S Club Mama

A few of my friends have been posting these on blogs & Facebook. I thought I'd partake. 1. The lowest final grade I've ever received is a B. 2. I mark grammatical mistakes when I see them in any written material. 3. I am not a confrontational person. 4. I've kept a journal since about 4th grade. 5. I have a special journal specifically for book ideas. 6. I want to home school my kids. 7. I cannot STAND when people are fake. 8. Books about the Titanic and the Holocaust fascinate me. 9. I love old musicals (and new ones, too). 10. My favorite verse is Psalm 56:3, which I first read in the Mandie series books. 11. I would love to make a career out of scrapbooking. 12. My favorite drink is Sunny D. 13. My husband is the best baker ever! 14. I've only been married 2 1/2 years, but it feels like I've known Big A forever. 15. Moose has a fascination with my stomach - always has. 16. I have a love/hate relationship with being pregnant. 17. I want to have the 50s lifesty

I think, for me, the hardest part (so far) about living here is that I just don't feel at home. I've always felt at home. Of course, growing up, we lived in one house that I remember so that has always been home. My college felt completely like home, I never felt homesick there. Our first apartment still felt like home at the college. Our second apartment felt like we were striking out on our own, so I felt right at home, especially when we brought Tristan home there. Now I'm afraid I won't feel at home here and it won't feel like I'm bringing this new baby home when the time comes. Tomorrow we start working over in the house. Another alternate teaching-parent is working with us, and will be there mainly for support and to be sure that the kids aren't pulling our legs in regards to procedures and such. It will be an interesting day, that I will count on. And it's Super Bowl Sunday - woo hoo. I don't like professional football much but I'll sit an

I'm apologize for my lack of anything really interesting to add to the blogosphere. Life in training is fairly mundane. However, tomorrow is our last day of training (yay and eek at the same time). We begin our actual job on Sunday. Prayers would really be appreciated as we establish ourselves in this house & with these young men. Pray for confidence, guidance, and a lot of love and patience to come our way and from us. Pray for our little Moose as he adjusts to this new life. I think he may have a slight hard time adjusting - we were over hanging out over there for a few hours last night & he got very over-stimulated and started tantrums. I hope he gets used to it fast like he does everything else...but we'll see. Still pray for him and us. I miss my MOPS meetings. At least it was some adult interaction (you know, other than getting trained). Just another obstacle, right? I haven't decided if I like it here or not; I think right now or even in the next 2 months wou

One more week! This is our last week of training before we start actually working and living with our boys. I won't lie; I'm pretty terrified. I've heard about how intense this week of training is, and whether or not our actual lives here will be like that all the time or even rarely, it's scary. I just don't know how well I'm actually going to do at this job. I hope really well. I mean, I really want to make a difference here. I want to be more than just an employee for these kids. I have no doubt that Big A is going to do amazing here. He adjusts to new things so easily...I'm a little more stubborn. I don't know that all of this training has prepared me for anything other than the routine paperwork. I just wish I felt more confident.

Anyone know what I can take for a cold? So many cold medicines have stuff for multi-symptoms. I know some of those aren't good for babies in utero, but heck if I know what's what. Frustrating...like figuring out medicine for Moose. ha

Not much to report. I haven't thrown up in a few days. So that's good. My tooth still doesn't hurt! We have one day left of training for this week & only 4 more next week. I'm super excited to actually start working. I finally started my subscription to Netflix (thank you Tessi!). I need something new to read. I also have realized how fat my arms have gotten over the past 3 years - gross. I'm ready to start looking pregnant instead of fat (sorry Kels, no pictures until I look like there's a baby in there & not a food baby). I am ready to get our new bed...hopefully that will be soon. I don't have enough room to roll back & forth every night without kneeing Big A. I really want to get my camera & video camera software on here this weekend so I can start uploading pictures & maybe do a vlog sometime! We'll see...I may just post video of Moose. I'm just feeling kind of blah lately, kind of loser-ish. I hope I'm not the only one w

Let me give you fair warning...I hate BAD teeth. I don't mean like a few cavities. I mean, I probably have a whole mouth full of them. And I have had BAD experiences with dentists. I have mostly had MEAN dentists who make you feel like crap because you have bad teeth. Now, I know I have bad teeth. My parents have bad teeth, they didn't have much money growing up, and they didn't enforce us to brush our teeth. That equates to BAD teeth. I have also had some PAINFUL dentistry experiences (more on those another time). So tonight, I chipped a tooth. Great. I scoured the internet in search of a dentist in this area. I scoured the internet to see how safe sedative dentistry was while pregnant (it's not). So I cried. That means I'll have to feel the pain if they pull it, which they most likely will. The last time I did that I cried more walking out than walking in. Now, this doesn't hurt right now but I am completely and utterly terrified about going to the dentist tom

I think Facebook is hilarious for a few reasons. 1. I can see all the people I graduated with doing the exact same things they were doing in high school with the exact same people. 2. I can see what ugly dogs I dated (or crushed on) in high school. Gross. Seriously, I think I wore beer goggles throughout high school - that's my only explanation. Edit: For my anonymous poster...no, I don't have to crap on everyone all the time. I guess that surprises me because most of my posts are pretty positive, I think. I don't talk about other people much at all. And I think this is valid because most people can look back on their past at ex-boyfriend or girlfriends and say "what was I thinking?" And really, we shouldn't be doing the exact same things we were in high school with the exact same people. The same people is one thing, I'm glad they have such strong connections, but shouldn't we all grow up?

Yesterday we tried to go out to see Richmond. I wanted to go to Hollywood Cemetery to see Jefferson Davis, JEB Stuart, and some other generals of the CSA (and presidents of the USA)'s graves. However...we didn't ever find Stuart's - even looking at the map. I think we'll go back in a few months when they have walking tours & it's warmer. Then we parked by the Holocaust Museum down here so we could find some place to eat. We did find this lovely little Lebanese cafe. We had these amazing omletes and great salads. I do think the salads were mostly grass - I had a clover in mine. But it was good. Then we realized we didn't bring the stroller or enough money to go. Yeah, we're smart. Ugh! I was really disappointed, but I guess we'll have next weekend if we want to go. So we all came home to take naps. Oh and we went through 2 tolls...not a big deal but I had just cleaned my purse out of its change. Luckily, I hadn't cleaned the change out of the diap

First week of training: complete. First week without being immersed in motherhood: complete. Things are going fairly well here. I have my ups and downs about my confidence in my ability to do this job. I think I'll do fine, but those doubts, they do creep up on one. We've had a few relaxing days. Spent a couple of nights with the Spiderlegs. We celebrated K's b-day with them & some of their friends. It was fun: good food and we played some Wii. I had more fun watching others be crazy on it than doing it myself but that's how I am, especially in front of new people. Tonight we went over to see K & L's new dog. He's precious. Really. I want one just like him! Which brings me to the point of this post. I know Big A wants a pet. We're allowed two pets, but I'm not willing to stretch that far. I'm not big in to indoor pets - shedding, litter boxes, accidents, the whole kit and kaboodle. Personally, someday, I'd like a BIG dog and maybe a coupl

Today I am incredibly tired. We haven't been getting to bed at our normal hour, but I don't think we will again for a long time. Well, considering our normal hour is...early (we'll leave it at that). Two more days this week & a long weekend. I'm looking forward to this weekend. I am hoping to get my family out to explore this city at least one of those days. Civil War sites and museums (and a cemetery) may not seem too interesting for some people, but for me...it's love! I don't know EVERYTHING about the CW but I learned a lot in my college lit class. I'm definitely excited to be surrounded by so many amazing things: Hollywood Cemetery where JEB Stuart is buried and Jefferson Davis (I think); the CSA White House; battlefields; Confederate Museum - can't even remember half the stuff I've read that's here. I just know it's amazing. I also think there's some Revolutionary War sites here too, which would be awesome to learn more about. I

You are all so incredibly sweet! I definitely feel the love, even across the miles. I am glad to report that I'm feeling better. Not to jinx this but I've felt good the past few days. It is getting closer to the end of the 1st trimester and my mind has had to be on something other than my stomach for 2 days. Each helps. So here's hoping! We did learn that after our 60 day wait period, I will also be able to be on our insurance! Yay. I was incredibly freaked that this would be a pre-existing condition and we'd have to pay thousands for this little babe. Not that he/she isn't worth it but I'd like to clothe and feed him/her afterward, too. ha! I'm a little homesick. Duh, I know. It's not so bad. Right now my heart just hurts from having to leave Moose each day for training. So far he's been a fairly good boy for Laura (thank you!), so I think he'll do fine the rest of the time. But it's hard for me and I'm ready to actually get started and

Well, we're here. I haven't decided if this is a good thing or a bad thing yet. I know overall it'll be good. But there have been some issues with our transitions that haven't made me very happy. I'm hoping once training is complete and we meet the kids we'll be living with, things will be better. After all, that's what we're here for is the kids, not everything else. For now, I'm borrowing the internet so I still can't update like normal but I'll let you know when I can. But be praying for our next few weeks. I'm not excited to leave Moose during the day...despite the thankfulness for the capable hands I'm leaving him in. I just hope it goes fast. Also be praying for my morning sickness. It's gotten worse. And I can't take the medicine I was on (you know the stuff, Tiffany) because without our insurance (which won't kick in for 60 days) it's expensive! As in $400 for a WEEK (and that's the generic). So the toilet