4 is Fabulous

Earth Muffin tagged me to do this one and I am finally child-free at the moment!

Four places I go over and over again:

1) To my not so super sitter's house. She is nice and all but I use cloth diapers and she said she would not have a problem with using them, except she sends home poop in the diapers, yeah she does not even rinse or wipe them out.
2) To my MIL's they live right down the street and are very handy when I need a sitter, plus they have office supplies that I might need. And Aunt KiKi lives there too!
3) Cherry's IGA, because it is the closest grocery store within a 5 mile radius
4) Target, because I too hate Wal-Mart and I never go to K-Mart

Four people who mail me regularly:

1) My friend Billie in Alaska, it is always forwards though
2) The Splendid Table Weeknight Kitchen, loads of great recipes
3) Free Cycle.org
4) My BIL with the Mia Royer Newsletter

Four of my favorite places to eat, (apart from home):

1) IMO's Pizza, not another Pizza like it around here. It is a true St. Louis style pizza with thin crust and provel cheese
2) Taste of Thai, my favorite place to eat Thai
3) Darcy's Pint, great home-made chips and cold beer
4) Red Lobster, I know cheesy answer but I am craving it right now!

Four places I'd rather be now:

1) at a job interview?? I need a job so having an interview would be great
2) out with the Anti-Hippie ALONE!!
3) at the movies
4) out with my Girlie Girls!

Four favorite TV shows:

1) ER, I've watched this since the very first episode. I am with Earth Muffin on this one, I love ER and I am already sad it is almost over.
2) LOST, it starts in three weeks cannot wait
3) Criminal Minds, because I love Mathew Gubler's character and some of the shows just creep me out!
4) Arrested Development, very smart but it got canceled :(

Four movies I could watch over and over again:

1) Princess Bride, what a great movie and book
2) Almost Famous, Earth Muffin turned me on to this movie!!
3) Office Space, because everyone's had a job they hate as much as Peter hates that job. The Anti Hippie can recite this movie verbatim.
4) Gone With the Wind, because I sit down every year and spend hours watching this movie!!
and if I could get a #5 up there it would be Ferris Bueller's Day Off just because it was one of my favorites for a long time
Four people I'm tagging:

1. ?????
2. ?????
3. Help me out here!
4. Anyone, anyone??

Christmas Predicament

My eldest son Eddy, is at that age where I think he has a sneaking suspicion that there is not really a Santa Claus. You know, the one who brings the gifts? Where upon lies my predicament. Do I tell him or not? Do I let him become Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and help us put out the presents? Do I really want to open that can of worms with my tell-all-to-anyone-number-one-son'?
He has a big mouth and his very opinionated. I never actually ever remember being told there was not a Santa Claus, up into my late-late teens my parents still went to great lengths to make it seem like there was really a Santa Claus. I think I figured it out when I was Eddy's age, but part of me wanted to believe, part of me still wants to believe. If I do not put out the gifts will there magically be some gifts there in the morning?
I want my children to stay children for as long as possible, because as you readers know it is a cruel-cruel world out there, and reality really does SUCK. I know he will not stay young forever, but I still want Christmas to be magical for Eddy.
I was thinking that this year because we actually have a fire place, that I would even leave ashy foot prints around the fire place. Those of you who know Eddy know what a blabber mouth he is, I think I will try and keep this one under wraps for one more year.

December Ramblings

I cannot believe that Christmas is in less than one week! Where did 2008 go? Oh yeah I forgot, we had our house on the market and then it sold, I was working on my Master's degree, I had just had a baby, anything else?
Well, I have not been blogging much lately because I have been a hell-uv-alot busy these days. Even though I am not currently employed BES has called me to sub 5 out of the past 10 school days, I repainted the dinning room, I finished painting Gnat's room, I baked some cookies, I went shopping for Santa, and I am trying to keep this house in order. So, those things do not allow me much time for blogging.
I just want to rant for a moment about how I hate the Holidays, no not all of it just some of it. I, unlike my BFF, love Christmas music, I know all the classic carols and sing along when they come on the radio, I love decorating for Christmas, and if you all check your mail soon you'll see the hand-made card just from our family to yours. The things I hate are obvious, I hate spending money on 'stuff', I hate shopping in general so to actually go out and purchase unnecessary 'stuff' for other people just ticks me off, I hate crowds they make me crabby, and did I mention that I really hate shopping?
Anyway check your mail, I really do wish all three of my readers a very happy and healthy holiday season. Please stop by if you are in the neighborhood and have a beer with us, we would love to show off my new paint jobs!!

Happy Belated Birthday Eddy

Summer 2008

Winter circa 2000

Eddy you are the biggest pain in my butt, but you changed my life forever that night you arrived 10 years ago. I love you and hope you grow up to be a strong man! Thank you for coming into my life and for making me see that there is more than one way to skin a cat!!

Love, Mom

WTF Wednesday

WTF Parents at my son's Christmas program last night? Did you not hear the principal announce that you needed to be quiet while the students other than your own were singing. SHUT THE FUCK UP PEOPLE!!! Come on I know Little Suzie Q looked so sweet in her little Christmas dress, but did you have to get up 20 times to take her picture? I also know that when big kids sing, it is boring, but that was my big kid who was up there while you were talking on your cell phone and while your kids were running and screaming in the lobby. Did you not think that they have been practicing this since before Halloween, and that you might want to encourage the freaking arts?

WTF Teacher? No not my cooperating teacher but her BFF, I cannot stand her. She wants to be the center of attention but really no one cares. So to you SHUT UP!!! Also Ms. Music Teacher, who needs to get laid, quit smacking your food in my ear at lunch, or move to another table.

WTF Family? It is the holiday season not a competition for you to go out and buy, or better yet for you to ask for big ticket items. You know who you are! They asked for a Barbie Jeep for their baby who is younger than Gnat, and who is not even walking yet?? WTF

WTF Weather? Just snow enough to get school canceled, this icy road shit has got to go. Either let it rip and send us a blizzard or just stop!

FINALLY!!!!

This week marks the end of a very long journey, I will finish my student teaching on Friday and will graduate with a Master's Degree in Education. This journey started over 13 years ago when I initially graduated from high school with hopes of becoming a teacher. I attended a private college near the town where we lived until I could no longer afford to pay their tuition. I completed most of my general studies at that private college, when it came time to transfer to a state university I found that few if any of my credits actually transferred over, which was the universities way of saying that they wanted more of my money. Needless to say, I flunked out my third year of college because I was just tired of the bureaucracy. I wanted more in my life, I needed direction. So I left.

I really ran away to Alaska. I wanted to see the world, I wanted to have an adventure, I wanted. I was naive and I trusted people and humanity too much, and I ended up pregnant and on welfare. Ten years ago next week I gave birth to my son, Eddy and my life changed forever. I needed a good paying job with benefits and I needed to get my life back together, not only for me but for this life I had just brought into the world. I came back home. I drug my no good lousy sperm donor, two dogs, and a baby back and tried to get it in order. That lasted for about a year, when I became tired of his abuse, and I left with only the baby and the truck.

Meanwhile I had started back to college albeit one night a week, but I was a trooper I went to class faithfully every week. I moved in with my parents and they assumed child care on those nights when I had class, I had also secured a job as a personal care teacher assistant for three disabled children in a local school district. I trudged on, I worked as an aide full time during the week and on the weekends I bar tended and waitressed my way through bills and tuition. In 2002 I graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology. PSYCHOLOGY, yeah you thought I went for the teacher degree right then and there huh? Well nope, I was too proud to quit my job with full benefits and an actual income to fulfill the requirements for the teacher degree, which included quitting the said job and going back on welfare.

Well then again I found myself STUCK, I was a really good aide, but I hated my job. I hated being bossed around and found myself seeking another way out. So I started working on an associates degree in Fire Science because at that time in my life I needed more adventure and what better way to quench that need than to become a Firefighter. I broke many barriers in my pursuit of the Fire Science Degree, I was the first woman in the program to complete Fire Fighter I and II. I was the only woman in the class, and that in itself was exhilarating.

Meanwhile I joined a local fire department where I was treated as an equal and where I would later meet the Anti-Hippie. The summer after the Anti Hippie and I were married he encouraged me to get a degree that would make me happy and one that would allow me to get a job that I would be happy with. So I did, I started in the summer of 2006 and here it is a little over 2 years later and I am graduating with a degree that I am proud of and that I initially started out pursuing oh so many years ago. Well, my student teaching was one of the best things that I ever did, and I can honestly tell you I put my heart and soul into my class, my lesson plans, and my teaching. I have never worked so hard in my entire life as I have these past 4 months, and I did not even get paid for this! I am proud of myself. I am also proud of my family for supporting me over the past decade with all my career changes and wild adventures!