Buckle down, kid!

Growing up, I had 1000 ideas of what I wanted to do some day when I.... well grew up. My list was long, and well rounded. Teacher, photographer, marine biologist, singer, songwriter, actress (movie and Broadway), veterinarian, comedienne, wedding planner, costume designer, professional basketball player, Peace Corps worker, Playboy Playmate, social worker, psychologist, ghost hunter, psychic, Navy... person, choreographer, editor, dog trainer, painter/artist, journalist, novelist, archeologist, children's minister, astronaut, Princess Leia, Daisy Duke, and/or Madonna. (*Note how "chef", or "baker" is not actually listed in the previous list.)

There isn't exactly a college that caters to all those careers, so my senior year of high school I made the bold decision to NOT GO to college the following year. I can honestly say I was the only one of my friends that didn't go to college. The losers, the drop outs, the wrong-side-of-the-track-better-not-let-mama-catch-you-hanging-out-with-them, everyone, but me, went to a college of some sort. Tech school, art school, university, junior college. If they weren't going in to the service, they hit the books. Me? I decided to work for a year (ha!!) and think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

~Wanna hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans!~

Isn't that how the saying goes? Oh He laughed at me alright! He said, "Girl, you don't need to go to college right now cause I'm gonna make you a MAMA!" And poof, there I was, 18 years old and pregnant. I no longer needed to worry about which of those 50 careers I had picked out I would choose. I had to worry about getting *any* job that would support my new baby girl because I had just been thrown in the middle of single-mom-hood. Forget college, girl! Raise this baby!
15 years ago I was less than two weeks from graduation. Who knew what lay in store for me? I knew I was scared to enter the real world, and looking back I'm glad God gave me that crash course at the school of hard knocks. I wouldn't have made it if He hadn't. I'd have been stuck in my parent's house until I was 30, STILL trying to decide what to do with my life.

I look back at high school and it's just one big mess in my mind. There's no beginning or end, there was no one friend that got me through, there wasn't any sort of particular "social class" that I fit in. I was just there. Invisible. Annoyed. Trapped. Very wrapped up in myself. How could I have ever focused on college when I was that young? These kids I go to school with now, they are 18, 19, 20 years old and so many of them are focused and ready to hit the ground running as soon as they can. It amazes me! I'm still not like that and I'm 33! Not saying I don't have ambitions, I just have quiet humble ones.

Now teaching my children to have loud, strong ambitions, that's a whole 'nother story. I want them out there, singing, dancing, getting noticed. They are going to change the world and make some noise. I want them to shake things up and get people's attention. Whatever it is they want to do, they need to *do* it with as much spunk as they can. Get on stage, wow a crowd, take the punches, learns the lessons, give until it hurts, wear your heart on your sleeve, and love what you are doing.

I have one child who makes these empowering speeches a tad difficult, though. He's more like me than either of us care to admit. Every week he comes to me with another "This is what I *REALLY* want to be when I grow up" story. I want to sit him down and say, "Look, I don't care if you're only in 4th grade. You need to buckle down, kid! Pick something for crying out loud!" Every single week it's a new thing.
"Mom! Guess what? I have FINALLY found what I'm going to be when I grow up! Isn't that great?! I'm going to be a....
professional hockey player
geologist
archeologist
historian
comic book writer
illustrator
artist
astronaut
teacher
video game maker
Pokemon... person
actor
singer
air force... person."
This week, or rather, today, it's video game maker living in Japan. Great. I'll visit you at Christmas.

Not that I have anything against kids having dreams, but I would like for my kids to be traditional college students and not have their minds filled with SO many possibilities that they can't even narrow it down to a handful of, say five. Like me.

I'm in college, for the second time around, with a new degree program since last time, and I *STILL* don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I mean, how can I know? There are so many things to do in life. I would love to bake for a living, but is it feasible? My ultimate dreams are these:
~own a bakery/bookstore. A small local one in some cute little southern Wisconsin town (when we are done with the army).
~Work in a bakery just baking and maybe learning decorating as I go, but mainly concentrating on baking artisan breads and such.
~pursuing my writing dream full-time (already got one foot in the door, it can't hurt to keep trying).
~just giving up on all of it and moving to Tahiti. I'll spend the rest of my days living in a hut on the beach, catching/growing my food, never worrying about money again.

There is a lesson to be learned in all this. The lesson, I think, is to buckle down while you're young. There's no reason a 4th grader can't pick one career goal and work his tail off to achieve it. All this dreaming about 200 different job choices just creates confusion. That confusion can lead you to where I am today. A 33 year old college student who STILL can't just decide on a flippin' career already and be done with it!

**Thanks to high school friend Amanda for reminding me of my once HS ambition to get a boob job and be a Playmate.

Last day of the semester ~or~ (Sniff, sniff) Good-bye to cooking class

For a culinary program, my school sure doesn't have a lot of "cooking" classes. In two semesters, I've taken them all. Kind of. There's one more, but I don't need to take it because I took the equivalent this semester, from what I understand. I do still need to take an internship somewhere. I'd love to do my internship at a bakery. There aren't many around these parts, so hopefully I'll get in somewhere. My ultimate goal is to just bake. I don't care where, or how, or with who. I don't need my own business, I don't need glory or to be important. I don't need to be the best decorator on the block. I just. Want. To. Bake.

Today was the last day of classes, and then finals are next week. I'm a little on the sad side. I'd like to have more cooking classes, as I don't feel I'm prepared for the culinary world yet. But, it is what it is, and I'm just beyond blessed to get this opportunity in the first place. I know many places around these parts will hire graduates of the culinary program, so I don't see a problem with finding a job in a restaurant.

So, here's to the end of my first year in school, and on to what lays ahead of me!

Pretty spring cake

Today in baking class, we had a very welcome visitor. The local Wilton class instructor led us on different flower techniques using both butter cream and royal icing. I made much more than what shows in the picture, but this is how I decided to start my cake. I am just experimenting, as I'm still learning.

We finally hit almost 75 degrees here in Northern New York! It's a beautiful day, and I am stuck in school and work all day. Hopefully tomorrow, my day off, I can enjoy some nice weather.

Roses and a ceremony

To all the people who have been decorating cakes for years, and who assume I should already know how to do this stuff.... turn away. To everyone else... read on :)
In baking class we are learning how to bake and decorate cakes. Yes, easy peasy. Everyone should know how to bake a cake, right? Open a box, mix in some oil and water and eggs, and wallah! You have a cake! Not the baking class way, though. We have specific cakes we have to learn to make, from a book made by real bakers in the industry. It's not just a package cake, or a quick and simple yellow cake. It's a classic genoise, and a complicated (but very rich!) devil's food, and the proper way to make an angel food, sponge, and chiffon cake. There are mixing techniques to learn, and weighing the batter to get the exact amount in your pan. Get the idea? I do enjoy baking cakes from scratch. It's more economical, and they taste better. The part I'm *not* good at, is decorating. My baking teacher, although she bakes and sells pastries for a living, isn't the best at the decorating part either. She doesn't add flowers to her cakes, or dress them up with complicated piping. And even though she doesn't do that, her cakes sell like... well... hotcakes.
Yesterday we learned a few basic flower techniques, along with leaves, and basket weave. I tried my hand at a couple of the flowers while decorating the thousand cupcakes we made. Some of them didn't turn out quite like flowers, but they were colorful! The only flower I seemed to "get" was the rose. It wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be. I obviously need more practice because making four roses didn't make me an expert, but they were fairly basic in structure. (Next week the local Wilton class lady is coming in and we'll get more practice.)
We sell our goods in the cafeteria of the school, so as soon as I made my four rose cupcakes, I ran over and bought them. Yes. Really. We're not allowed to just "take" food out of the instructional kitchen, but we *can* buy our baked goods from the cafeteria like any other student.
Louisa was being inducted in to the National Junior Honor Society last night, so I thought this would be a nice after ceremony treat. Until, on the way home, one container tipped upside down in the car, and then at home Hunter knocked the other container out of the fridge! The cupcakes were a little worse for wear by the time we finally ate them. But still delicious! Especially with my chocolate butter cream (another thing I've found I'm good at making!)

The induction ceremony last night was a proud moment for me. Not having excelled in school, I love watching the kids take the opposite path of me and really enjoy school. They enjoy learning, they enjoy doing well, and they (the older two mostly... for now) are reaping the rewards of hard work done well. This is another one of those moments.
As Louisa was called to receive her award and sign her name in the official NJHS register, I asked Drew to go up to the stage and take pictures for me. Hunter felt he needed to go up there as well. I've found, through many similar episodes, that if I just let Hunter walk up there, he'll come back without incident. He might wave or say "hi", but there won't be too much distraction. If I chase him down and bring him back to sit, then there will be a ruckus. So usually I just let him do his thing, knowing he'll come back. Sure enough, he stood by the stage waving and saying "Hi, Louisha" the whole time she was doing her thing. Her teacher (and NJHS adviser) whispers "Say hi to your brother". So Louisa waved hello, and the audience giggled. Oh, leave it to the Chaos Kids to give people entertainment during any event!

It's Parent/Teacher Conference Time!

I believe that one of the most significant things a teacher can do in a P/T conference is relate a story to the parent in which the parent gets the sense the teacher *really* knows the child. For example, Hunter's teacher told me how they recently got a new student in class and Hunter (being the ultra sociable Hunter that he is) was upset and crying because he wanted the new student to be placed in *his* group. The teacher told Hunter that she was placing the boy in another group, but Hunter would have plenty of opportunity to play with his new friend throughout the day. She said that she loves how Hunter wears his heart on his sleeve, and really works his hardest to make sure the other kids in the class feel like a welcome part of the group. That sums up Hunter. He loves to be in school, around friends working toward a similar goal. That's because I worked on social skills more with Hunter when he was a toddler and a preschooler. The many advantages of playgroup, Kindermusik, and sports (like gymnastics and soccer).

Drew's teacher absolutely adores him. I don't think I've ever seen a teacher love a child this much before. And not to brag.... well yes, I'll brag ;) She says he's hands down *the* smartest child she has ever taught. (And she's no spring chicken!) I'm, well, flattered. I mean, I did teach him everything he knows! Ok, not everything, but a lot! However, Drew is just a natural sponge. Not the type of cheap generic sponge that lasts maybe a day and then falls apart. The type of strong, expensive sponge that just keeps working and working. He does not stop soaking up, and remembering, information. My brain is so tired and full that when I learn new things, old unimportant (or at least my subconscious thinks it's unimportant at the time, but I usually end up needing it later on) information gets shoved out the back door.

I am not shy about my love for the boys' school. We've been through a lot in our years of schooling the children. It's about time we were able to just relax and leave teaching up to true professionals.

A little gymnastics, and a whole lotta Indian cuisine

I wish I could write about all the Chaos that has happened over the last week. I am choosing not to write about work related issues, because I work with children and I don't want any information that could affect them online. But I will say that gymnastics recital time is approaching again, and I'm getting freaked out! Last year I didn't choreograph any of my routines, a cute little teenaged cheerleader did it for me. But this year, I'm on my own! Yikes! I just relinquished 4 classes, so I will have 7 classes to prepare routines for as well as one class to assist with.
So far the songs I've picked for routines are:
~Dynamite
~Firework
~Dancing Crazy
~Ain't Got Rhythm (Phineas and Ferb show)
~Remix of Love Story
~Rubberneckin' (Elvis remix)

I need to come up with one more song for an all-little-little-girl class. They are 4, 5, and 6 and *so* cute! But I had to wait until my roster was final, and I knew there would be no new additions. That class has given me a few gray hairs lately, part of my ongoing Chaos. Now we're settled with my 4 little cutie pies and I need to pick a nice song for them. I'm thinking something princess-y/tinker bell-y.

School has also been a source of Chaos lately. Last week Friday, the 11th, in cooking class we began learning about Indian cuisine. I'm not a fan, sorry to say. My body, and all it's issues, cannot tolerate "hot" or "spicy" cuisine in any amount. I took a tiny bite of some lamb with curry last week, and my body went in to overload mode and I felt ill all night, in to the next day (while working!). Wasn't going to make that mistake again this week. I had to be part of the team that makes samosas last week, a pocket of dough made with turmeric and filled with veggies (and possibly lamb), then fried. The veggies are infused with an intense blend of Indian seasonings called garam masala (spices vary in different parts of India, but can include black pepper, different types of cumin, mace, corriander, cardamon, etc). The pockets (also called turnover) *have* to be a specific shape in order to be "authentic", according to my teacher. I wished I had my Indian friend's opinion on this, but she is on Facebook and I am not allowing myself to access Facebook right now so I'll have to wait to ask her! (Unless she reads this... Anj?!) As the teacher was staring over our shoulders (the entire time) making sure we got his samosas exactly right, I wanted to turn around and stick a samosa in his nose! I was praying I wouldn't be picked for this job on the 18th, when we actually prepared food to serve to the public!

Fast forward to the 18th, and I did not, in fact, have to make samosas! Yay! I assisted in making the Lamb in Coconut Curry sauce (whew, hot!) and I made rice pilaf by myself. Funny thing about the rice, of ALL the food in the kitchen that day... and there was a *lot*... everyone went ga-ga over the rice! haha! Rice pilaf, people! But hey, folks love their starches, and they really love their rice, I guess. I had a much more relaxed day this past Friday. I had to serve the lamb in the buffet line, trying to remember everything that went in to it so I could tell the costumers what they were getting. It is fun serving the dish you personally made, and watching them ooh and ahh over it. I definitely think I could get used to that!

Today, Sunday, is a day off for me and I'm taking it easy all day. Not going anywhere, and not doing much more than basic chores. Just hanging with the fam, and enjoying the first (cold) day of spring! I have also stopped working Fridays, so that opens up time in my schedule. I prayed a lot over the last two months for some extra time with the kids because I work when they are home, and I am home when they are in school. I'm so happy to have an answer to my prayer, and to have very able people to take over my Friday evening classes

**Side note about taking time off Facebook. I have received emails, phone calls, texts, and most notably a *hand written letter* giving me much support in taking time off. I am grateful for everyone supporting me. I don't actually miss Facebook all that much. Not saying I will never go back, but I do see the advantages in taking a break now and then. Although I haven't gotten even halfway through my ambitious list, I am enjoying my computer-free time.

A story, a muffin, and a prayer

I am so blessed. There, I said it. I feel blessed, and I *am* blessed.

I think today is as good a day as any to reflect on my past year, and look forward to the coming year. I've recently had a hard time at both school and work. Nothing big, but big enough to rattle and unnerve me. I have to pause and pray that God will settle my soul after my shake ups. And not only do I pray, but my friends pray for me. I can feel a prayer from half a country away, and that in itself amazes me. As I'm in class, having a hard day, I can text a friend and she will pray with and for me. I almost instantly feel a relief. The girls in my baking class are sweet and supportive to me, always. That is like having my friend here with me, and not states away. So yes, I am blessed.

Today I felt God's love strongly as I went to Drew's 4th grade class to (finally) read my published story to the kids. His teacher and I have been trying to coordinate this since December! I'm glad she's patient with me (and my son!)

I entered Drew's room to a class full of eager faces all sitting on "the carpet" in front of "the chair". Everyone was excited to hear what I had to say. I felt calm for the most part. I had one shot to get my message across to this class and I wanted to take full advantage of it. As shy as I am, I *can* speak publicly... quite well... when I need to. Since my story is about saying good-bye to a deploying daddy, I took the time to acknowledge everyone whose parents might be gone right now. Some children's dads just came home, some are gone, and some are leaving next month. I hope this story touched those children especially, as it's for them.

They all enjoyed hearing my story, and learning how and why I wrote it. I brought some items that had inspired me to write the story, and I think they liked that also. To me, as a writer, it's interesting to see how and why authors write what they write. I know there are budding writers in this class, because the teacher has told me so.

The coup de grâce of the day was the treat I had prepared especially for the students. Drew has been asking me to bring a homemade treat in to class, so I figured today was as good a day as any. I am hesitant to bring anything in to class because there is a child with egg and peanut/tree nut allergies. I know her, and I know what she can and can't have, but I hate leaving her out of things. Drew asked me to make muffins, so I chose to make blueberry muffins. However, I tinkered with my recipe and ended up making blueberry banana muffins with blueberry cream cheese drizzle on top. Let's just say... *everyone* loved them! Well, except for my food allergy friend, she loved the rice crispie treat I brought for her. It happened to be her birthday, so she enjoyed sharing an eggless cupcake with me. I *am* currently researching eggless baked goods, as well as some other food allergen free goodies, so I'm glad she shared her treat with me. I told her as much, and she was proud of herself.

As I left the class, I felt such a swelling in my heart. I'm proud of my middle man and how far he has come in his schooling. We've had such a long road with him, and he's finally comfortable and secure in a classroom of kids who like him, and a teacher who adores him. A teacher, who, by the way, told the principal of the school that Drew is hands down light years smarter than any other child she's ever met. Yep.

I will share my muffin recipe... just because I love you all so much. But please, don't tell anyone because it's my own family secret. Deal?

Blueberry Banana Muffin with Blueberry Cream Cheese Drizzle

Ingredients for muffin:
2 cups Heart Healthy Bisquick (no, it's not cheating!)
3/4 cup sugar (but please feel free to use less, or experiment because they are sweet!)
1 cup Light N Fit Vanilla Yogurt (you don't have to use name brands, I'm just showing the name brands I used)
2 eggs
1 very ripe banana, smashed
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:
The "Muffin Method" of mixing is to mix dry ingredients together and wet ingredients together, then combine. So if you want to make up your own muffin, this is key to remember. In this recipe you combine the Bisquick and sugar together in one bowl, and the eggs and yogurt in another. Once you have each mixture combined separately, you mix them together. You do not want to over beat muffins. That is a common mistake. You can mix by hand to avoid over mixing, or just watch your mixer so that you mix only until moist. Mix in the smashed bananas until just combined, then fold in the blueberries.
This makes 12 muffins, so prepare a muffin pan with 12 liners that are sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon muffin batter in to the pan, and bake at 375 (F) for 20 minutes. Let cool before drizzling with topping.

Ingredients for topping:
1/2 Package Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (play with amount to get consistency you want)
1/2 cup pureed blueberries

Directions:
To puree the blueberries, I thawed them, then stuck them in the blender until smooth.
I mixed all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy, and then piped the topping on to the cooled muffins. You can use the topping any way you want, spread it on, make cute little stars or decorations... whatever. When you make these, they'll be your muffins!

Please, enjoy :)

St. Valentine's Day

Yesterday, Valentine's Day. Not really sure what to do with it. It's not a religious holiday unless you celebrate the Feast Day of Patron Saint Valentine (of which there were several), nor is it anti-religious like Halloween. It's just... sorta... there. Not as insignificant as President's Day, but not as important as Easter. Many people call it a "Hallmark Holiday". I tend to agree. Husband and I don't do much for the big V-day. We say "Happy Valentine's Day" to eachother, and I call him "my Valentine". Sometimes I get some chocolates, or maybe a card, though most years it's not in the monthly budget so I don't worry about it. Since my birthday is also in February, I'd much rather him spend our "fun money" on my birthday! :-)

This is how I spent my Valentine's Day... and coincidentally the same exact way I spent my birthday this year. (With the exception of the rice crispie treat fiasco.)

~Woke up extra early to make rice crispie treats for one of the boys' classroom parties. I had made one batch Sunday night, and wanted to make another batch so both boys could take treats to school. I used the pink strawberry flavored marshmallows. Drew has a girl in his class with several food allergies, so he is very concious about taking treats she can eat. She's allergic to egg and peanut and that makes a lot of treats out of the question.
I mixed up the melted marshmallows and rice crispies, then molded them in to a mini-muffin pan so I could have individual bite sized servings. (Learning about equal, individual servings in baking class.) I kept coming across these big lumps of hard white stuff. I had no clue what it was, but it was frustrating me. I used pink marshmallows, so it's not like it was unmelted marshmallow. I finished putting the mixture in the muffin pan and had some leftover that I was going to put in a small pan for the kids to eat after school. That's when I noticed my spatula! It was completely melted away! The hot marshmallow melted my spatula! That's what the big white chunks were. And I had eaten some of it. yuck. I threw everything away and went to wake the boys. I told them what happened, but I had a solution. I had bought a bag of conversation hearts for my gymnastics students, so I let the boys choose who took the candy and who took the rice crispies for their parties. Luckily there was no issue as Hunter was excited to take the candy instead.

~Baking class went very well. I made a cinnamon swirl raisin bread. It was tiring, though. Being in a cooking/baking class for 5 hours three days a week, then going to work afterwards is tiring. But it's no more than full-time working moms do.
There was an incident where a girl stormed out of class because she found something she's not naturally good at. I'm not good at a LOT of things. I'm lucky that I found a talent in baking, and a love for it. I hope I get to do it for a living some day. However, I'd like to think that if I wasn't good at it, I wouldn't storm out in tears every time something didn't go right for me.

~After class I had to go shopping. I had 45 minutes to get it done, get out of there, and get home. I got home at the very last possible minute. Just enough time to change and get to work. I felt bad because the boys had their Valentine's out and were waiting to show me what they got. I would have loved nothing more than to sit and look at their cards, make them dinner, play with them, and spend a nice Valentine's evening at home. But... that's not where I am at this point in my life. So off to work I went!

~I have four gymnastics classes on Monday nights. I'm the only teacher at my gym because it's a small YMCA and there isn't need for a large gymnastics program. I had Valentine candy for my students, and several of my kids had brought me boxes of chocolates. I love this job! Sometimes it's frustrating, but the kids make it so rewarding. I feel blessed that I get to do nothing but work with children. I was, however, very happy when no one showed up for my 7:00 class! (It was "icing" out, so not very drivable weather.) I got to go home a little early to see my munchkins.
Louisa had made the boys dinner for me. I finally taught her how to use the oven, or rather she had a crash course in it because she was babysitting one day (for other kids) and their mom had left a frozen pizza for Louisa to make them. She didn't want to tell the mom she didn't know how, so she called me! At the store I found DiGiorno Pizza & Cookies! So cool! Louisa was excited to make it.

~When I got home I was greeted with, "MOM!! Come here! I have a surprise for you!" Drew made me a scavenger hunt. I had to read each note and follow the clues to find the next note. At the end of the scavenger hunt I found a card. The card says:

Dear Mom, I am writing you a poem
I hope that we are both always in a nice warm home
I wish you a very, very happy Valentine's Day
I don't just love you on your Birthday.

Now *that* is just what I needed to end a long day.

Wait.... one more thing! Did I mention that my "Valentine" wasn't home? He's on a trip out of state. So the last thing I really needed? To finally sit and talk with him on the phone.
Ahh..... now that I've done that, I have everything I needed to end my long day.

A Letter to Hunter as He Sets Forth on a New Journey

{8-12-2005}

Dear Hunter,

You are about to start a new journey. One that I am both excited and sad about. During this journey I can't be there with you to make sure you behave in class, or wash your hands after you use the bathroom, or eat the fruit in your lunch before the cookies. I won’t know when you fall and get hurt, and I won’t be there to give you a hug and wipe your tears. When you get tired and crabby, I won’t be there to sit you on my lap and rock you and sing silly songs until you feel better.

Today I’ll take your pudgy little dimpled hand in mine and we’ll walk in to your new classroom. I’ll leave you to the magic of Kindergarten, full of new ideas and new friends. As I walk away, I might have a tear in my eye. But that’s ok. It’s because I’m so proud of the big boy you’ve become. It’s because I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. And it’s because I cherish the little boy that you still are.

This year you will learn many new things, and grow so big! I can’t wait to hear about everything that you do at school. You are full of wonderful stories and I know you will have a lot to share with me every day when you get home.

Have a great year in Kindergarten, Bubba. I’ll be waiting here at home every day when you get off the bus to hear all about your adventures.

Love, Mom

{8-12-2010}

Intro to Culinary Arts 101 ~or~ Late and Clueless, as Usual

Most people who go to college, or back to college, have several fears. There's the typical fear of showing up to class completely naked, or failing a class that you really need to pass. One of the worst fears has to be wandering around a strange building on your first day (or week) and not being able to find your classroom.

Let me back up a bit. This morning I was very nervous for my first Intro to Culinary Arts 101 class. It's a 5 hour class every Friday and the book is huge! So I was intimidated. I left the house 40 minutes early for a 30 minute drive. I ended up getting to the school with 7 minutes to spare. Which would have been great if I didn't pull in to the faculty parking lot first. I drove by this half-empty parking lot and thought "Hey, why isn't anyone parking here?" and then pulled in. I drove in a little circle, found my parking spot and was approached by a security guard who asked if I had a parking permit. Um... noooooo (smile sweetly). Back out of my nice cozy parking space near the building I needed to be in and drive aaalllllllllllll the way around the building to the back parking lot for "students" and park. In the back. Of the parking lot. Extra seven minutes totally lost.

Ok, but we're still good. If I walk quickly I can get to the door and find my class easily. I remember right where the hallway is from my orientation tour last week. I think. As I march in to the school with pride, my steps slowly lose steam and I realize I actually have no clue where I'm going. Walk down this hall.... no room 012. Walk down that hall.... there's a gymnasium, workout room, locker room.... no room 012. I backtrack a little bit, walk down a few hallways I've already been down, and 15 minutes go by. 15 minutes *after* my class started! My heart is thumping like crazy, my mind is about numb from freaking out. I finally get up the courage to ask someone just where in the heck room 012 is because I'm 15 minutes late and oh my gosh I just need to get to my classroom right NOW!!!!!!!! Oh, down there, across from the bookstore? Ya, I walked by that a hundred times. Ahahahaaaaaa (nervous laughter)

Finally, I walk in to the classroom and just my luck someone else is as late as me. Yay! It's always a good feeling when you're not the only screw-up. I was able to get a seat and receive the syllabus excitement free.

My next obstacle came when I realized I was one of few people in the room who had no "kitchen" background. And by that I mean, professional, working in a kitchen of a restaurant. Any restaurant be that pizzerria, buffet, cafeteria, sit down, fast food, etc. Out of 20 students, three of us just like to "cook at home". I hate being in the minority! Another subject I was in the minority of was that I seemed to be the only one who didn't know we need a chef's uniform and our own cutlery. I mean, how would I know that?! Everyone in class knew because they had been in a culinary class before, or because the bookstore people told them. I, of course, fell in to neither catagory. But yes, sadly, we went and spent quite a large sum today on cutlery for me. I ordered my uniform online, praying that with the holiday weekend it gets here by next Friday.

Here is all of my lovely cooking utensils that were required. I chose to buy a toolbox to carry it in because I heard one of the other students ask the teacher if she wanted us to buy toolboxes or cutlery bags. She said it didn't matter.I also chose to buy my own measuring cups and spoons because the kitchen director said that with a class as large as ours it might be best to buy our own, but we didn't have to.

That brings me to my next freak out moment. The kitchen itself. I have no idea what anything in that kitchen is! Ok, not "anything", but close. It's a professional kitchen. Like I said before, I know nothing about them! Being in one and having the teacher and kitchen director go "here's this and this and this and this.... here's the rules.... yadda yadda..... ok, off you go, good luck!" makes it even more intimidating.

Now I need to be off and reading my first 4 chapters of my very large 40 chapter textbook. And hopefully next Friday won't be as hard. At least I'll know where my classroom is! That's a start.

Long Week

Monday 9/22: Hunter and I were supposed to go to Kindermusik, but it was one of those days where we didn't want to move, much less be ready for a half hour drive by 9:30 am. We stayed home in the morning and went to the park in the afternoon.



Tuesday 9/23: We didn't do much in the day except a lot of house cleaning. In the evening, Louisa had a basketball game at the same time Drew had Cub Scouts. Drew doesn't seem too into Cub Scouts this year so he said it was okay if we skipped it.


Wednesday 9/24: A neighbor took Drew & Louisa to school for me so I could get ready to go to a Spouse's Conference. I dropped Hunter off at child care at 8:00 and he ran off to play without even looking back. I had 4 classes and a lunch break during the day. It was a great day spent with friends and listening to an awesome key note speaker, Ellie Kay. Well, that is, up until I got yelled at by someone I've met only once before. I was sitting in a class about being "Superwoman" and wearing a real actual cape when I heard my name from across the room. I had my back to whoever was angrily saying it, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to turn around. I heard someone else say, "Shh... she's right over there" and that pretty much meant I had to turn around. I faced whoever was displeased with me and it all had to do with Girl Scout stuff. I wasn't patient enough to wait for someone's reply email (I actually didn't have the *time* to wait, I needed the info ASAP), and so I went above her head and emailed someone else. She didn't like that. Problem has since been solved, but it's not a fun feeling sitting in a class having your name said aloud in an upset tone.
When I went to pick up Hunter from child care I saw him rubbing his eyes, rolling his head around, and collapsing on to the mat he was standing on. He didn't even look at me when I picked him up and carried him out. He must have played hard!


Thursday 9/25: Hunter and I went to the park in the morning with our friends. We arrived at 10:30 and didn't leave until 2:00. Yes, really. I talked and talked and talked to my friends for far too long and around 2:00 Hunter finally laid down on the ground, defeated. He needed a nap and we needed to go.
That evening was our first Girl Scout meeting. It was a parent meeting (part of what the oh-so-important email was about), and we finally got to meet our girls and let the parents know what's going on. We're a month behind all the other troops, so we are anxious to get started.


Friday 9/26: 11 years ago I became a mommy for the first time. 11 years ago, at 6:54 pm, I held my sweet little 5 lb, 10 oz baby girl, and haven't let go since.
Daddy and I conspired together to get her the best birthday present, ever. A blue iPod, 8GB (twice the size of mine!), and all hers. Of course that's all she gets :) but she doesn't care. Daddy picked it out online and had it shipped here, so we had him on speaker phone when she opened it up. As you can see from her face, it's the best thing ever!

Louisa's BFF Echo spent the night that night and we also had several friends stop by and sing Happy Birthday. We made pizza, but I had an idea to put the pizza dough in my muffin pan. They came out all puffy like... well, muffins. Echo, who's talent is quick wit, says "oh cool, we made 'muffizzas'!" That girl never misses a beat!

Saturday 9/27: I honestly don't remember. It must not have been too exciting.

Sunday 9/28: Drew had his first martial arts class. It's a mix between Aikido, Judo, and Karate. More Aikido right now than anything else. He put on his little dogi, and headed right in to class like he knew what he was doing. He watched all the other kids for clues of what to do when. Some of the kids will be testing next week for their yellow belt. Drew didn't understand why he doesn't get to test, but I explained that he'll get there.

Monday 9/29: First thing this morning Hunter and I had to get moving. He doesn't like days like that. We had Kindermusik at 10:00, which means getting out the door by 9:30. We got out the door at 9:48. It's a half hour drive. He pouted most of the way there, but I thought he'd be fine once we got to class and he saw his friends. Nope. He layed on the floor and pouted the whole class. Of course we were late, which didn't help.
After class we had to shoot back to the on-base car care center to drop off the truck. Oil change and tire repair, nothing exciting. Across the street is a Burger King with playland, so we hopped over there for lunch. I knew it would be packed, it always is at lunch time, but I wasn't prepared for the mass amounts of soldiers taking a break from training in the field. As I, the lone woman in the whole place, stood in line with my son weaving in and out of the camo-clad legs, I noticed more than one soldier watching Hunter with a smile. No doubt thinking of their own little boys waiting at home for Daddy to get back. Even if soldiers aren't deployed, they take long trips to bases like mine for extensive field training. They could be here for a few weeks or a few months, either way it's without their families.
A friend came and met us at Burger King, so I didn't feel too weird, but being the only woman with a little boy running around does make one a bit uncomfortable.
Finally got my truck back and it was time to go get Drew from school. Louisa had a basketball game after school, her last for the season. We went to get an inspection tag on the truck updated (some Louisiana thing), and when we were finished with that we went home to do homework.
I admit that we didn't go watch all of Louisa's game. I know I should be there to cheer her on, but keeping Hunter still in the stands for an hour is a challenge. We picked her up and went back home. As soon as I walked in the house I smelled something funny. It smelled like burning plastic. I noticed it was coming from the laundry/utility room. When I inspected a little further I found that the water heater was smoking. And I don't mean in a good way! It was really smokin'! I called the housing company and they rushed someone right over. Two hours later we got a brand new water heater. Without the smoke.

Moving on to 2nd Grade

School makes me very nervous. It shouldn't. I should trust the school, and trust that they do what's best for my child. But I don't. I do not trust the school system here. I will be diligent in checking up on them this go-round. I won't let another school do to Drew what his last one did.

On Monday we went to his new school for a placement test. I was so worried I hadn't done enough for him during our homeschool stint. We didn't really do a lot of worksheets and sit-down activities. It's just not how he learns best. We came up with our own unconventional method of doing math at the grocery store, and discussing literature over lunch. It worked for us at the time, but when he needed to take a big test to see where he was academic wise, I panicked.

I should have known, though! My little Bear! My smartie pants. He passed that test with flying colors, scoring a 92%. They gave him the end of they year test all 1st graders got. He scored in the 4th grade level for reading, and right at 2nd grade level for math. See, I should have known.

Another adventure brings us to a new school in the 2nd grade. Drew is exstatic to be going back to school! He's matured tremendously. The teacher who gave him the test said he was a very well behaved, smart kid. She said he'll make a strong 2nd grader. Of course.

School Already?

The shelves in WalMart are packed with back-to-school supplies. I guess it's that time again. But I feel like we *just* finished school! There's no way this summer is three months long. Oh ya, that's cause it ISN'T!

Our school district finished on May 29, and starts back up again August 8. August 8!!! How is a kid supposed to enjoy their summer? What happened to the dog-days of summer? Long lazy days where you sit under a shade tree with your friends and trade Pokemom cards, or talk about the cool new Jonas Brothers movie? My kids will spend the dog-days of summer in school. Doesn't seem right.

Today we registered Louisa and Drew for school. Louisa will be going into 5th grade (how?!), and Drew.... well.... we're not sure. He didn't technically finish 1st grade since I homeschooled him. The new school he'll be attending told us that he has to be tested. That's fine. We don't mind. The funny thing is that the secretary made this test seem so hard. Like only kids who've actually went through a full year of 1st grade could pass it! hehe! I'm very amused by that. We'll show them, won't we?!

There are a few things I want to go over with Drew before he takes the test. We didn't really sit and do worksheets all year, so some things he might not realize he learned. I have a month or so to give him a few last review-type lessons. He'll do fine, though. And if for some reason he does have to start out in 1st grade again, I am confident they would move him up in no time. No worries!

Louisa is technically supposed to be headed to the local middle school, but I don't feel that's the right atmosphere for her. It's not the best run school in the area, and I don't think 5th graders belong in a middle school. She is fine with not moving forward with her classmates. She understands and knows she will know people at this new school. Plus, her bestest friend in the whole entire world will be going there as well (her mom feels the same way I do about the local middle school).

The new school has grades kindergarten thru 6th at the elementary level. The middle school and high school are also on the same grounds. I've heard nothing but good about this school and it has a large military population since it's right outside our army base. Today they had open enrollment and we were registered with no problems. That was a big relief to me! I was worried all the open spots would be full by the time we got there.

Louisa was excited because in 5th grade you get to choose from choir, band, and creative arts (which is *not* an art class, it's like creative writing and drama). Louisa chose choir. She told me that she felt like a grown-up, getting to make an important decision like that. I told her to stop that!

Here's looking forward to a new school year, at a brand new school. A new start for Drew will be good for all of us.