With My Feet Firmly Planted On the Ground

Jeff is scheduled to take a business trip in June to California. This is the first trip ever that he has been able to schedule during the summer, the only time when I am available to go with him. The best part of being a teacher is having summers off. But the worst part is also having summers off, because your principal always expects everything in your life to then happen in the summer, and GOD BLESS AMERICA do NOT ask for time off during the school year.

But now that I actually have the opportunity to go with him, vegitate in a hotel room without kids, lounge by a pool and drink diet Coke and read books to my hearts content, I don't know if I can make myself go.

I have always had a hard time leaving the kids to go on vacation. Although I need a break sometimes just like every mother, I miss the kids SO much when I am gone that I have a hard time relaxing and enjoying myself. When Jeff and I travel on the same plane, I am an absolute wreck. I have a fear of flying, but it's worse when we are together. I can't help imagining what would happen to the kids if something happened to both of us.

So I probably won't go. Which is so neurotic, and yes I probably need to get over it. But I just don't think I can talk myself into it.

Whirlwind

I am reading a book with Evan right now that was my all time favorite book in elementary school. It's called Night of the Twisters, by Ivy Ruckman. It is a semi-fictionalized account of the 1980 tornadoes that hit Grand Island, Nebraska. 7 tornadoes destroyed the town on June 3, 1980 over a time span of roughly three hours. The storm is qualified as the most unusual tornado outbreak in the United States, as it was an extremely slow moving storm (roughly 8 miles per hour), it spawned a large number of tornadoes which all followed a curved path that often turned back on itself instead of the traditional straight line, and three of the tornadoes were anticyclonic (which means that they turned clockwise). Only 1% of tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere turn clockwise, and to have three in one storm is incredible.

I originally picked up the book at age 8 because the author Ivy Ruckman came and made a presentation at my school, where she told about her grandchidren who had ridden out the storm in their basement. While reading, my mom told me that my Aunt Denise had been in Grand Island the night of the storm, and for several days they knew nothing of her whereabouts or safety, which added a personal connection for me.

The whole experience began a lifelong fascination for me. I just love to study, read, and hear about tornadoes. I get a bit nervous during an actual storm, especially now that I am a mother. As I head to the basement, I can't help thinking about how exactly I would keep all three of my babies from swirling away from me. But the absolute fascination is still there, just as much as when I was 8.

And so, as we head into another tornado season here in Tornado Alley, I can't help but be excited. There's just something about the sky turning green that gets the blood moving, you know?

An Open Letter to the Lady Responsible for My Latest Obsession

Dear Stephenie Meyer,

I love your Twilight series. I don't know what it is about your characters, but they have grabbed me like no other. I love them like I knew them in real life.

But now I have a problem. Now that I am done with the series (several times over if truth be told), I am left with a craving for more. AND THERE IS NO MORE!!! And I can't stand that fact. I imagine that this may be how a heroine addict might feel if told there was no more to be had.

I have watched the movie ten times since it came out on DVD last Saturday, much to the chagrin of my family.

So please! Take pity on me! Write us another installment. Maybe what happens to Renesmee and Jacob? Just a suggestion!

Withering in Nebraska,
Christy-Your Most Loyal Fan

Three Random Things I am Grateful For

1. My husband. He is so patient with me. I don't deserve it, or him, but thank you God for sending him my way.

2. My boys. I wasn't sure I would be able to have more children after Evan. Charlie and Sammy were some of the biggest, yet best surprises of my life. At first I wanted them to be pink, but I love the three blues I got.

3. My mission. I am so thankful that I have been given the gift/privilege of teaching. I don't just think of it as a career or a job. I've always thought of it as my vocation. I know deep down it is what God wants me to do. I have know it deep down since I was five years old. I am thankful to have been centered in this way my entire life.

Hail Storm

I suppose this could be considered old news, as it happened on Monday, but it was also big news for the boys at our house, so I'll post it anyway.

Even thought it is only March, we had our first round of tornado weather here in Omaha on Monday. Interestingly, on the same date in 1913, there was a huge tornado that ravaged parts of Omaha. People that live here in the Cornhusker state know that any type of weather can happen any time. Sometimes stressful, but I would take a tornado over an earthquake any day.

Monday afternoon about 4:30, the sky outside our deck door started to turn a sickly shade of green. My "mommy storm radar" went on full alert, and I sent the kids downstairs to play. I just had a feeling the sirens were going to go off at some point, and I thought this would make the kids easier to round up. I also started carting pairs of tennis shoes downstairs. My grandmother and mother have told me endless times not to go into the basement for a tornado without shoes for everyone, in case you have to walk back out over glass and rubble. I just can't hit the basement without shoes.

Sure enough, around 5:00 my weather radio was alarming and the sirens were blaring. 5 minutes later, despite being contained in a windowless basement room, we could hear hail absolutely POUNDING the house. The storm's funnel/wall cloud passed about 15 blocks south of our house, which explains the horrific winds we heard hurling hail at our siding. Once we were sure the storm had passed our area of the city, I ventured out to a window, and discovered so much hail in our yard it looked like it had snowed. Here is the view on our deck of a pile that collected near the baby gate:



I thought the fun was over, and the sky actually did start getting a bit sunny for about 15 minutes, but soon we were back to green, and this time we had rain, more hail, and 70 mile an hour winds. The wind picked up all of our lawn furniture at once, and hurled it over our 6 foot privacy fence into the neighbor's yard. Sammy, who was looking out the window with me, remarked, "Oh lookie! It can fly!"

This went on for about 10 minutes. When it finally stopped, I thought we were done yet again. Just like before, the sun came out a bit, but within 15 minutes the rain, wind, and hail were all back. More hail joining the previous pile:



Luckily for us, round three was it. I zipped outside between raindrops to gather some hailstones for the boys to explore and keep in the freezer.



Charlie was surprised to discover that ice cubes could fall from the sky.

It was an exciting afternoon, but not one that I want to repeat soon!!!!

I am Going to Be SHRINKING!

Some of my favorite bloggers started an online weight loss community called The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans awhile ago. I have been watching from afar as they lost some serious pounds. I have always wanted to join one of their challenges, but never did.

For the last year and a half, I have been exercising regularly, and I had felt like nothing was really helping, that I wasn't losing any weight. About a month ago, when we were cleaning the house in preparation to move, I fell off the exercise bandwagon. I was so busy cleaning that at first I didn't have time to fit it in, and then I thought to myself, "Why bother? It doesn't help anyway!" Lo and behold, I gained 5 pounds almost immediately, and my pants were tight. Maybe it was making a difference! At least I wasn't gaining when I was exercising, right?

So, last Monday I joined my water pilates class, which was a blast. I got back on the bike yesterday, and I plan to ride every night during the week. I am really watching my calorie intake, so I am hoping this will all equal at least some weight loss. At least that nasty five pounds which are making my pants uncomfortable.

So, today is my first weigh in Wednesday. I am supposed to post my start weight here on my blog, and then my weekly weight loss from here on out every Wednesday. My weightloss goal is to loose 10 pounds by the end of the challenge, which ends on May 10th.

May I first just say, that after I post my weight, will you all please promise to still love me? And not to laugh at me? Because really-it is appalling. I do not even want to truly know myself. But, I guess accountability is the key, right? So, here goes....my start weight is.....

Oh lordy.
180

I am going to go pass out now.

Not Much

Not much is new today, other than I am so excited to start a new weekly water pilates class tonight. Normally I try to stay away from organized exercise classes because I am the world's most uncoordinated person. I stay away not just for my own safety, but for the other participants as well. Hopefully the water will help to control my movements a bit, although I will be asked to use a weighted dumb bell so that could be fatal.

Hopefully this will help to take off the three extra pounds that have crept up. They are not welcome on these here hips.

And a Good Weekend Was Had By All

We've had a splendid time around here the last couple of days. Friday was rather excruciating for me, as I had to help with a Book Bowl competition at school. The event itself was fun to help with, but days where I don't get to see my kids for more than the half hour it takes to get them dressed and to school are just plain awful for me. Sometimes I am tempted to go into their room and wake them up to play when I get home. It also meant I got a late start on my laundry, which is never a good idea around here.

We made up for it Saturday morning though when we went Boingz! for our cousin Bryce's 2nd birthday party. All three boys had a great time jumping in the bounce houses.

Saturday night was pure pleasure. Jeff and I had date night together, the first time we have been out in months. We went to see Bill Cosby perform live at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha. I am such a big fan of Mr. Cosby that I seriously would have been happy if he had just came on stage and sat down and said nothing. Just to be able to say I was in the same room with him was enough for me.

He came out in sweat pants, a hoodie sweatshirt that said "Hello Friend" on the front, and blue crocs. Wouldn't that be great to be so comfy while you are on stage? The only thing on stage was a chair and a table, and he sat in the chair and talked to all of us as if we had always been friends. He told HIGHLARIOUS stories for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and I am not kidding you-my stomach hurt when it was all over. I have never ever laughed that hard for that long.

We went out to dinner at Red Lobster afterwards for Lobstah fest, and I totally indulged and had a lobster tail and garlic jumbo shrimp. TO DIE FOR. I have 2 extra inches on my hips to prove it.

My totally awesome father in-law came down to watch the kids, and they just are over the moon in love with him, so the boys had a good date night too. The only downside is that Papa John never comes empty handed, so he had loads of junkfood loot with him. This morning I opened my fridgerator door to see a bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms staring me in the face. THERE IS NOT A YUMMIER CANDY!!!! This will not help my diet. So far I have avoided them. I will be pushing them on the boys for desert tonight in self preservtion.

It's a good day when...

I asked Sam on the way home from school today if he had had a good day at school. He said, "Yeah Mommy. I made a mess. I made Tessa cry 'cause I ate her candy. It was fun." What more is there to ask for when you're a toddler?!

Nervous nervous nervous!

Do you ever feel overwhelmingly anxious?

That's exactly how I feel today. The worst part? I can't put my finger on why. Maybe end of the school year deadlines? A really busy weekend ahead? The piles of laundry overtaking my house?

Probably all of the above.

I had to work really hard today at not biting people's heads off, and not bursting into tears at strange times.

So instead of freaking out, I am trying to focus on the things I am thankful for, and the blessings I have in my life. I am so hoping for a more relaxed tomorrow.

Oh The Places I Have Lived!

Welcome back to Table Topic Tuesday! Today's question is:

Where have you lived, and what were your favorite things about each place?

I haven't lived in very many places. In fact, I have lived in Omaha, Nebraska all of my life, with the exception of a brief two years in college when I moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. Which is all of 5o miles away.

I'm okay with this, as I love the midwest. I love Nebraska. I love the people here. All of my extended family, with the exception of two aunts are here as well, and I love that I have so many people that I love within arms reach. I've always wanted to live in a small town, and I am trying to convince Jeff that we need to retire to one. Hopefully one day I'll get to add a tiny picturesque town to my list.

Here in the Big O, I have lived in three different houses with my parents, and two with my husband. I loved the house I lived in for the first four years of my life. Mostly because it was just me and my sister back then. Not that I don't love my two little brothers, but I loved it when it was just Sarah and me. I felt so cradled in love from my parents, and my little sister was my best tag along buddy.

I also loved the house that Evan and I moved into when he was three years old, and I had finally finished college and gotten myself gainfully employed. It was tiny, but absolutely perfect. I have had many wonderful things happen in my life since the day we moved into our little bungalow, but not many have come close to the joy I felt at finally being able to provide a home for myself and my little boy. I felt like we were finally our own official family. The space to be on our own allowed me to finally start introducing our own traditions. I loved every minute we spent in that house. Once we added Charlie and Jeff to the mix, we were busting out of the house at the seams and I knew we needed to move on, but OH MY was it hard to leave that place.

So-where have you lived? What did you like best?

Venturing Out on His Own

Evan and I were just a pair for the first 4 years of his life. (We refer to this as the time of our small family). As a result, we formed a bond that I think is a lot closer/different from other parent child bonds. In many ways, it was great. With only one person to pour my love and devotion into, I feel like he had a great beginning to his life. The downside was that with only me to depend on, Evan had a hard time separating from me. Make that HAS a hard time separating.

He has always been hesitant to venture out on his own, to do new things if I'm not there. Jeff and I have worked hard over the past few years to build his self confidence, and to get him to an independence level that we see other 10 1/2 year olds having. Being a world champion worry wort, that hasn't been easy, but on Saturday we made a big breakthrough.

The day was filled with glorious spring sunshine and warmth, so we herded all the boys out to the front yard to play. Evan loves his scooter, and after half an hour of encouragement, we finally talked him into taking a spin around the block. By himself.

Probably something small for other kids, but for my shy guy, worry wart who is overprotective of his mother and hates to leave my side-it was HUGE.

And the silly thing? I was so focused on pushing him out of the nest that I didn't realize how it would make me feel to see him speeding away from me, getting smaller and smaller. So bittersweet. I thought about how this was the first of many upcoming moments in the near future where he would be leaving me behind. So proud, and yet so sad.

This mothering stuff is a tough business.

A Girly Day, Complete With a Tiara

Today I had a wonderful morning spent with some of my favorite gals. The awesome Christi and I took Alyssa and my niece Brooke (aka Brookie Cookie/Brookelina) to see a performance of High School Musical on Ice. It's so nice to be able to borrow Brookie when I get a craving for something girly, pink, and full of singing and glitter.

Watching Brooke's face as the skaters first came onto the ice was priceless. She breathed an impressed and reverant "WOW!!!!" I'll never forget it. After a few minutes she declared," I NEED to know how to do that!"



The skating was great, and came complete with pyrotechnics, which impressed the little ones. I was amazed at how they could skate while dribbling a basketball, driving a golf cart, and riding a bike. For someone like me who can't even stand up on ice skates, this was nothing short of miraculous.



At the intermission we got some obligatory event food. Brookie had a hot dog, a pretzel with salt (which caused her to ask me why the pretzel had rocks on it, and why she was supposed to eat them), and a coke. That girl has a bladder of steel. She drank almost the entire medium sized pop, and then didn't have to go to the bathroom the entire rest of the time we were together. Wish my kids could do that!



Afterwards we got a souvenir of our day, which I found to be the perfect excuse to buy Brooke a pink, glittery, High School Musical tiara. I do love me a good tiara.



Thank goodness that with all of these boys around I have Brooke as my go to girl for an old fashioned girl day.

Thanks Christi and Alyssa!

What Money Just Can't Buy

Yesterday, Beth, over at I Should Be Folding Laundry asked her readers to leave her a comment telling her what they would buy if money were no object. I told her I would go out right this very minute and get a tummy tuck. I so envy people who have babies and then immediately are able to put their normal jeans back on. My ten pound babies stretched my skin to the limit. That, combined with my wickedly slow metabolism, German background (Good strong, big boned women!!), and poly cystic ovary syndrome left me with a lot of stretched out left over skin that will not return to it's normal shape no matter how much weight I lose, or how much I exercise and do crunches. It blows.

But, there is something I yearn for even more than that, and unfortunately it isn't something money can buy. What I really want? Is to be able to go somewhere like a doctor's office, a church, or a grocery store, and to think nothing of it. To be able to have each of these events be a calm experience. One where you are not trying to constantly keep your kids quiet. Where your heart is not pounding because you are just waiting for one of them to loose it, and then have to deal with it like it is really no big deal and be utterly calm about the whole thing.

Yesterday Evan had to go in to the eye doctor for a 6 week progress check. I took Sam and Charlie with me, as it was right after school and we would have to fly to get there in time, and also because I hate having to ask my mom all the time to watch the kids. Big mistake. Let it suffice to say that the doctor actually asked me not to bring them back for any of Evan's other appointments. I can kind of see her point, as it was hard for Evan to concentrate on what she was asking him to do, and I wasn't even able to talk with her about his progress because I could tell they were aggravating her. A lot. On the other hand, our appointment was at 4:00, and the tech didn't even come into the room until 4:45. The doctor didn't arrive until 5:10. Toddlers don't do well stuck in a small room for over an hour. I was so embarrassed I wanted to cry. I don't think their behavior was all that terrible, they were just being toddlers. I guess there are just certain situations that toddlers don't mix with.

Now I am in a pickle though. Evan goes to weekly therapy sessions, and check ups to this doctor every 6 weeks. That's a lot of time that the babies won't be able to come with us. I have no idea how that will work out.

I did dish out some tough love afterwards though. I had told the babies that if they were very good at the doctor we would go to McDonald's for dinner. Since they obviously didn't cut the mustard with their behavior, I bought dinner at McD's for everyone but them. They had a microwave pizza instead, and we made a huge deal out of how yummy our fries were, and how sad it was they hadn't made better choices at the doctor's so they could have some too. It made a BIG impression. Hopefully one that lasts.

Farmers Rock

Today I took my class on one of the most interesting field trips I have ever been on. And that is saying something. I have been teaching in daycares, public schools, and private schools since 1995. That's 14 years of field trips.

We attended the Triumph of Agriculture Expo today in downtown Omaha. It was a HUGE show of farm equipment, tractors, seeds, and everything farm related. That alone was amazing and so wonderful for my "city kids" to see. I was so very touched though by the MANY MANY farmers who were there who stopped to talk to my kids. They were so friendly, all took time to speak with the kids, and teach them about the equipment and farming. Every blessed one shook my hand and thanked me for exposing them to the profession of farming, to showing them how important agriculture is, and for encouraging them to work with the land. It was a blessing for the students and I to meet them, talk to them, and tell them we appreciate what they do and the sacrifices they make.

My group was lucky enough to be paired with Matt and Dylan, two 16 year old Future Farmers of America members, as our tour guides. These two young men patiently explained every bit of farm equipment we saw to my kids. They kneeled down on the floor with them, pointed out the underbellies of augers and what each part was for, answered all of their 6 year old questions with good humor, and shared what it was like to grow up on a farm. We came away with a new understanding of how incredibly expensive it is to be a farmer, that it is truly a science/business all rolled into one, and that it is a lot more complicated than we thought.

And a side benefit for me? (Don't tell my kiddos!) FARMERS ARE SO ADORABLE!!! I don't know what it is about a man in work boots, faded jeans, and a baseball cap, but good gravy they are kind on the eyes. Put all that next to a tractor, and I have trouble not fainting. Reminded me of that country song where the lyrics say something about "she thinks my tractor's sexy!" Totally true. Those farmer's wives are pretty lucky ladies!

Holy Test, Batman!

Oh my golly I am SOOOOO nervous! I just scheduled my test for my National Board Certification. I am going to have my brains fried on April 25th. FOR SIX GRUELING HOURS!

I have not taken a test that long since the ACT in high school. My stomach is rolling, and my nerves are already a wreck.

The thing that scares me is that there is not a whole lot you can do to prepare. They provide you with an online tutorial so that you can familiarize yourself with the format of the test, but there isn't a whole lot you can do to prepare for content. And what's more fun that walking into a 6 hour test blind?

I am going to go throw up now.

Prying Myself Away from My Laptop

I haven't read a book in about three months. This is a rarity for me. I love love love to read, but the pull of social media is like HEROIN I tell you. Who can stay away from Facebook! Twitter! Blogs! I love them all. Have to check them all. Multiple times a day.

So, I picked up a book by one of my fave authors, Jodi Picoult. It's her newest novel called Handle With Care. I am hoping it can help me pull away a bit, and get back into some of my favorite things.

So...I'm off to read! Maybe I'll blog a book review when I finish.

Decision

It's decided. We're staying put. For now.

We just couldn't find a house that we liked, and we both agree that we want our next move to be to our "dream" house, one we can see ourselves in for the next 15 or so years, and we don't want to settle.

So for now, we refinance. And we agreed to start looking again in a year. Hopefully the economy has picked up a bit by then.

In the meantime, we are going to do some home improvement projects to make our current home sparkle. Who knows? Maybe we'll end up wanting to stay!

So, this summer we are putting in wood floors in our living room and kitchen, and ceramic tile in the entry way. We are staining our deck and fence, and adding a retaining wall to the backyard. And maybe painting the master bedroom too. Busy summer, no?

At least I know though. I hate nothing more than LIMBO LAND. I like to know exactly what is going to happen next, and now that we have a plan, I can relax. And get excited! I love to pound a hammer when I have the chance, even though I can be dangerous with it. With my dad and Jeff's dad acting as foremen, maybe they'll keep me out of trouble!

Where, oh where, is the house for us?

We went house hunting again this morning, despite my strep induced delirium. Which certainly made the experience more entertaining.

The first house we visited, in a word, sucked. This word may have accidentally escaped my lips and floated out to the agents ears, which caused a loud guffaw from John, our uber patient agent. Normally, I wouldn't say this in a situation which requires me to be somewhat professional, or at least look like a grownup who is perfectly capable of spending a crap load of money on a home. However, it appears large doses of pain relievers lowers my inhibitions a bit.

The house was built in 1966, and if that was your favorite year, than this is the house for you, because it has not changed one bit. And by that, I even mean that the stove and oven were original to the house. Does that add character? I think not.

The second house we saw has been tempting us all afternoon. The layout? Perfect. The location? Awesome (as in 3 minutes from Grandma's house. My kids could walk over to play, and I might be left alone to have time to MYSELF!) The price? Great. BUT...it needs a new roof and furnace. Not a huge deal, as we would put that in as a contigency of our offer. But, it also needs some other updating. We would end up working to make it better for quite a bit. And, as longtime readers of this blog know, Jeff and I can hardly chage a light bulb. You may recall the time Jeff and I became locked in a bedroom with Sam when attempting to change out a doorknob, leaving Charlie free to attack the house with a Sharpie marker. One of the highpoints of Charlie's young life, to be sure.

So, we have spent the rest of the day feeling like our brains are in a pinball machine as we bounce around from one option/decision to another. I am actually leaning towards staying here, refinancing, doing some home improvements, and looking again in a year. Although that could be because my ears feel like they are going to explode out of my head, and I am so tired I can't imagine packing up all of our stuff and setting up house somewhere else.

Maybe we'll try sleeping on it, and the decision will be waiting for us when we wake, all wrapped up with a bow. Wouldn't that be awesome?!

Aaaannd...I'm sick. Again. I know you're shocked.

Just found out I have strep throat. And a double ear infection. Which would explain a lot about how I have been feeling the last few days.

The real miracle here is that all three boys were patient enough to sit in the waiting room, the exam room, and the pharmacy waiting room with me long enough for me to get treated and medicated. Seriously. You have no idea how awesome this is. We bought a large bag of sugar coated colorful popcorn to celebrate. I am not above bribing my children. It's totally worth it, and a highly effective parenting tool in emergencies.

The miracles just kept coming as we pulled into the driveway, and Jeff pulled in right behind us. Home before eight o'clock! May wonders never cease! He fed the kiddos their bribe, popped them into the tub, and put them to bed. I have been able to sit and rest on the couch uninterrupted for 3 hours.

May the healing begin.

Table Topic Tuesday...Except it's Thursday

I flubbed up my record this week for Table Topics. It's been such a crazy week! But I am going to catch up now...

This week's question is: Who do you sorely miss?

I didn't even have to think about this one. I SORELY miss my Grandma Sophie. She died 16 years ago when I was 16 in 1993. I can't believe that she has already been gone for as long as I knew her. My Grandma was one HECK of a lady. She raised 10 kids and did a damn fine job of it. She was fun, loving, and jolly. She loved her grandkids and pinched your cheeks and told you "I looooove ya!" every time she saw you. Her laugh was amazing and she could sing songs in Polish. She always let us have more desert and her mantra about food was "a little bit won't hurt!" She was the best house keeper I ever met, but even though her house was immaculate, a herd of grandkids running through didn't bother her at all, and we were free to have fun and make messes.

Her quiet yet strong faith in God was a rock in her life, and a wonderful example to others. She was terrified of storms and would have us join her in a rosary if a strong one was coming through.

Once I saw her kill a bee in church by slamming a hymnal loudly smack dab on top of it, right in the middle of a silent part in the service. She just grinned and waved at all the peolple who turned to look. My sister and I giggled and snorted, and she smiled back.

She had the strength to bury her 17 year old daughter and help the rest of her family through the tragedy. I don't know that I could do that. She was, in short, one of the most amazing women I have ever known. I think about her everyday, especially since I have become a mother. When my three boys overwhelm me, I imagine her with 10 kids, and tell myself to suck it up.

I sorely miss her, and I look forward to seeing her again. I just know she will be one of the first people I see in heaven. I love her dearly.

Stress

It's been a stressful couple of days around here. Yesterday was very sad for our family. We buried my Uncle Clyde, who passed away last week after a long battle with lymphoma. I am so sad that my aunt and cousins had to say good-bye to a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. I am glad that he is no longer in pain. Cancer is a horrible disease, and a horrible thing to have to watch a loved one go through. My prayer today is that my aunt and her family have the strength and peace of the Lord as they go through the difficult days ahead.

I took Charlie in for a hearing test on Friday as a part of the speech evaluation his pediatrician recommended. Luckily, his hearing test came out fine. In fact, he hears so well that only 1% of the population can hear sounds as high as he can, or as soft. It is a curse that I have as well. Maybe I'll tell you about my "dog hearing" (as my family calls it) sometime. It's a long story though so I'll save it for later. Unluckily, the timing of the test meant that I had to take the whole day off of work Friday. And then again Monday. And then again this coming Friday so Charlie can go to the eye doctor. It is TOTALLY a pain in the butt to take time off work as a teacher. I may never dig out from under the piles of work on my desk after this.

Jeff came home from work today with a fever, and sick to his stomach. I don't mind taking care of sick people, especially when they are my husband or kids. But I am so afraid I am going to catch it, and have to take off yet more time from work.

And to top it off-DID YOU SEE THAT JERK ON THE BACHELOR LAST NIGHT?!! I can't believe I totally fell for his single dad charms. Couldn't he have broken up with her ahead of time, instead of, oh-I don't know, ON NATIONAL TELEVISION?!!! I may have to boycott next season. I am totally disgusted.

Here's to hoping for a better Wednesday.

Bummer

We went to look at a house today. We have only found about 3 to put on our list, as there doesn't seem to be a lot out there that meets our qualifications. Which I guess means we're picky. Which also means I really, really, really want one of these three houses to work out.

This one didn't. It was so disgusting I can't even believe the agent had the guts to list it under their name.

There was mold growing on the walls in the basement, there was water damage everywhere, and they hadn't even bothered to vacuum. You see some amazing things about the way people live when you go through houses. Sometimes it isn't pretty.

I'm really disappointed, but I am still hopeful one of the other two will work out.

At the very least, the whole thing made me feel better about listing out house. It's very clean and well kept compared to a lot of the other stuff out there.

I really just want to know what is going to happen one way or the other. I hate living in limbo land.