Can I park in a handicapped spot?

When I was in college, I took a class about educating children with disabilities. (I think 'disabilities' is ok to say. Or is it children who are differently abled? Not being sassy... I really don't know.)

There was a discussion about the term "handicapped". I remember being informed that people are not handicapped. People have disabilities. Situations are handicapping. Basically to call someone "handicapped" was not only not PC, it was also inaccurate.

People who have disabilities can have handicaps. People who do not have disabilities can also have handicaps.

I do not have a disability... thank you, God... but in some situations I am handicapped. For example, if I've got my kids in a stroller and I come to a set of stairs that does not have a ramp anywhere nearby... (there's a set of stairs like this at the Galleria Dallas)... then I'm handicapped because of my stroller. I am limited by my situation and can not do what someone without a stroller could do, i.e. walk down the stairs.

Likewise if I had some double stroller that was too wide to fit in an aisle at the library, that's a handicapping situation.

Am I disbaled? no. Handicapped? yes

Webster defines "handicap" a few different ways...
One way addresses a physical or mental disability. But another way states that a handicap is "any disadvantage which makes success more difficult"

So I come full circle to the title of my post...

When it's cold and rainy and I have to get out and run into Kroger with my small kids, does that qualify as enough of a disadvantage to allow me to park a little bit closer to the entrance?

I would argue that kids can be just a much of a hindrance, a hassle, a "handicap" if you will, as shopping with a broken foot or needing a cane can be.

I'm just sayin'.

Hip Hop Harry

Meet Hip Hop Harry. He's a bear that teaches life lessons via rap and/or breakdancing at his school, Hip Hop Central. He's got the kind of show that you stumble upon simply because you forgot to change the channel. And while I'm fairly certain we are not the demographic he is targeting, my kids love him.

The other day I was exercising to a workout video and my kids thought I was dancing, like they do in the Hip Hop Harry Dance Circle.

J put on a hat, turned it sideways and started chanting... "Go, Mommy. Go, Mommy. Go, go, go Mommy." Then he said, "watch this" and he started breakdancing on the carpet. He said, "That's called a coffee grinder."

And he was right.

Drinking from a cup

Caroline drank a little bit from a sippy cup yesterday. :) You can't see it but I'm doing the happy dance right now. The baby who doesn't want a bottle, doesn't want a passy, only wants Mommy took a sippy cup. I have a renewed since of energy knowing that there is a light at the end of this tunnel... the tunnel called "TOTAL dependence on Mommy".

"Your baby's growing up. Doesn't that make you sad?", you ask. Um, refer to sentence #2. I'm doing the happy dance.

And as a side note... let me just say... watching her gnaw the heck out of that sippy cup with her sharp (and I speak from experience) bottom teeth made me totally understand why I feel like half the time she's a little vampire baby, out for my blood. I sort of instinctively cringed and felt sorry for that poor cup. No nipple deserves that. But better it than me. Thanks, Nuby cup, for taking one for the team.

Loving this quote today...

Remember Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.

~ Faith Whittlesey

Anxiety

Alright... I think I have a problem... no, you know what?... I know I have a problem with anxiety.

The list of things that make me anxious to the point of losing sleep is sort of undefined. I don't really realize that I'm starting to get stressed until it manifests itself in bizarre ways.

For example, when I'm alone in the car, I'll fidget with the radio. Starting at FM1, I'll punch preset buttons, one at a time, listening to each song for about 3 seconds and then hit the next button.
So it ends up going... FM1: preset 1, preset 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... hit FM2: preset 1, 2, 3, 4... I don't go past "4" because I have nothing saved on 5 or 6. Hit AM, then back to FM1.

I do this ritual without thinking about it. I can cycle through all of my radio stations at a rapid pace at least three times before I realize that I am compulsively hitting buttons.

I also start to talk to myself. Long conversations with myself. I will say that it's not completely unusual for me to talk to myself. I blame it on the years of living alone. But "normal" talking to myself is when I am drying my hair in the morning. I do alot of my best thinking when I'm drying my hair. :) Crazy Julie talking to myself though can take place any time, anywhere.

Again, I do this without realizing it. It's not until S will say, "Who are you talking to, Mom?" that I get snapped back into reality.

As I said, I'm not sure what really stresses me. I think it's a bunch of different things that I sort of shove down, internalize for weeks or even months until my body and mind just kinda go "Aaaaaaggghhhhh!!!" The conversations with myself begin. The manic radio station changing starts. And then I realize something's driving me over the edge.

That's when I finally see that this meeting or that situation did stress me out more than I thought. Or having 3 young kids is unnerving at times. I think I'm juggling things well, until my ticks and twitches give me away.

I'm so helplessly weird. If you read all of this, please still be my friend.

:)

I know I mention the shows that I watch frequently on this blog. So I know that I've mentioned "The Biggest Loser" as being one of my favorites. I have a friend that I sort of recap the episodes with every week, and we've laughed about how blatant the product placement is. Brita water filters, 24 Hr Fitness, Ziploc... they shamelessly plug them all.

A couple of weeks ago, Stephanie and someone (I forget who) were making a healthy snack when trainer Bob walked in and asked what they were doing. Cue the well-rehearsed conversation about Yoplait Smoothies. Bob acts surprised that they're making them and comments on the simplicity of just adding milk to this frozen packet and you have a healthy snack. They discuss the minimal calories and fat and the full serving of fruit, while the camera zooms in to get a shot of the Yoplait Smoothie package.

Well, the propaganda worked. I was in Kroger Saturday and walked past the frozen fruit section and the Yoplait Smoothie caught my eye. And I thought to myself "Hey, that was on 'Biggest Loser'. I wonder if it's as good as they pretended." I bought a few.

I'd feel like a mindless groupie that blindly bought whatever Bob Harper suggested except that it was actually good. And it was simple.

1 1/2 cups of skim milk and the packet of frozen fruit and frozen yogurt mixed in the blender. 70 calories a serving. It was filling. I'll definitely be having it for breakfast tomorrow.

Maybe I should head to Walmart next and get that Brita water filter... :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Conversation Hearts

One of S's conversation hearts from her party said "TWEET ME".

Really?

I remember when they said "call me". Then it was "fax me". Then "email me". Now "tweet me". ??

Oh, Mr. Conversation Heart, please don't feel the pressure to keep up with the ever-changing technological trends. It makes you seem a little pathetic because it's like you're trying too hard to be cool. You're a Valentine's Day icon. Let that be enough. Because, to be honest, you don't really even taste very good. You're good for a fun 2nd grade writing activity. You're good for Conversation Hearts BINGO at a class party. Just be what you are, and leave tweeting out of it.

Date Night Tomorrow Night

Hooray! Mom called me and offered to watch the kids so that Jason and I could go out to eat Friday night... an early Valentine's dinner I guess. Without even checking with him, I took her up on it. I need to go out.

Being the sensible person that Jason is, he reminded me that we have $100 in Maggianos gift cards. I guess we're gift card hoarders and didn't know it. So we made reservations... for 5:00 because they didn't have any other openings. It is, after all, Valentine's weekend. So our date will be over by 6:30... We're a wild and crazy couple. ha ha

Yay for date night!! Even if it was my Mom's idea and not my husband's. I'll take what I can get. :)

About the 2 previous posts

1. They did have school in the snow today!! Yippee!!

and

2. I realize in re-reading my post about Miss C that I seem like a mom who doesn't care when her kids are upset. Please know that is so not true. It does seem a little mean that I would take a picture of her when she's so visibly sad.

Rest assured that I have been in and out of the doctor's office many, many times in the last 3 weeks. And they continue to tell me that nothing is wrong. Also, as soon as I put down the camera and picked her up, the tears stopped. I promise you that was an "I can't believe you set me down and stopped catering to me" look.

I love her to pieces and I hate to see her cry.

What I've Been Listening To...

for almost 3 weeks.




Unless I hold her. It is constant. Night and day. I wish I could upload the audio that goes with this look.

And I know it looks like she's pulling on her ear. Believe me, this house knows what ear infections are all about. But she doesn't have one. I wish it were that simple. Either she needs some medicine to make her happy... or I need some to make me happy. ;)

Her 2 bottom teeth are through so I'm not sure if she's working on new ones. Or if she's just likes to cry like my other 2 did nonstop as babies.

It's draining.

And of course there are 2 others in the house right now making their fair share of racket.

That's why I'm escaping in here and blogging. Must.get.away.

This Weather

I started February super excited. I love February. It's about happiness and love and everywhere I turn I see red and pink... (I love red and pink.) And it's a month that zooms by because it's the shortest month of the year. So before you know it, we'll be into March... which means Spring is right around the corner.

Well then Eeyore... I mean, Jason.. had to tell me that he can't stand February. It's the coldest month of the year. blah blah blah... And my parade was officially rained on.

Maybe it's being married to an admitted cynic who is rubbing off on me or maybe it's because I'm sleepy, but this has been sort of a bummer February weather-wise so far.

The rain and the cold and the clouds. They're all starting to get to me. It's hard to wake up and face the day when everyday is a good stay-in-bed day.

And the snow... So fun on Christmas Eve. Not so fun anymore. Y'all know that if it even looks like it MIGHT ice or snow, the weatherman has to cut into E.V.E.R.Y. program a bazillion times to say the same things over and over again. Everyone makes a run to the grocery store to stock up on batteries and bottled water. And school is cancelled.

Tomorrow they're forecasting snow and I've already gotten an email from Mother's Day Out letting me know that there's a good chance class will be cancelled. A few weeks ago, it wasn't icy.. it was just really cold and they told us to stay home and not come to school. No ice. No snow. Just cold. Seriously people?

$370 a month says that I get to bring 2 of my 3 kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Don't screw me outta my days to unload a couple of them on you just because it's cold. My kids have coats. :)

Of course the added confusion to a possible school closing is that tomorrow is the Valentine's Day parties. I'm working Sarah's. So that's part of what's hanging in the balance. Do I need to go buy cookies and balloons, etc? Or do I need to clear my schedule on Tuesday and assume that I'm going to have to work the party then?

*sigh* I'm just not a cold weather person I guess. I like warm air and sunshine. School never gets cancelled when it's sunny and warm.

Just saw a little boy (my guess is he was around 12 yrs old) with his mom at the grocery store. He waited in a forever long line to buy an iTunes gift card as a Valentine's present for his girlfriend.

You had to have seen it, but it was the cutest thing. He was just so little and chubby and cute.

And... a very cool gift for a kid to give.

Smart too. Bypass the agony of picking out a card.. Do I go with funny? Do I go with sweet? Do I have to write something in it or can I just sign my name?...

iTunes gift card. Much better way to go.

Maybe I should suggest that to Jason...

Going Shopping

Jason needs new clothes for work in a really bad way. He just never seems to have time to shop for them... and honestly, he doesn't want to. So I offered to go to Nordstrom Rack sometime this week and get his some clothes. If they don't work or he doesn't like them, then I can take them back and get something else.

It's the best of all worlds.

He doesn't like to shop. I do.

I don't have time to shop for myself and try on clothes with 3 kids by my side. But I can quickly decide what I like and don't like for Jason.

I feel bad about spending $$ on myself. I love spending $$ on other people.

This may be dumb... but I think it's kinda fun to pick out clothes for Jason and get him things that I think will look good. I hardly ever do it cuz he very rarely needs new clothes. But the few times that I have bought him something, he liked that I picked it out too. It's a non-offensive way to give someone a mini makeover. :)

New Christians Class

Every Sunday for the last few weeks, I have been helping lead a class for kids that either want to know more about becoming a Christian or have already asked Jesus in their hearts but want to know more about baptism or the Lord's supper, etc. It's really just a 4 week crash course in what Baptists believe the Bible teaches about salvation. We have 18 kids ranging in age from 6 to 10. And we ask one parent to attend with each child. That way they can hear the things that their kids are learning and it will open a dialogue at home.

The first week is all about praying to ask Jesus to come into your heart. What kinds of things do you need to understand and believe. What the prayer might sound like. There are some kids in there who have just started asking their parents questions, so this kinda helps..as I said.. open the dialogue.

The second week is all about baptism and the Lord's supper. Of course we emphasize that baptism doesn't save you, but that we believe that it's important because Jesus was baptized. And then we tour the baptistry and really take them through the process. You can wear a swimsuit. Then you put on this robe. You'll stand here. The water's warm. Just very real, practical answers to practical questions that young kids have. We do the same thing when we explain the Lord's supper.

The third week is all about the importance of coming to church. Does it save you? No. But it's so important as you're growing and learning more.

The last week is about sharing your faith. How do you do it. Why do you do it.

I give that whole, long-winded background to say this....

It has been an amazing experience. I wasn't really sure that I wanted to do it to be honest. I always feel very inadequate. I'm really transparent with most people about my feelings and my flaws. And so when it comes to faith-based things, I am usually very unsure of being a leader. Everything I know that I struggle with or everything I've done that I know isn't right comes straight to the front of my mind and I become a huge ball of insecurity.

But every week I've just been filled with confidence and there've been such great discussions. I am so encouraged to see 6 and 7 year olds have very thought-provoking questions. And when we ask questions, their answers are deep. It's the coolest thing in the world. It's what child-like faith is all about. Some have memorized answers, of course. But then others, you can tell there's an understanding behind what they're saying. I'm not sure if that makes sense.

S isn't far from being in that 6 - 10 yr old age range. It's indescribable to think that in the next few years she may start to ask questions about Jesus.

I've been excited that she has been learning so many Bible verses and stories in her preschool. But it's been even more exciting to see her applying those things into her everyday 4 year old life.

The other day she asked for a snack so I told her that she could get a little bag of Goldfish. She tried and tried to open that bag by herself. Then I saw her bow her head and say something that I couldn't hear. She came and stood by me and said, "I prayed to God for the power to open this bag, just like David prayed for the power to kill that giant."

It cracked me up inside. But then I was like... you know what... that's what she got out of the story... asking God for strength... and she needed strength to get that bag opened and she thought to ask God to help her...

(By the way, after she prayed, she tried one more time to open the bag and she opened it.) :-)

Anyway, I don't really know what my point to this post is, except to say that it's encouraging to see God at work. And it's great to see Him become real to people. Will these kids grow up and question and doubt and wrestle with what they believe from time-to-time? I think, without question, they will. But there is such an innocence, such a carefree faith, that kids have. And it's been a blessing to get to watch for the last month.

On my list of things to do

1. Go to the dentist. Haven't been since 2007.

2. Get undergarments that have nothing to do with "maternity" or "nursing". I'm sure Jason would appreciate that.

3. Get a new driver's license. Not a pressing issue. But my picture drives me nuts. Not that anyone's pic is very good, but mine was taken after a long day of teaching and my hair is in a ponytail... so it looks like I don't have any hair. Some day when I feel like standing in line at the DPS office all day, I'll get that done.

4. Pottytrain J... Still changing that kid's diapers and the "ick" factor is getting exponentially worse.

5. Make a schedule for myself and the kids so that I'm being productive rather than pointlessly blogging at 10:30 this morning. It gets a little crazy on the days when we don't have planned activities. I need to be more organized.

I'm sure I could think of more, but that last one is making me feel guilty. I think I'll go do a load of laundry or scrub a toilet or something.

Everything I Remember, I Taught to 2nd Graders

There's that saying that goes something like, "everything I need to know, I learned in Kindergarten." Well, for me, everything I remember from my... what is it? 15? 16 years of education... I taught to my 2nd graders. In other words, if 7 and 8-yr-olds don't learn it, I don't remember it.

Jason can bust out random geometric equations. He's better at geography than me. I took 4 years of French in high school and all I can do is tell you the days of the week... and even then, I really need to sing them to recite them.

I know I learned stuff in all my years of education. But it concerns me that nothing really stuck. So when I'd have a student raise his hand and ask, "When are we ever gonna need to know this?", I kinda wanted to say, "You won't, but it's in the TEKS so I'm obligated to teach it."

Quiz me on something that your average 2nd grader would know, and I'm golden... because I taught it for 5 years.

The water cycle? Check.
Regrouping? No problem.
Counting money and telling time? I can do it.
I can also tell you about a couple of key people that we study during Black History Month and how different countries celebrate Christmas.

I'm hoping that as the kids go through school, I start to relearn things that I'm sure I should have retained the first time around. Maybe this time I'll care a little bit more and forget a little bit less.

So tired

Caroline slept maybe 3 hours last night. I would've let her cry it out but she's got this head cold. I worried that her runny nose/congestion would only get worse if she got too worked up. So every 30 minutes I was back upstairs. Needless to say, I've been running on caffeine and prayers today. I'm hoping tonight goes better.

Top 5 @ 5

I was tagged by Elizabeth to do my current Top 5 obsessions.

I'm going to have to cheat and do a little half and half. Half what I'm currently in to. And half issues that I'm currently obsessing over.

Of course, we have to start with the junk food.... always, right?....

1. M&Ms

I've made it clear in the past that I love chocolate. Normally I'm not a fan of M&Ms because, to be honest, I feel that the candy coated shell, while thin, gets in the way of the pure milk chocolate. HOWEVER, a couple of weeks ago on "The Biggest Loser" they said that there's only 5 calories in 1 M&M. Julie translation: Eat as many as you want because they're good for you.

2. "Be My Valentine" heart shaped Little Debbie's

Why are Little Debbie's the greatest thing on the planet? They're crappy yet satisfying. And I live for the holiday treats. The little Christmas trees. The heart shaped cakes. It's all the same idea. Just in seasonal shapes. And I love 'em.

3. Finding time to run

Is it any surprise that I have to run given all the processed sugar I eat? It's so hard to find time to work out right now with the kids' ages... specifically C's age. But I do it as often as I can. And I feel TONS better when I can make it happen.


4. Finding a way to get out of my annual HOA meeting

At the end of the month, the whole neighborhood is meeting at the library to have our annual meeting. I have to read the minutes from the last meeting. It's about 3 pages of fairly small text and I am TERRIFIED of reading in public. I'm not sure when this started...sometime around 7th grade I think. But I'm horribly self conscious and would rather eat my toenails than speak (or read) in public. And I'm so mad at myself for being so scared. But instead of facing my fears, I'm compiling a mental list of believable lies to get me out of having to go the meeting. The lie I'm currently leaning towards is some illness that one of my kids will conveniently come down with and I'll have to stay home with them.

Judge me if you want. Just being honest. :)

5. Leggings

They're comfy and I love them. They've recently become part of my SAHM uniform. I am sure Jason's getting sick of them, but too bad. There has to be some upside to having chicken legs and no butt, and for me, being able to wear leggings is the trade off for being built like a 9 yr old.

Don't You Love It When

Don't you love it when you have to get workmen out to completely replace most of the components of your central heat and A/C and after a day of work and thousands of dollars one of the pros steps through your ceiling?






Thanks, guys! Now we get to schedule someone to come out and fix this. I ♥ workmen.

On Top of Old Smoky

I won't take you on my loooong train of thought that brings me to this question, but:

Does anyone know (without googling to get the answer)the first verse to "On Top of Old Smoky"?

I've got...

On top of Old Smoky
All covered with snow


Then I get stuck and wanna say...

I lost my poor meatball
When somebody sneezed

Clearly "On Top of Spaghetti" stuck in my head way better than the actual song.
Just curious if anyone actually knows the words to the song or if we've all been brainwashed to remember the knock-off in its place.

Poor Planning

I am one of the moms working S's Valentine's party at school next week. I'm in charge of the craft. I was told to avoid anything that needs to dry... no glue, no paint, etc. Keep it simple.

Feeling an extreme lack of creativity at the moment, too tired to peruse the aisles at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart, and having a disinterest in googling possible preschool-appropriate, simple, glue-free projects, I just went online to Oriental Trading Company and got a couple of cute crafts.

Dang it all if I didn't just miss the window of opportunity to have it delivered "regular ground shipping". I need the craft by the 11th. It would have gotten here on the 12th. I had to go the "express shipping" route. So, I spent $9 on the crafts. $14.99 on the shipping.

&%!#&@#

I just need to do it...

I saw some really cute pictures of Jenna today, and I was reminded that I really need to have some pictures taken of my kids...

I was waiting to have C sitting up and smiling. Now she is. But for the last week, the kids have been sorta sick. And C's really drooly from the teething. And J isn't the most cooperative sometimes. And the list of excuses goes on and on.

But as I said in an email to Stefani this morning, I just need to do it. Set a date. Pick out some cute clothes for the kids. And even if one of them... or all of them... aren't having the best day when "picture day" comes around, oh well. If we can get even one sweet shot it would be worth it.

(And maybe Jason and I should be in some of the pics too. We're not getting any younger. Maybe we should document this time of our lives where I'm still thin and he still has hair.) ;)