Happy Birthday to me!!

Tonight Chad and I went to Babies R Us and got the furniture for the nursery. We should have it here at our house in a week or two. We are pretty excited.

Also, we celebrated my birthday tonight! Chad got me a cute little camera that fits in my purse for all of those necessary shots of the baby! It is light blue and very cute.


We also went out to dinner at Bravo Italian restaurant here in town. It was DELICIOUS!!!! We were going to get ice cream too but we were way too full. So now we are getting ice cream in Traverse City tomorrow for my real birthday! Here are some pics from tonight. I will post some pics from our trip to Kalmazoo sometime soon, they are on the 'old' camera!

Crohn's Disease SUCKS!

So, apparently, summertime for me means another Crohn's flare up. How exciting! UGH! I finally talked to the right person at the Gasteroenterology office so I could see the doctor. The 'wonderful' nurse there ordered blood work then apparently forgot about it. I called for the results after waiting for a week and she said, "oh, who ordered that for you?" WHAT!? She ordered it herself. My OB had already told me that my SED rate was more than twice the normal rate which usually means I am all inflamed somewhere. I also have some other exciting symptoms including lots of intense pain though it is usually just for a minute or two but it still HURTS! The other interesting thing is that being pregnant and having abdominal pain is really interesting. A couple of times my stomach will hurt and then I will get a little kick. Not great! :)
So, now I have to take steroids, specifically prednisone. I know what you are thinking, "Is that safe for the baby?" Believe me, my GI doc and I went over this before we even tried to have a baby. We talked about the pros and cons etc. And honestly, does ANYONE think that I made this decision lightly? It isn't like my doc was like, "Well, you aren't THAT sick and it might give your kid an extra head but its up to you." This is essentially keeping me out of the hospital again. Because honestly, if this doesn't work my doc said that will probably be the next step. I had to wait until I was healthy enough to get pregnant and it just turned out that I am having a flare up while I am pregnant. That is just how it is when you have a chronic disease. It isn't all that great at 26 to have to deal with all of this but oh well.
So, now that I am on steroids I hope that I don't have too many negative side effects. I am doing a "short burst" of four weeks of steroids. After this week I already start tapering off. It is a pretty small dose but I am really looking forward to the relief. Still, its not like I am not moody and emotional enough just from the pregnancy hormones, now with 'roid rages too, WATCH OUT! Poor Chad. Also, I was already super stressed out about weight gain from pregnancy and now add steroid weight gain. I don't want to be one of those humpty dumpty fat pregnant people. I am still looking kinda cute, I don't have cankles (calf-ankles) yet and I was hoping it would stay that way. I guess I have to worry more about getting better, life goes on.
So, any prayers would be appreciated but don't worry too much. Let's just hope the steroids work quickly, that they are a temporary solution, and that this is my last bout of Crohn's while I am pregnant with Mouser!

"You're lucky your house didn't blow up!"

That is a DIRECT QUOTE from the poison control guy I called today. Thanks for the reassurance buddy, really comforting. I hope I get to talk to you when my kid swallows windex in a few years!

Okay, so apparently one of us turned a burner last night on our oven without knowing it. That means that gas flooded into our house all night last night. We didn't know until morning because we were in our room with the door shut and the sliding door open all night. When I went into the kitchen this morning the smell hit me like a ton of bricks. We had the whole house open in a matter of minutes and it cleared out pretty quickly. We opened the windows all day while we left and now the house seems fine. When I got home I wanted a snack but then I was worried about if the food was contaminated so I called poison control (I didn't know who else to call!) As you can see the operator was nice but less than comforting.

I am sure you are all wondering, what about the baby! Well, at the urging of my mom I called the OB today about the gas leak and I figured they would say, okay, let us know if you have any change in symptoms. NOPE! I was in East Lansing at a conference when they FINALLY found my chart, took me off hold and asked how soon I could come in. SHOOT! I didn't have my car and I was in the middle of this conference. So, my friend Casey threw me the keys to her van and off I went. It was an easy route to the doctor's office, I wasn't far away. Of course I had to wait awhile when I got there but good ole' Mouser was doing very well. The first think the ultrasound tech said was, "wow, he sure is moving!" Seems like a pattern when people see our baby! He is quite active! I am glad he is doing well and I didn't poison him with the gas!

So, that was my exciting day. A bit of an adventure but we all got through it. Praise be to God!

Too Excited to Sleep!

Our big ultrasound starts in an hour and a half! I am SO excited! In fact I can't sleep any more. I can't wait to see our little mouser again. I will update later with how everything turned out, although it may not be until Sunday as we will be going to Detroit for the weekend.

Another Belly Shot!

So, I am just a day or so away from being 21 weeks pregnant. We have our big ultrasound on Friday morning. I can't wait to see our little Mouser again. I had a horrible dream last night that our baby was really weird looking, scary, and evil. It had sharp little claws and it kept scratching me, oh yeah, and it had 4 arms and 4 legs! FREAKY! The dream was just so creepy all around.
On the cooking front we had one of my favorites, Kraft Mac and Cheese! Oh man is it good! Chad has a secret that makes it better. Just add one slice of Kraft cheese ripped up in tiny pieces. It makes it even creamier!
I also made some french bread in a new way. On Memorial Day Chad and I went to my Aunt Pat's house and she had a loaf of french bread sliced lengthwise. She spread both sides with butter and sprinkled lots of parm on both sides. Then she put both sides together and put it in the oven. YUMMY! So, I made that too! Lots of carbs tonight. Oh well, my snack today was cucumbers and I DIDN'T eat the cookie that the kids had today for snack, that took some will power!
Chad and I also went on a walk tonight. I am trying really hard not to weigh 300 pounds when I give birth. I am hoping that I can gain an acceptable amount of weight. So far I am 2 pounds over the "ideal" weight gain schedule. All I can do is my best. I am sure there are plenty of people who have gained more than 30 pounds and have gone on to lead very successful lives! I just have to get over it and keep working!
I hope everyone had a great day and enjoyed the beautiful weather!

I freaking LOVE Little House on the Prairie

Seriously, I really like having digital cable. We get a million channels that no one would ever want to watch but every once in a while one of those channels will have a show I haven't seen in forever that I absolutely adore. Well, today we went on a field trip to the hands on museum and I was exhausted after work so I left right after the kids did. I was home early enough to catch one of the best episodes of Little House. Its called "The Richest Man in Walnut Grove" because the Ingalls fell on some tough times but Pa still thought he was the richest man in the town because his family was so great. Mary went to work sewing and Ma plowed the crops so Pa could do more work to earn more money. Poor Laura got made fun of by that mean ole' Nellie Olsen and Pa made her feel all better. Then later she punched her, it was GREAT. In fact she said, "My pa said that people that say that workin' folks smell bad have nothing better to do than stick their noses up in the air. Well Nellie, if you stick your nose up in the air, I'm gonna punch it!" YEAH! I love it!

Plus, Pa is such a sap but in a great way. Ma was plowing the field and was dirty and tired looking. She said, "I must look a fright" and Pa said, "your face is dirty, your hair is all askew and you are still the prettiest sight a man ever set his eyes on." Then to top off that hum-dinger he said, "the only thing I regret about marrying you is that I won't have the pleasure of asking you to be my wife again." I know stuff like that is crazy, utterly absurd, but on TV its kinda neat!

I think the best thing though is when they get all the money and go pay their bill at Olsen's mercantile. I love watching the look on that bitch Harriet's face when they have all the money they owe and buy more stuff with cash. Ahh man, that lady is one that you just LOVE to hate. I also love that even though Nells has lots of money and a big store he is blatantly jealous of Charles! In fact, HE himself calls Charles the richest man in Walnut Grove. I LOVE this show!

I'm bad at blogging

So sue me. I am terribly lax lately and I am truly sorry. Blame American Idol, Project Runway and laziness. I will be more active soon. Seriously, that baby shower I threw was really cute. I will get around to posting about it soon! I hope everyone is well! I will try to be better soon!

Happy Leap Day!

Hey everyone, we have been given the gift of time this month, a whole extra day! Well, to me it just seems like an extra day of winter and one day longer before March. We booked our trip for Florida and flight prices are CRAZY! We are also renting a Pontiac Solstice convertible while we are down there. Its kinda crazy because my in-laws will have to pick us up and drop us off at the airport because that little two seater won't even fit our luggage! Ha! How terribly impractical, I guess that's why its called vacation.
I am throwing a baby shower for my very close friend Kacey on Sunday. I should be a lot further along with the cleaning and preparing but it will all get done! Now, all I have to do is figure out how to get 23 people in my living room comfortably and how to get 30 hours in a day! Ha! I will try to take some pics of all of the yummy food I am getting!
I hope everyone is well. Remember, even though this is the snowiest February on record here in Mid-Michigan there are always a couple of warm days in March. Oh, and its light out on my drive to work everyday, what a difference the sunshine makes!

Sick of Winter!

I am so so so sick of winter. Yeah, I know I live in Michigan but give me a break! February seems SO long. I am just getting a bit bogged down at work with lots of testing and trying to keep up. We have had several 4 day weeks and it seems that I have to do the same amount of stuff in those four days. I didn't send home the weekly folder I generally send home on Fridays last week because not only did we not have school on Friday but we also had a Valentine's Day party and a whole bunch of other junk and still trying to catch up from all of the snow days from the week before. So now it seems that people are all up in arms about not getting this stupid folder home. There was a note to go home about the Daddy Daughter Dance (which is as big as prom at my school) and it isn't due for like 3 weeks. Well, I am going to send it home this Friday. It isn't the end of the world people!
Okay, enough venting for now. Work is just making me a big batty right now.
Anyway, everything else is going well. I can't wait until we go to Florida. And until then I will just keep dreaming of my VERY favorite day of the year. You know, that first day that you can drive around with the windows of your car rolled down, sunroof open, music blaring with the smell of Spring in the air. I LOVE that day, seriously. I mean, its probably like 55* when I do that but it feels like 85* when we have had such cold days! I hope everyone can keep dreaming about Spring to get them through those cold days we have left.

It is SO F-ing COLD!!

And of course by F-ing I mean FREEZING!!! It was so cold this morning on our walk into church that my lungs ached when we got inside. The sidewalk was a sheet of ice from all of the blowing snow and even though it wasn't snowing the wind made the snow on the ground blow all over! It was so miserable. OH MAN! The thing that makes it worse is that I know that my mom, my sister, two of my aunts and uncles, my grandma, and my cousin are all happily in Florida, enjoying the sunshine. Then they have the audacity to say that 70* is cold. If I could go down there and strangle them I would, but frankly it is too cold to leave the house!!!
Our table is coming tomorrow! We took apart Aunt Pat's old table and put it in the basement today so now the room looks pretty empty. I can't wait to get the new table tomorrow. I am always worried, however, about being home alone with the delivery guy/guys. It seems like it goes against everything I know to invite strange men into my house. I talked to the delivery guy a few times though and he is really nice. I will be just fine, I just get a little overly-paranoid. Too much CSI:Miami and Law and Order *dun-dun*
I hope everyone is warm where they are. At least warmer that we are here. Just think, it will be Spring before we know it. I mean, it will be Easter soon, it should be warm by mid-March, right, HAHAHAHAHA! I can just see all the little girls in their Easter dresses and white sandals all bundled up in snowsuits! Nothing like an Easter Egg hunt in the snow! Gotta love Michigan!
Enjoy your Monday! Just four days with kids this week and then a four day week after that, thanks Presidents for having a day! I will post pictures of our new table soon!

We got a little snow

Well, make that a LOT of snow. By Chad's estimation we got about a foot (though I am sure it looks like a bit more when you are snowblowing it). I had Friday off of work for a snow day, a two hour delay on Tuesday due to fog and today off for snow and ice. Yikes! It hardly feels like I am working anymore. I love it, don't get me wrong, it is just throwing me off! Oh, and now our table isn't going to be delivered until Monday. They are delivering it from Omer which is way up north and the guy said he was going to have to leave there at 6:30 a.m. since he has 6 deliveries down around here. He was worried about the roads and I don't blame him. Oh well, so we will just enjoy our table on Monday instead! I hope everyone is nice and safe and staying off of the roads if they are bad where you are.

What'da think?

So I NEED to put up some curtains on our sliding glass door in the dining area. We are getting a new dining table very soon and it is pretty formal and very dramatic. Right now we have *cringe* vertical blinds (please don't judge me). They came with the house and we can only do one room at a time. The first floor of our house has a aqua blue with brown theme. It isn't over done but the rooms all flow together so it would be hard to get a completely different color in the dining room that link the kitchen and living room. The color scheme is nowhere near over done (yet) just the curtains in the living room and the small valance in the kitchen along with the pillows in the living room and some mugs/kitchen towels in the kitchen. The new table is a dark brown and it will be pretty big. I want to keep the curtains light in color otherwise that area will look too dark.

This is what the area currently looks like:

We currently have some more interesting pictures with dark brown frames along the blank wall which will go with but not overly match the new table.

This is the living room that opens up to it:


So, do you think these curtains would work? I don't really love tab-top curtains but I don't necessarily hate them. Any thoughts?

American FREAKING Idol!

I love, love, love American Idol. I know that I sound like a 14 year old but I really like it. Right now they are doing the audition phase which kinda sucks and is mostly cruel to the off-beat people of the world. There are so many people who really, truly believe that they are super talented singers. They honestly believe they sound as good as Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, I mean, really. The only problem is that they SUCK SO BADLY! (which reminds me that people leaving the -ly off of adverbs is beginning to drive me crazy in our society. Get with it people!) Anyway, I just watched AI after cooking a very extensive dinner for a weeknight. Its off to a shower and then to bed. I should publish some more recipes soon but I am too lazy. We had pan-fried breaded chicken breasts today (breaded in parm cheese/bread crumbs), homemade mashed 'taters, and cresent rolls. I am having leftovers for lunch tomorrow! YUMMY! I hope everyone is having a good day!

Back to work!

So I have been back to work for two days and it hardly feels like I had a two week vacation but not necessarily in a bad way. I have realized lately that although my job is a LOT of work, and I mean a lot of work, I love it. A lot of people think that Kindergarten teachers must be crazy. They are probably right. Usually people say that just as everything in a classroom is falling apart. For example there are generally a few parents lingering outside of my classroom door at the end of the day. This is one of the craziest times of the day, imagine getting 22 children bundled up in coats, hats, boots, gloves, etc. Imagine that only a few of them can zip their coats, they can't get anything else in their over-stuffed back packs, there is always a last minute note to send home, and one of the kids gnerally doesn't know if they are getting picked up or riding the bus and they are crying about it.
So, also at this time the parents outside the door are looking at me with a look of, well, I'm not sure. Sometimes I think it is judgement (too much yelling, too much chaos) and sometimes I think they are feeling pity for me. One parent said to me just before Christmas, I think we should get you a bottle of Jack Daniel's for Christmas. I didn't know how to take it so the next day I asked her. I figured she thought I needed to relax like I am too stressed and I couldn't handle my classroom. She told me that with the job I have I deserve a stiff drink at the end of the day.
I guess sometimes I feel a bit self-concious about people watching me teach. Most people don't understand what it is like to manage 22 children at a time. It is MUCH different than 2 or 3 kids at a time. I know that I am not a mom, that job is much harder than mine, but I just always feel like people are judging me. That is understandable since I spend 6 hours a day with their children. I think I am so sensitive because I take my job so seriously. I love my kids so much and I want to be a nice, calm, caring, put together teacher all the time but admittedly there are times that I raise my voice, have you tried to whisper over 22 five year olds? And there are times that I lose my patience but with that said, I still LOVE my job. I love my kids and I am always trying to improve. I think it is good for me to keep self-evalauating. Any teacher who won't self-evaluate is the one to worry about as far as I'm concerned.
Enough rambling, I hope everyone is getting back into the swing of January. Post holiday time is always a bit sad for me but I have a trip to South Carolina soon to see my SIS! YAY!

I know!

I know that I haven't blogged in forever and that I promised a few people a few things here in the blog but I have been VERY busy, like I'm sure the rest of you have been. We put up the Christmas Tree and all of the outdoor things (our first Christmas in a house!) and I can't wait to share all of that with you guys (all 2 or 3 of you) but right now I am so exhausted that I don't have time. I will also put some pics/recipes from Thanksgiving (seems like months ago). Sorry I am so behind but I promise to catch up soon (after that 15 page paper is written tomorrow maybe?) I hope that December has found everyone well. I am hoping for more snow and a snow day on Monday *wishful thinking*

Thankful

My friend Becky on Parenting with Whine has started listing reasons to be thankful as she counts down to Thanksgiving. It reminded me of Oprah's thankfulness journal. So it got me thinking about what I should be thankful for. I usually find myself complaining about certain aspects of my life so I am going to turn those complaints into reasons to be thankful.

I hate getting up early - but I am thankful everyday to have my dream job. There are literally thousands of teachers in Michigan who cannot find work. I found a job my first summer searching and I have a wonderful group of co-workers and students. I feel at home in my school district and I have a certain amount of freedom with my teaching that I am very thankful for.

I am so sick of writing papers and doing homework - but I am thankful that I have the opportunity to get a master's degree. There are many people who would love the opporunity to get a high school diploma and thousands who aspire to get a bachelor's degree and here I am complaining about getting a master's.

My husband bugs me sometimes - but I am thankful to be in a marriage blessed by God. I truly believe that Chad and I were made for each other and that the Lord has a great plan for us in our lives. I love my husband more than I knew I could love anyone.

I am sick of my car needing repairs - but I am thankful that my very generous parents gave me that car for about $1000 when I started teaching. I have such great parents. They have been so supportive for my entire life and I count my mom as one of my closest friends.

I am tired of being pulled in so many different directions during the holidays - but I am thankful that so many people want to celebrate with Chad and I. It is hard to complain about too many people loving you.

I hate that I have to constantly struggle with my weight - but I am thankful that I always have enough food to eat and that I don't have to worry about making ends meet. We live a very blessed life, now if I could only stop eating!

I hate cleaning my house and doing laundry - but I am thankful that my husband and I can live in such a big house at such a young age. We don't even know what to do with all of this space, we are so blessed to live in our dream home in our 20s. And that laundry, I am thankful that I have so many clothes to wear. (Every Thanksgiving my sister would say the things she was thankful for and she would say our house, food, our family, and clothes, don't forget clothes!) Good ole' sis!

So, the next time I find myself b*tching and complaining, I will just remember all of the wonderful things I have to be thankful for! As it turns out, I have it pretty good!

Well, its almost Friday!

It is almost Friday and my plans for the weekend include . . .
Oh wait, that's right, I don't have ANYTHING to do this weekend. I have a short paper or two to write for my master's classes but at this point, one paper qualifies as NOTHING! I can clean or not clean, cook something amazing (as I am still in a nesty type of mood) or I could eat fast food all weekend. I have no idea what I will be doing but for Saturday I will be alone for most of the day as Chad will be going to a football game for most of the day. I see myself browsing through the clearance areas of Target, Kohls, and Marshall's as I love shopping but have spent about 3 months worth of spending money in the past few weeks! Oh man, I am just imagining this awesome day shape up. The reality will likely be me laying in bed watching 90210 and the food network until noon then lazily shopping around town before coming home to do a whole lotta nothing! OH the DREAM of it! Now all I have to do is get through tomorrow.
The first full week with the kids has gone okay so far! It has been tiring but worth it. The kids are learning more and more and are starting to get the hang of things. As a Kindergarten teacher, this is the dream of all dreams, a group of kids who don't need every single direction given to them on a silver platter! YAY!
Oh, and I worked out for 15 minutes on the elliptical tonight and then did about 7 or 8 minutes of ab work afterward. I feel pretty good about that (if you ignore the fact that I had two very small servings of cake today!) I would have eaten the cake anyway though so I guess I am still better off! Anyway, off to bed for me, gotta get through that Friday!

Long Time, Sorry

I made it through the first day today! I have a couple of stinkers and my special ed kids are truly in need of the aides they get during the day! I had a WONDERFUL time at my sister's wedding. I love my sis. We don't have too many pics yet but I will share one of me with the bride and bridesmaids.
I also had class tonight for three hours so I am a bit tired. Did I mention I am taking TWO master's classes this semester as well. I can't imagine why I feel a bit stressed and overwhelmed lately. The beginning of the school year is always a bit time consuming so please bear with me as as I will be sporatic. I hope everyone is having a good time in their lives right now.
For those in the know, my stomach is feeling okay but we have to kind of start over with the diagnosis so any prayers etc are appreciated! I am stressed enough right now without all of this business added but oh well!

I Feel Antsy!

It may be the change of weather (very cold and rainy for August) or that the new school year is starting but I am feeling quite antsy as of late. I want all new furniture, home decorations, paint, hardwood floors, all new clothes and everything else. I want everything to be new, pretty, classy, and clean. I think there are just a lot of changes going on and it is unsettling. In that way, I want to settle things and nest in here.
My sister is getting married in like 10 days, which is incredible and long overdue. I just want a bit of a change. Maybe new curtains in the dining room will be enough to pacify me. I am going outlet shopping with my friend Kacey so maybe I will convince here to stop by Linens 'n' Things or an outlet store that sells curtains.
I tried cooking new things for dinner and it was a success. I still feel like I need more of a change. I guess I just feel like many other people in the world. I just like a little change up. Of course a new school year and all new kids could probably help the need for change!
I hope all is well with everyone! I hope my brain settles down soon!

It's My BIRTHDAY!!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. My birthday! It is sad that as the years go on my birthday is not nearly as cool as it used to be. I have a few fun things planned, however. First and foremost, NO HOMEWORK! I have worked hard all week and I will have to work hard all day tomorrow and all weekend but tonight, I have the blessing of NO schoolwork at all! YAY!

Also, Chad is taking me out to go shopping for new clothes as my gift, a nice dinner out, and what I am looking for most, a FATTY dessert! I have been on weight watchers for a year and a half and I indulge now and then but generally with a bit of guilt attached. Tonight, however, I will be stuffed to the brim with whatever I want, points be damned! I can't wait!

I still have class today though so its off to take a shower and drag my lazy 26 year old butt out of bed!