OMG!!

I started my new job today in a larger (very large considering the town I grew up in) city's school district. I am a preschool teacher for the Head Start program, and I am team teaching with another teacher. Now..this teacher and I are fairly good friends. We went to college together, and live just several miles from each other. It was she, who told me about the open positions. Neither one of us have an early childhood degree...scary huh? OMflippingG! There is NO classroom control in this room!! I walked in to kids climbing on center shelves, running around the room screaming at the top of their lungs. OMFG! I don't know if i can do this...I don't know if I am strong enough for this. God help me...I have to...because I am the teacher, I AM the teacher..
wendy

Guess What???!!??

I am so freaking excited! I had my second interview with Omaha Public School District today for a preschool position....I GOT IT! I start on Wednesday. WAHOOO!!! I have my own classroom. Plus, Chris got me a cricut for xmas, and I already have it! Well...technically I picked it up..but the money was his!

Now..on another note. My sisters and I might be interested in going on a girls weekend away..probably in the spring. Where should we go? Chicago? Vegas? Washington D.C.? Hmm..give me some ideas people..sisters too! Where do we want to go??
whimp

Guess What??

I have an interview on Monday at 2:00 for a preschool postition through OPS. The pay is considerably higher than what FM pays their first year teachers. Wish me luck!
I am still substituting at FM. What was supposed to be a four week assignment has turned into 8-12 weeks. The teacher is trying to come back half days after Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I am a preschool teacher by then.
I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

10 things I am thankful for:

10. My new mp3 player, which is what I am listening to right now.
9. My digital camera..even if it isn't the Canon Digital Rebel.
8. Scrapbooking..
7. Being able to enrich the minds of future generations..haha..imagine..me...enriching minds! (Just think...this generation will be taking care of you in the nursing home!)
6. My family... I am the youngest of 8 children. For the most part, my family is close. I know if at anytime I need them, all I have to do is pick up the phone. ANY of them will be there if necessary. There great like that. Thanks all..I love you!
5. My parents..my mom just turned 69. Sometimes she drives me completely insane..and she doesn't fit the "maternal mother mold." But, she is my mom. My parents did the best they could. Could their best have been better? Probably, but I know I don't always do my best with my kids..They did the best they could. My dad passed away in June of 2003. I miss you old man.
4. Pat and Blackie...my wonderful mother and father in law. These people are truly amazing. Truly. Pat is a tiny, petite woman who has a heart bigger than Texas. We always receive cards for any occasion, she babysits Miss Riles on Tues. and Thurs. after preschool, and she makes everything seem ok. Blackie (or Papa Ed as Riles calls him) is a big, burly man who likes to make people think he is rough and gruff..yeah..i see him with a pint sized three year old. This child makes him melt..it is very interesting and touching to watch. I love you guys too!
3. My freedom..I am truly blessed to live in this country. I have the right to choices, freedoms, and to call Chris my favorite name for him (yeah..you know what it is) without getting beaten. Haha..!! Honestly, I am proud of our country. I am honored and humbled by the men and women who defend this country everyday, and all they ask in return is to love our flag. Thanks to my dad, husband, brothers, brother in law, and father in law for their service to our country. Ronald, Chris, Mike, Ron, Jason, and Blackie (Ed) you are the reason my son is a "Future American Soldier." What better role models could he have? How awesome is it to have 6 real life heros around for your whole life? He is a very lucky boy, and I am a very lucky woman to have (or had) such wonderful men in my life. Thank you all..from the bottom of my heart.
2. Danny and Riley. They both have to share this line..because heaven forbid if one is higher on my list..not that I am listing things in the order I am most thankful for..but ya know..kids..this is why I am thankful for them.
Danny. Danny, Danny, Danny. Danny is my first born. The one who initiated me into motherhood. Danny is the one who lights up my world. Danny is the one, who says.."Hey mom..guess what? You've been a mom for almost a whole decade." Nice..Really tho..he is an amazing child..full of laughter, questions, and silly antics. He is truly a good person. His heart is good, his attitude..well..could be better..but hey, he's 9.
Riles..oh my precious riles..if we make it to age four..i deserve a medal. Riley is a mini-me. Attitude, impatient, and all! She has this smirk (she gets it from Chris), that always makes me laugh. When she is surprised..her eyebrows go up, and her eyes light up. She is the one who loves to help me. She likes to help me cook, do laundry, clean (when that actually happens anyway) and read. She loves to sit on my lap while I am reading a book (my own) and "read"one of mine too. I am so thankful I raised 2 children with a love of reading. I love them both tremendously.
1. Chris. I kissed alot of frogs to find my prince. His crown may be tarnished and lopsided, but Chris is a good man. He is a wonderful husband and father. He is giving, trusting, and has a wonderful (warped) since of humor. I fell in love with him as I watched him put together a wagon with a three (almost four) year old at his feet, asking him thousands of questions, and never getting impatient with him. (Course we all know he just wanted to get into my pants..but hey..he's still here. After almost 6 years..he's still here.) He is the one constant of my life. He lets me scrapbook until midnight..calling to make sure I am ok..He came to another town Thurs. night to change my tire (while I was at a CTMH party) and told me to watch for deer. He is dependable. He is a hard worker. He provides for his family, and doesn't complain. He lets me buy scrapbook stuff. He looks (really looks) at my scrapbook pages and is genuinely interested in them. Oh..yeah..one more thing..he's adorable when he's.........smiling!
These are the things I am thankful for..what are you thankful for?

Finally...new pictures of my kiddos..

Yesterday we went to Portrait Innovations and had the kids' pictures taken. Wow..great pictures, but they really need to adjust their schedule times better.
We got there at 10:30 (our appointment was at 10:40) and didn't get our pictures taken until 11:30. Then, we had to wait to choose our pictures (that took an hour) and then we had to wait an hour for them to be printed..needless to say, it was crazy. BUT..I got some wonderful pictures..and a free disk of ALL the photos taken during the shoot. hmm...

here are my favorites:

The Halloween Party...part 1

Our Halloween party was a great success..the kids had a marvelous time! Altogether we had (I think) 85 children show up. Great turnout when you send out 125 invitations.
I have some pics..some are dark..i did lighten a few. The pics I am posting tonight are of my sister Deanne (or Mesmeralda) and the room we had decorated for her. She was a gypsy fortune teller and was THE HIT of the party.
Great job to all my sisters for throwing a WONDERFUL party..can't wait for next year now!

I will post more pics tomorrow.
whimp

It's here, it's here!

Wahoo...I am excited! I finally broke down and purchased another alphabet for my die cutting machine for scrapbooking. Now..if you are a scrapper you know these little suckers are expensive, but I got this one for $50.00! Sizzix.com is having a pretty good sale (use coupon code ws6255). Now..do I need another one? Lol.



whimp

New Layouts

I have had these layouts finished for awhile..figured I better get them posted. I am a bad mom. I never have enough photos of Danny to scrap more than one layout a weekend. The kid hates to pose for pics..unless I bribe him. I am going broke. lol
Riles on the other hand is a ham. Future scrapbooker in the making. (She calls it scrapbookie)

Someone I know is going to be VERY surprised!

No..said person is not getting this until Christmas..but I couldn't pass this opportunity up..and yes, he his spoiled rotten..but he is mine to spoil. After all that is why I work.
I found THIS used..but he won't care! I got the system and 3 games for $130.00.
Now said person is almost done for xmas. I just have to get a couple more things..and then I need to get stuff for Miss R.
Whimp

Guess What I Got??

I got a GREAT deal on a sizzlit font called Aphrodite. I actually got it for a way better price..can't wait for it to get here. This is one font that I reallllllllly wanted.
So much going on right now and I can't really talk about it here as I want to keep it as positive as possible.
wendy

Hmm...

Not much to say..not much to update on. I am having scrapbooking withdrawls. My sisters and I are having a Halloween party for our children next Saturday. I don't think I am ready yet..will I ever be? Probably not. We will invite 1 of every grade from 1st through 7th grade, and 2 fifth grades..wow. Between us all we have a child in every grade 7th through 1st grade (two in 5th grade..twins). what have we gotten ourselves into?
whimp

I have deeply wounded my son...

I don't know if I can fix it. He is heart broken by some words I said. He doesn't understand my anger. He probably never will. I made the situation worse..how can I fix it?
Danny was playing my computer tonight. He plays my computer most nights..but tonight was different. Instead of using the bookmark on my computer, I typed my blog address in the address bar. When I am creating new posts, he loves to look at the pictures I have posted. Usually he doesn't read anything..well..tonight, because I was to busy to monitor his internet activities (thank goodness he only went to my blog!) He read the comments I had written about his biological father. (I have since edited my post.) I didn't think anything about the whole dark whole thing. Danny did. His forgiving, loving, 9.5 year old heart doesn't understand why I could think such mean thoughts.
I have always tried not to talk negatively about troy in my son's presence. I want him to make up his own mind about such matters. Now..I fear I have jeopardized that with my carelessness.

I also have another request. I am truly grateful for the support I receive from my family and friends on the whole troy situation. However, these people are still Danny's family. I have to respect that. I owe my son that much..not them..my son. Danny has such a soft heart, and it is bruised easily, as I have found out tonight. Please help me in staying positive.
Thank you..
whimp

When did he turn into a boy??

Danny has turned into a full fledged boy. Not that he wasn't before..he just skipped the part where bugs were cool, loading up his pockets, thinking body noises were fun, etc..or so I thought.
The last 6 months, Danny has been loading his pockets with treasures from afar..i.e. bottle caps, spent bullets found in the field, used bb's, rocks, and broken bits of just about everything. He has also discovered arm pit farting, spitting contests, and ....squirrel hunting. He has a friend who loves to go hunting with his dad. They go hunting for squirrel. The problem with this?? Chris, nor I, either one hunt. So, this fall, Chris and Danny will take the Hunter's Safety Course to be able to get their hunting licenses, so they can hunt squirrel....together. How cool is that?? I hope they don't expect me to cook or eat it.

The Last Prowl...

Friday, Sept. 29, was the LAST homecoming Malvern will play as the Panthers. They will be merging next year with another small district. Team mascots will have to be decided upon, hopefully, it will be a cool one.
Many people who know me, know I am not fond of the Malvern School District. I had a very bad experience there growing up, and ended up Open Enrolling my sophomore year to Fremont-Mills. My children (outside of preschool) do not attend Malvern either.
However, Friday was a bit sad..sad to see the end of an era. Sad to know this was the LAST homecoming of their own. Sad to see a town who supports its mighty panthers, lined up at a homecoming parade knowing next year, we will be cheering for another team, playing a different school song.
It is sad..
Even though it was sad..miss riles, (and danny, who had stayed home because I thought he had strep throat) sure had a lot of fun. Riles discovered if she waved, people would throw candy to her. (She is the one in the front corner waving in the float picture.

Interview with a Princess....

Riley: "Look Mommy, I an a princess (princeth) now.."
Mom: "What are you going to do as a princess?"
Riley: "Hmm..."
Mom: waiting silently
Riley: "Build boats."
Mom: "What are you going to do with the boats?"
Riley: "Drive them in a parade."
Mom: "Who will drive them in a parade?"
Riley: "My Papa Ed, or Daddy can..not you tho..you drive to fast!"


Can you tell we are getting ready for homecoming this week? Two kids..two parades..two towns..15 minutes apart..thank goodness the parades are at 1:30 and 2:00..and thank GOD for grammas and papas.
love-n-luck
whimp

I am just in a funk...

I took a nap today and woke up in a horrible mood. I can't even begin to explain what is wrong. Maybe it is because this week is so crazy, maybe it is because I am disappointed and fed up in a person who used to be close to me. I don't know..I have done some really heavy thinking on my life this week. I have decided I am going to do what I want to do..not worry about pleasing everyone else. I am really tired of making decisions and plans, and having them questioned. I often wonder why people can't just be happy for others. This concerns me..why do we have to question what everyone is doing?? Why do we make it our business?? I have decided to cleanse my life of controversy. My past is my past..I am going to try to make it stay that way. (Even though..it tends to come up and bite me in the rear) I am no longer going to let it make me upset, or stress me out.
I am going to try to be a better parent, friend, and wife. I am going to try to be a better listener, a more patient person, and more romantic. I owe my family that.
love-n-luck
whimp

Guess what someone in our house is getting for Christmas?

I picked this up last night at Walmart. It can hold up to 250 songs. I can't wait until Christmas, to see the face of the unsuspecting party. Shhhh..don't tell!!

Now..we are looking for a neat little kids desk for miss riles. I would like a plastic little tikes type art desk for her. She loves to water paint, color, draw, and do crafts. She has plenty of room in her bedroom. Danny has one, but he WILL NOT part with it. (even though he is to big for it..his reasoning...it was the first christmas present Chris ever bought him)
SO..any suggestions would be appreciated. I want to keep the cost under 75.00.

***EDITED***

This is what I have found for desks for miss riles. I am hoping ToysRUs has them here. What do you think?

Thanks,
love-n-luck
wendy

Fall is in the air...well at least here in Iowa...

My sister, Michelle, and I went shopping Friday. Just the two of us..no kids. What did we do? Ended up shopping for stuff for the kids. lol..Anyway, we were at the mall, and discovered the tights first. We had originally picked out a pair of pink camo ones..but they were not to be found in miss riles' size. So we decided on these orange ones, then found the skirt, shoes, and sweater. I already had the orange shirt. Isn't she adorable??

Kynnedi's Story

Kynnedi’s Story

Thanks to everyone who donated their time, money, food, items for the raffle, etc at Kynnedi's benefit. It means so much to this family. Kynnedi is a lucky girl.

Wendy

{Kynnedi is my great-niece. Her father, Jamie aka..Jake is my nephew. Jake and Emily are wonderful, responsible, parents. It is moments like this, that remind me what kind of man (26) my nephew has become. He makes sure his family is taken care of, his children (he adopted Kylynn in 2005) know he loves them, and he is actively involved in their life, and care. Kynnedi is a bright, wonderful, happy, baby. Please help them achieve the goal they have set for Kynnedi.}

love-n-luck,

wendy

Have I ever told you I have 4 sisters?

Well, I do. Those of you who know me, probably know most of my sisters. The oldest is Cindy, then the twins Dianne and Deanne, then Michelle, and last is me..i am the baby (of 8). My sisters and I are very close. I know I can call any of them at anytime, day or night, and I will (usually) get full support on what ever ails me. I love them. I am proud of them. We, as individuals, have overcome amazing obstacles. We, as sisters, have overcome even greater obstacles. We have triumphed, laughed, loved, and lost people we have loved, and liked TOGETHER.

We are all creative..Cindy with her beads, Dianne and Deanne with their crafts..Michelle with her voice and quick wit, and me with my scrapbooking. We support each other, tell each other what we need to hear..even if it is harsh. I love each and every one of them differently. I am honored to call them my sisters.

w

If I EVER decide to take my children here again.....

someone PLEASE tell me to either become VERY inebriated...or take large doses of prozac before entering. thanks..you're swell.
Actually it wasn't too terribly bad (it's almost like childbirth..you forgot the agonizing pain hours after you have gone through it)...except..i lost miss riles for a good 5 min. I was totally freaking out. They called a code adam and everything. She was playing in the toddler play area..picture mcdonald's playland...and i turned to help danny with a game...viola..Riles is GONE. Guess where we found her?? She had to go potty. How she managed to FIND the bathroom in the first place is beyond me. So..i cried..hugged her...screamed at her..hugged her some more..and proceeded to put myself through more of The Amazing Pizza Machine.

It was actually a pretty cool place..just not totally cool with a 3 year old. Danny had fun. That is all that matters..wanna know something so totally cool about being a parent?? You get to take your kids places your parents would never take you..unfortunately, know we know WHY they didn't take us there! lol...
Love-n-luck,
w