A Week's Worth... + 2 Days...

Geez. The past week has been crazy hectic, and right this minute I have approximately 734 things/people that are demanding my attention, but I am through being responsible and pleasant. I just realized that the more I try to accomplish, the more stuff will appear on my To Do list. I'm rebelling against... I don't know what... but I'm rebelling.

Day 50:

1. biscuits and gravy.

2. bracelets. Lots of bracelets.

3. notepads.

4. new EXPO markers for my board.

5. finding the remote for my ELMO just when I think the black hole on my desk has sucked it in.

Day 51:

1. a night with nothing to do.

2. string cheese.

3. magnetic picture sleeves.

4. bow ties on little boys.

5. seersucker.

Day 52:

1. Laney's insistence on calling my grandmothers by their first names. She's so sassy!

2. people watching. It's a favorite pastime in our family. I used to feel bad about getting such a kick out of people's weird ways, but I figure I've given other people-watchers a laugh or two...

3. dancing in the car when a good song comes on. Ethan & Laney do it, too. You should see us break it down when "Womanizer" comes on.

4. crushed ice.

5. fun friends.

Day 53:

1. when Children's Church is over...

2. the public library.

3. the Bookmobile.

4. the ice cream truck.

5. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Great memories of middle/junior high school dances...

Day 54:

1. pictures that my kiddies draw for me.

2. our French door art gallery.

3. that our refrigerator is a magnetic tribute to our kids, families, and friends.

4. mornings when I was little when I got ready before everybody else and could watch a little TV. "Bewitched" always came on right about the time we were leaving... made me sad...

5. hiding places. As a child, 1. My closet behind my mom's long dresses, 2. the dryer. Now, 1. my closet. 2. Sam's room.

Day 55:

1. "Designing Women." At this point in my life, I want to be like Julia. When I get old, I want to be like Berneice.

2. "Three's Company." Growing up, I thought it would be sooooo cool to have a male roommate. Mary and Ken didn't see things my way.

3. "The Dukes of Hazard." I remember sliding through the rolled down windows of Toad's red Chevy... at least, until he came out and saw what I was doing. I didn't want to be Daisy; I wanted to be one of the Duke boys. Now, I'd settle for looking like Daisy did back then.

4. "Alvin & the Chipmunks" and "The Chipettes." Theodore and his chubby girlfriend were my favorites. I think my mom still has the Arby's collectible glasses in the cabinet somewhere.

5. "Simon & Simon." I had the hots for AJ. I think this fostered my love of detective shows.

Day 56:

1. a great sale on a great dress.

2. finding surprises for the kids that I know they will love.

3. grocery shopping.

4. finding a card in the card store that makes me laugh out loud.

5. nice salespeople.

Day 57:

1. when people bring Diet Coke to functions so I don't have to wonder what I'm going to drink.

2. eating a slice of cheesecake because it is calling my name LOUDLY and still losing weight.

3. watching Ethan wrestle for the first time. He TOTALLY doesn't take it seriously, but he kicks hiney at the Spider game...

4. Sam's jabbering that wakes me up at 4 AM. Can't get mad because he's just so happy to be here... and that sound -- it's like the sweetest symphony! If I have to wake up at 4 am, that's the sound I want to wake up to...

5. Ethan's version of history. They are learning about The Statue of Liberty in school right now, and he's trying to teach me. It's hilarious! So far, I know that she lives on an island -- not Ellis Island, Mommy! Just an island! -- and that she's green. What we don't know is why she's green or why she's holding fire. I think he missed those parts when his ADD kicked in...

Day 58:

1. anticipating the weekend.

2. feeling productive.

3. broccoli.

4. mushrooms.

5. asparagus.

Days 48 & 49

Day 48:
I found a bunch of my coaching stuff... made me reminisce a little...
1. my coaching tshirts. K hates them, says they're atrocious. My favorite is the one the proclaims as THE QUEEN in large, cheap block letters across the back.
2. blowing a whistle. I forgot to use it half the time, but it made me feel kind of official.
3. watching my girls after a win -- and knowing how hard they worked for it.
4. bus rides to games -- except for the season that I was pregnant with Laney. Those made me sick.
5. the thrill of coaching. I miss it so much -- but I know that I'd be crazy to get back into it right now with three kids. Still... coaching volleyball gave me killer arm muscles... nothing like hitting 763 balls per practice to make you look like you trained Mr. T....

Day 49:
1. When America has sense. We may not be able to manage money worth a crap, but at least we had the sense to vote Tatiana off of American Idol. I was worried after the whole Sanjaya incident...
2. The red ju-ju hearts that come out at Valentine's. Yum! Could eat the whole bag.
3. Girl Scout cookies. Specifically Peanut Butter Patties, Caramel Delights, and Shortbreads. You can keep your Thin Mints. They make me want to throw up.
4. Sam in his "Ladies Man" tshirt. I bought it for him to wear to school for Valentine's Day, but he was home sick. It isn't specifically Valentine's wear, though, so he wore it today. He cracked himself up... which cracked me up.
5. Friends in The Know. It amazes me that I have friends who can help with just about any problem... and that are willing to share their knowledge/contacts/resources.

Day 46 & 47...

Day 46:
1. hanging out with Pearle. She makes me laugh, AND she doesn't mind talking talking about my Pop, who is one of my Top 10 Favorite People of All Time.
2. being busy. Sometimes, I think I over-commit, and I'm sure some of my friends/family would say I do... but I really love the sense of accomplishing things. Besides, if I wasn't busy, I'd have no excuse for being a poor housekeeper.
3. Bingo. We had a Valentine's banquet at church yesterday, and it makes me laugh to no end at the crazy intensity that Bingo creates in people. I mean, people will cut you for less than jostling their Bingo cards. We also play Bingo at my family reunion every year, and I remember some instances when people got huffy over who was getting what prize.
4. The rare occasion when K gets up with a baby without me having to ask. He "pretends" to sleep, so I -- being the lighter sleeper -- wake up... and I think I've blogged about this before... but by the time I get him up, it TOTALLY defeats the purpose of me not having to get up... which is to be able to sleep. Anyway, last night, he got up with Sam without me asking, and it was B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.
5. Catnaps that make you feel refreshed and not like you're coming to after being hit by a bus.

Day 47:
1. students who actually keep up with handouts.
2. that one student who was paying attention when I gave an assignment and has no problem 1) calling out the others by saying, "She did give us that project -- last Tuesday!" and 2) turning in magnificent work on time.
3. spring catalogs arriving in the mail.
4. the first hint of spring in the air.
5. spring fever. I've got it. Can you tell? I'm so tired of cold weather and heavy clothes and bundling up. My flip-flops are getting restless.

Day Something That I Can't Remember Because I Forgot To Look...

1. Corn-on-the-cob. Preferably fresh and grilled, but I'll take it any way you make it. Butter. A little salt. Pepper. Ideally, it'd be on the same plate with some kind of grilled or boiled shrimp, sliced fresh tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper, and homemade cheese grits...and some sweet cantaloupe, if it's available. But, again-- I'll take it any way you make it.
2. A pretty pedicure... which reminds me... I need one. :-P
3. Teaching my kids things that my parents and grandparents taught me. Tonight, Ethan, Laney, and I made dinner. Homemade pizza and brownies. Not the most nutritious, I know, but they love helping in the kitchen... mixing up stuff, setting the table, etc. I don't know if they'll remember these kinds of things or not, but I still remember standing in a chair in our kitchen, helping my mom bake cookies... or in Hazel's kitchen, measuring out ingredients (but OH MY GOSH -- how I hated setting the table at her house! Was so glad when Lindsey got old enough to take over that duty!)... or in Pearle's kitchen, making macaroni & cheese. Provided they don't keel over from salmonella poisoning because I let them lick the brownie batter bowl, I hope they'll share the same kind of stuff with their kids...
4. Mac's cheeseburgers and milkshakes... although I've learned the hard way that Mac & his helpers don't like making milkshakes and will sometimes refuse if they don't feel like it. This frustrates me to no end, but what can you do? I just always hope I catch them in the milkshake-making mood...
5. making homemade Valentines with the older kids... even if they do fight like Tom & Jerry. Their cards are so funny and original and priceless. I can't say this will be a new tradition, as it sort of made me feel like drop-kicking them both in the teeth, but it was sooo worth it to see their pride in their creations.

Days 40, 41, 42, 43, & 44

Sorry, Lindsey... that obviously didn't help. This week has been crazy. For starters, Sam & E have been sick. Sick kids always throw the schedule waaaay out of whack. And, for what it's worth, they haven't been sick-sick simultaneously. E started out the week, and Sam is finishing it up... although Sam has been kinda puny all week.

Ok, I have to admit this, too, because I am not sure whether to laugh or cry. With all of the school budget cuts, we're having to forgo subs, which means that instead of having time to plan these fabulous lessons we are supposed to teach, we have to cover other people's classes. I really don't mind doing this, except 1 -- no one will ever have to cover my classes for an entire day because I have no more sick days, 2 -- it never fails that I have to cover when I have a ton of stuff to do.

Like today.

I just called Marble Slab Creamery to see what time they open, only to find the number has been disconnected.

Normally, that wouldn't alarm me, EXCEPT I just sent Marble Slab gift cards to school with my kids for their teachers' Valentine's gifts.

So, now I am in a quandary. I have to replace those cards with something they might use -- the closest store is now about 30 minutes away. AND I had to cover a class this morning, so I had a while to stew over this mess when I normally would be working and focusing on other things.

I wonder if their teachers are going to talk about me in the Teachers' Lounge....



Day 40:
1. Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes."
2. "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid soundtrack.
3. Air Supply.
4. Chicago.
5. Kenny Rogers from back in tha day.

Day 41:
1. "Physical" - Olivia Newton John -- I remember working out to this song with my Get In Shape Girl! gear.
2. "Eye of the Tiger" -- and most of Survivor's other big hits.
3. "The Sweetest Thing" -- Juice Newton.
4. Prince from the 80s.
5. Kool and the Gang. Old school.

Day 42:
1. John Cougar - before he became Mellencamp -- when he was all about "Jack and Diane" and "Hurt So Good."
2. Bruce Springsteen from the 80s and maybe early 90s -- "Glory Days" and whatnot.
3. "Sherry" - Steve Perry
4. "Let's Hear It for the Boy."
5. Whitney Houston -- "Saving All My Love for You" and her other dance hits.

Day 43:
1. Madonna when she was the Material Girl -- "Papa Don't Preach" era.
2. The Bangles -- "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Manic Monday."
3. George Michael's "Faith" album.
4. Debbie Gibson -- "Electric Youth" album.
5. Tiffany -- "I Think We're Alone Now" -- preferably the rendition by my Clemson girls this summer @ the Chick-Fil-A when we were trapped during the storm. Our children were mesmerized. Or traumatized. One or the other...

Day 44:
1. stain spray. Just realized the highlighter I keep clipped to my lanyard at school has been laying in my lap for a few minutes. Nice yellow stain on my pretty pink pants.
2. clown cones from Baskin Robbins.
3. knowing that the school day is going to end. It cannot last forever.
4. baseball fields.
5. venting to my girls about men -- knowing they understand and are laughing because they, too, have felt like selling their husbands as mail-order spouses to scary, hairy, beastly women in Yugoslavia.

Day 38 & 39

Lindsey, my younger cousin who is really more like the 16-year old daughter I don't have, apparently does not like it that I miss days... so I'm going to try to do better... just because I don't like making her life difficult or disappointing her. Iz, I can't say I'll be great at it... but I'm going to try, Princess. Be patient, Priss. :-)




Day 38:
1. a room lit with lamps instead of overhead lights. Just seems so warm and inviting.
2. my Wonder Woman ring.
3. getting flowers at school... although this never happens on Valentine's because my school won't accept any deliveries on Valentine's Day.
4. Snickers ice cream bars.
5. being on-campus @ Clemson. I L.O.V.E. that place...

Day 39:
1. Ethan's tendency to make up the rules to any and every game... oddly enough, it always works out that his rules help him win...
2. finding the perfect card.
3. listening to my grandparents' stories... Granted, I've heard some of them 500 times... I heard Granny B.'s rendition of when Papa Max saw her across the churchyard twice today... but I love peeking into their history.
4. finding the caramels in a box of chocolates.
5. wandering aimlessly in a store when I have no children in tow.

Days 36 & 37 of 365

The past two weeks have been uncharacteristically hectic, and nothing proves that more than the fact that I am happily sitting at home in my bathrobe -- my lovely, trusty bathrobe -- blogging away on a Friday night. I used to think Friday nights were for social, fun events, but that was before 3 kids and one alarmingly twilight-zoned husband zapped all my energy like my childhood neighbor's bug zapper used to zap all kinds of creepy itty bitty varmints.



Day 36:
1. margaritas the size of my head.
2. getting text messages when I'm bored.
3. color coordination.
4. driving a stick shift.
5. rollerskating in Pat & Jimmy's basement to "Jack & Diane."

Day 37:
1. multi-syllable words that are fun to say... like "tumultuous" and "brouhaha."
2. a warm day to end a cold spell.
3. finding a package on the front porch that I wasn't expecting.
4. going to the zoo.
5. getting chapstick for Christmas when I was little. Yeah, I ate it... but it was good, and it didn't kill me.

Day 35?

Gah.

Why can't the days of one month just continue on where the last one left off... Feb. 32, Feb. 33... Numbers are not my forte, and the days of numerical title abandonment seem to be looming just over the horizon...

For today, however, I will pretend that it is Day 35, even though I am not sure that is the next post number.

1. realizing mid-run that it doesn't hurt anymore. That is why I run; after the initial pain, it is just an amazing high.
2. taking off teeth-whitening strips. I hate those suckers, but I drink 74.2 Diet Cokes per day, so I decided to start the whitening process this morning. It stinks, BUT the highlight is that eventually, I get to take them off. :-)
3. K wearing his slipper sox to the store. Jay & Nikki gave K these horrendous slipper sox for Christmas a few years back, and he wears them religiously in the cold weather. Now, I am currently sitting here, swaddled in my robe, but at least my robe is pretty. The slipper sox are my least favorite item of clothing he owns -- besides the mock turtlenecks... but those are another story by themselves. Anyway, K has no qualms about wearing his slipper sox to the store for late night runs. Once they are on, they don't come off... apparently. "This is how I roll," he says. I say, "If you roll like that, maybe you should just stay home."
4. Ethan's "Who Let the Letters Out?" song. Yes, that's right. He sings the entire alphabet as well as the sounds they make to the tune of "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Who says 5K doesn't rock?!? Laney and I have a dance party every time he breaks it down...
5. getting rid of the mountain o' mail that usually adorns our kitchen counter. It takes a certain mood and some quality time with the shredder, but it is just lovely to have open, uncluttered counters.

Days...

31, 32, & 33.

Waaaayyyy behind. I know.



Day 31:
1. The satisfaction of finishing a good book.
2. The anticipation of looking for a new book.
3. Unlimited time to browse in the bookstore.
4. Sitting on the floor in the "Travel" section of the bookstore, browsing and dreaming... K & I used to do this when we were dating. Once, when he thought we might possibly be moving to Montana for his job, we were disturbed to learn that there are more wild, ferocious animals per square mile than humans in Montana. You can't imagine the sigh of relief that followed the news that we weren't going.
5. Imagining what the cover of my Great American Novel is going to look like. :-)

Day 32:
1. Days my mom makes lunch or dinner for us. I love to cook, but dang! A day off here and there is niiiiiccccceeee!
2. My mom having a Facebook page! I still can't believe it -- and I'm not 100% sure that she knows how to check it, but still! It's very impressive for a woman who isn't quite sure how to open email attachments!
3. Spending time with my brother & sister-in-law. I know they breathe a sigh of relief when we leave with our mass menagerie of kids... :-)
4. Super Bowl grub. I love a good excuse to eat!
5. Valentine's Little Debbie Cakes. I know they have 4.2 million calories per bite, but I don't care. I could eat the whole box.

Day 33:
1. Photographic trips down Memory Lane. I might poke Mark in the eye for posting those pics of me, but what a laugh!!!
2. The idea that I might've had a mullet. I'm hoping I didn't, but the idea of it just makes me laugh my head off! I hope that one is exempt from "Fashion Disaster" status while your parents are responsible for dressing you. :-)
3. Anticipating snow... even if it's just a little. Just the sight of a few flakes immediately turns me into an awe-struck five year old! I don't care about accumulation; it's just the magic of it all!
4. Getting a run in after a few weeks off.
5. Trying a new recipe and having it turn out fab-u-lous. This is a tough house to cook for, but Herb-Mustard Pork Chops were a hit!