Lazy Sunday Movie: Super Bowl

Ok so it's not a movie. I just love the Super Bowl! I love the atmosphere, the friends and family, the commercials, the game ( if it's close, or I've got squares) and sometimes the half-time show. Though, I'm not a big Madonna fan.

Last year's half-time show proved to me that Angel Baby needed to get into dance ASAP. She kept doing all the moves the Black-Eyed Peas were doing, just a second or two behind.

This year, we're going to my Sister-in-Law's for their Soul-per Bowl. They have "Soul" food instead of just the usual SB game fare.

So here's to a fun and relaxing afternoon for all of you. And keep an eye out for the Matthew Broderick Honda and the Dogs Barking the Vader theme for Volkswagon commercials. (I love the AT-AT at the end.) I also am hoping for a good Budwiser Clydesdale horse commercial...and the E-Trade Baby...and....

Yeah, I'm just a bit obsessed.

May whichever team you are rooting for win! And if any of you have squares, may your numbers pay off BIG!

Cursive Writing - No longer being taught?

So, as you all know, I've decided to join in on LetterMo. I said that I love my handwriting. Not to toot my own horn, but it is nice and clear to read. In fact, at work they have me write out the stuff that needs "nice handwriting". Anyway, come to find out from my co-worker, her son's school is no longer teaching cursive writing.

I get the fact that teachers are strapped for time and that learning typing skills is necessary. However, I don't think that cursive writing should be discarded so easily. What will happen in a few years when college graduates can't read a simple note written in cursive? Not to mention that fact that I have student employees right now that have horrific writing. And it's not even in cursive either!

I understand that you need to teach the basics, but didn't the saying go, "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic"? What's next? Are we going to rely on computers, nooks, iPads, whatever reading to our children?

All I know is that regardless, my children will learn to write in cursive, and will learn to write well. I'm planning on having them write in a journal every day. That way, they can not only work on their penmenship, but they can also have a large cache of their history. What were they thinking about when they were 5. How well their handwriting has gotten over the years. And granted, I'm sure there will be times when it's more of a chore than anything. But they will appreciate it one day, when they discover how rare it is to be able to write and write well.

And no, I won't read their journals. I'll give then other things to write out. Like the Declaration of Independence, their vocabulary words, or an article on a topic they like. Something. Anything to get them to practice a much needed skill!!!

And they will also, undoubtedly KNOW how to read!

So what are your thoughts about this?

New Craft Project - Cross Stitch Wheel of the Year

First things first.

Happy Imbolc everyone!

I started this project in November. I would be a lot further along if it weren't for three things.

1. Yule.
2. Christmas.

3. The crappy lighting in our living room at home. And since it's dark outside by the time I get home, I can really only work on it on the weekends during the afternoon. That is if we haven't already booked ourselves silly on those days.

But anywho, here it is.

It's difficult to tell what it is I know. but it will be a Wheel of the Year. I've got the center part finished and the other part is part of a spoke that would pointing to SE if it were a compass. Anyway, if you want to see a small pic of the completed project go here. If you "look inside" it's the pillow on the top right of the copyright page. I'm not doing a pillow. I'm making it into a framed piece. But if you're into cross-stitch and fantasy/pagan theme projects, would recommend it. I really like the book, it's got a lot of fun ideas.

Oh, and the black dotted lines are just to help me tell where all the stitches are. I prepped my fabric by finding the center. Then I decided to to lines for every 10th stitch. It's really helped me a lot in figuring out where to put the next stitch. And when I'm done, I'll pull my guide lines out. The only thing to keep in mind if you decide to do this little trick, when you are working near a guide thread, don't split the thread and put a stitch through it. Otherwise, you'll never get the guide line out.

LetterMo Challenge

I stumbled across this site Letter Mo. The challenge is to mail something each day in February. Well, the days that the mail is picked up and delivered that is. So it comes out to 24 items. You can mail a postcard, letter, newspaper article, whatever. The point is to mail something out for each month. That way, you can hopefully get people to send you something. But mostly it's to surprise people by sending them something that they don't normally get nowadays. Snail mail.

So, if you're interested, stop on by the site. Or, if you don't want to write and send stuff, but wouldn't mind a little something fun in your mailbox, send me your address. You can email it to me at spiritphoenix424@yahoo.com or you can post it in a comment if you want.

I'm all excited. I'm going tonight to get more stationery for this! Woohoo!!! I'm a geek, I love stationery and notecards! Plus, I love to handwrite things. I love my handwriting and I don't get much of a chance to practice it anymore.

Updates and Idiots

I've been meaning to get back on here and post something. We moved from a laptop to the iPad and it's sometimes a little difficult to the on a screen. I'm getting better, but if you see major glaring typos that's why.

I think my life is finally getting back to normal. We had Squeaker in Sept. and it's been one thing after another since then. We had Halloween/ Samhain. Then Thanksgiving, Yule, and Christmas. Plus two really bad colds/ flus that ripped through our house. Now the Hubs is doing inventory at work. So after this weekend, everything should be finished and we can go about life as usual. Just with an added bundle of joy.

Luckily, I haven't had anymore issues with the Angel Baby and her potty training. And she's getting more used to having Squeaker around. He's discovered his tounge. It's quite cute actually. He will be chewing on his fists and suddenly he's holding his tounge with his fingers. So hilarious.

Not much new to report, really.

Except a funny / really? type of scenario that happened at work the other day.

So I work at a university. In an all graduate department. So we're not talking about some 18 year old idiot here. This idiot was at least 23 or so. Still an idiot age to many of us, granted.

Anywho, we've been offering more and more online courses. And of course, they fill up super fast. Like within a week of registration opening. This idiot decides at the last minute that he needs to get into a full online course. Now in this situation, we always refer the student to the professor. If the prof is willing to give you an override, we'll put you in. Keep in mind that it's already two weeks into the semester as well.

So this student comes to the professor teaching the course and says "I need you to drop someone from the course and put me in the class. Because I have a job and need the course for my position."

Really?!?!?!?!?

REALLY?!?!?

You have the balls to ask that the professor kick someone else out of the course. Someone that registered with enough time to get into the course. But because you have a job that somehow makes you better than them and therefore you deserve to get in the course.

Puh-lease.

The correct route would have been to just ask if the professor would allow you in the course and then give your reasoning.

I was very happy that the prof laughed at the request. Granted it was over email so the poor delusional individual was unable to see just how idiotic his request really was.

You know, just because you're the center of your Mommy and Daddy's universe doesn't mean that you are at the center of everyone's.

Idiot.

The Day from Hell

**************WARNING***************

If you can't handle stories involving little children and their issues with potty training. Or stories about cleaning up bodily fluids. Don't read any further.

Seriously.

************************************************

Last Saturday turned into the day from hell. It started off like any other day. And seemed to be one of the better days as of late. Until we got home after dance class.

Angel Baby fell asleep in the car. It happens all the time. No worries, I scooped her up, and plopped her into her own bed. She's done this many, many times before. Well, she comes downstairs about a half an hour later with an armful of clothes.

Now my little Angel Baby has turned into quite the fashionista. She will change clothes about thirty times a day if you let her. So I again, didn't think anything fond it. Until she dropped the bomb on me.

"I pooped in my pants."

Now she's learning and she still has accidents from time to time. I'm still not overly worried. We'll just clean her up and go forward.

Now I offer her lunch and tell her that she has to have a nap. So after lunch we're going to have a nap. No worries.

I get her into bed, read her a pre-nap story, ask if she has to use the bathroom, (no she doesn't), and I proceed downstairs with the Squeaker to nurse him.

I hear her rustling around upstairs. And I start to smell something horrible.

I put Squeaker aside, luckily he's now passed out in a food coma, and head upstairs.

Oh. My. God. Of all that is Holy.

My lovely little Angel Baby has pooped her pants again. And this time she tried to clean up. I know I should praise her for being Little Miss Independent. But when you come into a bathroom with shit smeared all over her, her clothes, the floor AND the walls. It's very difficult not to lose your mind.

I managed to clean her and the bathroom up. And I was very proud of myself. I didn't raise my voice. But oh my, did it take work. After getting her cleaned up. Again. We headed downstairs. She proceeded to fill her pants a few more times. She also smeared poo on the walls again. This time I caught her before she coated the entire bathroom.

And my little Angel also told me that I had to clean up her toys, not her.

Again, patience tried. And won. Whew, I'm doing well here.

She is now upstairs, hopefully passed out by now. And all I can say is, thank God, the day is almost over!!!

I think I deserve a medal for this.

*Note: I realize that she was probably not feeling very well, which probably played a big part in me not losing my cool.

Adjusting to Two

No. I'm not dead. Just learning how to juggle two children. It's been really interesting, let me tell you. The Squeaker is just as sweet as he could be. My little Snuggle Buddy. Probably the easiest baby in the world. But you add a three year old to the mix and boom. Crazy hijinks ensue. My Angel Baby has had moments of being my Devil Child. She'll act out when I'm holding Squeaker. I know it's an attention thing, but it's still hard to deal with.

But now after three and a half months with the new baby, we're finally starting to come to a sort of equilibrium. She's starting to understand that he isn't going away. And become used to the idea of sharing Mommy.

Hope you all had wonderful holidays. Samhain/Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas, New Year's. Never really thought about it before, but there are sure a lot of holidays squished together at the end of the year.

I haven't really been on blogger much since my last post. I'm hoping to start catching up with all of you again. Now that things have settled down.

Nice to be back.