So we went up north for Thanksgiving break. We have a luggage rack that goes on the roof of the van. It is enclosed and we've never had a problem with it. Soooooo what if you leave your 31 bag in the top with two Ipads and two Kindles for, say, over a week??????????????? Oh and it has rained a lot.........and you totally forgot about it until your husband was looking for something..................
crossing my fingers
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Updates
My last post was from Helen but a lot has happened since then. I'll update by person...
Ashlyn:
For halloween, she was a bat. I'm not so sure why she chose this but that's what she wanted and she stuck to it. We attended a Mom's Club Halloween Party and a party for a boy in her class. They were both a lot of fun. We didn't even leave the bday party until 9:30. That may be due to not having Chloe with me and therefore there wasn't a meltdown:). In school she had to be a book character so she was Ladybug Girl. I scored some 90% off clearance items last year and so I got my use out of that one. Ashlyn is still loving school and hasn't been below green in a LONG time. This is a good thing. Maybe she has stopped talking in class OR at least she has for now. She's growing up before our eyes this year. Reading, writing, and asking all sorts of questions. I keep telling her she needs to slllllllloooooooow down. She is still our easy going, care free child.
Chloe:
Some days I have to count to ten and walk away. She is our head-strong, don't-mess-with-me kid. She is doing great in school and loves it. The teacher said she is perfect in class and never gets in trouble. Although she is known to raise her hand, shrug her shoulders, and say "uhhhhh I already know this." School comes easily to Chloe but she doesn't want to sit and do it or try. We will be working with Ashlyn on something and, out of the blue, Chloe shoots out the right answer. She has many friends and her teacher says "she rules the playground." Basically she is bossy and maybe a little bit of bully---I don't know. She was Snow White for Halloween. She went trick or treating to a few doorsteps and then declared that she was done. Most recently she has had pink eye and an ear infection. Well she complained of the eye and it looked like it might be pink eye so I came home from work early to take her to the doctor. Brandon stayed with her the first part of the morning. Since it was just pink eye, we thought it would be easier to go to the MInute Clinic. I did, got in and out, got her medicine, and was home. Once home, I went to put her down for a nap. She said her ear hurt. I would rock her, lay her down, and then she would complain. Then it occured to me that they never checked her ears. I thought they always did. I went back and sure enough, she had an ear infection too. They charged me for two visits. I complained to no avail and left a little angry. I was back within an hour and a half of the first visit. So I called the 1-800 number and, to make a long story short, I'm getting refunded for the second visit.
Brandon and me:
We have been going to a new church since the beginning of September. We love it and so do the kids. I feel that we are growing stronger as a family since we have been going there. This weekend, we went on a couples date night with the church and stayed at a hotel downtown. A church member owns a karate studio and they held a lock in for the kids. I wasn't sure about them staying over but they were so excited about it. Believe it or not, I cried when I dropped them off. The only people they have stayed over night with are my parents in PA and that obviously doesn't happen often. Brandon thought I was crazy but it just happened:). We had an awesome night having dinner and getting to know other couples within our church. After dinner, we played games including the "not so newlywed game' and Brandon and I won!! It's a good feeling to know that this is a place where we belong and can grown spiritually.
Brandon:
Brandon has lost over 40 pounds and looks and feels awesome! He has incredible willpower.
Me:
I am actually down 19 pounds but still have a long way to go. I fell off the bandwagon for a month or so but am getting back into making my health a priority. It's crazy to think that I've lost almost 20 pounds and I don't really see it in the mirror yet. I've really let myself go over the years. This is the hardest season though. So we shall see how it goes.
Ashlyn:
For halloween, she was a bat. I'm not so sure why she chose this but that's what she wanted and she stuck to it. We attended a Mom's Club Halloween Party and a party for a boy in her class. They were both a lot of fun. We didn't even leave the bday party until 9:30. That may be due to not having Chloe with me and therefore there wasn't a meltdown:). In school she had to be a book character so she was Ladybug Girl. I scored some 90% off clearance items last year and so I got my use out of that one. Ashlyn is still loving school and hasn't been below green in a LONG time. This is a good thing. Maybe she has stopped talking in class OR at least she has for now. She's growing up before our eyes this year. Reading, writing, and asking all sorts of questions. I keep telling her she needs to slllllllloooooooow down. She is still our easy going, care free child.
Chloe:
Some days I have to count to ten and walk away. She is our head-strong, don't-mess-with-me kid. She is doing great in school and loves it. The teacher said she is perfect in class and never gets in trouble. Although she is known to raise her hand, shrug her shoulders, and say "uhhhhh I already know this." School comes easily to Chloe but she doesn't want to sit and do it or try. We will be working with Ashlyn on something and, out of the blue, Chloe shoots out the right answer. She has many friends and her teacher says "she rules the playground." Basically she is bossy and maybe a little bit of bully---I don't know. She was Snow White for Halloween. She went trick or treating to a few doorsteps and then declared that she was done. Most recently she has had pink eye and an ear infection. Well she complained of the eye and it looked like it might be pink eye so I came home from work early to take her to the doctor. Brandon stayed with her the first part of the morning. Since it was just pink eye, we thought it would be easier to go to the MInute Clinic. I did, got in and out, got her medicine, and was home. Once home, I went to put her down for a nap. She said her ear hurt. I would rock her, lay her down, and then she would complain. Then it occured to me that they never checked her ears. I thought they always did. I went back and sure enough, she had an ear infection too. They charged me for two visits. I complained to no avail and left a little angry. I was back within an hour and a half of the first visit. So I called the 1-800 number and, to make a long story short, I'm getting refunded for the second visit.
Brandon and me:
We have been going to a new church since the beginning of September. We love it and so do the kids. I feel that we are growing stronger as a family since we have been going there. This weekend, we went on a couples date night with the church and stayed at a hotel downtown. A church member owns a karate studio and they held a lock in for the kids. I wasn't sure about them staying over but they were so excited about it. Believe it or not, I cried when I dropped them off. The only people they have stayed over night with are my parents in PA and that obviously doesn't happen often. Brandon thought I was crazy but it just happened:). We had an awesome night having dinner and getting to know other couples within our church. After dinner, we played games including the "not so newlywed game' and Brandon and I won!! It's a good feeling to know that this is a place where we belong and can grown spiritually.
Brandon:
Brandon has lost over 40 pounds and looks and feels awesome! He has incredible willpower.
Me:
I am actually down 19 pounds but still have a long way to go. I fell off the bandwagon for a month or so but am getting back into making my health a priority. It's crazy to think that I've lost almost 20 pounds and I don't really see it in the mirror yet. I've really let myself go over the years. This is the hardest season though. So we shall see how it goes.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Helens
Today we went to "Helens" as Chloe would call it. We had a great time. For those that don't know, Helen is a little town where all the buildings look like an Alpine Village. Our first stop was to see the bears. We fed them and the kids LOVED this. The bears would wave and jump up and down. They climbed up on a wooden pole so they weren't really that far away. Then one of the workers got the big snake out and asked who wanted to hold it. The kids were a little scared at first but Ashlyn warmed up quickly. She held the 'tail' end of the snake. The whole thing weighs around 100 pounds. Ashlyn didn't want to leave the snake. She enjoyed that.
Then we walked up a few blocks to Helen. It was crowded because it is Octoberfest there. We stopped to eat at one of the German restaurants. It was pretty busy so we had to wait in line. While in line, we talked with a couple from Florida. They were mainly there for the hiking. They were probably around our age. So we finally sat down to eat. The couple ended up on the other side of the restaurant. However, when it came time to pay our tab, the waitress told us that it had been taken care of. We looked over and the couple was gone. We found this ironic because a few days earlier, Brandon had stopped in a small town for a bite to eat on his way home from a trip. The waitress was around 8 months pregnant. Brandon had overheard her telling someone else that she was picking up as many shifts as she could because her husband had recently lost his job and they didn't know what they were going to do. So Brandon left her a very large tip. Then, a few days later, our tab was taken care of. Funny how things work.
Also, as we were waiting in line at the German bakery, I noticed a girl with white eyelashes like Ashlyn. I hate when people draw attention to her or ask me questions, but I stopped the mom. She said that the girl has vitiligo. Then I pointed out Ashlyn's eyelashes and that she also has it. We've never run in to someone else with it let alone a little girl around her age. I'm part of a support group in Atlanta but they are mostly African Americans. So this was kind of neat. Ashlyn even commented at bedtime about God making someone else special just like her.
It was starting to rain in Helen so we took the kids on a horse drawn carriage ride around the town. Brandon and I joked that the last time we did that, was our wedding day. Next we drove over to a place called 'Goats on the Roof.' The goats are on the roof. You can feed them by a bunch of different means. The kids mined for gold and had ice cream. All in all, it was a great day trip.
On the way home, the kids fell asleep. THey woke up and were hungry. It was Chloe's turn to pick where we ate, and she chose Wendy's. We stopped at one close to downtown Lawrenceville. The cashier looked really familiar and when she started talking, it hit me who she was. It was a girl I had taught seven years ago. She is in her senior year of high school. How crazy!
Then we walked up a few blocks to Helen. It was crowded because it is Octoberfest there. We stopped to eat at one of the German restaurants. It was pretty busy so we had to wait in line. While in line, we talked with a couple from Florida. They were mainly there for the hiking. They were probably around our age. So we finally sat down to eat. The couple ended up on the other side of the restaurant. However, when it came time to pay our tab, the waitress told us that it had been taken care of. We looked over and the couple was gone. We found this ironic because a few days earlier, Brandon had stopped in a small town for a bite to eat on his way home from a trip. The waitress was around 8 months pregnant. Brandon had overheard her telling someone else that she was picking up as many shifts as she could because her husband had recently lost his job and they didn't know what they were going to do. So Brandon left her a very large tip. Then, a few days later, our tab was taken care of. Funny how things work.
Also, as we were waiting in line at the German bakery, I noticed a girl with white eyelashes like Ashlyn. I hate when people draw attention to her or ask me questions, but I stopped the mom. She said that the girl has vitiligo. Then I pointed out Ashlyn's eyelashes and that she also has it. We've never run in to someone else with it let alone a little girl around her age. I'm part of a support group in Atlanta but they are mostly African Americans. So this was kind of neat. Ashlyn even commented at bedtime about God making someone else special just like her.
It was starting to rain in Helen so we took the kids on a horse drawn carriage ride around the town. Brandon and I joked that the last time we did that, was our wedding day. Next we drove over to a place called 'Goats on the Roof.' The goats are on the roof. You can feed them by a bunch of different means. The kids mined for gold and had ice cream. All in all, it was a great day trip.
On the way home, the kids fell asleep. THey woke up and were hungry. It was Chloe's turn to pick where we ate, and she chose Wendy's. We stopped at one close to downtown Lawrenceville. The cashier looked really familiar and when she started talking, it hit me who she was. It was a girl I had taught seven years ago. She is in her senior year of high school. How crazy!
Friday, September 27, 2013
We Should BE Halloween!
So the kids want us all to dress up as a family for Halloween. They don't have any real loves this year for a costume. Last year Chloe was obsessed with Little Red Riding Hood and Ashlyn wanted to be a SuperHero. So this year they have come up with the idea that we should just BE Halloween. Ashlyn kept saying she wants to be a bat so this will work, I guess. Chloe said she'll be a pumpkin, Daddy can be a ghost, and Mommy can be a witch. For some reason, Brandon thought that was funny.......
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Oh Chloe
So Chloe came home singing a song yesterday. I never heard it before. Of course she looks at me like I don't know a thing and says, "Moooooom it's from Pete the Cat. We read the book at school today." Then Ashlyn tells me about her Pete the Cat books that Ms. Williams has read. Then I remember that Ashlyn has an in-building field trip with the Pete the Cat author. I obviously don't teach Kindergarten and have not read a Pete the Cat book. Hence the immediate reservation I made for books at the Gwinnett County Library.
Anyways, Chloe pranced around the house singing "I'm walking with my four groovy buttons." She broke out in dance right before bedtime and I had to record it. Ashlyn walks in the room in the middle of it and announces that her leg hurts. Chloe immediately turns off her song voice and says hers does too. Sympathy pains I guess.
PS. Chloe still wears a diaper to bed just in case you see that in the video and wonder why:). Urologist says it is ok:)
Click Here: Oh Chloe you crack us up!
Anyways, Chloe pranced around the house singing "I'm walking with my four groovy buttons." She broke out in dance right before bedtime and I had to record it. Ashlyn walks in the room in the middle of it and announces that her leg hurts. Chloe immediately turns off her song voice and says hers does too. Sympathy pains I guess.
PS. Chloe still wears a diaper to bed just in case you see that in the video and wonder why:). Urologist says it is ok:)
Click Here: Oh Chloe you crack us up!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Updates
School:
Ashlyn:
She still LOVES school. She enjoys riding the bus when daddy is home(I enjoy it too). PE is her favorite thing in the world. She learned to hula hoop. I could never do it and we got a kick out of Brandon trying to this weekend. I got a cute email on Friday from the media specialist. They were in the library for a story and checkout. I can't remember the name of the book they were reading but it had to do with a box. At the end the media specialist was asking questions and she said that everyone kept answering literal questions. Then Ashlyn raised her hand and said she thought it was an imaginary box, which apparently it was. The media specialist said that it usually takes a lot of coaxing to get the kids to realize that. Ashlyn checked out one of the Biscuit "I Can Read Books" and is excited because she can read it to Chloe. Chloe, of course, said she would prefer me to read it because I do it faster but it's all good. While practicing some sight words at home, Ashlyn said that she had a test to see how many she could get. I asked her how many she got and she said she didn't get any. Why? Then she went on to tell me that she was waiting for a hard one and Ms. Williams kept showing her words like an, and, the, and is. She said she didn't know why she would ask if she knew those words. I had to tell her that Ms. Williams was asking her those because she wanted to see if she knew them because not everyone does. Then she said, "So that's why I didn't get a hard one? Is it because I didn't say the easy ones?" Yes, why yes it is......
Chloe:
Chloe also LOVES school. She adores Ms. Beth who is so sweet. I had to take Chloe to a dr. appt last week and got to go into her classroom for a few minutes in the middle of the day. The kids were so cute and so well behaved. Chloe says school is easy. As a matter of fact, Ms. Beth told me that Chloe will raise her hand and say "uhhhhh I already know how to do this!" I think that phrase will be coming out of her mouth for awhile. Beth told me that they were practicing writing their names but some kids were drawing pictures so she told them all to put their pencils down for a minute. Chloe didn't put hers down and when Beth walked over, she had already written Chloe, Ashlyn, Mom, Dad, Cat, Dog and was trying to write Pemberton. She even has better handwriting than Ashlyn. Beth told her to just keep on going. Their class has a private website where they post pictures, videos, notes, etc. It's really cute. So we were looking at pictures and I was asking Chloe what the names of the kids were. When she came to Nick, she said "There's my Nickey-poo." It was sooooo funny. I'll have to tell his mom. She will get a kick out of it. She teaches at McConnell Middle.
ME:
I am on day 21 of my 24 day challenge and am down 14 pounds. I feel great and can see the difference in clothes. I still have a ways to go but am finally feeling good. Work is going great. I love my students. My third graders are the same kids I had in 2nd so it was easy to jump in with them. However, in third grade I teach academic subjects so it has been an adjustment for some. Their parents are very supportive and like that their kids have to work and are being challenged. I teach the gifted resource model to my 2nd graders so it is always fun. This week they are doing some research online and learning powerpoint.
Brandon:
He is also nearing the end of our challenge and has dropped 24 pounds. He is on his last belt loop and his pants are hanging on him.
Ashlyn:
She still LOVES school. She enjoys riding the bus when daddy is home(I enjoy it too). PE is her favorite thing in the world. She learned to hula hoop. I could never do it and we got a kick out of Brandon trying to this weekend. I got a cute email on Friday from the media specialist. They were in the library for a story and checkout. I can't remember the name of the book they were reading but it had to do with a box. At the end the media specialist was asking questions and she said that everyone kept answering literal questions. Then Ashlyn raised her hand and said she thought it was an imaginary box, which apparently it was. The media specialist said that it usually takes a lot of coaxing to get the kids to realize that. Ashlyn checked out one of the Biscuit "I Can Read Books" and is excited because she can read it to Chloe. Chloe, of course, said she would prefer me to read it because I do it faster but it's all good. While practicing some sight words at home, Ashlyn said that she had a test to see how many she could get. I asked her how many she got and she said she didn't get any. Why? Then she went on to tell me that she was waiting for a hard one and Ms. Williams kept showing her words like an, and, the, and is. She said she didn't know why she would ask if she knew those words. I had to tell her that Ms. Williams was asking her those because she wanted to see if she knew them because not everyone does. Then she said, "So that's why I didn't get a hard one? Is it because I didn't say the easy ones?" Yes, why yes it is......
Chloe:
Chloe also LOVES school. She adores Ms. Beth who is so sweet. I had to take Chloe to a dr. appt last week and got to go into her classroom for a few minutes in the middle of the day. The kids were so cute and so well behaved. Chloe says school is easy. As a matter of fact, Ms. Beth told me that Chloe will raise her hand and say "uhhhhh I already know how to do this!" I think that phrase will be coming out of her mouth for awhile. Beth told me that they were practicing writing their names but some kids were drawing pictures so she told them all to put their pencils down for a minute. Chloe didn't put hers down and when Beth walked over, she had already written Chloe, Ashlyn, Mom, Dad, Cat, Dog and was trying to write Pemberton. She even has better handwriting than Ashlyn. Beth told her to just keep on going. Their class has a private website where they post pictures, videos, notes, etc. It's really cute. So we were looking at pictures and I was asking Chloe what the names of the kids were. When she came to Nick, she said "There's my Nickey-poo." It was sooooo funny. I'll have to tell his mom. She will get a kick out of it. She teaches at McConnell Middle.
ME:
I am on day 21 of my 24 day challenge and am down 14 pounds. I feel great and can see the difference in clothes. I still have a ways to go but am finally feeling good. Work is going great. I love my students. My third graders are the same kids I had in 2nd so it was easy to jump in with them. However, in third grade I teach academic subjects so it has been an adjustment for some. Their parents are very supportive and like that their kids have to work and are being challenged. I teach the gifted resource model to my 2nd graders so it is always fun. This week they are doing some research online and learning powerpoint.
Brandon:
He is also nearing the end of our challenge and has dropped 24 pounds. He is on his last belt loop and his pants are hanging on him.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Losing.....
The only time it's good to be losing is when you are losing weight!
So far I have completed 6 full days and I am down 7 pounds. I have not had a coffee or soda nor have I craved one. i didn't believe that would be the case when I started. I'm basically clean eating too. No processed, fried, or white flour. The first 10 days I won't have dairy. Brandon has lost 11. Why do guys always lose faster? It's not fair.
So I've tried some new recipes too. I had salmon over a bed of spinach cooked in the crockpot which is something new for me. I liked it but Brandon is not a salmon person. I had a chicken wrap that was awesome and is now my go to meal. I just took a boneless skinless chicken breast and tenderized it. Then I used a blackening seasoning and cooked it. I sautéed onions and mushrooms and also put fresh tomatoes (from the garden) and lettuce on it using a whole grain wrap. I also tried a chicken burrito recipe in the crockpot. Brandon said it was the best thing I ever made. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, salsa, sugar free tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin. I ate mine over a bed of shredded lettuce with a little guacamole on top. Brandon ate it in a whole wheat tortilla.
So far I have completed 6 full days and I am down 7 pounds. I have not had a coffee or soda nor have I craved one. i didn't believe that would be the case when I started. I'm basically clean eating too. No processed, fried, or white flour. The first 10 days I won't have dairy. Brandon has lost 11. Why do guys always lose faster? It's not fair.
So I've tried some new recipes too. I had salmon over a bed of spinach cooked in the crockpot which is something new for me. I liked it but Brandon is not a salmon person. I had a chicken wrap that was awesome and is now my go to meal. I just took a boneless skinless chicken breast and tenderized it. Then I used a blackening seasoning and cooked it. I sautéed onions and mushrooms and also put fresh tomatoes (from the garden) and lettuce on it using a whole grain wrap. I also tried a chicken burrito recipe in the crockpot. Brandon said it was the best thing I ever made. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, salsa, sugar free tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin. I ate mine over a bed of shredded lettuce with a little guacamole on top. Brandon ate it in a whole wheat tortilla.
 |
| chicken wrap |
 |
| Chicken burrito(I'll admit it doesn't look that great but it was!) |
 |
| a good breakfast--egg white omelet with onions and mushrooms covered in tomatoes |
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| salmon before cooking |
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