A Feel Good (about your family) Book

This was a great book--I hate to admit that typically I am not crazy about non-fiction, but this book was such an attention-keeper. In the spring, I'm doing a memoir unit with my seniors (typical memoir stuff--Frank McCourt, some Alice Walker essays, etc) and after reading this, I ordered it right away for my kids to read. It's honest and startling but doesn't leave your feeling emotionally scarred and constantly thinking about it.
And hey, the family in this book will leave you feeling soooooooo much better about your own growing up experiences! A selfish reason to read it, but true!

This Video Cracked Me Up...

http://vids.perezhilton.com/assets/5e34d861b3de5/width%3D410%26height%3D315%26player_profile%3Dvega-test3?embed_location=http%3A%2F%2Fperezhilton.com%2F2008-02-01-so-awesomely-awesome&version=1.20#

Please Please Please tell me that this link works!! Sarah Silverman made this video for her boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel to celebrate his 5 years on the air as a talk show host. I think that she is hysterical and the fact that she got Matt Damon to do this--it's just classic.

Sorry it's not captioned but it's basically one line repeated--"I'm f*cking Matt Damon"

Sorry also if this offends anyone but this might be one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time!!
Enjoy :)

Good Read

I was just reminded of this book that I read over the summer--my sister read it for her book club and gave it to me--I really liked it.
The forum that I am a member of (www.rochestermommies.com)just picked it as their Feb book club book and it made me remember how much I liked it!

Just thought I would pass it on and share!

BTW--since I already read the book for Feb and I don't have enough on my plate ;) could someone recommend a good book for me? Unfortunately, with the baby sucking all of my brain cells, I need a pretty simple beach read :)
The Golden Compass and A Great and Terrible Beauty have both been sitting by my bed w/ no possible finishing date in sight...Just can't seem to get into them--maybe after the baby's here...

Thanks!

I'm screwed...

Ok. So this post might not make much sense b/c Mike and I agreed that we wouldn't share the name of the new baby until she arrived.

HOWEVER,
when we found out it was a girl (about 4 months ago) we were trying out different names and we asked JJ to say them (cuz, c'mon on--what's cuter than a two year old w/ a speech impediment saying words that you want him to say??)
So, it was really cute when he said one name--for sake of argument, we will call that name "Baby Yadda Yadda."
And since it was cute to have him say it, we would ask him to say it all of the time.

Well, that name stuck. And am I still crazy about the name? Hmmm...it's ok...
But now, I like a new name--let's call it "Baby Blah Blah."
So every night, JJ will talk to my stomach and say, "There's Baby Yadda Yadda!" and I try to throw in little interjections and say, "Well, we could call her Baby Blah Blah--which name do you like better? Baby Yadda Yadda or Baby Blah Blah?"
And he gets very serious and stern and says, "It's Baby. Yadda. Yadda."

(Man this would be so much easier if I could tell you the names we are considering...BUT moving on...)

So, now I feel compelled to name the baby Baby Yadda Yadda b/c JJ is convinced that is her name. Again, it's a cute name but it's starting to get really popular and I worry that I don't like the name as much as I now like Baby Blah Blah.

Confused? Sigh. I warned you this probably wouldn't make much sense. Please offer tips if you have any!!

Why it's all worth it :)

Hi~
A little background--
Every night, JJ and I spend a some time together working on the laptop--there are so many great educational sites out there that work on his emerging skills-- like counting, the alphabet, signing, colors, shapes, etc etc etc.

Well, we found a new site last night that has crocodiles around a pond of fish. All of the fish are different colors. You have to listen to the website and read the captions to follow the directions of which color fish to click on. For example, "This hungry crocodile wants to eat the blue fish--click on the blue fish."
Well, JJ thought it was HYSTERICAL that when you clicked on the fish, they would get this horrible look on their faces and then spin away like they were drowning (does he have a sadistic sense of humor like his mother??)
He was absolutely dying in the beginning but by the time I turned on imovie, he wasn't laughing as hard but it's still funny to watch him crack up :)

Enjoy!

A Better Place...

Happy Evening,
My hormones have mellowed, much to the appreciate of those around me ;) and I wanted to share with you all (especially those of u with Macs and itunes) some great children's music. The Land of Nod does some great "Nodcast Podcasts" of children's music that JJ and I love.
Go to http://www.landofnod.com/blog/mitchellandjenkins.aspx
and you can either listen directly to the music or download the podcasts for free. JJ's favorites are Dan Zane and Elizabeth Mitchell and I have to agree--my kids got great taste! I really enjoy the children't music that has come out as of late--thank goodness the days of Barney and other cheesy music are a thing of the past. We also love Laurie Berkner and They Might Be Giants (oddly one of my college favorites!) that have switched over to the kids market and have some great songs. So look them up if have a chance!

So, JJ and are lying on the couch listening to good mellow, hippie, happy kids music. Not many better ways to end a hectic day :) Good vibes to you all~

Pregnancy Sucks

*DISCLAIMER* I know pregnancy is a gift and a miracle and I am blessed and I am growing a beautiful baby and yadda yadda yadda...
HOWEVER, today I am feeling all of the negatives that come along w/ pregnancy and I need to vent >:[

I hate heartburn. Explain to me how drinking water and breathing can make everything from my throat to my stomach feel like an inferno. Let alone, that I can't even get near all of the food that I am craving--chicken wings, pasta, pizza, any fast food, orange juice...

I hate iron pills. I miss going to the bathroom. enough said.

I hate hormonal imbalances. I am so moody (gee, can you tell from this post??) and I hate that I go from stark-raving mad to weepy in a matter of 2 seconds. Poor Jayson. He must think I am going to snap any minute--or that I have snapped and this is what the second coming must look like.

I hate leg cramps. Why, oh why must I wake up every night howling and shaking Mike out of dead sleep to help me rub out these little bastards??

I hate braxton-hicks contractions. Either be the real thing or get out of the way and stop bothering me.

I hate sleep deprivation/exhaustion. I miss sleep. I know it will be worse when the baby comes and I am up feeding and burping and changing poopie diapers--well, actually that doesn't sound so different from what I am doing now--minus the poopie part. Damn iron pills.

I hate dumb people. Some of the comments I have received at work: "So, how much weight have you gained exactly?" "You are only 7 months?? You are so BIG!" "So when is the big day?...Really?? Not until April?? Wow, that's far away..." and my favorite: "Sorry, I forgot that the baby is sucking your brain cells and intelligent jokes go right over your head." Death to dumb people.

Now I know I should be thankful--thanks to this little bundle of kicking-at-all-hours-of-the-day-and-night joy, I have shiny hair. I have great long nails. I can postpone jury duty. I could probably almost park in a handicapped spot and not feel that guilty about it. Almost.
And ya know, I have a very patient husband (never mind the cautious look he always keeps in his eyes like he is watching a rabid dog) and a very cool kid who puts up w/ all of my crap. I am not in Iraq, or Britney Spears, or running for president.
I CAN make it six more weeks and I WILL pop out this baby and then, rest assured, I will be back to bitch about how hospitals/labor/postpartum/newborns probably suck too. Gosh, can you wait to read about those too??? Hello?...*crickets chirping*...anyone still out there??

Book Recommendations

Just wanted to share the best books that I read in 2007--go figure they are teen books but I think any adult will love them--
My students were after me for months to read them but I thought, "hmmm, vampires and teen love? No thanks."
Then I finally gave in and loved them!
The best was Twilight (number one in the series) and then New Moon and Eclipse were pretty good also. I can't wait for number four this fall!

7 mo pregnancy pictures

We are taking pregnancy pixs this time around--we did 5 mo, now these are from the 7 mo shoot--we will also do 9 mo and then post baby when there will be four of us in the photo!

BACK IN BUSINESS!

New Year, New attempt at keeping this blog up and running~
I'm struggling to get back into the blogging business but I really want to keep our friends updated with pictures of Jayson, our life, and ofc the new baby!
I'm 30 weeks (tomorrow!) and I'm having a hard time not having flashbacks--I hemorraged at 30 weeks w/ J and ended up in the hospital for what felt like months on end. So, if we can ge past this week, I think I will feel a bit more calm.
My goal is to make it 6 more weeks and then what happens, happens!

We had our "refresher" child birth course yesterday--we are attempting a VBAC this time around...after hearing all about natural labor yesterday, it makes me wonder which is better/worse?/easier--a natural birth or a c-section...at this point, I feel like I'm dreading both! Maybe this one could just stay in until she decides to walk out delicately and softly on her own...

Well, it's after 10pm and some of us have to get up in the am, work all day, and then come home and be a single parent all night (gotta love working on opposite shifts from the hubby....arg...) so I should put down the laptop and walk away...
Here's to continuing this blog (attempting for the third time!) and talk to you all hopefully soon!
night!
~L

'nother book

Just finished The Divide by Nicholas Evans--LOVED IT. It was a no-brainer, enough for me to enjoy whenever I could pick it up and it really kept my attention. Best book I've read this summer.

I got a library card but every book I tried to get they didn't have (remember its a very small farm-town library) so I ordered a couple of books from other libraries--Little Earthquakes per Juz suggestion and Fannie Flagg's new book. I just happened to grab The Divide as I was running past the fiction section chasing JJ (you would have thought he was in heaven--biggest maze he has ever seen!!) and it proved to be worth it. Same author as The Horse Whisperer. good, good, good.

Today the three of us went to an arts festival (there seems to be one every weekend in a different part of the city) and JJ had fun :) we walked all over looking at things we can't buy b/c we dont have a house to put them in and then went to a restaurant/bar on the canal for lunch and ate outside. It was great for JJ to watch the boats go buy and the bridge going up and down. Haha, Mike and I ordered beers cuz... why not, but we forgot that it's Sunday and you can't buy alcohol until noon (it was around 11:45). Is it like that all over?? Haha, I thought it was pretty funny but then felt like a lush b/c I wanted a beer before noon! I can't tell you how much I missed good beer--gotta love Labatts Blue! Mike loves it b/c he can go in anywhere, voice "blue" and they know exactly what to bring him! When we lived in Cali we couldn't even find the stuff so there are little pleasures in being back here :)

This week Mike is doing remodeling work all week so it's just me and JJ! We hope to hear about Mike's job soon b/c we need to start thinking about daycare, commuting an hour to work and back everyday until we move into the city, etc. We talked briefly today about maybe getting a short term rental on a townhouse or something in the city so we aren't blowing all of our $$ on gas...so see see.

Beautiful weather here--humidity has gone down so that helps but it has started to get chilly at night, Mike is worrying that the cold weather is already on its way!
Happy weekend :)

I just finished Digging to America by Anne Tyler--it was good...not OH MY GOD I WANT TO READ IT AGAIN good, but it kept my attention.
I started Prodigal Summer by Kingsolver but I'm struggling to stay interested in that so I think I will go get a library membership and get Little Earthquakes that Juz recommended. Me so broke, no buying books here!

The expenses we have had are rediculous...I thought we would be saving $$ b/c we aren't paying rent...yea right. Movers cost $5k, shipping the truck another thousand, now registering the cars has cost $300 and one can't pass inspection b/c of a crack in the windshield so thats another $200...ugh...so frustrating...Down payment for a house, what?

Mike had an interview at RSD for a dorm position, fingers crossed! He feels that it went well so see see. He is also the newest member of the Rochester Chapter of high school football referee's! Ha, its awesome and he likes it--can't get football out of his blood and there aren't any deaf teams here for hs so he will ref. Scrimmages start in a couple weeks and he's excited.

I've been keeping myself busy w/ JJ--he has learned to drink from a straw (milkshakes and juice boxes are a big hit) and to high five. His new favorite words of this week are apple and tractor :)

I went yesterday to the cottage and my grandmother and I made strawberry jam! yum! We have quite the operation going...next is peach jam, then sweet chili sauce, then pickles, then applesauce. Any orders??

I'm off to wait for the glass guy to come fix our car windshield...have a great weekend everyone!! OH AND LISA AND KEVIN HAD A GIRL!!! Emma, 6 lbs, 6 oz, no epidural and Lisa looks like she never even had a kid one week later...such a bitch... haha--happy weekend!!!

Ahhh...job!

I got a job!
RSD called and offered me the hs english position :)
I was very impressed/flattered w/ two things: first, when they asked if I was interested in the position, I said yes. They said good, but if I wasn't interested, they were ready to offer me the kindergarten position! Second, and probably the greatest compliment I've ever received; one teacher on the panel (deaf) has two students that go to school there. She already decided to pull them and mainstream them in the fall. BUT she told the panel that if they hired me for the english position, she would keep her kids at the school.
HOLY SHIZNIT!
Makes me feel great but nervous at the same time. What if I dont live up to their expectations, blah blah...

So, I'm super excited to get in there and do my thing (aka make some changes...) and see how it goes!
Tomorrow I have to go and meet w/ the supt to "negotiate my salary"...eh... I'm never very good at that kind of thing... I really really need a job but at the same time I really really need a good salary. So see see and will keep you posted!
It's hot and humid here, jj is sleeping and i'm off to read a book--gotta love summer!

Books

Here are the books that I have read this summer so far:

I liked this book better that The Secret Life of Bees, interesting story that was a good beach read.

Cute book w/ a really likeable main character. First book of Kingsolver's I actually made it through.

Really good book w/ witty dialogue and a really funny cast of characters.

I wish I saw this when it was on broadway--the book reads just like a story he is telling in his stand up routine--you can actually see and hear him saying the lines of the book while you read it.

Next I will read Digging to America by Anne Tyler, I will let you know what I think.
Any suggestions of other good books out there??

Updates

Hi!!!!
I can't believe I haven't written in over a month...so much has happened but then not so much--still living it up on the farm, it's still humid, JJ is still doing awesome, etc etc!

Whats new: I had 2 interviews at RSD--let me tell you about this interview process...
First interview: I sat at a table w/ a panel of 4 people that asked me questions. Fine. No biggie.
Second interview: I had to teach a kindergarten class of 8 (4 of which had 1:1's!) for a 1/2 hr while the panel sat in the back of the room and took notes.
Haha--I snuck a peek at one of their sheets and guess what I got points off for?? Being voice off the whole time. Wowza, different world here than in Fremont!
BUT the good thing is after the 2nd interview they asked me about my communication policy and we discussed student needs, current research blah blah... and hopefully they understood where I was coming from! I talked to the classroom teacher who said they are currently working on their communication policy and I said I would LOVE to get in on that... Bring them all over to the dark side of ASL...*mwah ah ah*

The job that I interviewed for was for a k/1 combined class team teaching situation. After the interview, I was told that they possibly will have a HS English position. THANK GOODNESS! A half an hour of little kiddies was enough for me--i need my angst ridden, attitude filled teenagers back!!

I should find out either today or tmw or early next week what the decision is and I talked to the bank this am about a mortgage :) So hopefully when if I get a job and get a salary quote, we can start moving on a house!

Mike is going to take the digital camera to the store to have pixs put on a cd so I can upload them onto here--can't wait to share photos w/ u of the 4H fair! and ofc JJ and all of his adventures on the farm :)
Talk soon!!

PAH! Photos :)

JJ and his cousin Jack--Jack is 5 years old and helps out a lot w/ JJ :) Teaches him all of that "big cousin" stuff!



This is JJ working in the "garden"--it's really huge, about an acre or more planted w/ tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, squash...This is in the beginning stages, all of the plants are about waist high now.



Sam and JJ are exactly a year apart and they are more like brothers. JJ follows Sam EVERYWHERE and they fight over toys constantly! But they are also goofy and giggle together like siblings do :)


More JJ :)


JJ's spoken words: up, outside, cat, cow, moooooooooo, mama, hey da
Signed words: more, all done, table, swing, sit, cup

Things I Miss in Cali

-Sidewalks
-Mexican food
-Round Table Pizza
-Pager service
-dry air
-Pjs chicken salad
-Coldstone
(sorry I'm really hungry...)
-VP, captioning, and flashing lights
-Jayson's jogging stroller

And ofc you guys!!

We had a good day today but JJ and I were both tired cuz he didn't fall asleep until 12:30am last night...I need to get him a crib, I can't wait until the moving co gets here.
We played outside pretty much all day today, took lots of walks and played in the yard.
Now that he is asleep (i hope for good tonight) I'm trying to talk to Mike but all I have is email that is sllllloooooooowwwwwwwwww and it's really frustrating...
Ok, I'm giving up and going to lie on the couch and eat ice cream..that should help...
Night!!

In a nutshell

Wshew!! what a couple of days!!
JJ and I have been busy adjusting to our new schedule and new lives--he has gotten used to the time change and has pretty much accepted that this is it for us for a while.

We've been busy going for walks everyday and checking out all of the animals--it's awesome that he can run out of the garage and I don't have to worry about him, there are about 4 acres of grass around the house so he can run and run and run and I just let him go :)
There are a few robins that let him chase them around the yard so he loves to do that. And there are lots of butterflies that he chases around. He has made friends w/ the chickens down the road and the neighbors' horses. Every house on our road seems to have an old sleeping dog under a tree that comes out to say hello to him too--JJ is in heaven!
He is also fascinated with the tractor in the back field, he runs right for it whenever we go outside.

Last night, I think he finally realized that Mike isn't here--he got real quiet and sad and just layed in his bed not moving but w/ his eyes wide open. Poor kid. Hopefully Mike and Barry will have a fun trip but I hope they hurry too.

Tonight we went to my grandmothers cottage on Lake Ontario--JJ ran and got into everything possible from the moment we got there. I took down food and made beef stew for us and I think my grandmother enjoyed it :) After dinner, we went for a walk and you wouldn't have believe it--JJ jumped in the lake! I swear that kid has no fear... We were walking on the beach and he kept trying to get the water and finally he just jumped in! The water had to be high 60s low 70s but it was so hot and muggy that I'm sure it felt good :)

So he was KO'd by the time we got in the car...now I'm off to sit and relax w/ a bowl of ice cream... this single motherhood is exhausting!!

BTW, Leah if you are reading this--haha, I WISH you were our vp interpreter today--Mike and I had quite a conversation and the poor woman was trying to capture my anger and his anger then my crying and blah blah...looking back it was just plain funny. It got to the point that I forgot I was talking to an interpreter and I was yelling at her as if she was Mike! Poor thing, I'm sure she thought, "My god, what a bitch!" Haha, ahhh a career I could never do!!

Good night all, stay cool!! Mike said it's steaming in Cali...hope you all are surviving!!

**I don't have the cord to download photos from our digital computer but as soon as it arrives, I will post pics asap :)

I'm tired...

Heh, today the time change caught up w/ me! And going from a single floor ranch to a 3 story house is kicking my butt today too--my legs are sore!! That's so sad...
Woke JJ up at around 9:30 this am trying to help him get used to the time. Mike had a meeting at RSD this am and he said it went well. He will have a formal interview when he gets back here in about 2 weeks. I'M A SINGLE MOM FOR 2 WEEKS. OY.

Woke JJ up again during his nap to drive MR to the airport, Barry met him there and I'm sure they are having a blast. Hope they don't have too much fun so that they don't have the energy to pack tmw!

JJ and I went to Steph's house for about an hr so JJ could play w/ the kids then went to my mom's for dinner. Amber and Katie took care of JJ so that was a relief, mom went and bought a booster seat after watching JJ try to eat dinner standing on the chair :)

After that, we went over to Kevin and Lisa's house--so can't believe she is pregnant! It is definetly a boy--it looks like she has a basketball stuffed up her shirt :) Kevin played w/ JJ and JJ even started to fall asleep on his shoulder when we were leaving...awwwww...

JJ was asleep before we even got on the highway, poor little bugger is tuckered! So, now I need to pack his bags for tmw--we're going to Steph's tmw am to babysit for Jack and Sam for the day.

Oh! I forgot this morning I had a laugh--I woke up to the sounds of water and I thought it was odd that dad was using sprinklers on his lawn cuz it's so big--yea, it was rain. Ha, I forgot it rains here year round!

Night :)

Day One of the new chapter

Blog is up and running again!!
Soooooooo sorry it was neglected for so long but now that we are settled in NY, I think I will have more time to focus to my writing.

JJ did GREAT on the flight yesterday, we took his car seat (thank God) and he did so well! He slept on and off on the first flight and watched a couple of movies on the portable dvd player and on the second flight he was content for a long time just staring out the window and then watched a movie.
We went thru Minneapolis/St Paul for the first itme, it's a nice airport. We got in early, not a lot of people for a Saturday and we left early. It was great!
We got in last night around 10pm and the first thing we noticed was the humidity!!! oy!! forgot what that sticky, thick feeling was! JJ started to have sweaty ringlets for hair pretty much as soon as we arrived :)
Dad picked us up and after a few attempts, we got all of the bags, stroller, car seat etc etc in the car.

Next thing we noticed--the bugs!! Remember the beginning of Men In Black where you follow that bug until is smashes into the windshield?? That's what it's like here--but the smacking on the windshield happens every 5 seconds! It was crazy.
JJ didn't sleep until around 1:30am, with the time change, new house, new bed etc etc. I fell asleep about the same time, thank goodness dad put an AC in our room. I put Jayson in with us last night--he has his own room but until he gets used to his new surroundings, I want him to stay with me.

Woke up around 6am--why??? IT WAS TOO QUIET!!!! We are in the middle of nowhere on farm land and there is not a noise, not a street light, not a car--nothing!! We are used to being home with buses going by, cars w/ bass, etc etc and there is nothing here! I managed to fall back asleep for a while until Mike woke up at 9ish. We woke Jayson up and had a nice fathers day breakfast :)

My mom and the three girls came over around 11 and we all went swimming and hung out and had lunch. The girls are getting older now (Courtney will be a junior in the fall, Katie will be a freshman, Amber will be in 8th grade) so I let them take care of JJ a lot--what a blessing! Courtney will teach swim lessons this summer so i'm going to have her do some lessons with JJ--that's what aunts are for right??
Grackin came over too on her way home from church, it was nice to sit out by the pool w/ mom and Grackin and gossip and talk about people we knew. I'm getting the hang of this slow farm life after all!!

Oh, oh oh!! Next thing we noticed??? NO PAGER SERVICE!! Wha wha what??? I know, blackberry withdrawl... I have to go into "the city" if I want to have service, haha. That's what made me think to start the blog up again--at least it's an outlet to keep in touch w/ my peeps!! haha.
I rode home w/ my mom and co. so that Mike and I could borrow my step fathers car--91 chevy lumina baby, haha ridin' in style! Another observation--all the cars that you pass on the road have "God Bless America" and flag decals and such on the windows (so does said lumina). Haha, and for the first time in years I used the cruise control!! Been a while since I've been on a highway where I'm pretty much the only car :) heh. And last night?? HIGH BEAMS. Get out of town!! I don't even know if my high beams on our cars at home even work!

By the time I got home, Dad, Cheryl, Steph, Luke and the boys were all here getting dinner ready w/ Mike and JJ. We grilled out and swam in the pool some more (Lord, give me a tan...)
JJ ate a bunch of new foods--he nawwed on an ear of corn for a long time and tried cole slaw and baked beans:)

I'm excited b/c dad tilled about an acre in the back field to plant a garden. AN ACRE. at least. So, right now we are trying to figure out what to plant and will do that this week :) Can't wait to grow my own food!! I'm sorry, but can you all picture me out here?? Sweatin' my ass off, working in a field??? hahahah...

JJ had a milestone tonight--first bath w/out a bath seat in the tub!! He loved it!! OFC I got it on video and camera, I need to figure out how to download stuff then will upload pictures for you guys to see :) Also Vanessa gave me the website to post video so you guys can see JJ grow (and me out in my farm...)

Well, it's 10:15 local time and JJ is sleeping..thus begins many similar nights for the rest of the summer :) Maybe I'll jump in the pool? Maybe I will help Mike get ready for his meeting tomorrow? Keep your fingers crossed--he has a meeting at RSD in the am--what a blessing if he got a job... I'm sad tho b/c Mike will fly back to cali tmw w/ Barry to pack up the house, clean, then drive cross country w/ the two cats... So JJ and I will be alone together for about 2 weeks. Fun bonding time for us but i know it will be tough for JJ and Mike to not see each other for so long.
Ok, enough for tonight--I'll keep you posted on what new adventures we face tmw!! Super Walmart just opened in town so man, tomorrow cld be nutty...
:) L