What to do in your spare time...

So, I work full-time. I cook, I tend to the kiddos, I do my church stuff. Church has actually picked up since I became co-chair of the partying. I do a lot at church, trying to make up for 37 years of sinning, I guess. I also volunteer for the Red Cross one day a month, though I haven't had a call in a long while. So, how do I decide to spend my free time? I apply and get accepted to grad school. I know, you are thinking , "Grad school at your age?!?!?!" Yes, grad school at my age. I do have to take one teeny little exam, called the GRE, to finalize my acceptance. I have been studying for it quite a bit and have come to realize that there are a whole lot of words that I have never heard of. I am almost positive half the words on my practice exams are fake. So, I am going to have to work hard to get a good score on a fake test. I won't even get started on all the math I have apparently forgotten over the years. However, if I do well enough (and I anticipate at least squeaking by), I will start school in August. I am going for my master's in public health. Exciting, huh? I think so. I will have to trim areas where I am spending too much of my spare time, like during sleeping or eating. The good news is that it is a night program, so I can keep my full-time job. If you see me asleep at my computer, just poke me!

Whistle while you work

I was driving down the road last week whistling to a song on the radio and Will started to giggle. I asked him if he could whistle too and he can! I am constantly amazed at how quickly kids learn new things. So he has been whistling all week and he does it quite well, if I do say so myself. Maybe he is going to follow in daddy's musical footsteps?

The fun is over

I forgot to mention this to all my J K Rowling friends, but I finally finished the Harry Potter series. When last I discussed the Half-Blood Prince, I mentioned my extreme dislike for the author and her choice of story paths. I must say, I am still a bit irritated, but all-in-all, I am happy with the way things turned out. I am not happy that she has decided to quit writing them. For that, she will always be on my "list".
BTW, for those who have never read the books, I picked the first one up after a few Harry Potter pushers insisted. I read the full series in about a year and a half. That was a great way to do it! So, pick the first one up, I promise you won't be sorry! Well, you might get mad, but you won't be sorry.

Office mate

I admit that I have quirks. Yes, I do. If you know me, then you know that I hate cotton balls or cotton pads. They are just so creepy feeling. Stop laughing! Q-Tips are just as creepy. Seriously, stop laughing, I am pouring out my heart! Another thing that will send me running is a wasp or bee, or any other family member relating to them. Don't like them. I am pretty sure they have me targeting, so I know the feeling is mutual. Other than bees, I don't feel I am too "girlie". I don't like to squish bugs, so various insects found in the house are usually safely released in the wild if possible, unless my hubby sees them first. Spiders and beetles get placed in the front yard. I even found a house centipede (the little guy to the top-right) that I set free. I definitely draw the line at roaches though. I can't stand them! Well, I was walking out of my office today and stepped right over a giant one coming out from under my desk! Who knows how long he was climbing the mountains of my shoes or sliding down my pants leg?!?!? Ewwwwwww! Before I set the gal across the hall on him, I did make sure he wasn't tagged nor was he wearing a badge. Definitely not from an experiment or an employee, though he was big enough for an experiment! So, maintenance has been notified that I am not willing to share my office. After the incident, I learned another girl had found one last week in my office (which seconds as the copy room). No, I don't store open food in my office. As of today, I no longer store closed food either. All sodas will be bottles that can close!I will tell you that my choice of beef stroganoff with button mushroom slices was the wrong choice for lunch. All those mushrooms looked like friends of my office mate after awhile. Now I am completely and sufficiently freaked out.

How to make a 15-hour car ride worse...

Now, I realize I am blogging backwards. I should start with the beginning of my vacation. However, I know there are several followers of this blog that would delight in hearing my tale of woe. Monique, you may want to turn back now!

So, if driving for fifteen hours in a car with a hubby and three kids isn't bad enough, the animals have to get in on the fun. We were about four or five hours in to our trip from Jacksonville to Virginia. We stopped at some armpit of Georgia or it may have been South Carolina. The rest of the crew head in to a gas station to answer nature's call. I sat in the car listing to yet another round of "Everybody's Got a Water Buffalo" from the 3-year-old's Veggie Tales DVD. The pack comes out of the gas station and I decide I need some Advil from the bag located in the very back of the van. I climb out, fries and chip pieces falling to the ground in the process. I go to the back, open the hatch, rifle through assorted crap until I find my much-needed bottle. I take two out and head back to my seat. The oldest daughter is leaning in the passenger-side door, so I wait to get in. I feel something slam into the left side of my head. I notice a very large cricket thing on the inside of my door and pray that what hit my head was only a cow-devouring locust. No such luck. My dear daughter confirms that the bogey was indeed a large pellet of bird poo.

Now, in my 38 years I have never been pelted by the stuff, so I do count myself rather fortunate. Also, I consider it as taking a bullet for the teenager. If I had not been standing in that spot, it would have hit her square in the back. So, there I am with the grossest slimy stuff (There's Something About Mary had NOTHING on me today) dripping out of my hair. The hubby grabs some baby wipes and proceeds to pull "the chunks" out as best he can. I am so very thankful I can not see exactly what he pulled out, let me tell you. After the major stuff is removed, I go into the gas station rest room and use the ONE DROP of hand soap left in the dispenser and wash the section of hair.

The bathroom there was almost worse than the bird poo. I make the hubby drive a few miles to a cleaner gas station. I get the travel shampoo out of the overnight bag and proceed to wash the left side of my head in the faucet of the sink. I blew it partially dry under the hand dryer. I was only laughed at once.

Of course the minute I got home (at midnight), I took a proper shower and washed my hair twice. Yeah, being pooed on by a bird definitely makes a fifteen-hour drive way worse.

The children are nestled, all snug in their beds...

Whew, Christmas eve is drawing to a close. If I didn't buy it by now, they aren't getting it! I does look like I have bought one of EVERYTHING though.

We went to the 8 pm service this evening. It was beautiful. Will spent the time in the nursery. He is not yet able to use a church voice, so he has to hang out with the other little ones. Tonight he had two college girls working in the nursery and he had them wrapped around his finger. I went to pick him up and he said, "Mommy! I don't want you yet!" Sigh...the college girls are already getting his attention. I am in TROUBLE!

After church we set out cookies and milk, then put some reindeer food on the front lawn. Of course we have to feed them while Santa is busy, right?

I finished all my wrapping last night. This is the first time I can remember where I wasn't wrapping well into Christmas morning! I have prepared a fabulous french toast casserole. It is going to be delicious! Thanks for the recipe Tara :) Breakfast will be the casserole, eggs, corned beef hash, and bacon. Yum! Lunch is finger food type stuff Dinner is ham with all the fixings, including Chris's fab pineapple bake. If nothing else, the October board is good for those who like food! Yes, you all are invited.

Traditions states that we open stockings before breakfast. Then we eat, mommy and daddy doing so purposefully slow to torture the kids. Hey, why else have them?!?!?! After breakfast is done and the dishes are in the dishwasher, it will be time for the main event. After twenty minutes of frenzied unwrapping of the gifts which I have painstakingly wrapped over the past week or so, let the Christmas let-down begin! I am sure to hear about the various toys that I failed to purchase and how awesome Santa is. He always seems to know exactly what to bring, yet mommy is unaware of what the heart truly desires. Thanks for stealing the thunder, big guy.

After the present battle will be a bit of movie watching, today is The Dark Knight. We would prefer to head to the theater, but to go to the movies requires taking out a loan these days. Besides the rip-off of the babysitter (yeah, Emily charges a TON), there is the $10 coke and $12 popcorn. I could afford the movies if I did not have kids. I keep trying to remind myself that I am getting the better deal.

So, I am off to bed, though my evening is far from over. I will have to put toothpicks in my eyes to keep myself awake. I have decided this is the year I will catch Santa in the act!

Many blessings to my beautiful friends this holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Giving in to peer pressure

So, it seems the British still have bit of control over us Yanks. I am writing at the initially polite, followed by insistent, ending with down-right demand of one of my favorite English ladies.

I have decided to give in to peer pressure. It started with one surfer's wife and the aforementioned Brit. It blossomed into me being one of the last holdouts in the blogging world. Was I missing something? It seems like everyone is doing it. I guess i will find out how addicting it actually is. At least it is legal, right?

So, what do people talk about? Should I tell you all about my very beautiful children? No, I am not biased, that is just a fact. Should I tell the world about the wonderful (and rather pervy) friends I have? Eventually the husband will discover the blog, so I probably ought to speak well of him?

I guess I will figure it out, at least once I get into the habit of blogging regularly. I am guessing my friends will not let me go too long without an update. At least one will have a red pen for corrections, I am sure. Hmmm, this might be a bit fun.