Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

I had never heard of Cyber Monday until yesterday. Scott said it was the day you could buy all the things you wanted on line that you DIDN"T have to wait in line for on Friday.

Sure hope that is true, because I spent my day reading and stuff instead. Pure heaven for me!

Whoo Hoo new camera

Baby got BACK! (teeth)

Unfortunately for all the people out there looking for a cheap and easy thrill this post is nether about booties, Big or small.

Kelsey has her molars coming in and man or man is it not fun. All four at the same time. Scott got a flash light and opened her mouth. They are coming in from the sides first. It made her look like she will have crooked teeth.

She made me spend my Vet day off sitting or holding her. Then she spend most of that night on my chest, wiggling around. Up and down, up and down we went. After dosing her with both Tylenol and Motrin I didn't know what else to do for her.



Can her teeth be that bad or is she using it to milk the mommie and me time? Who knows at 2 in the morning. However, yesterday the sitter told me about teething pills! Humphries.

All I have to say, is where were those when the other kids were teething. The lady in the store told me she thought they had been around for 25 years!



Man, out of the loop. Can I get a do-over?

Thanksgiving (pre) Gratitude

As I have been on facebook more than here- I find that knowing certain people read this as writer's block for me, I still like to blog and write. So here I am. Block and all.

I was momentarily unblocked by a facebook person- Mary R who has been listing her gratitude each night in honor of the month. I too have silently agreed with her gratitude, feeling a lot like Pollyanna and happy to be so.

And so, today as I was reevaluating my classroom to see why it might be perceived as disorganized I reread an article I cut out and posted on my bulletin board few years ago by Susan Estrich. She told of the heartache of being accepted to her last choice college and how her daughter was competing with a record number of applicants the year she applied. The point was about gratitude also. Her last paragraph, the driving point of the whole thing, went as follows :

"So it goes; I always wished I was born with a fast metabolism, a gift for tennis and a singing voice that stayed in tune. Not so. Life is less about the hand you're dealt than how you play it. For some kids and, yes, for some parents, it starts with those thin envelopes (of rejection) and learning to be grateful for the fat one (of acceptance) in the bunch."

How true this is. I have read and reread this column many times, often getting a different message from it depending upon my mood. We as a nation have so much and even with our problems we still have so much more than most of the world.

I just wish I could find a way to drive home that point to the students in my classroom who take even a study guide for granted. Most don't even bother filling it out much less study from it. It seems the more our students have the less they recogize how much they have, instead they are unhappy with it. I include myself in that last statement- for I am ungrateful as most I would say.

I am acutely aware today that I need to have more grace, humility and gratitude in how

I play the hand I am dealt.

I use a daily does of NeiNei to help my gratitude game. She plays her hand of life very well.

No, it can't be THAT much, can it? Seriously

How much do you pay for professional pictures? Well, on the mountain at our local wal-mart I would call it more semi-professional.

We took the baby a few weeks ago to get her 1 year pics done.

I had been putting it off. It is a hassle to schedule baby pics between naps with an hour drive. Finally I gave in to guilt and toddled off to wally world with all the kids.

The photo shoot went great. We were the first appointment and Kelsey was in a good mood. All the pictures were so so cute.

As we sat down to discuss the pictures, I had the special in mind ya know; the lady begins with the gold package. I humored her. I was in it for the value. ITS WAL-MART.

"It is a 1200 dollar deal with a 20% savings" she quotes nonchalantly. "I only need a 100$ deposit today," As if the price was 40$. !!!! 1200$$$!!! who pays that price at wal-mart? I didn't think anything at wal-mart cost 1200$. (Where was the other 700$ going to come from, Scott would kill me and I didn't want it, and I didn't do that for the other kids, she isn't the crowned future queen.)

Can you think of anything at wal-mart that would cost 1200$? Even tires cost less.- Oh maybe a TV... maybe.

"Umm that is more than I budgeted for" I said more than annoyed. Hello? the special, 7.99$?

She pushed and I waited. She told of silver and bronze and custom and iron packages. All way way above 100$ . Who does this? (at wal-mart?)

at one point she said "well, she is only 1 once" Well, what? she is only 2 and 3 and 4 once too. Am I to spend 800$ each year per kid on pictures. Sheesh and I thought the 65.00 school package was outrageous. The gold package came with a photo and frame that is larger than a 37" TV. Where in the crap am I supposed to put 18 x3 - one for each kid -of those in my house?

She tried one more tactic. "Our prices are going up on Wednesday."

"SO WHAT." I thought.

I finally stood my ground to get my point across and got out of there with the special. She wanted to book the Christmas pictures right then. Umm, no. How about that one? I will not go back unless she is not working and I will make it very very very clear that we are the cheap card carrying coupon clipping family who wants the special.

Thank you very much.

1200$ at wal-mart, for pictures with a digital camera...