Tuesday, August 26, 2008

it was a good day :)

First, a few 365s... There are a bunch more... but I won't bore you. :) Plus I don't feel like uploading much more than this. haha

8/22/08 tony actually took this one, I was doing dishes... so it's not a self portrait, but w/e. :)

8/23/08 Reading the ads in the paper.... nothing good this week.
8/26/08 Breakfast this morning! Apple French Toast... Super Yummy! It was Tony's day off today, so I thought I'd make something extra special.
So with a good breakfast (well brunch really, since we all lounged around all morning,) to start our day, we were all in a good mood. We headed to base to run errands around lunch time. While there, I decided to stop by the college office, since they still hadn't contacted me about my degree situation, even though they said they would within a few days... yeah right.

I walk into the office, and wait a few minutes for another guy to finish with the college rep. Finally, I sit down tell him who I was and about my situation, and he says, "Oh yeah, your stuff is right here," and proceeds to pull my papers out of a stack on his desk. I asked if there was an update. He then goes over the paperwork in detail (for the first time, I think) and tells me basically what I already know: I have two options. I can get my diploma from the old plan but would still need Span 1 and 2 or I could get my diploma on the new plan but still need a performing arts humanities credit. I asked if they could substitute my Eng. Lit class for the huminatarian class since it was counted under the humanitarian section anyway. He called the lady in charge of all of Europe and managed to fully confuse her about my situation. So, he faxed everything over, and we waited for a call back.

We chatted to pass the time. He asked me about getting my bachelor's, and I told him I was planning on getting it, but I am not in a rush since I plan to homeschool both girls. He was interested, and surprised that there are really no laws in Texas that regulate homeschooling. (He's Texan too.) We talked about how our public education really disappointed us both, I was glad to hear it's not just my opinion. :) Anywho... I decided to take up his offer to go talk to the University of Maryland reps to find out if they had an art class available to take in case my college wouldn't budge on the credits.

Turns out they had a drawing class start yesterday. So, I was to apply tonight to UMUC and sign up for the class tomorrow and pay almost $600 for a 3 credit class. That is way more than I pay for my college, I know because it's a University, but also because with my college I'm a resident of their state, so I get way cheaper rates. But I was willing to do it to just be done.

We headed back to the CTC office and Tony and Carlee walked in. While Tony was asking about his degree credits, the Europe lady called back. She said she looked everything over, and was convinced that they would probably make the substitution and give me my degree. She said she would call the main campus and find out. We gave the rep our cell phone number so that he could call us in case she got back to him sooner rather than later.

While at the grocery store we got the call. Tony answered and sounded very short and straightfoward. I knew they must have said no to my request. Tony said, "They said they can't do it." I asked why, and he gave some answer I don't even remember now... then said, "Just kidding! Congratulations, you have your degree!!!" AHHHH!!!!!

I am so excited to be done with this degree! and I met my goal of being done before the baby gets here!!!! Now, I'm half way to a bachelor's, at least have something to fall back on, and my goal is to finish the bachelor's at our next duty station (especially if Tony decides to get out of the Navy.) I cannot even express my emotions right now. I think it's hard to really describe why this means so much to me. I know it's not hard to get an associate's degree, but I made the decision at a very young age to get married and start my family. That's what I wanted to do, and I did it. I knew I wanted to finish school, but I wanted this first. I had so many people tell me that I would never finish. That I had screwed up. What was I thinking? (I heard it all...) But I had faith in myself. I had the determination. And I still have the determination to keep going until I'm satisfied. And if you know me, I'm all about self improvement, so I am never satisfied with what I know. LOL That's why this means so much to me. =) It's taken me a while... but I'm done with it. All in my own time, and with my wonderful family by my side to celebrate with me. <3

Monday, August 25, 2008

I love it when....

I wake up to Carlee whining....

and the cat puking somewhere in my room.....

awesome.

=)

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Homeschooling & Crazy Event of the Night

Carlee had her first homeschool preschool co-op group meeting today. She loved it! She made all new friends and did so well. I was a little worried since she's used to only playing with a small group of friends here in our neighborhood. But I worried for no reason. =) Today was a simple water play date to introduce the kids and let them get to know eachother. They had a blast! Next month is my month, so I've got to get planning! =) I'm thinking some activities about our 5 senses since Carlee just got a new book in about the subject. fun fun

A few friends and I took the kids to the park tonight to wear them out... A young boy and his even younger sister showed up about 5 minutes after we got there. The boy must have been about 6, and kept jumping off of everything high. His mom was nowhere around. He even stood on the side of the highest & steepest slide and jumped off, grabbed the monkey bars, and swung. We told him we didn't think he should be doing that, but he assured us he was okay. I didn't doubt he'd be okay, it looked like he'd done it before; I was more worried about our 2 & 3 year olds trying to copy him. Well, two tries later he missed the monkey bar and fell. I thought he hit his head, because he was crying and yelling "OWWW!!" I went closer to ask him if he was okay, and I look down and there's his wrist in his other hand, obviously not in line with his arm. I immediately looked away (I have such a weak stomach!) and said, "OMG he broke his wrist!"

My friends were like, "WHAT?!" We kept asking him where his mom was. Where did he live? etc. Turns out his mom was out at baseball practice (about 4 streets down.) My friend D started to run to go get his mom after asking his name. Ugh after a few minutes (nobody really believed D when she told them he had broke his wrist) they finally ran down to the park. After about 10 minutes, they finally took him to base to the ER. I don't know what they were waiting for, I think they were trying to put a splint on it or something. He's so lucky we were there.

I just don't get it. I mean seriously, how old is old enough to go to the park by yourself, especially with a 3 year old(ish) sister? I definitely wouldn't have allowed him to be there on his own if he were mine. I don't even know how old Carlee's going to be before I finally feel comfortable letting her go on her own. I told Tony, "By the time I do feel comfortable letting her go, it's going to be boy liking age, so she's still not going to get to go." LOL just kidding... but honestly, I don't know. Six is definitely too young in my honest opinion. What do you think?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

I am so JEALOUS!

Go take a look at this room my friend put together for her baby girl.
It's completely awesome.
I'm so jealous.
Emy, maybe I will be able to convince Tony to go to Virginia, then you can come help me do my baby's room. :D

Monday, August 18, 2008

I can just hear my family now....

First, before I start my post, I ran across this post in another blog:
USDA to list stores that sell recalled meats.
Definitely want to check that out, and keep up to date on what you're eating. Honestly... so glad I don't have to worry about that anymore!

So.. what is on my mind, you ask? Well, food's been on my mind, as usual. I've been feeling very tired lately, sluggish almost, my energy is barely lasting throughout the day... This is odd, since I usually feel great. I only started noticing this about 2 maybe 3 weeks ago. It could be that I'm coming to the end of my second trimester, yes. It could be the fact that Carlee's been sick twice in the past month, and sick kids do have a tendency to drain your energy as well, somehow... (wish someone could explain that one to me LOL.) But I thought about it, and I realized we are eating very crappy lately, mainly relying on some simple carb and soy meat substitute meal most days of the week. This is not what I want to be eating, and it's not what we usually ate before this past few weeks. I don't know what happened. I really think that this food rut is causing me to feel the way I do. And the more sluggish and tired I feel, the less I feel like cooking; it's a horrible cycle. So, I did a little web surfing to track down some new recipes.

Then I ran across this site: The Garden Diet. After seeing pictures of how healthy and energetic the whole family looks, I remembered my ultimate life's goal: to be as healthy as possible. After seeing the pictures of Jinjee 10 days (!!!) after giving birth, I was amazed. I looked up a few raw vegan sites and blogs. Then I remembered a book I had just read about a month ago: The Thrive Diet. I had loved this book! (The author is a triathlete!! and he is such a genious on food and how your body utilizes it for energy and muscle repair, etc. Definitely recommend it!) And then, as I got busy this past month, completely forgot about it. I had forgotten so quickly how I had wanted to incorporate more raw foods into my diet.

So, now I've set my mind to it again. I cannot possibly do 100% raw here, as there are plenty of ingredients I cannot get here. But I am going to work with what I have access to. I plan on eating raw breakfasts most days, and at least 3 raw lunches, and at least 2 raw dinners a week to start out with. I'm hoping that since I will have more raw foods available, that Carlee will enjoy them with me. I doubt she'll eat much of it though, it'd be a big change for her. I don't think I'd be able to go 100% raw also for the reason that I love to cook and especially bake. Maybe I can find some good books on the subject... always researching, no? :)

I once had a friend criticize me when I first went vegan for how "strict" I was with my eating, saying that she definitely couldn't do it. I told her that my and my family's health was my utmost priority, and that I wanted to take as good of care as possible of the one body I was given. "Well, I just enjoy life and my food. If it's God's will that I die tomorrow, I'm going to die, regardless of what I ate." I told her yes, that's true, and I believe that too. However, God did give us free will. That's like saying to a drug abuser, well go ahead and keep doing cocaine, if it's God's will that you die tomorrow, it's going to happen anyway. In the same way, if we clog our arteries, abuse our bodies nutritiously, and take for granted what He gave us as a gift, do you think that we will live as long as He meant us to? That's how I look at it anyway.

Anyway, I will definitely be giving updates, and posting about what I'm eating. I'm excited to start feeling more energetic again. :D

A Lotta 365 Pics

Catching up on 365s: I left out a lot of boring face shot days... :)
7/29/08
At the Doctor's Office for 24 week check up:


7/31/08
Driving home from... somewhere.

8/1/08
Yes, in my spare time I enjoy reading diet/nutrition/cookbooks... LOL
This one was okay... Found a few vegan recipes. Will have to check it out again.
8/2/08
I <3 Pig Tails
8/3/08
Sitting outside while Carlee played...
I was going to upload the pic of Tony mooning the camera while I tried to take a picture, but I thought I'd spare you. LOL
8/4/08
I'm a list maker....
8/5/08
I have no clue.... haha
8/7/08
Watching previews before my movie started. I watched Premonition. Pretty good.
8/13/08
Ugh. My weakness when I go to base.
8/14/08
Taken right before heading up to bed.
8/17/08
Watching The Reaping. I liked it.
8/18/08
Folding towels... yay!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Thrifty Baby

Every time I have to go to base, I make the trip worthwhile by stopping by the thrift store. :) There is usually no shortage of baby things here, well, since people are constantly having babies here. LOL Last week, I found 30 (!!!) baby washcloths. I'm guessing they were all donated at once, too, since they were all folded and packed together. I can't imagine needing 30 for baths, but for cloth wipes!!! yeah baby! My friend, D, found the little bath robe with the bunny. And I found that little red striped outfit from Old Navy. Cutest thing I've seen! The blanket in the background is so cute, it almost made me want to change the girl's room to a jungle theme, but I still want to do the woodland creature theme. :) I bought it anyway, since we have no carpet in the house, and I'll need blankets anyway for the baby to lay on. There have been a ton of other finds, too: cloth diapers, swaddling blankets, baby house shoes (that Carlee presently uses to "skate" around the house,) prenatal dvds, and a hand crocheted (!!! how could anyone donate this!?!!!!) christening outfit complete with a hat, booties, and gloves! So cool. :D

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Spending the morning Stampin....

I made a birthday card for a friend this morning... (yes, that's a link to yet another blog. haha) I want to keep my cards, scrapbooking, and crafts separate. Angie... where's your new one so I can link!? :)

Carlee is feeling much better. We're just lounging around today, since it's Tony's day off. We're kinda treating today like a Saturday. :) I hope to get some more scrapbooking done.... maybe I'll get to all those 365 photos I've been taking. It's going to be a pain to work with them though... my Microsoft Office trial is done... boo. Back to using Paint to resize... yay! LOL

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Update

I have a ton of pictures to go through for the 365 project... LOL it's not going to happen right now.

Carlee caught another viral infection and started showing signs of it on Sunday. She's feeling better now as long as she's on tylenol.

Been busy the past week with MOMS Club stuff, taking Carlee to parties, and whatnot (not knowing she was carrying that yucky sore throat bug.)

Last Tuesday I went in to the college office to talk about my credits. The one guy who would know anything was out of town until yesterday. So, I have to wait for him to take a look at it and email me...

Pregnancy is still going good. This child is always kicking me. LOL I go to bed, I'm getting kicked, I wake up and I'm getting kicked, I'm cleaning/eating/walking/sitting/etc/etc/etc and I'm getting kicked! little booger. :)

We found out yesterday that a mutual friend from highschool died over the weekend. I saw him last about a year and a half ago. He was only 25. He had just gotten married 2 months ago. :( My heart broke for his wife when I found out. I can't imagine. Just makes you realize it could happen any day. I'm so grateful for everything I'm blessed with.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Vegan BBQ with Food Network's Bobby Flay

A friend emailed me this video. Thanks G! This so makes me want to BBQ before summer is over! Everything looks soooo delicious!

Starting Homeschooling Again!

Today, I started Carlee's homeschooling again. We started out simple today. I "tested" her on what I had taught her back a few months ago before I started my English class. I was so surprised at how much she retained! First, I had her sing her ABC song, which she already knew, but it got her in a school frame of mind. Then I drew one letter at a time on an eraser board and asked her what letter it was. She could identify most of them. W and Z she got on the second try, and N and U she still had trouble with. She could write: C, H, T, A, O, P, X, L on her own (she was trying to test me LOL.) She recognized all numbers 1 - 10 except 9. She knew all her colors: green, purple, pink, yellow, orange, brown, blue, black, red, gray, and white. She also wanted to start a new workbook, so I let her do a few pages in a Hidden Pictures workbook. I thought this was going to be a challenge from the get go... apparently not. She did a total of 7 of these pages completely on her own.
I had originally not wanted to do workbooks as we got further into homeschooling, but for now Carlee still loves them, so I'm letting her. I've decided since she doesn't even know enough to know what she wants to learn about, I'm going to do sort of unit studies that I will revolve around things I know that she enjoys or that I think she will enjoy. Our first will be "farm" animals. I wish we lived in the states so I could take her to an Farm Animal Rescue. She would LOVE that! sigh... oh well. We'll save that for kindergarten I suppose. =D I'm also going to be working on the upper case letters she had trouble with, and then start on recognizing the lower case letters. We'll also start working on numbers greater than 10, and of course, continue working on the list of things preschoolers are supposed to master before kindergarten.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

So bummed....

I found out this morning, that the college I'm going through changed my degree plan! ugh! You know that English Lit class I just took? The one I spent so much time and effort on, struggling not to stress out too much over it? Yeah, well, it turns out I didn't even need it anymore with the new Business Administration Degree plan. GRRRR!!!! They moved the Eng. Lit credit to the humanities section (which I already had credit for,) removed the foreign language requirement (that's good,) but added another performing arts humanities credit that I cannot get online. Great. So my degree is on hold until I can take some stupid "learn to draw" class, or "learn to do interpretive dancing" class face to face somewhere. I've wanted to scream all day. I just wanted to be done with this. Sigh....

I'll upload 365s later.
:S