Georgia on my Mind

 A preschool in Georgia asked for some advice and help improving their current preschool program. Pastor Phil said he'd love to come and help them out. He invited us along for the ride. 

It was a great time! 

We stopped along the way at a Diners, Drive-ins and Dives restaurant and had delicious pulled pork. Probably the best I've ever had, and I was hesitant because I don't really like smokey foods.

Joshua was happy to be out of the car and enjoying some tasty food. I love that he still has bbq on his lips in this picture.












After a quick siesta at the hotel we were ready to do some exploring. Becky had a sit-and-stand stroller that was perfect for Gwen and Joshua who were riding in style.  

We saw the sights and ate some delicious sea food. 

We went to the church and checked out their program as well as their playground. Joshua loved swinging like a monkey and searching for pirates. 

I was not the only one who thought I should write about our Georgia adventures. 

It wasn't a long trip, but it was nice to get away. Joshua did a terrific job in the car both ways. We are very blessed with a great little boy. I look forward to many other short overnight trips for our family.

Impulsive Living Arrangements

Michael and I thus far in our marriage have been pretty impulsive about where we are living.

When we said 'yes' to our first apartment in New Ulm, it was the only one we visited. That living arrangement ended in giving our notice and two weeks later moving across town. I remember being so reluctant to move to the new place. I was convinced it was too much money, I didn't really like it, and I wasn't ready to move.

Similarly, when we moved to Florida there was nothing holding us in Minnesota, so when I got the job offer, we left (again two weeks, but this time across the country and with a 6 month old.) The feeling laying in bed, the first night in our new apartment in Palm Coast, I felt it was so surreal. The apartment complex is beautiful, the amenities are very nice and it seemed so strange that Michael and I were calling this place home.

Home as it is, I have never had the desire to make it homey.

I have always been holding out for a house. I didn't make things homey in New Ulm, I wasn't going to make them homey here if we were just going to move again. (There is probably more laziness in that statement than I'd like to admit.) I think maybe knowing how hard my mom worked to make things homey for us, I wasn't willing to put that effort in, just to move. Moving from the house where I grew up was hard for me because of all she had done.

I also believe because Michael and I married so young, I wasn't sure how to take care of a home when I wasn't really sure how to take care of myself yet.

How things have changed since moving here. Two years has changed us so much, not only our living, working arrangements, but also having Joshua and now being pregnant again. We have been hard on our poor apartment and somehow with baby on the way we seem to have outgrown it.

Now we are looking at homes. It is a little bit... terrifying. The responsibilities have me a bit overwhelmed. It's like we'll need to be 'grow-ups'. And purchasing a home here is settling down for real. I don't really see us going anywhere, but I do have some anxiety about settling 'permanently'. Despite all my fears, excitement is mounting. I'm doing my best to stay calm and level-headed, but I am in love with the idea of having a house for my family.

God promises to provide, but not to put him to the test. He certainly has been with us and blessed us wherever we have been, and wherever we end up living he will be there with us again.

Perfectly Perfect, but not quite...

Tuesday nights are the night Joshua and I leave school early. When it was time to go I excitedly lured Joshua away with promises of painting when we got home. I was so excited! We were leaving early enough to do something special when we got home while daddy made supper. It was going to be great!!

I made some outlines of Easter eggs so we could paint the inside, got the paints and wipes ready...

Then, the colors were all wrong, the whining was intense and Joshua refused to paint. So I stayed there at the table, finger painting for a while. It felt good, but I still left the table disappointed. I was so anxious to do something special and try to make things fun and exciting for my little man.

Too much pressure. He didn't want to paint, and there wasn't much I could do to change his mind.

Balancing

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” 
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!


I wrote recently about my goal setting. Last week was another successful week. 
Everyday I...
               -spent time working out 
               -made smoothies
               -took my vitamins
               -ran the dishwasher
on top of the previous week's 
               -nightly reading to Joshua
               -packing lunches


I felt very accomplished. Felt... accept that I didn't accomplish much administrative or teacher work because I was busy feeling accomplished in other areas. 


Now to find the right balance between housework, schoolwork and some 'me' time. 

Sunday Night Strolling

It was a rough Sunday for "listening ears" so despite my desire to go to the beach or check out the pool, we took a stroll to the park at our apartment complex. It was a beautiful day to be outside. 

 Michael has done a radio show on Sunday nights for almost 5 years now, and so on Sunday nights Joshua and I try to do something special just the two of us.

 We took some fun pictures and enjoyed the cool breezes that accompanied the setting sun.

 Joshua is all about the bugs these days. We need to stop and check out every bug we can. We have enjoyed seeing crickets, ants, beetles, but the highlight of our bug observations has been seeing a millipede!

 We had some squeezes and giggles, excited to have some time the two of us. I'm getting more and more anxious about how Joshua will respond to having to share me and my attention with someone else....

How things have changed...

St. Patrick's Day makes me think about living in New Ulm, MN. I think about being newly married and newly 21 and the "festivities" that are "supposed" to come with celebrating wearing green and drinking too much.

Last night as I carried our son to his bed, after a family evening spent shoe shopping, eating sushi and an adventure to the grocery store, I couldn't help but feel blessed. Many old classmates or acquaintances posted pictures or status updates via Facebook about the good times they were having. Some might see them and wave in the pity party to feel sorry about missing out, but I went to bed thrilled to have spent the day with my family, no green food coloring required.

A Pat on the Back...

It may seem foolish to some, but this week I set out with two goals in mind:
          A. Pack lunches for the next day the night before and
          B. Make a conscious effort to read a book with Joshua every night before bed.
Both goals were accomplished this week and we are celebrating the small successes! Hooray! It has been very busy around school (last week the earliest we left school was Friday night at 6:15) and with the time change we have struggled a bit, however, I decided to set two goals for the week and work toward a routine one or two steps at a time.
For next week... I'll get back to you.

The Monster Dance

Joshua and I have decided to call our Saturday outings adventures. Our adventure lead us to Target to find a birthday present for his classmate and good friend. We searched through the store to find something just right. We stumbled upon a musical monster. My son became a foolish dancer. Every ten steps or so, Joshua set down the monster, pushed the button, and "danced like no one was watching." In reality several people actually stopped to watch him. That's when I realized I should probably catch it on video.

I considered buying it, but decided not to. Since then, he has asked about and looked for "his monster." When we drove past Target, and he suggests that we go in to find his monster.

Follow-up on Painting

Joshua decided that painting with poopies was not only an event for at home, but also one for school. He painted in his pack-and-play and when the teacher asked, "what are you doing?" His proud response was that he was "painting." She said she needed to turn away because all she wanted to do was laugh. We obviously do not want Joshua thinking that painting is something that we do with poop. In response, we bought some finger paints and went over what it means to paint. Where we sit, what we paint on, what we paint with etc. I want him to enjoy painting and be proud of what him makes as long as it is with paint and not with poop. 

Elbow? or Knee?

Not sure what body part it was, but I had baby parts poking out of my belly today.

I've had a the rotating, and kicking, jabbing, and the hiccups. Early in the morning, 4 o'clock-ish, I have acrobatics and tumbling.

I am now at the stage of sitting on the couch watching my belly move.

I love it!

First trip to the Beach 2012

Saturday morning we greeted the sun early and got right to work on laundry and dishes, the usual Saturday story. Joshua and I did however, take some time to enjoy breakfast out on the lanai. 

Michael had some work to do so we did chores around the house. We went to the farmer's market around 10:30 and walked down to the beach. It was pretty windy down by the water, but it was great to get out. Joshua is still scared of the water and didn't want to be anywhere near it. Not only did he not want to be near it, he didn't want Michael or I near it either. Joshua doesn't look too cheery in any of the pictures. I think had I brought some sand toys maybe we would have a different story. 

Perhaps it's just the angle, but don't his legs look like they're getting l-o-n-g!?!

We took some pictures, did some walking and checked out the water before moving on to the next chapter of our saturday adventures.

Dirt Cups

After our Dr. Seuss party in the classroom I took home a dirt cup for Joshua. 

He had never had one, and I thought it was worth a try. 

He looked at me like I was crazy when I told him to take a bite. 

 They are called dirt cups for more than one reason. 

 My favorite part was watching him hold the worm and wiggle it and talk to it like it was a real worm. 

He enjoyed the dirt then enjoyed the bath that followed. 

Teaching Celebration

The Kindergarten Readiness scores are out for Florida.

Christ the King scored 100. When Becky saw this her heart sank. Last year, the scale was out of 200. Upon further review, this year the scores were out of 100.

The scores are public record, so we did some investigating. We were the only school in the county to score 100 followed by 94.

These are the students that I had last year, my first year of teaching. It feels so good to be part of a quality program where I know my students are leaving my room ready for kindergarten and going with Christ's love in their hearts.

God is good!