Birthday Blessings

41 years ago today, my parents battled an enormous snow storm to bring a healthy (and might I add absolutely adorable) little girl into the world. As I celebrated today, I reflected on my past 41 years. I've accomplished a lot: I graduated from college with a Communications degree, had an incredible 20 year radio career, married the most incredible (and stunningly handsome) man I've ever met, and have the privilege to be called "mommy" by the cutest little man this world will ever see. Of course, I've seen some heartaches too; losing both sets of grandparents, my uncle, my aunt, my father in law, and one of my very dear friends were hard times for me. Having a double mastectomy was no picnic either, but every single heartache was nothing compared to the blessings I have been given.

I have such a wonderful and loving family. We are so close and enjoy each other so much. We can be anywhere, but as long as we're all together, it's all ok. My church family is such a caring group of believers who want the best for me and took unbelievable care of me and my guys when I needed them. And I just can't say enough about the incredible friends God has put in my path. I was humbled by the outpouring of well wishes from everyone today. All I could say was "wow"!

"Wow" and "Thank You!"

Jimmy Dean commercial

Is it just me that really doesn't get the whole campaign for Jimmy Dean sausage? You know the one with the big creepy sun and all the creepy planets swirling around the office after a good Jimmy Dean sausage breakfast...

I wrote commercials for 10 years in Philadelphia, and every time I see those commercials I think to myself, who looked these executives in the eye and said, "yeah, we'll have this big creepy sun who walks around the office handing out breakfast to other big creepy characters, and don't forget to have one really annoying rain drop pushing a mail cart asking if anyone called for rain..." And who exactly are these executives that agreed to such a ridiculous ad campaign?

There's a fine line between cute and creepy. The Subway commercials with the grown adults in little kids' voices are cute... Grown men in planet outfits twirling around the office is creepy. Just an FYI...

Setting a Good Example

You just never know who's watching...

Rob and I went to Taco Bell last night for dinner. He likes to sit on the "tall chairs", and there are only 3 tables like that in the restaurant. 1 table had a family of 4 sitting there, another table had a group of 5 college-age loud boys gathered around it. The only available "high table" was right next to the boys.

I was a little leery, since I never know what is going to come out of the mouths of people around us. Once while we were in a pizza shop after a game, a nice-friendly-looking older man opened the door to come in. He was talking with another man as they entered. Well, that nice-friendly-looking older man had just about the foulest mouth you could imagine! As he walked past us, (we were sort of right near the front door) I said, (admittedly, rather loudly) "children present" and looked directly at him. There were about 4 other families having dinner there. He didn't even give me a glance and kept right on spewing his foul-laced four-letter words.

But I digress...

So Rob and I are sitting right next to the table with 5 college-age boys laughing and being loud as boys do. I was sure I was going to have to go into "mom-mode" and give the "hey guys, there are kids here" lecture when all of a sudden, those boys removed their baseball caps, held hands, bowed their heads and prayed before they ate.

I was both surprised and also ashamed at how I had pre-judged them. They not only set a good example for my son (who was watching them with a big smile on his face), but for the people around them in the restaurant.

I wanted to say something to them as we were leaving, but I didn't. They didn't do that for me, my son, or the people around them. They did it to give thanks to the One who provided everything for them... including the means to buy that 99 cent burrito!

Before I went to sleep that night, I thanked Him too for setting good examples in our every day lives. Thank You God for showing my boy that it's not just moms and dads who pray before dinner. That big-cool-guys are unashamed to bow their heads and give thanks to You.

Part time student / Full time schedule!

So, I've been taking classes part time for a few semesters now to get my teaching certification. I have finally reached a point where I need to take certain classes together in order to complete my requirements. So I have 3 classes next semester plus 80 hours of fieldwork in an Abbott district middle school. I cannot break up the classes, they need to be done all at the same time.

I'm very nervous about this because so far I've only taken a maximum of 2 classes at a time. I'm still juggling being a mom, a wife, a worship team member, a Sunday school teacher, a substitute teacher, a youth group leader, a den leader, and an occasional helper in my son's class. Now, I've added what is pretty much considered to be a fulltime school work load. How am I going to do it all? Am I going to do it all? I dunno...

I knew it was not going to be easy, but I know this is what I'm supposed to do. I can see the light at the end of my educational tunnel... it's faint, but I can see it! 

I hope my family will be understanding... I hope my friends will be too! I have so enjoyed the ride so far. I'm hoping, like a roller coaster, the faster it goes, the more thrilling it becomes. Yeah, I'm gonna hang onto that thought for a while... like for 3 more semesters!

Too Much?

Oddly enough, the previous post was about Knowing Your Limits, and today I am wrestling with the thought that maybe I'm doing too much...

I am a part time student, a cub scout den leader, a youth leader in AWANA (our church program), a member of our church's worship team, a Sunday school worker, not to mention a wife and mother. Tomorrow I will be the Mystery Reader in my son's 1st grade class, and yesterday I signed on to volunteer for the class' Winter Party (heaven forbid, it should be called a CHRISTMAS party!), AND I am volunteering my time on Mondays during Rob's art class at school.

Too much? We shall see...

I do not like to sit idle... that gets me in trouble. So I do like to stay busy, but there are so many things I could be doing: like housework or organizing the stacks (ok, PILES) of papers and "things" my husband seems fit to bring into the house. I could be shopping and planning the menu for the week so I'm not wondering at 4 o'clock, "what can I do for dinner?".

Sure there are lots of things I COULD be doing... but y'know, I'd RATHER go and see my son at school, or be with him as he learns how to make a square knot, or shoot a basket. I'd rather sit and talk with my husband about his day, rather than jump up and do dirty dishes.

When Rob grows up and looks back at his childhood, I want him to say, "my mom used to come in and read to our class" or "my mom was the den mom in my cub scout den" or "my mom was there when I made my first basket in a real basketball game." I know he'll never say, "my mom sure did keep the kitchen tidy" or "no one cleaned the litter box like my mom".

So while the dust bunnies collect under the bed and the "Irish lace" accumulates in the corners, I'll be out hopefully making some memories with my guys while I still can!

Knowing Your Limits

I have a Communications degree from Glassboro State (before anyone ever heard of Henry "I need to name the world after me" Rowan). It was common on campus for us Communications majors to justify every math answer with "I dunno, I'm Communications which means no math..."

Math wasn't my thing. It's STILL not my thing. I bring my friend Jennifer with me shopping so she can figure out a price during a sale. Unless it's "Half Off"... yeah, I got nuthin'. I substitute teach in the elementary and middle school and once backed out of an assignment because I realized it was for 5th grade math.

MATH? THE ENTIRE DAY??? Uh, no thank you. I like my head squarely on my shoulders where it belongs and not all over the ceiling as a result of blowing up under pressure...

So when my adviser suggested I get certified to teach a few middle school classes, making myself more marketable in my quest for my elementary ed certification, I looked at my options: I had enough Communications credits from Glassboro that I could be certified to teach middle school Language Arts. For 1 additional class I could get my certification to teach Social Studies, and with 2 more science classes, I could get a third certification for middle school science.

I didn't even bother looking at math. I BARELY passed the math on my Praxis I test.

My first science class was Earth and Space Science. That sounded interesting: the solar system, plus rocks, climate and different elements of earth. I had Earth Science in junior high, so I could totally do this...

Until I had my first homework assignment... "Record the Mass, Diamter and Distance for each of the nine planets and enter them into an Excel spreadsheet. Then calculate the Density of each planet using scientific notation. Create an X-Y graph of Distance from the Sun vs. Mass of the Planets. You will have to adjust the axes to plot on logarithmic scales. Then answer the following 7 questions..."

WHAT?!
 
I tried, I really did. I spent over 2 hours trying and got the data into a spreadsheet in excel. Forget the X-Y graph with adjusting axes points and logarithmic scales (I don't even know what that means!).

Today, I'm going to school to drop this class. Clearly science isn't my thing either.

God Does Provide!

I had a decent union job for about 15 years. I had healthcare and decent pay. 2 years ago I got "laid off". Actually, I was replaced by a non-union kid half my age and making half my salary. But I made enough money to extend my healthcare for another year.

Just about the time my year was ending, my old job hired me back part-time to work weekends. Since I was back contributing to my union, I was able to eek another year of healthcare out for my family. Shortly afterwards, the Wicked Witch of the South (the big boss), fired me AGAIN (I did mention I was there 15 years, right?) and I found myself running out of healthcare at the end of September.

Since taking health benefits through my husband was NOT an option as the Company's plan would cost us over $12,000 a year, I was researching private options. They too, were pretty pricey.

Meanwhile, I am going back to school part time to get my teaching certification.

As it turns out, I need healthcare insurance to be a college student this fall. Either I sign a waiver saying I have insurance, or I opt for the healthcare through school. Either way, I thought for sure I was done for!

Until I actually looked at the school policy; around $525 for me for the whole year (the whole year!), and if I wanted to add Rob, it would cost another $1,400 for the year! So for around $1,900 I got my family covered for less than cobra, or any other private healthcare plan I found!

Heck, that was less than what my union charged me!!

Coincidence? No, friends... God's timing. My deadline is Oct. 1st to apply. My current healthcare runs out Sept. 30th. That is some Divine Intervention!

Thank you God for taking care of us. I should not be amazed when you make all the details fit together, and yet I always am.

Ticks and Tummyaches

Friday, Rob and a bunch of neighborhood boys were playing at the park... which happens to be surrounded by woods. Normally, I freak out when he's in the woods, but none of the other moms seemed to mind, so I'm thinking, "lighten up Mo. Don't be that mom that never lets your kid do anything..."

I wished I had been that mom Saturday...

11 tiny deer tick removals later and 50 bites (yes, I counted them), to say Rob has a case of the itchies is like saying BP spilled a little oil in the Gulf.

I thought maybe they were chiggers but I had to actually pull them off with tweezers which was impossible as they were literally the size of a dot of pepper. Upon close examination under a microscope (yeah, don't ask...), Bob and I determined they were ticks, but not fully developed ones. Their bodies were more translucent, so after a Google Images search, realized they were deer ticks in the nymph stage. He must have gotten into a nest.

Good news, bad news in that because they were not fully developed, they probably haven't had the chance to bite a deer and contract and spread Lymes Disease. However, it's probably. We still have to watch him closely over the next few days for a rash, fever, or joint aches.

That was bad enough, but it got worse...

We drove up to visit my Pop for his 69th birthday that morning (after the tick removal and a shot of Benadryl). We made it just fine and had a lovely time, had some pizza and birthday cake and hopped back in the car for the trip home.

We got home around 6 or so and filled daddy in on all the happenings up north because he had to go to Philly that morning instead of making the trip with us. Everything was cool and Rob was feeling fine.

2AM: "BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH..."

It woke me from a sound sleep and immediately I recognized the sound of projectile vomit. Bob and I ran into his room and started project vomit clean up duties. Now, as fate would have it, Rob had decided Thursday night he wanted to start sleeping in the top bunk (why an only child has bunk beds in his room is beyond me... Dad's idea).

Vomit splatter on the ceiling, walls, railing, and full out vomit all over the bed. As fate would ALSO have it, I just washed the sheets on Friday and hadn't gotten around to doing the whites yet, so I did not put the mattress pad back on the newly made bed. So now Rob's mattress smells of Pine Sol (which I suppose isn't a bad thing).

We threw Rob into the shower and got him and his room cleaned up. I put him in bed with me because experience told me this is never a one time thing.

I was right. He hit the bucket 3 more times that night and made it to the bathroom once. Poor kid. On top of all those tick bites and itchies, now he's throwing up... a LOT!

He finally fell asleep for good around 5AM. At 6AM though he woke up itching like crazy so I gave him some Benadryl and calamine lotion. He didn't wake up again until nearly 11AM! I, however fell asleep at 6:15 and got up at 8. Ugh.

When he got up, he was totally fine. No stomach ache, no fever, not even a funny tummy. He was hungry. That was it. I erred on the side of caution and gave him crackers which he ate with no problem. By 1PM he was outside playing basketball in the drive way!

I was a walking zombie...

He still has a major case of the itchies, but I think we're on the upswing now.

I went to bed at 9:30 last night and slept GREAT. So, today we are good to go!

How Many Tigers?!

As some of you know, I'm venturing into the world of Cub Scouts this year. Not only am I "venturing", I'm leading! No one stepped up to lead a den of 1st graders, so I thought it over and decided, "why not? Somebody has to do it..."

Normally, a den consists of between 5 to 8 Tiger Cub Scouts. It's a good group to manage as we have our meetings and also go out for our "Go See It" excursions. So far, 10 kids have signed up for Cub Scouts this year. Unfortunately, no one other than me stepped up to lead a den. The club decided to split the group into two 5 member dens with the hope that by September somebody will step up and lead.

So far, that ain't happenin'.

Last night at my first official Leaders Meeting, I was told I may have all 10 kids in my den.

Wha-wha-WHAT?!

"What's a couple of extra kids" you say? Well, considering that it's not even September yet with the potential for more boys to sign up has me a bit worried! Not having any scouting experience, I have no earthly idea what I'm doing, and now I've got twice the den I thought I was getting!

Sure, I've had 10 years experience in AWANA with both Sparks and TNT age groups, but I knew exactly what I was doing. And everything was pretty much laid out for me. Now, I'm planning trips and teaching knots and lessons on bugs (that gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about bugs!) and sleeping in a tent and going on hikes. LOOK AT ME! Do I look like I can hike?

Breathe, Mo... just breathe...

I'm praying for wisdom. I'm praying for strength. I'm praying for confidence. I'm praying for preparedness, I'm praying for organization. I'm praying for safety. I'm praying for stamina. I'm doing a lot of praying here folks. I could certainly use some help in that area! :)

Friends and Family

Rob and I had a very busy day yesterday! We headed up to my old hometown because the father of a friend I've known since jr. high (we didn't have "middle school" when I was a kid!) passed away after a long bout with cancer. I hadn't seen my friend since jr. high, but when something like that happens, it really doesn't matter when the last time you saw them was... if you are able, you just go and wrap your arms around them because you know your friend is hurting. It wasn't the reunion I would have liked, but it was good to see her. And I know she was surprised and very appreciative that I came.

Plus, it gave me an opportunity to have lunch with my parents and one of my sisters while Rob and his cousin Madi played together (something both of them LOVE! They are like two peas in a pod when they get together!). And I got to hang out with my other niece and her boyfriend and have dinner with all of them with some silly and hilarious conversation.

But it was good to finally get back home... even if it was 9 o'clock at night! A full 12 hour day with 4 hours spent driving... but I'd do it all again today if I had to. Because that is what friends (and family) do for each other.

Changes

Bryan Duncan sang, "if there's one thing you can count on, things are gonna change."

I have a couple of friends this week that are experiencing change in different ways; One is preparing to say hello to a new member of the family, while another said goodbye to one that has always been there her entire life. Both instances will change them forever.

Some people like change. Growing up, my mom couldn't stand it if a room in the house had the same furniture layout for more than 6 months. Sometimes she moved entire bedrooms from one room to another. When I was very young, my dad came home after a night at the Elks Lodge and couldn't quite make it through the living room because it was dark, and mom had moved all the furniture around.

He didn't come home drunk anymore.

Since I grew up with constant change, I don't mind it so much. By the time I graduated high school, I had lived in 3 different houses. Once we moved across the street! We moved to what I really consider my hometown when I was 8 years old. When I was 18, I went to college and had to move into my college dorm, then move home again in the summer. Then I had to remove back into the dorm or college apartment each year until graduation. Moving for me wasn't a big deal. When I graduated, I lived in 5 different apartments in 4 years. (One day, I'll share the story of why I moved into that 5th apartment. It's a doozy!) Then I got married and bought a house. I've been here 14 years. It's the longest place I've ever lived in my entire life!

But my husband Bob hates change! Once, a few years ago, we thought we were going to move. We signed the papers and everything. Then he went into the front yard and looked at our old tired small house and just got such an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia that we (he) just couldn't do it. Much to the disappointment of our real estate agent, we backed out the next day. I know we'll never leave New Jersey. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to die in this house at a ripe old age. (God willing!)

Then again...

Blahs and Blessings

Well, the day started out pretty ok. I got up early, had some breakfast and coffee. I even got a sneak peek at some news thanks to iGoogle. And then... "he" woke up.

I'm a morning person... always have been. I was born at 6AM (well, technically my birth certificate says "5:59") and getting up and getting going was not a big chore for me. My husband is NOT a morning person. I found this out on our honeymoon almost 13 years ago. I woke up and chatted away at breakfast making plans for our day. Finally he looked at me and said, "I really need you to stop talking for a minute and let me wake up." I was a bit taken back, but he didn't say it in anger so I wasn't offended. I just always woke up and started my day. I didn't know any other way... But that was not Bob's way.

And now it's not Rob's way either. Rob looks like Bob, but he's 99% me on the inside... except he doesn't like waking up in the morning. I mean, he really doesn't like to get out of bed until he's good and ready. So mornings are tough... on both of us.

When I thought he was awake enough I decided to go rollerblading at the middle school. The track there is just awesome for novice rollerbladers like myself. Once we got there, Rob skated to the bench and sat down while I went around the quarter mile track. On my way past him he got up and started skating with me. I thought, "Great! He's out of his funk!"

Yeah... not so much. He got as far as the first turn and sat down on the track. I asked if he fell (I knew he hadn't, I was watching him) and he said, "I'm tiiiiiiiiired!" as only a whiny 6 year old can do on a hot and humid New Jersey summer day. One of the things I have learned about Rob in my quest for the coveted "Mother of the Year" award, is that if I coddle that behavior, it just reinforces it. So I ignored him and got in another lap. Half way around the track I looked back and saw him laying on the track on his side. Sigh... I completed the lap and skated up next to him.

"Rob, are you ok? Did you fall?"

"AAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can't get my skaaaaates tiiiiiiiiiiiight."

"OK, well, let's tighten them up..."

"I'm TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRED!!"

"Dude, mom really has to go around the track a couple more times. Can you just hang out here then?"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...." And he flopped back down on the grass next to the track.

"OK, at least he's off the track" I thought to myself. I made it one more lap.

The whining and the... well... WHINING were not worth it. I gave up. We left and went home. I was sweaty anyway (although I really did want to go around a few more times!) and it was kind of humid for a midday roller blade workout.

I should have just stayed home the rest of the day. But me, being the glutton for punishment that I am, decided maybe going to the library will snap him out of it. He was due for his prize for summer reading. Surely a cheap plastic Oriental Trading tchotchke will do the trick.

Yeah... not so much. While he was fine at the library (thank heavens he actually only acts up at home!) we had another melt down in the car. I can't even remember what it was for! It was a trying day to say the least...

HOWEVER...

Since this is Blahs and Blessings, I should include my praises today!

I'm going back to school for Elementary Education. One of my fall classes requires me to be in an elementary school for "field work." Stockton picks which school I will go to, but I have to give them my top 3 choices. Luckily they chose my top pick, and it's literally 6 minutes from my house! Thank you God for taking care of that concern for me since my other 2 picks were considerably lower on my pick list! The principal called and wants to meet with me prior to me coming to his school. Since my mother in law is currently in Virginia caring for her daughter, I had no childcare for Rob. My wonderful neighbor offered her daughter (who by the way, is so sweet and a good kid herself!). So not only do I have someone to look after Rob while I'm in my meeting, he'll have another little guy to play with as Mel's brother is just a year older than Rob. PRAISE!!

Now, if he wakes up on the same grouchy side of the bed tomorrow, my neighbor may just have a new edition to her family...

Maundering Mo

According to the dictionary on my mac... "maunder" means to talk in a rambling manner. I thought, that is quite a fitting name for a blog. And since these are my rambling thoughts, Maundering Mo seemed too fitting NOT to snatch up this ridiculous blog name!

So welcome to the contents of my head.

I'm not sure who this blog is for... I suspect it's mainly for me, but I don't have much to hide, so you are more than welcome to share in what's rolling around inside my head. Maybe I'll post a few "y'know what really bothers me" rants, with some "hey, listen to what cool thing happened today" entries thrown in for good measure. Either way, it'll be me; unashamed, totally honest and absolutely Mo.

Now, what's on my mind tonight?

FRIENDS...

Last night, Bob and I had dinner with friends we hadn't seen in too long of a time. Our conversation picked up exactly where we left it the last time we saw each other. Friends like that are such a blessing from God! I went to bed last night after an evening of good food with great friends feeling so happy and loved! Then, this morning I woke up and went to church to find our pastor speaking on... FRIENDS! Friends, who have the joy and love of Christ for each other as He commanded. It made me appreciate the time I had last night even more!

Father, thank you for wonderful friends who love me and give me such joy that just a remembrance of them brings a smile to my face even if it's been too long since I've seen them!