Irony, Coincidences, and White Feathers

Okay, so I realize that I just posted a blog only a few hours ago, but I feel compelled to share again.  A while back I purchased the new Theresa Caputo book, “There More To Life Than This.” I’ve been slowly reading it. Emphasize the word slowly. Let’s just say November and December are not prime months for this mommy to have many spare moments to curl up with a book. 

In the book, Theresa mentions several times that quite often your spirits are communicating with you in ways, but you are unaware.  She encourages you to open your eyes, and your hearts, and that you will notice.  One of the topics she discusses is that often times in life you have those moments where you experience déjà vu and even irony. She says that often comes from your spirit friends.  Recently, since reading that part of her book and deciding I wanted to pay more attention to those types of situations, I have been overcome with those moments. Seriously, overcome. Examples include having conversations with Chloe that I just know I have had before. I literally know what’s going to come out of her mouth before she even takes a breath and the tv or radio saying the same thing I’m thinking, saying, or texting. A prime example is last night. One of my girls text me asking how to spell frappucchino.   Literally, as I was typing a text back to her spelling out the word for her, a commercial on tv says frappucchino like five times. Honestly, that’s truly nothing big. But, since I’ve been open and looking for signs, every time something like this happens, I think in my head, “Is that spirit? Or, is that just coincidence?”  Today, I had some similar experiences and finally I said in my head, “Okay, dad, if this is you trying to make yourself known, you’re going to have to give me something more concrete to work with here.” Then, I went to lunch. 

Before I tell you the next part of my story, I need to rewind a bit.  In Theresa’s book, she mentions that white feathers are also a sign from a spirit trying to make their presence known to you. Yesterday, I found myself completely entangled in reading about this man who lost his wife to a rare form of lung cancer only two years after they married and only one year after they had their daughter. The story centered around him and his daughter having a photo shoot done in their house, also where they had their wedding photos done, using all the same poses, only it was him and his daughter, rather than the wife.  During the photo shoot, the photographer, the late wife’s sister, had the little girl go sit by the window where she often pictured her sister rocking the little girl. When the little girl went over there, she found a white feather lying where the mom used to sit.  These feathers had been showing up in random places frequently for them. The feather ended up being the center of several pictures in that shoot.  Here’s the excerpt from her sister’s blog:

Lately Ali has been IN.OUR.FACE. Like non stop. I usually get a handful of “messages/signs” weekly. But a couple weeks ago I asked her to make herself more present for me. Welp, let’s just say she listened for once . I never share these things but with some super close friends or my family, but I feel like she’s begging me to share with you guys. So I decided I will. Feathers have been a consistent token from her. Fall out of nowhere onto me, all.the.time. Anywho. As you probably figured, I was having anxiety about cleaning out her stuff with my family and then taking pictures in their empty house. When we went upstairs into Olivia’s room to shoot, I directed Olivia to stand by the window. In my mind I imagined Ali rocking her as an infant in that very spot. She went there, then bent down and picked something up…a white feather. Oh hey sis! Glad you could make an appearance in this sesh. That same day I got a couple other blatant signs, another of which was a bigger white feather while outside picking a Christmas tree with my aunt Dale. (Another past time we did together.)

You can read more of the Nunery's story by clicking HERE. You can read the entire blog, including about the white feather, by clicking HERE.

Now that you have some background information, back to my story.  So, I told my dad that if he wanted to make his presence known, I needed him to be a little more concrete than mere coincidences and pieces of irony. I needed something tangible. Something I couldn’t argue or talk myself out of.  Like I said, after this conversation, I went to lunch.

After lunch, I returned to my room, got my kids on task, and sat down at my desk to take attendance. That's when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I looked over to the left side of my desk and sitting there in the middle of my desk was….A WHITE FEATHER! A white feather, people! I kid you not! Here it is!

Seriously, I can't tell you the last time I saw a feather. Much less a white one...ON MY DESK! I took this hugely loud, deep breath which proceeded to interrupt all of my kids. I was shaking slightly, my heart felt like it weighed 100 pounds and was beating marathon fast, and I’m pretty sure I was in a state of utter shock. Alright, dad. I get it. This is tangible. This is concrete. I’ll take it! Thank you!! Never have I ever been so thankful for blogging Thursdays (which we have in every class for 20 minutes on Thursdays and Fridays). I turned to my keyboard, and as my students blogged (I bet 90% of them were blogging about how there’s only one more day until Christmas break, that’s right, I said CHRISTMAS break.) I opened up my little Blogger and proceeded to share my experience with you. #BELIEVE

Till next time,
Lori

Sometimes I Just Can't Ride The Safe, Middle Line

        It’s been such a long time since I’ve blogged. There’s been plenty to write about: our 2013 Iceoliday, Thanksgiving, my Secret Santa woes, all things Chloe related (Did I mention she was moved up from the mommy and me class to the preschool class?!?), the never ending Christmas shopping, those pesky 10 pounds I’ve gained that just won’t budge (thank you, 32!).  Oh how the list goes on and on. There’s no way I could ever catch up. So, I think I’ll just blog with what’s on my mind this morning.

Sometimes I can be super opinionated on issues, but usually I just ride the line straight down the middle, especially when it comes to politics. I tend to be “wishy washy” and easily swayed one way or the other.  Last night, I was half-heartedly watching Barbara Walter’s special on the most fascinating people of 2013. I say half-heartedly because I was also reading a ridiculously long article on Kidd Kraddick (you can find a link to that article by clicking HERE) that had way more of my attention. That’s why when Barbara was interviewing Hillary Clinton, I had no idea, I repeat, NO IDEA, that she was named the #1 most fascinating person of 2013! In fact, her interview is probably the one I paid the least attention to. I find her rather boring mundane stale yawn worthy.  Really, Barbara? Really? On what grounds is she fascinating? What has she done this year to earn this title? I could think of so  many more interesting, fascinating, and deserving people. It’s not that I don’t like Hillary, it’s not that I do like her. I really could care less either way about her. (Once again, I ride the middle a lot.) I just don’t get it. She hasn’t been in the spotlight for any good deed, she hasn’t done something amazing this year; heck, has she done much of anything this year aside trying to avoid the subpoena to testify under oath about her part in the whole Benghazi attack? You know, the security lapse that was her ultimate responsibility and cost four American’s their lives? Let me tell you, I don’t know just how fascinating those four families feel she is. What about Miley Cyrus? Hasn’t she had way more “press making” moments? (Not that I like her. Actually, I kinda detest her and think she’s gross. But still, she’s more interesting than Hillary freaking Clinton!) What about the new Pope who’s the epitome of what a 21^st century, new world Pope should be?  I hate to say it, but Barbara, my dear, you are way off on this one.

Now, on to the next topic that caught my attention this morning. Apparently, Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family, made some comments in GQ magazine that he opposed the gay lifestyle, bestiality, adultery, and several other things.  The conversation began because Phil told the reporter, "Everything is blurred on what's right and what's wrong ... sin becomes fine." He’s totally right! How many times have we all asked ourselves, “What IS wrong with our world today?!” What’s right and what’s wrong have truly become totally blurred. It’s the new, 21^st century lifestyle. Ask for forgiveness later, turn your head the other way, let your kids get away with murder, and condone everything.  The magazine went on to ask him what he considers sinful. "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there -- bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men," he said.  Once again, isn’t he right? Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with any of my friends or family being homosexual. It truly could matter less to me. Mainly, because it’s not my place to judge. The Bible says it’s wrong, it’s a sin, but until I am free of sin, and I am so far from it, my job is to live my life the best I can and love those around me. I have gay friends who are amazing people.  I would never judge them.  This too is how Phil Robertson lives his life. He ended his discussion about the sins in our world today by telling the reporter, "We never, ever judge someone on who's going to heaven, hell. That's the Almighty's job. We just love 'em, give 'em the good news about Jesus -- whether they're homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort 'em out later, you see what I'm saying?" 

I read this all this morning in an article reporting that he has been suspended by A&E for his comments. It really angered me, the walk the middle line girl. He said he would “never, ever judge someone,” he just disagrees with their choices.  BIG DEAL! I seriously doubt there is anyone in the world that totally agrees with the choices that every other person in their life makes. Isn’t Phil the one being judged by the network and the world for his personal and religious beliefs?  Frankly, I admire him for being committed enough to his beliefs to stand up in front of the world and say so.  These days, we are so concerned with what is politically correct, what might offend someone, blah, blah, blah…Sometimes I feel that as a whole, we are forced to bite our tongue and not embrace our true beliefs except behind closed doors.  Need I go into the whole “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas” crap?

            I can also see though how the homosexual community could feel hurt when their lifestyle isn’t accepted by someone. Really though, isn’t that life? Not every decision and choice I have made has been one that everyone would support or agree with. And, it has bothered me when others have disagreed with me. Ultimately though, we are adults living in a free nation with a right to do and say how we please to do and say. Where on one corner there is someone opposing you, on the next is someone who will have your back.  So why does everyone have to be so PC? It’s truly done out of fear. Fear for their job, their friends, and fear of an uproar. The reality of America, the land of the free, has truly taken on a new definition. Welcome to America, the land of the free, the land where political correctness reigns, and the land where we must now only wish our fellow Americans a happy holidays.  But, of course, in God we trust. Ironic much?
            On a lighter note, today is pajama day at Chloe’s dance studio. Since I pretty much bolt in a mad dash straight from Jakki’s house to the studio to get there on time, she got to wear her pajamas to Jakki’s house today. Here she is in our morning picture to send to daddy who is working in Kansas this week. 

I hope you all have a fabulous Thursday and find your way to the weekend safe, happy, and not completely broke from Christmas.

Till next time,

Lori

Reasons To Be Thankful

This past week I've seen tons of my Facebook friends posting everyday something they're thankful for. I pondered joining the craze, but knew my intentions would probably fall short, and I wouldn't make it all the way through the month. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not grateful for all God has given me. It's more that I'm a realist. Reality is, my plate is already too full, and I don't have enough time as it is.

This morning as I lay in bed with Chloe, holding her hand as she slept, I couldn't help but be overcome with just how thankful I am that God chose me to be her mommy. Chloe has truly been my answer to so many prayers. She is my sweet, kind, caring girl. She loves to help, is always looking out for her mommy, and has a heart for animals that's bigger than Texas. She is passionate and insistent about holding my hand when she is sleeping, and still will beg "hold me!" I am lucky enough to have a daughter who is independent and adventuresome, yet never too big to crawl up in mommy 's lap and be babied.

She also has her quirks. That's what makes her special. Since infancy, she has never wanted to be alone. I had one of those babies that you had to drag to the bathroom with you just so she wouldn't cry. She's still that way. Chloe doesn't ever want to be too far away from me at home. She's not one to go off and play in her room. Rather, she wants to be with me, helping me, or, unbeknownst to her, hindering me. ;) How can that bother me though? She's just so darn loving. It's the same way at bed time too. We have never been the parents that could lay her down in her crib and walk away. I've said it time and time again...I'm going to have the only 5 year old girl who still gets rocked to sleep at night. That's okay by me, though. I love those moments together. I'd rather be there to  comfort her in her most dreaded moments than to worry about "sleep training" my child or whether she will sleep in her bed. And, that brings us back to this morning. Like most nights, she is in our bed when I wake up this morning. Of course, I am holding her hand. I'm pretty sure she has a death grip on it while she snoozes away. As I lay there, staring at my beautiful princess, dreaming sweet dreams, and holding my hand, I was overcome with love. Never have I loved so deeply, so purely, and with everything that I have. There is much to be thankful for in this world of mine, but nothing more so than this precious little girl that is mine all mine. For her, #30daysofthanks just won't suffice. #365/24.7daysofthanks still may not be enough.

I love you, Chloe, my sweet baby girl!

Mommy

There's Nothing Like A Muffin Making Mini!

Yesterday was one heck of a long day. After school ended, we had an evening filled with parent conferences until 8pm. Luckily, unlike last time, Rusty is in town this week and was able to pick Chloe up from Jakki's house and take care of her.  Last time, the poor girl spent three hours up at school with me being semi-entertained by one of my cheerleaders.  I know it's probably weird, but I truly get excited when Rusty and Chloe get to spend alone time together. He's gone so much, and I think it's good for both of them. I know Chloe sure does enjoy it.

As usual, after he picked her up, she wanted to go on the "foh weeyer." It was cold outside, but daddy is kind of a sucker. Here she is all bundled up. It's a bit blurry, but it cracks me up. How many people have a sippy cup holder on their four wheeler???

After their off roading adventures were complete, they made mommy dinner. I must admit, daddy is much better at letting Chloe help than I am.  I'm working on it, but messes make my head spin a bit. Anyways, after helping daddy season the chicken and make the rice, Rusty let Chloe make me organic blueberry muffins! He took about a million pictures along the way, too. Rusty swears she really, truly made them herself. He said he would show her what she needed to do and then she would take over. When the next step in the process came, he would show her that process, and she would take over again.  Here's a few of the pictures he took chronicling the process.

When I arrived home, Chloe was so excited for me to come in the door. She met me in the garage, grabbed me by my coat tail and practically dragged me into the kitchen all the while telling the dogs, "MY mommy!"  Then, with daddy's help, she grabbed the plate of muffins and handed them to me saying, "Es yours!"  I truly do have the sweetest girl. :)

After dinner we indulged ourselves in Chloe's organic blueberry crumble muffins, took a bath, and Chloe passed out in about two minutes flat on me.  To be honest though, I'm not sure it even took me two minutes to pass out.  Rusty took this picture.  It's definitely not my most flattering moment, but she looks so dang funny on me.  Who would have thought my almost two year old would still want to be rocked/held every night? #iloveit

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Lori

A Little Rant And A Big Ole Bunch Of Halloween Cuties

Oh happy day! We made it, people! It's FRIDAY! In teacher terms, it's also November 1st, the absolute worst day in the entire school year for sugared up kids.  Seriously, if you're a parent, take heed. Are you one of those that let's your kid stuff their pockets and lunch box full of last night's chocolate coated treasures before you send them off on the bus, out of your hair for the next eight hours?  If so, I think it's safe to say, you are not on my list of favorite people today.  Just saying...  I seriously had one girl walk into my first period class with her entire bucket of Halloween candy. No lie!  Learning is difficult on November 1st.

Enough of my soapbox...on to something fun. Last night was a blast in the Thompson household!  For the second year in a row, we trick or treated with Jakki's and Jen's girls.  Everyone had a blast, the girls got way more candy than their sweet mommies will ever let them eat, and hopefully, we walked off a few calories as we made our way around the neighborhood.  The dads joined us this year too! Jakki and I joked that we needed to bring them along every year because our job was so much easier. :) Here's a few pictures of our evening:

Points to note: Maddie, the flower, wore this outfit on her first Halloween at a mere 5 months old. She is one skinny mini! Also, look at Jenna! We took this photo right before we set out trick or treating. Jenna's sweet face is already riddled in chocolate! 

My little Minnie Mouse. I really wanted to make her a homeless woman this year, but who can say no this sweet face?

Chloe getting a ride from her daddy.

Take a look at the girls last year compared to this year! They're growing up way too quick! :(

Here's to a fabulous weekend, friends! Hopefully it won't be rainy and wet again. Oh, and let's all go ahead and celebrate daylight savings time! We gain an extra hour of sleep on Sunday!  Woo hoo!!!

Till next time,

Lori

It's A Halloween Sweetie And Stinky Bacon Kind Of Morning

Happy Halloween friends!  

This beautiful girl is all excited that her daddy got home in time to take her trick or treating tonight. He didn’t get to go last year because he was out of town.  The first thing Chloe said this morning when she saw her costume laying out was, “Daddy doh tick ah teatin’ too!”  Yes, sweet girl, he’s going too.

Now, on to the reason why I am posting this early today.  Sonic is officially on my list of places I will avoid from now on.  They can’t ever seem to get my order completely correct! Usually they forget my condiments, or they can’t seem to make Chloe’ milk shake the kid friendly way even though I specify it in my order. TODAY, topped it all though.

Here’s how it went down:

Sonic: Sonic, can I take your order?

Me: Can I get a junior potato egg and cheese burrito and a diet coke, please?

Sonic: Do you want sausage?

Me: No, no meat at all. Just potato, egg, and cheese.

I am truly not too much of a meat eater at all. I’ll eat chicken, but that’s about it, and it better be smothered in cheese or something yummy.  I’ll let you in on a little secret, too. Not only do I not like bacon, I LOATHE the smell of it. It is just so fowl smelling. Disgusting…

So, anyways, I drive to the window, receive my food, and, due to previous experiences, ask if there’s picante sauce in the bag.

Sonic girl: Yes

Me: (Looking) Um,  no, there’s not. Can I get some napkins also? (No napkins and my drink had diet coke all over the lid.)

Sonic girl: Hands me ONE napkin.

Me: Could I get more than one? Did you see my lid?

This story could go on forever. Let me get to the truly irritating part. Did I mention I don’t like meat? I wasn’t joking. It’s seriously gross…especially breakfast meats. I can’t tell you the last time I ate breakfast sausage or downed a piece of bacon.  Actually, yes, I can. TODAY. The first  bite!

Take a look, folks. 

This is disgusting. I took apart my potato, egg, and cheese burrito to find that it was FILLED to the brim with sausage, bacon, and cheese. No potato, no egg. Just a big ole meaty mess.  To say I was livid is an understatement. So, as I sit here taking out my frustrations on this blog, I am eating my cheesy tortilla and longing for my potato and egg.  I literally pulled out every piece of bacon and sausage. As for the sausage and bacon, it’s now sitting in a trash can.  Poor pig died for nothing.

Oh, and, to top it off…MY CAR SMELLS LIKE I’VE BEEN FRYING BACON IN IT FOR A WEEK. G.R.O.S.S.

Here’s to a tasty, no meat lunch that better come sooner than later because I don’t think this tortilla is going to last long.

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween, my friends!

Lori

My Weekend With Tori

Those of you who know me, know my obsession with Tori Spelling. She is my celebrity idol. I would go so far as to say celebrity crush except for the whole “she’s a woman” thing.  Seriously though, I love me some Tori.  When I was young, like pre to early teens, I was even a member of her fan club. I have the “Donna Martin-esq" post card to prove it. :0) To say that I was excited a few weeks ago when I logged onto my Amazon account only to be suggested that I pre-order Tori Spelling's new book is the understatement of the century.  Why, YES, Amazon, I should! THANK YOU for knowing me SO well! I'm pretty sure Amazon might know my likes better than my own husband. Or, at least they know my purchase tendencies.

Friday night, I purchased the Nook version of Spelling It Like It Is.  Then, promptly proceeded to fall asleep without even a glimpse at the first page. I was just that tired.  Being a working mom, who is typically also a single mom Monday-Friday, I have little time for hobbies.  A typical day for me consists of going to work, picking Chloe up from Jakki to play mommy for a while, starting on my many Cinderella chores once Chloe goes to bed, and off to bed to do the same thing all over again the next day. It's a rare day that I sit down before 8:30pm and that's usually to rock Chloe to sleep.  So, back to my point, these days there’s very little time for hobbies, much less personal time. This weekend was no different. Weekends are for family time, chores, and laundry.  Don’t get me wrong, I love family time, relish in it, but this weekend I was bound and determined to spend some time with Tori. Sadly, my day Saturday was just plum full. Not to mention my body was still trying to recover from the seemingly never ending week of commitments that had just ended. Literally, I had a commitment, mostly work related, EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. LAST. WEEK.  It was tiring exhausting downright draining.  To top it all off, poor Chloe was drug around like a rag doll to everything. She was such a trooper, but I could tell, come the weekend, she was as exhausted as I was.  When I got home Saturday evening from dinner, all I wanted to do was read. My heart was in it, but my eyes were SO NOT. I was a determined chick, though. May I introduce you to my friends for Saturday evening, one berry flavored 5 Hour Energy and an ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper?  That's right, I downed an energy shot, popped the top of a DDP, and snuggled up in my bed, just me and Tori.

I must admit... it was pretty much love at first line. Tori's been pretty MIA recently. With her reality show ending and having two babies in a one year period, she hasn't exactly been at the forefront of the tv lineup or even really in the press. Miss Lori has been surviving solely on reruns of Tori and Dean and stalking her blog. I swear to you, by the end of the first chapter, I was literally addicted. Tori's writing is like a drug. I just can't get enough.  She has such a personality, and her writing is no different. It has such voice! Needless to say, I felt like I was at home. You know that feeling you get when you've been gone way too long, and finally arrive home? That "aah!" feeling? Yeah, I totally got it. N.E.R.D....I know...

Tonight, after I post this blog actually, back to the book I go.  I'm totally reading this the smart way. Just a little bit at a time, not too much, not too little. I want to savor the moment. I wonder just how long I can make a 205 page book last???

Till next time,

Lori

A Fabulous Weekend Comes To An End

I have been anxiously awaiting this weekend for several weeks now. Not for any good reason. Simply because I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PLANS! Life has B.U.S.Y. these days.  No kidding, I haven't had time to do much more than eat, sleep, and work. So, my plan for the weekend was to do pretty much nothing. I think, overall, I was pretty successful! After I picked Chloe up from Jakki's on Friday, we went off roading on the four wheeler for about an hour and made a pit stop at the park for a little fun.  I'm pretty sure Jakki jinxed us because when I picked her up on Friday, she mentioned that Chloe had not had an accident all week. So much for that. There's nothing quite like the look on a two year old's face when she's got one foot firmly planted on the ground, one foot on the first step of a ladder, and her bladder decides to burst. Like, FULL ON BURST. The poor girl lost every ounce in it, and it ran down her leg while she stood there, looking all sad, head leaned over, watching it run down her. :(  DADDY TO THE RESCUE! We stayed at the park, and he bolted back to the house for dry clothes and disinfectant wipes! Once Chloe went to sleep, I sat down and made 16 pink cheer bows for our pink out pep rally. I hope the girls like them!!

That night Rusty got called in to work at midnight but got off at around 6am.  Obviously, he needed some sleep, so Chloe and I left for a few hours Saturday morning while he got some zzzzzs.  We needed to go to the dairy farm to get Chloe some more raw milk and to Roanoke to pick up Spanky's $100 skin prescription that I loathe buying.  Now, before complaining, let me tell you, it could be much further that we have to drive for raw milk.  The family we buy from says that people drive from the other side of Dallas to buy their milk, but the other side of Decatur is a good 30-35 minute drive.  So, when I pull up only to be greeted with this sign, I am not a happy camper. 

I was forced to buy my girl non-organic Lactaid. Alas, we will try again tomorrow. Hopefully they will have some milk, and I will be stocking my freezer up with it.

After we ran our errands, we pretty much did nothing. NOTHING! It was amazing.  On Sunday, Chloe woke me up with two demands: 1) "I need to poo poo, MOMMY!" 2) "I wan donuts, mommy." So, once we took care of number 1, (which was actually number 2, hahahah!), we went to the donut store and filled her little belly full of fried, sugary goodness.  Last night we promised Chloe that she would get to carve pumpkins today.  Shortly after breakfast, Chloe remembered.  Off to Walmart we went! We picked out four beautiful pumpkins and grabbed some meat to put on the smoker as well.  Below are our final products in the pumpkin carving category.  Chloe is likes loves is a slight bit obsessed with Minnie Mouse these days. Rusty really wanted to make Chloe a Minnie Mouse pumpkin this year. If you know my husband, you know there is NOTHING he can't do.  BTW, Chloe loves her Minnie "punkin." Daddy also smoked me some totally yummy awesome AMAZEBALLS chicken.  It was so juicy! He also made himself some pork tenderloin that he said was to die for, but we'll just have to take his word on that one. Somewhere in between all of this we also got some four wheeling time in.  (This has quickly become Chloe's favorite pass time.)

Our Sunday In A Nutshell:

You know it's been a fun filled day when Chloe wants to go to sleep before it's even 8pm. Who was I to argue? Right now her precious, sleeping self is snuggled up next to me on the couch snoozing away. I know, it's after 11pm; I just haven't wanted to put her to bed yet.  I like my baby sleeping peacefully on me! Now, my weekend comes to a close.  In one word, I would call this weekend...RELAXING!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Monday!

Lori

#picadayfriday

Saturday: I'm potty training her. She's passing on her new found skills to her "beebee."

Sunday: This picture does NO justice to the pain my poor toe was in when Chloe launched a can of green beans (sharp cornered edge) straight into my toe. It got all bruised and (gasp) it was dang near impossible to wear my heels for a few days.

Monday: Coolest. Socks. Ever. They're worn by a pretty sweet kiddo, too. :)

Tuesday: The first game of the year! Chloe sported her new outfit "Gaysee" made her.

Wednesday: Best. Spaghetti Sauce. Ever. Seriously, I crave this stuff like some kind of spaghetti sauce crack head. AND, it's organic!!!! Go buy this, people!

Thursday: There's nothing like a Thursday night wedding to exhaust you the next day at work. My loves sure did have fun though. 

Friday: I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I seriously have the best cheerleaders EVER. I love them to the moon and back!

Have a safe and restful weekend, friends! I have a four hour cheer practice tomorrow morning, so I'm off to bed. 

Nightly night!

Lori 

A Small Hiatus

Hi friends! Long time, no see! Yes, I have definitely been on a bit of a hiatus. I'm baccckkkk though! Seriously, life has been so CRAY CRAY lately. It's been hard to find a free moment to stop and do much more than breathe. I have so much to catch you up on.  Since I last blogged, Chloe started her first dance class, one of my best friends lost her husband in a car accident, Chloe decided she wanted to wear 'bid durl pannies,' and Rusty decided my sweet two year old needed her very own Dune Buggy.

The honest truth is, almost two weeks ago when I got home from Chloe's first dance class, I was pumped and so ready to get online and make a post about it. While getting online to do this, I found out one of my best friend's husband had passed away. To be honest, I didn't feel like I should be sharing all these joyful, exciting moments, when she was going through such pain. It seemed kind of selfish. So, I just decided that maybe I needed to take a break for a week....which then turned into almost two weeks. 

So, dance class...I must say, my kid is shy. The first week she pretty much  clung to my leg.  However, she looked so dang cute clinging to my leg in her adorable little ballet outfit!  Week two was much better though.  Don't get me wrong, she still had her moments, but overall, it was a success! Miss Andrea, her teacher, ends her class with the Hot Dog song from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This works to our advantage because this is Chloe's favorite show and song. Well, besides Blurred Lines, or 'Hey Hey' as she calls it. Back to the Hot Dog song though...when we walked in the studio on Tuesday, the first words she had for her teacher were, "I wan Hot Dog!"

Now, on to potty training.  Back in the spring Chloe had taken an interest in going potty in the 'bid durl potty.' She was inconsistent, but when her mind was in it, she was doing good!  It didn't last long though, and we haven't had any luck at all since she turned two back in June. That is...until last Friday! Jakki, her amazing babysitter, text me to tell me Chloe asked her to wear 'bid durl pannies' like Jenna!!! Ladies and gentlemen, let the potty training begin! We promptly went to Babies R Us on Saturday to spend our life savings on all things potty related. Chloe picked out Minnie Mouse and Sofia The First 'pannies,' a Sofia stool, and mom got a few pairs of plastic pants and pull ups for her just to be on the safe side. Who knew those plastic pants wouldn't really be needed?!? She has done EXCEPTIONALLY WELL! Most days, Chloe has been accident free. There have definitely been a few accidents here and there, but overall, my kid is doing simply fabulous. I am so super duper proud of her. :)

That brings us to today. Today is the day my kid became the only two year old in Texas who owns a dune buggy. Ya know, because she can reach the pedal and drive it and all. Seriously...pics to come. Daddy is "girling"'it up as we speak.

Up next, #picadayfriday!!!

Lori 

#picadayfriday

It's #picadayfriday! I'll be honest, though. It's been a busy, crazy week and I didn't take nearly as many pictures as usual! So, we will see how this goes...

Saturday: We went down to the lake house to mow. We were greeted with this beautiful family of deer on the other side of the fence when we pulled up.

Sunday: When its HOT and humid on the lake, sometimes you just have to make lemons out of lemonade. By that I mean, sit in the cold cooler!

Monday: Sick mommy, sick baby= Lots of snuggle time!

Tuesday: Open house night. Chloe joined us. I didn't get much this night. My cheerleaders watched her while I was with parents and one of them sent me this picture. She's looking like she's missing her mama!

Wednesday: I am so very, very grateful that I never sleep trained my baby girl! Every night at 8:30 I feel like the luckiest mommy in the world to get to rock my baby to sleep still! Not many mamas of 2 year olds still get this luxury.

Thursday: Chloe is a master picture taker. Just look at this sunset picture she took from the backseat!

Friday: This is how I'm spending my evening! I love, love, LOVE me some Tori Spelling. Nothing in the world sounds better tonight than a little Tori and Dean on the DVR.

I hope you all have a happy, cool, and safe weekend!

Lori

Dear Spanky

Dear Spanky,

Please consider this my formal notice that if I ever, EVER get up at 3 in the morning again only to step in a puddle of your dog pee, a puddle so big I could hear the splash, you will be officially homeless. HOMELESS. My floor is not, never was, and will never be your bathroom.

Kindly,

Your mom (at least for the moment)

The Case of The Disappearing 2 Year Old

This morning Chloe decided to sleep in past her normal 6:30am wake up time. I'm not gonna lie. I didn't wake her up and wasn't particularly sad that she decided to sleep in. After all, she had to take some Benadryl last night because her poor allergies were killing her. We all know how sleepy Benadryl makes us. This also meant I got to get ready for the day in peace without also corralling a two year old and using the phrases, "Chloe, no." Chloe, get out of the dog water." "Get off of Duke, Chloe. He's not a horse." and "Chloe, please don't use my brush on Spanky anymore. He's dirty."  These phrases are staples of our morning routine.  Around 7:00am, I decided to go open her door in hopes that the natural noise of the house and dogs would start to wake my little sleeping beauty.

When I got about half way down the hall, I noticed her door was open. Strange, I thought I closed it. Upon entering her room, I realized my little princess was already up! Her bed was empty. Where was she, I wondered? I scoured the house looking for her. I wasn't particularly worried. I mean, she had to be somewhere. I looked high, I looked low, I called her name, I offered her milk....nothing. After searching everywhere, I began to worry panic FREAK OUT. SOMEONE HAD COME INTO MY HOUSE AND TAKEN MY PRECIOUS LITTLE ANGEL! I just knew it. Heart pounding, hands shaking, frantically calling her name, I began running around like a chicken with his head cut off. That's when I saw it. The back door. It was shut, but only partially. It looked like when you close the door but don't push it all the way into the latch. As quick as I could, I threw open the back door and ran outside. What did I find? My precious, NON SLEEPING 2 YEAR OLD hanging out on the deck at the patio table.

 

Needless to say, I was beyond relieved. You know that feeling you get when all the sudden you've used all the adrenaline you had and now you're just plum tired? Yeah, that was me. After we got back inside, I had a talk with Chloe. I told her how if she wanted to see mommy grow old, she should probably never do that again because I almost had a heart attack.

 

Then we got dressed, brushed that mop on her head, and cleaned those dirty feet!

 

P.S. Don't judge me...I know my grass is tall. My lawn boy stood me up yesterday. :/

 

Happy Tuesday!!!

 

Lori

#picadayfriday

Time for a little lunch time bloggin' fun! #Picadayfriday is in full force!

 

Saturday: This sweet girl might not be feeling too hot. :/ I turned around from putting up all the food I got out to make her lunch to find her holding her head up with her hand and just looking plain pitiful.

Sunday: Sunday was a day of deep sleep. No doubt because she wasn't feeling up to par. This kid rarely NEVER just lays down on the couch and passes out.

Monday: Chloe had to spend the day with me at work. Poor girl...She was at work with me until 6:45! All things considered, she did fabulous, helped me destroy my room, and cleaned her boots up just like her daddy does. Oh, and found the pink pom poms for BCA month.

 

Tuesday: The first day of school!!! She still wasn't feeling herself. I couldn't get her to take her paci out for the picture or even lift her head up. :(

Wednesday: Mommy reinstalled "Elmo Calls" onto my phone. Some crazy 1 year old deleted it a few months back. You would have thought it was Christmas in the Thompson house. While I rocked her nite nite, Chloe and Elmo facetimed.

 

Thursday: I mustache you a question! Thanks to Mandi for letting me borrow these FABULOUS ice breakers to use with my homeroom babies! Each mustache had a random question on them. The kids were paired together, had to find out the other student's name and ask them the question. Then, they introduced each other to the class and told the answer to their question.

 

 

Friday: Today! Chloe told me this morning that she wanted to wear daddy's hat to Jakki's house. I don't know about you, but I think she looks way better in it than daddy does. ;)

 

 

Have a good great FABULOUS three day weekend, friends! We will be hitting up the lake and working on a nice, end of season tan.

 

Till next time,

 

Lori

An Unexpected Visitor

What a great day! Really, what a great week. Today was special though. This morning I woke up especially tired and was truly dragging. As I was preparing my class for the kids, someone walked in. When I turned around, it was one of my sweet boys that I taught 7 YEARS AGO! I seriously haven't seen him in years. He was probably a freshman or sophomore in high school the last time I ran into him. Caleb was a special kid. If I was to have a favorite, which of course a teacher NEVER would, Caleb would have topped my list that year. ;) 

This kid had personality for miles. He kept me on my toes but had me laughing the whole way. Needless to say I was surprised and SO thrilled to see him. He didn't think I would recognize him. Caleb was a little guy when I taught him. Not anymore. He's pushing 6'3ish. I recognized him instantly though. We talked for quite a while. Classroom preparations could wait. He said he was dropping his little brother off at school because he missed the bus and decided to come in and see me. 

My heart was officially full. This is why I do what I do. For a student, especially a boy, who I haven't had in my classroom for 7 years, to take the time out of his day to come say hi to me just because...it made my day. 

To all my teacher friends, don't think you're not making life long connections! We matter more than we know to these kids. Caleb and I sat there and talked as if only a few days had passed since he was one of my sweet babies. It was only after he left that I said, "DANGIT! I should have gotten a picture with him! This would be a great blog post!" Ho hum. :/ He promised to come by again when he's playing chauffeur for his brother. I'll be sure to get a picture then.

Tomorrow is #picadayfriday!  

Till then,

Lori

The First Day Of School

The eyes should say it all. It. Was. A. Long. Day. A good day, but a LONG one too. I'm beyond exhausted. The good news: for the first time in 3 years, I didn't have a single crying child! Usually I scare at least one. :/ The bad news: Today was easy. Tomorrow we start learning! That is why even though the hubs passed out at seven and my sweet, cranky, emotional Chloe took some Benadryl for her allergies and was out by 8, I am still up, still in my work clothes, planning away for tomorrow's lesson in a kitchen that smells like soured bulldog fart. Thank you, Spanky. My evening would not have been complete without your presence.

Oh, and, I didn't blog yesterday about my ESL test because I was frustrated with it. I guess I'm a high maintenance test taker, but I wasn't too thrilled with the testing environment I took my test in yesterday and was afraid I may not pass because I couldn't focus. I got my results today at lunch though and I PASSED! Praise you sweet baby Jesus! I really didn't want to have to take it again. Yay for small miracles! 

After work today I was greeted by the sweetest baby girl who wanted to be held. It was exactly what I needed after a long day. I missed her something fierce today! When we got home, she practiced the art of "selfies." I leave you tonight with the most beautiful, almost doll like selfie ever. Look at those eyes and that porcelain skin!

Nighty night, y'all!

Lori