Teacher Mommy

Gratitude

2012-02-01T19:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was very disappointed in Carson. Oftentimes on Wednesdays we get fast food after we pick the boys up from religion class. Both my boys, like me, are into routines and patterns and don't like for things to change. However, that did not excuse Carson's tantrum in the church parking lot when he found out I was making quesadillas for dinner and that he would not be getting Cane's chicken fingers as he had hoped/expected. If Child Protection Services had heard him they would have immediately arrested me for abuse; his screams were racked with intense pain and dejection. I was declared the Worst Mom Ever. EVER! Seriously? For quesadillas? It's not like it was tuna casserole or spinach; kids are supposed to like quesadillas. They even have them on kids menus. I was so disappointed with Carson's selfishness and drama (in the church parking lot, no less) that I was stunned into silence. This whole "stunned into silence" bit happens very rarely with me. There were so many thoughts running through my head that I didn't know what to express first. In my classroom every day there are students whose only meals are those that they get at school, either because they have families who cannot afford food or they don't have a responsible, independent, adult at home to even buy food for them. Some of my students are 18 and therefore able to be on their own legally speaking. However, I still wish they had someone to mother them the way they should be mothered. If I gave some of them quesadillas they would be grateful. I hope that today was just a bad day for Carson and his ungrateful, spoiled, response doesn't repeat itself. He has a big heart and I want him to realize that him not getting Cane's does not make me a bad mother. I want him to understand that he is lucky to have a mom that feeds him and even makes home-cooked meals for him. I want him to understand that I love him no matter what but that we are a very blessed family and to have food on his plate is a good thing, whether it's Cane's or mommy's quesadillas. I pray that I can guide him to being more grateful and less indulged. I pray that I can help him be more aware of those around him and less self-centered. And if you're going to call me The Worst Mom Ever it better be about something more valid, like homework and cleaning your room, and not about quesadillas.

You teach WHAT?

2012-01-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

I had a desk job once... for five days. I was a temp the summer we moved back from Dallas and I mostly filed papers and occasionally answered the phone. That job was about four and a half days too long and it helped me realize exactly how amazingly unique teaching is when it comes to careers. Every day us truly different. As an example I will share with you a few of the things we have discussed in my English III classroom in the past three days. All but one were (somewhat) connected to the play we are reading: The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

We discussed lechery. From the play: Mary Warren tells John that Abigail will accuse him of lechery. What is that, boys and girls? It is extreme sexual indulgence/lustfulness. Yes, I got to share that definition with 91 teenagers. After all, it is in the play. We discussed what the Puritans would have thought of people today in this regard. I did NOT ask them if they were lechers. I abide by the philosophy that I don't WANT to know about this aspect of any of their lives.
We discussed why, in a early American setting, it was not an issue that in The Crucible Abigail was 17 and John was in his mid-30's but rather that they weren't married. We discussed that it was common for older men to marry younger girls if their wives had died. After all, I said with a wink, how on Earth were the men expected to clean their own homes and make their own food if they didn't have a wife? We were all in agreement that it was still gross.
My favorite discussion: how did Puritan women even KNOW they were pregnant? Um, the same way they do now. My wording "Missed monthly cycles"; I did say that they found out later but that they did indeed know, just as Elizabeth in the play was pregnant. A spin off of this in one class was how women back then tended to their monthly cycles. Really? Did I mention that I teach English? This last part was from a class that is 85% female but I still responded by telling them to Google it. I know a little about the subject but, out of respect for those few sweet boys, I didn't go there. I don't know if you've ever seen a darling, dark-skinned African American boy blush but I have and I didn't want to make it even worse for him.
This one is NOT academic. We discussed how some kids save their friends under nicknames instead of their real names and even their girlfriends under "Mom" in case their phones get picked up. The ensuing discussion revealed that sometimes that can lead to some unintentionally revealing texts when you think you're texting your girlfriend and it's really your mom. My contribution to this conversation was that I do not look forward to this time period in parenting.

The best story is one that I have saved for my co-workers and will not be posted on my blog. Think of it as a special little tidbits for my fellow educators. Let's just say that the fun didn't stop there. Every day is unique, for better or worse, when you are a teacher.

Late

2012-01-25T07:28:00.001-08:00

I am very much a morning person. I have no trouble getting out of bed and I wake up happy every day. I know that's annoying but stick with me, I get much less perfect. You would think such a person would get to work with plenty of time to spare and I used to... before kids. Now it seems that each year I get worse, especially now that Lila gets out of bed by herself and is no longer trapped in her crib. We are supposed to check in at EAHS by 7:15 and class starts at 7:30. I want to be that teacher greeting her kids with a smile as they walk in, not the teacher that rolls in right after the tardy bell rings. The truth is that I am there greeting the kids with a smile when they walk in... but barely. Getting out of the house dressed and with my things in order is no small feat. I get Cullen on the bus and, at age 12, there are still many things I do for him. Lila needs to be tended to as well, although many days Kevin is the one actually bringing her to school. I will admit there are times that I have let her have a Moon Pie or a pack of fruit chews at 6:15 a.m. just so that I can finish fixing my hair. When I actually get to work it really feels like an accomplishment. I truly feel like I should be greeted with a row of trumpets heralding my arrival. A red carpet would be nice. Mrs. Phillips is here! On time! I feel like I have qualified for the Olympics each time I sign in on time (or even close to on time) in the office. I am tempted to look around for someone applauding because I feel so accomplished. However, I have yet to have the trumpets, applause, or red carpet. My bosses have never once fussed at me for being five minutes past sign-in time; they are parents too and, most of all, they know I do my job. In addition, you need to look a little deeper. The real reason I am late is not because of what I don't do but rather because of what I do. "Mommy, can you read just one book to me?" Yes, baby, I can. "Mommy, can you snuggle me one time?" Yes, baby, I can. "Mom, can you fill out my band practice sheet?" Yes, Cullen, I can. "Mommy, can you pack me a lunch today?" Yes, Carson, I can. I think my bosses know that the kind of mom who does those things will do the same things for her students. "Mrs. Phillips, can I come take that test at lunch?" Yes, sweetie, you can. "Mrs. Phillips, can I talk to you after class?" Yes, baby, I can. "Mrs. Phillips, can you write me a letter of recommendation" Of course I will. That is the kind of mom I am. That is the kind of teacher I am. I may not be here on time but I do get here and when I am here I am ready to do my best, even if there is a bit of Moon Pie stuck to my sweater from Lila's hug goodbye that morning.

Crawfish Tortellini Recipe

2012-01-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

This is from my friend and neighbor Deb. I personally think this is a quick and easy way to impress. Because it is pretty rich I don't think it needs very many side dishes either.

Ingredients:

Couple of spoonfuls of chopped garlic
1 chopped onion
1 lb of crawfish tails
1 stick butter
1 pack of cheese tortellini
1 half pint of whipping cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (just the kind in the container, not real shredded parmesan)
chopped green onion

Directions:

Prepare tortellini according to package directions. Pour in casserole dish.

Sautee onions and garlic in butter until onions are clear, add in tails. When tails are cooked add whipping cream and parmesan cheese. Stir around.

Pour over top of tortellini and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Pintrest

2012-01-19T14:11:00.000-08:00

I fought Pintrest with as much strength as an addict trying to avoid their drug of choice. I fell innocently to Facebook and have drowned in its' waters. I said "WTH" and eventually got on Twitter, although I rarely tweet. I blog (duh).I text now too; little messages back and forth to friends (usually I even send it to the right person) when I should be cooking dinner or playing Hi-Ho Cherry O with Miss Lila. However, Pintrest is like giving a struggling drug addict a whole buffet of all of the drugs of their choice. Social interaction? Yes, please. Great ideas of things I will never have time to do and will simply make me feel like less of a super-woman? Absolutely. Sign me up. Ways to find out all of the books, movies, and articles that can help make me intellectually advanced? I'm all over that. The opportunity to act like I will do any of those things I am pinning? Why, yes, that's all me! Go ahead and perpetuate my super-mom act. Pintrest seems awesome and entertaining but just another way for me to busy myself doing things I really don't have time to do. Now if Pintrest would iron my shirts THAT would be worthwhile.

Bedtime with Lila

2012-01-18T21:36:00.000-08:00

I don't stop moving during the day, with one exception. When I put Lila to bed at night I lay down with her. Tonight she insisted on wearing her new princess shoes "in case my feet get cold." I let her because I seriously would sleep in my new shoes sometimes if Kevin wouldn't make fun of me. We always read a few books and we say prayers. Sometimes I skip pages or ad lib, especially when she picks the awful, wordy, Disney books. Sometimes we whisper secrets back and forth and exchange soft little "I love you" or "No, I love you MORE!"'s. Sometimes we fall asleep holding hands (all on cue: awwwww!) Sometimes I fall asleep before her and sleep in her bed for hours on end. However, I must say that the prayers are my favorite. I like sharing my prayers with her. I pray for many of the same people that she prays for... Lila's friends, the boys' friends plus my friends, and my students (sometimes by name). I pray for my friends who are sick, hurting, or aching for something or someone that they don't have. Then I make sure I leave time to listen to her prayers because they go down roads that I would never consider and because I never know what she's going to say. This is what my baby girl prayed for tonight:

Mommy, Daddy, both of my sweet boys, people who are sick, people who throw up (this led to a whole side-line about people with babies in their bellies, specifically a school friend's mom. Also, did I know that Mommies throw up their babies?? Um, not exactly), Austin and Nick (her teacher's brothers), all my baby dolls, that owl (pointing at woodland creatures in the tree mural painted on her wall), that owl, that owl, that bird, that bird, that bird. Jakemyvery bestdogwhoisdeadinthepond (not true... he is dead but not anywhere near the pond), princess shoes, my whole more family Ingrid and Ceci and ALL the people who are throwing up and boys who fall off skateboards. Amen. And Chuck-E-Cheese. Amen again.

So the good news is that if anyone is vomiting right now you are totally covered by our prayers. You and the woodland creatures on the wall. And Chuck-E-Cheese. Amen again.

Baby Birds

2011-12-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Since I teach on the block schedule that means at the end of this semester (in 1.5 weeks) I won't have these students anymore. They will be replaced with another batch (92 of them) of EAHS students from the class of 2013. I am sure I will love them just as much but that brings me to an odd phenomenon that I experience at the end of each semester. It's actually kind of bittersweet; I look forward to Christmas (or summertime when it's the spring semester) but I will truly miss the students I have now. I could use the "setting my baby birds free" analogy except that really I'm not setting them free. I'm sending them to another mama or daddy bird. A bird with referral forms and dress code violations and easy access to the grades program and their parents' phone numbers. Or maybe I am sending them off to another cage, depending whether you like cute bird symbolism or complicated symbolism about the entrapment of today's youth. I prefer to think of them as being nurtured, not trapped and loved, not limited. Their new mama bird may be a little less sappy, more sane, and maybe a little more consistent but I don't know if everyone enjoys their students as much as I do. At their graduation I am sure I will be crying as much as their actual moms because it really feels like I have 94 babies sometimes, not just my own three. So goodbye, baby birds. If I see you in the hall you'd better not poop on me. If you do I will write you up because I can still do that once I've set you free... I'm just sayin'.

Yummy Manicotti

2011-11-06T05:05:00.000-08:00

This is one of those recipes that when you make it people think you slaved in the kitchen. However, it's actually very simple and easy to make ahead. It's from my sister-in-law Stephanie Broders. I included her easy sauce recipe, although store-bought sauce works too.

Manicotti

8 oz manicotti (14 pieces)- do not cook it!

Spaghetti sauce (above)- or 26 oz of canned- if using can, add I cup of water
15oz ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)

8oz mozzarella cheese- shredded (about 2 cups)

1/4c 3 cheese blend bag of asiago, parm, and Romano

1 egg

2T parsley chopped

1/2t salt

1/4t pepper

Bag of shredded cheese- any Italian blend-for sprinkling on top.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cook sauce and keep warm.

In a bowl, stir together cheeses, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are well coated.

Place part of mixture in a FREEZER Ziploc bag (regular ones can bust at seams when using as a pastry bag). Cut off one small end of the bag making it into a pastry bag.

Squeeze cheese mixture into UNCOOKED manicotti tubes.

Spoon a small layer of warm sauce into a 9X13 pan. Place filled filled pasta into a single layer in pan on top of sauce. Pour remaining sauce over pasta- if freezing for later use see note at bottom. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes or until bubbly.

If freezing- save some sauce to pour on top when you reheat at your later date. (freeze it in a Ziploc bag and keep it with the frozen manicotti)

When cool place foil covered pan in freezer for up to 2 months.

Thaw in fridge over night. Pour sauce over top in a thin layer to prevent drying out (and sprinkle with extra cheese- if you like). Bake at 350 F for 45-60 minutes: until bubbly and hot in center.

20 minute spaghetti sauce

2 cans (6oz) Tom. Paste- any kind

3 cups of water

2T minced onion (dry)

2T Parmesan cheese

2T sugar

1t Italian seasoning mix(oregano, basil, thyme)

1/2t salt

1/2t garlic powder- may sub minced garlic

1/8t pepper

1 beef bouillon cube- can use granules

If using ground meat - brown first and drain.

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Can also add cooked Italian sausage to sauce or use to make chicken Parmesan by pouring over cooked chicken.

Pre-Halloween Fun

2011-10-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween and fall decorations. I don't go as all-out with them as I would like but I have visions of skeletons and spooky ghouls dancing in my head each Halloween. I also love Halloween treats and goodies. Here are two of the things I made this year. Both were VERY easy. The first idea came from Kristen Milligan (thanks, Facebook!) and the second I think was from Stampin' Up! years ago. I took a picture with my phone and assured myself that I would do it. Three years have passed and voila, I have made them! The cute little monster treats are for the severe special needs trick-or-treaters at EA. The National Honor Society students take them treat-or-treating to the classrooms and it's so cute to see. I like to have something special for them.

These are for Lila's little class.

My silly assistant

Moon pies decorated with cookie icing! Lila asked if it was her because the dots on top looked like curly hair to her. Luckily her teeth don't look like that.

I used the cookie icing that you can buy in the baking aisle at Wal-Mart. It's not super cheap but time is money and what's $3/tube when it saves you mixing and cleaning time? It was so easy to use and it hardened nicely. I still am storing my monster treats spread out so that their toothy smiles don't run any risk of being messed up.

Tooth Fairy

2011-10-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Cullen doesn't believe in The Tooth Fairy anymore, thank God. Unfortunately Carson, my sweet, loving, eager, boy does. The past four nights I have forgotten to put money under his pillow. He has been very patient and kind but was starting to grow weary of the excuses (the Tooth Fairy doesn't come during Fall Break, the Tooth Fairy doesn't always know how to reach people in the top bunk, etc.) Last night I finally remembered to put the money under the pillow and truly forgot that I had done it. So when Carson unveiled the money this morning I put on a good show of surprise since I had totally forgotten about it anyway. This clear surprise must have worked. Later this afternoon Carson came racing out onto the porch, had me turn off the lawn equipment I was using, and proceeded to share his big theory as to why the Tooth Fairy is real.

1. I was so surprised; would I be that surprised if I was the Tooth Fairy?

and (my favorite)

2. Moms don't even lie anyway

Ummmm, OK. If you say so...

How can I tell one of the two people on this planet who fully thinks I hung the moon that I have been lying to him his whole life?

1. I know it's light outside but the sun is just confused; I promise it's nighttime

2. Yes, there is a Santa Claus

3. Yes, there is a Easter Bunny

4. Yes, there is a Tooth Fairy

5. No, I didn't eat your ______ (peanuts, candy, chips, whatever else of theirs I ate)

6. Those aren't onions; they are just special noodles

7. It's not burned it's just browned

I guess when he finds all these things out he may change his mind about living with me forever.

Realism

2011-10-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

This is funny and memorable but is it inappropriate for the classroom? I am not sure. We are starting Units IV and V, which includes the American realism period, on Tuesday so I have three days to decide. I would also like to have one more glass sayings "People just suck" to represent the cynics.

Game Time!

2011-10-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

I don't think I went to a single athletic event for either of my high schools for the entire four years. Granted the first school didn't have many sports teams to speak of (unless you consider academics to be a sport- darn magnet schools). In addition, going to McKinley after dark for events wasn't fully safe. However, who would have thought that I would love to attend EA's games so much? I've enjoyed every game I have attended and have no favorite sport. I love watching my students play and I like the atmosphere. My kids and I get in for free and the snacks are cheap; it's a win-win situation. However, I have realized that the way I feel at games is a sense of parental pride. Do you know how it feels when your one or two children score? I feel that way when I hear each of my students' names called over the PA. I get excited when I see my soccer girls' little pony tails waving as they race down the field or kick the soccer ball from one end of the field to the other. I have parental pride x 100. It's a good feeling and I think that is why I go.

Teaching Moments

2011-10-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I was able to give an unexpected lesson on menopause the other day. I am sure the mothers of my students are all relieved. One less thing to explain and who would have thought they'd learn it in English III? I had an adorable student (girl) tell a silly boy repeatedly that she thought he was "Having menopause." Since I love this little girl and know she is a smart girl always wanting to learn more I quietly asked her if she knew what menopause was. She admitted that she didn't (clearly) and I told her the very basics. I made it clear that there was really no way our silly (male) friend was "having menopause." By this point half the class was listening attentively. Turns out they didn't know either. Now if I could only get some other adult to tell my own children about sex. I would pay not to have that discussion. I will be happy to share my morals (honor your body- it is a gift from God; this applies to all major decisions) but not the nitty gritty. It is a conversation that is long overdue but that neither of us is ready for. Give me teething and potty training any day over this next big task.

Little Tiger Fashion

2011-10-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

I am going to my first HOME football game tomorrow. It will be as hot as Hades but I will sit more comfortably knowing that my daughter will be at my mother's looking so cute in her new LSU dress. There are some things that you cannot get away with wearing as an adult and therefore should wear as much as possible when you are young. Two of those things are animal prints and tutus. If you're going to wear animal print it may as well be a purple stripe paired with gold smocking. Go big or go home, baby.

Doctors

2011-09-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

After so many years of appointments with Carson you'd think I would be more laid back about them. However, it doesn't seem to get much easier as the years pass by. This week he goes to see a geneticist to evaluate the possibility of a different diagnosis. He was labeled with muscular dystrophy at age four and it seemed like it fit but there have always been a few things that various doctors have questioned. As we enter a new type of testing I am going to try to remember our blessings such as Carson's intelligence and the fact that, no matter what his other issues are, he can walk into these appointments on his own two feet. I am also thankful for my other two physically healthy children. However, one thing many medical people have told me is that no one is truly "normal". If you investigated everyone you would find something wrong with them. Carson just happens to have been investigated a little better than most.

Dessert Bars

2011-09-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

These are almost impossible to mess up!

Dessert Bars:

1 box chocolate teddy grahams crushed

1 stick butter melted

chocolate chips

white chocolate chips

heath bar toffee chips

walnuts (chopped)

condensed milk

Heat oven to 350. Put crushed bears on foil lined 9x13 pan (quick release recommended). Pour melted butter all over bears. Kind of press down and mix as you can creating an even, level, crust. Put in oven for 5 minutes. Cover with last 4 ingredients, using the condensed milk last and simply pouring that over the top of the other ingredients. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool then refrigerate, which makes it easier to cut.

A Day in the Life

2011-08-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

On Monday mornings my students often try to get me off task by asking me what I did over the weekend. Usually I don't have much to say. How can I put into words what I actually do all weekend? I do the usual laundry, cleaning, and errands of your typical mom but how do you explain what else the willing parent must do to entertain their offspring? Here is the answer to "what did you do this weekend?" as told in pictures.

I pulled up all of my overgrown flowers and planted new ones. I salvaged some pretty zinnias.
I bought what Carson needed to make his first recipe; pizza sandwiches.

The results! Yummy.

Lila drew "good days" on herself. These are smiley faces.

This is Lila's daycare. It was Cullen's idea then morphed into quite the weekend activity.

Lila put my old bonnet on her head, held onto the ties, then galloped around saying her own little version of giddy up.

Robot monster.

"I am not scary; don't you see my little girl toes?"

Jesus, Jesus, I love Jesus!

2011-08-05T03:19:00.000-07:00

This summer the big boys spent several days in Mobile, Alabama with my brother Chris, his wife Molly, and their two little children, Hannah and Hampton. The boys had a wonderful time and got glowing reports. One thing that they shared in while in Mobile were several religious rituals that we do not partake in. We almost never say grace (I can't remember to give them utensils half the time, much less calmly give thanks for our food) and we haven't read bible stories for quite some time.

Yesterday a package came in the mail. It was very surprising because it's not anybody's birthday and no one usually sends us random packages. Inside were several things: toys and a toothbrush Carson left in Mobile as well as a copy of the collection of bible stories that Chris and Molly read with their little ones daily. There is a story for every day and the boys were very excited to see this familiar book. Bedtime came and we were winding down (at least trying to) and the boys rushed to brush their teeth and gather in the game room to read before their movie night. Carson was hanging on my every word. He loves to be read to and soaks things up. Cullen was interested in listening but he was a little distracted by Lila. We decided to cheat a little and start on the July 24 story, which was where the story of Mary finding out she was carrying Jesus began.

Lila, as usual, was the one who was throwing the kink in our well-organized plans. She too was VERY excited. Story time with her brothers? This called for a pillow, a blanket, and a pink poodle stuffed animal. "This is my dog named Jesus!" she told me proudly. She was actually ready before her brothers and spent her extra time jumping and dancing while chanting "Jesus, Jesus, I love Jesus!" It was so cute. At first. The boys were stretched out to listen and while they tried their best to pay attention Lila continued to dance (after five seconds of sitting criss cross apple sauce hands in your lap), do somersaults across her brothers while screaming "Watch me do a flip!" and kneeing, kicking, and crushing her poor brothers. By the time it was done I was saying my own little prayers to Jesus for patience and Lila had been dragged to her bed screaming. We will either need to do this new routine after Lila goes to bed or find a way to strap her down.

Lila did listen to the story about Mary and the arrival of our savior; this was also her second story within the last few days about someone having a baby in their belly. Her teacher is pregnant and we discussed this crazy concept of a baby being in the mama's belly. The cutest end to the day, which cancelled out all of the craziness, was a sleepy Lila with heavy, droopy, eyes, sticking her Barbie happy meal toy under her nightgown and saying it was her baby. Then when I tried to remove the Barbie before I slipped out of Lila's bed she gave my hand a little slap "No, my baby isn't bored yet." I went in later when she was asleep and it was still there and I slipped it out and put it on her pillow. If only childbirth were really that easy.

Dinner With Muffin

2011-07-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

Last night was night two of the kids being in Folsom with Grandma. The night before consisted of a romantic evening full of Kevin working on the garage renovations and playing X-Box and me cleaning the bathrooms and closets. Last night neither of us was totally into going out but we went out because we felt like we should; what a waste to stay home on a night where we have a free babysitter! So off to the Hibachi grill in Gonzales we went. It was my first time to any such place and I loved having an option right there in our little parish. The decor was perfect and when we walked in they asked the question we expected "Would you like to sit at the grill?" Why yes, of course we would! We were seated right and had an organized (American) waitress. There were other people there but they weren't right next to us. At first. We were there five minutes when the waitress asked a young lady if she would move to sit on the other side of her family, thereby freeing up two seats at our grill seating area. There went the single chair spacing between me and another person. Have I mentioned that I don't like to sit on top of other people while I'm eating? This applies to my own family, much less people I don't know. This was a test of my comfort level. Isn't one of the joys of having your kids gone being able to not have people in your space? Yet here came another couple and they were to sit next to me. They were very nice looking and smiled sweetly but didn't start talking like we were friends. We soon found out, however, that it was the man's birthday. He was embarrassed (as I believe all men are required to be per the Man Handbook) when his girlfriend pointed this out to the waitress and later the chef. It was a night of excitement... Kevin caught his flung vegetable perfectly but alas, I did not. Our chef was the perfect Oriental stereotype. I wonder if he REALLY talks like that or if he's out of some Hibachi training school? And who on earth decided making balloon animals for children with a hot grill in front of you was a GOOD idea? Also, how do you find people that can cook and make balloon animals? The sushi was great and the food was yummy. I learned how to make fried rice. Then it came time to sing happy birthday to the birthday boy. For the first time in my life I sang happy birthday to someone sitting a foot away from me and we got all the way to the "Happy Birthday, dear______" before I realized I had no clue what this man's name was. I knew he had gotten his girlfriend a dog (Chug- very cute) but not his name. You can't say "Happy birthday dear randommanatmytable" so we all paused. It turned out his name is Muffin. So happy birthday, dear Muffin! I did not expect to eat dinner with you but I am happy we got to help you celebrate your birthday. I will think about you as I eat my leftovers today. I hope that you get a lot of use out of your crown made out of a balloon.

The Fish Museum

2011-07-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today's little road trip was a whole 120 miles (round trip) to downtown New Orleans. In May we bought a membership to the zoo and the aquarium; one trip to each and the membership pays for itself and we have already surpassed that. Kevin had to work (those pesky year-round jobs!) so it was me, the boys, and Lila on our way to the aquarium a.k.a. the fish museum. We listened to what seems to be our favorite family song (if you don't count Daddy) "Tonight, Tonight" by Chelle about eight times and the rest of the trip was Lila Songs (those awful kids CD songs). We coasted into New Orleans traffic free, had no trouble parking, and nary a complaint from any of the children. It was so smooth that it was almost eerie. I thought surely something would go wrong (aquarium closed, for example) but nope, it was a perfect little adventure. Lila wanted to go without her stroller (I agreed) and she stayed by my side. The boys also followed all rules and never got separated from us, which I am absolutely paranoid about. It was really an amazingly delightful trip. We loved all of the usual attractions, like the penguins, the sharks, and the otters and Lila LOVED the play room. The only issues were that feeding the stingrays is more exclusive, you have to wait in a longer line and if you come in right behind a daycare (like we did) you will find out the stingray exhibit is sold out. However, that was trumped by the success of the new bird exhibit. The boys loved going into the bird addition and buying little feed sticks ($1 each and we only needed one). The birds were easy to coax onto the sticks and Carson and Cullen enjoyed getting birds to choose their sticks above those of the other children. When we finally left Carson mournfully said that he was really going to miss his bird. Poor Carson feels very deeply, for better or worse! If you're almost 12, almost 10, and 3 what is the perfect meal to end your morning of fun? No, not Drago's, not Mittendorf's... it's McDonald's. We zipped into a McDonald's on Veterans and we all decided that our perfect outing was completed by McDonald's actually serving our order with NO mistakes. I loved listening to Lila have her Blueberry Muffin toy talk to the boys' Star Wars Toys and say "I a girl! I a girl" and then later sing Jesus songs. To me, the perfect ending was that Lila did not sleep in the car but instead saved her nap for home, giving me my few hours of freedom that I treasure. What a gift of a day and it's not even over yet!

Time for this sleepyhead to go home!

Three Weeks Left!

2011-07-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have just three weeks left of summer. Or, as I prefer to say to the kids "We have THREE WHOLE WEEKS!" Seriously, you can fit so much fun into three weeks. I planned to start the fun today but I kind of dropped the ball on that unless you find physical therapy for Carson, laundry, closet cleaning, and (yes more) tea parties to be award-winning fun. We did Shrinky Dinks but I was grumpy so I think if fun were a mathematical equation my grumpiness may have negated any possible fun. Here are some of the things we thought of to do the next few weeks for fun. I hereby challenge myself to do it! Hopefully I will do a better job than I have done with my New Year Goal of learning the African countries (hey, the year isn't over yet!)

1. Blue Bayou (again)

2. Dixie Landing at night

3. The New Orleans aquarium

4. The Audubon Zoo (again, this time we'll do their splash park)

5. Bluebonnet Swamp (since I was bad and didn't sign them up for their usual swamp camp)

6. My parents' house in Folsom

7. I also really want to go to Jefferson Island; this one I am not sure about. Can I handle all three kids there by myself?? Of course I can barely handle them at Wal-Mart by myself...

The first two will be done without Lila because she impedes our fun. The rest we will do while she isn't at daycare. After all, as Carson conceded this morning, she IS part of the family. Uh, yeah. Thanks for the genius news flash.

The fun will start tomorrow. Along with my diet. Seriously, I mean it.

My Creative Friends

2011-07-14T05:10:00.000-07:00

One part of Lila's birthday party that did not get a mention were her presents. What kid doesn't love presents? Lila is a little reserved in groups. Actually, she's a little reserved around all humans. We think of her as that performing frog from Looney Toons... never performing around others, but always around us. "Hello my honey, hello my darling..."

I was kind of mean because I told her that if she didn't interact with her party guests at all then she wouldn't be able to play with her presents. We talked about playing on the slide with her friends, saying hello when they arrived, etc. It worked because, although it was subtle, I did notice her trying to be a little friendlier than usual.

When it came time to open presents I was as excited as she was... dresses! bows! jewelry! baby dolls! What mom doesn't love those? My friends came through with the cutest things. Lila got an adorable monogrammed tee shirt from her friend Isaac. A couple of precious towels (she didn't have a single monogrammed towel- what kind of a bad mom am I? Below are some of the homemade things my friends gave. They are amazing and their presents were too!

Bottom of bow hanger/holder (what do you call those things??) from Jenny, who SAID she wasn't crafty.
Monogrammed towel from Denise! Lila noticed and loved the polka dots on the lettering.

Sorry for the un-rotated shot! The bow hanger again.

Cathy's needlework on the swimsuit cover-up

The mermaid on the cover-up; well-timed since we now LOVE mermaids.

The necklace Cathy and her girls made!

The cover-up and towel combo.

Towel from Cathy. Cathy is the queen of creativity; did I mention that?

Prayers: Lila Style

2011-07-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

When home during the day we say prayers two times. Once when Lila takes her nap and once when she goes to bed at night (her dark nap, as she says). Sometimes Carson or Kevin will join us but usually it's me and Lila laying in her bed and, after we read a pile of books, we say prayers. She prays for her brothers, me, and her daddy. She prays for her cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and any friends she has seen of late. She prays for all of her brothers' friends ("thank you for ALL my brothers"). She prays for her teachers and the children at daycare. We usually pray for "babies, people who have babies, and people who want babies", which started when I had several friends with tough pregnancies. She also prays for her her birds and owls painted on the wall... "Thank you for that owl, and that owl, and that bird, and that bird, and that bird...". One thing she has never forgotten to pray for is our dog Jake, who died this past December. She prays for "my baby dolls and Jake"- always in that order. Today was the funniest/saddest one ever. She concluded her prayers with a command that she screamed at the top of her lungs "AND GOD, GIVE ME MY DOG BACK!" If it were only that easy.

So How is Your Summer Off?

2011-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

If one more person asks me "so, what are you doing for your summer off?" or "How are you enjoying your summer off" I will need to correct them. I am enjoying my summer with my kids and we are doing many fun things. However, do not confuse this with being "off". That sounds a little too much like a resort vacation filled with pedicures (I haven't had any), and novels by the pool (not in my world). I am lucky if I even get to switch the TV to the channel I want to watch, much less lounge around. As any stay-at-home mom will tell you to be home with your children is not akin to a resort vacation. It is work, just a different kind of work than the traditional job. There are many days where it would be easier for me to be at work. Here are some reasons why:

1. Other people's children listen better to me than my own

2. I can go to the bathroom by myself. Not often, albeit, but at work no one asks me "What are you doing?" or "Can I come in?" when I go to the restroom. If they invaded my privacy the way Lila does I could press charges. A few days ago I locked the door and the next thing I knew I saw her little fingers slipping under the door and she used her monster voice to say "My fingers see you privacy!"

3. I get dressed every day and no one wipes their cheeto hands on me.

4. I don't have to fix breakfast or lunch (Kevin does breakfast on work days since I am gone before the kids even get up)

5. I can pretend that my house is clean while I am at work. It may not be but I have a wonderfully active imagination.

6. I eat better when I am working.

7. I talk to more grown-ups plus I like the people I work with

To add balance, here are the good things about summer:

1. No papers to grade

2. Tea parties twice a day with Lila, Buzz Lightyear, Monster Baby (a Pokemon doll), and any number of naked Barbies and baby dolls

3. Swimming, sliding, Blue Bayou (the place I love to hate), the beach

4. Road trips!

5. Doing laundry before midnight

6. Icees and snowballs

7. Listening to the boys chatter with their friends as I drive them to and fro. My favorite last week was when a friend told Carson "I have always wanted to know how dogs and cats get married. They have babies but how do they get married?" to which Carson replied "They don't get married they just mate." Oh, to be so wise...

8. I love my kids and being home with them during the summer is a blessing. It's just not "off" in the standard sense of the word.

Lila is THREE

2011-07-09T13:27:00.001-07:00

It is so hard to believe that our little Lila-Pop has turned three. We were able to have her Lollipop birthday party on her actual birthday, which was fun and very efficient, in my opinion. I did my preparations for her party a little at a time... I made large lollipops in May when I had a little extra time the last few days of school. I made large wrapped "hard candy" one night when Kevin took the boys to the movie. I sewed little pennant banners here and there while Lila napped and before I knew it I had quite a few cute decorations! I got some adorable decoration and food ideas from Glory and her Glorious Treats blog, which Laura shared with me. Glory's ideas were fantastic and easy to duplicate. Others came from a cute article in Parent's magazine that a childhood friend, Kristin, sent me when she heard what I was doing. The cake idea came from a student (thanks, Keri!), who texted me the photo from her little sister's candyland birthday party and also told me all about their own great projects at her party.

The cake is a whole little story/bit of drama in itself. I ended up having the cake itself made at Target and I did the fun part (the decorating!) myself. It was one of my smartest decisions when it came to the party; a time saver and a money-saver too. In fact, it was a money saver even before I got it for free (yes free, minus the thirty minutes of stress I "paid"). Baking a big cake isn't cheap when you need to buy things like the cake pans too. When I showed up to get the cake (five hours after it was supposed to be done) they had overlooked it and not done it at all! I was calm (really, I was!) and the people in the Target bakery worked hard to make it right. They pulled a lady out of the Starbucks section who could ice cakes and had her ice a cake to my specifications (all green!) and had it boxed up less than thirty minutes after I had first asked for my cake. That's customer service; it's not just about being perfect but making it right when things aren't done properly! That being said, I think the cake was a hit and Lila, before drifting off to sleep for her nap, listed it as her favorite thing. Yes, even before presents!

We had several good friends attend Lila's party with their precious boys and girls and of course enjoyed some family time too. You can't have a Phillips party without a few cousins there to join in the fun! The water slide was the final touch and enjoyed by all. That thing was the tackiest but best investment we have ever made for the kids when it comes to summer fun. The hoses are duct-taped on but it works and provides so much fun.

The secret star of the party was our deck, recently completed by Kevin. It had its grand debut today for the party and really made the party easier. It was nice having so much space to set things up outside and so many places for people to sit. We have true seating for ten but the various ledges make great seating for little ones with their legs dangling! It was wonderful having it done before the party. He worked very hard on it and I loved being able to really use it.

Hopefully these photos will show how sweet our birthday girl and how well some of the ideas I borrowed turned out. Thanks to all who could attend and to all of those who helped in various ways!

Comparing Notes?

2011-06-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Today Cullen noticed something I would have NEVER thought he would have actually noticed. He asked why I had a picture of me holding toddler-age Lila up close and one of me holding toddler-age Carson up close and don't have one of me holding toddler-age Cullen up close. I do have one that my sister-in-law took and I only have one. It is sweet but it is not in a frame anywhere. Who would have thought Cullen, who I have to remind to comb his hair and change his clothes, would have noticed this? I showed him the picture in the scrapbook and said I would make a copy and frame it too. The way I REALLY wanted to reply would have made him turn red and be too embarrassed to ever ask a question again. I wanted to say...
"Yes, but I breast-fed you the longest, sweetie..."

Gratitude

2011-06-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

When I am feeling especially overwhelmed or tied down God sends me a message to help me realize my blessings. As much as I am restrained by my children I am also empowered by them and I literally would not want to be here without them. Today I was frustrated by the screaming, messiness, and general disobedience of my children. I was wondering why I hadn't put Lila in daycare for the summer (this mama needs a break!) and why I didn't enroll the boys in more camps. Then a friend on Face book posted a link to her friend's blog about the shocking and sudden death of the friend's 14 month old baby. That was God's message to me to suck it up and count my blessings. My blessings are plentiful.

The same thing happened a little over nine years ago. I was pretty depressed after Carson was born. I was overwhelmed and had very little help with a two year old and a newborn at home. Kevin was working hard, like usual, and my grandmother was sick and then passed away, which kept my mom busy emotionally and physically. She was unable to help as much with newborn Carson as she had with Cullen. In May of 2002 Carson was almost six months old, Cullen was two, and, between lack of sleep and a bout of pneumonia (which I suffered from and recovered from without help with the children... they just laid on the sofa bed with me for a week), I was feeling down, drained, and was wallowing in self pity. At the end of the May a girl I knew was driving between Baton Rouge and Lafayette and was in a terrible car crash with her almost three year old and her older son, who was about ten. Little Cole was killed in the crash and his mother, Amy, was injured so badly that she was in the hospital for weeks and unable to attend his funeral. That terrible accident helped bring me out of my depression. My children and I were alive and well; it was time to live our lives and enjoy it! Through the loss of one little boy's life I was able to realize that I needed to value my life and my blessings more.

I hope that I can remember this every day this summer, even if there are a few moments where I forget the treasure that I have.

Crawfish Soup

2011-01-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

This is from Jason; it's awesome!

1 lb crawfish tails
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 stick butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups milk
Salt
Pepper
Creole seasoning
Garlic powder
Paprika
1 lb tasso, chopped
From Amy: I add a capful of crab boil. I also add a few cans of corn if I'm in the mood for it.

Melt butter - sauté tasso for about 5 minutes. Add white onions and half of
green onions, sauté.

Add Chicken broth, let cook for a few minutes. Slowly add flour, whisking
as you add to avoid lumping. Add crawfish. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring
constantly.

Add cream, milk, season to taste (throw in Tabasco). Bring to boil, reduce
heat and continue stirring. Add rest of green onions and paprika before
serving. Bon appetite!

My Babies in their Christmas Finery

2011-01-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

I have given up on the "perfect" picture. However, these are still sweet to me. I loved how their outfits matched without the boys having to be in "baby" clothes. Happy New Year!!

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions because I usually break them and I hate to set myself up for failure. For this same reason instead of making a "to do" list with just big statements on it I break it into smaller tasks... "Do laundry" turns into "1. Wash Laundry (2) Put away kids laundry (3) put away adult laundry," etc. That way even if I don't finish it all I still feel like I did something. There is a fine line between OCD and normal and I walk on it daily...

My New Year's resolutions this year will not involve weight loss. I do want to lose 8 pounds but I'm not fully committed yet. Instead, this is what I plan to do:

1. Learn all of the Countries in Africa:
Did you know that there are up to 54 if you count the islands like Madagascar? I am counting those too. I only know TEN so being the geography snob that I am I feel ignorant. I learned many of them in the past but forget them. I was one of four people to make an "A" in the second Geography at LSU and I intend to keep my bragging rights. I have printed a blank map and I have printed one with the countries listed on them. I plan to know them by mid-February.

2. Teach the Kids Religion
I just want to work on some of the basics... the songs, the stories, the books of the Bible, the interesting things that kids should just know. They don't seem to learn as much during their one hour of catechism each week. The teachers there are so sweet and it's an organized program but an hour a week just isn't enough. This way I can do it MY way. I don't plan to ever enroll them in Catholic school but I can definitely teach them more about The Bible.

Gingerbread Village

2010-12-24T04:42:00.000-08:00

I have a brilliant new marketing plan or at least a good idea for placement of products in major grocery stores. I feel as if gingerbread house and village kits should come with some sort of alcoholic beverage for the adult. It would need to have some a timer on it because goodness knows I had enough trouble assembling those things sober; the cocktail would have come in handy afterwards. I must hand it to the kids that not once did they say anything about how much better Daddy would have done it (although he would have done it much better, I suspect). I made the icing too thick and messed up the icing pouches that came with the kit. Then you actually have to assemble those little suckers! If the walls aren't quite straight then the roofs fall off. Needless to say my village would not pass inspection for quality of construction but once I smeared the icing on the roof of each little building the kids had so much fun! I learned years ago that what looks good to me and what looks good to them are two totally different things. Fun was had by all... Cullen, Carson, cousin Phillip, and Lila. If I had been in possession of a bottle of champagne I would have made mimosas for one. If you drink with four kids present that doesn't count as drinking alone, does it?

Pre-Christmas

2010-12-24T04:34:00.000-08:00

I love that two days ago Cullen and Carson both cleared off a shelf for the Harry Potter Lego sets that they hope and wish with all of their hearts to receive for Christmas. I love this because:

1) They actually cleaned something up, which is in itself a cause for celebration
2) They live a life where they feel confident that they will get the basics of what they want
3) They both still believe in Santa. I think one is teetering on the edge of knowing the truth but he still WANTS to believe and both boys will always play the game for Lila.

We don't over-indulge them. My motto is that just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do something. We could buy them a four-wheeler for Christmas, for instance, or a new DS game every week but we don't. We could get Happy Meals every day but we don't. I don't want them to live a life where we can't keep up with their demands. These Lego sets are a fraction of what some of their friends will get but Cullen and Carson will be happy to get them. The sets are on backorder but I have inside information from a certain elf that Santa prepared far enough in advance where he doesn't need to worry about a shortage of Harry Potter Lego sets.

Traveling... With Kids

2010-11-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we just returned from our first trip with all three kiddos, excluding the easy and comfortable family trips to the beach. This was a trip to Washington DC for seven full days. We had been anticipating it for months but, luckily, Kevin and I knew all along that all would not be perfect. Some parts were very stressful but all-in-all it was worth it and we formed quite a few good memories. Lila's all involved things we could have stayed here and done in Baton Rouge but the DC-parts really hit home with the boys.

A few basics observations and suggestions:
1. If your children are extra sensitive you may want to skip the Holocaust Museum. Cullen was very bothered by it to the point where it may have been more disturbing than educational. It is also not a very good place for two year olds as a little girl running and screaming with delight alongside the displays just doesn't seem right. Even in the lobby said running and screaming girl may cause you to receive some odd looks.

2. Arlington was perhaps the most powerful thing to me. Seeing the graves and the tombstones of some of our biggest leaders and heroes as well as some of the meaningful quotes made an impact.

3. I love the free museums and the fact that they were all near each other. Then you don't feel bad if you need to leave or cut a visit short or even pop over from one to another then back again.

4. Our hotel (The Holiday Inn) was soooo inexpensive and met every one of our needs. There weren't many places to eat nearby but it was a short walk to the mall area and the metro.

5. I personally wouldn't recommend taking the White House tour with a toddler. Cullen and Carson barely made it through the hour and a half wait. We got there at 10:15 for our 10:30 appointment and didn't get in until noon. That was because the 11:00 tour went BEFORE the 10:30 tour. The guards said "That's the way the government works" and while I guess they thought it was funny I found it to be anything but as we tried to hold a toddler back out of the street for an hour and a half. Strollers are not allowed on the White House Tour so she was unrestrained.

6. To estimate food budget for DC here is the formula: create a daily budget then multiply it by two. That is what you will be spending.

7. I think fall is an awesome time for Louisiana natives to go. The fall color was spectacular and another one of my favorite features. It made just walking down an otherwise ordinary sidewalk extraordinary.

8. Make sure there is a bar in your hotel and try to bring a nephew or two that you can bribe to watch the aforementioned toddler since they don't let children at the actual bar in DC either. I did try...

9. Don't over-schedule. I found we were most likely to be stressed when we were rushing to appointments and trying to keep a schedule. It's hard enough keeping a schedule with kids but add in one toddler and one child with mild muscular dystrophy and things go a little slower.

10. We did not bring a single toy for Lila and she did fine without them. She played with cups in the hotel room and turned the TV off and on a lot.

11. Try to get a direct flight. It seems like it would be well worth the extra money.

12. GO to DC! It was a lot of fun and I saw things I had only been reading about since my own childhood. I hope my boys remember something from this trip and that they will enjoy going back again when Lila is old enough to traverse the streets stroller-free!

Garden Party

2010-10-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the sweetest little party for my our friends Wade and Cathy's three little girls. They each have October birthdays and they have their party all together at Cathy's parents' house "down the bayou" near Raceland. Lila and the boys all had so much fun with the mobile petting zoo and Cathy's yummy and adorable food and decorations. Not to mention her three sweet little girlies Eme, Cate, and Lily! This was in sharp contrast to our Laser Tag party earlier this weekend with Cullen, which included sweet kids but of the sweatier, boy, variety.

Birthday Cake

2010-10-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Cullen requested this cake for his birthday.

Ingredients

24 ice cream sandwiches
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (12 ounce) jar hot fudge sauce, warmed
Directions

Arrange 12 of the ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread 1/2 of the whipped topping on top of the sandwiches. Spoon 1/2 of the hot fudge on top of the whipped topping. Place remaining 12 ice cream sandwiches on top of the fudge, spread on the rest of the whipped topping, then finish the layers with the remaining hot fudge. Cover and place in the freezer for 2 hours to set. Let soften at room temperature briefly before cutting into squares.

I made it, put two ones on top, and voila, we had an easy birthday cake that didn't involve an oven. He and his couple of friends who slept over all loved it.

Craft Idea

2010-07-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

I am making these pom poms for my classroom.
http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to#slide_1
Since I don't come up with any unique craft ideas on my own anymore I thought I would share this one!! Cheap and festive; my friend Cathy has them in her little girls' playroom.

Fishy Up High

2010-07-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

"Fishy up High!" is what Lila said upon seeing her fish garlands I made for her decorations for her party. That is why I love doing parties for children; they notice and appreciate every little detail! She loved her party planning, was tolerant of the crowd of doting friends and family at the actual party, and enjoyed playing with her new toys when things quieted down. The cake was done by The Happy Baker in Prairieville. They did a great job making the cake exactly as I had asked them to make it. It was adorable! In addition, I loved her little bubble favors. I like to keep favors simple and this was perfect; who doesn't love bubbles? The bubbles were from Wal-Mart and the labels from an Estsy shop Simplesweetness (http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplysweetness?ref=seller_info). Simple Sweetness got the labels to me right away; I was so pleased with their fast service! Lila loved her fishy party.

Birthday Parties

2010-07-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

If I could I would love to plan birthday parties for a living. Of course then I would need to have
1) someone willing to pay me
2) that same someone would need to be willing for fork out big money for the ideas I have
3) they would need to be patient, since my good ideas don't always turn out the way they are supposed to

Of course, I try to make my ideas come to life on a budget (of sorts). Lila's second birthday party is in two days and the theme is "Little Fishy". I have to be honest: most of my ideas for this party looked way better in my head that they have once they have actually been done. The invitations were cute but not quite what I envisioned. The little goldfish bowls full of blue jello and Swedish fish look like goldfish bowls full of blue jello and some unidentifiable blobs. The mini cups of blue jello and Swedish fish (one for each little guest) look like blue jello with dead fish in it. Kevin thought I was making jello shots at first, which was scary because does he really think I am so far gone as to serve jello shots at a two year old's party? We'll have out the big water slide, a new ball sprinkler I got, and a bubble machine. Most of all, Lila will have fun seeing her friends, family, and decorations and I know the things that look imperfect to me will look great to her. On an end note, here is a link to a cute blog my friend Cathy posted on facebook with an Alice in Wonderland theme. I think it's so cute and would work for any age.

http://www.larkcrafts.com/craft-your-life/tiny-hatter-birthday-party/

Toys R Us= Hell 4 Us

2010-07-02T18:12:00.001-07:00

Gone are the days when I wished for a Toys R Us closer to home. If it were closer, that would take away my excuse not to go. We went today after a three year break. The boys were having a sleepover at their cousin's house and it was my brilliant idea to take Lila on her first trip to the toy store. It was to be our special time with her since Kevin took the day off today and could join us for our glorious adventure. Did I mention that she is teething? Did I mention that "teething" means she is getting two molars at once? Oh, did I also mention that she is a week shy of being two? Needless to say everyone but us would know that going to a toy store in such a condition was not a good idea. We did get her two presents for her birthday (one from us, one from my mom and dad). I also found Baby Oragel in the check-out line. The trip ended with Kevin rushing our screaming child out to the truck while I raced to buy the presents, actually longing for the days when I just had to tell Cullen and Carson NO every time they asked for a new Pokemon and they sort of listened instead of this maniacal teething creature we voluntarily brought with us. I did take a moment to congratulate the check-out girl on her attempts to up-sell but that no, I did not care for insurance on the baby doll set or the Little Tikes car (or truck or train, depending on the mood Lila is in). Insurance on TOYS?? What the heck? They should up-sell Valium or margaritas when checking out at Toys R Us. They would make a killing.

Video Experiment

2010-05-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is just me trying to upload a video. Hope it works!

"Drawers": A Poem

2010-05-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

The drawers of pencils
pens
markers
scissors
forks
+ spoons
survived two boys
numerous play-dates
nieces
nephews
and random children
but it did not survive
Miss Lila
RIP easily accessible
pens
markers
scissors
forks
+ spoons
you are no longer safe
and neither are my floors.

Summer Reading

2010-05-27T18:13:00.001-07:00

I think it's important to read to keep your brain fresh and to help you think about issues, people, and places that you usually wouldn't think about. I don't feel like people need to read above-level or even at-level books for this to work. Sometimes it's good to just read for enjoyment! The saddest thing to me is that so many students are turned off to reading entirely because they don't like the books they read in school. Summertime is the time to remedy that problem. I read all the books I've always wanted to read during the summer. I carefully chose the books I wanted to add for the English III summer reading list at EAHS. The one I am really excited about is Unwind by Neil Shusterman. It's a thought-provoking book about life after a second Civil War, which was fought over the issue of abortion. The book doesn't take sides in this ongoing debate but instead brings up multiple issues about the sanctity of life as well as the importance of choice and individuality. I also really liked the format and message of Crank by Ellen Hopkins but it was a little too intense for the summer reading list and has more inappropriate scenes. I recommend both for adults and older teenagers. Let me know if there are any books you read that you would like to recommend for my summer reading list!

Lila (almost) Age Two

2010-05-27T18:04:00.001-07:00

Nostalgia

2010-05-27T17:54:00.001-07:00

I think I have figured out why I love (most of) baseball season. I don't actually like baseball as a whole as much as I love everything it signifies. I like that it means spring and summer are on their way. I love that it means the end of school is coming soon. I love the memories of watching my oldest brother play baseball and then later being the batgirl for his team. I love the soft, fine, dirt of the baseball field, the cold of the bleachers on my legs, and even how clean you feel washing off after a summer night at the ball-game. I loved running back and forth to the concession stand. Usually I carried money I found under the bleachers, which had fallen out of various spectators' pockets. Neither of our boys are athletes at heart and both decided not to play baseball this year; I don't miss the hectic schedule and being out too late on school nights but I do miss the nostalgia I feel when I watch a ball game.

Crawfish Casserole

2009-10-25T04:20:00.000-07:00

I am up and at 'em early thanks to a congested Lila. She couldn't suck on her pacifier because of congestion so she woke up at 4:15. I tried getting her to sleep in our bed which worked for a little while. Once the newness wore off she started getting restless so we got up. By 6:00 a.m. we'd had breakfast and done some laundry and cleaned some so now I am cooking some casseroles and she is playing with a basketball and a crawfish tray. I have doubled the recipe and am making one small casserole for us and one for a co-worker whose father passed away. This is what I'm cooking:

1 small pkg. saffron rice
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 stick butter (health nut here uses 1/2 stick-still tastes good to me!)
1 can Rotel tomatoes (spice to your liking)
1 lb crawfish tails
1 can cream of mushroom soup (use the lowfat--you'll never know)
grated cheddar cheese

Cook rice according to package directions. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Saute celery, bell pepper, and onion in butter. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. Combine cooked rice, tomato mixture, soup and crawfish in 9 X 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes--until bubbly.

I have found that this is a recipe that you can just not bake right away and it will last in the refrigerator for a few days until you need it. I am not sure how it freezes; I don't always like dishes that involve frozen rice. I originally got the recipe from an old friend.

New Projects

2009-09-13T18:35:00.001-07:00

Today I had the Stamping Ladies over for the first time in a long time. We made several cute projects at my Holly and Haunts class where I shared some good gift ideas and showed some new products that Stampin' Up! has. Some of these photos are better than others!

Breakfast Re-do

2009-07-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

I usually only cook breakfast once a weekend. It is my unwritten policy. However, this weekend I find myself cooking breakfast a second time. Basically my breakfast attempt yesterday was so bad that I needed a re-do. I wanted it to be filling for the boys' Karate testing so I made banana nut muffins, sausage, and fried eggs. It was supposed to be boiled eggs but the eggs I had boiled the day before were in the part of the refrigerator that freezes things. Frozen boiled eggs are a disgusting thought so I threw them away. Then I only had one patty of sausage left so I had to split it between the boys. Then my first attempt in my entire life to make fried eggs was rather laughable. I almost took a picture they looked so bad. I told Cullen "Just eat the good part?" and his response was a wary "Can you please show me which is the good part?" So I decided to make pancakes today, which I know I do well.

Control Issues: Picking Your Teacher

2009-07-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have always said, rather loftily, that I wouldn't choose my child's teachers. I wanted my kids to have variety and to learn to deal with assorted personality types beyond their OCD mother. That was before I actually had the chance to choose. Some principals let other Ascension Parish teachers choose their own children's teachers. Last May I decided to take advantage of this and choose Carson's teacher for the 2008-2009 school year. Then orientation day rolled around and, lo and behold, Carson was not in the class of The Chosen Teacher. I was a little upset but, being still somewhat stunned and not my usual self after the birth of child number three, I decided not to say anything to the principal, especially since by this point I think she knew I wasn't going back to teaching that year. I am sharing this story because I know many of my Mommy Friends are like me; there is a special teacher that you have in mind and no one else will do. However, last year I learned that sometimes there is someone else just as good for your baby. Carson ended up with Mrs. Amy Sanders, who was not The Chosen Teacher. What I learned later was that she was the chosen teacher, just not chosen by me. I feel like God matched Carson and Mrs. Sanders. She was so sweet and loving and he really enjoyed and thrived in her class. She educated Carson and nurtured Carson. I am not saying that my original choice wouldn't have done this, but I am so glad that Carson had Mrs. Sanders. I will not choose my children's teachers this year nor will I ask to. I want to see who God sends us. This may be our year to get a witchy teacher (we haven't had one yet!) this may be our year to get someone who really shouldn't be in the classroom. If so, I will accept the challenge just as I have accepted our blessings. I will be excited to see how it feels to let this one OCD burden go!

For Teachers (and others too!)

2009-07-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some stamps I use as gifts for teachers. They are shown as address stamps but I do different wording. You can also create a blank (______________) on a stamp; I checked with Stampin' Up! They won't print curse words or foul words so please don't ask me to make you a stamp that says "turn in your work you little _____". Especially if that little _____ may be my kid ;) If you look carefully or click on the photo you're interested in you can see the details, including the price and options for numbers of lines. Then contact me if you'd like to order. Our ink pads are great and are $5.95 each. I also included a beautiful music stamp as well as one of my all-time favorite stamp sets for my kids and their friends. This set is "All in the Family". It usually keeps them busy for at least an hour. I use it too but my kids really have fun making things for people with this set. All items are subject to tax and shipping and handling but I am giving my teacher friends free s/h right now if the combined orders are over $50.

For the large text-only stamps you have a one line or two line option. I often do personalized stamps that say something like:

"a note from

amy phillips"

Domino Necklace

2009-07-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

These have been around a long time but sometimes it's fun to resurrect old projects and freshen them! We have never done this project at my hostess clubs before and it will be fun to do this Friday night with my girls.

Supplies:

Mod Podge glue

Domino

E6000

scissors

paint brush

spacer beads

Options for decoration:

cardstock

stamps and ink (waterproof works best but I like the antiqued look it makes when water-based inks blend a little!) I do like using either antiqued looking stamps or an alphabet stamp. There are new sets in the Stampin' Up! catalog that I must have to do more of these necklaces ("Jayne's Type" or "Monogram Sweet" both would be great!)

scrapbook paper

magazine images

photo ( any will work)

1. Gather supplies
2. Trace domino on paper
3. Cut out domino shape
4. Use E6000 to glue spacer bead to the top of the domino. Let it dry for at least an hour. If you don't have time for this as step two then move it to after all Mod Podge is done. I will have this step done before my "Stamping Ladies" arrive on Friday night.
5. Use Mod Podge to glue paper to blank side of domino.
6. Allow to dry
7. Seal top of paper with Mod Podge
8. Allow domino to dry then string the ribbon, chain, or other necklace through the spacer bead. Now your necklace is done! Voila! Package it up and you have a nice little gift.

The glue that adheres the spacer beads to the top of the domino and the necklaces we are using for my hostess club. They are the color I wanted (black) and reasonable as well as practical. Any type of chain or necklace will do but I like something simple and casual.

Note: thanks to "Crafty Hangover"'s blog for assistance with some of these instructions.

River Camp

2009-07-08T05:02:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Broders have a house in Folsom, Louisiana nestled in the woods on the banks of the Tchefuncte River. We go there as a family sometimes but the boys love going for a few days and playing with Grandma and Grandpa. This week they went for "River Camp". In two and a half days they have captured fireflies, watched the moon from the gazebo up by the pond, tubed multiple times, made animals out of clay, "camped out" on the screened porch, and seen a variety of critters, including a water moccassin, a water snake, and a family of raccoons (including quintuplets). They also saw the carcass of an armadillo, which was apparently thrilled. I won't describe it in as great of detail as they did because it sounded disgusting to me. I love that they have this opportunity! They come back today in time for Lila's actual first birthday. We won't have her party for a few days but they didn't want to miss the day their baby sister turns one so they will come back from Folsom to be with us!

Tubing in June

Carson ready for tubing

Emily, Cullen, Carson, Hannah, and Hampton

ooohhh we love this baby!

2009-07-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

Happy first birthday to our darling baby girl!

Ode to Tofu: A poem

2009-07-06T05:14:00.001-07:00

Ode to tofu

Oh tofu
You sounded so good
On the parenting websites
Soft enough for baby’s gums
Full of protein
Easy to disguise
Healthy meat alternative
But your mushiness
Murky water
And ugly packaging
Were foul to me
The baby threw you to the dog
For him to eat;
He doesn’t care
I kept you for soup
But your instructions sound
More like pet care
Keep in water
Refresh water daily
So I think I will throw you away
And stick with turkey dogs.

Once upon a time...

2009-07-03T18:10:00.003-07:00

There was a giggly girl with bouncy curls

With pretty blue eyes full of sunshine and surprise

and a sweet little mouth and a sweet little nose

Plus wiggly feet and ten little toes

plus ten little fingers on two little hands

a complete little package all part of God's plan!

Thank you so much, God!

Love, Amy, Kevin, Cullen and Carson

Whoo Hoo!

2009-07-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am excited to report that I am totally done with both of my classes. I learned so much that I can use in my classroom next year! It was hard doing lessons in bits and pieces (five minutes here, three minutes there) and with a baby literally nipping at my legs but I did it! I enjoyed learning new things and am thrilled that I have officially met my requirements to be a full-fledged teacher again. Whoo hoo!

What a Big Girl!

2009-06-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

I am amazed by our almost-one-year-old Lila every day. She is definitely more tenacious than her brothers were at this age. She isn't fully climbing on things yet but she is trying and neither of the boys were ever climbers. They were much too cautious for that! Lila gives "kisses", waves, and claps like most babies her age but when she sees someone she wants to impress she goes into an elaborate presentation of all of these tricks rolled into one comical routine. It usually works. She has admirers at the library in Gonzales as well as all along the Gulf Coast thanks to our beach trips. This girl will do what it takes to get people to notice her! She says a few words on occasion (bye bye/nigh nigh used interchangeably, no no, and dog) but she does bark multiple times daily when she sees or hears the dog. She loves her big brothers and goes to their doors in the morning either rattling the baby gate keeping her out of Carson's room or banging on the door to Cullen's new room (formerly the office). We sure are enjoying our sweet, busy, baby girl! Cullen said he couldn't imagine life without Lila and I whole-heartedly agree.

Household Staff

2009-06-18T13:18:00.001-07:00

I have always wanted to have a staff of workers to do my bidding. Here are the people I would have on-call. They could live nearby and be texted when I need them.

Nanny- not full time, just when I want to take a nap or when Lila is in a biting mood. If she gets paid perhaps she won't mind being bit. She can also play Mousetrap with the boys 500 times a day. Come to think of it...
A second nanny for the boys so they can do things without Lila, like play Mousetrap 500 times
Gardener to pull all of these darn weeds. The grass is almost dying from the lack of water but the weeds continue to grow. Go figure.
Chauffeur- he would go get the boys at camp. Then their sand and rocks and crud would be all over his car and not mine.
Cook
Maid
Butler. I am actually not sure what a butler does but wouldn't it be fun to have one? We tried to win a butler once as part of a Batman Begins promotion but it didn't work out. Carson really liked the idea of a butler too.

I would be able to survive with the above staff. They would need to give me some freedom to do things on my own but whenever I want to take a nap or don't feel like cooking they would be there! I will talk to Kevin about making this happen.

June Stamping Projects

2009-06-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my stamping projects for the month. I will have samples of my scrapbook pages for my hostess clubs and my card class too. Lots of fun things going on! It has been so long since I've had a card class; I really missed them! Wish I could do it more but with Lila being into everything it's hard. She eats shoes, paper, purses, phones, table covers, and anything she finds on the floor. She also crawls up to me, holds onto my legs so that if I move she will fall over, and bites me whenever she feels like I am doing something that is not centered around her. So I am especially proud of my projects and the three classes and events I have prepared for considering the cute little obstacle I have!

This card was hard to get just right; during the class I knew it needed a little more "umph" and I figured out what the fix was once everyone was gone... one more little bird, this one red. That red bird made all of the difference!

This card is so sweet in person. I love this stamp set! My class attendees could use pink or blue paper for the card.

This was probably my favorite card. I love the Big Shot texture plates (the product that made the dots on the light purple paper). The different textures of the paper and ribbon made this card so pretty yet so simple.

This was a great way to use the fun scallop oval punch and "oval-alls" set. Thanks, Julie, for loaning me the stamp set!

This father's day or male birthday card was too cute. Margarita loaned me this funny little stamp set and we had fun with the "punny" phrases.

Right side of the two page spread

Left side

Both pages together on my two 12x12 clipboards. These pages would be great for boys or girls, men or women, and for all sorts of summer events and activities. Lots of space for journaling and photos!

Pet Peeves: Grammar

2009-06-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Facebook has opened up a whole new awareness of exactly how inept some people are when it comes to grammar. I am FAR from perfect but I do try to proofread what I write. Why would someone create a quiz or something on Facebook and have words spelled wrong? Why would they use the wrong words? Here are some of my pet peeves. I have more, I just don't want to seem as anal as I actually am.

Your and you're used incorrectly
Y'all is spelled y'all, not ya'll
Congratulations has a T not a D (not congradulations)
Their and there used incorrectly

The only excuse for this is if foreigners are making these quizzes. Honestly, most foreigners would probably use better grammar than many Americans.

One down, one to go...

2009-06-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

I just finished my first college class in fifteen years. It was actually sad to put down the last book! The books were fantastic. I liked them all except for the first, Little Women. For some reason those girls have always kind of annoyed me. Is it wrong to be aggravated by literary characters? I certainly have enough real people to be annoyed by, I am not sure why I have to add fictional people to the list. The other books were all fantastic and I plan to use excerpts from several of them in my classroom. Ninth grade is a good transitional year; you can read out-loud to them and have some fun with them and they don't think they're too big for their britches yet. However, their britches MAY be too big for them, hanging down to their knees with their boxers showing...

Anyway, I just have one more class to finish, my EDCI class, which is about teaching literature to various grade levels. It was between that and a Civil War literature class. I am not sure if I chose well or not as the mid-1800's has always interested me as does history. Wish I was a woman of leisure who could take classes, shop, and work out all day.

Employed

2009-05-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I am employed for the 2009-2010 school year. I will be going back to East Ascension High in Gonzales and am thrilled about it! I didn't take any sort of leave so they didn't have to hold a spot for me but they had one available and of course I jumped on it! Teaching there was a good fit; I liked them and they liked me. It looks like I will be teaching ninth grade English. I like the older grades better but have taught ninth grade four years total and do understand the nature of that wild beast. It felt really official when I got my packet of paperwork requiring me to go get fingerprinted (again) and drug tested. I don't mind either of those; I am pleased to know that they work hard to keep our kids safe. I just hope Diet Coke doesn't show up in drug tests.

I have Lila in a sweet little daycare nearby and as much as she loves the nursery at the gym I think she will enjoy daycare. She never fusses when I drop her off and wants to stay longer when I come to get her. The other day she held onto a large walking toy and I had to pry her off to be able to get her out of the nursery. I just don't know where she gets her stubbornness from ;) It surely can't be me...

Lila, Grandpa, and Lila's 'fro

2009-05-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

These are some sweet pictures of Lila in Folsom on the Gator with Grandpa. It was parked while the boys picked blackberries. I love these sweet shots of Lila and my dad but also would like to point out the 'fro on my baby. Click on the picture of Lila hugging my dad and you will really see how defined the curls are. Before anyone starts to question Lila's parentage- Kevin and I both tend to have wavy-curly hair so we were bound to eventually have one with curls! I just have a good relationship with an expensive straightening iron and Kevin keeps his hair short.

My Babies

2009-05-19T17:01:00.001-07:00

These are some pictures I took today of my babies. I was thrilled with the shots I got of the boys, especially those of Carson. Lila's were cute only because babies automatically take cute pictures. The family shots were terrible and I will try again in a few weeks. I took 118 shots in total! These are just a few ;)

"Migets"

2009-05-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

I always love reading the boys' journals when they come home with them at the end of the year. This was Carson's journal about "Migets". It was accompanied by what I think is a drawing of a midget running over Carson with a bulldozer. I am afraid to ask...

Topic: Migets

I like Migets. They are small. Migets look awesome. Migets are awsome!!!!!!!!!!! Migets are funny.

Suburban Camping

2009-05-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Cullen and Carson said "let's go camping in the backyard tonight!" The only problem was that it was 8:00 and we were settled in front of the TV so we scheduled it for this weekend. We have camping supplies from Cullen's one year in cub scouts, although said supplies have been in the attic since then. We dragged them out, wiped off the battery acid that had dripped on the tent bag (but not the tent) from the lantern's batteries, bought a new lantern, supplies for s'mores and hot dogs and were ready to go. Our house is on a pretty big, treed lot and backs up to woods so it feels a little woodsy but it IS in a neighborhood in Prairieville no matter how many trees there are. Apparently this is still great fun and the boys were counting down the minutes until their camp out with Daddy. Mommy has to stay inside with the baby... oh, darn ;)

6:30 p.m.- arrive home from my parents cabin in Folsom which, ironically, would have been a great place for a true camp out. We picked up take-out from Griffin Grill for me and Kevin. I don't do hot dogs for dinner.

7:00 p.m.- tent is set up; boys helped by... well, they didn't help at all

7:30- fire is started in fire pit; boys helped by... well, they didn't help at all

8:00- baby is in her crib sleeping and mom/camp butler has prepared plates of food and all food supplies and delivered outside

8:30- hot dogs and s'mores consumed; boys come inside to brush teeth and get essentials

8:45- Kevin comes in to find boys, who are still packing essential toys

Cullen's list of essentials: alarm clock (so he will know what time it is), monster spray (Febreeze in a small bottle with a label that says Monster Away Spray), and some pokemon toys.

8:50- they are off to the tent to tell ghost stories

9:00- they are back inside, Carson with all of his essentials and ready to come in. He apparently didn't want SCARY ghost stories

9:10- everyone back out after promises of no more ghost stories.

9:45- no word from Suburban campers. I figure either our newly-located outside cats attacked them or they are asleep

10:00- electricity goes out. God does have a sense of humor; he wanted me to feel like I was camping out too.

11:00- I realize cleaning by flashlight doesn't work so I give up and go to bed.

4:30 a.m. Baby wakes up ready to play and I note that all of the suburban campers are still outside. Success! I know it's mother's day today but I think I will let Kevin take a nap later;)

Hmmmmmmm...

2009-05-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well, my first four lessons from my English 3593 class have been returned graded. Three of the four did not surprise me... they were all A's. The fourth grade very much surprised me, not because it was less than perfect but because of why it was less than perfect. I made a C+ on lesson number three because I did not use enough details. What?? When in my life have I not used enough details? I usually have the extreme opposite problem. I re-read the essay and sure enough, it was sub-par. The grade was exactly what I deserved- no more, no less. It is just so ironic that what I thought was going to be my problem (wordiness) was exactly what I was lacking. Things that make you go "hmmmmm".

Lila This Weekend

2009-05-04T06:32:00.001-07:00

This weekend Lila was sick but you could barely tell. Even with a fever and food on her face she is still so adorable!

The New Student

2009-04-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I am a student again. It feels weird being on the receiving end of the proverbial Red Pen! I am taking an English Class via correspondence so that I can fulfill the requirements to update my teaching certificate (which lapses after 3 years of not teaching). I actually haven't gotten my first lesson back yet but I did see the grade (an A). I was very anxious that perhaps after 14 years out of school I would be a little rusty, especially since eight of those years were spent with babies and toddlers and six with teenagers and textspeak (Like. OMG! BTW, that is my BFF. Like I am ROTFLMAO. Dude!). It was really going to be a shot in the old ego if I did poorly so I am glad for the ego's sake that I made an A. I am getting to read some books that I haven't read before and re-reading some that I have. The biggest lesson I have learned so far is just how it feels to be on this side of things; I am the learner instead of the teacher. What does she want me to get out of this passage? I know what I think but will she disagree? Did I spell that correctly? Is that comma in the right place? At McDonald's they have managers learn all aspects of the business from flipping burgers to taking orders in the drive-thru. It's so that they can get a grasp on what all employees are going through rather than just the managerial side of things. Likewise, I think teachers should be required to take college classes every few years to make sure that they don't forget how it feels to be a student. So far it has been a lot of fun; I am a much better student now than I was 20 years ago.

Our Spring Break

2009-04-18T05:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of our spring break fun. We didn't go any further than Folsom but we had a great time! We did Easter with the Broders in Folsom, drove back here for Easter with the Phillips. had a few baseball games and practices, went to the strawberry patch (so that Cullen could enjoy it too) and then the boys went back to Folsom for a few days with Grandma and Grandpa. All in all it was a lovely spring break!

Lila loves just hanging out.

It took a while but Carson found his golden egg that the Easter Bunny hid.

Lila at the strawberry patch petting farm

Slave labor

Lila got bows from the EB

Cullen still likes hunting for Easter eggs

Getting the eggs ready is the best part!

Big Decision

2009-04-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I made a big decision after a few months of really thinking about it. I decided to go back to work for the 2009-2010 school year. I have missed working this time and while I have loved being home with Lila I think I will be more satisfied going back to work when she is 13 months old. In addition, I think Lila will be happy with this decision. She is extremely social and will love the interaction at daycare. Right now the highlights of her day are going to the gym nursery and various stores and errands. She doesn't actually like riding in the car very much but she loves getting to where we are going and waving and smiling at her various admirers. By her second trip to the Gonzales library several of the librarians knew her by name. I have her in at a daycare this side of Gonzales (almost in Duplessis) but don't have an actual job yet. I would be delighted to return to East Ascension High School in Gonzales if they have a spot for me. However, those of you in education know that sometimes you may not get a job until a day or two before school starts when they know their staffing needs. I am prepared for that and will see what comes my way! In the meantime I have started my classes that I need to take to renew my teaching certificate. If you don't teach for 3 years or more you need to take 6 hours of college credit (undergrad courses are OK) that you haven't already taken but that pertain to your major. Some examples of classes I can take are English, education, and even some psychology classes. I am taking an English correspondence class right now and love being a student again. So that's it as far as Mama is concerned. I am sure I will post again soon about stamping or the kids.

Where has the time gone?

2009-04-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

Lila at age 8.5 months

Cullen at his honor roll assembly, age 9.5

Seriously, where has the time gone? Last I remember it was January and now we're a week into April. After having watched entirely too much Lost I am tempted to suspect some kind of time- space continuum. I expect to see Jack and Kate show up at any moment.
I am going to post some new photos of the kiddos, including the insanely active Lila Katherine Phillips. After one laid-back child and one child incapable of mobility at 8 months it is startling to have a child behave in this albeit relatively normal manner. Sometimes when we are playing on the floor I instinctively stretch my legs out to block her from getting to something she shouldn't get (fireplace, cats, dog... just fill in the blank). Here is how each child was or is different in their thoughts and reaction to the leg-block action at age 8 months.

Cullen: Oh, well, if there is something in the way then I really shouldn't break the rules and go around them. I will find something to play with right here and I am sure it will be just as fun. And law abiding. If anyone goes around them you better believe I will tattle.

Carson: Dude, you can MOVE your legs? How 'bout I just sit here and you bring things to me instead, ok? I mean yours move and I'm so cute so it really works for both of us.

Lila: (looking deviously) You think those little obstacles are going to stop me? You are stupider than you look. Watch this, woman (and crawls over the legs).

Where has Amy Been?

2009-02-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

I have had a few people ask where I have been in regard to my blogs. I was so excited that I was missed!! Things have been crazy with me having first a houseguest then, while she was here, the flu. It took me five days to really feel better. Then Carson got sick and Cullen got sick a few days later. Neither boy was very sick; just a littlee fever and lethargy. Everyone in this house but me got their flu shots so hopefully that will protect them against the nasty germs floating all around right now. We are also preparing our house to put it on the market! It is very exciting but a lot of work. We love so many things about this house but we need more space and will be moving to a bigger house in this area once this house sells. I will let everyone know when it is officially on the market. We are going to try to do For Sale by Owner and will ask all of our friends and family to spread the word about our home. It is rare to find a good yard like ours and we have tons of landscaping, as well as so many extra touches throughout the house. Hopefully we will find another family who likes it as much as we have!

Poop

2009-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Several times in the last few weeks I have pondered this thought... at what point in one's life does it no longer become impressive when you pee or poop? It is sometime between about age 4 and 5, but I am not sure when it happens. This morning Lila was a little constipated and when she was working at doing her business I cheered her on with great vehemence. I was one step short of whipping out pom poms and she really appreciated my encouragement (through her strained little grimaces and half smiles). Then I have a friend whose little boy is potty training and she is very excited when he goes on the toilet at his young age of 2.5; we all cheered him on as well. In addition, last year when one of my nieces went to the bathroom on the toilet another family member went as far as to e-mail a photo of the toilet bowl containing the evidence of this niece's efforts. It was a gross picture but I understood the excitement nonetheless.

So Lila gets cheers and congratulations when she does her business but no one else in the house is quite so lucky. When I was cheering her on this morning I could see the cat looking at me with a perplexed look thinking "Dang, woman, I made a ton of poop right there in that corner and all you did was spank me and yell at me". Then there are my boys. I have no complaints about Cullen in this area. Carson is a toilet neanderthal. We charge him money when he doesn't remember to flush (we have enough for his first year of college so far). It's $.25 for non-flushed pee and the fee doubles for unflushed poop. In addition, a new punishment plan starts today for when he doesn't lift the seat when he pees. I will take away whatever his favorite toy is that day. Then there is Kevin. Kevin is a good boy but I think these days he would pretty much have to win the lottery, clean the house from top to bottom (laundry included) or find the cure for some awful disease to get much attention around here; he is nowhere near getting any cheers for a properly functioning digestive system. Life just is not fair or nearly as much fun once you grow up.

Do I Dare Say it Outloud?

2009-01-30T13:34:00.001-08:00

I am not sure if I should jinx things by saying it outloud but it appears that Miss Lila Phillips is on somewhat of a schedule. The last three nights she has gone all night without being fed. Each night she woke up several times but got herself back to sleep. This morning it was 5:40 a.m. when I got up with her and she had gone to bed at 7:00 p.m.! Since I am a morning person I don't mind getting up at 5:40. The problem was only when I was waking up at 5:40, and 3:00, and 1:00 with a baby who should have been beyond that. In addition, she is taking pretty regular naps and has responded well to being put in her bed while still slightly awake. It was just in time; I was about to go insane from continued interupted sleep combined with a serious lack of sleep in general. Now if we can just get Carson so stay in his bed at night too; he wakes up scared and comes running down the hall to our room. He is like a big puppy; he doesn't realize how big he is so he lumbers into our bed and splays his body all over the place. I don't mind too much because I like a good snuggle but Kevin gets Carson's feet and Carson's feet like to kick. I think it's kind of a sleeping Oedipal kind of thing; Carson would just as soon Kevin get out of the bed and go sleep in the bottom bunk. It is nice to be so loved that everyone wants to sleep in my bed and that Lila loves me so much she wakes up to spend extra time with me ;)

Readers

2009-01-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

I am so proud that my boys are both readers. I am lucky so far that both of them love reading and are good at it. It is slow-going but Cullen is over 70% done with the fourth book of the Harry Potter series. Carson jumps around a lot but is reading the first Harry Potter book and the Magic School Bus series. Honestly, as long as they are reading I'm happy! Even if Lila ends up being a book burner or something awful like that at least 2/3 of my children read. I will shoot for 3/3 since I really don't condone book burning or playing with fire in any shape or form.

Lila's Little Playdate

2009-01-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

Unless you count going to the nursery at the gym or being oohed and ahhed over while shopping, Lila hasn't really spent much time around non-relatives. Today we popped by my friend Cathy's house to say hello to Cathy and her three little girls. Lily is 5, Eme is 3, and Cate is 3.5 months old. Cathy's girls have always been very sweet and adorable and were true to form today! Cate was bright-eyed and curious just like her sisters. Here are some of our pictures from today.

Making King Cakes

2009-01-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Ta da! Carson's cake is done.

I really don't know what he's looking at but he loved the sprinkles!

Cullen was careful about doing his sprinkles.

Mission accomplished!

Today we made two King Cakes; one for each of the boys to bring to school since they both got the babies in their class King Cakes last week. I thought it would be a fun family activity but for most of this "family activity" I was in the kitchen trying to make King Cakes and tend to a fussy teething baby while the boys jumped on the trampoline. However, when it came time for the icing and the sprinkles the boys were ready to help! They had to help in stages since I only made enough dough for one cake the first time. When Carson iced his cake and got to lick the spoon when done he declared the icing "Just right; I wouldn't change a thing" (it was confectioners sugar and a small bit of milk; how can you go wrong with basically straight sugar?). We just put a standard little plastic baby in Carson's cake. Cullen loved doing his cake too. I actually put a gold coin (from a pirate birthday party) in Cullen's class cake. Originally beans or gold coins were put into King Cakes; the plastic baby tradition didn't start until the 1900's. I thought a gold coin was more fun than a bean. Cullen's cake was the second one and looked a lot more like a normal King Cake. I knew the first one was the worst one so I made that for Carson's class. First graders are much less judgemental about things than third graders. As they get older they are a much tougher crowd! Next time I will spend $5 and buy a King Cake from Wal-Mart when I just need one for their classes.

Throw Me a New Catalog, Mister!*

2009-01-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

I am excited to announce that I have decided to have a new catalog party after all! I wasn't going to until I saw the catalog and knew people would be as excited about it as I am! I am having a Mardi Gras themed open house to introduce the awesome new Stampin' Up! catalog and also to show off our new Decor Elements line of products. Whether you are an experienced stamper or someone who just wants to find out more about Stampin' Up! this is the perfect chance! Here are the specifics:

Thursday, February 5, 2009
3:00-8:00 p.m. (come and go as you please!)
Cost: nothing!
Project: make a Valentine's Day card for free
There will be multiple door prizes. The grand prize will be 20% off your entire order placed within two days of the open house. The grand prize winner will be determined by who gets the baby in the King Cake! Catalogs will be available for all hostess club members and those who pre-ordered them. I will also have a limited number of extra catalogs on hand for purchase for those who did not pre-order them.
Please r.s.v.p. as soon as you can so that I know how much food to prepare and how many projects I will need to get ready!
A note about children: teens and pre-teens are always welcome but I have a one project per family rule at my free events. If you have issues attending without your smaller children please let me know and we will see what we can work out!

*No new catalogs will actually be thrown; they will be handed gently to the recipient

Facebook

2009-01-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

I joined the social networking group Facebook in June. I did it simply so that I could see my cousin Sally's pictures that she posted on her own Facebook page. Little did I know that so many people I know or have known would also be on Facebook six months later. For the most part, I really enjoy it. People post little snippets in the form of status updates and I like to see what other people are doing. For the most part it's reassuring to see that most other people's lives are as ordinary as mine. I also really like looking at everybody's kids. Even though some of my Facebook friends are people I haven't hung out with since Girl Scouts in the fifth grade it's still neat checking out their offspring. The only difficult issue I have had is when people ask to be my Facebook friend and I either have no clue who they are or no interest in being their friend. As of now when as Facebook friend request is sent to a person they have two choices... you can either "confirm" or "ignore" that request. If you ignore it the person you are ignoring doesn't know it and may send another request. And another. And another. There is no "deny" option; I guess the people at Facebook are too nice to do that. I propose the following additions to the choices when presented with a friend request.

confirm
confirm although I never really was friends with you in the first place I am interested to see how you're doing and maybe look at some pictures of your kids and pets and maybe of you scuba diving or something
confirm although I only remembered you when I looked you up in the high school yearbook
deny; I have no flipping clue who you are even when I look carefully at your picture. Either you got really fat or I never knew you.
deny; I hated you in college so why would I be friends with you now?

I doubt these changes will be made but it would be nice to be able to be more specific when posed with a difficult friendship request. On a side note, the photo above is my Facebook picture. Notice that it looks like me and I follow my own photo tips by holding a baby to distact from my negative features.

Difficult Conversation

2009-01-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

I actually had one of my toughest conversations with Cullen today. It started yesterday when we drove by our church. In front there were over one hundred small white crosses and a sign that said "Abortion Kills". Cullen asked "What's abortion?" and then "Can we catch it?" (if it kills, it must be a disease). I knew Carson, in his infinite sensitivity, was not ready for this discussion so I told Cullen we would talk about it later. Later was today, when he asked again. I closed the door to Lila's room, where we were playing with her on the floor. I told Cullen that sometimes God gives people babies and they aren't ready for them and don't want them. I said that these people go to a special clinic and a medical person (I didn't want to say doctor) does something to kill the baby while it's still in the mom's belly. He was solemn but not upset. I asked him why the Catholic church and other churches would be against abortion. It took him just a second to say "Because there won't be as many Catholics?" I snickered but said no, not because of that. As we watched Lila play on the floor I reminded him that being alive and healthy is a great gift and to hurt that life goes against God's wishes. I reminded a former student of mine who is about to have her first baby that babies are the single greatest gift humans get. However, just like all gifts you don't always get to choose what you get and when you get it. I did not tell him that often people don't expect babies and still get them (Lila) or take many extra steps to try to get babies (Cullen and Carson). I tried to remember to only give as much information as they ask for. I guess talking about sex will be harder but I will do like my mom did and take him to a busy restaurant where the tables are close together and tell him all about it while he cringes with embarrassment.

Stamp-n-Scrap

2009-01-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

I will soon be having my first Stamp-n-Scrap in a long time. Here are the details:

Friday, January 30 from 5:00-11:00 (OK to come later, of course!)
At my house
Cost: $14 (includes dinner and assorted refreshments).
There will be no planned projects; just bring your own things to work on even if no stamps or Stampin' Up! products are involved.
You will have full access to all of my non-consumable supplies, including all of my stamp sets and my Big Shot machine.

The theme will be Winter Fiesta... the meal will be taco soup and our snacks will be according to theme as well. However, speaking Spanish is not required since my conversation would be limited to the words "hello, goodbye, chicken, and salad". No alcohol will be provided but if you choose to bring something for yourself of course that is fine!

Please let me know if you'd like to join us! Friends are welcome too; just be sure to r.s.v.p. quickly as I have limited space. You can e-mail me at amybphillips@yahoo.com to register or to ask a question.

Looking and Feeling Your Best (in photos and in real life)

2009-01-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone is ready for some Oprah-worthy advice. Sit down and take notes or, better yet, print this post. I had someone I knew from high school tell me I looked "the same" and how did I do it? It's all multiple layers of trickery...
Taking Good Pictures
1. Don't take pictures with skinny people. Find an excuse to get out of doing it... you have to pee, your child needs you, whatever. Don't do it.
2. To make number one easier you can do several things:

Be the photographer
Go out to eat with your friends often and ply them with beer and fried foods. Then eat lettuce yourself.
You can't avoid taking pictures with family so learn from my mistakes. My sister-in-laws and sister are all pretty. If I could turn back time I would find wives for my brothers that were not as attractive and would have checked to make sure there weren't pretty women in Kevin's family before it was too late. I would also have slipped weight-gaining materials into my little sister's drinks. It is all too late for this.
Be a recluse. If you don't have friends then you won't have friends who are skinnier than you.

3. Children and pets are great props and distractions in pictures and in real life.

You can hold babies over your weak spots (notice how I usually hold Lila in front of my belly) or, when they are older, have them stand in front of you. This also works with big dogs. It doesn't work if your face is your weak spot because then the pictures will just look stupid.
Dress your children cute. Then people will notice your cute children first and just do a cursory glance over you. The same applies to cute little dogs. They may think you are goofy if you dog is wearing clothes BUT that is still a good distraction. This is why I had Lila; the boys wouldn't let me dress them cute anymore (gym shorts and tee shirts!) so I had to have another baby to take the attention away from me.

4. Do NOT look your best in high school. I know it may be too late for you but think about it this way; just as you don't want your favorite team to be ranked pre-season number one you don't want to be the most attractive in high school. Teams that are ranked number one usually just fall hard. On the same token, if you look your best as a teenager you can only go downhill. That is why I wore frumpy clothes in high school. It was part of my master plan to get better with age.

Those are my pearls of wisdom for the day. Maybe for the month; my wisdom is in short supply so it may not come your way again anytime soon.

Businesses That I Like

2009-01-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

As somewhat of a businesswoman myself (somewhat because I don't have the hassle of a storefront or inventory!!) I like to let people know when I find businesses I like. Here are some of my favorites right now. Many are in Prairieville because a big plus for me now is convenience!

1. You R Invited: They have locations in Geismar on highway 73 and on Airline near an Elegant Affair. A great place to get gifts and run by very nice people.

2. Salon Eden: my friend Mary and her husband own this Salon in Baton Rouge. The stylists are very good, professional, and carefully selected and although it is a nice salon it doesn't have the snooty feel of many places. It is located by The Backpacker near Bocage.

3. Personal Impressions: I got the necklace pictured online at http://www.personalimpressionsjewelry.blogspot.com/ Tracy Perrine is located in Arizona and is the one who makes the necklaces. She was very easy to work with. I am very particular and specific and she did my necklace just as I requested, down to the last detail. She has a lot of great samples on her blog and her prices were very good compared to similar necklaces. Some sites' prices were double what I paid with Tracy.

4. Prairieville Produce: I like Prairieville Produce on Airline Highway. The owner is very nice and they have a good selection of produce and other great products. It's a lot like Southside produce just in Ascension Parish. I also haven't had problems with rotted fruit or produce that spoils too quickly as I have at other produce stands.

5. Made-by-Mary: If you like custom children's clothes and accessories you will like Made-by-Mary. Mary is also someone who was able to meet my specific needs and went out of her way to obtain some fabric for a dress for Lila. http://www.madebymary.com/

6. St. Michel Day Spa in Prairieville: This business is owned by a local girl who is very nice but also quite professional. In addition to having great services at a comparable price Michelle Babin Tranchina (the owner) gives to the community. She even came and talked to my Free Enterprise class last year when I had local business owners come and speak to my students about owning your own business.

7. Dutchtown Care Care Center: Now going there is NEVER fun for me. I hate spending money on car repairs; it seems like such a waste to spend so much money and have no clothing or jewelry to show for it. However, they are very helpful and I like to get my oil changes and inspections done there. They also helped me with my batteries and inspected my tires once. They could have easily taken advantage of me and said "you need four new tires NOW" but instead they told me I had another eight months or more left on them and sent me on my merry way.

8. Harvest Supermarket in Geismar: Sure, their prices are a little higher than Wal-Mart's and I don't get all of my groceries there. We do get 90% of our meat at Harvest and a lot of smaller items throughout the week. They have a fantastic liquor selection so we usually go there before a party. They have good meals that you can grab if you need a quick dinner or lunch and I have never had a problem with freshness. You can also always find someone to help you and the friendliness of a smaller store is refreshing. The best part is that my kids like to go there and it only costs me $.50 to bring them. No, they don't charge a fee to bring your children in; they have those cheap little gumball machines in the front of the store. I bring $.50 for each child and use it as their bribe to be good. Then once I am checking out I give them their $.50 and they get something out of the machine. I find it amazing that this still works with my kids at their ages. I would have thought they would have grown out of it by now but Cullen and Carson are refreshingly naive at times and I kind of like it.

On a side note, other business owners who came to speak with my Free Enterprise classes were Tammy Murphy from Memory Mania and Miles Holley from Treads and Care. I am still so appreciative of their help; teaching Free Enterprise was a stretch for me since my only prior experience in economics was being a good shopper and having my Stampin' Up! business.

Hostess Club: January

2009-01-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Close-up of the eye.

Shaker Card

Glittery card... I will use this one for a little birthday girl at the end of January

These are the two cards we did for my hostess club here this month. One is a glittery card that is SO simple; we used adhesive letters and numbers and simply pressed down into a pile of glitter until the letter or number was thoroughly covered. The other card is a "shaker" card. It's cuter in person. The heart shaped eyes of the skull and crossbones are cut out and the card is designed so that you can see glitter and beads behind the eyes (which are covered with a thin clear paper) when you shake it. It looks and sounds cool. It makes for a fun, special, birthday card. Instructions for basic shaker card design and another sample can be found here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/shaker_card/. The stamp set I used for my shaker card also comes with a bow you can stick on the head of the skull. I have heard that skulls and crossbones are popular on girls' clothing and accessories. This isn't something I have seen but I am not yet in the Secret Club regarding girls clothes. Kevin is actually trying to block my membership into this club. ;)

Table Manners

2009-01-06T19:31:00.001-08:00

Lila loves to eat. It doesn't matter what we are presenting her; like her poor mother she is not very picky. Lately when I have been feeding her she has repeatedly lunged unexpectedly for the bowl and started to lick the bowl and chew on it. I don't know if she thinks it's a more efficient way to eat or if she thinks she's an animal but either way it's really messy and I don't think Emily Post would approve. We're trying to do things right with this baby and start her off with better manners than the boys but Lila is largely uncooperative thus far.

Speaking of the boys... at dinnertime I have been reading manners hints from a children's cookbook my aunt sent them. Most of it we have discussed before but they needed a refresher. I find that since they have so little time to eat lunch at school (somewhere under 10 minutes) they really shovel their food into their mouths like little cavemen. I have tried to convince them that no wild beasts are coming to take their food from them. I have also had to remind Cullen that saying "I can't believe you eat this" is not how you speak of something your mother has lovingly prepared for you. They haven't learned my trick from my youth of feeding the dog my unwanted food. I won't tell them and if they do it I will act shocked and horrified. I'd better start practicing.

Photo Frame Clipboard

2009-01-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

I actually did this project a few months ago. I used one of Stampin' Up!'s 9x9 clipboards and decorated it using the "Rock-a-Bye Girl" Simply Scrappin' kit (there is a boy version too!). It was really easy to do and I have also done several for gifts. The kit comes with so many components that it seems like I have barely used any of it. I also used it to decorate a 14x14 plain white memento box that I got at Wal-Mart. Whenever I have a keepsake item for Lila (like a card or her hospital bracelets) I tuck it in the box. One day when I start to scrapbook again I will put some of those items in the scrapbook but for now I know it's in a safe place!

Just "The One"

2009-01-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

This has always been something that grated my last nerve but today it happened again. I was trying out a new gym and talking to another mom in the nursery. In explanation of something that she did that she thought might be a little over-protective she said "Well, I just have the one..." as in the one child that she was possibly overprotecting. I have no problem with parents doting on their children. I do it myself. I am also a little overprotective. However, don't act like my child's specialness is diminished each time I have another one. I may have three but we don't live in the olden days when Ma and Pa had spare kids in case one died. All of my children were wonderful gifts; none of them is the human equivalent of a spare tire. I will admit that when I was pregnant with Carson and Cullen was just a little guy I wondered how we could ever love another human being as much as we loved our first baby. I soon learned that there was enough love in this old heart for many children. Cullen was about four when a friend squirmed about me putting her child in the third seat of my vehicle. "It's more dangerous in the back; can you put Cullen back there?" As if that wasn't bad enough on it's own she then proceeded to say "I only have (insert child's name here)". So my child is expendable because I have backup? Now they do aggravate me on occasion (OK, multiple occasions daily) but even at their worst I will never run screaming from danger and throw back one of the kids screaming "Here, take this one! Me and Pa had some extra younguns!"

Why are our children so amazing?

2009-01-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

Lila got two teeth yesterday. You would have thought she climbed Mount Everest or won the Nobel Prize I was so darn proud. Teeth! She grew TWO teeth! After a few hours I thought about it in perspective... doesn't everybody's baby grow teeth? How many babies around the world probably popped out a couple of canines yesterday? Yet why is it so amazing when our own children do the most mundane things that children pretty much all do? I haven't grown out of it with Cullen and Carson. I am still amazed by the things they do and say (although sometimes they need to go into time-out for the amazing things they do or say). Lila being my third hasn't lessened my amazement with her "accomplishments" at all. In fact, I think the spacing has made me even more impressed with her. I have decided that this is something that God has instilled in parents to serve as a protective shield around their children. Isn't it nice knowing that your Mom will always be proud of you or that your Dad will always think of ways to keep you safe? I think God makes us impressed with and enamoured with our children to help them feel good in a world that sometimes can be a little rough. I even think it's cool that "parents" of pets have this same feeling. It must be inborn. Did I mention that Lila grew two teeth? Two. My baby is so efficient. I am sure I will post a picture of them as soon as they are visible in a photograph.

The Non-Traditional Christmas Letter

2008-12-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

I actually love getting Christmas letters with Christmas cards. I enjoy getting to know my friends' kids through these yearly letters and hearing about their jobs and vacations. However, I often wonder about everything that is left out of these letters. I didn't do a Christmas letter this year but here are some things I would have probably left out...

We got our first call from the principal last month when Carson punched a schoolmate, causing him to bleed (OK- so this kid had been teasing Carson for months but my first grader did hit someone and this is never excusable).
My eldest son, i.e. the offspring of an English teacher, made a D on a book report he worked on in class for three days. The worst is that it was barely a D. He said he got "distracted" and I was thinking "for three days?" He is going to have to rewrite it over the holidays. I am such a witch.
All of our animals are somewhat crazy. One of our cats now uses the sandbox as a litterbox and we can't use the sandbox anymore. It is about to be remodeled into a playhouse with the sand dumped into the woods behind our house.
We went to the Gulf Coast this year and that's it. No wild vacations, no romantic getaways, no pictures with Mickey Mouse. We stayed in Prairieville. We go to Baton Rouge every few weeks; does that count as a vacation? I didn't think so.
Lila is really cute but she must be held 90% of the time and she poops like there's no tomorrow. She also drools.
I am a housewife. That means I do a lot but talk about a big yawn to describe in a newsletter! And what woman doesn't do all that I do? It's kind of like writing "this year our whole family breathed and had pulses every day!!!" Big whoop-de-do.
Our hobbies... well, that's always hard because we really don't have any hobbies that truly count. Is child-rearing and all that it entails a hobby? Kevin goes to the LSU games but that couldn't really be counted as entertainment this year (at least not for LSU- maybe for the opposing teams). We watch TV together and like reality TV... wait, are you falling asleep as you read about our sad existence? I am going to start making up hobbies. This year it will be tornado chasing and sky diving.

Here are some of my other favorite things I have read in people's newsletters in the past that made me chuckle: one described their son as "trying his hardest" at T-ball (read: he sucks), another described their job as challenging (read: I am not up to my job title), yet another described their job as "comfortable" (read: boring as heck). I also know that anytime someone describes their child, husband, or life in general as too perfect that they are lying.

Not a creature was stirring except two little mice!

2008-12-26T18:09:00.000-08:00

Carson and Despereaux

Both boys and their mice in their little exercise balls. Jake also had to be part of the photo! The mice make him nervous.

Cool place for two little mice to live! They sleep in the upper level.

Here are some shots of the boys and their mice. Despereaux is white and is Carson's mouse. Darth Vader is primarily black and is Cullen's mouse. Both are girls despite their masculine names.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I took very few pictures. This one of Lila is actually one of the few I got. I actually was enjoying everyone and everything so much that I forgot to get out the camera! I also cannot seem to get a good shot of the boys' "big" Christmas present (by big I mean most exciting). They wanted pets this year (like I don't have enough creatures to take care of already) and as we decided what to allow Santa to get we went from an iguana, to a bearded dragon, to a gecko, back to bearded dragon, then to mice. The pros of mice are as follows:

Cheap. Both the mice and their habitat would have cost about $80 but of course Santa got them and we all know children view Santa's pockets as bottomless. Bearded dragons and their habitats cost Santa upwards of $400 and Santa likes to keep things even for all of the children all around the world.

Short life span. Why is this a good thing? Well, if I were a nice mom I would want my children to never experience the pain of losing a pet. However, I am a practical mom and I know their attention spans are still short. Therefore a pet that dies in 2-3 years is a good thing. Bearded dragons live over 20 years! I do not want to retire with a "beardy" in my house.

Easy... yes, mice poop and they will probably stink a little too. However, the boys' room already stinks of little boy sweat all the time anyway so a little more odor doesn't bother me. I have thought of keeping the kitty litter and Lila's diaper pail in there as well to make it where just one room in the house stinks. Also, bearded dragons need to be misted with water and be fed live food. If I did that daily for an animal then that animal would then be getting more attention than my husband, which is not quite right. I only mist Kevin every other day and he never gets live food. He's lucky if he gets chili dogs and oven fries.

Mice also don't gross me out or scare me. I don't like reptiles and am still confused about where my reptile lovers came from. I think it may be part of an evil experiement. Or maybe it's God's way of keeping me versatile.

They are funny. I like the way mice run around. Call me simple minded but it's cute to watch them in their little wheels.

So Happy Holidays to everyone as we begin the real twelve days of Christmas!

SNOW!!!!

2008-12-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Cullen and his good friend from the neighborhood. We love him and would keep him if we could!

I cannot believe that it is snowing! No, we haven't moved... we're still in sub-tropical South Louisiana. The boys have really been wanting to see snow and we had thought about going on a vacation somewhere where there is snow. Now we don't have to! God just saved us thousands of dollars. He also probably saved us some frustration as well because after about an hour the boys were inside playing with Legos, having deemed the snow "too cold" (duh). Kevin has gone to work despite the winter warnings so we're just hanging out at home! It is amazing to look out of the window and see this.

"Tis the Season to Wrap Gifts

2008-12-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

I love wrapping presents. I usually have some wrapped before we even get our tree up and the tree just doesn't look complete without presents. In fact, I think it looks kind of sad and empty after Christmas is over and there is nothing but empty space and maybe a few birthday presents for me underneath! Here is the top of the present I have wrapped for my newest little niece, Cecilia. The ribbon and felt snowflake are from Stampin' Up! and the little fleur de lis spoon came from You R Invited in Geismar.

My Baby is Seven

2008-12-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Carson is seven today! He will always be my baby. My friend Angela Whitaker has read up on birth order information and she says that if there is a five year or more gap between children the birth order starts over. That means Carson will have the tendancies of a last born (i.e. "baby" of the family) and Lila will have characteristics of an only child. It makes sense if you think about it! That is what I try to remember when Carson still comes and gets in our bed at night (scared) or asks me to rub his back until he gets to sleep (just with one finger- he is very specific). Two nights ago he fell asleep on top of me on the sofa and at sixty pounds and over 4 feet in length it was comical. Reminds me of a big Golden Retriever puppy... they just don't realize how big they are and neither does Carson! He was hanging off of me but he was happy as a clam. I was smushed. He says he is going to live with me forever but he adores girls so much that I doubt it, unless his wife moves in with us too.

Where the heck does Cullen sleep?

2008-12-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

Lila has been sleeping for TWO HOURS straight and I have done more work in those two hours than a team of Merry Maids could do in an entire day. I was going up to Cullen's bed (top bunk) to try to change the sheets when I saw this (see photo). Good Lord, where does this child sleep? Why does he need to sleep with so much junk? He and Carson both remind me of little crows or Gollum (sp) from The Lord of the Rings series because of the way they covet and shelter their little treasures. I have no such love of all of their junk and I am the opposite of a pack rat. I am a Throw-that-crap-away rat. There has been more than one occasion where they have happened upon something "special" of theirs (which can sometimes be confused with ordinary trash or junk) in the trash can. When that happens and they get upset I'm always up and arms saying things like "Oh my goodness! How did that get in there? I am so glad that you found that piece of lint/broken toy/nasty rock before the garbage man came!" What I am REALLY thinking is "Man, I need to use garbage bags they can't see through." Needless to say I have decided not to change Cullen's sheets until he tidies up his bed. He will be very sad indeed if I end up having to tidy it for him.

Happy Birthday Kevin

2008-12-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today is Kevin's birthday. Poor Kevin gets little celebration these days with Carson's birthday being the very next day. I don't think he really cares that much but I feel a little bad that the last time we had a real celebration was the night before Carson was born when I had his family over to celebrate Kevin's 30th. Now I won't come right out and say how old Kevin is but Carson is going to be seven tomorrow. I can hear your wheels turning.

Christmas Gifts Class

2008-12-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Every year I do a Christmas Gifts class and this year is no exception! Here are photos of the projects. One project is not shown because I don't have all of the supplies yet. The project not shown is a gift card tin. We will use a stainless tin and decorate it with gender neutral holiday paper and add ribbon and an adorable felt snowflake. I will be using these tins for my teacher gifts this year (with a gift card inside, of course!). They are also a good way to wrap jewelry. The total cost for the class is $14, which is an absolute steal! I really don't know what I was thinking. It is at my house on Friday, December 12 from 4:30-8:30 (open house- projects should take under an hour). Please let me know right away if you'd like to join me as I do have limited spots available.

Glass ornament with stamped image... classic!

This will be my Christmas card this year as well as a class project. It's a card that can double as an ornament. It comes with a dark brown square envelope. I checked with my postmaster and it won't cost extra postage to mail these! I am putting a photo on the back of mine.

A classic set of informals. I did my sample using red ink but you can use whatever color ink you want. The ribbon and layering paper will be olive (no options there). Of course I have the whole alphabet set so you can use whatever letter you want! Instant gift.

This is perhaps the simplest but also maybe the best little gift. It uses a while tile from Lowe's and black Staz On Ink. That adorable little chef is from the set "Voila" and "Bon Appetit" is stamped on the bottom. I simply colored in his scarf with a sharpie. This is meant to be used as a kitchen menu or notes dry erase tile. You can't scrub/clean the stamped images but you can clean all around them.

My New Life

2008-11-28T13:26:00.001-08:00

A picture's worth a thousand words. Rarely do I believe this but this is one prime example.

Stinkin' Cute

2008-11-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

Lila deserved her own post. I didn't want this adorable picture to get swallowed up in the other Thanksgiving photos! She is wearing a dress I ordered from Mary Walker, who has a sewing business (http://www.madebymary.com/). Mary's mom did the smocking by hand and did it just as I requested. I think Lila looks so sweet in her little Fall dress!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

My three babies! Lila cannot keep her hands out of her mouth! Hampton, Carson, Hannah, Lila, & Cullen watching the racoons eat. The bunny is not real, though. My mom likes wildlife statues.

I thought this was so clever! Cullen made it out of some pinecones that my mom saved as well as a few other odds and ends he found on the ground.

We started our Thanksgiving celebration a day early this year by driving to my parents' house in Folsom to meet up with my friend Michele and her two boys, Jon and Ben. The boys all had a good time once we stopped trying to keep them out of the river and let them get wet and sandy despite our best intentions. Then my brother, his wife, and their two kids arrived Wednesday night from Mobile. Today we saw most of the Broders family with the exception of my other brother, Leo, and his family. Leslie and Mark even came with their new baby, Cecilia. We had a great time hiking on the trails, riding on the John Deere Gator, and of course eating. We took lots of pictures trying to get a photo worthy of our Christmas card. Above are a few that are NOT contenders for the family card but are still cute. We feel so blessed to have been with so many family members Thanksgiving day and can't wait to do it all over again with the Phillips family on Saturday!