Pregnancy Journal #2

Greetings, sweet readers.  Per the usual, I have many thoughts.  Last night as I was word-vomitting to Danz (typical), I stopped and said, "You do know that I just need to hear myself say this."  His response: "Yeah, I figured that out about 10 minutes ago."  Lolz.  I just gotz lotz of thoughtz in my head and they ALL need to be said or written. So without further adieu, here are some of the latest  capers of baby scallion.

Daycare.  Let's just go here first.  People, BUCKETS of tears have already been shed about this one.  Completely serious.  Most would think the financial piece of daycare would frighten me (which, by the way, HOLY COW, how can something so small cost so much!!?!?  Talk about sticker shock...).  But it's not the price that bothers me so much.  I'm just already so dang attached to the little scallion swimming inside me and head-banging after I eat sweets.  And the idea that someone else will get to hang out with the little stinker 8 hours a day is killing me.  Mommas of littles in daycare, I completely welcome any encouragement you could offer.  You guys, it's gotten so bad this week that I actually texted Daniel on Tuesday and requested that he swing home in the afternoon because I was such a hot mess.  Full disclosure - I have yet to vomit as a result of this pregnancy, but I actually threw up on Tuesday thinking about daycare.  I got it bad for this little person inside me.  Who knew I could love someone so much without even knowing if it'll have the petname "sis" or "buddy"? 

Shin splints.  I'm not a runner.  I tried once several years ago and it was okay.  But my gangly body, I'm convinced, is just not built to run.  It's built to be graceful and dainty (hahahahahahahaha, nope).  Instead I prefer to walk.  Plus, then I can actually carry on a conversation with someone or hear myself think instead wheezing the whole time.  My co-teacher bestie, Courtney, and I have been walking a few times a week after school.  And I have developed shin-splints.  Those closest to me don't believe me and even laugh (how cruel, right!?), but I swear to you it's true.  Maybe my body just isn't accustomed to carrying extra weight or maybe I'm waddling when I'm walking.  But whatever it is, it's weird.  And painful.  And hilarious.  The only other time I've experienced pain like this is when I ran long-distance in 8th grade (cue uproarious laughter).  So I had my mom write a note to my track coach explaining that I could no longer compete in the 2 mile.  So cute, I know.

Registering.  Pregnant mommas, this it the only piece of unsolicited advice I will give you.  Take a seasoned momma with you to register.  Otherwise I promise you will implode.  We are thankful to have a momma of twins in our midst (holla sis-in-law Tammy!), so we coerced her into joining us.  And I just made her make all my decisions.  I quite literally would have burst into tears in every aisle.  Especially the bottles.  Um, excuse me, but is it really necessary to have 85,000 types of nipples?  Perhaps, but to this emotional and extremely hormonal prego, it was just stress-inducing.  Our first stop (Baby's R Us) was hilarious and actually enjoyable, but by the time we got to Target, my eyes had glazed over and I just made Danz and Tammy make all the decisions.  I was done and overwhelmed.  But it's done.  And I think we did a bang-up job. 

Nesting.  Not really happening yet.  I've looked at the closets in the nursery three times already with the full intention that I will clean them out and get them ready.  I stare for about 3 minutes then decide that I still have time, so I close the door and walk away.  The nursery is painted (have I told you that my parents and I actually painted it last summer in hopes that baby scallion might make its presence known sometime this school year?  Well, we did.  #typeA) and I'm in the middle of making valances, ordering black-out blinds, and prepping for carpet.  But other than that, the nesting has yet to officially begin. 

Belly-rubbing. Those of you who follow me on facebook might remember a post from a few months ago:  "I experienced my first unauthorized belly-touching today. Not only did I flinch at the awkwardness and suddenness of the pat, but I also yelped a little. Pregnant women, unite!"  I've identified why it bothered me so much.  While it was sweet that the Mexican exchange student just wanted to touch baby blueberry, she was quite literally just touching my stomach.  The babe was extremely low at that time, and there was no way I was going to say, "Oh sweet student, the baby is lower!  Just move your hand about 8 inches down."  #awkward  But now that the bump is finally visible (holla tall pregos who don't show until week 23, I get you) I love it when people touch it.  Within reason.  I'm sure my first stranger-danger touch will make me bust out my two Taekwondo moves, but I love it when friends and family get all up in my bidness.  Especially girlies who have never been pregnant.  They're the best.  Their eyes get all sparkly when I point out the head and the legs and the bum.  So fun.  So if I see you, I give you full permission to wax on.

Prayer.  I'll end on a more serious note.  My current prayer for baby scallion is that (s)he'll be a leader and not a follower.  That (s)he'll know from an early age that mops and pops love him/her but that Jesus loves him/her even more.  That (s)he'll be more concerned with honoring Jesus than pleasing others.  That (s)he'll use his/her influence to change the world.  And that (s)he'll have a killer head of hair and not need braces.  It's the little things.  

#14moreweeks

Marital Quirks

The longer I'm married (3 1/2 years, holla!), the more I realize how bizarre marriage makes you.  And I think it's absolutely fabulous.  Danz and I have developed about a billionty common quirks throughout our tenure together.  Now, it's important to note that I'm not telling you these just for kicks.  Instead, I'm telling you these so you can feel some solidarity in the fact that there are people in the world quirkier than you.  Without further adieu, here are two reasons why the Carlsons are quirktastic (not to be confused with twerktastic...as that would not be appropriate blog material...mom, don't look that up).

This was taken on our honeymoon segway tour of Savannah, Georgia.  Little did we know, months and years of marriage makes one totes cray.

Quirk 1:  I have a handful of shirts that have small, entirely useless, pockets on them.  Ladies, you've got to know what I'm talking about.  The pockets are merely a stylistic addendum that serve no practical purpose.  Even before Daniel and I were dating, whenever I would wear a shirt with a tiny pocket, he would try to put things in it...like pieces of gum or keys or chapstick. All of this put-pocketing has led us to creating a song that must be sung whenever a small-pocketed-shirt is worn.  And it goes like this:  "I put small things in my pockets.  I put small things in my pockets!"  Yes.  You'll notice the second sentence ends with an exclamation mark because, if I were singing it to you, the inflection of my voice would go up and my eyebrows would raise.  It's okay if you want to call us genius song-writers.  We'll gladly dust our shoulders off and write another song someday.

Quirk 2:   One of my nicknames for Daniel is "Flurff and turf and flurff and turf and surf, woo."  I'm not even kidding.  And here's how that lolific name came to be:  we used to call each other fluffy - maybe because we like fluffy pillows or because we would fight over the same fluffy blanket??  Who knows.  Naturally, I couldn't continue calling him such a simple name.  Simplicity is for the birds.  Must. Make. Life. Complicated.  So one of us added an "r" which made the nickname "Flurffy."  And then in a further attempt to rhyme the nickname with every possible word under the sun, I added several more nouns ("surf" and "turf" on an average day, "smurff" when I'm feeling really spunky).  The "woo" at the end just adds the pizazz that sends the nickname over the top. 

So happy Valentine's day to you all.  May your day be filled with quirktastic things that remind you how unbelievably hilarious this life really is.  

A Series

So there was this one time in June that 3 ladies from Abilene came to partake in all the amenities Topeka could offer.  Food was eaten, pedicures were given, shopping was done, and laughter was heard.  A day that ranks in the top 10 of all days this summer. 

And then we tried to take a picture.  And this happened.

 Yes, let's sit on the couch.

 Waiting so patiently.

 Minor adjustments.

 Happy.

 Happier.

 My favorite.

 Offering suggestions.

 Mid-swap.

 Happy again.

 Hahahahahahahaha.  Love you, B.

 Stair-stepping.

 Awkward hand.

I think there's one or two winners in this series, right? 

Happy People & Yummies

Two of my favorite things are people and food.  One thing I love about summer is the ability to visit as many people as possible.  I take loads of day trips to see lovelies and truly treasure the fact that my job allows me a summer to spend time with people I love.  That being said, here are some sweet pics I yanked from my camera waaaaaaay late. (I recognize that this paragraph is jumbled and, you will find out, somewhat unrelated to the rest of this post.  My apologies.)

January 2013.  My parents took my grandparents on a tour de Glanzer grandchildren.  And this was taken on their stop in Topeka.  Grandma showed me a few new knitting tricks during their time here.  I'll never be as talented as she, but I feel like I caught on fast. :)

February 2013.  Pile o nephews.  Everything about this cracks me up. 

 February 2013.  For Daniel's bday, we purchased pizza from 6 pizza places and played "guess the pizza." Absolutely hysterical.  I lost MISERABLY.

 February 2013.  Snow time with some nephs.  Spent 30 minutes bundling for 20 minutes of snow time.  Totally worth it.

Twins?

March 2013.  I love everything about this picture.  Jes is genuinely laughing, and she's the only one still eating her cupcake.  The rest of us snarfed those suckers down immediately.  Cheri is beautifully glowingly pregnant.  Katherine is reading the baby shower mad lib we completed (the most hilarious thing of all time).  And the best part is sweet Kayna.  She's just taking it all in with a smile on her face.  I'm certain she's looking at B who is undoubtedly singing "Do Re Mi."  Special, memorable times. 

 The end of the sweet weekend.  We met in Dallas this year and it was wonderful.

 March 2013.  Easter!!!!

Friends, did you remember that I began this post stating that I love people and food?  I have not forgotten about the food part.  I take eating very seriously.  I especially take eating tex-mex food very seriously.  And the best taco salad recipe of all times happens to be in one of my cook books.  So, Laura, if you're reading this, know that I make this ALL THE TIME.   And everyone loves it.  Best ever. 

Taco Rice Salad (aka: best taco salad ever!)
1 pound ground round
1 garlic clove (minced)
3 cups cooked yellow rice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Dressing:
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup picante sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Brown hamburger and add garlic.  Drain grease.  Stir in cooked rice and the next 4 ingredients.  Combine lettuce and next 4 ingredients into a bowl.  Toss with cheese and dressing.  

Sometimes I'm lazy and just add a packet of taco seasoning instead of the 4 spices.  And sometimes I put the lettuce on the side and let people eat it with chips or inside a taco shell.  But all the time, it is comforting and so yummy.  Make it tonight.  It's great hot or cold, so it's a perfect dish to make ahead of time.  Enjoy, readers!

ngâu nhiên: it's Vietnamese

So many fun moments in the last 2 months.  Here's to a recap in pictures. In absolutely no order.

 

Completely random group of individuals ringing in the new year.  What fun.

Our teeny-tiny Christmas.  We love our itty-bitty family.

And a bigger Glanzer family on Christmas Eve.

We missed the Vogt family Christmas so we had our own Glanzer/Vogt Christmas. 

Girlies on NYE.  Clearly EVERYONE had a fabulous time. :)

Some Christmas decor.

A baby holding a baby. 

And more Christmas decor.

Christmas Eve happiness.

My most favorite red-head.

Sibs.

All 7 nephs and Grammy.

Joy in a basket.

Minute to Win it!!!

Sweet, sweet friends and an adorable addition.

In other news, despite my fast from all things decadently awesome, I am still alive.  More to come...

randamach: it's Irish

Oh my heavens, it has been awhile.  Since we last chatted, there have been a few more "happenings" in the Carlson casa or the ol' school house.  Let's dive in.

• One of the kiddos I work with is on the autism spectrum and I adore him more than life itself.  He brings me immense amounts of joy.  A few weeks ago, I saw him in the hallway before school and we were both wearing blue-striped shirts.  So I said, "Hey look!  We're practically twins!"  To which he responded, "Um, not really," and promptly turned and walked away.  He wasn't being rude, he was just telling it like it was.  Then, since he had nothing else to say, he saw it as an appropriate time to exit my presence.  Love him.
• Another kiddo had been giving my para and I grief for awhile, so I instigated a behavior plan last week.  And, what do you know, it's been working marvelously.  I can't wait to see if what we're doing will actually impact him positively in other areas of life.
• Yet another student I work with daily has seemed, as of lately, to be much less intelligent than I earlier thought.  However, after getting to know him better and visiting with his instructional manager, I came to find out that he actually is quite bright but his self-esteem is so low that instead of trying and maybe doing something wrong, he just assumes that everything he does is wrong.  It has been my absolute joy to pour into him and try to show him that he is capable of doing much more than he ever thought.
• I tripped on a pencil while walking through the halls during passing period a few weeks ago.  Yes, a pencil.
• Dans and I are doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University right now.  We're getting all fired up, so beware...  If you ask us (well, me in particular) any financial-related questions, I will promptly get on my Dave-Ramsey-Soapbox.  This is your fair warning. 
• We caught one of the lizards outside.  He is now in the classroom of one of our teacher friends.
• Dans saved up and bought himself a used riding lawn mower.  Perhaps now our lawn will look less overgrown now.  
• I've been taking less pictures as of lately.  I'm considering doing 2013 in pictures like I did in 2009.  I loved that project.
• The gals in my small group from church gathered a few weeks ago to make some freezer meals.  And our system was awesome.  Perhaps I will tell you about that later this week.  So great.  

I believe that is all I have for you right now.  I need to vow to myself that I will stop by once or twice a week.  Friends, this is my vow.  I will be back before October 1.  Many thanks.

May

Disclaimer:  today you are my soundboard of randomness.

Today was the last day of students.  Some bittersweet moments.  One of my recently favorite students gave me a hug.  She is a gem.  I told her to visit me next year.  I hope she does.

While my 5th hour was testing, I went through all my rosters and e-mailed the parents of those extra special students to thank them for raising such amazing kids.  I loved bragging on some of my kids, and in some cases, I think I was able to show some parents a wonderful side of their children.  I've already received some kind responses.  And I sigh.  Being a teaching is sometimes so rewarding.

I was told by a counselor today that she places kids with me who she knows need to be loved.  Hearing comments like that make me think that maybe, just maybe, I actually am making a difference in someone's life.  That is why I decided to get into teaching in the first place.

Tonight we're celebrating the end of an era.  The era of me teaching in the general classroom.  I think BBQ and a beverage of choice are in order.

Tomorrow I'm making breakfast for my in-service lunch buddies.  Much cooking to do tonight.

So here's to another summer.  Happy end of May!

I'm a prisoner...

...in my own home due to this creature perched right outside my door.

 I became brave for an instant and slowly opened the door so I could get a better picture.  But then its head moved, and I recoiled in fear.

 Truth be told: I love birds.  LOVE them.  But, I have had some unfortunate run-ins with said creatures as of lately (including watching the circle of life carry on as a feline snatched a baby cardinal right from under my nose.  Yes, this happened.). Plus I was am terrified that said bird will fly into my house and never be seen again OR (worse) that said bird will fly into my house and I will spend the rest of the evening attempting to shoo it out.

I quietly closed the door in response to my fear and took another picture behind the protection of the glass. 

I just want to know - what is going on?  Is there an egg under there?  Perhaps a baby bird has found a home in a nearby planter?  Maybe this bird heard about my unfortunate run-in with a feline and chose to seek revenge. 

Oh the exciting things that happen at our house.  Never a dull moment.

Cass Roll

Yes, casserole.  I love me a good casserole.  And when I say "love," I mean "I could eat casserole for every meal of every day until I am called to my final resting place" kind of love.  The gooeyness (sp??) of all the ingredients melting together into one delectable concoction, the ease of having a one-dish dinner, and the nostalgia that is immediately brought up at the sound of the word (say it, you'll know what I mean: casserole) is just too delightful to pass up.

Problem: huzzy doesn't like casserole.
Solution: make dang casseroles until I find one he likes.
His reaction: negative to date.
Plan of attack: new recipe tonight.
Hope: likability.
Probable outcome: thrown into the pile of "never make agains."
New solution: purchase of huzzy's favorite treats should do the trick:

 (the donuts, not the flowers...)

And please notice 2 things: the computer in the background that I am currently working and paused mid-blogedge to upload some pics and the ground beef (for tonight's cass roll) sizzling in the background.  Bliss.

 To be fair, the donut was initially purchased as a "thank you" to huzzy for working like a mad man last night to fix our truck.  I suppose the treat can have dual purposes.  Hence the state of our garage.

And to end this post on a ridiculous note, this is the doorbell in our garage.  Silly lizard.

I'll let you know how the rolling of the cass goes.  Prayers, please.

Update:  bad news.  He gagged.  Operation cass roll:  foiled.  

Smile

I ordered this pic last night from Shutterfly (FREE 11X14, boom).  And it made me smile.

It's one of my faves.  Unruh Photography is truly wonderful.

I have more exciting news to share with you all.  But give me 2 weeks.  Yay!  Come on back...

So much...

I have so much to tell you, my friends.  So much.

But not right now.  Because my mind is jumbled.  So, to keep myself accountable, here is what I'll be telling you in the next week:

• Domestic Day #2 (remember the first one?  yeah, this is like that one, but super organized)
• Freezer meal day - to wet your appetite, think 7 hours of cooking with an end result of 35+ meals...yeah, get excited
• House projects - baby projects (not projects prepping for a baby, just small projects...stop that rumor, now)
• Birthday week (which is right now, yipee!) report
• Life is going to be okay (this is to remind me that yes, yes it will be okay)

Posts are better with pitchers (yes, pitchers).  Here is a look back at girls weekend 2011.

 It's happening AGAIN in a few short weeks.  At MY house.  Wowza!  Pumped.

Happy Tuesday.