Tricks, Treats, and a Vlog

Happy Halloween from our brick house to yours.

And because I have a hoard of trick-or-treaters to great

I'll leave you with this delightful vlog.

Yep, you heard that right.

A vlog.

I finally did it.

And no, Robbie didn't join me.

But the Willow wee-worm did!

5ohWifey and Living in Yellow are hosting a vlog party.

And you know how I love a good party.

So check it out.

Or else no candy for you.

Hugs,

Leafy, Green Vegetables

Apparently I need a few more of them in my diet.

Blegh.

If you know me at all, 

you know that I really have very little sense when it comes to healthy nutrition.

I mean, I try to make good dietary choices. 

Like portion control.

And only eating when I'm hungry.

Not just because I'm bored...

(that's still kind of a work in progress.)

And exercising regularly.

(that's still kind of a work in progress too.)

And having a kick ass metabolism.

(I'll admit, that's my favorite...)

I don't eat a lot of salt,

or greasy red meat 

(except for my weekly cheeseburger)

and I drink a ton of water.

I'm not a huuuuuuge junk food junkie.

But I like what I like.

Which usually comes in the form of a carb.

Or ranch dressing.

What I like definitely does not look like 

this.

Remember that lovely doctor's appointment I had last week.

Well, apparently that appointment is just like a gift that keeps on giving.

(A sucky gift that keeps on giving sucky things.)

I got my test results back and apparently my potassium is low.

Which means I need to eat a lot more "bananas and leafy green vegetables".

Really, all this makes me think of is 

"Honey We Shrunk Ourselves"

particularly min 8:00 

when Mitch passes out because of his potassium deficiency. 

I can deal with the bananas. 

They're not my favorite, but I can manage.

The leafy green vegetables, though, might pose a bit of a problem. 

According to this delightful little list here,

I was going to start trying gluten-free recipes

(that didn't even come close to happening).

I guess now I need to start trying leafy green vegetable recipes.

Yuck.

Guess it's time to turn to my old friends,

Jessica Seinfeld, a puree, and the art of deception.

Hugs,

Dear Friday

Dear Friday Letters, I've missed you. It's been a while since we've played this little game. 

Dear Pretty Little Liars, I am beyond devastated that I missed your Halloween premier. No worries though, I found a 1:00 AM rerun to record. Now to just find time to watch it.

Dear Roxy and Willow, thanks for letting me torment treat you like my children and make you dress up in matching Halloween costumes. I promise I won't make you wear them long. Just long enough for me to snag a super cute picture. Oh, and for all my friends to see.

Dear Politics, no offense...but I have had enough. I am beyond ready for November 6 so you can go back into hiding and my Facebook newsfeed can once again be filled with football rants, baby mama drama, and engagements - you know the things Facebook is meant to be filled with. 

Dear self, life is getting super fun right now but also super busy. This new found habit you've formed of coming home from school and snuggling on the couch until it's time for bed is no good. You've got things to do.

Dear Robbie, I feel like I've barely seen you this week and that makes me sad. I'm thinking we might need to complete number 7 on this list this weekend. ;)

Dear Hurricane Sandy, please just stay away. There's football games and trick-or-treating that needs to take place this weekend. We don't have time for your hurricane wrath. You should have tried to stop by back in September.

Dear blog, I feel like I haven't been able to devote nearly as much time to you as before. And for that I am truly sorry.

Dear blog readers, I feel like I haven't been able to devote nearly as much time to you as before. And for the I am even more sorry. Thanks for still hanging on and checking me out!

Dear mom, what's up girlfrannnn. I know you're reading and thought you deserved a special shout out. Even though you ditched me for dinner last night (kiddingggg).

Have a fabulous weekend!
and in honor of Halloween....
start drinking, witches!



Hugs,

This.

Is my life lately.

My To-Do list is quadrupling in size.

But instead of being productive and getting things done.

I'm crawling into bed 

and watching Keeping up with the Kardashians re-runs.

If you find any extra motivation laying around,

feel free to send it my way.

The dust bunnies currently residing on my baseboards 

need a little attention.

Thanks.

Hugs,

Robbie Take Over (Kind Of)

I've been trying for weeks to convince Robbie to do a vlog with me.

Ashley over at Adventures of Newlyweds

did a Q&A vlog with her husband 

over the summer and it was 

The. Cutest. Thing. Ever. 

Robbie, originally was not too keen on the idea,

but I think he's slowly coming around.

In fact, I'm 95% positive I could have convinced

him to do it for this week's Wedded Bliss Wednesday.

That is if Lebron James hadn't been in town.

(Okay, honestly, I probably still couldn't have convinced him

but we'll just pretend it's because of "King James".)

Long story short, 

The Miami Heat played at the PNC Center in Raleigh

on Tuesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats

(who used to be the Charlotte Hornets...we miss them)

and obviously, anytime a basketball legend is within driving distance

you gotta go.

Oh, unless you're me. I got to stay home. 

While Carter and Robbie

hung out with Lebron.

I'm not bitter.

{I asked Robbie to send me a picture of them at the game,

instead I get this awkward-turtle picture of them in Carter's dorm room.

Weirdos....}

So no vlog.

But don't worry, I'm not giving up.

But you do get to step inside Robbie's head for a brief second

as he did (only a teeny bit reluctantly) answer this week's questions.

I'm in pink....duh. He's blue. Clever, I know.

Introduce yourself.
Hey. (With an exasperated look as he plays NCAA on Playstation.) I'm Rob the Slob (hehe)

What was the first thing you noticed about your wife, me? You better say how hot I was ;)

Like ever? She was skinny. She was hot. That's it...I think hot sums everything up.

When you fist started dating your wife, what kept you calling/asking her out?

She was the only friend I had on AOL. (yes, we met on AOL Instant Messenger. You can read about that here. and he definitely had more friends than me....don't let him fool you.) And I liked her. Obviously.

What is your wife's best quality? Try to pick just one.

She can get ready in the morning without waking me up hah. That's the only PG one I can say. She likes dogs now. No she loves dogs. She lets me have a Man Cave, even though she doesn't always follow the Man Cave rules, we can't discuss those on the blog. She's nice (most of the time). Watch it, mister. She lets me be me.

What is your favorite thing to do with your wife (ahem, keep it clean!)? Side note: I'm really glad that keep in clean comment was in the original question ha. Oh men.

Go to the movies. Go to dinner. (Remember, this post. Yea I didn't make that stuff up.) Go to football games.

What are you most excited for for the future with your wife?

Kids one day. Really?!? (I swear I didn't tell him to say that.) Living until we're old together. Traveling the world (or at least to NYC and back). 

How do you make your wife feel loved? (I think "keep it clean" should be added here, too. Just for safe measure.)
Paying the bills. Taking the trash out. Going grocery shopping. Taking her out to dinner. Doing manly things that turn her on. (hehe again.)

Clearly, a man of many words.
Although, when I got to the end his exact words were
"that was it?" 

Don't forget to link up!




Hugs,

"BOO...and I mean it!"

I've been boo-ed!

(Like a week ago...I know, I suck.)

But I'm real excited!

Because I feel like I haven't posted much about school lately.

Well, at least not about the actual things happening at school lately.

October is always the month were things zoom into warp speed. 

As the end of the first quarter approaches, 

final grades are being calculated, 

parent conferences are being held,
long-range planning is underway.

Nevermind all the fun, holiday-themed events going on.
It's a lot to squeeze in.

And with Halloween falling smack dab in the middle of the week this year,
I really want to find some fun, but practical
things for my kiddies to do.

So here's the way this works.

1. Give a shout out to the blogger who boo-ed you and link back to their site.

You can check out the ah-mazing blogger who boo-ed me by clicking HERE.
Seriously, she has some seriously great stuff on her blog!
You won't be disappointed.

2. Share 3-5 October activities, books, products (yours or someone else's), and/or freebies that you love!

So, since I don't really have any products of my own,
(I steal borrow everything I know)
I'll leave you with some of my favorite spooky things!

First, I love love love this idea.

via.

Children's books are so great!

I love pulling my kids together on the carpet

for a read aloud.

And they love it too! 

Second, anything having to do with candy corn

is like music to my heart.

I mean, how stinkin cute is that?

(I couldn't find the exact blog post that this came from,

however I know it came from this delightful blog HERE

and she's got a TON more really cute FREE stuff.

Check it out, forreal!)

I also found a really cool iPad app that has spooky background music. 

My kids love to listen to music 

(Pandora has a special place in our hearts)

and this app is really cool because it lets you kind of compose your own spooky music.

Oh yea, and it was FREE.

It's called Halloween Sound Shelf.

(Apparently, there's a Christmas one too.

Shut the front door.) 

There's a ton more that I love.

My kids this year are so excited about Halloween.

They love monsters and zombies and spooky things.

So, we're definitely playing it up in our room.

Last year, I had my kids publish* a book of writing

about a haunted house.

It turned out really cute and spent the rest of the year in our classroom library.

Kids would literally fight over who got to read it during Read to Self.

*By publish, I mean they typed it

and I bound it using those little black spirally things

that I secretly hate.

Now, you all need to go check out this link

http://toristeachertips.blogspot.com/2012/10/ive-been-booed-fun-october-linky.html

to see all the other spook-tacular teachers that have been boo-ed

and continue to beg, borrow, steal!

You know you want to!

Hugs,

And Happy (almost) Halloween. 

By the way, as of Sunday, we've completely changed our mind on Halloween costumes. 

Stay tuned, because they are suuuuuuper cute if I do say so myself!

You Know What I Love?

Absolutely nothing about today.

That's a lie...kind of.

You see I once made the mistake of stumbling across this 

and now I feel obligated to find something 

to be thankful about

every stinkin day. 

(This glass half-full stuff is for the birds.)

This half-full glass, however, is not for the birds.

It is for girls like me,

trying desperately to put their big girl panties on

and deal with the blasphemy that is today.

{Sidenote: Blasphemy is a pretty silly word. 

I didn't even know I knew that word till it popped out. Interesting.}

You know what else is also not for the birds...

Fiesta Ranch Deliciousness Dip.

(Okay, so it's really just called Fiesta Ranch Dip,

but the "deliciousness" is implied.)

I could eat that stuff all day, 'errday. 

And actually, I usually do.

One day, I might put the recipe up on this little bloggy-blog.

Although that's doubtful. 

Not because I don't want to share.

But because I don't want you to realize what a terrible cook I actually am.

The dip tastes one trillion times more complicating then it really is.

And I like that. 

It tricks people you see. Into thinking I actually know what I'm doing at this housewife stuff.

Meanwhile, no one sees the 10-foot high pile of laundry/dishes currently sitting in my house.

And the facade continues. Just the way I like it. 

Anywho....

Today is Monday.

Which really says it all.

Mondays are doomed to suck.

However, this one had such potential. 

I was having a pretty good hair day,

and found something semi-cute to wear to school.

And my firsties were suuuuuper sweet today. 

They must have known I was in for it.

I had a doctor's appointment after school today.

The worst part about growing up, by far,

is going to the doctor by yourself.

I don't think I've talked about it much on the blog,

but several months ago I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

It's not a big deal, really.

Doctor says there's no visible joint damage, which is good.

And with preventative measures, I should be completely fine.

Unfortunately, preventative measures mean shots every other week.

Which are a big deal, really.

It also means that in the past four-five years,

I've been to lots of different doctors, 

for lots of different things, and I don't like it. 

Especially because I also suffer from a mild case of hypochondria.  

(Shhh...don't tell Robbie I admitted to that. I hate when he's right.)

I'm not allowed to Google medical symptoms. 

My roommate banned me from that years ago.

But, when I go to the doctor, 

I like to be able to have a conversation about whatever's going on.

You're getting paid the BIG bucks.

The least you could do, is spare me five minutes to talk about what ails me.

It may seem irrelevant to you, Doctor ma'am,

but to me, it's a pretty big deal.

I hate being dismissed,

"wam, bam, thank you ma'am"

and left feeling like I got nothing accomplished.

I still have questions, I still might have concerns.
Which is exactly what happened today.

I'd like a little time.

Ugh.

And on top of all this...there's another debate on tonight. 

Haven't we heard enough?

I hope you had a better Monday than me. 

However, things my way are starting to look up.

(Notice that Deliciousness Dip below. Yummm.)

Hugs,

P.S. ABC News is currently doing a report on the dangers of cheerleading. Duh. And you say it's not a real sport? Psh.

P.S.Again. Lance Armstrong, I'm sure you feel like your Monday has been full of blasphemy too. Sorry bout it. 

I Swear I'm not Skipping Fall...

I know I said that Christmas needed to wait it's turn
and I still agree with that.
However....in case you hadn't noticed,
there is a little thing called preparation that goes along with it.
I pinky swear,
this is the last time I'll mention anything about Christmas
until after Thanksgiving.

I just think you really need to know about this.
And you need to know about it now.

Erin at Living in Yellow  and Jessah at Dreaming of Dimples
are hosting a mega-huge blogger ornament swap.

And because Christmas ornaments are the best part about Christmas
(besides the food and presents and trees and family and Jesus and time off of work and well...everything else about Christmas)
I'm letting all of you know so you can join in on the fun.

It's suuuuuuper simple.

Step 1. Sign up. 
This can be done here or here

Link up your blog below to let us know you want to participate in the swap.
Sign ups close at Midnight on October 31st.
(That's next week...so get to hopping.)

Step 2. Spread the word. 

Everyone loves getting special deliveries in the mail. Especially when it’s a super festive item like an ornament for your holiday tree. So let all of your blog friends know about the swap. The more, the merrier. 

Step 3. Get your match. 

On Thursday, November 1st, we will post the swap matches. You will contact the blogger you’re buying for via their blog, email, twitter, facebook, etc. to get their address. 

Step 4. Shop and Mail. 

On or before November 12th, purchase and mail your ornament. This means your ornament should be en route to its recipient NO LATER THAN the 12th. 

Step 5. Receive & Blog about your ornament! 

This is the fun part! Blog, Instagram, Tweet your Ornament Swapping Adventure. Be sure and use #ornamentswap on Instagram & Twitter so other Swappers can find you! 

Step 6. Link up! 

We will be hosting a Linky Party on December 1st for those of you bloggers that want to link up your posts! (This gives you plenty of time to make sure your ornament arrives & recap your adventures.) 

Step 7: Enjoy your ornament forever!
I added this step.
But I feel like it's the most fun.
All the ornaments on our tree have a story behind them.
And every year, when we decorate, we stop and think about the story/event/memory connected to each ornament.
This blogger-swap ornament will be no different!


Hugs,

In My Opinion...

Weekends are way too short.

LaLaLists rocks my socks off for hosting this link up yet again.

(Even though I'm two days late joining in on the fun.)

Blogging is serious work.

So is getting dressed in real clothes each day.

70 degrees is cold. But comfortable.

Christmas is the best holiday of the year, but needs to wait it's flippin turn.

As long as you wear a costume, you are never too old to trick or treat.

As long as you follow all the safety rules. 

iPhone chargers need longer cords.

Skipping church every once in a while to spend the morning snuggled under the covers with your husband is a-okay. 

Extreme Couponers are weird. 

I'm all about saving money, but I am not all about having over 30 bottles of mustard. 

Liam Neeson is the most BA actor around. End of story.

Waiting in line is The. Worst. Thing. Ever. No matter what's at the end.

I've been a suuuuper slacker in the blog department lately.

Tomorrow's always another day!

This is funny....I don't care who you are.

Hugs,

Wedded Bliss Wednesday

This week is all about advice.

And because I love to give my opinions every chance I get,

I'm pretty excited about this post.

{Disclaimer: Everything in this post is simply my opinion.

I've been married a little over a year...

we're just starting to figure out what works best for us.

I can't even begin to tell someone else what might work best for them.}

Therefore, my answer to the first question is pretty simple:

If you could give one piece of advice to any married (or soon-to-be married) couple, what would it be?

Don't listen to half of the advice other people give you.

People are going to give you advice based on what's worked for them

gained through lessons they've learned.

But, together, you and your husband have to learn your own lessons

and find your own, er, rhythm if you will.

That's not to say these couples don't have great advice to hear. 

And 9 times out of 10, they probably do know what they're talking about.

(Especially if they've been married for like ten million years.)

But at the end of the day,

you gotta do you.

What is an absolute MUST for any marriage/relationship?

Communication, trust, passion, 

the usual run of the mill things.

But I think one really important thing every marriage/relationship needs

(that no one really tells you)

is individualism. 

Being married doesn't mean that

you have to lose sight of who you are.

It's okay if you don't want to watch the same TV show,

or go to the same movie,

or eat the same dinner. 

Having time to yourself is still important,

even after your married.

Just make sure it's not ALL the time.

He is your husband after all.

What is the #1 no-no in a marriage?

Cheating.

Everything else is good to go.

(Even toots...I mean, come on ladies

you are human.

And I'm sure your man will love you just the same.

He better at least.)

What is the biggest lesson you have learned from your marriage?

All of the above.

Oh, and to always be each other's best friends!

Don't forget to link up!

Hugs,

Real Talk

I had a completely different post ready for y'all today.

But then I read THIS.

And I realized, while I want my blog to be light and fun, 

a place to go to for comedic relief

or advice on how not to cook a delicious meal

(because let's face, I have no real idea)

or a place to see this precious little face

I also want my blog to be just that: MINE.

Among the million and one things that pop around in this brain of mine,

some of them actually are serious

(not a lot, don't worry)

and some of them are actually things that weigh heavy on my mind

and tug hard at my heart

and have me staring in the mirror asking,

what now?

I've been trying to have a quarter-life crisis for a while now.

Trying being the operative word,

because I'm fighting it with every ounce of my being.

Quarter-life/mid-life/half-life crisises (crises? eh?) 

are kind of stupid

and for 50-year-old pervert men who think they need to die their hair,

buy a sports car, 

and find a young, new woman to show off.

(By the way - this makes for a poor excuse of a man. In my opinion anyway.)

At 23 years old, I definitely should not be questioning my life,

searching for something more.

But I am...

and it kills me. 

Don't get me wrong! 

I wake up every morning, completely dumbfounded by the blessings surrounding me.

I have an ah-mazing husband, 

who I truly don't deserve.

Two suh-weet puppy dogs who inevitably

know how to bring a smile to my face.

An amazingly supportive and loving family,

both immediate and extended (in-laws included).

Great friends, 

a wonderful job with awesome co-workers,

a roof over my head, {cute} shoes on my feet, and groceries in the fridge.

I literally have nothing to complain about.

Yet I still do. 

Complain that is.

I somehow am still able to find something that I don't like,

something that I want to change,

something that just ticks me off.

It's stupid really.

And it makes me wonder,

am I living for Him?

Am I doing what He created me for?

My whole life, I believed with all of my heart

that I was put on this Earth to do one thing.

Teach.

(Well and be a mother...but that's another story.)

There was never any question about it.

Until I actually started to teach.

Teaching is a funny career. 

"haha-funny" and "ironic-funny".

"haha-funny" for the obvious reason....kids say and do the darnedest things.

Just when you think you've seen/heard it all,

they do/say something else that completely blows your mind.

"ironic-funny" because there is no truer reality check 

than stepping foot into your very first classroom

for the very first time.

Sometimes I feel like in my short year and few months of teaching,

I've been taught way more than my kids have. 

Whether intentional or not, I've learned so many things about the world we live in

and my place in it.

And the conclusion is simple...

I want to do more. 

I love my job.

And I feel very fortunate to join the ranks 

of what I think is the most admirable profession in the world.

However, I don't think I've reached the end of my journey.

I thought when I graduated college,

I'd find a teaching job

and there I'd stay

for 30 plus years until it was time to retire

and then I'd start subbing.

But that was MY plan

and I'm starting to see, it might not be HIS plan.

I sometimes feel like He's preparing my heart for something bigger.

And maybe a little scarier.

I'm a type-A control freak. Not being in charge of something 

literally gives me anxiety.

I do know that children are and will always be my passion.

And in everything I do, I want to pave a good path for our future generations.

I believe every child has the potential to be something great.

And as adults, it is our responsibility to help them get there. 

For now, I'm an advocate from my classroom.

And for now, that's enough.

But eventually, I think our children are going to need more.

When I read this earlier, I was literally in tears.

This is a girl who went to my church when we were younger.

Her older sister and I stayed in touch more, 

but I've enjoyed reading stalking being inspired by her blog.

I am so impressed by her courage and selflessness. 

I think this sums it up the best:

"I definitely think dreams come a few sizes too big so we can have time to grow into them."

I thought I was through growing into my dreams.

But I'm learning, I am just getting started.

Hugs,

P.S. If you're still reading, thanks for enduring the length.
You definitely deserve a treat....like a cookie!
A really big, warm chocolate chip cookie.

Monday

Ugh.

I swear the weekends are getting shorter and shorter.

The Walking Dead started last night

(in case your Facebook/Twitter account didn't already tell you that 20 different times.)

I know I've mentioned it before, 

but I just never will get the fascination.

Robbie, however, has been sucked in.

Which I guess is okay.

At least one of us will know what to do 

during the zombie apocalypse.

Speaking of zombies,

am I the only one that feels like a walking zombie this morning?

I sure hope not. 

Here's to hoping my kids feel the same way.

This weekend was definitely one for the books.

I love busy, fun, fall weekends.

But boy, do I suffer the consequences on Mondays.

Friday was Robbie's Homecoming football game.

It was fun to go back and see everyone

but it's always a little weird to see how different,

yet completely the same,

everything is.

Saturday was football day,

as usual.

And we finally had beautiful, football-appropriate, weather.

I'm not quite sure why football games are always so blurry...

{The first home game of the season was 110 degrees, literally. 

The second home game of the season got delayed because of stormy weather.

Of course, we sat through them both, because that's what true fans do

so I'm told.}

The Pirates also won, 

which is always a good thing!

And it was homecoming.

Double score.

Sunday was MumFest day

aka one of the top ten days of the year.

MumFest is an annual festival in downtown New Bern.

It's your usual, 

crowded,

fried-everything,

rickety ride-filled,

homemade knick-knack booths

fair.

And it. is. wonderful!

Robbie and I are huge MumFest fans.

We never spend a lot of time there

and we haven't ridden any rides since high school.

But we still always go,

walk around and make sure we see everything,

and order fried Oreos. 

Occasionally we even act like tourists

in the town we grew up in

by taking pictures with one of the many bear statues around.

Okay, maybe that's just me.

I was also able to squeeze in one of my students' baseball game

and shish-kabobs on the grill Sunday night.

Overall, it was a fabulous weekend.

Now if I could just have an extra day to sleep.

Hugs,

Mema Strikes Again

Well folks, 

my sweet, sweet mema

Remember her? Seen here rocking out at the Strawberry Festival.

has done it again.

Remember THIS post.

involving this letter.

Well, my mother decided it would be a good idea

to enlighten my delightful mema

to my delightful blog.

This introduction 

(plus the fact that she was mentioned on the blog)

warranted a phone call bright and early Sunday morning.

Followed by a thank you note on Monday.

Which read

(and I quote)

"Thank you so much for the - [is it Google??] you did about me."

Well mema, you are so very welcome 

for the Google (it's called a blog actually) that I did about you.

Thank you for continuing to brighten our days 

with little nuggets of snail mail. 

And for continuing your political advocacy

by spreading the word, one person at a time.

A die-hard Carolina fan and a die-hard Duke fan brought together

thanks to mutual political beliefs. Stranger things have happened.

Hugs,

Things I Miss

I just spent an embarrassing amount of time 

looking through old Facebook pictures.

Am I the only one that relies on Facebook 

to organize my important life moments?

Probably.

Everyone and their mom has a fancy pants camera 

with which they can take fancy pants pictures

that are definitely worth organizing somewhere much more reliable...

like in a labeled folder on their computer. 

But ever since the minor catastrophe 

known as "the day my five-year old Nikon camera 

that has spent more time being shoved in my purse,

dropped on the sidewalk, 

or taking an embarrassing amount of pointless selfies

(oh college...)

than actual, photogenic pictures" 

decided to die for real this time

I've been left to rely on the trusty iPhone camera.

Anyway...back to my point.

After spending this ridiculous amount of time

reliving my favorite memories via Facebook

I realized there are two things I'm missing a lot.

#1. My long hair.

and

#2. Everything else about college. 

Oh, the good old days.

I won't bore you with a walk down my own personal memory lane.

Instead, I'll leave you with this cheerful little picture.

Tehe....isn't he the cutest?

Chef Mickey's not that bad either.

(And seriously, check out those luscious lock....sigh.)

P.S. HUGE shout out to my main man Christopher Columbus.

Thanks to you, I spent the entire day thinking it was Wednesday

only to find out it's actually already Thursday. 

Score.

P.S. (again) Notice that five-year old Nikon camera 

was NOT on my list of things I miss.

We're hoping for a suuuuuper nice upgrade soon! :)

Hugs,