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VPK Graduation pictures (slideshow)

This week I had the pleasure of taking some pictures of some gorgeous preschoolers! They are graduating from Pre-K and going to be in Kindergarten next year!! Here's a link to the pics! Let me know what you think!

http://angelsfort.fotki.com/a-tots-world-3/ms-cindy--ms-sandra/?cmd=fs_slideshow


I also included a cute little poem on my "intro" page of my website... I thought it was appropriate!

K is for Kindergarten---hip, hip, hooray.
I is for Imagination we use everyday.
N is for Numbers—we know one, two, three.
D is for Drawing, the best you can see!
E is for Exercise to keep our bodies strong.
R is for Reading books all day long.
G is for Good friends. We made more each day.
A is for the Alphabet we know how to say.
R is for Remembering everything we learned.
T is for the Treats and stamps we earned.
E is for Excitement. This year we’ve had some.
N is for No more pre-k. Kindergarten here we come!!!!

A story for you.

I just wanted to tell you about something that happened over the weekend... I thought you might get a kick out of it... we went to Sea World and had breakfast with Jack Hanna. (you've heard of him, right?)

During the breakfast, Jack was in the back of the room signing autographs and taking pictures with people... and up on the stage in front of everyone they had his helpers bringing animals out and telling everyone all about them.

Before they'd bring out the next animal, they'd let the audience members ask questions about the animal they just spoke about... and most of the people asking questions were little kids. And their questions were things like "Ummm. Why doesn't that bird have the same kind of feathers as the other bird?" or "Can he jump?" or "Why does he like grapes so much?" LOL you know, kid questions!

Then they brought out a Wallaby and told us a bit about him (he was a baby... not very big, super cute!) and again the kid questions started "Can he eat grapes too?" or "Why are his bottom feet bigger than his top feet?"

UNTIL MY DAUGHTER ASKED HER QUESTION. LOL

"Um. Excuse me, but are Wallaby's Diurnal or Nocturnal?"

You should have seen the ladies jaw drop when she heard that question!! LOL

She repeated the question for the audience and explained what Diurnal and Nocturnal meant... everyone then had to turn and look at the little girl that would ask such a question...

Too funny. It was great!!!

working hard??

Okay, I broke down and asked my boss at the daycare if she'd be willing to let me work "full time" so that I could earn the money that I'm in need of...

she was more than willing!! She's also a friend of mine, so I really didn't think that she'd tell me no. Since I don't have the state mandated 45 hour training classes done (that you need in order to work in a child-care facility) she has put me in the kitchen. I get to be the daycare cook... which is very good for the ego! Every day I am hearing "wow, this is the best hamburger I've ever eaten" or "I've never had spaghetti as good as this" and my favorite "I usually hate this stuff, but you make it taste really good". All I am doing is opening the box of hamburgers and baking them... (yum) or pouring ragu sauce over some spaghetti noodles... it's not rocket science, it's something that they could do themselves... but somehow, when I'm cooking it, it's the best, the greatest, the most wonderful tasting food they've ever had! LOL Kids are so funny!!!

Here's what I am doing: I go in at 9:30 am, 3 days of the week... and it's my job to cook lunch for the entire daycare. THEN after giving a couple of breaks to teachers in their classrooms, I head off to pick up my daughter from school. I get her home, get her homework finished and then she and I head back to the daycare to work the closing shift. She helps me do much of the end of the day cleaning and tidying up (she's a really big help! and because she does such a good job, I give her a "paycheck" also when I get mine... that's makes her super D duper happy!).

two days each week, I start at 8am (right after I drop my daughter off at school) so that I can still do the grocery shopping for both daycare centers... and after I pick my daughter up from school, we go to another grocery store (those same two days) to finish the shopping at the other grocery store we purchase from.... so on these two days we add about 3 hours onto my workday.

then after I get off of work, I get to go home and try to get dinner ready for my parents and the two of us... then it's bath, brush teeth and bedtime stories (for my daughter)... now that we are working until 6:30 (or later, occasionally) she's getting to bed later than usual. So she's been tired in the mornings... her bedtime is normally 7:30.

I'm also super tired in the mornings, even though I am actually getting more sleep now that I normally do... it's strange. I've been sleep deprived for about 5 years now and now that I'm actually getting more sleep (a bit more than usual... going to bed at 11pm rather than 2 or 3 am) I'm feeling worse than I did when I was barely getting any sleep. How is that possible? Is my body saying "ooohhh... I remember sleep, give me more of it!"

I'm hoping that eventually I will get caught up and this feeling will subside... but if it doesn't then maybe I need to try to get into bed when I put my daughter into bed... perhaps that will help.

Another added benefit to this job, is that I'm getting a pretty good workout in the afternoons when I'm there doing the cleaning. I've lost a bit of weight - this is going on 3 weeks now that I've been doing this and I'm down about 7 lbs. Sure, on it's own it doesn't seem like much - but I'm hoping that in another couple of months I can tell you it's 30 lbs or so... that WILL seem like much! :o)

Got sinus issues?? I did!

For the past month or more, I've been suffering from sinus headaches. I've taken more than my share of sinus medications, all of which give a VERY minimal relief to me. (and I mean VERY VERY minimal!)

A friend of mine told me about something called a "Netty Pot" which is a little kettle that you fill with a saline solution - which you then stick up your nose and pour the solution UP into your nose. Yeah. I had the same reaction that you just had when you read this... ICK!! NO way was I going to pour water UP MY NOSE!

I always hated when I got water in my nose when I was swimming... why would I now do it on purpose?!

Okay... after several days of a particularly bad headache, I caved and purchased one of these horrible little things. I carefully read the instructions, mixed their little solution with warm water... stuck the nozzle right up my nose, tilted my head and began pouring.

OMG!

You know that feeling... when you jump into the pool and don't breathe out... or you accidentally breathe in... the water in your nose awful feeling... I suffered through it...

after just a moment, it didn't annoy me as much...

then it started just feeling weird (and weird I can handle!)...

then it was actually kinda cool... cuz when you pour the saline solution in one nostril, it runs through your sinuses and then comes OUT the other nostril.

By the time the little pot was empty - I was almost happy to start again with the other nostril...
of course, that's when the sneezing began.

okay, you've just poured over a cup of water into your nose... some of it is still running out... picture me, saline solution dripping out of my nose, sneezing like a crazy person, rushing around trying to find my tissues. Of course, they were nowhere to be found. I ended up just using toilet paper to blow my nose. WOW there was still a LOT of water still up there! ( Note to self: find tissues before using netty pot. )

Okay... after going through it the second time with the other nostril (all of it, even the running around looking for tissue part! Yeah, I'm a dope)... I can assure that it actually worked.

I've had a sinus headache for so long that I almost forgot what it felt like to NOT have one... right now, about an hour after using that silly little netty pot, my headache is completely gone.

I highly recommend this little horrifying thing to anyone who has troubles with their sinuses.
so... go buy one. If only for the experience of putting water up your nose ON PURPOSE.

Below is a recipe for the saline solution that you use in the netty pot. You can always buy the little packets that came with your netty pot, but they are quite expensive for what they really are... especially when it's very simple to make your own.

The Saline Solution Recipe:
**Carefully clean and rinse a 1-quart glass jar. Fill the clean jar with distilled water.
**Add 2 or 3 heaping teaspoons of "pickling/canning" salt. DO NOT use table salt, which has unwanted additives, nor sea salt. You can ask for pickling/canning salt at the grocery store.
**Add 1 rounded teaspoon of baking soda (pure bicarbonate).
**Stir or shake before each use. Store at roome temperature.
After a week, pour out any mixture that is left over, run the jar through the dishwasher and make a new recipe.
If the mixture seems too strong, use less salt - - try 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of salt. For children it is best to start with a weaker salt solution. Then gradually increase to using 2 to 3 heaping teaspoons of salt, or whatever the child will accept.
Warm in microwave to body temperature for nose wash - take a few seconds only. make sure it is not too hot!

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Update on my mother

As it turns out, they've decided that she had a stroke during the procedure... she has FEELING in her right leg, but she cannot move it... she's got no control over it.

Just last night they located a spot for her to do some rehab and physical therapy, so they moved her to a new (closer) location. My daughter and I went to visit her - but of course, my daughter only wanted to play with grampa. "Hi Gramma, Grampa can we go for a walk around the hospital?" (that's pretty much how it went)

AND my daughter wrote me this cute little love letter at school today, (it's posted in a separate post) and as she was pulling it out of her backpack she said "Momma, I made you a valentine letter but I'm gonna show it to gramma" then she handed it to my mother. My mother read it and started crying... even though it very obviously wasn't for her... and my daughter even SAID just before she handed it to her that it was for me... and my mother told my father to put it in her address book because she wanted to save it.

As we were leaving, I asked my mother if I could have the letter so that I could take it home and scan it... then I'd send it back to the hospital with my dad tomorrow... she opened it up and read it again, then she handed it to me. So, luckily I at least get to have a "copy" of the letter!!

We are still enjoying the nice quiet house, now my father will be able to come home in the evenings (instead of sleeping in a chair in the hospital room) which makes us all very happy (especially my daughter!). I'm actually starting to sleep a little bit better (a little) with the house so quiet in the evenings... and no stress of worrying what's going to set off my mother "this time"

I'm still jobless... but still looking...

I recieved this note today from my daughter... it made me a little bit weepy! Read it and you'll understand completely!

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Sorry this is sideways! It's a cell phone picture...

We took a walk around the block and she started picking up the wild "potato's" that we were seeing everywhere. She got so many that she had to use her sweater to carry them. She was so proud of how many she found!! (she would have gotten even more if I hadn't told her that she had enough and wasn't allowed to pick up any more)

As many of you know, I currently work for a local daycare doing their grocery shopping for them. (I get the milk and baby food and all of the breakfast and lunch ingredients, etc) This taks all of about 4 hours each week... paychecks are a miserable amount!!

SO! I've been looking for a job for months now... with no luck. (read previous posts for THAT story!)

Well... a month or so ago one of the managers (at one of the stores I shop at for the daycare) was complaining about one of his employees. She's unreliable, lazy... hates to work, etc. I jokingly said to him "You should hire me, I'm reliable and hard-working" then he said "you already have a job" I told him about how little hours I put in for the daycare... and after a little more chit chat, he finally said "I just hired a bunch of new people, but by February most of them will have quit - they are young and don't seem very reliable"

Well, last week when I came into the store for my weekly shopping visit - he approached me in the cereal isle and asked me "Can you work weekends?" This was the first thing he said to me... didn't give me a "Hi, how are you today" or any of the usual greetings.... so I was a bit taken aback by his "Can you work weekends" question. So I asked him why and he explained about one of the girls who always had some excuse as to why she couldn't work her full shift, or couldn't come in at all... he was going to be transferring her to another store. He said that once he did, he'd have an opening for a cashier. He gave me a website to visit to do an "online" interview - which was a series of questions you had to answer... apparently if you answer them correctly, you get a call from one of the managers to come in for a face-to-face interview.

I did the thing online and a few days later went back into the store... the manager went back and pulled up my info and said he needed about a week or so... he was still working through the employee transfer.

SO! If you are a praying person, I'd appreciate some prayers thrown up for me. This job would be perfect. It's during the day (when my daughter is in school) and even though I still have to put her into the 'after-care" at school, it would only be for just over an hour. And although the job would requre that I work weekends, it's not EVERY weekend. They rotate the weekends between the three daytime cashiers. I've got quite a few people who have already volunteered to help out with my daughter on those weekends. (plus I can ask both sets of grandparents - so I'm not real worried about the weekends)

I am concerned about how my little squirt is going to react to the need for her to go into after-care in the afternoons, she's never had to do that before... hopefully it will be a smooth transition.

I was mistaken

My mothers gastric bypass surgery was on the 26th not on the 28th.

When she came out of the operating room, they told my father that everything went as planned, and that she'd be groggy for a couple of hours afterwards. It was then MY job to call all of the relatives that were waiting to hear how the surgery went... I spent more time on the phone that day than I have in the entire week prior. (and I don't like talking on the phone!!!)

Once the medication wore off, my mother discovered that she has no feeling whatsoever in her right leg or her left thumb... the doctors could not explain why it was happening. They've guessed that perhaps the straps they had on her during the surgery may have pinched a nerve and it's a bruised nerve that's causing it... then there is also the possibility that something has happened to one of the two anuerysms that she's got in her head (fairly large, right behind her eyes... one of which is on her optic nerve and affecting her vision). They've got a call in for a nuerologist to come and take a look.. but as of this moment (when I'm writin this) they still haven't made it in to see her.

They are also discussing the possibility of sending her to a rehab center for physical therapy... which she is STRONGLY opposed to because they would be sending her to the same rehab center that she went to a few months ago after another surgery she had... nobody can understand why she doesn't want to go to this place. I do. The nurses and staff at this location have already had experience with her... they know what she is like after the first few days (for the first few days, she's a lovely wonderful lady... then she gets tired of putting on a happy face...)

please visit: http://www.bpdcentral.com/resources/basics/indicators.shtml to get a peek at her "personality"

So Far So Good

so... I've been able to resist the "late night snack" temptation... that's helping a bit. I think that it would be much easier if I was able to get to sleep earlier as well.

Right now I stay up for a few hours after I put my daughter to bed... not because I WANT to, but because I just can't sleep. It's not unusual for me to be finally getting to bed around 3 or 4 in the morning. It's been this way since my husband passed away...

With that schedule, it's around 9:30 or 10 pm when I get hungry and feel the desire to start snacking...

I have to say that I've got a "good" role model also. My mother is having gastric bypass surgery on the 28th and she's supposed to be on a mostly liquid diet for 2 full weeks prior to the surgery (2 liquid meals and one low carb / high protien meal each day). And for the two weeks before that (starting one month prior to the surgery) she was supposed to be eating low carb / high protien meals at EVERY meal. Well... if you listen to her talking to her family members on the phone, you'd think that she was being extremely strict with this... doing it completely by the book. But when you live in the same house with her and you can SEE what she's actually eating, you'll see that she's not following the diet at all. She doesn't seem to have any control over herself whatsoever. There are medical reasons for why they want her on this special diet prior to the surgery... to make the surgery safer and to ensure a success.

For the first two week period (where she was suppsed to eat low carb / high protien meals) she did manage to eat more protien, BUT she didn't lower her carbs at all. All she managed to do was eat more food than normal. She figured that the protien was the most important part (her translation of the doctors orders) and she'd make sure she was getting the proper amount... then for this last two weeks (where she's supposed to eat 2 liquid meals - high protien shakes mostly - and have one low carb / high protien meal) she's doing the same thing... she's drinking two liquid meals... but then she's "saving" the carbs at mealtime by only eating meat... so she can have a sugary snack. I also have a sneaky suspicion that she's got food hidden in her room somewhere... but I don't have any proof of that.

I said she was a "good" role model. She is. Just like she's been a "good" role model for me all of my life. I see what she is doing and I know that I don't want to do that, or be that way. I see how she's eating and how she's abused food and I know that I don't want to be following that same path.

I'm able to stick to my plan easier because I see that she's not able to... how's that make me look?? Honestly, I don't care. This is my life and I really don't give a hoot what other people think of me... my motto in life has ALWAYS been "if you don't like the way I look, then don't look at me". (and that goes for what's inside and out!) It's that simple.

I want to change my weight because I am not happy with myself. I miss being able to run and play and jump and climb trees... I really miss having energy (and I think that SLEEP has a lot to do with my problems!).

okay. I'm done for today. I'm not going to brag about the scales showing 2 lbs less than they had last week... because 2 lbs is NO BIG DEAL. When I get to 10 lbs... I'll start braggin'!!!

"Happy" New Year

I've been inspired by several of my friends... they are on a mission to re-shape themselves this year. One of them is taking photos of herself each week to track her progress, and she's making herself accountable to an entire website of people! I don't know if I have the gumption to do that myself... but I'm going to put it on here anways.

Right now, I'm about 60 lbs overweight. 60 lbs doesn't SOUND like that much, it should be easy to get rid of... right?? Well, considering that I've been trying for years and years... I put that in italics because I'm not sure that "trying" is what I've actually been doing. I've been unhappy with my weight and I've had the intention of doing something about it... but I've never really taken any steps to actually change it.

I've said "I'll start eating better next week" or "after this weekend, I'll start biking again"... but guess what!? I NEVER DO! (surprised right?!)

I've been at this weight for about 3 1/2 years now... not gaining anymore and not losing either. I know that what I am eating NOW is not making me bigger... but it's also not helping me to get any smaller. When I lost my husband, I stopped caring about what I was eating or how I was eating... I didn't do any exercise (other than chasing my toddler around the house), I stopped caring how I looked or how I dressed and even my personal hygiene (I know it's a gross thought!) went south for a while. (an EXTREMELY short while, I assure you!) Personal Hygiene was the first to return... not showering for a couple of days makes my head itch!

It's been nearly 5 years now and I've finally come full circle. I think I'm ready to get myself back... I think I owe it to my daughter, to have a healthy and energetic mommy again... like I was when she was just a year old and we still had her daddy with us.

I'm commiting myself to making a change (or two or three) for the better.

WHO'S WITH ME?!

New Years Eve - my experience!

So. For those of you that know me, you know that I am not a "party" type of person.. I'll go, if I know everyone or if for some reason I feel that I HAVE to be there...

well... I'm not sure why I agreed, but I told the ladies at my womens group that I would go to their New Years Eve party... it was going to be with our leaders husbands mens group as well. Almost as soon as I said I'd go, I started asking myself WHY I had agreed to go... there were going to be people there that I didn't know! I'm scared of new people! (okay, SCARED is a strong word... and doesn't really apply, but still...) Am I unsociable? Not really... but I am shy and uncomfortable (at first) around new people. And when I'm uncomfortable I tend to say things that are either inappropriate (foot in mouth!) or embarassing! LOL And knowing that I do this makes me even more nervous around new people!!

So anyways... the night of the party comes along and I leave early so that I can get some dinner before the party. (because I also have a very active imagination and I can envision myself dribbling food on myself, or ending up with food in my teeth and nobody telling me... or being nervous and talking with my mouth full of food LOL all things that don't happen normally, but I didn't want to take any chances!)

The party is at the home of a group member, which is about 30 minutes from my house... and during the entire drive I'm having a conversation with myself in my head. (yeah, I'm talking to myself! you got a problem with that?! *grin*) Mainly asking myself what was I thinking by agreeing to go to this party... and trying to convince myself that it was going to be fun... and also trying to find a reason why I suddenly couldn't attend... ah, inner conflict is so much fun! NOT!

I made it to Chipotle, and got my food and sat down and began eating... then my cell phone rang. It was one of my best friends calling to see if my offer to allow her to join me at this party was still out there... boy did I jump on that!! YES YES YES! Please join me!

She met me at the restaurant shortly after I finished eating and then followed me to the house... fortunately, the party was smaller than I was anticipating and I knew almost everyone! Apparently most of the group members had other places they wanted to be that night and didn't come... hooray for me!

While they waited for others to arrive (you know, the ones who DIDN'T arrive) somebody put in a DVD of the TV show "The Office" for us to watch. What a funny show! The men (3 of them) went outside to shoot darts, the women stayed inside and chatted and watched the DVD. It was nice and mellow... just the kind of party I like! We didn't stay until midnight because I promised my daughter that I'd be home to watch the ball drop with her.

When I got home my dad and my little silly head were waiting for me... they had some bottle rockets to shoot off and wanted me to be out there with them. My dad would set them off and my daughter and I would watch it go up and then listen for where it landed. Then we'd get out our flashlights and try to find the stick... sometimes we did, and sometimes we didn't. (usually we didn't though!)

My daughter was so excited that I was letting her stay up until midnight... she even agreed to take a nap earlier in the day, so that she'd be allowed to! Amazing.

At midnight we watched the ball drop, toasted New Years with some Applejuice and ginger ale mixed together... (ick) and then we started the "winding down" process!! She was in bed by around 1:15 or so (a.m.!!) And out before I made it out of her room!! (and then she was UP at her normal time... so we were both grouchy and tired today!)

So how was YOUR New Years Eve?