#334/365--Movie Selfie

#333/365--Change

Sometimes

...things seem...

so much

...out of your control...

and

you just really

...want...

to have control

...over something...

so

...you do something...

...radical... 

...7 or 8 inches later...

...you have some...

sense

of control

...again...

and

...you feel better...

...redefined...

...new...

#332/365--Our Thanksgiving

Thankful

#331/365--Prep Work

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year

was

...my ex's year...

to have the kids

...on Thanksgiving Day...

so

Mom and I

did some prepping

so that

we could have

...Thanksgiving...

with the kids

...on Friday...

I made a pumpkin roll

for "breakfast"

to have with our coffee

and

Mom made a pumpkin pie 

we also

chopped veggies

and

made/crumbled cornbread

for our 

side dishes

...not to mention...

we read

watched movies

and

"rested up"

#330/365--Pictures

My mom

is here!!

...she took us to dinner...

tonight

My kids asked me

...why...

I take so many pictures

They have heard

...that...

...someone....

...somewhere...

is quoted as saying

that you

supposedly

remember things more

when you don't take pictures

...that you are...

"more present in the moment"

but

...how does that even make sense?

Hasn't that person ever heard

...a picture is worth...

a thousand words??

For me

...pictures capture the memories...

of the times we spend

...together...

...and I want these memories...

because

in the blink of an eye

people we care about

...are taken from our lives...

much much much

too soon

...and then...

those pictures

...while not meant to...

...replace...

a memory

do

aid our memories

and

that

is why

I take so many

...pictures...

#329/365--Believing

...This boy I know...

he's going through

...some growing pains...

but

I know this boy's heart

and

it's good

...to the core...

Any boy

who does things

...for his mama...

without being asked

...has a good heart...

I love this kid

and

I believe in him

...he will always be...

my

...BaseballBoy...

#328/365--Payments and Purchases

...just taking care of a few...

...items...

tonight

#327/365--The Breakfast of...

...champions?

...single mamas?

...broke people who haven't been...

...grocery shopping...?

...peanut butter lovers?

...what??

...they have protein...

...right??

#326/365--High School Football...

...Playoffs...

went with my girl, Lollipop

and my Bestie, Tara

(trudging across parking lots

...through puddles...

in a downpour -- thus my hair --

...and my...

...wet socks...)

 Lauren got to

"shoot"

the second half

See there

...in the middle of my pic...

capturing

...the action...

...my girl...

doing what she loves

loving what she does

and

she is super good at it

((photograph by: my LollipopGirl))

#325/365--My "Date"

...isn't he cute...

...we make such a cute couple...

...we ordered pizza...

and fell asleep to

...Netflix...

I lead such

...an exciting...

life

#324/365--Fun Quiz, Easy Grade

...the kids...

LOVED

this

We got the iPads

and they

logged in to this website

and they

...played against...

each other

...for points...

on

a quiz

I created

it's very much like

...those games...

you play

...in a bar...

...today...

we

played

"Analogies"

and

"Pronouns"

Too

much

fun

for

school

#323/365--Runnin' on Empty

#322/365--Writing Club

Fourth Grade

is

all

about

writing

so

I

started

a

Writing Club

...just for 4th Grade...

and

the kids

have been

...furiously writing...

Christmas stories

for their families

...This is our last week to meet...

before Christmas

and

they have to be finished

...publishing

and

illustrating...

so

I finished typing up

the last few

<3

#321/365--First Snow

Isn't it cute?

#320/365--Lots

...remember...

a couple of days ago

...last week...

when

I gave my first

...big girl...

4th grade
...state simulated...
assessment?

...yeah...
so
now
I get to
big-girl-grade
these essays

#319/365--Crazy Daughter, Thoughtful Son

Stolen from

her

...snapchat...

because

...I'm the mama...

...my boy-child called me...

while I was

...taking lunch to my girl-child (at work)...

asking me

...where the...

measuring cups

measuring spoons

baking soda

and

flour

....were....

I

got

home

to

...this...

  

...love these two...

#318/365---So....This Happened...

...nominated...

by

my peers

along with

...3 dear friends...

...feeling...

humbled

honored

grateful

cherished

valued

loved

...and...

under qualified

#317/365--B-I-N-G-O

PTA

...Family Night...

at school

I volunteered as

"Bingo-Checker"

...it was really...

a lot

of

fun!!

#316/365--Initiation

My first

...big-girl...

4th grade

...state-simulated...

assessment

...now...

to score

60

...expository essays...

and

60

...narratives...

(in addition to

...getting my 6 weeks grades...

entered)

#315/365--This Girl I Know, Part 2

When you get a text

...like this...

...what else do you do...

but

celebrate!!

Of course

the future is

...uncertain...

there's no telling

where

she will go to school

but

this

...acceptance...

is currently

...first choice...

Lauren

had to work

...tonight...

so

while she was out

.........

Michael and I

decorated

her

...bedroom door...

(we had to take the hearts off of her door...

...they were still there from...

February 2014

February Full )

Michael's

"Congratulations"

"sign"

There's

This girl

...we know...

and

we

just

love

her

to

...pieces...

(like "pieces" of yellow and green gumballs...

....see that pic up there...

...get it?...)

Thankful for

my

kiddos

<3

#314/365--This Girl I Know

I made her

...favorite dinner tonight...

to

surprise her

when she got off work

(It's Shepherd's Pie)

...but...

no sooner

had she

walked in

the

door

when

right behind her

came

...a visitor...

to which we

gave a

...warm welcome...

by

screaming

yelling

panicking

freaking out

climbing on furniture

going berserk

nearly losing it

until

we cornered him

and

showered him

with

...Raid...

He

...staggered...

slipped

lurched

teetered

tottered

and

went

belly-up

...legs askew...

then

we

...very carefully...

shimmied

him

onto

a paper sack

(a brief

...last attempt at life...

jerking movement

by

said visitor

had us

nearly panicked

all over again)

but

soon

he

was

on

...his way out...

via

...trash bag...

...and this girl I know...

she's my hero

and

I'm thankful for her!

#313/365--Grading and Grading and Grading......

...with

Zombie-Talk

in

the

background

...Thankful...

#312/365--Day of Rest

Thankful

for

friends

taking care

...of me...

#311/365--Sweet Notes

Note from

Inclusion Teacher

at my school

...and...

my

"Character Traits"

that

my students

listed

...about me...

in their

Reading Class

I'm thankful for this today

I've had a rough week

and

not really ending it on

...the best "note..."

#310/365--2/3 -ara(h) Friends

Today

I am thankful for

my

"-ara(h) friends"

Tara

Dara

and

Sarah

...because...

they

get

me

...and they love...

...the messy me...

...the ugly me...

...the fat me...

...the emotional me...

...the incompetent me...

...the rejected me...

...the tipsy me...

because they know

who

I

am

in

my

core.

Everyone needs friends like these.

They carry you on those weak days.

When all you wanna do

is curl up and cry

...they meet you for happy hour...

and

listen

intently

then

remind you

of

who you really are inside

and then

you

begin

to

...heal...

...thankful...

#309/365--Kid

This one

how

no

really

how

did

he

go

from

2

to

14

and

from

adorable

to

adorable-er??

how

did

I

get

to

be

so

lucky?

Tonight I got a little

...extra time...

with

...my...

BaseballBoy

and

for that,

I

am

thankful