school to get my Master's in Elementary Administration. I should be done in December of 2011. Which, btw, is WAAAAAAYYYYY before my 40th birthday! Years before, in fact. :)

I know you were hoping for a trip to Europe (me too), but that will come. I may have a trip planning in the works....

I'm thinking I need some new goals!! Help me....what else should I do before I'm 40??

~Missy

Do you know?

2010-05-09T19:10:00.002-05:00

I have some big news. It has to do with my list of things to do before I'm 40. But, I can't share yet. Keep watching!!!

Random Pictures

2010-04-21T18:59:00.009-05:00

Random Pictures:

It's FUN cooking with my Pampered Chef "toys"!!!!

We had a "photo shoot" at a great big open field last weekend. (To see those pics, check out facebook) This is what happened after the shoot!

And of course, the soccer game I promised. I can't figure out why it's so hard to get the pictured zoomed so you can actually see Jess! But, she's in oran ge and white...#19.

Enjoy!

How Low Can I Go...Day 8

2010-04-21T18:50:00.002-05:00

Today is Wednesday....nothing spent yet. That's two days in a row, for anyone who's counting...

That being said, I'm looking into a VERY large purchase. It won't have to be paid for about 20 months, but yikes. Let's just say, I'm excited, nervous, scared, READY. More to come if I decide to take the plunge.

How Low Can I Go Days 3-7

2010-04-20T15:50:00.003-05:00

Day 3- Friday. Honestly, I forgot to write down what I spent on Friday. However, I don't remember buying anything...

Day 4- Saturday. Another day I hadn't planned on spending anything....but, I did. :( I was asked to run a 1 mile race Saturday morning, and since I've been very anxious to get back out there and run, I did it. The entry fee was $15. (I took it out of the "fuel" cash, because, well, it was transportation....) After the race, the lady and her husband and I went and had a cup of coffee and a muffin ($7). Then I did some window shopping, and found two books I really really wanted...so, rather than buy them at the store, I went home and ordered them online. Cost in the store? over $35. Cost through half.com? $12. I'd like to think I saved money... ;) Then, I went home and cleaned my garage for a very low cost, highly satisfing Sat. activity. Saturday night, I needed to get out of the house and celebrate my clean garage. So, for a very cheap $20, I went out with a couple of good friends.

Day 5- Sunday. I filled my car with gas ($45.something, in cash), and then decided I was ready to get back into the groove of the C25K program. To do that, I "had to have" either a new MP3 player (my old one was my old phone that is no longer)--$45 or a bluetooth device so I could listen to music on my new phone--$20. I went with the new bluetooth.

Day 6- Monday. I spent 25cents at the ball game to help Rachel pay for a snack. She brought the rest of the money from home.

Day 7- Today (Tuesday). Nothing yet.

So, lesson learned....weekends kill me! Especially weekends when I'm alone!

How Low Can I Go--Day 2

2010-04-16T12:10:00.002-05:00

So....I'd love to say last night was a success. It wasn't, not entirely, anyway. I got home at about 3:30. At 3:45, I got a text from my daughter saying she needed supper, a $1 Double Cheeseburger from McD's (a very unusual request, since she doesn't even like McD's!!!). I told her I would get her that, and be there in about 4:30. Well, she didn't think that would be early enough. So, I rushed the kids through the kitchen. Ugh. Then, Jessy's friend called, and wanted McD's as well. So, my son found out we were going to McD's, and wanted a double cheeseburger as well. I told him he could, but he had to pay for it himself!!

So, $8 at McD's, $7 of it was paid back to me. Whew.

Then, it was off to the ballpark. I turned down MANY requests for food, and was very happy when Rachel was asked to be a ballgirl because it meant she got free food! Then, I did buy her a Gatorade ($1.50). Andrew ended up buying himself a whole meal.

All was great, until Jessy made her first goal!!! Our deal is when the kids have something special (like a concert or a contest, OR they make a goal or hit a homerun), we get ice cream. Now, I was very proud of her, but seriously, I could hear the cash register!! Luckily, she decided she didn't really want to go out for ice cream, and ice cream sandwiches would be enough. Which meant a trip to Hy-Vee. sigh. I bought her the ice cream, and remembered we didn't have juice, so I bought the kids favorite. The total at Hy-Vee was $5.46.

So, yesterday's total was $7.96. Huh. Amazing how even when I plan, I still spend money! Good thing I still had the cash. The real challenge now is getting through the next week without spending more than $7 in food money. I have NO CLUE how I will do that, but I'll keep you informed!

I'll add some pictures of the soccer game when I get home tonight!

Missy

How Low Can you Go?

2010-04-15T09:07:00.003-05:00

Thanks to my friend Kez (who lives in Australia), I'm going to spend the rest of the month looking very closely at what I spend. I honestly do this already, but I know I have some leaks in my spending, and I want to get them out of there! So, here's to Kez's How Low Can you Go Challenge! :)

Yesterday, I spent a lot of money. Let's see, for breakfast I had McD's sausage burrito and a Large Dt. Coke ($2.16), then for lunch I had a Taco Bell meal (about $4, I already threw away the receipt!) Yuck....fast food twice in one day!

Then, after school, I went to Wal-Mart for a few groceries, and spent $55.56. I think I must get giddy when I'm shopping for just myself!! I bought...sugar, coleslaw, cottage cheese, frozen stir fry, italian dressing, 5 muffin mixes, dried fruit mix, peanut butter, chicken egg rolls, weight watchers ice cream---by the way, not so weight watchers when you eat both sundaes in one night!!) carmel topping, flour tortillas, and.....a tire inflator. Oh, and a microwave meal.

Just to be clear, all of yesterday's spending came out of my budgeted food cash (yep, even the tire inflator. Hm, maybe I should have taken that out of my gas fund?), but yikes! Good thing there is another pay day this month! (I should also mention that last weekend, we were out of town, so we ate out both meals on Sunday...I spent a good chunk of my food cash on that!)

Today, I'm hoping not to spend anything. I have food at home for dinner, and it won't even take me long to get it ready, but we have a soccer game at 4, and I'm guessing my kids will be HUNGRY, just because the option is there. I'm bringing the dried fruit and soda, and possibly popcorn, though, so maybe I can resist the temptation to not let them buy just to buy?

Wish me luck!

WoW

2010-01-31T20:25:00.003-06:00

I'm really trying to update this more often. And failing miserably! Here's a fun picture from last weekend. (And no, I have no idea why it's so small...)

I was so blessed last weekend because I got to go along with Andrew and Jessy to WOW, a church retreat for the Methodist youth. We had lots of fun, heard lots of good artists, and lost lots of good sleep. ;) I'd love to go back another year, but I think Andrew would be furious if I went again next year, so it may have to wait awhile!

2010

2010-01-03T14:52:00.002-06:00

Welcome to 2010. The year the Bartholomew family budget goes digital. Completely. No more paper bills laying around for me. I have entered the world of scanning everything I may need. So, welcome to 2010. The year my computer will probably crash. heh Yeah, I'm thinking positively. :)

The good news is, I'm backing up my budget now. So, if it crashes, at least this month is saved!

Question...how many cd's will it take to save the 10,000 pictures I have on this computer? And how do I keep track of what I already saved?

Wanted: my motivation back

2009-12-30T13:57:00.004-06:00

In the past 3 days, I have done a ton...cleaned and purged 4 closets, my room, the laundry room, two bathrooms, and just plain cleaned my living room and the counter tops/stove tops/table of my kitchen. Sounds great, right? HOWEVER, I still have so much stuff!!

My next job should be to clean out my kitchen cupboards. They need it. Then, under the stairs. And of course the family room (which still has Halloween stuff out!). And don't forget the storage room, which could just use a general purge (read...get rid of everything in my path!!!). Oh, and the van, which probably would be a hazard in itself if I got in an accident. But I think I'm cleaned out. How am I ever going to finish?

I slept till noon today. It was fabulous, and I highly recommend it! I really really hope I get some motivation today, though, so I can finish my purging before the kids get home!

Let me know if you find it, please!

One project done!!

2009-12-20T14:42:00.007-06:00

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care…

(finally, after 12 years in the works)

A little history about my stockings. I made three when Jessy was very little (her first or maybe second Christmas.) Then, about two years later, I added Andrew's, but with no name. About 5 years ago, I decided Rachel really needed one, so I did hers, but again with no name. Somehow, I've managed to lose one of the stockings, so this year, I changed Tim's stocking into Andrew's complete with name, and finished Rachel's (also with her name). This year, I also added ribbon so we could hang them, rather than just set them by the tree. You'd think it would only take a few minutes, but when you have to restart about 10 times, it takes a little longer!!

And, for those of you who care, my new craft desk. I'm sooooo excited about having an area (besides the table in the dining room) that I can work on projects. Let's see how long it takes me to fill it up with A) Projects in the works (which would be wonderful, and totally acceptable), or B) Junk that I don't want to put anywhere else (NOT acceptable, but might happen anyway!)

Successful weekend. :)

Tis the Season

2009-12-19T21:16:00.002-06:00

The shopping is done, cookies are baked (why do I make them again?), my waistline is growing, why do I feel so calm?!?
I still need to get stuff wrapped, the stockings finished (I'm very close), pack for an overnight road trip, call the kennel to board the dog, um....laundry, laundry, laundry, and clean, clean, clean. Don't forget grading. Why can't the regular stuff just be put on hold while we have the holiday season?

Tonight, we rang the bell for the Salvation Army, and I must say, I was really impressed with how many people gave! Usually, when I'm walking by the kettle, I don't notice many people giving, but today, it seemed like every other person gave. What a generous community I live in!!!

OK, more later. Night!

2009-12-06T19:25:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

This is the nice pose by the tree. Aren't they just the sweetest kids ever?
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HA!!!! Here are all the pictures we had to take to get that one nice one!!!! ;)

(And this isn't even all of them!)

Yep, I'm thankful for my kids!!!!

One more for tonight

2009-12-05T21:29:00.002-06:00

Oh yeah, and I'm also thankful for the awesome new website I found....e-mealz.com Wow! Not only does it give you recipes, but also a shopping list every week! I want a subscription for Christmas!!!! (2 days of samples, and the meals are great!!!)

Thankfullness

2009-12-05T11:36:00.001-06:00

I'm thankful for Christmas music!!!!! :) And that I get to play it when ever I want! :)

Today's Thanks

2009-11-30T21:30:00.002-06:00

Just because Thanksgiving is over doesn't mean I need to stop being Thankful. I'm going to try to keep this up until the end of the year.

Today, so many things. But to pick just one, I'm thankful that I have a job that understands when I need to take a day (or afternoon) off to be home with my sick kiddos. I'm thankful that by taking that one day, I don't have to worry about my paycheck, or that I won't have a job to go back to. I'm thankful that I know my boss won't call me in her office when I get back to review my attendance record. I'm thankful for a job that lets me be a mom, first.

Till tomorrow.

Today's Thanks

2009-11-25T18:48:00.002-06:00

Today, I'm thankful for an amazing class of wonderful fabulous 4th graders who welcomed me back with songs and a good report from the sub. :) Also, for the best group of co-workers a girl could ask for. Thanks for helping me get through the day!!

2009-11-24T08:47:00.002-06:00

I'm home today, on what I'm calling a recovery day. You know, the day after you've been sick for 2 days and you still don't feel 100%, and you really shouldn't be at school because you've not been fever free for 24 hours yet, but you have just enough energy to start feeling like you should be doing something?!?!? Yeah, that's today. So, rather than clean my house (that really really needs it...I've been on my death bed for two days), I thought I'd blog and then see if I had the energy to clean. ;)

I've been reading a blog lately, and they have an incredible story...I highly recommend you check out MckMama Anyway, yesterday, she had a great blog about being authentic. And it got me to thinking...am I authentic? (webster.com says authentic means not false or imitation) In my everyday life, yes, I think I am. I don't think I say things to my friends or coworkers or students that are not authentic. But my blog? (Despite the fact I haven't blogged in months!!!) No, well, yes. Everything I say is the truth. However, it's not the whole truth! But to be authentic, do you have to always give the whole truth? And I'm not sure that's why I started this blog. I started it because I was in a terrible place, emotionally, and needed the reminder to be positive. I'm no longer in that place (Thank GOD!) But, does that mean I need to be completely authentic now on this blog? Is it possible to be authentic and positive? I mean, certainly I could post everything in my life that is happening, but I really don't want the whole world to know everything that is wrong with my life...if I tell you that's one thing, but if I post it here, anyone could see it, ya know?

So, with all that in mind, I'm going to spend the rest of the month and next month doing something I'm thankful for every day. Today?

I'm thankful for recovery days...so I can feel 100% when I go back to work tomorrow! :)

2009-09-06T13:50:00.002-05:00

I promise I will update more this weekend, probably on Monday, but I wanted to post this back to school picture before I forgot! Here are my beauties on the first day of 2nd, 6th, and 9th grade. The Bartholomew's have taken over Kirksville schools this year as we are in every school!!

Kids are back.

2009-07-22T09:08:00.004-05:00

Monday, I had my kids back. It was soooo nice! We took the day, and played, and ran errands. A funny thing happened on the way home from picking up Andrew from the pool, and I wanted to share before I forgot. Andrew had gone swimming with a friend, so it was just the girls and I most of the afternoon. We decided to go up to school for a little while to work. As we were leaving, we picked up Andrew. On the way home, I remembered we needed to drop off a library book Rachel had, so I turned my left turn signal on. Jessy, being the observant girl she is, asked why we were turning left. I told her we needed to get the book back, and she said,"no, Mom, we already took it back....on the way to school. Don't you remember?" Here's the thing....I have an ok memory. I forget things when I'm shopping, I sometimes forget why I went into a room, but when I'm driving? I'm pretty good. I knew we hadn't dropped the book off! I told her I knew we hadn't. She said, and Rachel chimed in, "Yes, we had!" Ok, at this point, I thought, well, maybe we did! So I put my right turn signal on. (We were at a red light). Then I said, No, I know we didn't. Nice try, girls. (turn signal left again) "Yes, we did!" (right turn signal...maybe we did?!?!) Giggle giggle from the back. Rachel holds up the book!! GRRRR!!!! By this time, the light had changed and I was in the process of turning. So, we had to turn around to go back to the library. I'm sure the person across the way at the light wondered what the heck we were doing! (Sorry Josh!) Stupid mom moment at it's best!!! :) We laughed ALL the way home!

Andrew had a sports physical on Monday too. He has been eating like crazy lately, and I knew he was growing. I was VERY surprised, though, to find out he is now 5 feet 1 1/2 inches!! The kid is one 1 inch shorter than Jessy!! And, the doctor is pretty sure he's ready to start another growth spurt! She guessed he's got another foot left to grow. Andrew, of course, was thrilled. "I'm going to be 6 feet?!?!?!" The doctor then said, "You come from big people?" LOL, um, no. But the more I thought about it, although Tim and I are not "big people", we both have tall uncles, and apparently my bio-dad was very tall. Who'd of thunk it? I come from big people! Anyway, Andrew is in the 90% for his height. Crazy! Although, again, as I think about it, he was also in the 90% when he was born for both height and weight (at 9 pounds!) I guess I breed big people. Ha!

Let's see, what else? Right now, they are putting a new roof on my house. Although we didn't have much damage when the tornado came through, the insurance company decided we need one. So, I am listening to the banging and pounding of a roof being torn off! It drove the dog absolutely crazy the first hour, she's gotten used to it!

Oh, and I painted my front door Sunday and put up a window box. I LOVE it. Here are pictures. What do you think? Oh, my plan is to put another window box on the front window, and one on Jessy's window. However, I have to buy the boxes at Lowe's, so it'll be a few weeks before that gets done. Andrew really thinks I need more red to make it match, so I think I'll paint the window boxes next summer, but I am having trouble finding a red spray paint that matches the red paint on the door.

So, I think that is all. I'm off to school for about an hours worth of work, and then tomorrow we leave for a whirlwind vacation of time with my family, a day with Tim's family, and a trip up north, as well as dropping the big kids off at the camp they look forward to all year long! :) I'm not willing to think about what happens after that.

Till next time!

Hmmmm, staying positive without the chaos?

2009-07-07T20:56:00.002-05:00

My kids are gone. They are with their dad for the next two weeks. Nope, not happy about this, not happy at all. But I am going to stay positive. I am going to do the best I can to enjoy this time.
So, I decided (after one and a half days on the couch), that I needed a purpose for my alone times. I do have tasks in mind...things that I'd like to get done, but eh. I don't really care if I get the storage room clean. Yes, it needs to be done, but if I don't have some sort of structure, it won't get done! I know this about me.
After much consideration and praying, I decided to do something I've meant to do for awhile. I signed up to volunteer at the Lifeline pregnancy center. Since I was only 18 when I was pregnant with Jessy, I used their services (or something similar). I want to give back. I want to use this time of being alone to give back to those who helped me get started. Granted, I had it better than a lot of pregnant 18 year olds. I had graduated, and I had a boyfriend that wanted to marry me. Should I have married him? Well, that is a question for another day!!!
I start tomorrow morning at 9am. I now have a reason to get up in the morning...a reason to get out of bed. I'm going to make this time positive.
Because, that's what Jesus would do, right?

Till next time.

~Missy

Family Fun

2009-07-06T12:35:00.006-05:00

It's been such a busy summer already! In June, I taught summer school, so we weren't able to do a lot. Then the last weekend in June, I had my class reunion. Great times! I really enjoyed myself, and I think the kids had fun too. I like being able to juggle both kid time and mommy time, although I feel guilty taking mommy time when I have the kids. That weekend, though, it balanced out I think pretty well.

This weekend was the first weekend I've had to just enjoy my kids. And enjoy them I did. We went home for the 4th of July and spent the weekend with my friend and her family, as we have done for several years now. On Friday, we went to the waterpark. It was a blast! I was a little worried because I'm not a huge water slide person and also because it was rather chilly that day (I think it may have touched 80 degrees), but it turned out to be a perfect day. The lines were short, the water cold, but not cold enough air temp that we couldn't have fun. I didn't bring my camera (boo, me!) but you'll have to take my word for it that a good time was had by all. And Andrew and I only got a little sunburnt!

The big kids spent a lot of the day off with my friend's kids, and I went down quite a few slides with Rachel. We also did a couple with everyone. I can't even describe the happiness I felt!! There is nothing like watching your kids have fun to know you are blessed! That, and Rachel said to me SEVERAL times, "Mom, you're the best mom ever. This is so much fun. Thank you." Melt my heart!

Later that night, we went to a baseball game. (Minor league, I think). The Waterloo Bucks played okay, and managed to pull off a win in overtime with a stunning score. Again, so much fun. My kids LOVE all sports, and so to be able to watch their faces was priceless. Here are a couple pictures.

There were fireworks after the game, too. Gotta love it!!

The next day, Saturday, was the 4th. We went shopping for awhile in the afternoon (after sleeping in most of the morning). It was so nice to shop at a mall. Although, it also makes me realize yet again why I can't afford to move back home!

We then joined our friends for a bbq (mmmm, steak.....) and then off to see the fireworks. I love these people, and I love my kids. The 4th is my all time favorite holiday, so I was a happy camper all weekend long. (oh, and I didn't even have to camp! That makes me a very very happy camper, ha!) Thanks friends, for the great time!

Today, I'm sad because my kids have left to spend 2 weeks with Tim's family. But you know what? It's okay. Their dad may not like me much, but at least he doesn't beat his kids. I'm so thankful that I don't have to worry about their physical safety while they are gone. (Except for the usual parent worries about car crashes and roller coaster failures, that is!)

Until next time!

~Missy, a very thankful mom

My Parenting Goals

2009-06-24T14:39:00.005-05:00

On a forum I read regularly, there was recently a post about parenting goals. It was a very thought provoking thread, and really made me think about what my parenting goals are for my kids. After all, parenting is the most important job I'll ever have, and every other job I've ever had I've had some kind of goal, so why shouldn't I do the same for helping my kids develop into functional members of society (which by the way, is my ultimate goal!!) Plus, a few recent events with the x, as well as with a beloved member of society's death, I have really been pondering this! So, here's my list. And yes, I expect to revise and revisit it often! Please comment and tell me what your goals are, or what I'm missing. Lord knows I'm not perfect, and I don't come close to teaching all of these!

I hope and pray that my kids are...

*moral, faith-filled, and full of integrity
~this includes having a spirit of prayerfullness and being able to find joy

*well mannered and considerate of others
~including being able to accept and recognize their own mistakes and/or accept others apologies
~compassionate and empathetic
~respectful of others

*good work ethic, and be well educated (not necessarily a formal education, although I'll push for that!)
~respectful of commitments to others
EDITED to add ~able to hold a stable job and have financial peace

*able to make healthy and logical decisions - by definition this would be without emotions, although I think emotions have to play some part!

*able to enjoy many different facets of life -fine arts, sports, travel, just to name a few

*able to love and be loved

*able to find good in all adversity

*happy

So what did I miss? As a single parent, I'd love any input you could give to help me do better at my most important job!!

Next list....what I want for my students!

~Missy

Teamwork

2009-06-23T09:35:00.003-05:00

Just a quick picture I took before the kids left last week. They DO work together sometimes!! :) This was emptying the grass catcher on the lawn mower.

My week with Rachel

2009-06-23T09:08:00.002-05:00

Hello from the HOT state of Missouri! :) Temperatures yesterday reached 102 (based on the bank signs), and the heat index had to be at least 10 degrees hotter! Andrew had a ball game last night, and we were soooooo thankful it was the late game. When his game started at 8:00, it was still HOT and sticky!

Last week, Tim had his 1st vacation with the kids. I would like to say it was a long, lonely week, but I would be lying. Because Rachel has choosen to be in summer school (she's really motivated to get the $100 for perfect attendence!), she stayed home with me while the big kids went with their dad to visit Grandpa and Grandma. So, Rachel and I had some awesome girl time.

I knew without the big kids, she would get bored pretty quickly, so I kept her busy! We went to the movie "UP" (cute show) one night. Then we went to a friend's house one night for burgers on the grill. They had a Wii Fit, and Rachel had a blast doing yoga (her new favorite activity, again, thanks to summer school) with my friend's son (who happens to be Jessy's age!) But I think they both enjoyed the company, and I loved having girl time with Julie! Let's see....we also went to the pool a couple times, and on Thursday, Rachel and I hosted book club. She tried to convince the group we should read Junie B. Jones as our next book, but that was vetoed by the majority ;) One of our group members, Amanda, just had a baby, and brought her, so we got to cuddle her as well. Rachel loves a good snuggle with a baby! Friday we had an at home movie night, and Saturday she spent a lot of time playing with the neighbor, and they came over to our house to play board games as well. Then Sunday, she joined Andrew at their dad's house for Father's Day. It was a fun week.

Jessy has had a busy week as well. She went with her dad to G&G's, then got home Saturday night late. She had to be at church at 5:45 on Sunday morning to go on a mission trip with the high school youth group. So, Jessy is now in Oklahoma, working hard! I talked to her briefly last night, and it sounds like she is having fun.

When she gets back on Friday, we will leave for Iowa. This weekend is Sturgis Falls, and my 15 year class reunion. I can't wait to see everyone I went to school with! I'll try to get lots of pictures to post.

Have a great week, and I'll try to post pictures soon!

Money

2009-06-17T10:33:00.003-05:00

Everyone knows the day to day struggle of paying the bills...I know it, I've lived it, and I'm sick of it. So, I'm taking control.

One of my life goals that I have posted on my side bar is to be debt free by the time I'm 40. I honestly think I might make it! Yeah!! :) I'm so proud of myself, because I have taken control of my finances, and my budget, and I'm making it work. I guess it would be bad fashion to post the exact details here, but I'm so excited I'm going to give some random thoughts.

In March of this year, our church offered Finacial Peace University. This is a budget/finance type class video led by Dave Ramsey. I think it's safe to say, I'm in love. ;) Dave's system has got me on a budget (that I created, so I get to choose where the money goes), and is giving me the chance to monthly review where I am, where I've been, and where I want to go. I've learned more about money that I ever thought I'd need to know, but I'm also now able to make decisions beyond just, can I pay the bills this month? I CAN get ahead. I have a savings account that is full, to me, and I will be debt free in 2011, sooner if I get some tax refunds or summer school money (not this years, though!) I feel pretty darn good about my finacial situation, given that I'm living on a teacher's salary raising three kids! No, we're not going to Disney World this year, but if they wanted to, we could next year. It's all in the planning, and I'm choosing to be a grown up and plan! Oh, and next session our church has this, I'm going to be a leader of a small group so I can continue to be accountable to someone, and continue on this track.

That's my note of positive among the chaos in my life today! :)

Friends

2009-06-14T20:40:00.003-05:00

You know what? Everyone needs a best friend. A lifelong best friend. I think if I could have one wish for my kids, other than that they choose Jesus, it's that they have that. Sometimes, when things feel really crappy, all I have to do is call, and she's there for me. This weekend, I was lucky enough to have my bf and her husband (who is a saint, btw), and her kids come to visit.

We are amazed again at so many little things... Our kids (who are very different ages, well, kinda...mine are g-14, b-11, g-6, hers are g-11, b-8, b-3) get along in birth order fabulously. I don't think we heard them fight once.

She and I buy the same things w/o talking to each other about it AT ALL. We can end each others sentences. For the most part, we like the same foods....even both consider our specialty food lasagne. It was funny b/c she told me I was very brave to make "her" specialty food for dinner, and then admitted it was delish. :)

She, and her dh, are some of the most generous people I know. They gave us a trampoline, then came this weekend to set it up. I think it totally just made my summer so much easier!!! Her husband also helped me (ok, did for me) put together the fridge I'm selling. Someone, who shall remain unnamed due to the positive nature of my blog, decided to take it apart into about 20 pieces, including taking the doors off. My wonderful dad brought it to me from Iowa, but didn't have time to put it together. So, my friend's husband did it, just because. What a nice guy.

I just hope I can be that kind of friend for those around me. (pictures to come)

And now, I'm off to the deck for a refreshing end of the day drink.

~Me

Wow

2009-06-12T22:10:00.003-05:00

So, it's been a really long time since I blogged. Whoops, sorry about that. I'm not very good at this keeping up with the day to day thing!!! And, thanks, Julie, for the reminder!

Hmmmm....I don't even know where to begin. Life is the same. Day to day is the same. Wait...I have an idea! I'm going to go get my calender and give a short recap of my life since I last blogged. Love it when I get those brilliant ideas, ha!

Wow. Ok, so the week after I blogged last, April 24, Jessy had her Spring Dance. She went with her then friend (turned boyfriend) Larry. Larry is a great kid. His kid sister was in my science class, and she and I loved swapping stories about them! hehe....anyway, they looked amazing, and I'll try to add pictures to this when I change back to my regular computer...stay tuned.

That same weekend, Andrew had state math contest in Springfield. That was a very fun weekend. Andrew did not place, but he says he had a very good time, so that is what counts. And I was so very proud of him for even being brave enough to take the tests.

The next weekend was confirmation. I, again, was so proud. Jessy was confirmed with a small group from the 1st United Methodist Church. She made the decision herself to join, not only the church, but the faith. Awwww....my heart melted just a little.
Let's see, what else...I spent a very relaxing weekend in Duluth. My Dad spoiled me rotten with his wonderful cooking, delicious martinis, AND I got to sleep in, and take long naps. Heaven, I tell you! Plus, my mom was there for great conversation and fun times. And my grandma came. I think she now thinks I'm a slug cause I slept to much!! But, it was the first weekend of my summer break, so I took full advantage of it!

I also had a girls night in there, somewhere! I love my girlfriends!

Oh, and I had a job interview back home. I didn't get the job, but I'm very glad I went through the motions. I went into the interview with the attitude that if this job was meant to be, it would be. I wanted it, but I just knew it would be okay if I didn't get it. So, I didn't get it, and I'm content to just stay put for now. I think God really knows where I'm needed, and this my just be the year I need to just have calm in my life. I'm trying!!

That brings us almost up to the present. I know I've left a lot out, but that's okay. :) The point is, I'm okay. I'm feeling stronger every day (well, most days). My day to day life is good. Tonight, I went to see my friend Rebecca sing on the square. The kids came with me, and ran around with their friends while I sat and talked with mine. It was almost a perfect night. This weekend, my friend is coming to visit with her kids. I can't wait.

Life is good. I'm happy.

A new goal of mine for the summer (well, 2, actually) I want to get more involved in church, and I want to get more involved with my community, or at least enjoy more community events. I want to make a difference. If God wants me to stay in Kirksville, I need make the most of it, and find out why.

Till next time....(and hopefully it will won't be another 2 months!!)

Small slip up in positive thinking...

2009-04-13T21:35:00.002-05:00

Most of the changes that have occured in my life in the last year or so have been very very positive. However, tonight I have one small gripe, said in my most whiny voice, "I miss having someone hold me at night when I'm worried about something, or just need a hug." That's all. Good night. :(
~Me

The Good Fairy?!?

2009-04-02T22:31:00.002-05:00

Really quickly before I head to bed....

My Rachel is so smart. Case in point....I was trying to help Jessy study for her Social Studies test. They are currently studying pre-Civil War. So, I asked her who ran against Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. Yep, Rachel got it. BEFORE Jessy. Good thing Jessy was in a good mood tonight, or that could have been trouble!

However, later in the evening.....
As Rachel was getting ready for bed tonight, she ran back to me in the kitchen and said (with the tone of her voice, like, how'd I miss this very exciting thing for 6 whole years)," Mom, what's the Good Fairy?" Hmmmmmm....good fairy???? So, I had to tell her I had no idea what the good fairy was. "On my calender, it says on April 10th, it's the Good Fairy!!" Man, did I hate to break it to her that it wasn't the Good Fairy, but Good Friday. She tried to insist for awhile that is was the good fairy, but we looked on my calender, and then on hers, and nope, it's Good Friday. Should I break it to her now that I'm the Easter Bunny too? Sigh...being a mom is tough work!!

:)

~Missy

Too Good to be True

2009-03-29T13:13:00.002-05:00

So, do you ever have that feeling? That life is just going to good? I'm so scared, and yet trying to live and love in the moment....because right now, life is good!

Current Amens?

Andrew went to math contest in Macon yesterday, and is moving to the next level in both concepts and problem solving! What a kid! I'm so proud of him, my heart almost bursts. As much as it pains me to say, I think he must have gotten his math ability from him dad because he certainly didn't get it from me!!
That table I want at Target? Well, it turns out on of my friends from high school happens to work for Target, and was able to pick it up for me. Not only that, but instead of paying the $50 shipping, someone (yet to be determined) is bringing it to me, AND she saved me money! WHO-HOO! Plus, just the fact that she read my blog and saw that I wanted it makes me happy. Haha- Thanks N!!!!
My family is coming to me for Easter this year. I knew my mom and dad and grandma were thinking about coming, but now my bother and sister in law and their kiddos are coming too! I get to have a real family Easter, at my house! I've said before I love my family, but this is just another reason why. We enjoy spending time together, and make opportunities to do so. This will be twice in 4 months we've been together, which is fabulous. I'd love for my sister to come, but I understand she's a lot farther, and I know she'd be here if she could.
I really feel like I'm finding myself again. That sounds silly, I know, but I've been given an incredible opportunity to spend real true alone time with myself, and I'm making the most of it. I'm taking a class at church about finances, and trying really hard to learn how to spend my money wisely. I'm getting myself in physical shape both with running, and now my friends here are starting a workout group, which they have invited me to join. Although I don't like exercise (and no, N, it doesn't get easier), I think having that accountability is GREAT. I'm happy with my church, and want to get more involved. I know I have spiritual work to do, but I'm working on that too.
School is wonderful. I'm exhausted at the end of the day, but I love my class and my kids and feel so blessed that I have a job that not only pays me, but I like to be at!

So, see? Life is just too good. I could go on and on, but right now I hope I just stay on top of this mountain for awhile. I need to rest up here, and hope life is treating you good as well. :)

~Missy

I Love my Life

2009-03-22T13:31:00.003-05:00

Man, I'm so blessed. I have amazing kiddos, who don't really get along with each other right now, but that's okay! They are siblings, and that's what siblings do, right?

I'm not sure why I felt the need to post today, other than just to say we are good. Rachel had a sleepover last night, in a camper....yeah, she's napping now....I think that means they had a good time!
We went to Target yesterday and bought the kids new summer clothes. Everyone found a few things they like (can you say small miracle?) I spent way more than I would have liked, but again, EVERYONE found something they liked!!!! I was a little disappointed, though. The table that I really want for my living room was sold out. So was the shelving unit I thought would work downstairs. The manager told me "the furniture department is having troubles lately" so he's not sure when they will be in. Sigh. Hopefully next weekend! To ship it, it's an extra $50....no small pocket change!!

Then we had Applebee's for lunch. It was soooo nice to get out of Dodge for the morning! Soccer starts next weekend, so it will be the last time we can get away for awhile. After soccer, we have baseball. Yep, our life just got complicated! But, I love it. I love running the kids to sports, and watching them have fun. This is living, I tell ya! :)

I guess I never blogged about my 1.5 run, either. It was Tuesday, St. Patty's day. I will admit, I walked about as much as I ran. But I did it, and I ran some of it. YEAH!!! :) My new goal is to run a whole 1.5 Ya, we'll see when that happens!

So, that's all right now. I know it was kinda random, but so's my life!!

2009-03-16T21:43:00.003-05:00

I had an amazing Spring Break last week, and am thinking I really need to blog about it, mostly for myself. So when I have moments like this one, where I'm feeling sad or sorry for myself, I can think how good I really do have it!!
So, last Friday, I took off for my big adventure. I was going to see my sister in Philly on Saturday, and since my plane left in the morning, I decided to take advantage of my child free moments, and stay in a really nice hotel all by myself. It was wonderful. I sat in a hot tub and watched other people's kids fight in the pool, and reveled in the fact it wasn't my kids. HA! Then, Saturday morning, I peacefully got up at about 8, drove to the airport, and boarded my plane. It was so relaxing to do it by myself. I know that sounds silly to people who've never traveled with kids, but the difference between traveling with and without 3 children is just unbelievable!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to take my kids on trips, and I honestly love the stress that goes with it, but this was just plain...relaxing. It felt like a vacation!
In Philadelphia, I just hung out with my sister. We did not "do" much of anything....oh, well, we shopped of course, because living in Kirksville I had to get that in!! And she introduced me to a Wawa, which by the way (for those of you from this part of the country) is a gas station. Yep, a gas station. But they have a very cool sandwich section where they custom make your sandwich while you "shop". Still not quite sure the attraction, but the sandwich WAS good. LOL. We did the IKEA, which if you haven't been there, is an awesome store. I love IKEA's, and was amazed to learn there are 2 of them in the Philadelphia greater area. Huh. NOT FAIR. Share the wealth, people!!! We also did Target, and hit 2 outlet malls near Lancaster, Pa (yeah, where the Amish live. We only saw one Amish guy, though. It's ok. They live near here too!)
So, besides shopping, I spent a lot of time cuddling Helen, who has grown so much since Christmas!!! She's still a little peanut, but she's a growing peanut! I just loved holding her, looking at her, listening to her coo, watching my sister be a terrific Mom. Carrie and I also had some nice talks, not interrupted by my kids' needs for once! Again, what a novel concept! We went to her church, had dinner with her best friends (which was a ton of fun...thanks Kelly and Kwinn!), and went to a real tea with a real English Lady(well, she's not a Lady, Lady, but a lady....kwim?)! All in all, it was a great trip. I flew home Thursday afternoon.
Friday, I had the whole day to do whatever, and I did do some cleaning, and errands, and fun maintenance/ life stuff (you know, meal planning, oil change, bank visit, etc.) Not exactly an exciting day, but a good, accomplish-a-lot type day.
Saturday was the topping on the cake of a perfect week. My 4 bff's from high school and I all went to the Amana's for lunch, then shopped the whole rest of the day at the outlet mall in Williamsburg. I don't think I've had that much fun since high school!! We laughed, we talked, we planned, we had fun!!!!! I'm not sure why this friendship group got away, but I don't think any of us will ever let it happen again. We are planning to get together at least 2 more times, and I honestly think these girls will once again be my bff's forever. Wow. How blessed am I that I have friends like that? Friends that after 10 years of not spending time together, we can meet back up again and it's almost like the 10 years disappear! And how much I have missed in those 10 years by not having that? Never again, I tell you. I'm living for this. I'm living b/c it's fun. I'm living b/c I love and am loved. By more than just my kids. Unconditionally. Nothing can get in the way of that. Nothing.
So, now I have to get some papers graded, and get some sleep. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and a race to run after school. Nothing's going to bring me down...I don't have time!! :)

Life is good

2009-03-02T19:29:00.002-06:00

Today was a good day. I'm not sure why, exactly, but yeah!! :) Actually, the whole weekend was nice.

On Saturday, the kids and I went to Quincy. They have been begging to go to Bonkers, a big kid's Chuck E Cheese, so we did it. We also shopped for shoes for Andrew, dress clothes for our church picture on Thursday, and anything Jessy and I could agree on. Normally, this would be quite the chore, and honestly, not much fun, but Saturday was different. Jessy got to bring a friend, and once Andrew got his new shoes, he was a happy camper. I was able to hold Bonkers over Rachel's head just long enough to keep her fairly happy, so we ended up having a very successful trip.

AND, I bought myself something. A new Dyson. If you haven't heard about Dyson vacuum cleaners, you've been living in a.....vacuum. HA! I bought it with the slogan, "Divorce sucks" Get it? Ha!

So, Sunday, we spent the day doing next to nothing. I did vacuum a few times. But that's about it. It was nice to hang out with my kids.

Today, I don't know...just a good day. The kids at school were good, my own kids have been good, I've vacuumed and cleaned a little, and it's just a good day. AND....4 days till Spring Break! Doesn't get much better than that.

Till next time...

The End, and the B eginning

2009-02-27T21:58:00.005-06:00

So, just a quick note to let you know what's happening. It's official. I'm divorced. We had the hearing this morning, and the judge granted our motion. It was a very bittersweet 1/2 an hour. I know in my heart that I have done the right thing, and we will both be better people and better parents without the "us". However, it was the end of a marriage, and probably the end of a friendship (although I hope not). That was sad, I married someone at 18 years old I thought I would fight for to the grave. And I'll admit, I cried the whole time we were in court because I couldn't hold on to that promise. (And yes, I'd still fight for him...I just want the best for him and hope he knows that!)

But, life goes on, and I know I'm strong and have wonderful, resilient kids who can learn from our mistakes. I can hold my head up high because the decisions I made were what I thought were best for the kids, and with their best interests in mind. I hope someday they can look back on this and know I did the best for them I could.

I bought myself a ring today that says, "Everything is possible, when you have faith". Amen?

And so, the beginning of Staying Positive Among the Chaos, chapter 2.

(p.s. Thanks to all my friends and family for your support during this really hard 2 years. You will never know how much it has meant to me to be able to bounce things off you again, and again, and again. You have shown me what true friendship is, and I hope to be that kind of friend to ALL of you. Oh, and with my speech, I'd also like to say a special shout out to my lawyer (and friend)...thanks for helping me get through this with my millions still intact...) LOVE YOU ALL!

Picture Tagging Post

2009-02-21T13:40:00.004-06:00

I saw this on another friend's blog, and thought it looked like fun. Plus, I love to take and post about pics, so here goes! (Thanks for the steal, Nichole!)

I've been tagged. This tag is simple and easy to do, quite brainless really.

1. Go to my documents/pictures

2. Go to my 6th file folder.

3. Go to my 6th picture.

4. Blog about it.

5. Tag 6 people to do the same. (I'm not going to tag people, please if you want to do it, do it. Also, if you do it, leave me a comment and let me know and I will check yours out!!)

I'm thinking the kids must have taken this picture, and I'm guessing, due to my Dad's leg in the picture, that it was probably Rachel. So, on content alone, I can tell you that this is Ally Black Dog, my parent's beloved rescue lab. She really is the baby at their house, and family get togethers are getting harder and harder on her, which is why she's hiding under the table.

Based on the other pictures in the folder, this picture was taken last June at my parents' 60th birthday party. We had an amazing time that weekend, and had friends and family from all over the US join us at my parents' "cabin" in Northern MN. My brother and his family came from IL, my pregnant sister and her husband came from PA, my Grandma from IA was there, as well as an aunt and uncle from NE, and Mom and Dad's best friends who are now scattered from TX to VA. I think I probably laughed more that weekend than I had in a long time. I hope we get to do it again for my parents' 70! Or heck, their 61st!!!!

Harry G.P.

2009-02-16T18:20:00.006-06:00

I'd like to introduce my newest "What was I thinking" moment....

Meet Harry G.P.

Andrew has been wanting a pet for a really long time, so today I gave in and bought him his very own Guinea Pig. He is so excited, and sooo very proud of his new friend.

The dog is not so happy with Harry or us, right now! We tried to introduce them, but Copper really tried to attack the cage, so we put her outside for the time. Poor Copper! However, when we moved Harry upstairs to the living room (cause we read online that GPs are very social creatures and like to be where the action is), then let Copper back in, Copper ignored him completely. So, YEAH! I think we will put the dog in Jessy's room for right now when we aren't home until we are sure she's going to leave Harry alone, but I think they will be fine. Whew....crisis averted!

That's our news. Have a great evening! :)

Introducing Helen Jane (a little late)

2009-02-07T08:50:00.007-06:00

I thought since I promised months ago to post pics of Helen, I would do that now while I'm thinking of it. Here she is:
: Helen Jane, the newest cousin

I'M BAAAAAACK.....

2009-02-07T07:35:00.002-06:00

Good Morning! I have decided I like nothing better than waking up to 50 degree temperatures! I opened my windows this morning and am LOVING the warm breeze that is blowing through my house. OK, this is going to be short b/c I can't type this morning, every other word I just typed was backwards or misspelled! I guess it is my fingers way of telling me to get off the computer and get the house cleaned. :)

Two things. 1) I'm so extremely glad it's Saturday and the weekend! It has been a really hard week for me, and I'm ready. My 3 BFFs from high school are coming here today, and I'm about jumping for joy. HURRY UP, girls! :) One of them I've stayed in really good touch with, and we talk a few times a week, but the other two, I have not been good about calling, emailing, or even facebooking, but when one of them mentioned in a FB status she needed to get away for a weekend, I offered my house. She accepted, and I'm SO glad she did. We are going to have so much fun catching up and learning about each other again! So, that is why I need to get cleaning!

2) For Christmas, I bought myself a daily calender. You know, the kind that you tear off the pages? Well, I got the one that is 1000 places to see before you die, and I'm loving it. The pictures are beautiful, and it gives me lots of ideas for vacations I'll never be able to afford, ha! I thought I'd try to post some of them here. Thing is, it's already February, so I'm quite sure I won't show all of them, but maybe just my favorites. Oh, and these aren't the pics on my calender, but random ones I googled of the same place b/c I'm too computer illiterate to scan them and post them! So, my favorite for today is Martinique, in the French West Indies (in the Caribbean) Enjoy!

2008-12-21T15:22:00.001-06:00

I am the proud new aunt of Helen Jane. She was born at 1:04pm this afternoon after an emergency c-section. Mother and baby are doing great, and I will post pictures AS SOON as I'm allowed. :) Now I really can't wait till Christmas so I can go see them!!

What we did with our snow day....

2008-12-20T16:12:00.003-06:00

Don't they look like they are having fun? Some day I'll share the real story....

But, honestly, I LOVE snow days, and it was so nice to just have the day to relax with the kids. And the best part, our first make up day is in February...what is the chance that it will be warm enough we'll even notice?!? LOVE IT! :)

2008-12-19T08:54:00.002-06:00

100 Things

So, I'm stealing this from many of my friends at work....I can't wait to see how many I've done!!
Things I’ve Done (in Green)
1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (I think I read Disney counts....)
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (around Lake Michigan pier in Duluth)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

Wow, I am surprised! :)

Enjoy the snow day, friends!

Religion

2008-11-09T12:35:00.003-06:00

I had a much needed sermon at church today, and couldn't wait to get home to think about it. I have been struggling with a lot of church issues, and 2 of them were addressed. You know those times when God has put you right where you needed to be? Yep...that was today....I was really considering not going because Tim has the kids, and I'll be honest, sometimes it's just nice to be home and revel in the quiet when they aren't here. However, I bit the bullet and went to the church I enjoy, not the one the kids prefer.
The first issue was baptism. The church the kids and I attend together is one for a long time I have considered joining, but one of their policies for joining is that you are baptised as an adult, or a consenting child. Well, I was baptised in the Lutheran church as an infant, which in case you are wondering is considered a full immersion type of baptism, and have always believed this was enough. I understand what the other church is saying about not making the decision myself, but as a teenager, I was also confirmed in the Lutheran church, which is in essence the same, committing myself to the church and God, etc. So, I have had a problem with being re baptised to join a church. The pastor today addressed that issue for me, in a very clear, comforting manner.
The second issue is one that is more recent. I have been struggling with being saved because of something ONE pastor said to me this summer. It hit me really hard, and I've been wresting with myself since. Today's sermon also reminded me that as a Christian, and as one who has been baptised and taken Christ as my own, to go to Heaven, I need to just repent and embrace my baptismal promise. After all, grace is simply God's Riches At Christ's Expense. He died for me. He died because He knew I would sin. He died to wipe my slate clean. Wow. Ok, intellectually, I knew this. I told myself this over and over this summer. But it really took hearing it from the pulpit to make it sink in. God was there this morning. He touched me, again. I do acknowledge I've sinned and failed God again. But I'm forgiven. I'm still going to Heaven!
I also decided the reason I enjoy this church. It is so much like my church back home in so many ways. I need that consistency, that structure to feel embraced and comforted. The other church, although touches me and provides for me in other ways, does not comfort me. Now, I'm beginning to understand that church is not all about me. In fact, I'm reading a book by that title. But, I do think we need that from a church in order to reach out and church others. We have to be touched to touch. Am I totally off base here?
Anyway, off my soapbox. God loves you too!!! What a feeling!

Pictures later today (if I get the bills paid, that is!)
-Missy

Pictures I promised

2008-11-02T20:55:00.002-06:00

Rachel...aka Hannah Montana and Andrew aka Super biker dude

The family at 1000 Hills for our fall pics...look for more to come, but now, I'm headed to bed! Night!

Missy is

2008-11-01T12:59:00.003-05:00

A friend and I were talking a couple of weeks ago about how our thinking has changed since blogging. You know, "wow, I should take a picture of this, it would look great on my blog!" Or, "I should remember to blog about this..." things like that. Well, I think I've sunk to a new low. Now, rather than just thinking in terms of blogging, I've shortened my life to simple one liners for Facebook. Now, I think like this...
"Missy is suprised at the number of flies and ladybugs she has vaccuumed this week"
"Missy has vaccuumed twice this week...it's a new record"
"Missy wishes her daughter would finish the laundry she started"
"Missy wants to watch tv for just 15 minutes"
You get the idea...I now think in one liners. Sigh...too much facebook time, maybe?!? LOL!

But, on a good note, I love that I have connected with all kinds of people from my past. There was even an article in this month's Good Housekeeping about it (which, I'll admit, I bought for the article about Jon and Kate, not for the interviews with Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain), I thought it was very interesting and relevent. Check it out! http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/names/real/reconnecting-lost-friends?click=main_sr

I'll try to get Halloween pics posted later today, but for now,
Missy is going to fix some lunch for her hungry clan!