Lessons in Lunacy

Life in the Fast Lane

2010-02-25T16:59:00.003-05:00

Well, I haven't written on this blog in MONTHS! Life is just so busy around here. I can't believe London is already a year old! Man, time flies by when you work two jobs! lol

Tommy and I recently joined a new church. We are so excited to be at Temple of Praise with our good friends, (who also happen to be the pastors), Danny and Debbie Lance. God has opened so MANY doors for us these past 6-8 months and we are truly blessed! We ablsolutely LOVE our TOP family and couldn't ask for a more supportive group of people.

I am still working at the Station House on the weekends. I really do love my job there, but boy, is there a LOT of drama in that place. I try my best to stay out of it, but sometimes I just have to speak my mind. lol I'm workin' on that.

Speaking of jobs, I am truly thankful for my job with Hamilton County schools. I endured so much crap with my job last year. It is nice to be told, "You are a GREAT teacher - and so easy-going." Of course I knew this all along, but when you have people saying the contrary, you really do start to doubt yourself. But do you want to know what the greatest thing in the world is??? The ability to finally let go and "let God". For so long I wanted vengeance and redeption and vindication and ALL those things that go along with it. I had been wronged and my integrity had been ripped out from under me - all because of one person's power trip. I wanted to get back at that person more than you can ever realize - but now - I just really want to be happy. I know I am good at what I do. I know I am a GREAT teacher, and I know I am valuable to my profession and my school. God has healed me from the hurt that was inflicted and I can honestly say, I am GLAD to be where I am today. God is GOOD! ALL THE TIME! lol

As far as my weightloss journey I started last summer...I lost 30 pounds by November, but haven't really been back on the plan since then. Which is the reason why I have decided to start a Biggest Loser competition at our new church. I talked with some of the gals at church last night and they were really excited. I think now is the perfect opportunity to start getting the word out at church because we are starting a growth campaign the month of March and I hope it will help some women find a nook and some friends to keep them plugged into our church. I am excited about this and I hope to lose the last 60 pounds I need to lose this year. Wish me luck!
By the way, if you are looking for a church and you just haven't seemed able to find one you really connect with, come try out Temple of Praise! You'll love it!

Not Me! Monday...Here I Come!

2009-09-07T22:18:00.004-04:00

Well, I haven't blogged in a while, so I reckon' I will update for you. Let's see...today is Monday, isn't it? Well, I guess that means a "Not Me! Monday" is on it's way...

Well, I was totally not needing this day off from the crazy psycho-planet otherwise known as -my world- today. It was not planned out to be a totally blissful day ending with dinner and a movie with the man I share a bed with (but never actually see since I work two jobs and he stays home with the kids.) My mom did not call around 4pm to say that she was not going to be coming for "Nana Night" because her husband was in a funky "poor me, I need attention, what about me, I'll be mad if you go" mood for her. Let's not mention that she spent the WHOLE DAY with him since they were both off of work for the holiday! MEN!! Anyways, Since the evening plans were thrown out the window, of course I did not just lay around the house all evening vegging out on chocolate - that would be a killer no-no for my diet that I have totally been staying on to a "t". I have not gained back 2 of the pounds I had previously spent an entire SEVEN DAYS trying to lose! I do not hate fat! It's not like a leach - never letting go-hanging on for dear life- sucking the very breath out of you. I do not feel as though I am defined by my fat these days. It does not control my mood, my behavior, my life. Boo!

As for the happenings of last week, we did not lose a teacher to resignation after she had had enough of her fourth grade boys, and the principal has not asked one of the teachers from second grade to take over that class. Furthermore, she has not given the second grade team the option to choose ANY of the interventionists (that would be me) to fill that spot for the year. SO, I may not be moving to second grade sometime next week. I do not have mixed emotions about this and I am not riding on the fence as to whether I would like to change positions. I am not the only interventionist with experience in the classroom. No, the other interventionists did not just graduate college last year or the year before last. Questions like, "Would I still be able to keep my job at the Station House?" and "Am I truly prepared to teach inner-city children?" do not keep running through my head! I did not pray about it and ask God to just take over and if they ask me then I know it is his will for me to be there. I am not scared out of my mind that THAT very thing will happen! (Can I change my mind on that prayer, God?) I do not love my cushy interventionist - leave at 3:10 - no indepth lesson plan-making - job. I would not be completely devistated if I had to quit my job at the Station House. I do not completely LOVE it there! On the other hand, I do not want to completely redeem myself as an amazing teacher and shove it it a certain person's face. Whatever... I'm not bitter. Not ME!

What's the point?

2009-08-09T13:29:00.002-04:00

I'm in a blah mood right now...it may be due to the fact that I did not get enough sleep last night. So, forgive me if I sound pathetic or angry or even rude in this next post.

If you know me at all, you know I am a VERY sociable person. I love people and have a need to be around all different types. I love to talk...sometimes even to myself if no one else will listen. But I digress...I thought this blog would give me the perfect opportunity to talk (non-stop) and would gives others the opportunity to respond to my crazy antics and what-not. The only problem I am having is - NOBODY responds. I have 45 followers from Facebook, and 12 followers from Google, but I hardly ever gain any response from ANYONE. Am I really all that boring? I told you I was in a funky mood.
I mean, I have all these friends who spend HOURS on Facebook and who say they read my blog, but they won't take two seconds to figure out how to create a Google account so they can comment on my blog??? And then, there are the lurkers...Yes, I know you are there. I see all kinds of places pop up on that counter I have. I REALLY want to get to know you, too! Do you have a blog? How did you come across mine? Maybe you are the ones who have comments, but are afraid to say anything. Who knows. I'm just feeling useless at this point. Flood of emotions, I know. And it isn't even that time of the month yet... :sigh:

Well, for those of you who care, my diet is still going on. This is BY FAR the longest I have EVER stayed on a diet. I have lost 11.6 pounds since June 24th, and yes, I am pretty proud of myself. I only have 18.4 left to go before I can reward myself with one of those tattoos I put in an earlier post. Yay! One day, I will not fear the public swimming pools or water park attractions we all love to attend. But for now, I will remain in my shorts and tank top while taking my children to the watering hole.

Well, I gotta go clean house. If you want, leave me a comment. If not, then don't. I'm getting used to it.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T23:49:00.004-04:00

Update...

2009-07-21T19:32:00.007-04:00

Well, it has been a month since I started my diet - almost. Actually I started on the 24th of June and today is the 21st. But, I wanted to go ahead and post because I have to work the rest of the week. So here are a few of my face shots.

BEFORE

AFTER

Can you believe my face was that fat??? WOW!!

Tat it Up!!

2009-07-13T01:40:00.005-04:00

ok...quick post...I have decided that when I lose 30 pounds, I am going to reward myself with a tattoo. i don't want just ANY tat though. I want it to mean something. So here are the ones I have found that I like. I need opinions. Which one do you like best???

This one would be on my foot. I just love butterflies and this one is unique.

This one would be where you see it one her. The only difference would be that I would add another star at the top so that there would be a total of five little stars. Then I would put the birthstone color of each one of my kids in the tiny stars and my birthstone color in the big one at the bottom.

I don't know where I would put this one. Probably where it is one her if I could stand the pain. I just LOVE it because it is musical and that is such a part of my life. Plus, I absolutely LOVE the colors!

So tell me...what do YOU think???

Chunky? Boo!

2009-07-10T10:36:00.006-04:00

Ok..so it has been two full weeks since my last post - and two full weeks since I started this diet. Here are some new pics.

Last night at work, I was on stage singing a song recorded by Jewel (You Were Meant For Me) and I was down in the crowd really workin' it. When I got done, one of the customers made a comment to a friend at his table that I was "chunky". They were all drunk so the comment was kinda loud and heard over the entire restaurant. Yep. Kinda sucked. I could mope and carry on about it for a few days, or I could use it as motivation to keep me on track with this weight loss cause. Even so, it still kinda hurts.
On a lighter note, London had her 4 month check up yesterday. She is 26 inches long and weighs 17 pounds! lol The doctor said she is on the 95th percentile for her height and 97th percentile for her weight. He also was very pleased with these numbers. London took three weeks to get back up to her birth weight when she was born, so he is amazed at how she is growing. He said not to worry about the numbers because they are proportionate. If she were on the 25th percentile for height and 97th for weight, then there would be a cause for concern. HAHA! I guess my prayers for her to be petite like Caedan went unanswered, but that just fine. She's adorable and I love her with ALL my heart! Here are a few pictures of her chunkiness! :)

Well, it's off to work out with the Wii! Wish me luck!

Today is the day!

2009-06-24T17:11:00.006-04:00

Ok, here it is! The first day of my weightloss journey! It is June 24, 2009 and by December 25, 2009(six months from today) I want to have lost 50 pounds! That is completely realistic, right? I am so freakin' tired of seeing FAT pictures of me all over Facebook (Thanks, DanO!). I have taken the hint and decided that now is the best time to dive into this diet! After all, I am done having kiddos, so now I need to be thin so I can do more things WITH them. My Wii Fit program told me I am obese and that my fitness age is 41 today. BUMMER! I'm not saying that 41 is bad, but when you are only 29, it sux. I'm not really fond of the word "obese" either, so we must definitely do something about this. My friend, Sheila (affectionately known to me as "She-bug") is moving back to Chattanooga in two weeks and has said she will partner up with me in this weightloss decision. I also have a few more friends who have shown interest and we may end up doing something like "The Biggest Loser" to keep us pumped! I am pumped right now, but who knows how I will feel tonight, or even more so, tomorrow. I gotta stay on track though! I HATE being fat! It bites!!

So here are two pictures of me on the first day of my journey. I will update periodically to let you know how it is going.

Yes, I know they are extremely grotesque, but I promise I will look better in 4 weeks - scouts honor! Wish me luck!!

Two Jobs??? "Not Me! "

2009-06-22T12:09:00.009-04:00

Ok Folks! Here it is! The blog you've been asking about. Seeing as today is Monday, I am going to go ahead and write it as a "Not Me! Monday!" post because I haven't written one in so long. I hope it makes sense to ya! Enjoy!

Ok, so I am not totally stoked that I got not one, but TWO jobs last week! It definitely was not the pick-me-up that I have been needing for the last two HORRENDOUS months I have had! The first job, teaching EIP at an inner-city school, does not sound like heaven compared to being at my last job, and I am not totally loving the principal - a kind and EXTREMELY helpful christian woman who has genuine interest in seeing me succeed in the task she has given me! I am not thanking God every chance I get for leading me down this path months ago when I was practically doing everything but cursing his name for all the valleys I kept going through! He is not the most Awesomest! And yes I did just make up that word because I do feel it describes the feeling I have to a "t"! My second job, waiting tables at the Station House, was a suggestion by one of my dear friends (and one of the VERY few) that I worked with at my last job. It is not the most fun job I have EVER had in my short lifespan and I am not eternally grateful for a place to satisfy the desire I have to sing - a place to scratch the itch if you will. :) This week I did not have the most fun singing "9 to 5" with a few back-up singers! YAY!! My schedule will not most likely be Tuesdays, Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays, for the next few months there, and I do not hope you make plans to come out and see me on one of these nights! I promise, you will not have the time of your life listening to songs from the 50s through the 90s and you you will not taste the most delicious food - incidentally, you will also not pay out the wazoo for it either! haha! Oh well, it will be worth it, I promise!

In other notable news, my little girl is not already FOUR months old! Time is not flying by like the speed of light! She can not already sit with a little help from the Boppy, and I not already shedding tears about this! Come on! She is my LAST one! I was supposed to have her 4 month pictures taken last Friday, and I did not have so much on my plate with two jobs and all that I had to reschedule said appointment. Will I EVER be able to get IT all done??? Oh well, I do not stress about these things! NOT ME!

"Faith"

2009-06-15T17:40:00.014-04:00

Check out this really neat story I came across! I hope you like it and I hope it speaks to your heart like it did mine. God Bless!

This is 'Faith'. He was born on Christmas Eve in 2002. Faith was born with 3 legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which had to be amputated. Of course, he could not walk when he was born. And even his mother did not want him.
His first owner also did not think that he could survive and was contemplating 'putting him to sleep'. But then, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She became determined to teach and train this little dog to walk by himself. She named him 'Faith'. In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfboard to let him feel the movement. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a reward for him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dog at home encouraged him to walk. Amazingly, in six short months, Faith learned to balance on his hind legs and to jump to move forward. After further training in the snow, he learned to walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he attracts people. He is fast becoming famous on the international scene and has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is also a book entitled With a Little Faith being published about him and he was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies.

His present owner, Jude Stringfellew, has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul.

In life there are always undesirable things, so in order to feel better you just need to look at life from another direction.

I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone will appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day. Faith is the continual demonstration of the strength and wonder of life.

Randomness

2009-06-06T11:12:00.002-04:00

Well, it's Saturday. Life has been kinda hectic this week. I started it with In-service at school - clearing out all the things I had brought to my classroom this year. I had a TON of stuff. Now it is all stacked high in the garage...waiting for the day when it will be spread out in a classroom of bubbling, bright students once again. Can I tell you that I absolutely LOVE teaching? I do! From the time I was in sixth grade, I knew that is what I wanted to do. I had a teacher who truly inspired me. Her name was Mrs. Gill and she is BY FAR my favorite teacher I ever had. She taught English at East Ridge Middle School and made me feel like I could be or do anything I wanted to in life. Back then, I wrote poetry - ALL the TIME! lol She would read every poem I gave her and act as though they were the most beautiful things she had ever read! What an awesome teacher she was! Later on after high school when I was published, I bought her a copy and gave it to her. I wanted to let her know how much I appreciated her inspiration and encouragement when I was younger. I hope I am a teacher like that one day. I can't think of a more fulfilling job than to inspire young people to know they can achieve ANYTHING and be successful. Mrs. Gill will always have a special place in my heart. Anyways. Where was I? Oh yeah - my week. So I had in-service during the day and Vacation Bible School each night. Whew! Don't you know THAT was exhausting! But I loved every minute of it! It truly is one of the most rewarding experiences to hear a child talk about God. They are so innocent and trusting - childlike faith. Our theme was Crocodile Dock and all week long we talked about "God Sightings". Where did you see God? Was it outside in the trees he made? Or did you help someone when they were sad? Maybe someone helped you? One little preschooler said her God sighting was when her Mommy buckled her in her car seat to keep her safe. Another child said she was at a drink machine and she didn't have enough money and the girl behind her gave her an extra quarter so she could get a drink! It was so awesome to hear them talk about where they saw God each day! It's kinda sad that it's over. :( I am looking forward to some R&R this week though. I need to catch my breath - and some bills that are floating around this house. Man, I hate bills. They can be a real downer, ya know? lol They just seem to be piling up and I just can't seem to get ahead of them. I really hope Tommy's disability comes through soon. I don't like asking people for money. My mom and in-laws are trying to help us make ends meet, but I really hate asking them for help. I really want to be able to take care of my family on my own, ya know? But the truth is, we just don't have enough mulah coming in at the moment. A teacher salary is NOTHING to write home about and with Tommy not being able to work, times are really hard. If I could just get a job and if Tommy could just get his disability, I could have a much needed break this summer. Oh, well. Guess I'll just keep truckin' along...

On a brighter note, today is Caedan's birthday! I can't believe he is already FOUR years old! Man, how time flies! I love my KK so much! He is the sweetest child you will ever meet! He can really lift you up when you are having a bad day. He always comes to me out of the blue and gives me a kiss on the cheek as he says, "Mom, you are so the sweetest mom in the world! I love you so much!" Kinda makes your heart melt just a little bit... My kids are the greatest in the world! I am so thankful to God for them! They may keep me on my toes, but I love every minute of it!

Well, I guess I've typed enough randomness for the day...see ya laterrrrrr......

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T23:16:00.008-04:00

These are pics from the butterfly garden during today's field trip to the Tennessee Aquarium.

"Not Me! Monday"

2009-05-18T16:42:00.004-04:00

So, I forgot to post this yesterday. Story of my life! Thought I would go ahead and post it today anyway. Hope you enjoy!

Ok, so I am not totally psyched about there only being 2 WEEKS left of the school year. Nor am I ready to be OUT of the school building! This has not been one of the most stressful 10 months in my life, and I am simply not holding my breath for the last day of this school year to come. I am not excited about the possibility of working in Hamilton County next year as I am currently not available for any and ALL Pre-K through 4th grade positions in the teaching field. I did not just spend an hour applying for 28 positions in said county.

On a more serious note, I am not completely wondering where the heck my God is at this time. I am not constantly wondering how he could let this happen to me. I am not one of the most dedicated and innovative teachers I know in this day and age, and I do not wonder what the heck is gonna happen with my job situation. Today, I did not totally break down on my parapro and complain about the fact that I can trust NO ONE and that all my words do not keep getting twisted around to sound like HORRIBLE things that I truly AM NOT SAYING!!! I am not completely exhausted from all of this drama and I do not wish it would all just go away, or better yet - that I would wake up from this nightmare.

On a lighter note, I am not completely in love with the most supportive man I know. He does not completely sweep me off my feet and make me feel like all of this is dust in the wind. I am not completely grateful that God brought him into my life and I would not be completely lost without him.

I am not seriously counting down the days until my husband's next facebook party where I have REAL friends to hang out with and REAL friends to tell me how they will open up a can of "ahemmmm" on anyone who messes with me. I do not totally love these new friends I have made and I am not forever grateful for the support they have given both me and my husband through this trying time in our lives. Because let me just tell you one thing...TWO-FACED PEOPLE DO NOT COMPLETELY SUCK!!! Nope...Not at all!!

Fabulous Friday

2009-05-15T20:10:00.003-04:00

Well, here it is. The day we wait and wait for all week. I'm pretty sure the days go by faster and faster the older I get (or maybe it's the more kids I have! lol) At any rate, today could have been just as bad as days gone by these last few weeks, but I chose for it to be different. I cannot change the things that have happened and I cannot make people see me the way I want them to. Everyone has there own opinions and in the end, they will stick to those regardless of what you do or say. I choose to be happy today. I choose to love life today. I choose to see the blessings God has given me - a wonderful and devoted husband, four beautiful little boys that rush the door every day I pull into the driveway, and an absolute angel for a daughter. How can I mope? How can I say, "Life's not fair!"? Do I not have food for the day? Do I not have a roof over my family's head? Do I not have clothes to wear tomorrow? Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. Tonight I will turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway.

Dreams...

2009-05-12T23:29:00.003-04:00

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a famous singer. I'm talking - from the womb, folks. Yep, the whole red carpet, eat your heart out, cash flowing out of my ears, adrenaline pumping, crowd screaming, award-winning superstar! In high school, I even applied for the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. I thought I'd take a shot at Broadway.
Well, in another pocket of my brain was the dream of one day becoming a mother. When I was in Kindergarten, the teacher had us do an art project. At the top of the paper was written, "When I grow up, I want to be..." and we had to draw a picture. I drew a man and woman in a bed and a crib next to the bed with a baby in it. At the bottom was written, "...a mommy."
Well, if you know me at all, you know I am the mother of FIVE beautiful children. So that part was realized. But, I have always held on to the other dream. I've fantasized about it, dreamt about it, tried to visualize it. I've wondered what my life would have been like had I gone off to New York as planned. Would I have made it? Would I have succeeded? Would it have been everything I thought it would be?
This past Saturday, I was watching the season finale of Private Practice that I had taped Thursday night. I LOVE this show. In it, there is a character who is a fertility specialist and she had accidentally switched the embryos of two of her patients before implanting them. When she realized the mistake, it was obviously too late. She had both patients in her office talking about the situation and she said the most thought-provoking quote that I have ever heard. It was nothing big, but it spoke VOLUMES to my heart. "Sometimes we have to let go of one dream, so that we can fully pursue another one." Wow! So many times, I have taken my children for granted. Of course, I know my children are gifts, but I have been so ungrateful for the ability to get pregnant and to have a family. Shame on me. This family is the core of my being and I cannot imagine any amount of fame would come close in comparison with them. And even if I did become famous now, what kind of life would that be for them? You can't be everything they need when you're on a tour bus in the middle of nowhere making phone calls to say, "Mommy loves you and I'll be home at Christmas." How fair is that??? No, I have not been fair to my kids. This must change. I no longer have the desire to become famous. No longer have the urge to walk the red carpet and have adoring fans scream out my name. No longer have the need for public approval or admiration. I have what I need. Every afternoon, when I walk in the door, I have all the adoration I need. Running to greet me with hugs and kisses are the ones who matter most. The ones who don't care how well I sing. They just want to know that I am there - 100%. And I am. I love them more than anything in this world and I will show them every day that they are all I will ever need.Goodbye, Hollywood! Hello, Motherhood! I'm sorry it took me so long to get here...

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-06T19:05:00.002-04:00

My life...

2009-05-05T00:11:00.004-04:00

Ok, it is 12:11AM and I am STILL up!!! Why is it that I can never get sleepy until after midnight??? I am sitting here listening to Tommy play the guitar and learn songs for us to go perform at the Mud Pie. Why is it some people get to do what they love and others have to settle for what will pay the bills? Why can't I just make loads of money singing? Don't get me wrong, I LIKE my job....but, I LOVE singing.

So, yesterday was "Not Me! Monday", and as you can see I did not get a post up. I have FAR too many children to try and blog these days. I can't seem to fit everything I want to do into my day. Maybe we could write the president and ask him to add an hour to the end of the day each day. Heck, he's considering other moronic suggestions, he just might take me up on mine. Whatcha think?
I can tell it is getting close to the end of the school year. My students are CRAZY acting. I even had one kid in my class tell another kid, "Ya know what, (name)? I think you have ADD. That's when you can't really focus and you have a hard time paying attention. That's what I have and I think you have it too!" The funny thing is, I have said this a BAJILLION times to my parapro about that same kid! Cracked me up!! Lately, I have been trying to keep my mind OFF of work. Our county is cutting the budget by a couple MILLION dollars, and I am the lowest on the totem poll at my school. SO, inevitably, I will get cut. Look for me behind the yellow submarine. That is probably the job I will have by the end of these cuts. :( I can't take it anymore. I am SOOOOO tired of worrying about whether I will have a job next school year or not. Who ever thought teaching jobs would be hard to find??? But that is the story of MY life. Maybe I'll learn how to play the guitar and go sing down by the bridge for pennies. Will you come and help a sista out? Maybe even throw me a quarter every once and a while. I'm seriously thinking this is what it is going to come to. Maybe I will develop one of those paypal buttons that says, "Feed the children, the FRANKLIN children." Oh well. One day at a time, right? We choose whether the be happy or sad, and fortunately, I am not a person that can stay unhappy. It's not in the DNA. Don't Worry, be happy. Right?

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T22:06:00.003-04:00

Who Had a Great Weekend? "Not Me!"

2009-04-27T22:57:00.005-04:00

Well, here it is again. Another Monday - another "Not Me! Monday" post. Hope it doesn't suck butt like last week's did. Here goes...

I absolutely love the fact that I still cannot get my fat butt into the jeans that I wore before I got preggo with London. I am not totally bitter about the fact that I actually weigh LESS than I did before I was pregnant and yet none of my clothes fit me anymore. On the other hand, I am not completely stoked that I will just have to go out and buy a complete new wardrobe. Yeah, and I absolutely have the money for that. I am not completely bummed about the fact that I have NO check for this month because of the time off I took with London when she was born. Maybe that will help me shed the pounds. NOT eating will probably do WONDERS for my figure.

I am not totally bummed with the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy. I was not completely looking forward to this for the past THREE weeks (see prior post "Come On Already!") and I did not consider it a TOTAL waste of my time to sit and watch it. I did not sit and whine about it to my husband and he did not then proceed to tell me that the only reason I watch it is to drool over Patrick Dempsey. I absolutely do not heart and him or think he is the hottest guy in Hollywood.

I did not have the most fun I have had in a VERY long time at at party with friends of my husband who are now MY friends this past Saturday night and I did not get excited when I had children who didn't feel good the next morning causing me to miss church. These people were not the absolute coolest people I have hung around in a while and I definitely do not want to get together again extremely soon! I am not, at this very moment, trying to rack my brain to think of someone who will watch my kids for me tomorrow night and not rob me blind so that I can go hang out again up in Cleveland with them. I do not want you to call me if you read this and want to help me out with this current dilemma.

I am not extremely tired again this evening and do not wish to call it a night and lay down in my fantabulous bed to dream about my husband and McDreamy dueling to the death for my love. That dream would not totally kick booty! I am not secretly fantasizing about said dream right now. Nope, NOT ME!!

"Not Me! Monday"

2009-04-20T23:12:00.003-04:00

Ok...here goes...

I am not completely so tired that there are actually dark bags under my eyes. I absolutely love the fact that I have not had a good night's sleep since before I got pregnant with Dylan over eight years ago. I am totally bummed that Georgia hasn't jumped on board the "school all-year round" band wagon. Then I could just be a total walking zombie all year round!

Today was not one of the Monday's people complain about. My kids were not bouncing off the walls today and I did not make one sit out almost the entire recess time because he couldn't own up to squeaking his shoes in the hallway. I did not jump for joy when the secretary came over the intercom and told the last of the kids in my room to go to the hallway for ASP. I'm sure I could have stayed with them all day due to the fun I was having with them.

I was completely bummed about the fact that Caedan's soccer game got cancelled. I really wanted to stand out in the wet grass and watch him do twirls on my only night for date night this week. Instead I hated the fact that I had to have a totally awesome night with my husband at Taco Mamacitas downtown. We had an absolute horrid time.

I am not extremely disappointed with this post because I really didn't want to wow you guys with another fabulous "Not Me Monday" post. But due to the fact that I am not extremely tired, I have to sign off and go to bed. Maybe next's weeks will be better. lol

2009-04-19T21:57:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged in over three days! This whole "teacher" thing must be catching up with me. Honestly, I was soooooo worn out after this week. I had forgotten how much these little ones could just completely wipe you out! I had also forgotten how funny they can be. I had one kid tell me that Abraham Lincoln and George Washington were his uncles......but don't tell his mom because she doesn't know they are dead and she would cry. WHAT THE HECK??? Then I had another kid mention that the principal talked about Benjamin Franklin on the morning news at school that morning. Another girl piped up, "Who is Benjamin Franklin?" The first girl said, "Duh, that's Mrs. Franklin's(me) husband!" It was so cute! On another not-so-cute note, I had a kid completely cover my bathroom floor with vomit and yet another went home with strep throat! I swear I have the sickest class in the school! I better not get sick! I have been sick so much this school year. I can't afford anymore sick days! Well, it's WAY past my bedtime. Stay tuned for "Not Me! Monday" tomorrow. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-15T18:55:00.004-04:00

(This is a pic of Brendan and his "friend" in Pre-K last year.)

Pathetic??? NOT ME!!!

2009-04-13T19:48:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. For now, read on to find out about my day!:)

Well, let me just tell you, I am not pathetic. Nope. It is not me who is sitting at Panera Bread where there is free WiFi access because I wanted so badly to post my "Not Me!" Monday blog. No, it is not me who had a friggin’ cable fall into my front yard from the wind last night –thus leaving me no internet service. I am not so completely addicted to Blogspot or Facebook that I had to go find somewhere that had service so that I could feed said addiction. THAT would be pathetic! Besides, I have way too many more important things to be doing at this moment – like taking care of the mountainous pile of dishes that are not sitting in my sink. (And by the way, it is not hotter than Satan’s armpits in here at the moment, either!)

And let me just tell you that I slept soooo late this morning because I totally turned on my television like I ALWAYS do and heard that school was closed today. No, it was not me who got up at the butt-crack of dawn to get my kids ready for school so they could catch the bus. Nope! My step-son did not have to call and tell me the news so that I didn’t send my kids out in the freezing drizzle to stand and wait for that yellow submarine to pull up at the end of our road. Sheesh! Some people should learn to cut the tv on every morning so that they can be up to date on important things such as this. Glad I do! Glad London did not get woken up during all that ruckus that wasn’t going on this morning and I didn’t have to feed her at 7:00am after only sleeping 4.5 hours. Whew! What a relief!

Furthermore, I’m also glad that I do not have a piece-of-crap vacuum cleaner, so that when I’m off work, I can get some housekeeping done! I’m glad that I did not have to spend an entire HOUR trying to get the crumbs and other vial substances up off the floors of my house because the sucker on my vacuum decided to stop doing its job. And I’m glad I did not have to go dig the old one out of the heaping mound of junk, I mean, buried treasure that is not living in my garage, waiting for the day I finally decide to make good on my promise to my husband about the garage sale I intend to have. I’m glad I did not have to worry about that one breaking down either. Thank goodness I did not have to deal with that on top of FIVE kids running around on the aforementioned filthy floors.
And finally, I’m so thankful that my husband does not have a chronic illness that keeps him from feeling good all day long. I did not curse this situation under my breath as I pushed the wonderful, fully-functioning vacuum throughout the house. He truly is a wonderful and extremely helpful partner and it really does not stink that this illness has hit him so hard. I do not wish I could stay at home with him all the time. And so, I am not secretly hoping the power is still out around Catoosa County so that I can have another day off tomorrow with him. NOT Me!!!

Well, I guess I should get back to the house so that I can fold that one more load of laundry and put all those icky dishes in the dishwasher. Yeah right! NOT!!!!

Did the Bunny come to YOUR house?

2009-04-12T23:51:00.003-04:00

Question. Am I a bad parent because I didn’t even get my children anything for Easter? The Bunny did not show up today. And you know what? My children never asked about it. They never even so much as mentioned anything about not waking up to a wonderful basket full of chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks. Maybe it was mainly due to the fact that they had already done an Easter Egg hunt at my mom’s church, or that they got an ungodly amount of candy from school last week! Either way, I am truly thankful that I didn’t wake up to tears this morning. So I ask you again, does that make me a bad mom? I hope not.
Today, I had the solo for our choir song at church. Every time I sing a solo, no matter how many times I visit the little girl’s room, I ALWAYS have to go right before I walk on stage! I LOATHE that! Why the heck do my nerves hit me in that way? I could deal much better with feeling like I was going to blow chunks, but when you get the extreme urge to *tinkle* when you are already on stage, it is a terrifying ordeal and I’m pretty sure my face can testify to that at the time it happens. Then, there is the whole “OMG! WHAT’S MY NEXT LINE???” thought that happens during the initial take-off of the song. I swear! If I had a dollar for every time I made up lyrics because my mind went blank, I would be basking in the sun on some tropical island! Today, I didn’t exactly make up new words, I just didn’t get them all out. The word was “Clothed” and by the time the lyric reached my brain and then darted toward my mouth, all that came out was “loathed”. Lol I hope no one noticed. I have a tendency to pull the mic AWAY from my mouth if I forget the words- just for those of you who actually see me sing on a regular basis. Now you know. If I forget lyrics, the mic will be pushed aside and I will suddenly be too “into the moment” to sing. Shhh…Don’t tell anyone.
Well, it is late. Stay tuned tomorrow for a hilarious (or an attempt to be hilarious) “Not Me Monday”. Should bring some laughs your way. Tata for now!

Come On, Already!

2009-04-11T22:57:00.002-04:00

Ok. Seriously! I am desperately overdue for a Grey’s Anatomy fix! How could ABC leave me hanging in such a way? McDreamy has finally proposed to Meridith – a thing I was becoming increasingly agitated about (get on with it already!), and then POW! They slammed the door and left me hangin’! And what about Izzie? What happens to Izzie??? And Dr. Psycho? What the heck went down overseas while he was out saving the country? He freakin' tried to KILL Christina. Oh, and she was NEVER this intense with Burke! This is seriously not funny! This show has become my escape from the child-filled world in which I live. No Boogers to wipe. No foul odors to whiff. No nagging “I’m hungry! Feed me!” wimpers. Just pure, unadulterated, hot, steamy, passionate, psychotically twisted, scantily clad, characters who have absolutely wonderful and meaningless lives. I NEED it! Give it to me! If it isn’t on by next week, I may shrivel up and die! ( Oh, and if it isn’t too much to ask, how about throwing in a new episode of Private Practice! I love me some Addison Forbes Montgomery! Isn’t her new forbidden fruit extremely yummy?? Mmmm!!!) Yes, I sometimes live vicariously through my television set. Don’t you? No? Oh, well. Bite me…

In other news, I have been on this here life-sucker box all day long reading all kinds of hilariously funny blogs and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to “follow” most of them. Seems in the world of blogging, I’m still but an infant, my head bobbling about, trying to take in this vast world of fast talking, image loading goddesses of the written word. I can only aspire to be as witty and forthcoming as those whose blogs I have had the pleasure of devouring this afternoon. Leave me some love (comments) and let me know how you think I'm doin'! I'm off to fold the mound of laundry falling off the couch..

What's With the Name?

2009-04-10T12:13:00.011-04:00

So, I guess my blog name kinda brings questions to your mind. I had originally wanted the name Confessions of Insanity, but it was already taken. Lessons in Lunacy was the next best name I could come up with. ( Yes, I know I ended that last sentence with a preposition). I am a grammar freak, but I simply cannot follow that one rule. The alternative doesn't sound right to me. Sorry. Anyways, the blog name comes from my current life situation. With five kids under the age of seven, one would have to be somewhat of a lunatic. Even as I type, I have a three year old asking me all kinds of three-year-old questions and making it extremely difficult to even try and make sense on here. And just when he walks away, my seven year old has come to me and told me that my two year old hit him in the head with his sippy cup. Does anyone have some sanity I could borrow?? Please???? I hope you can now see where the name for my blog stems from. (yes, another preposition.)

So, I promised to let you know how last night's seder went. For the most part, it went really well considering we really had no idea what to expect or even what we were doing really. Thanks to my wonderful friend, Christy, we had all kinds of props (for lack of a better word) for this wonderful experience. Below I have taken some pictures for you.

It really was quite a sight to see all the little guys participating in this ancient ritual. Caedan (my 3 year old) was probably the most well-behaved of them all. I just love that picture of him with his hands folded and praying. The whole thing probably lasted an hour and they all did so good. They asked all kinds of questions and really seemed interested in the whole process. We had a good time.

On a completely unrelated note, I am happy to announce that London has finally started adding some meat to her bones. For those of you who don't know, London had a rough start with trying to gain weight. It took her three weeks to just get back up to her birth weight. I even had to start giving her formula because she just wasn't gaining anything from nursing. It made me really sad as this was my last chance at trying to successfully breastfeed one of my kids. London is now seven weeks old today and upon changing her diaper this morning, I realized she now has fat rolls at the top of her thighs. They are so cute! Can I get a Woot! Woot! All this being said, however, I began to look at some of Tristan's pics at this age and there is a striking resemblance to him. Does that mean my sweet little girl is going to be a "hoss" like her big brother? We shall see. Here are a few pics I took of her today.

Incidentally, every picture I ever take of her where I catch a glimpse of her smiling, ends up blurry. What's that all about?!?

Well, I hear a sink full of dirty dishes calling my name and I am almost certain my nose has caught a whiff of something terrifically foul coming from the pants of my free spirited two-year-old. Duty calls!!

Shopping

2009-04-09T16:06:00.003-04:00

Today's shopping expedition turned out to be a productive experience. Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law, who gave me money to shop, I was able to buy the cutest outfit for church on Easter. :) I used to HATE to shop because of all the weight I have put on since having kids, but today I found several things that fit and that I loved! Yay me!

Afterwards, I was off to the Fresh Market. I LOVE that place. It always makes me want to eat healthy every time I visit. Today's visit included picking up a few items for tonight's Seder. Yes, my husband has decided to embrace his Jewish roots and Passover is tomorrow. So, we are having a seder this evening at sunset. Should be interesting, what with my 2 and 3 year old. I'm actually looking forward to it. I tried to find yarmulkes (pronounced ya-meh-kuhs) for the boys to wear too, but that was a lost cause. We will make sure we have those for next year. Fresh market cannot sell wine and alchohol under the same roof ( a law that makes ablsolutely NO sense to me whatsoever) so afterwards I had to go a couple doors down to the Liquor store. After speaking with the ever-so-friendly owner ( who could not even make eye contact), I found the "kosher" wine. My husband asked for blackberry if I could find it and he would like it to be kosher if that could be found. What Luck! I found both - in the same bottle! lol See? What did I tell you - productive experience! So, we shall have matzo, bitter herbs, and blackberry wine for our seder. I'll letcha know how it goes...

Now, it is off to the boys rooms to clean. No one knows how to rip apart a house in 3 seconds flat better than my four boys! Toodaloo!

I fixed it!

2009-04-09T01:25:00.003-04:00

Ok...although it is well past my bedtime, I simply could not go to bed without fixing my blog. It is now completely updated and I feel much better about not having copied Anna's creation. :) Now I am deciding whether to go ahead and try and get some sleep or wait for London to wake up and feed her before bedding down, as they say (or said...long ago in another time period far away from the technologies of today such as blogging.) Can you tell I am tired? My brain sure can! I think I'll rest it a while...

Issues, Issues, Issues!!

2009-04-08T16:15:00.000-04:00

Ok...So my friend, Anna, has a blog on this site and I have kinda gotten hooked on reading her's and others that are on here, so I though I would try my hand at it. I must say that I am already ill at the fact that the layout options were frustrating to me to say the least. I am one that has to have everything lined up just right, and most of the layouts were backwards - having the blog on the left side and the notes about the writer on the right side. That's just wrong. Soooooo, I had to end up picking the same layout as said friend. Sorry, Anna. I hope you don't mind.

Second on my agenda to complain about with this thing is all the good names for my blog I had, but couldn't use because they were already taken. That, I know, was no one's fault, but it still sucked.

Whew! Now that all of THAT is off my chest, I can explain why I started all of this in the first place. I have always had a passion for wrting. Something about reaching into the depths of your soul and finding things you, yourself, did not even know were there is both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. As a child and teenager, I wrote poetry non-stop. Funny thing though, I could never write lyrics. If you know me, then you know I am an AVID singer. I sing ALL the time- in the shower, in the bed, in the car, at church, at school where I teach adorable yet sometimes life-sucking kindergarteners, etc... Pretty much anywhere I go, I sing while I'm there. So why did I never write my own songs? I don't know. It just never really worked out any time I tried. Maybe I'll try again someday. But for now, I'd like to stick to blogging. I have journals for all five, yes you read that right, FIVE kids and I try to write in them as much as I can, but life can sometimes get in the way. Maybe if I blog about it, I can go back and fill in the blank pages of their books one day. HaHa! Now if I can just figure out how to make those scrapbook pages come together simultaneously, we shall be in business!