Thoughts on the Octomom

This is a video that my collab teacher told me about. It is the Octomom giving birth. It is worth checking out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxtgLzi-aK0

Stories with Morals

I love out priest at our church. I really appreciate the stories and life lessons he ties into the readings. I even try to teach my kids some of the topics he discusses because I think it helps build a strong character. Tonight I was scanning the internet and I found these two great stories I just had to share. I love these 2 stories in particular because they mean a lot to me right now and I can use them in many aspects of my life. I hope you can take something away from them as well.

Faith in God:

Smitty was a hard-headed farmer. When a flood hit the area, he climbed onto the roof of his house. A rescue boat came along but Smitty told them, "No, thanks. I have faith in the Lord. He will save me. The waves got even higher and Smitty had to go to the very top of the roof. Another boat came by to save him, but he still insisted that the Lord would save him. Then the water began to get his feet wet and a helicopter swooped down to take him away. But Smitty still depended on the Lord to save him. Well, you can easily imagine what happened. Yes. Smitty was drowned. When he stood before the Lord in the next world, he complained, "Lord, I had such faith in you. Why didn't you save me?" To which the Lord replied, "What more do you want me to do? I sent you two boats and a helicopter."
Saint James puts it this way in the Scripture: "It is by his actions that a man is put right with God, and not by his faith alone" (James 2: 24)

Hope:

Many years ago there lived a very old man. Before his house stood two tall mountains that kept out the sunlight. He was not happy about this and so he sat down with his sons and all made a solemn promise that they would hack back away those two mountains A neighbor saw them go out with their hoes and shook his head. "How stupid can you get?" he screamed. "It's absolutely impossible for you to carry away those mighty mountains." The old man only smiled and said: "Well, when I die, my sons will carry on the work. And when they die, my grandsons will continue it. Yes, the mountains are high but they won't get any higher. But our strength can still grow. With every shovel full of earth that we carry away, we come closer to our goal." "It is better to do something than just sit around and complain that those mountains keep out the sunlight." With complete conviction the old man kept right on digging. God saw it and was moved to send two angles to earth. They lifted the two mountains onto their shoulders, and carried them off.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul talks about having faith great enough to move mountains. [1 Cor. 13:2].

I heart lists

I am a list maker. I didn't make a list for this weekend so I thought I would make it here.

Things I've done since my husband has been OOT:

1. dinner with friends
2. clean the house
3. laundry
4. wash the car
5. plant my veggie garden
6. walk the dog
7. mow the yard
8. put all Anthony's clothes away (I can't stand his side of the closet)
9. sign up at Kroger.com for free samples and coupons
10. Taylorsville Lake with the Whitleys
11. Gym

Things I have left to do:

1. Grocery
2. walk Grace (again)
3. Paint (for fun)
4. download songs to Ipod
5. visit Mom and Dad hopefully
6. maybe check out an Irish dance recital

Overall, I think it has been a productive and amazing weekend.

Green Chic

This is a great book I read last year. I took a look at it again to get back into the mood of being Earth friendly. There are some really good and easy tips and it is a quick read. Here are my top 5 favorite tips:

• Buy food that is local and in season.
• Try a Eco-friendly cleaner (you know I like to clean) I like Seventh Generation- these have ingredients like coconut.
• Check out your plastic water bottle. Lots of plastic isn't recyclable. There are a lot more choices now.
• Unplug phone chargers, lamps, etc. when not in use.
• Instead of throwing away old tennis shoes donate them to http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-323--10041-0,00.htmlhttp://www.nikereuseashoe.com/ or

Susan Boyle

By now I am sure you have read about/heard or have seen Susan Boyle. She is the woman that competed on Britain's Got Talent show. When she came on stage she was made fun of because of her appearance. She didn't seem bothered by it and began to sing. Within seconds everyone was stunned, mouths agape and all. She has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. I am going to share the video with my kids to show that you should never prejudge anyone! It is a shame that people are so small minded. I hope she goes far! I attached the YouTube link if you have not seen it yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Life is full of countdowns

I read somewhere that everyone should have something to look forward to. It could be something small or something bigger. It could be something far off or the next day. Either way here is my countdown list of things I am looking forward to.

1. April 21: Anthony's appt. (7 days)
2. May 1: hair apt and then day with my dad (17 days)
3. May 4 : Cincinnati appt. (20 days)
4. June 5: last day of school (36 school days)

Prayer in School

This is a poem written by a father whose daughter died in the Columbine tragedy, he read it in front of the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. Needless to say it isn't what was expected but so true. There are so many improvements in our schools but there is so mush that was good that we have put aside.


Your laws ignore our deepest needs, Your words are empty air. You've stripped away our heritage, You've outlawed simple prayer. Now gunshots fill our classrooms, And precious children die. You seek for answers everywhere, And ask the question "Why?" You regulate restrictive laws, Through legislative creed. And yet you fail to understand, That God is what we need!

A Girl's Best Friend

So, kind of a random post but I have this ball of fur curled up by me on the couch so... this is my beagle/mix Gracie (short for Gracie Lou). She really is one of the best dogs ever. She does almost everything with me (walks, rides, helps clean the car, working the yard). She even went to school with me one day to do a lesson on mammals. She was amazing, she sat so still and I have never had more attention from the kids then I did that day. Anyway here are some fun pics of "our baby" doing some of the things she loves to do best.

My confessions

All the crazy and akward facts about me- please don't look at me differently next time you see me.

1. I am a picker: many people are pickers (I swear), I am a picker of skin- I love summer when there is peeling skin- so fun! It is best when it comes off in big chunks (are you repulsed?). My dear freind from elementary school was a zit picker which I was actually a little creeped out by.


2. I like french fries, but I love french fries dipped in tarter sauce, so tasty!


3. I am a terrible speller. Did anyone else learn the guess and go method?


4. I let my dog kiss my nose- not the lips the nose- still, I know that creeps some people out.


5. I can pop pretty much all of my body and am double jointed in my fingers and toes. I pop all the time and it is an awful habit.


6. I have been Catholic all my life and just said my first rosary about a week ago (I had to use the Internet to figure out how to do it).


7. I am borderline OCD and it drives my hubby crazy.


8. My mind always seems to go "in the gutter"- it is the best at work when my partner teacher now can read my mind. We had to measure the mass of "steel balls" the other day and I had to suppress a giggle.


9. I love to steal the marshmallows from the Lucky Charms box.


10. I have and enjoy watching the Fraggle Rock DVD collection.

Back to school, Back to school to...

teach kids like this one for 8-9 more weeks...... ah the life of a teacher.

Time to Paint

Sadly spring break is coming to an end but I was fairly productive. My favorite is I was able to paint some, which is something I can't do when school is in. This is a painting I did for a girl my mom works with who is having a little boy.