Not quite there yet

This evening's blog is about how I look approximately 14 years old. I know that I look younger than I am, and yes I am sure that when I am 65 years old I will appreciate that greatly! However, I am 24 years old, and would very much to enjoy to look 24. It is truly embarrassing sometimes...
Last week, I decided that due to a very stressful time at work, I would treat myself to a pedicure just for fun. I am sitting in the lovely massage chair and enjoying relaxation and this is the conversation that occurs:
Nail Lady: You get nails done for homecoming?
Me: No. I'm 24.
Nail Lady: Oh, so you're over all that?
Me:Yeah, just a bit.



One time, I was in BJ's and I was shopping for the weekend because my in-laws were coming to visit for the first time and it was the night before they got here. I was already stressed out and feeling crazy and I had a huge cart full of stuff. I was scanning my list for items that I missed when these two girls (probably 20-21 years old) stop me. They were holding thing's that made me think they were trying to sell me something, so I was already irritated. I am usually terrible about saying "no thank you" and walking away because I feel bad. Not this time.

Girl: Hello, are you here all by yourself?
Me:(foolishly thinking she was inquiring about my husband) Umm...yeah.
Girl: Ohhh really?? You look so young!Well, do you happen to own your own home?
Me: Yes. I have to go now.Bye.

She thought I wasn't old enough to be a grocery store by myself!

See, I understand that I look young, but why do these people not have any tact? Once it was established that I am older than I look, they continue to dig their hole! At least try be polite after you have discovered your mistake.

I am 4"ll and a half...that doesn't help. Plus I have a very young looking face. Please people, just at least think before you speak. It's not acceptable to tell people that they look older than they are!
Can you imagine this conversation?

Girl: Are you here all by yourself?
Old Lady: Yes....I am 45.
Girl: Ohhh wow! You look t0o old to be going out by all yourself! It's amazing you can still see to drive!


The first time I met Wolf's family was when we went for Christmas 3 years ago. His dad and his dad's girlfriend took us out to dinner. First:
Host: (looking at me) Will you be needing a kid's menu?

Then, we sit down to eat and I ordered a Strawberry Margarita.
I get a coke glass full of pink ice...I sip it.
Waiter: Oh, did you want a real margarita?? I assumed you would be ordering a virgin one.
Me: Nope,I wanted a real one.
Waiter: Oh, well I need to see your ID
Wolf: (sipping his beer, that he did not get carded for) She is older than I am!

Ok, I am done with my rant.

The End!

Sunshine on a Cloudy day

Today was an extraordinarily frustrating day at work for multiple reasons. I also was just feeling really unusually tired which was not helpful. Do you know some days where your tolerance starts at a very low number and so you run out of patience and kindness really early in the day?? This was my experience today. By 3 today, my nerves were more raw than I can remember them being in a very long time. I felt that at any moment I might just literally explode into five kazzilion pieces and have some sort of conniption. I was not smiling, I was not being patient with the 8 banshee's and I certainly was not going out of my way to help or love others.
I left late and was fuming and whining to myself and then I got to my car and there was something on my windshield. It was a note from my friend and co-worker Chelsey. She wrote me a quick and very sweet note when she got to work, and before she even knew I was in an "Ogeresque" (I made that word up just now!) type mood.
This made me smile and definitely set me in a much better mood for the rest of my evening.
I just love how God uses people in our lives to do the smallest thing that can change our whole mood or perspective. I hope that I can be better at seeing those opportunities when He wants me to do that for someone else. I think most of the time we may not ever know the extent to which we have been used by God to bless someone else. It doesn't take much, I need to remember that. I also want to be more conscious of how the opposite can occur as well. Grumpy attitudes are infectious, and I do not want to spread my foul moods to others. I find that I zone in on myself and in the moment I don't think about or care about how my mood is bringing down those who are around me.

Summation: Love God, therefore love those around me, be thankful for sunshine, get over self.

Ogeresque- grumpy, rude, behaving like a big ugly Oger. or in toddler terms; a "poopyhead"

Dear Emily and Emilie

I am 100% ready for you to come home from Wheaton and Seattle...
Ok?

Ready and gooooo!!

see you soon!

love,
Mary

I really do "praise God at the thought of you"
and I love you.

Poor Fluffy

So, in my classroom we have a class pet. His name is Fluffy (I named him), and he is a Russian Tortoise. Every day we take him out and put him on a small table covered by a plastic table cloth where the kids can see him, and we feed him his lettuce. The kids are not allowed to touch Fluffy or his table cloth, they have to watch with their eyeballs.
"C" likes to push limits, she is the same child I mentioned before who was taunting her classmate with her crackers. She kept running over to Fluffy's table and touching the plastic and then watching for my reaction, I told her no and moved her away several times. The last time she grabbed the table cloth and yanked and poor Fluffy went flying through the air and landed upside down on his shell. He was ok, but clearly a bit shook up. Unfortunately, Fluffy is not potty trained. He had peed on his tablecloth and now the pee was dripping from the tablecloth and onto the carpet. I think this is the first time that "C" has ever really and totally understood that she was in trouble. She did not attempt to harass Fluffy today.

Here is a picture of Fluffy the turtle.

As Promised

It's late, but I am keeping my promise to blog for real today!

So this last week has been interesting. I had strep for the first time since I had my tonsils out 8 years ago, and now I have infected my poor husband. We have been super sickies for the last week. This is causing me to want to totally clean and disinfect my whole house this weekend. Those silly munchkins and their icky germs.

On a more positive note, I am so excited for fall! The weather last couple of days has been so beautiful, I hope it's not tempting me only to snap back into summer next week.I love walking outside in the morning or evening and feeling slightly chilly.

Now, I am going to be serious, which is an unusual occurrence. God has been teaching me a lot this past week. I think He is always teaching me a lot, I just am not a good listener. I am realizing how much more I learn when I keep my mouth shut and listen to Him, instead of frantically going about my life like I actually know what I'm doing. Focusing on His words instead of my own, I have been a better manager at work this week and more mindful of what I am doing and why I am doing it, not because I am good, but because He is SO good. When I am at my wits end at my job or I am not feeling well, it's so much better for me to listen to what God might be leading me to, instead of working myself up into a frenziful pity party.
Prayer is so powerful not because what I am saying to God, but what He is so excited to tell me.
Working with kids is a CONSTANT reminder to me of what I must be like to God. He is constantly having to tell me the same things over and over when it usually falls on deaf ears, just like when I say "don't put your fingers in you nose" all day long. I do things that I know are bad for me, but choose to do them anyway, I whine about everything and I am always asking for more. Unlike me with the kids, God is patient with me and His gentle consistent answers remain the same, no matter what the tantrum. His profound mercy and patience is more than I could ever imagine, He has a lot more kids to take care of then I ever will, but He is not annoyed, and this amazes me. From this, I am reminded to be patient with the beautiful toddlers that drive me crazy all day long, because how much more is Jesus patient with me?
Kid's are always willing and ready to be dependent on their parent or caregiver and will rely on them for the thing's they need. I would like to be more aware of how much I need God, and freely rely on Him for it by surrendering this grip I have on my life, and this need to control it.
I certainly wouldn't let a two year old run my classroom all by himself.

too late to write

I want to blog so badly but i can't because i need sleep. More tomorrow I promiseeee!!
Have a lovely thursday!

Thing's I say all day Long

Firstly, I would like to clarify that the reason the hallway is white in the first picture and then blue in the picture with the hole is be because...
The blue color is the basement color, and the first half of the stairway is white, the second is blue. Right as it turned the corner to the second half, is where the lovely hole excitement occurred.

Ok, now for the main topic...
I work as a daycare teacher, therefore, the phrases that come out of my mouth all the day long, would not be very socially acceptable if I worked in an adult environment. You Mom's and teacher's out there will probably hear me loud and clear. I also find that I repeat myself, usually about 8 or 9 times per minute sometimes, and at the end of the day, I really am just tired of speaking.I admit that I often find myself speaking to Winnie and the kids at work the same way,and sometimes use the same phrases. I suppose this is what is to be expected when being around 7 or 8 toddlers for 8 hours of the day.

I thought it might be fun to list some of these phrases:

" We don't bite our friends!"
"Feet on the floor!"
"All done??"
"Take the car our of your mouth!"
"We don't put toys in our mouth"
"Shhhhh, no screaming inside!"
"Billy" don't sit on "Sally's face!"
"You're Ok!"
"Are you Poopy?"
"No!"
"Off the table!!!"
"Don't eat your friends shoes"
"Out of the trash!"
"Yay!!"
How could I forget this oldie but goodie."Take your fingers out of your nose!"

Kids are so funny and so smart. Today, one of my girls was sitting next to her friend at snack, this particular friend likes to steal snacks from the children within his grasp. First, the little girl was trying to feed him her crackers, she would throw them on the floor near his chair, and then he would reach down and pick them up. I caught them when he had collected 4 crackers but had not managed to eat one yet. Then, she decided to try pretend to give him her crackers, and he would get his fingers on it, and then she would pull it away, eat it herself and laugh! These kids are only 18 months old, but they are so tricky already.

Today, I was slapped, kicked, drooled upon, sneezed upon, almost bitten and had some lovely screeching in my ear. All in a days work! Can't say my job is boring.

Hole In the Wall

Apparently today is picture week. This is probably because I just learned how to upload pictures from my camera.

Here is the evil couch of doom.

Followed by, the shape of our awkward stairwell.

And at last, the lovely hole.

The Infamous Winnie

Winnie now....and Winnie then...so small and innocent..

Pictures from California

Wolf and Joey-the cuddliest retriever ever,
and Pictures of Wolf's dad's house, pool and vineyard.