Happy Dance

Well Wednesday wasn't such a grand day for my dog Chase. He went to the vet to get"de-manned" if you will. Yes, there will not be any baby mama drama in this household-well not because of Chase anyways.

So, here's a pic of my poor pup...

Yes - that's a cone - around his head. The vet said that we needed to get one so that he wouldn't reach around and try to pull out his stitches. I tell you, he looks pitifully sad. I feel so sorry for him. Not only did he lose his manhood, he has to walk around looking like a dog clown for the next week, possibly longer. I tried to tell him he had on a "pretty necklace" and Adrianna reminded me that he was a boy. I guess the necklace thing doesn't work then.

So, I know you wonder what all of this has to do with my happy dance. Well, I'm getting to that. Be patient and read on...

Now, I'm not really a "dancer" dancer. I am not without rhythm but I don't go dancing every weekend either. I do, however, tend to act silly and dance around my house. There's nothing like having a horrible day and coming home to do the happy dance. I know what you are asking yourself...will she post a video of herself doing the happy dance on this blog? HA!! Not going to happen. I will, however, post a video that I like to "happy dance" to. It's Harry Connick Jr.'s "Come By Me". It's such a fun song. My feet just start moving and my hips start a swayin' everytime it comes on. I get a little jitterbug-ish move going with my finger pointing above my head and I have a grand ole time. Yes, I said "grand ole". (I'm southern, it's ok) Now granted, this is NOT the dance to do in public, but it is fun.

So, here's the video to my happy dance song.

So, Chase... I dedicate this song to you. I know you can't dance now and that it's been a rough couple of days. You probably feel like you're not "all there" and that "something" is missing. (even if you can't put your finger-or paw-on what it is) But trust me, it will be ok. When that time comes, and you are ready to dance, the song will be ready to play. I will loan you my "happy dance song" and you never know...I may even dance with ya.

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: You don't have to be happy to do the "Happy Dance". Find a song that makes your heart smile and just go for it!!

TAKS-titude Continued?

Well, it's one day before TAKS-so that means PRACTICE-PRACTICE-PRACTICE!!! Needless to say, after yesterday, I was concerned that it would be anything but a pleasant experience.

As I was walking towards the school to pick her up, I was ready. Ready for WHATEVER she had up her sleeve today. I had my game face on and was going to stand my ground. There would be no discussion, no pleading, and definitely no compromising. Not today...not this time. I am MOM and I will reign victorious.

The time has arrived, I see Adrianna from a distance so I leaned against the wall with all the Sunnyside that I had left in me, crossed my arms to show that I meant business. She hesitated, still far enough from me that I could only see the outline of her. I couldn't make out any of her features, much less see her facial expression. She was walking slower than usual and I knew I was in for it.

But wait, what was she doing? Is she....... gaining speed? Is that a jog I see? IT IS!!! She is running towards me. I can now see her face and there is a grin. I hear the familiar "Mommyeeeeeee". So far so good, but I'm still in my "tough-guy" stance. And then, before I could start into my TAKS speech...she says "I'm ready for TAKS TEAM" (which is what we call ourselves) and gives me a high five that she probably faked but it looked genuine....and with that, I was pleased.

So how did it go? It went well. She did six packets (about 10 questions each). I let her take a 15 minute break after the first three. She is working on taking her time, which I like because she usually rushes. It seems to be paying off too. So far - the TAKS-titude is nowhere to be found. What a difference a day makes!!! After calculating all 6 Chapter reviews she made 88 %. I couldn't be happier with her effort. Now we just have to translate this success on the test tomorrow. I am hoping for the best.

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Be prepared for all possible outcomes. Sometimes it's good to expect the unexpected.

TAKS-titude

Typically Adrianna is a pretty easy going girl. Quite active, but still – easy going. She doesn’t give me too much trouble (most of the time). However, she does fall short sometimes in the motivation department. Not really in the – “I need to take out the dog” department but mostly in the “It’s time to clean the room or do homework” department. Anything that seems like work to her can present itself as an issue at times. Like most of us, her motivation isn’t always where it needs to be. In fact, sometimes, I feel a hint of laziness. Ok, who am I kidding – it’s not a hint – it’s a bold, in your face, “Here I am”, dose of laziness.

Well, it seems that we are having a little attitude while we prepare for the TAKS test this week. I’m calling it a TAKS-titude…and I don’t like it. I mean, do I get it? Yes. I completely understand why she wouldn’t want to give up part of her Sunday doing extra practice.

However, here’s my issue. This weekend has already been filled with slumber parties, sleepovers, and school carnivals. It was so full that this Sunday is our first opportunity to work on anything, and now we are exhausted and I need her to focus? WHAT WAS I THINKING?

The agreement was there, in full force, at the beginning of the weekend.

Me: Ok, you have a busy weekend but we still need to get TAKS practice in.

Her: Ok

Me: So when I pick you up on Sunday, I need you to be ready to work and I need you to have a good attitude.

Her: Ok.

Me: So, we agree? Good attitude it is?

Her: Yes. Sunday I’ll have a good attitude and will work extra hard.

HA! – Let me say this again – HA! HA! HA! I mean, I do realize that she is still 8 (almost 9) but I ask the question again – WHAT WAS I THINKING? Like really? After two days of staying up late, swimming, running around outside at a carnival, I expect her to be 100% and ready to work? Really? REALLY?

So, who’s really at fault here? (Don’t answer that)

‘til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: NO FUN TIL TAKS IS DONE!!

Payday Mishap

Ok - so, we figured out what went wrong. I apparently hadn't been entered back into our system at work. All is well now and I should be getting my check on Tuesday! Woohoo!

Wait....Isn't it Payday?

So today's paycheck was very important. I mean EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. I'm not sure that I have ever looked forward to a paycheck quite as much as I was looking forward to this one. You see, I took a leave of absence from work recently. I am an aspiring teacher and I needed to student teach for 12 weeks (without pay...FUN) in order to get my certification.

Here's something you should know about me. I pay close attention to my bank account. I check my account daily and I have it set up that I get an email when I receive any direct deposits. In fact, I was super excited that after a couple of months, I would be receiving one of those emails sometime during the night. FINALLY!

Anyways, at about 4:30 this morning I was having my daily "potty/banking session" (you can get some of your best banking business done there) and UH OH... I noticed that I hadn't received (you guessed it) THE email. You know, my first email letting me know that I was once again being paid for my services. I was totally looking forward to it and quite frankly, we needed it. Worried that dissecting it too much would keep me awake, I tried to convince myself that, the email system must have been delayed. So off I went, back to bed and GUESS WHAT?? I couldn't go back to sleep. So what did I do? I did what everyone would do at 4:30 in the morning, I checked my account. I won't tell you how much was in there but it was not pretty. In fact...it was pretty darn ugly.

So, it seems that that today is not MY payday. The rest of my department's, yes, but not mine. Now, I will tell you that this saddens me. I mean, it really does. At this point, I'm not really sure why I didn't get paid but I must not have been reinstated in the system once I returned to work. Our corporate office is in Vegas so they aren't quite in yet. I will be sure to let ya'll know as soon as I find out. So this one, my friends, is an entry that is TO BE CONTINUED...

'til next time,

Emily

Little Lesson: Ask yourself "Is there anything that I can personally do to change my situation?" If your answer is "No" might as well just let it go. **If you can't change your situation - change your attitude about your situation.**

First Blog....oh and Happy Earth Day!!!

First of all…I am not a writer. Not at all so please don’t judge. I say this though – if Rachel Ray (a non-chef) can end up with a cooking show, I certainly can put some thoughts down in a blog. I mean they are MY THOUGHTS right?? How wrong can they be? (Don’t answer that) Plus, I’m the one that tells my daughter that she can do anything; all she has to do is try. So, this is me – trying.

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE! That’s right….its the 40^th anniversary of this celebration. This is a day for renewal and appreciation.

Here’s my take on Earth Day….the Earth was given to us by God. We are to be stewards and caretakers of this planet. While I am not so naive to believe that we will all get to the point where we are completely “green”, I do believe that it’s worth a try for us all to make small steps towards this goal. Do I recycle? No. Do I eat organic food? Sometimes. Is it always locally grown? Not exactly. Some days are better than others. I “try” to use my refillable water bottle instead of plastic bottles. Sometimes I even remember to bring my reusable grocery bags into the grocery store before I enter the check out line. J The idea is not to be perfect all of the time. The idea is to make decisions on occasion that are good for our environment. I say – pick one thing that you know that you can do. Maybe it’s purchasing a Brita Filter for your water instead of buying the 24 pack of bottled water. Who knows? But pick something. Find something that you and your family can work with and implement today. When you’ve got that down – add something else. That’s the best advice I can give you.

'til next time,

Emily