Straw that Broke the Camel's Back

We've had a few ups and downs involving Dani these past few months and I won't divulge on the details because they are private to her and I know she wouldn't want me to post it out on the internet. Things got a little worse about a week ago and last Monday a decision was made (by Dani) that she would come to Wink and live with us. I know her coming here is going to be hard. It's not going to fix things right away and I'm not sure it's even going to fix anything at all but we have to try, right?

I have to say how proud her dad and I are of her. She has left her childhood friends, her boyfriend, her dance team, her mom's family and most of all, her Mom in Odessa and I know that that was not easy at all. The whole time Mac & Dani were going through the process of her being un-enrolled from Permian, talking to teachers and friends, they were telling her how disappointing she was. But she kept her head up, didn't give in and did the hard thing; got her stuff and moved to a completely new town and school to try and get her life back on to where she wants it.

We have told her a number of times that if it ends up not working out and she thinks she'll be happier back in Odessa with her Mom, that we wouldn't say anything. It would hurt, yes, but just because we would be back on the old schedule and not getting to see her as often, but we aren't going to force her to stay with us if it comes to it.

I pray every night that things will work out and God will give me the strength and patience to deal with another child, especially a teenager. It's going to be a tough ride but I think we will get through it as a family.

Halloween 2011

It's been awhile since I've been able to post. It seems like every time I turn around, there is something that I'm having to do. I'm even having a hard time to be able to sit down and read a good book which is extremely upsetting lol.

In the almost 2 months that I've taken a blogging vacation, you've missed a new car for Dani, two birthdays and a Halloween peprally. Yes, there were more events than that but those were the biggest. Today I'm going to share a few photos of the kiddos on Halloween and Dani's dance team doing a Halloween peprally for their school a few weeks ago. I can't get enough of this video. I love the way this girl dances, she has some real good talent and I've been a proud mama showing this video to anyone and everyone :)

Dani starts out on the right hand of the screen and is one of the zombies in the 'ground'. She is wearing the fuschia dress. To get the full effect make sure you put it on full screen!

Emily, Kristin, Dani & Claire

Panther Paws dance team

Our Halloween Costumes:

Shaye as Cleopatra 

Gagie the Cowboy

Me being a nerd.

Dani dressed up the weekend before for a party but I wasn't able to get a picture of her and of course, Mac didn't dress up.

What did you dress up for on Halloween?

WWW Wednesdays

This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


My answers:

What are you currently reading? I am reading The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. It's a very good book but  I've been a little burned out on reading and I've been incredibly busy so it's taking me longer than normal. If I hadn't been so busy would have had this book read in about 2-3 days. But I'm now coming up on the 2nd week of the book. Should be done soon.

What did you recently finish reading?   It's been so long, I had to check my goodreads profile. It was Sweetly by Jackson Pearce. That book I zipped right through. It is the companion book to Sisters Red and is a very nice twist to Hansel & Gretel. I would definitely recommend to anyone.

What do you think you’ll read next? I'm putting aside my YA.. well fiction altogether (Gasp!) and reading "The Spark" by Chris Downie.


PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog).

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

“Cole slips a fraction closer, but the darkness against the wall is so thick I can just make out his outline and his eyes. It must be because his skin is so fair that his eyes seem haloed and bright, the way did that first night on the moor.”

                           ~ p.95, “The Near Witch" by Victoria Schwab




PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Where were you?

Where were you ten years today? I was a senior in high school and I can still remember to this day what I was wearing and how I fixed my hair that day. It's crazy how something like that day could make you remember something so insignificant like how I fixed my hair on what I thought was going to be a normal day at school.  We were in 1st period band when the first airplane struck and knew nothing of what was going on. When I walked in to my 2nd period accounting class the t.v. was on and the 2nd airplane was just about to hit. I remember walking around in a some what of a daze that day. The teachers left the tv's on all day and there were a lot of people crying but I didn't. I don't think what had happened really registered with me until a few days later or maybe I was just naive and didn't really understand what was happening.

Of course now, the weight of what those horrible men did to our country is a full weight on me. I know what they did to us and what they took away from us. Shaye and I had a talk this morning about what happened those short 10 years ago and decided to watch a video. She and I both started crying but soon she dried her tears and came gave me a big hug. She told me, "Don't cry Mom, they are in Heaven and God can protect them now." He sure can baby, He sure can. The innocence of  child. I love it.




I'm not going to make this a long post, so just please remember all the people who died in those planes, twin towers & pentagon. The people, firefighters and civilians, who worked to get the people out of the world trade centers. And of course all the service men and women who have died fighting, have fought & cam home to us and the ones who are still fighting for freedom to this day.

Us

Little Man being silly

My girls

Us

Bane.. Bane I tell you!

Laundry, like almost every other mom out there, it's the bane of my existence. 

It doesn't matter how often I do it, there is ALWAYS more to do! I spent 3 hours cleaning out our dining room/ living room this weekend. For the longest time it became the spot for everything that wasn't wanted. Our table has been covered since Little Man’s birthday. (not going to count how many months that has been) Also, there was a huge, ginormous Rubbermaid storage… thing that has been in there since Babe switched jobs in March, making it to where I couldn’t put my treadmill down.

BTW, that’s my excuse for not exercising. But now that I got it out of the way I guess it means I have to actually start walking again.

Anyway, after throwing out all the junk that was in the bucket thingymajig, I then started filling it with clothes that were all on the floor beside it. It is now completely full and I still have more clothes on the floor in Little Man’s and my bedroom. Where all these clothes came from, I have no idea but I know we don’t use them.

I started a few months ago buying the Rubbermaid storages and every time I got done with a wash, would throw the clothes that were too small in there. I have 5 of them filled up (and out of my house in storage) and still I am nowhere near getting this house cleaned up. This is the point I’m usually trying to remind myself that Flylady motto: “The mess wasn’t made in a day (kind of like Rome) and it won’t be fixed in a day either.” But, damn, it sure takes long.

I think it would help a lot more if my lovely 7 year old Drama Queen wouldn’t try on clothes and then throw them in the floor but I don’t see myself fixing that anytime soon. That girl loves her clothes.

What kind of things do you do with your laundry to keep it more manageable? I’m up for any ideas! 

"This Time I Will Praise The Lord"

                         Genesis 29: 25 - 35  (NASB)

²⁵ So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?” ²⁶But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. ²⁷Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.” ²⁸ Jacob did so and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. ²⁹ Laban also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid. ³⁰So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with Laban for another seven years.

 ³¹ Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. ³²Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has seen my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” ³³ Then she conceived again and bore a son and said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” So she named him Simeon. ³⁴ She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi. ³⁵ And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Don't try to please others only try to please God.

Don't live in complaint and misery. It will only

make us depressed and sick. A lingering illness.

To have our desires or dreams met, we get so carried

away and lose track of God. we were created to be worshipers.

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. he will fulfill the desires

of our heart when our hearts belong to Him first.

We all have character flaws, When we discover Gods love

Those flaws will fall away. The more we love the more will

fall away. We are incomplete until God dwells within us.

This was the topic of our sermon today at church. How many times are you finding yourself trying to find ways to please people to maybe get ahead in life. Or you try to please your husband so he will like you more or will pay more attention to you. I find myself every once in awhile trying to do the best at work so I can get more recognition from the boss. I try to keep up with the house, cook the 'right' supper or not pipe up as much when I don't agree with something so my husband will give me compliments or won't look down at me. 

These are all to make me feel better and it hit me today in church that I really need to stop. The only person I should try to please is God because he is (or should be) the most important thing in my life. 

Kids and the things they say

The kids were eating out with my parents when a little boy comes in the restaurant while not wearing any shoes. Drama Queen could not get over the fact that his parents would let him in there without shoes because in our family it is unheard of. After pointing it out a few times, my mom told her to be quiet and keep eating. Drama Queen listened to her but after a few minutes asked, “Grams, why do they call it barefoot?” And my mom answers, “thats just what people say when people don’t wear anything on their feet”. Drama Queen nods her head and goes back to her food for a few minutes then pipes up again. “Well, you know they could call it ‘dogfoot’ too because dogs are like bears and don’t wear shoes either.”


I burst out laughing when mom told me this. My little cutie says the funniest things sometimes.

Drama Queen’s Weekly Recap

The best thing about this past week:

• I get to go to the computer lab every Friday.
• I get to play at the playground
• I got to go to school, learn & make new friends
• I woke up feeling really good
• There are 2 kids from school last year that are in my new school

The worst thing about this week:

• Nothing at ALL

I am looking forward to:

• Having waffles for breakfast

Back To School

First day of school has come and gone and Shaye still wants to go back which really surprises me. She wasn’t able to make it to the first day of school (long story) but was really excited when I woke her up on Tuesday telling her to ‘wake up, it’s time for school!’ She loved it at first sight. The newness & excitement has worn off a little so even though she wants to go to school, she’s finally to her normal self that doesn’t want to get out of bed and definitely does not want to do homework.

There are many changes that had her really excited for this new school year. One of those reasons being a new school. After thinking about it really long and hard, Mac and I decided to enroll her in the neighboring town’s school instead of going back to our local school.

I want to state that it has nothing to do with the school district itself because I love it. I went to school there and got a really good education. We live in a town with less than 1000 people so the obviously the classes are small. They are strict with a good dress code and manners are a must. If there isn’t a yes ma’am or no ma’am coming out of your mouth, you’re in trouble.

Our problem was with the teachers and their inability to know how to handle different kids. There was also the fact that they have no other option if the child doesn’t get along with the teachers. Shaye started out first grade last year in a really good place. She was nervous and really behind which we knew from talking to the kindergarten teachers. They wanted to hold her back but they don’t like doing that in kindergarten, they would much rather do it in first grade.

By the end of the first semester, she was doing better. Her reading was improving, she was doing awesome with her spelling, and alright with her math. But something switched after winter break. She started hating going to school; she was depressed and crying almost every day after school. After that she shut down. It was impossible to get her to read more than a page or so of a book, homework started taking up to 2 hours to do even though it was really simple and she was acting out a lot more. We didn’t know where our child went. She was a shell of herself and it scared me.

After conferences with the teachers, it was decided that Shaye would be attending first grade again. I agree with it whole heartedly because she is still pretty immature for her age and the whole shutting down has put her even more behind and she would never had caught up in second grade.

Even though I love the school, I had a bad feeling that part of her shutting down was also the teachers. If she went back to the same school, she would have the exact same teachers again. Mac and I didn’t feel like chancing it so we switched her over. So far it’s going really good. She’s really excited that she gets to ride to school with Mama again (plus there is the part where she gets to choose the music on the way to school), and a lot of her friends that she knew from daycare go to this school so she’s getting to reconnect with them again. She really enjoys her teacher and loves the fact that she only has one teacher and doesn’t have to switch classes.

I’m hoping the excitement of the new school, friends and buses doesn’t go away too soon. It overjoys me to see her actually happy about school again.

Poop Happens

I had a headache. A horrible one that comes from being in this hot West Texas weather, not drinking enough water, and slightly because I went and watched a movie without my glasses. I do have to say that it was good movie, so the headache might have been worth it, but that's beside the point. I put Shaye and Gage into the bath and went to search out some relief from water and possibly some pills. After driving home for an hour with those two in the car, I needed something. A margarita would have been better but I have work tomorrow.

I didn't get any further than getting some water when I hear those horrible words come out of Shaye's mouth. "Mama!! Gage pooped in the bathtub!"

*FACEPALM*

I knew it was going to happen one of these days. Children do that from time to time but luckily in the 7 years that Shaye has been on this world, she never did it. Of course it had to be the boy. So with me being frustrated, I act like the 5 year old I wish I still was and stomp into the bathroom to see how bad it was. Not horrible but it's not like they can bathe in it, I'm going to have to clean the tub, disinfect the toys and then throw the Littles back in. I get Gage out and just let him run around naked (because I'm a dumbass, obviously) and get Shaye to put on a t-shirt while I start cleaning up the mess. A few minutes later Gage comes running in and says Mama! When I turn around to see what he wants, he has the look on his face. You know what look I'm talking about. The one that is the telltale sign of needing to go. So I'm frantically yelling for Mac or Shaye to get me a diaper... "Anyone! I don't care who.. Just get me a diaper!"

Being the fast diaper changer that I am, I got it on just in the nick of time. He gets up and runs off, whining to Mac while I continue to clean. Finally, it's to the point where they can jump in again. I go to round them up and there on the couch is the most pitiful looking little boy I've ever seen. You could tell by the look on his face (and the noises coming from his bottom) that his wittle tummy huwts.

So I send Shaye packing. Back to the bath for her WITHOUT toys because Mama just didn't feel like going through all that tonight. I sit on the couch and rub Gage's back while watching Go Diego Go and listen to the horrible sounds come out of this little boy. He sucked down some apple juice, did his business and was good to go. By the time all this happened, Shaye was already done with the bath and ready for bed so he just happened to miss out on bath time tonight. We'll try again tomorrow night and hopefully we won't have any surprise visitors then.

I finally got my relief in pill form and now I'm trying to figure out to get all this laundry done in the 30 minutes before I need to be in bed. I'm thinkin it's not going to happen..

Night All!

It's Time

Today has just been one of those days where I want to slap myself in the head. Instead of me actually being on top of things and being completely ready for church this morning, I hadn't even picked anything out to wear, let alone do some laundry for the kids to have clothes to wear (I've fallen behind in the laundry the last few weeks). So instead, we skipped church.

This would have been an excellent time for me to catch up on some cleaning and, of course, the laundry but I decided playing the Sims 3 would be a better use of my time. This is something I need to really quit doing. I have one of those addictive personalities. Not where people get addicted to me (ha!) but where I pick different things throughout the year, get addicted to it and devote almost all my time to it. There are games, my book reading, my fan fic reading, Facebook, Google, twitter... I could really go on but I won't. I'm pretty sure you get the idea. This is where this blog comes in. I KNOW what I need to do. I KNOW what helps keep this house in shape and the kids clean and fed. It's just my fight with putting down or stepping away from the computer/tv/kindle to do it.

I'm planning on starting with this blog. Maybe to help other people laugh, or to get advice from other mom's who run into the same thing, or possibly even inspire someone to quit doing exactly what I've been doing and pick up their life.

Thanks for reading, and come back soon!

I did it..

I have absolutely NO idea what I did, but I did it. I didn't have backups of databases and/or posts and somehow the last 4 years of blogging is now gone.



I want to be mad, I really do. But I'm not. I didn't really have a huge commitment to the blog and the only thing that was lost was words. Not the pictures, not the memories, just the words. I could, if I wanted to, go back and try and recreate the posts but, I don't. So we'll just pick up here like nothing has changed ;)



I missed blogspot anyway and was thinking about making the change back over. I guess this was just the way to actually make me.



Well everyone, I hope you all have a blessed Sunday. I'm off to take a much needed nap and get my house ready for the upcoming week.



Steph

6.11.11

I am SORE this morning! Shin splints are so awesome :P

Yesterday I forgot all my fruit I bought for the weekend at the office so sometime today I'm gonna have to get it just haven't quite made it to getting ready today. I've been lazy.. Mainly because of getting woken at 4:45 am by the dogs. Then when I finally feel myself getting tired at 6, that's when bb boy decides he needs to start yelling for me. Usually I would probably let him sit in there and play/talk for a little while but with it being 6 am, I didn't want anyone else waking up too.

I have yet to take a nap and as soon as hubby gets home from work we're heading to Odessa so I'm feeling it's going to be a long, irritating day. On the upside I get to see my dad and stepmom today. I haven't seen them since Christmas so I'm pretty excited. Going to be on my best behavior tonight to make up for last night though. Eating out is always a favorite a mine, which is one of the reasons I'm over weight to begin with. So hopefully I won't go back to my past mistakes and order the worst thing I can possibly get. I have a eating out guide from Michael Thurmond's 6 week body make over so I'm going to be taking it with me to get hints on what to get, wherever it is we are going.


Steph

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

edited 10:45pm

Met My Goals

Protein My Goal – 60-129 Today – 79

• You know that protein is an essential nutrient, and you're doing a great job of meeting your body's needs!

Carbohydrates My Goal – 165-239 Today – 166

• Carbohydrates provide your muscles and your mind with energy. You're eating the right amount to fuel both!

Went Over My Goals

Fat My Goal – 33-57 Today – 65

• While some dietary fat is essential for good health, too much fat—especially the wrong kinds—can increase your risk of lifestyle diseases and weight problems.
• Eat at home. Restaurant food is notoriously high in calories and fat. Often a single meal away from home can contain more than a day's worth of fat. Limit your dining out, or use these tips to make the best choices away from home.

Calories My Goal – 1220-1570 Today – 1621

• Eating too many calories can lead to weight problems, which can increase your risk of several lifestyle diseases.
• Eat from a smaller bowl or plate. When a small amount of food rests on a big plate, you feel deprived and want to eat more. Slim down your tableware and you'll feel more satisfied!

Food Tracked

Breakfast	CALORIES	CARBS	FAT	PROTEIN
Whole Milk / Vitamin D, 1 cup	150	11	8	8
Spaghetti, cooked (pasta), 1 cup	197	40	1	7
Orange Juice, 5 fl oz	68	16	0	1
Lunch
Chicken Casserole - Schwan's, 1.5 serving	540	51	24	29
Dinner
Applesauce, Sweet Harvest, 0.25 cup	45	12	0	0
Texas roadhouse steamed vegetables, 1 serving	90	20	0	4
Texas Roadhouse Salmon, 1 serving	530	17	32	30
Snack
None
Snack AM
None
Snack PM
None
Daily Totals:	1,621	166	65	79

6.10.11

Well, I decided against walking last night. By the time I dragged myself off the computer it was already after 10 and pitch dark outside. So instead, I decided to wake up at the butt crack of dawn and walk.

It's not like it's a change though, I'm usually up at 5 it's just that I'm usually spending my time doing what I really love...reading. And this morning I wasn't able to at all. On the plus side though, I have TONS of energy. I finished walking at 6 and I turned on the music and just danced.. I don't think I've had that much energy in 3 months. Glad to see it again.

I did pretty good throughout the day but went off the path at supper. Potato encrusted cod and macaroni & cheese. The cod was only 230 calories but I went a little crazy with the macaroni. oops, oh well. ;)

No more exercise for me tonight. My shins are already hurting me from my walk this morning so I'm gonna head to bed early.

Good night!

Met My Goals

Protein My Goal – 60-129 Today – 102

• You know that protein is an essential nutrient, and you're doing a great job of meeting your body's needs!

Fat My Goal – 33-57 Today – 34

• You are eating the right amount of dietary fat to help your body stay healthy!

Carbohydrates My Goal – 165-239 Today – 190

• Carbohydrates provide your muscles and your mind with energy. You're eating the right amount to fuel both!

Went Over My Goals

Calories My Goal – 1220-1570 Today – 1661

• Eating too many calories can lead to weight problems, which can increase your risk of several lifestyle diseases.
• Dining out? Split an entrée with a friend or box up half of your meal as soon as it arrives at your table. Get more tips to make healthy choices away from home.

Water Tracked

Food Tracked

Breakfast	CALORIES	CARBS	FAT	PROTEIN
Peanut Butter, smooth style, 0.5 tbsp	47	2	4	2
Whole Milk / Vitamin D, 1 cup	150	11	8	8
Spaghetti, cooked (pasta), 0.5 cup	99	20	0	3
Grapes, 18 grape, seedless	34	16	1	1
Lunch
Regular Coffee, 1 cup (8 fl oz)	2	0	0	0
Cream Cheese, 1 tbsp	51	0	5	1
Cheddar or Colby Cheese, Low Fat, 2 oz	98	1	4	14
Cucumber (with peel), 1 cup slices	14	3	0	1
Tuna, Canned in Water, 0.75 can	144	0	1	32
Bagels, plain, 0.5 bagel (3-1/2" dia)	98	19	1	4
Dole Mandarin Oranges, 0.5 cup	80	19	0	0
Dinner
Shur Fine Macaroni & Cheese, 1.5 cup	570	75	2	12
Live Smart-Schwan's-Potato Encrusted Cod-5.5 oz, 1 serving	230	14	8	24
Snack
None
Snack AM
Strawberries, fresh, 1 cup, halves	46	11	1	1
Snack PM
None
Daily Totals:	1,661	190	34	102

Nutrition Note

None

Fitness Tracked

Strength Exercises	SETS	REPS
None

Cardio & Calories Burned	MINUTES	CALORIES BURNED
Walk 15 min/mile	15	94
Stretch Before & After Cardio
Daily Totals:	15	94