Does it ever end?

Guess what, doing what we were told is messing stuff up........The article  here says that driving less, buying more efficient cars, etc. is going to hurt roads and research for alternative sources.  I know my sister and I had a conversation about how when gas prices finally go down, people will go back to their bad habits.  This is kind of in keeping.  I actually agreed with what BO said in the article.  We do need to realize that this crisis can and will happen again if we, as a country, ignore it.  As my mama says- there are too many smart people in this world for them not to find another source of fuel.  I suggested poop, which seems to be in abundance in my neighborhood (no on picks up at the playground), but I was laughed at.  Maybe we can get those cool garbage cars like in Back to the Future.......

As far as the roads are concerned- the old saying goes- don't count your chickens before they hatch.  Don't count on unlimited funds from bad habits to fund the world.  Case in point, cigarettes cost SO much that people have stopped smoking.  Now the tax money from smokey sales are drying up and     everyone is in a panic in Maryland.  Well, don't fund your schools on the vices (slot machines, smoking, lottery tickets) of adults. I'm just saying........

Why I don't Eat Meat & other Notions

I have been on again/off again for several phases of my life. The most recent transformation came about 3 years ago while trying to figure out what was wrong with my child.  And I  recently had someone challenge me and it made me think about some things.  Namely, what I feel I am doing right, plus what I need to do better.  I have gotten a little lax about some issues.

Once again, here is the list:

1. Factory farming is wrong- it is abusive to the animals and the landscape.

2. You can a live a long healthy life without consuming animals.

3. If everyone went without meat one day per week, the world would be much nicer- I am picking up the slack for 6 other people.

4. I could no longer live with the guilt of eating a living critter.

As for my "green-ness"-

1. I don't really recycle. I do save all the paper to take to the bin at school. We are paid per pound.

2. I don't buy juice boxes and other single serving food items. Bulk is cheaper, less packaging and less garbage.  My children rarely eat school lunch because a) the food is cheap and processed and b) there is much waste involved with the paper goods and such.  They use a great lunchbox.

3. I own an SUV. It was the compromise. It was also the one that got the best MPG in our price range. I combine trips, regulate tire pressure, etc. to decrease consumption. Not as good as my old Honda (42 highway, TYVM), but better than my old Ford Taurus wagon.

4.  I make drinks from concentrate and/or powders in my own pitcher and everyone has a SIGG.  I prefer my own tap water.  I almost always take my own coffee.

5.  We try to keep energy use down, we changed the hot water heater,  bought a new fridge, changed to florescent bulbs, turn off and unplug what is practical.

6.  My kids are the ones walking around picking up trash on beaches and campsites.  Cool.

7. I buy local and in season as much as possible.

Social justice-

1.  I donate regularly to my church and the school.

2.  We give to the local food bank, Birth Right, Goodwill, Value Village, the county pound (every year on Ozzy's birthday) and various missions.  David gives blood monthly (platelets).  

3.  My children make bag lunches for the homeless every month (they shop, make sandwiches, decorate the bags); they make Christmas boxes for Samaritan's Purse every Christmas (not the best organization, but the children love making the boxes).

4.  The children's outgrown snow boots, hats, gloves, etc. are sent to the Appalachian region every winter.

5.  My clothes are given to a battered women's shelter.

6. Helen has participated in the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics since she was 4.  This past January was Zachary's first year.

7.  We believe that it is our responsibility to take care of those in need.

What I need to do different:

1. I need to spend less money on stuff I don't need.

2.  I need to reduce the amount of things that go into the garbage.

3.  I need to completely eliminate dairy from my diet again.

4.  I need to be more prudent in purchases of health/beauty items that are tested on animals and packed in wasteful packaging.

So thank you, friend, for making me think.  I get pretty set in my ways, it is good to have a challenge.  I am trying to raise good children to become good adults.  My faith is strong, stronger than I realized.  Some may look down on the Catholic faith, but I think it does more good than harm (no priest jokes, please).   All religions have had a share of ills; no one thing is truly perfect.  If my life circumstances had been different, I think I would have ended up in a hut somewhere raising goats for the poorest of the poor and teaching them to read.  I just always had too much to walk away from- too many responsibilities and relationships.  Maybe when I'm 60.

Sunday Night

Sitting here on my new couch acting as if I have nothing to do.  I need to :

1. correct some grades in the computer

2. do some laundry and make sure the kids have uniforms for tomorrow

3. pack up food for the food drive at school

4. watch my very guilty and secret pleasure "Rock of Love Charm School", AKA "How not to be a Skank".  I'm sorry I love this show, I don't care what anyone thinks of me for it......

At least I don't have to make lunches tomorrow- it's pancake day at school......  I just spent 20 minutes looking for Zachary's "other cat".   He 

has two Beanie Baby cats that he holds in his hand to fall asleep.  He has to have both.  Without both, there must be a substitute and no cats.  All candidates for substitution must be floppy and fit in his hand.  When shaken, it must flop and wobble.  Weird.  Very weird.  Any way, after searching all over for it and trying to find an acceptable sub, I opened the pants drawer of his dresser and TA DA- there it is.  This is what "Luci" looked like new- the other cat is orange and is named "Fred".  I never said my son was original in picking names.  He picked them out in the grocery store when he was two.  The pink bow was immediately removed.  The cat has been washed quite a few times and is no longer shiny and silky looking- more like dull and nappy.  It is funny that my weapon loving, soldier man Ninja is all about the cute little kitty.  No wonder the ladies love him.

Thanksgiving...

Just got back from the store.  I still didn't get Brussels sprouts.  They were the HUGE ones and $2.99 for the very small container.  I'll have to go somewhere else to get those.   BTW- I had no idea what they looked like on the stalk until I saw them at Whole Foods a few years ago.  Pretty weird, huh?  See photo, right.

Here is our menu:

Appetizers- mushroom canapes, spinach dip, squirt cheese (started as a joke one year, kids expect it now), cranberry martinis (I will no doubt need one by noon)

Turducken (gag)

Cornbread dressing

Brussels Sprout

Green bean casserole (gag)(from Grandma)

Sweet potatoes (Aunt Jackie's recipe)

Grandpa's carrots

REAL mac n cheese (no blue box today)

Peas (for Zachary)

Pumpkin pie

Apple pie (my famous one, for Grandpa)

Spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (for Helen, who hates pie)

Now, if I only knew who was coming.  I have no idea if my brother in law and his kids will be here.  He may or may not have the kids.  Since his wife cannot make a decision without lawyers and chaos, I probably won't know until Wednesday.  But this doesn't affect anyone but her and Mark.  It doesn't affect the rest of the family (according to her).  

According to this article , fast food commercials are making kids fat.  Silly me, I though actually EATING the food and then sitting around on your RUMPUS made you fat........  What was I THINKING?

Weekend update

1.  Bought sofa (above) and went for sushi on Friday (one cool thing about not working on Friday and the kids are at school- sometimes David and I get a mini-date).

2.  Picked up sofa and picked out paint.  Good thing I didn't buy paint before we got the sofa in here.  The first color I had picked was exactly the same color as the sofa.  We changed it to "fudge bar"  instead of Arab Sand.  Sofa actually looks good with the red chair.  

3. Started painting.  Mostly done- will finish tomorrow.

4.  Now  I need new curtains, carpet and a coffee table.  Since the red chair looks fine  we aren't going to buy the love seat.   I am looking for large floor cushions for the kids.  Beanbags are much more expensive than I realized!

So that is where we are today.  I am very cold and tired.  It is in the low twenties outside and only about 64 in the house.  Our furnace really isn't doing its job these days and will most likely need to be replaced soon.  

Update- Nov. 16

I am watching Ruby on the Style Network.  This lady weighs about 500 pounds.  She also seems to be one of the most generous, loving and caring person I've seen on reality TV.  She is very brave to allow this kind of footage of herself on television.  I couldn't do it.  

More updates:

1. My laptop is messed up.  The USB ports are damaged.  Most likely due to children dropping it with things plugged into the ports.  Plus now Internet Explorer doesn't want to work, so I have switched to Google Chrome (which I am liking very much).  But every once in a while, the computer will shut itself down for no reason.  I think it is overheating.  SO, since the ports are messed up I cannot download pictures to the computer- bummer.

2.  David decided he hates our sofa, so he dragged it to the dump.  He was going to bring the old nasty sofa from the basement (this sofa was his parents, we acquired it 9 years ago and it has not been sat on, cleaned or dusted since).  As we were bringing it around he says "it looks a lot dirtier in the sunlight".  He started hemming and hawing about whether to bring it in the house or load it in the car.  I was NOT going to let him pin it on me that we didn't use this old, nasty, dirty, dusty sofa, so I said "just take it in the house".  He lifted it and yelled "oh, God, cat pee- take it to the car".  HAHAHAHAHA  Yeah Fred (the cat I HATED that ran away 18 months ago must have marked this lovely sofa- hooray).  So I am delighted that we are sofa-less and using the cushions off the old sofa.  Zachary, on the other hand is crying because we don't have a sofa.  He doesn't understand I have a plan.  Paint the walls, get new carpet and sofa.  I plan to get bean bag chairs for the children and maybe a coffee table.  

3.  I am taking back my living room.  Zachy took all his toys to his room.  I told him he was a big kindergarten boy now and didn't need a pile of toys in the living room.  He can have one basket in the dining room like Helen.  Also, the "green thing" cabinet has been cleaned out.  I packed up most of the things in there, except the big serving platter and some vases.  That leaves the top self open for the board games.  So- games are out of sight, toys are gone, there is one basket for some books.  It will look so different in here.  My babies are growing up and it needs to be a family friendly room, not a baby zone.  I think they are also old enough to not ruin carpet and furniture, so it is time to get something nicer.

4.  Kindergarten is going so well.  He is the devil after school, but so was Helen.  He is so good at school and he is doing great.  I think he will be reading by the end of the school year.  He is mush more motivated than Helen.  He acts like the first born.  Maybe because they are opposite sex?  

5.  Today is our anniversary.  David and I have been married 12 years.  Wow.  Hard to believe.  We have been in this house 11 years.  We have had 9 cars.  We have lost a baby.  We have two healthy, beautiful children.  We have buried 3 cats, and had one run away (devil cat).  We have  great dog.  I have been unemployed 9 of those 12 years, and David is very spoiled.  We have been to every state on the east coast, and to Canada, twice.  I really need to have our marriage blessed by the church, but I am afraid to get that ball rolling.  I am afraid to discover that my annulment was never filed, and then have to go through that again.

I need to get ready to sofa shop- YEAH!!!!!  Maybe we can find something without fighting (yeah, right).

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I have started the Christmas shopping.  On the wish list this year:

Helen

Nintendo ds and games

Bison Webkinz

Books (mostly Mary-Kate and Ashley)

Polly Pockets

Zachary

Xbox and leapster games

books

Batman's Batcave

Neft Long Shot.

Gerbil & cage (he is actually not getting the gerbil ON Christmas- just the gear and a gift card)

 They are each getting a new boom box that will also play their "IHOPS"

It's over.....

Obama wins.  Give it year people, and see if if King Obama really fixes everything.  Of course, you'll be too snowed to see that he hasn't.  No one president can fix all the problems in this world.  I bet gas is still over $2.00 a gallon, I bet people are still losing their homes, I bet we will still be in Iraq.  He is not the cure for what ails us.  I am very afraid for what is going to happen.  We have elected a motivational speaker, not a leader.

Clark's Elioak Farm

We made trip to the farm today. I love this place and I love the fact that they have acquired the items from The Enchanted Forest. This was the first "theme" park and was the big thing back in the 1950's. It closed in the late 80's and the Forest sat decaying. Clark's Farm was told "if you take it, you can have it" and they have been working for about 4 years to fix everything. It is pretty amazing. If you ever saw the movie Cry Baby (if you watch the clip, the forest is at about 3:16), the park featured was The Enchanted Forest. So the kids like it that we see the animals at the petting farm and I dig the Enchanted Forest stuff. Kinda reminds me of Rock City, on a much smaller scale.

This was Zachary's class field trip. He picked out a pumpkin that was green. He spotted it before the hay ride stopped and ran straight to it. It was so stinkin' cold, though. I am glad I dug out the hats, gloves and coats this morning. It was just cold enough to be uncomfortable. But, he had fun, and that is what matters most.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

The cute little stray in the move was really a stray...... cool. I love stories like that. Bet that owner feels stupid now. Just like I wish Ozzy's original owners knew what a great dog he turned out to be........ SOOOOOOOOO, if you are looking fora pet, go to the shelters first, please. All dogs deserve love and a home.

Weekend update

I will do better. Soccer is over and David's month of traveling is also over. So I will be better at posting this week.

I had my evaluation on Tuesday. I got excellent on everything, except Catholic identity. It wasn't a lesson that I could have easily put it in and I knew when I wrote my plans that would be the one that I didn't get checked off (it was merely marked not observed, not "poor"). I also need to make a religious board of some kind, which I already knew. The library doesn't have a bulletin board, though, so I am going to have to get creative. I also need to find some statues and pictures, that sort of thing. But most teacher buy that sort of stuff for themselves and they carry it to their next classroom, or leave it all when they "retire".

So, there you have it.

Weekend plans.....

The kids are karate make up classes. It wasn't easy getting them out this AM. I didn't realize how late it was and didn't have them in uniforms until it was time to walk out. Helen doesn't respond well to that and she cried. David got mad and yelled. At everyone. Even me. I hate it when he yells at them like that and I hate it when he treats me like one of them. I had told him they had karate and silly me, thinking that since he was gone all last week, will be gone all next week and I had surgery yesterday that he could take them. Well, he didn't get out of bed until 9. Plus if he takes them I will spend the next 11/2 hours changing sheets, vacuuming, doing the laundry, etc. (This is a short beak while I am making coffee). He will spend 11/2 hours sitting on the couch, playing X box or downloading stuff onto his new sandisk. Then I will come home from wasting time at karate to housework and "bored" kids.

So, here is my list:

catch up on grades

lesson plans for next week (I have evaluation on Tuesday, too)

laundry

ironing

clean house

do something fun with kids (?)

go get stuff to make Helen's costume

finish Zachary's costume (he wants a map and pretend matches to go in his Indiana Jones satchel- not really needed for the costume, but I'll do it any way)

Craft fair junk (floor plan, next mailing, etc.)

Caramel apples -we didn't get to it this past weekend

Clean bedrooms & change sheets on kids' beds

Goody bags for kids' Halloween party at school (that's my "fun" time- I love that stuff)

I had one of those weeks

Work is driving me nuts. In order for the students to check out books, I have to write every title on a piece of paper. That is 14 classes, of 15-25 kids each. In other words, a lot of books. Doing this takes a good bit of time. During this time, the kids have too much "social" time. This is not a good thing, but what can I do? I can't have them writing everything down themselves. Most of them can't or won't do it correctly and that will take even longer.

I can't look up a book. "Do you have any ghost stories?" I don't know. "Where are the math books?" I thought we had one, but is it checked out? Actually, I have exactly the one you asked for, but it is in a box in my office because I can't enter the data into the computer and I don't want the book checked out without the data entered.

The IT people come once a month. Last week the guy spent 30 minutes (not all day as one admin claimed) trying to remove the crashed hard drive from the computer so it could be shipped to a place that will try to recover the data. He couldn't get it out because he needed some tool. So the computer sits in the library, useless. My new computer with new updated hardware sits next to it, also useless. I will have to wait until November now just to have the hard drive removed for mailing. I am ready to drive the computer to its destination myself. I have over 1000 books to process. I need to work on the collection, weed the unwanted, order new, get the library to a place where it can be used by the middle schoolers. It is an impossible task because the existing catalog is on the computer which crashed. I am at a stand still. I can teach, sort of, but I am not as effective because I don't know what we have in the library. So, that said, I was in the office today and said "I need to come up with a better way to do this- the kids are having too much wasted time while I check out books and I don't like it". Mrs. X said "You need to take care of that. When I was a girl, there were cards in the backs of the books and we'd fill out the card, blah blah blah". Well, yeah, instead of fixing the problem and utilizing the expensive new system I have already, let me spend time creating forking cards for every book. Maybe while I am at it I can recreate the paper card catalog, too. And most of the books don't even have that archaic card and envelope set up anymore. There are these fancy little thingers called bar codes. That is it, nothing more, in the back of the book. Here's a thought, why don't we get more proactive about fixing what is broken instead of creating a new system????????! I seriously felt like quitting today, dang it. I need to get volunteers in the library, but I don't want to get hem in there not knowing what to do. I guess that really is the best way, though. Get volunteers in there and let them see first hand how difficult it is. Maybe then I can get a volunteer to write everything down so I can manage crowd and help the kids find what they need. I swear, if the computer used to track who has paid tuition went up, it would get fixed PRONTO.

Weekend Recap

Not too exciting.

Friday- sparring (karate- Helen did really well, scored two points against a red belt- that is good if you didn't know, lol), neighbor child had a sleep over, made grilled chicken sandwiches and French fries.

Saturday- laundry and ironing, cleaning my room- watched last half of Hairspray and Ocean's 13 while doing so; went to Vince's and got apples, cider, Halloween doodads and pansies, did yard work while kids played; Helen went to the "haunted" trail at the other neighbor child's house and had a sleep over there.

Sunday- church; Dunkin Donuts; Uncle Mark's house for burgers and pumpkin painting; stopped by David's baseball game.

That's it. Too short and I didn't get grades done or my lesson plans. Will do that this morning. I know what I am doing, I just need to write it down. And the grades need to get in the computer, pronto..... David is gone all week, so I will be going in early this week. Two kids, four soccer games, simultaneously on two different fields this week. And there is only me.....

Planning the weekend already.....

1. Laundry Saturday (I get several loads knocked out early)

2. Clear off front porch

3. Sweep porch

4. Plant some flowers

5. Put out some fall & Halloween decorations

I think I will make scarecrows with the kids and make caramel apples. That is my fantasy any way. We will see what actually happens..... David is playing in a baseball tournament this weekend, so we will try to go to at least one game.

I have the ENT (AKA Dr. Hottie) on Friday, and I need to schedule a mammogram and an ultrasound. It is in the same building, so maybe I can get everything done Friday. I also need to get blood work done before next Wednesday. I have a D & C scheduled for the 17th. After this I will have a Depo-Prevera shot. 6 weeks after that I will have the ablation done. So, no more periods. Yippy.

ALSO, I am asking for prayers. A coworker (also my daughter's beloved first grade teacher) was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. I don't know much else, except that she goes to the doctor tomorrow and will begin treatment very soon. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

A Movie Review.....

Helen and I went to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua Friday night. Some girl bonding at the mall, popcorn and SweetTarts for dinner and a cute dog. What more can a mom ask? At first, I was ready to get mad- Disney has a way of doing that to me- because of the dog fighting aspect, but it quickly moved away from that and the movie was pretty nice. Of course, I had to take Miss Thang to the bathroom twice, so I am not sure what I might have missed. It had a nice message and in the end, the "under dog", Poppy, won the girl's heart. Gotta love that......

crapspackle

I am in a weird mood. My ears are hot. I am hungry and could eat most of that pizza I ordered, but that would be wrong. And fattening. I cannot eat salad when I am cold. Except my ears, which are hot. If I could put ice packs on my ears I would. If I google "hot ears" I get nothing. I want to go to bed, but can't because the kids are still up. So now I am just rambling on about junk.

But, I did get to ramble on about animals today. A coworker asked why I was a vegetarian. I was happy to share. I don't think I changed their lives, but there was enlightenment. I'll spare you all the lecture.

i want...

some pie.

UPDATE- when i got to work today, we had a spread from costco, with PUMPKIN PIE..... followed by the most boring teacher convention i have ever been to......... followed by a soccer game featuring 5-6 year olds following a ball like a flock of lemmings........ zachy made 2 saves and almost (but not quite) knocked the ball into his own goal....... helen's games are much more interesting......

Confessions

I didn't wash my son's nap mat last week- I just Febreezed it.

I really did eat the last cupcake.

I didn't really forget to sign my car payment check in 1991- I did it on purpose.

I do know what happened to your favorite shirt. It is at Goodwill.