How do I cope when I'm stressed out? Well, I either choose to eat something nice & sweet (chocolate-yummy), which is great for my health-Not!-or I make a list of ALL of the things I need to get done. I then start trying to cram them all in, don't get them all done, then feel bad that I didn't & start a new list-vicious cycle isn't it. I have been doing well the past few months coping with both of these coping mechanisms. I've been trying to exercise more & eat better so that occasional piece of chocolate doesn't affect me quite so much & I've developed a few good habits & routines to help me get things done in a way where I'm not stressed out trying to get them done AND they actually get done! I plan on writing a post sometime in the future about the latter, but the reason I brought this up at all today is because I fell back into my old ways just a bit this weekend.
Last week was a fairly stressful week at work for me, between mass scheduling confusion, some poor communication & delayed planning for this week because of the two previous things (& then only a little time left to actually plan for my classes-you teachers out there will definitely get what I'm talking about here) let me just say, I was not a "happy camper" by the time I came home on Friday afternoon. So what did I do Friday night, I made a list of all of the chores I wanted to get done before we left our house today (we were gone all day & I wanted to come home to a clean house). Usually, if I'm successful, I may only get about 1/2 the list finished, since I plan WAY more things than I can actually complete in the time allotted. However, this weekend, I actually completed ALL of the things on the list-thanks to a husband who kept our son corralled & entertained & helped where/when he could. I was able to move from one task to the next & stop to play with Luke every so often. It was just what I needed on Friday evening/Saturday & it is such a good feeling to know that I finished it (I love being able to cross off that last thing!) So because of a cooperative husband & son & a little "cleaning" therapy, I am ready to head back to work feeling slightly rejuvanated & with a positive attitude. I hope your weekend was just as good! :)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Da...da...da...da...daaaa!
Luke is quite the noise maker these days! As of yet though, there isn't much variety going on. At any given moment, you may hear him making several 'sound effect noises' or saying his favorite thing to say "Dada, Dada, Dada". He gets a big grin on his face everytime he says it, especially when we repeat it back to him. Of course, I should have known that "Dada" would get all of the glory-he is the one that probably tends to be more 'fun' in our child's eyes. Scott is the one who is constantly making a goofball of himself for Luke's sake. I try to provide fun songs & funny voices, but Scott is the one who will do most of the 'rough-housing' & rolling around on the ground with Luke & for Luke's entertainment, which from a kid's point of view is usually alot better. Now I'm not saying that Scott doesn't do his fair share of "Luke work" because he definitely does, but I can say that he definitely does get to have a bit more fun too. When the time comes that worrying about household chores, picking up toys (as opposed to throwing them everywhere), laundry & basically just trying to keep your house from becoming its own landfill is actually considered fun from a child's perspective-well, then-Mom will win the 'fun-factor' hands down everytime, but until that time comes...I'll just continue to listen to the cheers of "Dada, Dada, Dada" come out of my little boy's mouth & hope that the first time he says "Mama"-it isn't a whine/cry, but a happy sound too! :)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
If Walls Could Talk
Walking through the school today, I stopped and actually listened. I decided that there are just some things that you will only hear in an elementary school setting. Here are a few of my favorites!
"Walking Feet, Remember to use your Walking Feet"-wouldn't it be fun to say this to people as they're rushing past you on the street or in the store.
"We're coming to a 'Quiet Zone' (office area)"-I'm sure that as Luke gets older-I'll wish we had our own 'quiet zones' set up throughout the house!
"Was that/Are you making a good choice?"-Sometimes it would be kind of nice to have someone constantly reminding me to think about my choices.
"1-2-3, That's enough for me!" (overheard at the water fountains to prevent kids from camping out there)-portion control is always important! :)
"Use your indoor voices"-I like to use this one on Scott from time to time-if you don't know him, well let me just say...he's a bit of a LOUD talker
"Where's your bubble?"-What?! you might be thinking, but this is a method used to keep the little, little kids quiet in the halls. They puff out their cheeks (like they're holding their breath), keep their lips together & put their finger over their lips (quiet sign)-it's called their "bubble" & it works like a charm & is super cute when you see a line of 15-20 preschooler coming down the hall holding their "bubbles" :)
Last, but not least (& one of my absolute favorites because I'm terribly guilty of using this one) is talking about yourself in the third person-teachers do it like crazy! "Mrs. Smith likes how you were acting Joe!", "Mrs. Jones isn't very happy right now!", etc, etc, etc....
There are so many more that I hear everyday that I could share, but "Anita's pretty tired, so she's going to end the post now!" ;)
"Walking Feet, Remember to use your Walking Feet"-wouldn't it be fun to say this to people as they're rushing past you on the street or in the store.
"We're coming to a 'Quiet Zone' (office area)"-I'm sure that as Luke gets older-I'll wish we had our own 'quiet zones' set up throughout the house!
"Was that/Are you making a good choice?"-Sometimes it would be kind of nice to have someone constantly reminding me to think about my choices.
"1-2-3, That's enough for me!" (overheard at the water fountains to prevent kids from camping out there)-portion control is always important! :)
"Use your indoor voices"-I like to use this one on Scott from time to time-if you don't know him, well let me just say...he's a bit of a LOUD talker
"Where's your bubble?"-What?! you might be thinking, but this is a method used to keep the little, little kids quiet in the halls. They puff out their cheeks (like they're holding their breath), keep their lips together & put their finger over their lips (quiet sign)-it's called their "bubble" & it works like a charm & is super cute when you see a line of 15-20 preschooler coming down the hall holding their "bubbles" :)
Last, but not least (& one of my absolute favorites because I'm terribly guilty of using this one) is talking about yourself in the third person-teachers do it like crazy! "Mrs. Smith likes how you were acting Joe!", "Mrs. Jones isn't very happy right now!", etc, etc, etc....
There are so many more that I hear everyday that I could share, but "Anita's pretty tired, so she's going to end the post now!" ;)
Monday, September 8, 2008
"Grandma" for a moment
It was only about 15 minutes, but today I was someone's "grandma" (or 'special person' as the classroom teacher kept repeating).
Our school has been celebrating Grandparents' Day (Friday, today & tomorrow). This morning one of the teachers asked me & a couple of the other girls I work with to come down to her room later around 2:15 because she had a few students who might not have a "special person" show up & we would take their places. She did not want any of the students to be left alone without someone there for them. Of course, (can't you feel the tugging of heartstrings here) I couldn't say no, so at 2:15 I was off to her classroom. She thought she was going to have 5 students without visitors, but actually only ended up with 2 & I was one of the chosen ones to help out. I sat with my "grandson" as we watched the class video of activities they've done so far this year & made sure to 'ooo' & 'aaaa' over him whenever he was shown. I also let him read the book he had made to me (he was supposed to finish it with his visitor-his mom-but since she didn't show-he wanted to save it for home, so she could do it then). I asked him about his favorite movie (SAW-which I must say perturbed me quite a bit considering he was only a first grader!) & then we got refreshments. About this point, the teacher said "thank you" & that it was okay to go whenever I was ready. I finished up my snacks & told him that I was glad that I could be his "special visitor" & headed out the door.
I hope that his mom did eventually show up, but I was at least glad to be able to fill in for a moment just so he wouldn't have to be all by himself while the other kids were visiting with their guests. It wasn't quite this, but it was still quite rewarding.
Our school has been celebrating Grandparents' Day (Friday, today & tomorrow). This morning one of the teachers asked me & a couple of the other girls I work with to come down to her room later around 2:15 because she had a few students who might not have a "special person" show up & we would take their places. She did not want any of the students to be left alone without someone there for them. Of course, (can't you feel the tugging of heartstrings here) I couldn't say no, so at 2:15 I was off to her classroom. She thought she was going to have 5 students without visitors, but actually only ended up with 2 & I was one of the chosen ones to help out. I sat with my "grandson" as we watched the class video of activities they've done so far this year & made sure to 'ooo' & 'aaaa' over him whenever he was shown. I also let him read the book he had made to me (he was supposed to finish it with his visitor-his mom-but since she didn't show-he wanted to save it for home, so she could do it then). I asked him about his favorite movie (SAW-which I must say perturbed me quite a bit considering he was only a first grader!) & then we got refreshments. About this point, the teacher said "thank you" & that it was okay to go whenever I was ready. I finished up my snacks & told him that I was glad that I could be his "special visitor" & headed out the door.
I hope that his mom did eventually show up, but I was at least glad to be able to fill in for a moment just so he wouldn't have to be all by himself while the other kids were visiting with their guests. It wasn't quite this, but it was still quite rewarding.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Mr. Responsibility Strikes Again
"Mr. Responsibility" is a nickname that I loving placed upon Scott during our dating days (obviously not right away-we had to make it through the 'don't let him know how weird you really are phase' first). It has kind of been dropped to the wayside since our first year or so of marriage, but every so often-he'll say or do something that reminds me of this name that I use to call him & I pull it out of my arsenal again.
He is just so 'responsible-minded' that sometimes he just can't help, but tell you what the 'right' way to do something is. For instance, one time (actually several times if you know Scott) when we were dating & I was driving, we came to a stoplight that was green. I had to wait on traffic to make a left turn, so I did as I've always been told to do & have seen my parents do countless times, I pulled out into the middle. I always heard that you do this so that if the light turns yellow/red-you then have the right-away to make your turn. Scott ever so responsibly informed me that that is not the correct way to do it, instead you are suppose to stay behind that white line until you can make the turn. I informed him that I was taught this not only by my parents, but also my Driver's Ed teachers. He, of course, did not agree with me & everytime he drove-I would encourage him to just pull out there a little bit so that we wouldn't be stuck if the light turned red. He always stuck to his guns though & neither of us ever checked the "Rules of the Road" to see who was actually correct so the debate does linger on to this day occasionally.
Another example of his 'responsible' nature is when we are out at my parents house. They live in the country & it is very flat-you can literally see everything for at least a mile (or more) in any direction. They live about 1/8 of a mile from a stop sign. Now I know that it is actually illegal to NOT stop at a stop sign, but when you can see that absolutely nothing is coming from any direction & it is quite a rarity to even see a cop out there-I admit-I don't always stop. Oh, I slow down & almost stop, but most of the time-I will do a slow roll through. Believe me, this was a BIG deal a few times for Mr. Responsibilty, especially when I'd mock him for coming to a complete stop & then waiting for 5-10 seconds before proceeding through the stop sign (when you could see that there was abolutely no one around).
A couple of months ago, we got into a debate about hayrides too. They are a fairly popular occurence in rural areas, especially during the fall & as a way of getting from the wedding to the reception when you get married (at least in the area I grew up anyway). I asked the question "Could you be ticketed on a hayride because there are no seat belts & no car seats for kids?" Scott,of course, said "Yes, but they just kind of let it go or don't pay attention to it most of the time as long as you stick to the back roads & don't go onto any major roads/highways". I was intrigued having been on countless hayrides over the course of my life. I responded that I had never ever heard of a hayride being ticketed, even if it was on the highway. Mr. Responsibility then stated "Well, you deserve to be ticketed if you go on the highway with a hayride!" I said "What about if it's for a wedding-you would want the wedding party to be ticketed!" & I proceeded to remind him that on our wedding day we did cross a highway with a hayride & wondered if he thought that counted & that I was also involved in a wedding party (my cousin's) that actually took the highway for about a mile or so with a hayride. He kind of backed off of it, but I could see that he was not convinced. About that moment, I remembered the nickname & just said "Mr. Responsibilty Strikes Again".
I was reminded of this last night when we were driving home & we saw someone riding a bicycle after dark. It lead to a short conversation that ended with "They're really supposed to have a headlight on the bike if they're riding after dark." I just thought, well maybe they are, but I didn't know for sure. I just love though that Scott seems to know all of these random facts/laws & can't help, but share them with me so I said "Okay, Mr. Responsibilty!" We enjoyed a good chuckle & I was reminded of the above situations where I had whipped that name out before.
It kind of makes me think-maybe it is good that he is "Mr. Responsibilty" & tries to keep me in line. After reading over the above, apparently, I'm prone to criminal behavior! We'd really be in trouble if he was too! :)
He is just so 'responsible-minded' that sometimes he just can't help, but tell you what the 'right' way to do something is. For instance, one time (actually several times if you know Scott) when we were dating & I was driving, we came to a stoplight that was green. I had to wait on traffic to make a left turn, so I did as I've always been told to do & have seen my parents do countless times, I pulled out into the middle. I always heard that you do this so that if the light turns yellow/red-you then have the right-away to make your turn. Scott ever so responsibly informed me that that is not the correct way to do it, instead you are suppose to stay behind that white line until you can make the turn. I informed him that I was taught this not only by my parents, but also my Driver's Ed teachers. He, of course, did not agree with me & everytime he drove-I would encourage him to just pull out there a little bit so that we wouldn't be stuck if the light turned red. He always stuck to his guns though & neither of us ever checked the "Rules of the Road" to see who was actually correct so the debate does linger on to this day occasionally.
Another example of his 'responsible' nature is when we are out at my parents house. They live in the country & it is very flat-you can literally see everything for at least a mile (or more) in any direction. They live about 1/8 of a mile from a stop sign. Now I know that it is actually illegal to NOT stop at a stop sign, but when you can see that absolutely nothing is coming from any direction & it is quite a rarity to even see a cop out there-I admit-I don't always stop. Oh, I slow down & almost stop, but most of the time-I will do a slow roll through. Believe me, this was a BIG deal a few times for Mr. Responsibilty, especially when I'd mock him for coming to a complete stop & then waiting for 5-10 seconds before proceeding through the stop sign (when you could see that there was abolutely no one around).
A couple of months ago, we got into a debate about hayrides too. They are a fairly popular occurence in rural areas, especially during the fall & as a way of getting from the wedding to the reception when you get married (at least in the area I grew up anyway). I asked the question "Could you be ticketed on a hayride because there are no seat belts & no car seats for kids?" Scott,of course, said "Yes, but they just kind of let it go or don't pay attention to it most of the time as long as you stick to the back roads & don't go onto any major roads/highways". I was intrigued having been on countless hayrides over the course of my life. I responded that I had never ever heard of a hayride being ticketed, even if it was on the highway. Mr. Responsibility then stated "Well, you deserve to be ticketed if you go on the highway with a hayride!" I said "What about if it's for a wedding-you would want the wedding party to be ticketed!" & I proceeded to remind him that on our wedding day we did cross a highway with a hayride & wondered if he thought that counted & that I was also involved in a wedding party (my cousin's) that actually took the highway for about a mile or so with a hayride. He kind of backed off of it, but I could see that he was not convinced. About that moment, I remembered the nickname & just said "Mr. Responsibilty Strikes Again".
I was reminded of this last night when we were driving home & we saw someone riding a bicycle after dark. It lead to a short conversation that ended with "They're really supposed to have a headlight on the bike if they're riding after dark." I just thought, well maybe they are, but I didn't know for sure. I just love though that Scott seems to know all of these random facts/laws & can't help, but share them with me so I said "Okay, Mr. Responsibilty!" We enjoyed a good chuckle & I was reminded of the above situations where I had whipped that name out before.
It kind of makes me think-maybe it is good that he is "Mr. Responsibilty" & tries to keep me in line. After reading over the above, apparently, I'm prone to criminal behavior! We'd really be in trouble if he was too! :)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
How can I help you?
Luke has gained many new skills over the past few months & I am constantly thanking him for his "help" :) I'm hoping it will pay off someday down the road & he will love doing his chores!
Here are just a few of the things I thank him for everyday:
1. Folding laundry-as I'm sitting there folding the clothes, he likes to scoot his way over to the basket & fling the clothes out of the hamper. I just say "Oh thank you, that shirt was stuck under the clothes! You did a good job of getting it free." (as I'm walking across the room to retrieve it)
2. Emptying the dishwasher-as soon as he hears me pull out the rack, I can hear the sudden rushing of wheels (the walker) headed my direction. He has become quite adept at getting the bowls out of the rack & of course (watch for a theme here) he flings it across the floor. I say "Thank you, that is very helpful!" (now if only he was tall enough to actually get it to land on the shelf!)
3. Changing his diaper-this is the one task where he is definitely the most helpful! As soon as he is lying down & I've started to take the diaper off-he sits straight up! (he is very proud of the fact that he has finally mastered this skill & is no longer trapped on his back at all times) So I push him (gently) back down & continue. He sits straight back up. I repeat pushing him back down & then grasp his ankles to lift & wipe his bottom (very difficult to sit up in this position, but he sure does try) & then attempt to put a new diaper back on him. During the whole process, he is repeating the sit up/lie down process as well as checking to make sure he is, in fact, still a boy. It's all quite lovely & I make sure to thank him for "trying to be physically active by doing all of those sit-ups!" Of course, he does reward me after the whole process with a look out the window. He sits up (shocker-I know!) & scoots to the edge of the changing table (don't worry, I'm right there) & pulls the curtain back from the window. He looks out the window & then looks at me with an expression of "Isn't that great!" & all I can think is "Yes, Luke it is...Thank You!"
Here are just a few of the things I thank him for everyday:
1. Folding laundry-as I'm sitting there folding the clothes, he likes to scoot his way over to the basket & fling the clothes out of the hamper. I just say "Oh thank you, that shirt was stuck under the clothes! You did a good job of getting it free." (as I'm walking across the room to retrieve it)
2. Emptying the dishwasher-as soon as he hears me pull out the rack, I can hear the sudden rushing of wheels (the walker) headed my direction. He has become quite adept at getting the bowls out of the rack & of course (watch for a theme here) he flings it across the floor. I say "Thank you, that is very helpful!" (now if only he was tall enough to actually get it to land on the shelf!)
3. Changing his diaper-this is the one task where he is definitely the most helpful! As soon as he is lying down & I've started to take the diaper off-he sits straight up! (he is very proud of the fact that he has finally mastered this skill & is no longer trapped on his back at all times) So I push him (gently) back down & continue. He sits straight back up. I repeat pushing him back down & then grasp his ankles to lift & wipe his bottom (very difficult to sit up in this position, but he sure does try) & then attempt to put a new diaper back on him. During the whole process, he is repeating the sit up/lie down process as well as checking to make sure he is, in fact, still a boy. It's all quite lovely & I make sure to thank him for "trying to be physically active by doing all of those sit-ups!" Of course, he does reward me after the whole process with a look out the window. He sits up (shocker-I know!) & scoots to the edge of the changing table (don't worry, I'm right there) & pulls the curtain back from the window. He looks out the window & then looks at me with an expression of "Isn't that great!" & all I can think is "Yes, Luke it is...Thank You!"
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Summertime Resolutions August Update
Here's the latest update on the Summertime Resolutions~August style! :)
(I backdated the post, so it would be in the right month!) hehe-I hope that's not cheating!
(I backdated the post, so it would be in the right month!) hehe-I hope that's not cheating!
Exercise: I am ashamed to admit that I have completely fallen off of this one this month. :( With trying to get adjusted back to all of my "new" routines with school starting back up again-exercising fell to the wayside. Fortunately, I am going to try to start anew this week. I will be attempting to get up early to get my exercise in before starting my day. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Get my house in order: Luke's bathroom & the 1/2 bath survived their intense cleaning sessions marvelously & then I moved on to the kitchen. Who would have thought that one room could throw such a monkey wrench into things? I have started to get it back on the top of my things to do & only have the stove, frig, & floor left to clean "really well" before I can scratch this room off my list...until next time that is. I think I'm moving on to the Guest Bedroom after this-it should be like taking a cleaning vacation for a little bit! :)
Photos: I did finally get pictures printed out & ordered this month from about the first 4-5 months of Luke's life, but with a new camera in my hands I have a feeling that I better start making a better effort working with my pictures before I'm too far behind. Yikes!
Being back to work now, I am going to 'tweak' my goals just a bit.
1. Read, Read, Read: I'm going to try to read only about 3 books a month, since I will be reading a multitude of children's books for my job.
2. Exercise: I'm going to try to get myself back into some good, healthy routines.
3. House: Keep doing what I've been doing only more diligently.
4. Photos: Get my photos edited, printed, & handed out to people in a more timely fashion & try to get back to scrapbooking more!
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