Potty Mouth

When I was 16, I would tell anyone who would listen that I did not want kids. I thought they were icky and boring, and I wanted to travel. Obviously I've changed my mind, but if I'd heard this story ten years ago, I would've rolled my eyes and said, "SEE?"
This story is possibly too gross to share, but also too gross NOT too share. Yesterday we had a day of running around all day, except for Luke's too short nap. Not to go over-the-top with TMI about my kid, but he can't go to the bathroom when we're out and about. This meant that by the time we ate dinner and got him in the bath, he hadn't gone yet. Unfortunately, the warm water did its trick, and I was soon grabbing him out of the tub, handing him to Shane, and thinking, "REALLY? I have to deal with THIS now?"

Next to the tub was a plastic cup that I use to rinse Luke's hair, so I grabbed that and set to work dealing with the, ahem, floaters. After I fished everything out and dumped it in the toilet, I set the cup on the bathroom counter so I could scrub out the top. There was no way I was keeping the cup after that. I know I could wash it, and it'd be fine, but I'd forever think of it as the poo cup (refraining from making a really gross internet video reference here..).

Fast forward to three hours later. I folded clothes, played Wii, and forgot all about the cup. I went up to bed and first stopped in the bathroom to take my prenatal. I filled a cup with water, took a big swig...and spit water all over myself as I realized WHICH cup I'd filled. I know that it's not like I'm going to catch any diseases, but still...EW, EW, EW. I shot mouthwash into my mouth (and in my haste, all over my shirt) and went to tell Shane. The look on his face was part incredulous, part revulsion as he said, "You just.. you just drank toilet water," with a fit of laughter.

Needless to say, I did not get a kiss good night!

Brave Sanctuary

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart." Helen Keller

I wish you all the happiest of holidays, with lots of love from the three (four!) of us.

Jack Frost Can Suck It

I am SO DONE with winter. DONE. As my husband pointed out, however, yesterday was actually the first official day of winter, so it's going to be a long haul! Early Friday morning, we were hit by an ice storm that resulted in almost all area schools closing. At first, I was majorly thrilled to start holiday break early, until the power went off Friday morning. And stayed off for 4 hours. It came back on, only to go off again at 6 that night. We ended up sleeping with Luke in between us in bed so he'd stay warm. It came back on sometime in the middle of the night and stayed on all Saturday.

Sunday, Shane and I had ticket to go see "Wicked" in Chicago. On the coldest day of the year. It was COLD. I mean, freeze your tatas off cold. I wore three layers of sweaters, and I was still beyond cold. "Wicked" was wonderful! I've wanted to see it for quite some time, as I loved the book. Shane wasn't familiar with the book or the musical, but he still enjoyed it. After the show, we couldn't snag a cab, so we walked a half-mile to Berghoff's. Only to discover that it is now closed on Sundays. Funny! Only not. We ducked into Garrett's popcorn to warm up and buy a couple bags of popcorn. Those of you heading to Chicago for BlogHer this summer have to HAVE TO try Garrett's popcorn. It's that good. Anyway, after this, we ducked into a diner. At this point, I checked my cell phone and had five voicemail messages. My parents were watching Luke at their (powerless) house, so at about 5pm they took Luke back to our house to get him bathed and in bed...only to discover that our power was out and had been out for quite awhile, as the house was 53 degrees.

Long story short, we hurried out of the diner without eating, snagged a cab, bought a disgustingly greasy but oh so good pizza roll at a fast food place, then caught the 6pm train. Because electricity and I don't get along, the power on the train kept going off and we left about 15 minutes behind schedule. It was a slow ride home, as the power kept surging and flickering. We finally made it back and swung by our house, which was now down to a frosty 42 degrees, so we ended up staying at my parents' house. They didn't have power, but they have a wood stove AND a fireplace, so they had warmth at least! Luckily, our power is back on, but as the lines are still heavy with ice, I'm not too hopeful that it'll stay on long term. Cross your fingers!

The strangest thing about an ice storm is that as annoying as they are, it's also so beautiful outside. The whole world is sparkling right now, especially in the sun. Don't believe me? These two girls have some amazing photos! Still, beautiful as it is, I'd much rather be looking at a warm beach right now...

Where I'll Be

Whenever I'm busy busy BUSY, I make a list. It always helps. It should make me feel overwhelmed, but it doesn't because when I finish a task, I can cross it off the list. I also always try to put fun things on the list because no matter how busy you are, you still need to have fun! Truthfully, I'm behind where I should be because I've developed this rather unproductive habit of falling asleep no later than 8 every night. Sometimes still fully clothed...

Full

To clarify yesterday's post, my quiet calm was not a photo of a gummy bear in a storm, but rather, a perfect little baby. A perfect little baby that just happens to be chillaxin' in my uterus RIGHT NOW.

I know! Can you believe it? Because I hardly can. I am 10 weeks and some odd change pregnant, and it still hasn't sunk in. Two positive pregnancy tests, one perfect heartbeat, and I still want to pinch myself.

Monday I told my midwife, "It's just as amazing the second time." And IT IS. Seeing the little baby with a flickering heartbeat? Amazing. Waiting to get bigger and lose this beer belly look? Amazing. Waiting for that endorphin rush after birth and the chance to hold a new baby against my skin? Amazing. Preparing to breastfeed a brand new baby? Amazing!

I am due July 16th. I'm a little disappointed that I won't make it BlogHer when it is SO CLOSE, but I'd rather have a baby than BlogHer, obviously! We are not finding out the sex. With Luke, I felt he was a boy the moment I had a positive test. This time? I just don't know. I keep waiting for that instinct, but it hasn't yet kicked in. At this point, planning a natural hospital birth with the same midwife and doula I used last time.

I can sum it all up in three words: I Can't WAIT.

A Quiet Calm

Lately I've felt enveloped by a sense of total peace. It's been wonderful. That's not that say that I'm not stressed and busy and rushed by the season, because I am. But more than that, much more than that, I'm so overwhelmed by how lucky I am. I can explain some of that feeling, but I can't explain how or why it's so strong right now. I suppose some things simply cannot be explained, so without looking for the explanation, I will just be greatly that I'm filled with such a force now.

At night, I sit in the glow of the Christmas tree lights, and I can't imagine being anywhere but here. I can't imagine being anyone other than myself. There are things I'd love to change, but they're superficial. Everything that really matters, everything at the core and heart of life, I would not change for the world.

In this holiday season, it is my wish for all of you that you can find your sense of peace, your quiet calm, and your own understanding of how gloriously lucky you are.


This is my quiet calm.

Blind Me With Science

I'm sure I'm not the only one that goes through the day thinking, "If I could only invent _____, my life would be so much easier." Unfortunately, I can't invent. I can hardly put together Luke's toys, let alone make something that's never been made before. What I need is a scientist who has nothing better to do than be at my beck and call to invent totally useless but totally awesome items.

My first invention (okay, my scientist's first invention) would be temperature controlled bed sheets. I like my sheets to be warm when I first climb into bed, but then when I wake up later on, I want cool sheets. I'm one of those people who annoys their spouse by shifting around trying to find the cool spots on the sheets. I flip pillows, too. Imagine if I could just press a button, and BAM, COOL SHEETS. My life would be MUCH better. In fact, I'd never leave my bed.

Because I'm a nice person and love all of you very much, I would absolutely let you use my scientist for one invention. What would it be, and how would it make your life better? Oh, and no fair saying something all selfless like, a cure for cancer. We ALL want that, but my scientist is limited in that he (not that I think all scientists are men, it's just that I'm choosing to have a smoking hot male scientist at my beck and call--he also gives massages) can't cure diseases, he just makes things.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Whenever the weather turns cold and bitter, I dream of a vacation. I hate cold weather with a passion! I don't dream of going just anywhere warm, I dream of going to Belize. More specifically, I dream of going back here. We went to Chaa Creek on our honeymoon, and although it was June and I didn't need the warm getaway, it was amazing. I've never had a better vacation, not even the ten days I spent in Europe.

Every single thing about our honeymoon was perfect. If you've never been to Belize, GO. The main language of Belize is English, so there are no language difficulties. It is a safe country, too. I know that in parts of Central America, it's not safe to leave a resort. In Belize, we canoed from our resort to a town two hours upstream. Although San Ignacio is Belize's second largest urban area, it was safe and friendly. We ate at a local restaurant and were laughed at by the locals when we paddled right by the area to tie off the canoes, with me yelling at Shane to STOP the whole way. I should add that while they laughed at us, two boys jumped right into the river to pull our canoe where it belonged. The exchange rate in Belize is one US dollar to two Belizean. That's easy enough, even for a math idiot like me!

At the risk of sounding like a travel agent, I have to reminisce about how amazing this vacation was. The resort at which we stayed, Chaa Creek, is an eco friendly place, which I loved! All of the buildings had thatched roofs made from palm fronds. We stayed in the treetop honeymoon suite, overlooking the Macal River.

The area where I'm standing also contained two couches and a table.

We were so busy the week we stayed at Chaa Creek. Every day, we had an activity of some sort, and every afternoon, we relaxed in the open air bar.

Although the margaritas were wonderful, my favorite drink was a rum punch. I've never had anything quite like it! Our second day there, we discovered that you could order chips and salsa from the kitchen. The chips took awhile because they were served fresh out of the oven, made from tortillas. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...
At night, we would enjoy an amazing four course meal in the restaurant. The meal always started with freshly made sourdough bread and real butter. Shane and I split a bottle of wine every night, and by the time dessert came, I was stuffed and happy!


We did so many things, some of which I never dreamed of doing. We went horseback riding through the jungle! At the end of the ride, I took my horse on a gallop through an open pasture, and it was so exhilarating, being in this different place and feeling really alive. We went tubing through a cave, wearing miner's hats! Our guide showed us cave drawings, from when the Mayans used the cave as a sacrificial area. It was eerie. He also told us the story of how the week before we were there, he took Billy Gates (and yes, he said Billy!) through the cave with his family and his security guards. The guide was young, and we got the sense that while he knew Bill Gates was a rich American, he didn't know quite HOW rich. We spent an afternoon at the butterfly breeding area where butterflies were so plentiful that they landed on our arms and faces. We visited Mayan ruins. One night, we took a hike and had a guide show us a tarantula and a nest of scorpions (after that, I was afraid to get out of bed in the dark!).
One morning, we asked for a wake up call so we could go on an early morning bird watching tour. Our suite had no phone, so we weren't sure how that worked. We soon learned that wake up calls in Belize involve someone bringing a fresh pot of coffee with china cups. Yes, it was the LIFE.

On our last day, I visited the spa and received the best massage and body scrub of my entire life. The combination of the massage and the warm sun beating down on me left me hardly able to walk afterward. As I stumbled back down the hill, I passed the bar, only to realize Shane was in there chatting with the bartender we'd gotten to know throughout the week. The thing about Belize was that when the employees learned we were teachers, they were so respectful and wanted to talk more. Every single person expressed their admiration for teaching and thought it was a noble profession. I loved that! I went into the bar, and we spent the whole afternoon talking to the bartender and concierge, listening to the stories of the famous people who had stayed there. The concierge called the "Very Important Pigs," which made us laugh. The bartender fixed us his special drinks, one called a funky iguana, the other a sexual chocolate. And, of course, I enjoyed one last pina colada.

(I don't know what happened to this picture that it uploaded all tiny!)

Best of all, we spent the week just being US. We had absolutely no cares in the world, not a one. Our favorite part of the day was checking the dinner menu, and we were so blissfully happy. I knew that when the week was over, it was back to teaching summer school, working at Build a Bear, and hoping to be hired full time at a school corporation in the fall. But none of that mattered. For a week, the world stopped. All the stress of the wedding and pre-wedding fights were GONE. Truly, our week ended on a magical note--as we flew into O'Hare on July 3rd, the city of Chicago lit off fireworks and the sky exploded with color around us. Such a welcome. I know we'll return someday, but I know it won't be for awhile. Even on the coldest days, looking at the pictures still manages to make me feel a little warm.

Wordless Wednesday: Sleep!

Lest you think I'm trying to smother my child, he took all of the animals from the end of his crib and arranged them around his head before falling asleep.

What's Your Talent?

I believe every one has a "hidden" talent of some sort. I don't mean the kind of talent where you are an impressive harpist or can recite Macbeth in Croatian (5 points to anyone who can tell me what TV show I'm referencing there!), but I mean the talents that you know you have, yet you don't show off on a regular basis. Perhaps you can burp the alphabet on command. Is that a talent? Sure, but not one that you're likely to put on a resume. Can you drink just about anyone you know under the table? TOTALLY a talent, but again, not quite resume material (unless, of course, you are applying for my dream job of professional wine taster).

My hidden talent is that I can, completely on the fly, come up with a legitimate and realistic sounding excuse if I don't want to do something. Now, I need to clarify that I never, EVER use this on friends. If I have plans with friends, I want to do them, and if I can't, I'm honest about why I can't. Where do I use my talent? Oh, let's see... WORK. I am always asked to attend meetings or join various committees, and at the risk of sounding lazy, I just have no interest in spending any more time away from Luke. But because I'm not the only person in the school with a child, I can't use that simple excuse. Instead, I'm the master of coming up with, "I'd love to, but..." reasons. I'm so good at it that two of my best work friends will shake their head in awe after witnessing said excuses (because they are FRIENDS, they know about my talent and know I will never use it for evil). My husband completely fails at good excuse making and as such is often getting roped into things he does not want to do. Every time this happens, he always sighs, tells me the story, then sighs even more as I quickly come up with an excuse he COULD have used.

What's your hidden talent? I know you have one! If you can't come up with one right away, stop and think for a few seconds. It might not be something that you've ever thought of as a talent, but it's something you can do really well. And if your talent is the same as mine, you rock and we should join forces as the best excuse makers EVER.

Too Bog To Blog

There are two words that I absolutely love for the way they sound: bog and mire. To say I've felt bogged or mired down lately would be apt. (Apt is also another word that I love. I'm such an English teacher.) I wish you could use bog as a description. "How are you doing?" "Oh, I've felt a little bog lately. How about you?"

Because if you could, I'd tell you that I felt pretty bog. I feel stuck, down, even slightly sinking. Really, I have no reason. I'm frustrated with my students and their lack of attentiveness as we work on a huge research project. I know a portion of them won't do it, and then won't understand why they failed, despite my warnings. I'm equally frustrated because I have to give away a day of time on this research project for yet another round of standardized tests.

Despite my general boggishness, though, I am so happy. I'm tired because I feel like I'm spinning in a thousand different directions, yet it's all GOOD. Friday, I have a fugly sweater party to attend! Saturday is my school's Christmas party at TJ Maloney's. I plan on eating my weight in Irish Nachos. The weekend after, Shane and I have tickets to see "Wicked," courtesy of an early Christmas gift from my parents. Part of the gift is a full day of babysitting so we can make a day of it in Chicago. And then Christmas!

Let's recap: Bogged down, yes. Happy, yes. Tired, oh hell yes. Promising to be better about blogging, despite the bogging? Yes, yes, and yes!

Wordless Wednesday