French Fries and the Fair

All week long, I've been planning to take my girls to the county fair today. We woke up this morning to rain, rain, rain. UGH! But... YAY... it stopped around 2 to 2:30 so once Roly Poly girl woke up from her nap, we loaded up in the car and drove the half hour to get there. My sister and nephew met us there and my mom and dad showed up after work. We even ran into my other sister and her crew... AND my brother and his crew! A real family afFAIR!

The fair sure is a lot more expensive than it was when I was a kid! I had to pay $12 a piece for the girls to ride!!!! and they only had about 8-10 kiddie rides! Is that ridiculous or what?! Believe it or not, that was a discounted rate since it was kids' day. I cannot believe how much the prices have risen over the last several years. What sucks most is that prices have risen but the quality of the rides hasn't. But you pay what you gotta pay to have fun, right?! The girls had a blast on the rides. So I guess it was worth it! My 19 month old was only slightly afraid on one ride the first time she rode it. The rest of them were a piece of cake!

We started to go through the cow barns... but they stunk so bad we only made it through one before we gave up! C was mooing at the cows! TOO cute! J wanted to go through the pigs and sheep barns but we dodged that bullet pretty easily by promising to head back to the rides.

I, of course, had to get my fair french fries with vinegar and salt before we left. Can't go to a fair without getting them... even though they make me feel like I ate a cup of grease! My sister and I actually comparison shopped for the best french fry deal. Not sure if we got it or not but the fries were sure yummy!

We headed home just before dark. Hubby met us at the car and carried C straight to bed (since I'd been smart and changed her diaper before we left the fair). She went right to sleep... let's hope she stays that way!

Stealing... errr... borrowing a blog idea....

I'm stealing this idea from Indigo... because, well, I don't feel like thinking about something else to write! LOL I'm still up to my eyeballs in the stupid stupid class project I've been working on for the last month. It's due Thursday. Ugh. But I am more than 3/4 of the way done so I'm taking a breather!

Anyways, Indigo did a post the other day re-introducing herself by telling interesting tidbits about her life. Thought I'd try the same thing! Bear with me if it gets too boring! :)

Ok... where to begin?!

*I live in southwest Ohio. Have lived in Ohio my whole entire life. In fact, I grew up a half hour from where I now live. My parents STILL live in that same house they've lived in for over 40 years! All of my siblings lives within 15 minutes of my parents. At a half hour away, I live the farthest.
*I am the youngest of five kids. My brother is the oldest then I have three sisters. My brother cried when they brought me home from the hospital because he wanted me to be a boy!
*My mom was just shy of 30 when she had me. Five kids, 8 and under (and she's still sane... well, for the most part!) At that age, I was just getting married! Didn't have my first bambino till I was just shy of 33.
*My mom wanted to name me Darcy. For some reason, Darcy-With-A-D just doesn't sound right for a blog name! My sisters and brothers talked her out of it and somehow, they agreed on Cathy.
*And for the record, it's just Cathy. Not Catherine. Not Cathleen. Not Catarina. Just plain Cathy.
*I have two adorable little girls (who I write about all the time!).... so this one, you probably already knew!
*Before I was a mom, I was a teacher. I was in one district for five years then moved to another that was better ie. higher test scores! Left there when I went on maternity leave.... and never went back.
*I have to go back to teaching when my girls are in school. I really don't want to. :(
*Some of my favorite movies are Grease, Pretty Woman, Urban Cowboy, and Rainman. I don't so much like Tom Cruise after his recent craziness but I LOVE Dustin Hoffman so Rainman will remain one of my favorite movies. "Course, I'm an excellent driver!" ~ my favorite quote from the movie.
*I'm a country music junkie. LOVE the Dixie Chicks and would LOVE to see them in concert. Also like SheDaisy, Faith Hill, Jodee Messina, just to name a few.
*I'm a messy housekeeper. I try... just don't have the ummmph to keep it sparkling. Might have something to do with my two kiddos.... but I think it also has a lot to do with this computer I'm typing on!
*I have never read even ONE page of a Harry Potter novel. I bought the first one a couple years ago but did not manage to start it before I sold it in a garage sale.
*Same with Lord of the Rings. I have never seen even one minute of any of the trilogy. I don't even know what a hobbit is!
*I'm a lefty. The only one in my family of seven. Rumor has it my dad's dad was a lefty too. I ended up marrying a lefty. Our two kiddos are righties so far. Is that normal?!
*I am a Democrat. My husband is a Republican. Makes for an interesting election year especially since my dad is in politics!
*I donate blood every eight weeks. Just started doing it a year or so ago when I started following the story of a little girl the same age as my little one who was suffering from leukemia. She passed away at 9 months old. Before I "met" her (online), I had never donated blood before. Now, it's a habit.
*I love to scrapbook. Wish I had more time to do it but it's impossible to have all my stuff out without my rugrats messing it up. The only time I get to crop is when I go to a crop at someone else's house! I'm going to a weekend crop in October... can't wait!!!
*I am an ebay addict. Although, I go in spurts. The money I make selling the girls' clothes they've outgrown is my play money. Ninety percent of the time, whatever money I make goes right back into buying more clothes for them. I'm a Gymboree nut.
*I *love* tomatoes. I eat them right out of the garden (well, washed first) with a salt shaker in my hand. My husband does not like tomatoes. This is a good thing. I don't have to share them.
*I used to not be able to share my french fries. Since I've gotten married and had two kids, I've been a little better about it. But make sure you ask first!
*I do not like shrimp. Can't stand the smell, taste, or texture. UGH.
*I have never been out of North America. Went to Canada a couple times... the last time when I was in college.
*I was in a sorority in college. Gamma Phi Beta. I went to Canada to go to a Gamma Phi House up that way. Since I've graduated, I haven't given any money to the sorority, even though I get letters asking for donations.
*I only joined the sorority for the parties... but I met some good friends in the process. Although I am only in contact with one of my sorority sisters and I haven't seen her in over 5 years.
*I used to drink a lot in college. I got sick in every bar there. Pretty sad, huh? Guess that's what happens when you drink cheap beer. Too much cheap beer.

Ok... on that note, I need to get back to the grindstone. Did I mention I'm a procrastinator?!?! Well, I am. I need to get busy on my project so I am going to skidoo!

Tata for now!

Princess Fashion...

I quietly opened the door to rouse my four year old, so I could get her ready to go to the sitter's. There she was, lying on her bed, halfway between sleep and arousal, stretching like a house cat after a long afternoon nap.

"I'm not ready to get up yet. I need some more sleep," she whined lazily, as she pulled the covers up over her eyes.

So I told her she could have a few more minutes. I pulled her door closed and went to finish getting ready. A few minutes later as I was turning off the hair dryer, I heard her door click open. I tiptoed to the bathroom door and peeked out in the hallway to tell her good morning. The sight I saw before me was priceless. My sweet little four year old had taken it upon herself to get dressed for her day.

She had started off with a light pink short sleeved tshirt with embroidered butterflies on the front. Along with that she was wearing a pair of hot pink cotton capris that came just past her knees. They had a dainty little ruffle around the bottom of the legs. So far, a pretty normal outfit. What she decided to pair with that shirt and capris is what makes this story, in my mind, worth gold.

In her room Jenna has a dress up box. It contains a variety of things..... Disney princess dresses, bracelets, hats, makeup, etc. Included in those princess clothes is a 2 piece Snow White costume that she'd gotten a few months ago at ToysRUs for her birthday. Today Jenna had chosen to add the bright yellow silky princess skirt to her ensemble described above. She put it on over her capris and it was just short enough that the bright pink ruffled legs peeked out from under the yellow like the beginning of a sunrise. On her right foot, she had on one of her plastic Cinderella glass slippers from last year's Halloween costume. The second slipper was missing so on the other foot she had a Snow White sandal that matched her bright yellow skirt perfectly. In her hand was a cheap sparkly dollar store princess tiara she had gotten several months ago at a birthday party.

My first reaction was to think ok, we need to go change her outfit.... and now I am probably going to be late for my class. Thankfully, that first reaction lasted less than a second. The reaction that popped into my head next was, "oh my, what a little princess I have been blessed with." So what if she doesn't necessarily look like a princess today. In her mind, she did. And THAT was the important thing.

"Mommy, can you put my hair up?!" she asked.

So in between stifling my uncontrollable giggles at the sight before me, I took her hand and we went into my bathroom. I gathered her hair into a simple ponytail and then tenderly placed the tiara atop her golden tresses... as if I were crowning a royal princess. I could almost hear the coronation music in the background. The finishing touch was the application of strawberry shortcake lip gloss that she had gotten for her birthday.

"I want orange," she demanded in her adorable high pitched voice. So, I stuck the makeup wand in the sticky orange goop and spread it on her soft pink lips, all the while telling her how beautiful she was.

We headed downstairs a few minutes later to get ready to leave. It took her a little longer than normal as the shoes she was wearing were not the easiest to walk in. But, taking one step at a time, she managed. Downstairs, I found my camera and, wanting to capture this moment, asked her if I could take her picture. She happily said yes and put on her best smile. Click. Of course, she wanted to see it right away. Thank goodness for digital cameras. I found the picture and showed it to her.

"But Mom, you can't see my crown!"

I assured her that her crown was showing up just fine and my word was good enough for her. A few minutes later, we were out the door and on our way.

**edited to add the picture... **

Soooooo....

My class this week has been interesting.... a lot more interesting than the one I took a couple weeks ago. It's a writing class so we talk about.... well... writing! For the course requirements, we have to do three 5-7 page essays on some sort of memoir of our life and two 1-2 page essays on basically the same thing. The difference between the two assignments is that our shorter pieces are going to be submitted to a magazine called The Sun. Fun, huh?!?! I've never submitted ANYTHING to be published so it's an exciting, yet intimidating assignment.

I've got a story I'm working on (that I'll actually be publishing here) about an small little happening from our house this morning. It's a simple funny tidbit that begs to be told but I want to do it justice, if that makes any sense. SO it'll probably be a few days before you'll see it here. Now, don't go expecting anything grand... it's pretty similar to things I've already written and involves one of my favorite subjects, my four year old.

Anyways, I wanted to do a quick blog so y'all didn't think I'd dissapeared but I really need to cut this short as we have a birthday party to go to for my nephew.

Before I go, I wanted to introduce you to a new friend of mine, who I actually met in the class I took a couple weeks ago. She's in this week's class too and guess what?!?! I told her about and showed her my blog and she decided to start her own. It's a totally different perspective from the type of things I write but I think you'll enjoy her. Stop by and say welcome to Jill if you get a chance!

Three more days (and counting) of my class before life gets back to "normal." Whatever that is!

Back to School Again....

Tomorrow, I start another class.

And I'm still working on the project from my last class. But I'm finally definitely making some progress and I have till the 28th of this month to get it done. So, from this point on, I refuse to let myself get all worked up about it again! (Remind me of this if I start complaining again!) I *know* I'll get it done. Might be turning it in the day it's due but hey, that's what deadlines are for right?!

My class this next week is a writing class. I like writing. I think I'm fairly good at it. So hopefully, I'll enjoy the class. And hopefully, the final project won't give me as many fits as this last one has! We go all day Monday through SATURDAY!! That's right... Saturday! No more sleeping in again till next Sunday.

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy sleeping in?! Well, I do.... and always have. I've never been one of those morning people who start the day by bursting out of bed. The snooze button is definitely my friend. I remember back in high school, it was nothing unusual for me to sleep until noon on the weekends. What else did I have to do?!!? It wasn't like I had to get up and go to work. My job consisted of working in my dad's office after school. So weekends, I was free to sleep in until I felt like getting up.

Sleeping in now is just a little bit different. Gone are the days of sleeping till noon or even 11:00. I still get to sleep in but now I usually rise around 8:30 or so. Occasionally though, it'll be 9-9:30 before the girls and I are up for the day. See, I've been blessed with two great sleepers. YAY! I cringe when I hear my friends talking about their kiddos waking up at the crack of dawn. In my opinion, 7:00 is still prime sleeping time!

My girls go to bed around 9:15 and wake up around 8:30 or so. If J gets up any sooner, I can always convince her to crawl in bed and snuggle with me while she watches Jojo's Circus or Higglytown Heroes (what a weird show!). We usually head downstairs around 9 to get breakfast and start our day.

My class this week starts at 9. Which means, I have to have the girls up by 7:15 and at the sitter's by 8:00 so that I can make the commute, find a parking spot, and make it to class on time!

So I guess for the next week, the three of us are going to have to be morning people. But we don't have to like it, right?!?!

Oh well, come next Monday, we'll be back to sleeping in again. And appreciating every minute of it!

Procrastination at its finest

So, here I sit on the computer on a Friday night. Surfing around different blogs, checking email, ebay, bulletin boards I post on, my email again, more blogs.... etc, etc, etc!

There's something else I should be doing that is a bit more important. But I can't bring myself to work on it!

My class project.

If you're a regular reader here, I'm sure you are probably sick of hearing about my stupid stupid project I have to do for a class I took a couple of weeks ago. But believe me, as sick as you are of reading about it.... I am ten times more sick of working on it. Call it a bad attitude. Call me lazy. Call me a whiner. Heck, call me Frank. Whatever.

I just have no motivation to do it. None. So far, I've probably spent at least 15 hours working on it. And I'm probably only about halfway done. The crummiest part of this whole deal is that I'm spending all this time on a teaching lesson plan unit that I most likely will never even use. It's a second grade unit. On the five food groups. And unless I end up getting a job in a second grade classroom one day when I finally go back to teaching, this unit will sit on a shelf or in a box collecting dust.

I think that is the main reason I am having such a hard time getting my brain to focus on doing the project. If I was currently teaching, I imagine it would be a different story.

I know... I know... I need to just suck it up, do the stupid unit, get it over with, and get on with my summer.

Ok.... you convinced me. I'm off to work on it....

Try not to have too much fun without me.

And try your hardest to feel at least a little bit sorry for me.

Hop-a-long

I can't very well do a post all about my four year old (2 posts down) without doing one about our second little miracle! She's the one I refer to in my stories as my chubby eighteen month old.

She's really not so chubby! Although she's definitely chunkier than her big sister was at the same age! But oh my, is she ever as cute as a button! With her curly blonde hair and the sweetest puppy dog brown eyes you've ever seen~ she steals my heart just about every time I look at her!!

I've heard people say that they are afraid to have a second child because they don't think they can ever love him/her as much as their first. Coming from a family with five kids (AND being the youngest of the five!), I certainly didn't doubt that I'd be able to love another kiddo. And I knew I wanted my child to have a sibling. So.... we started trying for another soon after my first was born. Being that she took three years to conceive, I figured we didn't have a lot of time to waste!

We tried for a year. With no luck. I wanted to smack the people who kept telling me #2 would be so much easier to conceive and that all I needed to do was relax and it would happen. I was relaxed. Wasn't freaking out every month. Wasn't becoming obsessed with trying. And yet, it didn't happen.

SOOOO.... we headed back to the fertility doc. The first thing he did was the same test he had done the month before I finally got pregnant with J. We didn't have the same results. For four long months, we tried different things that should have worked. But they didn't. So, I decided I was tired of waiting around and I was ready to get aggressive. December of 2002, we took a much needed break. No drugs, no trying, just a break.

In January, we were back at it. With a little more help this time. My hubby and I (and the doc of course!) made plans to do an iui procedure. So starting on day 3 through day 11, my husband gave me a SHOT each night in my stomach. Yep.... they hurt. And yep, they bruised my belly. BUT, they did their job. Midcycle, I had the iui. Basically, what they do is inject "the boys" where they need to go using a catheter, bypassing all the boring stuff. Then you wait 12-14 days and see if those little suckers found the egg.

Major dissapointment. They didn't. But... I wasn't too devastated because I knew we were going to try at least one or two more times.

We took a month off to recoop then went at it again in March of 03. Same procedure... shots in the belly, iui midcycle, and then we waited. But our wait this time had a much happier ending! The little suckers had not only found the egg, they had dug in deep and implanted. I was knocked up and due the week before Christmas! I couldn't imagine a better gift!

Just like the first time, we had 3 ultrasounds before ten weeks. It amazed and mesmerized me again looking at that little bleep bleep on the screen. At eight weeks, on Mother's Day, we told our families. I bought my oldest a shirt that said BIG SISTER on it and she wore it to our moms' houses.

I started showing a lot sooner the second time around and once again, escaped with barely any morning sickness. Whew! Around 19 weeks, we found out we were having another girl... of course, I was ecstatic! It took a while but we finally decided on a name, Cassidy. Hubby wasn't quite as crazy about the name as I was but he gave in eventually. Guess it helps that I was the one having to carry her around 24/7! When I told my dad what her name was going to be, he said, "I'm not going to call her Cassidy. I'm gonna call her Hopalong!"

Get it?!!? As in Hopalong Cassidy!

And that's what he calls her. Me... I've got a couple other nicknames for her! But mainly, she goes by Cass.

Both of my girlies took some work and lots of time to get here.... but when I sit back and watch them play together or when they snuggle up with me to read a book... all that time trying just seems like a minute. A minute I'd do all over again.

Frustrated!!!

OK... sooooo...

I am in the WORST mood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That stupid project I have to do for my stupid class that I finished a couple weeks ago is giving me fits!!! I have to do a 10 day thematic lesson plan using the SIOP format that they taught us in class. So, I decided to do mine on the four food groups. My main reason for choosing the four food groups was that eons ago when I student taught, I created a really cute four food groups unit. I remember putting it into a notebook when I was still teaching. Well... I've been through all of my teaching JUNK at least five times and I CANNOT FIND THE DAMN LESSONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!! I am so frickin frustrated because now, a project that should have been easy for me and that shouldn't have taken a whole lot of time, is going to take me forever to get done!!!!!!!!! If I would have been able to find the unit, I would have just had to tweek it a bit. Now I have to recreate the whole damn thing. We're allowed to use lessons that we find elsewhere (on the web, for instance) but my stupid brain won't get off the ideas I used in the unit that is lost! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I imagine you can probably hear that through the computer!



Ok... I'm off to try to work on this dumbass lame-o unit.



Wish me luck.... I *KNOW* I'll need it!

All the Way to the Moon... and back

That's how much my four year old loves me. She'll tell me that at night after we've snuggled and I've read her a couple stories and tucked her in. As I tell her I love her and get ready to close the door, that sweet little voice chimes out, "I luff you... all the way to the moon and back." Sometimes she changes it up and says all the way to the sun, or Ziraq (Iraq, where my nephew used to be stationed), or whatever other place she can think of. I sigh, blow her kisses (which she of course catches), and close the door.

My girl. I can't imagine life without her. Even in the moments when she's driving me crazy.

When my hubby and I got married, I was already 29, and that baby itch was coming on pretty strong. So we starting trying for a little one soon after we said "I do." A year later, we were still trying. A few months after our first anniversary, I FINALLY got that little second line on the pregnancy test! We had just moved into our new house and timing couldn't have been better. Until I miscarried. I was almost 12 weeks along when I went to the doctor to hear the heartbeat... and there wasn't one. I was devastated. That was January of 99.

We started trying again soon after and a year later, still no luck. I was doing the temperature taking and charting daily but things just weren't happening. Every month would end the same. And I was beyond frustrated. So I made an appointment to see a specialist. He ran a couple of tests on both my hubby and myself. And found nothing wrong. One of the tests he did though, was our stroke of luck. It was called an hsg. In short, it was an xray test that sent a dye through my tubes to see if there was any blockage. There was none. That was good news. A side effect of having the test is that is cleans out your tubes and lubes them up so to speak. Because of this, fertility is increased for 2-3 months. But that month, June of 2000, I wasn't pregnant.

My husband and I had decided that in August, we were going to do a fertility procedure called an iui, which is where they basically use a catheter to shoot "the boys" up where they need to go. We were all set with my prescription for the meds I'd need to take. Just waiting out our time. Throughout July, I was still temperature charting so I could tell when my new cycle was going to start, as I'd need to make an appt as soon as it did. Well, imagine my surprise when instead of falling my temperature stayed up. (Quick lesson... after you ovulate, your temp rises for several days then falls right before you start). A temp that stays up indicates success! So, I took a pregnancy test... and OH MY, can you believe it?!... got that second line I'd been hoping and praying for!!

I was pregnant again. Finally. After almost three years of trying. Over the course of the next couple days, I took 3 or 4 more tests... just to be sure. And they all came back positive. Since I was seeing a specialist, we had three ultrasounds before I was 10 weeks along. I remember how nervous I was each time, especially the first time. I was only 6 1/2 weeks along so my doctor had to zoom in to even find the heartbeat. But there it was... Strong and steady. I think that is where I first fell in love with her!! Watching that bleep bleep on the little screen was mesmerizing! We waited until I was 10 weeks along to share the news with our family and friends. I told my parents on Grandparents' Day! My mom cried. I think my dad even got a little teary eyed! They knew how long we'd been waiting for this.

My pregnancy went great... no morning sickness, very little nausea.... just a rather easy nine months. Around 20 weeks, we found out we were having a girl! I went pink overboard, as did my family and friends. When my sweetie was born, my hubby and I were the only ones in the delivery room. Well, except for the doc and nurse!

As she was being born, my husband kept saying, "she's got hair!"

"How much hair?" I'd ask.

"I don't know... but she's got hair!"

Turned out she had a headful of gorgeous black hair and was just a cute as a button! How fitting that I had always wanted a baby with a ton of hair. My thinking is that God made us wait so long for our angel, that he figured he might as well give me what I wanted! :)

Five years ago this month, our lives changed. We didn't know it yet but oh how we know it now. That love to the moon and back thing. Yep, that's at least how much I love her.

Ramblings

1. So tonight, I'm standing in the door of the pantry looking for some olive oil. All of a sudden, I feel my chubby little 18 month old walk up behind me. Nothing unusual there. But then you'll never guess what she did next!! She bit me on the derriere!!!! Yeah, that's right! Wrapped those little arms around me and chomped down on my tush! LOL My gut reaction was to get on her for the biting so I patted her bottom and said, "No, no!"

My second reaction was an uncontrollable giggle! I mean... how in the world could you not giggle over something that silly! I can now officially say I hope she doesn't come back to bite me in the a$$ again! LOL I went outside where my husband was grilling out and between my laughing, told him about it. He had a good chuckle. Hope it gives you a bit of a laugh too!

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2. Speaking of grilling out... YUM! My hubby recently bought a charcoal grill and he's been figuring out how to cook on it. Today he marinated some steaks and grilled them tonight. Add to that the corn-on-the-cob and salad I made and we had a scrumptious dinner! I never liked steak growing up but I think I would have if it had tasted as good as it did tonight! WTG Hubby!

~~~
3. After dinner, I gave both of my sweeties a bath. Afterwards, I dressed my four year old in her new patriotic pj's we picked up at Wallyworld today.... too cute! Then, we locked little sister
out of the bathroom and I painted our toenails and J's fingernails. I used alternating red AND blue polish in honor of our nation's birthday. J was soooooo excited... she kept calling herself "a Fourth of July girl!" How cute is that?!?! She's still trying to get me to attempt to paint my other cutie's toenails... maybe tomorrow!

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4. Speaking of the Fourth, we've got some fun plans tomorrow (Sunday) to go to my sister's for a cookout. Of course, I'll have my cuties all decked out in red, white, and blue! Last year, I was ambitious and with the help of my neighbor, I MADE both of them outfits to wear. This year, I took the easy way out and found something at Target!

I'm hoping to go to some local fireworks with the girlies tomorrow night. Monday, my day is taken up working at a local festival. My moms' group is doing a face painting booth to raise some moolah so I'll be spending the day attempting to paint flags and butterflies and flowers on little tiny faces! There'll be more fireworks that night... still trying to convince hubby to lug the girls up to the festival for that!

Hope you all have a wonderful blessed weekend! Happy Fourth of July to all my American friends...


And Happy Belated Canada Day to my north of the border friends...