My favorite Facebook Flair buttons

i thought i should share some of my favorite facebook flair buttons with those of you who don't have facebook....some of them are just too true. :)
-sarcasm: the body's natural defense against stupid.
-best friends, because parents couldn't handle us as sisters.
-i work with kids for a living, what's your superpower?
-i wasn't kicking him, i was riverdancing and he got in the way.
-forgive your enemies, it messes with their heads. (this was on a church sign. )
-i make sarcastic comments during faculty meetings. (that's not nice.)
-sarcastic comments free with friendship.
-i have CDO. it's like OCD only the letters are in alphabetical order. (like they should be.)
-i'm afraid one day i'll meet God, he'll sneeze and i won't know what to say.
-i cried when sirius died. (really, i did. i cried harder when dumbledore died though.)
-silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. (one of my favorites.)
-"i told you so" has a brother. His name is "shut the h*ll up."
-why are so many liberals against killing terrorists, murderers and child rapists, but for abortion?
-when i hear the national anthem, i add the BOOM-CRASH!

almost friday!

i am so excited tomorrow is friday. at this point in the week, i'm so tired i don't think it would matter if i went to bed at 8:00 and slept through the night. it's a good thing it wouldn't matter i guess since there's no chance of it happening. i feel like i have run myself ragged this week and i really haven't been able to see my baby as much as i'd like. i'm very happy we have a three day weekend coming up...i'm with my kids at school, we need a 4-day week every week.



i know everyone else is tired as well. i am thankful i haven't gotten sick yet. it seems like there are so many germs going around school. my window and door stays open to hopefully scoot those little buggers on out of the room. i definitely don't need to bring something nasty home to drew, even though when i picked him up today he was stopped up and congested....i thought he'd gotten over it last week but i guess it's back. :(


as you can see from the pictures below, this may be one reason i'm worn out. it's a good worn out, even though my butt never sees a couch or chair anymore. drew's new trick is to try and stand up. this includes using anything he can find as leverage resulting in numerous bumps to the head. he also loves to destroy paper, hence the mess in the floor. :)





Man on the loose!

if

drew went to bed early tonight and tim isn't home so i've been dawdling on the computer reading different blogs. it's amazing what different people go through everyday. i'm always so thankful for the life i have been blessed with but it seems i should be even more thankful today. i'm not sure why, i'm a big believer in "signs" i guess, but today has just seemed to have come full circle for my thoughts.
i started out the day with a great deal of difficulty pulling myself out of bed....then pulling drew out of his cozy, warm bed. he's such a good baby, even when i get him up at 6:00 every morning he wakes up with nothing less than and ear to ear, toothless grin...if he happens to catch sight of waylon or ruby we might even get a chuckle. i have a wonderful husband who gets up to help me in the middle of the night or early morning and that just makes things so much easier. anyway, i digress....
on the way to work i turned on the radio to listen to my regular morning show and i hear they are doing their yearly radiothon for the children's hospital. you know the ones, where they play the stories of families who have had the misfortune of having a sick child who may or may not have beat the illness while sad, slow music is playing in the background. unfortunately for me, i'm a sucker for these stories. some of you are probably wondering if this is really me writing since most just see me as a cynical, no nonsense, blunt person...i've come to realize maybe this is one of the reasons i can't deal with emotions and must use a medicinal route to balance myself out. i think i keep a lot of the tenderness i have in my soul to myself, bottle it up and freak out when i can't put anymore in my bottle. that being said, i squalled all the way to the babysitter's this morning listening to a dad tell the story of his sweet little girl losing her battle with leukemia. the more i heard drew babble in the backseat, the more i cried. (luckily i don't do the mascara thing or i'd have been in real trouble.)
once i dropped drew off and kissed him 50 times before leaving, i got myself back in gear for another day at school. i realized then that there are so many kids i've had that i have really loved, mothered and wanted to keep safe and i almost started the waterworks again. i don't cry a whole lot but when i do, i can't seem to stop. now this evening i've just read a blog of a woman about my age with a daughter about drew's age and she's just suddenly lost her husband....then i watched that dang lion video where it runs to it's former owners after it had been in the wild for over a year or so and now i'm crying again. (if you haven't seen it, it's a must...go to youtube.)
maybe the cynic in me just wants to believe it's pms (that's for you jennifer) but then again, maybe there's a soft spot in me somewhere after all. i guess i know it's there, and god knows it's there and that's all that counts....
a few of my Achilles heel's:
`babies.
`sick babies
`mistreated and neglected babies
`animals...any kind, even the mean ones
`my mamaw
`feeling helpless when someone needs me
`those who seek something they may not have been blessed with yet...i'm faithful enough to believe the right thing will come along for you at just the right time.
`old people
`families of addicts...too much intervention for me i guess
`people who suffer with mental illness....i've seen how it can effect everyone around them

on a brighter note, i have more to add to "the things kids say" file:
me -"we're going to do a poster on good citizens and not so good citizens."
student-"well, which color are we gonna use for the good?"
me - "i'll let you decide since you came to help me."
student- after thinking for a few minutes as we walk down the hall-"okay, i think we should use yellow for the good. you know, like the sun is yellow and it's good, so we'll use the yellow for the good citizen."

student - "mrs. rosencrans, will you go throw that football again today and tire those boys out? i want them to be quiet when we go back in the room today."

student - "gosh mrs. rosencrans, i'm parched."

student - "you know, i'm half indian."
me - "oh really? like native american indian or india indian?"
student - "huh? you know, like an indian."
me - "oh, that kind....how did you find that out?"
student-"well, my dad told me."
me-"so that means your dad is a full blooded indian?"
student - "yep"
me - "what tribe is he?"
student - "i don't know, we'll have to ask my mom. i can't remember what they said."
so, we go ask his mom, she proceeds to tell him to go out in the hallway while she explains to me what he's talking about. evidently his dad sunburned his feet on the beach and they started calling him tenderfeet as his indian name....adding that he was of the "slap-a-ho" tribe. good thing he couldn't remember what kind of indian he was!

while studying continents this week, we have reviewed and tried to name them daily. student - "south america. mrs, rosencrans, is that where they have the other bible?"

and last but not least, the same student tells me he saw a sign that said "stop! mumbo-jumbo" on it. insisting that's what the sign said, we later found out it was a caution sign for wet floors that was written in spanish...somehow the spanish came out to say "mumbo-jumbo". :)


now to end, i'll leave you with some pictures of my gorgeous, big boy and my most favorite poem of all time.... it's been my favorite for years and years. i guess this is what i hope tim and i, along with our family and friends, can teach drew and any other children we may be blessed with as they grow up. i know it's what i try to be, even though i fail quite frequently....read it closely, they're very wise words.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

I

f you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
--Rudyard Kipling

And it begins again....

School, that is. Our first week is over and I'm worn out! I don't know what that says about my stamina since the kids were only there three days. I think the stress of worrying over how that first day will go, what kind of class we'll have and wondering how on earth we will ever get these kids to where they need to be by May takes a toll during that first week. I'm looking forward to next week when I feel like we'll get into our real routine.

Overall, this was one of my better first days....I think having Drew has made me a little more understanding of kids in general. That doesn't mean I'm gonna go soft, so don't worry about that one. It's just not in my genetic makeup to be a "blue". :)

I think I'm going to have some very interesting stories this year. I have several students who will keep me on my toes and always have something clever to say. I am going to try and keep them documented....especially since I always tell myself I'll write it down, then forget later. Here's a snippet of what may be to come....

1.) On the first day, Student J (as he will be referred to for blogging anonymity) comes to the door, stops and looks at me exclaiming, "That locker is awesome!" Who would have thought the most inspiring thing about my first day would be the excitement an 8 year old has over a midget locker?

2.) Day 2 - Student doesn't know how to spell a word and asks me to do it for him. My response was no, come and get a dictionary to look it up so you'll remember the next time. After searching for the word for 10 minutes, he finds it and writes it down on his "What I Did This Summer" paper. As he goes to return the dictionary, he whispers, "Thanks for letting me use the dictionary Mrs. Rosencrans, it was FABulous."

3.) Day 3 - I wore a dress today. Yes, me. I. Wore. A. Dress. So, Student J breezes into the room with his usual sweet smile and states, "Lookin' good, Mrs. Rosencrans." He doesn't stop, doesn't even slow his step....he just keeps truckin' to his desk and gets started on his morning work.

I forget sometimes the importance a kind word has....how lucky am I to know such a sweet kid, that he always has something nice to say. Even something like telling me a dictionary was fabulous made my day. I hope to have many more anecdotes from Student J throughout the year....he's almost as good as my medication.

Jennifer inspired me :)

After my last post I felt very negative...and after reading Jennifer's blog, I felt ungrateful as well. So, I thought I would list some of the very important, wonderful things that are blessings in my life....here goes.
1. My beautiful boys, Tim and Drew, they are my world.
2. My mamaw being healthy and active again after a long bout with 2 different cancers.

3. Great family who are always calling wondering when I'll be home.

4. My animals (even though I just gave Waylon his second bath in as many days because he keeps rolling in something dead).There's nothing like the unconditional and total love of animals.
5. A stable, loving home.
6. Good friends.
7. The ability to be independent.
8. Great in-laws.
9. The Domain....my one week faith rejuvenating retreat I can count on every year.
10. The ability to help kids learn....a very rewarding job.
11. Celebrating 10 great years with Tim this September. I can't believe how fast it's gone.
12. That first putt-mobile, humility is a great teacher. :)
13. Having parents that still like me to call when I get in, let them know where I am going and when I'll be back.
14. The fact that my almost 19 year old sister asked me if she could go to Wal-Mart last night. (Yes, she's still our baby.)
15. A knowledge that I don't have to be a regular church dweller to know that God and I are tight...

Haven't blogged in a while....

Well, I don't really have a whole lot to talk about from the last week or so....Tim and I took Drew to the pool again on Sunday and Monday. He has so much fun, it never gets old. He's started this new thing where he smooshes up his face and blows out his nose. We call it "bullin'", I don't know why. Hayley used to do it when she was little, too. He knows we think it's funny so he'll do it, wait for us to laugh, then he laughs.

We visited the babysitter today which was good. She seems like such a sweet lady and Drew actually crawled over to her....that's a feat considering he usually sticks to me like glue in unfamiliar places. The other boys that were there were sweet also....they are 18 mths and 21 mths, and Drew makes two of them!

I guess now we have to get ready for school to start...it always makes me nervous. I really feel like a slacker this year too because I haven't done much in my room. I just feel guilty leaving Drew to go work in my room when I don't have many days left with him at home. I also know that no matter how much I think I'm prepared, I am not. So, I think I'll just play it by ear, spend time with my baby and let the school thing run it's course. I know we'll work hard and start the year off learning, whether my papers are in order or not.

On a side note, I received an email or two from our former house guests two weeks ago. I stewed and stewed, making Hayley and Tim read and reread the messages before responding. The last email I got from them in May was not something I chose to respond to and evidently that did not sit well. I felt like not saying anything was my best option, and still do. In the latest emails I was blamed for giving them the cold shoulder and "keeping" Tim from being able to hang out with his so-called friend. I was also told that we were not "used" or taken advantage of in any way seeing as how they gave us $900 two weeks after they moved out....evidently our memories are a little different because I distinctly remember never charging rent or money for utilities (when our utilities were 3 times what they are normally), buying their baby food, diapers, buying them food, buying their dog's food, having to scour my entire house when they left, throw away sheets, bedspreads, towels, rugs, etc. when they moved and having to pack up their things... And the $900 they so generously gave us, well, it was $850 and they owed it to Tim for going to pick up their UHaul in NC for gas, etc. and forgot that Tim charged extra so they would profit nearly $500 when they received their $1400 reimbursement check. Funny how memories are different.

Okay, that was a long side note and I really do not mean to be negative....I've just been thinking about it for a few weeks now and for someone who is honest and tries to be a good person, it's a little upsetting when you are totally denounced and told not to even ask how the baby is doing. Several explicatives have run through my mind, (and come from my mouth since we all know how well I hold things back), but in those messages I do feel like I took the high road....an accomplishment for me. In this case, taking the high road served an even better outcome than being engaged in back and forth email insults--it got me deleted from my first myspace friends list. :) How many of you can say you've been deleted....the funny thing is, well, I'll have to tell you all later, I wouldn't want to incriminate myself in print.

While you're wondering just what I've done, here are some pictures to enjoy of the baby boy. Don Teddy is soooo funny. (My uncle Donnie got it for him, hence the name.)

Ruby loves him.....

...even though he pulls her hair SO hard.

Our daily walk at its end....can you spot Kitty in the background?

Daddy lovin'