AN ODE TO WALMART

I was a happy kindergarten sub again today. I love those little guys--all wild-eyed and innocent (okay, maybe not innocent). I was trolling the lunch line and asked one of the little boys in my class if his hair felt soft with his new buzz cut. He answered that yes, it did, and would I like to feel it? Of course I said yes, and remarked at how fabulous it felt--soft like a baby's hairbrush. The little guy behind him was also sporting a buzz cut (hey, we live were it's hot until the end of October), and invited me to feel his hair too. Which of course I did. And also remarked at the fabulousness of it. I told them I just loved their great hair, to which one replied, "Thanks! We got it at Walmart!" Who knew that Walmart sold hair??! So darn cute--and I'm sure he'd make a great spokesperson for the company!

Moments like these are the secret fuel that keeps kindergarten teachers sane after years and years of abuse. The kids' great cuteness is a distraction while they are busy wrecking your stuff, your mind, and your body. Not necessarily in that order. So if you know a kindergarten teacher, give her a big hug next time you see her, and tell her (or him, sorry guys!) thank you for all she does! Also, give her a bandaid if you have one, she'll need it. And some rubber boots. And a flak jacket. And suggest to your school district that she receive hazard pay.

And that is today's ode to The Teacher. Tune in over the weekend--I'll be in a 2nd grade classroom tomorrow--HALLOWEEN!!! Yikes, spooky..........

THE HALLOWEEN PARADE!

We're on parade with all the Sitstas out there! Go ahead, make my...sandwich.

Deranged Psycho Prisoner Having a Really Bad Hair Day...I think that's what
the costume package said.

Mama cop and mini me. The Village People lost their idiot...wait, here I am!

It's no secret why I didn't let this one get away!

CRAZY IS AS CRAZY DOES

Making flubber!

Birthday hat!

It's been 3 shades of crazy here this evening at the ol' homestead! We've had trumpet practicing, phones ringing, kids running in and out the door and through the house (several weren't ours), and dogs barking like nincompoops. And even though it's completely nuts, I love it! I know a day will come when the silence tries to drive me crazy, so I'll stave that day off for as long as I can. The husband would probably argue that as long as I have vocal cords, it will never be silent. He's probably right, I do tend to talk to myself. A lot. The truth is that I love the chaos. It completes me. When my husband and I first had children, we both knew that we wanted to be the "go to" house in the neighborhood, the house that all the friends of our kids felt comfortable hanging out at. I will keep the cupboards stocked with junk food, the soda fountain flowing, and the music blaring--all in the name of fun. Okay, truth be told, I enjoy those things too. I've learned that the fun you have in life IS life, and those moments are what we all remember. Do you remember the parties that you had in elementary school? Recess? A fun project you worked on with a friend? How about the annual Valentine's Day card exchange? I thought so! Those are the moments that memories are made of. We watched the annual showing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on t.v. last night, and I told my kids about a time when we HAD TO BE PRESENT to watch the one and only airing of the program during Halloween week. No video cassettes or DVD's to replay, and certainly no DVR to rewind. How cool is it to watch the same shows that I loved as a kid with my own kids? Tomorrow night we'll carve our pumpkins, roast some pumpkin seeds, and fine-tune our costumes. I love this fall season and all the fun goings-on! It's a complete and total chaotic cluster around here, and I don't think the the laundry has been put away in a month, which really competes with my OCD ways, but oh well. We're enjoying our days, and all the holiday hoopla! I'm already planning some fun and zany Christmas fun, I'll share, if any of it actually pans out! When my son was about 6, he told me (giggling like a lunatic) that whatever I did, I'd never be able to "take the silly out of him". He was so right, and believe me, I'd never, ever try!

ROLLER COASTER!

Hey, it's how we roll! (yup, that's the boy in the heels and hula skirt...)

It's true, I've been on somewhat of a roller coaster ride of emotions lately. The job horizon has me a little down, and the looming election has me scared and looking for answers. I know there are people out there who are weathering worse storms that I could even imagine, and that makes me feel guilty and unjustified in my worry, ergo, another emotion. Then, this weekend, my daughter wanted to watch old home movies. As I sat and watched my babies grow up before my eyes on the t.v., I realized that I have already enjoyed SO MUCH LIFE!!!! Every single day that has been spent in the presence of friends and family has been (especially in hindsight) such a blessing and such a gift. Never have these words rung more true to me than today...

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize

they were the big things.” Robert Brault

I'm such a quote-collector, and I'm am going to allow some of my favorites to inspire me to go forth and be positive! I am going to strengthen my resolve to worry less (doesn't help anyway), enjoy life more (who can argue with that logic?!), and have faith in God that all will be taken care of--I am in good hands!

WHAT IS LIFE?
Life is an Adventure ... Dare it
Life is a Beauty ... Praise it
Life is a Challenge ... Meet it
Life is a Duty ... Perform it
Life is a Love ... Enjoy it
Life is a Tragedy ... Face it
Life is a Struggle ... Fight it
Life is a Promise ... Fulfill it
Life is a Game ... Play it
Life is a Gift ... Accept it
Life is a Journey ... Complete it
Life is a Mystery ... Unfold it
Life is a Goal ... Achieve it
Life is an Opportunity ... Take it
Life is a Puzzle ... Solve it
Life is a Song ... Sing it
Life is a Sorrow ... Overcome it
Life is a Spirit ... Realize it

and a fave from "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium"--
"Life is an occasion--rise to it"!

Life can also be very sticky and messy, and sometimes a bit sarcastic and sassy, and that's okay too.

WHERE ARE THE DAYS GOING?

Chalkboard on my kitchen counter.

Alright, what the heck happened to Monday and Tuesday? They were just here a minute ago, I know they were. Maybe they are laying in wait on the kitchen counter with the rest of last week's mail that is still unopened. Maybe they are in the bag of overdue library books waiting to be returned. No, I think they are probably in my bed, doing the sleeping for me, since I so clearly am not! What fun is life if it's not busy? Don't ask me, I wouldn't know! Blessed busy days, I won't wish you away, because I know I'll miss you when you're gone. I'm finally done with today's work, and off to find those missing days...zzzzzzz.

MY FAMILY ROCKS!

Saturday morning I work up with a headache. Not just your garden variety headache, but a full-blown, can't-hardly-get-my-head-off-the-pillow headache. My allergies have completely run a muck. I heard the fam up and moving around, and a couple of minutes later, I heard a ruckus in the hallway outside my door. Just as I was getting ready to request peace and quiet, the kids and hubby came in carrying a plate with hot, buttered waffles, and another holding hot, buttery poptarts (see a butter theme here?)! That, and a large glass of iced diet Mt. Dew! Yum! Then I got to open a letter from my daughter, thanking me for working so hard, and for "feeding them every day"! Gotta love kids and their priorities! It was the nicest surprise I've had in a really long time, and it made me so proud of my kids! After the initial feeling of love and pride, I immediately wondered if they knew something I didn't--had they broken something beyond repair? Was I dying? But no, they are just great kids (and a great husband, too!)! Then, I got up, headache and all, and we went to garage sales--my favorite Saturday morning activity! We found a couple of great games, books, and my son found a very large, heavy pillar for his room--don't ask. I also found a cute "coffee box" for my kitchen. I'm not sure what I did to warrant such great blessings, but I am very, very thankful for each and every one! I hope you and your families had a great, restful weekend, and here's to a productive week ahead!

By the way, you may have seen the new button at the top of my blog--it's the coolest site! It's called The Secret's In the Sauce, and they help bloggers meet other bloggers out in cyberland! If you click on it, you can see all kinds of fun blogs to read. I've also added the "give a free mamogram" button in honor of a high school friend who recently lost his very young wife to breast cancer.

HAPPY THURSDAY!

For lack of a better title...it is what it is! Today was a day off for me, no subbing. You know the economy is in a bit of trouble when there's a hiring freeze on substitutes...wow. It's not the most glamorous job, but apparently there's a waiting list to do it. Again, wow. We are getting ready to head out to the library--the whole family! I used to take the kids at least once a week, especially in the summer months when being outside in Phoenix is not an option, unless you're not fond of your skin. It's a rarity now days for them to come with me during the school year, and to have hubby there too is quite cool! The library has always been one of my favorite places. I feel like a kid in a candy store surrounded by all those potential reads!

HAVE YOU EVER...

...had one of those days that you seem to do everything, but nothing gets done? Like when the phone rings, so you go to answer it, but can't find it. You remember seeing a phone laying on top of the dryer, so you go down to retrieve it, and then you see something that the dog dragged in on the laundry room floor, so you scoop that up and dispose of it. That reminds you that no one took in the garbage can last night, and so you are probably going to get a nasty-gram from the HOA, so you go to drag that back into the side yard. Then you see that no one has picked up the dog poop on the side yard since God was a child, so you go in to get rubber gloves and a bag to do the deed, and you remember that you still haven't unpacked some of the Wal Mart and Target bags from yesterday's store run. So you go up to unload the various and sundry items and put them in their rightful homes, when you notice that the one of the new shampoo bottles seems to be leaking, so you wash it off in the sink and try to locate the leak. That reminds you that there's a sink full of dirty dishes downstairs to tend to, so off you go. As you are staring an ever-growing pile of dirty dishes in the face, you realize that no one (read: YOU) has unloaded the clean dishes from the dishwasher yet. As you unload the dishes from the dishwasher, you remember that you haven't taken out the roast to defrost for tonight's dinner. Since the day is now half over, the roast is no longer an option. Now, the bigger problem is what will dinner be, and who the heck is going to deliver it to you. As you are looking up the number for the local pizza place, your phone rings again. This time, you know right where it is, and run to the laundry room. Has this ever happened to you? Me either, I was just checking.

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

This is one of my favorite sayings, anyone who knows me will vouch for that. I was talking to a good friend of mine the other day, and we got on the subject of the beauty of the innocence of children. It's such a good subject, and always makes me feel better about the world and its goings-on. I feel so out of control with all the financial upheaval and economic depression we're experiencing in our country right now, that it's refreshing to talk about something else, anything else! I remember hearing the best radio commercial several years ago. It was by a car dealership, and it went something like this: "Imagine leaving the house one morning with no money in your pocket, no identification in your wallet, and going to a place you've never been before. We would have a hard time imagining going out into the world this way, yet every year thousands of kindergarten kids do just that. They trust us to take care of them and protect them." The commercial went on to tell you fabulous things about their dealership, etc. I remember being very touched by those words, and by the vulnerability in which our kids trust us each and every day. What a huge responsibility we have to them, as our children. I have to believe that it works the same way with God. He's our father, and I know that he feels an enormous love and responsibility to us, his children, to provide for us every day. It's a pretty simple revelation, really, but it makes me feel much better about leaving my house each day, knowing that He's there watching out for me! Have a great week!
**The picture above was taken outside in front of our house a couple of springs ago. All the neighborhood kids came out to run in the rain--some even had their bathing suits on! If you look closely, you can see that there was a double rainbow--God's pinky swear promise?!!**