It's Been a While

Hello, folks. It's been quite a while since I logged on last. I am happy to report to you that my stressful events are over for this school year. The fundraising event that I was in charge of this year brought in more than $150,000!!! I am amazed daily by the students I teach. 40 high school students worked together to bring in more than $150,000 to find a cure for cancer. Truly amazing. I believe that proves the theory that truly anything is possible when there is focus and drive. The second stressful event that is now past is the prom. I am no longer in charge of that whole process. I handed those responsibilities to my best friend last year. But, because she is my best friend and I love her, I was stressed for her. The prom was a HIT!!!! The venue was awesome. The band was awesome. The students were awesome. This time of year gets tricky, though. I have to stay focused and try to keep spring fever at bay. :)

Peanut had her first soccer tournament this past weekend. She is 7, but she played with a 9 and 10 year-old team. She did so well!!! I know I am biased, but she absolutely blows me away with her skill. She is able to juke players 3 years older!! In her first game, she received the PLayer of the Game patch. This is quite an honor, as the opposing team gets to pick the player to receive the patch. I really and truly could not have been prouder this weekend.

Buddy had a big week, too. He took a nap every day at day care this past week. As his prize, he got a Power Ranger soccer ball. Hubby took him to the soccer field on Friday so he could kick the ball and run around. Hubby also gave Buddy a haircut. OMG!!! When BUddy came inside, Peanut told Hubby that he balded Buddy!!! Seriously, Buddy has no hair. Good thing he is super cute!!!

Oh yeah - Hubby's team won the tournament they played in this weekend. Good stuff.

I hope this post finds you well. Ciao!

STRESS!!!!!

I am stressed, people. STRESSED!!! Relay for Life, a fundraiser for cancer research, has become quite the event at my workplace. This year, my boss asked me to be in charge of this $165,000 event. Yes, you read that dollar figure correctly. The students have been working so hard to raise money for this worthwhile cause. And believe it or not, this is only our second semester charity!!! The event is this Saturday, and I am SO ready for it to be over. I am sure the event will go well - the kids have worked too hard for it not to go well - but I'm just not sure in this economy the kids are going to hit their mark. Bringing money in at all this year has been slow, and their goal is quite lofty. I hope I am able to report to you that we made it - say a prayer for us!!!

The family is well. Peanut is going to play as guest player in her first soccer tournament next weekend. She is 7, and she will be playing with 10 year olds. I was concerned about the age difference until I saw her practice with the older girls. I know I am biased, but Peanut is AWESOME! She is going to do so well. It makes my heart so happy to watch her play and excel. Hopefully she will continue to improve and more importantly, continue to love playing the sport.

After this weekend, I promise I will be more regular in my posts. Until then, [ray that I survive Relay and that the kids make their goal, or at least come close!!! Ciao!

And, I'm Back

Well folks, this past Spring break did not turn out to be a memorable vacation. Actually, that's not true at all. It was memorable, just not in a pleasant way. The morning we were to leave on our vacation, Peanut woke up with the stomach bug, and Hubby woke up with strep. So, I spent the first couple of days nursing all of my babies back to health. By the end of the week, I had strep throat too. We were able to salvage a couple of days - we spent one afternoon at the Montgomery Zoo. Peanut and Buddy rode the train, saw all the animals, and played on the big, shady playground. The next day was ugly and rainy, so we decided to head to Chattanooga to the Children's Museum and then to the Aquarium. I was so glad we were able to do something fun. The weather here at home was dreadful during the week. The sun literally did not come out for six straight days. It was cold and dreary. So when I tell you it was a forgettable vacation, I'm not kidding.

Our first week back at school has also been adventurous. Yesterday I took Buddy to the ENT to have the tubes in his ears removed. Ear tubes are supposed to fall out on their own after a year or two, but Buddy's got stuck in his ear canal. I thought he would be given some happy gas, but no - the doc just dug right into his ears to get them. Yikes!!! Buddy screamed his little head off. Neither one of us was a happy camper when the process was over. This story does have a happy ending, though - a happy meal and some fun out in the sun later, Buddy was happy as could be.

Luckily, the weather here seems to be improving. We actually have had lots of sunshine this week and very reasonable temperatures. Here's hoping that weather sticks around (though even as I write this it is storming!). I hope this post finds all things right in your world. Ciao!

Fail!

Well, folks, the finger-crossing did not work. Peanut woke up with the virus this morning. To top that off, Hubby has come down with strep. Needless to say, we will not be going on vacation anytime soon. I will play doctor to both Hubby and Peanut and keep-away with Buddy.

Just wanted to provide an update. I'll be signed off for a while to take care of the family. Ciao.

Finally

Spring Break has finally arrived. I really thought a few students in my last class of the day might spontaneously combust this afternoon! It has been a long week. On top of dealing with unruly teenagers who cannot get the beach and the sunshine off of their mind, Buddy had the stomach virus. I have decided that some research doctors need to get on the move and find a cure for that illness. I would rather deal with anything than that. Seriously. Anything. Poor Buddy threw up all over the back seat of my car, and that included his sister. Yuck. Peanut was a trooper about it. I've got my fingers crossed that she doesn't get sick now, too. I've felt pretty puny all day. We were supposed to leave to go camping today, but we have decided to wait a day or two and make sure all of the sickness is gone from our house first. Since our trip is with two other families I'm sure they would appreciate our not bringing that bug with us on vacation.

We had a triumph this week in the midst of the madness. Peanut has become a pro bike rider. The training wheels are off and with just about 15 minutes of practice, that girl was off to the races! She was riding on pavement, grass, gravel, dirt - jumping curbs. Peanut is not a daredevil - in fact she is quite the opposite. Hubby and I actually had to make her a little mad by calling her chicken before she started to make an effort with the bike. When it comes to adventure, she won't be the first one to sign up. I'm sure that as she gets older, I will be thrilled with this aspect of her personality! :)

Hubby let me rest all afternoon and evening today. He took the kids to the park to play after school and then did dinner and bed with them so that I could feel less puny. I have watched a movie and plenty of SEC basketball. Good times. I'm hoping that we can take off on our trip in the morning. Keep your fingers crossed with me!!! Ciao!

Only one more week...

Spring Break is so close...only one more week. I actually had a student tell me this past Tuesday that we should not start a new unit in history because "it's almost Spring Break." Really? Apparently that student thought it would be great for us to stare at each other for two weeks. Right. Needless to say, the kids weren't happy when I launched into the 1950s. :)

Peanut and Buddy are doing well. Peanut got into trouble at school this past week - first time ever. She talked while her teacher was talking. Big no-no. When we asked her what she thought her punishment should be, she decided no tv for the week and no going to soccer with Hubby. She was pretty hard on herself. I'm so proud of her - she stuck to her punishment and never complained. She told me today in the car that she took her punishment seriously. That made me smile. :)

Buddy and I went to a soccer game tonight. He jumped on the track mats by the field and was in heaven for two hours. It was so cold, though!!! He looked a bit like the marshmallow man!

Well, that's all for now. Ciao!

Busy, Busy, Busy

We have been so busy the last week or so. This is the time of the school year where all of my commitments start catching up with me...Sadie Hawkins, Prom, Relay for Life...apparently I am cursed with the inability to say no. I come by it honestly - my father has the same curse. :) I guess it's a good thing that I love my job!!

This is also the time of year that heat's up for Hubby as well. His soccer season has resumed and Peanut's will in the next week or two. The good thing about all of this busy time is that it makes the end of the school year fly by for me. We are in the last week of our 3rd grading period which means only one to go!!!!

I'm also happy to report that Buddy seems to be making some progress with his whininess. I hope I am not speaking too soon...I really do not want to repeat the last couple of weeks.

The braces are on and they are a pain. I have not eaten anything solid in a week. The good side is that I've lost 4 pounds. The bad side is that I am really hungry. I really thought I would be in better shape after a week, but sadly, I was mistaken. It's really not even that my teeth are too sore, but more that my teeth don't touch anywhere except right in the front. I guess I could nibble on things like a rabbit, but the mental image of that is so ridiculous. Oh well. One week down - seventeen months and three weeks to go. :)

That's all I've got to report for now. Ciao!

Frustrated

It has been a frustrating couple of days in the BamaBacks household. For starters, I got my braces on Monday. I was not prepared for the amount of soreness that I am experiencing. Tonight, I had mashed potatoes for dinner, and that is the most substantial thing I have eaten since Sunday. Needless to say I have been STARVING!!! I am looking at this adventure in a positive light, though. At the end of this 18 month journey, not only will I have a killer smile, no jaw pain, and fewer headaches, but I will be thin, too!!!! I have lost 3 pounds since Monday. I guess a liquid diet isn't all bad, huh?

The other point of frustration has been my little Buddy. He is 3 and 1/2, and he has a meltdown over just about everything. And I mean even little things...his hat fell off, he dropped his truck, he wants apple juice...anything. I am about at saturation level. I'm not really sure how much more of his behavior I can possibly take. I know that he will grow out of this phase and this too shall pass, but WHEN??? As I mentioned before, patience is not a virtue I possess. The only thing that keeps me going is that in his few moments of calm, I look at him and see his beautiful eyes and precious dimples. If in one of those moments of calm he and Peanut play nicely together, I remember why I wanted a second child. But the minute the tantrum starts, I forget...Maybe I should just look at his picture while he is sleeping to build up the good feeling!

On a good note, there are only 12 more school days until Spring Break. We are going camping with two of our favorite families. We all went on vacation together last year and had a blast, so I am really looking forward to this trip. We even bought two new tents!! The kids are so excited!! Maybe this trip will cure Buddy's ills - or maybe the other families will want to kill us! I will keep you posted. Ciao!

Snowing Again????

I am in disbelief. It is snowing for the third time in four days here in the Deep South. This time, however, the weatherman forgot to mention that we might get a half-inch of snow. That makes for some dicey driving situations down here. Hubby is currently out coaching soccer in this. That sounds absolutely horrible to me, but he enjoys it. I sure hope he is careful coming home!!

Buddy is back in Peanut's room watching Cars. He has become quite obsessed with this movie. In fact, he can quote nearly half of it! I am amazed that he will sit as long as he does to watch because he won't sit still for any other reason. At the same time, Peanut is in my bedroom watching Disney channel. I'm not sure I was prepared for everyone to be in separate rooms watching separate things at this juncture. I guess they are just growing up faster than I want them to.

Today was a pretty run of the mill day - not much to report. So, I hope you can have a lazy evening just like me! Ciao!

Slumber Party

Well, Peanut had her birthday party last night, one day late due to the aforementioned Snowmageddon 2010. We started at Grandma's house where she and her friends participated in a kids' cooking class. I was amazed at the amount of noise that 4 seven-year-olds can make. Hubby is very patient, which is a good thing because I have very little. In fact, sometimes I think I have none. :) From there we went to Sumo, a japanese restaurant that cooks in front of you. The kids were SO happy to see the fire, the onion volcano, to catch the shrimp, etc. I did feel a bit bad for the two couples that were seated at the table with us, but, how much romantic privacy could you want if you go to a restaurant like that? Anyhow, the kids ate well and were relatively well-behaved in public. I was really amazed at the stark differences between girls and boys at this age. The boys were into everything gross - poop, vomit, boogers, etc. - and their number one goal was to gross out everyone at the table. Boys are also so rough. They are always touching each other, pushing each other, hitting each other. I guess I got a great glimpse of what parenting Buddy will be like in a few years. Following dinner, we all returned to our house for cake, presents, and play time on the Wii. When the boys left the girls settled into Peanut's room for a movie and lots of late-night giggling.

I had a realization in the middle of all of this - I really don't like small children. That may be horrible to say as the mother of two young ones, but it's true. Of course, I love my own dearly and that love blinds me from seeing their faults. I know they are there, but I am willing to look beyond for my babies. For other people's babies, though, I'm not very patient. I teach high school for a reason - I like teenagers. They are more logical, reasonable, quiet...than a seven year old. By 9:00 last night I had already been through two glasses of wine. If Hubby hadn't been the referee most of the night, that might have been two bottles!

Oh well, I survived the slumber party. Hopefully Peanut won't want to have another one for at least a year. I am ok with the fact that I'm not that mom, the one who patiently sits and does arts and crafts, the one that plans out everyday of every school vacation day, the one that wants all the kids at my house all the time. I'll take my kids and all their friends when they are teenagers. That will give those moms who can't stand teenagers a break. :)

Snow Days

Today has been a winter wonderland here in the Ham. School was dismissed at 11:30 due to Snowmageddon 2010. For those of you not from the South, Snowmageddon counts as anything more than 1 inch accumulation. I literally laughed out loud when our school closing was announced because it wasn't even snowing at the moment. But, within the hour, about an inch had come down. I just checked our radar and there is still snow all the way back to the Mississippi state line. The kids have been outside playing since the minute we got home. We made a Bama snowman (about 1.5 feet tall) and snow angels. I put Buddy down for his nap and now I'm relaxing in my chair, heating pad on, staring out the window at all the beautiful snow. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Ciao!!!

Another Year Older

Birthdays are a fun time. Everyone pampers you for the day - you get cards, presents, people sing to you. Today is Peanut's birthday. She was born 7 years ago today. A child's birthday is an interesting day for a parent. There is so much reflection and remembering - first the day of the birth, then the memories that flood back of all the years prior. Where has all the time gone? I mentioned in a previous post that my Mom told me that time moves faster the older you get. My children's birthdays are serious reminders of that fact. My Peanut is full of sass!! She is lively and spunky and funny and smart. I really and truly cannot believe that she is 7. I really and truly cannot believe I am the mother of a 7 year old. I guess I can find some good in yesterday's news - maybe the braces will make me look younger. :)

Mouth Pain, Dentists, and Braces...Oh my!!!!!

Have I ever mentioned that I really dislike going to the dentist? I don't dislike my dentist - in fact, I LOVE him!!! I have known him since I was a freshmen in high school. I helped babysit his two younger children and I even got to teach one of those children in high school (WOW! That makes me feel old). I just really dislike people scraping and drilling in my mouth. I dislike the sounds and smells of the office, too. Well, yesterday, I began to have throbbing pain in one of my teeth. I was absolutely convinced I would need a root canal. I took a trip to my dentist to find out that the pain was coming from my sinuses and that my teeth were fine...except for one, small problem. I have a large overbite and I grind my teeth every night. I guess that is two small problems. :) Those two small problems have combined into one large problem - I need braces and I need them badly.

I have paused here to give you a minute to laugh hysterically. I know, I know - a 30 year old in braces. I asked about the Invisalign, but apparently those are for straightening. So I will be metal mouth soon. The worst part about it is that I work in a high school. So there I will be, walking the halls of my alma mater in braces as an adult. I still have not really accepted this fact. I have to go next week for my initial consultation and fitting. This is not really money that I want to spend - in fact, I don't really even have this money to spend. I guess my dentist is right, though. If I don't do this now I will be spending a whole lot more of my time and money at the dentist later. And, did I mention that I really dislike the dentist??? Ciao!

A Day of Rest...Finally

I'm so happy to report that I have done nearly nothing tonight. I have done two loads of laundry, but that felt like a vacation next to yesterday's sanding. Hubby brought me sushi for dinner - so thoughtful. The kiddos made pizzas for their dinner, and everyone sat together and relaxed for a while. Hubby is out for a run now. He encouraged me to exercise tonight, too. I have been on a "diet" since the beginning of December. I quit drinking soft drinks, have been more conscious of calories, and I exercise on my wonderful elliptical downstairs. I am down 8 pounds so far, and Hubby's encouragement has been helpful. I assured him, however, that I had plenty of exercise the past few days wrestling with these walls. Tonight was a night for rest. I am looking forward to his return because I really want to watch our Wednesday shows. Modern Family and Cougar Town make me laugh out loud!!!

Due to my laziness today, I don't have much new to write about. I hope you get to have a lazy evening, too. Ciao!

Drywall Dust Everywhere

I was really excited about this DIY home project. Really excited. I think it is safe to say that the excitement has past. There is now a loathing for home renovation. I'm so close to the finish line - I can see it...really... - but I just don't know if I have the stamina to get this done. Oh, how I wish I could go to the money tree in the backyard, grab some dough, and hire someone to finish this project for me. But, alas, I cannot find the money tree. Oh well.

Hubby started back to soccer tonight. This is the time of year that I refer to myself as a soccer widow. I am basically spouse-less until May. Let me spill a little secret...there are nights that I enjoy the time by myself. After I put the kids to bed the house is so quiet, and I can be on my computer and watch HGTV with no eye-rolling from across the room. That said, I miss Hubby during that time, too. I also really enjoy nights where we are both home, both relaxing in our semi-finished great room. Just having him in the room with me relaxes me. I guess I could say I have the best of both worlds, so I will not complain. :)

Peanut is tearing up 1st grade. She makes a 100 on her spelling test nearly ever week, and she often gets all of the challenge words for bonus as well. These are words such as devious, consequences, unreasonable, amiable, and so on. I have juniors in high school that can't spell those words, and my Peanut can. She has quite the natural ability with school work. She has brought home 100s on her past three math tests as well. I am so thankful for her academic abilities, and I am also thankful that she really enjoys school. I hope that continues as she gets older. Somewhere between elementary and high school, most children lose their luster for school - I pray she keeps her enthusiasm.

Buddy is cute as ever. He went to the high school basketball game with me last night and he spent the evening charming the ladies instead of watching the game. I think we are going to have our hands full with him!! He might have hugged everyone in the gym if I had let him roam!

Well, enough of my random thoughts for tonight. Sleep well. Ciao!

Little Adventures

Today, the Bama Backs were a bit adventurous. While I worked on sheet-rocking and mudding our new great room, Hubby and the kids went climbing. We live right down the street from a wonderful nature preserve. Hubby and Peanut have been hiking there regularly this winter - Peanut loves the waterfalls. Today, Buddy got his chance to go, too. Apparently he is a natural climber. Neither Peanut nor Buddy showed much hesitation in taking off up the face of a boulder. Wish I could have been there to see it myself, but Hubby took lots of pictures. I was home trying to make some progress on our great room. I just didn't want to get lazy about it. Once we broke down the walls and had new flooring put down, it was easy to say that the room was "finished enough." I forced myself to get work done today. We are hosting a party for the Super Bowl next week, and I really want at least a coat of primer on the walls and all of the moulding and trim put on. That might be a lofty goal for a work week, but it's a goal nonetheless.

The kids are all settled in their beds, sleeping away. Hubby and I are watching football and eating peanut butter ice cream pie - a well-earned treat from our adventurous day. I will post some pictures of our great room, but only after I finish. That will be soon. I promise. Hopefully. We'll see. :) Ciao!

Lazy Weekends

I love weekends. I especially love weekends when I don't have much to do. Winter weekends are really nice because Hubby has a break between soccer seasons, so we get to have lazy Saturdays. This winter Peanut has been playing indoor soccer, so we have had some responsibility. Her games have been so exciting. Who knew U-8 soccer games could be so fun? Hubby has been coaching her - he's such a devoted Dad. He's patient and that's something I'm not. Maybe that's why we're a good pair. :) Right now Peanut is playing with one of her good friends from her team. I think they have played together after every game this season. Hubby and Buddy are taking a nap together and I'm wrapped in my Sunggie watching Alabama basketball. Days like these are why I love weekends.

Soon enough we won't have these lazy days. Hubby's soccer season will be in full swing, as will Peanut's. And soon enough, Buddy will have activities of his own and the Mommy taxi will be on the road full time. But now I can enjoy snuggling with Buddy after he wakes up from his nap (he is grumpy as ever at that time - he has to snuggle for a while to wake up) and listening to the laughter of Peanut as she plays so carefree. Lazy weekends make me want to freeze time. Looking at my children and watching them grow up so fast makes me want to freeze time. My Mom tells me that time will only pass faster as I get older. Writing this blog helps me freeze time - posting pictures of Peanut and Buddy lets me look at them just as they were in that very minute the picture was taken - frozen forever in time.

Well, I've been awfully sentimental today. I'm gonna go now and enjoy some more of my lazy Saturday. I hope you enjoy yours as well. Ciao!

The Family

Well, here we are. The Bama Backs - Me, Hubby, Peanut (daughter), and Buddy (son). This picture was taken in North Carolina last spring on one of our many family adventures. On this day in particular, we drove around for about 8 hours in search of "cool" waterfalls. We like to be outside, and oddly enough (considering our Southern locale) we love cold weather. That said, we have really been enjoying this unusually cold winter.

This month has been a particularly busy one for us. We are in the midst of a pretty big DIY home renovation. We have taken down two walls to create a large family room, and we have put hardwood floors down in place of the old, nasty carpet. With two young ones running around the house, the carpet was impossibly dirty. In fact, it sort of looked like a world war was fought on the den carpet. Yuck. The hardwoods are beautiful, and most importantly, CLEAN!!! We still have mudding, sanding, and painting to go, but the drywall is in place so the room is starting to feel done. January is also our anniversary month, Hubby's birthday month, termite bond renewal month (yes, I did just put those things together), and car tag renewal month. Needless to say, we may be eating ramen noodles for this last week!!!

That's all for now. It's Thursday, which means Peanut has a spelling test tomorrow. Time to study. Ciao!

My First Blog

This is my first attempt at blogging. I've been reading the blogs of many of my friends and families, and I thought - what the heck? - and decided to give this a go. We are a regular, run-of-the-mill, middle-class American family. I'm a teacher and my husband works with computers. We have two children that absolutely crack us up!!!! Maybe they will you, as well. I will share some of our stories - our everyday life. Hopefully, you will find us entertaining. :)