My husband and I often lament over the fact that time goes too fast and that our boys are getting big so quickly. I know this is universal. We did realize that unless we were actually doing more outside the home that when we looked back on the years, we would see a bunch of wasted time. We do tend to be home-bodies, but we are trying to change that.
We have now made a few additions to our schedule: our older son is now in Cub Scouts and the younger one is eager to join in 6 months when he'll be old enough, the boys are in weekly swim lessons, we have gone rock-climbing, and we have gone swimming on the weekends. So far, we have been out of the house a lot more. There are days/nights that we just want to stay home, but once we get out, we have been happy that we went. It's the old adage of a body in motion stays in motion.
I hope we are able to keep up the momentum as it gets colder and more challenging to leave the house after a long day. I know the boys really enjoy it and we are spending a lot more family time together instead of in the house all doing our own thing. It's actually how I always envisioned my family would be. I'm just so happy that we're making it happen!
S-)
Now it's your turn. What is your Bright Side? Have you had family resistance to leaving the house and then all being happy you did?
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Weird Word wednesday - Recrudescence
Today's weird word is Recrudescence. I enjoy taking the Merriam-Webster quizzes to assess my vocabulary skills. This word appeared and I have never ever heard of it before.
re·cru·des·cence
noun \-ˈde-sən(t)s\Definition of RECRUDESCENCE
: a new outbreak after a period of abatement or inactivity : renewal <a recrudescence of the symptoms> <a recrudescence of guerrilla warfare>
The weeks following Christmas, my boys just want to be home and playing with their new things. Unfortunately, a recrudescence of requests and desire to go somewhere else and DO something occurs soon after.
My husband promised not to go gambling, but after a period of 6 months there was a recrudescence.
S-)
My husband promised not to go gambling, but after a period of 6 months there was a recrudescence.
S-)
Friday, October 21, 2011
Bright Side Friday! I'm Not Cool and I'm Cool With That
I'm not cool. Ask anyone, really. I don't think I fit the terms geek, nerd or square, but I am a little of each of those. I'm also creative, smart, inventive, and many other great qualities, but cool just doesn't describe me.
Before you start trying to tell me otherwise, let me assure you, I'm O.K. with it. I've been this way all of my life. Back in high school, while the kids were having booze and pot parties, I was mostly oblivious to it. I was never invited to one of those parties, which made me feel a little like an outsider. But when I thought about it, "would I really want to have been there?" I knew my answer was no. It was like I was past that without ever having to had gone through it. Let me assure you, I'm no saint. I did my share of drinking in college, but I never regretted not being included to those parties in high school.
When other girls would be referred to as sexy or hot, I'd be referred to as cute, sweet, and apple pie faced. I looked like the innocent girl next door, and that suits me just fine too.
The reason I'm even explaining all of this to you is because of something that happened recently. A cool rocker friend of mine, I will call her Roxy for the sake of simplicity, and I went out. We met up with a rocker dude, let's call him Joe, that we knew from high school MANY years ago and hadn't seen since then. Well Roxy, Joe and I all had a fun time but I was SO aware of my uncool status in the situation. Roxy and Joe went back and forth about bands and singers and guitar players and songs. It was like they were speaking a foreign language. I had absolutely nothing to add, but I was still glad to be there. I could tell that Roxy and Joe clicked, not in a romance sort of way, but they just "got" each other.
Well, Joe went back home to another state. Time passed and Joe would contact me to talk about a business venture we have. He would tell me about his problems. I became part of his support system and cheering section.
Yesterday, I got a message from Roxy. Knowing that we were working on a project together, she finally needed to tell me something about Joe. She told me that Joe had been texting her since we met up. Telling her that he misses her, etc. She too tried to be supportive and told him about his nice qualities, but a relationship between them would never work. He then proceeded to send her a photo of his man part. WHAT???? Roxy's husband was understandably upset and told off Joe. Joe then tried to bribe Roxy by telling her he could get her tickets and special back stage passes for a certain concert she wants to go to IF she sends him photos of her upper and lower woman parts!!!! He followed that up with 3 more photos of him holding his man part. SERIOUSLY????
And then it totally hit me. I'M NOT COOL!!!!!! =) I didn't get dragged into such disgusting behavior because I'm not cool. Joe thought that he might have a chance with my cool rocker girlfriend, but he kept all of our conversations to business and strictly friend like. Did Roxy deserve it? NO! But being uncool, saved me from even having to deal with it. When I think back, there are SO many other things that I never had to deal with because I'm not cool. All of the situations I didn't get involved with in high school, and now via Facebook, I have found out things I missed in junior high too. Why did it take me until NOW to realize how great being uncool is? I am embracing my uncool status with renewed appreciation.
=J
Are you uncool too? Have you been treated differently because of how you're perceived?
Before you start trying to tell me otherwise, let me assure you, I'm O.K. with it. I've been this way all of my life. Back in high school, while the kids were having booze and pot parties, I was mostly oblivious to it. I was never invited to one of those parties, which made me feel a little like an outsider. But when I thought about it, "would I really want to have been there?" I knew my answer was no. It was like I was past that without ever having to had gone through it. Let me assure you, I'm no saint. I did my share of drinking in college, but I never regretted not being included to those parties in high school.
When other girls would be referred to as sexy or hot, I'd be referred to as cute, sweet, and apple pie faced. I looked like the innocent girl next door, and that suits me just fine too.
The reason I'm even explaining all of this to you is because of something that happened recently. A cool rocker friend of mine, I will call her Roxy for the sake of simplicity, and I went out. We met up with a rocker dude, let's call him Joe, that we knew from high school MANY years ago and hadn't seen since then. Well Roxy, Joe and I all had a fun time but I was SO aware of my uncool status in the situation. Roxy and Joe went back and forth about bands and singers and guitar players and songs. It was like they were speaking a foreign language. I had absolutely nothing to add, but I was still glad to be there. I could tell that Roxy and Joe clicked, not in a romance sort of way, but they just "got" each other.
Well, Joe went back home to another state. Time passed and Joe would contact me to talk about a business venture we have. He would tell me about his problems. I became part of his support system and cheering section.
Yesterday, I got a message from Roxy. Knowing that we were working on a project together, she finally needed to tell me something about Joe. She told me that Joe had been texting her since we met up. Telling her that he misses her, etc. She too tried to be supportive and told him about his nice qualities, but a relationship between them would never work. He then proceeded to send her a photo of his man part. WHAT???? Roxy's husband was understandably upset and told off Joe. Joe then tried to bribe Roxy by telling her he could get her tickets and special back stage passes for a certain concert she wants to go to IF she sends him photos of her upper and lower woman parts!!!! He followed that up with 3 more photos of him holding his man part. SERIOUSLY????
And then it totally hit me. I'M NOT COOL!!!!!! =) I didn't get dragged into such disgusting behavior because I'm not cool. Joe thought that he might have a chance with my cool rocker girlfriend, but he kept all of our conversations to business and strictly friend like. Did Roxy deserve it? NO! But being uncool, saved me from even having to deal with it. When I think back, there are SO many other things that I never had to deal with because I'm not cool. All of the situations I didn't get involved with in high school, and now via Facebook, I have found out things I missed in junior high too. Why did it take me until NOW to realize how great being uncool is? I am embracing my uncool status with renewed appreciation.
=J
Are you uncool too? Have you been treated differently because of how you're perceived?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Weird Word Wednesday: Penultimate
Today's weird word is Penultimate. It means second to last. I'm not sure how I would actually apply this word to my day. I guess I could threaten my kids with an extra warning before the final warning. As in "this is the penultimate time I'm going to tell you!" Or, if my kids ask me what place their team came in, I can make it sound better by saying "you came in the penultimate place!" Other than that, I can't really think of practical times it would come in handy.
Would anyone ever tell their spouse that the person they dated before them was their penultimate date? If you wanted the person in charge of the TV remote to go to the previous channel, would you ask them to go back to the penultimate one? They probably wouldn't understand what you were asking and you'd wind up missing it by the time you finished explaining all of it.
Readers, please help me find a natural way of using penultimate. I have new knowledge and I want to use it! =)
pe·nul·ti·mate (p
-n
l
t
-mt)
=J
p.s. Don't forget! If you tweet or send us an idea for a Weird Word Wednesday word and we use it, we will give you credit in our post!
Would anyone ever tell their spouse that the person they dated before them was their penultimate date? If you wanted the person in charge of the TV remote to go to the previous channel, would you ask them to go back to the penultimate one? They probably wouldn't understand what you were asking and you'd wind up missing it by the time you finished explaining all of it.
Readers, please help me find a natural way of using penultimate. I have new knowledge and I want to use it! =)
pe·nul·ti·mate (p
-nlt-mt)adj.
1. Next to last.
2. Linguistics Of or relating to the penult of a word: penultimate stress.
=J
p.s. Don't forget! If you tweet or send us an idea for a Weird Word Wednesday word and we use it, we will give you credit in our post!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday Vent - Please Make A Volunteer's Life Easier
I'm a volunteer. I do it because I think it is the right thing to do. I do it because so many things count on volunteers to get it done. No one makes me volunteer, but admittedly when asked, I have a hard time saying "no".
For the most part, I enjoy volunteering. But it'd be a lie if I said it's always wonderful. Here are a few reasons why, and if you see yourself as one of THESE people, please try not to be. I know you are not doing it on purpose, but please, before I burn out from frustration, I beg of you, STOP.
1. When writing a check: Please SIGN your check. Please also make sure it is written out to the right organization name, not close, not a guess, but the actual organization name. Oh, and please make sure you have added correctly and the check is written for the right amount.
2. When passing along information to me, please make sure it is accurate. I was 30 minutes late on Saturday because I read your e-mail and thought you knew what you were talking about. It was NOT a fun feeling. Apparently, I was the ONLY one who read your e-mail. I felt like an idiot.
3. When filling out a form, FILL IT OUT. If it asks for a size, include it. If it asks for a grade or teacher's name, include that too. Oh, and please DON"T ASK me what size I think you should get or leave a lengthy explanation on the form's margins of why you chose that size or if I think you should change it. Who knows your child's size better than you? Just pick one!
4. If you say you are going to help. Please follow through. If you're not going to help, no biggie! It's worse for you to tell me you are going to help and then don't, then just telling me you're not going to help. If you tell me you're not helping, then I can account for it, I can work around it and I'm not surprised at the 11th hour that it's not done.
5. If you need me to do something for you, give me a chance to do it. "Tomorrow" is not a deadline I like to hear. If I have made it CLEAR that I need a 1 week notice for that task. PLEASE take it seriously!
6. Remember that I'm a VOLUNTEER. I am not paid to do any of this. I take time out of my busy schedule of work and home and kids and homework to do this. I am not sitting around waiting to do these things. I squeeze it between things, after the kids go to bed and before they wake up in the morning. You forgetting to complete a form or fill out your check properly means I have to contact you. Unfortunately, you aren't the only one who did that, so you are just one of MANY I have to contact. Then I have to contact again, when you don't follow through in helping me to rectify the situation. All of this just causes extra work for me and drains my time away from other things.
So in conclusion, thank you for the support of the many volunteer things that I am involved in. I do truly appreciate it. Just please, take the time to consider the volunteers the next time you participate.
=J
Do you get frustrated as a volunteer? I feel guilty for admitting I do, do you?
For the most part, I enjoy volunteering. But it'd be a lie if I said it's always wonderful. Here are a few reasons why, and if you see yourself as one of THESE people, please try not to be. I know you are not doing it on purpose, but please, before I burn out from frustration, I beg of you, STOP.
1. When writing a check: Please SIGN your check. Please also make sure it is written out to the right organization name, not close, not a guess, but the actual organization name. Oh, and please make sure you have added correctly and the check is written for the right amount.
2. When passing along information to me, please make sure it is accurate. I was 30 minutes late on Saturday because I read your e-mail and thought you knew what you were talking about. It was NOT a fun feeling. Apparently, I was the ONLY one who read your e-mail. I felt like an idiot.
3. When filling out a form, FILL IT OUT. If it asks for a size, include it. If it asks for a grade or teacher's name, include that too. Oh, and please DON"T ASK me what size I think you should get or leave a lengthy explanation on the form's margins of why you chose that size or if I think you should change it. Who knows your child's size better than you? Just pick one!
4. If you say you are going to help. Please follow through. If you're not going to help, no biggie! It's worse for you to tell me you are going to help and then don't, then just telling me you're not going to help. If you tell me you're not helping, then I can account for it, I can work around it and I'm not surprised at the 11th hour that it's not done.
5. If you need me to do something for you, give me a chance to do it. "Tomorrow" is not a deadline I like to hear. If I have made it CLEAR that I need a 1 week notice for that task. PLEASE take it seriously!
6. Remember that I'm a VOLUNTEER. I am not paid to do any of this. I take time out of my busy schedule of work and home and kids and homework to do this. I am not sitting around waiting to do these things. I squeeze it between things, after the kids go to bed and before they wake up in the morning. You forgetting to complete a form or fill out your check properly means I have to contact you. Unfortunately, you aren't the only one who did that, so you are just one of MANY I have to contact. Then I have to contact again, when you don't follow through in helping me to rectify the situation. All of this just causes extra work for me and drains my time away from other things.
So in conclusion, thank you for the support of the many volunteer things that I am involved in. I do truly appreciate it. Just please, take the time to consider the volunteers the next time you participate.
=J
Do you get frustrated as a volunteer? I feel guilty for admitting I do, do you?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Weird Word Wednesday - Vociferous
VOCIFEROUS
Today's Weird Word is Vociferous! It basically means an intense reaction. I would use it in the same place I would use the word vehement. And you know with how much I use my fancy talk, I use that word ALL of the time too. =) For some reason, I'm actually excited that I now have an alternate for vehement. Now if I can just remember to say vociferous and not turn it into something like velociraptor-saurus.
vo·cif·er·ous adj \vō-ˈsi-f(ə-)rəs\
Definition of VOCIFEROUS
: marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry
— vo·cif·er·ous·ly adverb
— vo·cif·er·ous·ness noun
Examples of VOCIFEROUS
- He is her most vociferous critic.
- He was vociferous in his support of the proposal.
- The decision was made over their vociferous objections.
Thank you to Celina Murphy at http://www.winecheeseandbabies.blogspot.com for Tweeting me the suggestion. If you have a weird word, let me know and if I use it, you'll get the credit!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Monday Vent - Following Through On My To Do's
I am one of those people who make lists all the time to help prioritize my time and energy. I always put the one thing that I know I need to accomplish at the top. I tell myself that I will be content if only this one thing is completed. I then follow up with other things that would make me happy to have done, but don't need to happen immediately. Unfortunately, while cleaning out my closet this weekend I came across a list I created over 1 1/2 years ago (I tend to date the lists. I'm weird that way). Anyhow, this was a financial goals list. Right at the top was "start a college savings plan for each of my children" and "rollover my 401k from a previous job". I have not done these. The other goals were related to paying off a few items and adding to our savings. Thankfully, those were completed. But, I am struck by how I can put off something that is so crucially important to mine and my children's future. All because I'm unsure of my next step. I need to get this done for me and my boys and to provide some relief to my brain which nags me relentlessly. So, here I am, putting out to my girlfriends that I will complete these two tasks by the end of the month.
Wish me luck!
S-)
What's your challenge for yourself? Share it here with your girlfriends!
Wish me luck!
S-)
What's your challenge for yourself? Share it here with your girlfriends!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Bright Side Friday! Small Victories
My Bright Side Friday has to do with small victories. My son has struggled with speech/language/reading/ phonological issues ever since I can remember. I am thankful that we live in a great school district that has been able to provide him services, because we never would have been able to afford all of the work they have done with him.
Even so, over the years, there has been SO much frustration on his part and in turn, on mine. He is a very smart boy with a road block. If I'd ask him the question, he could answer it right away. If I made him read the question, he couldn't even begin to figure out what is being asked. His teachers would say "He's a hard worker, but he's a slow worker". I finally realized it was because he spent most of his time trying to figure out what the words on the page were asking him to do.
This poor kid, who knows the answers, but gets them wrong because he doesn't understand the written question. Frustrating results time and time again. Spelling words made no sense to him. He memorized the letters as a picture or pattern. Sounding them out did him no good. He wasn't even capable of doing so. Every reading assignment a struggle. Every vocabulary lesson just torture. And now, that he is older, it has impacted ALL subjects. How can he describe facts about his Social Studies chapter, when there were so many new words in there, he was trying to figure it all out by context?
My heart wells up with pride for my son. This loving child with a hard head. Who could easily have given up long ago, yet for some reason doesn't. For all of the times he has felt defeated and frustrated, for all of the times homework has ended with one or both of us yelling or in tears, for all of the A+ papers his older brother has achieved with seemingly little effort, for all of the hours I have sat by his side and read his book to him so that it didn't take him hours to get through the chapter just to answer 4 questions on a work sheet, for all of the recesses and fun classes he has had to miss to get assistance, he never gave up.
And yesterday, as I sat at work, thinking about a million other worries, I got a call from one of his aides. My heart fluttered at the thoughts in my head. Would this be a call with good things or bad things? Is he struggling or worse yet, are they dropping him from the program? She was full of compliments about my son "kind, caring, loving, helpful, well liked" and compliments for me too on my part in how he has developed all of these wonderful traits. It made me feel good knowing that she REALLY cared about my son and his success. She then proudly told me that my son had exceeded his benchmarks for the time frame and she would only need to see him 2 times per week instead of 4. She felt confident that he had secured enough skills to build on moving forward.
In the past, I have had to be his advocate and fight for evaluations and services when I knew something was not right and he was slipping through the cracks. But this time, the news didn't hit me like a ton of bricks, it made me happy. Homework time has gotten SO much better. It is a little easier for him to understand. He has fewer questions and fewer melt downs. His road block is finally getting smaller and he can see over it now.
I am so thankful for small victories. What's yours?
=J
Even so, over the years, there has been SO much frustration on his part and in turn, on mine. He is a very smart boy with a road block. If I'd ask him the question, he could answer it right away. If I made him read the question, he couldn't even begin to figure out what is being asked. His teachers would say "He's a hard worker, but he's a slow worker". I finally realized it was because he spent most of his time trying to figure out what the words on the page were asking him to do.
This poor kid, who knows the answers, but gets them wrong because he doesn't understand the written question. Frustrating results time and time again. Spelling words made no sense to him. He memorized the letters as a picture or pattern. Sounding them out did him no good. He wasn't even capable of doing so. Every reading assignment a struggle. Every vocabulary lesson just torture. And now, that he is older, it has impacted ALL subjects. How can he describe facts about his Social Studies chapter, when there were so many new words in there, he was trying to figure it all out by context?
My heart wells up with pride for my son. This loving child with a hard head. Who could easily have given up long ago, yet for some reason doesn't. For all of the times he has felt defeated and frustrated, for all of the times homework has ended with one or both of us yelling or in tears, for all of the A+ papers his older brother has achieved with seemingly little effort, for all of the hours I have sat by his side and read his book to him so that it didn't take him hours to get through the chapter just to answer 4 questions on a work sheet, for all of the recesses and fun classes he has had to miss to get assistance, he never gave up.
And yesterday, as I sat at work, thinking about a million other worries, I got a call from one of his aides. My heart fluttered at the thoughts in my head. Would this be a call with good things or bad things? Is he struggling or worse yet, are they dropping him from the program? She was full of compliments about my son "kind, caring, loving, helpful, well liked" and compliments for me too on my part in how he has developed all of these wonderful traits. It made me feel good knowing that she REALLY cared about my son and his success. She then proudly told me that my son had exceeded his benchmarks for the time frame and she would only need to see him 2 times per week instead of 4. She felt confident that he had secured enough skills to build on moving forward.
In the past, I have had to be his advocate and fight for evaluations and services when I knew something was not right and he was slipping through the cracks. But this time, the news didn't hit me like a ton of bricks, it made me happy. Homework time has gotten SO much better. It is a little easier for him to understand. He has fewer questions and fewer melt downs. His road block is finally getting smaller and he can see over it now.
I am so thankful for small victories. What's yours?
=J
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Weird Word Wednesday - Abnormous
ABNORMOUS!
I LOVE the word abnormous. These are the reasons why:
- It's a REAL word, but spell check thinks it's not.
- It is the base word of abnormously.
- It's a perfectly good word, that no one uses.
- It means abnormal.
- It's fun to say!
- It sounds like a made up word, like ginormous.
ab·nor·mous
adj \(ˈ)ab¦nȯrməs, -ȯ(ə)m- also əbˈ-\Definition of ABNORMOUS
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abnormous
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