Imma Belieber

We climbed stairs to reach the Upper Level of the huge Arena. This is what we have been waiting for. She asked to see my tickets and when I showed them to her, she pointed to the ceiling and said, "just keep goin' up." The seat in front of me had an A on it and with a quick glance at my ticket, I knew we were in trouble. Yellow crime tape that said Do Not Cross ran beside the small partial railing all four of us were white knuckling and the four of us kept saying, "Don't look down. DO NOT TOUCH ME!! Why are these steps so small?" We finally made it to the ceiling back and only one row sat higher than we did. We took our seats carefully and stared at each other knowing we would sit there for hours, without movement or breathing, and I was okay with that. We had to keep STILL. We put the kids on a no-liquid diet so their bladders would hold up all night because every time I looked around, I got dizzy...we were that high!

It took the full 45 minutes to catch my breath, but when the lights finally dimmed and the music came on...I still knew I was technically a hundred feet in the air and if everyone didn't stop yelling and jumping around this concrete slab would collapse and we would all die in a mass grave of dust, heavy pillars and blue plastic seats...

But they started the timer.....I looked up and it was counting down 7 minutes, 6 minutes, 5 minutes 4...until Justin Beiber will walk in the door!!! Girls were screaming non-words anytime someone moved behind the stage because they thought it was him, or someone that knew him, or someone that has seen him with their own eyeballs. I yawned and updated my Facebook status and wondered why I could still smell the Circus...they hadn't been here since last year...

When they finally reached the last few seconds...people went nuts! My child was screaming and looking around because she was about to be in the same room with him...but he didn't walk in...

...he flew in on huge silver wings made of guitars and other musical instruments, and they all screamed LOUDER. It was the craziest thing I've ever heard. He sang, he danced, he performed and everyone just screamed. A chair arose from the middle of the stage we all knew he was about to pick One Girl. He asked, "Who is gonna be my baby?" The arena exploded with crying girls wanting that prized position and as we sat near the ceiling my child started yelling, "Justin!!! Justin!!" But he didn't see her...

It was an amazing show and I honestly can say I'd love to go see him again sometime when I get three more jobs to pay for the tickets. I am likely the meanest mama in the world because after arriving back home just before 1 a.m., I woke her up at 7 a.m. for school...and this is all she had left to give...

We have finally recovered from our Bieber hangovers. This will be a night she will NEVER FORGET, EVER EVER EVER...

They've lost it...

You know that feeling when you leave the house of what did I forget?? Happens to everyone right? Well it didn't take me but a few miles before I realized what I didn't have...and that's high doses of anxiety medication!

What a day. The kids had to be separated right away. No surprise. Before we even got through the first town, I had to lay down the law.

"Look," I said. "You two will lose 4 wheelers, then you will lose your outside privileges and then it'll be a nice long nap for you if we can't all get along. Don't even look at each other."

I tried everything to distract them and finally, peace. The girl played quietly with Legos while the boy amused himself by staring at people as we drove past them. My luck was changing. Then, I noticed that we had a stalker. You know the weird guy that drives right beside you and never wants to pass or slow down, just ride along side you but you're too stubborn to look over kinda stalker. I thought I heard something which finally made me turn to look and see what the creep wanted only to find one of our favorite family friends laughing at us. Yes, we probably annoyed the traffic behind us as we chatted with our windows down for a mile or so but it was good to see "Old Man Clem". The rain had stopped pouring literally outside and the kids had calmed (just before the storm!)

We got to our appointment at The HEAR Center where #1 had to get his ears worked on. I thought he could play nice with the Legos while he got his ears tuned up...but I was wrong.

He instead made a toilet (ahem, yes I see what's inside) and before he was finished, yes, the Legos got taken away from him...by his Audiologist. Not for his special design but for the fact he just quit participating in the proper activity and decided to horseplay with the sister. The kids had just gone nuts by this point. They DID NOT earn a prize (again) and let's just say...ahh, nap time is wonderful. The only thing that got me through the horror was knowing that they've been worse....sad but true. We've been through worse and I'm lucky we have such a wonderful Audiologist that can get us MAPped and get us out of there quickly. (I wonder what she says to herself to get her through a Blakely appointment? "They'll be gone soon, they'll be gone soon....")

Just wasn't our best trip. This was our first big outing though since we've been out of school so it's hard to say if they've lost it completely yet. Only time will tell. I'm hoping the energy isn't this high on Friday when I'm trapped in driving a van for six hours with not only them but another wild child plus two more adults. As we walked out of the door the Audiologist whispered demonic-like "Good luck Friday."

But in their defense, the removal of activities and the addition of a nap (aka rest time) has really improved their behavior-they are usually pretty darn good at home-and like I told them...Mommy could develop a Social Phobia where we never go anywhere if they misbehave every time we leave the house...which means no Wal Mart, no thrift stores, no beach!

Summer Vocab Begins....Now

Mid-day today, my children will begin their summer break from school. With this break brings new and old vocabulary most often heard during this time spent together...as a family...all...summer...long. I've composed a short list of things I'm likely to say, and things that will likely come through the mouths of my growing babies...

Me

• Get that frog OUT OF HERE!!
• Check for ticks
• Does it need stitches?
• Watch for snakes!!
• Put that down!! Ewww!
• I'm not too old to do a cartwheel!!
• Ouch, I'm too old to do cartwheels
• Get that out of my house!!!
• Go get my camera!!
• I'll put it Facebook
• Run along now
• Go find Mama some chocolate
• Everyone is on SILENCE!!
• Does everyone have on shoes?

Kids

• We're out of popsicles
• I'm bored
• I'm goin' swimmin'
• Look Mama, twelve frogs
• Let's go fishin'
• He hit me
• She hit me
• Snake!!!
• I'm runnin' away and NEVER EVER EVER comin' back
• I'm hungry
• Can we stay up late?
• If we be good, can we _____

...and the list goes on and on and on...looking forward to all the summer time fun!!

Cheese Balls

My son who is almost 11 can not take his eyes off of this picture of his little sister. He even woke up and said,"show me that picture again!" Just when I thought he was marveling in his sister's adorableness, he said, "Awww, I wish she was little like that again. She was nice back then." He then asked if I bought her those cheese balls, he knew she wanted them but I assured him, she got the cheese balls!

Toys R Us

My last outing with the kids in Birmingham...alone...with THEM was a little hectic with appointments and this that and the other...I even looked over once and saw the kids giggling to the man next to us at the red light...the man was giggling too (weird) so I lifted up the dry erase board and found this...

Could have been worse! Who knows how long they'd been holding that up as I drove along, singing/dancing and all along they are drawing lots of attention our way....gotta love 'em. This was a fun trip, we only had shopping to do...and lunch to eat. No appointments, except with Toys 'R Us and we had a great trip!!

 We bought Legos...

We ate at my brother and sister-in-laws' restaurant Brother Zeke's and it was fabulous! The corn bread muffins, the sweet potato fries and the squash caserole....I barely had room for the chicken but it was so yummy. They opened this new restaurant up a while back but we've never made it down until yesterday and mannnnnn, I wanna go back. One kid cleaned her plate and EVEN ATE THE BREAD. She doesn't eat bread! One kid took a to-go box home with him and will polish off his bbq stuffed potato today!

We stopped off at a Christian book store and bought some needful things and made it home in time for me to fall out (and doze off) on the sofa...I heard my husband's car door shut and I jumped up, wiped my eyes and pretended to have busy all along. He never knew I was asleep!

Ready to Pass Out

I was absolutely ready to pass out last night. I've been taking sinus/allergy meds for several days now and they always make me sleepy anyway but on top of that, Brooklyn had her little cousin sleep over and keeping up with three kids just wore me out...even though they were "perfect" little angels.

I did approximately 9 loads of laundry yesterday, I washed sheets, blankets, comforters, throw rugs, you name it! By the time 7 o'clock bedtime rolled around, I was whipped. I crawled into my fresh, clean, deliciously smelling bed. Snuggled down and got warm, and immediately my entire body simply relaxed and I could feel myself drifting out of this world. I heard a distance and faint call from a child, "Mama." I had just put the child to bed. I'd fed her, made her brush her teeth, use the bathroom, got a sip of water, sat in the bed with her and tickle-scratched her arms til her eyes rolled back in her head. I mean what more can a child need? So I ignored her.

Ahh, I almost felt weightless as I breathed in deeply and smiled at the thought of the upcoming rest. Again I hear, "Mama." I began to get a little irritated because she's beginning to make this a habit...calling me back to tell me something like "We're having pizza at school tomorrow" or something of the like when I am already so comfy in my bed. After being rudely interrupted again, I try to visit back to that relaxing happy place I call my nightly coma when I hear a final, elevated "Mama."

Whew. I exhaled with defeat and flip the covers back and drag myself away from my most favorite, warm spot and go see what this child wants. With no glasses to see with, I squint my eyes from her bedroom door and ask, "What?" She points to her Justin Bieber poster and says, "That's a watch he's wearing."

Perfect.

We've Reached That Point

Irritated, I ransack the dryer for that final sock. Nothing was left but a couple of washcloths and a towel.  I look at the sock basket. The one piled high with socks because it shreds my nerves I'm too lazy to sort through them. I find one similar but not the same. For me or the kids, similar would work just fine but not for the husband, so look at the neat stacks I've already folded and I notice something. In my son's stack, I see a pair of socks that look almost the same, but something is a little different. Oh yeah! One has a gray bottom, the other is just white. There's my final sock. I hold the two socks up and I almost tear up. We've reached that point. Our children are big enough that I can't tell what is mine from my daughter's or my son's from my husband's. It's a sad, sad, day.

Driving to school one day, my son's friend (a classmate that carpools with us) got out her phone and was turning it off as we pulled in the parking lot. My child says, "Gyah, Mama won't let me have a phone til I get to seventh grade!" I tell him that he doesn't even talk on the phone....ever, so all he would use it for is texting and I'll get him one when he leaves the comforts of the elementary school, and heads over the scary high school. I am the ridiculous mother...we've reached that point.

The two kids that used to run around the yard together (all day long), collect worms and frogs just to freak me out and play in the tree house together, now can't play peacefully together for more than fifteen minutes. She's still into her dolls and playing school while he's hunting with a B B gun and looking for firewood. Unfortunately, we've reached that point.

I'm just looking to come out of this alive and with all my limbs. I may have to donate some brain cells as I lose everything from common sense to data that used to be important like my age, weight, and birthday.

8 Years Ago

Eight years ago today I kept a promise. I promised not to mess up my doctor's Christmas if he'd, in return, GET HER OUT the morning after. On this day 8 years ago, I walked in pain into that hospital, admitted myself for surgery, and waited impatiently. The nurses took good care of me and when the doctor came in to tell me an emergency was going in ahead of me, I rolled my eyes but politely said not a word. I needed this kid out. I sat on the bed with a catheter in place and awaited my turn.

Finally, they came to get me. I sat myself up on that table and I shook uncontrollably in full body convulsions. A spinal was administered that felt like an electric current running down the right side of my body, and I jerked. Oops, but they finally got it in and it all began. With a big blue curtain now splattered with my own blood hiding my view I hear, "Hey! You can't cry, you're not even born yet!!" But she cried anyway because she is my B. She is strong, powerful, and stubborn. If you tell her she can't, she will. She's a writer and a fighter, she's a hug with some love.

Happy 8th Birthday my B! I love you!

The redneck field trip

My child talks so much she has decided to have 16 kids when she grows up, just so she'll have more people to talk to. As usual, I found her out in the yard the other day...talking to her dolls kids. When I asked her what she was doing with a wheelbarrow, she replied hastily as she tried to balance it with all the kids plus a stroller loaded up..."Uh, we're on a field trip!!!"

Fashion

I can't believe how far we've come with her fashion choices. I have to say, I'm gonna miss those days when she wants to go to school in August wearing a Christmas dress and cowboy boots...

For the first day of school, she picked out the average blue shorts, and the average matching Justin Bieber tee...

and that makes me sad.

Going through detox

I have a confession. My husband and I are entering our children into a detox environment tomorrow morning. As school approaches us on Monday, I realize what my kids, and teachers, will go through on that difficult day. The shakes, the sweats, the nervous chatter, the upset stomachs...

We decided to make our home a detox facility beginning in the morning. Sound the fire alarms...I will actually cook my children a healthy breakfast, they will drink 100% juice and/or REAL milk. They will not grab chocolate throughout the day, nor will they turn to caffeine after the noon limit I had enforced earlier in the summer. They will not get up, walk around in their swim suits all day, pretending to be cops and robbers, and leaving messes so that Mom will have something to yell about...

They will be good little children, make their beds, put on proper clothes, eat well throughout the day, and read books!!!! Oh, who am I kiddin'? We can detox on Monday!! Woop Woop, last weekend to be wild heathens, good luck teachers!!!!!!

Buying a bus

I was given fabulous news recently. My child is planning on having 16 kids.

At age 7, her biggest dilemma is "Where am I gonna put my house?" She walks around the yard sometimes trying to decide if she wants to build under the pecan trees or out by the burn barrel, lol. She asked my advice, "Mama, I need a house close to you so that when I get tired of the 16 kids or they tear my nerves up or I go to work, I can bring them to you, but where should I put it?"

Me: "Where are you going to work?" She tells me she'll go work with my mother when she's bigger. I had to ask, "Do you think I'm gonna watch all 16 kids?"

Luckily, she has it all planned out and has thought further into it than I thought. She informs me that I'll have to watch 8 of them and she'll drop the other 8 off with my mother. I'm sure my mother is painfully excited!

So, for her first car we are buying her a bus!

Oh, and even better, she says she may come back home to live if she gets married and finds out her husband is dumb.

Free Diss Lessons!

Free!

Book now while we still have spaces available

The Blakely children will be giving free lessons next week on

Assuring Parents They Are NOT COOL

Book your free DISS LESSON early

space is limited

On Monday: Brooklyn will teach the art of rolling the eyes

This expert will demonstrate for her peers how to roll the eyes appropriately when parents make any suggestions on any subject. She has perfected the eye roll with everything from fashion suggestions to meal advice from elders and she's bringing it all to you FOR FREE!

On Tuesday: Gage will show his peers how to perfect selective hearing. He will strengthen their hearing at times of need and show them how to listen for key words like WalMart, toy store, four wheeler, and much more!

This lesson carries over to Wed when Gage will also demonstrate to his peers how to NOT HEAR words like clean up, pick up toys, throw away, unload dishwasher, any many more non important speech.

On Thursday: Both children will offer lessons on DIRTY LOOKS. These children have worked hard to perfect these horrid looks that will make parents feel knee high to a grasshopper. They will work on a combo of lip curls, teeth baring, eye squinting and nose wrinkling to give the dirtiest of dirty looks! And at no cost to you! These techniques work best when parents actually think they are funny or cool like dancing in the car, singing Justin Bieber and many other occasions that parents ACTUALLY think their children will enjoy.

On Friday: The workshop will conclude by bringing parents back in for the children to demonstrate their new DISSING techniques! Any children who can make their parents cry will be awarded with blue ribbons.

So get your DISSING DONE RIGHT! And hurry, this workshop is one week only.

Home Video

My daughter loves making videos. She gets in trouble on occasion due to the fact my batteries are usually powerless when I need them but I do love ever so often going back and actually watching what she films. Sometimes I actually find out the TRUTH of what happens during little fights between her and her older brother! She loves the camera!


 Adorable at 7, here she is...in a 2 1/2 min clip.

Dirt and all there she is. The kids have had to find creative ways to entertain themselves since we've been busy painting, you'll see some things out in the yard, some hand trucks ("elevator") and obviously this was right before I painted the porch! Enjoy, she'll pay me back one day!

My husband awoke this morning around 4:30 am to get ready for work and found cardboard notes all around the house...a little boy wanted to be sure he got to ride his four-wheeler in the mud today after all the rain we got last last night.

They were EVERYWHERE, haha.

We enjoyed our 4th. We don't go crazy with the fireworks, they are too expensive and we are always disappointed. But the few we got (for 50 bucks!) were enough to get the kids all excited!

The Exorcist

My sister swears I should have named her Ragen because there are times, like on Sunday for instance, that she displays behavior as if she were possessed like the child in The Exorcist...

I know you can't tell from the picture but this sweet little freckled-face smile developed a condition much like the possessed soon after this photo was taken.

She hates medicine, any medicine. She gags, she cries, I'm really not looking forward to the whole tonsil removal in a few weeks!

We decided to take her to Children's Hospital's ER Sunday to have them examine her foot that had been pierced with a 3/4 inch piece of wood last week. It had some white skin around the puncture spot but it appeared more white was developing inside, and I feared infection. The doctors agreed. They needed to open the area to drain any fluid out and clean the area really well.

Apparently the bottom of the foot is a difficult area to numb. They put the standard topical cream on to do it's job, they were gonna spray the foot with an additional numbing solution, give her a nose spray that would help w/pain and then give her a shot in the foot. She refused the nose spray. That was her big mistake.

As they began working she screamed to the top of her lungs "You're KILLING ME". Her beet red faced tried to bite me as I held her upper body down. Saliva ran down her chin as she continued to belt out in protest. She saw the scissors unfortunately as they began cutting away damaged skin. I felt bad for the child but felt bad for the doctor too as I unclenched B's fist that was wrapped around her jacket. I shouted apologies but until they finished she screamed, she shook her head from side to side and if you looked close enough, you could see her head spin all the way around.

Whew, when it was all said and done, her foot was cleaned, bad skin removed, and no more foreign objects were found in her foot. With that said, she has not had any of her antibiotic they said she needed three times a day. I've tried everything I can think of to get it down her. It doesn't matter the form it's presented in at this point, there's no way she'll take it. She can't swallow the pill due to her gag reflexes and she can taste the powder and she'll taste the liquid too no matter how we disguise it. So all I can do is keep it as clean as possible, and pray it heals without further complications.

Deep Thoughts from the Blakely Kids

We had about a 40 minute drive to the Dentist this morning and the kids were being soooo good I was anticipating a complete riot at any moment. I try to encourage independence and give the kids some breathing room so while they are in the backseat of the car not bothering me, I totally ignore them I listen to their hilarious interesting perspectives on life in general.

Brook began by asking if I would give them their battery chargers for their processors (hearing devices) when they get big and move out. She then starting telling Gage she HAD to marry someone who could hear. She said, "Babies cry at night and I won't be sleeping with my implants on so he'll have to do all that!" Gage replied, "I'm not getting married. I'm gonna be too busy. And I'm not having kids, it's too much responsibility! You have to feed 'em and all that. They cost too much money and I'm bored just thinking about it!"

Brook said she was definitely having kids! "I'll have to leave 'em with someone else though...like Mama 'cause I'll need a break. I'll have like 10...or maybe not that many..."

HELP ME NOW!!

She better find a good back-up sitter is all I gotta say!

But I Don't Want To Be Deaf

Today was our first day back in church. We used to go every single Sunday but our tiny old church lost its congregation and we all went our separate ways so we have sought after a new one. My idea of church is a small country church (Baptist or Methodist) with lots of songs, a great preacher and a child-friendly congregation and atmosphere. We found it.

As we sat down on the pew, we were automatically welcomed and saw friendly smiles flash our way. Today, it was just my daughter and I and she found a classmate to sit with, I joined them. As we burst into song, I heard hands clapping, feet stomping and people patting the back of pews as we all sang. I heard just the right about of country whine in the voices from behind...it was beautiful.

The preacher had us turn to a verse in our Bibles. He read it aloud and that single verse spawned a 45 minute sermon. He stood on the piano bench, he walked down the aisle, he got down on his knees. His voice was so loud at times, I could feel it bounce from my rib cage. He was full of enthusiasm and he assured us, "This ship ain't goin' down!" He talked about WHO should be Captain of our vessels and WHO is there when the water is rough, WHO is guiding us safely and WHO leads us and WHO stays with us when we feel like we are sinking.

I actually found myself shaking my head, getting carried away with the preacher's voice. I found myself crying when the beautiful little girl (almost 4) sitting on our pew sang OUT LOUD the words to a song that I had to read from a hymn book. While visually impaired, she may never be able to see the tiny words of the book but she's already received them through her heart. As tears filled my eyes at the beautiful sight, her mom told me she loves that song and sings if all the time at home. Her little voice could be heard over all others, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of that.

On the way home, Brook asked me how God makes babies. Luckily He gave me the proper words for her 7 year old mind. She then turns to me and says, "Does God make people have syndromes?" And again, he filled my mouth with just the right words. Without hesitation, my voice slipped over lips and answered the tough question.

"Yes. Sometimes, God decides that certain babies are going to be different than His other children. He decides to make them weaker in some areas and stronger in other ways. He decided you and Gage would be deaf." She quickly interrupts, "But I don't wanna be deaf. It's hard to hear!" I reply, "But He made you extra special so you could teach others. Had you not been deaf, so many people would not have learned about hearing loss, patience and understanding. God decided your ears wouldn't work but He's made you stronger in a lot of other ways."

She understood what I was trying to tell her. She now knows that God is the Captain, He is in charge and He sails the ship.

It's perfectly fine...

It's perfectly fine to tell your child as you pull into the parking lot of her pediatrician's office that they will use pliers to pull that dangling tooth out before they give her a strep test...

she decided to pull it out before we went in, and she got lots of cash for that tooth that literally hung around for over a week...

It's also perfectly fine to pay your children to do housework-even if they are recovering from strep because they want money and you don't like to everything all by yourself anyway...

after all, you need to rest on the patio from all that you DID DO during the week...drinking coffee in your swimsuit, no make-up, hair pulled back wearing extra large shades will be fine for a half day chillout...

but just before the husband comes home, turn on the Scentsy or light some candles so the house smells fresh and clean...jump in the shower, apply make-up and brush through your hair so he has no clue that you've done absolutely NOTHING...

AHHH-it's perfectly fine to have an awesome weekend...hope you all had a great Easter!

Answered Prayers...

I can not tell you how many times I've looked at these faces and prayed that time could just stand still for a moment. Just this morning as I knelt beside my daughter's bed as she peacefully slept, I looked at every freckle on her little nose, I kissed her forehead and I just wished the clock would stop for a little while so I could sit beside her bed and just watch.

Unfortunately, children wake when their Moms reek of coffee and their brows furrow in anger knowing it's time to get ready for a long day at school. What I once thought were the sweetest, most perfect little lips will part and the odor that seeps out will confirm that children DO gargle with sulfur before bed. Words will pass over those perfect little lips that I never intended to teach my children but just for that moment...before they wake...

Unfortunately, time did stand still today-it was just a few hours late during Lady F's aerobics class. Now, despite what some people think, the name Lady F isn't intended to imply I call her a bad name. Her name actually begins with an F so that is why I call her that-those of you who take her classes can feel free to call her the bad word if you need to do so-she may have earned it.

If you were in class today and wondered why the HECK I kept checking my phone any chance I could...it's because I had hoped some teacher was desperately needing to get in touch with me so I could rush out of class and say, "OOOPS, sorry, I've been called in to work!" Guess what? That didn't happen. When I saw "Lady F" and "Tall T" on the elliptical BEFORE class I knew something was wrong with them we were in BIG trouble. Some of the runners decided to go catch a quick mile before class, who does that?  I chose to walk around aimlessly until class began.

Once it started, it didn't let up. That's when God decided to answer one of my prayers...time actually stood still. I'm not kidding. I wondered if I was the only one who had been 'chosen' for this time warp-it was really weird and scary! No matter how many REPEATERS we did, no matter how many CRAZY STEPS she ordered us to do, the clock didn't seem to move forward. I had hoped it was a nightmare and I'd wake up at any minute but what seemed to be 3 hours of high impact shock to every body part I lug around-didn't seem to advance the clock much. Maybe Lady F's clock runs on 1-Miss-sa-sip-peeeee, (deep breath) 2-Miss-sa-sip-peeeee......who knows?

But the GREAT NEWS is this...
Friday I was not terribly surprised that my doc put me on blood pressure meds. My bottom figure was over a hundred in his office-it should be 80 or lower. Anyway-I've been on meds all weekend and it has hovered in the 90's-Sunday after Zumba it did get down to 89 on bottom so it must be true-exercise IS good for your blood pressure. Yesterday it was 132/93 and this morning right before class it was 118/90. When I left Lady F's class, I went straight home and checked it again...the lowest it's been in YEARS!!!  114/85-yes I was exhausted but I can't believe that it has finally been confirmed....LADY F is really really good for me. Granted, it's still out of the 'normal' range but going from 100-110 on the bottom (prior to meds) to an 85 after an intense workout-I'm super excited!!! So looks like more exercise is in my future!

The kids from Heaven

Although I'm very thankful for my kids, and I'm sure they were sent from Heaven, I'm not referring to them today...nope. Our day started on the wrong foot when Brook awoke MAD!! "What's wrong with this stupid thang?!?!" She shouted. Deep breath in, deep breath out...I know when she wakes like this, it's never good. I enter her room to find her trying her best to be a good girl underneath that harsh frowning exterior...she was trying to make her bed but her comforter was sideways. "My stupid bed grew!!"

Apparently she had a good day at school, they knew where to find me if she got outta hand, but I didn't see her all day. Gage always has a good day so no worries there. But putting them together after school for the 30 min car trip through pouring rain with a malfunctioning contact (I could not wait to get that out of my eye when I got home!) makes for a very stressful trip to the dentist. He's getting more mature so he straightened up...she did not. She went to bed at 6:30 last night, I stand by my decision!

Yesterday (and again today) I have found the kids from Heaven. I am not joking when I say I had to 'shhh' them maybe ONCE. The entire group was mature, eager to learn, and quiet. At first, I was a little creeped out by it, who's that good? I was afraid maybe there was a rumor I was the wicked witch teacher or something and I'd cast a spell if they spoke or moved or breathed. I was careful to be extra polite and to give them extra smiles, I didn't want to be the wicked witch. But as the day went on, I realized they talked, just quietly, they didn't seem scared of me at all, they gave me all kinds of artwork at the end of the day (one said 'you are awesome' the others were pictures and even a homemade horse that stood up on its own, I so needed a paper horse!)...What a great class! Not that any of my others have been horrible, these kids are just Angels. We'll see if they do as well today as they did yesterday!

Oh, I'm afraid I've ruined this teacher for good. She can't go home complaining of her horrible day at work!! Nope, I won't believe it!! lol, she's doing a great job though!!