Perspective

Life has a funny way of putting things in perspective for me. The last week has been so stressful. All the normal stuff that stresses people out, home, work, kids, etc. Then, this afternoon, I learned that a neighbor's baby died. This is a neighbor I just met about a month ago. I hardly know them, but now I find myself arranging food for the funeral service and attending a funeral for a baby on Saturday. I don't care what your religion is, what your beliefs are, NO ONE should have to attend a child's funeral. It's not right. Tonight I am hugging my children tighter and being so very, very thankful that I can hold them.

Burying Head In Sand

I am so stressed out right now, my stomach hurts and my body aches. You name it, I'm stressing over it. Work, school, money, kids.... I can feel the gray hairs forming.

$$$

A Countrywide employee sold our names and social security numbers for a whopping $0.25 each. Awesome. Gives me warm fuzzies all over!

Worst Mommy Ever

Is it a sign of good parenting when your child screams(for the whole damn neighborhood to hear) that you are the worst mommy ever? I choose to focus on the positive, but I won't lie, I'm in tears right now. He didn't get exactly what he wanted and proceeded to have a huge fit over it. I know part of it is because he is tired. But, he also has a best friend who tells him on a regular basis that she can do whatever she wants at her house. And unfortunately, she is right. They have far less rules in their house. Apparently, she has told him that he should go live with her because she doesn't have to do anything but play. Part of me can't help but be a bit annoyed by this. I know its natural. Every child wants to play nonstop, with no responsibility. Shit...I want to play nonstop too. But, to hear your child say that they want to live somewhere else still hurts. It is everything I tried to prevent. Shit.

Reaching High

Earlier this summer, I decided to bite the bullet and apply for grad school. Again. This is a nerve wracking process and I am starting to think they like to torture the applicants to see who really, really wants to be accepted. Since I have decided to pursue a career that is different from my BA in Social Work, I have more hurdles to jump than any Olympian. I have tests to study for, classes to cram in, and essays to write. Not to mention, hitting up friends, bosses, and professors for recommendations. Part of me wonders why I am doing this. Why put myself through all of this, especially when I have two children who will (hopefully) be going to college in the next ten years. Our family life will completely change for the next few years(if and, that is a big IF, I get accepted). And I don't want to get into the cost of going to school. So, why do it? Because it's my dream. I knew I wanted to go to grad school. I wanted to push myself to go that extra mile. It's taken me a while, traveling down new and interesting paths, to realize that I want to teach. I love working with children and am always drawn back to careers that focus on helping and teaching children. So, I have decided to pursue that dream. Achieving this goal will not be easy, but the best things in my life have never come easy. I wouldn't appreciate it, if it weren't a challenge. Wish me luck!

Junkie

It's official. I am an Olympic junkie. We have been watching the games every night since they began. They have been interesting. Am I the only one who thinks the judging for the gymnastics competition is a bunch of crap? It seems a bit weighted towards one country in particular. I like swimming and beach volleyball. Less subjective.

Satellite Radio vs Ann Taylor Loft

For my birthday, I decided to get a satellite radio installed in my car. I love the idea of commercial free music and the 80's hair band station sealed the deal. I had no idea that I would have to sell my soul to the fiery bastard down below just to get the stupid system installed. It's a long story and I don't want my tears to short-circuit my laptop. So, I will say, IT IS A PAIN IN THE ASS!

On another note, while we were waiting 6 hours to get the stupid radio system installed, I discovered that Ann Taylor Loft is my new favorite clothing store. It helps that they have a teacher discount too. If I weren't trying to live on a preschool director's salary(ie: pennies), I would be there all of the time.

Virginia Tax Holiday

We just spent a *#$!load of money on school supplies and school clothes for the kids. My wallet in smoldering right now. Ugh.

Stalling

My month of freedom has ended and on Monday, I am headed back to work. Blah. To keep my mind off of the inevitable, we decided to take a mini-vacation. Razzle went to NYC with her best friend and since I couldn't fit in her suitcase, Sizzle and I took Frazzle to southern Virginia. Sounds exciting, right? It was a lot of fun. On day one, we took him to the aquarium and to the beach. On day two, we took him to Water Country USA for the day. He was so hyped up. He went on every water slide. On day three, we took him to Busch Gardens. This child has no fear. The bigger the roller coaster, the better. After each ride, he would proclaim, "THAT WAS AWESOME!" ten to fifteen times. This child is going to give me a heart attack in his teen years. It was a fun trip with just Frazzle, although we all did miss Razzle. It felt like something was always missing. Of course, she had a lot of fun with her friend. And we never had to worry about her. We knew she was in good hands. She went shopping, on tours, saw a Broadway show, and spent a day with the Statue of Liberty. Darn lucky girl if you ask me. Tomorrow, we shop for school clothes and supplies. It's a tax free holiday in Virginia. Weeee!!!! Sadly, summer's end in nearing just a little too fast.

Fun With Fondant

Frazzle went to work with Sizzle today. Razzle and I spent the day cleaning house, doing laundry and making cakes. Okay...so I did a majority of the cleaning and all of the laundry, but she did help. We decided to makes cakes and decorate them with fondant. I have never decorated a cake with fondant and have dreamed of making grand creations. Especially after watching Ace of Cakes. We gave it a shot. One day, I want to try to make a wedding cake. Not necessarily for a wedding, but for fun. In fact, I have no plans on eating the cake I made today. Just wanted to create. Razzle and Frazzle dug into the cake Razzle created. They were a bit disappointed with the fondant, but they managed to scarf down the cake. Here are some pictures of our creations.