Another One Down - 27 To Go

It is summer now? Now??? NOW?!?!?!

One week from tomorrow is our last day of work/daycare/etc. Then I get to be a stay-at-home mommy for a couple of months. I have big plans to get us out and about this summer. Now that my little man is three, he's slightly more portable.


I'm also excited that my B is taking a three week summer class offered by our district. The subject is Spanish and I have big hopes that she'll really enjoy it. I am hoping to take advantage and spend some quality time with my M, who is now three and developing a very distinct personality. I want to get to know him in a new way, just him. Minus the distraction of his sister and his...ahem, "friendship" with her.

For three hours a morning, four days a week, for three weeks. That's 36 hrs of mommy and me time.

But why do I wait for summer? Why do I not use my weekends in a more constructive way with my kids? Exhaustion. Stress. Housework. DVR.

I will always say this: I think teaching is the best of both worlds, parenting-wise. For those who want to work outside the home, but are conflicted about it. It provides both the income our family relies on and time to connect with my kids. I'm so grateful for both!

So in approx. 8 days, it's summer! Woot! And we are going to make the most of it this year.
I plan to make it so.





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Stinkin' Hives

I type this, trying to stay awake in a Benadryl haze.

It never fails, as soon as I get a little smug and mention to someone that I've really learned to avoid tree nuts...gah! It's happened more times than I can count. About once a year for the last 20 or so years. I think to myself, hey! I haven't had any run-ins with walnuts or pecans in a long time! and wham! There ya have it. Whether it's cross-contamination in an Almond Joy, a mysterious shaved pecan in a cream cheese dip, or today - showing my kids how to try the leftover salad from yesterday's BBQ. See kids? It's yummy! Ack!!! Nuts!!!

It's called Cranberry Celebration. It looks like a jello salad. Did not even consider that it may have walnuts in it. Grrrr.

What happens then is that I take two Benadryl and wait out the hive on my lip and mild swelling in my throat (much more favorable than severe swelling, let me tell you...). All of that fuss and all I did was chew one tiny piece of walnut (and spit it out quickly). Can't imagine the trouble I'd be in if I ate a large quantity. We'd be calling 911, that's what.

Today it makes me grateful that so far our kids seem to have dodged any food allergies. So far. They certainly haven't eaten any tree nuts that I know of.

I can't imagine having to worry and fuss over a child with more severe, numerous food allergies. I know how miserable they make me and mine haven't been life threatening (for the most part...).

As a parent, I have real empathy for people who have to watch every bite their children eat. I also see how people can get a little wacky about it. It's a really serious thing! And people don't always take it seriously. I had asked the waiter at a Cheesecake Factory in Baton Rouge if there were nuts in the cheesecake I was ordering. He said no. I ordered it. As my throat started to swell, I asked him if he was sure. He said, and I quote, "Well ma'am, there's pecans in the crust." I quickly paid my ticket so we could speed off to a pharmacy for my sleepy pink pills.

I'm grateful that we don't have to deal with it with the kids, but know that it could still happen any day.

Now I have one more thing to be suspicious of, deli jello salads. Dang-it.

A great day off for civilians, I can't help but think of the honorable servicemen and women who don't have today off. Who are in foreign countries fighting for the freedom of many.

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I used random.org this morning to choose a winner for 4 circus tickets! I entered all of my email and blog comment entries and the winner is Jen at Full Circle! Congrats. Jen, email me and I will give you the scoop on how to get the tix. I've got to get a little info from you to make it official.

Have a great holiday everyone. Around the OM house we've started the day off on a particularly leisurely note. We're all still in our pajamas, I'm sipping a cup of coffee, pondering what today holds.

Plans include tackling the piles of laundry, piles of mail, piles of toys. Some late-spring cleaning. Hopefully later we can also include a trip down to the park.

May your day be blessed as we remember those who have helped to make it so.


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The Circus Is Coming to Town!

And I have free tickets! Email me or comment here by Monday, May 25th for 4 free tickets to the 7:00 performance on Saturday, June 6th!

Good luck!

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Win tickets to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM, a thrill-filled, mind-blowing circus extravaganza! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOM, a thrill-filled, mind-blowing circus spectacular where fun for the entire family is no illusion.

Magical Zingmaster Alex and his assistant, Levitytia, lead audience members through an extraordinary world of fantasy and excitement that is sure to be captivating for Children Of All Ages. Don’t miss as apprentice illusionists mysteriously levitate their parents, a four-ton elephant disappears before the audience’s eyes, and the mischievous Mr. Gravity transforms into a ferocious tiger.

ZING ZANG ZOOM is a one-of-a kind experience, fun for the entire family!Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents ZING ZANG ZOOM.

Playing June 5-7 Qwest Center Omaha.

Tickets starting at $16.50.

Get Tickets at Ticketmaster.com

What I Do

Our local paper featured two of the biggest and funnest spring activities that I help my students participate in.

Our Special Friends Prom was May 2.
[Be sure to check out the gallery!]

We went fishing on May 12.
[The first teacher mentioned in that article might even be yours truly.]

It's one of the reasons I keep loving what I do. Education comes in many forms, including the recreational stuff.


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Muffins

I've been hunting for the PERFECT banana muffin recipe. Trying out several varieties in the last week. I made some whiz-bang muffins. They were good, but not quite what I'm looking for. Right now, there are Banana Crumb Muffins in my oven and I'm very optimistic. How can anything topped with brown sugar and butter be bad?

My nephews, ages 5, 3, and 1 are coming for an overnight stay in just under an hour. The thought of entertaining and feeding five children on my own for 8+ hours has me itchy. I know some women have that many every day. Or those who run a home daycare and have even more five days a week. We'll see how it goes, I'm sure they'll have lots of fun. I have bubbles, popsicles, and a movie or two planned. The interesting part will be this evening, when I think they all need to go to bed. That has me the itchiest!

So the baking is therapy, it's calming me down. Knowing I'll have a healthy, wholesome snack for them.

Wish me luck!

Edited to add: The kids were great. Energetic, but great. Busy, but great. The sleep was very light, but it was a good night all in all. The muffins? Really good. The only bad part was that I ate more of them than the children. B liked them, but the nephews were not crazy about them.

Mother's Day was lovely. We planted some flowers that the kids had given me and they gave me all sorts of lovely treats. I felt like the queen, just the way a mama should.

And yes, Mimi and Beck, send those recipes over my way. I would love to continue the quest. There seems to be no shortage here of over-ripe bananas. I keep buying the bananas and we keep not finishing them.

NOT YET

"Mommy, since it's gonna be Mother's Day, you can pick what I will be. Space explorer, paleontologist, farmer, movie star, or a super star. Which will it be?"

I say, entomologist (she's got a strange interest in bugs and is a natural scientist, I've been pushing entomology, she just can't ever remember how to pronounce it).


"But mommy! I really want to go space! I'm going to name a planet!"

I say, you can name a planet from Earth.


She looks at me, confused. "I will name it here, but then I get to go visit it!"


I frown. Not a huge fan of the thought of space exploration. I tell her she can be an astronaut if she chooses to, but that I will miss her.


So she pinky swears with me that she will come back as soon as she can.


Then it hits me. Bam.


Some day she really will go.


Maybe not to space. But somewhere. A university. A dorm.


It knocked the breath out of me a little. I'm not usually quite so sappy, but it hit me. She won't be here, telling me ridiculous jokes, demanding another episode of Zack & Cody. Not forever.


Wow. That's too much for this Friday.


I'm just going to hang on to kindergarten. And my five-year old. For now.

Now I Am Three

So I will figure out that I can open the freezer. The freezer!

Mama keeps popsicles in the door, so that's awe-some.

I figure if I yell something, it will be so.

If I want to change my clothes and mama says no, how can she say no if I pee in them? Logic. Perfect.

I will get really, really mad if my mama steals the popsicle that I stole from the freezer. She ate it right of me. That's just mean.

When I'm mad, I cry. Loudly.

I can be sweet.

I like to pat my mom's back and tell her I love her.

I don't like falling asleep alone, so come down to bug my parents. They like it when I do that.

But really, I'm just learning how to be three. On the cusp of starting preschool next fall. Getting ready to spend the summer with my mom.

It's a window, really. A moment in time when I'm right between toddler and preschooler. Nothing can stop me now!

Bolder Today

I've decided that the friggin' flu will not frighten me. Period.
I will be only optimistic because I'm chosing to be.

Feeling much better today. By choice.

I refuse to let any of it get me down. I'm so blessed here, where I am. That's what I'll focus on.

I'm about to eat some marinated flank steak and roasted veggies. I'm enjoying a chilled beverage. And it's Friday.

Life is good and I'm only focusing on that.
Period.