A Day in the Life

I got to spend a day in the life of a kindergarten teacher today! I was the substitute for KJ's class and had so much fun. It was a great reminder for me of life before kids, although I don't remember being this tired at the end of the day. I am exhausted! So thankful for naptime in a little while! I think the kids definitely missed their real teacher, but they were all very kind to me. I got compliments on my hair, my clothes, and my necklace. Kendall's class is so sweet! I have actually been thinking about homeschooling lately, but being in her class reminded me of why we chose Coastline and what a great environment it is for our kids.
On a side note, I turned on the tv for the kids to watch something and got a glimpse of Yo Gabba Gabba. What on earth is this show and why is it still on the air? I had seen clips before of the show and honestly thought it was a joke at first. I can't bring myself to watch an entire episode to see if it has any redeeming qualities, but I am sure they must be there somewhere right? I think we will stick to Curious George. Talking monkeys are way better than weird creatures whose mouths don't move.

Gearing Up

We are officially in week 2 of sabbatical, which means Matty is off and I am on single parent duty. I am also gearing up for our upcoming road trip to Washington state, 20 wonderful hours in the car with three kids. Doesn't that sound fun? I have been gathering stuff for the past two months and finally got everything together today. I now have a very organized box of coloring pages, books, slide puzzles, telescopes, view masters, tiny toys, and lollipops. I think it will give us a good two hours of peace in the car before the whining sets in. Thankfully we also have the dvd player, how on earth did parents do road trips before these things were invented? Hopefully the kids won't go blind as they stare endlessly at the tiny 8 inch screen. As long as no one gets carsick, I will be happy. And hopefully we will do without a trip to the emergency room while we are in Washington; maybe I should take a helmet for Cam to wear while we are there :)

My Head Is Full

My head is full with random thoughts today, along with three random songs that have nothing to do with each other. It doesn't help that I only know about 2 lines of each. I will refrain from sharing them with you so that you do not suffer the same tragic mind whirling that I am currently suffering. It doesn't help that KJ keeps adding songs to my head, I think she is going to suffer from the same condition as her mommy where there is constant music running through her brain.
My youngest son is showing journalistic tendencies. His ever increasing vocabulary has encouraged him to use very descriptive phrases with everything he does. Especially when he uses the restroom. You would be amazed at how many different words he can use to describe his poop.
And finally to my oldest, who brilliantly memorized his narrator part in the school play last week and amazed his mommy and daddy. I have realized that he is morning person. He can wake up with so many thoughts and ideas in his head for things to build and do that it simply makes me tired and I have to go back to bed after talking to him. Which, by the way, sounds incredibly appealing right now.
Now you know some of the many things filling my head right now. It's sad, but true. Okay, now I have a new song in my head. 20 points for the first one to guess it, your clue is that it is from a Disney movie :)

Accident Prone

Is is written somewhere that the third child is the most accident prone? I seriously do not remember Bennett and KJ getting hurt as much as Camden. Last night we had another scare, as Cam slipped on the bathroom floor and his forehead managed to find the corner of the wall. I swear his body is naturally inclined to fall in the worst spot possible. He immediately got a huge goose egg on his head, and because his mommy watches way too much CSI all I could think of was the possibility of brain bleeds. And the saddest part is that Matt and I looked at each other and both questioned whether or not to take him to the emergency room knowing how long it took us to pay off our last visit. Isn't it sad that money would take part in our decision making? That we would even think to hesitate because of it? As it turns out we chose not to take him, and he is fine now except for the huge blue ball on his head. I think we need to start an E.R. fund just for Cam, as I am sure over the next ten years we will have to visit at least a few more times. Maybe I should just go to medical school, it might be cheaper :)

Desperation

It amazes me the things that humans can do out of desperation. It is a sickness, that eats away until we finally act, even if what we do seems completely insane. This week there was a baby stolen from a local hospital, and it just so happens that I know who kidnapped him. It is so surreal to be watching tv and see a familiar face in an arrest picture. I met Leianna when I was little, and have vague memories of swimming with her while our moms took water aerobics classes together. She went to high school with me, but by that time we had very different groups of friends and never really connected. She got pregnant young, had four kids and divorced. Apparently she is with someone new now, who she wanted to have a child with, so she faked a pregnancy and stole a baby. Crazy. And while Santa Barbara is not necessarily a small town by number, it is a small town when something like this happens. Rumors go wild, accusations are hurled, and numerous families are affected. I have heard so many horrible comments written on blogs about Leianna, but I can't help but feel sorry for her. Desperation and a desire to please people we love can drive normal people to do insane things. I am glad the baby is okay, I don't imagine she ever intended to harm him. And I don't want to sound like I am trying to justify at all what she did, I just feel really sad for her.

Thank Goodness for Grape Flavoring

Apparently cold and flu season is here. At my kids school, we have heard reports of strep throat, the flu, bronchitis, scarlet fever, and now chicken pox. Does it surprise you that my family is constantly sick? I feel like stocking up on cold medicine and moving to a farm in Iowa for a month. Maybe tomorrow.
As a kid I remember Dimetap. I remember the grape flavor so well I can still taste it when I think about it. And I remember the bubble gum flavor of the medicine that we used to have to take from the fridge. And I am pretty sure that my sister once chowed on a whole bottle of baby aspirin with that tangy sweet orange flavor. What did people do before the goodness of artificial flavoring? I was reminded of all of this yesterday when I gave Camden some cough syrup. He literally licked the dosing cup clean. I am considering using it as a sauce on veggies.
Hope you all are well and healthy amidst the cold and flues going around!