I am feeling very snackish...

For the past several weeks our little Aine has been using a new word combo that gets us all laughing.  She simply takes the three little letters "ish" and puts them at the end of everything that she wants/doesn't want.  It is common to hear, "mom, I am feeling snackish" or "Dad, I am not feeling very nappish right now." She does this with such fitting, comical expressions that you really cannot help but laugh.  If she wants to watch a movie she is feeling "movieish," craving brownies, "brownieish,"  doesn't want to eat dinner, then she isn't feeling very "pizzaish" or what ever it is we are eating, and so on.  When we ask her to go on the potty she says, "I am not feeling very poopish though mommy."  Fortunately she oftentimes feels "peeish" so we all hope the "poopish" feelings begin to develop because none of us ever feel very "diaperish."  She has begun to get more specific in her "ishisms," the other day she mentioned that not only was she feeling "movieish" but she was really feeling "Fairytopiaish."  So I asked, "You want to watch Fairytopia?"  "Yes mommy, I am very fairytopiaish right now."  Now, we are not sure where she got this.  I guess  am glad she is in touch with her feelings.  It is really cute, with the tone and head nod, and when she uses it on mom, dad, Karl, or Abby - she may not get what she wants but she certainly gets a laugh out of all of us.   You should try it once in awhile - it is silly and will make you smile, "Honey, can I have all the credit cards, I am feeling very shopish right now..."  or "Sweetie, I need to watch the game and not do anything else all day because I am feeling very relaxish..."  Again - may not work but guarantees a couple smiles.

iPod craze

For Christmas this past year my parents bought me an iPod.  I knew they were getting me one because my husband didn't buy me one and he promised if they didn't get me one that he would.  I was so excited to get it and I listen to it all the time.  I just love it.  Well, Karl, my nine-year-old loves it too.  A few weekends ago he had a basketball tournament that just he and I went to, well Sam went too but he isn't much of a conversationalist, anyhow, the entire hour + that we were in the car, Karl listened to my iPod.  Then, as soon as we got in the car on the way back he had it out again.  Then just this past weekend he was at a friend's house and discovered that his friend's dad created a playlist on his iPod with all his son's favorite songs...needless to say, Karl was so excited about this possibility.  I told him that would be fine with me if he picked a handful of songs to have in his own play list - so for three/four days he has been asking Mike and me to help him create this.  Well, today was a snowday so there was no school so Karl and I tried to figure out iTunes and iStore and all these other iHaveNoIdeaHowToUse type sites.  Finally I threw up my hands and told him he would have to wait for his dad.  I could get the songs on my computer, but couldn't get them on to my iPod so I was no help to Karl.  While he waited for his dad, he sat patiently on the floor with the lap top on his lap (what better place could there be for a laptop) a notepad and pen by his side and he browsed the iTunes store for songs.  He wrote down all the titles and artists and by the time he was done he had a dozen songs.  I looked at the list and saw KISS, Alice Cooper, Smashing Pumpkins, and Willie Nelson.  Now Willie I can understand, he has been a country fan his entire life, but the rest...?  Then it dawned on me - he had basically created a Guitar Hero soundtrack.  Ahh yes, guitar hero - we play it all the time.  Karl is wonderfully impressive, I am not too bad, and much to the annoyance of Mike, he is lagging behind (but he practices when we are gone and thinks he is sneaky - which he is not - but he is getting better).  Anyhow, I wasn't sure how I felt about the list.  All the songs were appropriate(no swearing, sex, or other stuff - just rock) but I really am not fired up about creating a future hard rocker.  The fact that Karl gets down to "Paint it Black," Abby loves to shake her hips/butt to any music and likes "I like big butts" and knows the words... and Aine gets fired up to White Zombie and "rocker music" makes me a little nervous.  Bring back the VeggieTales, The Wiggles, play me some Peter, Paul, and Mary - kids love Puff the Magic Dragon...right?  Not quite...

She's ALIVE!

Hello, it has been quite some time since I last posted.  To be honest, I hate to post without pictures and my old laptop stopped functioning in that department so I was never in the mood to post since I couldn't add a picture or two.  Anyhow, I got a new laptop (YEAH!) and I love it (and don't share it) and can use the picture functions so I am a very happy gal.  A lot has happened since I last posted but there is just no way I can cover it all so I will get to the basics.

My husband applied for a promotion at work and got it!  We are all very excited about this but to prepare for the change he will have to work nights for one to three months.  We are all not very excited about this.  He also has been doing very well in his classes which he is nervous about this term because they are tough and quite important to do well in if he wants to get accepted into his program.  Those of you who are my age (30-40 range) do you remember in college (if you went) that "nontraditional" student who drove everyone crazy.  It was as if they had nothing better to do than study all day and night and raise the curve in the class.  We would all get about

 70-85% on some tough test and think we were awesome and then the annoying nontraditional student would be upset they got 98% and would be arguing with the prof about the question they got wrong and we all would throw daggers with our piercing eyes at their backs...well...that is my hus

band.  The "old guy" in class who throws the curve off for the 19-20 year-olds.  At least this term his classes are online so he won't be getting evil looks, just evil thoughts.  

I am so proud of him though.  School just wasn't his thing when he was younger.  He was always VERY smart and could do well with little effort but see, you have to actually go to class, especially on testing days, to do well in college and that...that was his downfall.  Crazy though how, when your life is different and you "go back" to school how much better of a student you are.  The money isn't just random money but money taking away from your kids, a nicer car, going out one night.  And the grades are not just grades...they are a ticket to a future that you wish you would have built ten year

s before. 

 This is why nontraditional students do so well in school, they have been out in the real world 

without school - and it is hard.  They know what they did wrong the first time, what is at stake, and how much better life can be if they do well in school, get an education, and go out in the world and use it at a job that values your knowledge and skills, pays you for it, and if they lose you as an employee they care b/c they can't just replace you with some other person off the street.  

Sorry, I am rambling.  Can you tell I am a teacher and I value education?  Hmmm...

Mike wanted to go back to school for a lot of reasons.  He wanted a job he enjoyed, one he could advance in, and one that paid more money.  He says a main reason he went back though is that he thinks education is very important and struggled with how he could instill that belief in his kids when he himself never finished school.  So, he went back and he is kicking butt and we are all very proud of him.

Well, I didn't intend to turn this into the Mike show...

I won't turn this into a Christmas typ

e letter thingy either where I cover the moments of each individual in our family...nope, instead I will drag it out and make you wait for what is going on with the rest of our brood.  

Life is good and I am glad to be back.