Howdy-Do, Buckaroos!

Hello!

I wanted to check in with a little update on school and everything.

December, I completed my 2nd semester back at school. Everything went well, and I got an A in government and a C in History. C sounds bad BUT since I had attempted History before (a couple of times) I aimed for a C and got it. I worked really hard for it, too!

Since I coasted relatively smoothly through two semesters of taking two classes, I decided that in the spring semester, I'd give four classes a try. So, here I am, beginning week three, and it's a lot of hard work, a whole lot of reading and time management, but it's going well so far. I'm taking government 2 and history 2, both in person at the SAC satellite campus here in town, and I am taking world geography and intro to education online. I am really enjoying the online courses (esp. edu) because of the interactions with classmates and the professor.

Next week, I have to go to SA to pick up my internship paperwork so I can spend some time in a classroom other than mine learning lesson planning and teaching from another perspective. (Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to use my classroom for it because PPCD wasn't an option).

*****

Running has become a new passion to me. Since doing the Couch to 5K program last year, it has become a part of my life. It seems like my body craves it and I get antsy when I don't make it out. On the off days when I can't make it to the gym, I've been doing yoga. I got a great DVD called Yoga for Athletes which has 16 different sports to choose from (including running) - each sport has 12 different yoga sessions from 20-75 minutes targeting different areas that are important for the sport you choose. It's been helping me a LOT. I generally run appx 3.5 miles, three times a week. My running space is limited where I live and it gets boring sometimes, but the time to myself is priceless. My running playlist is awesome so getting out to run is a real treat.

*****

The kids are doing awesome. Olivia has blossomed into an amazing young lady now that she is in middle school. I am amazed at her every day. She is taking better care of herself, yet not falling into fads and trends that are prevalent in middle school. She is excelling in all areas and has been reunited with friends she made in the early years of elementary school.

Sophia has blossomed as well. I think after Olivia left the elementary school, Sophia has (in a way) come out of her shell and taken on some really cool activities such as choir club and student council along with library shelf elf. Her grades are awesome and she has been blessed with one of the most awesome teachers I have ever known. This has been a very exciting year for Sophia.

Danny is having a great time in 1st grade. He just had a birthday and we celebrated with (you guessed it) SUSHI! Lol! Teachers and staff at school are always praising him on his good attitude, desire to learn, and always making good choices. Those are words that warm a momma's heart!

Danny Sr and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary in December - 12 happy years and counting! I love to tell the girls all the romantic things their dad did for me in our early years. It's not that I want them to eventually choose someone just like their dad when they become interested in boys (trust me, I am not advocating it, I just want them to have expectations when the time comes) but I do want them to choose someone who truly cares about them as a person and chooses to do things to make them feel special and happy.

I hope all is going great for you, my blogland friends!

Until next time....Adios!

The Plastic Ring

In my Government class, I have a classmate who is close to my age (maybe couple years younger) who is a single mom with three kids. She and I sit near each other and have struck up a little friendship over the last 8 weeks.

She wears a little plastic ring on her right index finger. It's the kind of ring that comes out of the $.25 vending machines. I always thought it was kinda cute that she wore it so I asked her about it one day. She said when her (now) 13 year old son was 4 years old, he got it from a quarter machine at a pizza place. He opened it and gave it to her, telling her how much he loved her. She told him that she'd never, ever take it off.

It has been on her hand for 9 years, and counting.

Doesn't that just warm your heart?

There truly is nothing humanly stronger than the love of a mother.

Itchy Fingers

This glorious fall weather has my fingers itching to create something! Searched a bunch of patterns and came up with something beautiful and fairly quick. Can't wait to get started!

When it is complete, I will try to post pics. : )

Don't ask me why this is message is so vague.

Blahg

It has been way too long since I have posted on this here blog. It seems like most of my previous posts were apologetically introduced as having been a long time and blah blah blah. I guess that will once again be the case! HA!

A new school year has begun and life around here has gone from leisurely and relaxed to full on pedal to the metal. The summer was great. A friend and I did the "Couch to 5K" program. Yes, it is true. I literally went from my couch to running my first 5K this past Saturday. Yeeha! That has been a fun journey.

When school let out, we discovered the lovely Netflix on demand disc that you can play in the Wii. We sure got our money's worth from our membership. We spent many (and I mean MANY) hours watching every episode of "Heroes," "Nurse Jackie," and "Dexter." My favorite is ol' "Dexter" but we had to be careful watching that because the kids were as drawn to it as we were but we had to keep shooing them out of the room because it is highly inappropriate. I ended up going to bed way too late during summer vacation! HA!

In the end of July, we took our first family vacation in four years. We went to visit my family in Maine and Canada. Fifteen days of eating, swimming, playing, eating, eating, and did I mention, eating? I tried to exercise ONCE and didn't try again. I just went back to eating some more. Hehe! Luckily I was able to get back into the swing of things upon our return to sweltering Texas. The weather in Maine was mostly in the 70's by day and 40's to 50's by night.

It was fantastic to see my family after four years. My grandparents are my favorite people in the world besides my kids and it was simply precious to be in their presence. I cherished every second with them. And it was kinda nice to be spoiled for a little while! They fed us lobster and freshly caught fresh water trout, along with many other Canadian treats such as ployes and creton.

The children had a blast swimming, kayaking, hiking, boat riding and tubing (not our S. TX kind of "toobing" - it's hooking up a tube and pulling it behind a boat). There was no cable TV and limited Wii playing, leaving us plenty of time for outdoor activity. They enjoyed THEIR grandmother as I enjoyed my grandparents, which was a rare treat due to the distance between us. Olivia swam with a family of ducks - a momma and 6 babies! The kids even got to swim in the lake with their great-grandfather. What an experience!

When we returned from Maine, we immediately fell into the pre-school rush. The very next week I went back to work, and the kids started school a week later. First day of school for the children was also my first day of college classes for the fall semester. AHHHH! Talk about 0-60 in 5.2!!!

Cooking has taken the back burner (get it? HAHA!). I have been preparing simple meals such as sandwiches, chicken, and spaghetti. Nothing gourmet or fancy. Usually when I get home from work, I pass out for about 30 minutes before I can function, which means I have less time to prepare meals in a timely manner. That's OK. No one here is malnourished or anything. We still manage to eat healthy, just not as much variety these days.

College classes are in full swing. Government and US History are on the menu. I have tried US History before and never could digest it. Twice, actually. This professor is really interesting and is making this more interesting than I ever remember it. Gov't, on the other hand, although the professor is amazing and completely excited and fired up about it, is killing me!!! The info just doesn't stick to my brain. Could the brain be where Teflon originated? Hmmm. Possibly.

Well, here is wishing you a terrific Labor Day holiday weekend. If you haven't given up on reading this silly blog yet, thanks for sticking with it. Meanwhile I will try to come up with something more than just a story about me me me. LOL!

Peace out, YO!

I gobbled it down faster than I could get a pic...

I made some stir fry bok choy this evening. It was so good! I don't have a pic, so you'll have to trust me on how gorgeous it looked on my plate. Here's the recipe:

1/2 head of bok choy, cleaned and sliced into 1" slices, still wet from washing
1 T coconut oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
2 slices ginger, finely minced
2-3 t Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 t toasted sesame oil

Heat oil in a skillet, add garlic and ginger, stir for about a minute. Add bok choy, stir for a minute or two. Add Braggs and sesame oil, stir fry till greens are wilted, about a minute more.

Plate it up and enjoy! I sprinkled a little salt and crushed red pepper on top, just to season it a little more, but that is according to taste.

Have you heard of GROUPON???

I just discovered Groupon. If you haven't heard about it, it is worth checking out and signing up! Every day a new deal is offered from your nearest city. You sign up and receive the deal in your inbox every day. Recent deals in San Antonio include a year family membership to the McNay art museum for $29! I also saw a set of 10 90 minute yoga sessions for $24, a savings of $106! There are food coupons, salon and spa, membersips, and more. For every person you refer, you get groupon bucks so sign up following this link: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1590989 and start referring your family and friends! You can't go wrong!
Enjoy!!!

Lemony Succotash Salad

Spring fever has gotten a hold of me! I have been craving a bright and fresh cold salad to munch on during this perfect time of year, so I came up with this salad today. It is delicious!

For the salad:
8 oz frozen sweet yellow corn, thawed
8 oz frozen lima beans, thawed
8 oz frozen soybeans, thawed
1 red bell pepper, chopped (or 1/2 of a very large one)
4 green onions,
chopped flat leaf parsley, minced

For the dressing:
zest and juice of two lemons
2 t honey
2 t dijon mustard
dash of garlic powder
sea salt coarse
ground black pepper
1/3-1/2 c olive oil

Mix salad ingredents together in a pretty bowl. : ) In a separate bowl, whisk together lemon through seasoning, then add olive oil in a steady stream while whisking. This will emulsify the ingredients to a beautiful lemony dressing. Pour dressing over salad and stir thoroughly but gently. Let sit in the fridge or eat right away. Enjoy!