Wednesday, September 21
Thursday, September 15
Aww.. Look at the Babies!
Olivia met another baby tonight. Anna is only a couple months older. That's her mom in the background smiling at our foolishness. 
Tuesday, September 13
Two-Month Appointment
Olivia had her two month appointment today. She didn't like it. She doesn't like to be stripped down, poked and prodded, and held by strangers. But she got even. She peed on the doctor. Good girl.
But I don't have much time, so I'll just give you the update:
(First, have in mind the birth statistics - 7 lbs 7 oz, 20 inches long)
At 10 weeks, she weighs 10 lbs, 12 oz and is 24 inches long! She's in the 50th percentile for her weight, and at the top of the charts for her height! All in all, she's a healthy girl. Just imagine, she's already 2 feet tall... Josh's mom is less than 5 feet. So Olivia's got less than 3 feet to go until she catches up. And at her 2 inches per month average that she's at right now... it won't be long at all.
Okay, time for bed!
Beth
But I don't have much time, so I'll just give you the update:
(First, have in mind the birth statistics - 7 lbs 7 oz, 20 inches long)
At 10 weeks, she weighs 10 lbs, 12 oz and is 24 inches long! She's in the 50th percentile for her weight, and at the top of the charts for her height! All in all, she's a healthy girl. Just imagine, she's already 2 feet tall... Josh's mom is less than 5 feet. So Olivia's got less than 3 feet to go until she catches up. And at her 2 inches per month average that she's at right now... it won't be long at all.
Okay, time for bed!
Beth
Monday, September 12
Monday, August 29
Saturday, August 27
Tuesday, August 16
Six Weeks of Screaming... Is It Over?
So the reason I haven't had time to blog, sleep, eat right, or sometimes even shower: Olivia is officially a fussy baby. At first, we thought it was normal that all she did was eat, sleep, and scream. Don't all babies do that? Then one by one, our friends with children began to tell us maybe we should look into this. First we were told she's gassy, so we got some gas drops. They're really sweet tasting, so that quieted her down for about 30 seconds, then she was back to screaming. Hmm... not gassy. So then, the nurse, lactation consultant, and Josh's mom all suggested that I go off dairy products (since I nurse her, she gets what I eat). The nurse said to call in a couple days if it doesn't get better. And she just said to 'watch my dairy intake'. Well, that just meant I didn't have straight milk or cheese. I didn't exactly watch the ingredient lists. So after a couple days, there was no improvement. Josh and I were going crazy. Then the lactation consultant said it would take a week to notice anything, and two weeks to see the full difference. And she said that I need to be very stringent, making sure I don't even eat anything with the ingredient 'whey'. So I started that on this past Thursday. And the difference is AMAZING. She's such a happy baby! She'll sleep! She'll go more than two hours without eating! The past couple nights she's gone about six or seven hours without eating! Amazing! We can play with her; she's so alert and so CUTE! Anyone who saw her when she was fussy needs to come back and see her now because she is a completely different baby!
And just in time, too, because school just started today. I only got four hours of sleep last night because of all the stuff I had left to do, and because I had to get up at 3 a.m. to feed Olivia. And she took an hour to eat because recently she's been very stuffed up, and it's very hard to swallow when you're stuffy. So we're going to get a humidifier. But in the meantime, I'm very tired, so I'm going to go take a nap with my precious baby.
Oh, did I mention that I'm teaching half-day third grade? There's eight students - 6 boys and 2 girls. My first day was a little crazy, but fun none-the-less.
Okay, I'm sleeping now.
And just in time, too, because school just started today. I only got four hours of sleep last night because of all the stuff I had left to do, and because I had to get up at 3 a.m. to feed Olivia. And she took an hour to eat because recently she's been very stuffed up, and it's very hard to swallow when you're stuffy. So we're going to get a humidifier. But in the meantime, I'm very tired, so I'm going to go take a nap with my precious baby.
Oh, did I mention that I'm teaching half-day third grade? There's eight students - 6 boys and 2 girls. My first day was a little crazy, but fun none-the-less.
Okay, I'm sleeping now.
Sunday, August 14
Wednesday, July 6
Friday, July 1
Today a Belly, Tomorrow a Baby
So I went to the doctor today, which was a little disappointing. I was sure I'd have a baby by now. First I saw the nurse who took my blood pressure. We got to talking and I found out she had misread my chart and thought I was 35 weeks pregnant instead of 39. She said something about having six weeks left, and I was like, "No, I'm 5 cm dialated and 90% effaced..." "OH!" She says, and then she starts to ask me about my contractions. I had to explain that I hadn't had any, and I think she was a little confused. "How about the contractions that got you to 5 cm?" "There weren't any," I explain again. "OH!! Really?!" So I'm weird.
Then the midwife comes in a checks me out. She says I'm 5-6 cm dialated and 90% effaced (hey, I couldn't get much further without the baby falling out, I'm pretty sure). I ask her if I can go to Frankie and Anna's wedding tomorrow; she said, "No." I aslo asked how much she thought the baby weighed. "7 1/2- 8 pounds," she said. That's not bad. Josh was over 9 pounds. I was 7lbs 11oz. So that was the end of that, and she said that I probably won't need an appointment for next week, but she'll schedule one and give me a non-stress test and an ultrasound and then she left. Well, my actual doctor just happened to be walking by when she heard this, and walked in with a, "What? No, we don't need a non-stress test!"
So then she checks me out and says, "No, you don't need to come in next week; how about tomorrow?" I was a bit confused. "For a non-stress test?" I ask. Why would I have to come in the very next day? "No, for a baby!" The doctor clarifies. Only, it doesn't immediately click. I stare blankly for a few seconds, and then, "Induce?!" I look at Josh; he looks at me. Neither of us have any words left in our heads at all. Finally, thoughts start to come back. We have been worried, with Josh working 40 minutes away, because I'm so far along that when I do go into labor, it could be a really quick labor and I would be stuck in the apartment without anyone and without a car - Reason #1. Also, if we were to induce, we would be sure to get my doctor when she's on call; I like my doctor - Reason #2. Everyone who's related to us lives in a different state and would need five hours to get here - Reason #3.
So I'm going in tomorrow morning at 6:30 A.M. to give birth whether I'm ready or not.
Freaky! Now I know for sure that today is my last day of not being a parent. Thus ends my month-long stretch of doing nothing but reading Harry Potter and watching I Love Lucy. Starting tomorrow, I'll be changing diapers for the next two years. I will be responsible for this child for the next eighteen years (from tomorrow). We won't even be done paying off Sallie Mae by then!
I really had begun to think that I would simply be pregnant forever. Pregnancy has got to be the easiest stage of child-rearing. Starting tomorrow, it all gets harder.
But don't get me wrong, we're also extremely excited! The look on Josh's face when it sunk in (we were walking into our apartment by then) was priceless. I think "giddy" is the perfect word for it. Right now, honestly, I'm too consumed with the forthcoming labor to think much past tomorrow into our future parenthood, but it's fun to watch Josh get excited. I'm just glad babies start out easy. Feed, clothe, change, and love. Can you imagine if they came out with the hormones of a 13 year old? Scary. God definately had a plan here to build up the parenting skills a little at a time.
Well, I think I'm rambling now. And I'm tying up the phone line. Josh's parents and my mom could be trying to call. And I should cut my fingernails. Josh is worried about me leaving permanent marks in his hand tomorrow.
And so, I finish my last blog as a non-mom.
Good-bye childhood; hello child.
Beth
Then the midwife comes in a checks me out. She says I'm 5-6 cm dialated and 90% effaced (hey, I couldn't get much further without the baby falling out, I'm pretty sure). I ask her if I can go to Frankie and Anna's wedding tomorrow; she said, "No." I aslo asked how much she thought the baby weighed. "7 1/2- 8 pounds," she said. That's not bad. Josh was over 9 pounds. I was 7lbs 11oz. So that was the end of that, and she said that I probably won't need an appointment for next week, but she'll schedule one and give me a non-stress test and an ultrasound and then she left. Well, my actual doctor just happened to be walking by when she heard this, and walked in with a, "What? No, we don't need a non-stress test!"
So then she checks me out and says, "No, you don't need to come in next week; how about tomorrow?" I was a bit confused. "For a non-stress test?" I ask. Why would I have to come in the very next day? "No, for a baby!" The doctor clarifies. Only, it doesn't immediately click. I stare blankly for a few seconds, and then, "Induce?!" I look at Josh; he looks at me. Neither of us have any words left in our heads at all. Finally, thoughts start to come back. We have been worried, with Josh working 40 minutes away, because I'm so far along that when I do go into labor, it could be a really quick labor and I would be stuck in the apartment without anyone and without a car - Reason #1. Also, if we were to induce, we would be sure to get my doctor when she's on call; I like my doctor - Reason #2. Everyone who's related to us lives in a different state and would need five hours to get here - Reason #3.
So I'm going in tomorrow morning at 6:30 A.M. to give birth whether I'm ready or not.
Freaky! Now I know for sure that today is my last day of not being a parent. Thus ends my month-long stretch of doing nothing but reading Harry Potter and watching I Love Lucy. Starting tomorrow, I'll be changing diapers for the next two years. I will be responsible for this child for the next eighteen years (from tomorrow). We won't even be done paying off Sallie Mae by then!
I really had begun to think that I would simply be pregnant forever. Pregnancy has got to be the easiest stage of child-rearing. Starting tomorrow, it all gets harder.
But don't get me wrong, we're also extremely excited! The look on Josh's face when it sunk in (we were walking into our apartment by then) was priceless. I think "giddy" is the perfect word for it. Right now, honestly, I'm too consumed with the forthcoming labor to think much past tomorrow into our future parenthood, but it's fun to watch Josh get excited. I'm just glad babies start out easy. Feed, clothe, change, and love. Can you imagine if they came out with the hormones of a 13 year old? Scary. God definately had a plan here to build up the parenting skills a little at a time.
Well, I think I'm rambling now. And I'm tying up the phone line. Josh's parents and my mom could be trying to call. And I should cut my fingernails. Josh is worried about me leaving permanent marks in his hand tomorrow.
And so, I finish my last blog as a non-mom.
Good-bye childhood; hello child.
Beth
Tuesday, June 28
Dead Fish; Live Fish
As promised, here is the picture of the dead fish. Note the red spot on his side... It's either a bacterial infection, or a sign of a vicious attack. 
BUT, the fish that we bought after setting up the quarantine tank is on his THIRD day! (This is a record). He's not floating or doing flips, or developing any weird spots at all! Now, I know this is too early to say much of anything, and besides, he's still very stressed. He's normally supposed to be mostly yellow, but whenever he notices us looking at him, he turns mostly gray. This is why I haven't taken any pictures of him. If I notice him start to die, I'll take pictures, okay? Or if he makes it to the other tank.
But anyway, on to this whole labor thing. I've decided that I wish the doctor had not told me how far along I am. If I were still expecting a July 8 delivery date, I'd be able to relax and enjoy my last days/weeks of pregnancy. But now every day when I wake up, I think, "Today's the day!" and every night when I go to bed, I think, "Crap, still no baby." My pregnancy book says that the first stage of labor is the dialation of the cervix to 3 cm and that after that stage, you go to the hospital. Well, here I am at 5 cm (or at least that's where I was last Thursday) wondering if I'll ever get to the stage where I get to go the hospital and actually deliver. I'm actually afraid I won't notice labor starting, since I've gotten this far without feeling anything. But when I tell this to women who have had children, they just laugh at my naivete. "Oh, you'll feel the contractions, don't worry." I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we. Sigh.
Bye,
Beth
BUT, the fish that we bought after setting up the quarantine tank is on his THIRD day! (This is a record). He's not floating or doing flips, or developing any weird spots at all! Now, I know this is too early to say much of anything, and besides, he's still very stressed. He's normally supposed to be mostly yellow, but whenever he notices us looking at him, he turns mostly gray. This is why I haven't taken any pictures of him. If I notice him start to die, I'll take pictures, okay? Or if he makes it to the other tank.
But anyway, on to this whole labor thing. I've decided that I wish the doctor had not told me how far along I am. If I were still expecting a July 8 delivery date, I'd be able to relax and enjoy my last days/weeks of pregnancy. But now every day when I wake up, I think, "Today's the day!" and every night when I go to bed, I think, "Crap, still no baby." My pregnancy book says that the first stage of labor is the dialation of the cervix to 3 cm and that after that stage, you go to the hospital. Well, here I am at 5 cm (or at least that's where I was last Thursday) wondering if I'll ever get to the stage where I get to go the hospital and actually deliver. I'm actually afraid I won't notice labor starting, since I've gotten this far without feeling anything. But when I tell this to women who have had children, they just laugh at my naivete. "Oh, you'll feel the contractions, don't worry." I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we. Sigh.
Bye,
Beth
Saturday, June 25
More Pictures And Fish
There, I posted a few of the pictures of Boys Play With Wax. For more of the same, go here. To see all my pictures, you can go here. But I'm warning you, I'm mainly using this site for storage purposes; you probably won't be very interested in most of the pictures I have on there.
So I forgot to mention, we bought another fish. We got him the same weekend the Boys Played With Wax. And he died that same weekend as well. But before you yell "Fish-Killer!", know that my dear friend Ashley once killed five fish in one fell swoop. So, after this one kicked it, we decided to do further research into why we kill fish. We thought we were doing everything right, we followed the fish-store-people's advice to the letter! Turns out they weren't telling us everything we needed to know. I think it's because they want us to come back every weekend and spend $30 more on a new fish.
But we looked up on a site we've come to trust and found that they recommend having a smaller quarantine tank for your new fish and keeping them there for 2-4 weeks before introducing them to its new tank-mates. The reason is saltwater fish can stress out very easily, and then die. Introducing them to a new tank, with different Ph levels, different salinity, differant temperature, and different fish is all very stressful. Especially the new fish part, because they feel like they own the place and the new fish is an intruder that they must pick on. With a quarantine tank, you can introduce the fish to the water and get him used to that in a calm, stressfree environment. Also, if the new fish is diseased, this way, he won't contaminate the other fish. Or if one of our older fish is diseased, we can put him in the q-tank so that a)we don't contaminate other fish and b) we don't treat non-sick fish. And thirdly, the q-tank could double as a breeding tank. And maybe that way we could make up some of the $175 we spent on this silly contraption and it's equipment. But more than likely, if the q-tank works, we can regain the money spent on it by not killing $30 fish the day after we buy them.
I'll let you know how that all turns out. Also, I took pictures of the dying butterfly fish that we didn't even bother to name. I should put one up here so you can see his patheticness.
Bye!
Beth
So I forgot to mention, we bought another fish. We got him the same weekend the Boys Played With Wax. And he died that same weekend as well. But before you yell "Fish-Killer!", know that my dear friend Ashley once killed five fish in one fell swoop. So, after this one kicked it, we decided to do further research into why we kill fish. We thought we were doing everything right, we followed the fish-store-people's advice to the letter! Turns out they weren't telling us everything we needed to know. I think it's because they want us to come back every weekend and spend $30 more on a new fish.
But we looked up on a site we've come to trust and found that they recommend having a smaller quarantine tank for your new fish and keeping them there for 2-4 weeks before introducing them to its new tank-mates. The reason is saltwater fish can stress out very easily, and then die. Introducing them to a new tank, with different Ph levels, different salinity, differant temperature, and different fish is all very stressful. Especially the new fish part, because they feel like they own the place and the new fish is an intruder that they must pick on. With a quarantine tank, you can introduce the fish to the water and get him used to that in a calm, stressfree environment. Also, if the new fish is diseased, this way, he won't contaminate the other fish. Or if one of our older fish is diseased, we can put him in the q-tank so that a)we don't contaminate other fish and b) we don't treat non-sick fish. And thirdly, the q-tank could double as a breeding tank. And maybe that way we could make up some of the $175 we spent on this silly contraption and it's equipment. But more than likely, if the q-tank works, we can regain the money spent on it by not killing $30 fish the day after we buy them.
I'll let you know how that all turns out. Also, I took pictures of the dying butterfly fish that we didn't even bother to name. I should put one up here so you can see his patheticness.
Bye!
Beth
Thursday, June 23
5 Cm, 90%, and ... We Forgot.
Just got back from Krogers... where we went after the doctor's appointment. We got these new yogurts, they're chocolate mousse (sp?). Can't wait. But you weren't really interested in that, were you? Oh, you were? Okay. I got the cherry chocolate mousse and Josh got the raspberry chocolate mousse. I bet they're delicious. What? You want to know what the doctor said? Sigh. Okay.
She said that I'm 5 cm dialated and a very lucky lady to have gotten that far without any contractions or anything on my first pregnancy. She said it's not abnormal for women on their 2nd or 3rd pregnancies to be like that, but I'm just lucky. Yay me!
She also said that I'm about 90% effaced. I think that means my cervix is almost nonexistant. Yay, no more cervix!
I asked where the head was (it was a -1 last time), but Josh and I can't remember what she said. We remember her saying it was low, and I remember her facial expression led me to believe that it was very low, lower than last time. But when we left, I asked Josh what she said and he said, "-1", thinking that meant it was past the cervix. But I reminded him that the negative numbers meant it still hadn't passed the cervix, and then he doubted whether or not he had heard "-1". So we're just going to say "0" for now.
But 5 CM! That's halfway there! I'm halfway through labor and I'm still at home! I'm really, really hoping I don't have to go to my next appointment (next Friday at 2:20).
Bye,
Beth
She said that I'm 5 cm dialated and a very lucky lady to have gotten that far without any contractions or anything on my first pregnancy. She said it's not abnormal for women on their 2nd or 3rd pregnancies to be like that, but I'm just lucky. Yay me!
She also said that I'm about 90% effaced. I think that means my cervix is almost nonexistant. Yay, no more cervix!
I asked where the head was (it was a -1 last time), but Josh and I can't remember what she said. We remember her saying it was low, and I remember her facial expression led me to believe that it was very low, lower than last time. But when we left, I asked Josh what she said and he said, "-1", thinking that meant it was past the cervix. But I reminded him that the negative numbers meant it still hadn't passed the cervix, and then he doubted whether or not he had heard "-1". So we're just going to say "0" for now.
But 5 CM! That's halfway there! I'm halfway through labor and I'm still at home! I'm really, really hoping I don't have to go to my next appointment (next Friday at 2:20).
Bye,
Beth
Still Pregnant
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile; you probably thought I had the baby. Turns out, Josh put the laptop away because we had friends over and I've been too lazy to set it up again. And besides, he's been on the computer and internet nonstop since this online class deal started. And I've been reading Harry Potter. I'm on Goblet of Fire. I finished Perelandra awhile ago, and needed something fast and easy to give my brain a break. So Harry Potter it was.
I have a doctors appointment today at 2. I'm thinking I'll go in, and she'll say something to the effect of, "Why aren't you in the hospital; you are so obviously in labor!" Anything but, "Wow, it looks like you're actually moving backwards in labor..."
The other night I dreamed I had four babies. All in one day, but spread out. In between babies I would get up and go about my business. After the last baby was born, I would see people that I knew and go up to them and say, "Guess what I did today?! I just had FOUR babies!" Any interpretations on that one?
Okay, so what has happened since I last posted? Well, as I mentioned earlier, we had some friends here this weekend. Jeremy and Joel and Heather spent the night Saturday and went to church with us on Sunday. It was quite fun. Jeremy and Joel had a blast with my candle warmer. Boys + Melted Candle Wax = Lots Of Interesting Pictures. But unfortunately, they're all on the other computer, which Josh has taken over. Maybe after lunch I can sneak on there and get some off before he starts working again. Sunday, after church, while everyone else was napping all over our living room, Jeremy, Joel, and I went out to Dairy Queen and bought a birthday cake for Josh. His birthday isn't until July 14th, but I figured it would be overshadowed by the arrival of Olivia, so we kinda celebrated it really early.
Also, Josh has gotten yet another job. He's already got his assistantship which he's supposed to be doing 40 hours of research a week for, his online ITT teaching job, and just recently, ITT called him again and said they had another class for him to teach. This one is a math problem-solving class, and it's not online. It's one night a week, from 6-10 on Friday nights. The first two hours are lecture and the last two are just question/answer I guess. But this is more like what Josh wanted to do in the first place. The pay is $23/hour for four hours a week, plus an extra hour if Josh comes in and works on his class at ITT. Also, he gets to teach at the Greenwood campus which is a lot closer than the Indy campus. So it looks like he'll be gone both Thursday and Friday nights for awhile now. (Thursday nights are his help sessions with his online class).
And speaking of jobs, I've heard nothing about anything I've applied to. I suppose principals don't hire til August (from what I've heard).
Well, I guess that's all I have to say at least until I get back from my doctor's appointment.
Bye,
Beth
I have a doctors appointment today at 2. I'm thinking I'll go in, and she'll say something to the effect of, "Why aren't you in the hospital; you are so obviously in labor!" Anything but, "Wow, it looks like you're actually moving backwards in labor..."
The other night I dreamed I had four babies. All in one day, but spread out. In between babies I would get up and go about my business. After the last baby was born, I would see people that I knew and go up to them and say, "Guess what I did today?! I just had FOUR babies!" Any interpretations on that one?
Okay, so what has happened since I last posted? Well, as I mentioned earlier, we had some friends here this weekend. Jeremy and Joel and Heather spent the night Saturday and went to church with us on Sunday. It was quite fun. Jeremy and Joel had a blast with my candle warmer. Boys + Melted Candle Wax = Lots Of Interesting Pictures. But unfortunately, they're all on the other computer, which Josh has taken over. Maybe after lunch I can sneak on there and get some off before he starts working again. Sunday, after church, while everyone else was napping all over our living room, Jeremy, Joel, and I went out to Dairy Queen and bought a birthday cake for Josh. His birthday isn't until July 14th, but I figured it would be overshadowed by the arrival of Olivia, so we kinda celebrated it really early.
Also, Josh has gotten yet another job. He's already got his assistantship which he's supposed to be doing 40 hours of research a week for, his online ITT teaching job, and just recently, ITT called him again and said they had another class for him to teach. This one is a math problem-solving class, and it's not online. It's one night a week, from 6-10 on Friday nights. The first two hours are lecture and the last two are just question/answer I guess. But this is more like what Josh wanted to do in the first place. The pay is $23/hour for four hours a week, plus an extra hour if Josh comes in and works on his class at ITT. Also, he gets to teach at the Greenwood campus which is a lot closer than the Indy campus. So it looks like he'll be gone both Thursday and Friday nights for awhile now. (Thursday nights are his help sessions with his online class).
And speaking of jobs, I've heard nothing about anything I've applied to. I suppose principals don't hire til August (from what I've heard).
Well, I guess that's all I have to say at least until I get back from my doctor's appointment.
Bye,
Beth
Friday, June 17
3 Cm, 75%, and -1
Now I suppose I have to explain the title to all you non-pregnant people, huh? Okay, here goes:
I went to the doctor yesterday and this is what she said (this sounds like a childhood chanting/clapping game...):
I'm 3 cm dialated. 10 centimeters is when I start pushing. The book I have says that the first stage of labor (latent labor), which is the longest and least painful, is the dialation of the cervix to 3 cm. So check that one off my list. But I'm not having contractions, and there's been no water-breakage... so I'm not in the hospital yet.
I'm 75% effaced. Effacing is the thinning of the cervix. When I get to 100%, it's time to have the baby.
The baby's head is at the position known as -1. I believe it starts at -4 and moves downward. When the head gets to 0, it's at the cervix and labor's ready to begin.
So the doctor said that this means the baby could come anytime from a few days to a few weeks from now. But she says it looks like they won't have to induce - my body's doing its job quite well on it's own. And she said that I may be early, may go up to my due date, and probaby won't go past it.
Personally, I'm hoping it happens within a few days. That way I can make all those silly early July weddings. Plus, I'm tired of having an overactive little being inside me trying to escape through my rib cage.
So, sorry to those of you who may have placed any bets on dates after July 8, but it looks like you won't be getting any fabulous prize. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then by all means, check it out.
Well, I'm going to get back to Matlock.
I went to the doctor yesterday and this is what she said (this sounds like a childhood chanting/clapping game...):
I'm 3 cm dialated. 10 centimeters is when I start pushing. The book I have says that the first stage of labor (latent labor), which is the longest and least painful, is the dialation of the cervix to 3 cm. So check that one off my list. But I'm not having contractions, and there's been no water-breakage... so I'm not in the hospital yet.
I'm 75% effaced. Effacing is the thinning of the cervix. When I get to 100%, it's time to have the baby.
The baby's head is at the position known as -1. I believe it starts at -4 and moves downward. When the head gets to 0, it's at the cervix and labor's ready to begin.
So the doctor said that this means the baby could come anytime from a few days to a few weeks from now. But she says it looks like they won't have to induce - my body's doing its job quite well on it's own. And she said that I may be early, may go up to my due date, and probaby won't go past it.
Personally, I'm hoping it happens within a few days. That way I can make all those silly early July weddings. Plus, I'm tired of having an overactive little being inside me trying to escape through my rib cage.
So, sorry to those of you who may have placed any bets on dates after July 8, but it looks like you won't be getting any fabulous prize. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then by all means, check it out.
Well, I'm going to get back to Matlock.
Wednesday, June 15
Who Wants To Be A Hoosier, Anyway...
So I went to the BMV yesterday (Indiana doesn't have DMV's, they have BMV's... they're special). Well, before I went, I did study. It was in PDF format and quite confusing and frustrating. Josh told me basically what concepts were on the test he had to take and I went over those, but I didn't study too hard, I mean, I've been driving for how many years now?
So after waiting in line for about 30 minutes (short line, I know!), I get my test and cram my pregnant self into one of those little desks and start the frustrating humiliation that is the Indiana written driver's test.
First of all, let me just say this. If you are over 18, you should not have to answer retarded questions about drivers education. I don't care whether you have to be 16 and 30 days with a permit for 60 days or 16 and 180 days with a permit for 60 days to get your license. (Yes, that was actually on there: How old must you be to get your license) How, exactly, does that pertain to me?! And do YOU know how a 16 year old with a waiver to get his/her license can get it revoked? Which would you have chosen: A) get a speeding ticket B) quit school C) fail the written test. I don't have a frickin waiver. And I thought my answer made sense! Let's see, what other questions did they put on there to simply humiliate me? If you have a probationary license (which you get if you're under 18), you can only drive with someone in the front seat who is 21 or older for the first 30, 60, 90, or 180 days. Um, I'm 22!! None of that pertains to me! And there were a few more. And you're only allowed to miss four questions.
Some other questions that they had that didn't have to do with ignorant teenagers but were still retarded: When driving at night, should you switch your highbeams off in the presence of an oncoming car at A) 500 feet, B) 400 feet C) 300 feet or D) 200 feet. I switch mine off as soon as I see another car approaching! But that answer wasn't on there and the one I guessed was incorrect. And if your following a car at night, should you switch off your high beams at A) 400 feet B) 300 feet, C) 200 feet D) 100 feet. And when should you put on your turn signal? A) 50 feet before the turn, B) 100 feet, C) 150 feet, or D) 200 feet. And if your going over 50 mph, when should you put on your turn signal? A) 300 feet, B) 150 feet, C) 100 feet D) 50 feet. And, if you need to make an emergency stop with antilock brakes in icy situations, what should you do? A) brake hard and steer normally, B) Don't pump the brake, C) give yourself plenty of time to stop or D) all of the above. Well, folks, I've had to make an emergency stop with antilock brakes in an icy situation before, and I braked hard and steered normally, right off the road! So I figured it wasn't that one or the all of the above one, and I've had people tell me to pump my brakes when skidding, so I didn't choose that one either. Which would you have chosen?
Well, that's all the retardation that I can remember. Needless to say, I'm still an Illinois resident and PROUD OF IT!
Grrrr...
Beth
So after waiting in line for about 30 minutes (short line, I know!), I get my test and cram my pregnant self into one of those little desks and start the frustrating humiliation that is the Indiana written driver's test.
First of all, let me just say this. If you are over 18, you should not have to answer retarded questions about drivers education. I don't care whether you have to be 16 and 30 days with a permit for 60 days or 16 and 180 days with a permit for 60 days to get your license. (Yes, that was actually on there: How old must you be to get your license) How, exactly, does that pertain to me?! And do YOU know how a 16 year old with a waiver to get his/her license can get it revoked? Which would you have chosen: A) get a speeding ticket B) quit school C) fail the written test. I don't have a frickin waiver. And I thought my answer made sense! Let's see, what other questions did they put on there to simply humiliate me? If you have a probationary license (which you get if you're under 18), you can only drive with someone in the front seat who is 21 or older for the first 30, 60, 90, or 180 days. Um, I'm 22!! None of that pertains to me! And there were a few more. And you're only allowed to miss four questions.
Some other questions that they had that didn't have to do with ignorant teenagers but were still retarded: When driving at night, should you switch your highbeams off in the presence of an oncoming car at A) 500 feet, B) 400 feet C) 300 feet or D) 200 feet. I switch mine off as soon as I see another car approaching! But that answer wasn't on there and the one I guessed was incorrect. And if your following a car at night, should you switch off your high beams at A) 400 feet B) 300 feet, C) 200 feet D) 100 feet. And when should you put on your turn signal? A) 50 feet before the turn, B) 100 feet, C) 150 feet, or D) 200 feet. And if your going over 50 mph, when should you put on your turn signal? A) 300 feet, B) 150 feet, C) 100 feet D) 50 feet. And, if you need to make an emergency stop with antilock brakes in icy situations, what should you do? A) brake hard and steer normally, B) Don't pump the brake, C) give yourself plenty of time to stop or D) all of the above. Well, folks, I've had to make an emergency stop with antilock brakes in an icy situation before, and I braked hard and steered normally, right off the road! So I figured it wasn't that one or the all of the above one, and I've had people tell me to pump my brakes when skidding, so I didn't choose that one either. Which would you have chosen?
Well, that's all the retardation that I can remember. Needless to say, I'm still an Illinois resident and PROUD OF IT!
Grrrr...
Beth
Monday, June 13
Swindled by Cingular?
I suppose you've seen the Cingular advertisements of free mobile to mobile? Well, basically all cellular companies have that promotion now. But my deal is with Cingular specifically. I renewed my contract with Cingular after that promotion came out. But I wasn't particularly interested in it at that time, so I didn't ask a lot of questions, or any, really. Then, later, my mom, another Cingular customer, informs me that since I renewed after that promotion came out, I automatically have free mobile to mobile minutes with other Cingular customers. I was pretty excited. Then my good friend Ashley tells me she has the same promotion and I assume that I do too. So I do what I do best, and I talk. Whenever I was bored after school, before Josh came to pick me up. I would call my mom, or Ashley and I would talk for HOURS. Thinking that there would be no consequences.
Aaaaand then the bill comes. Now, don't worry, it wasn't THAT extreme. It was only $20 over the aproximate $35 it usually was. But I was concerned. It said that I had gone over my minutes while talking with other Cingular customers! But I had free mobile to mobile with other Cingular people... dind't I? So I get on the phone with Cingular and ask them what this is all about. They explain that I have the cheapest plan on the market: the $29.99/mo plan. And that plan does not include mobile to mobile minutes. Every other plan Cingular offers does, but not my cheap little plan. Well, crap.
So here I am, half-way through the month (my minutes start on the 3rd, but the bill comes on the 15th) and I have no minutes left. And this is the month that I'm going home to Illinois two weekends in a row, going to Taylor for the other, and going to Ohio to help Josh's brother move in. So basically, not a good month to be without minutes. So I ask the guy if I can upgrade in the middle of my billing cycle to the next highest plan so that I can have minutes for the rest of the month. He said, "Of course!" Well, duh, of course they wouldn't refuse me wanting to pay more or upgrade. Then I ask, but then, can I downgrade after that month is up if I cannot afforde the higher monthly rate? And he says that I can. So I upgrade to the $39.99/mo plan. I still have to pay the overage fees for the minutes I went over prior to upgrading, but at least I had minutes. And actually, I really like my newer plan. Instead of 250 anytime minutes, I now have 450. And instead of 1000 N&W I have 5000. AND I have rollover. AND I have free mobile to mobile minutes. But Josh says for as much as we use our phone, we really don't need all that anyway. So when the month is up, he says, I still have to switch back.
So here I am, a month later. I call Cingular and explain to them that I would like to go back down to my $29.99/mo cheap-o plan. And the lady very politely explains to me that that plan no longer exists. BWHAAA? Okay, breathe, it'll be alright (actually, more than half of me is going "Yay! I get to keep my plan!" But for Josh's sake, I continue). So I ask, "Then what is the cheapest plan I can go down to?" "The cheapest plan we have, ma'am, is $39.99/mo." "Wait, that's the plan I'm on right now, isn't it?" "Yes, Ma'am, it is." ... Pause... "Is there anything else I can do for you Ma'am?" "Uh.. no.. I guess not."
I figured it's over and done with, but when I explain what happened to Josh, he got slightly outraged (no sarcasm intended there). He wanted me to get back on the phone and explain to Cingular that they can't swindle us like that. But since A) I felt that this wasn't a mistake made by them, but rather by me and B) I really didn't want to get rid of this plan, I told him that I didn't feel comfortable calling them back. So he did.
His basic arguement was that the man who I had talked to originally told me that I could go back down to my original plan when the month was done. The man should have told me that my plan no longer existed and that I would not be able to downgrade afterall. I heard him tell the person on the other end, "But the message I hear whenever I call says 'This call may be recorded.' Can you please look into that and find that call my wife made?" I thought that was pretty good. But the guy was helpless because his computer would not let us downgrade. So he said when his manager comes in, he'll call us back. Somehow, that doesn't sound very likely, but we took it, since it was obvious that this guy could do, or would do, nothing for us. Josh also suggested to this guy that if it is impossible to downgrade us because the plan no longer exists, that at least they could give us a discount on the plan we have now so that we could go back to our $29.99/mo rate, since we were told we would be able to do so.
So we'll see what happens, if/when this manager calls us back!
But Josh needs to use the internet now to look up something. He's actually starting his thesis! I'm so proud. I told him when he gets 10% done (that's approximately 10 pages), that he could get a prize. :-D
Bye!
Beth
Aaaaand then the bill comes. Now, don't worry, it wasn't THAT extreme. It was only $20 over the aproximate $35 it usually was. But I was concerned. It said that I had gone over my minutes while talking with other Cingular customers! But I had free mobile to mobile with other Cingular people... dind't I? So I get on the phone with Cingular and ask them what this is all about. They explain that I have the cheapest plan on the market: the $29.99/mo plan. And that plan does not include mobile to mobile minutes. Every other plan Cingular offers does, but not my cheap little plan. Well, crap.
So here I am, half-way through the month (my minutes start on the 3rd, but the bill comes on the 15th) and I have no minutes left. And this is the month that I'm going home to Illinois two weekends in a row, going to Taylor for the other, and going to Ohio to help Josh's brother move in. So basically, not a good month to be without minutes. So I ask the guy if I can upgrade in the middle of my billing cycle to the next highest plan so that I can have minutes for the rest of the month. He said, "Of course!" Well, duh, of course they wouldn't refuse me wanting to pay more or upgrade. Then I ask, but then, can I downgrade after that month is up if I cannot afforde the higher monthly rate? And he says that I can. So I upgrade to the $39.99/mo plan. I still have to pay the overage fees for the minutes I went over prior to upgrading, but at least I had minutes. And actually, I really like my newer plan. Instead of 250 anytime minutes, I now have 450. And instead of 1000 N&W I have 5000. AND I have rollover. AND I have free mobile to mobile minutes. But Josh says for as much as we use our phone, we really don't need all that anyway. So when the month is up, he says, I still have to switch back.
So here I am, a month later. I call Cingular and explain to them that I would like to go back down to my $29.99/mo cheap-o plan. And the lady very politely explains to me that that plan no longer exists. BWHAAA? Okay, breathe, it'll be alright (actually, more than half of me is going "Yay! I get to keep my plan!" But for Josh's sake, I continue). So I ask, "Then what is the cheapest plan I can go down to?" "The cheapest plan we have, ma'am, is $39.99/mo." "Wait, that's the plan I'm on right now, isn't it?" "Yes, Ma'am, it is." ... Pause... "Is there anything else I can do for you Ma'am?" "Uh.. no.. I guess not."
I figured it's over and done with, but when I explain what happened to Josh, he got slightly outraged (no sarcasm intended there). He wanted me to get back on the phone and explain to Cingular that they can't swindle us like that. But since A) I felt that this wasn't a mistake made by them, but rather by me and B) I really didn't want to get rid of this plan, I told him that I didn't feel comfortable calling them back. So he did.
His basic arguement was that the man who I had talked to originally told me that I could go back down to my original plan when the month was done. The man should have told me that my plan no longer existed and that I would not be able to downgrade afterall. I heard him tell the person on the other end, "But the message I hear whenever I call says 'This call may be recorded.' Can you please look into that and find that call my wife made?" I thought that was pretty good. But the guy was helpless because his computer would not let us downgrade. So he said when his manager comes in, he'll call us back. Somehow, that doesn't sound very likely, but we took it, since it was obvious that this guy could do, or would do, nothing for us. Josh also suggested to this guy that if it is impossible to downgrade us because the plan no longer exists, that at least they could give us a discount on the plan we have now so that we could go back to our $29.99/mo rate, since we were told we would be able to do so.
So we'll see what happens, if/when this manager calls us back!
But Josh needs to use the internet now to look up something. He's actually starting his thesis! I'm so proud. I told him when he gets 10% done (that's approximately 10 pages), that he could get a prize. :-D
Bye!
Beth
Friday, June 10
To Be Or Not To Be... A Hoosier.
Josh thinks I need to get my driver's lisence here in Indiana. My Illinois one is still good through 2008. Plus, it's a dang good picture. Now I'm all pregnant and swollen and I really don't want proof of that for the next five years. Plus, I like being a resident of Illinois. And furthermore, I would have to take the stupid test. Just the written one, mind you, but Josh had to take it and he said some of the questions are ridiculous. Like for example: They had a blank white rectangle and asked, "What kind of sign is this? A) Informational B) Regulatory C)Something Else I Don't Remember." How silly is that?! It's not like I look at road signs and say, "My, I had better obey that Regulatory Sign!" Let's see how many of you can get that right, by the way. Without looking it up. That's cheating. Those DMV smucks are just out to get you because they're mad they coudn't get a better job. And I don't want to give them the satisfactory of failing me. And my final reason: My Illinois license has a better weight listed. If I went in now, all eight months pregnant, the weight I'd have to give would be outrageous!
But I guess I should give the reasons Josh wants me to get a Hoosier lisence. See, his schooling was covered last year with the assistantship. But next year, we have to pay for it. And in-state students pay considerably less. And since he's still in school, he has the notion that the only way he can consider himself an Indiana resident is if he's married to one. And I'm not in school, so I could easily become a resident, except that I don't want to. (In case you didn't know, you can't switch redidency to the state where you are still in school, because then the school wouldn't get as much money from you).
Well, that's just about all the nonsense I can think to type about right now.
By the way, did I mention that at my doctor's appointment last week, they said I was a centimeter dialated? Exciting! But also normal, says my doctor. Maybe I should pack that suitcase everyone keeps talking about... Also, my doctor said that the baby is head-down. Which is fabulous news. Decreases the chance of a C-Section significantly.
Bye for now!
Beth
But I guess I should give the reasons Josh wants me to get a Hoosier lisence. See, his schooling was covered last year with the assistantship. But next year, we have to pay for it. And in-state students pay considerably less. And since he's still in school, he has the notion that the only way he can consider himself an Indiana resident is if he's married to one. And I'm not in school, so I could easily become a resident, except that I don't want to. (In case you didn't know, you can't switch redidency to the state where you are still in school, because then the school wouldn't get as much money from you).
Well, that's just about all the nonsense I can think to type about right now.
By the way, did I mention that at my doctor's appointment last week, they said I was a centimeter dialated? Exciting! But also normal, says my doctor. Maybe I should pack that suitcase everyone keeps talking about... Also, my doctor said that the baby is head-down. Which is fabulous news. Decreases the chance of a C-Section significantly.
Bye for now!
Beth
Thursday, June 9
Josh's job
So Josh went in for that meeting at ITT and found out a little more information:
There are 22 students.
He'll get paid every other week.
If the information given to him is accurate, it's going to be an insanely easy job.
The lady gave him access to a previous class site so that he could see how it was run and there were no assignments! Just quizzes and a few exams! And the lady also said that she is pretty sure that the physics exams would have to be multiple choice, since they have to be submitted online. That means no partial credit (bad for students, good for Josh) and extremely easy grading. In fact, I may help him out with that - you know, since he is also supposed to be working on his thesis and doing research for his professor and I'm just sitting around here blogging. Also, the lady said that if most of the students live around the Greenwood area, she can have them meet at the Greenwood campus rather than the Indy one, and that would be closer for Josh. So if it turns out to be a easy as he thinks it may be, then he might teach a couple of them during the school year and that could be his job.
I still haven't found out anything as far as work for me for next year. When I looked at the application for the Greenwood kindergarten teacher, I noticed that even though they wanted a half-day kindergarten teacher, they considered the job full-time. Which leads me to believe that there are two half-day classes they are wanting to fill, a morning and an afternoon. And I would not be able to do that.
Let's see what else is new...
Did I mention that we have a new mattress? We gave our old one to Josh's brother. We gave him our bed and dresser because the secretary at Gray Road offered us her old bedroom set (which contains TWO dressers and a QUEEN-sized bed rather than a full which is what we had previously). So I'm really excited about our new mattress. It's a pillow top. It's good for aching pregnant bodies. But it's rediculously tall. You can't just sit on the bed anymore. You have to leap up onto it. Oh well, it's 7 inches wider and 5 inches longer and it's much softer, so I like it. And I also enjoy making fun of the fact that Josh's brother has our old bed. We call it the "Olivia Bed". He doesn't like that.
Well, I suppose I should save some news for later so I can continue to blog at the incredible rate that I've been.
But I will leave you with this: If you have found a way to make meatloaf non-disgusting and non-swimming in grease, let me know. I followed the instructions to the letter, and it just looked wrong when I was done.
Beth
There are 22 students.
He'll get paid every other week.
If the information given to him is accurate, it's going to be an insanely easy job.
The lady gave him access to a previous class site so that he could see how it was run and there were no assignments! Just quizzes and a few exams! And the lady also said that she is pretty sure that the physics exams would have to be multiple choice, since they have to be submitted online. That means no partial credit (bad for students, good for Josh) and extremely easy grading. In fact, I may help him out with that - you know, since he is also supposed to be working on his thesis and doing research for his professor and I'm just sitting around here blogging. Also, the lady said that if most of the students live around the Greenwood area, she can have them meet at the Greenwood campus rather than the Indy one, and that would be closer for Josh. So if it turns out to be a easy as he thinks it may be, then he might teach a couple of them during the school year and that could be his job.
I still haven't found out anything as far as work for me for next year. When I looked at the application for the Greenwood kindergarten teacher, I noticed that even though they wanted a half-day kindergarten teacher, they considered the job full-time. Which leads me to believe that there are two half-day classes they are wanting to fill, a morning and an afternoon. And I would not be able to do that.
Let's see what else is new...
Did I mention that we have a new mattress? We gave our old one to Josh's brother. We gave him our bed and dresser because the secretary at Gray Road offered us her old bedroom set (which contains TWO dressers and a QUEEN-sized bed rather than a full which is what we had previously). So I'm really excited about our new mattress. It's a pillow top. It's good for aching pregnant bodies. But it's rediculously tall. You can't just sit on the bed anymore. You have to leap up onto it. Oh well, it's 7 inches wider and 5 inches longer and it's much softer, so I like it. And I also enjoy making fun of the fact that Josh's brother has our old bed. We call it the "Olivia Bed". He doesn't like that.
Well, I suppose I should save some news for later so I can continue to blog at the incredible rate that I've been.
But I will leave you with this: If you have found a way to make meatloaf non-disgusting and non-swimming in grease, let me know. I followed the instructions to the letter, and it just looked wrong when I was done.
Beth
Wednesday, June 8
update (already?!)
So Josh was looking up that ITT job the other day, and... it wasn't there anymore. So we spent the day being very sad. Then, the next day (yesterday) he got an email from them asking if he was still interested! So we were happy! He called and left a message and then kicked me off the internet (he gave them our home phone instead of our cell phone - silly boy) and we waited for a few hours. So the lady calls back and we finally find out the details on this mysterious job:
It is an online class.
Josh would be in charge of grading papers and tests and facilitating assignments.
He would only have to show up at the actual school one night a week from 6-10 to answer questions and give a mini-lesson if needed.
Oh, it's a 200 level physics class.
It pays $1700 for 11 weeks.
Needless to say, no benefits.
There is a summer session that starts June 16.
Josh is at a meeting right now with the lady asking more questions, like how many students will be in the class? How many hours approximately would this job consume? Would he get paid regularly, or only at the end in one lump sum?
I think we've pretty much decided (unless there are 200+ students in the class) that he will at least take the summer session. It'll just be money in the bank since we live off of his stipend check and my check that keeps on coming throughout the summer. That way we'll be able to have somewhat of a savings for the next school year. Or be able to pay off hospital bills, whichever needs the money. As far as working there during the school year, well, that depends on how much time it consumes, which we will find out this summer. Also, there is the possibility of teacing a higher level course, which would pay $2000 instead of $1700, and the possibility of teaching more than one course at a time. But he's also still waiting for some charter and desperate high schools to contact him about teaching there. That would be a whole lot more money and benifits as well. But, it would demand more time and the hours would not be nearly as flexible and he would not be able to work at home. So, in short, we've pretty much found the perfect summer job, at least.
So, what have I been doing with my free time? I've consolidated my loans (by the way, grads, you need to do this before July 1!! The interest rates right now are 3.37 about, but they're going up to 5.something - it's a 65% increase is what I heard. If you consolidate, it'll lock in that low rate (Whoah, I sound like a Sallie Mae salesperson)). I've researched car insurance and got us some just in the nick of time. I don't think I told you, but our Illinois agent told us awhile ago that since grad school is considered a career choice rather than an educational one, they consider Indiana our permanent address and we needed to find an Indiana agent. But our Illinois agent for some reason still had us on the multi car discount from when we had the Probe, and so we were paying $60/mo instead of $90 (doesn't make sense, does it?). When I tried to switch it to Indiana, they took off the discount and so it would cost us $30 more a month to insure half as many cars as what Illinois had us down for. So I looked around so see what other companies would charge, but eventually ran out of time, and plus, I know nothing about car insurance, so it was frustrating. Long story short, our Illinois coverage expired this morning at midnight and I finally agreed to simply switch to an Indiana agent sometime around 2p.m. yesterday afternoon. :-D So no lapse in coverage. And, to make up for the extra $30/mo, the agent told me that if I were to get renters insurance for up to $10,000, it would take 10% off of our car insurance payment, and would only cost $10 more a month. So for basically the same price, we've insured all our belongings. Now I need to go around and take pictures of our apartment so that if there was a fire or a theft, I could claim that $10,000. I'm not sure that was interesting to you at all. So, if you've gotten this far, congratulations.
What else have I done? Hmm... I've applied to two schools about part-time kindergarten jobs. But when I called IPS to specifically request the kindergarten job, they said they had none, which went against what my friend had told me about a week ago. Oh well. I applied at New Whiteland, which is only 10 minutes down the road. And Josh found a site that said Greenwood is needing a part time K teacher, so as soon as he gets home and shows me that site, I'm applying there as well.
I'm also reading Perelandra by C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and Do You Think I'm Beautiful by Angela Thomas.
Sooo... yeah. I hope you enjoyed the update!
Beth
It is an online class.
Josh would be in charge of grading papers and tests and facilitating assignments.
He would only have to show up at the actual school one night a week from 6-10 to answer questions and give a mini-lesson if needed.
Oh, it's a 200 level physics class.
It pays $1700 for 11 weeks.
Needless to say, no benefits.
There is a summer session that starts June 16.
Josh is at a meeting right now with the lady asking more questions, like how many students will be in the class? How many hours approximately would this job consume? Would he get paid regularly, or only at the end in one lump sum?
I think we've pretty much decided (unless there are 200+ students in the class) that he will at least take the summer session. It'll just be money in the bank since we live off of his stipend check and my check that keeps on coming throughout the summer. That way we'll be able to have somewhat of a savings for the next school year. Or be able to pay off hospital bills, whichever needs the money. As far as working there during the school year, well, that depends on how much time it consumes, which we will find out this summer. Also, there is the possibility of teacing a higher level course, which would pay $2000 instead of $1700, and the possibility of teaching more than one course at a time. But he's also still waiting for some charter and desperate high schools to contact him about teaching there. That would be a whole lot more money and benifits as well. But, it would demand more time and the hours would not be nearly as flexible and he would not be able to work at home. So, in short, we've pretty much found the perfect summer job, at least.
So, what have I been doing with my free time? I've consolidated my loans (by the way, grads, you need to do this before July 1!! The interest rates right now are 3.37 about, but they're going up to 5.something - it's a 65% increase is what I heard. If you consolidate, it'll lock in that low rate (Whoah, I sound like a Sallie Mae salesperson)). I've researched car insurance and got us some just in the nick of time. I don't think I told you, but our Illinois agent told us awhile ago that since grad school is considered a career choice rather than an educational one, they consider Indiana our permanent address and we needed to find an Indiana agent. But our Illinois agent for some reason still had us on the multi car discount from when we had the Probe, and so we were paying $60/mo instead of $90 (doesn't make sense, does it?). When I tried to switch it to Indiana, they took off the discount and so it would cost us $30 more a month to insure half as many cars as what Illinois had us down for. So I looked around so see what other companies would charge, but eventually ran out of time, and plus, I know nothing about car insurance, so it was frustrating. Long story short, our Illinois coverage expired this morning at midnight and I finally agreed to simply switch to an Indiana agent sometime around 2p.m. yesterday afternoon. :-D So no lapse in coverage. And, to make up for the extra $30/mo, the agent told me that if I were to get renters insurance for up to $10,000, it would take 10% off of our car insurance payment, and would only cost $10 more a month. So for basically the same price, we've insured all our belongings. Now I need to go around and take pictures of our apartment so that if there was a fire or a theft, I could claim that $10,000. I'm not sure that was interesting to you at all. So, if you've gotten this far, congratulations.
What else have I done? Hmm... I've applied to two schools about part-time kindergarten jobs. But when I called IPS to specifically request the kindergarten job, they said they had none, which went against what my friend had told me about a week ago. Oh well. I applied at New Whiteland, which is only 10 minutes down the road. And Josh found a site that said Greenwood is needing a part time K teacher, so as soon as he gets home and shows me that site, I'm applying there as well.
I'm also reading Perelandra by C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and Do You Think I'm Beautiful by Angela Thomas.
Sooo... yeah. I hope you enjoyed the update!
Beth
Saturday, June 4
So here's what's new...
Hello out there, all you long-abandoned blog-readers! I sincerely apologize for mistreating you so. However, I cannot promise it will not happen again. But the more you get on me, the more likely I am to blog... so stop slacking and start complaining already!
Here's what's going on in the life of me.
I don't have a job for next year yet. Aaaand neither does Josh. I don't remember what I've posted about this, so I'll just start from the beginning. The dream was that I wouldn't have to work, or I could drop the second half of my day at Gray Road and therefore be able to work while Josh is home and then come home and be with the baby while he is at class. Also, part of that dream was that Josh would get an assistantship again next year like he had this past year. He didn't. It had nothing to do with him - the reason he got it this past year was because his advisor was a new professor and was given a start-up package that included funding for a research assistant. Well, that package and funding only lasted one year. Oh, and I was told that Gray Road will not be hiring any part-time teachers for next year. They only want teachers who can stay all day. I could be an assistant, I'm told... but that would be a pay cut on top of a pay cut. Oh, and the icing on the cake - I got my health insurance through Gray Road and Josh got his through his assisstantship. We didn't have to pay for any of it all year. Well, part-time employees at Gray Road do not get insurance, and like I said, Josh will not have his assistantship next year, so not only do we not have jobs, but we don't have insurance after August.
So here are my options: I've applied at IPS because a friend told me that there were some half-day kindergarten positions available (IPS = Indy Public Schools) and a half-time employee at IPS makes more than I did working 10 hour days at Gray Road. So that wouldn't be too bad. I don't know about insurance though. I've also pondered the possibility of babysitting. I have a friend who just had a baby about seven weeks ago, and she also has a 2 year old. She needs to go back to work after her maternity leave is up, but daycare for both kids is really expensive. I could watch her kids for less that daycare would cost and that would solve two problems at once. It would also be great to be able to stay home with Olivia. But that would make my income half what it would be as a half-day kindergarten teacher. And there would be no insurance.
But my options depend on Josh's options, and really, there's only one for him: He's applied to teach as an adjunct professor at ITT Tech. We don't know how much that would pay, and we don't know what kind of insurance it would give. We don't know what kind of hours he would have to work (morning? afternoon? evening?). So we don't know much of anything other than nobody's gotten back to him yet. But Josh's dream is to get his doctrate so he can teach at a small Christian university. Teaching at ITT Tech would be great preparation for that (and would look good on a resume). We're also assuming that the salary would be rather good. Better than what he got this past year as a stipend anyway. If the salary is as good as we hope, then I could babysit and the lower income wouldn't matter. If he doesn't get the job or the salary is not as good as we like, then I'd have to teach. I may like teaching better, the more I think about it. It would mean that I only had to work half the day, whereas babysitting would be all day. And taking care of two infants and a toddler would be a little extreme for a brand-new mommy. But I really like the idea of helping out a friend. Oh, and if Josh doesn't get the ITT Tech job, I'm going to get him a job at Menards, whether he likes it or not.
As far as insurance goes, I assume mine ends with my last full paycheck, sometime in August. I've looked into individual insurance and the deductibles are all extremely high and the coverage is not that attractive (compared to what I have now). And when we compare it to Josh's student insurance, it's just plain ridiculous. Josh's insurance through IUPUI is insanely good coverage. The deductable is only $100 (individual insurance is $2,000). The coverage is 100% (mine right now is 80%). The downfall, though, is that the premium is rather high. The upside to the premium is that there is the option to pay one lump sum for the whole year. That way, we could get a student loan to cover insurance and not have to pay it back until Josh graduates (and keep in mind, he wants to get his doctrate). Another bad thing about individual insurance that I forgot to mention is that they don't cover childhood immunizations (at least the one that I looked at) and those can get really pricey considering the amount of shots infants need and they can be like $100/shot.
Well that's what you can pray for. That our path for next year is clear, that our faith in God's plan for us is unwaivering, and that we get jobs and insurance!
As for the pregnancy: I'm as big as ever and ready to give birth already! I'm five weeks from my due date and my feet are like swollen balloons with tiny little toes attached. I haven't really developed the nesting instinct, but Josh sure has. He's cleaned both bathrooms already today and he is now mopping the porch. I think he plans on doing the whole apartment before he sleeps. It's really quite cute. He keeps saying things like "Olivia's going to think we're pigs!" and "Must get ready for the baby!" He's making me feel really guilty. But I'm not exactly sitting around doing nothing. I took the tags off all the bibs and blankets and the newborn outfits and have been doing laundry non-stop for the past two days - and none of it has been our own clothes! By the way - we have enough bibs. Please, no more bibs. But if you do feel the need to contribute, allow me to direct you to this site. I'd really like that mobile... the activity gym would be even better... :-D
Well, that's enough blogging for now. Have I made up for the past two months of silence yet? Enjoy!
Beth
Here's what's going on in the life of me.
I don't have a job for next year yet. Aaaand neither does Josh. I don't remember what I've posted about this, so I'll just start from the beginning. The dream was that I wouldn't have to work, or I could drop the second half of my day at Gray Road and therefore be able to work while Josh is home and then come home and be with the baby while he is at class. Also, part of that dream was that Josh would get an assistantship again next year like he had this past year. He didn't. It had nothing to do with him - the reason he got it this past year was because his advisor was a new professor and was given a start-up package that included funding for a research assistant. Well, that package and funding only lasted one year. Oh, and I was told that Gray Road will not be hiring any part-time teachers for next year. They only want teachers who can stay all day. I could be an assistant, I'm told... but that would be a pay cut on top of a pay cut. Oh, and the icing on the cake - I got my health insurance through Gray Road and Josh got his through his assisstantship. We didn't have to pay for any of it all year. Well, part-time employees at Gray Road do not get insurance, and like I said, Josh will not have his assistantship next year, so not only do we not have jobs, but we don't have insurance after August.
So here are my options: I've applied at IPS because a friend told me that there were some half-day kindergarten positions available (IPS = Indy Public Schools) and a half-time employee at IPS makes more than I did working 10 hour days at Gray Road. So that wouldn't be too bad. I don't know about insurance though. I've also pondered the possibility of babysitting. I have a friend who just had a baby about seven weeks ago, and she also has a 2 year old. She needs to go back to work after her maternity leave is up, but daycare for both kids is really expensive. I could watch her kids for less that daycare would cost and that would solve two problems at once. It would also be great to be able to stay home with Olivia. But that would make my income half what it would be as a half-day kindergarten teacher. And there would be no insurance.
But my options depend on Josh's options, and really, there's only one for him: He's applied to teach as an adjunct professor at ITT Tech. We don't know how much that would pay, and we don't know what kind of insurance it would give. We don't know what kind of hours he would have to work (morning? afternoon? evening?). So we don't know much of anything other than nobody's gotten back to him yet. But Josh's dream is to get his doctrate so he can teach at a small Christian university. Teaching at ITT Tech would be great preparation for that (and would look good on a resume). We're also assuming that the salary would be rather good. Better than what he got this past year as a stipend anyway. If the salary is as good as we hope, then I could babysit and the lower income wouldn't matter. If he doesn't get the job or the salary is not as good as we like, then I'd have to teach. I may like teaching better, the more I think about it. It would mean that I only had to work half the day, whereas babysitting would be all day. And taking care of two infants and a toddler would be a little extreme for a brand-new mommy. But I really like the idea of helping out a friend. Oh, and if Josh doesn't get the ITT Tech job, I'm going to get him a job at Menards, whether he likes it or not.
As far as insurance goes, I assume mine ends with my last full paycheck, sometime in August. I've looked into individual insurance and the deductibles are all extremely high and the coverage is not that attractive (compared to what I have now). And when we compare it to Josh's student insurance, it's just plain ridiculous. Josh's insurance through IUPUI is insanely good coverage. The deductable is only $100 (individual insurance is $2,000). The coverage is 100% (mine right now is 80%). The downfall, though, is that the premium is rather high. The upside to the premium is that there is the option to pay one lump sum for the whole year. That way, we could get a student loan to cover insurance and not have to pay it back until Josh graduates (and keep in mind, he wants to get his doctrate). Another bad thing about individual insurance that I forgot to mention is that they don't cover childhood immunizations (at least the one that I looked at) and those can get really pricey considering the amount of shots infants need and they can be like $100/shot.
Well that's what you can pray for. That our path for next year is clear, that our faith in God's plan for us is unwaivering, and that we get jobs and insurance!
As for the pregnancy: I'm as big as ever and ready to give birth already! I'm five weeks from my due date and my feet are like swollen balloons with tiny little toes attached. I haven't really developed the nesting instinct, but Josh sure has. He's cleaned both bathrooms already today and he is now mopping the porch. I think he plans on doing the whole apartment before he sleeps. It's really quite cute. He keeps saying things like "Olivia's going to think we're pigs!" and "Must get ready for the baby!" He's making me feel really guilty. But I'm not exactly sitting around doing nothing. I took the tags off all the bibs and blankets and the newborn outfits and have been doing laundry non-stop for the past two days - and none of it has been our own clothes! By the way - we have enough bibs. Please, no more bibs. But if you do feel the need to contribute, allow me to direct you to this site. I'd really like that mobile... the activity gym would be even better... :-D
Well, that's enough blogging for now. Have I made up for the past two months of silence yet? Enjoy!
Beth
Wednesday, April 6
Ink Cartridge Adventure
Here's part of an email I was writing to a friend. It just flowed so nicely that I thought I'd share it with the rest of the world as well. Also, I know you all thrive on my blogs, and I wouldn't want to force you through another drought...
Do you want to hear about my ink cartridge adventure? You do? Great!
So every teacher has to take turns doing chapel. Most go about three
times a year. My last time is tomorrow. And I'm lazy, so I decided
just to read a Max Lucado children's book. But when you read a book
to 200+ children, they can't all see the pages. So I decided that I
would buy transparencies and make some at home (the school doesn't
have a color copier) and that way everyone can see the pictures while
I read.
So I start this tonight (basically I was hoping something would happen
at the last minute and I would get out of doing chapel somehow - that
didn't work). I start at about 7 or 8pm, and I have the printer on
Best and it's on the transparancy option, so everything is very crisp
and very dark. So that means it takes forever, and also, that means
that at 10:30pm, I run out of ink. (This took a really long time
because I did it during commercials of American Idol and House). But
it's O.K.! I have an extra color ink cartridge! I'm prepared! So I
put in my new ink cartridge, and... it only prints in green. I try
wiping it off, I try printing it again... still only green. Sigh. At
this point I'm really glad I live five minutes from Wal-Mart. So Josh
and I hop in the car (he doesn't like me going out by myself this late
in the big city (I love him)) and we go get an ink cartridge.
I brought the new, malfunctioning cartridge along thinking that they
could send it to HP and give me a working cartridge as an exchange.
Josh thinks this is unlikely. But after going through multiple
Wal-Mart employees, I finally get the okay. So I exchange my
cartridge. But since I didn't bring the box, they need to take the
box of my new ink cartridge so they can send my malfunctioning one to
HP. But when I rip into my new cartridge box, I find my new cartridge
doesn't come in a foil bag, and it doesn't have the tape on it that
all other new cartridges come with. I explain to the Wal-Mart
employees that this is not normal, and they allow me to go get yet
another HP tri-color ink cartridge.
Imagine my relief when I rip open this box (still at checkout - my
faith in HP is rather low at this point) and find a cartridge in a
white foil bag. My relief was even greater when I got home, installed
it, and ran a perfectly colored picture. Now it's 11pm and I'm almost
done printing, but I haven't thought much about an introduction or a
conclusion. Eh, it'll come to me while I'm up there, right? Improv
suits me well.
Anyway - that's my story! I hope you enjoyed it!
Do you want to hear about my ink cartridge adventure? You do? Great!
So every teacher has to take turns doing chapel. Most go about three
times a year. My last time is tomorrow. And I'm lazy, so I decided
just to read a Max Lucado children's book. But when you read a book
to 200+ children, they can't all see the pages. So I decided that I
would buy transparencies and make some at home (the school doesn't
have a color copier) and that way everyone can see the pictures while
I read.
So I start this tonight (basically I was hoping something would happen
at the last minute and I would get out of doing chapel somehow - that
didn't work). I start at about 7 or 8pm, and I have the printer on
Best and it's on the transparancy option, so everything is very crisp
and very dark. So that means it takes forever, and also, that means
that at 10:30pm, I run out of ink. (This took a really long time
because I did it during commercials of American Idol and House). But
it's O.K.! I have an extra color ink cartridge! I'm prepared! So I
put in my new ink cartridge, and... it only prints in green. I try
wiping it off, I try printing it again... still only green. Sigh. At
this point I'm really glad I live five minutes from Wal-Mart. So Josh
and I hop in the car (he doesn't like me going out by myself this late
in the big city (I love him)) and we go get an ink cartridge.
I brought the new, malfunctioning cartridge along thinking that they
could send it to HP and give me a working cartridge as an exchange.
Josh thinks this is unlikely. But after going through multiple
Wal-Mart employees, I finally get the okay. So I exchange my
cartridge. But since I didn't bring the box, they need to take the
box of my new ink cartridge so they can send my malfunctioning one to
HP. But when I rip into my new cartridge box, I find my new cartridge
doesn't come in a foil bag, and it doesn't have the tape on it that
all other new cartridges come with. I explain to the Wal-Mart
employees that this is not normal, and they allow me to go get yet
another HP tri-color ink cartridge.
Imagine my relief when I rip open this box (still at checkout - my
faith in HP is rather low at this point) and find a cartridge in a
white foil bag. My relief was even greater when I got home, installed
it, and ran a perfectly colored picture. Now it's 11pm and I'm almost
done printing, but I haven't thought much about an introduction or a
conclusion. Eh, it'll come to me while I'm up there, right? Improv
suits me well.
Anyway - that's my story! I hope you enjoyed it!
Thursday, March 31
spring boredom.. er.. i mean break
so i'm on spring break. and josh is in the office doing homework. i've logged more internet hours this week than the past six months combined. i've even put up away messages! haven't done that since taylor! but there must be something else for me to do!
well, there's always the baby name contemplation. i want a classic name. not a 20 second name. not an overused name. unique.. yet classic.
that's exactly what we thought olivia was until we researched it on the social security website and found that it was the fifth or sixth most popular baby name of 2003 or 2004. but by that time, we had fallen in love with the name Olivia. except that i can't think of any cute nicknames. Ollie? Livvie? Libbie? i don't really like those.
I do like Ella. when you write it lowercase with a times new roman 'a', then it's the same upside down as rightside up. i thought that was unique. it's classic, too. it's been used... it's well heard of (ella fitzgerald), but it's not overused (like jessica, or elizabeth). also, it would kind of be like naming her after me. Ella, Elizabeth.. too much of a stretch? what would a good middle name be? josh's mom and sister's middle names are marie and that goes good with ella... but it's such a common middle name. i grew up with the middle name "anne". i don't want common. Ella Mae? but that's so southern, and we're definately yankees. i wouldn't mind moving to the south, though... atlanta, anyone?
Those are pretty much the only serious ones in the running until you folk out there give me something more to choose from. Adelia is a pretty name, and it comes from my family, but josh can't quite say it right without slobbering all over himself. (sorry, shouldn't make fun of the hubby, that was a great exaggeration). but it's definately unique...
well, now that you know what i want, get on it!
beth (and baby - who doesn't have a name yet...)
well, there's always the baby name contemplation. i want a classic name. not a 20 second name. not an overused name. unique.. yet classic.
that's exactly what we thought olivia was until we researched it on the social security website and found that it was the fifth or sixth most popular baby name of 2003 or 2004. but by that time, we had fallen in love with the name Olivia. except that i can't think of any cute nicknames. Ollie? Livvie? Libbie? i don't really like those.
I do like Ella. when you write it lowercase with a times new roman 'a', then it's the same upside down as rightside up. i thought that was unique. it's classic, too. it's been used... it's well heard of (ella fitzgerald), but it's not overused (like jessica, or elizabeth). also, it would kind of be like naming her after me. Ella, Elizabeth.. too much of a stretch? what would a good middle name be? josh's mom and sister's middle names are marie and that goes good with ella... but it's such a common middle name. i grew up with the middle name "anne". i don't want common. Ella Mae? but that's so southern, and we're definately yankees. i wouldn't mind moving to the south, though... atlanta, anyone?
Those are pretty much the only serious ones in the running until you folk out there give me something more to choose from. Adelia is a pretty name, and it comes from my family, but josh can't quite say it right without slobbering all over himself. (sorry, shouldn't make fun of the hubby, that was a great exaggeration). but it's definately unique...
well, now that you know what i want, get on it!
beth (and baby - who doesn't have a name yet...)
Wednesday, March 30
Tuesday, March 15
short blog
it's late, josh is already in bed, and i'm seeing double, i'm so tired. but i had to finally blog this for those of you too lazy to figure out my ingenious encoding:
IT'S A GIRL!!!!
so gimme names already!!
we still like olivia, but it's really common now. like, it the top 5 when you go to the social security website and look up recent names. if we did pick olivia, what about:
olivia grace
olivia faith
olivia taylor? (the joke would be: she'd start out as olivia grace, and then transfer to olivia taylor) tee hee
we're still considering adelia.
adelia mae is really the only combination we've had with that. we like adelia because it's not common at ALL, and it's also in my family tree... somewhere. oh, and i like the nickname addie.
josh still likes the name heidi, but i'm not too sure. i'd need a really good middle name to convince me.
i think we've finally decided against adriana (i brought that one up as a joke in honor of the female costar of josh's all-time favorite movie ("Yo Adrian!!"))
but what about ella mae? or maybe all one word: ellamae.
josh's grandma's name is madeline, and that's not too bad either. possible nickname: maddie (hear: aww, cute!... hmm, sounds like addie...)
well, that's our list, besides eliana, which josh won't let me have because i'm stealing it from some friends who named their little girl that. even though we never see them, and they're planning on being missionaries in africa for forever... grr josh.
so much for a short blog
good night!
IT'S A GIRL!!!!
so gimme names already!!
we still like olivia, but it's really common now. like, it the top 5 when you go to the social security website and look up recent names. if we did pick olivia, what about:
olivia grace
olivia faith
olivia taylor? (the joke would be: she'd start out as olivia grace, and then transfer to olivia taylor) tee hee
we're still considering adelia.
adelia mae is really the only combination we've had with that. we like adelia because it's not common at ALL, and it's also in my family tree... somewhere. oh, and i like the nickname addie.
josh still likes the name heidi, but i'm not too sure. i'd need a really good middle name to convince me.
i think we've finally decided against adriana (i brought that one up as a joke in honor of the female costar of josh's all-time favorite movie ("Yo Adrian!!"))
but what about ella mae? or maybe all one word: ellamae.
josh's grandma's name is madeline, and that's not too bad either. possible nickname: maddie (hear: aww, cute!... hmm, sounds like addie...)
well, that's our list, besides eliana, which josh won't let me have because i'm stealing it from some friends who named their little girl that. even though we never see them, and they're planning on being missionaries in africa for forever... grr josh.
so much for a short blog
good night!
Sunday, March 13
half a shrimp
so we woke up this morning, ate some breakfast, went back to bed, showered, went back to bed... typical lazy sunday sunday morning.
until....
we got up (for the third time) to get ready for church, and josh came out to feed the fish, and the next thing i know, he's yelling, "beth, the shrimp's half-gone!"
so of course, i yell back, "huh?" i mean, can you blame me? how can a shrimp be half gone? so i come out, take a look, and indeed, our shrimp is half-gone.
turns out one of our fish is carnivorous. do they have csi for fishies? i guess it wouldn't do any good, since we've already disposed of the evidence. but i'm really upset. i mean, this shrimp cost $20. this is not your average popcorn shrimp. and it was a gruesome crime scene. totally worthy of csi for fishies. why would our carnivorous fish (whoever it is) only eat half of him? what a waste. but i guess this answers the question about what happened to lawnmower blenny. he just disappeared one day - completely. fish don't do that normally. maybe if i lived by the ocean.. and my fish had escaped in plastic bags... but i doubt that happened.
until....
we got up (for the third time) to get ready for church, and josh came out to feed the fish, and the next thing i know, he's yelling, "beth, the shrimp's half-gone!"
so of course, i yell back, "huh?" i mean, can you blame me? how can a shrimp be half gone? so i come out, take a look, and indeed, our shrimp is half-gone.
turns out one of our fish is carnivorous. do they have csi for fishies? i guess it wouldn't do any good, since we've already disposed of the evidence. but i'm really upset. i mean, this shrimp cost $20. this is not your average popcorn shrimp. and it was a gruesome crime scene. totally worthy of csi for fishies. why would our carnivorous fish (whoever it is) only eat half of him? what a waste. but i guess this answers the question about what happened to lawnmower blenny. he just disappeared one day - completely. fish don't do that normally. maybe if i lived by the ocean.. and my fish had escaped in plastic bags... but i doubt that happened.
Thursday, March 3
intriguing inquiries
there were quiite a few questions and commentts concerning my late fissh, cowboy, so i decided thaat i should blogg more about hiim instead of the genderr of my chilld, which nobody asked me about... at all.
salt water fish have no guarantee. they are quite the gamble. it's not like walmart where you can take the dead fish back up to three days later and get a refund or replacement. as soon as that fish leaves the store, they have your money and you have your fish, dead or alive.
so, in light of that information, and knowing the deathrate of saltwater fish is quite high in the first weeks of life in a new home, (frankie) i did not get very attached to cowboy right away. and it's a good thing i didn't. because he died less than 24 hours later. crap, that reminds me, i forgot to watch 24 this week... what was i thinking?
ashley, no, i have no clue what was wrong exactly with cowboy. i do know that butterflies are skittish fish and they scare very easily. so the move was a very tramatic thing for him. also, i don't think the pet store had had him very long (he's a popular fish) so there were probably two big moves within a very short time that accounted for his untimely death. and no, i don't think we will get another one, at least not right away. we will probably research some heartier fish that would be more likely to survive.
and melissa, it was not my fault he died, i assure you that you can trust us with your pets. i mean, come on! we're parents already! if we can handle a kid, we can handle a pet.
speaking of being parents...
it's too bad nobody cared enough to ask whether i have a malachi or olivia...
so sad for you.
salt water fish have no guarantee. they are quite the gamble. it's not like walmart where you can take the dead fish back up to three days later and get a refund or replacement. as soon as that fish leaves the store, they have your money and you have your fish, dead or alive.
so, in light of that information, and knowing the deathrate of saltwater fish is quite high in the first weeks of life in a new home, (frankie) i did not get very attached to cowboy right away. and it's a good thing i didn't. because he died less than 24 hours later. crap, that reminds me, i forgot to watch 24 this week... what was i thinking?
ashley, no, i have no clue what was wrong exactly with cowboy. i do know that butterflies are skittish fish and they scare very easily. so the move was a very tramatic thing for him. also, i don't think the pet store had had him very long (he's a popular fish) so there were probably two big moves within a very short time that accounted for his untimely death. and no, i don't think we will get another one, at least not right away. we will probably research some heartier fish that would be more likely to survive.
and melissa, it was not my fault he died, i assure you that you can trust us with your pets. i mean, come on! we're parents already! if we can handle a kid, we can handle a pet.
speaking of being parents...
it's too bad nobody cared enough to ask whether i have a malachi or olivia...
so sad for you.
Tuesday, March 1
and he's dead
crappy sickly picky pretty boy expensive fish....
i just flushed $28 down the toilet.
grrr.
i just flushed $28 down the toilet.
grrr.
Monday, February 28
just in case there was any confusion....
| You scored as Gir. WOO! Youre the idiot dog brained side kick, GIR! You love just existing and doing fun stuff! |
 |
Which Invader Zim Charecter are You?
created with QuizFarm.com
picky eater
so cowboys a picky eater. we have to tempt him with a 'variety of food' to get him to eat. spoiled brat. just cuz he's a pretty boy doesn't mean he gets a buffet at every meal. but the thing is, potentially he could starve himself and die and then we'd be out $28. so we feed him flakes, pellets, and frozen formula in hopes of keeping him alive long enough to get our money's worth out of him. stupid pretty boy.
Sunday, February 27
fishy fishy!
so, i know i don't blog enough. but that's because nothing ever happens. i have a boring life.
well, today, after church, we went to Uncle Bill's Pet Shop (you may have seen their cheesy local commercials if you're in the area, or if you went to Taylor). and we bought a new fish! it's a copperband butterfly. it's gorgeous. and if you've seen finding nemo, it's the h20 intolerant fish. if you haven't seen finding nemo, then we're not friends anymore.
josh is stealing the computer....
ok, got it back! where was i...
new fishy! it's a copperband, so josh wanted to name it Copper. but i heard Cowboy. so his name is Cowboy. So anyways, we also have this shrimp. just like the one in finding nemo, actually... his name is jacque (sp?) and he's our cleaner shrimp. he cleans our rocks. he's very useful.
well, jacque and cowboy have a very unique relationship already. jacque scampers up to cowboy, latches on and goes for a ride! it's just like finding nemo with the shrimp 'decontaminates' nemo after finding out he came from the real ocean. only cowboy doesn't spin round in circles like nemo did. but he doesn't run from jacque either! i think he likes being 'decontaminated'!!
umm... trying to think of something else that has happened lately...
umm...
so i find out thursday whether i have an olivia or a malachi. (those are the winning names at the Zapf Baby Name Poll - which now has middle names - GO VOTE!!)
i'm done.
bye!
well, today, after church, we went to Uncle Bill's Pet Shop (you may have seen their cheesy local commercials if you're in the area, or if you went to Taylor). and we bought a new fish! it's a copperband butterfly. it's gorgeous. and if you've seen finding nemo, it's the h20 intolerant fish. if you haven't seen finding nemo, then we're not friends anymore.
josh is stealing the computer....
ok, got it back! where was i...
new fishy! it's a copperband, so josh wanted to name it Copper. but i heard Cowboy. so his name is Cowboy. So anyways, we also have this shrimp. just like the one in finding nemo, actually... his name is jacque (sp?) and he's our cleaner shrimp. he cleans our rocks. he's very useful.
well, jacque and cowboy have a very unique relationship already. jacque scampers up to cowboy, latches on and goes for a ride! it's just like finding nemo with the shrimp 'decontaminates' nemo after finding out he came from the real ocean. only cowboy doesn't spin round in circles like nemo did. but he doesn't run from jacque either! i think he likes being 'decontaminated'!!
umm... trying to think of something else that has happened lately...
umm...
so i find out thursday whether i have an olivia or a malachi. (those are the winning names at the Zapf Baby Name Poll - which now has middle names - GO VOTE!!)
i'm done.
bye!
Saturday, February 12
according to the chinese lunar calendar...
i will be having a boy.
i forgot what else i was going to say.
oh, yeah, go here and vote for the name and gender of my child.
well, gotta go, josh is taking pictures of my belly as i sit here and type this.
bye!
beth
i forgot what else i was going to say.
oh, yeah, go here and vote for the name and gender of my child.
well, gotta go, josh is taking pictures of my belly as i sit here and type this.
bye!
beth
to answer frankie's questions...
yes i will continue to work through this school year full time. next year i'm going to have to continue working, but i'll be moving back to part time. i'll either teach the 3's again from 8-11:15 or i'll teach 4's MWF 8-11:15 and hopefully get odd and end jobs for T,Th to pad my paycheck, or -my dream job- i could move up to kindergarten and do that MTWThF 8-11:15.
and no, jeremy, i won't be in need of a day care center or babysitter, even though i'll be working parttime. josh's grad school classes don't start til afternoon. so he'll be a stay-at-home daddy in the mornings and i'll be a stay-at-home mommy in the afternoons. yay!
did i mention in my last post that i can now turn my belly button inside out? i'm really rather proud of that.
bye!
beth
and no, jeremy, i won't be in need of a day care center or babysitter, even though i'll be working parttime. josh's grad school classes don't start til afternoon. so he'll be a stay-at-home daddy in the mornings and i'll be a stay-at-home mommy in the afternoons. yay!
did i mention in my last post that i can now turn my belly button inside out? i'm really rather proud of that.
bye!
beth
Tuesday, February 8
boy? or girl...
March 3. mark your calendars. that's my next ultrasound. That's when I find out if I have a little boy or a little girl nestled within my womb.
Boy names:
Malachi
Isaac
Isaiah (but josh's cousin took it... grr...)
Girl names:
Olivia
Adelia
Oh, and everyone needs to hear this song and watch the video cuz it's frickin' hilarious.
So, i'm addicted to House and 24. I can't watch Alias anymore because it's the same time as my house church/bible study (so many names...) But people always call during those two shows. and it's always people i haven't talked to in forever and people that i really need and/or want to talk to. so i think i'm just going to register for House and 24 on dvd when i register for baby things (i know House won't be out yet... preorder). Hey, the baby likes it too. pretty sure.
and finally... i can manually turn my belly button inside out. yay for me, aren't i special?
Have a great night! I'm off to make a test.
beth and baby
Boy names:
Malachi
Isaac
Isaiah (but josh's cousin took it... grr...)
Girl names:
Olivia
Adelia
Oh, and everyone needs to hear this song and watch the video cuz it's frickin' hilarious.
So, i'm addicted to House and 24. I can't watch Alias anymore because it's the same time as my house church/bible study (so many names...) But people always call during those two shows. and it's always people i haven't talked to in forever and people that i really need and/or want to talk to. so i think i'm just going to register for House and 24 on dvd when i register for baby things (i know House won't be out yet... preorder). Hey, the baby likes it too. pretty sure.
and finally... i can manually turn my belly button inside out. yay for me, aren't i special?
Have a great night! I'm off to make a test.
beth and baby
Sunday, January 30
well here i am
well, here i am, it's sunday afternoon. josh is studying in his office. and i'm watching a chuck norris sunday matinee movie.
sure do wish someone would come online and talk to me.
ho hum.
well, check out this picture. it's what my baby would look like if i were to have an ultrasound done this week. how adorable! look at his little chubby cheeks!! (i was going to use Hello and actually show the picture on my blog, but then i remembered that josh reformatted the laptop and i hadn't redownloaded Hello yet. so that's gonna take awhile and i'm impatient.
now i think i'll show you a picture (not of me) but of a pregnant belly that resembles how fat i am. I like to go to this site (the belly gallery) to see where i stand. upon further investigation, i've decided not to disclose my fatness to the world. sorry!
besides, i'm kinda into this movie now.
beth
sure do wish someone would come online and talk to me.
ho hum.
well, check out this picture. it's what my baby would look like if i were to have an ultrasound done this week. how adorable! look at his little chubby cheeks!! (i was going to use Hello and actually show the picture on my blog, but then i remembered that josh reformatted the laptop and i hadn't redownloaded Hello yet. so that's gonna take awhile and i'm impatient.
now i think i'll show you a picture (not of me) but of a pregnant belly that resembles how fat i am. I like to go to this site (the belly gallery) to see where i stand. upon further investigation, i've decided not to disclose my fatness to the world. sorry!
besides, i'm kinda into this movie now.
beth
Saturday, January 29
hello out there
Beth
B is for Bewitching
E is for Energetic
T is for Tasty
H is for Helpful
What does your name mean?
Then, out of curiousity, i looked up
Elizabeth
E is for Excellent
L is for Luscious
I is for Impressive
Z is for Zingy
A is for Animated
B is for Bewildering
E is for Elitist
T is for Tolerant
H is for Heavenly
So what do you think? which name is more me? Which characteristic is right on and which would you change and what to? can you tell I've been making up tests for fifth graders? I think I'm geting quite good and making up those questions. If you would like to take a test on the Swiss Family Robinson, I can email it to you.
By the way, I'm getting fat. Though it could be from the chex mix, sweettarts, pancakes, and bacon. I wish I had self-control.
Beth
B is for Bewitching
E is for Energetic
T is for Tasty
H is for Helpful
What does your name mean?
Then, out of curiousity, i looked up
Elizabeth
E is for Excellent
L is for Luscious
I is for Impressive
Z is for Zingy
A is for Animated
B is for Bewildering
E is for Elitist
T is for Tolerant
H is for Heavenly
So what do you think? which name is more me? Which characteristic is right on and which would you change and what to? can you tell I've been making up tests for fifth graders? I think I'm geting quite good and making up those questions. If you would like to take a test on the Swiss Family Robinson, I can email it to you.
By the way, I'm getting fat. Though it could be from the chex mix, sweettarts, pancakes, and bacon. I wish I had self-control.
Beth
Sunday, January 9
bad beth
i can't believe i went that long without blogging again. i thought i was gonna do better.... sorry.
i think i'm able to blame it on josh. he's been on the computer all the time working on his silly attitude thingy (remember, he's the spaceman who works on satellites..). he had to get it done before he left for reno.
cry. he's in reno. i'm all by myself in a city where i don't know anybody at all. i was at taylor on friday, but i didn't even stop by the dorm to see anybody. i wasn't sure i would know anybody. and if i didn't, that would have been awkward and depressing. i so desperately wanted to be able to walk into gerig and see melissa, ashley, paul, emily... everyone who made that dorm my home for so long... being in a big city without anyone (if even for a weekend) really emphasized that desire.
i've been on the phone all weekend. i called becky and she couldn't come down and see me, so we just talked for a couple hours as if we were right next to each other. i even went to blockbuster and picked out a movie as if she were with me. i'm such a pathetic people person.
i've decided i don't like making new friends. i liked being forced to get to know each other because of close proximity. it didn't take any effort at all. people got to know the good and the bad about me and i got to see who remained when all was in the open and decided those were my friends. now those people are so far away! where do i go to get new friends like that? the other teachers at school aren't 'my type'. the other people at the church i go to intimidate me. they're all dressed in their Gap finest and they all know each other but nobody knows me. i want to go to a smaller closer church so it would be easier to get to know people, but josh (who isn't a people person at ALL) loves this church so much for the music, sermon, and pastor that he can't see my logic and refuses. i can see his point. i love the music, sermon, and pastor too - i think that all three are better here than at any other church i've ever been to. but i want the church family. i want people to ask how i'm doing and mean it. i want to be able to get together with those people outside of church. i want a life!!
enough complaining.
i went to the doctor on friday... OH i forgot to say - there was no school on friday! not because of snow - there was none. not because of ice storms - none of those either. but because of contaminated water. yay indy water company!! you made my day! a couple of their machines went down, and so there was a 3 minute water boil advisory thingy and we could do that everytime a child wanted a drink, so school was cancelled! too bad i got the news the second my head was under the shower, so i had to finish and dry off and all that good stuff before getting back into bed for the rest of the day.
but back to the doctor. i went on friday and met my doctor for the first time. i like her enough i suppose. i'm still caught in the decision of whether to have the midwife or the doctor. don't worry, if i had a midwife, i would still deliver in the hospital and if there were any complications, my doctor would be there. the only difference is that the midwife would see me every month, where as i'm told the doctors share their patients so i would see a different person every month. but then, when i was making my next couple of appointments, the receptionist made them all with my doctor... so i don't know if that's true anymore. but anyways - doctor's appointment. i got there at 3:45, thinking my appointment was at 3:50. i was all proud of myself because i was early. but then the receptionist told me my appointment was at 3:20. crap. i looked at my appointment card... it was for last month. same day, different month, different time. oops. so i waited in the waiting room with josh for half an hour before getting called in. then the nurse weighed me (that was depressing - and it's only going to get worse...) and took my blood pressure and told me the doctor would be right with me. so 45 minutes go by and i'm still sitting there, waiting for the doctor to be 'right with me'. i'm hoping that that was all because i was late, and that it won't happen again... we'll see. but then the doctor finally comes in and she squirts some jelly on my belly and we get to hear the baby's heartbeat!!! (not from the jelly... from this other thingy that she rubbed on the jelly on my belly.) we recorded it and everything. very sentimental. then she felt my belly and found my uterus and said basically all was good. i wanted to feel it too, but i couldn't... but supposedly it's like the size of a grapefruit now. josh got to feel it. poo.
so i'm 14 weeks. i'm in my 15th week. i'm three months. i'm in my fourth month. the baby's about 5 inches (head to butt) supposedly.
OH and i found out when i was talking to the doctor that insurance doesn't cover ultrasounds unless they're medically necessary. so finding out whether the baby is a girl or boy isn't a medical reason to get an ultrasound. so unless i come across $600 or a medical reason for an ultrasound after my 18th week, it'll be a surprise to us all, and the baby will have to live with those glorious nuetral tones of green, yellow, and orange.
well, i better go. i doubt anyone will even read this because 1)it's been so long since i've blogged and 2) it's so frickin long.
beth
i think i'm able to blame it on josh. he's been on the computer all the time working on his silly attitude thingy (remember, he's the spaceman who works on satellites..). he had to get it done before he left for reno.
cry. he's in reno. i'm all by myself in a city where i don't know anybody at all. i was at taylor on friday, but i didn't even stop by the dorm to see anybody. i wasn't sure i would know anybody. and if i didn't, that would have been awkward and depressing. i so desperately wanted to be able to walk into gerig and see melissa, ashley, paul, emily... everyone who made that dorm my home for so long... being in a big city without anyone (if even for a weekend) really emphasized that desire.
i've been on the phone all weekend. i called becky and she couldn't come down and see me, so we just talked for a couple hours as if we were right next to each other. i even went to blockbuster and picked out a movie as if she were with me. i'm such a pathetic people person.
i've decided i don't like making new friends. i liked being forced to get to know each other because of close proximity. it didn't take any effort at all. people got to know the good and the bad about me and i got to see who remained when all was in the open and decided those were my friends. now those people are so far away! where do i go to get new friends like that? the other teachers at school aren't 'my type'. the other people at the church i go to intimidate me. they're all dressed in their Gap finest and they all know each other but nobody knows me. i want to go to a smaller closer church so it would be easier to get to know people, but josh (who isn't a people person at ALL) loves this church so much for the music, sermon, and pastor that he can't see my logic and refuses. i can see his point. i love the music, sermon, and pastor too - i think that all three are better here than at any other church i've ever been to. but i want the church family. i want people to ask how i'm doing and mean it. i want to be able to get together with those people outside of church. i want a life!!
enough complaining.
i went to the doctor on friday... OH i forgot to say - there was no school on friday! not because of snow - there was none. not because of ice storms - none of those either. but because of contaminated water. yay indy water company!! you made my day! a couple of their machines went down, and so there was a 3 minute water boil advisory thingy and we could do that everytime a child wanted a drink, so school was cancelled! too bad i got the news the second my head was under the shower, so i had to finish and dry off and all that good stuff before getting back into bed for the rest of the day.
but back to the doctor. i went on friday and met my doctor for the first time. i like her enough i suppose. i'm still caught in the decision of whether to have the midwife or the doctor. don't worry, if i had a midwife, i would still deliver in the hospital and if there were any complications, my doctor would be there. the only difference is that the midwife would see me every month, where as i'm told the doctors share their patients so i would see a different person every month. but then, when i was making my next couple of appointments, the receptionist made them all with my doctor... so i don't know if that's true anymore. but anyways - doctor's appointment. i got there at 3:45, thinking my appointment was at 3:50. i was all proud of myself because i was early. but then the receptionist told me my appointment was at 3:20. crap. i looked at my appointment card... it was for last month. same day, different month, different time. oops. so i waited in the waiting room with josh for half an hour before getting called in. then the nurse weighed me (that was depressing - and it's only going to get worse...) and took my blood pressure and told me the doctor would be right with me. so 45 minutes go by and i'm still sitting there, waiting for the doctor to be 'right with me'. i'm hoping that that was all because i was late, and that it won't happen again... we'll see. but then the doctor finally comes in and she squirts some jelly on my belly and we get to hear the baby's heartbeat!!! (not from the jelly... from this other thingy that she rubbed on the jelly on my belly.) we recorded it and everything. very sentimental. then she felt my belly and found my uterus and said basically all was good. i wanted to feel it too, but i couldn't... but supposedly it's like the size of a grapefruit now. josh got to feel it. poo.
so i'm 14 weeks. i'm in my 15th week. i'm three months. i'm in my fourth month. the baby's about 5 inches (head to butt) supposedly.
OH and i found out when i was talking to the doctor that insurance doesn't cover ultrasounds unless they're medically necessary. so finding out whether the baby is a girl or boy isn't a medical reason to get an ultrasound. so unless i come across $600 or a medical reason for an ultrasound after my 18th week, it'll be a surprise to us all, and the baby will have to live with those glorious nuetral tones of green, yellow, and orange.
well, i better go. i doubt anyone will even read this because 1)it's been so long since i've blogged and 2) it's so frickin long.
beth
Tuesday, December 21
grrrr water
so heather's comin over and i promised paella. we're going out of town tomorrow, so i have four loads of laundry and a load of dishes to do. i also wanted to mop the floors. go figure that today would be the day that we would be without water since approximately 10 this morning. they say it'll come back on 'sometime this afternoon'. well, i need to do dishes so i can make the paella. the paella needs at least 3 1/2 to 4 hours to cook in the crock pot. heather's coming at 6. this isn't adding up right in my head....
hmm... we do have some distilled water in the laundry room... i could use that to wash the frying pan...
but the clothes that need to hang dry will never be dry by tomorrow morning.
grrrrr water
hmm... we do have some distilled water in the laundry room... i could use that to wash the frying pan...
but the clothes that need to hang dry will never be dry by tomorrow morning.
grrrrr water
Monday, December 20
yay! profile pic!
look at me. it only took one lazy monday afternoon and a quick sign up at villagephoto.com and i got myself a profile pic.
it's what i've always wanted.
or at least since mel and ashley got theirs up and running and i was left painfully behind.
but now i have one. i am once again part of the in-crowd.
so what do you think?
i look like mr. ed don't i.
it's what i've always wanted.
or at least since mel and ashley got theirs up and running and i was left painfully behind.
but now i have one. i am once again part of the in-crowd.
so what do you think?
i look like mr. ed don't i.
Tuesday, December 14
one-liner
ironic (i-ron-ik): i'm not allowed painkillers; therefore, i get headaches for the first time in my life.
Saturday, December 11
Wednesday, December 8
that 70's uterus
that title is dedicated to ashalily.
so i went to the doctOr (thanks frankie) yesterday to hear the baby's heartbeat. yay!
but she couldn't find it. boo.
she also made me pee in a cup again. booo.
she said that either my uterus is 'retroverted' which i think means backwards? (she said not to worry about it...) or my own heartbeat was so rediculously loud that it smothered the sounds my baby could have been making. i'm already sensing that this baby could be more like josh than me...
then she scheduled me for an utrasound, which i went to today.
so i got to sleep in today! all the way til 7:30 ( a whole hour and a half!) and went to my appointment at 8:45.
i still didn't get to hear the heartbeat. but i got to SEE it!! the baby is so tiny! but still somehow bigger than i thought. it's an inch long from "crown to rump" which is the scientific way of saying "head to butt."
and i got pictures!! but i still haven't figured out how to post pictures on blogger, so i'm going to need a tutorial.
anyway, it's 10:30pm and i'm tired, so good night!
so i went to the doctOr (thanks frankie) yesterday to hear the baby's heartbeat. yay!
but she couldn't find it. boo.
she also made me pee in a cup again. booo.
she said that either my uterus is 'retroverted' which i think means backwards? (she said not to worry about it...) or my own heartbeat was so rediculously loud that it smothered the sounds my baby could have been making. i'm already sensing that this baby could be more like josh than me...
then she scheduled me for an utrasound, which i went to today.
so i got to sleep in today! all the way til 7:30 ( a whole hour and a half!) and went to my appointment at 8:45.
i still didn't get to hear the heartbeat. but i got to SEE it!! the baby is so tiny! but still somehow bigger than i thought. it's an inch long from "crown to rump" which is the scientific way of saying "head to butt."
and i got pictures!! but i still haven't figured out how to post pictures on blogger, so i'm going to need a tutorial.
anyway, it's 10:30pm and i'm tired, so good night!
Saturday, December 4
a doctor and a mantainance (sp?) guy
ok, so it's the weekend and i'm actually home. that means i'm not working, and i'm not sleeping, so i'm actually writing in my blog!!
i went to the doctor on monday. it was very exciting. i am spelling doctor right... aren't i? ever since i met matt docter... doctor... i get messed up which is the real way to spell the word. way to go, matt. thanks a lot. but anyway. i actually didn't even see a docter.. doctor... i saw the 'nurse practitioner' and she was really nice. she told me i was pregnant. after she made me pee in a cup. i hate peeing in cups... grrr.... and then she tried to hear the baby's heartbeat! she thought she heard it briefly.. but josh and i didn't hear anything. so i'm going back on tuesday to hear the heartbeat and i'm bringing a tape recorder. i'm thinking cheap gifts for the grandparents... well, that's all i can think of that i want to talk about that. except for the brief warning to the girls out there... pregnancy exams are invasive. josh already said that i've gone through more than he'd be willing to. he said he would have wussed out at the blood test. guys are weak.
so anyway. about the maintainance (sp?) guy. actually... i really don't feel like talking about that right now. josh is making pancakes and that takes presidence (sp?) over lazy, gross, mean maintainance men.
so while i'm eating pancakes, you can see what the baby might look like by clicking here.
check out those elbows!
oh, and the due date is officially July 6, 2005, give or take two weeks.
oh oh, and i need names for girls. for boy names we like Malachi and Isaac and maybe Isaiah. but we can't find any girl names we agree on. we don't like ordinary names... that's the only hitch. it would be cool if they came from the bible, but it's not a necessity.
bye!!
i went to the doctor on monday. it was very exciting. i am spelling doctor right... aren't i? ever since i met matt docter... doctor... i get messed up which is the real way to spell the word. way to go, matt. thanks a lot. but anyway. i actually didn't even see a docter.. doctor... i saw the 'nurse practitioner' and she was really nice. she told me i was pregnant. after she made me pee in a cup. i hate peeing in cups... grrr.... and then she tried to hear the baby's heartbeat! she thought she heard it briefly.. but josh and i didn't hear anything. so i'm going back on tuesday to hear the heartbeat and i'm bringing a tape recorder. i'm thinking cheap gifts for the grandparents... well, that's all i can think of that i want to talk about that. except for the brief warning to the girls out there... pregnancy exams are invasive. josh already said that i've gone through more than he'd be willing to. he said he would have wussed out at the blood test. guys are weak.
so anyway. about the maintainance (sp?) guy. actually... i really don't feel like talking about that right now. josh is making pancakes and that takes presidence (sp?) over lazy, gross, mean maintainance men.
so while i'm eating pancakes, you can see what the baby might look like by clicking here.
check out those elbows!
oh, and the due date is officially July 6, 2005, give or take two weeks.
oh oh, and i need names for girls. for boy names we like Malachi and Isaac and maybe Isaiah. but we can't find any girl names we agree on. we don't like ordinary names... that's the only hitch. it would be cool if they came from the bible, but it's not a necessity.
bye!!
Sunday, November 14
dedicated to fj
i would like to take this opportunity to personally thank frankie for never giving up on this blog. i hereby declare you This Blog's Most Faithful Reader. congratulations! what are you going to do now?
so, what have i done in the past month of blog-silence? umm... i still work 10hr days... i try to sleep more... and i try to convince josh that getting a B in grad school isn't the end of life as we know it.
speaking of josh and grad school... he's going to be working on Taylor's satellite for his assistantship, and writing his thesis on his attitute control thingamabob, so that's really cool. he might even be able to graduate early because he's done so much work on that crap... er... stuff... already. and he might be going to reno in january to see if taylor wins the satellite contest. but he says i can't come unless i wanna buy my own ticket out there. stupid taylor. don't they realize how much i have put into this satellite? i went out to TWO satellite conferences in Utah already. i stayed up all frickin night with the rest of them to take pictures of their last-minute craziness. and most importantly, i put up with two and a half years of neglect from a husband who couldn't leave nussbaum to save his life. I DESERVE RENO.
yay, i hear josh doing dishes. sigh. it's a beautiful sound.
now i'm trying to think of any three-year-old-stories that i could tell you... i don't think i've told you very many at all, and that's a real shame cuz they're priceless. did i tell you about my one boy who got suspended for a week for hitting a teacher in the nose? that's right. a three-year-old who got suspended for taking down a teacher. it wasn't me that he hit, it was his afternoon teacher. it was really wierd, too, cuz he had been having a great day, he even was my line leader. (by the way, this is the same boy who locked himself in the handicapped stall, if you read my earlier blog about my boys). They were in the bathroom and he was trying to wash his hands. but our bathrooms are not age appropriate for my three-year-olds, so this boy (he's the smallest) has to hoist himself up onto the sink to reach the faucet to wash his hands. Anyways, the afternoon teacher sees that he is slipping off the sink and so she goes in to help him back up, and he goes to elbow her in the face! he missed (the first time) and she said "DON'T hit the teacher!" and so he starts to slip again and she goes in again to help him back up and this time he yells "NO" and swings his elbow back with all his little three-year-old strength and makes contact with her nose (right at the sensitive spot between the nostrils). the teacher stands back and covers her nose because she's sure it's bleeding, and blinks back the tears as the rest of the boys crowd around the guilty party and go, "you hit the teacher!!" "you're not supposed to hit the teacher!!" "Why did you hit the teacher??" and one boy comes and gets me (i'm right next door getting ready to go up to fourth and fifth grade) and says "The teacher got hit!" So i take the guilty boy down to the principals office and we don't see him again for a week. it was a quiet week.
well, that's all i can think of for now, besides josh is antsy; he wants the computer back. (he's the reason i've not been able to blog, if you're looking for someone to blame.)
don't know when i'll be able to blog again... hopefully soon!
by the way, i'm pregnant.
so, what have i done in the past month of blog-silence? umm... i still work 10hr days... i try to sleep more... and i try to convince josh that getting a B in grad school isn't the end of life as we know it.
speaking of josh and grad school... he's going to be working on Taylor's satellite for his assistantship, and writing his thesis on his attitute control thingamabob, so that's really cool. he might even be able to graduate early because he's done so much work on that crap... er... stuff... already. and he might be going to reno in january to see if taylor wins the satellite contest. but he says i can't come unless i wanna buy my own ticket out there. stupid taylor. don't they realize how much i have put into this satellite? i went out to TWO satellite conferences in Utah already. i stayed up all frickin night with the rest of them to take pictures of their last-minute craziness. and most importantly, i put up with two and a half years of neglect from a husband who couldn't leave nussbaum to save his life. I DESERVE RENO.
yay, i hear josh doing dishes. sigh. it's a beautiful sound.
now i'm trying to think of any three-year-old-stories that i could tell you... i don't think i've told you very many at all, and that's a real shame cuz they're priceless. did i tell you about my one boy who got suspended for a week for hitting a teacher in the nose? that's right. a three-year-old who got suspended for taking down a teacher. it wasn't me that he hit, it was his afternoon teacher. it was really wierd, too, cuz he had been having a great day, he even was my line leader. (by the way, this is the same boy who locked himself in the handicapped stall, if you read my earlier blog about my boys). They were in the bathroom and he was trying to wash his hands. but our bathrooms are not age appropriate for my three-year-olds, so this boy (he's the smallest) has to hoist himself up onto the sink to reach the faucet to wash his hands. Anyways, the afternoon teacher sees that he is slipping off the sink and so she goes in to help him back up, and he goes to elbow her in the face! he missed (the first time) and she said "DON'T hit the teacher!" and so he starts to slip again and she goes in again to help him back up and this time he yells "NO" and swings his elbow back with all his little three-year-old strength and makes contact with her nose (right at the sensitive spot between the nostrils). the teacher stands back and covers her nose because she's sure it's bleeding, and blinks back the tears as the rest of the boys crowd around the guilty party and go, "you hit the teacher!!" "you're not supposed to hit the teacher!!" "Why did you hit the teacher??" and one boy comes and gets me (i'm right next door getting ready to go up to fourth and fifth grade) and says "The teacher got hit!" So i take the guilty boy down to the principals office and we don't see him again for a week. it was a quiet week.
well, that's all i can think of for now, besides josh is antsy; he wants the computer back. (he's the reason i've not been able to blog, if you're looking for someone to blame.)
don't know when i'll be able to blog again... hopefully soon!
by the way, i'm pregnant.
Saturday, October 23
home again home again...
isn't that a nursery rhyme? i thought it was... someone tell me the rest of it.
anyway, i'm back in mendota for the weekend so that we could see josh's lil sister's basketball game. she's apparently a superstar. also, we finally FINALLY got the check for the (ford) probe and we needed his dad's signature on the check. i had to put (ford) so that ppl wouldn't think dirty thoughts. sick people. sometimes i tell ppl about our probe and i forget that they don't know that ford ever made probes and so they look at me wierd and back away slowly.
well, i gotta go.
anyway, i'm back in mendota for the weekend so that we could see josh's lil sister's basketball game. she's apparently a superstar. also, we finally FINALLY got the check for the (ford) probe and we needed his dad's signature on the check. i had to put (ford) so that ppl wouldn't think dirty thoughts. sick people. sometimes i tell ppl about our probe and i forget that they don't know that ford ever made probes and so they look at me wierd and back away slowly.
well, i gotta go.
Tuesday, October 19
quick! renaissance me!
my school's fall festival is nov. 4 and i'm supposed to be all renaissancy. that's like a LOT of work, since the stupid renaissance women had to wear such dumb fancy clothing. why couldn't they have worn jeans and a hoodie? maybe 500 years from now they'll have fall festivals where you dress from the 21st century. and everyone will shed their form-fitting space suits (they'll be living on mars by then) for the good ol' jeansandhoodie look. they would be so lucky.
but not me.
oh, and since this is soo much work, of course, i've done nothing on it, even though i've known for over a month.
anyone wanna loan me a dress like this? please?
but not me.
oh, and since this is soo much work, of course, i've done nothing on it, even though i've known for over a month.
anyone wanna loan me a dress like this? please?
Monday, October 18
smells fattening...
i got an apple pie candle. i highly recommend them. so when you're all full on frozen pizzas, you can light an apple pie candle instead of cramming yourself fuller with strawberry ice cream. just light up a pie candle and inhale the calories.
it doesn't work if you're actually hungry though, cuz then you'll actually want to eat apple pie.
but anyway, that's my new diet craze. inhale your food. literally.
can't you see it now?
steak candles... mmmmm.......
it doesn't work if you're actually hungry though, cuz then you'll actually want to eat apple pie.
but anyway, that's my new diet craze. inhale your food. literally.
can't you see it now?
steak candles... mmmmm.......
Saturday, October 16
i win
i have to be the most horrible blogger ever. worse than those who blog every little movement they make... i am the blogger who forgets she has a blog. but that was because i didn't have a desktop, but rather a laptop that i had to take the time to set up everytime i wanted to use it. i also had dialup (read "slow, frustrating, not-worth-my-time"). I also had only 45 outgoing local calls a month, and every dial up was a local call. did i mention that i work 10 hr days? with three year olds? and finally.. to end the justification and cast some of this blame off me... josh was rebuilding a computer in the office so i didn' teven have a desk or a chair to sit in while on the computer. there were computer parts everywhere. it wasn't good.
well, i still work 10 hr days, and still work with three year olds, but! we have unlimited local calls now. and josh finished the computer, so i have a desk in an office with a chair that has a cushion! and this new computer is superfast, so even dialup isn't that frustrating. and i definately don't have to set up the desktop everytime i wanna use it.
so hopefully all that means that i'll be online more often now.
as for the immediate, it's almost 1am and my husband is missing me, so i'm done writing for now except to say that...
i'm not pregnant.
well, i still work 10 hr days, and still work with three year olds, but! we have unlimited local calls now. and josh finished the computer, so i have a desk in an office with a chair that has a cushion! and this new computer is superfast, so even dialup isn't that frustrating. and i definately don't have to set up the desktop everytime i wanna use it.
so hopefully all that means that i'll be online more often now.
as for the immediate, it's almost 1am and my husband is missing me, so i'm done writing for now except to say that...
i'm not pregnant.
Tuesday, September 21
i teach three year olds
i've been collecting some stories and it's high time i shared them with the world.
i have six three-year-old boys. for their privacy, i will call them billy bob, jimmy joe, abdul, john, paul, and ringo.
billy bob doesn't like to color in the lines, follow rules, obey the teacher... but he's cute as all get out.
jimmy joe is also cute. and he likes to follow billy bob. the only difference is that when he gets in trouble, he cries. billy bob shows no emotion. at all. ever. actually, jimmy joe is much better behaved than billy bob. except when he follows billy bobs bad example. and that's a lot.
abdul doesn't speak much english. i'm not sure when he's disobeying and when he's genuinely confused at the words coming out of my mouth.
john ... john is definately the most mature one of the bunch. sometimes i think he's forty.
paul is very sweet and always follows directions. he's very cute. i want to take him home with me.
ringo. hmm... ringo. he's.... cute. :-D he can follow directions. he can obey. he can diliberately deceive. he's tricky tricky. and his dad looks like adam sandler.
hmm.. so now for the stories. i won't tell them all at once. must ration.
so... my discipline method is colored bears, ok? green is good. if you end your day on green, you get a sticker on a card and a marble in the jar. when your card is full, you get a prize just for you. the the jar is full, we get a class party. next color is yellow. this is a warning color. the only thing that happens is no sticker or marble. then it's orange. this means time-out (and no sticker or marble). the red bear is reserved for those who cannot obey to save their lives and it means a note home and a trip to the principal (cue dark threatening music).
anyways, stories. yay!
billy bob's gotten a lot of red bears. bet you couldn't figure that one out. he makes my day interesting. he also makes me go crazy. for example. the first day he got a red bear: he locked himself in the bathroom stall and refused to go potty or come out. he literally ran around in there (it was the handicap stall) for like at least five minutes. finally i tell abdul to crawl under the door and unlock the door. that was the dumbest thing i could have done in that situation. after i mimed to abdul three times the motion of crawling under the door, he finally went under, but then he just stood in there. i was looking through the crack trying to get him to unlock the door, but he just stared blankly at me. why didn't i choose a native english speaker? because i'm retarded. after a couple minutes, i convinced abdul, with the rest of the boys cheering him on, to unlock the door, and i proceeded to open the door (the boys were cheering at my victory - except billy bob) and grab billy bob by the arm to take him out. then, what does he scream? "i gotta go POTTY!!!" well, even in this situation, an experienced teacher does not ignore a plea like that. so i let him go, and he's not been allowed to lock a stall door ever since.
well, it's dinner time. i hope you enjoyed my story! there are lots more to come, don't worry.
bye!
and by the way.. NOT pregnant.
i have six three-year-old boys. for their privacy, i will call them billy bob, jimmy joe, abdul, john, paul, and ringo.
billy bob doesn't like to color in the lines, follow rules, obey the teacher... but he's cute as all get out.
jimmy joe is also cute. and he likes to follow billy bob. the only difference is that when he gets in trouble, he cries. billy bob shows no emotion. at all. ever. actually, jimmy joe is much better behaved than billy bob. except when he follows billy bobs bad example. and that's a lot.
abdul doesn't speak much english. i'm not sure when he's disobeying and when he's genuinely confused at the words coming out of my mouth.
john ... john is definately the most mature one of the bunch. sometimes i think he's forty.
paul is very sweet and always follows directions. he's very cute. i want to take him home with me.
ringo. hmm... ringo. he's.... cute. :-D he can follow directions. he can obey. he can diliberately deceive. he's tricky tricky. and his dad looks like adam sandler.
hmm.. so now for the stories. i won't tell them all at once. must ration.
so... my discipline method is colored bears, ok? green is good. if you end your day on green, you get a sticker on a card and a marble in the jar. when your card is full, you get a prize just for you. the the jar is full, we get a class party. next color is yellow. this is a warning color. the only thing that happens is no sticker or marble. then it's orange. this means time-out (and no sticker or marble). the red bear is reserved for those who cannot obey to save their lives and it means a note home and a trip to the principal (cue dark threatening music).
anyways, stories. yay!
billy bob's gotten a lot of red bears. bet you couldn't figure that one out. he makes my day interesting. he also makes me go crazy. for example. the first day he got a red bear: he locked himself in the bathroom stall and refused to go potty or come out. he literally ran around in there (it was the handicap stall) for like at least five minutes. finally i tell abdul to crawl under the door and unlock the door. that was the dumbest thing i could have done in that situation. after i mimed to abdul three times the motion of crawling under the door, he finally went under, but then he just stood in there. i was looking through the crack trying to get him to unlock the door, but he just stared blankly at me. why didn't i choose a native english speaker? because i'm retarded. after a couple minutes, i convinced abdul, with the rest of the boys cheering him on, to unlock the door, and i proceeded to open the door (the boys were cheering at my victory - except billy bob) and grab billy bob by the arm to take him out. then, what does he scream? "i gotta go POTTY!!!" well, even in this situation, an experienced teacher does not ignore a plea like that. so i let him go, and he's not been allowed to lock a stall door ever since.
well, it's dinner time. i hope you enjoyed my story! there are lots more to come, don't worry.
bye!
and by the way.. NOT pregnant.
Sunday, September 19
gmail invite competition
i have 6 gmail invites.
i have no clue what to do with them.
does anybody out there want one?
are they still in high demand?
should i sell them on ebay?
or should i set up my own competition right here and now?
hehe. competition.
tell me why you deserve my gmail invites.
maybe i'll agree.
maybe i won't.
bye.
i have no clue what to do with them.
does anybody out there want one?
are they still in high demand?
should i sell them on ebay?
or should i set up my own competition right here and now?
hehe. competition.
tell me why you deserve my gmail invites.
maybe i'll agree.
maybe i won't.
bye.
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