There have been many posts out there about people who want others to clearly state their beliefs so they know where a person stands before they will read or post on their blog. So I take that challenge in hand today and firmly declare my belief that white chocolate is really not chocolate. White chocolate should not be allowed to use the word "chocolate" in its title.
This website and this one detail the differences between regular chocolate and white chocolate. Regular chocolate has cocoa powder, chocolate liquor, and cocoa butter. White chocolate only has cocoa butter from that list of ingredients. C'mon people! Chocolate needs to have more than cocoa butter. It needs to have that rich, chocolate liquor to give it that yummy chocolate flavor. Even the FDA doesn't classify white chocolate as a real chocolate.
White chocolate doesn't even taste like chocolate. It's like yogurt. Eating a pretzel dipped in white chocolate is the same (to me) as eating a pretzel dipped in yogurt. Why deprive yourself of the whole chocolate experience and settle for something so clearly second rate?
So today I challenge you to declare your beliefs. Where do you stand on the topic of white chocolate? Tell me all about your chocolate views in my comments section. I promise to not slam you for your beliefs. I will just classify you as one of those weird white chocolate loving fanatics. ;) I'll be here, sitting in my corner eating Hershey kisses, reveling in all the REAL chocolate goodness.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Baby want to be
Before continuing with today's regularly scheduled post, I want to thank all who voted for me in the Share the Love awards. I made it to the top five finalists in "Best Commenter" category. Please head over there sometime this week and give your final votes. There are so many wonderful blogs. Be sure to check them out.
Camden turned 10 months over the weekend. I cannot believe time has gone by so fast! We only have a few more months till that big first birthday.
During Cam's ninth month of life, he decided to start exploring future career options. Yeah, we start them early in our home. Don't want any shiftless sponges living with us at 21. ;) Here are some of the many career choices Camden checked out.
The first career Camden checked out was candy taster. By the smile on his face and the drool on his chest, I think that is a good option. Also all the chub rolls show he has no problem eating. He could handle pounds of candy with ease!
Cam's second career exploration involved dentistry. He can fit both his hands in either my mouth or his dad's, an important characteristic in a dentist. He can also force a mouth open, a critical skill with reluctant children.
The third career option Cam pursued was literary scholar. Look at him as he studies those pictures. He is well on his way to writing a best seller or critiquing the latest novel.
The fourth career Camden investigated was baby food critic. Making a mess is essential for this career, and as pictured, Camden can do this with ease. Cam declares these mixed vegetables to be very tasty. He also gives the mess factor a resounding two thumbs up.
Lastly, Camden studied the career option of being a pianist. Although it may sound like pounding on a piano to the untrained ear, his music is sure to be a hit with babies everywhere.
And finally, it's time to talk about the other things Cam accomplished in his ninth month of life. He is starting to eat more and more solids, no longer making the face of death. Nursing was given up completely by Cam, not by his mother. And last week, we had lift off as the boy started to crawl!
Camden turned 10 months over the weekend. I cannot believe time has gone by so fast! We only have a few more months till that big first birthday.
During Cam's ninth month of life, he decided to start exploring future career options. Yeah, we start them early in our home. Don't want any shiftless sponges living with us at 21. ;) Here are some of the many career choices Camden checked out.
The first career Camden checked out was candy taster. By the smile on his face and the drool on his chest, I think that is a good option. Also all the chub rolls show he has no problem eating. He could handle pounds of candy with ease!
Cam's second career exploration involved dentistry. He can fit both his hands in either my mouth or his dad's, an important characteristic in a dentist. He can also force a mouth open, a critical skill with reluctant children.
The third career option Cam pursued was literary scholar. Look at him as he studies those pictures. He is well on his way to writing a best seller or critiquing the latest novel.
The fourth career Camden investigated was baby food critic. Making a mess is essential for this career, and as pictured, Camden can do this with ease. Cam declares these mixed vegetables to be very tasty. He also gives the mess factor a resounding two thumbs up.
Lastly, Camden studied the career option of being a pianist. Although it may sound like pounding on a piano to the untrained ear, his music is sure to be a hit with babies everywhere.And finally, it's time to talk about the other things Cam accomplished in his ninth month of life. He is starting to eat more and more solids, no longer making the face of death. Nursing was given up completely by Cam, not by his mother. And last week, we had lift off as the boy started to crawl!
Monday, February 20, 2006
Simple Pleasures Monday - Tax Returns
It's that dreaded time of year again. Tax time! Will you get a return or will you have to pay? I know for many of you a tax return may be something to count on each year. But for the first time in our married life, we're getting a decent tax return. The first three years, we had to pay taxes. Last year, because of buying a house, we got a small return. This year, we're getting enough to have some fun with. I'm pretty excited about it. We can pay off a debt. And we're buying a California King bed. With a son who likes to be in bed with us when he is sick, and with a husband that is 6'8", we're spoiling ourselves (actually just Mark because he fits end to end right now on a regular queen or king bed). So much fun! So that's my simple pleasure of the day. If you're getting a tax return, what are you doing with it?
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Maniacs!
My husband's Top 10 for this week discusses bad drivers and how to know if you are a bad driver. He now has a new one to add to his list - you're a freaking MANIAC and try to run people off the road.
True story from last night.
We live in a rural area where there is not much shopping, so we decided to drive to the next town over (30 minutes away) and look at their furniture store for a new bed. On the way home, we stopped for dinner. After dinner we discovered Camden had another of his famous poop blowouts, so we headed home. Now you have to know something about Mark. He's a really safe driver. He refuses to speed or do anything else that would break a law. (I used to be a speed demon before I met him. He would sit and quote the 12th Article of Faith to me over and over again where it says, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.")
So we're driving home on the highway (yeah, no freeway out here) and just having some good conversation. On the last stretch of highway heading into our town, there are a lot of twists and turns as you head uphill. It's often hard to pass because of all the oil field trash, I mean trucks, that are on the highway. We're heading up this last stretch when a truck speeds around us. There was a car in the other lane and we're getting into one of the twists, so we had to slam on our brakes to let this truck in front of us. No big deal, we just kept driving. After this truck gets in front of us, it starts to slow down and be erratic with its speeds. We see there are three young adults in the truck and we figure they are just having fun being irresponsible drivers. Mark decides to pass them so we can get home and get Cam bathed and into bed.
As soon as we try to pass, this truck swerves over into the other lane to keep us from passing. We thought it was a fluke, so we tried to pass again. Once again, this truck swerves into the other lane, trying to keep us from passing and almost pushing us off the road. My husband honks at the truck (the only semi provoking thing he does all night) and the driver of the truck starts flipping us off, slowing down, slamming on his brakes, etc. We stayed far back and just tried to ignore him. For the next five minutes, this continues.
Finally, we come to the last hill entering into our town. There is a passing lane on that stretch, so we figure we will pass them to be rid of them there. Once we reach the passing lane, the truck straddles the middle and either way we try to pass, they swerve and try to run us off the road. My husband tells me at this point he was in the flee or fight mode, so he wanted to just get past this truck once and for all. He finally passes, being driven by this truck clear into the shoulder of the road on the other lane, and they start tailgating us and brightens us the rest of the way. We started to head for our home, but noticed they are trying to follow us, so we go a different way.
During this all, we got the plate number and called it in as soon as we get home. The officer tells us all he can really do is run the plate and go talk to the person and warn him, which is good enough for us. We just want this person to know they can't get away with it.
I have NEVER seen such crazy driving and rudeness in all my years on the road? Why would a person do that when we're just minding our own business? It was obvious we were just a simple family. We did nothing to provoke them. What would possess a person to try to run another vehicle off the road, simply for passing? The mother bear came out in me and I wanted to rip them apart for endangering my child.
That's my crazy story for the weekend. Tell me the craziest driving you have ever seen or experienced.
True story from last night.
We live in a rural area where there is not much shopping, so we decided to drive to the next town over (30 minutes away) and look at their furniture store for a new bed. On the way home, we stopped for dinner. After dinner we discovered Camden had another of his famous poop blowouts, so we headed home. Now you have to know something about Mark. He's a really safe driver. He refuses to speed or do anything else that would break a law. (I used to be a speed demon before I met him. He would sit and quote the 12th Article of Faith to me over and over again where it says, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.")
So we're driving home on the highway (yeah, no freeway out here) and just having some good conversation. On the last stretch of highway heading into our town, there are a lot of twists and turns as you head uphill. It's often hard to pass because of all the oil field trash, I mean trucks, that are on the highway. We're heading up this last stretch when a truck speeds around us. There was a car in the other lane and we're getting into one of the twists, so we had to slam on our brakes to let this truck in front of us. No big deal, we just kept driving. After this truck gets in front of us, it starts to slow down and be erratic with its speeds. We see there are three young adults in the truck and we figure they are just having fun being irresponsible drivers. Mark decides to pass them so we can get home and get Cam bathed and into bed.
As soon as we try to pass, this truck swerves over into the other lane to keep us from passing. We thought it was a fluke, so we tried to pass again. Once again, this truck swerves into the other lane, trying to keep us from passing and almost pushing us off the road. My husband honks at the truck (the only semi provoking thing he does all night) and the driver of the truck starts flipping us off, slowing down, slamming on his brakes, etc. We stayed far back and just tried to ignore him. For the next five minutes, this continues.
Finally, we come to the last hill entering into our town. There is a passing lane on that stretch, so we figure we will pass them to be rid of them there. Once we reach the passing lane, the truck straddles the middle and either way we try to pass, they swerve and try to run us off the road. My husband tells me at this point he was in the flee or fight mode, so he wanted to just get past this truck once and for all. He finally passes, being driven by this truck clear into the shoulder of the road on the other lane, and they start tailgating us and brightens us the rest of the way. We started to head for our home, but noticed they are trying to follow us, so we go a different way.
During this all, we got the plate number and called it in as soon as we get home. The officer tells us all he can really do is run the plate and go talk to the person and warn him, which is good enough for us. We just want this person to know they can't get away with it.
I have NEVER seen such crazy driving and rudeness in all my years on the road? Why would a person do that when we're just minding our own business? It was obvious we were just a simple family. We did nothing to provoke them. What would possess a person to try to run another vehicle off the road, simply for passing? The mother bear came out in me and I wanted to rip them apart for endangering my child.
That's my crazy story for the weekend. Tell me the craziest driving you have ever seen or experienced.
Friday, February 17, 2006
The week in review
You see how my site is called "Ramblings of a tired mind?" Today you will get to see the ramblings in action, only because I saved all my silly little stories to post in one big random Friday fun.
1. Yes, this was my school, where I work. No, I wasn't on the hit list (no teachers were). No I didn't teach the student and so I didn't push him over the edge. Although I probably have pushed more than one student over the edge in my years of teaching. It just hasn't come back to haunt me yet. Not much happens in my lil' town. This is as exciting as it gets out here. See Em, things do happen in redneck land!
2. Note to self: It is not a good idea to try to surf blogs, pump breastmilk, and eat chocolate cake at the same time. Said cake will slop all down you, the keyboard, and said pumping hardware, creating a lovely mess. And then you will cuss. And then you will walk around all day with a big ol' brown mark on your shirt and people will laugh at you.
3. Apparently I look older than 65 or else kids these days don't really get history. While preparing to read a nonfiction piece on World War II yesterday with my Advanced class, I gave them some background on Pearl Harbor. Keep in mind, we had already discussed when Pearl Harbor happened in 1941. After our lovely discussion, a girl raised her hand and said, "Mrs. teacher, how old were you when Pearl Harbor happened?"
She was serious folks! Nice. I told Mark that we're using our tax returns for plastic surgery so I don't look 65 any more.
4. Thank you to all who left book suggestions yesterday. I had a BLAST checking out new books online. I thank you. Amazon.com thanks you. My credit card company thanks you. My husband? Not so much.
1. Yes, this was my school, where I work. No, I wasn't on the hit list (no teachers were). No I didn't teach the student and so I didn't push him over the edge. Although I probably have pushed more than one student over the edge in my years of teaching. It just hasn't come back to haunt me yet. Not much happens in my lil' town. This is as exciting as it gets out here. See Em, things do happen in redneck land!
2. Note to self: It is not a good idea to try to surf blogs, pump breastmilk, and eat chocolate cake at the same time. Said cake will slop all down you, the keyboard, and said pumping hardware, creating a lovely mess. And then you will cuss. And then you will walk around all day with a big ol' brown mark on your shirt and people will laugh at you.
3. Apparently I look older than 65 or else kids these days don't really get history. While preparing to read a nonfiction piece on World War II yesterday with my Advanced class, I gave them some background on Pearl Harbor. Keep in mind, we had already discussed when Pearl Harbor happened in 1941. After our lovely discussion, a girl raised her hand and said, "Mrs. teacher, how old were you when Pearl Harbor happened?"
She was serious folks! Nice. I told Mark that we're using our tax returns for plastic surgery so I don't look 65 any more.
4. Thank you to all who left book suggestions yesterday. I had a BLAST checking out new books online. I thank you. Amazon.com thanks you. My credit card company thanks you. My husband? Not so much.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
For the love of books! - Thirteen Thursday
Being an English teacher, it should come as no surprise that I am obsessed with books. I love books. I love to read them, touch them, smell them, handle them. I could spend hours in a book store searching for new books and authors. I pour over the book order forms that come to my classroom. I love all things books. As I tell my students, you can never have too many books (well, you can, but only if they start to take over your house).
Because I love books so much (and because I have a stepson who hates books), it was important for me to instill a love of books in Camden. And he does so far. Of course it helps that I collect them and surround him with books. Just to give you an idea, the boy is almost 10 months old and has over 80 books. Yeah, just a few. He'll grab a book, crawl into my lap, and sit there turning the pages and having us read to him. When he first wakes up from a nap, he wants to have books read to him. This kid can spend hours with books, just like his mom. In honor of my book obsession, I want to share some of my favorite children's books with you. Feel free to share with me your favorite children's books, either ones you love to read to your children or ones you loved as a child.
This was the first book I ever read to Camden. I read it to him in the first week of his life. It took me about two months to be able to read it all the way through without crying. It's a touching story of the love between a parent and child.
This is another beautiful book that shows the love between parent and child. It is written in simple rhyme and contrast.
"I am your parent;/you are my child./I
am your quiet place;/you are my wild."
I love the style this book is written in.
Another great book about the love between a parent and child. Camden loves to turn the pages of this book and I get to tell him how much I love him.
Camden loves this book! He loves to turn the pages and stick his fingers in the holes of each food. He'll skip right to the foods, stick his fingers in the holes, and then go back to the start and want us to read it to him.
This is a delightful board book, perfect for boys. It's all about a garbage truck and what it does. Mark does the greatest voice for the garbage truck, which is why I think Camden loves it so much.
Another great book for voices. Mark does a ghetto voice for the llama. The bat sounds like Dracula, the seal is a redneck, and the swan is British in our voice rendition. Cam loves to hear our funny voices as we read this book. It's also another great book for rhyme.
Camden loves to touch the ladybugs and the holes as they disappear one by one. He also love the butterfly book by the same author.
This is my new favorite. I realize Camden is a little too young for it right now, but with him in daycare and me working, I love the sentiment. I read it to him and give him his own kissing hand for when I am at work. I cannot wait until he is older and can really understand the meaning of this book.
I cried the first time I read this book. It conveyed so many of the feelings I had about my pregnancy and my child, especially after the infertility. I vowed then to give this book to any infertile friend who was blessed with a baby.
I have this book so memorized I can read it without even looking at the pages. Mark doesn't like it so much, but I like the simple rhymes and patterns. It's a classic!
I love this whole series of books. I love the circular pattern of the books. Definitely a delight to read!
My husband and I love anything by Mercer Mayer. We have several of these books and love each of them. We plan on getting more, and more, and more.
So there you have it - some of my favorite children's books. Please share your favorites with me!
Because I love books so much (and because I have a stepson who hates books), it was important for me to instill a love of books in Camden. And he does so far. Of course it helps that I collect them and surround him with books. Just to give you an idea, the boy is almost 10 months old and has over 80 books. Yeah, just a few. He'll grab a book, crawl into my lap, and sit there turning the pages and having us read to him. When he first wakes up from a nap, he wants to have books read to him. This kid can spend hours with books, just like his mom. In honor of my book obsession, I want to share some of my favorite children's books with you. Feel free to share with me your favorite children's books, either ones you love to read to your children or ones you loved as a child.
This was the first book I ever read to Camden. I read it to him in the first week of his life. It took me about two months to be able to read it all the way through without crying. It's a touching story of the love between a parent and child.
This is another beautiful book that shows the love between parent and child. It is written in simple rhyme and contrast.
"I am your parent;/you are my child./I
am your quiet place;/you are my wild."
I love the style this book is written in.
Another great book about the love between a parent and child. Camden loves to turn the pages of this book and I get to tell him how much I love him.
Camden loves this book! He loves to turn the pages and stick his fingers in the holes of each food. He'll skip right to the foods, stick his fingers in the holes, and then go back to the start and want us to read it to him.
This is a delightful board book, perfect for boys. It's all about a garbage truck and what it does. Mark does the greatest voice for the garbage truck, which is why I think Camden loves it so much.
Another great book for voices. Mark does a ghetto voice for the llama. The bat sounds like Dracula, the seal is a redneck, and the swan is British in our voice rendition. Cam loves to hear our funny voices as we read this book. It's also another great book for rhyme.
Camden loves to touch the ladybugs and the holes as they disappear one by one. He also love the butterfly book by the same author.
This is my new favorite. I realize Camden is a little too young for it right now, but with him in daycare and me working, I love the sentiment. I read it to him and give him his own kissing hand for when I am at work. I cannot wait until he is older and can really understand the meaning of this book.
This book is so much fun! I love the pictures and the simple wording. It's also over Camden's head, but I love to read it again and again.
I cried the first time I read this book. It conveyed so many of the feelings I had about my pregnancy and my child, especially after the infertility. I vowed then to give this book to any infertile friend who was blessed with a baby.
I have this book so memorized I can read it without even looking at the pages. Mark doesn't like it so much, but I like the simple rhymes and patterns. It's a classic!
I love this whole series of books. I love the circular pattern of the books. Definitely a delight to read!
My husband and I love anything by Mercer Mayer. We have several of these books and love each of them. We plan on getting more, and more, and more.
So there you have it - some of my favorite children's books. Please share your favorites with me!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
The truth shall be known
I know you have all been anxiously awaiting the truth of my many lies. I'm really not a good liar, so I am amazed at how few guessed the truth, even those that know me (Sara). It must be because you can't see me stuttering and stumbling as I lie my lil head off.
#1 - Partially true. Even though I teach English, it was really my minor in college, not my major. My major was history, however. It is easier to get an English job, so that is what I have been teaching for the past 8 years. The credit difference between my major and minor is small.
#2 - This didn't happen to me, but it did happen to my poor husband. He lost his job and got arrested as he left his job that day. It was for a ticket from an accident that he thought he had taken care of. To top it off, after leaving the police station, he went home to find out his divorce had been finalized that day.
#3 - This is also my husband. He has some freaky genetic toe nail problem. Both he and his sister have it. Both hate their feet and refuse to wear open toed shoes. Luckily, none of his children (his two boys from the previous marriage or Cam) have this condition.
#4 - This is the truth! My husband and I met shortly after his divorce. We hung out and became best friends. We tried our hand at a relationship, but it was too soon after his divorce for him to be ready for a relationship. So we remained best friends. Several months later, we were talking, felt that we should get married, and so we got engaged. You should have seen that awkward kiss! We literally went from best friends one day to engaged the following day. The real dating was done after we got engaged.
#5 - I've only been in one wreck in my life, knock on wood. This one was the most made up of the bunch.
Julie, who hardly knows me, and Nutella, who also doesn't know me well, were the only one to get it right. I guess only people who don't know super well me can tell my lies? That means I can trick all of you close to me! Thanks for playing! This has been my favorite meme so far!
#1 - Partially true. Even though I teach English, it was really my minor in college, not my major. My major was history, however. It is easier to get an English job, so that is what I have been teaching for the past 8 years. The credit difference between my major and minor is small.
#2 - This didn't happen to me, but it did happen to my poor husband. He lost his job and got arrested as he left his job that day. It was for a ticket from an accident that he thought he had taken care of. To top it off, after leaving the police station, he went home to find out his divorce had been finalized that day.
#3 - This is also my husband. He has some freaky genetic toe nail problem. Both he and his sister have it. Both hate their feet and refuse to wear open toed shoes. Luckily, none of his children (his two boys from the previous marriage or Cam) have this condition.
#4 - This is the truth! My husband and I met shortly after his divorce. We hung out and became best friends. We tried our hand at a relationship, but it was too soon after his divorce for him to be ready for a relationship. So we remained best friends. Several months later, we were talking, felt that we should get married, and so we got engaged. You should have seen that awkward kiss! We literally went from best friends one day to engaged the following day. The real dating was done after we got engaged.
#5 - I've only been in one wreck in my life, knock on wood. This one was the most made up of the bunch.
Julie, who hardly knows me, and Nutella, who also doesn't know me well, were the only one to get it right. I guess only people who don't know super well me can tell my lies? That means I can trick all of you close to me! Thanks for playing! This has been my favorite meme so far!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
The mushy Valentines Day blog
Non-mushy stuff first.
1. Vote in my lies post below if you haven't already. The lie will be revealed tomorrow. Sure, I said it was going to be today, but I am a liar after all. So tomorrow the truth shall be revealed.
2. Don't forget to head over to OneWomansWorld today and cast your votes. I'm nominated in a 2nd category - "Best Commenter", as well as "Makes you want to have kids." I'm thrilled to be nominated. Vote for your favorites and spread the love.
Ok, on to the post. I am not a big Valentines person. I believe we should show love to our family members all the time, not just on a day that society says we have to show love. Sure, I like to get flowers and all that fun froofy stuff, but it means more when done spontaneously throughout the year. In spite of thinking that way about Valentines, I can't help feeling overwhelmed with love for the two main guys in my life. Blame it on being surrounded by pink, red, flowers, hearts, etc., but it gets a girl thinking. So today, I bring you my guys.
This is the man:
-Who melts my heart every time I look at this picture and see the love he has for my son.
-Whose spirit I immediately recognized upon meeting for the first time. I knew we had met before.
-Who knows everything about me, all my weaknesses and faults - and loves me anyway.
-Who has seen me naked - and loves me anyway.
-Who puts up with my many mood swings and attitudes - and loves me anyway.
-Who brought me flowers every month the first year of our marriage.
-Who still brings me little gifts and cards to show he cares.
-Who cooks better than I do.
-Who kept me strong during the infertility and always believed we would be blessed with a child.
-Who is stronger in spirit than any other person I have met before.
-Who always sees the best in me and others.
-Who laughs with me (and sometimes at me).
-Who is my best friend, lover, companion, soul mate, my better half, and so many others in every way possible.
-Who makes me a little Rachelle puddle every time he sings a song to me or our son
-Who helped me create the most beautiful child.
-Who would do anything for me and our son.
-Who loves and gives unconditionally.
-Who takes such good care of our son and is such a good Mr. Mom
-Who works so hard at school, work, and home to improve our life now and in the future
-Who is everything I ever wanted in a man, and more.
This is the boy:
-Who ended the years of heartache and pain of trying for a child
-Who made me a mother
-Who helped me believe in miracles
-Who brought and still brings so much joy to me on a daily basis
-Who brightens my world in so many ways.
-Who makes me laugh and smile on a constant basis.
-Who causes me to delight in every little thing you do
-Who I can't wait to rush home to after work
-Who I love to touch pointers with again and again.
-Who can shoot poop almost anywhere.
-Who I want to wake up in the morning so I can see your beautiful smile and hear your coos.
-Who says "Mom, mom, mom" over and over again and I come running.
-Who brings tears to my eyes as I look at you and marvel at your wonderfulness and miraculousness.
-Who makes me want to be a better person so I can be the mom you deserve.
-Who makes being a mom an easy job
-Who is more wonderful and perfect than I ever thought possible.
To my boys, I love you! Thank you for the privilege of knowing and loving you!
1. Vote in my lies post below if you haven't already. The lie will be revealed tomorrow. Sure, I said it was going to be today, but I am a liar after all. So tomorrow the truth shall be revealed.
2. Don't forget to head over to OneWomansWorld today and cast your votes. I'm nominated in a 2nd category - "Best Commenter", as well as "Makes you want to have kids." I'm thrilled to be nominated. Vote for your favorites and spread the love.
Ok, on to the post. I am not a big Valentines person. I believe we should show love to our family members all the time, not just on a day that society says we have to show love. Sure, I like to get flowers and all that fun froofy stuff, but it means more when done spontaneously throughout the year. In spite of thinking that way about Valentines, I can't help feeling overwhelmed with love for the two main guys in my life. Blame it on being surrounded by pink, red, flowers, hearts, etc., but it gets a girl thinking. So today, I bring you my guys.
This is the man:-Who melts my heart every time I look at this picture and see the love he has for my son.
-Whose spirit I immediately recognized upon meeting for the first time. I knew we had met before.
-Who knows everything about me, all my weaknesses and faults - and loves me anyway.
-Who has seen me naked - and loves me anyway.
-Who puts up with my many mood swings and attitudes - and loves me anyway.
-Who brought me flowers every month the first year of our marriage.
-Who still brings me little gifts and cards to show he cares.
-Who cooks better than I do.
-Who kept me strong during the infertility and always believed we would be blessed with a child.
-Who is stronger in spirit than any other person I have met before.
-Who always sees the best in me and others.
-Who laughs with me (and sometimes at me).
-Who is my best friend, lover, companion, soul mate, my better half, and so many others in every way possible.
-Who makes me a little Rachelle puddle every time he sings a song to me or our son
-Who helped me create the most beautiful child.
-Who would do anything for me and our son.
-Who loves and gives unconditionally.
-Who takes such good care of our son and is such a good Mr. Mom
-Who works so hard at school, work, and home to improve our life now and in the future
-Who is everything I ever wanted in a man, and more.
This is the boy:-Who ended the years of heartache and pain of trying for a child
-Who made me a mother
-Who helped me believe in miracles
-Who brought and still brings so much joy to me on a daily basis
-Who brightens my world in so many ways.
-Who makes me laugh and smile on a constant basis.
-Who causes me to delight in every little thing you do
-Who I can't wait to rush home to after work
-Who I love to touch pointers with again and again.
-Who can shoot poop almost anywhere.
-Who I want to wake up in the morning so I can see your beautiful smile and hear your coos.
-Who says "Mom, mom, mom" over and over again and I come running.
-Who brings tears to my eyes as I look at you and marvel at your wonderfulness and miraculousness.
-Who makes me want to be a better person so I can be the mom you deserve.
-Who makes being a mom an easy job
-Who is more wonderful and perfect than I ever thought possible.
To my boys, I love you! Thank you for the privilege of knowing and loving you!
Monday, February 13, 2006
The Liar Shall be Thrust down to Hell
And since this is the new meme, I'll be in good company. Lee wants me to lie. What a bad influence huh? My mom would have never let me play with her as a child. Good thing I'm an adult now. But if I go to heck for lying, it's all Lee's fault. ;)
I've been instructed to do the following: Write five things about yourself with only ONE of them being true. The other four are fiction, and everyone else gets to guess which one is not fiction.
1. Although I teach English, I actually double majored in psychology and sociology in college. I only minored in English. Since it is easier to get a job in English, that is what I'm teaching.
2. I had a REALLY crappy day back in 1997. I lost my job, got dumped by a boyfriend, and arrested - all on the same day. To my credit, the arrest was for a ticket from an accident I thought I had taken care of.
3. I refuse to wear open toed shoes. I have a genetic foot problem in which my toenails are black. They are freaking ugly, so I never show them to the public.
4. My husband and I never really dated. We were best friends and all of a sudden decided to get married. So we went from best friends to engaged overnight without ever really dating.
5. I wrecked three cars in a year, my mom's, my first new car, and then my second new car. Yeah, I'm a great driver. You should see my insurance rates.
Take a guess, which one do you think is true? I will reveal in 24 hours.
And the next 5 people are tagged:
1. Heather - my neighbor to the left in Cosa MOFstra's
2. Amber - my neighbor to the right in Des Mamans
3. Sara - because she is always right
4. Linsey - because she gives good blog
5. Shelah - because she can come up with some doozies.
I've been instructed to do the following: Write five things about yourself with only ONE of them being true. The other four are fiction, and everyone else gets to guess which one is not fiction.
1. Although I teach English, I actually double majored in psychology and sociology in college. I only minored in English. Since it is easier to get a job in English, that is what I'm teaching.
2. I had a REALLY crappy day back in 1997. I lost my job, got dumped by a boyfriend, and arrested - all on the same day. To my credit, the arrest was for a ticket from an accident I thought I had taken care of.
3. I refuse to wear open toed shoes. I have a genetic foot problem in which my toenails are black. They are freaking ugly, so I never show them to the public.
4. My husband and I never really dated. We were best friends and all of a sudden decided to get married. So we went from best friends to engaged overnight without ever really dating.
5. I wrecked three cars in a year, my mom's, my first new car, and then my second new car. Yeah, I'm a great driver. You should see my insurance rates.
Take a guess, which one do you think is true? I will reveal in 24 hours.
And the next 5 people are tagged:
1. Heather - my neighbor to the left in Cosa MOFstra's
2. Amber - my neighbor to the right in Des Mamans
3. Sara - because she is always right
4. Linsey - because she gives good blog
5. Shelah - because she can come up with some doozies.
Simple Pleasures Monday - Two for one
First simple pleasure - being nominated for one of these in the category of "Makes me want to have kids." I make people want to be a mom. Which is good because I love being a mom and most of you know how crazy in love I am with my child. I have really good company in that category, so I feel special even being nominated. If you want to vote for me, head on over and cast a vote!
Second simple pleasure - playing "Pointers" with Camden. Cam has discovered he has pointer fingers and that he can point at things with them. He points at pictures on a page, toys he wants, food that looks appealing, and many other things. My favorite is how he holds up his pointer finger so we can touch pointer fingers. When I've left the room and come back, he holds his pointer up for me to touch with my pointer. When I return from work, we touch pointers. Before I leave him, we touch pointers. He slept with me a few nights this week when sick and as soon as he woke up, he rolled over to me, held out his little pointer, and waited till we touched pointers before a huge smile spread across his face. I'm loving this new game.
Second simple pleasure - playing "Pointers" with Camden. Cam has discovered he has pointer fingers and that he can point at things with them. He points at pictures on a page, toys he wants, food that looks appealing, and many other things. My favorite is how he holds up his pointer finger so we can touch pointer fingers. When I've left the room and come back, he holds his pointer up for me to touch with my pointer. When I return from work, we touch pointers. Before I leave him, we touch pointers. He slept with me a few nights this week when sick and as soon as he woke up, he rolled over to me, held out his little pointer, and waited till we touched pointers before a huge smile spread across his face. I'm loving this new game.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Pictures of the Day
Camden says, "Living with these people is enough to make a boy self medicate."
Yup, that's the Tylenol bottle. Can you blame the boy?
Yup, that's the Tylenol bottle. Can you blame the boy?
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Zzzzzzz
Remember this? Well, I am feeling every single minute today. EVERY SINGLE MINUTE! Ah the fun of a sick baby who wakes every hour all night long. And I do mean EVERY hour. Mark and I have become good at tag team wrestling this child at night. When Cam is sick, he tosses, turns, and wakes frequently needing his comfort of choice - the paci. The kid is addicted to that thing. When he turns 1, we're putting him in a 12 step program for pacifier addiction. Anyway, the past few nights have held little sleep for Mark and I. Giving that sleep up has been hard. We quite like our sleep and had gotten used to it since Cam spontaneously started sleeping through the night a few weeks ago.
Last night we decided to let the other person get at least 2 or 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep (a luxury right now). So I took Camden to bed with me around 1 am and kicked Mark to the guest bedroom. Then all I had to do was roll over and put the paci back in his mouth without leaving the comfort of the bed. When Mark came to tag me at 4 am, I was quite looking forward to my 2 hours of continuous sleep before my alarm went off at 6 am. I stumbled drunkenly into the guest room and fell into the sleep of the dead. I didn't stir until dh came in to see if I was awake.
Bleary eyed, I crawled out of bed. Dh asked me if I was going to be late. Of course not! Doesn't the clock say 5:58 am? Suddenly, it hit me! It's not almost 6, it's almost 7. In a blind panic I jumped out of bed and raced to get ready. I'm pretty pleased with myself actually. I walked through the door at 7:45, only 15 minutes late.
And in spite of all that, I got my grading done. Are you proud of me? Sleep walking and got all my essays done. And I've stayed away from the blogs (mostly) today. I think I deserve a gold star on my forehead.
Last night we decided to let the other person get at least 2 or 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep (a luxury right now). So I took Camden to bed with me around 1 am and kicked Mark to the guest bedroom. Then all I had to do was roll over and put the paci back in his mouth without leaving the comfort of the bed. When Mark came to tag me at 4 am, I was quite looking forward to my 2 hours of continuous sleep before my alarm went off at 6 am. I stumbled drunkenly into the guest room and fell into the sleep of the dead. I didn't stir until dh came in to see if I was awake.
Bleary eyed, I crawled out of bed. Dh asked me if I was going to be late. Of course not! Doesn't the clock say 5:58 am? Suddenly, it hit me! It's not almost 6, it's almost 7. In a blind panic I jumped out of bed and raced to get ready. I'm pretty pleased with myself actually. I walked through the door at 7:45, only 15 minutes late.
And in spite of all that, I got my grading done. Are you proud of me? Sleep walking and got all my essays done. And I've stayed away from the blogs (mostly) today. I think I deserve a gold star on my forehead.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
I blame you! update AND 5 things Meme
It must be your lucky day. Two blogs for the price of one!
Like my dear friend Em, I am in love with my stat counter. Yesterday I had 82 page loads. 82, people of blogdom! Of course 30 of them were probably from me, obsessively seeing if anybody had left a comment on my blog. But hey, that means I had 52 other page loads. People like me! They really do. Maybe I'll even get nominated for one of these. Ok, maybe they ended up here by mistake. Or maybe the aliens kidnapped them from their regularly planned blogs and dropped them here. Either way, people visited! That is the highest page load I've ever seen on my stat counter. Do you know what that means? It's all your fault again! Now I really can't pull myself away because people are actually reading and leaving comments. I came to work today with the best intentions. I had to grade 7 papers before I could check anything on the computer. I've been at work for over 3 hours now. How many do I have done? ZERO!!!!!! With shame, I told my students I PROMISE all papers will be done by Friday. So after your bonus post of the day, I'm not checking in again until I get at least 15 papers done. Promise. I mean it. No, really.
Ok, now for the bonus blog.
I was tagged by Jennifer.
Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1) Statgirl
2) ScienceWoman
3) Professor Me
4) Musical Mom
5) Teacher Going Mad
Next select five people to tag:
1) Mark
2) Sara
3) Lei
4) Lee
5) Amber
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was in my third year of college. I was deciding whether to go on a mission or finish my education. I was also causing a lot of trouble with two friends of mine, one who is one my longest known and dearest friend.
What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was pregnant with Cam and deciding on a name for him. I was also preparing for my long leave and enjoying planning for baby after such a long wait!
Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Chocolate covered pretzels. My current craving, of which I have none!
2. Popcorn
3. Chocolate cake like almost anything (like brownies, donuts, cake, etc)
4. Sour patch kids
5. Sweetharts
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. Way too many primary ones (sing them to Cam all the time)
2. The bedtime song I made up and sing to Camden every night
3. Many of the songs from Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera
4. Way too many nursery rhymes
5. Lots of 80's music!
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Get out of debt
2. Help my family in any way possible
3. New house, new car
4. Give to charity
5. Have fun decorating!
Five bad habits:
1. Procrastinating
2. Surfing blogs when I should be working
3. Eating like crap
4. Making fun of my husband's ex
5. Sarcasm
Five things you like doing:
1. Reading
2. Playing with Cam and anything with Mark (except bills)
3. Hanging with family and friends
4. Surfing the net
5. Sleep!
Five things you would never wear again:
1. Anything from the 80's
2. My wedding dress (because it doesn't fit anymore)
3. Anything I wore in high school
4. My old drill team uniform
5. Anything my mother in law picks out
Five favorite toys:
1. The computer with internet
2. My digital camera
3. MP3 player
4. My blog and online boards
5. Instant messenger!
Like my dear friend Em, I am in love with my stat counter. Yesterday I had 82 page loads. 82, people of blogdom! Of course 30 of them were probably from me, obsessively seeing if anybody had left a comment on my blog. But hey, that means I had 52 other page loads. People like me! They really do. Maybe I'll even get nominated for one of these. Ok, maybe they ended up here by mistake. Or maybe the aliens kidnapped them from their regularly planned blogs and dropped them here. Either way, people visited! That is the highest page load I've ever seen on my stat counter. Do you know what that means? It's all your fault again! Now I really can't pull myself away because people are actually reading and leaving comments. I came to work today with the best intentions. I had to grade 7 papers before I could check anything on the computer. I've been at work for over 3 hours now. How many do I have done? ZERO!!!!!! With shame, I told my students I PROMISE all papers will be done by Friday. So after your bonus post of the day, I'm not checking in again until I get at least 15 papers done. Promise. I mean it. No, really.
Ok, now for the bonus blog.
I was tagged by Jennifer.
Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1) Statgirl
2) ScienceWoman
3) Professor Me
4) Musical Mom
5) Teacher Going Mad
Next select five people to tag:
1) Mark
2) Sara
3) Lei
4) Lee
5) Amber
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was in my third year of college. I was deciding whether to go on a mission or finish my education. I was also causing a lot of trouble with two friends of mine, one who is one my longest known and dearest friend.
What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was pregnant with Cam and deciding on a name for him. I was also preparing for my long leave and enjoying planning for baby after such a long wait!
Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Chocolate covered pretzels. My current craving, of which I have none!
2. Popcorn
3. Chocolate cake like almost anything (like brownies, donuts, cake, etc)
4. Sour patch kids
5. Sweetharts
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. Way too many primary ones (sing them to Cam all the time)
2. The bedtime song I made up and sing to Camden every night
3. Many of the songs from Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera
4. Way too many nursery rhymes
5. Lots of 80's music!
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Get out of debt
2. Help my family in any way possible
3. New house, new car
4. Give to charity
5. Have fun decorating!
Five bad habits:
1. Procrastinating
2. Surfing blogs when I should be working
3. Eating like crap
4. Making fun of my husband's ex
5. Sarcasm
Five things you like doing:
1. Reading
2. Playing with Cam and anything with Mark (except bills)
3. Hanging with family and friends
4. Surfing the net
5. Sleep!
Five things you would never wear again:
1. Anything from the 80's
2. My wedding dress (because it doesn't fit anymore)
3. Anything I wore in high school
4. My old drill team uniform
5. Anything my mother in law picks out
Five favorite toys:
1. The computer with internet
2. My digital camera
3. MP3 player
4. My blog and online boards
5. Instant messenger!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
I blame you!
Curse you blogging world! I cannot pull myself away from you. I go from blog to blog, reading, laughing, commiserating. I leave comments, read other comments, and then use those comments to lnk me to even more blogs. I surf my new, nifty blog ring. I am sucked into this blogging world and I cannot escape. Do you not realize I have over 80 poorly written 8th grade essays that I promised I would grade and return by Thursday? That is two days away and how many have I done? 1.5! That's it since I have been at work today. I blame you blogging world! If you weren't so entertaining, I could pull myself away and grade those essays. But alas, you are much more fun (and better written) and so I put the essay down once again and say, "Just one more blog. Only one more." You are my drug. I cannot break the craving to read another blog. I shall once again, for the nth time today, try to pull myself away and get my work done.
Am I the only one who suffers from this addiction? Are there others of you out there avoiding something, anything (work, children, cooking, cleaning, etc) to read another blog? Please let me know I am not alone. Maybe I (we?) need to start bloggers anonymous.
Am I the only one who suffers from this addiction? Are there others of you out there avoiding something, anything (work, children, cooking, cleaning, etc) to read another blog? Please let me know I am not alone. Maybe I (we?) need to start bloggers anonymous.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Simple Pleasures Monday
If you didn't read last week, feel free to join us for "Simple Pleasures Monday."
One of my favorite things is dressing my son. In spite of the wiggling, wrestling, flipping gymnastics my son engages in while trying to clothe his body, I love dressing him. I love playing with him and talking to him as I put the daily outfit on. I love the smiles he gives me as I do it. And I love seeing how cute a particular outfit looks on him. After the socks, shirts, pants, sweaters, etc. go on, I have to stand him up and coo over the adorable outfit. On an almost daily basis, after I have dressed Cam, I take him to Mark exclaiming over the cuteness of my son and what he is wearing. You'd think I'd get sick of doing that or get sick of saying that about the same outfits. Because surely I must put him in the same outfits over and over again. But I don't. Because my son has enough outfits to clothe a small country. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but Cam can go weeks without wearing the same outfit (unless we are having poop explosions and then we go through them much quicker).
You need to know something about me. I am a complete ebay addict. You can find anything on ebay! (Well, except an unwanted child, because I did search for that once during the infertility and came up with no results.) And as an ebay addict, one my my FAVORITE things is to shop for clothes for my son. When I first found out I was having a boy, I was a bit sad because everybody knows girls have cuter clothes. I'd been through the baby section in Walmart many times and noticed all the cute togs for girls and all the cookie cutter sameness for boys. So I resigned myself to boring old shirts and jeans. And then one day, during the latter part of my pregnancy, I had the urge to look at baby boys clothes on ebay. EUREKA! Tons of cute stuff! More than that, there were great prices for almost new brand name stuff. From then on, I was hooked.
Every few months, the urge comes to buy more clothes for Camden. Luckily enough for me, Cam grows fast enough that clothes shopping for him that often is more of a necessity than a want. And so I hit ebay. I search through the myriad of auctions, looking for the clothes that scream "Camden" or "cute" to me. And then I watch and bid. And wait for packages to arrive in the mail. And carefully wash and fold the clothes, sorted into style and size. And then the real fun begins (not that the hunt and buy process isn't fun enough).
Each night before bed, I plan what I am going to wear. And each night before bed, I plan what Camden is going to wear. I go through the clothes, sometimes picking out my favorites, sometimes looking for something that hasn't been worn in awhile. I lay his clothes out next to the changing table - shirt, pants, socks, bib, etc. It's all carefully laid out, waiting for the next day. And when he wakes in the morning (especially if we have new stuff or someplace special to go), I race in to dress him and once again admire his cuteness and his adorable outfits. I don't let Mark dress him or choose out his outfits. Not because he can't, but just because it brings me so much pleasure to dress my son.
Can you imagine what will happen if the next one is a girl?
*Tomorrow I shall complete Jennifer's tag. But since today is Monday, I had to do my Simple Pleasures. And I didn't do it over the weekend since I was sick. Something for my devoted? readers to look forward to.*
One of my favorite things is dressing my son. In spite of the wiggling, wrestling, flipping gymnastics my son engages in while trying to clothe his body, I love dressing him. I love playing with him and talking to him as I put the daily outfit on. I love the smiles he gives me as I do it. And I love seeing how cute a particular outfit looks on him. After the socks, shirts, pants, sweaters, etc. go on, I have to stand him up and coo over the adorable outfit. On an almost daily basis, after I have dressed Cam, I take him to Mark exclaiming over the cuteness of my son and what he is wearing. You'd think I'd get sick of doing that or get sick of saying that about the same outfits. Because surely I must put him in the same outfits over and over again. But I don't. Because my son has enough outfits to clothe a small country. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but Cam can go weeks without wearing the same outfit (unless we are having poop explosions and then we go through them much quicker).
You need to know something about me. I am a complete ebay addict. You can find anything on ebay! (Well, except an unwanted child, because I did search for that once during the infertility and came up with no results.) And as an ebay addict, one my my FAVORITE things is to shop for clothes for my son. When I first found out I was having a boy, I was a bit sad because everybody knows girls have cuter clothes. I'd been through the baby section in Walmart many times and noticed all the cute togs for girls and all the cookie cutter sameness for boys. So I resigned myself to boring old shirts and jeans. And then one day, during the latter part of my pregnancy, I had the urge to look at baby boys clothes on ebay. EUREKA! Tons of cute stuff! More than that, there were great prices for almost new brand name stuff. From then on, I was hooked.
Every few months, the urge comes to buy more clothes for Camden. Luckily enough for me, Cam grows fast enough that clothes shopping for him that often is more of a necessity than a want. And so I hit ebay. I search through the myriad of auctions, looking for the clothes that scream "Camden" or "cute" to me. And then I watch and bid. And wait for packages to arrive in the mail. And carefully wash and fold the clothes, sorted into style and size. And then the real fun begins (not that the hunt and buy process isn't fun enough).
Each night before bed, I plan what I am going to wear. And each night before bed, I plan what Camden is going to wear. I go through the clothes, sometimes picking out my favorites, sometimes looking for something that hasn't been worn in awhile. I lay his clothes out next to the changing table - shirt, pants, socks, bib, etc. It's all carefully laid out, waiting for the next day. And when he wakes in the morning (especially if we have new stuff or someplace special to go), I race in to dress him and once again admire his cuteness and his adorable outfits. I don't let Mark dress him or choose out his outfits. Not because he can't, but just because it brings me so much pleasure to dress my son.
Can you imagine what will happen if the next one is a girl?
*Tomorrow I shall complete Jennifer's tag. But since today is Monday, I had to do my Simple Pleasures. And I didn't do it over the weekend since I was sick. Something for my devoted? readers to look forward to.*
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Fun video montage site
I was able to create this montage of Camden for free. Check it out and get your own!
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