One great weekend

So this post is really an update on my list of goals. . .

• So far I have worked out at Curves 3 times a week and ran three other days each week.
• I have applied to three school districts and have two screening interviews set up (one in about a 1/2 an hour)
• I have caught up with my family album as far as my printed pictures allow. That means I have through June done.

This last one is all due to my great weekend spent at a scrapbooking retreat with several ladies from work. I completed 60 pages! That is the most I have ever done at one time. Now, when I host my own retreat at the end of February I won't feel so guilty only getting 2 or so pages done.

As for my other goals, I am sad to say my bible reading has taken a back seat to getting my resume and cover letter up to date. Now that I have accomplished that I will get caught up on the Beth Moore study I am leading at church.

Potty Training Progress?

I want to start this post by stating that we are really just at the beginning stages with Isaac and the potty. The stage where you talk about going pee pee in the potty, let him sit there for a few seconds if he asks (most times with his diaper on), and then let him flush. Erin has had a bit of success with getting him to actually go maybe a handful of time (typically right before a bath). Last night Isaac and Kalista were getting ready to get in the tub. So as usual, Isaac gets naked and then declares it's his turn to potty (just so he can flush, he LOVES flushing). So he sits down and immediately says he's done. I tell him to sit there and push the pee pees out. Suddenly a nice yellow stream shoots over the toliet lip to the floor. I yell, and push the offending appendage down. He stops peeing, but I tell him again to push and more comes out, this time in the potty. YEAH!

Unfortunately my story doesn't end there. . . Isaac is climbing off the toliet, I am cleaning up his accident, and Kalista (who had gone potty first) decided that she really needed to go poop too. So up she climbs and Isaac climbs into the tub. Now we hadn't turned the water on yet, so I leave to finish my dinner, Erin is collecting towels, jammies, lotion, etc., Kalista is sitting on the potty and, Isaac is standing in the empty tub. Suddenly Kalista is calling for us "Mommy, Isaac just pooped in the bathtub!" WHAT! Erin goes running and sure enough he had. Luckily it was just one spot, not on any toys, and fairly easy to clean up. I am so thankful we hadn't started the water yet! We had great discussion about where we go poop and later as he was playing in the water he told me "Mom, no pooping in the bafftub."

2008 Goals

I don't make resolutions. I, like everyone else, would end up breaking them within a month and just get frustrated. Instead I try to make some attainable goals that I would like to accomplish. Here they are in no particular order:

• finish updating my REAP application and resume and then send them out to school districts
• find a librarian job for next school year
• work out at Curves 3-4 times a week
• run 3-4 times a week
• drop one more clothing size
• RUN (not walk) the annual 5K Zoo run in June
• complete (I guess I should start first) my family scrapbook album for 2007
• finish updating our family address book (somehow this project has been going on for 3 years)
• study the bible at least 3 days outside of a church setting

I guess that's enough. I hope that by posting this, I will be more accountable and will reach many, if not all of my goals!

Belated Chistmas and Happy New Year!

Yes, I know I've been on break from school, but that doesn't mean we haven't been very busy! So here's a quick update since Christmas. . .




On the 23rd Kalista got to perform her His Singers songs after church. The original date was cancelled due to the snow storm and cold weather. She did great and loved that her whole family and all her cousins got to see her. Check out the props they used for one song entitled "Blitzen Boogie"

Isaac moved one step further from babyhood by having his cradle converted into a toddler bed. He stays in it pretty well and has only fallen out twice. . . So far so good. Now if we could just get rid of his binki (We tried a few days ago, more on that in another post). . .













Christmas Eve and Day were filled with lots of family, fun, and food. Both kids were really great, even with the long hours and no naps. Santa brought them a "castle bounce house with balls and sticks" (this is their standard response to this question). But I think these other pictures show their true favorites -- a LMax leapster for Kalista and a Pirate ship tent for Isaac complete with dress up clothes.












I hope everyone is having/had great Holiday Season. Happy New Year!

Christmas Friend Survey

Several friend emailed this to me, so I decided to follow another blogger's lead and just post my responses. If anyone else wants to participte, jump on in!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? A little of both. The kids have to wrapped, since that only kind of stops them from opening them early.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial, always. Too messy otherwise. Plus don't you have to remember to water them. Yeah, like I would really remember to do that!

3. When do you put up the tree? Sometime during Thanksgiving weekend, definitely by the next weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after New Year's

5. Do you like eggnog? nope

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A cabbage patch kid, or maybe my Barbie swimming pool

7. Do you have a nativity scene? I got my first one this year. It's a Little People's one. It's really cute, but the one I really want is the Willow Tree one.

8. Hardest person to buy for? my sister Angie

9. Easiest person to buy for? everyone else

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can remember taking back some clothes my dad picked out for me. Oh wait, I just remember the year my grandma gave me a college care package full of deodorant, shampoo, lotion, etc. None of the right brands of course. She also included a roll of quarters which was very helpful for laundry, so I guess it wasn't all that horrible.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail 1

2. Favorite Christmas Movie? I really like all of them, but some new favorites are Elf, and The Polar Express.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Many times. In fact, I have a box in my basement of things that I can "regift".

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Magic Squares (Hey, mom! Where are they? Weren't you suppose to make those and give them out to us?)

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? My upstairs tree is just white lights, by downstairs tree is multi-colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Come, O Come Emmanuel

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We usually drive to FL at some point, but Erin's mom is coming up here this year.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? absolutely

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star on the downstairs tree, big red bow on the upstairs.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Lingua family on Christmas Eve, Roades family on Christmas Day

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Being so busy every night of the week, I lose track of what the whole season is suppose to be about.

23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme? Our downstairs tree is full of all the ornaments we have collected over the years. My mom still gives each of us a new one every year, so it's really full! The upstairs tree has little red bows and snowflakes that Erin's grandma crocheted.

Learning Place Christmas Programs

This past Monday and Tuesday were program nights at preschool for the kids. They were really long, tiring days, but for the most part went well. Kalista did great singing all her songs and doing the motions.

Isaac, on the other hand was crazy. He started out okay, shaking his Jingle Bell, doing some of the motions (leaving his place on stage to find his sister and give her a hug. . .) This was him singing O'Christmas Tree on Tuesday night.

Their last song was called Christmas Lullabye. I guess he took them seriously Monday night.

By the end Tuesday night, he was done. He didn't want to get back up on stage to sing their last song, so this is what happened. . .

Such is program life with a two year old. . . Stay tuned for pictures from Kalista's last performance of the season. Sunday night (if it's not snowed out) will be our annual Cookie Social at church. Kalista will be singing along with the rest of "His Singers", a group of 8 girls 4 to 10 years old.

Learning Place Christmas Programs

This past Monday and Tuesday were program nights at preschool for the kids. They were really long, tiring days, but for the most part went well. Kalista did great singing all her songs and doing the motions. Isaac, on the other hand was crazy. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. . .