Happy Halloween!

Man, am I tired! The time change has my sleep patterns all messed up, I've had tons to do both at home and at work, and then all the Halloween to-do!

Let me just state for the record that students who have trouble coping with school on a day-to-day basis, like mine, have a VERY hard time with days like today. I thought we would never get through the first part of the day and all the work that had to be done, to get their poor, over-anxious little selves to the Halloween portion of the day! We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" (a tradition in my classroom), made dirt cups (who wouldn't like to smash Oreos, and then bury a gummy worm in pudding and cookie pieces?) and played Halloween bingo.

THEN, I came home to an overexcited 6 yr. old who was ready to trick-or-treat at 4:30! I have to be honest....it was fun to see Aaron having fun, but the thrill of trick-or-treating is gone for me. It was fun 10 years ago. But we tromped up and down our small street and had a good time doing it. Then we delivered Rachael to her friends, Joseph to his friends, then hit Grandma and Grandpa's house. After a yummy dinner and fun with cousins Will and Tyler, we tromped up and down THEIR street.

So, I'm beat. Once home, we created Aaron's "St. Michael" costume for All Saints' Day tomorrow at his school. Is it bedtime yet? Almost......

Starting tomorrow, I'll be attempting to post every day of November. Stay tuned for some riveting posts such as, "The Story of My Life, Part 1", "The Meme from Redneck Nerdboy from last week", "The Meme from Tense Teacher from last weekend", "Why Target is Better Than Walmart", "The Story of My Life, Part 2", "Why I Love Sudoku", "How I Met My S.O. - the Baron", and many, many more.

And now, something for Redneck Nerdboy:

Have a good one!
J.

Silly Quiz Sunday...and other stuff.

Okay, first up....not exactly a silly quiz, but kind of fun. How many of me are there? Well, luckily, I'm the only one hung with my particular name. When I did my current first and last name (remember, I've been married twice), there is only 1 of me. However, when I tried it with my former married name (the one I had for 14 years) there are 36 people in the US with THAT name! I thought that was amazing, since my first name is not that common. But, my first married name, the last name of all 4 of my children, is a VERY common Hispanic name. So then I tried it with my oldest son Joseph's name. Since Joseph is a common first name, coupled with the fairly common Hispanic last name, no big surprise - there are 993 people in the U.S. with his name. Try it!

HowManyOfMe.com

There is: 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Then, I saw this quiz in the sidebar: "Are You a Slacker Mom?" from Chatterbean. Well, you know I had to try it. Here are my results:
Are You a Slacker Mom?

Your quiz results make you a Pretty in the City Mom

You might have a subscription to both Parenting Magazine and Vogue. While picking up a darling Easter outfit for your tyke at Bloomingdale's you're tempted to grab a pair of Manolo Blahniks for your own tootsies. You are a fabulous mom, and you take care of yourself fabulously, too.

Take this free personality test by clicking Here or going to www.areyouaslackermom.com .

I don't know if I'm "pretty in the city" or not, but I'm sure glad to find out I'm not a slacker! Sheeww, that's a load of my mind!

OTHER STUFF:

FOOTBALL NEWS - They lost. 45-0. Our team came out strong in the beginning, but the other team (drat them!) was just too good. Daniel had some good tackles, but he is disappointed. I was proud to see 2 of the coaches come up to Daniel individually,after the game, and speak to him. He gave it his all! We all turned out to watch - his teenage brother and sister, his younger brother, my parents, his dad, me and Baron. There's always next year!

I AM ON A MISSION - A mission against spam e-mail. Instead of just deleting the 10-20 junk e-mails I get every day, I am opening them, one at a time, and clicking the little link at the bottom to unsubscribe from their mailings. They all have them. Of course I didn't do this scientifically. I didn't count how many spam e-mails I used to get, to see if the number is decreasing. But I did probably 20 of them yesterday, and 20 more today. It seems like the junk e-mail is going down. We'll see. I'll let you know.

LOOK MA, I'VE GOT CABLE IN MY ROOM! - I am as happy as a little kid with a box of new toys. My S.O., the Baron, crawled into the nasty crawl space under my bedroom and hooked up cable to the TV in my room. Up to this point, it's been able to play DVD's only. No one would go under the house, especially not me. I told him, it's such a great gift, he should have waited for my birthday. But I'm glad he didn't. It's so cool - I can sit on my bed and watch tv.
I know, I'm so easily amused. Thank you, sweetie! You're the best!

Have a good weekend. Stay tuned for the start of NaBloPoMo, during which I and some as-yet-unnamed others are going to attempt to post to our blogs every single day of November. Get ready, 'cause here I come!

"Begone...before someone drops a house on YOU, too!"

"I'll get you, my pretty....and your little dog, too!"

There is a woman I know, who reminds me of this witch. Her daughter petted my parents' dog, an older dog with arthritis which is painful and makes him cranky, and the dog snapped at her. Bit her arm and scared her quite a bit. I was there when it happened and we were all horrified. No one ever expected this dog to bite anyone, and no one wanted the little girl to be hurt.

So we soothed the girl, bandaged her arm. It was bruised, and punctured, but no blood, thank God. I called the girl's mother, apologized, offered to pay for an trip to the doctor.

This woman has responded by threatening to sue my parents, and has made quite a pest of herself with the County Health Department. Luckily, the dog's shots are up-to-date, and all my parents have to do is quaratine the dog for 2 weeks. She reminds me of Ms. Gulch, the old neighbor lady in the black-and-white portion of the Wizard of Oz. Chasing after retribution from an old, arthritic dog, or the girl's father, my S.O., who she thinks was "negligent", or my parents, who, at their age, don't need to have to put up with any grief from this wicked witch. All because they were hosting my daughter's birthday party and extended the invitation to my boyfriend and my children. I mean, it was awful that Baron's daughter was bit! She is a sweet little girl and I never, ever want her to be hurt. But come on!

If only a bucket of water would work in THIS case......Hmmm....

I Love Pumpkins!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins....I love pumpkins. I'll admit...I'm greedy. We can never have too many pumpkins this time of year. Right now on the front porch, there are 10. There are at least 3 in the house as decoration. And I'm planning on taking some to school for my students.

Ah, my students. Today was my first day back after 3 days of illness. They greeted me warmly. They challenged me, but our morning hummed along successfully. I was patting myself on the back right and left....all they needed was ME, back in command, to guide them down the path of knowledge. I had a purpose, I was the one true queen of educating these children.

And then the afternoon unraveled like a sweater, only much more painfully and a lot faster. They brought me back to reality and oh, so, humbly. I only have 5 students and the reason for that is they all have emotional and behavior disabilities. And they trotted every single emotional and/or behavior problem in their little arsenals. I was in not one, not two, not three, but four assists from lunch until dismissal. The need for assist is defined, in part, by the student exhibiting behaviors which may cause him to harm himself or others. Like throwing a shoe at another student. Like banging his head in frustration so hard on the desk that you are surprised it isn't cracked (the desk or the head). Like kicking a desk. Like climbing on a desk.

Don't get me wrong. I'm used to this kind of behavior. But all of it? On my first day back? Lordy, lordy, there must be an easier way to make money! (laugh) But at least tomorrow is Friday....thank you, God!!!!

For all of you weekday-only bloggers, say a prayer for Daniel's football team on Sunday at 3. It's the 2nd playoff game and if they win, they play in the Toy Bowl (the big enchilada)! But the game is against the best team in the league....the team that beat them 47 to 12. But they say they're ready, they're hungry for revenge, they're tough....they're animals out for a kill!!!! (sorry, got a little caught up there, in all that tough, he-man football spirit)

I am feeling better, but still tired. I didn't even take a nap after school, although I sorely needed one. I seem to be firmly on the road to recovery. Truth be told, I'm a little down tonight. But that's another story. Thanks to Redneck Nerdboy for the tip, coupled with KittyKat's suggestions, on how to fix my sidebar problem. What do you know? It worked! Imagine ol'Nerdboy knowing somethin' like that!

Back from the Dead.....

Yes, folks, I'm alive. I have no excuse but to stumble back to work tomorrow. Ironically, my kids (being in a different school system in a different state) are off tomorrow and Friday. I was going to try to take tomorrow off to hang out with them, but since I've taken 3 sick days....well, they will be here and I will be there. My dad will keep them supplied with daily McDonald's and the house will look like a bomb went off when I get home, but..oh well!

I was flipping around the blog channels and stumbled across THIS over at Comments from the Peanut Gallery. I'm going to try it, too!
What is it?
It's National Blog Posting Month!
Why the hell would I want to do that?
You started a blog to make yourself write more often?

NaBloPoMo is an alternative to November's NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, the program wherein you crank out a novel in thirty days.

Some of us lack the imagination, stamina, and self-destructive impulses required to write a novel that quickly, but, by Grabthar's Hammer, we can update our blogs every day for a month!


And I challenge the following people to do it with me: Tense Teacher, Mia, Heels, Yorksdevil, Kristi (Interupted Wanderlust), KentuckyGurl, KaraMia (Life..or something just like it), Tricia, Redneck Nerdboy, and Sunshine! Come on people, we can do it!

That's all for now. A more coherent post to follow tomorrow, if I'm not completely exhausted by a whole day of real work!

PS Does anyone know how to fix my blog template? Somehow the sidebar got stuck WAY down below and I don't know how to get it back where it belongs! Help!

Still sick.

That's all for now. I'm still sick. One more day home from school, and apparently my class is on a rampage, which doesn't make me feel better, but I can't go back weak, I have to go back strong. And I'm not strong yet.
Back to bed.
J.

Good news and bad news....

The bad news is....I am sick, sick, sick. Cold chills, hot flashes, sore throat, headache, coughing...the works! I stayed home from school today, even though my aide was scheduled to be off today, too. I tried to go to school, I really did. It took me an hour this morning to take a shower and put some clothes on, and then I gave up! I had my teenagers step up and get their 6 yr. old brother ready for school, while I laid on the couch and shivered. I called my mom and begged her to come down and take them to school, which she did. After everyone was gone, I went to bed and slept until 1! I got up long enough to eat some cereal and lay on the couch for awhile, then back to bed.

This evening I am feeling a little better, but I am still having the temperature swings. I started taking a "Z" pack today (antibiotics) and I'm taking Nyquil just to make my headache go away. I have already called in for tomorrow. I need another day, especially if tonight is anything like last night.


The Good News Is....(trumpets, please)...my blog was reviewed over at "Ask and Ye Shall Recieve". Here's the review:

So exhausted that it's reached the point that I can't sleep. Isn't that a bit oxymoronic? Being so fucking tired that you just can't fall asleep. I'm on the verge of hallucinating. Therefore, I am going to apologize to the lovely Ms. HoosierGirl5 if this review makes absolutely no sense.

The Coffee Table is a chronicle of a single mother. It's not a mommy blog, per se, although she does write about her life as a single mother, but her children aren't babies. That's the thing that drives me nuts about the typical mommy blog--they're all about their little child, and how awesome and wonderful they are. Babies are all the same, the experiences vary slightly, and there's only so much I can read about how "precious" someone thinks their child is. This blog is not like that. In fact, the first post is actually a tribute to her 15 year old daughter and doesn't just go on and on about how great and special she is, but rather lists specific little things that she does that make her a great daughter. See the difference? "My little baby is so precious, he/she/it shits in a diaper" v. "My daughter once snuck out of the house to buy me a diet coke because she knew it would cheer me up."

Trust me. It makes a world of difference to the people who stumble upon your little kiddy love fest on the internet.

Template wise it's the standard green blogger template. I happen to hate the color green for some totally inexplicable reason, so, to be equitable, I'm going to close the screen so I don't see green and go balls out on the deprication. And yes, I am tired enough to completely forget the template is green in the time it takes me to blink about three times. The sidebar is super neat, super short, and has nothing but the basics. She's rather new to blog land, but I'll throw out the classic suggestions of rolling up the archives into a drop down menu, because it's just super duper cool.

It's the prototypical "my life, my thoughts, my thang" style blog that mostly revolves around the joys [and not so joys] of motherhood and life, but she does it in a way that, as I stated above, isn't droning or condescending, which is how I percieve a lot of the "mommy blog" sector to be. Not condescending in the sense that there's an element of superiority in them, but condescending in the sense that there's an element of superiority in them...they are parents, therefore they are way better than you. I can read her, I can see that she loves her children, but there's obviously a lot more to her than just being a mom and it shows. Amen to her for that!

I give it two stars for everything in the above paragraphs.

And, I give it 1 finger (yes, that finger) for the green template. I can pretend I didn't see it, but I can't completely deny myself the joy I get from hating on the hideous color known as green.


Cool, huh?
Now back to hacking and coughing and shivering....

Happy 15th Birthday to my girl!!!

Today is my daughter Rachael's 15th birthday.







She is growing more beautiful and more confident in herself every day. I've always known she was smart. Rachael has always liked to draw....she started taking art classes when she was 5. She has her own line of homemade greeting cards, based on her cartoon creation "Puffball Comics".

She is a fantastic singer. The picture is from her first live performance of her band, Ms. Understood, at 4th Street Live in Louisville.

She gets great grades - usually straight A's. She works hard in school. Rachael participated in 3 sports last year: swimming, volleyball, and basketball. This year she's in the Providence Singers, "Rock School" through Mom's Music (her band), and theatre.

Last year, when I was sad about something, she took her 10-speed and slipped up the street to buy me a Diet Coke to cheer me up. She is kind to her brothers, most of the time, and is always thinking of others.

I love her dearly.

Happy Birthday to my only girl.

Friday nights, screams, and oatmeal.

Lordy, lordy.....Where do I start? So many thoughts swirling in my head, just waited to be recorded in blogging internet history.....Okay, I'll go in chronological order, for simplicity's sake:

Last night I took the kids to my school's Fall Festival. We feasted on hot dogs and chili, spent too much money on games and raffle tickets (which apparently I won none of, since no one called me to tell me I had won), and rode on a tractor to get a pumpkin out of the field behind the school. High times, I'm tellin' you. My teenagers were thrilled to be there, but at least all 4 kids had a good time, particularly when we left by the time promised.

Then I spent a couple of hours delivering the kids to the activities they REALLY wanted to attend on a Friday evening. Rachael went to a haunted house, where her boyfriend was among the living dead. Joseph went to a movie with a girl he claims is NOT his girlfriend, but he has been hanging out with for the last 2 years. Daniel went to the Teen Scream dance at our church, which is for Jr.High teens. The highlight of the evening, he claims, was the guy dressed up as a nerd for the costume contest, and when he and his guy friends all danced goofy and the girls thought they were stupid. Ah, to be 12 again. Aaron had no scheduled activity, being 6 years old, so he was forced to drive around with me dropping people off, so after Baron arrived he was rewarded with a trip to purchase "Over the Hedge"
and a silly container of Potty Putty, which makes fart noises. Glad to make everyone happy.





This morning, when Baron and I were still in bed, we were....um....getting up close and personal when, at a crucial moment, my youngest child started screaming at his older brother. If anyone was going to scream, I was kind of hoping it would be one of us.


It was funny later....much later....but at the moment it had quite the...ahem....dampening effect. A few minutes later, we were able to get the mood back and finish what we had started, but it was not the way I wanted to get Baron's eyes open. Let's just say I prefer to make other parts of his body stand straight up, not the hair on the back of his neck. I'm pretty sure he's forgiven me.




On to breakfast. The same child, who was already WAY out of my good graces by this point, did not like ANY of our breakfast selections. In looking for a box of cereal, he spied a box in the back of the cabinet. "What's that?" he asked. It was a box of oatmeal.
No wait, it was FOUR boxes of oatmeal. One with an expiration date of 2002, one with a date of 2004, and finally, a more current box with an expiration date of 2006. What a selection. Before I looked at the expiration dates, I had already fixed a package of maple and brown sugar. Even though it was from the oldest box, it still tasted good to me. I think because it's sealed in individual packages.

Who knows? We are well-stocked. Beggars can't be choosers. I'll eat it.



Then, as morning tradition dictates, I sat down at the computer to check my e-mail and blog friends, and found this:
The celebrity man of my dreams, Harrison Ford, has agreed to make a fourth "Indiana Jones" movie. Yeah, baby. Read all about it here.

Who gives a sh-t if he's 64? Who could turn this man down? I couldn't. And wouldn't! (sorry Baron) Of course, it's not likely to happen. But a girl can dream, can't she?

Then, there's this item: I dropped by "Across the Board" and there was this article about deep-fried pizza. I've had a deep-fried Snickers bar (decadent, but delicious) and heard of deep-fried Twinkies. I've even had a fried bologna sandwich at the ballpark. The deep-fried pizza DOES look good! Check it out!

Finally, I am proud to report that my 2 teenagers got their 1st quarter reports in the mail today and they both received all A's and 1 B+, in spite of taking all Honors clases and being active in so many things. They're good kids.

Well, that's all I've got for now, except to stop over at Redneck Nerdboy's and check out his snazzy new template. I'm saving my pennies so I can get one with a coffee theme from his buddy Shane, who has the hysterical blog title of "Danke Shane". Almost as good a read as Redneck himself. Have a good weekend, y'all!

In Memory.

In memory of John Christopher Gatz...
Born April 24, 1990. Died October 14, 2006.

"John was a lamp that gave off brilliant light. For a time you enjoyed the pleasure of his light." John 5:35.

I attended John's funeral mass today with my son Joseph, my daughter Rachael, and about approximately 600 students, teachers, and friends. My son sang with the Providence Singers. My daughter sat with her friends. I sat with some of the other parents near the choir.

It was very sad, especially his poor mother, but the sermon was very good. And his older sister spoke at the end. Lots of tears and hugs all around.

I was especially gratified to see all the young men and women from the high school. Every single boy without exception, was in a suit and tie. Every girl was dressed up, and modestly. And every single one of them went to communion. After mass, before the hearse pulled away, they all stood outside silently and respectfully, until it was gone. I am extremely proud to have my children be a part of this Catholic high school community.

May he rest in eternal life, and may peace someday come to his family.

Making a difference....one starfish at a time.

A young man happened upon an old man as he was walking along the shore. The old man was surrounded by thousands of starfish who were washed on the shore because of a storm, and he was throwing them back to the sea one at a time.

The young man laughed at the old man and said, "There are too many, you can't save them all and you are wasting your time. What difference can you possibly make?" The old man tossed a starfish back to the safety of the ocean and smiled at the young man as he bent over to get another starfish.

The old man said,"You may be right, but I am making a difference to this one," and he tossed another starfish to the warmth and safety of the sea.


This is what I do every day. Try to toss a couple of starfish back into the sea.
After a day like this, I have to remind myself that I AM making a difference, and that it IS worth it. Today it felt like the tide was just a little too strong.

Heaven

O Divine master, grant that I may not so much
Seek to the consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Frances of Assissi


A friend of my son Joseph, John, was hit by a drunk driver Saturday night and was killed. He was 17. His passenger, Sarah, is also a friend of Joseph's, but she is alive with only cuts and bruises. The driver, a senior girl also from his Catholic high school, was uninjured. She was a soccer teammate of my daughter Rachael's best friend. All concerned are devastated, particularly John's family and friends.

My son is understandably upset. I was particularly disturbed to see, this morning, 3 news crews camped out across the street from the high school at 7:15 AM! Joseph and his friends were not allowed to decorate John's locker, as they had planned, in memory, because the administration did not want the site "turned into a shrine". There was a prayer service held for the students today, and John's parents attended.


I cannot begin to imagine their grief. The news media was not allowed on school property. The funeral will be Wednesday. I am taking the day off to attend with my teenagers. It so easily could have been one of them.

Please remember John and Sarah's families in your prayers, as well as the girl whose life has changed forever. My heart goes out to her as well.

Marvelous Monday!

Have a great day!
J.

Questions and Answers......

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH! YAHOO!

This is my 75th blogger post! Yay!

Here's another one of those fun question-and-answer posts, this one, again, from Redneck Nerdboy:

Okay, on to the questionnaire! Enjoy!

1. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence. Which one will it be?

It would be Marilyn Manson and Eminem. Both are social deviants, and the power they wield is just plain scary.

2. You seem to be having an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Holy crap, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it?

Depends on how close to pay day I am. If it's right before payday, then I'm probably close to broke, and this would be money sent from heaven to get gas and groceries. If it's right after payday, then I'm in the black, and I would probably go pick up a CD or two, or the next season of Monk on DVD, or something frivolous, like that.



3. Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you get there?

I would go back in time and NOT marry my first husband. Sorry, but it's true.

4. What is your favorite curse word?

When I'm just a little P.O.-ed, it's "shit". When it's my ex-husband, it's the "f" word. He is the only person on the planet who inspires me to that level of profanity.

5. You have the opportunity to sleep with the movie celebrity of your choice. We are talking no-strings-attached sex and it can only happen once. Who is the lucky celebrity of your choice?

Harrison Ford.

Bonus (as in optional):You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What’s it gonna be?

I would like the ability to know when someone is telling the truth or not. It would cut through a lot of the bullshit at work, at home, and in every relationship I've ever been in, past, present, and future.


Have a great weekend.
J.

Mixed Bag of Nuts....

How can you not love Snoopy and Halloween? It's impossible!



This post is going to be in bullets, because it's a "mixed bag"....





*Yesterday was an awful day at school. All of my students were off because of the long weekend. One of them had 3 episodes, and now they are talking about sending her to a special school. WITHOUT consulting me first. (sigh) I am so sick of school politics.

*Money is stressing me out. I wish I were rich, I really do. I'm depressed. I crave extravagance. I'm tired of being frugal. Arrrgh!

*The Baron's ex-wife is a b-tch. Really. And the geek she is engaged to (with a horribly gaudy pink cubic Zirconium) is just as bad, maybe worse. He's so awful, even no one on the Internet likes him. And he has no "real" friends. Even my heinous ex-husband was able to find love on the Internet. Pretty sad.

*This weekend in my hometown is Harvest Homecoming. Booths filled with food, crafts, junk, etc. The roasted corn is fantastic, and so are the homemade glazed donuts. I will have both before the weekend is over. Yumm!

*My friend's boyfriend situation is getting worse. He's doubledealing her, I just know it. Too many red flags, too many unexplained absences. I would like to kick his butt personally.

*MY ex-husband is just plain stupid. He can't seem to handle a whole weekend of being in charge of the kids without consulting me a million times beforehand AND during the weekend. I hate the endless, dumb question phone calls. And due to the kids' sports schedules, I won't get a true weekend alone until sometime in November. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I don't have to send them away, but maybe just a little time to myself....

*I have felt so bitchy and on-edge lately. I don't know why, exactly, but half the time I'm ready to fight, and the other half I'm ready to cry.

*I need a vacation. (Sigh)

You Love Me, You Really Love Me!!!!

I am totally going Sally Field here. I got 11 comments on my last post! Never mind that I shamelessly went from blog to blog, basically begging folks to stop by! Thanks so much for all the great comments. So, since that last post was sooooo successful, I have MORE!

Seriously, I was planning to do more today anyway. First I would like to note that I left 2 really good blogs off my initial blogroll, so "Princess and Johnsy" and "Mommy Tricia" have been added to the list.

Okay, first up, a cute one of my nephew Tyler:















Next, one that begs the caption, "Yum! Nummy toes!"













Third, my nephews, Will and Tyler:














Finally, another picture of MY kids, this one a little closer, and you can see Aaron's face in this one:



Again, thanks for all the great comments. I will get back to serious blogging tomorrow.


Wait...did I ever really seriously blog? (grin)

Family Pictures and other kudos....

First of all , I would like to thank Yorksdevil for writing the HTML code for me so I could have a blogroll! Yay! I have always wanted my very own blogroll! Secondly, I would like to state for the record that having Parent-Teacher conferences on a Monday sucks for all concerned. THEY don't want to hear the bad stuff - WE don't want to tell them. But, I had good things to tell on all my kids, so there was some positive. Finally, I would like to say that I am tired of being a grownup. And I'm clearly not good at it.

Okay, having done all that....on with the good stuff: PICTURES! A couple of weeks ago, my nephew Tyler was baptized. He is the second son of my only sister, Terri. Terri and her husband Joe wisely (or not so wisely, depending on your perspective) chose me to be Tyler's godmother, and my 16 year old son, Joseph, to be his godfather. Joseph was really flattered and rose to the occasion.
First up, a picture of my nephew Will, who is 5, and Tyler, who is almost 8 months old:













Next, a picture of me and Joseph, holding Tyler, as the proud godparents:













Finally, a picture of me and my kids:

Joseph (in the tie) is 16, Rachael (the pretty girl in front) will be 15 at the end of this month, Daniel (on my right) is 12, and Aaron (the cute little boy next to Rachael) is 6.


This is my crew, and I'm proud of them.
That's all for now.

Silly Quiz Sunday! On Sunday!

Hey, howdy hey....it's that time again. It's Silly Quiz Sunday, and I actually remembered to post it ON SUNDAY! (I know, shocker right?)


First up, "The Ultimate Movie Quiz", from CoolQuiz.com. Click HERE to try it!

Next up, "What's Your Sex Personality?" Click HERE to find out....I will say that this one was WAY off on me. It said I was sensible! Now THERE'S a seductive term - sensible! I'm going back to take the damn thing again....

I couldn't resist this one..."What Gay Childhood Icon Are You?" I'm so excited that I'm a Peanuts character!

You Are the Very Gay Peppermint Patty!

Softball is the huge tipoff here... As well as a "best friend" who loves to call her "sir"

What Gay Childhood Icon Are You?

Last, but not least, "What Do People Envy about You?" I would probably say this one was right about me.

People Envy Your Compassion

You have a kind heart and an unusual empathy for all living creatures. You tend to absorb others' happiness and pain. People envy your compassion, and more importantly, the connections it helps you build. And compassionate as you are, you feel for them.

What Do People Envy About You?

Okay, I couldn't resist...one more: "What Kind of Soda Are You?" I was kind of disappointed I wasn't Diet Coke, but this is okay...Just so long as I'm not Pepsi! Gag!

You Are Coke

A true original and classic, you represent the best of everything you can offer. Just the right amount of sweet, just the right amount of energy... you're the life of the party. Your best soda match: Mountain Dew Stay away from:Dr Pepper

What Kind of Soda Are You?

Finally Friday!

It's October, and that means it's time for the all-time classic, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!. This is one of my two favorite holiday traditions on video. The other one being, of course, The Charlie Brown Christmas Special.But I couldn't start the month of October without mentioning this movie. I'm a bit of a "Peanuts" nut. I would love to be a collector, but the finances of 4 children prevent me from indulging myself at this time.




Anyway, I have all kinds of bits and pieces today. I am off school today, but since I teach in Kentucky and live in Indiana, my kids ARE NOT OFF TODAY. Did you catch that? My children are in school today and I am home! I have been on this freakin' computer for over an hour with absolutely no guilt! Later, I am going to take a nap.

One of the best informative blog posts I have read in a long time is the one I saw this morning on "Across the Board" by Ramsey. I don't know where he comes up with all these interesting pictures and news stories, but reading his blog is never boring. Anyway, his informative post is titled, My Top 5 Tips for shopping at Best Buy. Right now it's the second post from the top, but he puts up so many things in the course of the day, you may have to scroll down to find it. Well worth the read. I check his site regularly, as well as the list below:

Second, I have no idea how to put a blogroll on my blog. Can anyone help me? I have tried to read Blogger's directions but I just get confused. Until that time, here is a list of the people I read every day (if possible):
A Tense Teacher,
Comments from the Peanut Gallery,
Finding My Heart Again,
Happily Ever Now,
Heels,
I Ended Up Here...How?,
Interupted Wanderlust,
Kentucky Girl
Life or Something Just Like It...,
Long, Slow, Beautiful Dance,
Making Things Up,
Marriage Misadventure,
Miraclo Miles,
Monkey Biznazz,
Pure is the Spirit - my friend Nancy's blog!,
Redneck Nerdboy!,
SayreSmiles,
The Most Wild Thing of All,
Silent Babble,
Snozzberries? Who Ever Heard of a Snozzberry?
So the fish said....,
What am I Doing Here?,
Talking to Myself,
The Art of Getting By,
The "strongly opinionated" life of me....,
The Teacher,
Thoughts from the heart of Dixie....,
Another misadventure,
Where's the Coffee?,
Winged Emotion,
Intellectual Dropout.

I highly recommend all of the above. I also read my S.O.'s blog, but he hasn't had time to post in awhile. If and when he starts writing it again, I'll "pimp" his link here.

I don't have time to read all of the above EVERY DAY, but I check them all regularly. And post comments as often as possible. I DO check my S.O.'s ex's blog from time to time to see what kind of bullshit she is writing, but I'm not going to include the link. I'm not going to be responsible for poisoning anymore minds. She, and her warped partner-in-confusion, do enough of that already. Actually, HIS blog (the more-than-slightly bizarre live-in boyfriend) is sometimes, kind of interesting, especially the ones on politics, but he can never seem to shut the hell up on any given topic. He just goes on, and on, and on....And his rudeness and disrespect for the father of the children he says he cares about is inexcusable, not to mention what he's written about me and MY children! But I digress......

Finally, I also check this blog - "Ask and Ye Shall Receive...". This guy and his team review blogs. I have signed up to get a review but I'm still way down on the list. I'm kind of afraid to see what he'll write, but still, it seems like harmless fun.

Anyway, I've completly blown off 2 hours now, so I guess I had better do SOMETHING. Have a good Friday, all!(grin)
J.

Once a cheater, always a cheater.

Why do people cheat on others? Specifically, the question on my mind is : why do men cheat on their wives, or their girlfriends? Yes, I know women cheat, too, but that's not what is on my mind tonight. I have never cheated on a husband or a boyfriend. The worst thing I ever did was, when my second marriage was in trouble, I called an old boyfriend to talk. I felt so alone then, and I didn't want to tell anyone who was in my day-to-day world. Somehow, if I told someone I saw every day, that would make the threat of divorce real. When my second husband found my cell phone records, he felt betrayed because he thought I was planning something. I wasn't, but I guess it did look suspicious. I just needed someone to talk to.

My first husband cheated on me throughout our marriage, but I didn't know about it. I guess it was naive of me, but I thought if I wasn't doing it, or even interested in doing it, neither was he. I was wrong. He cheated on me while we were engaged, he cheated on me when I was pregnant with my second child....I have reason to believe he was being unfaithful the very day she was born....and he had a longterm girlfriend before and after the birth of our fourth child.

He has never answered all my questions about why he did what he did. The only reason I know what I know is because one night after he had asked for a divorce, but before we separated, he had too much to drink and got a case of the guilties. I accidentally asked the right questions and he confessed to everything. Who knows, maybe there is more. Let's just say what I learned that night was more than enough information for me. And now, I dislike him so much, I don't really want to know.

The first serious boyfriend I had post-divorce lied to me. I finally trusted someone, and he blew all that completely out of the water. My second husband did not cheat on me, but he lied to me. He promised me that he was not telling anyone about the problems we were having, that "what happened at home, stayed at home." The truth was, he was telling everything to his ex-wife, someone he was still friends with. One night it all blew up, and I found out that he had told her some very personal things. That was pretty much the beginning of the end.

I don't know why some men aren't satisfied with one woman at a time. I know when I was dating a lot, after my first divorce, "sowing my wild oats", so to speak, that a lot of men I met just seemed to love to look. The thrill of the hunt. And some of them were afraid of commitment. As long as they could still look, and maybe chase a little, then they weren't "tied down". What I don't understand is, why do some men feel the need to look one woman in the eyes and speak words of love and devotion, and then go out and disprove those very words by being with someone else? Why go to all that trouble to lie? Do they really believe what they say when they say it? Or are they just caught up in the moment?

I have a friend who is having doubts about her boyfriend. He has some unexplained absences and some unusual circumstances. I can see why she is confused. Because of all that has happened in the last 5 years, I am naturally suspicious. I have to fight against my paranoid tendencies almost every day. My second husband had been cheated on by his first wife, and I think he put it best. He said, "Once you have been tricked, you are determined not to get fooled again. So you are always on the watch for it, even if you have no reason to suspect anything. You are determined you are not going to get played for a fool again."

My friend, N., said to me on the phone today: "If I don't trust him, I am lost." And she's right. At some point you have to decide, either you trust the man you love, or you don't. And then put the full force of your conviction, either way, behind it. Trust is hard. It has to be learned, to grow slowly. I trusted way too easily. I believed, back then, because I was being myself, so were the ones I was with. Unfortunately, not everyone is like that. Now I probably question too much.

I guess there is no point to this post, except just wondering. Cheating is a sensitive subject for me, for obvious reasons. I just wish men (and women) who do it would stop. The world would be a saner place for everyone if they did.

Meme from Finding Heart....

I tagged myself from FindingHeart's blog. You all know how much I LOVE these things:

GRUB-OLOGY.
What is your salad dressing of choice? Ranch.

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Penn Station or Taco Bell.

What is your favorite sit down restaurant? Applebee's.

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 10%. I'm a poor teacher.

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Pasta and bread.

Name three foods you detest above all others? Potato salad, green olives, and mustard.

What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant? Stir-fry with shrimp, noodles, snowpeas, lots of veggies.

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Chicken, diced tomatos, veggies. Thin and crispy crust. Yum!


What do you like to put on your toast? apple butter.

What is your favorite type of gum? anything minty.


TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone? about 50.

Number of contacts in your email address book? about 10.

What is your wallpaper on your computer? a silly "Back to School" cartoon that my daughter put up as a joke.

What is your screensaver on your computer? the pipes one.

Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? nope.

How many land line phones do you have in your house? two.

How many televisions are in your house? 4! (hard to believe!)

What kitchen appliance do you use the least? food processor.

What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? all country, all the time. Damn straight.

How many sex toys do you own that require batteries? zero.


BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? eyes.

Are you right handed or left handed? Right

Do you like your smile? yes.

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? babies, moles, fallopian tubes.

Would you like to? sure, can they get rid of my "baby belly"?

Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? yes.


Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? touch.

When was the last time you had a cavity? now.

What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? out-of-control kids at school. 70 pounds at best.

Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Yes. Car wreck, April 2004. Hit my head. Woke up in an ambulance on my way to the emergency room. I still don't remember being hit, but the car was totaled.

MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? no.

If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Something simple. I have always liked classic names or Bible names. Mine is neither.

How do you express your artistic side? Writing my blog, scrapbooking, and cross-stitching.

What color do you think you look best in? Medium blue. Brings out my eyes.

How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? Not too long.

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? yes. both times when I was little. Once a small stone (playing doctor and pretending it was medicine), once my tooth (when my dad tried to wiggle it and I tried to get away).

If we werenÂ’t bound by societyÂ’s conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? Hell yes. I have some guy cousins who are gorgeous!

How often do you go to church? Once a week.

Have you ever saved someoneÂ’s life? no.

Has someone ever saved yours? no.

DARE-OLOGY
For this last section, if you would do it for less or more money, indicate how much.


Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? yes. Not because I'm that nervy or that gorgeous naked, but because I could use the money.

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? yes (no tongue!!)

Would you have sex with a member of the same sex for $10,000? Yes. See the main reason above.

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? No. Sorry, I need money, but I don't do pain.

Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yes

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? Yes.

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? I probably couldn't. I can't even eat the hot salsa at Tumbleweed.

Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? Absolutely not.

Would you shave your head and get your entire body waxed for $5,000? Yep. It'll grow back.

Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? Yep.


I'm not tagging anyone, but let me know if you do it. J.

Silly Quiz Sunday.....on Monday.

See? That's what you all love about me....my total unpredictability! That's why you are wacky enough to go along with the idea that I completely forgot my attempt at a regular weekly theme post. But better late than never, right? Right! (nodding head) Besides, work had me completely fried today so I can't think hard enough to come up with more than "cut and paste". So, I'm choosing easy ones today. First up, "How's Your Taste in Music?"

Your Taste in Music:

Country: High Influence 80's Rock: Low Influence 90's Pop: Low Influence Classic Rock: Low Influence 80's Alternative: No Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

This one was a no-brainer for me. I like country. I DO like old rock, but there wasn't much on there for that.

Next, Your Halloween Horoscope, a "must have" for everyone:

Halloween Horoscope for Cancer

You're usually the one who gives out the best candy in your neighborhood. And you really get into the halloween spirit decorating your house. Costume suggestions: A witch, wizard, or angel Signature Halloween candy: Mini peanut butter cups

What's Your Halloween Horoscope?

Another easy one, "What does your birthdate mean?" I'm not sure how accurate this is, but it sounds good.

Your Birthdate: July 1

You are a natural born leader, even if those leadership talents haven't been developed yet. You have the power and self confidence to succeed in life, and your power grows daily. Besides power, you also have a great deal of creativity that enables you to innovate instead of fail. You are a visionary, seeing the big picture instead of all of the trivial little details. Your strength: Your supreme genius Your weakness: Your inappropriate sensitivity Your power color: Gold Your power symbol: Star Your power month: January

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Finally, one that I thought was kind of neat, AND fun! "What Art Movement Are You?" I think this one does describe me, and I happen to like Impressionism. Cool.

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways. You tend to focus on color and movement in art. For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail. You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

What Art Movement Are You?

Anyway, as Porky Pig would say, "Th-th-th-that's all, folks!" Watch out for Weird Word Wednesday. (evil grin)

What a Weekend!

What does Calvin and Hobbes have to do with my weekend? Nothing.


I just like the picture. (grin)


Now, for a brief rundown of my run-around weekend. Hold on to your seats, you might get dizzy.


Friday: Went to work early for a team meeting. Taught all day with a substitute assistant. Left with 3 other teachers for Lexington for a conference on Saturday. Went book shopping, out to eat, then out to a teacher cocktail party. (Note to self: I am too old to stay out late and drink. Really.) But we DID have fun.

Saturday: All day conference on Emotional and Behavior Disorders. Good stuff, but long and tiring. Drove back. Went out to dinner with my S.O., then back for a relaxing evening together. Kids gone all day with their dad. Many, many cell phone calls to keep all the logistics in place.

Sunday: Down to 4th Street Live to see Rachael perform. 3 kids out to lunch with their dad, Daniel to lunch with me and Baron, then out to his football game. Watched half, then left to take Rachael to a party where her band was performing. Now home to do lesson plans and laundry.

And for some crazy reason, I am tired.(laugh)

Some things that made me smile this weekend:
Silly stories in the car with my teacher friends. My S.O. telling me he missed me Saturday morning, but he couldn't elaborate because his daughter was nearby. A silly 2 yr. old peeking over the booth at me and Baron at the restaurant, talking to us. Looking at silly stuff in Meijer's with Baron. Baron talking over his plans for next weekend with me before he made them. Baron staying to watch Daniel play football with my parents, after I had to leave to take Rachael. Aaron in his new Halloween costume, a Ninja outfit, and him running back to my room to show Baron. I am so blessed.