tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50587793841395261082023-11-16T06:32:48.303-05:00Life From My LaptopI'm a wife, mommy, 2nd grade teacher, and recipient of bulldog kisses. :) Welcome to this wild and wacky world of mine!Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-69240479654099548102009-07-15T20:03:00.003-04:002009-07-15T20:09:19.905-04:00Talking lions can help your child settle down for bed...<span style="font-size:130%;">Recently, I decided to try a new bedtime routine with V. I have tried to read with her at bedtime before and it never works because she just talks the whole time and interrupts the story and frustrates me and wounds her up instead of winding her down for bed. However, she is getting older, so I decided to try reading a chapter a night out of a book series. I was also more clear about my expectations while we were reading. So far, it has gone really well! We started with "The Magician's Nephew" from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. She ADORES the book and starts asking after her shower if we have time to read each night. Of course, there are nights where she goofs around and doesn't shower quickly and we don't have time to read but I really try to get to it each night if possible. It's so nice to end the night with cuddles and reading rather than just quick hugs and tucking and fussing to stop talking and go to sleep.<br /><br />So what do your kids like to read at bedtime? We have a while before we finish Narnia (it's a 7 book series) but I would love suggestions for what to read next.</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-6949877361635929652009-07-14T22:07:00.003-04:002009-07-14T22:11:29.759-04:00Can't you feel the burn?<span style="font-size:130%;">Oh.my.gosh. As I am typing this, my legs ache, my arms are stiff, my back feels like someone pounded on it, and my butt hurts. I am trying to lose weight and get back into some kind of shape other than round and flabby, so I tried "The Biggest Loser 2" DVD tonight. Sweet Lord...I am in terrible shape. The sadistic girl in the video kept smiling and saying, "Can't you feel the burn? Aren't you working up a sweat?" Yes, cute skinny girl with flat abs and a perfect body. This fat girl with a jiggle roll and granny arms sure can feel the burn. I HATE to sweat - and I had to shower afterwards because I was so sweaty. It sure is more fun getting fat than trying to get it off. I want some ice cream SOOO bad...thank goodness Tim is working late so I can't indulge my craving. Pray for me!</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-7538057090481811782009-06-28T20:14:00.002-04:002009-06-28T20:17:06.110-04:00She is also available for consults if needed...<span style="font-size:130%;">The other night I was tucking V into bed. We had our hug, our kiss, our "goodnight", our "sweet dreams", and I was walking out the door. She calls out, "Mommy, hang on. I need to tell you something really important." V has been really bad about stalling lately, so I said, "It better be important - it's time for bed." She assured me that it was. It had been a long day and we had been to the pool, so I already had my pj's on - a cami and some knit shorts. She looked at me and said, "You really shouldn't wear that sleeveless shirt to bed - you might get cold and it's not very fashionable." Oh really? Thank you so much for the advice. I guess it wasn't fierce enough for her... :)</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-50489666451779155612009-05-26T22:37:00.002-04:002009-05-26T22:47:46.309-04:00Witty Visms (guaranteed to make you giggle or your money back!)<span style="font-size:130%;">My sweet V. How she loves to talk! If it were an Olympic sport, she would have more medals than Michael Phelps. However, as much as she likes to talk, she pronounces certain words so hilariously that you cannot help but laugh at her. She also comes up with the wackiest things! Let me share some of my favorites from the long weekend...<br /><br />******************************************************************************<br />Me: (Friday afternoon on the way to the dentist) How was school today?<br /><br />V: Good. We have this new girl and she's from another state and she had a fit at school today.<br /><br />Me: Oh, my! What happened?<br /><br />V: She got mad and said she hated our school and she hated our TEACHERS (said very dramatically because that's the worst thing you can say in 3rd grade, I believe) and that she was going to call her dad and tell him to move her back where she moved from because people in the South are just ig-nore-ment.<br /><br />Me: Did she mean ignorant? (snickering under my breath)<br /><br />V: Yeah. I just couldn't remember how to say that word she said when she was being so mean to us.<br /><br />Well, if this kid thinks the South is ignorant, at least V is doing all she can to change her mind. HAHA!<br /><br />****************************************************************************<br />Tim, V and I were watching the Today show on Saturday morning and the reporter was interviewing people about how they are cutting their budgets this summer. All of the people were in New York City and were talking about how they were going to this state and that state for vacation. Tim and I were amazed because hello! You live in New York. You have tons of places to go and do things without even leaving your city. We started talking about our ideal dream vacation. V jumped in...<br /><br />V: If I could go anywhere, I want to go to China.<br /><br />Tim: Why would you want to go there?<br /><br />V: So I could see where all my toys are made. Every single toy I have says on the bottom "Made in China." I bet they have really cool toy making places there.<br /><br />****************************************************************************<br />Monday morning...<br /><br />V: So Mommy, what are you remembering today?<br /><br />Me: Huh? What do you mean?<br /><br />V: Well, today is Mem-oral Day...you have to reMEMber something.<br /><br /><br /><br />Hope everyone had a great Mem-oral Day weekend! :)<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-81372192986764277182009-05-24T18:43:00.001-04:002009-05-24T18:45:51.919-04:00Top 10 ways to know you are ready for school to end...<span style="font-size:130%;">I hope those of you who teach will enjoy this! :)<br /><br />10. You are so tired, you now want to answer students' questions with "Shut up!"<br />9. Your friends call to ask how you've been and you immediately scream "Stop asking me all these questions."<br />8. Your garbage can is now your "INBOX"<br />7. The next kid who asks you for a pencil is going to hear "Don't you ever have anything? Do you see Wal-Mart tattooed on my forehead?"<br />6. You fantasize about how relaxing it would be if you were in jail right now!<br />5. Your recess jumps from 15 minutes to 45 minutes.<br />4. The only thing in your classroom to eat is chocolate with a soda chaser.<br />3. Math lesson consists of "calculate how many days we have left, hours, minutes, no wait, seconds..."<br />2. You find yourself saying "This is May, you should know the rules by now" way too many times a day.<br />1. You start turning the teachers of the next grade level into big scary monsters who "will NOT accept this kind of behavior at all next year!"<br /><br />7 days left....can you tell I am getting excited?<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-86615121978994222182009-05-10T23:25:00.003-04:002009-05-10T23:30:55.616-04:005 Reasons I'm Thankful to be a Mom...<span style="font-size:130%;">1. Unlimited hugs...at any time. God gave me a huggy little girl!<br />2. An awesome husband who is the best dad in the world. Even when things are going horribly, he can always find a way to make me laugh!<br />3. I get a whole day off where I don't have to cook (not that I do that a whole lot anyway) or clean (ditto). I sure enjoyed eating out TWICE today :)<br />4. Sweet homemade gifts - V worked ALL day yesterday on bead crafts. :) I now have a beaded cat magnet and a beaded portrait magnet. You gotta admit, it's got to be hard to make beads look like your mommy!<br />5. Cards...I am such a Hallmark target. I love getting sappy and funny cards - and Tim and V did a great job with both!<br /><br />Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!!!!</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-85809713722979358182009-05-04T22:41:00.002-04:002009-05-04T22:48:24.379-04:00It's Diffendoofer Day<span style="font-size:130%;">If you have ever read "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day" by Dr. Seuss, you know exactly what my title means. Here's a brief recap of the book...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Diffendoofer School teaches what it wants. The teachers teach frogs to dance and pigs to put on underpants! However, they soon learn that all students have to take a standardized test to prove the worth of the school or it will be shut down. The teachers, who obviously take such a different approach to learning, get nervous. Will their students do well? Will they "make the grade"? Miss Bonkers, the main teacher in the story isn't worried. She says, "We've taught you that the earth is round, That red and white make pink, And something else that matters more- We've taught you how to think."<br /><br />In this testing era, I feel sometimes that we test kids to death. There are times of the year where we literally spend more time on testing than teaching. Standardized testing for my 2nd grade babies starts tomorrow. And I start questioning myself....have I done all I can do to prepare them? Are they really ready for this? And - most importantly - have I taught them the things that matter? Have I taught them how to think?<br /><br />I pray that I have. I pray that my students do well. It's easy to let an end of the year assessment overshadow the day to day learning that I have helped facilitate all year. <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-22625495685647400282009-05-01T23:43:00.005-04:002009-05-01T23:55:04.817-04:00A day that will live in teaching infamy<span style="font-size:130%;">Well, Tim got home safely and we were both so glad to see him! I think we almost knocked him over with hugs. :) However, I didn't sleep well the night he was gone. I never sleep well when he's not home. So....it may explain for what happened at school the next day.<br /><br />My kids officially have spring fever. They are counting down the days and when I told them I knew they were going to read this summer since they weren't going to be in school, I got a verbal list of 38 things they could do instead of read. Well. It's obvious I have done my job well.<br /><br />During writing Tuesday afternoon, we were talking about dictionary skills. We have been reviewing guide words (the key words at the top of the dictionary page) and how to sound out words to find them in the dictionary to make sure they are spelled correctly. We even play this game called "Dictionary Detective" where I challenge them to find something in the dictionary and whoever finds it first gets a jellybean. The power of sugar... Anyway, I was chiding them about being lazy during writing and just writing a few letters for a big word instead of writing all the sounds they hear. I told them, "You guys know the word favorite. Well, what sounds do you hear in favorite?" They sounded it out with an f - a - v- o- r- i - t. Pretty decent for 2nd grade. Next, I said, "But guess what? That's not what I see you write when you are drafting a story. You just sound out some of the letters like f - a - r - t." The ENTIRE room immediately burst out into the loudest laughter I had ever heard in my classroom. That's right...the teacher wrote fart on the board. I looked at them and said, "What? You guys write it! Any time I see favorite on your papers it looks like fart!" to which I got louder laughing and one child actually fell out of his chair.<br /><br />Great. I have busted my tail all year long, shared classic literature, heard struggling readers sound out words, watched lightbulbs go off above heads during a difficult math concept....and probably the most vivid thing they are going to remember about 2nd grade is the day they got to go home and tell their parents Mrs. P wrote fart on the board. Let's just hope the lazy spellers don't tell the principal.<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-28074073496193025652009-04-27T21:42:00.002-04:002009-04-27T21:46:13.486-04:00I will survive....<span style="font-size:130%;">C'mon, you know you are singing the lyrics in your head as you read that title. :) Tim is out of town until tomorrow night....so it's just me and V. I planned tons of fun things so that she wouldn't miss Daddy at all (since he is the fun one, as she likes to say!) We went to the book fair after school, got McDonalds for dinner, rented movies, and snuggled at bedtime. My devious plan worked gloriously until bedtime when she got the sniffles and pleaded me to lay with her "for just 5 more minutes." Of course I did it - I'm such a sucker. From the numerous texts and Facebook chats, Tim sounds like he's having a blast and I am glad he is enjoying himself - he never does anything like this. We can't wait to see him tomorrow!<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-78675822469918166592009-04-24T21:48:00.002-04:002009-04-24T22:09:20.131-04:00Erinology....<span style="font-size:130%;">Just in case you don't know enough about me....I stole this off Facebook. :)<br /><br />Today at 9:50 pm<br /><br />FOOD:<br />What is your salad dressing of choice?<br />Ranch...bad for you but oh so good<br /><br />What is your favorite sit down restaurant?<br />Shoguns or Applebees<br /><br />What is your favorite fast food restaurant?<br />McDonalds or Chick-fil-a<br /><br />What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?<br />Japanese....yum yum!<br /><br />TECHNOLOGY*<br /><br />How many televisions are in your house?<br />2<br /><br />What color cell phone do you have?<br />pink<br /><br />BIOLOGY*<br /><br />Are you right-handed or left-handed?<br />Right<br /><br />Have you ever had anything removed from your body?<br />adenoids and wisdom teeth<br /><br />What is the last heavy item you lifted?<br />My niece Madison...that kid is a chunk!<br /><br />Have you ever been knocked unconscious?<br />Once, in college, my roommate and I were goofing around and I hit my head on the radiator. We didn't have any ice and it was really late at night, so my roommate gave me a Diet Coke to put on it! I didn't technically pass out but I got a nice little concussion.<br /><br />BULLCRAPOLOGY*<br /><br />If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?<br />No<br /><br />If you could change your name, what would you change it to?<br />I love my middle name of Elizabeth and would love to change my first name to it. <br /><br />Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?<br />Hmmm...<br /><br />DUMBOLOGY*<br /><br />How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?<br />Oh crud....I can't even think. Probably 6 or 7? I ADORE flip flops. :)<br /><br />Last time you had a run-in with the cops?<br />Never...I avoid them!<br /><br />Last person you talked to?<br />Tim<br /><br />Last person you hugged?<br />V - it was bedtime<br /><br />FAVORITOLOGY*<br /><br />Season?<br />Spring and summer<br /><br />Holiday?<br />Christmas (I love wrapping presents...there needs to be a support group or something)<br /><br />Day of the week?<br />Weekends<br /><br />Month?<br />March :)<br /><br />CURRENTOLOGY*<br /><br />Missing someone?<br />My family in MD<br /><br />Mood?<br />Tired and sick (allergies are driving me nuts!)<br /><br />What are you listening to?<br />Tim watching TV<br /><br />Watching?<br />The computer<br /><br />Worrying about?<br />Lots of things...the list goes on and on! I am a worry wart...I need to be better.<br /><br />RANDOMOLOGY*<br /><br />First place you went this morning?<br />School<br /><br />What's the last movie you saw?<br />At the movies - Hannah Montana: The Movie! (I scored major mom points for that one). At home - The House Bunny. It was one of those stupid funny movies.<br /><br />Do you smile often?<br />I try.<br /><br />MEOLOGY*<br /><br />Do you always answer your phone?<br />Not if I am busy or we are eating dinner<br /><br />It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?<br />No one! You are not my friend if you text me at 4 in the morning!<br /><br />If you could change your eye color what would it be?<br />brown<br /><br />What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic?<br />I really don't go to Sonic that often...and when I do I just get Diet coke.<br /><br />Do you own a digital camera?<br />Yup - love it<br /><br />Have you ever had a pet fish? several...they just don't live long enough. My favorite was a beta named Eeyore...he was a cool fish.<br /><br />What's on your wish list for your birthday?<br />Hmmm...something we have been working on for a while. :)<br /><br />Can you do push ups?<br />Are you kidding?<br /><br />Can you do a chin up?<br />Seriously?<br /><br />Does the future make you more nervous or excited?<br />Excited...and nervous. I wonder if I am doing the best job I can as a mom to prepare my girl to be an adult one day.<br /><br />Do you have any saved texts?<br />A few sweet ones from Tim :)<br /><br />Ever been in a car wreck?<br />I got hit by an old lady once and it wrecked the car, but V and I were fine.<br /><br />Do you have an accent?<br />Haha! I might. :) I pick up accents really easily. I think I started saying "ya'll" like the first week I moved to SC.<br /><br />What is the last song to make you cry?<br />"Skin" by Rascal Flatts<br /><br />When was the last time you cried?<br />Tonight.. a huge rock hit my new windowshield and cracked it and completely freaked me out<br /><br />Plans tonight?<br />Had to save my sister's butt and babysit at the last minute, then ate dinner at home and now we're just chilling in the living room.<br /><br />Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?<br />Yeah<br /><br />Name 3 things you bought yesterday?<br />allergy medicine for V, a Diet Coke (noticing a theme here?), and Zaxby's for dinner<br /><br />Have you ever been given roses?<br />Of course! Tim is so good about remembering my white roses.<br /><br />Current hate right now?<br />standardized testing<br /><br />Met someone who changed your life?<br />A few<br /><br />How did you bring in the new year?<br />Tim and I toasted with sparkling cider and then woke V up for a few minutes to see the ball drop and then we all went to bed<br /><br />What song represents you?<br />"How to Save a Life" by the Fray<br /><br />Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?<br />Probably<br /><br />Does anyone love you?<br />They better! LOL<br /><br />Would you be a pirate?<br />Argh, me matey :)<br /><br />What songs do you sing in the shower?<br />Too tired to sing in the mornings - V can usually be heard belting out some Hannah Montana though<br /><br />Ever had someone sing to you?<br />my mom, V<br /><br />Do you like to cuddle?<br />Yes.<br /><br />Have you held hands with anyone today?<br />Of course<br /><br />Who was the last person you took a picture of?<br />V :)<br /><br />What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?<br />I really can't remember...that's just sad! I do remember that my cousins and I put a NKOTB poster in our clubhouse. LOL!<br /><br />Are most of the friends in your life new or old?<br />both<br /><br />Do you like pulpy orange juice?<br />Eww! No...it makes me gag!<br /><br />What is something your friends make fun of you for?<br />My absentmindedness<br /><br />Have you ever ridden on an camel?<br />nope<br /><br />When is the last time you ate peanut butter and jelly?<br />The other day during lunch<br /><br />What were you doing 12 AM last night?<br />trying to breathe and sleep at the same time....allergies! ugh!</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-24037590298760024972009-04-23T22:15:00.003-04:002009-04-23T22:24:11.480-04:00Evidently it just wasn't feeling in the mood...<span style="font-size:130%;">Tonight we had an awards program at V's school. She received a "Stellar Writing" award for her excellence in writing. Go kid! We were so proud of her. During the presentation, they mentioned something about each student and V's said something to the effect that she shows her personality and uses her voice in her writing. Her stories were very entertaining. MY KID? Nah. She's just boring. LOL!<br /><br />On the way home, she was tired and wound up after all that excitement! and talking with friends! and turning around during the program! so Tim was talking firmly with her about how she needed to behave during a program the next time she went to one. She was being her typical 8 year old self and arguing and backtalking, so it became necessary to pull the car over. Yeah, nothing good ever happens when that event occurs. Tim had an even firmer talk with her and we headed back on the road to get home.<br /><br />About five minutes from home, the arguing and backtalking started again (don't you just love the age of 8? Evidently about 2 minutes after you turn 8, your parents turn into idiotic morons and you know everything. Just a warning for you parents of 7 year olds out there...you will soon be stupid). Here's what happened next...<br /><br />Tim: V, I have already talked to you several times about this sassiness and if it continues, I guess my hand will have to have a talk with your bottom.<br /><br />V: (very serious and polite) Oh, no sir! It really doesn't feel like talking right now.<br /><br />I almost DIED laughing!!! I am sure it was not helpful for the whole parenting thing, but it was a stress reliever that Tim and I needed. We looked at each other the rest of the drive and kept cracking up. That kid of ours...it's a good thing she's so stinkin' cute.</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-66271653207836784902009-04-22T19:47:00.004-04:002009-04-22T19:55:10.422-04:00Mars/Venus (guest post)<span style="font-size:130%;">School is winding down and I am getting ready to start standardized testing with my 2nd graders, so needless to say, things are hectic and really busy this time of year. I hate to disappoint my blog readers (all 3 of you!) by not posting, so I thought I would invite a close personal acquaintance to guest post. I hope you will enjoy...<br /><br />"Why girls are better than boys" by V. Patterson (age 8, 3rd grade)<br />Boys and girls can be different sometimes but sometimes boys and girls can be the same. Here's some examples why I think girls are better than boys. Girls are as sweet as sugar and boys are as mean as a tiger. What are little girls made of? Little girls are made of sugar, and all of the nice things. What are little boys made of? Little boys are made of snakes and spices and lemons and other mean things. Girls do good things like clean their room, share their toys with everyone (even the mean boys)! Boys do gross things like leave their room messy and get dirty with dirt all over them and scare girls. Boys like to play with dirt and trucks while girls like to play with pretty dolls and dress up and they also like to play on swings and slides and some girls even like to read everywhere, even in bed like my mom did when she was a little girl. My opinion is that girls are better. But sometimes boys and girls can yet be the same in some ways.<br /><br />**Reprinted with permission from the author.***<br /><br />I wonder if she will still feel the same way when she gets married...hmmm? :) I think God needs to send someone a little brother. Haha!<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-25751330229353591252009-04-20T18:00:00.000-04:002009-04-20T18:00:01.052-04:00"Try and fail" policy (otherwise known as bring your own tissues)<span style="font-size:130%;">I recently got a new insurance carrier. Why, you ask? Well, I adored my old insurance carrier. Their name may or may not rhyme with "Pigna" but they were wonderful. They had super co-pays, they covered all my medicines, but there was one tiny problem - they literally doubled their premiums last year. So, because I don't have an additional $160 per month to spend on insurance, I had to switch. My options were kind of limited - I could go back to Green Cross (not their real name of course) and have a deductible that I never met because I don't get sick that often or I could try their new HMO version, Green Choice where you get to choose your health plan! and choose your own doctor! and have co-pays! Plus, they were the same price monthly that I was paying with Pigna so I switched. That was back in January.<br /><br />I have been a happy Green Choice customer. I have had zero complaints...until last week. If you aren't living under a rock, you realize that the allergy season this year has been one of the worst ones ever. In SC, we had a late snow. While that meant we got TWO snow days (woot!), it also means that the grass and the tree pollen are blooming at the same time instead of being spread out. It's been pretty stinkin' miserable around here. V and Tim and I could be the poster family for an allergy commercial - sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat...the whole nine yards. I take a WONDERFUL allergy medicine that I love but I don't need it all the time so I already had about 2 weeks worth. It still had 5 refills, so when I ran out I called it in to the pharmacy and went to pick it up. The pharmacist informed me that I had to get "prior authorization" from my doctor before my insurance would pay for it. I have had that happen before once or twice with Pigna, so I wasn't worried. I called the doctor first thing the next morning and asked them to call the insurance and authorize it so I could get my medicine. A few days pass - no word. The nurse finally calls me back and tells me that Green Choice will not approve my allergy medicine. HUH? They have a policy - it's called a "try and fail" policy. Here's how it works: they ask the doctor to write me a prescription for an over the counter allergy medicine. I have to physically take it to the pharmacy and get them to fill it so it shows up in their records. After trying that for 21 days, if it is not working, the doctor can write a prescription for my old allergy medicine and they will pay for it. I believe that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Only an insurance company would get away with that. I know I couldn't go into my school and tell a parent, "I know the reading method that I am using is not teaching your child to read. However, I have a a try and fail policy. If the method doesn't work for 21 days, then I will try a reading program that will work. Have a nice day!"<br /><br />So, today is day 3 of 21. So far, I'm still pretty miserable - in addition to the allergy medicine that doesn't work, I got a sinus and double ear infection during the week that I didn't have any allergy medicine, so I'm on an antibiotic as well. Fun fun stuff. In the mean time, here's my theme song...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVZPVR2LrZo">From Snacktime (kids album) by Bare Naked Ladies </a><br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-7381197738889699912009-04-19T11:54:00.003-04:002009-04-19T12:09:21.990-04:00My hypothetical response (LOL!)<span style="font-size:130%;">A few days ago I posted about a situation we had with the neighbors and a little boy playing with them who lives down the street. For more info, read <a href="http://lifefrommylaptop.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-would-you-do.html">this</a>. Here was my response:<br /><br />First off, we called V inside and had a big talk with her about what happened. She was very adamant that it was an accident and she was very sorry about the toy getting broken. However, she had been told several times before that she was not supposed to stay at the neighbor's house when the little boy from down the street came over because he tends to get rough and is not very nice. We told her that if she had obeyed, none of this would have happened, so part of it was her responsibility. While we were talking to her, Tim caught the kid from down the street and our neighbor's son listening at our window!!! I guess they wanted to see if they were going to score their $50 or not. I walked down the street and asked to talk to the little guy's parents - of course they were not home and their teenage son didn't know when they would be home. Nice, huh? I told him I would come back at 8 pm to talk with his mom if she was home then. When I got back home, I told V that I understood that it was an accident but even if something is an accident, if it is your fault, you are responsible for replacing it. I reminded her of when I accidentally dropped a coffee cup in Wal-Mart and we had to take it to the register and pay for it. So...she brought her wallet with all her money ($23) down and then we ate dinner and I put her in bed. Tim and I had already agreed that if this mom really pushed the issue, we would pay to replace the gun since we weren't out there and didn't see what happened and it had gotten broken - but we weren't happy about it.<br /><br />8 pm rolls around...I see another car is at the house. I walked down the street with the now glued back together gun in my hands (Tim tried to fix it with epoxy - have I mentioned what a super guy he is?) I talked to the mom and filled her in on the situation and she called the little boy over to talk to her. He LIED to his mom and said he never asked for money - he just came to tell us that V broke it but he told us we didn't have to replace it. WHAT???? The mom kept reassuring me over and over that he didn't have the real air bullets - she throws those away as soon as they buy those things. Lady, I don't really care - what I care about is that your kid accused my kid of breaking something and then demanded money from me. I was so flabbergasted that the kid lied to his mom in front of me I didn't even mention the scratches and punch marks- it probably wouldn't have done any good because he would have just lied and said he didn't do that either. Ugh. She finally got past the bullet issue and said that she saw him going out with that and she shouldn't have let him take it, and so it was her fault, so we didn't need to replace the gun since it glued back together ok and she was sorry. Moral of the story: if V wants to play with the neighbor's daughter, they are coming to our house from now on.</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-9893768542435184172009-04-14T22:40:00.003-04:002009-04-14T22:46:33.726-04:00What would you do?<span style="font-size:130%;">Here's a hypothetical situation for you. Your child is out playing at the neighbor's house, in their yard. You are getting ready to call her home for dinner when the doorbell rings. The neighbor's big brother and his friend are at the door. They are holding a humongous assault rifle - play, of course, because who wouldn't give their school aged kid a huge toy gun. (Note the extreme sarcasm here). After you breathe a sigh of relief that you are not being held up in your house, you ask what's going on. The children claim that your child (who doesn't even OWN a toy gun) threw the gun on the ground and it broke. They are claiming that the gun costs $50 and are demanding that you pay for it. Your child says she accidentally knocked it out of the neighbor's tree house and shows you the scratches and punch marks the neighbor's friend left on her after the gun was broken. How would YOU respond?<br /><br />I'll share my response tomorrow. My hypothetical response, of course. :P</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-57374116206618756472009-04-13T21:27:00.004-04:002009-04-13T21:33:44.176-04:00Apparently the economy is not as bad as we are being led to believe...<span style="font-size:130%;">Due to nighttime bedwetting issues, we always get V up in the middle of the night to help make sure she is still dry in the morning. She is not an easy kid to get to sleep, but once she is out, she is OUT! When you wake her up to go potty, she walks like a zombie and can say the funniest things. Here's a little snippet of our potty conversation last night...<br /><br />Me: V, get up. It's time to go potty. (Here's where I have to take her hand and lead her to the bathroom or she blindly walks into the playroom, down the stairs, in our bedroom....)<br /><br />V: Hey, Mommy, guess what?<br /><br />Me: What baby?<br /><br />V: I just got a job!<br /><br />Me: (giggling under my breath) Really? That's great. What are you going to be doing?<br /><br />V: Oh, you know. Job stuff.<br /><br />Then we walk back to her bed, I tuck her back in, and I crack up laughing. That girl is a hoot, even in her sleep!<br /><br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-21356623371589797302009-04-04T22:30:00.004-04:002009-04-04T22:40:41.913-04:00SPRING BREAK!!!!<span style="font-size:130%;">So I have been a complete blog slacker this week. I joked to my adoption forum friends about updating their blogs and then I didn't write a single post all week! Sorry, girls! :( It has been spring break week here at the P house and we have been living it up all week long. For the first time, Tim got to work through his spring break so he could be off for ours, and it has been so nice to have some dedicated family time. Here's a quick recap of our week so far...<br /><br />Monday - a trip to the Greenville Zoo and Cleveland Park where Tim spun Veronica so fast on this twirly seat thing that I thought she was going to puke but she kept telling him to go faster! Haha :) We also took M (my 9 mo. niece) and had fun teaching her all about the animals.<br /><br />Tuesday - this day wasn't so fun. I woke up SICK and didn't move off the couch all day long. Poor V had to make her own lunch (PBJ sandwich and grapes) but was so proud of herself. She also made me drink lots of water, took my temperature, and asked if I was ok every time I coughed or sneezed. What a sweet girl! Tim spent the day getting my car aligned so his day kind of stunk too.<br /><br />Wednesday - I got to clean my house! I mean, really clean the house! Like sweep and mop and dust and super vacuum. I love being off and having energy to clean it all at one time.<br /><br />Thursday - went on a mini-vacay to Charleston, one of our favorite places to visit. Ate dinner at Bubba Gump's with some good friends who drove all the way down just to eat with us. Got a good night's sleep in the huge king sized bed. :)<br /><br />Friday - finished our Charleston adventure with a great breakfast, 2 hr. and 45 minutes in the indoor pool, and lunch with one of the greatest Christian <a href="http://www.ilikeandy.com/">musicians</a> in the world. Oh yeah, and a large gelato at the candy kitchen and a new phone for Tim at the apple store - gotta love Apple's warranty!<br /><br />Saturday - tried to sleep late (didn't work because of my barking DOG!), finished a really good book, watched the very last episode of ER (cried and sniffed all the way through it), ran some errands, and sat in the yard and read while V and the dogs played outside.<br /><br />What a great week....I really don't want to go back to work. At least summer will be here before I know it!!!<br /><br />What do you like to do on time off?<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-8382135647819821412009-03-28T16:54:00.002-04:002009-03-28T17:04:31.771-04:00I am THAT mom<span style="font-size:130%;">First of all, the play that line from my last post came from was "Macbeth." The true line was "<em>Look like</em> the innocent <em>flower</em>, but be the serpent under 't." Kudos to you guys for trying to figure it out!<br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />When I was in high school, I worked in an educational toy store. One of the amazing things our store offered was free gift wrapping. The store was in the same shopping center as the Chuck E. Cheese. You probably see where this is going. Every Saturday, you would get the mom with the kids in tow popping in to grab a gift, pay quickly and have it wrapped before the party started at good ol' Chuck's. I always wondered why they waited until the last minute to buy a gift. I am the kind of person that likes to think out a gift that I am going to give...spending lots of time making sure it is just the right thing for that person. I usually get a gift several days or even a week ahead of time - that way I have time to wrap it (my favorite part!) and have it ready before the big event.<br /><br />Today, V had a birthday party for a little boy in her class. I ran into Target about 15 minutes before the party, grabbed two Bakugan toys, a 99 cent card, and a gift bag (I brought my own tissue paper in the car!) and rushed back out to the car. V signed the card while I wrapped the gifts and I realized - I am THAT mom now. When did that happen? I only wish that Target offered free gift wrapping because - I would have SO taken them up on that.<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-71855321778593150302009-03-25T09:00:00.000-04:002009-03-25T09:00:01.024-04:00Look like the flower, but be the smoker underneathLast week, one of my students gave me this beautiful origami rose. It was folded and fashioned with this sparkly, shiny silver paper. I oohed and aaahed over it and put it on my bookshelf, promising my sweet student to keep it forever. Today while my kids were playing on the playground, that same sweet little girl came over and was chatting with me. Here's a recap of our conversation...<br /><br />Student: "Mrs. P, you know the flower I gave you for your birthday?"<br /><br />Me: "Yes, of course! I love it! I still can't believe that you made it. You are very talented!"<br /><br />Student: "Well, actually, my Nanny made it for you but I helped."<br /><br />Me: "Well, that was very sweet of you both."<br /><br />Student: "Want to know how we made it?"<br /><br />Me: "Sure!"<br /><br />Student: "Well, you know the shiny paper inside a cigarette box?"<br /><br />Me: (hesitating, not sure where this is going): "Uh huh..."<br /><br />Student: "Well, my Nanny saved all of those from my Papa's cigarettes and taped them together to make that flower for you!" (said with this big beaming smile)<br /><br />Me: (<a href="http://lifefrommylaptop.blogspot.com/2009/03/biting-my-lip.html">biting lip</a> HARD): Thank you again...that was just so sweet of you.<br /><br />**Bonus points given to whoever can correctly identify the Shakespeare play that I grossly misquoted my title from (Tim, you are out since you helped me!)**Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-86161055767611156722009-03-24T21:25:00.002-04:002009-03-24T21:33:26.965-04:00And I'd like to thank the academy...Or really my awesome friend <a href="http://0to3in90days.blogspot.com">Crys</a> for...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUav-1rs2MGolLY8EtJnaOD3bdpXYZHN06Qw-eaMKh_9xaBJNX5dI8gfoEdcT_RIj7ExLowVLSEKvTe4GM3yuxBlIRdHlh9qPn0iRkoICZ5c6FqM2ueRO68nx5zY4AOIVy2uSw5-cVEvj/s1600-h/lemonadeaward.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUav-1rs2MGolLY8EtJnaOD3bdpXYZHN06Qw-eaMKh_9xaBJNX5dI8gfoEdcT_RIj7ExLowVLSEKvTe4GM3yuxBlIRdHlh9qPn0iRkoICZ5c6FqM2ueRO68nx5zY4AOIVy2uSw5-cVEvj/s320/lemonadeaward.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316930670655349170" border="0" /></a><br />this great blogging award! <br /><br />Crys is a super adoptive mom who went from 0 to 3 kids in a few months, so her blog is always filled with humor and great kid stories! :)<br /><br />So...I am passing this award on to:<br /><a href="http://apparentcontradictions.blogspot.com">Tim</a><br /><a href="http://familyaroundtown.blogspot.com">Ali</a><br />Melissa<br /><a href="http://crystalbrewer.blogspot.com">Crystal</a><br /><a href="http://www.chattahoocheemama.com/">Ainsley</a><br /><br />Hope this brightens your day like it did mine! Here's what you need to do...<br /><br />1. Copy the above logo and put it on blog or post.<br />2. Nominate blogs that show attitude and/or gratitude (Those who add sweetness to life and/or inspire you by making lemonade.)<br />3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.<br />4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on a post.Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-75218419481233305482009-03-22T19:57:00.002-04:002009-03-22T20:01:39.945-04:00Detox<span style="font-size:130%;">Today was an interesting day. We are in the middle of a serious issue with V. After worry and tears, Tim and I have decided that she needs professional help...in fact, we staged an intervention. Because of this, she is currently enrolled in a detox program. What in the world could an 8 year old be addicted to, you may ask? Well... she is afflicted with severe "spoileditis." It was made much much worse by the weekend at Grandma's where she got to stay up late and choose where to eat for dinner and watch TV in her bedroom and just generally get to call the shots, so we are working her through her "Grandma detox." Please pray for the poor girl...it must be horrible to be back home and actually be asked to do *gasp* chores! or *gasp!* speak with a polite tone to your parents. Poor poor kid...<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-73432830967384628162009-03-22T19:50:00.002-04:002009-03-22T19:56:44.552-04:00The Big 2-8<span style="font-size:130%;">On Wednesday, I celebrated my 28th birthday. It was kind of a hard one since I feel like I am close to 30, which was my official "old" age when I was younger. However, my sweet husband and cute daughter worked hard to make it the best birthday ever!<br /><br />I was woken up at 5:45 am by Silly String being sprayed on me and two people screaming "Happy Birthday!" at the top of their lungs. V had never used Silly String before and successfully got it all over my hair and even into my mouth when I was screaming. Needless to say, we had to wash the sheets afterwards but it was so funny! :) Tim gave me a beautiful Lisa Leonard necklace and V gave me the Pinocchio DVD and some premium mint M&M's. Yum!<br /><br />During the day at school, one of my student's moms had made cupcakes and bought drinks so we could have a party at school. She is so sweet - I have never had a parent do this and it just made my day! She also gave me an ADORABLE bag with my initials and last name monogrammed on it - it is soooo cute! <br /><br />After school, we went to my favorite pizza restaurant, the Mellow Mushroom, to enjoy some pretzels and "mighty meaty" pizza for my birthday dinner. To top off the night, we enjoyed some cake and Ben and Jerry's.<br /><br />What a wonderful way to celebrate the day - I am so blessed to have such an awesome family and sweet friends!<br /></span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-40560115724071039112009-03-14T13:44:00.002-04:002009-03-14T13:47:25.938-04:00Daylight savings time...Anyone else think this is a terrible idea? I mean, why do we even do it? Is there an evil plot against mothers and teachers everywhere? Does everyone want little children and adults alike to be grumpy and nasty because their circadian rhythms are all screwed up? I just don't understand it.<br /><br />Today my child slept in until almost 8 AM. If that isn't proof that she is tired from daylight savings time, I don't know what is. <br /><br />In class this week, I was literally JUMPING up and down to demonstrate changing verb tense from hop to hops to hopped to hopping. My kids didn't even crack a smile because they were all trying to stay awake.<br /><br />Let's hope everyone gets some more rest this weekend. :)Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-86840229338948325552009-03-10T22:44:00.001-04:002009-03-10T22:45:34.935-04:00Girl's night<span style="font-size:130%;">Tim had to work late, so V and I officially declared a girl's night! Here's the equation for successful girl's night:<br /><br />McDonalds+rented kiddie movie=lots of mommy daughter snuggles and together time.<br /><br />How do you like to spend one on one time with your kids? :)</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058779384139526108.post-68113831838451672392009-03-09T23:11:00.003-04:002009-03-09T23:21:43.948-04:00Girl drama<span style="font-size:130%;">Today V brought home a less than desirable grade from school. For some reason, third grade has been challenging for her and her attitude about school has been far from enthusiastic, which is a surprise considering that she adored school until this year. She wasn't happy when I discovered the quiz grade in her papers - she told me she hoped I would "forget" to look at them and just sign. Yeah, that's NEVER.GOING.TO.HAPPEN. Sorry, kid.<br /><br />So, anyway, I told her that I was very disappointed about her grades and proceeded to look at the errors she made. All of them were careless, sloppy errors which just showed that she was in a hurry and didn't take her time. This isn't the first time this has happened this year, so she knew what was coming next. I told her she was grounded from all things electronic until her grades came back up. Well...you would have thought I told her that she would never see the light of day again. She turned around, stomped out of the kitchen, stomped up the stairs, stomped into her bedroom, and proceeded to throw herself onto her bed and wail pitifully like a hurt animal. I almost started laughing - did she really think that would make me change my mind? She usually tries to talk her way out of it but I guess she thought she had a new trick up her sleeve. I walked upstairs and told her I would be happy to talk to her once she calmed down but I didn't want to hear her screech so I was shutting her door. She yelled down the hall, "Well, I really don't think it's fair that I am grounded for just ONE grade!" I told her again I would be happy to talk to her once she came down.<br /><br />Once she calmed down and realized her huge overreaction, she of course apologized and morphed back into her normal, sweet self. Of course, she did say that she was glad the dog loved her because she didn't ground her because of grades. Heaven help us in a few years...teenage V looks like she is just going to be LOVELY. Please start praying for us now.<br /><br />Tim seems to think teen years are going to be (his words exactly) FUN. Say an extra prayer for the dear boy, please. :)</span>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791659532451833493noreply@blogger.com0