Heart- ache to Heart- full! Prayer and Praise!!!

Today hasn't been the best day. I woke up today with terrible chest pains and some nausea. I hadn't slept well. Between the t.v. coming on by itself twice in the middle of the night (I'm not sure what the cable company is doing, but when they reset the cable the t.v. comes on and scares me to death.) and my attempts to stop the snoring from the other side of the bed, ( "Ben, ROLL OVER!!!") I was wiped out! THEN, even though I could have slept in a little to a big whopping 7:00 AM, Ruby decide 6:00 AM was the wake up time for the day! UGH!

After my attempts to get her to go back to bed didn't work, I gave her some books and made her play in her room until I could take care of business and get dressed. I got about 3 minutes in before she wanted me to let her out of her room. "MOMMY! I ALL DONE PLAYING IN RUBY'S ROOM!" Seriously, I can't get even 5 minutes???? "Ruby, hold on a minute. I'll be there after I get dressed." Did I really think it would be that easy?I must have mistaken her for some other child. "No MOMMY! I ALLLL DOOOONE!!! I COME OUT NOW!" I listen to her holler through her door until I open it. "Hi Mommy! What you doin'?" Deep breath."What did I say Ruby?" "Ummmm, you say you gettin' you dressed. A be der a minute." "That's right. Please don't yell at mommy. Be patient okay?" "Okay, Mommy! I soooo hungry! I want some yogurt."

The mommy's job is never easy. Even though I am not feeling well, I have mouths to feed, diapers to change, time outs to give, and lessons to teach. THE SHOW MUST GO ON. But today was different. I wasn't shaking my chest pain. I wasn't loosing the nausea. I truly felt awful. The down side to doing daycare is that EVERYONE is depending on you. SO, taking a sick day isn't such an easy decision. I had been having chest pains for a while. I needed to go to the doctor. I knew that, but taking the time isn't that easy when so many folks are depending on you. But, I just wasn't feeling right. I had to do something. How that was going to happen, I didn't know.

When Ben came downstairs he noticed I didn't look right. He asked me what was wrong. I told him about my chest and nausea. He said he had a pretty flexible day and he wanted me to make an appointment as soon as I could to go to the doctor. He was going to come home and watch all three 2 year olds while I went. Luckily, K leaves by 11:00 and he would quickly only have to deal with Ruby and her cousin Bells. I got the appointment and a little after 10:00 I left him. What a GREAT husband!

At the doctor's office, I went through my list of complaints with the medical student who was interning and then again for the nurse practitioner. I told them my list of medicines ( It is completely ridiculous that I am taking so many things considering I am only 31years old) and asked if some of the things I am taking are making this happen. The N.P. thought my Metformin (sp?) could be causing the nausea, but she wanted to do some other tests too. First, they did a oxygen test with this little thingy on my finger.Then, they made me run around and they did that test again. NORMAL! 99% and 98%. Next, came the blood work. Usually that takes forever because they have trouble finding a vein, but the nurse today rocked and got it on the first stick! YAY!

Finally, they did an EKG. After the doctor had read the results, the med student came back in. I was trying to read her face as to what her comments might be. I though she would come in and say," Well, the EKG was fine, so we want you to...." But her face gave nothing away. " We looked at your EKG results and there is some concern. Because we don't have any other EKG to compare it to we need you to go get another test done. Don't worry. It's not an emergency, but there is something a bit off." Uhhhhh was all I could think. I'm pretty sure I didn't move or say anything, but my face must have prompted her to continue. "The bad thing about an EKG is that it isn't specific. We know there is a problem, we just don't know what. It could be a birth defect you didn't know about, or your heart just isn't getting enough oxygen. So, here is the slip. The lady at the end of the hall will help you make the appointment. For now, go get a chest x-ray, just to check that too, stop the Metformin for a week and see if you feel better, and when everything comes back, come back and see us and we'll go from there." Okay. Alright. Ummm. I finally got some words together, "So I just take this to the lady at the end of the hall???"

I called Ben and told him what happened. He told me to go ahead and get the x-ray done, since he was already home. He had things under control. I called my Mom, who evidently soon after we hung up, started emailing some folks to start praying. I went to get my x-ray, but had to go back after lunch because they were closed. So, I ran to my parents office and had lunch there with my sister. My Dad was there, and Mom had already talked to him about everything. He was going to the cardiologist because of something similar. AHHH my lovely gene pool. It's not good people! Not on either side! I finally got my x-ray and went home.

Ruby was in bed, but still awake at almost 2:00. I made myself comfy on the couch next to Ben, and that was it. I was out cold. Sometime in there, Ruby fell asleep too! I slept for an hour and a half, at least. My body was done. I needed some rest and time to process everything. So, basically... We know there is a problem, but we don't know what. It's not big enough to put me in the hospital, but it's big enough to make me feel terrible. We know there will be more appointments and tests and I will have to figure out how to handle the daycare when those things happen. Stress, Stress, STRESS! BREATH!

This evening we took pizza to the nursing home and had dinner with my Father-in-law. We had a great time and it really took my mind off of everything, which was exactly what I needed. I am a worry wart. No matter how I try to hand things to the Lord, I still obsess over them. I've been working on that my whole life. I would like to say I have gotten better about letting go and letting God, but that isn't the case. I just can't let things leave my mind until they are resolved. So, that was an up note to my day!

THEN, THE BEST THING HAPPENED!!!!

Twitter Mom of the MONTH!

click on the purple link to see the article!

I am TWITTERMOM'S Mom of the MONTH! HOW COOL IS THAT!

I knew it was coming but to see it in print was VERY exciting! TwitterMom's was one of the first places I found when I started blogging. I love this site. I have made several dear friends all over the place. Everyone has been so helpful with my blogging and every day mommy issues. THIS MADE MY DAY! Thank you soooo much to Lea Curtes-Swenson who wrote this article about me. She took my answers and made me sound much more impressive than I am. But, I'll take it!!! THANKS! THIS was the pick-me-up I needed today!

Thank you to all of you who are dedicated readers and wonderful advocates of my work. Two particular ladies had already given me beautiful blogger awards deserve a special shout out. The author of the blog aplaceforthoughts.com and Mommy Friend Lori over at mommyfriend.com have been a great source of encouragement for me. I find you both inspiring. I look forward to reading and learning from your thoughts everyday. To those of you who haven't checked these blogs out, check them out and spread the word. THEY ROCK! It's moments that these ladies have given me and this amazing write up by Lea, that keep me motivated to be better, do more, reach higher. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

My HEART is fuller tonight. In a good way! Please pray for quick and answers and solutions to make it feel better! Thanks again to everyone for lifting my spirits! 

My Little Gift from God

Happy Friday Friends! It has been a busy but great week. I am grateful for the beautiful weather we've been having. I've been able to be outside almost everyday this week with the kids. While outside, I've noticed a new friend hanging around our house.This amazing cardinal has been joining us everyday while we play.He flies from tree to tree making his presence known. He is VERY loud. The kids and I can pick out his song now and we start looking for him.

I love cardinals. I love their vibrant red bodies and their black masked faces. I also love them because they were one of Naun's( my maternal grandmother) favorite. I can remember spotting them from her window when I was little. She talked about them as if they were some sort of mystical treasure that you rarely see. "Look a here! A cardinal! Shhhh! Move slow or we'll scare it away!" I always feel so special when I spot one, like it is a little gift from God and a wink from my grandmother in heaven. 

This guy isn't scared away by much. He perched himself very close to us while the kids were playing in my driveway. He just sat there and watching, almost intrigued. Yesterday, he was REALLY loud. I don't know what he was yelling about, but we actually hollered for him to quiet down. I felt guilty doing that because this is so cool to have him hanging around. But... it was REALLY loud. He did not, comply. He's a spunky fellow!

We can learn from this little guy!

Let your vibrant colors shine. Don't be afraid to show yourself to the world. Speak up and let people know who you are! YOU ARE A PRECIOUS GIFT FROM GOD!

May you find some spunk to help you get through your Friday!

Love,
Jessica

WHAT DAY IS IT?????? IT"S GAME DAY!!!!

My heart is racing a little this morning. I have butterflies in my stomach. I feel like the day is crawling. I went to bed early last night to make sure I got lots of sleep. The appropriate clothes were set out for the morning. I'm ready!!!!!! You're probably wondering what's going on. Is it a job interview? Am I pregnant? Am I performing????? NO PEOPLE !!!! IT"S GAME DAY!!!!!!! The NCAA tournament is here and MY TEAM the University of Richmond Spiders are headed to the dance!!! WE are so excited. YES, I said WE. Ruby woke up this morning asking for her Spider shirt. THAT A GIRL!

While my husband is an over the top Virginia Tech Hokie fan, I was BORN to love the Spiders. Literally! My father went to UR and played basketball. He was inducted into the hall of fame a few years ago. My sister went to school there too. I didn't, but it doesn't matter because being a Spider is in my blood. I actually went to one of UR's rival schools because the music department there was good and it was much cheaper than UR. HOWEVER, I NEVER cheered for them in basketball. I even went to a game with my classmates and refused to cheer for them. It was almost nauseating for me to even be there. My heart and soul remained true to the Spiders.

My Mom and Dad have successfully raised  three Spider fanatical kids, and we in turn are spreading the love to our children. We always have a great time at the games. I'm sure there are more pictures, but here are just a few with Bells and Ruby.

Here is our SPIDERS Entering the court. I know there are almost NO people in the stands. That's because it was during one of our blizzards. BUT... WE WERE THERE!  WE almost died trying, but we got there.



Here are Ruby and Bells getting into the spirit of things!

There are three granddaughters who are just as thrilled as these two are. We are all a bit crazy, but it's fun!

Here we go Spiders! Here we go! Here we go Spiders! Here we go!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO SPIDERS!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Happy St Patrick's Day Everyone! I hope you are wearing green. I am! I was trying to think of how I wanted to tackle this awesome day with my kiddies. St. Patrick's Day is a bit confusing to Ruby in particular. She has an Uncle Patrick so, she thinks it is his birthday. I thought instead of going the St. Patrick route, I would focus on leprechauns and the letter L and the color green.

Sidebar here!I did some research and learned that there is NO correlation between leprechauns and St. Patrick. The reason we always put those two things together is because us crazy American folks decided to jump in on the St. Patrick celebration and just threw in everything Irish  we knew about. Ha Ha Ha! And so, we celebrate St. Patrick, the man who banished snakes from Ireland (I know there is more to it, but I'm too lazy to tell you the rest when I know you can Google it just as well as I can!) by getting dressed up like tiny little people who hoard their pots of gold, and drink green beer! Who am I to stop a party? 

Here is how we celebrated St. Patrick's day at our house! Sorry kids. No green beer for you!

Here is my awesome bulletin board.

L is for leprechaun!!!Here are the leprechauns the kids made. The kids did really well. The ears were a little tricky for everyone. Bell's leprechaun looks a little like sloth from Goonies with his crooked eyes.

We worked on these hats too. They had to match the shapes up. K did an excellent job on this. He got all of the shapes facing the right way!  The kids had a blast with this and it was a fabulous review. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day outside. We played and soaked it in and looked for green things. Luckily there are a lot of green things outside! Here are Bells and Ruby relaxing after a long day of playing.

Ruby's confusion over St. Patrick's Day. Like I mentioned before she has an Uncle Patrick, so it make sense that she would be confused. The other kids just joined the band wagon.

Here is more of the confusion.

Happy St. Patrick's  Day!Oh and Uncle Patrick... I guess you get to have an extra green beer tonight since EVIDENTLY it's your honorary birthday!

What my body and Brain CRAVE

Ahhh! The last few days around here have been absolutely beautiful. I have been soooo ready for spring. It's  been a LONG winter. I know in my previous posts I have talked about how I enjoy snow. While that is still true, I must confess, it was too much even for me. I have been feeling very trapped by our cold and icy weather. The children have been itching to get outside to run and play. I've been itching for that too! We love each other, but we needed some wide open spaces. This week, we got to enjoy those wide open spaces! In one week, I have taken the kids two parks, we have played outside with chalk and toys, and we have been to the zoo. Today was a bit rainy in the morning, so in honor of Bell's 2nd birthday, we had some friends over to play and we watched a movie!

All of this fabulous weather is making me so glad that daylight savings is this weekend. I'm sooo ready for longer warmer days. While I enjoy the novelty of snow, my body and brain CRAVE warm, sunny weather. I am a much happier person and much more motivated in the warmer months. I get my big ole butt out to walk or run , I get to cleaning and organizing and I eat healthier because we have fresh veggies from our yard or neighbors.

I am also happier because we spend more time at my parents lake house. All of my family makes their way down to hang out, float in the lake, let all of the cousins play, and have some fun. I LOVE spending time with my family. I love how Ruby plays with her cousins. They are ALL truly her favorite people in the world. Even thought there is quite an age difference from the oldest to the youngest, it still seems to work somehow. It is such a blast. Once the kiddies have all gone to bed, I have the BEST time hanging out with my sister, my brother in law, my brother, and my sister-in-law and of course my handsome husband. My parents are fun too, but most of the time after the kids go to bed, so do the grandparents! Here are just a few examples of just how awesome my family is and why I am looking forward to these days and nights at the lake!

While he does have a serious side, especially when playing golf, My brother- in- law Scott, is such a ham. Most of the pictures I have of him involve him making a silly face of some type. Here he is toting a dead keg back from our friends place down at the lake. See silly face!

Don't you want to be friends with this guy!!!

You would if you saw the kick butt corn hole boards he built and painted. AWESOME! Too bad I STINK at anything that requires aiming!

Here is a little of Scott after hours. Scott Loves the Bee Gees. I had no idea! Notice the cool night vision!

 More Bee Gee Fun! This time my sister, Holly joins the fun!





Now it's my turn to join Holly. We are are some dancing fools. If you have ever seen that show shimmy, you'll get the end of this video.



Yeah we're crazy. I know! But you have to admit, we look like we are having a blast. There is no better way to unwind then to chill with my fam and enjoy some good music.

The Lake is full of relaxing mornings. Here is my oldest niece hanging out on the couch waiting for breakfast. Love this girl! Looking through my pictures, I realized she wasn't in as many. She has a friend down at the lake and they are usually together doing teenager things. I can't believe she is sooo big! She is a great cousin for Ruby! She loves on her a lot and makes her laugh too!

She was probably watching this. My brother made a house out of a box. This house has been the source of many hours of fun for the younger cousins. I love listening to the sound of their laughter and pretend play. i can't wait to see what they do with that box this year!

I can't forget to talk about the Dogs!This is our Goldendoodle, Dozer. HE LOVES THE WATER! He has two dog cousins that he likes to play with. They roll around together on the grass and sand. They try to beat each other to the tennis ball in the water. Sometimes they even float in the water on floats. They live to play at the lake! And at the end of the day, they all poop out. It's fabulous!

Ummmmm. Well, mom's glasses broke and my brother tried to fix them. There isn't a lot to work with down there. It was pretty funny!OH! The things that happen at the lake.





                              

Wish you were here? I do!

 Fun on the tractor with Papa! 

The cooking crew!

What a good looking family! Now do you see why my brain and body crave warm weather. Good times like this are hard to come by. I'm lucky. I get have them a lot! 

I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend! I know I will! I'm headed to the lake! Let the fun begin!

Happy Friday!

More than just a haircut- an awakening!

Before- blahhhhhhhhhhh

Last Friday afternoon I went to get my first hair cut in about a year. That's right, a year. I have been feeling rather frumpy lately. My hair had gotten CRAZY long and I spent almost everyday with my hair pulled back. I was starting to feel like one of those people who gets turned into a talk show for their lazy looks and lack of fashion. It was quite possible that Tyra or Maury was gonna show up at my door for an embarrassing confrontation about letting myself go and loving myself more. Ugh.

I am very particular about where I get my hair cut. I know that's probably silly to some of you who go to Hair Cuttery or dare to cut your own hair, but I like for my trips to the salon to be an EXPERIENCE. I want to leave feeling like a new woman. I want someone to offer me coffee or water. I want a wonderful relaxing head massage while I get my hair washed. I want to chat with my hair dresser about life and just relax. I want to come out looking forty pounds lighter. These things aren't too much to ask are they?

So, I made my appointment at my salon. I don't have a regular hair dresser because I don't go enough to have one. I just asked for the first available appointment. The only person available was, of course, a senior stylist...a.k.a.  the more expensive stylist. It was going to cost me fifty bucks to get this frumpy haired girl back into shape. It was more than I wanted to spend, but I justified  the fifty dollars because I don't go except for once a year, evidently.

The appointment was for 5:00 in the afternoon. I was going to take Ruby with me. Ben was leaving work early to get his hair cut too.He was going to some sports clips place. They get him in and out pretty fast. He really doesn't care for the fluff  that I crave, but he enjoys going to the places with sports on little t.v.'s in front of him. He would be there by 5:00 or shortly there after, to take her and give me my much desired salon experience. They usually make you wait for a while anyway, so I wasn't concerned about her being with me for a few minutes.


WRONG! The moment I walked in the beautiful salon doors with Ruby, my stylist was at the front desk waiting for me. I could see the panic in her eyes as I struggled with Ruby chasing after her to keep her from touching everything in site. "My husband will be here in just a moment to get her," I assured the beautiful stylist. "Ohh it's fine! ( Translation- What are you doing lady? This is no place for a kid!) What are we doing today?" she said running her hands through my blah hair. Out of breath, still chasing Ruby, and feeling a bit like an idiot, the honesty came pouring out of me, " I have no idea. I just know I need something. It is ridiculously long. I feel frumpy and ugly. I just need to feel better. I don't care what you do. I just don't have a ton of time to mess with it. RUBY! Stay with mommy!" The stylist assured me she could help ( THANK THE LORD!) and we headed back to the sinks for my favorite part. The Shampoo!!!


It should have been nice and relaxing. It was supposed to help me relax and feel better. But instead... It was, "No, you can't get down. Why don't we sing a song? Can you sing your ABC's? No, since when are you shy? ha ha ha, ummm What is that lady doing to mommy? That's right! She's washing mommy's hair! No, you can't get down. Daddy will be here in a minute. Ruby, if you are a good girl, I bet they will give you one of those nice balloons." Ugh. WHERE WAS BEN? The stylist found some suckers. We gave her one as we moved to the cutting chair. I could feel my dream haircut experience slipping away.


I spent the next 30 minutes, trying to keep Ruby still with every bribe I could think of. The child had so many suckers that when she put her hands on her face, they actually got stuck. She thought that was funny, so for the next 5 minutes, she would put her hands on her cheeks and peel them off. The hair dresser was GREAT. She asked one of the other ladies to take Ruby for a minute so she could cut the front of my hair. But before she could blow dry it, I had to ask her to stop so I could give Ruby a potty break. The last thing I needed was a pee spot on the floor.

I came back after the potty break and the stylist started blow drying my hair. She did her best to keep my rambunctious darling happy by blowing air on her face every now and then. Ruby was just about to send me into orbit, when ( insert Hallelujah  Chorus here) BEN CAME!!!!! I gladly handed her off to him, sat back in the chair and took the biggest breath. I apologized again and again to my stylist. She was wonderful," Please, I understand! I was a single mom for many years." Huh? This girl can't be much older than me. How many kids could she have? " I have 3 kids and I had to do it all by myself. I had to make things work. So, don't feel bad. This was fine. I can deal with anything." THREE KIDS? Really! " How old are your kids?" I asked her. "15, 13 and 10." WHAT??? I asked the next obvious question but added a compliment first so it wouldn't offend her, "Wow! You don't look old enough to have kids that age. How old are you?" "I'm 31! I had my daughter when I was 15 and my second 2 years later. I was young a stupid."

She explained that she had been on her own since she was about 14. She had a serious boyfriend and decided she needed to have a baby. She had planned her teenage pregnancy, not once, but twice! She had to figure out how to finish school and get her styling license. She said she believed in herself  and never listened to the people who told her she would never amount to anything. She realized it was a poor decision now, but she wasn't going let anyone tell her that she couldn't be successful just because she chose to have children so young.

After                  

She finished up my hair cut and turned me around. I looked amazing! I felt so much better and I looked like me again. My spirits were lifted. Even though I didn't get the full pampered experience, I did feel like a new woman. I realized just from getting my hair cut just how depressed I had been feeling lately. I really didn't even realize that I was feeling down, until I felt a little better. Part of me feeling down has to do with being inside all of the time because it is soooo cold and snowy here this winter. I get a little of that every year. I am realizing though that there is more to my wintry blues. I am not sure quite what it is. I am still feeling a bit lost.

I would love to have some of that confidence that my hairdresser had.The confidence not to care what anyone thinks about me and to find value in myself by myself. I think I've lost a bit of that since leaving "the work place". Believe me, I know that what I do everyday is REAL work and I shouldn't feel less because I am home with kids. Anyone who doesn't believe me can certainly try a day in my shoes. However, there is this feeling I get when someone asks, "What are you doing for a living these days?" I wouldn't say I feel shame, because I am happy with my decision to stay home and keep kids. I don't know what word would describe it best. Maybe you can tell me. I have just noticed that once I say, " I keep kids out of my home." or "I'm home with Ruby and I watch other children so I can stay home." the conversation stops.


When people asked me about my job when I was a music teacher, there was always a bunch of follow up questions. Like:

What age do you teach?
What instrument do you play?
Voice, so does that mean you teach chorus?
How is it working in schools?
Do you have trouble with parents?
Do you give grades?

I could go on and on. But now, most of the time I could hear crickets chirp. At most I here:


Daycare?
How many kids?
WOW!


AAAAND that's pretty much it. I guess wiping poop and snot isn't exactly a great conversation keeper. I shouldn't take it personally. If you don't have kids, you won't get it. If you have kids, you're already dealing with it, so you don't want to hear me talk about it.

Before-borrringgggg

It is amazing that a haircut has made me realize that I have been feeling down. My stylist even commented on how tired and weighed down I looked when I came to see her. She told me I looked younger too. I did look younger. I noticed that before she even said anything.

 After- ahhh so much better

So, which came first? Did feeling down lead to me neglecting myself and becoming frumpy? Or did becoming frumpy lead to neglecting myself more and feeling down? Maybe it's both. Maybe it's a cycle. All I for sure is, I felt like a million bucks when she was done. I am positive I was in a better mood the next day, which means I was probably a better mom and child care provider.The moral of the story is... I need to take better care of myself,I need to believe in myself AND... I should never take Ruby to the salon with me again!

AND one more After just for fun! That's right!ohhh yeah!

Silly me!

Happy Friday Follow everyone!

The Great Day!

I was having a great day! I really was. The kids were in a good mood. We had done some fun sponge painting and gluing shapes to make cards. Bell's sister had her tonsils out and we wanted to make her feel better. The kids were into the card making and were having a blast. I was so pleased with the cards, they were precious and I knew A would just love them!
The kids had destroyed the playroom in what seemed like seconds. They weren't being bad, they were just playing so, I just let them play. Getting them to clean up is usually a challenge. They loose focus and start playing with the toys again. But today, they were on task and cleaned everything up. They were so happy with themselves. They new exactly where everything went and if someone didn't, another one would show them. It was soo great! I was having a great day!

I decided to reward the kids with some quality Tent Time.If you don't have a tent, I highly recommend it.  For Christmas Ruby got this little pop up tent. I love it because the kids just go crazy for it! I make sure I keep it as a treat toy and not an everyday toy, so it won't loose it's hypnotic quality.  They run in and out of the tent. They love how it makes their hair stand up from the static. They push on it and knock it over and put it back up again. This tent can take a beating. The best part is if their behavior gets out of control, all I have to do is say I'm going to  take it down and the kids are instant angels.

So, some tent time was in order for the kids hard work on the cards. Plus, it was Friday and I was feeling generous.  All was wonderful in the land of children, but then... BOOM! The disaster bomb exploded and I had three children with three different problems at once.

It started with K, who was running like a spastic monkey in and out of the tent. He forgot that he left his socks on his feet when he took off his shoes. SMACK! Face to the hardwood floor. The wind up cry began as pushed air and quickly escalated to siren mode. No big deal. I'm a pro. I have handled bumps and bruises many many times. I began trying to get him to calm down enough to figure out whether this fall required ice or just some hugs and kisses. K requested ice himself and I was headed to get it for him when... Ruby came running to me to tell me, "Potty, Potty! I go potty." At first I was pleased she was remembering to tell me she needed to go, but then I saw her pants were wet. UGH!

So,K is still crying Ruby is standing legs spread yelling at me to help her and Bells is still in the tent which evidently was the scene of the accident. I rush to get Bells out of the tent and step in a second puddle of pee on the way. I ignore my own pee foot and grab Bells, who has luckily avoided the first pee puddle. Bells begins her cat fight sounding scream because I am removing her from the tent. I put Bells on the couch telling her not to move because there is pee pee on the floor. She calms down and sits for me. "Thank you Bells!" K is still at my leg begging for ice and Ruby is still walking around legs apart because she is covered in urine.

" K, you are fine. I will get you ice in just a minute. Ruby had an accident and I need to help her get on the potty first. Then, I promise, I will get you ice." K agrees still crying a bit. "Thank you K!" Okay, two kids were under control, so I dealt with Ruby so she didn't have to sit in her pee pants anymore. I put her on the potty to see if there was anything more for her to do that wasn't already on the floor. "Ruby, sit here and go potty, I am going to help K get ice for his boo boo. DON"T MOVE!"

I walked to the kitchen to grab K's ice pack. I handed to him just in time to hear Ruby scream, "BELLS BITING ME!!!!" I walk around the corner, to see bells leaving the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom where Ruby is still on the potty. She wasn't crying anymore, but she was still claiming Bells bit her. "Where?"  Ruby responded, "On the leg! It hurt!" Sure enough, there was a nice round circle of teeth marks on her leg. "Why did she bite you?"Sometimes Ruby provokes things, but I couldn't figure out how she could have done that from the toilet. "On the leg!" "No, I know she bit you on the leg, why?" "On the leg!Right here mommy," Ruby said with a bit of disgust. "Never-mind. Bells! Get in here." Bells answered in her perky voice," Okay! I comin!"

Ruby was still sitting on the toilet, Bells is at the bathroom door, I'm sitting on the step stool in front of Ruby and K is peeking around the corner. "Did you bite Ruby?" "Yeah!",Bells says with a smile. "Bells, are we supposed to bite?" "Yeah!", she says with the same smile. "Noooooo ma'am. We do not bite! That is ugly." Bells finally responds with a worried face,"yeah." YES! I'm making progress, "What do you say?" Bells quickly returns to her smiley face and says," Thank you!" UGH. It's sooo frustrating talking to two year olds sometimes. " No, not thank you. You say sorry when you hurt someone." "Sorry," she responded still smiling. " You need to go sit in time out." "Okay!" Bells answers and almost skips off to time out.

Finally, I get to clean up Ruby, my own pee foot, the puddles on the floor, and the tent ( which wiped up VERY easily, I must say. I love that tent!). I had broken a sweat and was as exhausted as I would be if I had run a marathon. I was having the most amazing day, and then in less than 10 minutes, I felt as if I had just been through world war three. I tried hard to shake it off and get back to happy. I knew that if I was in a bad mood, the kids would feed off of me ( see post "Snappy Attack) SO, I put on some party music and we danced. Instead of feeling defeated, I decide to celebrate my accomplishment of handling everything like a pro. " Good job! Jessica! Now get your groove on!"

It seems silly to pat myself on the back like that, but there is no one else here to do it. I don't have a boss who is watching me handle these high stress situations. I certainly won't get a promotion. I won't get a pay raise either. I have to learn to reward myself and be proud of myself. That's hard for me. I am a person who needs a lot of "attaboys!" I know I am high maintenance in that way. That's one thing I wasn't prepared for as a mom and a daycare provider. Sometimes, it is a thankless job and I have to just thank myself. I also had to learn to laugh at these things. At the time I am in the middle of them, I feel tight chested and stressed, but I try to remember to breathe and laugh. These are the moments I need to remember and cherish. They will be gone soo soon.

I saw this video on a blog I follow called Perfecting Imperfection. I happened to see it on the day that all of the drama above happened. It really puts things in perspective. Get a tissue and Enjoy!






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The Gift that keeps on giving. Blogging

Since I have become a blogger writer, I have also become a blog reader. I love to read other peoples blogs and learn from them. I love to hear their thoughts about things. I love to hear about where they live and what goes on in their life. I guess it is a little voyeuristic of me, but there is something very therapeutic about it for me.

Some of these fellow bloggers have become followers of mine too and we have developed a little online friendship that I just adore. We can laugh with each other, provide some much needed prayer and encouragement, and we can even dole out advice as needed. It doesn't matter that we are hundreds of miles away, we can grow from each other though posting and commenting.

Each blogger has his or her own strengths. Some are funny. Some are very insightful. Some are technical. Some are creative. The best part is that each one of them is willing to share a piece of themselves and their talents with me and the rest of the world. How wonderful!

I am especially grateful because most days my adult interaction is limited to a five or ten minute conversation when Bell's or K's parents come to drop them off or pick them up. Until I started blogging and blog reading, my poor husband got bombarded by me when he walked in the door. "How was your day? Why did they do that? When's the bid due? What's re-bar(spelling)?" All of the sudden construction management was the MOST exciting subject to me.  Please don't be offended if you like and understand all of that stuff. My point is, that is not the norm for me. I knew it and Ben knew it.

So on this Friday Follow, I would like to thank my blogging community for letting me into your lives. Thanks for sharing the private pieces of your life. Thanks for making me think about something other than diapers, letters, number, and sippy cups. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for keeping me inspired to work on my posts and try new things. Thanks for reading my posts and making comments.Thank you for not judging me based on my terrible spelling and possible grammar mistakes.

Thank you for Being YOU! 

Happy Friday Follow blogger Friends! Readers and Writers too!

Take a look around and as we like to say in the South ( Yes, Virginia IS still the south)...

Y'all come back now ya' hear!?

Having Fun with Letter P! And the first installment of YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!

This past week we celebrated the letter P. P is such a GREAT letter. There are so many things to do with the letter P. In fact, P maybe my new favorite letter. I never really had a favorite letter, but I do now! I bet after reading this, it may be your favorite too!

Celebrating letter P this week we got to eat PANCAKES! My kids LOVE pancakes. We have them quite a bit, but we never had a reason to celebrate it before! They also had peach yogurt which was another nice P word. I know Banana doesn't start with P, but they needed some fresh fruit, and that was all I had. SO, we had PIECES of banana??? Come on people... give it to me. I know I'm stretching!

We also enjoyed some painting! This was a huge hit. I cut sponges into different shapes and the kids used them almost as stamps. They had brushes too. It was very self directed art. All of the work turned out very differently.  They glued the letter P on the paper first, but that was the only part of the project that was the same. Everything else came from their creative spirits. And my little ones are VERY creative!

And let's not forget P is for Play dough!!!

 

 Here is a little peek into our fantastic P is for Pajama Day circle time.

We had a picnic and a movie! With healthy pretzels and veggies. Our pet Dozer decided to join us. After all, P is for PET too!

But there is no question what was the kid's favorite part of our week of celebrating the letter P...

P is for Pizza with Papa!

 

 My dad came to have pizza with the kids. My mom came too, but P is not for Gamaw!!! So, she was a nice bonus surprise for the kiddies. The kids had a great time with Papa. He even took the time to read a little bit to the kids. The kids were all piled on top of him. At one point he couldn't even see to read. It was quite a hoot! 

Here is a small bit of his participation with our P celebration!

It was a great week of celebrating the letter P! 

YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!

 I decided to add a new section where I could highlight some great pictures and videos. I have found that sometimes I have videos and pictures that I think you will enjoy, but they don't necessarily go with a blog post. So, here  is the first installment of YOU GOTTA SEE THIS! ENJOY!

This first one is my niece A. She is Bell's older sister. She decided she wanted to look like a clown, and this is what that looked like to her. Notice the face when her mommy asks her if she is sorry. The answer is clearly no! She isn't.

 

In case you were wondering... It didn't come off and she did have to go like that to school.
 Sad Clown, not really

Too Cute not to share... Here is Bell's belting out Happy Birthday with her play dough birthday cake! 

I tried to add this video a while a go when I was talking about all of Ruby's amazing qualities. She is quite the little actress and here is the video to prove it.  Bells and another little one that I use to keep are in it too. They are quite the little hams!

Friday Follow is BACK!

YEAHHHHH IT"S FRIDAY!!! 

It's P is for Pajama Day at my house today! I think we'll have an in door picnic and eat pancakes to celebrate!I'll be posting more about our letter P week which will include some GREAT pictures from Pizza with Papa( aka-my dad)! Come back and check out my new P post tomorrow! 

But for today...

Friday Follow is back! This is my 3rd week participating and I am really enjoying reading the new blogs that pop up on the list each week. I love getting new followers too! It's an awesome idea for bloggers to check out other blogs and learn.  It is also great for blog readers too! Readers can find new blogs to enjoy! So, Show your support and participate in your own way.

Here is how it works for Bloggers!

--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

 --Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots. 

--Follow as many blogs as you'd like.

--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.

--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one - but you can follow each blog. Follow a few or follow them all.

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Due to the overwhelming number of entries each week, we understand everyone may not be able to follow every blog including ourselves. To keep it fun, follow what you can at your own pace. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued participation!"