I think I surprised him...

Today is Dave's birthday. It is a monumental year... he is entering into a new decade. In order to properly celebrate, I thought it would be fun to have a lifelong friend of his from California come visit. I spoke with Darin and his wife Janie about it this summer when we saw them and they seemed interested. Earlier in the fall, Darin let me know the flight was booked. I kept the secret for months. That was hard to do. It became really difficult the last few days. Fortunately we had an appraisal set the day before Darin and Janie showed up, so getting the house ready for company was easy enough to do. The closer it got to their arrival though, the more excited I was, and the harder it was to not tell Dave. But I managed to keep quiet and he was very shocked when he opened the front door yesterday and there stood Darin and Janie! He was in shock for a long time. It has been fun having them here. I am so thankful they could make it out here and celebrate Dave's big day. I am sure it is a birthday surprise Dave will not soon forget. :-)

The Advent Season...

We are well into our Advent season anxiously awaiting Christmas. The girls are excited. Emma stated the other day, "Christmas isn't about the gifts. It is about Jesus who was born on Christmas Day." She is right. It isn't about the presents. It's not about how many we get, how much we spend, who got more, did we buy enough... It's about remembering and celebrating the most precious gift of all... the day Jesus was born, the day He took on human form, the day He graced this world with Himself.
We have tried to teach this to our girls. When they look back and remember Christmas as a child, I want them to have happy memories of giving. Memories of fun together as a family. Memories of celebrating Jesus's birth.

We have this great advent calendar that I was able to copy from a friend of mine (Thanks, Jen). I filled each pocket not with candy, but with activities. We started by making gifts to give to someone else. Other days, we have driven to look at Christmas lights, had hot chocolate to drink, read Christmas stories, watched Christmas videos (The First Noel is a great children's video!). Yet to come is acting out the Christmas story from the Bible, and lastly, a slumber party in the living room on Christmas Eve.
After putting up a new ornament on the advent tree, we read from The ADVENTure of Christmas - Helping Children Find Jesus in our Holiday Traditions (by Lisa Whelchel). The kids are having a great time and it has become a nightly event to to do the advent calendar.
This Christmas has seemed less stressful and much more JOYFUL which is what it is all about! I am thankful for the gift of joy that I have this season!

How are you finding joy this holiday season?

Family picture time...


Emma - age 5 1/2
Anna - age 3
Over Thanksgiving Break, we had family photos taken. Tracy Fouts, a soon to be graduating IWU photography major was our photographer. She did an amazing job! We got so many great photos! We tried to get a picture of both girls together, but Anna wouldn't cooperate. Emma was fine taking pictures alone, so we got a few pics of just her. We later realized that Anna had no problem being photographed solo... she just didn't want to share the spotlight with her sister! We now have several great shots of Anna that really show her personality. Our family shot is being reserved for our Christmas card. :-)
The whole photo shoot was my mom's idea. She wanted a family picture taken with all the kids and grandkids. Tracy had so much patience! Not many people can photograph 16 people in one sitting. Kudos to her!

Could it really be possible?

I pulled out, dusted off, and used my Kathy Smith video. I actually did some aerobics this morning! :-) (That is not the impossible feat of the day...) It felt good, even though the video is SOOO dated.
As I was working out, Annie was in the play room. It was a little too quiet... I finished my video at about the same time I was wondering what she was up too.... red paint all over her! She found Emma's paint set. Lovely! I was going to take a shower after working out, so I threw in there with me. Fortunately, the paint comes off easily in the water. She hates showers though. That was punishment enough for her. At the end, she said, "I have to go potty." (This girl has been impossible to potty train- she likes the diapers, pull-ups, whatever - she is a stubborn one!). Anyway, I told her to wait until I we were done showering... she did! Then she actually went in the little toilet. A few minutes later, she said it again, I helped her get situated on the toilet, she went again! Then I got her dressed and she wanted to wear underwear. Amazing! She is now in a cute matching outfit - that she picked out all by herself - and is wearing underwear... she picked out tweety this morning. :-) Is it really possible that she could have a change of heart about the diapers? Oh how great that would be! My prayer this morning is that she will be done with diapers! I would love to be done buying them!

A little update... Anna had one accident... I was on the phone, she tried to get to the toilet in the downstairs bathroom, but couldn't climb up on her own. At least she tried... A little later, she went in the toilet again. And did another time as well... 4 times in one day! She wore underwear most of the day. I am so proud of her! She is pretty proud of herself too. I think she thinks she is pretty hot stuff. :-) Three cheers for Anna!

Gobble, Gobble...

Our church has begun a "turkey ministry", donating turkeys to families in the surrounding neighborhood that wanted one. Individuals or families from church then distributed them this afternoon. Our whole family went. It was fun to see the girls so excited to give something to someone. At the first house, just Dave and Emma got out of the car. Anna cried. At the next house, we all got out. Anna cheered. The girls were so joyful about giving! It was so refreshing. So many times in today's world all we hear about is "give me, give me, give me". As a mom, I hear that a lot from my kids. "I want milk." "I want gum." "Can Camille come play?" "I want to swing.... push me." It was great to see that they can also enjoy the giving. They were disappointed if the family didn't answer and we had to leave the turkey by the door. I really want this holiday season to be about giving, not receiving. This was a great start!

It all happens at once...

Why is it that everything decides to breakdown at the same time? Let's see, it all started when our computer crashed.... then there was the window regulator in my car ($$$), the lawn mower, property taxes were due (not broken, but still costs $$$), the garage door opener (as of this moment my car is stuck in the garage - it won't even manually open), the vacuum (fortunately, not very costly to fix), and the tires on my car need to be replaced, and we have a tree that is in dire need of a trim (and a neighbor who wishes we would do it soon). I am sure there is more, but at the moment, I can't think of what else. Not to mention Anna has a cold and I feel like I am coming down with something. It is frustrating. It sure seems like it comes in waves. Why is that I wonder? Is it so we depend more on God? Is it so He can show us His faithfulness in even the simple daily things... like fixing a vacuum for only 20 bucks? I am not sure why it happens, but I know that I have to trust God to sustain us!

If only...

I am cheating on this blog. I am copying this idea from a friend of mine. She wrote a post about the things she would do if she had an extra 20 minutes. I have been thinking about that today, and I am writing my own post about what I would want to do if I had some extra time on my hands.

If I some extra time I would...

- Read my bible & pray.

- Put some things away in the basement.

- Organize the basement.

- Clean & organize the garage.

- Go shopping... of course I would need money to do that...

- Go to Starbucks... or Tree of Life... with someone, my husband would nice!

- Take a nap.

- Practice my tap dance routine... CSA show is coming up, Dec 3!

- Read more to my kids.

- Go get a tan (a fake one, since summer is over).

- Talk to a friend on the phone.

- Rearrange the furniture.

- Get caught up on my scrapbooking... of course I need LOTS of time for that!

- Catch up with some college friends in CA (via phone or email).

- Veg

- Watch TV... if there is something good on one of the three channels we get since we don't have cable.

- Get back to watercoloring... yes, once upon a time I used to watercolor.

- Go for a walk.

- Finish reading a book I started this summer... Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller.

- Clean out the frig.

Basically, if I had extra time, I would want to use it doing something I enjoy. Hmmm, if only....

Time for a change...

I enjoy change... to some degree anyway. I like rearranging the furniture. I like reorganizing the cabinets/closets. I like to try new hair styles (not so quick to change the color though...). I like to spice up the wardrobe. And so I thought it was time to change the template on my blog. :-) Whatcha think?

Yesterday I meant to post a special blog, but didn't get to it... So I will attempt to do it today instead. It is in honor of a dear friend, Mabel. She was like a Grandmother to me and yesterday would have been her 105th birthday, if she was still alive. Unfortunately, she passed away almost 10 years ago... a change I didn't like! I still miss her. I wish my kids could have known her. Oddly enough, sometimes Emma reminds me of her - even though they never met and there is no blood relation between them. They would have enjoyed each other's humor!
Mabel was always memorizing bible verses and short poems. I remember her saying, "I love you little, I love you big, I love you like a little pig." She was a silly one and fun to be around. For New Years' Eve she would call her pastor at midnight (and waking him up) and ask, "Is this 1-9-8-5?" (or whatever the new year number was... this year it would be 2-0-0-7.) The response was always, "No, you have the wrong number." She got such a tickle out of it.
In honor of her, I am posting a poem she memorized and said often...

HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE

I was walking down life's highway a long time ago.
One day I saw a sign that read, "HEAVEN'S GROCERY STORE".
As I got a little closer, the door came open wide, and when I came to myself I was standing inside.
I saw a host of ANGELS. They were standing everywhere. One handed me a basket and said, "My Child, Shop With Care".
Everything a Christian needs is in that grocery store. And all you can't carry, come back the next day for more.
First, I got some PATIENCE; LOVE was in the same row.
Further down was UNDERSTANDING; needed everywhere you go. I got a box or two of WISDOM, a bag or two of FAITH.
I just couldn't miss the HOLY GHOST, it was all over the place.
I stopped to get some STRENGTH, and COURAGE to help me run this Race.
By then my basket was getting full, and I remembered I needed GRACE.
I didn't forget SALVATION, which like the others was free. So I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me.
Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill, For I thought I had everything to do my MASTER'S will.
As I went up the aisle, I saw PRAYER; and had to put it in, for I knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin.
PEACE AND JOY were plentiful; they were on the lastshelf.
SONG and PRAISE were hanging near, so I just helped myself.
Then I said to the angel, "How much do I owe?"
The angel smiled and said, "Just take them everywhere you go."
Again, I politely asked, "How much do I really owe?"
The Angel smiled again and said, "MY CHILD, JESUS PAID YOUR BILL A LONG, TIME AGO."

Happy 105, Mabel!

My Little Ponies...



I took Deb's advice on my inquery as to how I could attempt to make a "My Little Pony" costume for Emma for Halloween. I found sweats in the right color, used fabric paint to draw the proper emblem on the pants, bought fleece to make the tail and spray color for the hair. (You can't tell from the photo, but Anna had pink hair and Emma had pink, purple and green hair.) Emma was "Rainbow Dash" and Anna was "Pinkie Pie". The girls had a blast trick-or-treating. However, they don't realize yet that trick-or-treating is really supposed to involve more than 4 houses previously selected by Mom. We went to my parents, my sister, our pastors (who is also our neighbor) and our pastor's sister (also a neighbor and friend). Then we went to IWU to their "carnival". The girls were pleased with all the "goodies" they got for Halloween. :-) For as much as I dislike Halloween, we actually had a good night. The worst part of all of it was putting Anna in the shower to wash all the pink out of her hair... I mean there were ear piercing screams... oh, the memories...

Oh, to stay at home...

And that is just what I am going to do. I have resigned from my position as the Early Childhood Director at church. I am going to really be a "stay-at-home-mom" again. I have struggled with it for some time now... being torn between wanting to be with my kids and having to go to work to get things done there. Always feeling behind with the house, the kids, the job, the husband, the laundry, the errands, etc...... No Saturdays with the family because it is a good time to go in when I don't have to worry about who will take care of the kids. I have felt God prompting me to quit and stay home. I didn't think it made sense because we do use the money I make. However, God reminded me that His ways don't always make sense to me. I can't see the whole picture that He sees. I can't get inside His mind and know why He does the things He does or why He asks us to do the things He asks us to do. All I can do is be obedient and follow Him. So I am. I am really excited about it. I am trusting Him to provide for us with our little deduction in pay. I am trusting that He will bring along the right person for the job too. And for Jil's sake, I hope that is soon. :-)
Anyway, I have until Nov. 1 and I am done. I am looking forward to the time with Anna. I had that with Emma, and I don't want to miss out on that time with Anna. They are only this small once, and for such a short time! I want to fully enjoy it!

Let your light shine...

Last night at church it was family night of worship. Jil was singing a couple of kids songs and asked the kids in SPLASH to come help her. There were actually only 3 kids in the service at the time. Emma was feeling shy because of that. I told her to go up and she hesitated. When I told her again to go to she said first said, "Ok, I'll go, but I will cover my mouth." Then she asked me, "Do I need to let my light shine for everybody?" I was surprised by her profound question, but I simply told her, "Yes, that would be a great idea." So, she went up on stage with Jil and the other 2 girls, sang her heart out, did the motions with enthusiasm, and made her mother proud.
In the car on the way home we were talking about the singing. I told how proud I was that she let her light shine for everyone. She made me proud and more importantly, she made God proud. She said, "My heart was nervous, but I didn't let it show on the outside." Again, I was a proud mother! Along with feeling proud, I thought, "I have a lot to learn from that 5 1/2 year girl!"

A Day At the Pumpkin Patch...

Emma's class went on a field trip yesterday. It was the first field trip they have taken. All four Kindergarten classes went to the Pumpkin Patch. Five parents from each classroom were allowed to chaperone the event. Emma begged me to go, which of course I wanted to do anyway. So I spent my day with her kindergarten class. What a wild bunch! Her teacher definitely has her hands full! The kids were not bad or mean, just full of energy. They had to pair up with a partner for the day. When Emma was asked if she wanted to pair up with a certain student, Emma said, "I am not sure if she will be a good example". Yea, that would be my daughter... not wanting to pair up with a student that wasn't strictly obeying the rules. At the time the teacher asked, the student was laying on the floor - when they were supposed to be sitting. Emma was paired up with her anyway. They did fine.
At the pumpkin patch, the children got to do all kinds of activities. They played in a miniature straw maze with a slide in it, hunted for pumpkins, went on a hay ride, chased balloons inside a giant pumpkin, ate pumpkin bars, played pin the nose on the pumpkin, went on a scavenger hunt, and more. I think the most exciting part though for some, was the bus ride. As we were getting off the bus back at school, Emma told the bus driver, "My mom won't let me ride the bus". Gotta love how she'll say exactly what she thinks and feels. :-)
It was fun to spend the day with her. Her excitement to have me there was priceless! I am sure the day will come when it won't be "cool" to have mom chaperone and event. I will enjoy it while it lasts! Of course, I will always be a "cool" mom, so maybe it will last... ha ha ha.

I got this idea from my cousin. I thought I would try it out just for fun. I have another cousin that has said I look like Reese Witherspoon. I don't see it, but apparently this website saw it as the most likely match. Of course, they also said Brendan Frasier could be a match...

The websited was free, so I thought, hey, why not...

Clouds...




The other day I was at church and as I came out, I looked up to the sky. What I saw was amazing! I have never seen anything like it before. I wished I had my camera, but I didn't. I got these photos from a friend who got them from a college student that took them. Just thought I would share them with all of you...

I need help...

We let our kids dress up for Halloween -so long as it is not a creepy costume. Emma decides Nov. 1 what she will be the next year. Last year she decided that this Halloween she wants to be a "My Little Pony". I didn't push it, hoping she would change her mind. But, of course, she hasn't. I have looked everywhere I can think to look... any ideas on how to come up with such a costume? I can't find one in local stores or on the internet. I would have no idea how to make one. Any suggestions?

Pain in the rear...

Literally. I have a pain in my backside. It is my souvenir from my weekend away to the MOPS Convention. It was a rainy Saturday night. I decided I really wanted to buy a CD of Mark Schultz. Everyone else was getting ready for bed, and Jaena and I went back to the Opryland Hotel to the MOPS Shop to get the CD. It was a rainy Sat. night... did I mention that part? I was wearing my good ole flip-flops... yes, in the rain... not smart, I know. As we were crossing the parking lot, there was a brick crosswalk. Cars were stopped and we proceeded to cross. Jaena crossed. I fell flat on my bum! My feet went out from under me and I went straight down, right on my tailbone. I got up as quickly as I could. Jaena came to help me up and asked if I was ok. I just wanted to hide. A few passers by just looked at me, but no one said anything. I felt humiliated. Jaena, being the helpful person she is, was trying to think of a way to help me. "I can pick you up", she said to me. I looked at her kind of funny. I was wondering just how she planned on carrying me. She realized what I was thinking and quickly explained herself... "I can get the car and come pick you up... not carry you." We were both laughing pretty hard at that point.
But I still wanted the CD, so we went inside. I was walking like an old lady all the way to the MOPS shop only to find out that most everyone had cleared out their booths and there no CD's to be bought. All that and I went back empty handed. The only thing I have to show for that whole adventure is a bruised tailbone.
When I got back to the hotel, I was in quite a bit of pain. The real fun part was that the next morning we headed home and I had to sit in a van for 6 hours. When we stopped for lunch, I ate standing up... it hurt too much to sit.
It has been over a week now, I still feel the pain. A big pain in the rear... :-)

Time away...

This past weekend I was able to get away for a few days. Although I missed my family, it felt really good to get away. I went to Nashville, TN to the MOPS Int'l Convention. I was with 5 other MOPS moms from our group. It was fun to have some "girl time" as we sat around at night and talked late into the night. It was also refreshing to get to be with 5000 other moms as we worshipped and learned. We got to hear from some great artists and speakers. Kim Hill led worship. We also heard other artists including: Nicole Nordeman, Mark Schultz, Go Fish, and MOC (I must admit - not my favorite). We heard from speakers including: Elisa Morgan (CEO and President of MOPS Int'l), Ken Davis, Priscilla Shirer, Carol Kuykendall (another MOPS person), Donald Miller and Wes Stafford. It was overall, a great time of fun and a time to re-energize. I feel a little more relaxed and that helps me feel like I can be a better wife and mom. And that is ultimately my goal... to be the best wife and mother I can be.

Have you ever wished, "If only..."?

I have always wished I could be a great dancer. I took ballet briefly when I was a little girl. I don't even remember why I stopped. I did like it. It was offered after school in the music room. I remember it well. We pulled out bars and stood there holding on practicing our positions and pleas and grand pleas. I even did a dance recital. I got to wear the outfit, the bun, everything. It was fun. Then it stopped.
I tried again in high school. I took dance for my P.E. It was a combination of ballet, jazz and tap. That lasted one semester. The teacher thought I was terrible. I can still remember doing jazz walks across the floor and thinking I was at least doing an ok job. She looked at me and said, "What are you doing?!?" It really hurt my feelings. She could've at least been nice about my lack of dance ability. Then I stopped. I know why. Mrs. Blanchard crushed my hopes of ever getting it. Not just in that one comment, but throughout the semester. I wasn't trying to be on her dance team, I just wanted to take a PE class I thought would be fun. After that, I joined the track team.
Emma is just like most little girls and dreams of being a dancer. I took her to CSA and enrolled her in the only class they offered for girls her age -tap. As I watched her tap I kept thinking, "I want to do that!" The dream inside me never went away. As I tried living through my daughter, I knew that somehow I had to do it for myself. I watched the Christmas production she was in and there were adult tappers in it. They themselves were new to tap. If they could do it, I could do it. (Felicia, if you read this, you inspired me. :-)) So I signed up. In January I took my first semester of tap. I even performed. Can't say that performing is my favorite part, but I would still do it again. Anyway, the class was fun. There were 20 of us all trying something we had never done before. We had a great time. There were times that I thought maybe I would never get it...maybe you really can't teach an old dog new tricks. But still, I enjoyed it and my teacher didn't look at me like I was an idiot for even trying (thanks, Leslie!).
I am now two classes into my second semester. Last night was my favorite night so far. We were dancing. We were putting moves together and making noises with our taps. I felt like I was tapping. I probably looked as silly as I did in high school, but I was having fun and my teacher didn't wonder what I was doing... at least not out loud.
I guess it is never too late to realize a childhood dream. I may not have done it as a child, but I am doing it now!

"Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down..."

Remember the song from Karen Carpenter? Today is Monday. Today is a rainy day. I can't help but sing that song. I miss listening to Karen. Maybe I will dig out my cassette tapes (yes, I still own those!) and listen to her.

Rainy days usually are difficult days for us here in the Toevs household. Anna has JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) and the rain seems to affect her. She complains mostly of her feet hurting. Usually she wants medicine, but today she doesn't. The day is still early, we'll see how it goes.
I keep thinking (hoping) she is going to outgrow the JRA. Some days I think to myself, she doesn't really have anything wrong. Other days, there is no question that something is wrong. I hate watching my child suffer. I wish I could take away the pain. I wish there was some instant cure. It just breaks my heart to hear her complain, watch her limp, see her frustrated, hear her cry, etc.
Then there are the times when she is smiling - dimples showing, running, laughing, playing, talking. I cherish those times. I pray that as time goes on we will see more of those and less of the other. I am thankful that over the last year, that has been the case. I am still hopeful that she will quickly outgrow the JRA.
For today... I will dig out my Karen music and enjoy it being a rainy Monday.

A Day in the Life of Our Family...

I recovered from my skating adventure... I wasn't even sore this morning. :-)
I apologize if I shut some of you (Deb) out of commenting on my blog. Somehow it said you had to be a member... I don't even know how one becomes a member... It wasn't on purpose... really. :-)

I think IT is contagious. What is IT, you ask? The blogging disease. I caught IT from someone who caught IT from someone else. I know a couple of people that have caught IT from me. What is this world coming to? There are even those that have caught IT from the unknown. IT is an epidemic, I tell you. But at least IT is a fun epidemic. Oh, and IT is addicting too. But I guess there are worse things to be addicted to. :-)

Tonight was quite an experience! Kendall had their first "Skate Night" of the year... Emma's first skate night of her life. In order for Emma to skate, I had to skate with her. It has been YEARS since I have put on roller skates. These were not cool rollerblades, but the old orange 4 wheel skates with the big orange stopper on the toe. I always get grossed out putting on rental skates. Who knows how many people have worn these... were their socks clean? Did they have a foot fungus? Did they sweat in the skates? Gives me the heebie-geebies just thinking about it! Anyway, after getting my feet in the skates, I had to actually skate! That came back to me easily, but teaching Emma was hard to do. She did pretty good considering. There were a few times when her body was flailing around uncontrollably and she landed on her bottom a couple of times, but other than that, she did great! Man, if I fell the way some of those kids fell, I would never recover. I can't imagine doing the splits on skates. Yikes! It was fun though to see Emma having so much fun. That is what it is all about anyway.

I am not big on forwarded emails. Infact, I usually delete them before even opening them. I actually asked one of my friends to forward this email to me. Some of it is pretty funny... I do remember some of this stuff... and some of it I was too old for... I really feel dated!
I changed a few a things on the list - taking some away and adding others. I have even commented on a few. :-)
See what you remember.... or don't remember....

You Know You Grew Up In The 80's if:

1. You've ever ended a sentence with "PSYCH!"
2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
3. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
4. You owned those lil' Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
5. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom.
6. Two words: Parachute Pants
7. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars
8. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
9. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
10. You saw the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the big screen..and still know the turtles names. - I never saw this, but I do remember it being in the theater!
11. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school. - I never had computers in my classes. I do remember those ancient Apple IIe's though.
12. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
13. You played the game "MASH"(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
14. You wore stonewashed jeans.
15. L.A. Gear....need I say more?
16. You wanted to change your name to "JEM" in Kindergarten. (She's Truly Outrageous.) - Who is JEM? Am I too old for that?
17. You remember reading Tales of a fourth grade nothing and all The Ramona books.
18. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
19. You wanted to be a Goonie. - I remember the movie, but I never wanted to be one!
20. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe)
21. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
22. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf. - When will Smurfs make their come-back like Ponies, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids and Strawberry Shortcake?
23. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
24. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
25. You thought She-ra (Princess of Power!) and He-Man should hook up.
26. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
27. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
28. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
29. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
30. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
31. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
32. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
33. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds. - I don't remember doing that, but my brother took his Prom date there...
34. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
35. Don't worry, be happy
36. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
37. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do..getting yelled at by younger hip members of the family) Is that not cool anymore?
38. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
39. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.
40. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
41. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
42. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool...and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB" - They played at my grad night, along with Samantha Fox.
43. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell," The ORIGINAL class.
44. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
45. You just sang those words to yourself.
46. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
47. Homemade Levi shorts.. (the shorter the better)
48. You remember when mullets were cool!
49. You had a mullet! - Can't say I ever had one of those!
50. You still sing "We are the World"
51. You tight rolled your jeans.
52. You owned a bannana clip.
53. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
54. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?" - Dave and I have even taught this to Emma!
55. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
56. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!
57. You crimped your hair. - Oh yes! I loved to wear a crimped side pony tale.
58. You remember when Cabbage Patch Kids FIRST came out.
59. Bangle bracelets!
60. Everybody wore espidrilles - male and female.
61. Pretty and Pink was your favorite movie. What ever happened to those sappy John Hughes films?
62. You had a picture of Ralph Macchio in your locker.
63. You read The Outsiders.
64. "Like, Oh my gosh!" "Gag me with a spoon!" "I am so sure!"
65. You knew the words to "Stray Cat Strut"
66. You ate frozen yogurt. - I even worked at a place called "Heidi's Frogen Yozurt".
67. $10 could fill up your gas tank.
68. You remember Ronald Reagan as president - the first term. - I even went hear him give his campaign speech!
69. You wore shoulder pads in your tops.
70. You know the word to the "The Super Bowl Shuffle"

Can you think of anymore?

So I was going to fill out the "profile" for my blog. It asked about occupation. I started looking down the list... can't a mom claim it all? Accounting, advertising, architecture, arts, automotive, banking...transportation... the list goes on... I was thinking to myself, I really do almost all of it. (As most moms and dads do). There was no other option for me to check, so I am "unspecified". That sounds so apathetic. "Unspecifed" sounds like some lazy bum who just sits around and does nothing. I wish I could do that at times... but that really is not how I spend my day!
Being a mom is the busiest job I have ever had. Yet it is by far the most rewarding. It melts my heart when I hear my kids say out of the blue, "Mom, I love you!" The hugs of little arms squeezing my neck, the kiss of a toddler on my check, the smiles, the giggles, nothing can beat that!

This is for Jaena... After all, it is all your fault, you know...

Here goes the beginning of who knows what. I am officially joining the "club" of bloggers. I am a novice at this though, so please excuse the fact that I am so "green". What does one put in a blog? How much do I share? Hmmm...

Besides joining the world of bloggers, I have also recently joined another world. What other world, you ask? Well I am now a parent of a school aged child. I do the drop off and pick up everyday. I get up early, get myself and my girls ready and head out the door before we even used to wake up. No more sleeping in...
Now I take Emma to school and leave her there all day. It is scary leaving your child in the hands of others for the bulk of the day.
I used to be on the other end of that exchange. I was the "other" that took care of precious children... anywhere from 28 to 36 of them, depending on the year. Up until recently, my experiences with school were either as a student or a teacher, but never as a parent. It is bizarre to be on this side of it. I look in the classroom and I think "I used to do that". I see Emma's school work and I remember giving such assignments. I hear her comments and I remember what my kindergarten classes were like. In some ways, having her school makes me miss teaching. In other ways, I am thankful that I am not a teacher now. Who knows what the future will hold...
For now, I will just enjoy being a parent, dropping off my kindergartener, and enjoying the day at home with my preschooler...