Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving was wonderful.. . kind of.

I actually look forward to holidays because I can not wait to tell the stories of them to my friends who are always waiting to hear them. I also like to hear my friends stories. Hilarious. Especially when you know their families well.

Love it!

Here are some memories:

-I forgot to pick up these special rolls that we all LOVE so we had these gross wheat rolls I was actually seriously mad at how much they sucked.

-Kaylin's dog Buddy (who was not really invited but welcomed all the same) peed on the new chairs.

-Buddy knocked over Kaylin's mimosa so it spilled all over the carpet

-Buddy and Lainee got into a bit of a fight and broke the water dish which went into a bunch of peices of glass all over the kitchen....

-Gramma bit Kaylin's leg because Kaylin didn't see her and walked right into her ( couldn't help but giggle)

-My Grandma brought up something about Kaylin's boyfriend that Kaylin didn't like

-Kaylin opened the fridge after she put the stuffing away, and it spilled all over and the bowl broke

-My Grandma was a bit tipsy and had the 'stomach flu' the whole next day. . . . .:)

-Kaylin made a comment about these slippers that P bought me for Christmas this one year, which mademe want to reach across the table and pull her hair out. (oh family...)

Well that is what holidays are made of right? The things that create good memories and thus, good stories!!! :)

Book Shelf from IKEA

Here are some examples of the bookshelf systems with the awesome ladder that I will most definitely have/need when I have my first house! ! ! !

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/11794/

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/living_room/11683/

Goodreads.com

Greetings to all of you avid readers out there! I sincerly enjoy reading, and I have as long as I can remember. I can recall hot sticky summer days on my bike making the trek to the library with a large (and extremely heavy) backpack that made my shoulders throb for days. I suppose I didn't mind all that much, considering how many times I made the trip! My favorite thing to do in the summer was read as much as I could. I liked series, young adult fiction, mysteries, fiction and history books, you name it! I am named after Corrie Ten Boom, so I have always had an interest in books about the holocaust. I read Corrie Ten Boom's books, The Diary of Anne Frank, Night, and many many more. The library at my elementary school was insatiable and I outread them quickly. I also wanted to be an archeologist and a palentologist, so my big obbessions were Ancient Egypt and dinosaur bones! I actually begged my mom to take me to the science mueseum to see the new Mummy exhibit! WHAT A NERD! I should have known....

Wow that was off topic.

What I was getting to, is that I found a new website for readers!! It is called goodreads.com, and I like it a lot better than livingsocial.com which I mentioned in a previous post. It is much more focused on the actual 'reading' of the book instead of where to buy it. Instead of posting a review that says, boring i hated this book, you will find a well written review of a book which acurately portrays and reveals the writing style and maybe, if you're lucky, possible themes of the book! There are authors who use the site and moderate discussions about their books. I found a group where people discuss books more than just the surface level summary. I seriously love this website but don't tell anyone because I know its pretty nerdy. Another thing I love is that you can make different bookshelves. For example, I have a book shelf called "books I hope my children will read" which contains a bunch of books I've either read recently or read when I was little that made an impresssion on me. I'm trying to build my bookshelf right now ( I looked at bookshelves at Ikea with Chris this weekend, and they had so many cool ones and awesome set-ups, including a bookshelf with a ladder on it that moves around....COOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!) with books I love and would like to lend people to read, and most excitingly, books that I am really excited to read to my children!!

IF anyone actually reads this, you should go to goodreads.com and tell me what you think!!!http://www.goodreads.com

God is good.

Since I posted last, my Grandma (who I call Grammy), came to visit because of some appointments she had at the Mayo Clinic. She had a bovine patch put in her femoral artery this summer, and has since had horrible hives which lead to deep tissue bruising. Well, it is a good thing she came here. My mom and Grammy were parking, and my mom thought that my Grandma had fallen asleep. She tried to wake her up, and she noticed that Grammy was sweating bullets!

Turns out, my Grandma had a stroke! She has had four in the past including this one. TO think that they were parked in the parking garage of one of the best medical facilities in the world... I'm telling you God is good! Grammy was immediately admitted and put through many tests to determine the extent of damage, etc. She ended up having surgery, and had a stint put into her corrated artery. She'll be with us for a while now, including during Thanksgiving which is exciting because we haven't had Thanksgiving with her since I was in elementary school I think.

God is good.

This is a video of our welsh terrier Aubrey, who we adopted last year around October. When we got her she was very slow moving, limped when she woke up, was not very playful, and would wake up very confused and start barking. Now, she cuddles (kind of....not as much as Lainee), she is soooo playful, she is very affectionate (in her own way which I love), and her health is so much better! We adopted her from a man who had a terminal illness and could not take care of her or give her the attention she needed. What a selfless thing to do. I can't even imagine that. I honestly do not think I could ever give up a dog of mine, even if I was really sick.

I took this video because it made me laugh so much. Somehow she got ahold of a pencil grip, I have no idea where she got it. This video is a great example of how far she has come since we adopted her. I love this old bat!!!!!!!!

Dental Health: Are you a pop drinker? No... but I sure love candy!!!!

Brushing and flossing my teeth is more than a habit. It is sort of an obbsession, and maybe sort of an OCD kind of thing. You know that feeling you get when you really need to brush your teeth, and it feels like you have sweaters on your teeth??? Or how about when you eat popcorn or skittles or something of the sort and you have that one piece way back there and you can not stop brushing your tongue over it?? That is why I keep floss in my car/purse/bathroom (obv)/nightstand/backpack/gymbag/etc, in addition to mouth wash or a toothbrush/toothpaste. I mean those dental health items are CRUCIAL. The kids I nanny for will never forget one of the first days I was with them, we were driving and I was like oh my gosh oh my gosh I NEED MY TOOTHBRUSH!!!!!!!!! So I brushed it right then and there, without water. Hey, deperate times call for desperate measures right??? I told them that I didn't care if people thought I looked weird brushing my teeth in my car, because at least they know that I brush me teeth at all. :)

Today my sister went to the dentist. I sat up front in the office for her while she had her appointment because I didn't have to work til this afternoon. She walks in and looks very upset. The verdict? Ten fillings, a root canal, a crown, and her wisdom teeth out. Poor kid!!! I bet she wishes she brushed and flossed a bit more in the past! I have a feeling I willl be bringing her soup and other soft foods to eat. The dental hygenist said to her "Are you a pop drinker?"; Kaylin says, "No....but I sure love candy!!!!!".

I love her!

Being a teenager is tough!! (So is being around one)

I nanny for three children. The youngest, is a 10 year old boy. He has been in and out of the hospital recently for sucicide and anxiety problems. THe poor kid gets tease so much! The saddest part about it is that he is honestly the sweetest boy, with the biggest heart ever. Unfortunately, he is very obese. He does not get much activity because he doesn't have to. I feel like his parents, especially his mother, looks past the fact that she is really damaging his body and making him a prime target for teasing at school. I suppose when your child isn't contemplating sucicide attempts at ages 8, 9, or 10, you don't mind what he eats or the amount of TV/Computer time he has. He is about 5 foot 2 inches, and weighs 160 pounds. He eats and eats until he gets so full he has to throw up because he's so uncomfortable. Anyways, he has a really big heart and I love being able to be a part of his life. HE has come so far in the past three years that I've been with this family. His homework and sense of responsibility have really improved. Too bad there aren't 'social skills' coaches. Well there are, but I just don't know where to find them for this boy. Anyways, he is doing better now. He goes to an out-patient program instead of his regular school right now. This program provides his normal curriculum in addition to group meetings and one-on-one meetings.

Ok here is my point. Last week, on Wednesday (I think that was November 5th), was the first day that he seemed somewhat back to normal. His smile was bright, his eyes were bright, his face seemed much more animated, and he was very talkative and not sluggish like he was before. God is so good. This little boy has been on my heart and in my prayers, and it seems that God is working. Probably even working through him. Teaching us adults about resilence, grace, and love.

Anywho, today I ordered Twilight tickets for the kids and I. The oldest girl of the family I nanny for, she is 13, has been quite a snotty snotty patattie. Seriously, it is so weird. It seems like it ihappened so all of a sudden. Very eerie. She's always been my little buddy through my job with this family. I see SOOOO much of me in her, its uncanny. I come from a family of five kids. (youngest sister is 21, then me, then older sister, older brother 27, oldest brother 30) Many people say I am the blacksheep of the family. Its true. I took a way different path. I am the only one who graduated highschool with flying colors and honors, who went to college immediately after, have always had a job. I am the only one of my family (including mom and dad) who has not had an addiction to alcohol or drugs. I suppose its because I have seen what its done to them, and how its ruined their lives and brought so much pain onto everyone. I could go into that more, but I love my siblings and I have had some EXTREMELY funny memories and wonderful times with them. (except for older halfsister, so is sooooo weird. so creepy and sneaky, she cheated on her SAT's and got caught thank goodness) The biggest reason I have taken the path that I have is for the relief of my mother. Honest to God. I think that is about fifty percent of why I am here on Earth. Ok so back to Claire and off of me, sorry. . . . So I have always looked out for Claire. With a younger brother and sister who have severe learning disabilities and psychological issues, much of the attention is on the younger siblings. Which, rightfully so I suppose, though I do not think it does much for the one child in the family who is considered 'normal'. Claire is involved with youth group, traveling (junior olympic) volleyball, dance, flag football, and lacrosse. She is in all honors and enriched classes, and is always willing to lend a hand around the house with cleaning and cooking. She has been such a blessing, I can't even stress it enough. She is precious.

So these past few days with Claire have been awfully difficult. She is going through her 'Teenager' stage to the max. Its really funny to look at how her and Lydia (age 12) get along. It reminds me of Kaylin and I. It makes me laugh so much. I wish I could go back to when Kaylin and I were that age and be a bug on the wall to watch us as we fought over stupid things and dug as deep as we could to try and think of something we knew would hurt the other's feelings. I have no idea where this attitude came from. I didn't even know she had the capacity to be so mean and snotty. I wonder how long this stage will last.

Want to know the whole reason I started writing this post in the first place?? Because I was going to say that I bought TWILIGHT TICKETS for the kids and I for Friday, November 21st. I promised Lydia I would pick her up from school and we could go see the movie. Claire wanted to go to the Midnight showing, which means she needed to find a ride to the movie and a ride back from the movie (around 2 am). Her mom said no tickets unless she found rides to and from. The mom works two jobs, so she can not stay up that late. Dad said no too. (parents are divorced) So I said I wouldn't buy her the tickets and I have never got so much attitude in my whole life. It escalated from there. OBNOXIOUS. I wonder how snotty I was when I was her age. Probably pretty snotty. Its like you have to put on this big front. You have to act like you don't care about things and that you don't understand why everything can't happen your way on your schedule. When inside you are frustrated and hurt because here you are doing everything the 'right way' and doing it well too, and all anyone can care about is your younger sister's illness of the day and your younger brother's clinginess and tears when he is asked to do something. Why do parents bend things all the time for your younger sibling/siblings? Its a hard life for a teenager.

Lots of prayers to Claire, lots of prayers to the family for being around her during her teenager stage. :) I still love her. Attitude and all. She might be my favorites if it was ok to have favorite amongst the kids.