SOLD! (Almost....)

Well--here we are again.....
Exciting news--we sold our house for the second time last night!
We excepted an offer after just one hour of negotiating. It literally was a new counter offer every 10 minutes for little over an hour. Hopefully, this time, things will stick! Our excepted offer is slightly more than last time, which is good news, too. :0) Of course, the difference is mostly being spent on improvements we are making (we scheduled these before the offer) to make sure the new inspection doesn't bring up some of the same issues it did before.

Today, an electrician is coming to move our outside power lines over a couple of feet where they connect to our house, so they are farther away from our deck--so that they are now within current code guidelines. (When our deck was built, the guidelines did not exist). Also, on Friday, the electrician is coming back to change our fuse box over to circuit breakers. This is not a safety issue--it is more or less something that just makes our house more livable. (Is that spelled right?) Fun stuff.

We leave for Colorado on Saturday. I feel so not prepared for us to leave. I have so much laundry to do. (With the electricity off for a lot of the day on Friday....this makes things difficult!) I haven't finished Christmas shopping either--I still have a few things to get, and all of the stocking stuff to buy. It will happen somehow.

Well-I better stop typing and go help jacob straighten his hair. He discovered this option a few days ago--and we have been doing it ever since. It looks cute with his blond highlights.

AWAKE :0(

Well, it is the middle of the night, and I am awake. I slept for two hours 10:30-12:30 and then I woke up--decided to check on Ben, (who was working on an English project when I went to sleep....a Power Point presentation on a poet--but thankfully, he was in bed already)--took some more cold medicine because I couldn't breathe well.....and never could fall back to sleep. i hate that. Between my mind not shutting off, and the fact that the "night-time" medicine seemed to have the opposite effect, I am awake, alert, and mad that I am! So, here I am.

I had a nice birthday overall. I had some moments that were good, and some that were not so good....like any other day. The "not so good moments" were silly....like when the students were trying to guess how old I was--and all guessing older than I actually am--that is depressing! (the average was about 43....the oldest someone guessed was 46--UGH.) Maybe it is time for Botox?? :0) AND, another moment was when I found out that I will be having huge competition for the sub job come interview time....

Apparently, Mr. Adkins has pulled about 5 applicants he wants to interview. While I am justly concerned someone will be more qualified for the position...I also kept trying to tell myself that I still had a real good chance, because I was a "known". He knows me, he knows my character, he has teachers in the school vouching for me, etc. But, today, he got one more application. It was from the student teacher that was in one of the 5th grade teacher's classrooms for the beginning of the year. I forgot about her, because she left at the beginning of November to go do another part of her practicum in a Special Education room, due to her double major. She was sent to another school for that. Anyway--apparently, she has now graduated, and is looking for a job. This applicant concerns me the most. She too is a "known". She also is fresh out of a classroom practicing teaching full-time, AND if she is hired, instead of me....Mr. Adkins would not have another job vacancy to fill....unlike if he hired me. (My current position would be open, and would need a replacement.)

Sooooo.....that has been on my mind today, too. I know it is in God's hands--I know He is in control of these things, and ultimately, He knows what is best for me and the class of children needing a teacher. While I know these things, I can't help but be hopeful that I am the one chosen....and that this was His plan for me all along. The deal is....I may NOT be the one right for this job....and possibly, He may be orchestrating things differently for me. I can see why taking this job now might not be good timing....considering i have two classes to take between now and July, and also, we have a move coming at some point, too. BUT-I also see how this would be the perfect opportunity for me to "babystep" my way back into the teaching role. I need to trust Him. I can't help thinking about it, though.....and wondering how this all is going to turn out.

To end my blog tonight (this morning, I mean)--I will leave you with two "quotes" from my birthday cards from the kids....things that particularly made me smile:

--"Happy Birthday, Mrs. Sterling....I hope you have a Funny Bunny Birthday!" (this was from a very serious boy in Mrs. Smith's class. He is the kid that raises his hand to tell her when she has calculated something wrong, spelled something wrong, or if her definition of a word is not complete enough, in his opinion. :0) (Anyway, I was not expecting a lighthearted wish from him!)

--"It's your birthday! Wake-up and have some cake! That way you'll be the first to get a peace. I hope you have a great birthday!" (Now there is an idea for all of us! Just get up and eat your cake first thing! Then you don't have to worry that someone will get to it before you! Ha ha.....Too funny!)

They really do crack me up. I never go a day without something funny being said, or done by one of the kids. I hope I never lose appreciation for the innocent or quirky things the children say and do. :0)

this could have been BAD!

Okay-so today I was running late getting ready for work. Nathan was running behind (as usual), and I was focusing on getting him out the door, while also running around trying to straighten the house in case of a showing. No one had made their beds, so I was going room to room, making beds, picking up anything left out, etc. etc. Then I remembered I had to bring my Secret Santa gift today, since I wouldn't be able to attend the "reveal yourself" breakfast in the morning tomorrow. It hadn't been wrapped yet, and the card still needed to be written......and long story short, I left the house at 9:02am, when I am supposed to be there at 9 o'clock! So, I frantically grab all my things; the gift, card, mail for the mailbox, my purse, keys, my lunch, and a pop, and ran out the door.

As I was driving home today, I had this eerie feeling that I may have forgotten to blow out the candle I lit in our bedroom. Then I questioned whether I had even lit it this morning, because I always light it for about 15 minutes each day, while I am getting ready (so our house will smell fresh for any showings that day), but I didn't really remember doing that this morning. So, I decided I must have NOT lit it, because #1, with all of the back and forth into the rooms this morning, I should have noticed it....AND I didn't get called at school about our house being on fire. I made a mental note to be extra careful about that. I couldn't live with myself if I had burned our home down....especially with Emmy in it! The thought of it just makes me sick to my stomach.

ANYWAY--I got home, checked the mail, let out Emmy, and answered the phone when Matt called to wish me a Happy Birthday. Then I realized I smelled the candle. I quickly walked to my room, hoping to prove to myself that I only thought I smelled it.....but no---IT WAS STILL LIT!! I was amazed and sooooo very thankful that in the 6 1/2 hours I had been gone from my house, that a fire didn't start! There was a black sooty ring around the jar opening, (thankfully it was a jar type), and the wax was all liquid......but it hadn't set the room on fire.....and believe me, I was soooo thankful!

I have decided that it just isn't worth the risk to light candles in the morning---I am too absent minded apparently--especially when running late! We will have to settle on just the air fresheners from now on!!

Finally--officially submitted

Whew! I am done with all of my paperwork--and all materials have been submitted to the Kane County Consortium. I have officially just applied for the Long Tem Substitute position at Ferson Creek Elementary. What a relief to be done with that part of things!

I still don't know when interviewing will take place. Not sure if I'd like it to happen before or after break. I do know that a lot of applications are coming in. I am trying to not let that get me anxious.

I think I am coming down with something. I have had a sore throat all day, on and off earaches, headache, and occasional nausea. UGH. I have been taking echinacea, drinking tea with lemon, and pushing water. Here's hoping the smptoms never turn into anything worse.

Ben is mad at me for not letting him go to the park today---at dinnertime, in the dark, in the freezing cold, to meet a girl (which I just found out is a "girlfriend".) Call me crazy--but there was no way I was letting him leave the house!! He thought I was being completely unreasonable, and wouldn't talk to me or look at me for at least a good two hours. Ahhhhh....the joys of mothering a teenager.

Too busy--when can I think of Christmas?

I feel like there is always too much going on.

christmas is less than two weeks away, and I haven't started shopping yet. I am sooooooo behind. I haven't thought about christmas cards. I hope we get a great picture in colorado I can use for New year's Greetings, instead. Matt and I haven't decided what we are doing for the boys for christmas.....since originally we thought we were moving that week, so they thought they were just getting a new house for Christmas. Now that that isn't happening---we have to talk presents, for sure.

the house is on the market....and it is hard to keep up with the cleaning in the whirl wind of Christmas stuff. Just keeping up with mail and school papers is a task within itself. And then there is the dog hair...and dishes, and laundry, etc.!!

The long term sub job posting was listed on Monday. I am in a rush to finish uploading my "stuff".....I finished writing my resume tonight--got to still do my letter of application, though. the principal has pnemonia.....so, who knows when interviewng will be. I still think he will be determined to fit it in before break.....we will see.

I subbed for a kindergarten class yesterday. that was an experience. it had its great moments, and it's moments of panic. (like when I arrived and found out there were no sub plans left for me!) Yikes! I got through it fine, with the help of the PIR woman (Partners in Reading) that helps out with the class. Thankfully she was familiar with their routine. i was thankful that when the assistant principal stopped in, he was pleased with the "flow" of the class. Two points for me! :0)

Let's see, what else. I have been keeping up with the Secret Santa thing. Yesterday, I had to bring in something yummy for the person to make, with the recipe. Today, i brought in a handmade card, and poem with clues of who I was. All of these things are "assigned" tasks for the week. Tomorrow, it is bring something that smells good day. I will be bringing vanilla handcream and vanilla scented antibacterial wipes, packaged up pretty. Friday--is "appropriate beverage day". :0)

We found out this weekend that one of the dads from nathan's soccer team was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He is 37. they will have to remove his kidney, and when they are "in there" they will look to see if it has spread anywhere else. Please pray for him.....I am sure it is a very scary thing for his family. It is a really hard time of year for bad news.

We think we discovered a tumor on Emmy yesterday. she has got a marble (or bigger) sized "knot" behind her right front leg. She is due for her rabies shot this month, so when we bring her in for that, we will need to ask about it. Pray it is nothing to worry about.

I need to squeeze in a visit to the DMV before Monday (my birthday!).....my license expries then. I will finally get rid of the ugly picture that was taken in 1999 (?)....the last time I had to renew my license, I just got an updated expiration sticker. I don't really have time for this, though.

I also STILL have to register for two college classes to earn my 5 credit hours before July 2008. I don't want to lose my certification after all of this!! I am hoping to take a class in January and February....so I better take care of this! Like NOW!

And finally--I need to locate my high school diploma somewhere. I am thinking of my friend deanna who talked of having to do this to be a lunch recess volunteer. Since I also need to give me transcript from college....why may I ask do they need a HS diploma?? Since when do they let non HS graduates into college? (I have to submit this stuff to the County Dept. of Education so I have all my paperwork to be an ENROLLMENT AIDE, which I have been doing for a year and a half.....and NOW they discover I am missing pieces needed for my file???? Hello?? Why didn't I get told this sooner?) Very sad. they must be a bit behind over there.

I am sure I am forgetting other things on my list. I feel every time I turn around there is something else.....and it needs to get done beofre Christmas. Can we celebrate Christmas a month from now instead???? :0(

Two to Go...

Well, it seems like I have completed a gazillion steps in getting my application complete--and now I just have two more steps to go. All that is left for me to do is my resume' (in which I planned the format already, I just have to figure out what my "bullets" are going to say), and finally, my letter of application (or cover letter)....which I don't think will be too difficult. Of course, i haven't worked on my portfolio yet.....but I am feeling like that is going to have to be something I work on slowly, and hopefully develop over time. Whatever is ready for the interview, I will bring. Thankfully, the portfolio is mainly used to give more insight into what kind of person/teacher I am and will be. I have an advantage, in that, the people interviewing me, already know me. So at least, I will not be relying entirely on my portfolio to make an impression. I would like to eventually have one--I just don't know how I will get it done before THIS interview.

Ben is going to weight training for diving tomorrow morning. He will be leaving the house at 5:15am! UGH. Then he has practice in the afternoon, which ends a 5pm. Talk about a long day!

Tomorrow is the first day of our Secret Santa program at school. We were supposed to get our person some kind of candy that represented them or the job they do. That is not as easy as it sounds. The person I got is a teacher in the Early Childhood Department. I ended up getting her Miniature Chocolate Bars, to represent her helping the "mini's" at our school. I know, I was stretching just a bit. I couldn't get something that represented her necessarily, because I really don't know her well. All I know is that she seems nice, and she is a bit (actually a lot) overweight. Not very helpful in helping me find candy to represent her!

Today we put up our Christmas tree, but decided not to take out all of our Christmas boxes that contained all of our decorations and "stuff". Mainly, because there is a lot of them, and we already have boxes mounting up around us. So, after a short discussion, and figuring next year we will most likely have TWO trees in our house (one in the front bay window-more for outside effect) and the regular family one in the family room.....we decided to just get a new tree skirt, and some general/basic Christmas balls to hang on the tree. (The we can use the stuff again next year on the LR tree.) I ended up going with a "snowflake" theme.....and bought things very different than we are used to. Our tree has white lights on it already. The tree skirt has white chenille hooked snowflakes on a felted light tan (?) skirt. Then I bought different size and shape glass ornaments. Mostly in silver, some frosted white, some with frosted snowflakes on silver or white. It is going to be different for sure......but, I think it will be pretty. Next year we will be back to putting all of our personal family ornaments on the tree. This year, it will feel good to not unpack all of them, and only enjoy them for a short time before we leave for Colorado.....and then have to pack them all back up again. This pared down look fits with the simplified theme we got going over here for showing the house, anyway. :0)

I haven't started shopping for Christmas presents yet. I am a bit worried! We haven't even talked about our budget for Christmas this year. Now that we aren't moving on Jan. 4th.....we will have a little more $$ to work with-but not much! It will have to be a pared down Christmas for gifts, too. I do need to get going on this, though. I am running our of time! There has been so much going on over here.....I just haven't gotten to the stores to concentrate on this. Soon......I hope!

something new

I thought I'd share what Ben has decided to do. It totally cracks me up and surprises me. He has decided to join the school diving team! WHAT? (That's what I said!) The answer is......No, he has never attempted diving before. It is a BRAND NEW venture. I give him credit for doing something unknown. I suppose, if you can't do that as a Freshman, when can you do it?

Basically, the state champion swim team cannot compete unless they have a diving team, too. (or something like that.....) They do not have enough guys on the diving team apparently. Ben's PE teacher approached him last week and asked him if he would think about joining. He said "you are athletic--I think you could do this". Next thing you know.....he attends a practice, and is diving off the diving board, being coached on form! Can you believe that? I am just glad he is doing something else with his time that doesn't involve the computer or video games. You never know, maybe he will actually come to like it. Maybe he will even be good! In the meantime, I will try and not laugh at him wearing a Speedo. Ha! (Although, he informed me after practice today that there was a bit more coverage than the typical Speedo we were thinking of....thank god!)

Tomorrow he attends his first swim meet--he will not be competing....he will just be going for support. I just think this whole thing is very funny. I can't imagine he will score very well when he starts competing himself--like I said, he has never even gone off a diving board! (with the exception of a few cannonballs and bellyflops!).....I hope he has fun anyway. :0)

Wanna know something even funnier? One of the biggest reasons he thinks he'll like it is because there is no conditioning involved! After a year on Campton, he was done with conditioning for a while. All there is involved is repeated practice on form, and voluntary weight training before school 3 days a week. That is a huge difference than the exhausting conditioning he put in for Campton United Soccer!! It does seem like a fairly large time commitment though......hope he realizes that. ben has a habit of thinking something sounds good until he realizes the reality of it. I hope this isn't just one more thing he has us pay money for, and then wants to quit. I am waiting for him to find his niche. I hope he finds it soon. Maybe this is it, who knows?

Boy, I am tired!

I think that I will go to sleep now. It is early....but it has been a long and hard day. My eyes are sleepy, even though the last time I cried was at about 4pm.
Matt took me out to dinner tonight, so I wouldn't have to cook. We just went to Bennigans. I was craving a loaded baked potato. You know, comfort food. :0)
Maybe I will go to bed and look at a magazine until I fall asleep. That sounds carefree and relaxing, doesn't it?
We told our realtor that we needed tomorrow to get our house back in showing order. We'll be ready again by Saturday.

What a let down!.....sigh

Okay-I am just going to say it. Our house sale fell through. The contract on our house, that is. The guy flaked out on us, and decided to "walk away". He says it is over the inspection--but we don't have details yet about what it was that threw him over the edge. He mentioned the furnace being older, but he knew its age before he made the offer. Something about our washer and dryer being plugged into the wrong power outlet....easy fix on that. Something else about the wiring to an outlet being backwards (???).....the electricity works in all our outlets--so I am not sure what is up with that. We are hoping we will get a full report of what they found. Because right now, it seems the guy just had buyers remorse and used the inspection as an excuse to change his mind.

It is very disappointing. I feel deflated. BUT--I am trying to remember and trust that this was not a surprise to God, and that He is in control. Obviously, this was not the right buyer. This has been a hard thing to accept, though. I won't lie. I have cried many tears over the whole thing. When Matt told me the news, I was in disbelief. Then came the tears and nausea.

Now I am concentrating on moving on, and accepting what I cannot change.

I need to focus

With all of this house stuff, I have gotten a little behind with getting myself ready for interviewing. I have been counting my blessings that so far, the position has not been posted yet! I have GOT to get focused!

I had a giggle today when a little girl in one of my classes told me that she FINALLY made a Santa hat for her pet hamster. A hat for a hamster?? LOL! I tried to keep a straight face when she described how she attached a rubberband to a little hat that had previously been on an ornament, and carefully slipped that hat onto her hamster's head! I asked if the hamster tried getting it off--or if it acted funny when it was on....and she said no. Since I must have looked surprised over that answer...she quickly explained that "actually, the hamster was sleeping when I put it on!" Okay, does anyone else think this is an odd story? :0)

miracle! :0)

Last night, we accepted an offer after 5 hours of negotiations on our house! We actually sold it in less than a week....which in this market, is a miracle, as far as I am concerned! We are very excited, as you can imagine.
Our closing date is set for January 4th.

The only downside to this is that with this closing date, we will be packing and moving the week we were originally supposed to go to Colorado to visit my family for Christmas. It is very disappointing, as we would have loved to be all together for Christmas.....but, we also know that this would be the ideal time to get ourselves moved as it is the only time we both have two weeks off. We will be getting a POD to be filling on our own all month (we might need two PODs!)--so I suppose if we get ourselves all packed up BEFORE the end of December, we might have a chance of going.....but I don't see how that could happen. We would need to be completely packed with the exception of the bare essentials and furniture, all by December 21st. (We are leaving the furniture to the professionals.)

This whole packing thing is overwhelming to me. I don't even know how to approach it. Not to mention, we will need to get ourselves a gazillion boxes, and appropriate packing materials.

My guess is once we finally move in, it will take completely until the summer until we are fully unpacked. Working will slow down the rate of unpacking, I am sure. Especially if I am trying to swing my first teaching job, and dealing with preparations everday for the following day.

Even with all my concerns about packing and unpacking, and my small sadness about leaving our first home, I am VERY excited about moving into our beautiful new home! WOO HOO!! I am still in shock, and amazed at the swiftness of our home sale!

house update

We had a home inspector over at the new house today. Things looked good, with the exception of a hornet's nest in the crawl space, and some white residue in another spot of the crawl space that we need to ask about. I took a bunch more pictures (of the things I wanted to remember, like light fixtures ,and general room shots, floors, etc. Matt took photos of all the pipes, furnace, roof, water heater, etc. :0)
We had another walk through today at our house. It was another young guy. Then we have a 3rd showing with the original guy tomorrow. (That is a good sign, wouldn't you say?) Then another walk through with a new person after that. Not bad, huh?

These are exciting times!! I will post a link to the pictures once they are up somewhere I can share.

offer accepted! :0)

FINALLY-after four days of negotiations....our offer has been accepted on the other house. Woo Hoo! Sooooo.......now we just have to sell ours! Minor detail, right? :0)
Actually, things have been going well. Monday, our house went on the market, Tuesday we had our first walk-through, Wednesday we had a caravan of real estate agents through (17 of them!), and today, we had a second walk-through with the guy that came through on Tuesday. Not bad activity for being on the market for just 4 days!
Hopefully, someone will like our house enough to make an offer....and ideally, we will get more than one bidder.....and maybe even get our asking price!! (I might be pushing it there.....!!)

I am still working on my application--but I have to admit, my effort has been sporatic. I do need to get on with it, though. I am feeling it in my gut, that my interview will happen in the next couple of weeks. A teacher asked me about it today, and even mentioned a question that will most probally be asked in interview time...... I thought it was nice that she shared the question with me. Basically, she said she always felt it was a hard question....and decided to give me a heads up! So, here is the question:
"Teachers wear many hats. What hat won't you wear?"

I guess I reacted in the same way all the other interviewers did in the past.....because she kind of laughed, and said, "I know. I always wondered what kind of answer he was looking for with that question." I guess I will have to ponder that one.

first showing

we had our first showing today, which is kind of cool, because the sign out front only got put up last night, and the group of realtors don't tour the place until tomorrow. it will be interesting to find out how the person that came through found out about us. we are now on realtor.com....so that might be possible, or maybe he just happened to be looking (stalking?) in our neighborhood??
anyway-from what I know, it was a young guy that came through with a Baird and Warner agent. we think he is engaged to be married, and he is interested in maybe coming back with his girlfriend and his parents to show them. a second walk through would be very encouraging! especially when it is the very first person that saw the place! i guess we will have to wait and see.

since all the realtors come through tomorrow, i need to make sure the place is spic and span before i leave for work. i better vaccuum tonight.....a shedding dog makes for lots of upkeep! Would it be silly to pray for our dog to stop shedding for a while? :0)

on a sidenote.....
i think the long term sub position will be posted soon. the teacher needing the sub is getting antsy, and she is anxious to know who will be taking over her class! (me, too!) of course, i still need more time to complete all of my "stuff".....but i guess i am getting closer. i better get busy!

I'm Piglet?

This quiz was for you, Kerri!

Which Winnie the Pooh Character Are You?
	You are Piglet. You are timid, quiet, and like to stay in others' shadows. Though your shyness can irritate some, you are courageous when it counts and are always loyal to your friends.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

I can't be Piglet! I love him, but he is supposed to be tidy! Not exactly me.....:0)

anyone wanna buy a house?

take a look at our home listing at:

www.amynelsonhomes.com

we are the fourth house under "featured listings" or the first house on the second page of featured listings. (The house we made an offer on, is the first house under "featured listings".)

By the way, I thought I should mention that the kitchen really isn't THAT green in real life. It is a little more subtle. :0) And I really am tired of the tired looking furniture in the lower level.....but what are ya gonna do, right? It is funny that once you look at pictures of your home, rather than just living in it--and you start looking at it like other people see it.....things appear a little different to you.

we also plan on getting to a couple of repairs on the deck outside. the lattice needs a fixin'. :0)

Okay-there it is. Now PLEASE somebody buy it!

Signs of Christmas

We put our outside Christmas lights and wreath up today.
We usually put our big wreath above our front door, with a light shining on it. Our all white lights cover our front bushes.
Of course, we first asked the real estate agent is this was cool to do when showing a house. She said, "Of course it is!" that is a good thing, because it would feel just too weird not doing any of that. We haven't put up our tree yet, though....but I am sure that will be up by next weekend.

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

Classroom Ponderings

Here is the question I was working on today for my application.....the rough draft is complete--I just need to transfer it over.

"Describe what you would do in your classroom to meet the needs of culturally and racially diverse student populations. "

Next question:
" In every classroom there are many children at varying levels of ability. What instructional strategies would you use in order to prepare lessons and instruction to meet the needs of these children?"

I have one more left after that one.....something to do with how I would use technology within the classroom. I have to double check the wording.

After those questions are entered.....my application will be complete with the exception of the teacher profile. That is something I have been avoiding a little.....mainly because it makes me nervous. It is a set of 32 questions that will show what my teaching style is. You have to do it in one sitting, and it cannot be adjusted or revisited. Once a question is answered, you cannot go back. Then, the profile is available to all school districts and cannot be redone for at least two years. Soooo....I have been waiting for the opportune time to sit down and do it. Funny thing is, I don't think any time will feel like the opportune time!! :0)

I have my transcripts, my certification, and my letters of recommendation ready to upload. I still have my resume to figure out, and upload, too. AND my cover letter. UGH.

Finally--my portfolio needs to be put together in some creative and professional way. It will contain all the above paperwork, and also my discipline philosophy, classroom management plan, lesson plans, photos of bulletin boards and displays I've created, documentation of times I have used creativity in teaching struggling students, and anything else I can come up with that paints a picture of what kind of teacher I will be. No problem, right??

Moving forward

Well--we had the realtor over today. She took pictures of the house and we set a asking price--and our house officially goes on the market on Monday. Now comes the chore of keeping it "show ready" all the time. UGH.

We also made our offer on the other house today. The owner is "thinking about it" while he is skiing in Colorado. This whole process is exciting and also nerve wracking at the very same time. It helps to remind myself that God is in control.....and if we are meant to move, it will happen.

Speaking of new houses--Kerry and Jeff bought their first home just this past week!! How great is that? They close on their house on December 28th....so we SHOULD be there in Colorado when they make the big move. I can't believe we are both going through house stuff at the same time. I am sure you can imagine what a lot of the conversation will be about that week. :0)

We went to our friends' house this evening that have the same model house as the one we put an offer on. It is kind of funny to be at someone's house and all of a sudden you start taking note of what kitchen cabinets they use for what stuff, how they have their laundry room set up, etc. We also passed a few houses in their neighborhood that had decorated for Christmas already, and that confirmed for me that the front bay LR window was perfect for a Christmas tree!

On a sidenote-I have not gotten very far on my application and other paperwork for my interview. That is the thing I need to COMPLETELY focus on now. Now that the house is on the market, the main projects here are done, so it will be more possible to put my efforts elsewhere.

Hope to post the link to our listed house in a few days! :0)

Gratitude is an Attittude

I am thankful.....

For the mess to clean up after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

The taxes I pay because it means I am employed.

The clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

My shadow that watches me work because it means I am in the sunshine.

The spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking.

All the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.

The lady behind me at church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.

The piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby.

The lawn that needs mowing, the windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

My huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

Weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive.

When the alarm goes off early in the morning because it means I am alive one more day.


I don't know who originally wrote this, but I liked the sentiment behind it. While there is always something to complain about---there is usually much more to be thankful for! You just need to be willing to see it that way! :0)
Enjoy your thanksgiving everyone!

Weight Lifted

We made our decision. And even though it was an extremely difficult one to make--after the decision was made, I felt as though a huge wieght had been lifted off my shoulders. The whole "not knowing" what we should do was terrible. After MUCH diliberation, prayer, discussion, and emotions.....we finally decided to have all of us stay home. This was the complete opposite of what we were leaning towards in the morning yesterday. Somewhere in the middle of it all, though.....we were able to step back, look at all the variables, and realize as much as we would have liked to go to see Matt's family, it is just unrealistic at this time for what we need to accomplish. Plus-even though Matt never seemed to get the full fledged virus, his body seems to be trying to fight it. Matt has been feeling nauseous and achey. Basically, physically.....we were all not up for the trip.

We got more painting done yesterday. We had been through three colors on the walls downstairs, before we felt we finally got the right shade. Today it looks like we will need to do a second coat--even though we had hoped the "one coat" paint would have done the trick. We have a short list left--but all projects are time consuming. The goal is to have our realtor here on Saturday so she can do a quick walk-through again, and then we can do the paperwork to finally make an offer for the other house, and we can FINALLY list ours.

Meanwhile, I will also try and make progress on my application/resume/etc. I have alot to do in that department....and it is pretty overwhelming for me..... but I will just focus on one piece at a time, I guess. I did get a very nice letter of recommendation from last year's supervising teacher this week. I am waiting on one more, and that piece will be ready. I am waiting also to get my transcripts from Gordon. I sent out the request last week.....hopefully they will come soon. Thankfully, the position has not been posted yet--so I still have some more time. BUT-I need to complete this, so I can finally relax!

I am also supposed to contact University of Phoenix and schedule my two classes. I am hoping to take one in January---which will most likely end up exactly the time we will need to be packing to move....or something. And then I need to schedule another for February.

It is a good thinkg I don't have anything to keep me busy, right?

We're still here

Well- no decisions have been made yet, and time is ticking. Matt is still healthy, as far as we can tell. Hopefully, we will figure out what we are doing this morning.

Four Down....

We decided to let Jacob go to his Lock-In last night--mainly because he hadn't gotten sick yet, and who was to say if he ever would? We didn't want to keep him home only to have him not ever get sick, and also miss out on an event he was totally looking forward to. Sadly--he didn't make it. About 4am he started throwing up. One of the coaches started calling our house at about 4:10am. We have a loud humidifier in our room....it took until about 5:15am for us to hear the phone ring. :0( Anyway, Jake threw up a total of two times at the Sportsplex--thankfully he made it to the bathroom each time. He wasn't so lucky when he got home. Basically-he walked in the door, and vomited. He had a bag with him, but I guess he missed, initially. I found him heaving at the bottom of the stairs (now making it into the bag) and crying. I felt so badly for him. He kept saying he was sorry. Poor thing, we know he couldn't help it. That was about an hour ago. He has been sleeping since then. But, now he just woke up and went into the bathroom.

I am thankful he got sick before the trip. At least we know it won't hit while in the car. Matt, of course, feels like a ticking time bomb. He is the last one.

Jacob was supposed to come with Matt and me to his school this morning for a student led conference. I guess that isn't happening. At least with him. I will probally go alone. Maybe his teacher can tell me something without him. The rest of the day we have conferences scheduled at the high school, and then Nathan's at the Elementary School. I feel like there may not be anything they will tell me that I don't already know, but I like to touch base with the teachers anyway. I fear that Matt will decide not to go, "just in case". Which would be fine--but trying to navigate the halls in the high school is pretty intimidating! Not to mention, the schedule is tight.....so I don't have the time to wander around trying to figure it out.

I fear another long day.....

To Go, or Not to Go--That is the Question

Gosh-we are having such a difficult time making this decision over here. What do we do about our trip to Philly? Mostly, I need to decide what I want to do, because I am pretty sure Matt is planning on going, with the boys. (Unless he gets sick on driving day). I know how much this trip means to him.....we haven't seen his folks in a couple of years! How does time fly by so fast?
We have soooooo much to do. And of course, I have even more to do, with all my paperwork looming. Being sick sure made it impossible to work on anything in the last couple of days!! I was counting on that time to complete at least my application and teaching style profile. Now-I still have everything to START. We have put the realtor off--we had to. She was supposed to come over tomorrow to get our house listed. (Yeah, right.) I don't think she is too pleased with us.

Update on Ben--I don't think he was hit with the germ quite as hard as Nate and I were. He has had no diarhea, and has gone an hour or so between vomiting. He is winding down I think....as he is asking for food!! (I have still had a hard time eating....I braved a piece of toast this morning, and then had Chicken Broth for lunch.) I actually lost 4 lbs. of water weight in one day. It has been a while since I saw that number on the scale. Too bad it will come right back!

Another request for prayer goes out......I am just a bit stressed trying to decide what would be the best thing to do about Philly. :0(

Here we go again...

Ben spent the night at a friend's house. (I know....with our germs, that wasn't a good idea---but I wasn't around to help make the decision...I would have advised against it.) Anyway, we got a phonecall at 7:10am, from Ben saying that he woke up, looked around and then puked. UGH. And nope, never made it to the bathroom. Poor Kid. Matt went to get him, and I got up to make sure the "pot" was ready for another round. Thankfully, I feel a lot better this morning. Up until I fell asleep last night, I still had a fever over 100' and last threw up at about 8pm. All day yesterday I was miserable. I soooo didn't want anyone else in my family to have to go through this.
Jacob is supposed to go to a "LOCK-IN" tonight at the Sportsplex with his soccer club. He has been really excited to go. They are staying up all night to play soccer, watch soccer movies, have Playstation FIFA tournaments, and compete in 3v3's. Basically-Jacob's dream. But-I am scared to send him. I am hoping that if he is going to get sick, it just happens BEFORE he is supposed to go, so that we won't even be faced with that decision.
Of course, the question comes up, too, what to do about Philadelphia. Matt is supposed to be the main "driver"--and what if he gets sick? Or what if he is fine until he's three or four hours into the trip? How miserable would that be? Believe me, you DON'T want to be on the road when this germ hits!
I am still not sure what I am going to do......I have been on both sides of the fence. Three days ago, I was convinced I shouldn't go.....then I thought, okay-maybe I should try to get as much as I can done, and go anyway.....now I am back to thinking I shouldn't go. I lost all day yesterday. ARGH. Decisions, Decisions. I just don't want to hurt my in-laws feelings. Keep the whole family in prayer, okay??

Well--now I know.....

I now know that Nathan didn't have food poisoning. You know why? Because I woke up at 3:30am feeling lousy. One half hour later I was laying on the bathroom floor sweating (this is a bad sign for me.....I get overcome with heat right before I need to throw-up.) My body surprised me though...I had diarhea first. Thankfully, when I was finished I got up and thought to get a bucket, "just in case". In five minutes, I was back on the toilet--more diarhea, and then I was throwing up, too! At the same time....just like Nathan. VERY yucky.
I am sad--because I know what I am in for. I am already feeling like I need to get back to the bathroom. :0(

Feeling Blue....

You are most like: You are Blue
You are cool and soothing, with a hidden spontanious side. You are deeper than most people percieve, and you care a lot for those whom you surround yourself with.
Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?
Visit Toys For Your Blog.com for more blog quizzes

tea and cookies

It is amazing how much I look forward to my cup of tea in the morning. Sometimes, it is the sole thing that gets me out of bed......I can't wait to have my comforting cup of hot tea! It is the first thing I do every morning. I do not like to admit that I also have a habit of having 3 Chips Ahoy cookies every time I have my tea. They just go together for me.
Since I have two cups of tea a day--one in the morning and one in the late afternoon......it means that I have a total of 6 cookies everyday! That is pretty excessive, isn't it? No wonder I am not as thin as I would like to be! :0)

I am also a creature of habit. I suppose I could mix it up a bit and have something else with my tea.....like a granola bar, or finger sandwiches, or toast with jelly, or something.....but, that just seems too wierd!
Tea and cookies....the perfect match! :0)

so far, so good

The last time nathan threw-up and had diarhea was at 4:30pm. He is still uncomfortable, and doesn't feel all that good--but it appears that his stomach is calming down a bit. I offered him some toast at about 9pm.....thinking his stomach might be ready for a little something. He said he wanted it, but once it was in front of him he couldn't take a bite. So, I won't rush it. Maybe in the morning he will be ready to eat something. I am hoping he will be feeling a whole lot better when he wakes up. It is the last day of school before vacation-and I'd really like him to go.....but we'll see. His class was supposed to go to the St. Charles Historical Museum to ring the 75th year anniversary bell. Not a huge deal--but it would have been fun for him. The kids were each to have a turn ringing the bell.

He has already told me that he didn't think he'd be "up to it". I told him to wait and see how he is feeling in the morning. We will see. If you were praying for him--thank you. :0)

bad bug?

Poor Nathan. He was home from school today with a bad stomach/intestinal thing. He has been throwing up, and has had diarhea all day. He is moaning with pain from gas pains....and honestly, I don't know how he has anything left inside him. He has been sipping Ginger Ale and that is it--since about 9am this morning. He's been vomiting and using the toilet probally once an hour. I feel really bad for him. He has already had two episodes that he's been throwing up and having diarhea at the same time. A moment of not making it to the bathroom in time (for both ends), and he's just plain miserable!
I just called the doctor--which I generally don't do, especially for viruses. But, he seemed in enough pain and "uncomfortableness" to warrant it. We were told to pay attention to his hydration, of course. And watch for fever, or localized pain in the lower right quadrant....(possible appendicitis). I am usually an nonalarmist--but his symptoms have been quite severe, and with him being uncomfortable yesterday, too....the nurse said it does raise some flags to watch him for those additional symptoms.

Just in case our life wasn't already mucho stressful right now......we'll throw in a sick child into the mix. I just hope it isn't a bug that spreads, or something that takes us to the hospital!

He is finally sleeping, on the couch. Pray we are over the worst of it.

Going crazy--wanna come?

So--I now have more on my plate than I initially thought. Today-after an observation time in Mrs. Smith's classroom (not sure if this was coincidental or not), Mr. Adkins told me that he just wanted to give me a "head's up" that he would be posting the long term sub position sometime between right now and break. (You mean Thanksgiving break that starts Friday after school?) Cough. Then he told me that I should make sure to "get my stuff in order".....that he'd be recieving about 500 applicants, because everyone wants to teach in St. Charles..... I asked if interviews would be conducted before or after break (I initially thought all of this was going to happen after WINTER Break), and he said he wasn't sure, but legally he needed to wait 5 days between listing the position and the first interview.
Soooooo.....I guess all of this putting off the paperwork for this job/interview until after we had our house on the market was NOT the brightest idea. NOW--I have to do my resume', my enormous application, my teacher profile, and a portfolio within the next week. (Unless I find out that Mr. Adkins decided to wait a little bit more time.....which I doubt, because he sounded like he just wanted to get on with it, and get this whole thing settled.)

I am panicked, needless to say. I just don't know what I am going to do, because I don't know how I can complete this all, and be ready for interviewing when Thanksgiving break is over!! I am just going a little loopy over here! Please pray for me, and my sanity, and that SOMEHOW I find the time to do all this.

Another thing off the list

matt painted the deck tonight--can you believe it? He started at 7:30pm....with an obnoxious bright light on overhead--so he could see what he was doing. Go Matt! :0)
I, on the otherhand, got sidetracked while cleaning under nate's bed....(figures).....I found the "memory boxes" I had saved for Ben and jacob (under nathan's bed?...whatever). I was consumed. I haven't looked in those boxes in ages. I got the biggest kick out of looking at Mother's day cards Ben made me when he was in second grade, and pictures he painted in preschool, I cracked up at a story Jacob wrote when he was seven......I gushed with pride when reading comments from teachers that stated jacob so kind and treated others with compassion and selflessness.....and each time I went to close up the box, I'd come across something else that would tug at my heartstrings.
Poor nathan, though....his "stuff" was not under his bed. In fact, I realized I was not quite as purposeful with saving his momentos as I had been with the other two. It is a typical third child mom move. I felt terrible....and I hoped that the few things I had set aside for him and are now being stored under MY bed, were enough to show him that I really did love him just as much. I also made a mental note to start saving more things of his! I know I have pictures he drew and report cards, and odds and ends.....I just don't think it was quite as much. Although--really....it was mostly Ben that had a ton. First child--I had more time to do things like that, and a brain that actually worked back then!

Two excerpts from the boys things that made me smile for different reasons:

Mother's day card from Ben, third grade: (after I showed Ben this card he said "I was such a dweeb!) I love it. :0)
Dear Mom,
I love you so much I couldn't resist (?) if we were ever separated. My heart would shatter like glass. You are tender with love and so am I, you are sweet like pollen to a butterfly. I love you like a cat to it's kitten. I love you Mom.
Love, Ben

Jacob's illustrated short story he wrote in second grade:
THE SOCCER GAME (what else would he write about?)
Dedicated to my family

Three little boys were playing soccer until another group of three came.
We played and played.
It was a tie. The coach, "One more shot and they win."
The other team took a shot.
The goalie was jumping for the ball. He missed the ball. :0(
It went in the goal. So they won.
I dealt with it.

The End.

Smiles. My boys are cute. :0)

I don't want to do anything

I am feeling lazy today. I don't want to do more work. I want to sit and read a magazine, or watch T.V., or waste time on my computer (don't say it...). Instead, I need to clean under nathan's bed (still), and buy paint for downstairs, and take nate to soccer practice, and figure out dinner, and start decluttering my office, etc. Sigh....to be bored....what a wonderful thought.

rest is overated

We have been cleaning/painting machines over here. This weekend, we did a second coat of paint in our master, painted the front door and door jam, washed the siding on the house, took all of Nathan's clothes out of his dresser and put only the necessary things into two newly purchased underbed boxes, (and boxed up the rest), bought exterior paint so we could repaint the deck railings, and lattice, Ben got onto the roof and cleaned out the gutters, I placed airfresheners strategically around the house, .......etc., etc., etc.

Matt also spent some time crunching numbers....printed out our worst and best case scenarios. We had a serious discussion about whether a new home purchase was worth all of this. Spent some time feeling excited about moving, and some time depressed by the changes it would bring. Thought about the prospect of being "poor" again..... spoke about the undoubtedly lean Christmas this year. Questioned the idea of movers or packing up the whole house by ourselves.

I again had to purposefully NOT think about all the work I am supposed to be doing preparing myself for interviewing in the beginning of January. The only way I stay sane is by choosing NOT to dwell on how little I am doing to prepare for this upcoming teaching opportunity. It scares me to even think about.....basically because this could be my big break and I am pretending it is something I can just "wing". It is not-believe me!

This afternoon, I have been back into the boys' room, decluttering shelves, and finishing up the whole 'weaning the clothes" situation. The more I get done, though, the more there seems I need to do. My house feels messy and out of control again, becaus eI have new packing materials and cleaning aids scattered about, along with uncooperative boys being boys. If I survive this, all I can say is "It was God!", because right now, I can't imagine getting through everything (along with my Thanksgiving week off that I should be spending preparing for moving or interviewing....traveling to Philadelphia by car with my family and 85 pound dog!!) EEEEEK!

frustration!

Okay-so this is the way it goes when you are trying to sell your house, I guess. About a week ago, one of our dear children left a red marker out somewhere where our dear dog could mistake it as a bone. She apparently figured it out after a bite that it wasn't a bone....and then left it to bleed into our new carpet in the LR. I found the blood red spot first--and thought someone was dangerously injured.....until I discovered the marker nearby. I dabbed as much of it up as I could, but it had bled way down into the fibers and left about a 2 inch round red blotch right in the middle of where you'd not miss it.

When we bought the carpet, we got 2 carpet cleanings free. Of course, we have not scheduled one yet, even though we desparately need it. Knowing that we are to have a realtor in one evening this week....most likely Wednesday, I got impatient, and decided I should be Queen of All Stains, and attempt to get it out myself. Since I have been using all sorts of cleaners all day, I remembered that the "OxyPower" cleaner I had been using mentioned something about cleaning carpets and upholstry on the front label. I carefully read the directions on the back.....and go for it. I start out very catiously, spraying just a wee bit in the direct middle of the stain. I wait the directed 3-5 minutes and lightly dabb. NOTHING. I try again....doing the same thing.....still nothing. So, I spray more, all over, even into the fibers surrounding the spot. Wait a bit, and then started scrubbing frantically. Still, not noticing any difference, except now the red spot looks hot pink. I give up, and put the cleaner away, and just mumble under my breath how that was a complete waste of my time.

NOW-maybe 20 minutes later, I look at the spot.....and while the red is still hot pink....the area around the spot seems to be glowing....even making the spot stand out more! What the heck! And why didn't the dog decide to eat the darn marker in a more out of the way area??? Like in the garage??? Or at least on the boys' ugly blue carpet that we might have to replace anyway? ARGH! Instead--it is right where you can't miss it--on the already replaced carpet! What are we gonna do? (Besides go crazy!)

I know that when the guys laid the carpet, they left us some remnants. I can't imagine we'd be able to patch it without it being obvious, too. I don't know.....it may be our only choice. Matt says we had a warranty (that spelling doesn't look right) that if they couldn't get a stain out, they'd fix it.....but, for how long could that be for? We must have had this carpet for a year now....I can't even remember!

Matt just came upstairs and saw my "cleaning job" for himself. He is not happy. He thinks it glows now, too. Seriously, it makes me want to scream! I was trying to make it better! I didn't think it could get worse. Guess what?? It could. I am just so frustrated, I could cry. :0(

house walk, house work

We took the boys to the house we want yesterday. I knew Jake and Nate would be excited no matter what.....they just want to move into that neighborhood- where they have so many friends. Ben has been a little reluctant about moving....mostly because his best friend lives within walking/biking distance right now, and if we move, he will definately have to be driven. Obviously, that equals less time spent with his buddy. We have been assuring him we will work it out, that we will make sure they get to see eachother as often as possible. Anyway, I was hoping the house walk would get him a bit more excited about the idea.
It was kind of funny going through with the kids, and hearing their reactions to things. Nathan had a hard time realizing that all the furniture and "things" still in the house were not staying. He kept saying things like "cool! Look at this!"...and I'd look, and he'd be pointing to a statue on a shelf, or a painting on the wall. I had to keep reminding him to just look at the space, and the things you couldn't move. :0) Nathan loved what would be "his" room---the room he "claimed". It is in the front of the house, and has a clear view of his friend Joey's house across the street. (I think that was the sole reason he picked it!) He would be sharing a Jack and Jill Bath (Jack and Jack?) with Jacob. Jacob is convinced he got the BEST room upstairs, if this all works out. He loves the built-ins, and the fact that it is the biggest room, other than the master. Of course, there are still some girly details there....like little flower knobs on the built-in drawers.....but for Jacob, all the better! :0) (He is such a goofball.) He has a view to his friend's house from his room which looks out on the backyard. Jacob also was entralled by the fireplace. We don't have one now, so, just having one was exciting to him.....he walked into the family room, and took one look at it and said, "Whoah! A fireplace!" (I am not sure why he didn't notice it in the pictures we showed him.) Then Matt showed him how you can turn it on with a switch......then he was like, "Is that real fire? WOW! That is so cool!" Whenever we weren't sure where Jacob was, he was near the fireplace, flipping the switch and watching the fire. Both Jake and nate were practically running through the house, excited by everything.
Ben was much more laid back--as I expected. But, I watched closely....and I do believe he likes the place. I saw him noticing details.....just like Ben would. Just taking things in. He seemed to like that there was an intercom throughout the house--and you could play music no matter where you were within the house, through it. He was actually interested in the basement-and the "mechanics" of the house....checking out what was in the crawl space, etc. That sort of made me crack up. I guess he really is becoming a man! :0) We told him he'd have choice of the other two bedrooms upstairs, and the hall bath up there would be his to use. He thought the Master sitting room was "sweet"--and overall thought the house was nice. In the car, on the way home, he said 'he had no problem with moving--he just didn't want to clean and pack every weekend." That part is "lame", as far as he's concerned. (I don't particularly like that part either.) :0)

We had three soccer games scheduled this weekend. We are working as hard as we can between those times. We are even hoping to get some paint on the walls in our bedroom, finally. I will be stopping in Lowe's after Nate's game this afternoon. I think I will be looking at their cans of premixed paint "rejects".....why spend a ton on a can of paint.....if the color looks neutral and decent, I'll just get one of those. (We won't be living with it!.....Hopefully.)

Currently, Matt is putting up a new curtain rod in the LR, while I am washing the curtains. He has already changed out two doorknobs that were looking a little worn. Meanwhile, I am just trying to get some sort of order to our chaos.

weekend of work

Well-it is crunch time. Gotta get this house ready to sell, or we just won't sell it, and I will be kicking myself! The sad thing is, I know it is going to be a huge amount of work, cleaning, "improving", and packing up junk, etc.......and I just don't feel very good! :0) I am feeling kind of achey, and run down, I have a huge headache and I'm bit crampy, too. (Too much info? sorry.) I am hoping that when I wake up tomorrow morning I will feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle all the projects, because right now, all I want to do is lay down! Maybe I just need to drink more water. :0) Wouldn't that be great, if that was all I needed? (I better take an energy pill, too!)

more stupid quizzes

I love "the office"....It is definately one of my favorite shows. Of course, I had to know what character I was most like!

Which Office Character Are You?
	You are Pam. You are sweet and likable, but your shyness makes it hard for you to express yourself sometimes. Regardless, you are always there for your friends and will usually come out of your shell to help anyone.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Charlie Brown?

Which Peanuts Character Are You?
	You are Charlie Brown. You are always optimistic and persistent, and everyone appreciates your simple sweetness. Sometimes, however, your anxieties get the best of you, and life's mysteries can confuse you.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

I didn't expect to find out I was most like Charlie Brown! I always think bad things happen to him. I don't believe that about myself. Of course, right now.....with all the craziness and fast approaching deadlines in my life--all I can say is..."Good Grief!"

too much to do

Way to much to do.....
After two soccer games today, we came home, and got busy. Unfortunately, most of the stuff was regular Fall clean-up stuff, not so much towards the end of moving. Matt and Ben worked in the yard--lawn mowing, pulling large dead summer plants, cutting down tree like weeds that seemed to sprout up over night.....Jake picked up a backyard full of sticks, and Nate was on dog poop patrol. I was outside too, for some of the time. I was trying to take advantage of the beautiful warm Fall weather...it was almost 60 degrees and sunny today. I repotted some mums I got a few weeks ago, into bigger matching pots--trying to keep our front stoop looking cheery. That job took much longer than I expected! I also did some work inside, basic long overdue cleaning, and also tackled a pile of mail, and got some Goodwill stuff bagged up. Not sure what I'll take on next---the list is just too gigantic!
I am wishing I had a week off from work to just put my head down and get busy! But alas-no such luck! Instead, I will have to try this house preparing whenever I can squeeze it in--I can't imagine there will be enough time to accomplish it all! Sometimes I pray for the minutes to last longer, or that God will help me work faster.....it is a goofy prayer, but I think He understands! :0)

Another matter for parayer--sadly, Matt's car is not doing well. The last few days it was kind of choking while starting. Today, it decided not to start at all. At first we thought it was a battery problem, but when we jumped it--nothing. So, Matt went out and bought a brand new battery.....nothing after it was installed, either. Now--I am not sure what we are going to do. Matt thinks it might be the car's computer. Not good. Big huge expensive thing. Of course, with the goal of moving sometime soon....extra expenses are just not good. Matt is NOT a happy camper, let me tell you.

action mode

This what we are in right now.....action mode! We really liked the house..... so now we have to figure out to sell ours! Anyone want to buy a house??? :0)

big things

We are going to take a look at a house today. We weren't necessarily wanting to deal with this right now.....even though we have been talking about moving for a while. We were planning on preparing our house more to sell, and thought for sure it wouldn't be 'til spring until we'd be looking seriously. So-I guess you can never completely plan these things out. We have targeted a neighborhood, that we have been carefully watching. It is right next our home soccer fields, has all the same schools we are currently in, and is filled with many of our family's friends. Anyway, the house we are going to look at has everything on our list (except a front porch) and more. It was a model home--so it was all decked out from the start--and then the owners even put an extension onto the Master to include an additional sitting room and walk-in closets. It is completely dog ready (fenced in yard).....and has a bedroom for everyone, plus an office for Matt, a guestroom for visitors, and a finshed basement to entertain the kids and their friends. The best part is, while it was out of our price range when it first came on the market...it is now priced well under the appraisal value for a quick sale. The owners are very motivated, and the realtor says the price is negotiable. Of course, that also means we might be moving a whole lot sooner than we expected! Not sure how I am going to fit a move in to my already way too busy life!

We have been praying a lot about this whole thing......and I know that if it is meant to be, God will work out the details. And if it is not---than He will close doors.

proud mom

We have been anxiously awaiting for an interview with Luis Mojica to be posted on the Campton United Website. Luis is our neighbor and family friend. He has been a wonderful role model for our kids, and has always had a special relationship with Jacob, as they both have always had a love for soccer. It didn't seem to matter that there is an almost 10 year difference between their ages. Luis and Jacob have always hit it off, and would spend hours kickin gthe ball around on our front lawns. Luis is a sweet kid, and I am glad he is gettin gthe props he deserves! He is now a freshman at Northern Illinois University and has recieved a full scholarship there for soccer. He starts for their Huskies Men's Soccer Team, and has also been selected to play with the Chicago Fire PDL team (preprofessional). Needless to say, he is Campton United's pride and joy, as he has played with them since he was ten and not only has been successful--but has always displayed good sportsmanship
.
Anyway--we were given a heads up by the webmaster that the interview with him would be posted soon, and that he mentioned Jacob. Tonight the interview was posted. Once on the homepage of the site, there appears a very nice "note" from Mark MacKinnon the club's director. It is worth the read. Then under "club news" there is a link to a "Q&A with club alum Luis Mojica". Please click on that to read the interview. To our surprise, Luis speaks of Jacob Sterling as his favorite Campton Player. (WOW! He knows ALOT of Campton players!) Then there is a picture of Jacob playing on the field, and a sentence or two from Luis. Can I tell you how thrilled Jacob is?

Also on the homepage--under "snapshot" at the bottom of the page, is a picture of Nathan kicking a ball at one of his tournaments. And scrolling right next to that is "Team News" where Nathan's team (Roteiro) is mentioned. Also, under "club news" is a link to "tournament results and pictures". If you click on that, there is a nice picture of Jacob's team, and a write up by his coach about how they played in the Nike Cup- and under that, a team photo of Nathan's team with write up for their performance at the Glen Ellyn Classic Tournament.

PLEASE humor me, and go to the website... www.camptonunited.com and read about Luis Mojica and my boys. I am a proud mom! Can you tell??

who trained who?

My dog definately has me well trained. I know this is not a surprise for most of you......I just don't like admitting it! I am a sucker for puppy eyes. Emmy is really a sweet dog. She is a lovey, she is obedient, she is just a great dog. She also has completely figured out how to get exactly what she wants and how to get me out of my seat, or up from the laundry room, in split seconds. What started out as a way for us to know when she had to go out, has turned into a way she can manipulate me!
We have put jingle bells on our back door, and left them there while she was a puppy and being trained. Everytime she needed to go outside to pee, and we opened the door, and the bells would ring. Soon she was ringing the bells with her nose to tell us when she wanted to go outside. Worked great.
NOW--the stinker just rings the bells on the back door to get me to notice her. She'll ring the bells, sit there looking pathetic, and when I come near her to let her out, she gets up, and walks to her other designated areas to let me know what she wants. It really is quite smart. I have to give her props. BUT, it is also annoying! There is no way of distinguishing whether she is really desperate to pee, or if she is just bored and feels like having a bone. At least she is clear about those things, too---and she doesn't just stare at me expecting me to figure her out. She is very purposeful. Ring the bells, mom comes in, go walk to the bone cabinet and sit. Or go to the kitchen sink and sit for water. Or go to the food dishes and sit for food. Or go to the refridgerator, and HOPE it is time for her medicine (which gets put into hotdog pieces, thus the fridge clue). Sometimes I get so annoyed with her....especially if I was in the middle of something and she keeps ringing the bells over and over again (like it is really urgent).....and then she just saunters over to the bones. Then I just walk away and say NO! But most times, I just end up getting her what she wants. No wonder she keeps it up! It is working for her!

YES-I admit it. I am well trained. How embarrassing.

unexpected blessings

My life is so crazy these days with running around nonstop, that being able to carpool with someone willing to take my boys to soccer for the 4:30 start time was a huge blessing! NOW-I just have to take Ben to his Bass Lesson at 5pm, drive him home at 5:30pm, and then pick up Nathan at his soccer practice at 6pm. Usually, i'd also have to wait around for Jake to finish at 6:30pm before I could drive home.....but today-whew!-Jacob is being driven home, too. I only have Nathan and Ben driving duty today! It's the little things like this that I truly can appreciate!

I also had a good day at school--as I felt useful in helping my 3rd grade teacher develop her guided reading group plan. The district has taken on a new Language Arts program and everyone is scrambling trying to figure out how to fit it all in. Unfortunately, the plan she iniated just wasn't working. It is a matter of trial and error for everyone right now, and sharing knowledge, and ideas, etc is huge and invaluable. Anyway-I am thankful for those opportunities when I am asked for my opinion in how to carry out lesson plans. Who, me? I sat with Mrs. S today and between the two of us, tried to determine what assignments really fit into the objectives, what questions were purposeful, and what "fluff" could be weeded out. Then we discussed what plans could be done on what days--what the other students would be working on while the reading groups were meeting with the teacher or myself, etc. All in all- it is good practice for me to get my brain working through some of those things.

I spent a half hour in Mrs. C's class also, observing. (she's the prego one, and the class I may find myself teaching in this spring) It is nice to have the option of observing occasionally--just to see how the class flows. I am learning her expectations, her procedures, her record keeping practices, etc. Now I just hope it pays off come interview time. I am only able to get a half hour here, 15 minutes there, and trying to make every visit worthwhile. It is really amazing how every class has it's own personality. i am praying our "personalities" are a fit.

final results

So- the Nike Cup is over, and we are drained, but feeling okay. Both Jacob's and Nathan's teams came in second place. Jacob's team had a very tough time in the Championship game, and they just couldn't pull off a win. It was a difficult game to watch, as they just weren't playing their best. Jake personally had a fairly good game....he did some pretty footwork, megged a guy, (which always makes him happy) made some dependable crosses to our strikers, and even got a shot off himself, but unfortunately hit the post.

Nathan's team played okay, but won their last game, 5-1. It was almost a shutout, but the opposing team scored their first and only goal in the last minute of play. They came in second, because their overall points earned in the tournament were a little short of the team they lost to.

All in all, it was a good weekend.



This is a shot of Nathan in goal. He plays in goal pretty consistantly for at least half of each game. The other half, he is usually playing defense.

update on games

jacob tied his 8am game yesterday, 1-1....they should have won--they totally dominated the whole game, they just had trouble finishing (lots of near misses, or outstanding saves). Then they won their second game yesterday 5-0, a shutout. This morning, they won their third game, 3-1, which was a well-fought and well deserved win. Now they are off to the final championship game at 1pm this afternnon.

Nathan won their game yesterday afternoon, 5-0 also. They have their third and last game today at 2:15pm. Unfortunately, with their loss on Friday night, and how well the team they lost to is doing.....I don't think they have a shot at 1st place, unless the team currently in the 1st position totally messes up today. Even with a shutout at 2:25, we would not have the enough points to beat the three wins of the 1st place team. Oh well....they have been playing well, and we are proud of them!

Gotta go...more later.

bummer

We are back from nathan's first game of the tourney. As you can probally tell from my title, they didn't win. :0( Oh well....maybe next game?
We leave the house at 6:30am tomorrow for Jacob's first game. He plays at 8am. I'll report again tomorrow.

Nike Cup

Another tournament this weekend, if you can believe it. Both Jake and Nate are in this one....they play in the Nike Cup, located in Schaumburg, IL. The competition should be fierce, but the boys are ready to give it their all. After last weekend hitting 90 degrees....it is crazy to think that we will be lucky if we hit 50 degrees this weekend. Brrrr!
Here is our basic schedule:
Friday-Nathan game at 7:15pm under the lights
Saturday-Jacob game at 8am, Jacob again at 1pm, Nathan game at 2:15pm
Sunday-Jacob early game again at 8am, Jacob's U12 championship game (that they will hopefully be playing in) and finally Nathan playing once more at 2:15pm

If interested in keeping up with how they do, you can check the website: www.chicagoclassiccup.com

Go U9 Campton United Roteiro and U12 Campton United Navy!! :0)

Tournament pics

These photos were taken at Nathan's tournament. Hope you enjoy seeing them!! Nathan is the one on the bottom right in the team photo. The "action shot" was taken by another mom--and I was told it might appear on the Campton United website this week. We'll see!

www.camptonunited.com

Tournament weekend

I decided to post a part of an email that I sent my mom, talking about nathan's tournament weekend in Glen Ellyn. It was his first tourney, with his first traveling team. Here is the message.....sorry about the format!

Nathan had a soccer
tournament this weekend....and between the hecticness
of that and the heat/sun we were in, we were
completely wiped out by the time we got home everyday.
Yesterday it reached 90 degrees! I think we broke a
temperature record for October in Chicago. There was
also the marathon in Chicago yesterday-matt told me
that they had 300 marathon runners have to go to the
hospital (NWM)...3 are in critical condition...one
actually died! They eventually cancelled the race for
the first time in history. How terrible.

Nathan's team won their tournament. It was fun to
watch. Nathan plays defense most of the time when he
is on the field. He is quite good back there! He
plays "sweeper", which is the last guy to get past
before the goalie. He was doing a great job--not
letting anything by him. It is fun to hear people you
don't know say "that #7 is quick--watch him, he is
good."

He also plays goalie for a half of each game. He is
pretty good in there, too....although that position
always gets me nervous. It is the worst place to see
your kid as a mom. Lots of pressure! :0) During the
championship game....Nathan got hurt in goal. It was
a exciting, but very wild game. The parents were out
of control yelling--mainly due to the ref not
contoling what was happening on the field. Too many
kids were making dangerous plays, taking each other
out in illegal ways (basically going after the guy,
instead of the ball, etc.) We think, sometimes on
purpose, and sometimes by accident. Nevertheless,
the ref is supposed to talk to the kids when this
happens--in Jake's games the kids would have gotten
yellow cards for sure. BUT-the ref would either let
play continue, or just blow the whistle and make a
call, without telling the kid in fault that you can't
play like that. The parents, of course, were getting
more and more riled up....as kids were getting hurt on
the field. It was just not good....one of our parents
and one of the other parents were having a yelling
match by half time....and another one of our parents
and to step in and pull "ours" away. (Our parent is
hispanic, and I don't want to be stereotypical, but he
takes soccer VERY seriously, and is sometimes
embarrassing the way he is always yelling from the
sidelines....yesterday it was too much!) These kids
are just 8-9 years old! ANYWAY-the ref was not
contolling any of this.....which she should have done,
because it just kept escalating. Our first goalie got
laid out by this big tall kid on the other team.
Basically, knocking our goalie off his feet after he
had control over the ball. (This is illegal....once
the goalie has the ball, the field palyers are
supposed to back off). When that goalie was removed
from the field, hurt--our coach put Nathan in. Nathan
played the rest of the first half in goal, then
started the second half in goal, too. The same kid,
came at Nathan when he was saving a shot. The kid slid
into nathan cleats up (also normally getting a yellow
card) when Nathan was crouched down low. Matt was on
his feet yelling that the kid had his cleats up, and I
had to restrain myself from running onto the field.
Nathan was in a little ball on the field (in a
position like he was playing leap frog) and he wasn't
getting up. The ref called our coach onto the
field.....and by that time I could see that nate
wasn't seriously injured (so I relaxed) but the
parents were going wild. Nathan was pulled off, and
it took a while finding another kid willing to get in
goal after the whole display, and history of what had
been happening to the goalies! Nathan's right hand is
still hurting today, as I think his hand wrapped
around the ball got most of the kid's cleated foot.
(He did save that goal by the way, even though
initially the ball bobbled with the impact--Nathan
still was able to dive onto it after he was hurt.)

The game ended in a tie....which meant they had to
play two more 5 minute halves to determine the winner.
We scored two goals during overtime, and they didn't
score any....so we won. WHEW! The boys were pretty
excited. :0) Nathan's hand is still hurting today,
but there is no obvious bruising, and it isn't
swollen.....so, we will just wait and see.

Matt's wrist is still a mess......he did find out that
he had torn cartilidge. And he needs to continue
wearing the brace.....and limit movement for it to
heal. He has another appointment at the end of the
month to monitor progress....but so far, it still is
really hurting him. They did mention the possibility
of surgery if it doesn't heal on its own....but, we
are praying that it won't come to that.

Scarecrow Festival

I am hoping that our family will take advantage of this festival in our town this year......we should. We don't always make it, but I know the kids would like to go. We are lucky to have such nice family opportunities right here.....we really need to make a point of doing them.

Take a look at what I am talking about and browse around the site...there is a link to what else our town offers....maybe some time you'd like to visit St. Charles yourself, and hang with the Sterlings! :0)

www.scarecrowfest.com

floating holiday (???)

Today I am taking my "floating holiday". I get to pick one day of the year that I don't need to go to work when scheduled, and it doesn't count for a sick day. I chose today, because I now have a 4 day weekend, and because the boys were gong to be home from school, too. It will not be a rest day, though. (No-never!) I have soooo much to do always, I can't afford it. Honestly, it has been one commitment after another around here.....I don't usually get to sit down until about 9pm at night, unless I am eating or going to the bathroom....or quick checking my messages on email in between driving or picking up my children.
Today, my list consists of this:
-go down to the District Office to get my sub paperwork started/completed
-take Nathan to his friend's house (in which the mom, and my friend, wants me to hang around for a while for a cup of tea....I would really love to sit and drink a cup of tea and chat like a real person.....but I am honestly trying to figure out if I can afford to take the time to do this!)
-vacuum, dust, straighten, do laundry.......you get the idea, my house is a disaster--and Matt has been getting frustrated with me about it. (I am getting frustrated, too, believe me. I can't stand how messy things are around here, but honestly, I haven't been in my own house for more than an hour at a time.....and when I finally do get here, I run around trying to get the kids stuff together for the next practice or I flitter about going through mail, picking up random piles of whatever, wherever, that have accumulated while I wasn't looking, etc.....I haven't gotten down to the business of heavy duty cleaning in a while!)
-Find all the paperwork, and fill it out for nathan's tournament this weekend....I already did the paperwork for next weekend's tourney, but that is because I could send that in....I can't with this one.
-Gather all the uniform stuff together for both jacob and Nate....I am sure some of it needs to be washed.
-Start going through the University of Phoenix papers about Education Classes---and start deciding which classes I want to take. I need to take two before my maybe long term sub position starts.....and that is not a lot of time away, if you figure I have to fit in two classes by then!)
-Try to remember to eat something other than junk I grab on the run--and drinking water would be good, too!
-Take jacob to his game.....which starts at 7pm, but since it is in Highland Park, and we will be driving in the midst of rush hour.....we will have to leave by like 4:30 at the latest.
-deal with whiney children (Jacob) about how mean and ridiculously overprotective I am because I don't want him going into downtown St. Charles with a friend to see the Scarecrow Festival. (I admit, that in and of itself, the festival would probally be fine for him to be at....but there are going to be like a gazillion people there, the traffic is really crazy, and it just doesn't seem safe.) Jacob is right at that stage that he thinks he should be able to do all this stuff that older kids do, because technically he is in middle school now....but he is still very much a little boy! (It doesn't help that he has a friend that has WAY too much freedom.....and I am always the mom that has to say no to things.)

I am sure there will be more things to do that I am not thinking of....there always is. Like, a pack of kids coming over and all deciding they need drinks and snacks....and then leaving the kitchen with spills and crumbs and junk everywhere.....or something. As it is, we already have an extra kid in the house, because Jake's "very free" friend slept over last night. I am sure that is why first thing this morning I have already been dealing with questions about the Scarecrow Festival, and possibly going to the new park (that is too far, also, without an adult), or going to a movie, etc. etc. I haven't even spoken to Ben yet--I am sure he has grand plans for the day, too, in which I am in the dark about right now. I am sure it will involve me driving him somewhere.....or something. He is at his other home right now (his friend Aaron's). That is why I don't know what he'll come up with yet. Actually, if he was home he'd most likely be still sleeping. He is a teenager, you know, so he'll sleep until noon if I let him.

It is scary when going to work everyday seems like the break you so needed! But, I have been feeling like that lately!

ugh, my rug

ODE TO MY POOR CARPET

Ugh, my rug,
it needs to be cleaned.
It needs to be scrubbed,
it needs to be steamed!

Between the dog and the kids,
with dirty feet, and butt skids (okay, gross)
I am about to go mad
seeing my new carpet go bad....

Maybe its time to just call "the guy"
to come clean it now, before I cry.
I can't let it continue like this anymore-
there is just too much dirt for even a floor!



(Can you tell I am feeling a bit of guilt for slacking on my house cleaning duties since I started working?) And I feel I should mention that it is my dog doing the occasional butt rub on the carpet (not my boys!)......AND it doesn't leave any noticable marks....it just fit nicely (?) into my short diddy. :0)

lemon jello

Ben was just telling me about a friend of his friend's mother (did you get that?) that has a funny name. Her name is pronounced Lay-moan-zhello, but is spelled Lemonjello. That cracks me up. And yes, if you were wondering, she is african american. I am not saying that as any kind of statement......more like I have noticed over the years that african americans have the most creative names. I think this one takes the cake for me though. :0)

Creeped out

I am pretty creeped out right now, because I don't remember doing things I apparently did this afternoon. I had a very busy day today....well, not really, but I had a typical busy day. I got up, got the kids out the door for school, and then took myself to work. The third grade teachers were at a learning conference for the day, so I did some things I normally do, and some things I don't normally do. I corrected a lot of papers, monitored a particualr student, hung a new bulletin board, made some copies, filed papers, helped some students with group work, etc. Then I picked up Nathan, came home and answered a few emails (that I don't remember doing), and visited a couple of friends websites. Then I set out on the task of preparing the paperwork needed for nathan's soccer tournament. I am the team coordinator, so it is my job to make sure all things official are in order. I took care of some team business--inputting the weekend's game scores into the NISL website, and then set out to finish off paperwork needed for the upcoming tournament. I couldn't find specific forms needed to complete the process, and got a little panicked about that.....since it was supposed to be postmarked by today. (Long story....but I will not take complete credit for waiting so long to get going on this......I only found out about it as we were leaving out the door to our first game of the weekend on Friday night.....and we had games everyday of the weekend, and somewhere in the process, I forgot about it until today--when apparently it was supposed to be mailed.) Okay-so the paperwork I needed was not easy to find online, and long story short....I had to wait to talk with other paperwork submitters (other team coordinators) I would see when picking up jacob at soccer practice.
ANYWAY-it was while I was waiting for Jacob that I noticed something was maybe not right with me. I was not able to complete sentences properly....and my mind seemed a bit jumbled. By the time i got home, I was feeling rather fuzzy. Matt ordered pizza while I was getting Jake....and we basically ate as soon as I walked in the door. Unfortunately, the fuzziness just got worse, and I found it quite difficult to connect two thoughts. I knew I needed to finish the paperwork, but I couldn't seem to think in any organized way to get it done. Matt had to take over. My friend Kerri called, and all through the phone call, i was inately aware that I didn't think I was making too much sense. My thoughts were just not connecting. The worst of the fuzziness was about an hour ago. I felt very spacey--like I was on some sort of drug or something. My kids were even teasing me about it. I couldn't connect any of my thoughts, and it wasn't until then that I realized I didn't remember sending any of the emails I sent this afternoon. I reread my "sent" messages of my email....and it was sureal. I honestly didn't remember writing them. BUT-they made sense. I didn't sound spacey......but I also didn't remember writing any of it. And YES that is very creepy.
Anyway--I am not sure what happened, but I don't like it. Matt told me to start drinking water---and I think that helped some, as I am feeling much more clearheaded right now. I really got a bit scared though.....like maybe I was having some sort of medical thing happening. BUT-now I feel much better, and unless i experience that whole creepy thing again, I will consider it maybe lack of hydration. I think I did drink hardly anything today......and since Matt kind of forced me to drink a water bottle quickly---I have been feeling a lot better, and less fuzzy headed. I suppose I have a lot going on, and I did have a "stress" thing happen a few years ago, where I thought I might be going crazy because I kept forgetting things. As soon as I lightened my load, and cleared my schedule, it was like a miracle happened---i suddenly felt like myself again.
I hope that was not what was going on here.....because my load is not going to get any lighter in the near future. If anything it will get more busy---especially if I get the long term sub position in March.
Something to pray about---for sure.

Family day

We had a family day today.....
We got up at 7:30 for a 9am church service at Christ Community Church. This is not our usual church--but we had soccer games, starting at noon today, and Fox Valley Bible Church (our church for the last 16 years) only has one service now, which doesn't let out until noon. So, rather than miss church again, we decided to go to another church this morning. We told the kids this church would be a bit different.....it is a Mega Church, it is HUGE. Ben was not keen about going somewhere else....but we told him to think of it as an "experience". It was. Two large screens flanked the stage, advanced media and lights accompanied every song, scripture reading, and announcement. Nathan announced mid-service that he wanted to switch churches, this one was "awesome".......Jake was fascinated by the colored dancing lights and big production of everything, and announced in the car coming home that even though he saw his school principal there, he'd like to go this church from now on, too. I enjoyed the worship time, believe it or not, even though generally I am much more conservative now than when I was younger. Matt mentioned that he really appreciated the sermon, (as did I), and in true dad form, noticed the efficiency of the people guiding traffic in the parking lot. Ben, who I was convinced would have loved the music, and would declare the guitar solos "amazing".....said simply "I didn't like it". Maybe it all was a bit too much. Of course, Ben was not happy most of the day--we were terribly unfair to him apparently, saying that today would be a "family day" and we would be spending the whole day together as a family. Which of course, for a teenager is complete and utter torture.
After briefly coming home and changing clothes, and me preparing sandwiches, veggies, chips, and drinks to bring in the cooler for a picnic lunch, we were off to the soccer games.
Without boring you with too many details....Nathan won his game, 4-2. Jacob lost his game (and undefeated streak) in Penalty Kicks. Matt uncharacteristically almost got himself in trouble with the ref for yelling about an unfair call (usually he is much more quiet than this). The boys occupied themselves with kicking the ball around between games, and joking around with eachother a bit (when Ben wasn't making a point of telling us how UNFAIR it was to make him come to the games today.)
By the time we made it back home, it was 5:30pm. We were all a bit tired, sunkissed and wind "damaged"....and by that I mean, chapped lips, dry mouthed, and hair completely windblown (me, anyway!) Ben tried to go off with a friend immediately....again very obviously "ticked" when we told him NO. We were going to go out to eat together, too, for dinner.
How cruel can parents be??? We had dinner at Baker's Square, and while Ben started off the meal with a very grouchy demeanor, I daresay he cracked a smile or two by the end of his French Dip.
When we got home, all pooped and full.....we decided to watch "Chuck" a new show that both Ben and Matt had seen before, but wanted to see again. (We TiVo-ed it, I guess.) I decided that I actually liked this show, even though I prejudged it as being one I would dislike strongly.
All in all.....it was a nice day, even though the number of disagreements among kids and parental units was more than my liking.....(mostly just with the determined teenager trying to beg for friend time).
I suppose, so you don't think we are ogres, I should mention that Ben did get to spend Friday night at the High School Homecoming game, and then Saturday evening at a friend's house for three hours. We really were NOT trying to just take away the fun of being a teen. :0) I just wish spending time with us was one of his "Top Ten Things to Do" on a weekend! :0) But, as I have been told--this would be going against the inate characteristics of the teen species.
And to think, this is just the first time we are going through this!! Two more "I think the world should revolve around me", hormone driven, cranky-pants, coming up before we know it. God prepare my heart......and give me the patience and energy necessary to survive!