This Is My World

UPDATE - Decided to tag Jim, too.

Kate tagged me for a different kind of meme. I'm supposed to write my rules. This was harder than you might think. I don't want to take the easy way out, but I really don't have too many rules. I'll start with the ones I have in my classroom and see what happens from there.

1. Respect - Doesn't that sound easy enough? That's my classroom rule, and a good one for life, too. In class, I tell them to respect themselves - don't act like a fool, respect each other - which includes not disrupting their learning environment, respect the equipment - I do teach computers after all, and to respect me. In turn, I will treat them with respect. This is a harder rule for them to follow than you might think.

2. Responsibility - Take responsibility for what you choose to do and for what you choose not to do.

3. The Golden Rule - I am not a religious person, but I do believe in this. Treat others as you wish to be treated.

That's it for my classroom. Now on to the rest of my life.

4. No Regrets - I've lived an interesting life. I've had some amazing experiences. And I've had some terrifying experiences. I can look back at my life and marvel at the fact that I did some really stupid things and lived to tell (or not) about them. I can point out so many places where I took the wrong path, but I can't regret any of it. All those experiences have brought me here and made me who I am today. It may not have been the easy path, but it's been the one for me.

5. Sometimes You Just Have To Leap - There have been a few times in my life where I just took a leap of faith. I made a decision that people around me questioned. Sometimes you just have to listen to your gut, to that little voice, and go for it.

6. Time Passes Anyway - So many times people say they can't go back to school or start a new career or whatever because it's going to take too long. Well, that time passes anyway. You can moan and complain and end up with nothing. Or you can work towards your goal and achieve it.

7. Like Attracts Like - I've seen this for myself. When I'm feeling negative and blue, everything around me is awful. I only see the ugly, and I attract ugly. Ugly emotions, ugly events, you get the idea. When I try to find the good, the positive, things get better. I feel better. I feel happier.

8. Never Give Up, Never Surrender - Don't give up on your dreams, no matter how unrealistic they may seem. I was 36 when I met Jim, 37 when we started dating, 38 when we got married, and 45 when we met Sera. The one thing I wanted most when I was young was to have a family. I wanted a loving husband and an adorable child. It took a whole lot longer than I ever thought it would, but I never gave up my dream.

9. Life Is Better After High School - Since I work in a high school, I say this a lot. I say this to the kids who are miserable. I let them know that life gets much better, and that in the long run, what happened in high school won't matter. They'll look at me with these sad eyes and question the truth of that statement. I swear to them it's true. High school is filled with angst and drama and out of control feelings and situations. It gets better for most. Ironically, it's often the peek for those who are successful in high school. Without the lessons from the struggle, they falter at the first road blocks life gives them.

10. Find The Funny - If your only choice is to laugh or cry, then laugh. It will get better; it always gets better. The reverse side of this rule is Nothing Beats A Good Cry. Because sometimes you just need to cry it out. You can't always hold it in.

Okay, I guess I had more rules than I thought. Now it's my turn to tag. Let's see.....how about OW, Barb, and Susan.

Mark Your Calendars!

Overwhelmed With Joy is hosting her second annual holiday cooking extravaganza. It was very fun participating last year. There were over 200 recipes posted. This will take place next Friday, October 5th.

See you there!

Favorite Ingredients Friday

Jim is a real meat and potatoes kinda guy. I've tried various roast recipes over the years. While he's praised all of them, this is the one he always asks for...and it's the easiest. What's especially nice is that it takes a cut of meat that's generally cheaper (and tougher) and makes a great meal out of it. It makes a good roast beef dinner, but it's even better sliced thinly and made into sandwiches. It's much better than the sliced roast beef at the deli counter, and it's much cheaper.

Eye of Round Roast

1. 1 eye of round roast
2. garlic salt
3. lemon pepper
4. paprika

Preheat oven to 500. Trim roast of excess fat. Liberally sprinkle the seasonings and rub into roast. You will need to know the weight of your roast. If you don't have a scale, use the weight that was listed on the wrapper. Place roast in oven. For medium-rare on the rare side, cook 5 minutes per pound. If you like it more pink than red, cook for 7 minutes per pound. You can adjust for yourself with experience.

When the cooking time is up, turn off the oven. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. Let the roast sit for one hour.

When you first see it, it looks like a dried lump of meat on a dry pan. Then you slice into it and see how juicy it is. The high heat sears the outside and holds all the juices inside the roast.

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Mozzarella & Tomato Sandwich
Marcia's Taco Soup
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Cajun Baked Catfish
Jim's Snickers Pancake
Crawfish Monica
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ

Pass The Story

UPDATE: She's been found, and she's safe. I can't bring myself to say she's well. I just hope she gets all the love and therapy she will need.

This story is beyond heartbreaking. Police in Nevada recently received a sex tape of an unidentified 4-5 year old girl and a male. More information is available here and here. Police are looking for any help in identifying either. Please help get the word out.

That's My Spicy Girl

I was reading this post on BooMama's site today. The comments were interesting to read. I have no problem with this idea. In fact, I've used it with nieces and nephews. They didn't have to eat everything on their plate, but they had to taste it before rejecting it. I don't want to end up making multiple dinners in the future. What I wonder is when do you start?

My initial reaction is to say when they can verbalize what they want/don't want, then it's time to start. I wonder if that's too late though? I'll admit to having made multiple meals for Sera. Sometimes I'll plan it in that I'll make something new, but have a tried and true for back up. Sometimes she gets fussy and won't eat something she usually loves. Generally, she's a really good eater, but sometimes she isn't. If it's just an isolated meal, I let it go. I know that's typical toddler behavior. When she does the toddler sweep of her tray, I usually take everything away. She's pretty good about saying "all done" when she's finished. She doesn't always mean it though. Sometimes the plate overwhelms her. If I remove the plate and put a few bites at a time on her tray, she'll eat them. A few times, very few so far, she'll say she's done and do the toddler sweep, I'll clean her up and take her out of the chair. Then within 15 minutes, she starts making the eat sign or asking for cheese.

When do I get tough? It seems too early to me. I don't want her to have food issues. If she's hungry, I want to feed her. I don't want her to think that she can walk away from dinner and get a treat instead. This is so complicated.

In a food segue, here's my spicy girl enjoying an afternoon snack with Daddy. It's oven-baked chips and spicy salsa. It's very spicy. She loved it!

All done, Daddy. I'll put the lid on.

Today's mail had a lovely surprise from i-Con. Now how did she know it's time for me to schedule an appointment?

And, finally, this portable hard drive is just the ticket to back up all your precious photos. I know I want one. Visit 5 Minutes For Mom to enter the contest.

On The Road To Recovery

My daughter is a nasal genius. Tonight, while Jim was going through the bedtime routine, Sera let him know that she wanted a wipe. Isn't it amazing how clearly children can communicate non-verbally? Anyway, he handed her a wipe. She covered her nose and blew. She needed a little help with the clean up. But still....she blew her own nose now. Maybe this is normal, but I was amazed when Jim told me the story.

She added a new word over the weekend, cheese. She's over American cheese for the moment. When she says cheese, she wants string cheese. She got quite the kick from saying the word, too. On Sunday afternoon about five minuts after finishing her cheese, she came to me said cheese and signed more. I asked her if she wanted more cheese. She started cackling and ran to the baby gate blocking the kitchen. I swear she was bouncing as she waited for me to catch up.

Steven Spielberg need not worry about competition, but here's a quick clip of me picking up Sera from daycare today. I want to have a record of her being so happy to see me. That way when she's 13 and I'm the stupidest person on the planet, I'll have this to remember.

And How Was Your Weekend?

Ours was spent at home, thank you very much.

As I mentioned on Friday, Sera started running a fever on Thursday night. She didn't have a fever Friday, but she wasn't herself. She was also congested. On Friday night, Jim came upstairs complaining about his elbows and knees hurting. He thought maybe there was a weather change coming and he was starting to feel it in his joints. He went back downstairs to let the dog out. When he came back up, he mentioned that he was shivering. It was not cold. The weather wasn't changing. We took his temp. FEVER!

He was down for the count all day Saturday. Sera was still congested and whiny all day. That night before I put her to bed, I took her temp again. She felt a little warm to me. It was 99.7. More Tylenol and a cotton sleeper before putting her to bed. She woke at 2:30 AM and was just inconsolable. We sat together in the rocker in her room until 5:00 AM.

On Sunday, Jim was fine, Sera was about the same, but no fever, and I was wiped out.

Everyone woke up this morning feeling better. Here's to a good week!

Sick Day

I took a sick day today and stayed home with Sera. The fever went away, but she had a runny nose all day long. She also took two really long naps. She'd play, but if she got frustrated or fell, she'd collapse in tears until we cuddled for a bit. Poor baby.

Guess what she can do? She can blow her nose. I had been wiping her nose all day long. So much that when I'd get the tissue, she'd just come over and tilt her face up for me. The first time I wiped it after Jim came home, she blew her nose. I honestly think it was just an accident. We both started cheering, so she did it again next time. I'd been wondering how I was going to teach her how to do that.

She also used two new words today. After signing she was hungry, we went to the refrigerator. She picked out string cheese to eat. I have to tear it off into strings for her. Each time I do, I ask her if she wants more cheese. Today, she was watching my mouth carefully and then started saying cheese.

I've mentioned our dog, Shadow, before. He's a 90 lb yellow lab/german shepard mix. He has the uncanny ability to always be inbetween Sera and me. I call it mom-blocking. I say the phrase, "move Shadow," a gazillion times a day. Today, she started repeating move every time I said it. Okay, it sounded more like mooo, which is awfully similar to her more. It's all context, people.

Favorite Ingredients Friday - Sandwich Edition

We love sandwiches around here. Jim makes a fantastic one. It's called an Italian Dagwood. I'll see if I can get him to share with us. My favorite is one I haven't had in a while. It's only possible when tomatoes are fresh. Grocery store tomatoes don't work for this.

Tomato & Mozzarella Sandwich

1. French bread

2. fresh vine-ripe tomatoes

3. fresh mozzarella

4. balsamic vinegar

5. olive oil

6. dijon mustard (optional)

7. fresh basil

The best French bread is in New Orleans. It's crispy on outside and soft on the inside. Since I'm no longer in New Orleans, I use standard grocery store French bread. Slice your tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. it must be fresh mozzarella. You know the kind. It's sold in a ball sitting in liquid. The liquid is really just water and whatever oozes from the cheese. It's yummy.

Layer the tomatoes and cheese on the bread. Now, this is where it can vary. It's usually based on my mood or supplies. You can sprinkle the tomato and cheese with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, or you can mix the vinegar and oil with a little dijon to make a dressing. The mustard acts as an emulsifier. If you have fresh basil handy, it's really good on this as well.

This is basically a Caprese salad on French bread. It's awesome.

My second favorite sandwich is even easier. It's four ingredients. I'm sure you can figure out how to assemble.

1. fresh vine-ripe tomatoes

2. white bread

3. Hellman's mayonaisse

4. salt

5. Assemble, eat, and repeat!

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Marcia's Taco Soup
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Cajun Baked Catfish
Jim's Snickers Pancake
Crawfish Monica
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ

It Was Only a Matter of Time

Sera is sick. Not seriously sick, but she's been so healthy that we're spoiled. She's had one mild cold and one morning with a slight fever and some messy stinky diapers before today. She felt really warm to me when we came home so I took her temperature. It was 101. I gave her some Tylenol and let her play a little bit before putting her to bed. She was trying hard to play. She'd play a few minutes and then lie on the floor. Then she'd pop back up and play some more. Any little thing would start off a whining cry. A quick snuggle and she'd be fine again. I've prepared lesson plans and called my department chair just in case.

I've read so many good things about Dyson vacuums that I'd love to try one. This is my shot at getting one, or maybe it's yours? The best part is that it helps a great cause as well.

Time Flies

Wow, what a busy week.

At school, we're having the "big test." You know the one. The state standardized test that now controls every aspect of our career? It makes for some crazy days and some crazier students. I can't blame them because sitting for hours taking standardized tests is enough to drive anyone crazy. That doesn't make handling my squirrely freshmen in the last class of the day any easier though. Today is our last testing day. I will be so happy to get back into our normal routine.

On Tuesday night, we had a meeting with our new social worker. What a difference! We basically fired our old social worker. She was just terrible. We only had her do our homestudy update because anyone else would have had to start from scratch. There was no way I was going to have her do our post-placement reports. We'd like to submit those on time. Not next year on bad social worker time.

Our new social worker seems very thorough and very nice. She asked all the right questions. Her reputation is very good, so I am hopeful that we'll get our report in time. She knew our deadline and set the appointment time. It's a little close as we need to have our report to our agency by next Friday. She assured us it would not be a problem.

Can you believe it's already time for our six month post-placement report? Me neither. It seems like yesterday, but it also seems a lifetime ago.

Last night, we had our monthly mom's night out. I had to miss last month's, so I was really looking forward to it. It's especially important to me since I'm no longer going to playgroup. I was seeing some of these ladies weekly. It was so nice to get out have a margarita, some enchiladas, and just catch up. One of the mom's is waiting for TA, so we were all giving our advice on travel.

Sera is really enjoying her new doll. She likes to feed her and put her to bed. I'll get some pictures this week and post them. It's just too cute!

Ouchies

We, finally (I know, we're bad), weaned Sera off her last bottle. I would give her a bottle of formula every morning to drink in the car on our way to school. The last can I bought was really big and I had to use it up, y'know? I knew I couldn't justify buying another, but she really enjoys her morning treat. She's pretty good about drinking her milk, but milk wasn't cutting it for the ride. I guess it wasn't special enough. I'm also not opposed to her getting some extra nutrients in the morning. She gets breakfast at the daycare, but it's two hours after she gets up. She needs something to tide her over. I usually bring a waffle or some dry cereal for her to snack on in my room until I take her downstairs. That still left the morning drink dilemma. I tried one of those vanilla Pedialyte-type drinks. She barely touched it. Then I read on the RQ forum that some people were using instant breakfast drinks to get some additional calories into their child. Sera is small. I figured a few extra calories won't hurt her, so I tried it. She loves it, especially the vanilla flavor.

That leads to this morning. I mixed up the strawberry flavor. It's her second favorite. We had an issue last week with one of her straw cups. We were out of town for the day. I had brought only one, and the straw was split. I made sure to test it this morning. No splits. The strawberry yumminess easily flowed through the straw. Too easily.

We get to school. I'm loading up the SSV (Sera Support Vehicle aka the stroller) while Jim gets Sera out of the car. He tells me she's soaked. I'm surprised for a moment. She went through a diaper already? So much it leaked? And then I checked the car seat and saw pink milk. The non-leak straw cup that's never leaked before leaked. She was soaked from waist to hem in milk. I got her inside and took off her pants. The onesie underneath had a nice pink stain across her hip. I wasn't too worried because I knew I had a spare outfit in the daycare.

My prep period is later in the day. I like to run downstairs and watch her. They're usually eating lunch around that time. When I peeked in, I saw she was in another outfit. She's never gone through three in one day before. I checked with the department chair who is also in charge of the daycare, but she didn't know either. I found out why when I picked her up after school. She took a header off a caterpillar rocker and hit the ground face first. She'd had a bloody nose and got a fat lip. Other than the puffy lip, she was fine and happy when I got her. I hate that I wasn't there when she got hurt, but I know she was taken care of and they'd have gotten me if it were really serious.

I didn't realize until Kiy posted that I'd gone a week without a new picture. This isn't new, but it's never been posted either. I'll try and do better.

As I mentioned the other day, my sister has received her letter of approval from China. She's started a blog, so now you can meet her and her gorgeous family. We're all very excited about Ava coming home.

And, finally, a big thank you to Susan at As We Wait For Lily Kate for this lovely award. Susan lives across the street from Marcia. When Sera and I visited last July, we had dinner with her and her husband. They're, obviously, waiting for their daughter. They're a super nice couple, and I can't wait to meet their daughter.


Now, it's my turn. I'm to nominate seven bloggers. It's hard to narrow you all down, but here we go:

Colleen
Sandra
Kiy
Lala
Tammie
i-Con
Erin

I think I picked seven who haven't been nominated yet. You ladies rock!

Look At How They Grow

Remember this post? It was four months ago today. Julia, the kitten's mom, posted an update on her today. Look how much she's grown! And Sera has just outgrown that romper. Amazing what four months will do.

Back to Normal

Jim and I have had a tradition/habit for several years now. To celebrate the end of another week, we go out to dinner. Well, before Sera came home, we went out to eat a lot. It was just so easy. And with only two of us, it was sometimes cheaper to just eat out instead of cooking. We still go out to eat, but not nearly as often with Sera.

Anyway, today was our first "real" payday. The summer gets long and that first check is always welcome. Jim was in the mood for some seafood. I adore seafood. It is, by far, my favorite food, and Sera loves fish. We first thought about B*nefish Grill, but we were underdressed and it didn't seem like a baby-friendly idea. Instead we ended up at that ubiquitous lobster restaurant.
I've spent most of my life living near the Gulf Coast. I was spoiled. Seafood was always fresh. We locals scorned that red restaurant. Who would come to the Gulf and eat at a restaurant that serves frozen mass-produced seafood? We took pride in the fact that we never ate there. It took years of living in the mid-west before I'd agree to go. I admit, it's not bad. If you order right. I'm extremely picky about seafood. I love fish, but haven't been too impressed with their offerings in this area. Oddly enough, I don't like their lobster. They're too small and too tough. Nothing is worse than overcooked seafood. Everytime I've had lobster there, it's been overcooked. They do a decent fried shrimp. Who can mess up a fried shrimp? I really like their clam chowder. But that's not a dish I ate a lot on the Gulf Coast. In fact, it was a trip to San Francisco that showed me the joy of a good bowl of clam chowder. Here's the dish that I found I will always like at RL.

They do a really nice steamed crab claw. I love crab. And now I know that Sera does, too. I could not get the meat out of those claws fast enough for her. Jim and I laughed when we saw it on the kid's menu. Considering how much she ate of mine? She's getting her own plate next time.

Favorite Ingredients Friday

I'm posting a recipe I first got from my sister, Marcia. This is in honor of her great news. Yesterday, she and her husband were told that their letter of approval (LOA) had arrived from China. Their daughter, and Sera's cousin, will be coming home soon. We're really hopeful they'll travel in November.

Marcia's Taco Soup

1. 1 lb ground beef
2. 1 large onion, chopped
3. 3 (16 oz) cans mexican-style chili beans, undrained
4. 1 (16 oz) can corn, undrained
5. 1 (16 oz) can chopped tomatoes, undrained
6. 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
7. 1 1/2 cups water
8. 1 (4 1/2 oz) can chopped green chiles
9. 1 (1 1/4 oz) package taco seasoning mix
10. 1 (1 oz) envelope Ranch-style salad dressing mix
Toppings: tortilla chips, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, chopped avocado

Cook ground beef and onions until meat is browned, stirring until it crumbles; drain. Place in crock pot, then stir in beans and next 7 ingred. Heat on low for 8-10 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Cajun Baked Catfish
Jim's Snickers Pancake
Crawfish Monica
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ

The Key To Your Child's Scholastic Success

This week I had parent conferences at school. I have a light load of students this trimester, only 78. I usually have closer to 100. I also had the highest number of parents show up for conferences this year, 29. That's huge! I've been lucky to break 10 some trimesters.

Of those 29 students, can you guess how many had As and Bs?

26

Three of the students had Fs. Those parents I really needed to see. The other 26 were nice to see.

Of my 78 students, can you guess how many parents besides those 3 I needed to see?

Only about another 10, but it would have been really nice to see them.

Do you really think it's a coincidence that the students with the highest grades are the ones whose parents come to conferences?

Time For a New Doll

I think we need to go shopping.

Last Friday, daycare brought out a basket of clothes and let the kids play dress up. They had so much fun that on Monday they brought it out again. This explains why Sera was so interested in helping Jim put on socks and me put on slippers over the weekend.

She's actually been showing interest for weeks on putting on her shoes and socks. She's put them on both her dolls and her own feet. By putting them, I mean literally laying them on top of their feet.

Yesterday, she put her sock on her foot. Her foot was actually inside the sock. Not all the way in, just the top part, but still....on her foot. She lifted her foot in the air to show me. She had such a proud grin on her face as I reacted.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to repeat it again last night. I know that day is coming soon though. I can't believe she's already showing signs of dressing herself.

I guess we need to buy one of those dolls that teaches you how to dress. Or maybe we should just buy clothes for the two she already has. Hmm......

Check out Jim's observations of some of her changes this week.

I Am Not A Freak - Update

Well, at least not on this issue.

Ever since we came home with Sera, I've had a recurring nightmare. I mentioned it to Jim once, but never really talked about it. I just thought I was a bit of a freak.

Sera sleeps in her crib every night. She naps in her crib every day, unless she's at daycare. She has never so much as fallen asleep in our bed. We didn't really want her to get in the habit of sleeping with us everynight, but I'll confess to wishing she'd take a little nap in our bed when she wakes up at 7am on a Saturday morning. No way. Mommy and Daddy's bed is for playtime and breakfast in bed.

So why do I dream that she's in our bed and about to crawl/roll off the bed? I wake up at least four nights a week from this dream. Each time, my heart is racing as I reach for her. As soon as I wake up, I remind myself she's in her crib, and go back to sleep.

It turns out this is common for new mothers. I was reading Chicago Moms Blog when I saw this post, which led me to this article.

See! I am NOT a freak. At least not on this issue....

Update: This is even more common than I realized. This morning I read this on MSNBC.com.

We'll Always Remember

Today, I thought I'd repost this post from last year.

She was an obedient Midwestern girl. Life couldn’t have been easy for her and her family as a child. Home was Depression-era Chicago to Dorothy deAraujo and her loving parents. Her father made his living selling clothes wringers while her mother spent her days working in the department store. They wanted more for their child. Though Dorothy spent her evenings taking classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, her parents could not see a future for her in art. Dorothy put aside her dream.

Nothing could be found to tell the story of her falling in love, marrying, and having a child, yet she did so. As an adult, Dorothy headed west where she went to work for California State University’s Long Beach campus. She worked there for 20 years, until her retirement. That was when Dorothy started to live her dream.

After retiring, Dorothy was allowed to take free classes. She took advantage of this opportunity to finally earn her coveted degree in Fine Arts, at the age of 69, to the delight of her son, Tim deAraujo, Jr. Soon she had become a full-fledged professional artist with a thriving new business.

Dorothy made her home in the Naples community of Long Beach, CA. There she became known as “our artist” because of her ability to capture the colorful community filled with canals, boats, shops, and homes. Dorothy was an intrepid traveler. She loved to visit other countries to expand her vision and explore their museums. She counted France, Australia, Brazil, Italy, and Hawaii among the lands she explored.

She may have been 82 years old, but she wasn’t slowing down yet. She kept painting supplies at her son’s home in Massachusetts in case the muse hit. It was at the end of one of her visits there that she boarded Flight 175. Dorothy deAraujo was a remarkable woman. She was an artist – a wife – a mother – a grandmother, and Dorothy was on her way home.

To learn more about Dorothy Alma deAraujo and other victims of September 11, 2001, please visit the 2996 Tribute, or visit these other sites where the information on Mrs. deAraujo and others can be found by clicking here, or here.

More Firsts

It's been awhile since I noted new things Sera is doing. She's added up, down, go, and more to her vocabulary. Of course, I don't think anyone but Jim or I could tell. She's working on shoe, too.

She's trying to dress herself and us. In particular, she's trying to put on her shoes and socks. Yesterday, she tried to help Jim put his socks on, and today she put my slippers on my feet. She's now wrapping her doll up in a blanket and carrying her around. I guess her baby is cold. She's named her second doll, Nana. Right now she has top billing, but Mei Mei is still the one to go to school with her. Unfortunately she'll be going pants-less tomorrow. Sera likes to take Mei Mei's pants off, and I couldn't find them tonight.

She's brushing her own hair, and mine. She walks all over the place now. We get to my school very early in the morning. My office is on the second floor and on the opposite end of the daycare. She walks all the way down the hall to my classroom, which is near the stairs to the daycare, where we drop off whatever I need to drop off. She then closes my door and walks to the stairs where she raises her arms for me to carry her. As soon as we hit the bottom stair, she's squirming to get down. She then walks the rest of the way to daycare. As soon as we're in the door, she wants me to pick her back up as she knows I'm about to leave. She doesn't cry when I leave anymore. She waves good-bye instead. On lucky days, she'll blow me a kiss, too. The greeting I get when I pick her up is priceless. So far I've failed to get it on film, but I'll keep trying.

She's still hot and heavy with the veggies. She likes tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, green beans, peas, carrots, and corn. She does not like yellow squash...yet.

I bring a sippy cup with strawberry milk to work with us. She drinks it in the car on the way home. On Friday, we were out of strawberry milk, so I just took regular. She was not happy that afternoon and made it quite clear that it's supposed to be strawberry. She drinks regular milk the rest of the time, but that servings must be strawberry. Daddy felt so bad because he had finished the strawberry milk the night before that he stopped on the way home and bought some. She was so happy she actually cackled as he poured out the regular milk and filled it with pink milk. By the way, strawberry milk is just awful.

More next time...

TGIF

I know it's Saturday, but these pictures of Sera were taken when we got home from school on Friday. She's cutting loose and winding down. What a fun girl!

I tinkered with my blog tonight. Mainly did some housekeeping with blogrolls and the sidebar. I added a widget. I'm worried it may slow my page loading too much. Let me know if it's an issue or if it's just my slow as molasses, need some more RAM computer.

Our Bodies

I was a teen of the 70's. Well, the late '70's/early 80's. Jeans were tight and low, though not as low as they've been recently. Tube tops were big and so were halter tops. I was also a teen in Florida, where going to the grocery store in your bathing suit was a fairly common experience.

My best friends were all tall and lean. I was not. I was 5'4" through most of high school before having a growth spurt in my late teens and hitting 5'6". I had boobs. I had hips, but no butt. I'm part of the flat butt family. I remember staring at my stomach in the mirror. I would suck it in, hold my breath, and think....if I could just stay like this, I'd be okay.

I did Atkins at 15. I literally ate nothing but hamburger patties and peanut butter for weeks. And I peed on sticks, lots of sticks. I had to make sure that I stayed in ketosis just like the book said. I worked out. I played tennis, and I swam. And I never became tall and lean. Imagine that?

My issues with weight have lasted a lifetime. I drank shakes with Oprah and lost a lot of weight. And I gained it back. I've done Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, and psychologists. I even have my very own endocrinologist who diagnosed me with a condition that is both aggravated by and causes obesity. He also put me on thyroid medication for an underactive thyroid.

Though there is a medical basis for my weight issues, it goes much deeper than that. It's a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and emotional issues that have destroyed my metabolism as well.

Issues that started by looking at magazines and television and movies and being told that if I didn't look like them, then something was wrong with me.

The issues didn't stop with me. I have three younger sisters. Sisters I've watched go through their own issues with food and image. You show me four sisters that do not have experience with bingeing, purging, anorexia, etc..., and I'll show you a fairy tale.

This has been on my mind this last week. A beautiful young girl I know was told by her coach that if she doesn't lose 20 pounds, she will not make the varsity team again next year. She's tall and strong and a powerful player. One of the best, in fact. She is not, however, super-model thin. She has strong support on her side. I am confident that this will resolve in her favor.

I do not understand why, as a society, we have not learned how damaging this can be to our young women. We are not all alike. We are tall, short, thin, curvy, fluffy, and fat. We are blondes, brunettes, redheads, and sometimes pink and blue. We are not cookie cutters. We cannot all look alike. We don't want to look alike. Celebrate our differences, our diversity.

The other thing that brought this to mind is something I've seen all over the 'net. Long time readers may remember that I Love America. Well, I'm not alone. America loves America, too. In fact, she's all over the place. One of the things that has been so wonderful about watching her career is seeing the public embrace this curvy young women.

That's why I was so distressed when I saw this:
That head does not fit on that body. Those arms? Way too thin. She's beautiful. She didn't need to be PhotoShopped. Look to see a side-by-side comparison that definitely tells the tale.

But then this is the industry that apparently finds tall, lean, blonde Faith Hill not fit for our eyes. Watch the wonders of her being PhotoShopped here.

Now don't get me wrong. I love PhotoShop. In fact, I teach it. It's a great program with some wonderful features. I found this copy of a clip that I show that class. Don't believe what you see. It's not real.



I may be sensitive to this issue because of my past, my career, and because I have a daughter. This is one battle I will fight as long as it takes. Love us as we are. We are beautiful...inside and out.

Favorite Ingredients Friday - Italian Edition

I don't know about you, but I love the Food Network. I have several shows I really enjoy watching. For years, I've watched the cooking shows with Giada, Ina, Paula, and Rachel. Not to leave the men out, I've also enjoyed Michael and Tyler. Lately, however, I've really enjoyed Dinner: Impossible, Ace of Cakes, Diners Drive-ins, & Dives, the Challenges, and Next Food Network Star. One show, however, that I've never really cared for is Semi-Homemade. It's a shame because that's how I cook. This week's recipe proves that.

This dish has a history. My sister, Jessica, has always been a veal/chicken parmesean fan. Good veal parm is hard to find, so she usually got chicken. Years ago, she showed me how she makes it at home. I soon made it the same way. It's so good and so easy. I adapted this recipe a few years ago when I was working as a manager at Borders. The management staff decided to treat the rest of the staff to a homecooked meal one day during the Christmas shopping season. That's when Jessica's Chicken Parmesean became a casserole. Measurements are sketchy because I've never measured it. I just make as much as I need.

Chicken Parmesean Casserole

1. 1 1/2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts or tenders
2. 1 egg
3. water
4. Italian bread crumbs
5. olive oil
6. 2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
7. 1 lb angel hair pasta
8. 2 c. shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut chicken into large bite-sized pieces. Mix egg with water to create a wash. Dip chicken in wash and then roll in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown chicken in olive oil. Remove chicken from pan when browned, and set aside.

Cook pasta in large pot filled with boiling water. Drain when it is slightly underdone. Toss pasta with enough pasta sauce to thoroughly coat.

Pour pasta into a 9"x13" pan. Top with chicken pieces. Cover completely with pasta sauce, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake approximately 30-45 minutes or until bubby and cheese is starting to brown.

This recipe is extremely flexible. You can add mushrooms, olives, onions, green peppers, etc... to the sauce. You can even make the sauce from scratch. It really isn't that hard. I've done all sorts of variations. This makes a huge amount and is a rib-sticker!

Go visit Overwhelmed with Joy for more fantastic recipes!

Past FIF recipes:
Cajun Baked Catfish
Jim's Snickers Pancake
Crawfish Monica
Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo
Crockpot Red Beans
Better Than Almost Anything Cake
Fruity Sangria
Outrageous Brownies
Enchiladas de Pollo
Lescó
Catalina Chicken
Croissant French Toast
Corned Beef
Sloppy Joe, Mac 'n Cheese Casserole
Shredded Chicken
Baked Bean & Burger Casserole
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Crab Rangoon
Sausage con Queso and Ro-tel Cheese Dip
Blueberry Multigrain Coffeecake
Banana Bread
Bananas Foster
Old-Time Beef Stew
White Chocolate Snack Mix
Gorilla Bread
Ginger Shrimp
Roast Chicken
Tex-Mex Chicken Taco Soup
Shrimp Mold
Pasta Puttanesca
Pork Milanese
Pumpkin Dip
Oven-fried Chicken
Best Bundt Cake Ever
Hot Dog Casserole
Chicken & Rice
Peanut Butter Fudge
Omelets in a Bag
Shrimp Boil
Apple Cheese
Pulled Pork BBQ

An Important Message

Sometimes you read something and know that message needs to be passed on. She certainly doesn't need my help getting readers though.

If your life is touched by adoption, then I recommend you read Harlow's Monkey.

Woo Hoo

My banner's back. I missed it. It's a long, boring story. Okay, not long, but definitely boring. Anyway, it's back.

Congratulations to my playgroup friend, Jodi. She's been coming to the weekly playgroup while she waits for her referral. Even though Sera and I can't make it anymore because of school, Jodi still goes. Her LID is 11/24/05. CCAA announced that they've sent referrals through 11/25. Jodi is in. Congrats to her and her family.

Who knew that everything closed on Labor Day? I'm used to living in resort areas that have booming business on Labor Day weekend. It's usually the last big weekend of the season. Today, we ran into town for a quick errand. We were going to get some lunch, too. We tried about five different restaurants, all closed, before we ended up back at our neighborhood Chinese restaurant. They never let us down.

I posted twice yesterday, so be sure to scroll down and see the pictures of Sera on her butterfly rocker. Too cute!

5 Months

April 2, 2007

September 2, 2007

Impulse Shopping - Bought a Sofa!

I know I've been remiss in posting lately. I've also not posted many pictures. Sera has grown so much in the five months we've been together that it is just shocking when I compare pictures from April 2nd to those taken today.

Sera's been going through some tough teething times. She had a rough patch a few weeks ago just before she showed off her shiny new lower left molar. For the last week, she's been drooly, cranky, and whiny. I don't remember those dwarves at all. The other night, she was flipping her upside down and noticed the coral reef in her mouth. All three other molars are coming through at the same time! No wonder she's cranky. Here's a shot of some of those teeth!

On Friday, we got our first paycheck of the school year. It was only a half pay, but still quite welcome. To celebrate, I went shopping at my favorite store. I needed ibuprofen, and Sera needed new shoes. The impulse shopping gene took over and I bought a sleeper sofa. Sera loved it so much she jumped on it and squealed when we got home.

Sera chillin' on her sofa

I asked Jim to take the camera with him tonight when he put Sera to bed. We take a good hour putting her to bed because we have to play, read books, watch videos, drink milk, and cuddle. I asked him to get some pictures of her playing on her rocker. He got those and more.

Climbing on my rocker, on my own!

Almost there...

Yes, I rock!!!

Oohh...the remote. I have the remote!

Power is good!!

I have so much fun when Daddy puts me to bed. Isn't it amazing how he can take our picture?