Brace Yourselves... Lent is Coming.

Microbiology is killin' me y'all. Everyone told me it was difficult, and man... they weren't kidding! Usually I like to blog at least once a month... a 7 Quick Takes post or SOMETHING! I don't even have time to read any blogs. I don't know who is pregnant anymore or who has had their baby or what's going on!

I've also been busy getting my nursing school applications ready and turned in. Just last week I turned in my last application and I have to wait until June to see if I get in! I turned in my first application about a month and a half ago...so I've been checking the mail with nervous trepidation waiting for The Letter. So any prayers that God's will be done (and that I accept that will) would be appreciated!

I'm giving up Facebook for Lent. Like totally deactivating it so I'm not tempted to check it here or there. I'm spending far too much time seeing what Baby-Sitters Club character I am and not enough time doing homework and making sure my kids aren't starting small fires.

I hope to spend more time in prayer, more time working with Sam's OT issues and work with Joe on some preschool skills instead of being glued to The Book (Facebook... I need to be glued to The Good Book!) I want to have a meaningful Lent.

I hope you all have a very spiritually fulfilling Lent. Maybe someday I can find enough time to write again. I miss this ol' blog!

And because I haven't posted enough pictures of my two adorable kiddos in awhile-

His Game of Thrones name is Red Hand

Smilin' Sam

Vote for Me!

Last week the nominees for the 2014 Sheenazing Awards were announced. In my moment of being-a-baby-I'm-too-damn-sensitive-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-me I was a little disappointed that I wasn't nominated this year. It seemed like every category had 50 nominees and I was bummed no one thought of me to nominate. But then I remembered that the majority of my posts are about me writing about how busy I am going to be with school and how I'd like to blog more. Boooooooooring! I can't expect to be nominated for a blogging award when I barely ever blog!

But then my good friend Michelle at Endless Strength texted me this weekend to let me know I was indeed nominated for Blog with the Best Memes. I'll admit my inner Sally Field "You like me! You really like me!" came out.

I told myself I would blog on Monday about my nomination. Then this morning I found out that the voting closes today at 9:00 p.m.! So get on over there and vote! Plus, there are tons of other cool blogs that you can check out! 

The wonderful Bonnie is hosting these awards. Her explanation on the awards:  "The Sheenazing Blogger Awards get their name from Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who was amazing at using the newest forms of media to communicate the beauty of the Catholic Church and his love of Christ to the world. They are a fun way to celebrate the excellence of the Catholic blogosphere and honor Venerable Fulton Sheen." 

Go vote here! And thank you to whoever nominated me! I LOVE YOU. 

Oh, and since I was nominated for best memes, I might want to put one on here, huh? 

Quick Takes Friday... I mean... Monday..

So I had most of this post written and edited on Friday. Then there was a lot of pooping (by my kids, not me), laundry and packing to be done so I could go to my hometown and job shadow at the hospital there. I was just going to delete this post, but I actually spent a lot of time getting it ready, so I'm gonna post anyway! 

1.
Sam is finally, FINALLY starting to eat. About a week before Christmas he started taking teeny tiny little bites and actually chew and swallow them! It's still just tiny bites and it's mostly junk food, but at least he's getting the hang of it. He still will not drink out of any sort of cup. He'd rather dump it out everywhere instead.

Today we have another occupational therapy session. I'm glad he's progressed, but I'm still worried that he isn't getting enough nutrients. But it's a step in the right direction, so I shouldn't be so worried!

UPDATE: His OT session was really crappy... now I'm even more frustrated and confused!

Chocolate donut face!

2.
Last Saturday I took Joe on a mommy-son date. We dressed up, went to see the movie Frozen and then to McDonald's for lunch. The movie was AWESOME. The animation was amazing, the music was fantastic and the moral of the story was just perfect. Any movie that has the line "Love means putting someone elses needs before your own" has my attention. I ran out and bought the soundtrack as soon as I could.

Joe loved the movie and I think he had a good time. I want this to become a tradition. I want to show him what it's like to be a gentleman and how to treat a lady. I've been thinking a lot about how my relationship will develop with Joe. He is growing up so fast and I want us to have an honest and open relationship. There's nothing that bothers me more than lying and hiding stuff, so I hope he feels comfortable coming me to when he wants.

3.
Last Monday was BITTERLY cold. I had a spur of the moment idea to have Joe make a thank you card for the mail man and include some hot chocolate mix and a can of soup. I left it in the mailbox and was hoping he'd come soon for fear the can of soup would freeze and burst or something! He came and knocked on the door and thanked us. I can't imagine having to walk around in sub-zero weather!

4.
We went to Toys R Us to search for a less skank-tastic version of Candy Land for Joe. We had no such luck, but I did browse the preschool work books for Joe. I sat down with him to teach him how to write his letters. I have no idea if he's developmentally ready, but he did an OK job with my help. His favorite letter to write is H. 

This little exercise taught me that I would definitely not make a good home schooling teacher to my kids!

5.
So ever since the 50th anniversary of JFK's assisnation this past November I've been rather facinated with the Kennedy family. I don't really know why. JFK is no saint, but I still am drawn to knowing about this famous family. For Christmas I got two book written by Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent famous for jumping on the back of JFK's convertible as Jackie Kennedy scrambled out after witnessing her husband get shot. The books are all written shedding a very kind light on the Kennedys. I know they were not a perfect family, but these books really made the Kennedy family more human and personable. I was in tears when I read about John F. Kennedy holding his baby son Patrick as he took his final breaths after being born prematurely.

The other day Ryan was talking about different places we could travel to for a short family vacation. He casually mentioned Dallas, TX. My first thought was Texas Schoolbook Depository! I'm such a nerd, I know...

6.
I was rather disappointed with Downton Abbey's premiere. It was pretty boring in my opinion. I've heard this season is kind of a bummer... and I HATE shows like that! Plus, there are a few characters on there that I CANNOT STAAAAAND... so it will make it even more difficult to get through. Oh well..

7.
I'm in the process of getting my nursing school applications ready... I get so nervous thinking about it! GAH!

Have a great weekend!

UPDATE: The weekend is over...sooo... have a good week!

School is starting soon!

My classes will be starting up soon. I have my microbiology book and medical terminology book staring me in the face right now. I also have a 3 year old banging on his door saying he doesn't want to take a nap and a 17 month old grabbing all the DVDs off the shelf and throwing them across the room.

Writing to you saying I'm nervous about this semester is an understatement.

Still, I have flutterings of excitement about these classes. The last few weeks I've really been losing my motivation to pursue nursing school. Since getting the rejection letter last fall and knowing just how competitive these nursing programs can be really put my confidence level in the crap shoot. However, yesterday I went to job shadow at a hospital near my hometown and my excitement about the possibility of entering the healthcare field was re-energized. I am applying to two programs in the next few months... I'm so praying that I get accepted!

I'm nervous about my microbiology class because I know it is a challenging class. And I'm dreading the time I'll be spending away from my little family. And of course I have to add the "I won't be blogging as much or reading your posts" announcement even though it seems that's all my posts have been about lately- complaining about not having the energy to write or the time to read others' blogs. But I absolutely love learning... especially about the human body and how it all works.



We'll see if I find some more energy to write 7 Quick Takes tomorrow!

7 Quick Takes... SATURDAY!

1.
My final is over! I was taking an online nutrition class this semester and there was a lot of busy work involved. We even had a group project that we had to participate in. I HATE group projects with a firey passion... imagine doing it online. Yuck.

I got an A in the class, which I'm pretty happy about. I have one more pre-req to take and hopefully I do well in that class. If I do, I'll be taking a 4.0 GPA into my application process for nursing school and I think that may help... just a little!

2.
I haven't had a chance to blog or even read any blogs because I've been studying when I can for my final. And I have two knucklehead kiddos that are REALLY starting to become quite the pair of trouble makers. Sam is starting to get into that ornery stage. He's definitely more toddler than baby. He can be quite challenging! But now that he's getting older he and Joe are playing together more, which is awesome. It is so incredibly fun to see them chase each other and laugh and giggle.

Oh, the humanity!

Sam loves the tree!

3.
Joe and Sam went to their first dentist appointment this week! I've been procrastinating on taking Joe in and Sam is getting a really bad build up on his teeth since he's on an all-liquid diet. I mean, his teeth look red neck gross. So I called a pediatric dentist and figured that we'd have to wait a couple of weeks to get in. To my surprise, they had quite a few cancellations for the next day. By the time I got off the phone I had made an appointment for my boys... during the day... during Sam's naptime... and at a time that Ryan would not be able to get off work to help me.

I basically chalked it up to being completely crazy for having done that.

But the appointment actually went well! Joe was very good and only cried when they were cleaning his teeth. He has two very small cavities that will be addressed at our next visit in 6 months. His dentist thinks he'll have to be completley put under since she doesn't think the laughing gas will be strong enough for him. I tend to agree.

Sam was fine unless the hygenist or dentist came near him. There was a lot of screaming, but the hygenist got his teeth clean.

I was very worn out afterward but proud for taking the boys myself. Everyone at the office was awesome so that made the experience a little easier!

He got to snuggle with some friends while they examined his teeth.

4.
Last Friday we went to see Santa. When Joe was about 3 months old he sat on Santa's lap with no problem. When he was 15 months old he screamed bloody murder. Last year he sat on a chair by Santa for a photo opp, but didn't tell him what he wanted for Christmas. This year was the first year that Joe really understood the concept of sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what he wants for Christmas. His list? A Monster's Inc. toy and a tummy stuffer. He recently added paper clips to his list. I don't ask questions anymore.

Of course, Sam screamed. But I was a little dissapointed with this Santa. Maybe he thought Joe was too young, but he didn't even really interact with him. He didn't even really smile in the photo. I figured it was because he had a screaming child on his lap, but another friend of mine took her daughter who is older than Joe to the same Santa. She wasn't screaming but this Santa had the same "Kill me now" look.

Joe really did love Santa, despite the deer in the headlights look.

I don't really remember my experiences with Santa as a little kid. I was never afraid of him, but I don't remember if any were particularly jolly. I guess years of watching Miracle on 34th Street set me up for thinking all Santas were jolly and kind.

Thankfully my quest for a "good" Santa came to an end just a few days later after Mass. Santa was there and he actually took the time to talk to each kid. We didn't subject Sam to the torture again.

5.
Yesterday was Sam's occupational therapy session with his new therapist. I'm not too terribly impressed with her demeanor... but I wasn't with Joe's therapist either, but she got the job done very quickly. I'm really hoping this time around will work... I'm just so worried about Sam not getting enough nutrients.

6.
I'm so in the mood to bake. I don't enjoy cooking meals, but I LOVE to bake. I just don't do it very often since I hate cleaning up. My favorite Christmas cookies are called kringle cookies. We always bake them on Christmas Eve at my mom's house, but I'm thinking I might have to make them a little sooner!

7.
Do any of you watch Homeland? Ryan and I love the show and we're psyched for the finale tomorrow! Brody is totally going to die. I just know it!

Well these are completely random and all over the place. It doesn't help that I'm finishing these up at 12:30 at night! Have a good weekend y'all!

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How to dry a turkey...

So I never got around to writing how hosting my first Thanksgiving went. Well... no one gagged, no one died and no one complained. So I guess that's a success!

I followed the directions for thawing the turkey... but apparently I still failed at that. The inside of the turkey was still somewhat frozen. We couldn't even get the neck out. So I put it in a sink of cool water. Thankfully it warmed up a bit because my mom got the neck out with no problems after about 15 minutes. But when you have a turkey soaking in water that long... it gets really really really wet.

Everything I read said to make sure the turkey was dried off well after rinsing it. Well, water was just SOPPING out of it and no amount of paper towels was getting it dry. My mom suggested using a hair dryer... only half-way kidding. I poo-poo'd the idea until I realized that it might just work.

So I used a hair dryer to dry the turkey. And it actually turned out OK!

Now begins my favorite time of year. I am one of those annoying people who love Christmas. I actually get teary eyed when I see Joe get excited about Christmas lights. I'm Buddy the Elf in female form. I'm trying hard to celebrate the anticipation of Advent... mainly for Joe's sake. I'm trying to focus on Baby Jesus... but I can't help that I get super excited when Santa comes to feed his reindeer at 10:00 central time on reindeercam.com! SANTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. Things will be quiet around here since I'm entering finals week. Happy Advent, y'all!