Six Word Saturday

I saw this concept while catching up on my blogging today, first at Angie's, then followed it back to Call Me Cate. The idea is to sum up your week in six words. She got the idea from a book (that I may just have to get my hands on) and I'm all about being to the point (insert eye roll here). So here's my week in a much shorter version than my previous post:

School started again. My brain didn't.

P.S. Thank you Fabulous K for my lovely new look. What a fresh, fun way to start the new year! Head over to see more of her drool worthy designs!

All in week's work

The first week back after Christmas Break is usually a nightmare for teachers. The kids aren't back in their sleep routines, the teachers aren't back in their sleep routine and nobody wants to be there. Throw in the fact that this year my district scheduled exams for after the break and you have even more fun. It has been a total headache of exam reviews and geography bees and trying to keep resolutions. I made it in by 7:30 every morning, which did help in feeling more on top of the day, but by the afternoon, I only made it out by 4:30 2 out of 5 days. It's amazing how many post its I've written to myself by the time 3:30 rolls around...

Add to the school routine the Mr's band schedule & rehearsals, the young un's upcoming birthday, teeth cleanings, spring sports schedule & all the normal appointments of the week, and I don't remember why I thought things slowed down after New Year's. I did make an effort to stay on top of things this year, for my own sanity. I started a family calendar at Cozi, that keeps track of every one's schedule and will also send reminders to my cell phone. I can also create shopping lists or things to do lists. The best part is that it's online, so I can add/delete events from anywhere (like during my planning period--goodbye post=it's!) and so can the Mr.

That way I can see which weekend we have free to take all the Christmas boxes back to storage :)

So pardon my lack of blogging this week, I'm still trying to get back in the zone and get the schedule under control.

A little multiple choice

I do not like driving to school in the A) rain, B) cold, C) dark, D) all of the above?

Let's go with D for the moment shall we? And why do I not like rainy, cold, dark mornings? Because rather than dropping off the young un a block from school, I drop him off in the nice sheltered covered drop off area, along with the other 470,000 parents. Seriously, My longest "wait time" in this line pushes 45 minutes. AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!

After school wasn't that much better (though the sun did manage to make an appearance), as my computer decided to load my personal settings for 2 years. It made me miss my 4:30 exit. *tear*

*wow, that is a really scary picture of my forehead. Sorry!*

And while I'm pretty sure I should go to sleep soon to ensure that my morning commute stays the course, I find myself drawn to the Whatever, Martha mini-marathon on FLN right now. The vicodin and muscle relaxer make it all sooooo much better.

Resolution Shmesalution

Day one: Arrived at school 7:25. Paleo meals for breakfast and lunch (pork chops--yummy!) Left school at 3:15 to visit the Dr about my lower back pain. Got meds. Semi-Paleo for dinner (spinach salad with turkey, apple, walnuts & a little blue cheese that I was too lazy to pick out). Took meds--vicodin is my BFF! Tried to facebook, but the pain meds don't mix so well with wall posts (think drunk dialing!) so I'm off to bed with the audio of the Fiesta Bowl lulling me to sleep. Hook 'em!

Christmas Wrap Up (Part 1)

Christmas was a little different for us this year. Normally, we have a house full of family to celebrate with, but recent events left everyone homebound. So our Christmas Day was a much quieter experience.

The young un gets his first look at the presents

"Just what I wanted!" (can you beat that smile)

The Mr. took a unique approach to name tags (To Ewe, From Mi)

Favorite presents? That's easy!

"Louisiana Girl" Flat Wallet
Hunter Pence Astros Jersey

Everything :)

Our Christmas Day was relatively low key. We set up Magnetix roller coasters, stored jewelry in a lovely new jewelry armoire, and tried out the bluetooth. We also took a trip to our favorite cinema- Alamo Drafthouse- for a late lunch and a Bedtime Story. Movie was cute and a light hearted touch to the festivities.

The day after Christmas was as loud and chaotic as Christmas Day was quiet. I braved the 7 A.M. Target crowd for a little gift card shopping spree. Let me just say that $200 will buy you a lot at half off! I was back home revelling in my success (mercury glass candle sticks, red glass birds, glass trees) by 7:45. I'm already planning all the fantastic displays I'll be able to create!

But that was only the start of the day, we still had to pack up all the remaining Christmas presents and hit the road for a 7 hour drive to good ole Russ Town for the second half of our family Christmas celebration. The celebration that involves lots of food, and a serious game of bingo. The celebration I'll blog about later :)

Making a list

Alright, it's 2 days into 2009 and I suppose I should set some goals to work towards this year. I'm pretty sure that the 30th birthday played a huge part in the resolution making for 2008, and surprisingly I found myself sticking with a few, like Crossfit and drinking less soda. Unfortunately a few of them didn't make it past the first month, like organizing personal paperwork and cooking. Rather than dwelling on the things I didn't accomplish, I've tweaked them into more clear, manageable goals.

Personal Resolutions:
Crossfit 3 times a week.
Run/Walk for 30 minutes 2 times a week.
Menu Plan Monday during the school year.
Paleo 4 days a week.
One day a month technology free (No phone, computer, Tivo).
Take a girl's only trip.
Start Etsy Store/Craft Booth.
Blog at least 3 times a week.
Eat out once a week.

Work Resolutions:
Arrive at school 20 minutes early.
Leave school by 4:30 each day.
Develop 4 on-line lessons.
Analyze data rather than just signing off on it.

Family Resolutions:
Visit one new place each month (park, event, festival, restaurant)
Family dinner at least 3 times a week.
Family game night once a month.

Alright, there they are. In writing for all the world to see. Blogging and resolutions go together right? For accountability. For shared successes. For shared failures. I'll share mine if you'll share yours :)

Year in Review

I've been stressing over the first post of 2009 all day. I have been on hiatus for the past week, and it seems like so much happens in the week between Christmas and New Years. My head is literally spinning trying to decide what to write first. I have resolutions, but before I look ahead, maybe I should take a look back first.

A- Astro's Spring Training Camp. It has been a dream of my husband's to go to spring training for a long time, and this year we got an opportunity to attend 3 games in Kissimmee.

B- Bed & Breakfast. We had a mini vacay to San Antonio this summer to the fabulous Beauregard House.

C- Cake Decorating. In an effort to "broaden my horizons" I took the Wilton Cake Decorating Course.

D-DCI. Drum Corps International took us to both California and Indiana traveling with the Mr.

E-Express Baseball. Season tickets are hard to come by, but through the wonderful world of Craigslist, we scored some amazing seats behind third base.

F-February Flu. For the first time ever, both the Mr and I had the flu. It was a miserable month.

G-Getting Older. I turned 30 this year, and have to say it was a little scary. I still find myself looking in the mirror, and thinking, man, I'm in my 30s.

H-Hummer Happening. Boys+H3+Dirt=Fun!

I-ICU. My brother spent 11 days in ICU in November after a head-on collision. After 24 days, he was released from the hospital, making what the Drs called a miraculous recovery. He is currently attending PT twice a week, and his brain seems to be getting back to normal. I would say he's at 85%.

J-Junk. We have a lot. We sold it. Thank God for Craigslist!

K-Keeping up with the Chreste's. I finally started a blog :) And it's become a lifeline to friends in other cities.

L-Launch. While in Florida, we found ourselves just in time for a night launch. Endeavour lifted off at 2:30 A.M.

M-Mii. I can't lie, the wii is addictive. It started with a little guitar hero, and moved to hula hooping. I can even play darts from my couch!

N-NKOTB. I attended no fewer than 4 New Kids concerts between ages 12-14. It made perfect sense to see if they could still reduce girls to tears with just a smile on the reunion tour. (And, yes, they could).

O-Orange Crush. Fall league Division Champs.

P-Parties. We threw an underdog themed birthday party (for boys and dogs), a pretty in pink baby shower and a pretty happening New Year's bash.

Q-Quitter. Usually I preach the virtue of following through, but in this case, quitting as cheer coach was the only way I could save my sanity.

R-Ruston. We found plenty of reasons to visit the homestead last year: wedding, birthday, Peach Fest, football games and an unexpected hospital visit.

S-San Francisco. I made my first visit to California to spend a couple of days with the Mr. On one of his off days, we road tripped to San Fran for a day of baseball and wandering Fisherman's Wharf.

T-Texas Motor Speedway. 2 races a year give us a chance to visit with old friends and enjoy a little dutch oven cooking courtesy of dad. Our family has been going since the track opened and we always have a great time (whether it's 102 or 32).

U-Untapped potential. (of my cricut, that is) I think I watched that infomercial a thousand times before begging the Mr for one. I do not know how I did anything before this magic machine :)

V-Victory for Louisiana Tech. 2 big wins that I got to witness: Mississippi State and the Independence Bowl.

W-Wedding. Lil Bro got married in February. Yes, the flu February. He had it too. It was a bit on the stressful side with 2 people sick the week before, but in the end, when the time came, it was perfect.

X-eXercise. I love crossfit! This has been the first time since college that I have worked out on a regular basis every week. And the effort is paying off...

Y-Young un. The young un had an eventful year with his first year of kid pitch baseball, 2 airplane rides, a dozen webkinz, meeting Nolan Ryan and being a 3rd grade pioneer.

Z-Zany. From January to now it's been a zany ride. Reconnecting with old friends, pink hair, being in a horror movie, being stuck in O'Hare for 15 hours, dropped cakes, trips to Canton in the hundred degree heat, Corpus with 150 band kids, The great floor renovation, trying to load drum major podiums on the top of the Hummer and countless miles of travel.

So there's our 2008. I wouldn't have it any other way.