Ooops...Again!

Saturday night we (me, John, the kids) went to a Railroad Earth show with some friends. We all chipped in and got a VIP box. I figured that would be the best plan with the kiddos. Anyway, it was a great time. They are so talented, and I think Samarah is obsessed! She constantly asks "Mommy, can we listen to Martha's husband?" I have Elko on my iPhone and it is ALL she wants to listen to in the car. She has her favorites that she like to hear over and over...Long Way to Go, Old Man and the Land and Bird in a House. Martha, by the way, is one of my close colleagues and friends and her husband is Tim Carbone, the violinist for RRE.

Pics to come!

Today, while Samarah was at gymnastics, I took Xander outside to mess around with the camera. I am tired of having SUCH a great piece of technology and not knowing how to REALLY use it.

After that, we went to the McDonald's Play Place and I really had time to "learn" more about how to use my camera. I feel like I accomplished something today!

Play Place Party!

Samarah was invited to her first "real" birthday party. By "real" I mean where the mommies aren't friends.

The party was Saturday at a new McDonald's Play Place. Almost all of Samarah's friends from school were there, which was nice because I got to know them a little! I took so many pictures that people thought I was the professional photographer...seriously. Samarah had a great time.

Life is not exciting enough to blog about, LOL!

John and I managed to make some progress toward decluttering and straightening up this weekend. Our mess of a house is a very touchy issue for me. We need to get on top of it and STAY on top of it.
On a couple fun notes...I am a little excited to be going to FL this summer. I think it'll be a fun trip for us, even though it is school related. I imagine it will be HOT, though...something I never look forward to. I have started looking at airfare and lodging. Gonna be pricey!

We are going to see Railroad Earth at the end of the month. I am looking forward to it!

Went to the new Japanese restuarant (Shiros) for dinner with John D. and Chrissy. That was fun! Gorgeous place, good food! I have never been to a hibachi restaurant before. It was fun. I am not so good at cathing things in my mouth, though! Interesting!

Deserving of it's own post!

Another belated post, but what are you gonna do?

I participated in a round of Postal Pixies with a few wonderful chatty mamas from TBW. My gift was so amazing! Xander, Samarah and I were so excited!
I have been using my gift on a daily basis and just can't stop looking at it!!

I should be ashamed...

for not even posting Halloween pics or anything! We'll get to that!

Other, more exciting stuff going on! I had a meeting with the Dean on Halloween. I thought it went really well. He sees me in the position for the foreseeable future. There is definitely a need for it. Though it is temporary, it could work to my benefit, as there are no time requirements for me to get a terminal degree. He did mention that once I am there for more than two years, even in a temp position, there has to be CAUSE for them to let me go, which was a relief to hear.
Also, once I am there for 5 years, it seems as though they have to offer me tenure per the contract. That might be tricky because I still won't be done with my Ed.D.
So, we'll see!

On another note, I got my letter of *provisional* acceptance from Nova today! Woohoo! I will have provisional acceptance until they receive my two letters of recommendation, which I sent out on Wednesday, and my MAT scores. I am setting up the MAT for December 15th.
I am so excited, yet SO nervous!!

Now, about those pics...

Igniting a Spark!

The other day I went to Old Navy...I didn't really need anything, but I was meeting a friend there. I got some cute stuff for Xander and two shirts for Samarah.
Well, there was a cute sweater that was really cheap, so I tried it on. BIG MISTAKE. After looking in the mirror, I felt awful. Perhaps it was the frumpy looking outfit I was wearing? Perhaps it was that I don't fit into "normal" sized clothes...I don't know. I just felt miserable.

I am the heaviest I have ever been, and I want to change.

As if by coincidence, I read about SparkPeople on TBW, so I signed up. Let's see if it works for me...or if I can even stick to it!

On a good note, I bought a Canon 85mm f/1.8 today! I am excited to try it!
We also got a ton of snow! Seriously...it's October and we have about 10in out there. WOW! Wasn't expecting THAT!

Well, that's about it! Hoping to get myself motivated to exercise before the day is over!

Eeeek! I did it!

Did what, you ask?? I applied to a doctoral program online last night, and I am nervous as all hell! Nervous about so many different things...
Will they accept me? Will I be able to manage? Am I smart enough? Am I dedicated enough? How will I pay for it? How long will it take? Will it be worth it? Will it help me obtain a permanent position at ESU? What if I don't get a permanent position at ESU?

Just so many thoughts running through my mind. I am excited, but so nervous! I don't deal well with the unknown, and the fact that my position at ESU is only temporary scares me on a daily basis. I truly enjoy it...I actually LOVE it. It is what I want to do until I retire. I will be crushed if they let me go.
Regardless of what happens at ESU, I should still pursue my doctorate. Like I said, it is what I want to do until retire. If it can't be at ESU, I hope it will be somewhere else I love.

Only time will tell! Wish me luck!

Little Man, Big Stick

Today we went for a short hike along the Lehigh. It was a beautiful day and a great opportunity to take some nice pics.
Samarah and I did a little jogging together, which gave me a small sense of accomplishment for the day.
Did I mention how beautiful my kids are?

Something so simple...

Got off to a rough start this morning. Samarah wanted NOTHING to do with going to Pre-K today. I guess that is partially my fault. She only goes two (full) days per week, and she missed this past Monday because I had off from work for Columbus Day. She also missed the Friday before that because she was sick. Needless to say, it has been awhile since she was last there. Considering she was only there three times prior, I should have expected a protest.
She whined/cried from the time she woke up until the time I left her crying in the classroom.

Off to work. Good day. Went out to luch with Ann and Michelle and then went to pick Samarah up around 3:30pm. Guilt had set in by that point, so I figured I should go pick her up early. When I got there, Ms. Mandy told me that she stopped crying as soon as I left and that she had a fantastic day. Samarah concurred.
I brought her back to work with me and she was an angel. We had a great afternoon/evening together which consisted of her playing with a doll while I finished out the work day, jumping in leaf piles on campus, going to the bookstore and going to the pet store (where I coincidently ran into Dr. John Elwood who I met and sat with the day before at the department chairpersons' meeting.) Small world.

So...back to these leaves. How can something so simple and so natural provide so much enjoyment? They cost nothing yet Samarah was so happy to play with them. I got some great pictures of her. I look at them and realize how great and fun it is to be a kid.
Just a great day!

Ooops! It's been a few days!

Well, most importantly, Xander is not broken. Whew! John and I took him to the dentist on Monday after we dropped Samarah off at my moms.
He was such a good boy and oh so snuggly. Dr. Wyke said that his tooth is a bit loose but should tighten back up. It may turn dark but hopefully won't. She was wonderful and made me feel so much better about the whole thing.

On another note, I did my Frazier Water Protocol presentation in LuAnn's class this afternoon. I surprisingly wasn't very nervous at all. I think it went really well. It lasted about an hour and a half and the students had a lot of good questions, which was great. I think it made me realize that I shouldn't be as afraid of teaching! Maybe someday!

I need to get on the ball and apply to Nova and schedule my GRE or MAT.

Call Children & Youth Services...

because I broke my son. Xander was "riding on my leg" in bed today, slid off, banged the bottom of his chin on my knee and smashed his teeth together. BLOOD EVERYWHERE. Poor John. I was useless!
His bottom left lateral incisor is definitely out of place. I feel awful. Called the dentist and she wants to see him tomorrow or Tuesday.
The silver lining to the story is that even if it turns dark or falls out, it is not a tooth *really* see when he talks or smiles. Still, I am pretty bummed about it. I broke my perfect baby...and his teeth no less.

Showers and horses!

Nice day today. Samarah and I went to a baby shower. I don't know the mother-to-be, but have known the father-to-be and his family for years. It was fun. The mommy-to-be looked great...very hard to believe she is pregnant...WITH TWINS. Reminded me that I definitely want another baby. I really love and miss being pregnant.
After we left the shower, I took Samarah horseback riding. She is obviously still too young for trail rides, but she loves the "pony" rides nonetheless. She wants a horse in the worst way, but what little girl doesn't?

Then Wally World called. I needed to buy oil for my car. $111.11 later, I was outta there! I did buy myself a heart rate monitor. I bought John one of those exercise balls...let's see if he uses it! If all else fails, the kids will have a new watch and a big bouncy ball.

My poor Xander. He's a bit under the weather. He's losing his voice, and sounds so stinking cute! Even when he's sick, he's a little angel!

Cute Samarah-ism

Tonight her gymnastics school (this is her first semester attending) hosted a "parents night out" where parents could drop their kids (who attend the school) off from 6pm-9:30pm for a night of gymnastics, crafts and a movie.

I picked Samarah up at 9:30pm and on the way home, Samarah was telling me what a great time she had. She asked me why she had to stay until dark. So I told her that I didn't want to pick her up early, because if she was enjoying herself, she would have been upset having to leave early.

She responded by saying "Mommy, I wasn't enjoying myself. I was enjoying the gym more than myself."

She is so beautiful and smart...I am so lucky to have such amazing kids.

Anyway...while Samarah was at IGS (International Gymnastics School) I went shopping at Target and bought some stuff I don't REALLY need...towels for the bathroom, exercise clothes which were on mega-clearance, some clothes for the kids...
I have a baby shower to attend tomorrow and needed to go to Target for a card and gift card.
After Target, I went to Borders to make more GRE flashcards. Man, there are a lot of words in the English language that I don't know. I feel very un-smart, LOL!
I think I have made up my mind to apply for fall admission to a doctoral program, rather than rush a spring admission. Hopefully I won't chicken out in the meantime!

Do I have the best kids ever??

Maybe it is because we are on vacation, but I was laying in bed, snuggling Xander, and I started to wonder if maybe I have the best kids ever.
Seriously. I mean, Samarah drives me insane sometimes, but it is with little, stupid stuff, that I should just learn to ignore. "Samarah, stop touching your face." "Samarah, get off the floor." "Samarah...blah, blah, blah!"
But really she's a good girl. I was reading someone else's blog and her three-year-old said something like "Why don't you just shut up?" It was appropriate, and kind of funny, even to the mom. She was laughing inside as she put him in time-out, and I think I would have been, too...BUT...
Samarah would never say something like that. She knows it's wrong. She really is a good girl. She does get fresh with John and I sometimes, but overall she is a really good girl. She just amazes me sometimes.
We really had a fun time doing the Magiquest quests at Great Wolf this evening. She and Xander were so cute with their wands!

Xander. Well, what can I say about him? He is just an angel. He is such a sweet little boy. He is so snuggly and lovey! I look forward to cuddling him every night! I feel blessed to have him.

So, remind me to look back and read this post when they are driving me crazy and I want to run away...I get that feeling all too often.

Whew! I am tired!

Today was day one at Great Wolf, which is only about 15 minutes from our house. Now, typically they are pretty expensive...not something I would spend THAT much money on. Apparently in their off season, they have some really good specials. So, here we are. John and Xander got here around 4pm and Samarah and I arrived around 5:30pm or so.

Our room had a broken lock on the bathroom door and John mentioned it at the front desk...they immediately upgraded up to this huge Majestic Bear Suite which has two rooms, a huge bar and a double balcony. Needless to say, we aren't complaining!

After eating dinner, we only had about an hour and a half in the water park. The kids had a BLAST!

I tried to get Samarah to come down one of the big slides with me, but she wasn't budging! Thank goodness she didn't...the two that I went down were really fast...and one was completely dark. Umm...I was scared (in a fun kind of way)!

Just for the sake of sharing...

Samarah's first day of pre-K was last week. She did great! She is going Mondays and Fridays full days. She isn't too keen on nap time, but she will adjust! Her teacher went home sick on Friday and the teacher who was filling in commented on what a good girl Samarah is and how polite she is. She has always been a really good girl, but we really butt heads. We went through a rough time behaviorally, but I think things are smoothing out.
I swear she was excited, though you'd never know by this fabulous picture John took, LOL!

Just eggs...and beds!

Who ever would have thought that eggs could be so beautiful? I look forward to going out everyday and looking in the chicken coop to see how many surprises we'll have.
We have been finding two to three eggs per day, which is great because they are only pullets.
I just find all sorts of happiness in these little eggs!

Today, John spent some time trying to catch up on laundry...never fun when you're so far behind. I spent some time straightening up the family bedroom. We put our new bedding set on the bed today. It looks beautiful, but when we were putting the fitted sheet on, the elastic snapped. Grrr! I emailed Target but I am not confident they will do anything about it.
John asked "Hey...didn't you have a mei-tai like that?" He's so observant! I DID have a MT in the same print, just slightly different colors about a year ago!

Samarah went with Kelly, Mackenzie and Gracie to a football game today because Mackenzie was cheerleading. It was quiet, and John and I enjoyed Xander time!
Tomorrow is the start of our trip to Great Wolf! I think we are all looking forward to it!

See...better already!

Since my last post earlier this evening, I managed to clean the kitchen a bit. I was planning on making hummus (yum!) but couldn't function in John's mess of a kitchen. I figure if we do a little each day, maybe we'll actually make it somewhere!

The hummus is fab, by the way!!

One of those days...

I wish my first blog post would be a happy, up-beat one, but what can I say? It's just been one of those days. I slept in late...very late...as in 2pm. John is so great for letting me sleep. I love to sleep, but I feel like I am wasting my life.
So, I woke up in a good mood. Went outside for a few minutes. Found three eggs in the chicken coop and just felt like it was going to be a good day.
Then, something, not sure what, went wrong. My mood totally changed. I am just not sure what set me off, but I became miserable.

I have two wonderful kids, a fantastic job, a great husband (in some respects) a nice house and a nice piece of property. The perfect life, right? Then why am I so grumpy?
I am tired of living in a mess. Our house is cluttered and so is our property. Sometimes I feel like we live with Sanford & Son. John seems to collect junk. Junk behind the four car garage that is filled with junk. Junk on the side of the house. Junk across the driveway. No garbage pick-up.
Not only do we have our own junk, but we also have John's junk. John is the hippy who lives upstairs in our garage and hasn't paid rent in 6 months. He's a nice guy, but I feel like it's time for him to go.
I look forward to the weekend and then the weekend gets here and I am miserable.

I know things will be better tomorrow...or Monday, but sometimes I seriously feel like there is something wrong with me. I should be happier than I am. One day I feel like I am on top of the world and the next day I feel like life sucks.
Oh...did I mention my bank account? I can't seem to hold on to money to save my life. I am overdrawn by $135. NICE! I get paid good money, but I spend like MAD. I have NO CONTROL over my finances and that needs to change...quickly. No more spending. No more buying things just because I feel like it. I need to get rid of my debt and start saving...or at least just get rid of my debt.

Now...I refuse to end this on a sour note. I have many, many, many things to be grateful for. I have two amazing, smart and healthy children. I have my dream job, which I thank my lucky stars about every day. I have a nice house...yes it needs work and decluttering, but it is still nice. I have a beautiful, secluded piece of property. And I have a husband who seems to love me even though I am horrible to him. I shouldn't be complaining.