WHEW

I finally have a chance to sit and think. What a whirlwind of a week! My comings and goings will be listed in order of favorite to least favorite.

~ On Tuesday, I found out my dear sister is going to have a BOY. I am thrilled! Lil' Man and his little cousin will have a blast together. I am already planning on them doing boy scouts together, playing sports, and lots of fishing/camping trips. Oh what fun! I cannot wait to see what he will look like, what his personality will be like, and how special it will be when I first get to hold him.

~ My brothers were able to come and visit us for a couple of days. I always love when they come to visit. I know these visits won't last forever, so I cherish each time they get to come. Such a double-edged sword. I love seeing them grow up into such wonderful young men. I love seeing where their lives are taking them. I just hate that growing up means less time to come and visit us. They are so special to me. We always have so much fun together.

~This will piggy-back on the previous favorite thing. Going to Claremore for the evening was great. I love when we all get to be together. I wish we all lived closer. It was so touching to me to see that Lil' Man was able to show us how he knows who "Papi", "Abuelita", "Tia", "Chu-Chu" and "Tio" are. It melts my heart. I would love for nothing more than for us to be able to live closer to each other. It always seems longer until the next time we get to see each other.

~ OUTLET SHOPPING! That was a treat. I hate to shop, but I love to save money! I had a blast shopping with Meg and Amber. We made it into an all day event. I also loved that Lil' Man got to spend time with his grandma. They had so much fun baking cookies together. I was privileged to enjoy one of his cookies; it was very good.

~Sounds of rumbling thunder rolling in was a welcome relief this week. What a huge blessing to have some rain finally. Temps today averaged 76 degrees. A much needed reprieve after the 100+ days we have had all summer. Best of all, school has not yet started. I was able to enjoy the storms from the comfort of my home.

~ Enrolled L in his first college class. I am beyond thrilled for him. I know not going to college is something he has always regretted. He had almost resigned himself to thinking it never would happen. God has opened the doors and made it possible for him to begin the journey towards getting a degree. We are so thankful. He will take 12 hours of independent study classes from OSU, then he will be entered into the BRIDGE program at SNU to finish his degree in business in administration.

~ Crafty little me, made a menu board for my kitchen. Talk about SIMPLE. I bought a frame, material that matched my decor, and letter chips from Hobby Lobby. Simply cover the cardboard from the back of the frame with the material and you have your background! I used super glue (for glass) to glue on the letter. I love it. It will help me as I prepare to go back to work next week. Yes, it is part of my "have a better year" plan. I actually got the idea off of pinterest.com. I tweaked it to suit my kitchen. Here is a picture of it...I will post a better one later.

~ Getting my classroom ready is always exciting. I love to organize and plan. So, this is a task I particularly enjoy. I am doing things a lot different this year. Centers have moved to new places, the Mimio board is going to be center-stage for my whole group. I really think the kids are going to enjoy everything this year. L has been a huge help in getting my room ready. I love him so much.

** The least**

~ Not having time to get my house clean and in order is driving me INSANE. I forgot how much harder it is to keep up with things when I don't get to stay at home. Going to school everyday this week has been a little reminder of what is to come. A little reminder to get a cleaning schedule started. Being a mom, wife, and keeper of the home is so much harder when you add working 40+ hours a week to it all. UGH. Okay, I am off my soapbox now. :)

~ Saying goodbye. I don't like having to say goodbye. This week I had to say goodbye to my family as we again parted ways. I had to say goodbye to days spent at home with Lil' Man; which in-turn means having to say goodbye to Nick. Jr. (Yes, I will miss it.). Saying goodbye to my summer of eating what I want, it is time to begin weight watchers again. Melt away those last 15 pounds. Goodbye to late nights watching Matlock with L and goodbye to staying up to 1:00 in the morning watching Golden Girls. My positive outlook on this is, saying goodbye only brings me closer to the next hello.

~ Discipline is something I pride myself in. I feel that I know how to manage children's behaviors and provide effective discipline pretty well. This was until I met my son. I feel that I have to "fake it until I make it" (as my dear WOE friends would say) when it comes to disciplining him. He is getting to that stage where "time-out" = "time for me to practice my imagination skills".   My least favorite moment is when I had to pull the car over (in a sketchy neighborhood) and get on to him because he would NOT stop sucking on the bottom of his SHOE. Putting the grossness aside, it was the fact that he was staring me down while I repeatedly instructed him to get his foot out of his mouth. After a small review of choices and consequences, he and I were able to start the car again and continue about our day. He really is a well-behaved child, but it is for those rare moments I just do not know what to do. I feel I need to end a negative with a positive. We have reached a point where my dear-to-my-heart teacher look has an effect on Lil' Man. Words cannot express what that means to me.


Too reiterate...WHEW what a week. I can't help but think, God is good. In life's ups and downs, He is good. I am so glad I have Him to lead me and guide me along this crazy thing called life. :)

Until next time.