its new math....

1 king size bed
- 1 husband that works out of town
-------------------------------------
SHOULD= lots of room for me

But there seems to be some new math being calculated in my house.....

1 king size bed
- 1 husband that works out of town
-----------------------------------------
SOMEHOW= 1 VERY crowded bed

she is her father's child...

It was a glorious 60* today...

so we took advantage of the sunshine and were very productive outside...

At 5:00 the temperature dropped to about 55*...

Emma takes after her Daddy when it comes to cold temperatures...

she thought it was 'freezing'...

so she went in and got her winter hat...

and one glove!!
What a goob!!!

friday frivolity...

Well, I did not brave the crowds at 4:00am this morning to snag the 'great deals'...

but I did go out later in the afternoon to buy some christmas lights...

and if the traffic, full parking lots, and people loaded down with bags is any indication of the economy...

then I would say the recession is ending...

or that there is going to be ALOT of people that need Dave Ramsey after December 25th!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Thanksgiving holiday is past...

the pumpkins and scarecrows have been put away...

the ornaments and snowmen have been brought down from the attic...

and I am still wondering how it is almost December already!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It has been so odd having Steve home for the last two days...

and he will be here over the weekend...

I better be careful or I may get used to having a husband that lives with me:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And even more surprising than Steve being home for more than a few hours...

the fact that he just sat on the couch and watched an ENTIRE movie with me...

with his eyes open!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michaela is supposed to be trying out for a part in the 8th grade play...

and I say 'supposed to be' because her confidence is waning...

and I think she may chicken out.

It is sad that SHE is the only one that thinks she cannot do this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma has been her normal bi-polar self...

we are never quite sure what emotion we are going to encounter with her...

Every day moment is a new adventure.

I am not sure which one of us would benefit greater from a prescription of Prozac!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think the tooth fairy may be finally coming to visit us again...

Emma told us "My teeth are ready fro Ms. Katrina on Sunday."...

and if they both come out...

she'll be singing "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth"!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We received Michaela's State test scores...

Distinguished in English....

and Proficient in Math and Science...

just a few points away from Distinguished in both!

we are so proud of her!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The new term has begun for me...

I am not enjoying this term at all...

but it too shall end.

Just not soon enough for me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am going to go enjoy the last of the fire in the fireplace...

and then head up to bed.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving...

and have a great Saturday!

happy thanksgiving eve...

On this the eve of thanksgiving I am thankful for...

friends who invite my daughters to spend the night...

friends who take Michaela to see New Moon again~~~so I don't have to:)

my husband who is snoring next to me for the first time in almost a week.

she is going to give us a run for the $...

Last Thursday, Emma was invited to spend the afternoon playing at her friend Madeline's house. She is a sweet girl that lives a few houses down from us and she and Emma play very well together. Emma would go there everyday if she was allowed, but we always wait for an invitation.

Don't want to wear out her welcome!

On Friday, Emma comes running into the house after getting off of the bus. She throws her book bag and coat down (if only that was an unusual occurrence) and starts talking a mile a minute....

Mommy, Can I go play at Madeline's again?

Were you invited?

No, but I heard Ashton talking about going over there at school today.

You just played there. You need to wait until Ms. Jessica invites you.

Yeah, but they have a rule that Madeline can only have one friend over at a time. Hurry Mommy! Please can I go?

and then I finally understood the urgency in her voice...

So you want to hurry and run down there before Ashton gets there so you can be the one to play with her?

YES!!!

Hmmmm. No!

Yes sir, a run for our money!!!!

self collage...

Well, it s 11:28pm...

I have a self inventory collage due tomorrow...

Can you guess what I am doing right now?

Yep... the collage!!

Can you guess what one of my descriptive words is on my self reflection collage?

Yep..procrastination!!

I must get back to digging deep within myself to find out what influences and events have caused me to become the person I am:)

friday frivolity...

"Amazing!"

"Fantastic!"

"So worth staying up until 2:30am!"

"Oh, I cannot wait until the next one!"

These were some of the many squeals of delight I heard after the showing of New Moon last night this morning~~~and sadly mostly from grown women!

As the credits rolled I stood up, thankful that the ending had finally come and thought "Really??? that is what the hype is all about? Really bad acting, low budget looking werewolves, and CHEESY frolicking in the meadow scenes?" I lost hours of sleep for THIS??

But the girls loved it...

and that was the point of the evening!
~~~~~~~
I did learn a few things while sitting in the movie theater for an hour and a half before the movie started:

• some people would probably NOT chew gum in public if they actually saw how they looked.
• no matter what advertisers say, having a large bump in your hair is NOT a look that should be embraced
• some adults (and I use that term lightly) are ridiculously immature~~~you were asked to move over one seat. Was it really that big of an inconvenience? Was the yelling necessary?
• some guys have no clue as to what girls find attractive...to the Jacob wanna be,the long stringy hair is really not what the girls on TEAM JACOB are liking. I am going to take a guess as to the attraction and go with the well chiseled abdomen he kindly showed throughout the movie...Mr. Jacob Wanna Be, THIS you clearly did not have.
• there were 3 guys in Louisville that were really trying to impress their girlfriends...they actually sat in a theater full of girls and women and watched a vampire movie at 12:00AM.
• that 23 year olds sound really ridiculous complaining about how 'they are too old' to be out this late...especially as they sit next to a 40 year old woman.
• I am too old to be out at a movie until 3:00am:)

~~~~~~~~~
Michaela and I made it home at 4:20AM...

We met Steve at the door as he was leaving to drive back to Louisville for work!!
~~~~~~~~~~
Steve is working alot of overtime...

time and half and double time are GREAT...

except we won't see him until Sunday afternoon:(
~~~~~~~~~~
I am whipped...

and Mac has Ballet Corp. in the morning...

so I am off to sleep!

Have a great weekend..

vampires and werewolves....oh my!

Tonight is the night that Michaela and her friends have been waiting for since last November....

The opening of New Moon!!!!

I am off to pick up Michaela from dance practice and then we are heading to La Grange to pick up the rest of the crew...

and then it is off to the 12:15am showing.

Michaela says I am going to be 'cornfused' since I have not read the books or seen Twilight...

I am pretty sure I will be able to keep up!

I can't wait to see all the crazies that will be there tonight:)

not quite wordless wednesday...

When Steve was offered the job in Louisville we knew that we would be putting the house on the market...

after talking things over we decided that we would wait until Spring~~giving us time make a TO DO list and to finish some home improvement projects to help the resell value.

At first Spring seemed a long way off~~leaving plenty of time to complete the list, but then one day REALITY reared its ugly head! As I walked across Home Depot's parking lot it suddenly hit me that we plan to have a for sale sign in the yard in only 4 months!!!

And pressure mode ensues!!!

One of the major projects to get underway is the girls' bathroom. When we built the house, I took 3 year old Michaela and many of her friends to paint tiles at a pottery store. The tiles were then used to tile her bathroom. {Emma does not have any tiles represented because in 1999 she was still in the planning stages:)}
Many of the tiles were painted by people that we no longer have contact with so they hold no value to me. But there are many, such as Steve's tile he painted after he returned from Kuwait{with the phrase he would tell Mac whenever he called}, the 'Best Friends' tile painted by Ms. Renea, and Michaela's ABCs and potato people that I wish to have in one piece when they are removed. I recently went into a tile store to inquire about the removal options we have. Ha! the list is short. We {and by 'we' I mean Steve} can 1). cut around the tiles, removing the entire tiled portion of the wall, or 2). use a thin tile 'spatula' thingy {yes, that is what the professionals call it} and GENTLY slide it behind each tile~~~hoping that the top layer of the green board comes off thus increasing the chances that the tile will remain intact.

I voted for number 1. Steve, not so much!

So now the fun begins!

Wish us luck!

I will post the final results~~~as soon as the final results occur:)
~~~~~~~~~~

for more wordless wednesday go to:
seven clown circus
5 minutes for mom
wordless wednesday
omni couple

please help, i need a medical diagnosis....

Because we have a new insurance policy, I have been going over the out-of-pocket expenses and what is and is not covered. So far I have been pleased with what I have read. We have no yearly deductible to meet, it pays between 80% and 100% for office visits and procedures, and vision and basic dental is included~~for half of what we paid before. As long as the actual service is as good as what looks like on paper, we should be okay.

And truthfully, it could not have come at a better time because our household has been hit by something ugly. It hit Michaela first and with greater intensity, but Emma Shea is also showing signs of this virus. I have scoured the internet for a diagnosis, but have not come up with anything concrete as of yet. I have even used 'home remedies' to alleviate some of the symptoms; they work temporarily but eventually the symptoms return. I am at my wits end with this infestation.

So I am hoping that maybe someone out there knows the name for this bug that has infected the Martin girls and can help me with a remedy before it gets completely out of control.

OUR UNKNOWN VIRUS...

It affects mainly the ears, eyes, and mouth with the following symptoms being manifested:

EYES:

• rolling of the eyes upward

EARS:

• directives are heard as suggestions
  
• many conversations are not heard at all
• frequently hear conversations that never occurred
• often translates the words into an unknown language causing confusion or misunderstanding
• seemily lose the ability to hear at all, requiring rules to be repeated'

MOUTH:

• causes the words spoken to be in a nasty tone
• often speaks in a disrespectful manner
• contradicts everything that is spoken by the mother
• tries to justify behaviors be pushing off accountability

If anyone out there knows what the cause of these symptoms are, please let me know. I am afraid that an extended exposure will have dire consequences for the girls.

not sure it is really worth the racing heart...

Just imagine it...

It is your first Friday off in almost a year!

12 months of functioning on little to no sleep...

Rest, relaxation, and an evening of just doing nothing!

Sounds like bliss.

But wait...

who would want to just sit down and watch a movie or read a book?

Wouldn't it be MUCH MORE FUN...

...to climb up a ladder as daylight fades and hang Christmas lights from the 2nd story?
...to have your wife snap pictures as you climb up a ladder that is on the peak of the garage roof, telling you to be careful as she ages about 20 years watching you climb higher and higher.

(actually telling him that is was still worth 1/2 million with the Guard, so if he fell to make sure he did it right~~but some may not see the humor in that statement:) so will just stay with the words of encouragement scenario:)
...to sit on top of your roof, in the dark at 5:45 pm, and untangle the mess of lights you just carried up.
...to realize that you get to climb up there again because you dropped the brand new strand of lights and broke four of the bulbs!

I am thinking working security is looking ALOT safer!!!

{the ladder is on the garage roof in the first picture...my heart was pounding with fear as I was watching him!!!!}

friday frivolity...

What an uneventful week.

I took advantage of my days off of school and accomplished so much hardly anything I wanted to...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve's new job is going well...

He seems to enjoy it...

and he is able to pick up overtime...

so his night job is GONE!!!!

Will I know what to do with him NOT functioning on M*onster drinks all day Sunday???
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am thrilled with Steve's job too...

Well, the paycheck, for starters, is a plus...

and almost 2 weeks off at Christmas~~paid~~definite plus....

cuz' you know there is a LONG honey-do list waiting for him...

but the best part...

THE INSURANCE BEGAN THE FIRST DAY!!!!

no waiting period...

after almost 4 months of being insurance-less, we can NOW get sick!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tonight I will be home ALL ALONE...

Steve is working overtime today and tomorrow...

So after school I am driving half-way to La Grange and making a transfer

Emma is going down to spend some time with him...

and will spend the day with the M's tomorrow...

Michaela is going to a lock-in...

an will spend the weekend with the M's...

I am going to stay home and enjoy the rare non~mommy moments!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well SHE was wrong...

I DO NOT feel better now that my 4.0 is a 3.85...

really, would rounding up .98% points been too much to ask????

**sigh** perfection gone!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am home alone...

and what do I do...

I study the Nerve System...

a week early!!!!

Ugh! I am so boring:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve will be bringing Emma home tomorrow evening..

and he will be hanging Christmas lights on the house...

a little early, but the weather is nice...

and we will NOT be turning them on until December!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well I must get back to nerves and the nervous system!

really, should you be talking about THAT in public?....

Have you ever noticed that whenever a group of women get together and there is an expecting or new mom in the mix, the conversation automatically goes to the joys and traumas of childbirth.

Stretchmarks, gas, sore breast, hernias, labor pains, episiotomies, afterbirth; you name it, it is discussed.

Yet, never have I walked up on a group of men and heard conversations about vasectomies, colonoscopies, or hernias.

I have never heard,

"My incisions took forever to heal."

"It took 5 stitches to sew up my incisions."

or, "The worst part of the procedure was afterwards when the hair was growing back."

Never have I heard men discussing the prep-work for their colonoscopy or heard them discuss the bedside manner of the doctor performing their testicular exams.

It just doesn't happen!

But I have learned that the quickest way to get a guy to leave a room is to start talking about 'womanly body things'.They will hit the floor running, mumbling, "Should you really be talking about that in public?"as they head out the door!

not quite wordless wednesday...

To those men and women, past and present, who have fought for our freedoms as Americans...

To those that have willingly fought against oppression and intolerance...

To those that have missed family events, holidays, the births of their children and the deaths of their loved ones while they have been in other countries fighting for the freedom of others....

To all the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces throughout the world to keep us safe from those who would do us harm...

On this Veteran's Day~~~as we should everyday....

WE THANK YOU!!!!!

~~~~
For more wordless wednesday go to:
OmniCouple
Wordless Wednesday
Seven Clowns

my teachers are mean...

I have been asked by many people why I have not gone back into the classroom to teach. And my answer has always been because of the lack of authority teachers have in the classroom. Bureaucracy has tied the hands of teachers to the point that there is no re-course to misbehavior in the classroom. Being a babysitter was not why I went to college and sadly I have no desire to go back into the classroom.

Over the last few years I have heard conversations that have changed my viewpoint in regards to where the problem lies. While I still believe that politics play too large of a role in the school system, I believe that PARENTS are the biggest hindrance to successful schooling.

Parents undermining the authority of the teacher by telling their child, "I do not care what the teacher says, you will not have detention if you forget your homework again." Parents making derogatory remarks about teachers and the school. Children being allowed to call their teachers idiots, lousy at their job, and stupid when having conversations at home. Parents allowing behaviors towards teachers that would never be allowed towards another adult. THESE behaviors are the downfall of the school system and the parental attitudes have given the children the right to be disrespectful toward teachers. We have given our children license to rule the classroom and have taken away a crucial part of a teacher's support system. And the public school has suffered~~not completely because of the bureaucratic system, but because of the undermining of those that should be lifting up the teachers and aiding in the educational system~~the parents.

After talking with many people from other generations I have come to the realization that there has been a shift in the attitude towards education. Where education was once regarded as a privilege and hard work, schedules, and expectations were stressed, it now is viewed as a right that should be all fun and games; filled with entertainment and 'feel-good' moments. Parents feel that teachers should be their children's friends and that the students should have a warm and fuzzy feeling all day. And, if the school day is not filled with laughter and good times, the negativity and degrading begins. But life is not a carnival. Life is not always entertaining. Life is often trying and filled with difficulty. I have been told, "But they are just children. Life should be happy and carefree while they are young." I ask, when should we allow them to face reality? At what age do we allow them to confront difficulties? When do we stop sheltering them from people who may not be nice or helpful? At what age do we take off the rose colored glasses and allow our children to enter the 'real world'? And with what fallout will these children become part of mainstream society?

There have been many times that I would love to keep my daughters hidden away from others. I would love to protect them from all the meanness and ugliness that they face when they interact with others. But it is not realistic. It would be a disservice to them. Our jobs as parents is to teach our children how to be productive adults. We are supposed teach them how to interact with others; how to handle disagreements and confrontation. We are to enforce rules and responsibilities when they are young so that they know how society works when they are adults. We try to give them the tools to face the mean bosses, the obnoxious co-workers, and the monotony of many tasks they will face in adulthood, when they are children. We are responsible for teaching them that life is a combination of both joy and fun and difficulties and responsibility and that separating ourselves from others is not always the best solution.

Being young is not easy. Spending a day surrounded by others who are disrespectful, hateful, and hurtful is not ideal. I would certainly never choose to go back to my school years, but I also would not change them (or most of them:) for anything. The daily interactions with others who were different than me, who were mean and hateful towards others, and were my circle of friends allowed me to learn many lessons of life and helped me grow as an individual. While some of the lessons learned were tough and unpleasant, they were lessons that have allowed me the ability to interact with others as an adult; lessons that I could not have learned if I had not been in a classroom.

School should be a time of learning~~with lessons that are sometimes fun and entertaining and sometimes cut and dry. Learning should be the priority of the school day. Teachers are there to teach the lessons necessary for our children to gain knowledge. They are there to be role models and to be a support system for the students; not a friend, not 'one of the guys',nor an entertainer. They are there to teach. And yes, sometimes they are mean~~~as will so many people be in your life.

***Whether or not you home school is YOUR personal choice just as sending mine to public school is MY choice. The hope should be that both choices will lead to adults who are an asset to society. I generally keep my opinion to myself~~~unless asked:) This post is the result of my head about to explode after someone suggested that a parent home school because their 13 year old said his teachers are mean.

the last time...

Update: 8:51pm~~~Just checked Blackboard. I needed a 92% to get an A...

I got a 90! ERRRRRR!

Final Grade~~89.02%!!!!!!

Maybe she will round up!!!

***The instructor told me tonight to just let go of the 4.0GPA! She said once it was gone things would be much more enjoyable!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today at 10:20 I handed in my final for A&P...

and then I sat in my van and studied Calculus until 2:15...

at 5:20pm, I turned off the $170.00 calculator (which I will GLADLY be handing back to Gina on Wednesday with a great big thank you)...

and I handed my Calculus final to the instructor!

So, this is the last time I will ever type the word Calculus...

Today is the last day I will drive home with a Calculus migraine...

Calculus. Calculus. Calculus!!

Gone for good!!!!

Huge *SIGH* of relief!

*****FUNNY EMMA STORY*****

When I arrived home tonight, Emma came and sat on my lap~~~because you know the 'cord' has reattached.

Hugging and kissing me~~~like it had been weeks since she had seen me last.

When I asked her how her day had been she said it was good and then she got quiet, looked up at me with sad puppy dog eyes and said...

"I was bad. I was mean to Michaela. I try to be good, I do. But I can't. IT IS JUST SO HARD!"

free to a good home any home

Isn't she cute?

Don't you need her at your house?

She is so useful around the house.

She gives you an endless supply of hair to vacuum up all day...

and dirty paw prints to wipe up!

Papers need shredded, she's got you covered,

she will even shred the ones you have on the table that you don't want shredded!

You need holes in your landscaping bed,

roots exposed around the tree you recently planted?

she is the dog for you!

The benefits of having this lovely dog as part of YOUR family are endless!!


Come on. look at that sweet face...

You know you want her!!!!

Just call~~~~1-859-INEEDMYHEADEXAMINEDFORGETTINGADOG.

friday frivolity....

Another week has come and gone...

I am so much closer to the end of this term...

the end of calculus...

and unless I make a 92 or better on my final...

the end of my 4.0 :(

by 8/10ths of a percentage point!!! URG!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve has completed a week at the new job...

he really likes it...

one week down...

1100 more to go!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma is having a rough time with Steve being gone...

she is very clingy and moody~~er...

But she will adjust as time goes on...

I hope!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tonight Michaela and I went to the store to look for a pair of shoes...

As we are walking up to the store, my phone rings...

It is Emma...

wanting to know why I do not love her...

and why I am running away????

Hmmm, she will adjust over time! Right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tomorrow Steve has guard duty...

and the girls and I will drive to Lexington for a dance workshop...

while Michaela is dancing from 9:00 until 1:00..

Emma and I will be entertaining ourselves in the van...

her watching dvds...

and me studying for a final!

No better way to spend a Saturday!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next month is Stephen's last month in the military...

after 23 years, he is being forced to retire...

he is too old to serve his country...

because in the eyes of the military, youth is superior to knowledge and experience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is 8:13pm and I am ready for bed...

does that make me old?

Don't answer that!

Good night!

would you lie down for me?....

This week the Oldham Woods church of Christ is having a gospel meeting with lessons based on I Corinthians 13~~~lessons on what love is and what love is not.

In one of the lessons, Greg told a story about two men walking towards one another along a path on a steep cliff. On one side of the path was the rocky wall of the cliff. On the other side was a sheer drop. There was only room for one traveler to pass. When they met up to each other, no matter what they tried, they could not pass each other and continue on their journeys. Finally, after several attempts, one of the men laid down on the ground and allowed the other traveler to walk across his back and continue on his travels.

THAT is what love is; the giving of ourselves to others for their betterment, without thought to our discomfort or pain.

As we shake our heads in agreement to the meaning behind the story, we must consider what stranger we tend to be. Are we the stranger that gives no thought to helping others? Do we lie down when there is a need? Or, are we one that expects others to make a way for us; to smooth out our journey? And while there are times when we need others to lie down for us, we need to look beyond our own needs and seek out opportunities to show others love.

As we journey on the 'cliff of life', let us take every opportunity to show another journeymen the love that was shown to us in the holy life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.

Love seeks out those in need. It knows no bounds. Love is not manifested for the glory of others, but for the hope of those it is being bestowed on to.

Love never fails!

I Corinthians 13: Love suffers long and does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails

not quite wordless wednesday...

While we were creating our jack o lanterns Saturday, Emma decided she wanted to plant some of the pumpkin seeds...

I told her to take a handful to the fence row and plant them back there...

She went towards the fence row, but stopped and planted them, i.e threw them on the ground, in the back yard!!!

If no birds, squirrels, mole, dog...eat them, the new owners may find some strange things growing in the yard:)

one day down...

a few (100) more to go!!!

We survived the first day of Steve working in Louisville...

I am actually exhausted....

left the house at 8:30~~dropped Emma off at school~~~drove into Cincinnati for classes~~~finished classes at 5:30pm~~~drove home during rush hour (I am not sure who the lucky ones are that get to rush because my 30 minute trip took an hour???)~~~pulled into the driveway~~~girls ran out and jumped in~~~~drove to La Grange for the 1st night of the gospel meeting~~~saw my husband~~~loaded girls in the van~~~drove home (with a stop for petrol and dinner)~~~arrived home and girls in bed at 11:00 (tomorrow morning should be FUN!!!) talked to my friend on the phone~~~took a shower~~~FINALLY IN BED (at 12:06am!)

I am tired!!

Life is getting back to some sense of 'normal so I can be back to my witty ;) self!!!