Ringing in the New Year

Now that I have been married for almost 10 years (technically it is 9.5 years), and I have two children, my New Year's Eve isn't so exciting.  I don't watch the ball drop (I doubt I will be awake that long) and I don't go party.  Tonight, to celebrate the new year, my husband and I are sitting side by side on the couch watching a movie.  Little L (who doesn't think it is bedtime) is sitting in the exersaucer eating Cheerios.  D is in bed playing with her stuffed animals and reading books.

I am thinking back on the year 2010.  It was a great year for our family.  Husband finished his Diagnostician certification in 2010.  He is now in a new position as an educational diagnostician.  He is at a new school, but in the same district.  Husband loves his new position and his new school.

I started a new job back at teaching.  I am blessed to be working in a great Jewish Day School where I enjoy going to work each and every day.  Teaching computers to these students is very rewarding.

Little L was born in 2010, so she in and of herself is a blessing.  D was a blessing from God and a good doctor.  Little L was a natural pregnancy.  Watching her grown and develop has been amazing.  She speaks one word ("hi"), gives open mouthed kisses (which are sloppy but sweet), blows kisses, army crawls and crawls on hands and knees, and is pulling up.  I am thankful everyday for God blessing our life with this little bundle of joy.

D is a wonderful blessing.  Over this past year, she has really developed.  She talks up a storm and is always asking questions.  She is going to a dual language school and is learning Spanish.  She is making new friends and learning so much.  She loves her teacher and classmates and her new school. 

Tonight and tomorrow, I will be working on my New Year's resolutions.  I got a great idea from a blog I read.  Money Saving Mom created a blog entry on the 12 Do-It-Yourself projects she wants to accomplish this year.  I will be flattering her (isn't copying the highest form of flattery?) by emulating this idea.  In addition to some year long goals, I will be trying to come up with a goal for every month in the new year.  Wish me luck and I would LOVE to know what goals you are setting for the new year.

Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

Homeless...

I have been homeless for a while now.  I would say that it has probably been about 4 years since I have had a home.  Now, please do not misunderstand.  I have a nice 3 bedroom house that we have lived in for over 5 years, but I do not have a home in the sense of a House of Worship.  When I was in college I found a nice, small congregation.  Actually, they found me. They heard that I would be attending the University of North Texas and tracked me down at Greene Family Camp (where I was a staff member) to see if I would be interested in teaching a Religious School class. 

From the fall of 1994, I called this my House of Worship.  I grew with the congregation from renting space at a private school in Denton to them owning their own building in Flower Mound to them building on an addition.  I started by teaching Kindergarten on Sunday mornings (a class of 4 students in the library) and moved to third grade Hebrew and Judaic and then moved to 6th grade Hebrew and 8th grade Judaic.  I helped create a preschool program that met once a month for parents and their toddlers.  I attended almost every Bar or Bat Mitzvah.  My husband served as the Worship Vice President.  D went to her first Bat Mitzvah when she was one week old.  I even ran the high school youth group (NoTTY).

Then, I started to feel like I didn't know anyone anymore.  The students I had taught had graduated and moved on and the students I was teaching didn't have the same relationship with my family.  I still enjoyed it, but I was feeling disconnected.  When I was pregnant with D, I knew that something was going to have to come off of my plate and running the youth group was it.  I also decided to leave teaching my kindergarten job and go into youth work full time.

I became a youth director at a large congregation.  This was a passion of mine and I truly looked forward to going to work everyday and I built some amazing relationships (I will be meeting some former youth groupers over break for coffee).  While I felt a connection to the students, the congregation was my job, not my spiritual home.  It is hard for me to NOT feel a connection to a congregation since belonging to a congregation has always been important to me and an impactful part of my life.

Now, I realize more and more that I need to find a spiritual home, a place where I can worship and socialize, where my children will be engaged in learning and socializing, and my husband feels connected.  This is no small feat and I know that I will have to research and research and research.  This is the time for me to reconnect to my religion and to find a home.

Winter Fun!

I realized today that I had been remiss in updating my blog.  So, this one will be pretty long (sorry!).  We have had some great fun since school let out.  First, my big brother got married.  D was the flower girl and Little L made a fuss (she decided nap times were for wimps that day!).  They were cute and for the most part well behaved over the weekend.

The wedding was beautiful and a ton of fun.  We got to see old friends and dance the night away.  Then Grandma and PePaw (my parents) stayed over for a few days.  They took us to see the trains at North Park.  It was great fun!

D got a workbook for Chanukah, so she has really been working hard on it.  Every morning, she has woken up and asked if she could work on her workbook.  I think she likes the Mommy time almost as much as the book itself. 

The girls have been playing so nicely together too.  They have played dress up, little people, blocks, etc.  Little L is mobile now and crawls all over the place.  D has learned (the hard way) to put away things she doesn't want her little sister to play with.

All in all, we have been enjoying our family time.  We look forward to story time at the library tomorrow and Preschool Play date at the Grapevine Community Activities Center on Thursday.  I hope everyone is having as much fun as we are!

What a Night!

Tonight is a productive night, which is unusual when husband is out and I have both girls.  It all started with a load of laundry and a LONG to do list.  I stared laundry this morning, and have been doing it all day.  I started this morning by folding the laundry that I had washed earlier in the week.  Then, I spent the day playing with my girls and enjoying a lazy Saturday. 

Around 6, my husband left to go out with the guys.  It was dinner time, so I ordered pizza for D and I.  This left husband, D, and I leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  After dinner, we ready books and said prayers.  Then it was bedtime for D.  I took Little L into the kitchen with me where she sat in the highchair gnawing on a baby biscuit while I made her mixed vegetables.  These were to be frozen to use throughout the week.  Then I started baking cookies for my brother's wedding.  While they were in the oven, I fed Little L some baby yogurt. and then put her to bed.

I finished baking over 80 cookies, and washing 4 loads of laundry.  After I fold these two loads that are sitting on my bed, I will continue working on my lesson plans for Religious School tomorrow.  It isn't often that I feel this productive in such a short period of time, so I am definitely going to capitalize on it.  Hopefully it will continue a little longer!  But the couch does look inviting.....

Feeding Time

Now that Little L is eating baby food, feeding time has gotten more entertaining.  She is so excited to eat, that she moves her little arms like crazy.  Usually, she is a great eater and doesn't waste a bite.  However, with her "crazy arms" some goes flying. 

This morning, she woke up at 4:15 hungry.  I wiped her nose, changed her diaper (to her giggling and smiling), and sat on the couch to feed her.  For her bottles, I lean her back against my body for her to eat.  This cuts down on her gassiness and reduced her spit up (most of the time).  She was holding her pacifier in her right hand as I held the bottle.  At one point, she pushed the bottle out of the way so that she could put the pacifier into her mouth.  A minute or so later, she took it out and let the bottle go back in. 

Five minutes later, she pushed the bottle out again and put the pacifier back in.  I waited and waited and waited.  She had fallen asleep!!!  Now as a mom feeding in the middle of the night, you are faced with a question.  Do you move her to her bed and risk waking her?  Do you let her sleep and try to sleep sitting up yourself?  After a few more minutes to ensure that she was asleep, I moved her back to her bed.  I crawled into bed thinking, "I can sleep for one more hour!"  I was wrong.  I was wide awake and already thinking about school today (The 8th graders should be worried!). 

So, I came into the living room and wrote a blog.  At least I was productive with my time.  :)

Day of Chesed

I have been writing this post in my head since last Wednesday.  With Hanukkah, my parents in town for the weekend, etc. I just haven't gotten to it.  Chesed is basically kindness.  It is helping others, raising awareness, and the like.

My morning started like every other, with our family rushing out the door at 6:54 (give or take a minute) to load up our cars and head to work.  As I was kissing D goodbye on the passenger side of the car, Husband told me that there was a "fairly large dog" next to his driver's side door.  He said that the dog was "friendly enough".  We decided that we had to track down the owners because we know how we felt when our dog got out.  So, husband called the number on the tags and we waited for the dog's owner to come.  The owner lived about 8 houses down.

We were a little late leaving for work (about 15 minutes), but I started my day off feeling good.  When I arrived at work, the middle school was having a Chesed prep day for their Chesed fair this past Sunday.  They had a parade of events going on throughout the day and the students got to sign up for what breakout sessions they wanted.  Since I only had a handful of classes, I offered to take pictures.  I was able to capture these touching moments where the middle-schoolers put their needs aside for others.  They created mobiles for the Hanukkah party, cooked food for a local shelter, recorded themselves reading books for children in the hospital, helped decorate the schools' Chanukiah, worked with Kindergartners on their menorahs, read with first graders, and helped make the campus shine.  I was blessed to spend even part of my day with the amazing students doing for others.

After I got home, we made a quick trip to the grocery store.  As I was getting out, I noticed that a woman was sitting in her car with the hood up.  The car wasn't starting!  Husband offered to jump the car, and the woman was ever so appreciative.  I felt like my entire day was surrounded by doing for others.  What a great way to spend a Wednesday!

Menacing Red Lights

Last night I was tormented by a row of lit up red lights.  Seeing those lights and hearing the cry that went along with them, tore me up inside.  Not because I felt bad for the crying child on the other end, but because it meant that for one more night, the baby and I were not sleeping straight through the night.  Since she got sick about a month ago, Little L has stopped sleeping through the night.  She wakes up between 2 and 3 in the morning to be fed.  Usually, this means that I am up feeding her for about half an hour and then we both go back to sleep.  Last night was different.

She woke up at 2.  I changed her, fed her, and attempted to put her back to sleep.  She wasn't having any of it.  Little L decided that it was "waking up time" (in the words of D).  After fussing, crying, and whining, I thought she wasn't feeling well.  So, I took her temperature.  That wasn't it.  She was drooling like you wouldn't believe, so I tried Orajel.  No go.  I held her, I tried to put her back to bed.  Nothing worked.  Finally, I let her play. 

For the next two hours, Little L played and played and played until she wore herself out.  I on the other hand had been worn out since she woke up at 2.  Oy!  After I put her to bed at 4, I sat on the couch and watched those menacing lights dance up and down the monitor.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity (it was probably only 5 minutes but every second took forever at that time of day), the lights stopped blinking.  The soft music in her room played, but no crying accompanied it.

What a terrible, sleepless night.  I will be heading to bed in a few minutes in case we have a repeat from last night.  I have already prayed that Little L gets her rest and feels good.  And maybe I can get a full night's sleep as well.

Sick Day and making a Lapbook

Little L is sick again.  I am blessed to work at an amazing school.  Yesterday was parent/teacher conferences.  As the computer teacher, I didn't have a lot of parents ask me for a conference.  So, I packed up the baby and she came with me.  The head of school and assistant head of school are so supportive.  While there, I went ahead and made sub lesson plans. 

Then, L and I headed over to a friend's house to bake for my brother's upcoming wedding.  It was a great day and evening with good friends, good baked goods, and good laughs!  Little L actually slept through the night and slept late this morning!!!  I was so worried that I checked on her three times before she woke up at 8:30!!! She woke up smiling and fever free.  Since I am home with her today, I decided to take time to make D a new lapbook.  Carisa at 1+1+1=1 has created an amazing website (and a blog) that she created as a homeschooling parent.  The lapbooks, which I have spoken about before, are great resources and D learns through play all the time.  She has about 4 lapbooks including Cinderella and Brown Bear. 

She has the entire week off of school next week for Thanksgiving.  So, husband will be home with the girls for most of the week while I work.  To make the time a little easier, I decided to make a Thanksgiving lapbook for D.  Once it has been introduced, D can do a lot of it by herself.  She has a bag of lapbooks that she pulls out and plays with, so I am excited to have some time to create a new one for her bag.  Once I create it, I will post pictures.

Terrible Misnomer

The phrase "Terrible Twos" is a misnomer.  D was pretty good as a two year old.  She had issues, don't get me wrong, but they were manageable.  If she got into trouble, we would tell her to go to time out and she would walk there.  Now, when we ask her to go to time out, we are met with "NO!", fits, and running away.

For the first time in a LONG time, D had a meltdown.  This meltdown was a fall to the floor, kicking, screaming, all out meltdown.  As if that wasn't bad enough, it was in the library!  OY!!  We got on her level and tried to talk to her, which just elevated the noise level of the crying.  Finally, husband swooped in, picked her up, and carried her out to the car.  After about 10 minutes, she was finally calm enough to talk it out, but it was a beating.

I want  to write to all of the mommies out there who are in the two year old phase and thinking, "This is no big deal."  You are right.  This is no big deal, this is the calm before the storm.  Just watch out for the "Terrible Threes"!!!

Prima Ballerina

D has wanted to take ballet for about a year now.  We held off because we didn't think she needed an extracurricular activity before she turned 3.  Well, she turned 3 and kept asking to take "bal-le-le" as she called it.  We looked at our city's community center and viola, they have classes for her age for a reasonable price.  We bought her a leotard, tights, ballet slippers, and tap shoes.  Now, the attention span of a three year old is short, but she LOVES ballet and tap.  Tomorrow will be her third class, and we are already looking to sign her up for the next session.  She gets so excited to go to dance class.  She knows that Tuesdays I pick the girls up from school and take them to dance class.  Little L and I play in the hallway outside the room (and I only peek in the window a few times). 

Yesterday, we asked D to play with Little L while we made dinner.  We came in to the girls playing dress up.  D was sharing her purses and necklaces with Little L.  Pictures had to be taken.



 It was too cute!!!  I hope they always enjoy playing together like they did yesterday.

Food Inc.

I am NOT granola in any way.  I am not a free spirit, I am not into yoga, and I am not a vegetarian.  So, why did I have to say that?  On Sunday morning, I taught a Religious School class.  The class was on overconsumption.  During the first part of the class, I was feeling good about the choices I make.  I buy clothes about once a month for my children and less often for my husband and I.  I drink from a reusable water bottle.  I leave some items plugged in even when they are not being used (lamps, baby monitor, cell phone charger), but for the most part, most of my outlets are empty. 

Then, the next part of the class was on a movie called Food Inc.  Now, I am an animal lover.  I have a dog, and a cat.  I have had numerous pets throughout my life including a bunny, hermit crabs, mice, and dwarf hamsters.  Seeing the way the animals we eat are raised disgusted me.  The 8th and 9th graders were horrified (even the "tough guys").  These animals are living in gross, overpopulated conditions where they cannot move.  I am not going to go into details, but I highly recommend watching the film.  If you want, there is a discussion guide you can download to go with it.  Go to: Food Inc. to learn more.

So, I called husband on the way home.  I told him the highlights and lowlights of the movie.  I will be researching Kosher laws to see if the way the animal was raised is included in the laws.  It is a helpless feeling to feel like you have no control.  But, as the creator of the movie stated, I can vote with my fork.  I will research where my food is coming from.  Nothing God created deserves the living (and dying) conditions of the animals I saw.

Suddenly Sick Days and an upcoming weekend of fun

On Thursday, I got a call at work from the girls' school.  Little L wasn't feeling well.  To make a long story short, that phone call launched a sickness in our household that lasted until Tuesday night.  When Little L got over being sick, she passed it on to her big sister.  Everyone was finally well enough to go back to school on Wednesday.  Since I was off with D on Monday and Tuesday, I have no concept of time at work.  Today felt like Monday and I kept thinking it was Friday.  Hopefully I will get back on schedule really soon. 

D is super excited for Halloween, even though she doesn't truly understand what we do.  She wanted to be a purple princess, because, "Purple is my favorite."  Well, at least this week it is.  Today at school, the girls had a Book Character Parade.  D said her favorite book was Cinderella so she was Cinderella for the school parade.  Little L's class did a class theme.  The teachers chose "The Napping House" as their book.  I LOVE this book!!  L was told to dress as a child so she wore PJs.  That was easy enough for this 7 month old to do. 

D asked if Grandma and PePaw could come for Halloween, so they are going trick or treating with us tomorrow night.  We went trick or treating on Main Street last year and it was amazing!!!  They block off Main Street so cars can't come down it.  All of the stores are giving out candy, there are inflatable bounce houses and slides, there are games for the little ones to play, and more.  This is all FREE!! 

We are going to a bridal shower on Saturday and then Sunday we are finally going to the pumpkin patch, if all goes well and the creek don't rise (as my Gigi would say).  We were going to go last weekend, but the sickness prevented the trip.  D is excited and calls all groups of three or more pumpkins the "Pumpkin Patch".  Ah, the joys in the little things.

The Gift of a Prayer

Today I was really affected by a blog that I read.  I haven't read it in a while and I feel sad about it.  The blog made me reflective and I want to share the story of D with all of you.  When husband and I were ready to have kids, we decided that it shouldn't be a problem.  I come from a family with three children and he comes from a family of four children.  I spoke with my OBGYN and she said, "good luck.  Hopefully, next year when I see you, you will be pregnant."  Well a year passed and I went back for my yearly check up.  She asked if we were trying to conceive and said once again, hopefully next time I see you, you will be pregnant.  After the second year of trying passed, I went to the doctor again for my yearly checkup.  She was a little surprised that I wasn't pregnant.  She had me run some tests to see what the hold up was.  I went through a ton of tests over the next few months and was finally sent to a Reproductive Endocrinologist. 

Dr. Pinto was amazing!  He finally had answers when others didn't.  I was diagnosed with PCOS (Poly cystic Ovary Syndrome).  This made it difficult to get pregnant, but not impossible.  He put me on medicine including Clomid (This was HIGHLY regulated and watched) and injections.  After seven months with this specialist, I finally got pregnant.  My friend, Rhonda, had been praying for me to become pregnant since I told her we were trying.  I know it tore her up to tell me that she was pregnant because she knew everything we were going through to have a baby.  I couldn't have been happier for Rhonda.  She is an amazing woman and an amazing mother.

Rhonda was one of the first people I told when I got pregnant.  I knew that she had been praying for me to have a baby and she was genuinely happy for our family.  Her precious little one was born six months before my D.  I visited her in the hospital when she was on hospital bed rest, I visited her when Chloe was born, she threw me a baby shower and I threw her one.  When D was born, Rhonda knitted hats for her little head.  Little L has worn some of those hats too! 

Chloe is a brave 3 year old, who will be turning 4 in December.  In her short life, she has seen more than any child should have to see.  She has been diagnosed with Leukemia.  She went into remission, but still had seizures.  Her leg has been in a cast at least two times that I know of.  Then, recently, she was diagnosed with Leukemia again.

Chloe was D's first friend.  Rhonda was the first person to visit me in the hospital when D was born.  Rhonda and my mom changed D's first diaper.  Chloe's birthday was the first birthday party D got invited too.  Chloe passed down her clothes to D.

This brave little girl is fighting for her life yet again and it is taking a strain on the family.  The medical bills are enormous, Chloe isn't sleeping well, Rhonda spends her days taking Chloe to radiation and making her a comfortable as possible. Eddie is working hard to earn a living to support his family.  Bailey is working hard in school and spending as much time with Chloe as she can.

In Judaism, it is called tzedakah.  In Christianity, it is tithing.  No matter what you call it, giving to others is the cornerstone of religion.  Rhonda has given to everyone she meets.  She has given prayers, clothes, friendship, and so much more.  She takes everything in stride and with prayer.   

Please pray for this family and this brave little girl.

First tooth, pink tutus, and a trip to the trash

I can't believe how long it has been since I have written.  I really need to try to write more often, but this week was crazy busy.  On Monday, Husband brought the girls to my school on his way to class.  I wasn't quite ready to go home, so I took the girls to the playground.  Well, D rode her bicycle to the playground and Little L went in the stroller.  D loved wearing her helmet and kept it on most of the time we were on the playground.  L had a great time in the swing.  As I pushed her back and forth, she grinned and laughed.  D would play a little and then ride her bike a little and then back to the playground.  L sat on the bouncy bridge and watched big sister D run back and forth across it.  She thought it was great fun.

Little L finally got her first tooth!!  It is on the bottom on the right side, a little off of center.  It is SHARP too!  She has been eating like a pro.  L graduated to veggies this past week.  We started with green beans and she is now eating peas too! 

D was signed up for her first dance class.  She is telling us that she wants to be a ballerina, so we signed her up for a class at the community center near our house.  She is very excited to get to buy a leotard and tights.  It doesn't start for a couple of weeks, but she is very excited.

This morning when D woke up, she told me that she was done with her plug (pacifier) and wanted to throw it in the trash.  We have had these conversations for several nights, but she hasn't taken the plunge until this morning.  She only gets it at night time now, but she is very attached.  I asked her if she is sure and told her that once it is in the trash, we don't take items out of the trash because they are dirty.  She was sure and threw it away!  Husband and I were shocked and apprehensive.  In the morning is one thing, but as she goes to bed it is another.  Well, at night night time she asked for it.  We had to have the conversation about her throwing it away.  She wasn't happy.  Hopefully, she will adjust soon.  So far she isn't happy and it might be a long night. 

Wish us luck!

Wedding Bliss?

What a weekend!!!  It all started on Friday night when we attended services for my big brother's wedding blessing.  My parents came into town to celebrate with everyone as well, which was nice.  The blessing was beautiful and the Rabbi did a great job.  His blessing was so personal and meaningful.  He was the Yenta (Jewish Matchmaker), so he feels such pride that these two are tying the knot.  After the blessing, he started on his sermon, which was based around a wedding theme as well.  It made the blessing even more special and meaningful.

After services, we went to my brother's house for dinner.  We returned on Saturday so that Grandma and PeePaw could play with the girls.  Uncle and PeePaw watched the girls while we went for a bridal dress fitting.  A looked gorgeous!!!  It reminded me a little of getting ready for my wedding (almost 10 years ago!!).  Then we hung at the house before we went to an engagement party for my brother. 

Duh babysat for my girls, which was a nice treat.  Big sister D was so excited and kept asking when she would be there.  Little L was sleeping when we left, but woke right afterwards.  Duh said the girls were easy and that she would babysit again, which is always a good sign.  Unfortunately, the girls tag teamed her and she didn't get to work on her college essays.  Sorry Duh!

Today we ate at Bayley's for breakfast.  Husband went home to work on things for his job and everyone else trekked out to Grapevine Mills Mall to look for a flower girl dress for D.  After only three stores, we found our flower girl dress!!!  D was great and played dress up very nicely.  Then, we got shoes.  So, D is all set to be the flower girl in December.  We had a very productive and fun day with Grandma and PeePaw, Uncle and Ash.

Now, husband and the girls are off of school tomorrow and I still have to work.  It is going to be hard to get out of bed with husband is still sleeping, but at least I only have to make one lunch for tomorrow!

Teachable Moments

I was reading a blog that I regularly read that belongs to a friend of my bestie.  She does Tot School with her kids twice a week (or maybe more).  They learn so much through hands on activities.  Now, my girls both go to daycare since we are both working parents, but the teacher in me still feels that it is my duty to be teaching my girls.

I have been using sign language a little with Little L.  At 6 months, she doesn't necessarily get it, but it is the exposure and repetition that are needed.  We also talk to her a LOT, and I do mean a lot.  As I am folding laundry, I am telling her what I am folding and who it belongs to.  While I am emptying the dishwasher, I am describing the bowls and plates to her.  As I am building a train track with D, we are talking about the shapes of the pieces and the colors of the cars.  This is great for both girls.

Big sister D is a talker.  She has been talking since before she was walking and I think it has a lot to do with the way we talk to her and how much we talk to her.  When I was driving her to work with me, I was talking to her the entire ride or I was singing to her.  Just the exposure to the language was important to me.  D loves books too.  Once again, it is because we read to her all the time.

So, as I was reading this blog, I followed a link to another Tot School.  This site called 1+1+1=1 was talking about Tot Books and Lap Books.  Basically, these are a new version of File Folder Games and thematic units folders.  You pick a theme, skill, letter, etc. that you are learning about or that your child is interested in.  Then you create a "book" made out of a file folder full of mini-books, counting activities, writing activities, etc. all focused on the same area.  The homeschooling community appears to use them a lot.  Well, D is really into princesses all of a sudden (last week it was trains). 

So, I followed one link to another link and found a Tot Book on Cinderella.  I went to One Little, Two Little where the book was already created.  All I had to do was print, cut and glue.  No really, that was all I had to do.  So, I made it for D.  As I was working on it, she woke up from nap and walked out.  She was so excited to "play" with it that I had to move it to give the glue time to dry.  I just had to pass on this new project.  I am sure that I will be making many more and their difficulty level will increase with her age and abilities.  She is so excited!!!  She likes that she can "read" it by herself and can play the games by herself. 

Belly Laughs

Little L went to the doctor on Thursday.  She has had a stuffy nose for two weeks.  The nurse practitioner told us that it is just allergies.  We can continue doing what we have been doing, and when we get a cold snap, it should go away.  There is nothing like the helpless feeling a mother gets when their baby is sick and you can't make her feel better.  Last week, we stripped her to a diaper and I sat with her in our bathroom with every faucet blasting out hot water until the water ran cold. 

Since we had the doctor appointment in the morning, I just kept her home with me.  She slept a LOT that day, with two naps that lasted over three hours each.  I know she was also catching up on missed sleep since she is only taking cat naps at daycare.  We had a really nice day between naps. 

L has a laugh that rises up from the bottom of her tummy.  Once she laughs, she will continue to do so and continue to do so.  She laughs when you give her raspberries on her tummy.  She laughs when you sing and dance.  She laughs when you laugh.  But most of all, she laughs at her sister.  D can get her to laugh when she is crying.  All she has to do is get close to Little L and the laughing starts.  D will dance and sing and be silly.  L can't get enough of this.  Seeing D make L laugh and seeing L smile at D, I pray it never ends.  I hope that their love, affection, and closeness continue forever.

Skipping School!

Today I had the day off.  After taking D to school every day for three years, and spending the first four months of little L's life with her in my office, I was missing my girls.  Daddy gets to take them to school everyday, since their school is about 2 miles from his.  Grand Prairie ISD has a staff only daycare.  The girls go to a dual language campus.  D comes home counting in Spanish!!  They are working on letter tracing, counting, fine motor skills, and a ton of other stuff.  D is loving school.  Little L is content pretty much all of the time.  She is so busy having fun at school, that she has been catching cat naps only. This means that she comes home and crashes for almost 5 hours.

Today, I decided that the girls were skipping school and spending the day with me.  No one told Little L that she could sleep in, so she was up at 6 (darn!).  After she ate and played for an hour, she was ready for a nap.  D woke up at 6:30 (she too didn't sleep in!).  She ate yogurt and watched a Scooby Doo, which is her new favorite thing.  After the show, she and I played Lego's, then Little People, then read with her Leap Frog Jr.  She read all five of her books while I jumped in the shower.

After I was ready to go, we got D dressed.  She wanted Little L to match (which is hard since we don't have a lot of matching clothes).  D wore a shirt with flowers and Little L wore a yellow jumper with flowers.  It was as close as I could get. I packed up the diaper bag, woke up Little L, and we were off.  We drove to the Grapevine Community Center where every Thursday morning they host a Preschool Playdate.  D, L, and I went there almost every Thursday during the summer.  D ran in with her dollar in hand.  Yes, the play date costs a dollar, but it runs from 9:30-noon and includes a ton of stuff.  D immediately went to the bounce house.  There is a full sized bounce house in the gym!! 

After the bounce house, she rode a bicycle.

Then, she reunited with a friend from this summer for some climbing.



There were balls, hula hoops, a parachute, a play kitchen, a play workshop, and rolling mats too.  D had a great time. 

Don't think that Little L was left out.  She met two new friends.  A set of twin girls who are a month younger than her.  She sat up on her mat for most of the time watching everyone and smiling.

After Preschool Playdate, we walked next door to the library.  D picked out new books and Mommy even got to get a new one.  Then, we went home for lunch and nap.  Little L fell asleep in the car on the way home from the library.  D ate lunch first.  They had a very exciting morning.  Boy did they CRASH afterwards!

 

It was a great day with my girls. 

Two Left Feet and College Memories

I have always loved dancing and music.  If a song is on, I am into it dancing and singing along.  Now, I have never said that I sing well (or in tune or the right words), but I do love music.  When I was younger, I was a pretty decent dancer.  I won many a dance contest (and hula hoop contest) at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. 

Now, years later, my rhythm is off and my hula hoop falls off my hips that have grown exponentially.  I have come to grips with the fact that I will never win another hula hoop contest (though I tried when I was 8 months pregnant with D and husband was not impressed).  The dancing thing is harder to give up.  So, even though I look the fool, I still dance.  I dance to Nick Jr. with D.  I dance in front of Little L.  I dance while driving in the car (stopped at a red light of course!).  I dance.  It is who I am.

So today I realized that saying I want to lose weight doesn't make the weight just come off.  Wouldn't it be great if it really worked that way?  I have a bridesmaids dress to fit in come December and I haven't really done much (other than the mentioning of wanting to lose weight).  Our family decided to take a walk around the neighborhood.  One lap around the outside is a mile while snaking through the neighborhood is a little over 2 miles.  Now, I haven't been walking in a while and it was creeping up on D's bedtime, so we did the one mile walk.  It was hot outside, but it is Texas folks.  Then, I decided that I needed to step it up a notch. 

I decided to do a workout video too.  Now, to do a workout video, it has to be energetic and engaging.  I usually like a dancing workout video.  As I am dancing and working out, I am immediately brought back to my college days.  My college roommate and I used to "Sweat to the Oldies" and other dancing workouts.  My roommate was much more coordinated than I was and could get all of the moves.  She stuck with the workouts much better than I did, as I was a "workout dropout". 

Maybe this time I will stick with it for a longer period of time.  We can only hope.

Thanking our Sponsors

For those who know me, you know that we tried for 3 years to have our oldest daughter.  During that time, our friends and family were VERY supportive.  My husband and I are both educators, and we live on a tight budget.  Right before D was born, we became debt fee except for our house.  It took a lot of hard work and discipline, but Dave Ramsey was a life saver.  D was paid in full in cash when she was born.  There is nothing better than walking out the doors of the hospital and knowing that you owe them gratitude, but no money.

We could not stay debt free if it weren't for our "sponsors".  It all started with the baby showers.  We were showered with clothes and baby gear that we truly needed (or wanted).  Coworkers, students, family and friends showed us a true outpouring of love and support.  The nursery was fully stocked for D coming home from the hospital. 

When D was about 6 months old, a friend from CKA gave our family four trash bags full of clothes ranging from 6 months old through 2 T.  A friend from NWISD gave me all of the clothes that her blessing outgrew, which was great.  The angel is 6 months older than D and was D's first friend.  We didn't need any new clothes after that.  We were stocked up!  Our friends and family have truly blessed us.  Just a few weeks ago, my bestie donated about half a dozen tubs full of clothes for Little L.  We once again feel blessed to know the people we know and call them friends.  Without these angels, it would be harder to stay on our debt free plan and to meet our financial goals. 

So, as Yom Kippur approaches, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a meaningful fast.  May you be inscribed in the book of life.  Thank you for blessing us with your friendship for yet another year.

Healthy Family?

L'Shanah Tovah and Happy New Year.  Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged.  The beginning of school illness hit our house hard!  First, Little L got a fever and diarrhea.  Then, Husband got sick with a fever and the chills.  D had a slight cough.  So, I spent last weekend taking care of the family.  L was better by Saturday night, D's cough was pretty much gone as well, but Husband spent most of the week tired, short of breath, and worn out.  So, it comes as no surprise that I too fell victim.  I got sick on Tuesday and had to leave work due to a fever.  I came home and fell asleep for a little under 4 hours, when the rest of the family got home.  I slept most of the day on Wednesday, and was feeling fine by Thursday morning.

Little L went to the doctor this week for her 6 month check up.  It is hard to believe that 6 months ago today (at 8:40 in the morning) she blessed our family with her presence.  What a gift from God!!!  The check up went well and she took her three shots like a champ.  She is all smiles these days and laughs at D all the time.  She is rolling over, trying to sit up on her own, and scoots around on her blanket.  She will play in the exerSaucer forever. 

I can sit and watch the two girls play all day.  What a sweet bond they have.

Running on Empty

So, for the first time in 15 years, I am NOT working on Labor Day weekend.  My family had decided, after many discussions, to stay home and just enjoy the "down" time.  We talked about going to Houston to visit Gigi or going to San Antonio to see my parents, but we felt like we really needed the time at home.

We were going to take Dena swimming and to the library and to the playground.  We were going to deep clean our house and maybe start a home improvement project.  Instead, illness took over the house.  It all started Friday night when D got a little cough.  It woke her up crying, so we put Vaporub on her chest and gave her water.  Little L was running a low grade fever when we picked her up from daycare (99.1), but we thought it was because she had formula cold turkey on Thursday.

Little L's fever went up to 102.3, she had a runny nose and a stuffy nose (how can it be both?), and was poopy at almost every changing time.  She had a hard time nursing because she couldn't breathe, so we moved to bottles with her practically sitting straight up.  She also regressed back to waking up more often through the night.  So, I slept on the couch because I was getting up and down with her.

Husband got sick too (of course!).  He started off with body aches, then progressed through nausea and a fever.  I guess when it rains it pours.  So, there I was with a house full of sickies and I was doing it alone.  I barely had time to go to the bathroom or get a drink before someone wanted/needed me.  And, since Lila wasn't sleeping, I wasn't sleeping.

Saturday was a blur of exhaustion (I think I slept 4 hours, but not straight).  On Sunday, D's cough seems to be gone.  Little L is still stuffy, but is over the fever and crankiness.  Husband is doing okay too.  He still aches, but is overall feeling better. 

With one day left on our long weekend, we have NOT been swimming, we have NOT been to the playground, we have NOT started any projects.  We did take D to the library though, so the weekend wasn't a total waste.

A New Hobby...

For those who know me, you will know that I am the queen of trying out new hobbies.  I have done needlepoint, knitting, scrap booking, cross stitching, journalling, etc.  You name it and I have probably tried it.  So, in June I started yet another hobby.  Now, in my defense, I tried to get completely educated and prepared for this hobby.  Here are the facts:

• My last day at my job was June 30th, so I would have down time to start the hobby.
• I would not start my new job until August 9th, so I needed a "cheap" hobby.
• My first paycheck isn't until the end of September, so I need to "make" money if possible.
• It has to be quick and easy since I have two little ones.

So, MyDFWMommy (mydallasmommy.com) was hosting a couponing class for a randomly selected group of 20.  So, I registered and hoped to win.  I remember getting the phone call from Courtney telling me that I won and would be attending the class.  I was so excited that I rambled on and on.  She probably thought I was nuts!  I have done coupons in the past, sort of.  I cut them and then leave them in a stack on my front entry table until they expire and then I get frustrated because I don't have a coupon.  I needed a way to take it from cutting and leaving to cutting and using.

The class met at Sweet Tomatoes (YUM!) in Addison and included a free meal.  When I arrived (I was 10 minutes late because Google Maps told me to turn right instead of left), the group was in the back corner.  When I sat down, I was given an envelope full of coupons, a stack of larger coupons, and an Elmo Board Book.  I took notes like a mad woman.  I got ideas for organizing, finding, and printing coupons.

I came home and got out an expandable envelope.  My bestie came over and we created categories for my envelope.  I started sorting the numerous coupons that I had already accumulated.  I printed coupons almost daily and attacked this new hobby like I always attack a new hobby.

Now that I have been doing the couponning for a couple of months, I have settled in a little.  I only print coupons for items that we use, I go through my coupons every other week to get rid of expired coupons and to ensure that the coupons that are close to expiring are utilized.  On my last trip to Target, I saved a little over $15 on groceries.  As I was checking out, I was starting to feel bad for the woman behind me due to my large quantity of groceries and stack of coupons. 

As the cashier was handing me my change(we only pay cash), the person behind me said, "Wow.  You just saved $15.  Not bad."  I walked out of the store feeling confident and proud!

The Little Things

There is a country song called "It Won't Be Like This for Long" by Darius Rucker.  Who would have thought Hootie (or was he a Blowfish) would go country, but it happened and he gets airplay.  The song talks about a father with his daughter in all of the phases of her life from newborn to preschooler to teenager to bride.  It speaks of treasuring the moments you have (no matter how rough) because "it won't be like this for long".

So, for the past few days, D has not been the kindest creature when it comes to going to school.  She has thrown fits, cried, told us that she wants to go to her old school, and ran from us.  Husband has had to carry her into her classroom (interesting picture I am sure since he is also holding little one in her car seat and carrying lunchboxes for both) and hand her to a teacher.  At the end of the day, she has had fun and has even asked to stay longer because she is playing.  This morning we instituted a sticker chart.  She can earn up to three stickers in a day.

The first sticker is for getting out of the house without a meltdown.  The second is for walking into the classroom without a tantrum.  The third is for not being disruptive during nap time.  Today, she earned all three stickers and seemed to be in a better place about going to school.

As I was driving home from my first staff meeting and landing directly in rush hour traffic in a torrential downpour, I had to think about the little things that will change in a blink of an eye.  D asked me to lay with her for a little while.  When I asked how long, she said, "Five minutes, is that a long time?"  I said, "That is too long.  I will lay with you for two minutes."  Her response was, "How about three?"  After the negotiations, I laid down next to her and started rubbing her hair.  She flung her arm over me.  My heart melted.

It won't be like this for long.

But I don't want to go to school!

D has been in school since she was 3 months old.  There was an accredited preschool attached to my old job.  Every morning we would walk her to her room, and then I would go downstairs to my office.  She knew I worked in the building and knew where my office was, but she never asked to see me.  When she was about 18 months old, she got separation anxiety.  She would be fine as we walked into the building, but as soon as we went to turn down her hallway, she would fall on the floor crying.  I would carry her into her room and hand her to the open arms of one of her teachers.  We were lucky, because this only lasted for two months.  Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped.  She was happy to go to school once again.

This last spring, my husband and I decided to move D and L to a new daycare.  With me starting a new job, and not getting paid until the end of September, money is tight.  Our family is committed to living debt free (and have been since right before D was born!), and we knew that we couldn't afford for both girls to go to the preschool where D was.  We prayed about it a LOT, but in the end, we decided that the best thing for our family was a different daycare. 

The husband's school district has a staff only daycare.  The campus where our girls are has two advantages (other than finances).  First, it is 2 1/2 miles from the campus where my husband is.  Second, it is the only daycare that is part of an Early Childhood Center.  The only things on their campus is the daycare, state required pre-K for ESL and low socioeconomic families, and PPCD (early childhood special ed).

For the first week and a half, D was excited about her new school.  She woke up happy and couldn't wait to get to school.  Then Monday, it all changed.  She started crying, running away, and screaming "I don't want to go to my new school".  It is a lot of different things hitting our girl at the same time.  She has a new school, new teachers, new classmates, a new driver (Dad instead of Mom), a new route, no parent in the building, etc.  It can be hard on a child.  We know that in time, she will make friends and enjoy being at this new school.  We just hope that it is sooner rather than later.

The Long Drive Home

For the last three years, D has been my driving companion.  She has been my good listener (before she could talk) and my running dialogue.  We had a 45 minute drive (each way) to where I worked and she went to preschool.  On the way to school, we would talk about what the day had in store, who she would see, what she would eat, who she would play with, how she would act, etc.  On the way home, we would recap her day by talking about who she played with, what she ate, who she saw, etc.  Do you see the pattern? 

I have listened to countless hours of "her music" and even more hours of her little voice.  My D is quite the talker, I wonder where she gets it from!  Little L only spent 3 months riding along listening to the talkative one.  Now, in addition to having this precious talking (or listening for me) time, I also had the advantage of the HOV lane.  I could fly (OK go about 30 mph) down 635 past the 35 interchange looking at all of the single driver cars and feeling good.  I remember getting pulled over in the HOV lane, driving the Civic, because they couldn't see the baby seat that D was in. 

Since I started my new job in early August, I have been car ride companion less.  For the first few weeks, it was AMAZING!!!  I can listen to whatever I want, I can keep the air conditioner at the temperature I want, I can have peace and quiet.  Then, last week, I realized that I missed the constant chatter.  I missed hearing about D's day and hearing her sing made up songs really loudly and out of key (every key).  I get lonely on my drive into work and home again.

Today, the husband had a dentist appointment.  Because of the timing, I had to pick up the girls.  I had to drive an hour away to pick up the girls and then drive them the 40 minutes home.  The drive to their new school was long, but mostly familiar since it is close to where the husband used to work.  When I arrived in her room, D was thrilled and she ran up to me and gave me a great big hug.  We walked to Little L's room (two doors down) and I was greeted with a dimpled smile.  On the way home, Little L "aahhed" and "cooed" for most of the drive.  D told me all about her day.  It was GREAT!!!  I truly missed this treasure of time.  I know that before long, this will no longer be a regular occurrence.  This is a blessing that I have had and I miss.  Big D, keep telling me all about your day and singing your songs. 

I am live, hopefully.

Well, this is now my second attempt at a blog in less than a week.  My previous one is lost somewhere in cyberspace.  So, here goes.

This weekend was a series of emotions and events.  On Friday night, we put L into her crib in her own room for the first time.  She has played there and took one brief, and I do mean brief, nap there, yet she has never slept there for an extended period of time.  Instead, she slept in a travel bassinet on my side of the bed where she would lay quietly staring intently at me willing me not to move or roll over or go out of her line of site.  She has slept through the night since she was 2 months old, but has always had to have her eyeballs on one of us during the day and night.  The sleeping in her own bedroom has been successful!!  I wake up listening for her over the monitor, but she is sleeping through the night.

My father was hospitalized this Friday night.  I wish I could say that it is nothing and he is fine, but truth be told, I don't know.  The reports I am getting from my mother are vague to say the least.  I know that he is on a liquid diet and all of his counts are screwy, and that is almost a direct quote.  They are running a battery of tests and he is staying indefinately.  He was here in early August and wasn't feeling well, and he still isn't feeling well.  That was three weeks ago and it finally got so bad that he checked himself into the ER.  My mom is a nervous wreck, but is keeping it together.  Now, we wait and see what is wrong with him.  The doctors are thinking several things, but nothing is certain and no diagnosis has been offered.  So, any and all prayers (no matter your religion) are welcome, wanted and appreciated. 

Please also pray for Gigi, my grandmother.  When she was here in early August she fell and broke her shoulder (again).  She had surgery about 2 weeks ago and is in a rehab room at her assisted living facility.  I spoke with her this weekend and she is in good spirits and was happy to hear from me.  Hopefully, the next blog post will be more positive.

But for now, lunches are mostly made, bags are mostly packed, and we are heading into the new week prepared (for the most part).