My Sweet Husband!

My sweet husband is always thinking of me and trying to make my hectic life a little bit easier.  Last Christmas he gave me a gift certificate to the spa and I finally decided to use it.  For my birthday I decided to go and get some Botox injections.

What do you think?

Just Kidding!! 

 My husband did get me a great gift, but no I haven't used it yet.  I actually got stung by 2 wasps at the same time on my lip.  Instantly my lip looked like this.  So if any of you out there want cheap (temporary) Botox, come to my house.  I know where there is a wasp nest.

What Chad really did for me for my birthday was he and Hannah made me a birthday cake.  It is the first time in 10 years that he has done that and it was really cute to listen to the two of them working in the kitchen together.  The cake tasted really good too.  

Thanks Babe!

I think she must take after her mother!!

So when I was little, I used to get lost everywhere; the mall, Sea World, you name it and I got lost there.  I even got lost at the Rose Parade in Pasadena when I was two years old.  I think when you are just as brilliant as I WAS (key word) you just have to explore your surroundings.  Well Hannah being brilliant herself started exploring her surroundings at the hospital today.  Chad and Hannah were visiting my dad at who just had back surgery and as they were getting ready to leave, Hannah took off and got lost.  Actually what she did was run down the hallway, push the elevator button, get on the elevator and down to the lobby all before Chad even got to the elevator.  In Chad's defense, he was trying to look after her and his grandma (who walks a little bit slower since breaking her femur); so he probably wasn't running as fast as he normally would to catch up with her.  

I don't know how long it was before they realized that she actually took the elevator and then made their way down to get her, but by the time they found her she was in the Security office and the hospital had called a code over the loudspeaker that is supposed to tell all hospital personnel to lock down the doors and not have anyone get out.  I guess it was pretty scary and I was glad that I wasn't there.

The best part was that later tonight I was trying to talk to her a little bit about what happened, and tell her that it was good that she found the security guard and told him her name, but I was also thinking I should teach her a little about strangers.  So I asked her what would she do if she was with the security guard and somebody she didn't know came up to them and told the security that they were her daddy.  She didn't quite get what I was saying, so I repeated the question wording it a little bit different; to which she responded, you mean like if a wolf tried to get me?  UHHH yea, cause there are wolves in the hospital!!  I guess maybe she's not so brilliant after all.  

Technology Wiz

Ok, so I'm totally not a technology wiz, but I can move my way around a computer pretty well.  I took a bunch of technology classes in college and learned a bunch of stuff that I can't even begin to remember.  So the other day  I was out shopping for my classroom, and I decided to buy a couple of portable CD players (yes they still make these) and do a listening center for the kids.  I have been wanting to do this for a couple of years, but haven't done it.  Then I got kind of depressed because books on CD are really expensive (about $10 a piece).  

Summary of Cost of Books on CD

$10 per book (32 books- 1 per week)= Total of $320.o0

Then somewhere from the back of my brain I remembered a class I took called music for elementary ed, which is nothing like what it sounds like it should be.  Anyway, I remembered in that class that we used a program called garageband and I was pretty sure you could use it to record your own voice.  I bet you can guess what I am getting at right.  So I went to WalMart and bought a microphone for about $10 (the cost of one book on CD).  I then searched on apple.com to see if there was some kind of tutorial on using garageband.  I know, I know I took a class, but do you really pay attention to a class like that, that you don't think you'll ever use.  So sure enough there was and I watched it about 3 times.  

Turns out you can create a podcast (whatever that is) and record your own voice.  You can even add little musical jingles (the kids have to know when to turn the page, right) and whala (sp) you get a recording of any book you want.  Finally you share the file to your itunes and then burn it onto any audio CD-R.  

It was like this program was made for this exact purpose in mind (I don't know what else you would use it for).  Lucky, Lucky me!!  Now my kids will be able to listen to any book that I have in our library in our listening center.  So for any of you  teachers reading this, there are great, cheap resources out there.  (And for those of you who already knew this, don't tell me, I want to brag for just a little bit)

Summary of cost of Make your own CD's

$10- Microphone

$20- 100 blank CD's 

Total = $30

The Harsh Reality of Money

Yesterday, Hannah was begging me for an ice cream cone at Old McDonalds.  I told her that we could go and get one but that she would have to use her own money.  (She has 4 dollars that my mom gave her clear back in March for her birthday.)  She was totally ok with this and we went on our way to go get ice cream.  Well later when we were all going to grandmas house, Hannah started totally pouting and complaining that she didn't have any bucks.  When Chad questioned her about it she told him that the guy took her buck and didn't give it back.  She was totally sad about it and didn't understand at all.  Chad tried to explain to her that thats what happens when you buy things, you give someone your money and you get something else in return.  She still kept saying, "He took my buck dad!  That wasn't nice, he just took it and didn't give it back."  She didn't want to listen to the fact that she got an ice cream.  There was no consoling her.  She was totally upset.  Maybe she'll end up being just like her dad with money, a total miser!

Lesson Learned:  When you spend money, you don't have money!!  

Tiny Dancer

Hannah started her dance class this morning, and she has been so excited for weeks.  The class is a combo class which includes ballet, tap and tumbling.  It was fun to watch her and her little friends attempt to follow directions while staring at themselves in the giant mirror.  They are girls after all, how can they resist giant mirrors right.  

We were there for about 5 minutes and I learned several things about my sweet little Hannah.

1.  She does not follow directions very well (I was hopeful)

2.  She does not have any sort of rhythm 

3.  She loves to twirl

4.  She can't point her toes

5.  She doesn't like to take turns

6.  She loves to stomp on her tap shoes even when it is time to listen

7.  She is a little princess

8.  She is pretty outgoing and loves to please her teacher

9.  She can walk on her tippy toes really well

10.  She is not afraid to try new things

Good job Hannah.  We love you and are really proud of you.

Lagoon

Yesterday we took Hannah to Lagoon for the first time.  She was so excited.  The night before she could hardly sleep.  As I was putting her to bed, I told her that she just needed to calm down and go to sleep.  Her response to me was "Mom, I am wound up, and that is just the reality of me!"  How can I argue with that.  

Anyway, we had a great time and Hannah loved everything.  Well just about everything.  She was not too fond of the giant swinging ship or the Rattlesnake Rapids that drenched us all.  Other than that she was super brave and loving every minute of our time there.  It was a really nice day and we had such a wonderful time as a family.  Chad and I even got a chance to leave Hannah with Jaci and go on some roller coasters.  We haven't done that in ages and we both felt like we were 20 again.  So fun!!! And Thanks Jaime for the tickets.