Already?

I can't believe tomorrow is the First day of FEBRUARY!

January has flown by! I can't believe how fast this month has gone by. A few snow days, Martin Luther King Day and other days off have made this month seem speedy quick...so much faster than December.

Tomorrow is the 100th day of School...the school year is almost over!

I'm craving Spring...and the warmth it brings but I know we have February to go and that it is still Winter...and the weather people say we could still see some snow this year...though weather people are often wrong so I don't know what to think. I don't put any faith into Groundhogs or any of the craziness that go with it but I will be calling my Momma to see if she sees her shadow this year!

I will freely admit that I like to watch TV. I have shows that I follow and when they are done for the season I get frustrated that it will be such a long time before I get to watch them again. Well, LOST is back for its final season on TUESDAY!!!! I'm very excited since the show ended in such a weird way last season...I'm debating whether to wait and watch with Dan or just watch it all by myself and discuss it later. I'm also excited since V will be returning to air in March...it's exciting to have my favorite shows back on.

Speaking of TV...Dan and I have been enjoying watching BBQ Pitmasters, the only down side is it really makes us want to eat some barbeque...a trip to Famous Daves or Oklahoma Joes may be in store for us in the near future.

The kiddos are excited since we are attending a birthday party for one of my students today. He's having a party at Chuck E Cheese and they are excited to go and help him celebrate turning 5!

Well January, it's been a good month! February I hope you bring some warm temperatures and little snow...I have high hopes for u!

Library Love

Janea and I love the Library.

We love going through the shelves and picking out new books to read.

We love discussing different titles that might be a good choice.

We hate not finding the book we want yet find joy in finding a different book really close that looks good too.

We enjoy checking the books out and then sitting down in a comfy spot with a new book and opening the pages to read.

Libraries are just one of our favorite things!

Thankfulness

Thank you God that today is over and I am home!

Thank you God that my boss was able to help smooth ruffled feathers and my co-worker is being friendly again.

Thank you God that Jaron is feeling better and able to go to school today.

Thank you God that tomorrow is Saturday and I can sleep in and rest.

Thank you God for libraries and books and ability to read.

Thank you God for cheese, especially the melted kind!

Thank you God for my great kids and their great days.

Thank you God for free pizza and not having to cook dinner.

Thank you God that my dad came through his surgery and didn't need morphine and that the external pin is OFF!

Thank you God for everything.

Cry? Laugh? Scream?

I need an emotional release.

I'm feeling frustrated, tired, a little bit sick, tired, confused, hurt, tired, preplexed, annoyed, tired, happy, sad, and tired...I mentioned tired right?

Life is hitting me with both barrels right now. Especially the work side. Being a working mom is tough. I have to balance life, the kids, my school kids, projects, dinner and all kinds of other stuff. So here's a look down the barrels...

SICKNESS: Jaron got sick this week. Up in the middle of the night puking sick. My kids really don't get sick often and I am so grateful for this. They are generally healthy but every now and then sickness strikes. So Tuesday late night was spent caring for my puking boy and washing bedding. This accounts for the tired. I need at least 6 hours a night to feel good. Anything less than 5 and I start really feeling messed up. I can function but things get thrown out of whack. I did go to work and make it through on about 3-4 hours of sleep...makes for a very long day. Last night I slept good but as the morning today went on I really started going downhill and now I am battling the chills, wishing for my bed and praying for a quicker Friday.

WORK: There are changes happening at work. We have an overabundance of younger aged children and not quite as many Pre-Kindergarteners, while we have 2 Pre-kindergarten classes and one Preschool class. My boss came up with a solution and has had me working with her to make it happen and figure it all out. So now we are going to have a larger pre-K class(my class) and I will have an assistant to help keep me in ratio, and the other class will have a few Pre-K kids and the older Preschoolers who are Pre-K age but not going to Kindergarten next year. It's going to be an upper level transition room. My co-teacher in Pre-K will have this class...well, she isn't taking the change with grace and dignity and now I am walking around work feeling like I have a target on my back or I am invisible. It's an uncomfortable feeling, one I am not used to and I don't feel like it is deserved. It's frustrating, I just want to teach and have a well run school and the pressure this is putting on me, on top of not feeling good is overwhelming to me. It's like living in a pressure cooker.

So in the mist of this staring into the barrels of the temptation to just throw in the towel and break I am going to be thankful for these things:

• my kids are healthy, Jaron is feeling better and we all can sleep.
• my classroom is going well, I have a new student starting Monday and my God will help me to meet the needs of the students whether they started with me or are transitioning back into the room.
• my boss is super supportive and sees my point of view and knows that I am not instigating nor trying to make the situation any harder than it needs to be
• I got to chat with a dear friend half way around the world this morning!
• tomorrow is Friday and then I will have 2 days to recharge my batteries and get to feeling better, a chair, book, hotchocolate, hot tea and a dinner out may be in order.
• I was able to leave work early to take care of my son and got to get some love from my man that helped since I really felt like I needed a hug.

Mom?

Yes, Jaron?

I threw up in my bed.

You what?

I threw up in my bed and on a towel.

Are you okay?

Yes, Can I sleep with you?

Okay...

2 hours later....

OH NO!

What's wrong?

I gotta throw up!

hour and a half later...

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

That was my night...Jaron got the stomach flu last night and puked in his bed. So at 2:30 this morning I was stripping his bed and washing sheets.

At 4 I was helping him again.

at 5:30 I was really hating my alarm clock.

I got 3 good hours of sleep and a few cat naps. Jaron stayed home today with Daddy since he was sick. Good news...he has kept down all things since this morning! Hoping the worst is over! His appetite isn't back yet but he isn't quite so pale.

I went to work...and boy was I tired. I am staying home from church tonight and hoping for a full nights sleep and that Janea and I don't get what he has or if we do we can wait until Saturday!

OOPS

I wrote a post for this blog but then realized I posted on my other blog instead.

SO if you want to read my thoughts for today please visit my other blog...Changing My Thinking

I See Skies of Blue

The day started with Sunshine!

I can look out the window to a blue sky mixed with clouds of white.

The hue is gorgeous and makes me smile!

What a wonderful thing that God makes us new every morning and causes the sun to shine.

" And I think to myself, What a wonderful World!"

Fog

Our area of Missouri has had fog every morning for 10 days!

Fog can be both beautiful and dangerous. It's gorgeous to see the low lying clouds and when it freezes on trees and poles it's reflective quality is truly unique. It's dangerous to drive in especially when your car is the same color!

I'm looking forward to seeing the sun...for bright days rather then the gray and fog. I'm craving Spring right now.

Fog is also good for lazy days around the house. After cleaning this morning I spent a well deserved afternoon curled in my chair with a blanket. I had yummy hot chocolate and 2 good books!(I'm sad to say that I read 2 full books today) It was a wonderfully relaxing and battery recharging afternoon. I'm looking forward to maybe getting to some of the same tomorrow!

What a Week!

Life is crazy this week.

Work has been crazy this week.

Mismatched schedules, lots of afterschool activities, sick bosses.

I have survived.

I'm excited for tomorrow and the lack of activities.

A chillaxing day, a catch up day, a restful day!

I love Friday nights and being home!

Fat

I'm feeling fat right now.

I'm not fat, but I am feeling it.

I have to figure out what is causing this bloated yuck feeling.

It's driving me crazy.

I really don't like it AT ALL.

I need more FIBER....I need more Fruits and Vegetables...I need something...

Any ideas or suggestions???

Yes, it's a Workout

I was skeptical about my Wii Fit if I would really feel like I was getting a workout. Well, it is a workout, especially when you give it your best...my routine right now is doing the Basic Step to warm up, the rhythm boxing, a few "fun" activities and then finishing up with a run. I did the long Island Run tonight and by the time I was done, I was hurting and breathing heavy and sweating...it definitely is a workout!

Incentive Earned

The kids and I went and saw this movie this evening. It was cute! The kids had a great time! I so enjoy getting to reward good behavior and doing something fun with the kiddos.

Incentives Package

I have been after Janea to clean her room for about 2 months. I help her and it gets messy immediately afterwards. It's a little frustrating.

This weekend Jaron has been on task....he cleaned his room, he's been picking up toys in the living room before bed, he's even vacuumed because he wanted to.(I've honestly wondered who he is a couple of times because I couldn't believe how helpful he has been) I decided that if Janea can get her room done then I will Reward the children with a movie.

They are dying to see Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakel and there is no school today so if they can get their chores done by 2:00 then we will go and see the 4:10 showing of Alvin. Well, it's not even 9 yet, Jaron is dressed without prompting and Janea is in the process of cleaning her room.

Gotta love a good incentives package. I will gladly sit through the movie if it means that my children are happy helpers...Dan and I were discussing this, it's not bribery but rewarding a good job.

Wow...

January is half gone!

This year is already starting to fly by. I can't believe it. The kids are back to school, I am back to school, Dan is working and we are all trying to start having better habits.

The kids have been spending lots of quality time with their Dad and the Wii. My aunt had sent Christmas money for the kids and we used it towards another Wii remote. So now we have 3. All three of them can play together! It's a good and noisy thing! The game of choice is Super Mario Bros for Wii...it's a lot of fun but they can be rather rowdy with it.

I'm starting to build better habits for myself. Please check out my cleaning blog for my progress and successes and failures.

My sister called me today from her vacation in Puerto Rico...I'm so jealous of her getting to go to a warm climate! I am wishing for some warm weather right about now! However, she really needed a vacation and so I am happy that she has gotten this break!

We are thinking of taking a mini vacation during the kids Spring Break...if they get a full week...snow days may have interfered. So we are waiting and debating about what to do. Dan will take some time regardless since he doesn't get the holidays the kids and I do. So we have things to look forward to in the near future!

This year is off to a good start!

MMM...MMM...Good!

Guichos Mexican Food Takeout+pizza= YUMMY!

I didn't have to cook and we all ate food we like...a good night at my house!

Differences

I've been exploring the concept of difference.

I'm fascinated with how different the genders can be, siblings can be, animals can be.

I love how God created everything to be just a little bit different. We are not clones or copies of one type. We all are unique people, with unique quirks and things that make us interesting. No two people are exactly the same. Even twins are different. This is so fascinating to me on so many levels.

In my classroom the differences between boys and girls was quite interesting. During Free Choice time today all the boys chose to go and play with toys on the carpet. Legos, pyramid blocks and building wheels were all used to make cars, trucks, airplanes, and other cool sculptures. The girls though were writing and coloring and using crayons, markers and colored pencils to make their creations. All the students were being creative, just in different ways.

I'm so thankful for the variety of differences in this world and how God makes all of us just a little bit different from the people around us. Makes life fun and interesting!

1 + 1 = Happy

This morning on my way to work I had 2 happy things:

1. Dan took the garbage to the curb during the night and I didn't even remind him to do it. I thought for sure that I would have to take it before I left for work and he remembered and I didn't!

2. I was driving and looked in my rearview mirror to turn on my defroster and I found a message in the ice....I LOVE U!

I was feeling very loved and special thanks to 2 of the simplest gestures of love by my man!

Getting Back to Normal

I am sitting at my desk at school.

I have been teaching all morning.

My classroom kids are all here with me.

It's been a good day.

It's getting back to normal.

My classroom kids are slightly more cranky than normal.

They are excited to see their friends.

They are enjoying making one another laugh and enjoying their company.

It's getting back to normal.

My morning was a little rushed.

I worried as I left.

The kiddos made it off to school without a hitch.

It's getting back to normal.

The snow has finally stopped.

The sun is going to shine.

The temperatures may go above freezing.

It's getting back to normal.

How Do you Spell Relief???

Remember that old commercial where they ask "How do you spell Relief?" And people would answer and say...R.O.L.A.I.D.S. well if you were to ask me how I spell Relief...it would be R.O.U.T.I.N.E.

School looks to be on for tomorrow! WAHOO!

No more being cooped up from the frigid cold and snow days!

Don't get me wrong...I enjoy a good snow day...but we had 3...about 1 more than I like...and the kids got an extra week of break.

I am looking forward to being back on a routine, to knowing what to except during a week, and having less "free" time on our hands.

I know many people aren't looking forward to going back to school but I am!

Wii...will...Wii...will...

Fight! Laugh! Drive me Crazy!

The boys are working together to try and get some secret sections on the Super Mario Game we have and oh my goodness it's challenging...they argue, laugh, argue, cry, argue...get frustrated...yell at the game all for FUN!

I'm sitting in a chair watching and listening to them.

It's both fun and annoying all at the same time

Crazy Adventures on A Cold Day

Okay, our adventures weren't really crazy, they were just ordinary errands and getting the car looked at but it's more fun to say they were adventures!

When Dan got home Early Thursday morning after driving in a bad storm he told me that the turn signal in his car was broken. I took that to mean that his turn signal wasn't working(which it wasn't) and that it was a little fix...he thought the switch was broken. He was right. I called and got the car in today to the mechanic and the multi switch on the car was broken. They got it fixed right away...which I am grateful for...and it didn't cost as little as I had hoped but not too much either, very thankful for that!

Well, after driving the car to the mechanic and leaving it there, we headed for the bank, and then my sweet husband put gas in my car...I hate pumping gas on a Frigid day and was so thankful that he did it for me. It's been in the single digits here in Missouri...and that's just cold. Thankfully the wind hasn't really been blowing to badly when we were out so with lots of layers on its bearable. And we all are wearing lots of layers!

The kids played in the snow today...this isn't good building snow but we have huge drifts around the house that are fun to stomp through and make paths....they were really cold when done but they had fun, and they got out a little bit of their cooped feeling. Janea and Jaron both are tired of being stuck in the house all day. It makes not only for long days for Mom, but they are just crabby.

So all in all it was a day of adventures...tonight its a yummy dinner and then hanging out as a Family! That's a good Friday!

Cold!

My nose is cold.

My toes are cold.

My fingers are chilly.

I keep adding layers of clothing...it's not really helping.

There is a chill against the walls.

The floor is cold.

The kids have taken to sitting on the vents at times.

The floor by the door is covered by a blanket to keep out drafts.

The laundry room door window is an ice sheet.

The bathroom is bearable with a space heater on when using it.

It's COLD!

Safe and Warm

Dan is home safe...got home around 4 this morning. Had trouble getting into the driveway due to the layer of thick ice from the snow plow but he is home. Safe and Warm...he's asleep now, the kids are still asleep, I wish I was asleep but I woke up when Dan got home and was unable to go back to sleep.

I think I'll make some hot chocolate, curl up with a book or a taped show on the DVR and wait for the kiddos to make their appearance.

It's going to be a cold one today...glad for a snow day and a warm house.

A Storm is Brewing

We are about to get another big dose of winter weather.

I'm home today since my school, the kids school, and about every other school district I know of cancelled school for today.

We're supposed to get snow and then an Arctic Blast will move through with gusting winds and brutally cold wind chills. That will happen tonight and there is a chance of blizzard like conditions over night...when Dan is driving home....so I will be in watching and praying mode tonight as I askGod for safety for my husband as he drives home from work. He's a good driver and careful but the weather is so yucky and I am worried about visibility for him.

I haven't seen weather like this in many years and it's a good thing we don't have them every year, cuz, I might lose my sanity...

The Never Ending Winter

Okay, I will admit that I am probably exaggerating...but seriously, it feels like this winter is never going to end. We are only technically 15 days into "WINTER" but for the past 15 days we have had ice, snow, cold, snow, brutal cold, wind chills below zero, snow, and tonight we are bracing for another round of SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The kids have another snow day tomorrow. I may have a snow day tomorrow, or I may not, being a small private school we don't have the same issues as other schools and so we don't as readily cancel, but we may, I'm not in charge of the decision. The weather people are predicting Blizzard like conditions for Wednesday Night/Thursday morning...so some worrisome nights for Dan.

I'm just not enjoying this winter at all. It's full of things that make me tired...so I am off to snuggle up with a good book...or just sleep.

Seriously???

The kiddos have a snow day tomorrow...and there is no snow.

They should call it a COLD day...I think that is why there is no school.

So now I am trying to figure out what the kiddos are going to do tomorrow since I will still have school. Oh the joys of teaching in a district that isn't your kids....what to do? what to do?

My little Bookworm

Janea is becoming quite the bookworm.

Library visits are becoming part of our regular routine.

She is sitting in the chair in the living room with her nose buried in a book. I think a bomb could go off and she wouldn't even notice...

She is so much like me at times it's scary!

Just for Me

So I started a new blog today.

It's just for me, for my thoughts and feelings about cleaning and the stress that is caused by being a "MESSY" person. Too often I add the cleaning stuff and my stress to this blog and while it does have a place, it's not the funnest of things to read. Therefore, this blog is going to be about family stuff and my new blog...Changing my Thinking...is going to be just for those times when I need to talk about my struggles with house cleaning. House cleaning may find it's way to both blogs.

Feel free to check out my new blog as well as coming and seeing what's going on in the life of the Jonathan's!

Team Work

All night tonight the boys have been playing Super Mario Bros for Wii.

It's been an interesting experience to say the least...well, I gotta go, Jaron's heading to bed and I've got to play...

Welcome 2010

All day I have tried to think how I would start my blogging this year. Do I change it? Do I keep it the same? Do I add more pictures? Do I not use pictures? What to do, what to do??

Do I have an answer? NO, so I think I will go with the flow, whatever strikes my fancy, talk about the things that I feel need to be talked about. Vent if necessary too. It's my blog and I can use it the way I need it.

I've never been a good journaler. In fact I stink at it, I can write something every now and then but for some reason I can blog, and I do blog and I enjoy reading past entries and see how things have changed and ways that I have grown as an individual. It's also fun to read things about the kids then and compare it to the kiddos now. So I am embracing the year ahead. I am looking forward to the things that strike my fancy to write about. I look towards seeing if I can continue to post more in the year to come. My first year of blogging, I was okay at it. I started in late April early May and I had around 80 entries. In 2008 I had around 230 entries. 2009 ended with around 256 entries. This year I am going to try to hit the 300 mark for one year. That's not an entry a day, but it's a goal to keep this record of our lives.

Welcome 2010 to my blog. I look forward to seeing what is in store for me and my family in the coming year. I'm honestly looking forward to seeing what God will do and what's going to be on the horizon for this year.