Busy end to a busy week

Hello blog world...

What a week. I subbed all week long, and learned a few things. First, I do love to teach. I was subbing in English, but they were studying Civil War era literature, so I got to help them understand the Gettysburg Address, Fredrick Douglass, and Robert E. Lee. It was wonderful to have that feeling of helping someone learn. Second, I don't necessarily like to teach high school aged kids. I always used to but the apathy and lack of interest was totally disheartening. Third, I want to continue my education, so that I can teach college aged kids! And finally, at this point in my life, I want to be home with my kids more than anything else.

Which brings me to another point. While I was subbing this week, I picked up a copy of "Glamour" magazine, which the teacher had in her room. Now I can assure you that Glamour is NOT a typically read for me. However, there was an article/book review about SAHMs in this issue about how women regret it because it ruins their careers. Now, I will admit that I sometimes worry that I may not get back into teaching because of my choice, but this article really bothers me.

I will NEVER regret my decision to raise my kids. Even if it means a different path in life for me, or lower pay when I do jump back into Career World. Also, the article discussed how so many SAHM get left in the dirt when their hubby's divorce them. My feeling to this is that a) they weren't married to that great of men to begin with b) their hubby's never were really behind their decision and c) just because marriage hit the skids, doesn't mean that your children are to blame for the financial situation/divorce/lack of job prospects. (I'll get off my soapbox soon, I promise!) I know that being a SAHM is not always a walk in the park, but articles and books like this just infuriate me. ANYONE who leaves a profession for ANY REASON is bound to run into difficulty going back to a career - why do they always focus on us SAHMs? Okay, off that...

Today, we were busy at home. It's a rainy, gloomy day, a day perfect for doing stuff around the house. I made a birthday cake for Al's first, as well as some treats for Easter. I also painted our hallway, and realized while I love to decorate, I HATE TO PAINT! Jeff and Lyle worked on tearing down the ol' doghouse out back and burned it, so that eyesore is gone! Lucas went to see Curious George and then it was 5:50! Wow how the day flies.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday so we are gonna go to church and prepare for Holy Week. We also are celebrating MIL birthday tomorrow too! Should be a fun day - then it will be back to the week - and I'll be home this week - right where I want to be!

Screens

Today, I had the wonderful task of digging the window screens out of the storage room, scrubbing them and putting them in the windows. Now, normally I don't care for such mundane labor, but screens = windows open = it's warm! I love this time of year, the fresh air, clean air. And, I think, the novelty of opening the windows after a long winter is so wonderful. By July, you couldn't pay me to open the windows! Much too hot!

I've been thinking a lot about why I am so pumped for spring. In the past, I've only really gotten pumped up for Christmas. But, I think for the first time, I really suffered from seasonal affective disorder (sp?) I remember being really blue during Feb - March the year I was expecting Lucas, but that was out of fear and anxiety. This year, I had nothing to be down about, but the grey skies and being cooped up really got to me. I am so ready to be outside. To plant shrubs and flowers. To watch the grass turn green and the trees bud. I can't wait to take the boys out to play, go on walks and get our much anticipated puppy. I feel the sun shining outside in the sky, and inside me too.

Busy Days

I can't believe how fast this week has gone. This is the first chance I've had to post...

Last weekend, my cousin Katie and her family was in town. They came over to our house and her boys and ours played together. We enjoyed pizza, conversation, and later, Lucas and I went swimming at the hotel. Her brother, David, was also up from Arizona and it was good to see him again. Sunday was a quiet day - but Jeff was busy. He and his dad spent most of the day trying to install a new garage door opener. With 2 little boys, we needed an opener that had an automatic reverse! Monday we had Alex's first year pictures. He was such a cutie. As soon as I get the proofs, I will try to load a picture - I'll have to dig out the ol' scanner! Tuesday I headed out to Hawley to sub - I love being out there. What a great school and great kids.

Tonight I have a big presentation for my masters class. I spent all of last night (until 3 am!) working on the powerpoint presentation, and most of this morning finishing the paper. The presentation is on curriculum mapping, and I really enjoyed putting it together, and learning more about mapping. As I work on my masters, I realize how much I miss being in the classroom, and it occurs to me that I may never teach again. I sure hope that is not the case...

This weekend is going to be wonderful, as we have NOTHING planned. I'll be busy with church on Sunday morning, but that's about it! Maybe Jeff and I will try to squeeze in a movie. It won't be much longer before the weekends are gorgeous... and busy! I know three in April are already booked, as are 2 in May! But, I am ready for spring.

I saw a robin on Sunday and the rapidly melting snow has me really looking forward to spring and summer - though the last few days have been grey and gloomy, the hope and promise of a beautiful spring, with new life is so encouraging.

Things that make you remember...

Last night, I was hungry for cereal. I went out to the kitchen, and poured myself a bowl of Wheat Chex. Of course, it wasn't until after I had poured the bowl that I realized we were out of skim milk. But, we had a bunch of whole milk that had to be used. So, I poured the whole milk on, doused the cereal with sugar, and immediately, I was transported back in time.

Wheat Chex with Whole Milk always reminds me of being at grandpa and grandma's house. They always have this cereal and only have whole milk. I guess you could say it's a comfort food. As a child, grandpa and I would sit down to breakfast together, and this was my cereal of choice (on days that grandma didn't make french toast!) And, when we have peaches, I can't resist the high calorie content of cream and sugar - another childhood favorite from Grandpa and Grandma's! Isn't it funny how we have those memories? So, I crawled into bed last night, with my tasty, cozy treat, and thought back to all those wonderful times at the farm. What precious memories!

What a great weekend...

I realize that the weekend was three days ago, but this is the first chance I have to post. It was a busy but great few days. Last Friday, we celebrated Jeff's birthday. I made a cake and my mom and dad and Ross came over. Then, on Saturday morning, we went over to Jeff's parents, and had a great meal with the Paulson crew. I swear that my father in law makes the worlds best burgers. They are so, go good. And, I can't figure out how he gets them to stay the same size. Mine usually shrink to nothing :) Then, we had cake. It was funny. Lynda had made a great chocolate cake, but for some reason, it had completely fallen apart. It looked just like Chocolate Molten Cake that costs a fortune at high class restaurants, except it was an accident! So funny! We were also successful at getting some pics of all 5 kids together, so that was nice, as we don't get them to sit still too often. Jeff and I then went on our way. We spent the day doing errancds, loitering at the mall, and just browsing. It was wonderful - that relaxed feeling, and not having to get back right away! Then, it was dinner and hockey. We headed to Ground Round and enjoyed a relaxing dinner and drinks, while watching the MN State Hockey Game...it has been so long since we had a day like that! Sunday was quiet - the kids got home at noon, and we just relaxed as a family!


On Monday, I got to meet up with Erin and Laura in Bemidji. It was a wonderful day. Great food, and even better conversation. It had been so long since we had been together like that...we saw each other at their weddings, but that doesn't really count, because you don't actually get to visit! I think we all agree that we can't let five years pass before we get together again!
Hopefully something will transpire for this summer, and maybe we'll even let the hubby's and kids tag along (wink!)! Here's some pictures of us. What a fun day!

Sick Kids

Nothing is worse than having sick kids. Lucas has a terrible cough and has been totally out of it for the last few days. He doesn't have a fever, but I have really never seen him sleep this much. When he's not sleeping, he is still his smiley old self, but you can tell he isn't feeling well. And, yesterday, Alex had a 102.2 fever (yikes) and today he is coughing too, and sleeping a lot. I guess it's that time of year, and we should feel very fortunate that our boys have really never been sick. But it is still hard when they are. Jeff told me this morning that he thinks he's getting sick as well. Yucky. So, we'll see how this weekend goes. We had planned on spending the weekend childless, but if everyone is sick, don't know how that will work. Have a happy Friday !

Happy Birthday...

Today is Jeff's 29th birthday. We won't get to see him today, because he works and tonight he has school. So, tomorrow we will be celebrating, although he opened his presents from the boys and I last night. He was surprised to get gifts (usually we don't exchange gifts), but he liked them. We got him pajama pants, season one of "The Office", and Borat. Now, Borat, though funny would NOT be my choice for a movie to own, but he LOVED it! We are going to celebrate with his mom and dad on Saturday, and then we are going to have a night to ourselves! I can't remember the last time we slept past 7:00am.


As it is his birthday today, I find myself thinking a lot about how much we have changed over the past 12 (!) years. I can't believe that when we started dating, he was only 17. But at 29, he is still so much the man I fell in love with all those years ago. I admire Jeff for the husband he is to me, the wonderful provider he is (AKA - I don't have to work!) and the outstanding father he is to our boys. Looking back to that time, I could never have imagined where the road was going to take us. We have been on a wonderful roller coaster of life. Lots of good times, plenty of tough times. But we have done it all together, and I am proud of that. Not many high school sweeties make it this far. I am especially proud of how we have dealt with our problems bearing children and then the difficulty once they were here - Lucas' NICU stay, and Alex's cleft. Now I am not bragging about how wonderful and great we are - I hope none of you think that. I just am proud of how far we have come together!

So, as I wrap this up today, I am so happy that I have known Jeff for so long (we actually first met when he was 15) and I look forward to where we will be in another year and more...

Happy Day, All!

Still Learning

Hi Friends,

I talked to Julie last night and she told me that she tried to comment, but couldn't because she didn't have a google account. I didn't realize that there is a setting that won't allow you to comment unless you do. So, I think I got it reset last night. Please try to comment again, and hopefully it will work! I also can't figure out how to post pictures elsewhere on the blog, so Laura, maybe you can help me figure that one out, as you use blogger too!

Last night, I went over to my parents house, because my brother Steve was in town. He and a teammate of his are here to try out for the pros. I hope it goes well, but he had heard that you have to have an agent to try out and he doesn't, so I hope he isn't totally shut down. My other brother, Ross, is moving to Georgia this week to try out to play Arena League football. You can check out the link here: http://www.albanyconquest.com/news/
The try outs last for two weeks, and if he makes the team, we won't see him until late fall. But it could be a great opportunity, as the arena league is a feeder program for the pros in the US and Europe. I don't think my parents ever realized that football would go this far when the boys started as 7th graders.

Not much else going on here today. Alex is sleeping and Lucas is a little under the weather. He had a fever during the night, so I think we will just lay low today. And, its blustery and cold out today, so hunkering down inside sounds quite inviting.

Puppy Chow

For all of you that are already moms, I know you have been there. For those of you who are not yet, you will be...

Last night, I made puppy chow. I love it. The peanut buttery, chocolaty, powdery goodness, that makes me throw my 30lb resolution to the wind and just eat! I love it so much, I just leave it out on the counter on wax paper so I can nibble constantly (weight watchers calls that BLT's -bites licks and tastes!)

Today, after putting Alex down for his morning nap, Lucas and I came downstairs to play. I logged on to the computer to check my email and flight prices for our anniversary trip in July. I thought Lucas was still down here with me...I was wrong. I heard a small crash and went upstairs. In the kitchen, my precious, precocious 2 1/2 year old is sitting on the floor covered in puppy chow. It was EVERYWHERE! All over the counter, in the oven, and seriously covering every square inch of my kitchen floor. And, as you know, puppy chow is bathed in powdered sugar...which means there was a thin film of white powder everywhere as well. Lucas had his cars and a cup with him and upon me asking what he was doing, stated "The cars have to eat."

There comes a time as a parent, when you know that you should scold, but all you can do is laugh... I will be cleaning up powdered sugar for the rest of my life!

Alex and Lucas

I know I already posted today, but I wanted you all to see a recent picture of the boys...can't believe Alex is already 11 months old!

And Lucas is growing so much, talking up a storm and busy as can be...

These two are the best gifts I have ever been given. I thank God everyday for his blessings...

...Still Not Good at This!

So it's a month later, and I haven't sent this out. I also haven't gotten any better about posting. Be patient with me. I will get better.

Today, I was reading the blog of one of my old friends who I haven't talked to in a long time. She wrote about finding a box of old mementos, and made a comment along the lines of not knowing why she kept it, but being glad she did. Isn't it funny that we all hold on to things from the past. I too don't really know why I keep some of those old things. I still have my box of stuff from my one and only year in Bemidji, and I look back at some of those notes from Laura and Erin, and remember how sweet it was to have such great girls as friends. And then I deeply regret how I have let those friendships fade, unintentionally of course, but fade nonetheless. And I start to wonder what I could do differently...

The other things I have kept are the petals of every rose Jeff ever gave me...I guess it makes me remember how in love we were (and still are - just don't get as many roses anymore!) I have Lucas' pacifier from his NICU stay, as well as Alex's arm braces from his surgeries - and so much more.

I am one of those that doesn't want to let go. I just haven't always let those close to me know that I am like that I think that people would be surprised that I am so sensitive. I think many would be surprised that I fret and worry about what people think of me. I don't think people know how easily my feelings are hurt, or how sometimes, self-depreciating humor is a cover for insecurity. A lot of times, extroverts are perceived as being invincible...trust me, we are not! Wow don't I sound depressed - I'm not, just feeling a little introspective.

I just emailed many of you and told you about this blog today...I hope you visit from time to time! Julie, thanks for having mom and I over the other day, it was good to see you :)