You walked right into my trap! Ha ha! I knew I could get you to read! All I had to do was make you give me advice....I have read you all like an open book! I now have you in my control, and am preparing to one day take over the world! I will enlist Kurt in my plans, as he has already been a member of a cult and can give me invaluable tips and advice on how to further control your minds!

Okay, breathe.....Ahhh, yes. Well, my day was overall pretty boring. I met Gina and kids at McD's b/c it was dollar kids meal night. That was the most eventful moment of my day. I'm nesting like a mo-fo. I cleaned the kitchen floor, vaccuumed, cleaned and dusted all the furniture, washed and put away all the clothes, hung pictures, and cleaned the entire kitchen. I would have continued, b/c in my mind the house is a filthy mess right now, but unfortunately, I was HOT and out of breath! I knew it was time to stop when my big ol' belly kept getting in the way when I would try to hammer a nail into the wall and the nail would fall b/c I couldn't reach it! I've decided that this and sex are what God gave us on purpose before babies are born. Why, you ask? Well, b/c once the baby is born, you will neither have sex or clean the house for many a long time! I just hope all the cleaning I did today lasts a couple months! (if it lasts till tomorrow, I'll be shocked!)

So, also please take notice of my nice, new layout. If you know me at all, you will know that it is TOTALLY ME! I am not only a freak about purple, but I am crazy for smiley faces! This blog now ROCKS!

Oh, and if you want some interesting reading, go check out Gina's Page, and Only if you want to. They are both pretty shocking and enlightening today, in my opinion. Also, pray for Mark and Karla that they find the closure they are looking for. You can read her story on Karla's New Page. Just be ready with Kleenex...I love how strong and wonderful they are!

Okay, real quick...K8 hit me up with this tag...Ten things I haven't done...Geesh, since I'm boring, this should be easy!

1. Gone to see the pyramids in Egypt.
2. Shot an intruder.
3. Gone bull riding.
4. Put my head in a lion's mouth.
5. Worn stiletto heels, or knee-high boots.
6. Eaten caviar.
7. Jumped off a mountain.
8. Been a nanny to royalty.
9. Built a chopper (but Trey wants to!).
10. Given birth to a girl.

Now, you tell me which ones I may actually do. Please make them exciting, so I can plan to have fun in my life! Oh, and if you want, you may also do this. It's harder than you think, but it's kinda fun!

Okay, I'm closing on my house tomorrow at 3, so wish me luck! It's finally going to be over! I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

I'll ask you a question! I need your advice...

Okay, so here's the deal (If you know the person I am speaking of, please do not say anything to her. I would really appreciate that. But, you can feel free to tell me what you think I should do about it.):

Okay, so I am set to have a baby soon, in case you were unaware (Kurt). I am trying desperately to get induced, b/c I know if I don't, she'll be late. I can just feel it. I can't wait that long.

Anyway, so I want to be induced. This would be great, b/c I would know when I was going to have the baby, hopefully, and I could tell people when to come if they so desire. However, this could also work against me. See, I was originally planning to see if Trey's parents would watch TJ while I had the baby, and they could stay at our house w/him, then just come after she was born. Little did I think at the time that this just wouldn't happen that way. I've since come to my senses, and it doesn't hurt that I was told by Trey's mom that she fully intends to be in the room w/me while Taryn is being born.

Here's where I have a problem. When TJ was born, I had planned for Trey and my mom to be in the room, no one else. My mom was to be on one side of me, Trey on the other. However, it didn't happen that way. Instead, Trey was on one side of me, and my mom and his were at the end of the bed watching everything. That is not cool to me. I'm still pretty much mortified that they watched that. I was even mad when I found out a year or so later that Trey had seen more than I thought he had! I'm not down with that. Sooo, when I started thinking about this time, I decided that I would like just Trey in there with me. It's not that simple, though. I think my mom will be okay with it, I hope. (if you're reading this, are you okay with it?) Trey's mom, however, doesn't really listen when you tell her stuff like that. She pretty much does what she wants. When I had to start pushing TJ out, I told Trey (in a mumbly way) that he needed to get her to go. He didn't move. I told him yesterday that I want him to make sure it's just him in there, and he said that if it's left up to him, she will be there, b/c he's not doing a thing. To me that's a little messed up! I mean, the man should not be afraid to talk to his mom!

I know it seems simple enough to just tell her that I would like to have just Trey in the room with me. However, she said in a very firm, convicted-type way that she has already made plans to be in the room when Taryn's born, just like she was with TJ. I don't want to hurt her feelings, and make her feel not welcome. I thought about lying and telling her they won't let anyone else in the room, the hospital that is, but then I figure she'd ask or something, and I'd look really bad. In my original plan, she would be watching TJ for me, but then it dawned on me that she'd just send her husband to sit with him and get them later. I kinda wish I would just go into labor unexpectedly, and then no one would get there in time, hopefully, except for Trey. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I really don't want the whole world, not even my little world, seeing me all naked and shoving a baby out of me again. I wasn't really down with it before, and I still cringe at times at the thought that they were all there to see everything. It seems kinda dumb...I mean, it's a fact of life. Trey's mom already told me she could have cared less about anything but the baby coming out, but still....I dunno....What do you think? I need your help.

Okay, talk to you later. Have a great day!

So, today's TJ quote of the day:

He'd been in bed for almost an hour, and Trey had just gotten home. We were in the bedroom discussing how our day went. TJ comes walking in..."This song sucks! Could you get me a better song, please? This one sucks!" (we play a dopey little cd--the same one every night!--for him when he goes to bed)

So yes, I have taught my kid how to be....well, how to be like me! Some people like me, so he may be okay. Plus, he's cute, and as long as he stays that way, he'll be okay. Yet another reason why I'll have to homeschool him, and pretty much shelter him his whole life. Oh, and Mommy, before you give me my lecture on this, please tell me who taught me to be this way! I have to say, though, TJ sure does keep Trey and me laughing!

Well, my day was overall uneventful. I went to church, and found out that Wendy (who was due Friday) still hasn't had her baby, which was not comforting. Oh, and I also introduced the word blog to someone in my class. We were talking about something, and I mentioned how I'm a blogaholic, and this guy asked me what a blog is. Perhaps I will send him a link to mine....ha ha ha!

We went to the pool this afternoon with Gina and kids. That was pretty fun. I don't get it, but it seems that everytime I go with them, suddenly it goes from super-sunny to cloudy and grey right before we get to the pool! Hmmmm, maybe God is making sure I don't get a sunburn! TJ was so freaked out at first that I was going to make him get in the pool. He's a strange child!

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Not an exciting day, but, strangely enough, very quick. I feel like I did a lot, even though I can't figure out what it was! Please do me a favor, and keep Karla and Mark in your prayers, as tomorrow they are going to find out what happened to Ava (hopefully) in her autopsy report. They are quite nervous about it, and I really hope everything goes alright. Also, I am still shooting for the seventh, so please hook a sista' up with that prayer as well! Have a terrific Memorial Day, and I'll see you later!

this post has been censored by blogger for obscene content

I owe this to Karla...just a few days behind!

1. Total number of books I've owned:
I would love to see someone actually answer this with a number. If they can, they are either, A: WAAAYYYY too obsessive-compulsive, or B: not able to read. I have no idea, but I would say somewhere in the 200-300 range. That includes books for pleasure, school books, and general reference. I could add about 100-200 already with TJ's books. Trey gets mad b/c I keep them all, and don't read them everyday!

2. Last book I bought:
Ummm, I think it was So You're Thinking about Homeschooling, by Lisa Whelchel. I love this book, and if I wasn't convinced before I read it that I wanted to homeschool, now I am.

3. Last book I read:
Well, the last one I finished was the one above. The last one I began, and am still working on, is The Five Languages of Love. Maybe one day I'll finish it, and can begin to work on making my marriage better! Or, I'll just kill Trey...whichever comes first!

4. Five books I have read and really enjoyed:
Definitely Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. I haven't read it since ninth grade, in Mr. Kaple's class, but I loved it! I need to get it and read it again. I was going to teach it to my students at DJJ, but I was told it would be better not to. Didn't want to upset someone and risk getting fired! Oh...

Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. I also read this in Mr. Kaple's class, and was so mad that he was making us read it. It was about a guy who was in the war, and the beginning was SOOOO boring. Oh man, once it was over, I was SO mad that I had to stop reading it! If you've heard the song One by Metallica, and seen the video, it's about that, sorta. The guy is just a brain in a torso. It's really freaky to read about all his thoughts and stuff. I love that book! You know what, I love Mr. Kaple! I was so mad when he married the dumb German teacher and was transferred to the opposing high school! Of course, he made us read The Odyssey, too, and I hated him for that!

Anything by John Grisham. I am currently reading The Partner. Unfortunately, I'm also currently reading about ten other books, and haven't the time for even one. So, it's on the back burner for now, along with everything else. Maybe one day I'll finish it. My favorite by him, though, is and always will be The Firm. I think it's just b/c I still see Tom Cruise in it in my mind.

Sullivan's Island, by Dorothy Benton Frank. I was born and raised in South Carolina, and I hated it. I never found what there was to love about it, and why so many people did. I didn't lead the wonderful life that I heard so much about, or treasure things like southern culture and the like. However, upon reading this book, it made me want to, and gave me a better appreciation for the state I live in. Sure, I was white trash growing up, but I saw just how cool it was to live in SC, and that even those with the perfect lives had their problems. My state still sucks for many reasons, but I'm much more proud to be a southerner now. Oh, and the story was just great! I got Plantation after that, and it didn't get me like SI, but I do want to read some of her other books.

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers. He writes books about young black boys growing up in the ghetto and stuff like that. This book has a lot of meaning to me, b/c, A: I read it, and it told me a lot about how my students felt about incarceration and how scared they really were, B: Before I even started teaching it, I let them hear a tape of the author talking about the book. The tape got stolen (so it could be taped over with awful rap music in the dorms), and I ended up having to pay $20 to replace it to the public library, and C: The day I began to teach it, I got fired, just a couple days after I had to pay to replace the damn tape! I was in the middle of reading the first page to my class when I was asked to come to the office....I'll never forget that book!

I also like Stephen King books. However, I think his endings SUCK! They are so great throughout, then at the end he botches them all up! Oh, and I didn't mention the books I've read about behavior and babies and teaching that I've enjoyed, but I figured there was very little chance you'd run out and check those out!

Anyway, that was my tag. I won't pick people to do this, as I think they've all been tagged already. So, if you want, please do, and if you don't, thanks for reading! Have a great day! Later!

So, yesterday, early, I was awakened by Trey whispering, "I know, TJ, Mommy is crazy." I turned over, expecting to see TJ in our bed b/t us, and Trey talking to him. But no, that's not what I saw at all. There was Trey, dead asleep, whispering to himself, b/c TJ was sleeping soundly in his bed! I talk in my sleep, TJ talks in his sleep, and Trey, well, he whispers in his!

Yesterday we went back to the park from earlier and met Wes and Gina and kids there to eat some awesome chicken tacos and strawberry shortcake that Gina had made and just hang out. It was lots of fun. I love to do couple things and family stuff! While we were there, we were talking about how this kid's mom had put some popsicles in her cooler under dry ice earlier to keep them cold. Then, when she went to give them out, she gave one to her son, and it was so frozen that it stuck to his tongue! She yanked it off, and his tongue ripped right with it! He was bleeding everywhere, and, well, I ran away. I don't deal well with blood at all. I was telling Gina how much I admire her for wanting to be a nurse, with all the icky stuff it involves, and how fortunate I feel that TJ has really not had any major bloody accidents as of yet (knock on wood). Trey said, "Well, I think he busted his lip once or something" Mid-sentence, TJ walked up and got on Trey's lap. When he finished his comment, TJ blurted out, "I'll bust yo' lip!" I'm laughing now just remembering it! What have we done! My kid's gonna be a bully, and for no reason! Later, Gina was ripping off all the bad words that her kids can't say...they include: stupid, butt, freak, ugly, and those type words. I felt bad. She had just listed about half of my vocabulary, maybe 3/4's! I say stupid w/o even a second thought. A few minutes later, Blake came up, and we were talking about how much he loves to play on the monkey bars. I said, "Blake is a monkey bar F-REAK!" Yeah, so.....Maybe Gina and Wesley won't be calling us to hang out with them again...

Okay, I'll see you soon! Have a great day!

Okay, so I've been taking Evening Primrose Oil pills like they're going out of style lately. Then, I shove them up inside of me every night to boot! That's not fun, if you ask me. Plus, I am now forcing Trey, the same guy who used to bug the crap out of me about it, to have sex with me every night, b/c semen creates more prostaglandins (some sort of hormone) to help my cervix thin out quicker. What do I get for all of that!? ONE FREAKIN' CENTIMETER!!! Fine, so along with my tiny dilation, my cervix is also "very soft" (mostly b/c of the EP Oil), which, according to my midwife, is very good. She says I'm coming along just like I should. No, no, no! I don't want to just come along like I should...I want to do better! I want to be an overachiever and have my baby earlier than planned! Isn't that how it works? When you learn to read early, you're an overachiever. When you finish your science project early, you're an overachiever. Okay, fine, when you have your baby early, you're an overachiever! I have always excelled at what I've done....well, until real life hit me, that is....and I don't want this to be any different. I begged her to schedule me to get induced this afternoon...Yeah, she laughed, too. I told the nurse today that, no offense to her, of course, I never want to see her again. It sucked to run into her on the way out, head hung low, and tell her that I'll see her next week. So, while I'm on this subject...I need your help. Obviously, Trey's semen can impregnate me, but not knock her out of me, so...PLEASE pray that Taryn works with me and comes out soon! I'm shooting for the seventh, it has kind of a meaning. Perhaps God will respect a date request this one time (wink, wink), and let me have that day. Soooo, while you're praying, mention the seventh, will ya?

Today we had a picnic for the mom's group Gina runs that she so graciously has welcomed me to. It was a lot of fun. I liked getting to see other grown up humans (that aren't my Wal-Mart cashier for a change!), and that TJ got to go out and run around with other kids (b/c you know he just played with them all....by that, I mean, himself, of course!). They had a water thing there, with fun little sprinklers to run around under, and it cost $2. So I'm a little upset that I wasted $2 today, as TJ would not dream of going into the water. However, as much as he watched everyone else have a good time, I guess I got my money's worth, or something like that...I was a little worried for a minute there, b/c another girl there is due June 13th, but she didn't come today. I made it a point to make sure she hadn't had her baby yet, b/c if so, I was going to be mad! If I can't have mine early, then no one can!!!

Well, it's nappy time now. In case you haven't heard the news, or seen the huge pic under here, CARRIE WON!!! I'm so happy! I may actually buy her cd, depending on how country they go with her. It surprises me that I was so much for her, as I'm not really much of a country fan at all. Knowing me, I'd have thought I'd be all for Bo (he is kinda hot), but nope, I was for Carrie from day one. AND SHE WON!!! YIPPEE! Now that all of my shows have had their season finales, though, what will I do for the next half of my year! TJ finally has realized that Tues. and Wed. are for American Idol, and now it's gone! Oy vey! Have a great day! I'll see you later!

GO CARRIE!!!! I knew you would win! YOU ROCK!!!

TJ has been very curious about the baby lately. We talk about her everyday, and I think he's kinda starting to get it. I think he clicked a little bit when I told him that a new baby would be coming to live with us soon. He's very excited about her crib, and all the new stuff in it! I think he just likes the new toys in the house!

Today he started pretending a little stuffed bunny was a baby. I got him one of the dolls I have for the baby for him to pretend with instead. He would carry her around with him everywhere. He would come running and tell me that she was crying, then run to her and pick her up and pat her on the back and hold her to his chest. She got tired a lot, and he would try to climb up into her crib to put her in, then turn on the little music thing I have in there for her. He even took a nap with her! It was so cute! I'm a little scared, though, b/c, well, he wasn't exactly, ummm, careful with her. I kept telling him that he was going to break her. He'd say, "No, Mommy, I not goin' to break the baby!" Then he'd pick her up by the pigtail! He thought she'd really enjoy going down the slide, too! But, I figure it's still good to get him used to the idea of having a new baby in the house, and it thrills me to no end that he's so willing to help! If you click on the pic, there are a couple more of him holding her!

Here are the adorable outfits that K8 sent me! Ain't they cute!

TJ LOVES the cards!

Thank you SOOOO much to K8 for her awesome gifts for the baby! The little dress is SO cute, and the outfit is perfect for just hanging out. I especially love the little white jumper. As soon as I saw it, I thought for sure I'd use it to get the baby baptized in. However, upon further thought, I realized that she won't be 6 mos. (when my pastor told me I should do it) till around winter time. So, I may just have to do it a little early! That outfit is too cute to not use for a special occasion! TJ also really likes the little card set (with the elephant on the front). He likes it b/c you can touch the little pictures and feel different textures. K8, I can tell you're a mom with a clue! You ROCK! Thank you SOOOOOOO much! What an exciting gift!

GO CARRIE!!!!!!!!! Everyone vote for CARRIE! She's the next American Idol!!!

Yes, perhaps if I say the name enough, she'll realize it's hers, and wonder what it is I want. Then she'll come on out and come see me to find out. Let's all just say her name a whole lot...Taryn, Taryn, Taryn....She's bound to be as curious and nosy as TJ and I are!

I went to church this morning. I just barely made it to Sunday School--I was a tad bit late. It was partially my fault for sleeping too long, after I couldn't sleep last night. I would have been okay, except that TJ had a royal fit when I woke him up. He insisted on Trey coming and watching him eat his breakfast! Trey didn't get home till almost 3 am last night, and was up much later than that trying to wind down. Then he had to be up by 10:30 this morning to go back to work. TJ throwing himself on the floor and screamin for his attention this morning at the foot of our bed surely didn't help his situation. I felt really bad for him. I hope he was alright and his day at work went okay. Anyway, when I got there, Wendy was still there. She is due May 27th, I think, and I was really hoping she would have already gone. I told her last time I saw her that I didn't want to see her again for a long time! She said she only came today to see if I was there! Sure enough, I was...and probably will be next week, and the next week, too! Ugh!

The service was kinda cool, though. The youth ran it, and they had some cool songs, although they were upbeat and instrumental. I think most people were confused, and scared to sing along. I know I was! One solo a girl did, called "God's Will", made me cry. It was a sweet story (in a song) about a little boy with cancer that knew he was going to die, but trusted in God, whose mom had to work two jobs and had no dad. The girl was an awesome singer, and the song, well, brought tears to my eyes. I tried really hard not to cry, too. For some reason, lately, I seem to have a problem with people thinking I have feelings and that I cry at stuff. During the last mom's group meeting I was at, a girl told her story of an accident that almost killed her, and there wasn't a dry eye in the room. I wanted to ball. However, I tried with all my might to supress the urge, and managed to just let a couple of tears roll out. Afterwards, all I could think was, "Why do I care if a bunch of women see me, especially pregnant and totally emotional, crying?" I dont' get it at all...

Oh, last night I ran into Mr. James that I used to work with at DJJ. He was the teacher across the hall from me, and I loved him to death. He's been teaching for about 35 years or so, and still has his mind totally with it. He's been at DJJ for almost all of those years, and I honestly can't understand how or why. He even retired and came back for five more years. He's trying now to make it till he's 62 in a couple of years, but I wonder if he will. He's seen as much as can be seen there, and he says it's at its worst now. That's a lot coming from him, b/c he's not the complaining type. I miss him, though. He has, like three or four children, and about three thousand grandchildren. On workdays I don't know how we ever got anything done, b/c as soon as we saw each other, we'd go off on stories of grandchildren and TJ. It was great! Some stories of his I'd heard a hundred times, but I would never tell him that, b/c I loved hearing them over and over again! I hope I run into him more often. I told him I'd see him at Wal-Mart, and sure enough that's where he saw us. He came up behind me and said, "Hi, TJ!" It scared the crap out of me! I knew his voice, but had no idea who would be talking to my son just out of the blue! I was so happy when I saw who it was! If you want to see what I wrote about him before I was gone, here it is: "Ode to Mr. James"

I felt bad, though, when we talked about work. I told him that I really don't miss it at all. I don't even think about many of my students that much. I feel like I should. I mean, it was a LARGE part of my life for a long time there, and it scares me just how fast and easily I dropped it for my new life. He told me that M. S., a boy I'd had who left and had come right back before I departed, came to his room the period after I left, and was like, "Did Ms. Pitchford get fired!?" I told him the students always know what's going on first! He was mainly concerned b/c I was supposed to reward them the next day and we were going to have a cooking lesson. I have to say that was the biggest thing to upset me when I left, was that they must have all been so mad and upset that we didn't get to cook the next day. I feel like I broke a promise to them, which I did, just not intentionally. They had earned it, and that sucks. I also found out that my one thorn student is still there, and that he's only gotten worse. I need to pray more for him. It's my understanding that even his mom has pretty much given up on him. That makes me so sad, b/c I've seen what a good guy he can be, and he's on a downhill track. I told him to tell him hi for me, even though that won't mean anything to him. I wonder why, of all people in the world, this one guy could matter so much to me? I wish I could help him. Oh, and one more thing, then I'll leave you alone...I also heard that one of my students that I've been waiting on forever to go home...is! He lives in Columbia, near Two Notch, so I might have to start hanging out at the mall sometimes to try to run into him! That was nice to hear, especially after all the other bad stuff he told me. Please, if you get a chance, pray for everyone at SCDJJ, even the ones that are creating the problems. That is a terrible place to be right now for everyone involved, and I am so lucky to be free from there. Unfortunately, a lot of people are stuck there, and there lives are being ruined b/c of it.

Alright, that's enough from me for now. I hope you have a thrilling new week, and I'll see you soon!

"Mommy, can I lay right here?"
"No, you have to lay on the inside, so you don't fall off."
"Okay, can we listen to the music?"
"Yes, go turn it on, and then close your eyes and look at your dreams...I love you, Baby."
"I lub you, too, Mommy."
"Oh, you're my sweet baby boy."
"Mommy, I have to tell you something."
"Okay, what is it, Baby?"
"It's Julia's fab-it."
"What's Julia's favorite?"
"It's Unc Wesey's fab-it."
"What is, Baby?"
(he proceeds to go through the entire list of everyone he knows...I proceed to get more and more annoyed....)
"Okay, TJ, it's time to close your eyes and go to sleep and look at your dreams."
"Okay, I look at my dreams. OH! I see my dreams! Mommy, can you open you eyes and see my dreams?"
"No, Baby, I can only see mine, and only when I have my eyes shut. So you have to shut yours so you can see yours."
"Look, I have one eye open. Can you open one of you eyes?"
"Yes, but then I can only see half of my dreams, and I want to see them all. So close both of your eyes so you can see all of your dreams."

He finally lays down and flips and flops around for a while, listening to the music, and not talking...I think he's asleep. I drift off. Thirty minutes go by.

"Mommy! I dink the music go-ed off!"
"It did, why don't you go turn it back on."
"I don't want to, you turn it back on."
"No, I'm not turning it back on. I'm comfortable. You do it, you're a big boy."
"I don't want to. You do it. I want you to turn it back on."
"How about we just go to sleep w/o the music this time?"
"Okay, no music...Mommy! The music's off!"
"I know, we're not listening to it, remember? Just go to sleep."
"No, you turn it back on."
"No, I'm not going to do it. You do it if you want it on. I'm going to sleep."
"But I don't wanna do it! (fitfully stated) You do it!"
"TJ, no. I'm going to sleep. If you want it on, you're a big boy, and you can do it."
"You do it!"
"No, I'm going to sleep. Let's just not listen to it."
"Okay, no music. Let's go to sleep."

Two minutes go by.

"Mommy, can I tell you something?"
"What, Honey?"
"It's Unc Wesey's fab-it."
"TJ, are you hungry? Let's go get something to eat..."

I remember the excitement at his first coo's and ga-ga-ga's! All the pride I feel when I see him carrying on full conversations, when other kids his age are barely saying two word sentences...What am I thinking! This newborn's going to look so...peaceful! Oh, but don't you worry about his poor little body not getting adequate rest...two hours later he passed out on the couch while I was in the midst of scrubbing up baby stuff to get ready and doing laundry. Isn't life grand!

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you soon!

Okay, so I have a little catching up to do. First, let me say that all was quiet on the homefront this evening, as Vonzell did as I had hoped, and left the top three of American Idol. I have to say, though, I was a little sad to see her go. She has, as they said, in fact grown the most out of everyone, and she's a great singer. She's just not who I want to win! I'm so nervous now, though, b/c it's down to Carrie and Bo. I wouldn't mind if Bo won, but I really want Carrie, and they are pretty much neck and neck! Looks like I'll be voting next week!

As well, if anyone out there watches the show Revelations, which I'm guessing there are few of you, if you could please let me know what happened tonight, I'd appreciate it. I'm still pretty confused. I get that the antichrist was born, and that they have the baby Jesus hidden out in the desert, but what was up with the kidnapped boy (Samhail, or whatever)? I thought he was supposed to be sacrificed? Oh, and I am just sick that the baby was born from a lamb! Anyway, I'm lost...

Okay, last week Julia gave me some interview questions, and I'm just now getting around to answering them. Sorry...here goes:

1. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a radio DJ, or an English teacher. I was just a little off from my dream, and actually majoring in English w/a minor in Secondary Ed. when I switched to Special Ed.

2. Describe your dream vacation.
I really want to go to Germany and Ireland. I'm not really sure what I'd do there except for tour around, but I'd love to see what it's like out there, and talk to the people. I don't know much German (which is scary, since it was my first major!), but it would be fun to hear it. I love Irish accents, so I would just do everything in my power (which wouldn't be hard for me, I'm sure!) to talk to everyone I could, so I could hear them speak! In both I'd love to go to some pubs and such, and just hang out. I'd really love to see some mountains and the big, open spaces like you see in movies!

3. If you could change one thing about your looks, what would it be? Your personality/character?
My looks--I'd get rid of my pouch belly.
My personality--I'd listen more and talk less.

4. Tell me something about you that is underappreciated. Don't be modest!
Hmmm, underappreciated....I guess I'd say my deep and sincere care for everyone I know. I'm kinda lazy, and I guess I don't let it be seen much, but I really, really do care about everyone, even if they don't deserve it. I worry about others more than I worry about me, and I try to be as nice as I can be at all times. For some reason, though, people still see me as self-centered at times. I guess I just don't show it well enough!

5. I'm going to say a word. Write the very first thing that comes to your mind.

a)cherry-baby apples

b)disk-computer

c)statue-George Washington

d)puff-green

e)green-crayon (ha ha! I didn't even see the word green when I saw puff and thought of green!)

Okay, that was fun! I've also been tagged by Curly Trouble and Echo...I think they are the same, so here goes:

01. Total volume of music files on my computer? None. We used to download them, but now that it's not free, there's no point. No time to listen anyway.

02. The last CD I bought was? Linkin Park's Meteora, it was my birthday or anniversary present, to myself, I can't remember which.

03. Song playing right now: Well, Trey's playing Roller Coaster Tycoon...but I don't hear any music. Hold on, I can play some Linkin Park...

04. Five songs I listen to a lot or that mean a lot to me (in no particular order): This is hard...
"Home"- Three Days Grace
"The Red" - Chevelle
"Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta" - not sure who sings it
"Fade" - Staind
"Big Dipper" - Cracker

05. Which 5 people are you passing this baton to, and why.
Traci-b/c she need something new on her blog!
Susan-same thing!
Gina-she hasn't been tagged yet, and I'm sure she'll be so honored!
Karla-I love to see the kind of stuff she listens to!
Anvilcloud-I'm interested to see what you say, and how much I recognize!

Alrighty, I'm out! Have a great day! I'll see you soon!

Hi, I am the most gorgeous child IN THE WORLD! My mom is SOOOO Lucky! 

At the top of my blog it says I have 24 days left. Holy cow! Of course, I'd be happy with 2-4 days. I need to go ahead and have this baby! I am tired of being pregnant! I'm feeling bad today, b/c I haven't done anything for the last two days. By anything, I mean, we haven't left the house, I haven't cleaned up anything, and I haven't even watched that much television! All I can think about is sleeping. Poor TJ. I really wanted to take him to the park today, but after I slept in this morning, I got up, only to feel really icky, and decide I want to pass on that idea. This evening I wanted to take him to the pool, but I'm not feeling that anymore, either. I did manage to keep us fed, but just barely. I have needed milk since yesterday, and well, I'm not going to go get that, either! Do you think this is normal? I asked my mom how it was with her second, and she said something. I can't remember what it was now. I asked Marie, and she said she just started taking her first more places b/c she knew she couldn't once the baby was born! I can't do that! I'm too tired! I am counting down the minutes until tomorrow, b/c Trey is off. He's already told TJ that they are going to go to the park and have lots of fun. Hooray! Of course, come Friday, I'm on my own again until next Thursday! I have a feeling it's only going to get worse! I keep thinking about how I'd love it if my mom or Trey's mom called and said they want TJ to come stay with them for a few days, but that's not going to happen. Oh, woa is me! Here I am, feeling super-sorry for myself, and doing so for the whole world to see! It's sad and pathetic, I know, but hey, this is my blog, and it's what I want to write right now!

On to better news...TJ's new word is "lovely". Yesterday, I was making a couch for his mega-blok house, and he said it was "a lovely couch". Also, he's gotten pretty good at making his mega-blok houses all by himself. He makes them every few days or so for his Nana and Grandaddy. I don't know if he's trying to say something, or what. He won't make them for anyone else, not even me, who needs a bigger house. Then we have to call Nana and tell her all about the new house when it's done. This one has a gate on it, which I need to repair. The last one had a garage and had croc-o-diles and truttles behind it. Who knows what's coming next!

I really can't think of anything else to say. Tonight is American Idol, so that should be exciting. After that is House, and I want to find out more about House's new love...and his old one that's stopping in! I'm so sad about the OC. This week is the last episode, and that's just not cool. They don't even play reruns all summer long. I sure do hate that show! I can't believe they'd just leave me like that! You don't see daytime soap operas up and leaving for half a year!

Well, I guess I'll see you later. I hope you all have a marvelous day, and wish me luck on actually doing something tomorrow!

HAPPY GRADUATION!!!

Here's my first tattoo...This is my signature. Unfortunately, the yellow bled out, after being filled in twice, and it's now the same color as my skin!

I slept through this one, my second. I had them change the hood to purple, b/c I LOVE purple!

Here's my last tattoo I got...It tickled the most!

Well, as of now, my sister officially has her Bachelor Degree. I think it's in Psychology...I should really know that! She graduated today, sorta...she was supposed to walk, but she opted not to b/c of the hassle. We were gonna hang out with her all day, but slackers that we are, we didn't get out of bed in time to catch up with her. So, we just went to dinner with her at California Dreaming and met up with her family. It was nice. I recognized a couple of them, but I really don't know why. We missed Gina and kids, but I'm just saying this to give her a hard time, so....Anyway, congratulations, Susan! If you'd like to congratulate her, feel free to stop by her blog, http://susanslife.blogspot.com/, and say hi. I'm sure she'd love that!

So, anyway...do you ever feel like sometimes you have to act like someone you're not? I mean, not completely, but, like, stay on your p's and q's? For the most part, I'm always me, which is far from normal or average (or so I'd like to think). However, when I'm around certain people, actually most people, I feel like I need to put forth a persona that is, well, better than my actual personality. For instance, I am, at times, a little on the vulgar side, and well, I'm a little too blunt and uncontrolled with my thoughts most of the time. Kinda like a toddler, except I know all the bad stuff, too! So, when I'm around others, I try my best to be good and watch what I say and do. Now that I'm doing my best to get involved in church and trying to make new friends, I feel like I REALLY have to do this now. Not that I am usually a foul-mouthed person who talks about nasty stuff all the time or anything, but you know, every once in a while something (perhaps a dirty word or gross joke) slips in the wrong situation. It's kinda stressful, b/c there are some people who know me, whom I think are nervous when I'm around others and worry that I might slip up. I'm also not quite as "gentle" as other people when I speak, so it doesn't help my delivery of what I say. When I was teaching it was the hardest. I was constantly worried about saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. I didn't have any problem around the students, for the most part, but other teachers were all different, and some were more touchy than others. I love to just jump in and take part in all the jokes and the like. I'm a pretty sarcastic person, too, and a lot of times people don't catch my sarcasm and take me to be a total bitch. I really am a really nice person! So, I work hard to convey this person to the world who is clean, and nice, and "fit" to be taken out in public and seen with. Overall I am. However, deep down, I really want to get some more tattoos. I want some piercings, on my face. I don't choose black clothes b/c they're slimming, I choose them b/c I like the color. I listen to music with bad lyrics and that's definitely not kosher for most ears. My biggest wish in life is to some day get a Harley (or perhaps a very cool chromy Honda), full leathers, and a kick-ass helmet, and just cruise the world over for the rest of my life. I teach my child to sing songs like, "Daddy's got a big ol' butt, oh yeah!" and to say things like, "SCOTT SUCKS! He's STUPID!" We even use the word butt to mean butt, instead of boonky or bottom. However, I truly believe in God, and plan to raise my kids in a totally loving family who lets God lead us to greatness. I am, mostly, happily married to a truly wonderful man who really loves me. We do our best to show our love to each other, and our child, everyday. I keep the house clean, and my child as well. I have great manners, and will in no way tolerate my child not showing good manners to others. I am educated, and I have strong beliefs on a lot of issues that mean a lot to me and the rest of the world. I don't smoke, and I only drink on a rare occasion, if even then. I think I'm a pretty cool person overall. I just feel bad that sometimes stuff about me isn't exactly the norm. Sometimes it's a struggle. Just wondering, do any of you ever feel this way? Are you sometimes acting like a person you think people want you to be?

I went to Julia's house last night, and I had a wonderful time. Julia has been my friend, technically, since we were in third grade. Aside from family, I have known her longer than any other person ever in my life. We hooked back up in middle school, and in high school, sealed the deal as best friends in the world when I moved in three houses down the street from her. We've been kind of on and off here and there, what with life and moving, and everything else, but overall we've kept in touch through the years. I'm thinking of her right now b/c what I love the absolute most about Julia is that, being that she's known me the longest of anyone, she has totally seen the real me, LOTS of times. So, last night was cool b/c I was able to be the real me, and even talk about all the stupid things we've done together! I think that's what I love about Trey, too. He saw the real me wayyyyyy too early in our relationship to stick around, and still he did! He even still loves me, weird and sometimes gross chick and all! I love Julia and Trey! They are the definite best friends in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!! Oh, and we played Cranium last night...You HAVE to get this game and play it! It was so much fun!

Well, I guess I'll catch up with you later. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Doesn't Trey look SOOOO comfortable?! LT looks happy! 

Here's the new big-boy! Announcing Michael Todd Pitchford II 

Here's TJ playing with the new big sister, KK (Kalynn)! They love each other so much! 

So I had planned on writing today about how sometimes we come across as one person, but that a lot of people are not seeing our true selves. However, that will have to wait, b/c I have something else on my mind now. Perhaps tomorrow....

So anyway, first a few bits of housekeeping:

I see that you are not voting for Echo like I told you to, b/c she is not in the lead yet. Soooo, I'm scolding you now, and telling you to VOTE FOR ECHO!!!Here you must go to the right side and click on Blogette Contest (in red), and vote for echoleigh.com/blog. I can't get my hookup from her if you don't....I mean, I want her to win for her own good, yeah.....

We went yesterday to see our new nephew. He's as cute as a button. If I may be honest, though, I don't see any resemblance to either one of his parents. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise us....or maybe one day his mom will surprise us with news that he belongs to someone else! Okay, that was wrong, but I just have to wonder....We are to call him Lil' Mikey, so if you see him, don't just call him Mikey (I did, and Jennifer was quick to correct me!). Of course, just to be jerks, we all said we're going to call him LT (Little Todd), b/c we prefer to stick to two letter names for the babies. We call his sister, who's real name is Sylvia Kalynn, KK (I picked that one), and then of course there's TJ. So that leads me to wonder what we'll call Taryn? I say CJ, for Christi Junior. Then I'll raise her to be just like me! Oh, poor, poor Trey...Anyway, there should be some pics of the baby up above this post.

So, here's my thought for today instead. I went to the mom's group that Gina invited me to, so graciously, this morning. This woman spoke to us who had an amazing story, which I wish I could tell you, but I would never do it justice. Anyway, the gist of it was that she was in a car accident, and was told she would never walk again. She put all of her faith in God, and not only did she walk again, but she did within a year of her accident. The doctors said it was a miracle, and to look at her, you can't tell that anything ever happened to her. I can say that there was not a dry eye in the room, and even I, who tried so hard not to cry, cried. It was really touching, and very inspiring. It got me to thinking. So much has happened in my life during this past year. Nothing anywhere near as dramatic as her accident, of course, but enough that I have found my way to God, and gained not only a deeper understanding, but also a better relationship and better life altogether because of my troubles. I now see just how truly fortunate I have been in life, and that with faith everything will work out. If you have read along for any amount of time, then you will know that we had a lot of problems trying to sell our house, and some other stuff as well, and that I had dropped into a pretty icky depression over the whole ordeal. My original thought was, "Well, I've tried everything else, so why not try this whole God thing?" I did. At first it didn't really help, b/c I was there just to try to find some answers. However, one day I just snapped, and I think it was something my pastor said in church, and I said, "You know what, Christi, obviously everything you have done has gotten you nowhere. There's nothing else you can do. So, you have to have the faith you keep hearing about and just put it in God's hands. I mean, if He can't help you, then certainly no one else can, either." So I did. So far my depression has gone away, and I worry very little now. I think my marriage has gotten better. I am enjoying more, and not seeing quite as much of the problems that I was. Oh, and my house sold. As a matter of fact, I was talking to our real estate agent today, and we're hopefully going to close around the end of the month! Wonderful things have come my way. I even got fired (and that was one of the biggest blessings I have received so far...)! It's just awesome how much better my life already is, and in such a short time. I'm sure there will be problems to come, but I don't worry about them anymore, and I've got faith now that God will get me through them, and that He's definitely the best friend you can have to work through stuff with. Something else that has me thinking is that three close friends have recently, w/in the past year that is, had very tragic deaths in their families. I've talked about them both, and Mark and Karla's is very recent. Julia's is a little more in the past now, but still as fresh for her. I see that all of them were shaken to the core when it happened, and were left lost and wondering where they had gone wrong in life and questioning everything they ever believed. I, too, felt this way during our crisis, but nowhere near on as grand a scale as theirs. I had an ex-boyfriend, whom I really loved, die in a tragic accident when I was younger, and I'm still devastated to this day about it. He was just an ex-boyfriend! I can't imagine losing someone close to me! Could you imagine losing your father unexpectedly, or your newborn baby? I don't think I could ever leave my bed again. Yet, all three of them have survived, and are out of their beds. They have found the strength within them to continue their lives, and look toward the future. I can't help but to think that God has a big hand in that. The girl who spoke to us today, she turned to Him, and he gave her a miracle! Her life, which was prior to that time as perfect as they come, was ruined. She was put into debt, her life plans were shot, and she was told her mobility was gone forever. Instead, though, a year later, she was on her feet again, moving forward. She even told me that she, too, lost her first baby b/c of the problems she had from her accident. Did I mention the fact that she is pregnant now, and due in July, which is also when her little girl will turn 2? So I just can't think of anything that would say that God didn't take over that situation and make lemonades out of those lemons. He's changed my life in no time, and made it better, and taught me the actual value of what I have. Sure, I still have problems...I'm too judgemental of others, I still worry, my marriage isn't perfect, but still....what a far cry it is from just a few short months ago, when I would cry for hours a night out of sheer stress and panic. I have also found that I have someone to turn to at ANY time of the day, or night, and He will ALWAYS be there to listen to me, no matter how stupid my thought might be. You surely can't get that from people...especially the way I like to talk! What's also cool is that God accepts me for who I am. I'm not the most kosher person you will ever meet, and I am definitely not w/o flaws. I'm working on that, though....I feel like lately, that I have become a preacher of sorts. I mean, I want to tell everyone how wonderful my life has become, and how excited I am about having found God and making Him a part of my life! That's not me at all. I am not the preachy type. I am not really that comfortable talking about this kind of stuff, b/c to me, that's a personal thing. However, I can't help it. I feel so cheesy sometimes. Even when I feel like I may be stepping on someone's toes, or being pushy about it, I can't shut up! It's just so great! I'll be honest, I don't know a lot about what the Bible says. I don't read it except on Sundays when I'm following along in the scripture lesson right before the sermon which tells me what it means. I don't have any desire to go home and read my Bible and know it front to back. I love to listen and learn about the lessons in it, though. I have my doubts about using a religioun-based curriculum with my children, but I do think that knowing God and having Him in their lives will be very important for them, and I hope that one day they can understand why. I think I'm rambling now. While I was listening to her speak today, I kept thinking of Julia and Mark and Karla. I realize that her story is SOOOO vastly different from their stories. This woman was the daughter of a pastor, raised her entire life in a church. However, she said she had spread the word her whole life, but had never really understood what it meant until that time when she was forced to depend on God, b/c there was nowhere else for her to go. I thought of the three of them, who feel that same way. There is nowhere else to go. Everything they believed up to this point means nothing now, and can't come close to explaining what has happened in their lives. I was a little surprised, but not really, by the fact that they all turned in the direction of God, and have begun a journey to try to figure it all out. I've lost my point in all of this, but I want them to know that I am there for them, and that I hope in some small way I can help them with the little bit I've learned in my own personal quest for answers. I've truly come to understand that God really does have a plan for everyone, that He knows before anything even happens, and that even though it seems dire, in the end so much good comes from it. I haven't quite yet figured out where my plan is taking me, but so far I'm liking it, and I've learned so much along the way! I can't imagine how things could get better. It is my hope that my friends, Julia, Mark and Karla, as well as others who are left to suffer in life, can get to a point one day where they learn that good has come from their tragedy, and see the plan that God has for them, and how it has made their lives that much better. I already can see how Julia's dad's death, as upsetting it is for her, has brought her closer to her mother and children, and has made her appreciate her family, especially her mother so much more. Mark and Karla have already seen that there are many important things in life that they never noticed before. Ava's death has even made me realize how fragile life is, and has brought me closer to my family. There are so many lessons that God wants us to learn in life, and it's so sad that sometimes they have to come from tragedy. I just really hope that someday they can see past these, and see the future for the great thing that it is.

Okay, I'm sorry that I went on for so long. If you're still with me, Karla has a new blog. Go here: http://untanglingknots.blogspot.com/ She really needs you and your support now, as I'm sure you all have wonderful words of wisdom for her.

Have a great day, and I'll see you later!

K8, I had Julia take this one just for you. Their names are Hannah and Lily. Okay, well, now they are! 

TJ again at a month. It's hard to believe in just a month I'll be starting this all over again! Egad! 

First, a shout-out to my homey....Please go here Blogette Contest and vote for Echo's Blog, echoleigh.com/blog. She is trying to win this contest, and is doing rather well, considering some of the competition. She needs the $1000, and I'm sure if she wins, I'll get some sort of hook-up (wink, wink!), so don't walk, RUN to vote!

Also, I just wanted to tell you that I am an aunt again. On Monday, sometime around noon-thirtyish, Trey's bro. Todd and his wife, Jennifer, had a little boy. His name is Michael Todd Pitchford II, and he weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz., a far cry from the 5 lbs. 13 oz. his older sister weighed! (Jennifer is about 5 feet tall, and 90 lbs. soaking wet!) I hope that you will pray for this family, b/c they are not exactly down with the whole common sense or parenting thing yet, and they don't exactly always have the best luck in life. I'm going to see him tomorrow, hopefully, so maybe I'll have some pics to show when I return!

Today I met up with Julia and her kids, Andrew and Alison, at the zoo. It was so much fun! We stayed for FOUR HOURS (so it must have been somewhat fun, right!)!!! I was so excited, b/c Andrew was so excited about all of the animals there, and his excitement carried over onto me. Alison liked it, too, but, like TJ, was at times much more interested in the stroller and where she was going to sit in it! TJ cared about the stroller and the spray bottle that Andrew let him play with! He learned so much... Yesterday, while we were playing, he started talking about the croc-O-diles and truttles that he was seeing. So, naturally, I told him he would get to see them today. He did actually look at them for a second, but quickly became obsessed with the idea of getting into the water with them! It kinda freaked me out, though. I didn't realize that the turtles and crocodiles were kept together in a tank. The only place that I can think of that TJ would have ever seen a crocodile was there, which leads me to believe that all those times I've tried to get him to look at them, he actually has been! That's the only reason I can guess that he would have associated them and remembered them together. Who knows! I will say, though, that nothing is as much fun as it could be anymore, b/c it's always four thousand degrees outside. Today was no different, and I thank Julia from the bottom of my heart for having the foresight to pack bottles of water (I brought a hot Dr. Pepper!), and to let us drink one. I can only hope that one day I'm a prepared mom like that. We saw the whole zoo, though, so that was pretty cool, and something I haven't ever done in one day. Oh, I even fed a goat! That doesn't seem like anything, really, but it was. I do NOT like touching dirty animals, and especially don't like them LICKING ME! However, I bought Alison and TJ some little pellets to give the goats (Andrew didn't want to do it), and TJ would not give them to the goat after it licked his hand and slobbered on him (like Mommy like son!). So, I gave up and did it myself! That goat left a big ol' slobber string on my hand! EWWWWWWWWWW! It was the grossest thing! Thankfully, though, they had a place we could wash our hands. Not so thankfully was the fact that a first grade class pushed us out of the way when we got to the sink, and took their sweet time while I silently freaked out about my hand being covered in goat goo! Oh, and score one for homeschooling! Not only did Andrew read a sign about alligators that completely astounded me (words like visible and other big words!), his reading that is, but some high school-looking boys really made me sure I'm not behind public schooling! While we were feeding the goats, a boy came up and said, "Hey, I want to feed the horses!" Yeah, that was enough for me! Oh, and we saw some kind of people in matching homely dresses with Little House on the Prairie-type hats on, and wondered what they practice. Julia thinks perhaps Messonites. I'll have to do some research....Oh, and if you want to see some pics from today, check out Julia's Page, where she posted some and put her own twist on the day. Happily, TJ only had one major melt-down today, when I wouldn't pick him up while I was getting food. Not bad for a two year old in four hours out of the house, if you ask me!

Anyway, afterwards, they stopped by for a bit to kind of wind down and cool off before the long trek home. I was thrilled b/c I cleaned yesterday in the hopes that they would stop by! We played some games and stuff, and it was fun. Alison has such a wild imagination, and Andrew has such a focused and intuitive brain! TJ was just being a toddler, although he seemed to play well, overall, with them. He and Alison could easily be brother and sister (what with the constant annoying he couldn't resist doing to Alison!). Overall, although I'm TOTALLY POOPED now, it was a great day! I even managed to struggle through dinner at church later!

Oh, and here's the kicker! One of the reasons I have been inviting them to come is b/c I have six guest passes to the zoo that came with our season pass, that expire in July. When we got there, we couldn't find Julia, and she freaked out so much that the guy let her in for free! Sooooo, now I STILL have six passes left! I just can't get rid of these things!

Okie dokie, well, I guess that's enough for today. Trey just got home, and demanded that I give him attention....like I have the energy for that! I'll see you guys soon, and I hope you have a great day!

Wow, yesterday was a busy day. Today, not so much. Either way, I'm still tired...

I met Echo yesterday at Finlay Park. That was so much fun! She lives on the other side of Columbia, and has two little ones that are right in TJ's age range. We stayed at the playground for about two hours, and it was pretty cool. Of course, there's only so much talking you can get done when you're trying desperately to keep an eye on your kids so they don't kill themselves on the playground equipment! TJ only tried to jump off of the edges to kill himself about a hundred times! Poor little Jaylen was being fearless as well (and he's a tiny little guy!), and fell and bumped his head on a metal pole! He bounced right back, though, as all little ones seem to do, and went right back to it! That aspect of kids totally freaks me out! It usually takes me ten times longer to calm down after TJ hurts himself than it does him! I had a good time hanging out there, and TJ seemed to like her daughter, Jaiden (I sure hope I got the names right!), as did I. She's even more persnickety about cleaning up than I am! It was great! It was nice to meet someone else around here with kids around TJ's age, and hopefully, if she's up to it, we can hang out again sometime. Lord knows being able to be around other adults with similar lives, but more advanced language skills is such a blessing! In retrospect, the only thing I would have changed was that maybe next time we can do it either before or after the mid-noon sun and heat (we met at noon and stayed till two!)! I was drained for the rest of the day!

After that, we went to the library for a little while to waste time until it slowed down at CA Dreaming, so we could go see Trey for a bit (and mooch some free food!). TJ loves the library, and that's so cool to me. I mean, I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that there are a ton of puzzles there, but he sat down with me for a while and had me read four books to him, too, so that was cool. Then we went and saw Trey, and that was pretty much the whole day. Once we got home, I couldn't get TJ to take a nap :( but I was spent nonetheless!

Today I went to the dr., and started my ploy to get induced. She told me they won't start talking to me about it until 38 weeks, and then my cervix has to be favorable. It kind of pissed me off that she didn't mention the pills I could take to make my cervix more favorable, but that's okay, b/c my last midwives did. So tomorrow I will go out and get my evening primrose oil pills, and begin the mission. She said to start them at 37 weeks, I say, "WHATEVER!" I was told last time to take them a month before I was due, and that's what I'm going to do this time. I want this baby out! Something I thought that was really cool, though, was that my midwife today had pics of her and her hubby when she was prego (you know, the ones where she hangs her belly out and they hug all over it--ones I could NEVER take!). Her husband was SO HOT (she's pretty good looking too)! She told me that he stays at home with their kid, while she works. All I could think was, "Man, I would love to be that kid at the mom's groups!" He was so HOTTTTTTTTT! It was wierd to try to picture him feeding the baby and keeping the house clean!

Anyway, tomorrow Julia and I are supposed to meet (with the kids, of course) at the zoo. I sure hope the weather holds out, b/c I think it will be so much fun! I have been looking forward to this since last week when we made the plans. TJ really wants to see the croc-O-diles and truttles. I promised we would, so....I can't wait!

Okay, I guess I should go now. I'm sorry this post wasn't more interesting, but my brain is just mush. What with being prego, and now sick, I'm just not doing so well. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you later!

Your Political Profile

Overall: 30% Conservative, 70% Liberal

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Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

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Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

I consider myself a liberal, for the most part, and at least this quiz held that up. I didn't realize that on certain issues I was so conservative, though. Perhaps I see now why I got fired, though...just look at the last one! I always knew for sure that my ethics beliefs were totally liberal!

To Mommy. I know that I am a pain in your, ummm, buttocks, but deep down, I know that you always have and always will love me. Through everything I've been through, you've been there for me, even if you didn't agree with me on all of my choices. Since we didn't have a dad to speak of, I know it was extra hard on you to raise both of us basically alone. I think you did a fantastic job (I mean, hey, look at me!)! What's so great is that you were able to keep your wonderful sense of humor! You're the best mom a girl could ask for!

Curlytrouble requested that we all post a pic of our moms, and put a little something special with it. I sure hope you like this, Mommy!

To Gayle, mom number 2. It's been fun getting to know you these past few years. It freaked me out a little at first that you are such a quiet person, but it just took a little getting to know you to figure out that you are a cool lady! I owe you SOOOO much! You and Bob have helped Trey and me out more than you can ever know. TJ is so very lucky to have you for a Nana, and he'll be the first to tell you. Your love for him far outweighs anything I could have ever imagined to come from a grandparent. I'm so glad to have gotten such a wonderful mother-in-law out of my relationship with Trey!

I hope that you all had a nice Mother's Day, even the men. I did. I can't say I did a whole lot, but that's what made it so great!

I started out the day by awaking to a wonderfully prepared breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, grapefruit and three pink roses with a card. It was great, even though I didn't want to be out of bed yet. I was so flattered and thrilled that Trey got up SOOO early to make me breakfast! He had to work all day today, even having to go in an hour early, and managed to pull his cold-ridden self out of bed really early to make me breakfast! It's only the busiest day of the year at his restaurant (and pretty much most of them), so I was quite thrilled! How lucky I am! Oh, and did I happen to mention, he also made me chocolate chip pancakes!!! That was pretty special, b/c on TJ's birthday, he made them for him, but didn't put chocolate chips in mine. I, of course, complained about that...so to find mine full of chocolate chips this morning was just wonderful! I did the best I could to eat all of the food he had made. I didn't end up eating the grapefruit, which is my normal everyday breakfast, but I did eat it for a snack later!

So anyway, I wasn't feeling quite well, and I was still really tired, so I didn't manage to make it to Sunday School on time. It starts at 9:45 and ends at 10:45, and, well, I got there at 10:30. The only reason I really even went was to give a gift to someone that I had forgotten last week. Afterwards, TJ and I met Gina and kids at her church to go to brunch with them. Gina, as you may or may not know, was chosen as the GREATER IRMO MOTHER OF THE YEAR, and won a free brunch for four at a fancy place down the road. Julia is young enough that hers was free, so they had an extra ticket. Being that TJ would also be free, they invited me to join them and use the extra ticket. I was so excited! I mean, after all, I got to be seen with THE GREATER IRMO MOTHER OF THE YEAR!!! Also, that, aside from my surprise breakfast, was pretty much all that had come up for me to do for Mother's Day. It was pretty cool. The buffet itself cost $27 bucks per adult, so it felt kinda special just eating it. Lord knows that I would never think to pay that much for food otherwise! It was in a big fancy room, with lots of big chandeliers (sp?) and dim lighting and a muted trumpet player playing over fancy music. It was pretty nice. The food overall was okay. I was really excited about the poached salmon (isn't that what it's called Wesley?) and the gouda cheese. They reminded me of when I used to work at a private dinner club, and we could pick at the buffets after the parties were over. Those were my favorite things, and, like, every buffet had them! It was fun to eat with them all, and all of the kids seemed to be on their best behavior once we got into the dining room (I won't talk about TJ's behavior before we got in there!). I felt bad for Wesley, b/c he had his ongoing headache, and you could just tell from looking at him that he was in miserable pain. What's worse is that he had to work today, and Mother's Day ain't slow! Poor guy! Overall, though, it was fun, and I'm so glad that I was invited. I sure do appreciate it, you guys (in case you happen to be reading!). Oh, and Gina gave me a necklace for Mother's Day that she made. It's cool. It's got thin metal (I guess) string with colored and silver beads on it. I'm going to have to find a reason to be pretty now so I can wear it!

Aside from regular life, that was my day. Oh, I cooked dinner tonight, too. I liked it, so at least someone did. I tried to make the stuff my mom made when I was growing up. It's just cabbage, sausage, and potatoes all cooked down together. Pretty simple, even though it took a bit of prep to cut and peel everything. At first I started to burn the cabbage a little, b/c I didn't put enough water in the bottom of the pan. However, it didn't mess it up too much. Some of the cabbage just had a little bit of an orange color! TJ liked the potatoes and sausage, but wouldn't even look at the cabbage. I thought it was alright, but needed something for flavor (any ideas, you cheffy people out there?). Trey wouldn't even look at it, much less eat it. That, however, is a story for another day....Anyway, I'm glad I cooked real food for a change, and hopefully one day I'll get it right and my mom will be proud!

Well, I guess I'll talk to you later. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day, whether you were a giver or receiver. I sure did. I think my plan for next year is to find a babysitter for the entire day, and just sit on the couch for 18 hours straight and chill. Wish me luck!

Your True Birth Month Is January

Loyal Social Logical Easily jealous Loves children Rather reserved Highly attentive Likes to criticize Needs close friends Ambitious and serious Smart, neat and organized Hardworking and productive Loves to teach and be taught Quiet unless excited or tensed Sensitive and has deep thoughts Knows how to make others happy Searches for the greatest romance Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds Romantic but has difficulties expressing love Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses

Goodness! I am in a mental quandry right now. As most of you know, when you are pregnant, you can only take medicine that costs a lot, but doesn't do anything. I have plenty of that, namely in the form of Tylenol Severe Cold. I figured if I bought the stuff for SEVERE sickness, maybe it would do SOMETHING. However, it's only non-drowsy. I found the other night, that when you take non-drowsy medicine at night, you can't sleep. So that night I didn't sleep. Last night, I opted not to take anything, hoping to be able to sleep, and again, was unable to sleep. Why, you ask? Because I couldn't breathe! So I went to the store today in the hopes of finding something I could take at night, and was unable to find anything that wasn't non-drowsy. All I want is some Nyquil. Nyquil knocks everything out, including me. However, Nyquil has alcohol in it, and I'm sure some other drug that I'm not supposed to have. I want it, though! So what's a girl to do? My mom said if I only take a small dose I will probably be okay, but then there's the whole fear of making the baby come out with a hand coming out of her nose b/c of the one small dose of Nyquil! Then I think about those people who do crack while their babies are in utero, and they come out fine. Don't you think crack is worse than Nyquil? I just don't know. What's more, I must decide this soon, as it's already getting late. If I take it, and don't do it soon, I will be knocked out until noon tomorrow! I think I'll go for it. Wish me luck, and don't yell at me too much if this is the totally wrong thing to do!

Today TJ and I went to see Blake and Julia play soccer. I can see why Wesley's so into it now. For the most part, it was just little people running all over a field chasing after a ball. However, Blake made a couple of very calculated kicks that were SOOOOO close to the goal. From the first one I saw, I was hooked, and I was so hoping to see another great play! Some of those kids take that stuff really seriously, Blake being one of them. Then there are the ones like Julia, who are mainly there to be with their friends. It was so cute while she was playing, b/c there was this time when all the kids were running after the ball, and it was a big moment, and I look over at Julia, and she's running the other way and looking at the cool shapes she's making with her hands! Gotta love her! For some very misguided and idiotic reason, I thought for sure that TJ would be totally enthralled by the whole thing, and watch eagerly for an hour and a half. Yeah....so when you're done laughing you can continue reading...

Did I mention, though, how much he TOTALLY loved the playground at the field?

Oh, and today TJ and I a crafty thing together! I can't tell any details yet, b/c what we did was for Mother's Day. What really sucks is that I won't get to see my mom till next week, so I can't even tell you what I did until then. It's not that big a deal, but I'm pretty excited about it. I hope Mommy, Gayle, Gina and Susan like them! Susan's is actually more for graduation from college than Mother's Day, seeing as how she doesn't actually have any kids. However, I wrote Happy Mother's Day on it, b/c she does have dogs! I'm just excited b/c TJ made them "all by himself", and didn't even make a big mess! I did learn something important, though. Don't plan for any really fun activity like that to last more than fifteen minutes for a 2 year old. After that, the interest is lost, and you find yourself fighting him to just stay a few more minutes and finish! Thankfully, it didn't last much more than that, but you could tell the pull of his toys was getting stronger each minute near the end there! Sometime this week I'll post a pic of what he did. By then you won't care anymore, but whatever...

Anyway, I guess that's it for me today. I'm really excited b/c I get to go to brunch tomorrow with The Greater Irmo Mother of the Year and her family (Gina, Wesley, Blake and Julia). That's pretty much going to be my Mother's Day celebration, and I just know it's going to be tons of fun! I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow!

So, I've made the decision that I plan to homeschool once the time comes. I can't promise that my life will allow me to do this or not, but I figure if that's what God wants, then I am totally ready and excited about doing it. I have lost all faith in the public school system, good schools or not, and have come to believe that I, and only I, can teach my child the way he deserves to be taught. Having been a teacher for a short time, I feel like my thoughts are well-based in fact, as I am well aware of the many obstacles and walls that teachers today are faced. I don't blame teachers, I just don't think that they can do for my children what they need, and that in the end my kids will be the ones left to suffer b/c of these politics of the school systems.

Anyway, on Julia's blog the other day, she was talking about her homeschooling beliefs (she's an awesome homeschooler), and mentioned "unschooling". Julia considers herself a kind of middle-of-the-roader, and is somewhere in b/t unschooling and structured learning. She brought this up, I'm assuming, b/c she had planned to do a science lesson the other day with dirt and seeds, and instead it was changed to learning about birds when they found a baby bird out in the yard. Switching over to the bird lesson was somewhat of an unschooling lesson, as unschooling focuses on letting the children learn what they want, when they want, and not following a set lesson plan kind of structure.

Julia, I think, uses a curriculum called Sonlight, and supplements it with other stuff as well. She's told me before that she really doesn't have to do a lot of planning, as most of it is already set up, and she just follows the books. With that kind of schooling, there's a lot of structure (in school we called that direct instruction). It's like a script, and the teacher just follows it as it's written. If it weren't for direct instruction, most children in today's society would have no education whatsoever. There were teachers I worked with before who could plan an entire year ahead and be ready to go. I remember when I taught at Kershaw Elementary, there would be parent volunteers at the copier before school, in September (when school started), making copies for late February lessons. I, on the other hand, was only there to see this b/c I was running to the copier to make copies of what we were going to do during first period that day! Needless to say, I never had the pleasure of having direct instruction materials, and I don't know if I would feel comfortable using it. I did have a few scripted lessons when I taught, here and there, and it was always so exciting, but I'd usually end up changing them all around and making my own lessons from them that fit more with what I wanted the kids to learn.

Needless to say, I read this book called So You're Thinking About Homeschooling, and it told me all about different families who homeschool, and how their situations brought them to their decisions, how their lives were affected, and how they came to decide and use each different type of homeschooling they use. It was a great book, and now I'm even more excited about being able to start. One chapter was about a family with a child with ADHD who chose to "unschool" their child. This method sounded perfect to me. Honestly, it sounds a lot like what I did as a special education teacher. Since we never had a set curriculum for our students, and were not given any set curriculum materials (most special ed teachers just find what they can, and take leftovers from other teachers), this is most fitting with what I'm already used to doing. Furthermore, I would have classes of 8-10 on average, with each student being on a different level in each subject, and be required to teach each to his own level (I wasn't always so successful, but...). I'll have two (or more) kids, so that would work well. "Unschooling" basically is letting the child learn what he wants when he's ready to learn it. This doesn't mean that if your child never gets interested in learning math, that you never have to teach him. On the contrary, I think that unschooling parents have to be more involved in their child's education, and more willing to build interest in the child. I compare this method to Montessori schools. If you know anything about them, they basically have the materials ready, and let the students choose their educational path. It involves a lot of centers (little areas where they can do different activities, that are set up around the room). I won't, obviously, set up my house with centers, but I figure if my child isn't ready to work on adding, but is really interested in reading a story, then why try to force him to do math? It would be a waste of time. I learned this well when I taught. There were many days when my lessons didn't interest my students, and I might as well have been teaching the wall! So why bother, when I could be talking about something he cares about, and will learn tons about. I know that on those days when my students didn't care, I could have talked about rap and gang-banging, and they would have been enthralled. I remember one day when we were talking about measurement, I was having a conversation with the wall. I decided to try something...I asked how many ounces were in a kilo of cocaine, or if that was the right measurement. It was kind of a joke, but all of a sudden all of them perked up, and I found out that they knew SOOOOOO much about measurement that they otherwise would not have divulged. In the end, it was pretty sad that it took mentioning cocaine to get them interested, but...my hope is that my children will have more lucrative interests! Of course, there are many different levels of any method of teaching, and I won't be an extreme unschooler. I still think there are things that my child must learn in order to succeed in life. However, if TJ doesn't know how to multiply by the time he's six, I won't fall over dead (I will, of course, push for him to overachieve at some things!). However, if by the age of 10 he can't mulitiply, then I might have to force some learning on him!

I like the article that Julia referenced in her blog comment on this subject.

What is Unschooling

I think it's an accurate description of my feelings on the subject. Of course I'm nowhere near done with my research, and not 100% set on this method. I may find something that I think will work even better along the way! What I think is the absolute best thing about teaching is that if you see that something isn't working, then you can take a 180 degree turn and try something else! You can also mix and match, which is like what Julia does (and I'm sure I'll do), and have fun with it. That is the part of teaching that I fell in love with, and that I think I can pursue with homeschooling. I feel for teachers, who are forced to follow set rules and politics, who can't teach to their capabilities. I feel more for the ones that don't realize that what they're doing doesn't work, and don't do anything to fix it. I was told while I was teaching that I had potential to be a great teacher. I thought I already was (alright, fine, I have an ego problem...sue me!). I admit, though, that I never fit in with politics and the crap you have to do outside of teaching, and for that, I would never have been a great teacher. Me and my misguided goals! I did laugh when I was told that about my potential, b/c at the time we were talking about the whole politics thing, and I knew that I would never be great if that were a stipulation. Who would have ever thought that getting fired could make someone's life so much better! I now have the ability and chance to become the great teacher I always wanted to be!

Alright, I think I rambled quite a bit there, but hey, that's what was in my head, so....I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Your Birthdate: August 16

Your birth on the 16th day of the month gives a sense of loneliness and generally the desire to work alone. You are relatively inflexible, and insist on your being independent. You need a good deal of time to rest and to meditate. You are introspective and a little stubborn. Because of this, it may not be easy for you to maintain permanent relationships, but you probably will as you are very much into home and family. This birth day inclines to interests in the technical, the scientific, and to the religious or the unknown realm of spiritual explorations. The date gives you a tendency to seek unusual approaches and makes your style seem a little different and unique to those around you. Your intuition is aided by the day of your birth, but most of your actions are bedded in logic, responsibility, and the rational approach. You may be emotional, but have a hard time expressing these emotions. Because of this, there may be some difficulty in giving or receiving affection.

For those that know me, what do you think? I'm inclined to agree with it, but I can't tell for sure.

I just thought I'd put one of TJ's little baby pics on here just to get in the spirit of the new baby to come. This is him when he was about a month old. I don't have any of his newborn pics online, so this is the best I could do! 

Just thought I'd tell you something I thought was really cool. Yesterday TJ said, "That's my's dank (drink)." I thought, "Hmmm, he says this strange word again, as usual...I wonder where he got that from? It's not like anyone I know says my's" Then I started to think about it, and I realized that he is actually using pretty smart logic. Okay, check this out: So, when you are talking about, let's say, a toy, you say, "That's your toy, so it's yours." Right? Now, you would also say, "That's my toy." So why, then, wouldn't you say, "That's my's toy." I mean, if you put the logic to it, it makes perfect sense.

your-yours
my-my's

Poor TJ. He's filled with this logical mind, and yet, the English language is not. He will forever have to compete with the fact that the world he lives in makes absolutely no sense. I know how he must feel, or will feel. I often have that same problem of frustration at the way this silly world runs!

Okay, well, that's it for now. Check underneath, b/c this isn't it for me today. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Name: Robert Randolph Pitchford IV (TJ), aka-Monkey Boy, Buzzard Boy, Turd, Turkey, and Lil' Bubba
Age: 2 years, 3 months, 26 days
Height: Bigger than the rest of his friends...tall enough to turn the lights on and off!
Weight: ~30 lbs.
Special Skills: Talking non-stop, and repeating everything until he's sure you understand it his way, saying big words like frustrated and astronaut and ambidextrous, running SUPER-FAST in places like parking lots and stores, making houses for Nana and Grandaddy out of Mega-Bloks, waking up b/t 3 and 4 am to come get Mommy to "turn the mus-kick back on!", always knowing when the batteries are dying in ANY toy, and reminding you constantly that they need to be changed, giving big hugs to get out of going to time-out when he's done something wrong, and having complete conversations with you right through his plug-plug.
Goals: Making sure that Mommy has lost her mind before the next baby is born in a month, letting everyone know that he is the boss-man in charge at ALL times, winning the hearts of every man and woman alive, and saying please when he wants something (oh wait, that's my goal!).

I was instructed by K8 to do this, and boy was it fun! She has these for her two monkey girls on her page, too, so you should go check em out. Then go back to yours and do it for your kids. What fun!