Traffic

As I sit in traffic, as a passenger, I can't help but wonder how much worse will the traffic be when all of my generation's children start driving?  They make the roads bigger and bigger.  They take them up and over and down and under, but will there ever be enough road?  Now, in addition to teaching our kids the basics of driving, we will have to teach them how to deal with road rage.  Caroline already pipes up from the back seat, "mommy, why is that guy driving so slow?".  I know where she gets it too, my husband of course!!  I am a perfect driver who never gets angry at anyone and the only time I signal someone with my hand is to wave them over.  Right.  I am so guilty of road rage, if you tailgate me for no reason, I will slow down and pace the car next to me.   I have found that if we listen to music or have a conversation, I am less likely to flip someone off.  Finally, I would like to remind everyone, your vehicle comes with something called a turn signal, use it.  It is the driving equivalent of saying please.  If you are trying to merge in front of me and you don't have it on, I will not let you in, you didn't say the magic word!!!

Creative expressions....

Sorry for the absence.....we have been busy.  In the midst of cleaning out, selling stuff and taking care of Caroline (Spencer was in PA with Mimi and Papa), I found myself having the urge to do a craft project.  I haven't had the time, energy or ambition to do anything crafty in a long time.  So what did I do?  I made a frame for a puzzle that Caroline and I put together to hang in her new room in NJ.  I made it out of cardboard, tissue paper, construction paper and Modge Podge.  The only things I had to buy were the buttons and jewels, total of $4.50.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and remembered why I went to art school in the first place.  Check out the pictures!!

When I worked, I was just too mentally drained when I got home to even think about doing projects.  Now, I can't stop thinking of things to do.  I can't do anymore for the time being until we move and get settled back in NJ.  I found a new website called Pinterest that has so many ideas on it.  I have already run with one of the ideas I found on there.  I have a copy of Dr. Seuss', "Oh, the places you'll go" that I got as a gift when I graduated college. (Thanks Jen!!).  I gave it to Caroline's teachers today and asked them to write a note in it for her.  I will do this every year with every teacher, then when she graduates from high school I will give it to her.  If you haven't read the book recently, or ever, you should.  It is very inspirational to anyone starting a new phase in their life.

Tomorrow I will blog from the road as my mom, Spencer and I will set off for VA Beach to transport a family bar to my Aunt and Uncle.  ROAD TRIP!!!

To hoard or not to hoard.....

Being the sentimental person that I am, (thanks dad), I am having difficulty trying to sell some things at my garage sale this weekend.  Up until this point I had in storage every stitch of clothing that Caroline ever had.  I used to tell myself that it was in case we had another baby, but when we saw Spencer's twig and berries on the ultrasound, that excuse didn't fly with Mark anymore.  When I start to regress, and want to keep it all, I just watch Hoarders.  If there is any show on TV today that can sway people into giving up the dreams they have for their crap, it is that one.  So, for the last few weeks, I have sorted, hung up and even sold some of my precious angel's outfits.  The big sale starts today, so we will see how I fair when someone wants to buy the cute pink with puppies outfit we brought her home from the hospital in.   I think I need a tissue.....

Miss Smarty-pants!!

So today, Mark and I had a meeting with Caroline's Kindergarten teachers to come up with a plan for the transition.  She will be out of school for 2 weeks during the move and we wanted to get an idea for not only what we should do to keep her excited about school, but also what work we should do with her.  Well, overall, they told us that she is a very bright student, especially math (seriously?) and she is a natural born leader.  She is also a talker.  I'm not sure which one of she gets that from *wink wink*!!  Both teachers confirmed that she needs to be challenged all the time and that she is already a head of some of the other kids in her class. 

Listening to all of this, I felt like I had travelled back in time and I was my mother listening to my teachers talking about me.  I have always felt like I was a better student then my grades reflected.  I can actually pinpoint the exact grade and teacher where I got lost.  In the 5th grade, I was a great reader.  My mother taught me to read when I was 3/4 so by 5th grade, I was reading well above my grade level.  My 5th grade teacher however, refused to put me into the group of other kids that were at that level as well.  I remember asking him, over and over and being turned down, until the end of the year.  With only a few weeks left, he moved me up.  I remember feeling like, why do the work if I'm not going to get the credit I deserved.  That's pretty heavy for a 5th grader.  I do not want this to happen to Caroline.  I am not blaming my parents, they did everything they could at the time and continued to challenge me at home. 

Right now, she is so excited about going to school, and learning.  I will do everything in my power to make sure she stays on this path.  I will hold the teachers accountable if I feel like they are holding her back in anyway.  Today, I feel like my 5th grade teacher would have had to answer for what he did to me. 

As I am typing this, I am listening to my mother and Caroline playing Memory.  The sounds of "Caroline, don't cheat" and "Mommy, Mimi is cheating" are in the background.  Warms the heart!!

Will my hair make it to 37?

I'm thinking that stress can cause hair loss, right?  If that is true, then I might be bald by Christmas.  Everyone knows that you are supposed to lose a certain amount of hair everyday, but I am losing about 4x that.  To top it off, my hair is very long.  I had it cut less than a month ago, I brush it everyday, I have been better about sleeping with it in a ponytail, what else can it be other than stress?  It is so bad, that I think no matter how well we clean this house, the next people to live in it will, at some point, find a few.  It's disgusting, I know.  I need to follow myself around with the vacuum all day.  I know, I can vacuum my hair every morning!  Maybe that will cut it down? 

Any thoughts?

First Post

So, it has been 2 weeks since I lost my job. 

I guess I was what most people would have called a work-a-holic.  I worked 40+ hours per week and often brought it home with me.  Being out of work was not something I was prepared for, as most people these days aren't, and it is proving to be a big adjustment for me.  I have a 5-1/2 year old daughter, Caroline, and a 4 month old son, Spencer.  My husband Mark is in his last year in the Air Force and retiring at the end of May next year.  We are in the process of moving back to our home in New Jersey in November.  Although we are all excited to go, we will not be going together.  Mark will have to stay down here until his "final out" date in April.  It is for these reasons that I have decided to look at my current situation in a positive way.  If I was working, I would not be able to get my house in order before the movers get here to pack us up and I would not be able to take the time needed to properly get us settled in NJ.  Also, it would have been a real struggle for me to try to juggle my job, the house and 2 kids in daycare/school by myself.  Now, I know that there are women out there who do that everyday, and I give them props, believe me.  This will allow me to finally decorate Caroline's room the way I want to and get everything organaized the right way the first time. 

I hope that if anyone decides to follow this, that they will laugh when I'm funny, cry when I'm sad, and tell me to "Snap out of it" when I start to feel sorry for myself.