Take #2

So, KJ's first school pictures, taken back in October, were over looked. for some reason, Chris and I didn't communicate well enough. I let KJ choose her own shirt that day and how she wanted her hair done --I had NO idea it was picture day. What did KJ choose? Why, her favorite halloween ghost shirt, of course! lol and a white sparkly matching headband.

I like the picture; it's cute. However, it isn't what we had wanted her "school picture" to look like. So, today is "retake" day. Let's see how these turn out. :) hee hee. I braided her hair and put her in a sparkly shirt she likes (no ghost -lol).







I should have gone to have lunch with KJ. Today, I'm working from home again and I had time; I could have gone. I just wasn't sure if it was a good idea. She's brought home 2 'red marks' from school. very bad. I'll wait until she gets some greens and then I'll plan a lunch with her. :)

I found out today that our modem went out yesterday. I totally freaked out because I knew I had to use the internet for work. My deadline is tomorrow. I have to have the first two weeks of January's curriculum turned in by 3pm tomorrow. Thankfully, I pick up some other network called 'belkin54g' or something like that. I don't know where it's from but I am able to connect to it upstairs. As long as I don't lose this signal, everything will be A-Okay!

Today's another one of 'those days' --the ugh ones. I wish I could just throw on my pjs and curl up in bed, watching movies . . . OH! but I think I am getting my requested days off which will give me some GREAT back to back days off!!! Off on Dec 17 and 18 will give me a 4 day weekend next week! Off on Dec 23 will give me a 5 day weekend the following week. Then off on Dec 30 will give me another 5 day weekend!!! -three weeks in a row!!! :D I'm sooooo excited!! God willing it all gets the final approval...

Well, I need to get back to 'business', I suppose. Have a "Thurrific" Thursday!! lol (corny, I know.)

nothing to share...

I should be working. I got to work from home yesterday -didn't get much "work" done. I get to work from home again today (all week, I think) --I really need to get some work done today! I have a deadline tomorrow and then another on Friday. ((sigh))

KJ's doing soooo much better in school these days! Oh, and since my last blog, I've been chosen to be the "Room Parent" for KJ's class. It's like a part-time job all on its own. Right now I just have to focus on the Winter Party that will take place on Friday, Dec. 18th. I am off from work that day --originally to decorate cake/cupcakes for Jo's first bday party. Now, I have to make time to attend and host KJ's Winter Party and then head to Austin to decorate desserts. :) Fun! KJ will LOVE going to Austin!

We are back in our "should we move out of SA and have another house built or should we stay and change up some things on our house . . . or should we move but stay in SA?!" debate/pros and cons.

Christmas is just creeping up on us! It just hit me the other day --how people say, "time flies when you have a child". I SO get it now!! It's not just because you are watching a little life grow up and form. It's because as they grow up there are sooo many different things going on all at once. Deadlines, conferences, report cards, homework, field trips, lunches, clothes, rewards, etc. --there's not much time to just sit back and enjoy a day. Thanksgiving c, ame and went and I didn't even realize it was happening until the week of. Only because KJ was on vacation. I've been so busy with keeping up with her in school and my full time job and family time that I haven't had time to actually "count down" to the holidays. Before KJ was in school, I looked forward to the Holidays because it was something different and special that took place in that year. Well, now there are so many other different, special, new things taking place in this year that I have to balance it all out. The Holidays don't seem to JUMP out at me this year . . . KJ's first report card does... KJ's first school party does... Planning and looking forward to a special family outing on a weekend does... It's just so strange. I really was so unaware of what others meant when they would say "enjoy it. They grow up so fast." She's like a little busy bee and she's only in Kinder. I have a whole calendar just for KJ and she's not even in any extra curricular activities -like dance, karate, et. It's all just school (picture days, yearbook orders, homework packets, reading logs, sight words to study, holiday projects, field trips, spirit days!! Geez . . . there's soooo much to remember allll the time!!!!! lol

Im really looking forward to the Holidays just to be able to have some time off from work. I'll have more time to be with Chris and KJ. Right now, I wake up to get KJ ready for school, make her breakfast, pack her lunch, and take her to school by 7:45am. Then I see her again at 7pm or so. :( Then her bed time is at 8pm. By the time I get home, most of the time, she is already done with dinner and homework and in the bath getting ready for bed. Such a bummer! Really! I do enjoy my down time before my 9pm or 10pm bedtime. However, I really really look forward to my weekends with my family --and days off. :) Chris, on the other hand, gets off as early as 3:45pm and gets to pick her up and be with her after school. He's also had 3 weeks of vacation, spread out, since her first week of school!! He's about to have another during Christmas break. Lucky him! haha. My "vacation time" doesn't kick in until January.

So, Christmas is just days away and I'm here brainstorming about how to work it all out. :)

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving; Merry Christmas! Happy 2010!

Should Life be a casting call?!

Why can't people just BE real and LET people be real?! What's the point of life if one just walks around "acting". Must be great then, I guess, because one can act whatever role is convenient for the moment . . . Oh and when I say "let people be real" --yes, it's each individual's choice, should not be determined by others. However, what I mean by that is just let people be (leave people be).

Wow, I could soooooo use "real" people in my life. Well, maybe I should insert the word "more" -right before "real" . . . I'm soooo irritated right now --it just really hit a nerve with me.


On a MUCH lighter note:

KJ just walked into my room and said, "look mommy, magic!" as she clenched a crayon in her hand and then just flexed open her fist and we watched the crayon dive quickly to the ground. I started laughing because it was cute and I was thinking that the "magic" was how it quickly "disappeared" as it fell out of her hand. She slapped her head with embarrassment and said "doh! That's not what it does when Nicholas does it." (Nicholas is a a classmate)
"What does it do when Nicholas does it?" I asked, realizing she really meant for it to be a different "magic" trick.
"It sticks to his hand when he opens it up. That's how he does it."
"Try again; maybe squeeze it tighter this time before letting go." I wondered if Nicholas really has tricks up his sleeve when he awes his little friends in his class with his "magic". hee hee

She tried one more time and it didn't work. I suggested that she should ask him how he does it --maybe he's too new of a magician to have mastered the "a magician never reveals his secrets" code.

hee hee

KJ sure did entertain me though --a magician in my eyes; and a comedian! ha ha

yay it's back! :)

I had posted this video some time ago and then the feed was cut off. I found it again and I still really like it!! hee hee

went to bed with a cold in her head and didn't wake up till morning

yeah right! I wish.

I've been sicks since Monday. Fever, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, clogged ears and head, cough (just started today), sneezing, watery eye (just one!) . . .

to top it off, I STILL have to work. I can't take advantage of my "sick" paid days off . . . the UD is at home with the flu (which is more than likely where all this yuckiness came from) and, well, we can't BOTH be home 'sick'... :( and sick little me drew 'the short stick' on this one. So, liquid 'Tylenol cold & flu daytime' is my new "coffee" for my work hrs. blugh! (and nyquil is my nice little cocktail before bedtime ;) haha)

I look forward to not having to wake up to use nasal spray, not waking up cause I'm sweating like I just got out of the shower, not waking up cause I'm miserably achy, freezing and just uncomfortable...

just peeking out from my 'cave'

Yes, I've been hiding in a cave --figuratively speaking, of course. haha. No, I don't really go hide in caves -I promise.

Since August, I have been blessed with the best promotion, so far, in my lifetime! :) My very first salary position w/ benefits.

My piece of dirt ford focus just got out of the shop yesterday --we actually put a load of money into fixing it. :D I'm excited to know that it won't leave me stranded on the side of the road . . . for a good while, at least.

KJ is concerning me with school. She excels in so many areas so that's GREAT! however, she is not bringing home "greens" every day (the color chart of behavior: Blue=super, Green=good, Yellow=something(s) happened, Red=out of control behavior). She has never brought home a blue :( and she has never brought home a red :D. However, yellow, in our family is unacceptable --when it's about one every week. Some weeks she has brought home two!! :( So, I got to thinking that, from my experience w/ working w/ kids, she COULD be bored and not challenged enough in her class. She breezes right through her homework. Her teacher told us her expectations for her are higher because she is one of the smartest kids in her class.

KJ would rather sit and cut little pieces of paper into "little books", she calls them, instead of enjoying the class centers. She would rather cut paper instead of making a "fall crown" to wear on her head like her classmates. She was the ONLY one that didn't care to finish. :( I was talking w/ my sis last night and expressed that KJ has been doing 'projects' since she was two --so I think that she is waaaaaaay past the 'fall crown' type of project. When I took out the pieces from her back pack, I thought to myself, "No wonder she didn't care to do this!" :(

So, in some areas, she is furthering her education and loving it. In most of the other areas, she is chosing to opt out of participating or playing around instead of focusing on the task at hand. She says how much she LOVES school still --which is great. I'm just at the point of getting concerned now...

We are excited about Fall and Halloween. My gerber daisies have LOVED the rain. When I got out of my car this morning, heading back in from dropping KJ off at school, I was soooooooo happy to see red, hot pink, orange, and yellow daisies all beautifully open!! It's been so rare that allll those colors bloom together. I'm excited. It makes me want to pick 'em and put 'em in our vase at work. But then I won't be able to see them everytime I go in and out of my house. hmmm.... to pick or not to pick (the daisies -haha).

A lot has happened in Life for me in the last month -in my private life and my open-book life. God has really been my strength, love, encouragement, friend, etc. I've had so many ups and downs in just the past 26 days. If I ever commit to writing an autobiography, you would be SO amazed w/ how "interesting" my life has turned out!! haha. I feel like i'm on a non-stop ride on a pendulum: swinging from one extreme to the next. The time in between each extreme could be as short as minutes and only as long as hours . . . not the usual pendulum ride that life gives --of having days, months and years in between the differences.

Gotta love it. How else would my life be interesting for my future auto or novel -haha ;) It has def. kept me clinging to God and desperately looking in every crevasse of my life for a positive breathe of fresh air.

Oh, and I have to go see a doc soon cause my right 'big toe' is numb!! haha. it's been getting worse and worse --I've been feeling less and less. It's spreading!!! Ah! and I have no idea why. :( it's a bit scary. i also have a numb spot in the center of m back, right by my spine, that has the itchy sensation but I can't feel my scratching --cause it's numb!!! So, it's this little itch that is NEVER soothed. My skin is pretty much raw prob cause it really feels like a numb face right after dental work ---so does my toe. Strange. I know. Freaky. Yes, that too. Funny? SURE! why not?! lol I'm going numb one little piece at a time . . .

I have to get ready for work now. slowly but surely i'll inch my way there. I'm so sleepy today and w/ the drama kids' parents have caused in the past two days, I'm not REALLY looking forward to settling it all just yet . . . not today at least. can't I just go back to sleep?

nope. gotta go now.
:)

'til the next post . . .

Ostrich? Really?!?!!

I completely forgot that the whole reason for blogging last night was to share this:

I was saying good night to KJ and I told her that I would make her some french toast sticks in the morning, for breakfast. (In the morning, yesterday, she had some left overs from IHOP --eggs, ham, pancakes) She then said "I would liiiiiiike... eggs, french toast sticks, pancakes, ham and ostrich. " I thought she was playing around, joking, so I just looked at her and said "ostrich?! ( laugh laugh)". And she says, with the most 'in-thought' look on her face, while she's looking right at me, "Osssstrich...?!" (she slowly backed off of saying the end of the word as loudly as she had said the beginning). I said, "(laughing pretty hard now) Mama, Ostrich?! The big bird w/ a long neck and fluffy feathers?! . . . or do you mean SAUSAGE?!!" We both started laughing and laughing. We enjoyed the good laugh together and then she re-placed her order saying "sssssaussssage" correctly. :) I told her that we would see about the huge order she had just placed.

so, there, I remembered why I had wanted to blog yesterday...

hee hee

But they PUSHED ME!!

KJ has been LOVING School!! Today, I wanted to hear about her day, when I got home, and she said, "Okay, let's go to my room and I'll tell you. Why don't you play with me while I tell you about school?" --so, I did. I sat on her floor and brushed pony hair . . . so many ponies!! haha

Well, in the whole story of how her day went, she nonchalantly mentions that she sat in time out today. Chris and I careful glanced in each other. I, kindly and carefully, ask questions. She starts saying that it was because she ran outside and wasn't supposed to be outside. We couldn't believe it. I kept asking questions -wondering how in the world she got out of her classroom and ran out to the playground...

The end story is that the class was lined up for recess and the kids were pushing (I'm guessing she was the line leader) and they ended up pushing her right out the door!! She said that she told her teacher that she was being pushed and that Mrs. Boyardo told the class "STOP PUSHING!" (lol, I LOVE hearing her talk about how people 'do' things.hahaha). Well, she said that she was the only one sat in time out cause she was the only one that went out the door....

hm.... who knows what the WHOLE story is.

She had soooooo much to say about art class, P.E., lunch time, nap time, science (she was soooo excited to tell me that she did science today!!), etc. ...

I only see her for 2 hrs max, monday through friday!! :( really tough for me --but she is just LOVING school!!! :)

First day of School! First day of School! (from Finding Nemo)

I will be up in five hours --to get myself ready for KJ's VERY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Wow! Where has the time gone?

I am super duper thankful and blessed to have been able to have KJ at my side 24/7 (minus the few times here and there) for a whole FIVE years (and 14 days, something like that lol!!). I have already expressed to Chris that my emotions are not of 'sadness'. I want her to grow, in every way, and step into that new chapter of her life. My emotions are of excitement, joy, thankfulness, love, etc. It sure has been an amazing journey watching her grow up to this point. It will only continue and I pray that I will remember to enjoy every moment...

I hear that life gets really busy w/ school-age children and I really really pray to know when to 'slow down' and when to 'push forward'. :)

She is more than ecstatic about tomorrow. My mom shared with me today that I should openly ask KJ how she is feeling and what she thinks about tomorrow and what is to come. So, tonight, KJ asked if I would lay next to her, "just for a little bit, Mommy." -and I did. We snuggled up and she piled on the kisses and hugs. I asked her "So, how do you feel about tomorrow?" She said "I feel EXCITED!!!" :) later, in conversation, I asked "well, what do you think about it?" and she said "I think my teacher will like me!" :) I LOVED hearing that. I never would have thought she would respond that way. I really thought she was going to say "I think it will be fun..." When I heard her response, I felt a great amount of peace that we have made the right moves and decisions w/ preparing her for her first day --and of course that God is right there beside her! :)

We packed up her school supplies and I packed her lunch. We are all anxiously waiting to hear her very first school bell.

When we wake up tomorrow, I feel like, in 'LOST', a great huge flash of light will take place and nothing will ever be the same again. hahaha. Seriously. It's allll new for the three of us. We are ready and looking forward for this new adventure.

Nighty night
*so, tonight's our first "it's a school night", "you've got to get ready for school tomorrow" type of night... ha! crazy!





Meet The Teacher Night (Friday, Aug. 21st)





















































Getting Ready -the night before school

not smooth sailing after all

Just when we thought we were ready for the fall --first year of school, Mom's free time in the morning and then work schedule in the afternoon, dad's great schedule of getting off early to get KJ from after school care.... and then KABOOM!!! A bomb was dropped on us today.

Chris's WONDERFUl blessing of a boss was given the news today that she would be relocated to a different branch. :( HERE is where it all began. I can't believe she's being moved!! Her and Chris were like peas and carrots in the work place --working so well together as a team.

Now, the 'new' boss, isn't really as new as some thought. It turns out that it was Chris's boss from his first year(s) at WaMu. Not a bad deal ---except for the fact that (we are hearing "stories")since she has worked for the company, for what some say is a long time (I don't know exactly how long she's worked w/ the same company), she does NOT "close" the branch --EVER. I think that's a bunch of BOLOGNA!!!!! I really hope this doesn't turn out to be true . . . I can't even find words for the way I am bouncing off the walls in my head about this. All in all, this means that Chris will have to be closing --getting out at 6:30pm, same "off" time as my schedule . . . so who will be picking up KJ?!? ha-HA! That is the question!

Daycare/after school programs close at 6:30pm and then charge a minimum of $1 for every minute you are late. We can't afford that!! So, somehow, something has to change. I know that God makes a way when there seems to be no way . . . I laid out different options and nothing seems to be fitting together.

Why can't it just all go back to smooth sailing. Everyone was sooo excited and now we are staring at this HUGE gap in the bridge...

Kryssa starts school in exactly one week. It all feels soooo different after hearing the news today...

mm

school bells are ringing in my head

I know, again, it's been FOREVER since I've last blogged. All I can say is -it's summer. Approx. 40 hrs (give and take on different weeks) of working, sharing one car (means we all wake up at "night" (says KJ -when it's really just super early in the morning, 5:50am, before the sun is up) to drive daddy to work, prepping for KJ's first year of Kinder, KJ's 5th bday party . . . all this adds up to our summer. There's actually too much to blog and I just don't have the time.

It's been great! Field trips, friendships, accomplishments, etc. I'm proud of our family. So many changes and we are transitioning well. :)

So, KJ's party is on Sunday -pony rides, a pinata, and all!! **it's her very first pinata and she's THRILLED. And the pony rides are a surprise --she has NO idea where her party is going to take place; she just knows who will be there and what decorations we've purchased... However, she is not too thrilled about 'hitting' the pony pinata. She asked, while holding her pinata on the car ride home -from buying it, "Mommy, but how do you get the candy out of the pinata?" I told her, "you use a stick and you hit it until it breaks open and everything comes pouring out." Kryssa's reaction: "NO! I don't want it to break!!" :( LOL. Poor thing!

She will officially turn 5 on Monday. It turns out that I AM off!! :D So, she said she would like to swim for a bit w/ the kids at work and then get ice cream and go to the movies with mommy. So, I'm pretty excited to spend the day with my FIVE year old!! hee hee

I have only one more week of summer. Phew! I will soon be able to say "I made it; I survived!" and then it's prep for school, the fall semester (at work and at home). I can't believe it. My baby girl, starting school already. Came by waaaay too quickly but I am so super thankful to God and my hubby that I was able to spend the first four years with her. It's been a great blessing! She will start her first day of kinder on Aug. 24th.

i wish I could go on and on about what we've done and what we look forward to (and so on) but I have a 10+ hr work day (outdoors) and my body needs to recover from today...

so long...
:)

too much for my own good

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in WAY too long. I wish I could remember every single dirty detail of all the weeks that have passed. However, all I'm left with are tangy details here and there.

It's been the craziest 2 1/2 weeks of 2009 -from my bike flipping off my bike rack, on the highway, while driving 65 --to the deadliest hike I've ever experienced --then on to getting separated from KJ while at Splash Town (all because someone was 'helping' and thought she was lost!!!) That one has to be the absolute WORST feeling in my entire life story, so far... Oh, and I definitely can NOT forget to mention getting pulled over by a cop, for the very first time in my 9 yrs of driving. All because I was heading back to go save a turtle that I saw running on the shoulder of I-10. Yes, that's right, A RUNNING TURTLE ON THE HIGHWAY!!! A highlight (with it's shadows) of these crazy 2.5 weeks was celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary. :) Two out of two of our cars are parked, not working, waiting for repairs. Oh, the funniest, I think, was when a kid left a gate open to a petting area FILLLLLLLED with deer!! LOL Have you ever seen, on tv, a clip/scene of gazelles leaping across a stream or something? Well, that was our scene at the Exotic Zoo Ranch . . . the deer just POURED out of the gate leaping with JOY!! -and then there I was trying to herd them all back. lol I didn't do a very good job. They enjoyed their freedom! hahaha.

Currently, KJ is recovering from Croup and Bronchitis. :( We got to the ER at approx 145am and were back home by 5am. She was having a very hard time breathing while sleeping --and I'm sooo thankful that Chris and I decided I should take her because it turned out that her airway, in her throat, was swollen!! :( It's been tough with restless nights and not being able to do anything but love on her to help her through it all . . .

Some great things we are looking forward to: KJ's 5th bday is in 22 days and KJ's first day of school is only 5 weeks away!!!!! :( :D (a whole mixture of emotions...)

recovering

For those of you waiting for an update:

Surgery went well. All ovarian cysts were removed (I'll found out how many there were on the 29th), endo was removed, and my ovary and tube was put back where it belongs. It turns out that it had attached itself to the abdominal wall AGAIN! :( (which is what prob. caused the majority of the pain I was in). Also, unfortunately, more endometriosis was discovered --more than from my Nov. surgery. The doc didn't think that there would be much because it's "too soon", he said -from the last surgery but unfortunately it was actually more than what was there in Nov. --not good.

I started waking up too soon, again -last time i woke up right after surgery and my body went into a state of shock. So, this time I had told myself not to do that again . . . I remember starting to wake up and the tube was in my mouth still. it's very disorienting, waking up from anesthesia. I was biting on it and trying to swallow. The nurses were telling me to relax and calm down . . . after realizing and remembering where i was, what i was doing, what was going on, i told myself to go back to sleep. So, I did. But then I woke up again when they were removing my breathing tube....not fun. So, I remember telling the nurse that I felt like I was going to get sick from my stomach (slurring it out over and over until she understood me) and she gave me anti-nausea meds through my iv and I went back to sleep. Then I remember hearing all these voices and the machines and having to remind myself again of where I was and why I was in that strange strange state of mind . . . then I remember feeling scared and alone and slurring over and over "where's my husband? Can you call my husband? Where's my husband?..." It was sooooo hard getting them to understand me. My mind felt like I was talking correctly but the nurse kept saying "what hun?...you're okay..."

So, Chris and Kryssa were called to my bedside and I had to put a smile on my face --I had forgotten that Kryssa was with him . . . I 'came to' quite quickly after that. I didn't want Kryssa to get scared of what I looked like and how I sounded. (she still says that I sounded funny! hee hee --she was a brave girl!)

The nurse helped me get dressed and I slowwwwwwwly made my way to the potty . . . and then she asked if I felt well enough to go home. I was so happy and said yes!

Yesterday was amazing! I felt incredible. Other than the incisions and my achy belly -and sluggish speech and movements- I felt normal. ha ha. I couldn't believe how great I felt. My voice wasn't raspy like the time before (I basically lost my voice the first and second times)... I was thinking "FINALLY!!! I 'normal' recovery!!"

And then 8pm came . . . fever until 3am. :( by 5am I could NOT MOVE!!! :( The anesthesia affected my body -first time out of the 3 times-. I had no idea why my body hurt sooooo badly. I told Chris that the only way I can describe it is as if I fell off or jumped off a 2nd or 3rd floor of a building!!! :( Oh, it's HORRIBLE!! I feel as if I was brutally beaten and slammed to the floor over and over and over again. I can barely walk, move, eat, swallow, breathe, and everything in between. A nurse I spoke with today said that another patient (from another check up call) said the same thing! My doc and the nurse say it's a reaction from the anesthesia being absorbed by my body. Oh, and my doc prescribed me some antibiotics to take care of the fever. He also gave me his cell number in case I needed him during the weekend. He is the BEST doc EVER!!! :D He really takes amazing care of me and my family. :) Praise God for that.

So, I've been saying that I guess this is one of those times where it gets worse before it gets better . . . ? I thought I'd be dancing by today --with the way I was perfectly fine yesterday (until about 8pm).

So, now I am reminded every single (literally) breathing second --that I just had surgery yesterday and I AM recovering.

So, the great news is that we are going well on our plan for a pain free fight against Endometriosis (for more information on endometriosis visit
http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp013.cfm) and PCOD (for more info on PCOD you can visit this site http://www.drmalpani.com/book/chapter15.html I found it informative.). I just have to stay positive and recover well . . . then we keep a close eye on it and stick w/ the meds in our 'plan'. :D

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
I will keep you posted...

Going Under

wow, what a weekend...

Saturday: I cooked some yummy yummy fresh blueblerry pancakes (yes, a bit conceited, haha!) and turkey cheese omlets. Then I ended up being in bed the entire rest of the day -in and out of sleep, endo episodes were nuts and too frequent. I watched the entire Season 5 of House. Chris did a wonderful job grooming the front lawn.

Sunday: Started off super duper fantastic!! :D Chris, Kj, and I went to see the movie UP. We LOVED it!!! I SOOOO have to write this:

Carl Fredricksen(movie character): Do you want to play a game? It's called See Who Can Go the Longest Without Saying Anything.

Russell(movie character): Cool! My mom loves that game!

Kryssa (super loud and excited for everyone to hear): OH, I LUUUUUUV PLAYING THAT GAME TOO!!!

LOL!!!!! everyone around us looked right at her just laughing and laughing. Chris and I couldn't help cracking up either!! it was super duper cute the way she was soooo excited to hear about that 'game' in the movie!! lol

*all thanks to her bestest friend, Kaylani! Kaylani and Kryssa played that game, in the car, the whole way to Build-A-Bear, in May. That was Kryssa's first time learning and playing the game --and she sure luuuuved it! ;) (I did too!! hee hee)


From there we went to Costco! Lots 'o fun! :) We ate ice cream and a Churro as we walked around and shopped.

One NOT SO FUN part at Costco: some little girl ran up to kryssa and just scratched her on her face!!! How horrible! it was bleeding and all... So, now, because of the lack of control of another child, our child has a nasty cut on her face. Chris has been putting neosporine on it...

After Costco, we went to Chili's w/ poppa, for dinner. it was super duper yummy! By the end of dinner, my pains were too much to handle. I headed to the ER hoping to get some tests done --w/ the way it all felt (and other stuff that had been going on w/ the pains) I imagined there was another cyst taking my ovary hostage. I got to St. Luke's at 830pm and after hrs of waiting, my theory was confirmed. I was told to get some bed rest till the pain went away, to avoid heavy exertion, and to see my doc because of the size... I got home at 445am.

Monday: Albertina and Jo came to visit!!! :D it was wonderful!! Because of my recent doc orders, we didn't get a chance to go to Sea World or La Cantera, like we had planned. :( However, we did get to hang out and play w/ the girls!!! :D

I had a doc appt and we went over some options for tackling this endo and pcos. I'm scheduled for another surgery this Thursday, June 18th @ 10am. It's my third in 18months and God willing my last for a while... On sunday I am scheduled to start Yaz to 'suppress' my ovaries. My doc says if we can get them to stop working then I should be good to go for a longer period of time... and i'll continue on my pain meds as needed. I don't see why he can't just take my right one out! I don't want it. it doesn't like me and it's causing me so much pain. can't i survive w/ just one?!

So, all day today, I've been on day one of my pre-op diet. I've had graham crackers w/ milk, juices, coffee, corn, soft carrots, peas, bread . . . tomorrow I can only have liquids :p geeeeez!

I'm enjoying another cup of decaf. coffee...

my new pain meds work like a charm (not prefectly --but well enough to make me feel "good" and help me sleep, and take more of the pain away than the others did.

I will keep you posted. Pls pray for me. I'm a bit nervous. I thought I wouldn't really care much or be nervous this time around but I am more concerned about my recovery. That is the toughest part, from the experience of the last two. we'll see.


I'm so anxious though to be pain free again!! :D


i'll blog again soon...

lisdexia

Okay, I have been known to say some pretty backwards things. BUT I sooooo had to post this one.

I was on the phone explaining something that Kryssa did -that I found super cute- and this is what I ended up saying:

"she had her lips all puckered up, 'cause she was putting on stapchick . . ." (I so meant to say chapstick, really!) my mom and I cracked up laughing -just couldn't contain ourselves!!!

lol




*this one is one that I will never forget:
I was in middle school. Before the first bell, we would wait outside under the walkway cover/port. One super duper windy day, we were all standing around, having to yell over the howling sounds of the wind...I started yelling, "OH I REALLY LIKE YOUR DOCS. THEY LOOK SO CUTE. MY MOM WOULD NEVER WEAR ME LET THOSE." -instead of 'my mom would never let me wear those'...

I don't know that I'll ever forget how somehow the howling wind decided to die down RIGHT when I yelled that across our group of friends. Everyone just stopped and stared. Then we broke out laughing...



I've got plenty more where that came from. ;)

Earth worms and pottery

the video I mentioned . . . from Wednesday, June 10, 2009



**oh, and I have NO IDEA who gives that crazy laugh in the beginning and why!!! LOL.

not my 'normal' wednesday

woke up. reset my alarm. woke up. got dressed. woke kryssa up. bathed kryssa. packed lunches, drinks, and snacks. headed to work. got stuck in traffic on I10 (blinking arrow made everyone slow down and believe the lane was closed --only to find out it WASN'T after we all scooted over!!!!). got to work. ran morning club. i did zoology today. talked about rainforest animals. drew, colored, cut and pasted. talked some more. and some more. cleaned up. went outside to play w/ dirt (haven't done that since i was a wee kid) --not really play w/ dirt but scrap and gather loose dirt in a cup. poured water in it. picked out earthworms (Jess purchased earthworms for our group -supposed to have been meal worms but store was out.) watched behaviors of the earthworm as it burrowed around in our cup. super GROSS!!!! yet quite fun.

lunch time. heard some amazing news. ate a bit. tossed my food aside to clean up vomit. yay. :| lectured kryssa before she got on the van for a mini field trip (a trip to a 'paint ceramic' place). ran afternoon club. I did cooking class -breakfast. had a blast! only one injury. minor cut from learning to cut apples :(. she's a-ok.

cleaned up. gathered last bit of energy. took out garbage. drove a co-worker home. went to heb. bought limes. came home. fed kryssa dinner. baked cupcake order. sat at computer for a bit. took out cupcakes. paced around --a bit confused and lost. don't know why i couldn't get my thoughts straight. ha. put kryssa in bed. she got grounded again today. booooooo. :(

made frosting. frosted cupcakes. cut limes. garnished cupcakes. packed 'em up and refrigerated 'em.

suprised how soon i finished everything --i don't know what to do w/ myself. not really. i still have to move laundry from downstairs. i won't have time to fold and put it all away tonight. i've been light headed and in an odd state of mind. can't really focus this evening. i'm just super tired and basically drained from here until sunday. ha ha. it takes me all of saturday -off from work- to be recovered by sunday. yeah. sounds about right.

yes. my blog is sooooooo grammatically incorrect -? is that even right?! ha.

my day in a nut shell. a HUGE nut shell.


what a day.
i'm ready for tomorrow.

I'll go shower. cuddle and sleep. I'm excited for tomorrow's field trip. we r going to Wonder World! haven't been there since i was 12 yrs old or so.


kj at the pottery place











Margarita cupcakes



















*I'm editing a video of the day. I'll post it soon.

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh MY!

Seriously.

Today was a Zoo field trip. 36 students, 3 staff. I had 15; Sean had 14 and Jess had the rest. We had plenty of fun . . . hippos, zebras, elephants, flamingos, bears, alligators, crocodiles, snakes, frogs, monkeys, etc.

I'm am super EGG-SAUCE-TED!!!!

I really, truly, think these 'child care' jobs keep me from wanting more than just one! lol I was counting 1-15 about every 5 mins or so. No one got lost and that makes it a TERRIFIC day! lol. The fact that we had fun on top of that --makes it a superb day!

I could use a full body massage right now . . . I came straight home to shower and relax. I'm sooooo ready to catch my zzzzzz's tonight. :) as long as I don't accidentally over sleep. haha.


Oh! I finally bought something to transfer my mother's day flower to. . . it's a white metal . . . bin? tin? w/ handles.

OUCH! I definitely got burnt... :( I scratch an itch and then feel the pain creep in. Yeeouch! I personally can't see a difference in color --but I def. feel it when something rubs up against me.


Anyway . . . so, I'll be transferring my flowers over --some time soon.

Nighty night.
Hope you're all enjoying YOUR summer! :)

got me laughing tonight...

**this must be where Chris got his famous dance moves!! ;) lol (love you babe!)

Sleepy Sunday

washing, drying, folding, hanging . . . loving our new washer and dryer!!






They were delivered yesterday so we are still learning all the settings.

Summer has been manageable. Field trips have been super fun! Last week we went to the Whitte museum

















and also Ice Skating!!! KJ did such an AMAZING job on ice skates -all on her own!! :D



























so, we are just lounging around . . . watching movies and working on laundry --which has been a ton 'o fun using our new front loading washer and dryer!! All sorts of buttons and settings but so far we love 'em! :D

Chris and K are currently out and about running errands. I'm hoping they purchase a bigger flower pot for my mother's day flowers. Those seeds that K planted for me on Mother's Day have grown a whole bunch and are now needing more room to bloom! :) ...I just got a call. Chris forgot his wallet here at home so I have to drive it over to him. No more nice quiet time. ha ha. ;)

I'm glad to be off tomorrow again! :D *oh, except for the 6:30pm meeting I have to attend. :P Pooey!

Endo Info

I found this very informative...

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in November 2008. I've been suffering with the pains and side effects since at least 2001, that I can clearly remember. I get a lot of questions here and there about it. I know most people (not anyone in particular but 'most' as in the people that see me in pain and ask "what's wrong?" and the only reply that is simple enough is "my stomach hurts") don't understand what I mean when I say "my stomach hurts". I, at times, find it frustrating and isolating . . . I wish it was just as simple as a "stomach ache", but unfortunately it is much more than just that.

I found this info/link on a support group site and thought to share for anyone interested in more info on it...

http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp013.cfm



**I do know I'm not alone on this -as unfortunate as it is (to know others go through the same, and some worse)... I pulled this info from a reply on this comment:

" Hi, I have been diagnosed with endo for about 4 years now, I have just come out of hospital after having yet another laparoscopy. One of the things I find hardest about this awful disease (apart from the excrutiating pain!) is how to make friends and family understand it! I often find myself when I'm in the middle of an 'endo episode' just saying its bad stomach ache!! when of course that is just boolacks! Its just so frustrating sometimes, I do feel a bit like a fraud but its so hard to explain that in fact its not stomach ache more like someone trying to rip my ovaries/bowel out with a rusty nail!!! How do others explain the wonderful world of endo???!!!! "




Debbie Downer? Possibly . . . but it's very informative for those who are interested. :)


;)

First day of June

June first . . . ah, I love it. :)

My sis came into to town today (and Jo, too) and we went to Sea World. My summer schedule started today --I'm off on Mondays!! :D

My sis got here around 145pm or so and then we didn't get to Sea World until 4:03pm. Jo ate, my sis ate, I ate, oh and I vacuumed too, before we left. I felt sooooo bad after we paid and went in, fed the dolphins, and heard a 'closing' announcement. THEY CLOSED AT 5PM!!!!! :( Grrrrr. Why would they close at 5pm in JUNE?!?! I felt horrible. My sis did pay for the ticket that will get her in all the way through the end of Dec. But still. We were all lotioned up w/ sun screen and excited for the water park and all...we fed dolphins and saw sharks, fish, stingrays, jelly fish and then left. ha!

My new washer and dryer were supposed to be delivered tomorrow and Chris got a call w/ some upsetting news. The lady at the store was wrong about delivery and what we originally scheduled would not be able to be met. Chris called and spoke w/ her manager and ended up getting a $50 credit towards our purchase! Praise God and yay for Chris -stepping it up. So, we should have them on Saturday.

I was up at 6:55am this morning and I should be extremely sleepy? no? I have to wake up at 6am and I know I should be sleeping --but what am I doing? blogging, while I wait for Chris to finish putting Kryssa to bed so that we can watch a movie. haha! ;) The movie is called Personal Effects. It looks like it's going to be good --we'll see.

So, tomorrow starts day one of my 'full work day' schedule. I go in at 8:30am and should leave by 5:30am. Same for Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, I work from 8am-6pm. Doesn't seem to be so bad . . . we'll see what I think after a week or two. Tomorrow is our first Field trip day for the summer. We are going to the Whitte Museum. I'm pretty excited and so is Kryssa. :)

I'm heading downstairs to pop some corn now . . .



g'nite

boom shackalacka...

So, Chris is snoozing . . .






(he's going to be soooo mad when he sees this pic!! lol **sorry babe, I just felt like using my photobooth...**)



and I'm up playing w/ my new toy/gadget/gizmo...my Kodak Zi6.





(took off my glasses to get rid of the glare)

It was a tie between the Flip UltraHD and the Kodak Zi6. Seeing how the Kodak was $50 less and it came w/ 4 rechargeable batteries and the charger, two cases, a mini tripod, and hdmi and reg input/output cables . . . . and on top of all that it DOES have capabilities for a memory card. I bought the Kodak and an 8G sd card -for now.

I have 30 days from 5/24/09 to play around with it and see if it's the best buy. I've been reading review after review after review between the Zi6 and the UltraHD. I've already had some serious fun. :D

This is the first time I use iMovie . . . Oh, but I forgot to upload it in HD. Duh! The whole reason for having an HD recorder -lol! Oh well. It's late and I'm actually finally tired. So, here's what I made tonight...let me know if you laughed or yawned. ;)

typical day?

So today's a full work day. lol a Full 4 hrs!! lol Okay, well, what I mean by "full" is that I have to have both myself and Kryssa clean, dressed, ready, in the car, pulling out of the garage by 2:10 (the latest), to be at work by 2:45pm. I'm scheduled to stay until 6:45pm but that's only if kids don't get picked up by 6:30pm --or if I need to wrap up work at the front desk...

I'm hoping to get out right at 6:30pm so that I can get over to, I don't even know what theater, I think Silverado, maybe Palladium, to see the premier of Dance Flick!! It starts at 7:30pm. So, I'm really really really hoping that getting there by 6:45pm, if it's Palladium, or 6:55/7pm, if it's Silverado, will allow me a good enough spot in line -or to get cutsies- w/ Chris and our friends, that should already be there by the time I get there...

I've been waiting for it to come out but I prob. wouldn't have paid to see such a ridiculous movie. I know I would have been first in line to rent it for free w/ a free movie code! lol. That is why I'm really hoping to make it on time today, after work. I think the only reason I really care to see the movie is because Chris and I, since we first started dating, have watched most of the dance movies that will be made fun of in this movie ---Save the Last Dance is a big one for us (we seceretly LOVE that movie!!! lol --it was one of our "most favoritest" movies from when we were dating...corny, I know.) ;)




Oh, and last but not least. I came across this video today and thought to share and see what you think. It's an interesting couple (two-man band, so it's said of them). I like the concept of taking/making music EVERYWHERE!!! ;) Very Very FUN...

Matt & Kim, "Daylight" from Benjamin Technology on Vimeo.

My love for Etsy

If you haven't already, you MUST discover the wonderful items on Etsy.com! Really, take some time and browse browse browse. I could find millions of things I want on that site. I love the prices --super reasonable. The shipping --unbelievably reasonable. The best part --knowing that it's someone's business. It's nothing like walking into a store and purchasing something that was shipped from who knows where and created piece by piece by machines and who knows who . . .

Everything is so unique. Oh, Etsy, I've loved you from hello. (super corny I know. But I really can't get enough of it --now, if only I had the money to spend on what I want . . . lol)


What got me hooked!
I love 'em and I want 'em.
*soon little cupcakes . . . you'll be all mine! Bwuahahahahaha.*








Kryssa, is obsessed w/ soap. Seriously. She wasted a whole 1/4 of a bottle of hand soap last night and about 2 inches of my wonderful Bath & Body Works antibacterial hands soap! :( She had her consequences and said she understood not to do it again. Yet, here she came, a few mins ago saying that she likes her hands "creamy". I look at them and they still have a thick layer of soap. I tell her to go rinse it off so it doesn't get in her eye. She comes back and says "mom, they're still creamy." I look at them and they are creamier than the time before; so I ask if she put more soap instead of just rinsing them off. She admits to it and I reminded her NOT to play w/ the soap, not to waste it and to JUST rinse them --"NO MORE SOAP!" Geez!!! lol. I thought she learned her lesson last night.

I guess it's better than just not washing her hands --or not using soap period. I don't know.


I braided little french braids, one on left, one on the right (like piggy tails, I guess). Too bad I can't find my camera. She looks so cute in her little summer dress and braids. it was like torture for her -to sit there and let me braid her hair. If I tugged just a centimeter, she cried and said "you're hurting me. Why you always hurting me Mom?!" lol. I suppose that keeping her hair short for most of her life created this sensitive head syndrome --I can't even brush her hair these days!! I'm soooo ready to just cut it off again (less tangles, no crying, a clippy and viola!).

I think I'm finally enjoying my day off today. Too bad today is the day that I have to be there for the meeting . . . waaaaah!

Mother's Day weekend

Well, if I may brag a bit . . . hee hee ;)
The training I attended in Marble Falls turned out to be one of the best 'rewards' for me EVER (in a job setting). There was an award ceremony and I was totally clueless to what it was about. I was thinking to myself, "award ceremony? We don't even know each other. How would you give out awards? Based on what?!" Then I hear the nomination letters being read aloud -written by the Unit Directors, our Bosses! So, then I hear this being read:

"This person has stepped up to the plate on several occasions. She was hired as a youth leader in September and has moved her way up the ranks at the club. She has adjusted to her new role without complaints and has taken the initiative on helping the club become a better place for the kids by starting a volunteer program, finding new ways to make the curriculum exciting, and so on. Everyday when she is interacting with the kids you can see her passion, hard work, and dedication show through. Thank you Michelle Mayfield from The Texas Hill Country!"

I couldn't believe it.  I was totally shocked. The other people that received awards had been there for 2, 5, 10 years, etc.! I've only been there 8 months! . . . I was and still am totally grateful to God! This happened just days after my last blog -where I expressed that I knew God wouldn't give me more than I could handle and how even through all the stress and "overwhelmingness" (yes I know it's not a word. lol) I still loved what I did and I knew that it was well worth it . . . This day and my' award' --oh I forgot to mention that it is an "MVP" award, hee hee (Most Valuable Professional) from The Professional Association of The Boys and Girls Clubs of America!!(I wonder if that really even means something . . . sounds like it though.  lol) :D So, that day, receiving the award, hearing the nomination letter that my UD submitted, and finding out that I was picked out of the 3 clubs of The Texas Hill Country (there's Boerne, Comfort, and Fredericksburg) ---it totally made everything alllll worth it and I saw how God is carrying me through and blessing me along the way. It just "feels" rewarding.  :)  When we went up to receive our award, we took a photo, shaking hands, w/ the South/Southwest regional director and the picture and an article will be published in the newspaper (probably in Fredericksburg since it's our main office of the Texas Hill Country organization). What an eventful day. It was a great start for Mother's Day weekend! ha ha ;)

Oh wait, Friday is what really kicked off Mother's Day weekend for me (yes, we get a whole weekend in our household!! every celebration is always more than just one day...). I was getting ready for work --after working crazy hours here at home. I was soooo overwhelmed and stressed about the deadline that day and then the door bell rings. I had thought of ignoring it, to finish getting my stuff done, and maybe they would just go away! lol. Yes, I do that because if I'm not expecting anyone, then it's no one NOT selling anything -normally. I figure that if it's important they would continue to ring the bell. BUT I decide to go down and look out the window first --I see a FedEx truck...

I excitedly open the door -FedEx means a package of some sort. Everyone LOVES to receive packages!! *except when they are printer ink cartridges!! lol. I've gotten all excited before and then opened up ink cartridges!! lol* Well, the carrier was already back in the truck but on the porch, behind our chair, I see a 1-800-FLOWERS box . . . :D

I automatically assume they are from my FIL because he has been known to have flowers delivered to me. Well, I read the note and tears rolled down when I get to the part "we love you with all our heart Chris and Kryssa"

It was a dozen and a half of beautiful pink and white roses!! Oh, so beautiful! That's what I love about receiving flowers from Chris --he doesn't do it too often (at all) so when I do get flowers from him, they are soooo beautiful and totally unexpected. They are always different and presented to me in a special way, each time.

Then there was Sat (already mentioned above). Saturday evening, when I got back to SA, I met Chris, Kryssa and Poppa (my FIL) at The Cheesecake Factory. It was a Mother's Day celebration from Poppa. :) Oh, and it was yummy! The wait was 75 mins though!! lol -due to graduation, prom, and mother's day. But it was a nice celebration dinner. Oh, and he gave me some of my favorite chocolates, Godiva Truffles!! :p

Sunday:
I got my wish of sleeping in! hee hee I was super duper duper tired from saturday -getting only 3.5 hrs of sleep, waking up at 4am and not going to sleep until after midnight- so I needed some good rest.

While I was sleeping, Chris and Kryssa were working on a Mother's Day project. She excitedly woke me up telling me that she had a surprise for me downstairs "come and see Mom!" After several times of Kryssa coming and waking me up -I got up and did my usual morning routine to start my day. Kryssa then had me close my eyes --I was a bit concerned going down the stairs w/ my eyes closed but I told her to go slowly (she was holding my hand) and to let me know when I got to the very very last step. I made it down safely and she tells me "okay, keep walking, keep walking . . . stop! Look down but don't open your eyes . . . okay, open them . . . SURPRISE!!!" It was soooo cute how she did it and I open my eyes to the cutest little yellow w/ white polka dots flower pot w/ dirt (no flowers) and a wooden heart on a stick --she painted the stick green and the heart red and on the heart she wrote "#1 [which really looks like a 7 -hee hee] Mom" and the year. I LOVE it!!! :D Chris then tells me that Kryssa did it all on her own -she painted everything, wrote everything, filled the pot w/ soil, planted 5 flower seeds, and watered it for me. Oh, it is the BEST EVER!!!! I LOVE that she is able to really make things on her own now . . . it's what Mother's Day is all about for me (Kryssa doing something special on her own for me). now don't get me wrong. I loved the coach purse and wrist purse I got last year -w/ fav. movies and flowers, and the photo book Chris made for me -of me and Kryssa- a few years ago . . . .BUT to see what Kryssa can do all on her own and see how excited she is to have a surprise for me -it's the BEST!! :D (oh, and she actually kept it a surprise!! hee hee There were several times during dinner on sat that she almost spilled the beans. lol She did great! and so did my wonderful husband!)

Later that day we went to my Mom's to visit w/ Mom, Dad, Albertina and Jo! :D It was so nice being together again! :D My sis and I w/ our 'baby girls' and our parents (and Chris too of course, hee hee). *we exchanged gifts, ate yummy cake that my sis made, and stayed entertained w/ Jo and Kryssa!*

A very memorable Mother's day. I soooo look forward to Father's Day ;) !!

*oh, I would post pics but I haven't found my camera since Mother's Day :( I really really really hope I just misplaced it or left it at mom and dad's . . . I will be soooo very sad if I lost it only because I didn't get a chance to upload the pics of the good times at mom and dad's that day :(

We are here! We are here! We are here! (from Horton Hears A Who)

It's been so long. My fingers want to just dance along the keyboard, typing two hundred wpm!!! So, since the last blog, I have tackled 4 of my deadlines/meetings/trainings --I have . . . oh, my bad, make that 5! :D I only have tonight's meeting, Thursday night's meeting, and a Friday mandatory staff day for cleaning, prepping, and then at night we met at D&B's for a Team training event!! June 1st is our first day of summer camp. So, there's still a lot going on --but it's almost smoothing out, I think! lol This will be my first summer w/ them so I have no idea what's about to start!! ha ha!

I was off yesterday; except for the fact that I worked a full 5 hrs from my dining table! :( I was supposed to be off . . . off from on-site hrs but not from a deadline. Today, I'm also off from on-site but have to be in at 6:45pm for a Summer Orientation that starts at 7pm. Yay! I get to introduce myself to all of our summer parents... (yes, a bit of sarcasm)

It's unfortunate that I've been working so much lately because I didn't even know what to do yesterday . . . besides figure out a plan to get laundry done. Same today...here I am blogging and getting laundry done. Even Kryssa has been asking why we aren't going to work! ha! She's so used to our work schedule that it is just as strange to her to stay home. I told Chris yesterday "I wasn't home cause I was sick . . . just because I was off. I don't even know what to do. How sad!"

Our weekend was great! :D Saturday, Kryssa got to dress up in her 'dress up' attire: princess dress, high heels and pearls!! hee hee She attended a Princess Tea Party for her best friend's 5th bday party. It was sooo super cute to see everyone all dressed up in heels and make up (which I totally forgot to do!! I'm not used to putting make up on her --she actually normally does it all on her own. So, it didn't cross my mind until I saw the others...) Then Kryssa and I took the bday girl to Build A Bear. I had a blast!! They were so cute picking out their teddy bears and deciding on clothes, etc . . . they made best friend bears (each bear has two hearts, from both of the best friends! So, now even the bears are BFFs!! haha)

Sunday, I had to, once again, work from home . . . BUT Chris installed our new sink and faucet!!! :D Our kitchen looks great!! It's 8 1/4" deep, double, but one side is standard and one side is longer. So there is plenty of space for bake ware, pots and pans, etc.!! Plus our new hardware has a detachable faucet head that is the sprayer . . . it has a button to switch from faucet spout to spray mode and it also has a built in soap dispenser on the side of the sink. We LOVE it!! I'm so proud of Chris for being my super sexy handy man!! ;) hee hee (he's working his way up: first it was door hardware then light fixtures and ceiling fans. Then in ground sprinklers, furniture and garage door openers . . . now sinks, plumbing, and faucets!! Woohooo!!)

Laundry, I hear you . . . I must free you from the cramped laundry bins and let your cleanliness shine on hangers and in drawers. Same for you, stinky, dirty, laundry . . . time to freshen you up and let you join in on the clean fun... yes, I'm coming to rescue you ...

The sad and crazy truth

I'm having a very hard time being okay w/ myself right now (lately). I'm so torn w/ work and me. I've never been one to neglect my life because of work. One because I'm big on family time and "it's not about having time but MAKING time". and Two because, honestly, I've never worked like this -aside from ministry work-!!

I've normally had 'jobs' where I just clock in and clock out and anything outside of that time is MY time. When I had my home daycare, I did find myself shopping and planning things outside of my actual work hours -but nothing like last week and this week and the weeks to come...

I want to visit my parents and not just call when I need childcare -but every minute I have, I really have work to do. [like right now . . . I really really should be working!] But I find myself making myself take just a few minutes here and there to myself because before I know it I feel trapped and jailed in w/ work! :(

I LOVE what I do and I am enjoying the actual tasks itself --I'm just really having a hard time w/ being a mom (and being available for her right now that she's not in school), a friend, a wife, etc. I mean, Chris just goes to bed to give me quite work time . . . then I just cuddle up w/ him when I finally crawl into bed. I know it won't always be like this but I really wish I can just snap my fingers and be at the end of this particular road.

My house is a mess again. I actually miss doing housework. When I am working, I'm wishing I could be folding, sorting, and washing laundry instead. But if I take the time to work on the house, I feel guilty and overwhelmed thinking about deadlines.

I know that God won't give me more than I can handle. I am loving every single day. I love the fact that I have these opportunities at home and at work --that I am trusted enough and respected for my leadership skills and ideas to work on starting a volunteer program and work on summer curriculum. AND when I prayed about whether or not this recent 'new job offer' (for August) was meant for me or not, I also asked God to challenge me and make me a multi-tasker, a diligent, efficient, and organized working mom --I asked for the opportunities to strengthen what I am already capable of doing and fine tune my mind set for a successful future as a "business woman", mother, wife, etc . . . I can see how God is definitely answering my prayers!! ha! ;)

I know I can handle it --but change is definitely tough to adjust to at times.

So, I have a deadline on Friday, an all day training -in Marble Falls, Tx- on Sat., Mother's Day to enjoy on Sunday, late trainings on the 12th and 13th -in Boerne, Tx- (won't be home till about 10pm), another deadline on the 13th, a bday girl to visit on the 13th ;), and then another 6 more meetings/trainings to tackle all before June 1st! phew! I'm excited, overwhelmed, and exhausted all in just thinking bout it all...

So, I might have a blog or two here and there in the next few weeks. But more than likely not even close to how I have been blogging . . . I'll be missing my little cozy spot --but accomplishing a lot!! :D woohoo.

(in song) "Oh, what a beautiful morning..."

Oh, what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way.

What a wonderful way to start a day:
alarm goes off. Chris wakes me up to iron the shirt I said I would. I lay back down. Chris runs out of the bathroom panicking about needing a plunger. I tell him to check the other bathrooms. He still never found it. I peel my eyes open and make my way to iron his work shirt. I get done. I decide to stay awake. I swoosh open my curtains to let the morning light in. I open my blinds. I look out the window to get a good look at morning. A huge chunk of our tree is ripped off. I . . . "WHAT?! A huge chunk of our tree is laying on the ground. How?! Did it hit our house?! Did it land on anything that could get ruined?"

I go tell Chris and he nonchalantly says "yeah, it could happen. We had strong winds; I saw pics of trees like that on the news." So, I think, "maybe he didn't hear me correctly." So, I repeat, "A huge chunk IS on the ground." Then I realize that he just really isn't amused by the news.

When he finally makes his way back to our bedroom, he peers out the window and finally remarks, what I expected, "OH WOW!" (haha, "Exactly." is what I was thinking.)

We kiss goodbye. I brush my teeth. I unclogged the toilet. I walk down stairs. I wait for my coffee.

Oh, what a beautiful Mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way.

lol. Hey, so I'm an optimist, okay? ;)

he's TEA-rrific

Aw, as I was sitting up in our bed, on my comp, I hear a 'clank-clank' sound coming down the hall way...

Chris walks in w/ two mugs . . . he had the sweetest look on his face and handed me a cup of Passion Fruit tea. When he was downstairs, getting our bed sheets, that he washed and dried, he steamed up some water in our Kuerig and made two mugs of tea... it's a new tea that he purchased today (while he was grocery shopping w/ Kryssa, while I was at work....it just gets better and better, apparently!) :)

What a wonderful, thoughtful, hubby! -praise God!

ah, nothing like relaxing in bed w/ my hubby --sipping on some yummy hot tea...

:)

back by (one) popular demand...

LOL! ;)

We have a garage!!! Finally! To those of you who have seen our garage, you know exactly what I'm talking about. We purchased our home in Dec. 2004 and, finally, April 2009, we have approx 4 boxes of "stuff" left --out of, oh about, the original 20!! Geez! I KNEW it was going to happen. When we moved in, it's a long story of the actual movers we hired -but needless to say, our stuff was being moved in, by US, at approx 4am!! So, Chris insisted on moving everything into the garage and then working our way through it to get it in our home. Well, I tried my very best to convince him that it would not be a good idea because it would just sit there and sit there for years! I jokingly (hoping it would not be true) said "If we put it in our garage it will sit there for 3 years!" Well, 4+ years later, we have finally done away w/ allllll the JUNK in our garage!! :D I'm . . . WE are soooooooo excited!

We have donated the majority of everything to the Medina Children's Home and then we have just been giving the rest away to anyone who wants or needs it. So, we have only one box of stuff that hasn't been touched since we moved here, in 2004. Only because it is stuff that we had on our book shelf in our previous apartment --it was built in to the wall at the entrance and had something like 7 shelves or so . . . plenty of space for all of our frames, figurines, etc. Well, we don't have where to put it -still. I'm sure if we actually looked through it, we would realize that we don't NEED the majority of that stuff. But we havne't yet . . .

Another box, well, two of them are papers and papers and papers that Chris insists on shredding -we've collected over the years. How embarasing but true. :( So, at least it is down to just two boxes. :) and we are definitely getting rid of this junk now! :D

The next task in that garage is to install the garage door opener (that we've had for over two years now . . . in its sealed box. Chris hopes to get that done this weekend -and that would be awesome. -we're just going to have to draw straws to determine who gets to park in the garage! lol

Tomorrow, at work, we are having a Snow Cone party!! :p I'mmmmm excited.

Oh, and I really need to remember to take and post a pic of my beautiful Gerber Daisy that is growing super duper tall --taller than all the others! I wish I had one of those single stem vases. That tall straight stem gerber daisy would look soooo beautiful in a skinny clear vase...

So, tomorrow is Friday, and I'm soooo ready. Although, I do have some serious work hrs to tackle, at home (well, I think I'm actually going to go to the library so that I can give my undivided attention to working on curriculum) planned for Saturday.

Okay, well, this blog is as scattered and random as my thoughts . . . ha ha ha . . . I'll try to stick to one topic next time.

g'nite.

blog no more?

I am considering putting a stop to my blogs on this site. I've joined Facebook and I find it so much more enjoyable. I think I still want to keep my blogger account though because I love being able to keep up w/ the other sites I am linked to from here . . .

it's just getting to be a little too much keeping up w/ all the different places (myspace, facebook, twitter -which I don't even use, I was just looking for an old friend-, cafemom, etc.). I've got to find just one that works well for everything...

I'll give it a bit more time before I make a final decision. Maybe I'll find that blogger meets all my needs. hee hee :)

Catching up

G'morning! :)

My little 's.i.p.', ha ha stands for Self Improvement Plan (I like to make up new words, phrases, acronyms, etc. -goofy, I know! Just like my "Willpo Diet" ... lol. Stands for Willpower Diet. Not a typical "diet" at all, just self motivation for having more willpower, controlling your impulses for how much of what you should and shouldn't eat just for the sake of being healthy! :D)....so, as I was saying, my S.I.P. has been going GREAT!!! This morning I woke up at 8:26am -not as early as I would have liked but, once again, I stayed up too late! That is going to have to be next on my s.i.p. agenda. Seriously! I am just sooooo used to staying up late so that I can spend time w/ Chris. Once Kryssa goes to bed, around 10 or 10:30pm, there isn't much time for just me and Chris. So, we end up staying up until midnight or even later. Last night we were watching Marley & Me, which, btw, seems to NEVER END, and Chris fell asleep before it finished but I stayed up and watched the whole thing! It was 1am once I turned everything off and cuddled up for sleep. Geez Louise!!!!!

I do know that Kryssa needs to go to bed earlier. We normally don't get home from work until approx 7:15pm. Even yesterday, we got off at 6:15pm, instead of our usual 6:30-6:45pm, but then I stopped at a Red Box to get us some movies and then I requested a prescription. So, even though we got off earlier than usual, we still didn't get home till our usual time, 7:15pm. Chris had the table set and ready to go for our dinner (pizza -he had picked it up on his way home from work). By the time dinner was finished, it was 8pm. We sat and watched American Idol, while Kryssa watched the movie we rented for her. Chris went up around 10pm or so to put Kryssa to bed --maybe it was 9:30 when the whole routine started. Her routine includes: potty, brushing her teeth, cleaning up her room, picking something to sleep with, and story time. It was about 10:30pm once Chris got to our bedroom . . . So, I guess, if anything, maybe he could start that whole routine at 8:45pm?

Today has been wonderful! The weather is cool and breezy (a little to 'sticky' for my liking) and I'm enjoying it all w/ my windows and back door open!! Ah, how refreshing. I've been starting every morning this way -including a cup of yummy coffee (except today I had English Breakfast Tea and unfortunately I poured too much milk, half and half stuff, and I couldn't enjoy it all that much. The first half of it was yummy but then the half and half started to be all I tasted. :( I know for next time.. hee hee...)

So, I have a lot of catching up to do: work and projects, housework, and laundry -it's all washed, dried, folded, sorted...just needs to be put away now...

ah, smirnoff and peanuts! ha!

So, this morning, I woke up later than planned. My first alarm went off at 6:30am and I think I reset it to 7am. Now, remember, I'm choosing to wake up this early just for my own personal improvement -I guess you can say. So, my second alarm went off and I did the "I'll get up in just a bit" . . . well, that "bit" turned out to be an hour and a half! :(

I got more housework done (organizing, cleaning, laundry, etc...) :) I had a great morning and afternoon here at home --Chris was home too! He didn't have to be at work until 1:45pm! :D

Now, work, a totally different story for me!!! :( Out of the approx. 55 kids that attend on a daily basis, my group, alone, was a whopping 43 kids!!! Geez!! I nearly lost my mind today! ha ha. "She said this . . . he said this . . . he did such and such . . . she did such and such . . . are we going outside? . . . do I have to . . . can I . . . no I didn't . . . he's lying . . . please don't tell my mom . . ." --so, it was quite a day. To top it off, Kryssa started whining, screaming and acting "bratty" towards the end of our work day -I was already at the end of my rope for the day and she just really really really pushed my buttons alllllll the way home. So, I got some "quiet" time (I guess you could say -not really quiet cause I could still hear her throwing those tantrums upstairs) while Chris bathed her and put her to bed. It's been a LONG day.

So, I'm sitting here, watching shows on abc.com, enjoying peanuts and a smirnoff...

Oh, I look forward to winding down and getting rest tonight.

Where's my coffee!?

It's 8:16am. I did manage to wake up at 7:36am. 36 minutes later than planned --but about 4 hrs earlier than usual. AND I always say how I think Kryssa has some kind of sensor that goes off when 'mommy' is awake. I say this because if I do happen to wake up before 10am and start my day, just minutes later, she's walking down the hallway ready to start her day. Kryssa can sleep and sleep and sleep (we are all related! ha ha). No matter what time I wake up, if it's before 10am, a few minutes after I'm up, she's up. This morning, I peeeeeeeeled my eyelids open to check the time and see how much I had slept in. It was 7:36am and as I lay my head back down on my pillow, I hear soft little footsteps coming towards my room. Kryssa comes in and says "can I lay with you mommy?...on daddy's side?" We covered up w/ the bed sheet and laid back down. Only a few mins past though before I sent her back to her room so I could wake up and start my day (what I call brushing my teeth and doing all the other little things I do before I start my day). Then she asks if she can have some breakfast. That's when I realize why she woke up soooooo early today. I sent her to bed w/ a hungry tummy! She played, instead of eating, for about 45 mins yesterday for dinner. So, after time outs and warnings, she ended up going to bed. She fell asleep really fast last night so she must have been super tired. But her hungry tummy is more than likely what woke her up this morning ...

So, I am happy that I woke up early. Now I get to work on the laundry! :) (I really am seceretly excited about that! ha ha I love the way our laundry room is now set up and it just feels wonderful when all our laundry is washed, dried, folded/hung and where it belongs. It hasn't happened in a while -so, I'm ready for a good challenge! ;)

My day will officially start in about 5 mins --when I pop in a K-cup and sniff that first sniff of French Vanilla Coffee!! mmmmmmm!

Our sidewalk is PACKED!!

Tomorrow, a 'children's home' will come by to pick up donations. Chris and I worked quickly to take out allllll the stuff we have been piling aside saying "oh, we could donate this...". So, finally, our crowded corners, of "donation stuff" are now emptied. Now, our sidewalk, on the other hand, looks like a road side store!! I'm hoping that it will all still be there for the 'pick up' and that other people driving by don't think it's a free for all!

I'm excited...

Oh, and today, we were all on a 'make a change' spree. I decided to rearrange our laundry room. ha ha. Sounds like a strange room to rearrange -but since our laundry room is long, I moved our dryer to another wall and now we have extra space to use! I love it. Chris mowed the front lawn, worked on our car (w/ our neighbor's help) and got it working again (yay!), switched my baking closet to our pantry and moved my baking stuff to our kitchen cabinets.

I've been doing laundry just about all day long and I think that I'll be waking up super early to get my day started and finish up laundry and probably even clean our floors.

I went out of town for a Leadership training -for work- last week, wed. through sat., and I was waking up at 6am every morning and our training day was starting at 7:30am -so I figured I would try to keep that kind of schedule and get my day started earlier than 11am. ha! We'll see how that works out . . .

Oh, and Kryssa is registered for Kindergarten!! wow.

Crusty Crab-Apples! (from Grumpy Bear)

So, I didn't have the time I wanted to sit and spend w/ mr macbook and my cozy spot...

After the whirlwind of a day at work and an emotional breakdown before work, trying to get my mind and heart at peace w/ what to do about Kryssa's school and my job, we nodded off at dinner, at Jim's. We, Chris and I -not Kryssa, she got a good nap in as we drove from work to daddy's work- were soooooo sleepy and exhausted. Chris has some kind of cold or crazy allergy attack. We could have literally fallen alseep sitting up at our booth. Kryssa would have been perfectly fine w/ her cloring activity and pancakes!! ha ha.

After dinner, we finally went to Petsmart and I got to by two albino cory fish that I have been wanting. They are the only fish that I have known to do a fantabulous job at cleaning my fish tank.

Then...straight home to work -again. Geez. I did as much 'sitting'/online training and testing that I could handle. I finished one section and then cleaned the cat box and put Kryssa to bed. I sent of an email to a friend and now here I am. I should be sleeping because I'll be repeating "Crusty Crab-Apples" when I have to wake up in approx. 6.5 hrs (seems like it should be enough, right? but it won't be . . . it never is!)

So, I just had to take a wee bit of time to unwind . . .

I'll be heading out for training tomorrow, right after work. I won't be back until approx. 9pm Saturday night. I'm going to miss my babies and loves (kryssa, chris, pinky, and browny) --yet, I'm going to do my best to relax when I have down time and enjoy my quiet time . . . not having to take care of any one... just me, myself, and I! :D **we'll see how I feel about it tomorrow night as I try to snuggle up in a yucky hotel bed all by myself . . . [sniffle]

Hopefully I'll have internet access while I'm there.
toodle-oo!
I'll hurry back...