Why am I still up? :)

School has taken up so much time that I haven't spoken to my friends and family much. I miss you Aunt Dee, Deb, Tom and Sheri. I'll try and call soon. Or you can call me. Let's get together.

I finished a class tonight! Happy Happy. I gave a presentation on illiteracy in the workforce. You'd be surprised how many of your co-workers may not read or write well. Amazing. I don't think I'll ever be completely comfortable doing presentations. But just being forced to do about 30 since last summer has desensitized me a tad. Conquering this fear is one of my greatest accomplishments. It seems so small, yet it's so big for me.

Any tips on teaching very skittish girls to ride their bikes w/o training wheels?
Going up and down the street holding them is just tiring and they aren't learning anything. They are keenly aware when I let go which makes them panic and stop. My dad bought them these beautiful bikes and they aren't using them!

Nothing in particular

One of the ways I am getting through school is by "playing hookie" every once in a while and watching a show or going out. We went out yesterday and had a good time eating at a steak house in Alliance. ( Jay got a gift certificate at work) and shopping for nothing in particular. We just window shopped at Carnation Mall with the girls.

But today, I knew that playtime was over. I had to write a long research paper on a boring subject. It seemed to take forever. But it's done. I just need to write a reference page, and a Power Point for the presentation on Tuesday. I'm starting to see the finish line of this loooong semester.

Jay's out mowing the lawn. I love him for that. Once I did the lawn and it looked like the lawn got a bad hair cut. Hee hee. He's never asked me to do it again. Hmmm. Maybe I should mess up the laundry...

Schtufff en durfen

I love the family scenes on Medium. They remind us of our family. The writing is so good.

A few more weeks of school to suffer through. And I do mean suffer through.

Oh and I happen to have an interview with A. Public Schools on Friday!!!!!!!!

Say a prayer for me around 10:30 if you can think of it. I need all the help I can get!

Good Night.

Schemers

Schemer 1. Emily wants another webkinz. Plotting ensues. She knows that I want her to eat breakfast at school. She just doesn't. I try to feed her at home but she isn't very hungry. So, today she told me that she'd eat breakfast at school for a week for a webkinz. I thought about it. Hmmm. Positive reinforcement and so forth.... So we bargained to two weeks of breakfast and cleaning her room for a webkinz.

Schemer 2. Tara wants money. She doesn't know what to buy with it, but knows that having money is a good thing. Money equates to getting to walk up and down and up and down the toy aisle at Walmart. Anyway, she came in right before bed and told me of her idea ( the same idea she's had two or three times) to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy saying she lost her tooth, and then misplaced the tooth. Could she still have the money? ! I began explaining why that was a lie and we don't lie and that the Tooth Fairy only has the money for the kids who really lose teeth.... I have learned to talk fast and make it brief because kids' eyes glaze over very quickly.
She looked at me as serious as a heart attack and said, "So it won't work?"
So much for the great moral lesson.

The inmates are running the asylum. :)

Jaytalking II

Hi everyone, Joann is busy with school right now so she is allowing me to sneak on here and make a post. I'm in a lighthearted mood today, so let's talk about something cool. The manliest man ever, Chuck Norris:

CHUCK NORRIS FACTS:
Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.

Chuck Norris' calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.

Chuck Norris once won a game of Connect Four in 3 moves.

Giraffes were created when Chuck Norris uppercutted a horse.

Chuck Norris' chest hair has chest hair.

Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.

Chuck Norris does not "style" his hair. It lies perfectly in place out of sheer terror.

Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch, HE decides what time it is.

If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.

At tax time, Chuck Norris mails the IRS only a picture of himself,crouched & ready to attack. Chuck Norris has never had to pay taxes. Ever.

Chuck Norris was once on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and was the first to spin. The next 29 minutes of the show consisted of everyone standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.

my social butterflies

The girls have more people to see than the president. It makes me laugh. I have a feeling it's only going to get more intense. I'm happy for them. I want them to be busy with friends. I remember hanging out with Debi. We did it all. They are the best memories.

Here is just today's social card:

The phone rang. It was for Emily.

The door bell rang. "Can Emily come out to play?"

Then they went to Brownies.

At Brownies, Tara sees her best buddy. Tara is going to her friend's house for a play date tomorrow after school.

Does anyone want me to come out and play? sniff.

wandering off

Yesterday, the girls asked to go outside and play. I gave them the typical list of do's and don'ts. Don't talk to strangers. Don't leave the yard.... A little while later I looked out the window to check on them. No kids. I called. Nothing. It turns out they were on another street in a neighbor girl's yard playing. They must have sprinted over there. Jay went and got them after touring the neigborhood frantically in our van. Emily's excuse for disobeying us? "I wanted to get some fresh air." What, there's no air in our yard? Tara's excuse? "Emily made me do it." Grrr.

Today, we put Millie out on her leash. We gave her the typical list of do's and don'ts. Just kidding. Anyway, Jay went out to get her. No Millie. Not again! Luckily she was close by. Her chain broke. Sheesh. That's it. Nobody plays outside until they're 20.

How do you spell....?

Just a funny moment I wanted to share.

I was teaching the girls' brownie troop tonight about magnets. I had them go around the room and find out if stuff is magnetic or not and write it out. They are between the ages of 6 and 9, so some can spell and some can't. Tara and her friend were paired up. Another little girl came excitedly up to me and wanted to know how to spell chair. At the same time, Tara and her partner wanted the spelling of bulletin board. Ok, so I started spelling for the other little girl, when yet another kid asked me how to spell magnet. I finished with the one girl and then spelled magnet. I finally noticed my own poor daughter. She was writing all the letters to all the words! Her bulletin board was spelled bchairmagnet.... Gotta love it. I think if I just kept spelling other kids' words, she'd still be there spelling. :) My bad Tara. :)

Minutia

Getting wood for the fire at camp

• Emily has not been sleeping well. She saw a fruit gusher's commercial that scared her. Of all things to scare a person! We have awoken to find her in our room, in the hall, in Tara's room and anywhere there is another person. Even Millie has been sleeping with her. Very carefully Jay and I have monitored and censored what our girls can see. And a flippin commercial does all the damage! Dang it!
  
  
• I am applying to many schools. But I'd really like a position in Akron. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!
  
  
• Tara still sleep walks. It is the weirdest thing. I guess when I was little I did the same thing. Even my mom slept walked as an adult. One time she woke up OUTSIDE in her pajamas. I know Tara is sleep walking when she walks in and sits down on my lap and begins to babble. Her eyes are open but there is this vacancy. It's so freaky. I just take her back to bed and tuck her back in. Once, my mom said I got up when I was about five, got dressed, got undressed and went back to bed all while sleeping! Now, if only I could figure out how to exercise while sleeping, I'd be all set!
  
  
• EWWWW- Tara and Emily just called me into Tara's room because she left a sucker on her dresser and it was covered with big black ants. It's times like these that I want to nominate someone else to be in charge to take care of stuff. I hate ants.