3 mos again!

Recently, a dear WV friend pointed out to me (by email...) that I hadn't been posting to my blog. Well, all I can say is that life has intervened yet again. My last post was titled, "Has it really been almost 3 mos?" Well, that was in December and here we are almost to March! SO, I guess the same question applies.

Lots of stuff can happen in 3 months time! My weight is up--20 pounds or so more than I want it to be. My comfort zone is in the 205 to 215 range. Moment of truth--the number is more than 235 right now and it is entirely my fault. All those things we learn in the first couple of years postop would do me a world of good right now. Cutting back on the carbs, getting back to high protein, and doing some exercise on a daily basis would help me get right back to where I want to be. My clothes are fitting poorly, so I don't have a choice now. I refuse to buy a new set of clothing in a larger size range! Just NOT going to do it! SO, I got a new bike for my anniversary. I need to actually start riding it though. I live in a rural neighborhood, so no excuse for not walking. The carbs part...not quite so easy to break, but the exercise would certainly help with that too. I did stop by Vitamin Shoppe and stock up on protein bars the other day. I just need to purge the bread from my diet again.... It is awful to know exactly what to do to turn the situation around and to still struggle to find the motivation to DO it!

My grandbaby gets to come home next Saturday! Woohoo!! And, I got him a new bike too, so I'll have the baby wanting to ride as a motivator if nothing else works! He will be SO excited to see that bike! He's only had baby bikes till now and this is definitely a big boy bike!

Hubby is working 3 weeks at a time lately, so he's only home for 3 or 4 days every 2 1/2 to 3 weeks...bummer! And, he spends the first couple of days at home just resting and taking care of honey-dos! This means that more of what needs done around here falls to me. I am also still working full time as a teacher. I have 3 different classes to teach, which means lesson planning for 3 completely different courses. I was told this week that I may get to teach all AP World History next year. That would absolutely rock! 4 sections of the exact same class ALL YEAR LONG! Only one course to prep for is totally awesome, though only a teacher can appreciate it fully... And, AP world history is new to me this year, but I am starting to get in the groove with it and would absolutely love being able to devote all my time to this one course and being able to better develop my ability to teach this one class as opposed to trying to split my time amongst the 3 classes like I'm currently doing. If I want to read something to learn more, I have 3 classes competing for my time...which is most important? What can I read to help me in all 3? This makes it hard to choose!

Mandy is still working, but not going to school. How do you convince someone who graduates with a 3.8 cumulative GPA that they should go to college? We "made" her go for a semester after graduation and she totally blew it off, got all Fs and now has a 0.75 GPA. She had a previous college class as a dual enrollment student, so isn't a total 0.0 GPA. BUT, now she has money to payback in order to retain her scholarship AND she has to go a full semester without Pell grant before she can get it back too. That means paying back about $1200 for the classes she flunked and then managing to go without the help of Pell the first semester back. She gives no sign of any interest in going back yet... UGH! She turned 19 this month and gives NO help at home. We're basically like someplace she rooms for free. She pays no rent, does no chores, helps in no way whatsoever, and we're supposed to provide her a vehicle to run around in as well. NOT!

Eliza will turn 22 next month... She's still taking classes and she is starting to grow up, finally, we think. She's more respectful of what we do for her and for the baby. She is more helpful around home and when a vehicle needs maintenance or repair. She is doing better with helping her grandmother when she needs errands run or just someone to visit with her or ride to a doctor's appointment with her. She's just plain more adult than she's ever been. AND, to top it all off, she and her ex-husband are finally on speaking terms and can have a somewhat adult conversation without him just hanging up on her.... He's got another child already--born in January. Matthew got a little brother in January. Will this make things better? No, probably worse. But, perhaps--with this new focus--things will smooth out a bit on that end of this struggle and we'll get more cooperation. Matthew is supposed to start a 3 year old pre-K in August, but we are waiting to see what his Dad has to say about it...

That is pretty much the state of things here now... I'm going to post a recipe that is actually a repost from at least 2 years ago. This is what we're having for dinner!
Hugs till next time!
Lea

Matthew & Grandpa

He is getting so big! Matthew is now 3 1/2 mos old and he is so alert and fun to be around! We finally got some decent shots of him and Grandpa this past week... It doesn't show quite how much he looks like Grandpa, but we'll keep trying till we get one that does show it well!

Grandpa sits and holds him and tells him how beautiful he is and how much he loves him and Matthew blows spit bubbles at him... Poor guy is teething something fierce now and the drool is just flowing like water! We've had to start putting a bib on him just to keep him from soaking his clothes so fast! We went to give him a bath the other day and he was soaked almost from his chin to his belly button!

Wow, been a while!

So,...long time, no post, huh? Yep, it has been quite a while since I had a chance to sit down and peck out a post for you guys! Here goes!

I've gotten back to work as a substitute teacher. I've been working somewhat regularly and am actually surprised at how frequently as it still seems so early in the year and teachers are usually sort of stingy with their down days this early out as they may want to use those days for "mental health days" later in the year when they are just plain tired! But, I have had weeks when I got called for every day at least a half day and some a whole day... Sure adds up! I gave my notice with the parent training group and am no longer doing that as of this past Friday. I love the job and working with parents of children with disabilities, but teaching is where my heart lies and getting back into the classroom--even as a substitute teacher--is going in the direction I truly want to go. I hope to find a full-time position in the next year or two. There are actually some social studies teachers approaching retirement in our county, so it may even happen for this next school year. Fingers crossed on that one! I'd prefer to be at the school my daughter attends rather than in the next county over from us... And, Mandy will be a senior next year, so being around school for all the fun stuff will be great! Having that full-time income would be even greater when trying to cope with all the expense of senior year! Senior portraits, cap and gown, graduation announcements, and more! It seems that it never ends! LOL

What else is new??? Matthew (grandbaby extraordinaire!) turned 3 mos old on 10/17. He is just the best baby in the world. He hardly ever cries and when he does you can not even hear it in the next room! He is starting to teethe... This could change things! LOL

He is starting to look a LOT like his grandpa... We're going to have to take a picture of the two of them with their faces alongside one another. You'll see what I mean! His own Momma hadn't noticed it till I pointed it out in the pic above! And I'm talking about her Dad!

He is SO his Momma's son... Check out this one!
How's that for a bed-hog in the making??? LOL He is over 2 feet tall now and weighs about 13 pounds. He's growing like the proverbial weed...

Just call me GRANDMA!!

At 12:37 pm this afternoon (7/17/08), my grandson--Matthew Lee McCord--made his appearance to the world! He was 21 inches long and weighed 7 pounds 3 1/2 ounces. So far, he's been a good baby with very little crying. I told my daughter--"just give him time!" Her mother-in-law said her hubby cried at that age just to hear himself! LOL LOOK at all that hair! His momma and aunt were both born bald as the proverbial cue-ball! No hair till they were about 18 months old. This little booger has a head full and it is about an inch long too!

Here's a pic of my daughter, son-in-law and their new bundle of joy!


And, of course, one of me (boy was I tired!) and Matthew as well...



And I really liked these too:






And then there was this one... This one was actually one of the very first pics that I took, of course. He was literally coated with that gooey white stuff to the point that one of the nurses shouted, "who ordered the extra cheese??" LOL So, I called that pic "cheesy!"


They don't get to come home from the hospital till Saturday afternoon... Just think of all the spoiling I have planned for next week!!

baby update!

My daughter goes in tomorrow and they are going to give her a pill that is supposed to thin her cervix and help prompt labor. If that doesn't do the trick on its own, they are going to put her on the pitocin drip on Thursday morning... SO, either way, we should have a baby by some time Thursday!! According to the ultrasounds, he should weigh between 7 1/2 and 8 pounds too!

We may have a baby this weekend!

Some of you are aware that my oldest daughter is expecting my first grandbaby this month. Well, her official due date is July 24th. However, today while at the doctor, they did an ultrasound and determined that her amniotic fluid level is a bit low. They are doing a more detailed ultrasound tomorrow and if it is TOO low, they will induce her labor and get that baby the heck outta there... SO, we may just see little Matthew Lee this weekend instead of two weeks from now! Stay tuned for details!!