Summer Goals

With 8 days left of school house insanity left...I am looking ahead to the glorious days of summer.

The mind-bending, melting down, scorching, East Texas humidity-filled, long days of summer.

Personal Goals:
Get control of the baby weight that has hung on for 2 years. Can you still call it baby weight at this point?
Declutter my life by cleaning out closets and drawers.
Finish a devotional guide that I started months ago.
Celebrate my 10 year anniversary.
Stay cool and invite myself over to friends' houses with pools.
Locate a home for us to BUY.
Take time to enjoy my family more.

Sydney Goals:
Have a potty-trained 2 year old ready to start day school in the fall.
Completely break her of the bink. It had released its grip on her, but she has relapsed. She only uses it go to sleep at night...Lord help us all...the screaming that is to come.

Convince her to eat something that does not come in a Gerber graduates package.

Chris Goals:

Get him to organize his home office. I swear, a rhino could get seriously injured in that room.

Take rides on the Harley with him.

Take him to Houston and buy him a new pair of tennis shoes...and several pairs of Scrubs. He is in DESPERATE need.

Other than reaching for these goals, I shall lay amongst my house, hit Sonic up for 2-4 Happy Hour everyday, and eat Wheat Thins and popsicles. Wait, I think that conflicts with my first goal.

Here's to June, July, and August!  Teachers, rejoice!

My Favoreet Thangs

Welcome to "My Favorite Things"

This is the "School's Almost Out for the Love of All that is Good and Holy Edition" of "My Favorite Things"

This is how I am going to survive the next 4.5 weeks.

 Candy coated Sunflower Seeds...Addiction in a clear plastic tube.

The only place in my town that sells these wicked delights is a boutique.

And you KNOW the prices that run amok in boutiques.

This minuscule tube runs about $4.25.

Which means that each succulent seed is about 18 cents.

But, it does not prevent me from knockin 'em back like my life depends upon them.

These trivial treats will assist me to the end of this school year.

My Passport IQ.

It's a radar detector...It's a laser detector...It's a micro/infrared/gamma ray/cosmic beam/space alien zapping

box of electronical wonderment.

But most importantly, it keeps me on the straight and narrow.

And least importantly, it's a GPS.

It's an all in one car companion.

It is not cheap. It was a gift from my husband who was tired of me getting pulled over for driving awards.

He's one to talk.

He could wallpaper the Louvre with HIS driving awards.

Nevertheless,

I love it. I shall marry it one day.

The Melissa & Doug wooden puzzle to rival ALL wooden puzzles.

It has hinges. It opens and shuts.

Which is an activity that my 2 year old enjoys IMMENSELY!

If it is open, she slams shuts it.

It is ajar, she slams closes it gently.

If it is out of place, she gingerly returns it to it's rightful place.

No cabinet door is safe in my house.

No desk drawer is safe.

Heck, no toilet lid is safe.

AND...

inside each little door is an object (a magnetic object I might add)

that she can take out and put back in to her heart's content.

She played with this puzzle for 1.75 hours this morning.

I kid you not.

Open.

Shut.

Whine. (repeat)

THIS puzzle will help me make it to the end with my sanity. 

When I ordered this humdinger, the Sonic order taker upper was bumfuddled.

"You want a WHAT?"

"I want a cherry limeade lemonade sweet tea slush."

"Uh..can we do those?"

"Yes. Your commercial promises me you can."

"Uh..let me check."

(30 seconds of silence..a few crickets chirping)

"Well, yes, I guess we can."

"I thought so."

(muffled chuckle from Sonic order taker upper)

"It is one of your 668,133 drink combinations you boast about."

(muffled disgusted grunt from Sonic gal)

This bad boy will help me tremendously through the last days...especially when I can nab it for half price during the 2-4 Happy Hour of Heaven.

It may be sideways in the photo, but it is straight up and down in my heart.

Honey Pear Cider from Scentsy.

Who would've thought that melted wax over a bulb would make one family kajillions of dollahs?

I have a sensitive nose and I can only handle certain fragrances.

Magnolia? YECH. Dogwood? BLEH.

Florals of any kind? GAG.

But, this my friend, smells like God's living room.

I would bathe in it.

I would spray it on.

LOVE this scent.

It makes me happy, calm, tranquil, delirious, and elevates my mood.

For $5.00, it thrills me.

And, if you're too cheap to buy an official warmer, a $2.00 candle warmer from Wal-Mart and a Pyrex dish work GREAT!

Here's to SUMMER and my favorite THANGS!

'Cause she makes me laugh

If you are easily bored my gushing mamas who talk about all the cute things their babies do, I advise you to click on another link in your favorites bar.

Don't say I didn't warn you. This post is strictly personal. It's for me. I just have to document the hilarious things Sydney is saying/doing these days.

Lately, she plays, "This Little Piggy" with her toes, by herself, in her room. If you listen closely from the doorway you will hear her say, "Dis piggy has roass beev," and "dis piggy goes weeeee all da way home."  She then tickles her baby toe all the way up to her upper thigh...just like her Gigi taught her to do.

The other day, I was stretched out in the floor with her and she demanded, "Foot!" I stuck my foot in front of her and she started "The Little Piggy" with my toes. She squeezed each toe just like I squeeze hers. We laughed manically over each others' toes for quite a while.

She is very concerned about the well being of everyone/everything around her. She drops her Elmo spoon and says, "Uh oh! You alright? It's okay!" I stub my toe and Sydney is quick to say, "Oh my! Uh oh. Mommy. You alright? It's alright. It's okay." She will promptly come kiss my bo-bo. But what kills me is when she kisses her own bo-bo if I am not in the vicinity for bo-bo kissing. She is definitely gonna be able to take care of herself.

The latest phrase that is the funniest of them all is..

"Ewww...Caca...Gross...Nasteeeee...P-U!"

Which sounds like: "Oooohcacagrosnasnaspew" when she says it all at once as one giant word of disgust. Anything that: falls on the floor, smells, looks icky, or goes in the potty, or goes in the trash can, is described as this one giant word. It pretty much sums it all up.

And...she has boycotted all milk and milk products.
She demands a chocolate pudding cup for breakfast.

She raids Jessi's jelly beans at her daddy's office.

When we pass by the city park in the car, she hollers "Park! Ride? Slide? Swing? Go Play? Sydney go play? Now!? Huh? Mama? HUH?"

When we drive by Lowe's and she sees the playground equipment that is setup for sale, she also forcefully expresses her desire to play at the "park."

She tells EVERYBODY "bye-bye, see ya!"

She is fascinated by birds.

She has started to say, "Mommy! Hi Mommy!" which is more than I can handle.

She also calls for "Daddy!" in the morning times.

She pretends to spit in the sink after she brushes her teeth. Again...just kills me.

When we pull into our neighborhood and she recognizes we are close to the house, she says in her high pitched voice, "We're Hu-ome!" and begins to chuckle.

She tells me to "push the button" on the garage door opener. As the door opens, she raises her arms like she praising the Lord as the glory of the outdoors is revealed.

She loves to go to "school."

She refuses to use the potty for its intended purposes. She will sit on it. She will sing. She will "wipe." She will flush. But she will not "GO."

Oh, Sydney. You are one funny duck.

I told her that the other day.

Her response?  "Quack!"

The End is Near and Flying Footwear

May is the month of survival for all individuals who hold teaching degrees and are presently employed as such.

We have 2 major state tests to tackle this week (Science and History). We have already taken the Reading and Math tests which I am proud to say...

that EVERY stinkin' one of my precious darling angel babies... PASSED.

Yep, you heard that correctly. I guess I get to keep my job...and I guess my babies get to be promoted to 9th grade. Praise Je to Besus.

This school year has been quite stressful. I have been stretched to the limit. I have learned more about American History, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Algebraical things than I ever wanted to know or ever remember learning in the first place.

We have had our share of ups and downs. I have cried tears of joy and tears of pain.

And just this week, I threw a shoe. Literally...Have you ever heard the expression, "He/She threw a shoe"? Well, it is a colloquialism that my parents use frequently and I brought this expression to life this week when my babies did NOT know that "four score and seven years ago" was the beginning of the Gettysburg address. We have hashed this out for MONTHS now.

I wept. I put my head down. I screamed... and a size 7.5 Aerosole mule in light taupe FLEW across the room towards the door.

My stress had to be relieved some how...and the kids were WAY out of the WAY. I got their attention. Nobody got hurt, but a few people were slightly shocked and frightened for a moment.

But, hallelujah...the end is near. Just a few more weary days and then, I'll fly away, cause

God is good and school is almost out.

and black is black,
and white is white,
and hell is hot,
and sin ain't right,
AND...my kids are memorizing the Gettysburg address as an end of the year project.

Eggstra Serious Bidness

Hunting Eggs is serious bidness.

Sydney practiced hunting eggs on Friday. She was a pro. She hunted eggs with a vengeance.

Syd practiced hunting eggs on Saturday at Gigi's. She was an egg hunting specialist. She hunted eggs like no other.

On Sunday, after church, Sydney took her basket and headed to the little kids' corner.

...and she acted like she had NO idea what to do...

Stood around like she was in complete shock and that she had never seen an egg on the ground before that needed to be picked up.

I think she was messing with my mind.

She likes to do that sometimes.

Texting at the Table

Oh, Daddy is calling!

I think that is Daddy calling...yep...and he sent me a text!

Let me get back to him...LOL

It won't take but a second mom...I know... no texting at the table.

This Sums It Up

Yep, that about says it all after the week I've had...

Have a wonderful weekend!