2010 Already? Geez, Where Does the Time GO?

Ok, yeah, it's been 5 months since I've updated my blog. That five months was also, probably, the craziest 5 months of my life. It was my first semester at the University of Arkansas. After spending 2 years at Community College, I had no idea what it was like to work SO hard.

I took 16 hours of school last semester, but if I wasn't physically at school I was either at work, taking care of the kids, or working on the mountains of homework and school projects I was assigned. There were weeks where I was lucky to get an hour or two of sleep - literally. I ended up finishing out the semester with 4 A's and 1 stinking B. I was really PO'd about the B - I was robbed! I made a 92.75% in the class, but the class requires a 93 in order to get an A - how freakin' ridiculous is that??? Anywho, that semester is over, and I will be starting the new semester on Monday - but I'm taking one less class, so hopefully things won't be AS crazy.

A quick update on the "fam":

Everyone is doing good. Payton is 9, going on 19. She has been having some issues at school - but only socially. She's still in the Gifted and Talented program, but there are a few girls in her grade that insist on making her life a living hell every day. My baby has been so grown up about it, though, and doesn't let it sway her from loving school. She's totally boy crazy, and has turned into a complete "girly girl"...LOL

Brayden, well - we've had our share of issues from him again. He spent the first part of the year doing really well - but that changed about a month in. He started behaving really badly, and I had to get him (once again) into counseling. He did better the last part of the semester, before Christmas. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the counseling will help as he goes into the second half of the year.

My baby, Jada, turned 2 in December. She's gotten so big, and her vocabulary gets better every day. We got her some ABC puzzles for Christmas, and already she is able to identify a good portion of the letters. She's another smart cookie. She had an accident right before Christmas, that caused her to get 3 stitches in her finger. We were at my mom's one day, and Jada somehow managed to cut a deep gash into her finger. The only way the ER was able to stop the bleeding was by giving her 3 stitches. She was such a brave girl through the whole thing, though, and actually watched the doctor put the stitches in!!

Steve and I are both doing really well. There have been some financial struggles, but nothing neither of us haven't had to deal with before. We get through them, and life goes on. He was definately my rock last semester, and kept me sane through the entire crazy process.

I've decided that I'm going to try and lose weight again. I'm trying the Alli program, and I'm starting on Monday. Things have been very hectic since New Year's because there has been snow on the ground since Christmas day, and we're currently dealing with record temperatures being below freezing for almost 2 weeks straight. Here in 10 minutes, I'm heading to Fayetteville to take the second part of my teaching license testing. It's currently -3 degrees outside!! The past 2 days, the highs have been below 10 and the lows have been hovering right around zero or below. It's C-R-A-Z-Y!! We have been very lucky to keep power, but yesterday we did lose our water due to frozen pipes. Being that the weather isn't supposed to get above freezing until Monday - we probably won't have water until at least then. The weather has also caused the kids to miss their first week of school. All of the schools in the area had to close last week due to the snow, ice, and freezing temps. I guess that means I will have an extra week in the summer to myself while the kids are making up their snow days.. HA!!

Well, it's 6:05am, so I gotta run so I can be in Fayetteville by 7:30.

I Can't Believe I'm Saying This....

I actually can NOT wait for school to start!! Not for my kids, but for ME!! Not because I'm excited to get back into my academics, or be under constant stress due to assignments and projects that need to be done - no, because I'm so ready to get out of the house!!

I've said time and time again how much I love being home with my kids as much as I am. That's still true - I do love being home 5 days a week with my kids. This past week, however, I've been dealing with a sick toddler - and for anyone that has never had to deal with that, just try to imagine those times that you go out to eat or go visit a friend that has "that" child that NEVER stops crying....screeching, screaming, nails down a chalk board kind of cry. That's what it's like taking care of a sick toddler.

It started last weekend when I noticed that Jada was running a fever. She wasn't eating very much, and just wanted to be held. That part doesn't bother me at all. As much as I hate for my kids to be sick, I do love the feeling of being able to comfort them and hold them. That lasted for 2 days, and then I noticed that Jada started getting white blisters on her tongue. That was an indication to go straight to the doctors. I found out she had a viral infection - one that can't be treated with antibiotics. The only thing the doctor was able to do was give me the "good" news that it would last about 5-10 days, it was going to get worse, and be prepared for a very cranky baby because the blisters would start to pop after a few days - and that would be painful. YAY!! **INSERT SARCASM**

The next night, it started. I was up until well after midnight, trying everything in my power to console Jada. I was heartbroken because I knew she was in pain - but there was nothing I could do. I finally got her to sleep well after midnight. Then, I was up at 6am the next morning with her. During the day it wasn't so bad - but late afternoon the screaming started. It takes so much out of me when I know she's in pain, I want more than anything to help her and make her feel better, but she just cries and cries and cries.

This morning, I was woken up at 6:30 by Jada screaming. The screaming has come and gone since then - she'll be happy for a little while, and then she'll start screaming again. I'm hoping that this is the worst of it - cause once the blisters are all gone..she'll be better. I'm just so drained and tired. One plus is that I get to go out tonight with Steve. I found a great babysitter, so we're going to get out of the house for a little while. It will be nice to have some alone time, and adult conversation.

Ok, I'm done ranting - back to it. :)

Honest Scrap Blog Award

I really don't like to do stuff like this on my blog - but I thought this was kind of cute, and it helped get some attention for other bloggers out there. My friend, Jen, is an AWESOME blogger - and she gave me this great award for the efforts that I make on keeping up with my blog.

Here it is, my Honest Scrap Award:

There are rules associated with accepting this award:

1. “The Honest Scrap” award is not one to hold all to your self but it must be shared!

2. First, the recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves in their blog that no one else knows.

3. Second, the recipient has to pass along this prestigious award to 5-10 (I edited this, being that I don't follow 10 blogs) more bloggers.

4. Third, those 5-10 bloggers all have to be notified they have been given this award.

5. Those 5-10 bloggers that receive this award should link back to the blog that awarded them “The Honest Scrap’ award.

So, 10 things about myself, OK here we go:

1. When coming up with inspiration to write blogs, I imagine myself being a "big time" blogger with a deadline...somehow that always works
2. I'm a spoiled brat when it comes to my house - my husband does the majority of the cooking and cleaning
3. I'm somewhat addicted to celebrity gossip - MUST watch TMZ every nite, and quite often surf the web to see what's going on with the current celeb gossip
4. I'm an avid gay rights activist - I'm not gay, but I think that everyone should have the right to be whoever they wish to be
5. I'm very competitive - a lot of my inspiration for doing a lot of things in my life is because someone else has done it, and I want to "one up" them (that's a bad one, I know)
6. I'm a big tom boy - hardly ever get dressed up or wear make-up, and have a lot of "manly" habits..LOL
7. Even though I'm a tom boy - I do enjoy the occasional pampering, like having my nails done
8. I'm a huge procrastinator - I work best under pressure, so I often wait to the last minute to get things done
9. I spend way too much time on Facebook
10. My motivation in life is to one day have plenty of money, and live the "good life"

The blogs that I wish to pass this award on to:

• Diary of a Fat Woman - This is a bit of a cheat. This is my blog that I created for my weight-loss journey
• 344 Pounds - This is a blog about a guy that has lost over 100lbs in 26 weeks..very inspirational!
• These Are the Days of One Gemini - My friend, and such an amazing blogger - a MUST check out!! Also the person that gave me this award ;)
• Embarassed Fatty - She's on the same mission as me - to lose weight.
• All Because Two People Fell in Love - A good friend of mine, and such a sweet story of their every day lives of being a family
• Fat Girl To Fit Girl - Another weightloss blog, but very good.

I hope everyone checks these blogs out - they make for great resources, reads, and are truly inspirational. Thanks again, Jen, for the award :)

New Addition to Our Family

Yesterday, I went and picked up a new addition to our family. She is an 8 week old half lab, half Great Pyranese. She is a puppy from a litter from our ex-lab, Alana. My boss was the person who took Alana in after Jada was born, and 8 weeks ago she gave birth to 9 puppies!!

I contemplated for a long time whether or not I wanted one of the puppies. It meant house breaking another dog, training her, wondering what to do if we go away - but it was Jada that made up my mind for me. Jada absolutely LOVES dogs. She adores my silky terrier, Asia, but Asia is a spoilt rotten "momma's girl" and really doesn't give Jada the time of day. Jada tries so hard to play with Asia, and Asia will amuse her on occasion (especially if Jada has food in her hand), but not enough for Jada's liking. I thought, maybe, if we get a new puppy, Jada will have a doggy playmate that will enjoy being played with.

We went and picked her up yesterday, and Jada was SUPER excited. I picked her name which is Bella. I picked Bella for 2 reasons. One, because when Jada says "belly", she says "bella" - and Bella has a big, round belly. The other reason is I'm obsessed with the Twilight series, and I thought that Bella would be a great name to bring over from the books.

Bella did so well on her car ride home. She laid down in the back seat the whole time, and Jada thought it was great. When we got home, Bella got out of the car and peed and pooped immediately - that was great!! We brought her inside to introduce her to Asia, and that went really well. All in all, things have gone really well. I bought a big dog pen to put in the yard for if we have to leave, and I don't like to leave her in the house alone. She seems to like the pen. She's done well as far as sleeping in her crate. I only had to get up once in the middle of the night to let her out to go to the bathroom. I feel like a new mom again...LOL

So, wanted to let everyone know - and share the excitement. :)

I Need Another Vacation!! UGH!!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Of course, my life is crazy busy - isn't it always?? LOL

My weekend away with the gals was AMAZING!! Two days away wasn't near long enough. It was so great to have some adult time. We had a few drinks, went out on the boat - pure heaven!!

Yesterday, I got my hair chopped off. I prefer short hair, but Steve hates it. I've had my hair long for some time now - but I hated it. I wear it the exact same way everyday - in a messy bun, cause it's the only style that keeps me cool. So, I made a rash decision to just get it all chopped off. Now it's just below my chin. It feels lighter, I can actually do something with it now - and I think it looks great. Of course, Steve hates it -but he doesn't have to deal with my hair..so he can get over it..LOL

Things are still going well with the dieting. I'm making healthier choices, and can feel that my clothes are getting baggier. I've decided I'm not going to weigh myself until the 60 days are up - so I can see how much progress I've made through-out the whole time.

Exercise has become my "me" time. This past weekend, I went to the local walking track and walked 2 miles. It was so nice - just me, no interruptions, no kids fighting..just peace and quiet. My older two kids are really working on my last nerve with their constant fighting. I'm trying my hardest to keep them occupied, but no matter what I do - they fight CONSTANLY!!

I'm getting to the point where it's starting to stress me out. This morning, for example, I thought I'd take the opportunity while Jada was napping to work out with my Wii. Well, 5 minutes in, Brayden kicks my cup of water all over me from jumping on the couch..UGH!! I get so frustrated so easily nowadays - which isn't like me. I'm usually a really calm person, but the kids just know how to stretch me to the limit. Payton has been great with helping out with Jada, but she's just as bad when it comes to the fighting. They pick the stupidest stuff to argue over - and it just never stops. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy being able to spend time with the kids during the summer - but I'm getting to the point where I'm ready for school to start again..already! It's not like I make them stay home every day doing nothing. We go swimming, I take them places - I try my best to keep them occupied. It just doesn't do any good.

Ok, enough ranting and raving - I love my kids very much...just need to let off some steam. This stuff (writing in my blog) helps a lot...I feel much better already. Ok, back to it..blah!!