Giving Thanks

**this post isn't really going in 'story' fashion, but just a re-cap of the events**

So I was thinking last night of all the things I accomplished yesterday... and the things left on the to-do list and I was like "well, at least I already did my Thanksgiving post on the blog".... W.R.O.N.G!

Turns out... I just put the pictures in a folder that was waiting patiently for me to get back to it.

Ohh well.

So this year for Thanksgiving we decided we wanted to go play with my brother and his family up in Chicago. It was a fantastic trip!  Ohh we had so much fun.

Scott treated us to these fantastic mashed potatoes- which I am pretty sure there was more butter/cream cheese than actual potato. *swoon* Next time you are with him, encourage him to make them for you. You won't be disappointed!

 This was Leah's first eva' turkey. Yum Yum, it was so delicious and juicy. She picked up fresh herbs (which I have never used on a turkey before) and of course, it turned out fantastic!

 Alli and Rylan made us some centerpieces... that turkey was made from a pine cone. :)

 And my sweet niece Maddy posed for pictures...

 Leah made mouth watering rolls that just dissolved into goodness when you placed them in your mouth.

 Leah's niece M'Lynn is staying with the for the school year- to check out the Chicago schools.... She is the sweetest girl. So funny and all the kids just swarm her.  M'lynn is just such a wonderful kid.... and fun to tease too. ;D

 There is a Hoogland tradition that states that every year one must always take a picture of the group they are with stuffing their faces with mashed potatoes and send it to everyone that you are not with (Hoogland wise) with a neiner neiner type context. It works for us. ;D

 We got introduced to the movie Rio. All the kids (and Chip too) were like zombies watching it.

 I thought this was sweet. Chip did not get Friday off of work- so he brought his work laptop and plucked away.... Rylan apparently didn't want Chip to be alone, so he quietly brought some Mega Blocks in the front room and just sat and played by Chip. It was pretty cute :)

 Miles was fighting a cold during our trip. This picture sums up how he was feeling the majority of the time.

 Dexter, on the other hand... was as stinker-ish as always.

 One of the things I wanted to try while I was there was Chicago deep dish pizza. Oh. My. Word! That stuff is HEAVEN!!!! (well, if you eat enough of it you'll get to heaven quicker because your heart will stop) Scott and Leah ordered two kinds- a cheese one with ham and a meat lovers type. I think the cheese and ham was my favorite- but both were delightful. *dreaming of more pizza*

 Maggie and Maddy were so sweet playing together. Often they would go under the hide-a-bed and play polly pockets and giggle non-stop. I love that all our kids have such a good time playing together!

 The one thing my mom wanted from us was a family picture..... so minutes before we left Chicago, we squeezed a few in.....
Its hard to get 7 children (3 are 2 and under) to cooperate. But I think it turned out well!

 and then there's a silly one.

 A few days before Thanksgiving my uncle Staten and his new bride Courtney called and said they would be up that way around Thanksgiving... and we should all meet together for a meal. We thought that'd be a fun idea! Scott found a restaurant between the two cities (less drive-time) and away we went to Michigan City, Indiana. It's not the most charming city- It kinda looks like something off of the Simpsons (nuclear reactor and all)... .and this restaurant that we went to boasted they had the "best view in the whole city".
Behold the view.

 M'Lynn, Rylan, and Alli patiently waiting for their food to arrive.

 Poor Ian. I think he was overwhelmed by Miles and Dexter touching his stuff.... I'm sure that over time he'll get over it.

And here we are, all together. It was such a delight meeting Courtney. She's a sweet person. It's too bad we didn't get to hang out longer.


So there it was. Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for our health, family, jobs,friends, working cars, the gospel, and a plethora of other things. Heavenly Father has been so kind to us throughout the years. We are Thankful.

Simple Tasks

So I was totally going to write a fun "hey this is what we've been doing Christmas-y" this year, but I'll procrastinate for the billionth time and write about my day.

Today I have/had a laundry list of things to do. It always take 37.5x longer to complete any task I have at hand when I have the boys with me. Case in point:

Simple task: Turning my sewing machine in to the repair place.
How it really went:  JoAnn's doesn't have a two-seater cart- so because of this Miles was sitting up in the regulated child-sitting area. Dexter was sitting in the basket. Also, because I know my boys are ultra destructive curious, I chose to carry my sewing machine in one hand, hold all of the sewing machine parts (foot/cords/etc)  in a bag in my other hand and of course have my purse that is stuffed full of all essentials slung over my shoulder (it kept slipping down my arm over and over...) ... all the while pushing the very wiggly cart into the store. I thought I prepared enough for the occasion by stuffing my pockets full of Hershey's kisses so that when the boys started getting a little whiny/riled up/"busy" I could just pop a little chocolate goodness in their mouth (at 9:30 in the morning) and they would calm right down and patiently wait for mommy to be done. Clever, right?  Well... the boys decided that being good wasn't in their plans, no matter what the bribery. We weren't 10 feet into the entrance of the store when Dexter decided to take off his coat and proceeds to chuck it across the walk way, where it landed nicely on the display of dresses that they have. I calmly walk over to the coat, pick it up, tell Dexter "NO!" and keep walking.... Dexter thought my word "No" meant "It's a free-for-all. Have fun, boys".  The coat went flying out of the cart again landing somewhere between the glitter poinsettas and gold leafed branches... we stop again so I can retrieve the coat. Dexter is in full blown hysterical laughing fits. So what happens next? In the blink of an eye, before I can grab the coat- and come back to the cart... Dexter not only has his shoes and socks off.... but his pants as well. One Hotwheels Croc flies to my left, and another croc soars into the pre-made blankets... socks are popping out of the cart like confetti at a tinker-tape parade. At this very point Miles turns around to see the fun that Dexter is having and he thinks "Heck, there is no reason why I should be left out of all the fun" and proceeds to join in. More socks and shoes fly across the store - another jacket zooms off.... all in different directions. Each item landing farther away from the first.  They were both laughing so hard that they couldn't stop hiccuping.

All you can hear is me yelling "No-boys! NO!!!!!" as I am frantically (all the while carrying a sewing machine/sewing machine stuff/ and a purse that keeps falling from my shoulder) running about the store trying to pick up all the articles of clothing that the boys seem to be throwing out faster than I can gather them up.

Que all the grumpy-kid-hating-people-in-the-world... who just happened to be in JoAnn's all at that very same moment.  Man... I got to hear it. And to answer your question: Yes. My hands are full. and Thank you for blessing my soul. (I need it.)


This my friends is just one store. This is ONE stop in my long list of things to do.

This is also why I get nothing done.

As I shamefully made my way to drop off my machine I passed a row of Valentine's Day window clings and seriously had a 2 minute debate on whether or not I should pick some up... ya know, just in case that when these Christmas packages actually arrive,the lucky recipients would just smile and think "Man... she was ready for everything".


........ I also have a pants pocket now full of melted chocolate.

Just thoughts.....

I've had a tough couple of days. It hasn't been fun.

Apparently, according to I guess a now ex-friend I "have hurt me unbelievably, rocked the very Core of my esteem, trust in others, and put my value in society in question."... by posting something that wasn't even about her... but she read between all the wrong lines and was looking for me to show weakness and "my true colors"....  and decided to tell me all the ways that I have failed her over the past few years.

I also tried speaking to someone I dearly love about a matter that was bothering me and that was also the wrong thing to do- and now I'm being stonewalled....  and I just feel so saddened that it was also taken into much offense.

So... I opened an anonymous twitter account- so I can post any "controversial" stuff on it and quit offending the people I love. Win/Win, right?

But just so you guys know- and so it is all written down nice and tidy like.... I'll let you in on a little secret.

I.
Am.
Not.
Perfect.

Hard to swallow, right? I know.

I have never professed to be perfect. I say the wrong things- often impulsively and without much of a filter, laugh at inappropriate things, I love gossip (perhaps my greatest flaw of all) , I yell at my kids, I forget things, I am a compulsive/emotional eater, I can't seem to ever get my piles of paper under control (unorganized hoarder), I am addicted to diet soda, I have a temper.... and sometimes I even swear. 

But I want you to know- I don't do things to purposely hurt others. I never seek to HURT someone.

I hate confrontation at all costs- and when I actually have the guts to confront someone or ask them something not popular- it means that I have struggled with it for quite sometime and I have finally found the courage to say something. If I do say something it means that I love you enough to let you know. It's not to beat you down and be callous and rude.

I don't ever do things to be intentionally bad/mean to people. I don't look for faults of others just to point them out and laugh from my big white marble pedestal. I don't ever judge people for their beliefs. Everyone has a different point of view, everyone has a different belief (religiously, education, etc...) That is what makes the spice of life! That is why life is awesome- that we are all different and we can all learn from each other. I have friends who are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Atheist, Wiccan, black, white, tan, and everything in between. The point is: I am a much better person because of all the wonderful people in my life. I don't look down on people who believe different than I do. I LOVE being able to learn from them.

I do however, have strong opinions on some subjects- especially when it comes to my religion I have a very firm unwavering testimony..... I guess sometimes my lack of bending on those things which I know to be true comes across as being a jerk face- but I will never waver on my beliefs- and no amount of people beating into me the 'wrongness' of my beliefs is going to change it. (ex: I firmly have a testimony that my church is headed up by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I do not think for one minute that just because of popular opinion that they will be swayed into changing things. Sorry if that offends you.) But that's just it. Those are my beliefs..... and nobody should be offended by it. They should love me and learn from me too. Just as I try really hard to do for them. Ya know.. mutual respect.

I really try hard to be a good person. I always put the shopping carts back in the stall or bring them back to the store- never leaving them in the parking lot unattended. I try to listen to the Holy Spirit and act on it. I often bring food/treats to people I think could use a little hug. I never litter. I give at least 10% of all of my pre-tax earnings to charity, I give meals to people begging on street corners, I always say please and thank you to even the people manning the fast food booths/toll booths. I even hang up my phone every time I get into a check out line- just to I could be attentive to the clerk. I really really try to be a good person.

I have an ENORMOUS guilt factor. If I do anything bad, I cannot get passed it for a while and always feel guilty. Including accidentally offending people.

I don't take friendships lightly. I invest a lot of time and energy to them because I think people are worth it. I don't think that I have ever been the one to 'end' a friendship- or back away from them... because well- the worth of souls is great. I really try and look for the good in people.... I try to over look short comings.... and I really hope that people do the same for me because I hope they see good in me too, and that I might just be worth it as well.  I have plenty of friendships that even though we haven't seen each other in what feel like forever- we can just pick up where we were. Friendships are living things. They ebb and flow. Certain people come in your life at the exact time you need them- and they are glorious. I am really thankful for friendships- and cherish the ones I have.

Anyway, I just want you to know- if you do have a problem with something I've said- or I have offended you- please let me help make it right. I will not flake out (-like my new ex-friend-) and run away. I don't want to be all like "Hey I'm open for you to come to me...ask me anything" and then if you do I will never speak to you again.... so don't be afraid of that. It might hurt (sometimes the truth hurts) but if we are truly friends, it'll be okay. 

Anyway, that's just what's been on my mind lately.

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p.s. Due to the sadness that has happened across the world- in China and in Connecticut- please be sure to hug your babies a little longer. Rub your cheeks in their soft hair and soak up their yummy little one scent. Don't take them for granted. Life is too short and so uncertain.

Thoughts on the Library

(While technically the Northern Lights branch is our branch.... I rarely ever go there for these reasons: I have read all of their audio books they have in stock that I care to read, The people in my 'hood' like to use the library as their day care center- aka: drop their children off unattended for hours and hours and hours at a time, and lastly- I just hate that they call it the Northern Lights Branch. We don't have Northern Lights in Columbus. That's just stupid. They might as well call it the 'Gulf of Mexico' Branch.)

I have a confession: I have almost $10 in library fines.

And I'm totally okay with that.

I'm not freaking out one little bit. Once you get past $10- they won't let you check out any more books until you pay the fine down to under the $10 mark.

But you know what??

I'm saving up my library fines. You heard me right. I'm trying to get them higher and higher. No. I'm not crazy. I'm super smart.

The Columbus library is rated #1 in the nation (did you know that?... well, now you do.). The library is one thing that the community almost always votes "yes" for when it comes to more money. They really have a goal to be able to meet the needs of everyone in this very diverse community. One of they ways they like to encourage people to read more is by reading off your fines.

I think they realized that people who had little-to-no money weren't paying their fines, and then they weren't able to check out books, which kept people who needed access to literature away from getting it. So they came up with an awesome program: Read off your fines.

For every hour you sit in the library and read, you get $8 knocked off your account. Awesome, huh?!

So are you catching the drift as to why I'm saving up my fines??

It's because one day when the kids are totally spazzing out and I am at my breaking point I'm just going to turn to Chip and say "Dude. Ohh my heck! I need to go and read off my library fines like ASAP... Bye!" and then I'll go and sit in the quietest corner of the library that they have and grab all of the smut celeb-gossip magazines and cooking/crafting magazines they have and just enjoy my quiet time- all the while reading off my fines.

Brilliant, right?

Baby Cheerful Tearful

When I was younger my mom gave me/let me read a bunch of the books she had as a child. I loved books. They can transport you to any location in the world, bring you to any year imaginable, and let you dream.

To this day, I still love a good book. I often get so immersed in a book that I get really really mad at my children for interrupting my stories. This is perhaps why I stopped reading physical books- because when I read it has to be in utter silence, and absolutely NOTHING gets done. My children look like homeless wrecks- starved half to death and looking like the boxcar children.  That's why I switched to audio books. I can "read" while I do the dishes/craft/cook/drive/etc- and I don't feel the need to punch my children in the face for interrupting me. Win/Win. ;D

One of the books my mom gave me as a kid was this book:

Baby Cheerful Tearful.

I loved this book so incredibly much. You see, I had a love obsession with my cabbage patch dolls (all 14 of them) - one in particular. Her name was Dabrana. (don't knock the name. She came with it.) My mom made us dozens of matching outfits. The love I felt for this doll was unimaginable. She was part of me. It was as if she was actually my child.  When I read baby Cheerful Tearful all my dreams of motherhood were brought to the surface. I was convinced if I loved Dabrana enough, that she would come to life and be my REAL baby (a little Pinocchio, I know.) I knew I could keep her safe and warm and happy and she would be the most loved baby in the world.

After months of being the best mom in the world to Dabrana and she didn't come to life, I was honestly crushed. I thought I must have been doing something wrong- and that Heavenly Father didn't trust me enough at the tender age of like 7 to be a real mom (there's something to that... dontcha think?). Anyway, I was crushed. I would just read the book over and over and see what I was doing wrong. So I dutifully had Dabrana swing with me on the swing set, I read her books, I sang to her, I played blocks with her, I went on adventures with her.... and then I waited for her to become a REAL baby.

I just had this picture in my head of Ann (girl's name in the book) laying in bed, and next to her was Baby Cheerful Tearful in her little rocking cradle smiling up at Ann and I would just think "This could totally be me and Dabrana".

Needless to say, The whole 'Toy Story' thing of my dearest Dabrana coming to life never happened.

But you know what did happen?

My love and desire for motherhood. What a blessing it is that we as women get to be chosen to create life. We get to have these babies, we get to snuggle them, hold them tight, and if we are lucky- we get to stay home and raise them and be with them for everything. We get to be the best thing in the world: Mothers.

And ya know what? Waking up to my children sneaking into bed with me and feeling their tiny arms wrap around mine and then they look up and smile at me- then sweetly close their eyes perfectly content that any bad dreams/scary monsters are now scared away because mommy is there with them.... that is 100X better that what I ever hoped for what I could have with Dabrana.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Before the boys came, I usually got my hair cut once a year- ish.  After the boys came... I've only cut it once. I was persuaded by my friend to come with her to a "reasonably costing" facility to have a little pamper session... but I about threw up with the bill came to about $80 for a 2 inch trim and a blow dry style. Figuring that was more than the total cost I've spent on my hair in the past 5-8years COMBINED for haircuts... I decided I should stop cutting it for a while. (I'm a cheapskate. I go to the Paul Mitchell school down the road for a total of $10 or if I can't wait to be fit in there- Great Clips is a great joint.)

Realizing that my hair was going to need it's own zip code if I didn't get it cut- I knew I needed to do something about it. My Sis-in-law, Leah was also growing out her hair- so we decided next time we got together, we'd get the ol' choppy choppy. Thanksgiving weekend was the perfect time!

We have been inspired by one of our old high-school classmates daughter, Angelyn- who I think is 9(?). Anyway- she has a little friend who was being made fun of for being bald because of cancer- and this sweet girl decided she would grow her hair out in honor of Lilyan- and also decided to take pledges from people to help raise money for Lilyan's family for every inch of hair she cuts. She's almost up to 11 inches of silky blonde hair.

She got interviewed by our hometown TV station, here's the link/article: http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/Child-grows-hair-for-cancer-victim--177374771.html?tab=video&c=y

And here is Angelyn's mission: Inches of hair for Lilyan's FB page: http://www.facebook.com/AngelynsMissionInchesOfHairForLilyan

After researching what would be the best donation place for our hair to go (over 80% of hair donated to locks of love is unusable- and they end up throwing most of it away...... and I didn't want my tresses to be tossed.) we decided we'd donate it to the same charity that Angelyn picked. Wigs for Kids.



An hour and a few snips later- we each were about 12 1/2 inches of hair lighter. Ahh... feels good!

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If Angelyn and Lilyan's story inspired you- I encourage you to donate or if you can't... just spread their story. I promise these girls are completely legit and aren't a scam. Both of Angelyn's parents graduated with Leah and I. They teach their children about charity and love- and well.... the proof is in the pudding.


**ohh, and if you are looking to donate your hair, Google places that give free/reduced cuts for either Locks of Love, Wigs for kids, or Pantene Beautiful Lengths' programs. We got a good discount on our cuts :) **

Joyful

Today was the first choir concert of the Christmas season. The first concerts are usually the worst.... as we tend to mess up more than one time- and you still have performance jitters. It's always a little touch and go.

Today our concert was held at a retirement home for elderly nuns. It's one of my favorite places to go- not only because it's breathtakingly beautiful (It's St. Mary's of the Spring... and the chapel is so incredibly gorgeous and has water-like stained glass, huge entire wall open windows facing a pretty little wooded area- beautiful herringbone wood floors, even the bowl holding the Holy Water is a tranquil glass fountain.... I seriously wish my church were this gorgeous on the inside of the chapel), but because the residents are the most fun. They sing along, clap with the songs, and generally are the happiest....... and they serve us cookies after.

Every year during our performance one of the members of our choir,  who is an 80-something year old retired 1st grade teacher always does a little solo act. (in the past she's done the Grinch, Diamonds are a girls best friend, etc....) This year she delighted us by doing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. She always has a wacky costume that she puts on (today was a blinky light red nose and dangling jingle bells.... along with antlers) and then sings/narrates the song. She likes doing a good performance.

As she was going about listing off the names of the reindeer.... encouraging the residents to start singing along with her and playing "reindeer games", I noticed this one particular nun.  During the whole of our choir performance, she sat in her chair- completely unimpressed with our singing... she had a grumpy stern face on, and truth be told she fell asleep for a few of the songs. (I like to think we were singing her lullabies) Anyway, during the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song, this seriously grumpy old nun was singing along..... with out a single hint of a smile or excitement. It was HILARIOUS!  I wish I could have recorded it, or taken pictures at the very least.  Are you picturing the grumpiest of elderly nuns that you have ever seen  singing a silly song like Rudolph and not even cracking a smile? Ohh, I'm giggling as I am writing this.... just remembering the site.

*sigh*

It was days like today I am thankful I get to be in The Entertainers choir.

One performance down..... 8 to go.

The Volcano

I've always been a firm believer in giving my children choices (within reason). At a young age my kids start picking what clothing they want to wear/purchase at the store, what shoes they love/purchase, what they want to eat, etc.  My logic on it was- I'm not going to be able to hold their hands 24/7 for the rest of their lives to help them make choices- if this item of clothing is modest/appropriate or not, is that food going to help my body grow strong, is so-and-so going to be a good friend.... etc. If they feel like they have the power to make good choices young, then they will be able to make better/the best choices when they are older (hopefully)

I remember when Alli was in kindergarten I was talking to her teacher and she was impressed on how Alli felt secure in her decisions and then immediately said "Do you let her go clothes shopping and grocery shopping with you?" I was like "Yeah... the kids always go with me". She said that most parents don't involved their children in the smallest of things- such as what clothing THEY wanted to buy (again, within reason)- instead the parents just pick clothes up at the store and say "Here ya go- that's what you are getting". She said those kids are stunted in their mental growth... and once she got a month or so into school- she always knew which children had the power to choose for themselves on their daily decisions. It validated me. I liked it. ;D





Anyway, A few weeks ago it was time to go Sippy Cup shopping. Believe it or not- we only have 4 sippy cups in this house. I refuse to get more (we have had less). I just don't want to do the whole 'ohh, since you've lost your sippy cup somewhere in the house, I'll just give you a new one... and hand wash your nasty moldy super sour milk cup when I find it later'. Nope... they have to find their cups... pretty much because there is no option of a new one.  The boys have been using leftover princess/Dora sippy cups from when the girls were little. I'm such a nice mom. (no worries, I have a therapy fund for them to use in the future) A few weeks ago... I'm not sure if it was on purpose from the boys or not... wanting to rid themselves of drinking out of princess sippy cups... but we lost both of their cups after a school assembly.

 As we entered into the Target sippy cup isle they were so SO excited at all their options to choose. I told them I was only getting 1 of the two-packs, so they better both like the same thing. I held up their options, Lightening McQueen, Buzz Lighter & Woody, Dinosaurs, Diego, trucks, ohh they were all so delighted.  Finally they both settled on this set:

One guy loved the rocket ship/space theme- the other guy loved the dinosaurs. Perfect.


When we got home from our exciting sippy cup extravaganza shopping trip- the boys bounded up the stairs excitedly telling Chip all about their new cups. Miles was holding the rocket cup- and Chip was like "woah! Cool boys.... .rockets!!" and then started making all sorts of loud rocket ship blast off noises to go along with the cup. They boys squealed with delight when they found out the cup could do rocket ship tricks/noises.. Then with big hopeful eyes Dexter held up his dinosaur cup. I was expecting Chip to make some sort of dinosaur noise or stomp around like a big friendly dino... but what did he do?  Chip points out the volcano on the dinosaur cup and started talking about all the hot lava and the explosions it makes and 'boom'- 'kapow' and all that jazz.



Now Dexter is afraid to drink out of the dinosaur cup. All he'll say is "It's a scary 'cano cup, mom"


Let that be a lesson in making cool noises for cups.

At least we have the rocket ship cup for Dexter.... and the fact that Miles isn't bothered by holding a flaming hot volcano in his hands.... and drinking out of it.

The post I promised about PTA

So now that I have moved schools and my children no longer attend the old school- I'll tell you what school it is. That way- ya know- in case anyone is googling Innis Elementary School I am hoping that this post will pop up and everyone will RUN, RUN AWAY from it. DO NOT SEND YOUR SCHOOL TO INNIS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. The principal is so awful it makes my skin crawl. She has evil little minions called teachers that bend to her every whim and outright lie for her as well as do sneaky things like ya know, give kids who's parents bother the principal, bad grades.

Now that that is out.....

So my friend Miss C. took over the position of PTO president this year at Innis. The drama started immediately. Before even the first meeting took place, the principal had assigned her new parent consultant as the PTO president (and word on the street is that this parent consultant stole money from another school's PTO. I have been told this by at least 3 different and totally separate parties)  Anyway, so my friend Miss C. came in the school and was like- no, we're going to have a vote and get people put into offices and there's going to be no funny business. Here are PTO bylaws and this is how you are going to conduct yourselves in behalf of the children of this school. Apparently they didn't like that at all. So, the parent consultant started causing problems. Getting into the money-  and being a bully to Miss C.



Parent consultant said that the reason why there is so many problems in the PTO was because last year the treasurer (me) started a bunch of drama and stole a bunch of money. Parent Consultant (PC) didn't know that Miss C. knew me or the entire situation.

One fine day Miss C. went to the school, because even though she had turned in a paper saying that there was a PTO meeting scheduled for X time and X date-  the note just had 'There will be a PTO meeting on __________ at ________pm' - So Miss C went into the office to get the lists of parents who signed up for PTO from the PC so that she could give them a call and let them all know the date and time of the meeting (which was that night)- anyway, the PC was trying to get Miss C. in trouble and automatically started saying "don't talk to me in that tone of voice" and "you can't yell in the school" (If you know Miss C- you know she is as mild as a butterfly with beautiful manners- I've seen her get truly ticked off at her kids before and she didn't even yell.) anyway, the principal came out of her office and was like "Miss C. you need to control yourself in front of the students or I will have to escort you out of the building"... keep in mind that Miss C only politely asked for the list.  And then the principal and PC with a grin on their faces told Miss C. that she would not be needing that list, as just that morning- the principal and PC and decided to disolve the PTO and was now becoming a PTA- so Miss C. was no longer the president of anything. Also- any funds raised by the PTO were now going into the 'principal general fund' to do with as she deemed fit.

A few days passed and Miss C- still a responsible parent- was volunteering in the school- and the PC started in on her again. It all escalated came to the point where the parent consultant  locked Miss C. in the copy room and was screaming and shouting at her- telling Miss C. that she was now suing her for defamation of character saying that Miss C had spread rumors all around the entire school saying she was a thief. The principal was just smirking the whole time.

Miss C. has been in contact with not-so-super-super and his first reaction was "I can't believe there are problems again at this school". Um.. hello. If the first "problem maker" (me) left what is the only thing that stayed constant. Yep- that would be the principal. You would think that not-so-super-super would connect the dots on that one.

Anyway- I am so so glad that we aren't at that school anymore. You can see how even with the few silly issues that we've had to deal with thus far at this school- I prefer them much more than dealing with the old problems at Innis. :D
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I'm sure this dog and pony show isn't over yet. I'll keep you updated.

the days of my life

It's been since beginning of the summer that I've truly felt like "me". I've been battling a lot of emotions-depressions- and insanity.   I feel stuck in a rut. Once the boys hit the wonderful age of two I feel like I'm just a maid/firefighter. I go from moment to moment putting out whatever fires these mischief makers start. From coloring on walls, to dumping out entire containers of cocoa powder covering the entire living room, to getting into stamps, to smearing peanut butter all over the couch, to flooding bathrooms, to opening couch cushions and tossing out the 'fluff' inside all over the living room, to etc, etc, etc. There is just no peace anymore.... aside from small moments.

It's not for lack of entertainment that these boys are getting into things- we read books, we go to the zoo, we go to COSI (science museum), we go to story time, we play cars, trains, and blocks, we build forts, we paint/color/play play-doh.... It's just the fact they are two and super curious. And well- they feed off each other and love a good laugh.

I have constant battles every day with naptime- they desperately need them, and once they are asleep they are down for 2+ hours but it takes a good hour to get them asleep- which includes me laying them down over and over and over and over and saying 'no, no, no, no' over and again. And as soon as the boys finally get to sleep, I have to get up and go pick the girls up from school- where I have to deal with their emotional decompression from the day- which usually includes a tantrum or two (a little red head is trying to figure out boundaries and an almost 10 year old is starting to want to be an adult), two hours of homework- make dinner....and follow it up by repeating the whole 'go to sleep' process again at bedtime.

The worst part of it all- I feel so trapped in a toddler ruled world and the only breaks I get are spur of the moment where I rush out by myself after dinner. And while yes, I love being by myself late at night- (I NEED alone time- even from Chip- which is why I find myself staying up until 2:30-3in the morning... because Chip is staying up later and later as well)... -I feel so utterly alone- and I hate saying this- but while I enjoy the company of hanging out with other moms, I find myself constantly judging their parenting skills (or lack thereof)- because even though the boys are so mischievous and dare I say, naughty... I am a really strict-over-protective parent who kinda demands my children behave properly, especially when out of the house... .and I can't handle lax parenting. I feel the need to parent the other child(ren) to "show" these other moms the "right" way to parent.... and then I just get all in a tizzy.- and the worst part- is I can't turn off my brain- and I constantly am lecturing in my head. And then I start lecturing myself for judging because I HATE being judged. I can't keep clothes, shoes or socks on these boys (no matter the temperature) and people are constantly saying stuff about that. I pretty much just want to hand the boys over to them and say "I'll give you $1000 if you could keep them dressed with shoes and socks on for an hour". And then I judge myself on not being the perfect parent... I lose my temper with my girls so easily and say things I probably shouldn't... I'm working on it.

Do you see/feel my challenge?

I am so lonely and need to get out with girlfriends- but I can't handle being with people when they have their children with them. 

On top of all of that, when they boys get with other kids their age it makes them go total crazy pants. When they see other kids pushing/shoving/hitting/saying "no".... they seem to get it in their heads that behavior is totally okay.... so I have to squash that before it becomes a habit. I already had to deal with the whole biting thing- and I don't want my boys to have yet another hurtful habit.


*sigh*


I'm slowly going insane. Alone.






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I'm hoping to write a happier post next time- but this has just been going through my head over and over so I just had to write it down.... And I really hope nobody gets offended by this post- I'm just battling some inner demons.

Artsy Fartsy

Alan Crockett- a dear friend and old professor - contacted Chip to do a collaborative project with him for a gallery show.

Chip had the grand idea to take one of Alan's paintings- pick out his favorite parts of the painting and then cut them out-  I thought the idea was a little funny. Alan's paintings are pretty expensive and take years to make.... why would Chip want to cut it up??  But then I just shook my head and let him do his thing.

So, back in August Chip came home with this monster piece of art. It was seriously as long as our couch and took up a good 4 feet above the couch too. The painting wasn't really my style and I thought 'How am I going to live with this thing for a few months"....

I like art to make sense to me. I like to think it has a specific meaning. I don't understand the whole 'ohh, how lovely, there is a big red circle on a huge white canvas..... and it's good enough to be hanging in the museum' thing.  Even though > I < am not an artist, nor can understand art in any way shape or form.... I must be drawn to it. I married Chip (masters in fine art, emphasis in painting and drawing)  and my boyfriend before him was an artist.... I guess I was meant to have art in my life.  Anyway, I stared and stared at this painting titled 'Celebration' for hours. I kept trying to pick out shapes or things I could see- like a cute couple dancing, an airplane, a hamburger, a ladder, a blue heart, and a bunny rabbit. And an odd thing happened......

I came to love this painting.

I don't know what it was, but I truly loved it.  The flow, the colors, the happiness that it brought to me. It was the best thing to come down the stairs or open the front door and see that painting first thing.  I guess the world would really really be a sad place without art in it.

When Chip announced that it was time for him to finally cut it up and put it in the show I was really sad. I didn't want to see it go. I told him he should make a new painting and enter that one in the show- and we could keep this one.... but he wouldn't let me. :( I also told him that after the show is done, we should take the painting and make it into little paintings that didn't have pieces cut out of it... ya know, re-stretch the original one- Chip wants to vomit at that suggestion. He said you can't do things like that to a piece of art. Lame- o.

  

 So this is how it finally ended up at the gallery showing. (which is still going on, btw- until Nov 18th)

 So the pieces that Chip cut out are laying on pedestals in front of the painting. And the painting is the first painting you see as you walk into the gallery. It's pretty nifty. :)

The Columbus Dispatch (the local newspaper) even did an article on the show- which you can find here: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2012/11/11/teachers-students-team-up.html

While I deeply miss that painting being in our home- in one piece- right above our couch, I am grateful that Chip got to do something that made him happy. Art sings in Chip's soul.  And that makes me happy too.

I hope that one day we'll be able to afford to purchase an Alan Crockett painting that we can have in our home to keep... and next time I won't let Chip cut it up.

Thoughts on New School

I have so many thoughts on this new school that the girls are attending. Overall I really like it. There is a lot of parent involvement.... but there are things that are bothering me too......

Their old school was like 30% Hispanic, 30% Somali, and 30% Black.... with a speckling of other.  This new school is 75% black, 20% white and a speckling of other.  My kids are really getting a diverse education.  Unlike the old school where all the children had to line up outside on a line- in utter silence and perfect stillness, until the bell rang at the beginning of the day, at this school, the hallways have baskets of books and the students go and pick out a book and sit along side the wall. They read quietly until the school day starts. Much better solution.

So I'll do this post in sections.... that way if flows....

PTA:
My first PTA meeting I was nominated and put in as treasurer. I brought up my experience last year and how I wanted 100000 checks and balances- and I got a co-treasurer who would do dual control on everything with me. Things seemed hunkey-dorey and like they were going to be just fine. Then I got a call from the principal to meet with her.

I got into the principals office and she confessed to me that last year, out of her 16 years as principal, was the first year that funky stuff was happening in the PTA. I guess the treasurer had a debit card to the PTA account and used it for her own stuff, a lot. The school was under investigation by the same Investigator guy that I had used. She said she wanted to talk with Mr. Malone (investigator) and see if the old school's investigation was closed and to see where they were standing on this investigation- because she didn't want me to fight the same battle as last year. I understood. I didn't want to deal with crap again. I shed to many tears and spent way too much time being frustrated last year.  She said she'd get back to me and let me know how her conversation went.  No big deal.

Then in October, I came to school on a night that I thought was the PTA meeting (it apparently got pushed back a week and they forgot to send out notes)... only to walk in on a PTA board member meeting..... and there was a new secretary.  That's right. Nobody called me to tell me I was replaced. That was a little weird......  I guess the PTA president thought the principal talked to me, and the principal thought the PTA president talked to me. At least that's what they are collectively saying. That it was a miscommunication.

I'm just keeping my head low and my eyes wide open to see what funny business is going on. I'm not yet convinced in the purity of the PTA. My faith in the schools aren't completely restored. 

Maggie's Class:

 Mrs. B- Maggie's teacher, absolutely adores Maggie. Like... would take Maggie forever type of adoring her. Mrs. B is retiring this year. She has a grandmotherly presence and Maggie really seems to respond to that. (Mag's kindergarten teacher is retiring this year too.... she must be the end of teachers?)  Mrs. B is so super fantastic. I just love her to pieces. She praises Maggie constantly and has really helped build up Maggie's self confidence in the classroom.

Every year in Mrs. B's classroom she assigns each student to draw a teacher that is in the building. Once everyone is drawn up, Mrs. B hangs all the portraits on the bulletin board like a yearbook. This year she assigned Maggie to draw her- because she is convinced Maggie is the best artist in the classroom, and wouldn't make her look like an ogre. Hooker? Maybe.. Ogre, not so much.

Mrs. B has a seating system where the naughty/extremely needy children sit closest to her desk where she can keep a closer eye on them. The student that she doesn't worry about their behavior or aptitude sit in the back. Maggie sits in the furthest seat from Mrs. B's desk. If that tells you anything.

We have had one situation with Maggie this year... and it happened last week. Maggie got sent home with a PEAK form. Basically PEAK is in school detention (or suspension depending on the level). The PEAK form tells you what level of infraction (Level I: swearing, not listening, smoking, tarty, gambling.any minor infractions. Level II: Fighting, theft, sexual misconduct, bringing a weapon to school, Level III: Selling drugs, Physical assault, Sexual offenses, false fire alarms/bomb threats ) anyway, Maggie's PEAK form had a level II infraction... meaning the same level as bringing a weapon to school.... and NOBODY CALLED ME!  I was like, what the what?!? On the form it said that she left the lunchroom without telling an adult. That's it. That is all it said. I was like.. huh? Did Maggie run out of the lunch room, run outside, take candy from a seedy stranger who was trying to get her into his car by promise of a cute puppy?? Did they have to put the school on lock down until they found her??  Maggie didn't understand why it was so serious either. In her little mind (and I have been to lunch two times and observed what was going on) It was Maggie's turn to take the rolling lunch cart back to the classroom- the cart all the kids who pack lunch put their lunchboxes in.  She grabbed the lunch cart and started wheeling it back to the classroom and then as soon as she got outside the door, 5 other kids, who also assumed it was their turn to bring back the lunch cart tried taking the cart from her- so she started running it down to her room so they wouldn't take it away.  How that is the same level as bringing a gun to school is beyond me. Both times I attended lunch, not a single child ever asked the lunch room teacher if they could leave and bring the cart. The kids just quietly got up, grabbed their carts, and silently wheeled them to the classroom-  Now, all of a sudden this is a level II offense?  I didn't even know how to discipline or communicate with Maggie on it, because I only knew her side of the story. So.... that night was parent/teacher conference and I went in the school and talked with both Maggie's teacher and the Lunchroom teacher/is also the 2nd grade teacher/is also the PTA president.  There is an assigned woman to be the PEAK teacher, but by the time I got done talking to everyone, she had left.

Maggie's teacher thinks it's a giant crock of poo. She thought it was overkill and needless. Sure, it was a safety issue- 6 children storming down the halls running to get a cart, but that should have been more Level I stuff. Minor infractions.

Lunchroom/2nd grade teacher/PTA president said that she had talked to the group of children as a whole (meaning all 150 kids during that lunchroom) and said they no longer could just get up and go bring the carts back- she had to know where all the children were at all times... and these kids broke the rules. She marked it as Insubordination- which is a level II offense. She said she meant to call me, but she forgot- and then she had issues in her own classroom and got side tracked. She handed Maggie over to the PEAK teacher and apparently the PEAK teacher didn't do her job.

I can understand a teacher getting side tracked when they are in charge of 150 students at lunch and 30 students in their own classrooms. Heck. I get side tracked with my 4 kids all the time.

I wrote a long "nice" letter to the PEAK teacher saying how it was inexcusable to not contact me when my child's violation was supposedly as serious as bringing a gun to school- and how she is not only failing Maggie, but failing me as a parent, who couldn't do my one and only job in this world- to raise my children. How am I supposed to do my job right if I don't have any of the information I need?  I told her in no circumstances will she EVER not call me again if my child is in PEAK. I didn't care if they were in peak for not flushing the toilet, or calling in a bomb threat. I was to be notified immediately, end of story.

Oddly enough, I never got a response from my letter.

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Alli's Class

Mrs. S is Alli's teacher. Oddly enough, she is retiring this year too.Mrs. S. is the sweetest lady ever. Every day she hugs each of her students and tells them how special and wonderful they are. Why aren't all teachers like her?? Mrs. S. is just fantastic.

 Alli seems to be thriving this year. She is taking violin at school (we're currently searching for a private violin teacher for her... anyone know any??). Alli also made choir.... and was nominated to represent her classroom in student council. From there in Student council, they nominated Alli to be secretary.

 

Alli had a blast making posters and campaigning. The first day she handed out 4 packs of crayons that I found at Michaels on clearance for $1 for 10 that had the words "For a brighter future, Vote Alli Kohrman for Secretary!" that we glued on them.  That went fine and dandy..... and then a week later she handed out glow sticks that said "Vote for a brighter future! Alli Kohrman for Secretary!". While she has handing those out the principal got on the loud speaker and told Alli to go to every individual classroom and pick the glow sticks up. She was not allowed to campaign at school. Alli was humiliated going from room to room asking for her stuff back. I called the school after and basically asked what the purpose of campaigning was if she couldn't hand anything out. The principal said that Alli would have an unfair advantage to those students who didn't pass anything out- so she asked Alli to pick everything up again. She was going to talk to the lady who was actually in charge of Student Council - Dr. N, and see what she thought.

When Dr. N came in the next day and heard of the principals little decision, she was pretty upset.

Basically, the principal just wanted to throw a little wrench in things for no reason.  I have heard tale saying that this principal is just like our last one.... sneaky with an agenda. I kinda noticed at the PTA meeting that she attends, that she's not really that bright and gets confused over minor things..... but has a gorgeous smile.

I digress.

Anyway- The good news is: ALLI WON! 

High fives to her.

Alli also got recommended by her teacher for the gifted and talented honors program. This little cookie is just moving right along.

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So there it is. My thoughts on the school. There are a few weird things happening. I'm not sure if they are all just random miscommunication or if people are out to get us because they talked with our last school or what.  I just have my eyes wide open and I'm watching everything that is going on. I'm just taking notes and waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Over all- the girls are in a much better place emotionally, the other kids in the school are nicer, I couldn't ask for better teachers.... and I haven't had to talk to the not-so-super-super. :D





In other news: Poo is hitting that fan at the girls old school. They are at it again...... and they are blaming me for it. ;D  All for another post. 

Halloween!

 Halloween this year was a little nontraditional. We didn't actually go trick-or-treating. Does that make me a bad person?

We started by hanging out with our friends at Creepside in Gahanna (the park is called Creekside... like their play on words?) where we just went from vendor to vendor gathering treats. The had a great time playing the night away. Chip wasn't able to go :( Boo. (and not in the scary way.) We scored some yummy treats- including cider that was to die for.

(kids left to right: Abbey the cutest witch ever, Abbey the butterfly, Maggie the princess ballerina, Maya the adorable zombie? (I could be wrong on what she was), and Alli the Ninja. )

Taking a ninja out at a park with a ton of people in the dark is not a good idea. I kept losing that child. It's a good thing she could find me... otherwise I'm pretty sure we'd be down to 3 kids.

 Miles was a puppy and Dexter was Buzz Lightyear.

Creepside was really fun and I'm happy we got to spend it with great friends!
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Our next Halloween adventure was going to Boo at the Zoo.  Yet another thing Chip couldn't attend with us-   This time I didn't even bother getting the kids dressed in their costumes. It was just one of those nights. 

Our friends drove down from around Cleveland to come play for the day, so we joined them at the zoo :D. It got dark really quickly, so I didn't get to take many pictures. Plus it was cold and I didn't want my fingers to freeze off.

We stayed a lot of the time at the zoo inside the buildings- like the aquarium and reptile house.... which is where I took most of the pictures :)

 Alli and Zoe

 Allie, Eddie, Maggie, and Geneva

 This was hilarious. We got to watch the divers feed the fish in the aquarium... only for halloween, the divers decided to dress up....  They put a skeleton costume on over their wetsuit. It was super cute. Miles was like "WOAH!" when he saw the skeleton in the water. 

 See... skeleton in the water.

 Michelle treated us all to a carousel ride. Miles and Dexter were so brave. Normally they scream and cry on carousel rides... this time just a little nervous.

On our way out of the zoo we stopped to watch the tail end of the pirate show.... where the kiddos posed with the pirates and made very scary hook hands.
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On Halloween night, Chip was off in Indianapolis for a Telework Summit. He took the van... and the stroller. Hurricane Sandy had just passed and it was still rainy, cold, and nasty outside. I made a deal with the girls- I could either take them out trick-or-treating for 30 minutes (which is all the time I thought the boys would actually be able to handle doing it) OR they could invite a few friends, I'd buy a bunch of candy, make pizza, and we'd rent Madagascar 3. They picked the second option. They didn't even dress up because they weren't sure if their friends would.

I didn't get to take any pictures, because Chip took my camera and the Ipad to the conference with him.

It was fun. I bought like 12 lbs of candy- which you think sounds like a lot, but really it doesn't fill that many bags- oddly enough.  I put out a bunch of glowsticks, and let the kiddos do their thing. It turned out to be a fun low-key type of night.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to get away with that option again unless there is anther hurricane. The girls felt a little sad they didn't get to go out and get that massive amount of assorted candy. But we still had a good time without it.
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So that was our Kohrman Halloween festivities. I'm happy to say the only lingering candy are a few Jolly Ranchers.

Maybe next year Chip will be able to attend at least one activity. :)

Autumn Time

 I have never made it a secret that Autumn time is my favorite time of year. When else can you get such crisp days but still have warm and sunny?? Also- the color palette is my favorite. The burgundies, the golds, greens, oranges, reds, pretty blue skies- with pops of purples and pinks. *sigh* just thinking of it makes my heart swoon.

Two days before Hurricane Sandy came strollin' into town I decided to take the boys for a walk and let them get their wiggles out and let them explore to their hearts content. I knew that this hurricane would probably blow all those gorgeous leaves off the trees- thus making an ugly winter feel.... so we had to capture the day while we had it.

 Inniswood had a fun little nook filled with all sorts of spooky Halloween prom theme stuff. They sprayed all the pumpkins silver. Dexter found it abnormal... so he seriously sat and stared and rubbed that pumpkin for a good 10 minutes straight. I am always amazed by what toddlers find amusing.

 The boys thought this little fake bird that was attached to one of the 'prom dresses' (forms made from chicken wire) was real. They kept talking to it and petting it.

 Miles and Dexter like to bring toys out where ever we go. Buses, cars, frogs, blocks, books... whatever. Anything is game to go on adventure. I loved Miles' little tongue action in this picture. It made me remember when Maggie was this age.... I doubt we have any pictures of her with her tongue in her mouth. Thankfully, she's learned to keep it on the inside now... just not when we're watching TV. (They got that from their grandmother....)

 Gosh... isn't this park GORGEOUS?!  How can Autumn not be everyone's favorite?? 

 I thought I should snap a picture of me... I'm hardly in any pictures. I hate those head shots on profile pictures where you can tell that the person is holding the camera in front of themselves- because you see their arms outstretched. Those and 'look at me in the mirror' pictures really bother me too. Anyway, I couldn't exactly ask the boys to take my picture (they aren't touching my camera)  so I tried to take a picture without that awkward arm extended look.

Also: I was only wearing mascara- no time for make up. I keep a tube of mascara in my car. I put it on at red lights. I'm classy. And this particular day I didn't have time to wash my hair in the shower... or brush my hair for that matter.... so I just put it in a bun. Ya know.. my signature look.

I struggled for years in wanting my hair to be blonde or pure red or something other than poo brown. So I kept dying it. Finally... I stopped. Right after the boys were born I realized I didn't have anytime to have upkeep on any dye jobs. Now that it's grown out and the dye is gone, I realize that I really like the color of my hair. It has red/blonde/brown/(grey...shhh)/and a few odd black hairs mixed in. I think I like it more than dying it. For now at least....

 Miles couldn't walk with his bus and keep up with Dexter and I. He HAD to push it. Even this old man with a cane was walking faster than Miles was.  (He was delighted to talk to Miles all about his school bus. It was a really cute interaction)

 99% of the time- I am really really enjoying these boys. Twins are so much more fun/easier in some ways than a singleton. They are each others best friend- and are really delightful. (The other 1% of the time I am trying to sell them on ebay. Seriously... those boys know how to make messes, break things, and generally get into more mischief than a single child can come up with. And they tag team... which makes it even more fun... for them.)

 This is Dexter's "Please" face. How can you say no to that?

 Ohh I love this squishy little smile. Miles melts my heart.

 Dexter and Miles had to jump the frog/push the bus on every surface. In a park the size of Inniswood- that's a lot of trees to touch. We were there for like 3 hours.

 Dexter's funny little mischief face. 

The boys are looking more and more different. It's fun to see their personalities shine.

Sadly, no more pretty colors on the trees... and my mums have died.... but we sure enjoyed the beautiful autumn while it was here.


Next post: Halloween. Why not have Halloween posted mid November? It's how I roll.