Where I've been, what I've done, and why I haven't...

Hello! My apologies for not updating for so long! I can't believe it's been over a month and now my reading audience has shriveled to and audience of one.......I'm so sorry!

There are many reasons why I haven't updated.....none of them real valid, I know--but October--November is THE busiest time for me as a teacher/mom/wife/human. I will try to do much better. Another reason I have not updated is I have lost my camera. It has been missing since Halloween--hence, no Halloween pics of my cute Mr. Potato Head, Blue dinosaur, or asthmatic bungee boy (he was sick that day). I have cleaned out my van, checked in my mother-in-laws couch (last place I remember having it), and have totally cleaned and rearranged my main level. Still no camera. I was going to purchase one yesterday at the black Friday sales, but couldn't quite give up on the search for the other. Once I really clean and organize my bedroom (and line up all my dust bunnies in a row), I will give up and buy a new one. Until then, I'm letting the German in me speak and it reeks of stubbornness.

So, in order to catch you up without writing a dissertation on my life over the past few weeks, I will just post a list of what has been going on. Sorry...no pics. Sad, sad.

-Noah has been sick 3X since October 31st. Rough Fall for him.
-I had P/T conferences and report cards and survived (thanks to the yummy meals provided by the PTO moms!).
-I've been coaching Kyla's YMCA team. Boy, have they come a long way! Still haven't won, but we just might pull out a "W" for the last game!
-I've sewn a Mr. Potato Head costume...it turned out pretty well--wish I had pics to show!
-We've been taking both boys to swim lessons 2X/week. They have improved immensely!
-Kyla has grown one inch.
-Noah is almost as tall as Kyla (which means he's grown at least 2 inches.
-Kyla and Noah don't have many clothes that fit them due to the above.
-Brody has become a dancing machine. Stay tuned for a video.
-Jamie turned the big "40".
-Due to Jamie's milestone, I had a "not-so-surprise" birthday party for him (I accidentally left the invite that I had made next to the computer--DUH! He confessed the day after the party that he saw it.
-On the week of Jamie's 40th, he actually won a trip to West Palm Beach Florida by pushing a penny across a stage for a radio station. He won all three rounds, making him the champion. He has the scar on his nose to prove it!.
-Kyla and Noah had Halloween party sleepovers--before and after report cards and P/T conferences. A scheduling failure on my part.
-Brody turned four years old. We celebrated with a Nemo cake on my side of the family. We have yet to celebrate November birthdays on Jamie's side. Maybe soon???.
-I have (if you Facebook friends haven't noticed) really enjoyed integrating the Smartboard and Mimio interactive lessons into my curriculum at school. The outcome in the lessons has been very successful due to this new technology we have been afforded through our school foundation. I'm still searching for tech grants so I can have a Mimio or smartboard in my classroom permanently (ours floats between three classrooms). Yes, I'm a smartboard addict, but I don't need an intervention.......yet.
-Barack Obama was elected our next president. Pray for our nation's security and pray for our president-elect.
-Jamie and I actually went out to eat by ourselves one night.
-I have more Christmas shopping accomplished than ever before at this point.
-Kyla and Noah earned wonderful report cards.
-Jamie got Direct TV for his birthday so he can watch ESPN everything (while he folds clothes, of course)--I enjoy giving gifts that keep on giving to others...like me:).
-I've enjoyed watching HGTV as much as possible due to my thoughtfulness in giving Jamie Direct TV *wink, wink*.
-We have (probably) been awarded bad parent of the year after Noah went to school without a coat and just a hoodie on a 20 degree morning....oops. Yes, I know how teachers talk in the lounge....and no, we parents are NOT perfect and never will be. Give us a little slack as we juggle the 283.75 things that we do each day.
-I bought a new carbon monoxide detector.
-We've had approximately 30 sightings of deer in our yard thus far.
-My brother sighted a six point buck across the street from his house today.
-Jamie and I have decided to send our two older children to our daycare provider on the weekends so they can learn to put their things away like Brody does. We certainly didn't teach Brody that.
-My bathroom is still not done.
-My kitchen faucet still leaks.
-My refrigerator is an energy sucker.
-My repair and to-do lists overwhelm me.
-My repair and to-do lists overwhelm Jamie...I often find him in the fetal position in corners of the house after I have had "talks" with him about the repairs and remodels this house desparately needs.
-Kyla and Noah got braces.
-If we had a family pic with Rob's family, there would be a lot of tinsel in the pic.....five out of the ten subjects would be flashing a metal grin.
-I've visited the dentist way too much (3X in one month) and am now in more pain and have less teeth. I didn't think it was going to be a good thing when after viewing my x-rays at the initial exam, he said, "Good news, we're going to become friends over the next few months, Tricia. Bad news, you have a lot of work to be done". Yikes! Pregnancy killed my teeth.

I've babbled enough. I will continue to look for my camera so I can post some pics. I hope everyone has had a blessed Thanksgiving and takes time to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas (no--not stampedes at Walmart), the birth of baby Jesus.

Us at the moment and a home run Taffy Apple Recipe!

Okay......I've been feeling quite random this week, so I thought I would dedicate the first part of my blog to what our house is like right at the time I'm blogging......

Here's yours truly.....Makeup worn off, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep......oh, and look who hasn't taken their lanyard off from work yet. My apologies to Margie for the hair and makeup. I really did put an effort in earlier this a.m., but just didn't maintain it for the posting. I'll try harder.

To the left and right is Brody-man......yep--at 10:10 p.m. Me thinks that he does not need a nap anymore at the sitters. He makes it through the weekends just fine without a nap these days. I just can't convince her yet that he doesn't need them. Two hours of peace for her =Late nights for moi. Oh well......that's how we Bledsoes roll. Brody was really in a dancing mood tonight. I think the dusty rose carpet makes such a dramatic (gag) backdrop for the photo. Oh, Oprah..Ty...anybody---please have your people call my people so we can arrange a extreme makeover, design on a dime, whatever..........just help this decorating challenged female!

So--back to our "at the moment" blog....Below is my dear Kyla.....relaxing and reading--what she loves best. She has been tired and sore lately. I think some change is going on in...and I'm not talking Obama change. I'm talking pre-adolescent-hormonally-driven-hurry up and get here so the roller coaster ride of hormones can stop-type change. Yes--I just earned Mother of the Year for sharing with the blog-world about my preteen princess........

Oh.....and here's my middle guy doing what he does so well....going to sleep on cue. He is my first to sleep and first to rise. Isn't he so sweet? The more photos I see of his Uncle Goob, I see so many similarities!

Noah and Kyla both brought home great report cards today. They are great kids, and we need to tell them that more often!

Finally, there is Annie. She has become our resident deer chaser. This past week, we have averaged between 3-4 deer in our yard, with a record breaker on Saturday (seven deer!). Annie runs out there each morning and lets them know who's boss. We love watching the white tails bounce to the "forest" in our backyard. So cool! BTW, Happy First Birthday, Annie! It was sometime this month--we're such good dog parents....

Okay, that's all I have for my "at the moment" blog. Pretty boring.......except for that 80's retro dusty rose carpet that I know you all are just wanting to snatch up and take home. ARGHHH! Someday when I have paid all my pipers, I too, will have cool carpet. Yeah.....uh huh. Read on if you want a good taffy apple recipe...or not.So, I have been searching for the perfect taffy apple recipe.......and I think I found it! You can find it here. These really turned out and it didn't take long. Do I really need to tell you that they are 765 calories and 27.7 grams of fat???? YIKES! I think the 3.3 grams of fiber cancels all that out! The kids had fun dipping.....and yes, the kitchen started out clean and sanitized, but you know what happens..........The marshmallow thingy is something that an old schoolmate's grandma did and still does. I always liked the marshmallow embellishment (so add another 30.6 calories to the above total), so I thought I'd do the same. I ran out of apples before I ran out of taffy, so my dear sweet hubby ran outside in the dark and picked apples. A risky thing, if you ask me--those apples fall easily at this time of year when the limb is shaken. Add apples falling in the dark...fortunately, no head wounds:).

Noah wants to take the apples to school tomorrow. I'm sure his teacher will really appreciate the sticky mess.

I don't have much more exciting to report.........I spent the weekend (Sat. and Sun) in my classroom rearranging, reorganizing, pitching things, etc. I love doing that.....er...in my classroom. I'm not so good at that at home. My poor students and custodian never know how they will find their classroom. I'm known for rearranging it more times than, say, I wax my eyebrows in one year. I rearranged my classroom this time to make my room more "Mimio friendly". Through the generosity of our community, our school was able to purchase several Smartboards for the Jr. High and High School, and Mimios (portable interactive devices similar to Smartboards) for the elementary. I have had the Mimio in my room to try out. Oh my word, it is so cool! I used it this morning with my students and they were so engaged and loving it! I'm going to try to do a math lesson or two on it and then need to pass it on to my colleagues so they can give it a whirl.

Happy Fall!

I'm back......I'm refreshed....I'm grateful.....I'm sounding sappy! This past weekend, I went on a little adventure with gal pals to Galena. To have four days and three nights to oneself and be surrounded by such hysterical women is short of magical! I definitely encourage all woman-folk to get their heads together and plan some "away time" to just be you. I was "Just Tricia"....(go ahead--frame your face with your hands all you Will and Grace fans) for a whole weekend.

While in Galena, we attended their annual "county fair" which was a craft expo. Sherri and I encountered some re-enactors while we were shopping around, and of course, saw it as a photo opp! I look like an idiot in the pic because I was so humiliated from what I had done to the poor manly man standing next to me. See, when the woman got ready to snap the pic, I felt I was much taller than the man, so I did the stupid thing of crouching down to even out the height. Yeah. Blue uniformed man says out the corner of his mouth, "You don't need to do that". Yeah--embarrassing for him--and me, of course!. He still rested his hand on my shoulder. Sherri's man looks like he's fixing a grundy.

A hysterical part of the craft show is a booth which is full of faux elderly hotties. They truly look real...The faces are made out of wood, they all have moles with hair sprouting out of them, and some have cigs hanging out of their mouths. So funny! We only saw one sucker carrying away a new friend at the tune of about $370! Yikes! Here is a pic of some real hotties checking out the faux hotties. Don't they just sparkle?

The biggest thing I learned this weekend was how to kick back and have fun again.....and that I have lost touch with my inner feminine. Margie and Lindsay did a wonderful job of helping my reconnect with beauty lost (through taking care of children, teaching, daily grind, etc.) by giving me a much needed makeover Saturday night. Margie worked tirelessly in waxing my eyebrows away. We giggled as she ripped the wax off and it (the wax) looked like a new species had been created! Then, she used some really dull shears (mine that I carry around) to cut me some great new bangs. Kate's comment was priceless....After one eyebrow was done, she exclaimed, "You don't look as scary, now". Yes, one could take that many ways, but I understood what she meant. The funny thing is--my class has been really good this week. Could it be connected to their newly waxed teacher?

I'm so grateful to my hubby for taking care of the kids and all their activities while I was gone. He makes it seem so effortless and doesn't complain. My pals updated him via cellphone throughout my makeover. Isn't technology grand?!

....I wanted to update you all on the fort that Jamie and his brother are building in the backyard. To all you men (and women) out there that don blaze orange at this time of year, it will look like a glorified deer stand. To us, it is a work in progress and a retreat for the kids. They are so excited about it! Jamie, Curt, and Jamie's co-worker, Chad have been the force behind the fort. Check out what they have done so far.. That's Jamie, Brody, Curt, and his son, Jeffrey on the top deck (about 20 ft off the ground--yikes). The left and right pictures are views from the top! Jamie and Curt even lifted an old wooden bench to the top level and attached it there--so cool! I will get new pics up when they get more work done.

Finally, I had to throw in some pics of the boys at swim lessons. They are doing incredibly well! Noah was a full bred doggie paddler when he began, and now he is swimming full strokes the entire length of the pool! He has really come along! Brody has gone from class clown to swimming like Nemo! He started out in a class, but we soon realized that Brody needed, say, more one-on-one . He was not ready for a class format. Brody is now going underwater, reaching for dive sticks, swimming underwater, etc. He has no fear--a good thing and not so good thing!

Whew.....Our house is feeling a bit chilly tonight.......I think a frost is around the corner???????

Signs of Fall...and a failing van (sniff, sniff)

Just checking in to let you know there is still life here in blogger world. The rat race of life is spinning entirely too fast and my eyelids have increasingly become heavier and heavier each night (and I would be a big dreamer to say that ONLY my eyelids are heavy....). There are many signs of Fall in the air (the big sign is the runny nose triggered by corn and soybean dust--the only drawback to living in the midwest in October).

This week is Homecoming week at school and each day is a predetermined theme to dress up. Monday was THE BEST! Jamie called me at 5:30 a.m. to tell me to unplug the computer due to an impending storm. I woke up to RAIN, THUNDER, and LIGHTNING! Why was I so excited, you ask? Because Monday was PAJAMA DAY! What better day to be able to wear pajamas to work! I LOVE MY JOB! There is usually a pajama day each year at school during homecoming week. Even before I was working fulltime, it seemed like I was doing medical leaves or subbing on pajama day. For the past four or more years, I have utilized Pajama Day as a reason to buy one set of new jammies each year. Ambitious, aren't I? This year, I found a gown that had toad/frog funnies all over. Then I purchased scrub pants to wear underneath. Was that not the most comfortable outfit ever? The secretary commented I looked like I was a patient from a mental ward......no comments, please........

Tuesday was Hat Day. I paid homage to my hubby's job and wore a conductor hat. Today was sport day.......ahhhh, a great excuse to wear jeans and a baggy Pujols jersey. Tomorrow will be the day of all dreads......CRAZY DAY! Yeah, as a student--this one is fun. As a teacher who is trying to put a little bubble of academic proportions in their brain for the day----not good. There are many days of craziness in class---now some has made a proclamation for Thursday to be an official CRAZY DAY.....condoning fauxhawks, mismatched patterns (a nightmare for overstimulated ADHD'ers), crazy socks, weird glasses, hats, and...I know my little "trinket girl" (she brings something everyother day that is small enough to sneak in class, but big enough to distract her......I have quite a collection in my drawer of her items. Maybe I'll e-bay those along with my recess duties) will come with 101 rubber bracelets on her arm......

Enough of life on the school front........let's now turn our attention to our blessed van....oh how she is failing in her old age. She has already lost her memory. We noticed that when her gas gauge quit working about four years ago. She just couldn't keep track of how much was in her tank anymore. Now we have to "remember" for her by keeping track of her "levels" (miles) before she fails on the side of a road with no warning. Oh.....and her driver's side window. It plumb froze up and quit rolling down on us. She's just burned out on the side. We have made accomodations for her by opening the entire door when driving through our beloved Wendy's or Mickey D's to retrieve our food. They all know the red van has to go a bit farther past the window to open the door and stretch an arm around to grab the food. Oh, and my ever so strong hubby turned the fan from defrost to dashboard, and the knob broke right off. Now red princess needs the aid of the mighty Craftsmen bran RoboGrips to get her to switch between defrost and vent. My friends laugh at her because of her quirks (actually, they laugh at me--but she can handle it better). Her pwer door has been so good to us, but has now become quite arthritic. It needs support and a gentle hand to help it close. Yes, my princess is getting old. Did I mention she was born in 1999? Did I mention we have lived in more homes in the six years we have actually had her? Yes, sad. Good 'ole red (van) has seen Pine Street house, Brick house, and our latest (and last) house. We are trying to be gentle with her to get a few more years out of her--one year and seven months, to be exact. I asked the doc (mechanic for all of you struggling through my parallel) to give her more time. I need her around a little longer. He had the audacity to laugh and walk away. We are now on a mission to prove him wrong. I will drive her till her last breath........

Okay--put the kleenexes away---it's only a van:).

I am loving this time of year! Lots of Fall festivals.......and with those festivals come....mouse droppings! Yes, there......I said it. I'm not saying festivals have mouse droppings. Just this time of year....we face more signs of extra life in our house. The critters are seeking shelter from the big machines..seeking warmth.....seeking food......and I have no mercy on them! If they were smart, they wouldn't leave their evidence anywhere in my home. We have arsenals of rigged traps (doritoes glued to the bait holder) through our home. Okay--only in one place--for now. Jamie will be put on stronger mouse detail this weekend. He just doesn't know it yet. I could tell a hilarious mouse story with Jamie and Noah as the main characters........but--I want my friends to still come to my house......so I will save it..........

Could Brody be the next Jamie?

So...today my class and I were engrossed in a book about apple trees, etc. I turned to the page with the deer, and we talked about how deer love apples. One cute little guy...we'll call him "Bobby" gets real wide-eyed and shoots his had up in the air just busting at the seams to share his story. I'm thinking it's going to be a cute story about deer eating apples of his grandma's tree. Nope....He said, "My mom and dad shot a deer once, and then they took the bones and guts out and hung up the boned head and skin on the wall. Then we caught the eyes on fire. It was real cool". He sat back down with a smile of satisfaction, that for at least that part of the day, he was engaged in learning......I, on the otherhand was cracking up on the inside thinking, "I bet Nora (who teaches in Chicago) will never hear a story like this one......."

Update on Brody. The massive baseball on the front of his already large forehead is really looking better. Before I took Brody to the sitters today, Jamie was giving him a talking to. I think he told him seven times...."No riding trikes into trees". Now, I think that is calling the kettle black, because..........years ago when a little boy named Jamie was about, let's say....fifteen, he had a run in with a tree......with something much larger (and more expensive) than a trike. Yep, Jamie's parents were out of town....so Jamie decide to take this sweet looking car (okay--not the exact one......but it is a Ranchero) on a joy ride. Jamie got as far as, well, his street, when he spun out, fishtailed, and ran into the neighbor's tree. Oops. He hurried the car back home and then heard the cops out looking for these "hoodlums".....When the cops stopped by Jamie's house to ask none other than Jamie himself about the incident....Jamie, sweet little Christian kid....pointed the cops down another street and replied, "they went that way". Yep. Jamie is telling them this all while he is standing in front of the part of the car THAT HIT THE THREE.....while TALKING-no, LYING TO THE COPS! Eventually, Jamie was found out and taken down to the Public Safety Building and booked. He had to call his grandparents to come get him because his parents were gone to a PRAISE GATHERING. So where am I headed with this story? Nowhere. Just wanted to make a connection between Jamie's collision with trees.........and Brody's. Oh boy......I have a long way to go as a mother of Brody if his childhood is going to parallel his father's.

I best be going. Brody is running around the basement pretending it is a cloth and is "cleaning" everything because "Me-Maw (my mom) is going to come on Tuesday at 2:00". He made that all up........but I find it funny that even though he is pretending company is coming, he is mocking his mother by cleaning like a madwomen to prepare for company. So funny!

ER squared.....plus pineapple tidbits of my life

Hello Blogworld! I'm so sorry for the l-o-n-g sabbatical I took from jotting down moments from our scampering here, there, and everywhere life. It's the beginning of the school year...yada...yada....y-a-d-a.........

My boys have been busy....in the ER. Yep. I remember when I was younger, my dad always commented on how his steering wheel had a certain "pull" to it whenever he drove by a Dairy Queen. Well, our steering wheel has a certain "pull" to it whenever we drive by a doctor's office or hospital. Let me explain for a quick moment....

The night before my brother's wedding two weeks ago, Noah started coughing so I gave him atreatment @ 9p.m. By 11 p.m., the boy was retracting, wheezing, whistling, and whatever else he could do to create his own cacaphony of sounds that send his mother into adrenaline overdrive.....with a sprinkling of spastic colon.

By midnight, Jamie and I decided Noah needed more than the treatments. We took him to a local ER. To make a long, boring, predictable story short....Noah spent four and a half hours in the ER receiving breathing treatments, X-rays, and a scrip for steroids. We got back to the hotel at 4:30 a.m. Noah continued to struggle to breathe. My tummy was in knots ...which led to me to life in the bathroom with my own issues......that's how I respond to stress--yippy for a clean colon!

By noon (we were to be at wedding for pics at 2), Noah said, "Mom, I don't think I can make it to the wedding". My heart sank. I pleaded with him to go at least for the ten minute ceremony and pictures. He told me he just didn't think he could breathe and walk at the same time. My heart sank and my stomach cramped. I gave him his next dose of steroids. By 1:45, he had perked up enough to go to the wedding.

We made it to the wedding, but boy, did we look rough! Noah fell asleep on the ride there...hence the bedhead look in the photos. After doing Kyla's hair and messing with everything, my hair needed attention---but just didn't get it..very evident in the pics.

Noah made it through the ceremony and said he wanted to stay for reception. He did really well at the reception. We got back to hotel, and he started wheezing again. To make another long story short...he developed bronchitis and had to stay home two extra days after the wedding.

In a quiet moment while giving Noah a treatment in the middle of the night...it hit me. I don't think he will be fortunate enough to outgrow the asthma as Kyla did. I know things could be much worse, and we're okay with a life that includes asthma.

I received the ER bill this week--yowza! I think we will forever be indebted to the medical facilities. We just like to sprinkle our love all over those places....

Okay......Bledsoe boy #2 and his ER visit. I asked Jamie to pick Brody up from the sitter this p.m. so I could stay a bit longer at work. Jamie called me back a little bit later and asked if the sitter had called me. I told him she hadn't. Long pause....He then explained to me that Brody had a very large "goose egg" (the size of a baseball) on his head with a big scrape. The story is a great lesson (for all you teacher readers out there) in force, incline, momentum, and Newton's First Law of Motion: Brody on trike with his buddy Rylie standing on the back. They go down a hill......and sideswipe none other than a TREE at the bottom! The sitter said he cried a little and that was all, that is why she didn't call. When I heard the concern in Jamie's voice, I called the doctor (4:55 p.m.) for their opinion. The sweet nurse, said, "If it were my son, I'd have him go to ER and get a CT scan to make sure there is no skull fracture". I teared up instantly. Another long, story short--Brody's CT scan is normal. Praise God!.......To the left is the what the contusion looks like from the front. It's starting to turn blue. At the bottom pic, this is a profile pic. Look above the eyebrow--it is not normal for his forehead to be that far out over his eye. This kid has one big noggin......He now looks like something from Stargate.....

Okay....so this post is getting long and drawn out.......Time for some tidbits (you know...like pineapple tidbits...in a can).

*I LOVE Fall! Our apple trees our so full and I have been making apple crisp more than cooking dinner (my husband will agree).

*Jamie, his brother, and a co-worker have been busily working on what the neighborhood perceives as a "glorified deer stand", but we KNOW it is going to be an awesome two story play house for the kids. I will blog and photog that in the near future.....

*Tricia is loving her class and all their funny quirks...although they may not be loving back as 14/17 students had to change their cards today--yikes!

*Coffee is the new water.

*Jamie got away for a day to play in a softball tourney with church. I'm happy to report--no injuries!

*Kyla took her first modern dance class at the dance studio she does ballet and jazz at.

*Noah is a reading machine! He read 178 pages TODAY. I lOVE that!

*Our laundry is still the next worst thing aside from taxes.

*I have approximately 24 library books that are beyond past due and will have to mortgage house again to bail us out of those fines--oh yeah......can one get a mortgage anymore????

* Speaking of mortgage, my brother and his wife still have a very nice home on the south end of Oneida for sale. Check it out here.

*Noah had his first soccer game Saturday. He loves that sport!

*Noah and Brody are doing so well in swimming!

*Chocolate is the new Prozac

*ROWVA High School band kicks my morning off with a smile when they march by my classroom window early in the morning--I LOVE...LOVE that Fall sound of marching bands (especially when they're as good as ours).

*The van is still running......

*I am not running....blech!

*Lack of sleep causes one to look older than her brother....according to my boss. Nice.

*I met a new dentist. He examined my teeth. He said we will be very good friends.

*I still have a new bathtub.....that is still in the garage.....

*Barack still scares me. Ike scares me. Power bills scare me. $76 gasoline charges scare me. Hollywood scares me. Mice with beady eyes scare me. My to-do-list scares me.

*My ramblings.....................scare me.

Wedding Pics!

We just returned from the windy (and at times typhoon-like) city of Chicago. My brother, Ryan, married the love of his life, Ashley this weekend. Brody was the ring bearer, my brother, Rob, was the best man, Chloe (Rob's youngest) was a cute little flower girl, and the four older ones (Rylie, Kyla, Madi, Noah) did readings of poems. It was a beautiful day with a lot of celebrating.

All of us midwestern Illinois folk did agree that we could never live in the city. Traffic was never fun, and none of us had much patience to deal with it. Brody actually sat still for 90 minutes without complaint when Jamie was trying to get into the city Thursday evening for rehearsal. Amazing!

I don't have time to blog too much as I need to get ready for school, so I will post the photos and then blog later.

Yes, there are a lot of pics of Chloe and Brody--they were too cute. Also, the middle cousins (Noah and Madi) had some time with the camera taking photos too. Very funny! Finally, we really need a new camera! Jamie seems to disagree with me (maybe he needs a new contact prescription). The photos are grainy and out of focus. Our point and shoot camera is nearing its final days. God rest its merry soul..........

There is music that goes with the picture video, so you may need to turn my playlist off (scroll to bottom of page). I didn't download any music....just used what came with the computer....I will have to work on downloading more music if I'm going to make these videos more often...... Click on the arrow to start the picture show.

Rain, rain.......and bulletin board thieves

Gustav has arrived! I wish I could have scrapped my lesson plans today and allowed my students (and myself) to just curl up with blankets and bean bags and read, read, read. I love rainy days....when I'm at home.

I don't have any pictures to post because Jamie has the camera with him at the moment. I will definitely have some cute ones for ya by Monday! I know you are on the edge of your seat, just waiting for that day to arrive (snicker, snicker).

I stayed late and worked tonight at school.......my, how time flies when you're trying to do lesson plans for one day! I think it was 9:30 by the time I got out of there. I will not be at school tomorrow, so I left my sub a 4 page dissertation on how our day goes in First Grade. My teacher friends and principal were laughing at me. I wanted to create a warm welcome for my sub. So, I stole a beautiful silk Autumn floral arrangement from our sweet nurse's office so my room would be gussied up just right for my sub. I wanted to "borrow" some other things from around the offices and classrooms, but some people just don't handle that type of thing well.

I have been known to "borrow"...okay, err, steal some things from faculty and staff before. When I was doing a medical leave at Wataga, I really needed a bulletin board, buy didn't have the creative energy to do one.........I remembered this really cute bulletin board that our fun Special Ed. teacher had just taken a lot of time putting up in her classroom. It was a turkey with separate feathers to hang. After she left school one day, I stayed after, took her turkey down, and moved it over to the hall by my classroom. The next day, she walked by my bulletin board, and commented on how crazy it was she and I had the same bulletin boards! I was so laughing hysterically inside! It took a few minutes while in her classroom before she realized I HAD HER BULLETIN BOARD! After I was done with the medical leave, I subbed in that same special ed "turkey" teacher's room. It was winter and she had a real cute penguin and igloo bulletin board up. I took all the penguins and stuck their heads in the "snow" and igloo, or had them sledding off the top of the igloo. I think she gave up at that point and left it that way.........

I have to say, thank goodness for the Republican National Convention this week. My "Obama TV channels" have quieted some. I can't really recall the last time I saw him on T.V. Mrs. Palin sure has taken over Obama's airwaves for a bit. I like that she is calling him out on his hollow "change" platform. Stay tuned............

Obama junk

Okay, I have to vent. I vented on my Facebook a little.. but I'm going to vent a bit more before I go to school. I'm tired of Barak Obama. I'm tired of Hillary Clinton. I'm tired of people jumping on the media bandwagon. Do I know who the best candidate is? Not sure. I do know that it is hilarious how people are flocking to this man because he promises "change". Wow, that's a reason to treat a candidate as if he were the second coming.......well, which brings me to the whole Revelation thing. Read your Bible. Me thinks there's some substance to that.

I read a nice essay yesterday on how people are becoming Obama followers and don't even know what they are following. He's made hollow promises that he cannot stand upon. My mind is foggy, and I will have to come back with better supports later on this matter. Our nation is like a bunch of three year old toddlers eating up the Oreos and ice cream of the media frenzy on Obama. All of the noncomformist liberals have turned into a mess of conformists. Being an Obama supporter is like supporting the latest Aeropostale trend at your local high school. Everybody's doing it, so maybe I should too. Well, I'm not buying into it. Shut off your t.v.'s and go outside and enjoy life.

Ramblings of someone who doesn't want to give up and sleep...

I have nothing really exciting to blog about. I'm just wasting time as I'm not sleepy, but have no desire to do anything productive. I need to go to bed, but that would mean closing the book on another day with many things not crossed off my list.

Tonight I had great plans to do many things which included getting my classroom ready for tomorrow's open house, cleaning up at home, and going for a walk. Well, I am happy to report I went for a wonderful walk with our dog while Noah biked. Half-way through the walk, one of my most memorable and enjoyable first graders I had last year was out riding her bike, so she rode along and chatted with me while I walked. Toward the end of the walk, I told her I must get back home. She asked......., "Oh, is your house still messy?". I think I mentioned a few times to many last year during class how messy my house was.

I found a GREAT website! It is the technological answer to inspiring your kids to do chores and become more independent, responsible, healthy, and smarter! You can find it here. It is so cool! Sit down, play around with it. I love that you can customize your child's chores to goals that you have set for them. The rewards are awesome! You can go through and select awards for your children to choose from. It makes managing this part of our life so much better!

I think I better turn in for the evening. I need to be kind of alert tomorrow as I teach all day, have a meeting, and then immediately following is Open House. WHAT?!

Oh.......need a pic to make this a complete post.....Check this one out: It's my little brother in some strange get up when he was abou 7 or 8??

I just scanned a bunch of pics and sent up to him for his upcoming wedding (September 6). Since they are still on my computer, I thought I'd share a few with you. The one to the left is just hysterical.......A strange (and scary) resemblence of Goob and Noah). The other photo is of me wearing my "almost mullet" hair style alongside Grandma Dorothy's everpresent red polyester "jump" suit with her infamous crazy patterned shirt. Check out Rob's trendy sweatshirt and my not so trendy sweater. Still the same today................

Must get to sleep.

School pics!

Okay....so I'm a few days late, but here are the pics of my room. I went with a "circus" theme this year. Last year was monkeys and zoo animals (and was it a zoo in there). Maybe I should opt for calmer things, like Linda Ronstadt, turtles, or slugs.....

Here's my bulletin board outside the door. Sorry about the glare--ooops. It says "First Grade" on the megaphone, and then "Step Right Up!". At the top is says, "Starring" and then all the students names are on the stars. I need to send their photos into Walgreens tonight so I can have their pictures on their stars by Open House, which is this Thursday--egads!

The next Picture is of the "Big Top" reading corner. The class really loves this area. Since I moved my desk out of my room, I was able to create a large space for silent reading. Each day, the star student, and a different colored group (I separate my class into groups and assign them a color. This helps a lot in all kinds of classroom management) is entitled to spending time in the reading corner when they have all of their work finished, AND if they have not changed a card. Mean Mrs. Bledsoe.

To the left is the side view, and the right pic is the front view. My work area is to the right (hence the mess) of the big top.

Below is the reading bulletin board inside the "Big Top". I was going to use this as my welcoming bulletin board outside of the classroom, but when I told my dear co-workers, Mary Anne and Lindsay, that I was going to title my bulletin board, "Mrs. Bledsoe is nuts about her class", they giggled and turned away. They were concerned the passing Jr. Highers would take it too far. I'm glad they stopped me from putting it in the hallway, because my homemade peanuts looking like flying poop. Not good.

Now the fun stuff is out of the way and I'll show you my next project.....affectionately known as.....the closet. When I moved into this room last year, it had sage green shower curtains spanning the width of the closet. I didn't likey. My principal didn't likey. I took the curtains down and pinned them over my boss's door. I thought I could make it look nice and organized. TAke a peak at the pic. This is where the reader can form his own opinion and keep it to themselves...... Okay....This end of the room is needing some major CPR. Soooo, I bought a lot of felt tonight with a handy dandy coupon at JoAnns. I'm going to back the felt by sewing a sheet. Then I will attempt to slide a dowel rod, or something else into a pocket at the top of the felty curtain-like object. Hang it on a hinge and call it a "bulletin board curtainy door thing". Yep. I need some higher level vocab help.

So, my original goal was to complete the closet curtain contraption by Open House. Yeah. I had high hopes and then realized....I don't have the time. We'll see what the next 48 hours brings us. Probably nothing. I guess this is the part in my marriage that would be really great if I had a husband that not only worked with tools, but also...SEWED.

Speaking of husband, men, disorganization, and myself. I have a story--short and pointless--like most of my stories.

I was driving across Galesburg tonight and saw a garage with the door opened. I looked in the garage and it was CLEAN, ORGANIZED, INVITING, and....had some weird but cool garage-like CHARM. Yeah, this guy's garage looked like a sweet ocean cottage next to my home. All those words in caps above are antonyms of my home. Let's not even begin to discuss our garage. I figure, if a man has that much time on his hands to keep a GARAGE that nice, there's a problem. Does he not like spending time with his lady? Is his house so organized and clean he had to move onto something bigger and better...the garage? Maybe his garage IS his home. Anyways, it was lovely, but wrong.

Okay, I've senselessly babbled for way too long........need sleep.

School's in Session!

They're back! So here's our first day of school picture! I failed as a mother and did not get Kyla's "First Day of School" outfit done. It was a bit dramatic when she found out since God didn't create an eighth day (or ninth or tenth, for that matter), that I simply ran out of time. I have to say, being a full-time teacher now makes it difficult to hype up back to school with my kids.

Did you notice Noah's ginormous feet in the picture?! The boy is only nine years old and wearing a men's 8 1/2! Yikes! That is about the same size as his sister, who is in sixth grade. We breed 'em big in the Bledsoe home!

Speaking of big kids....Brody is going to be the ring bearer/flower girl escort at my little bro's wedding in two weeks. I took Brody to Ducky's in Galesburg to get measured, and then I called his measurements into the tuxedo shop in Chicago. The clerk first asked his age. I told her he will be four in November, so she marked down he was 3 1/2. I started giving her his measurements and she replied, "Is he a big kid?". I told her he was. I gave her more measurements. She again commented that this could not be right (he was a boys size eight tux jacket). She asked me if he had a big belly. I told her somewhat. She just couldn't fathom how large my boy is. I finally told her that he wears size 5/6 clothes and he wore a size seven suit last Easter. She said (somewhat under her breath), "This I've got to see!". Yes, we have big kids.

Kyla is in sixth grade and absolutely loving her teacher (who also serves as principal). Her teacher has a lot of energy, humor, and fun assignments. She is still considered a "grade schooler" at ROWVA as Jr. High begins in seventh grade (thank goodness). At our church, though, Jr. High begins at Sixth Grade (gulp). I had forgotten that fact until she received an invitation to the kick-off event for Jr. High youth group! Oh my goodness! Where'd my baby go???

Noah is in Fourth Grade this year. He also has the building principal as his teacher. He loves her and should get along fine (they both have a funny sarcastic way about them). He is looking forward to when his teacher goes on maternity leave, as he gets to have his favorite substitute teacher (who retired from ROWVA two years ago), Mr. Panther. Noah loves Mr. Panther because he does cool Science experiments...academic heaven for this boy! This will be the first time he has a male classroom teacher--so cool!

Brody, goes back to the sitter full-time. He still has this school year and next school year before he goes to school. At the rate he is growing, he may be mistaken for a Third grader when he finally lands in Kindergarden!

As for my first day of school....sorry, no pics of me! I have a great class of seventeen enthusiastic students right now. We had a great start to the week with some fabulous weather. I feel much more relaxed about this year. I'll let you know how long my "relaxed feeling" lasts!

The kids have settled well into their school routine, and now that everyone is recovered from surgeries, and such, they are getting a lot more outside play time......They really have enjoyed playing with the trees to the south of our house. Nothing says "fun" like a rope, an old tire, and a piece of wood. Crazy. Why do I have a Christmas Club account? I think if we gave them a load of wood, tires and rope for Christmas...they'd be set. Kyla made some cool contraption hanging from the tree with ropes today. It looks like two nooses next to one another (not good). You stick your feet in the nooses and then you can do some pilates movements. Soooooo, if you drive by our house early in the morning and see me dangling from the tree all contorted and stuff---I'm just exercising before school. I think this could be the next thighmaster if used correctly! Here are some pics of the kids climbing the tree.....

Speaking of trees, one Sunday morning while I was sitting on the couch reading the latest gossip in our local newspaper, I noticed our apple tree to the south of our home was shaking as if a storm was blowing in. I looked out the other window and it was calm....no wind or breeze. I looked back at the apple tree and it had split into two! Fortunately, it was an apple tree that we don't really use as much as the others because we're not even sure what kind of apples they are---maybe crabapples? Jamie and the boys went out and cut it down. Here's the head lumberjacks doing what they do best...smiling and sitting! We tried to burn the limbs tonight, but too wet for some reason.

Kyla is pretty much recovered from her T&A. She's got a bit more "shedding" of the film (ooey) that forms in the back of her throat, but for the most part, she is ready to get back into the swing (and dance) of things. She has missed almost a whole month of dance, which is unusual. Her voice is a changed a bit. It's cute. She's hoping that since her voice has changed, that it means her singing voice has improved. With the singing genes she was born with...good luck, dear. Kyla mentioned to me tonight that she just feels better all around. She told me since her tonsils have been romoved, she has better self esteem, is happier, and more grateful for people. Whoa, Dr. Gootee--what did you do to my child, and can we do this on a regular basis? She received a few "get well" cards from classmates and family members that really boosted her, and then on a day when she really felt yucky, her cousins came over and stayed the night. They were even able to pull her outside to eat for a picnic.

I tell you, it has been so fun to watch these cousins grow up together. They are going to wear a path between our house and theirs through the years. They have a lot of fun

together and get along so well. What a blessing for them!

I will try to post pics of my classroom someday soon! I keep forgetting to take some. Maybe I'll take some at Open House this week. Yikes...OPEN HOUSE!!

Things are looking up!

Kyla just woke up this morning and gave me a thumbs up. Usually mornings are the toughest for post T&A patients (according to the info sent home and according to experience with Brody). She has a sparkle in her eye and I hope this means we are on the way to recovery. Yesterday was a tough day for her. She was in pain in the morning, and then had quite a tummy ache in the afternoon. Me thinks its from drainage and sleeping with her mouth open. She barely moved from the couch yesterday.

I have gotten a lot done in my classroom and hopefully will be able to stop in this afternoon and wrap things up. Mom was a great help yesterday as she served as official laminating cutter. I was going to take her out to b-fast this a.m. and then realized she had to work--hate that weekend schedule she has. She does too. I pray things change soon in that department.

I'm going to Staples for their teacher appreciation day. Woo woo! Don't know what that will entail, but hey--it's worth a try. My friend, Nora, said she thinks the special this week is free pencil sharpeners--JACKPOT! My goal was to have a pencil sharpener for each student to have in their work boxes. This would totally cut the cost for me--can I hear a yahoozy?!

By the way, Nora, who is teaching at a Charter school in Chicago, thinks (actually is dreaming) I am coming up today to help her with her classroom. She's so funny. I start school in two days. She still has two more weeks before she begins, but thinks I can squeeze in a trip to Chi-town and back before school Monday. She's being so funny. Maybe I need to take a pic of my classroom and my living room (still housing so much First Grade stuff) to prove to her that I cannot travel ten miles from my home for the next few days. Love you anyways, Nora.

Kyla is even going to try to go to town with me today. She wants to pick out a pattern for the fabric we got her for her back to school outfit. I think I will help her lay it out, but then leave a lot of the sewing to her. She has learned a lot in 4-H this year and can put some of that to practice now.

Word of the day: The other day, Noah was asking me about different religions. He really had a lot of questions about the Catholic faith. I tried my best to explain it to him (I taught in a Catholic school for 4.5 months). He paused and asked, "Is my friend, Evan, Cathletic?". I thought that was cute. Well, his friend does like to swim and I do believe heb is Catholic. Therefore, I guess that would make him "Cathletic".

Sorry--no new pics.....I'm too lazy to go up and get my camera.....So I'll leave you with this FABULOUS and STUNNING picture of my older brother, Rob, my little brother, Ryan, and myself sometime in like 1980. Wow......I'm hoping when you see this you are saying, "You've come a long way, baby".

Okay........here's my first attempt at posting a slideshow. Thank you, Sherri, for the tips! For all of your help, I will allow your scrapbooking stuff to be released from storage, free of charge (wink, wink). I will post later about school and how it's going. For now, enjoy the show. I will make another one with some other pics sent home later. I use the word "later" on this blog a lot, don't I?!

Tonsils, anniversaries, and whatever else is in my brain.....

So things are picking up at the speed of a rocket launch around here. School is literally around the corner and I'm in a bit of a panic. My classroom is still not together and I have two more bulletin boards to do besides the little things (name tags, name tags, and did I mention MORE name tags?). I did get my students' cards sent out today. I hope none of their mothers are stamping wonders! I stamped the cards but it was very simple and not real exciting. I have a class of seventeen so far. I had eighteen last year, which is peanuts compared to what my friend Nora has (30 students...20 boys and 10 girls.......WOW). She is teaching in Chicago. If I knew how to do a mobile upload of photos, I would upload a couple of my classroom for ya. A project I have been nursing for the past few weeks is my new reading corner. I think it is so cool when a classroom can support a cozy reading hideaway. I received some extra $$ for my classroom this year, so I focused on using it for literacy in my classroom and literacy at home (take home literacy bags). I will get some pics on here soon because I know all are just DYING to see what I'm talking about.....chuckle chuckle.

So, Jamie and I celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary over a cup of coffee and delicious muffins served to us by the very friendly staff at OSF Health Center in Peoria. Kyla had her tonsils and adenoids removed on our anniversary, and Jamie and I still managed to squeeze some "alone" time in while waiting for her to come out of surgery. She came through wonderfully and has proven to be much braver than she let on before surgery (thanks to many many prayers lifted up on her behalf).

I wish I would have taken a "before" and "after" photo of Kyla's tonsils, but didn't...so I will have to get a bit creative with some graphic illustrations. To the left is an illustration of what Kyla's throat looked like before they were removed. Yes, those are the Golden Arches. The purple ball like things are representing how her tonsils were touching her uvula. Snazzy, ehh? Well, her tonsils were huge...I mean HUGE. Her dr.'s eyes were huge when he came in to brief us on how it went. He said he had forgotten how big her tonsils were when he first saw them in the office. When he took out her tonsils, they were the size of ping pong balls. Can you imagine that? How in the world does one breathe, or eat with ping pong sized flesh in the back of there throat?! Kyla never let on that she was in any discomfort at all. She has always had a great disposition, so I can't imagine what she'll be like when she heals! Let's just say at that point in the conference room with Dr. Gootee, it was confirmed to Jamie and I that we made the right decision to get these boogers out!

Two nights ago, Kyla asked me to look at her throat. People, I could now see all the way down to her toenails. It looked like the Grand Canyon........well, it looked like this:

No more snoring for this girl. Wow! And no, I'm not putting any subliminal advertising in here for a certain restaurant. Just trying to give you an image.

Let me backpaddle a few days before the whole tonsillectomy thing...Jamie took the older two kids to D.C. for a short trip to visit one of Jamie's friends from his youth. This guy was an amazing host and tour guide. They had so much fun and learned so much while out there. I was amazed at all the information they retained and returned to me! Below are some pics that I thought you may like to see........

The kids loved the Museum of Crime and Punishment. They spent several hours there and then got fingerprinted and I.D's for a child safety thing. Very cool. Kyla dreaming of landing a part on a newer version of CHIPS....wasn't that what it was called? Noah's looking a little Eric Estrada-like...he needs a bit more sun, I suppose.

The first pic to the right is of Kyla and Noah at the U.S. Capitol Building. They are standing on a star that is designated as the "Center of Washington D.C.". To the far right is, well, self explanatory. Cute pic, eh?

Below right is the FDRMemorial. Kyla and Noah are exhibiting their talent in the dramatic.......

To the left are the fearless travelers at the Lincoln Memorial. As you can see, I REALLY need to learn how to do the slideshow upload. I will try that later, but for now, this is all I'm offering ya as I really need to get busy on school stuff. I'll check in when I can.

It's HOT!

Man, it's HOT out there! I took the afternoon off from getting my classroom ready and so the older two kids and I could go to a gathering of Central staff and their children for an afternoon of swimming. Boy, did that pool hit the spot! Kyla and Noah were thrilled to finally get some swimming in! I have to say, I was tentative about Noah's swimming skills, but he fared pretty well! I think with more swim lessons, he will be set! Kyla proved to be a seasoned fish in the water.

Speaking of swimming, Noah and Brody's first swim lesson went well. Noah was going off the diving board, learning the basic stroke and did very well. Brody did very well...as long as he was in the water. Let me tell you....those thirty minutes of his lesson were the l-o-n-g-e-s-t thirty minutes in a "mother-of-an-active-three-year-old's" life! Once his instructor told his class to stand in a line and take turns jumping in the pool........that was all she wrote. Eighty percent of Brody's class was standing perfectly still in line. It was a very mature 80%. Twenty percent of the class (did I mention Brody IS THE twenty percent of the class?!) could not handle standing still in line to wait his turn. He was all over the place...hopping, bouncing, flapping, dipping his toe in the water,etc. In the great words of my wonderful colleague, Mary Ann, Brody was throwing his "hairy little toe over the line" several times. Brody's instructor was a young, but well practiced, instructor. I have to tip my hat to her because she was very good with him.

I haven't blogged since the dramatic blood draw! Thank you our wonderful friend, Kris, Kyla had the best blood draw. She was so stressed and worried. Cried big alligator tears, and then it was over so quickly because a woman named Star did a beautiful job! Thanks Kris for taking care of us and making sure we got a good one! Here's a pic of all the suckers and stickers even an eleven-year-old wants! One week from today is the big T&A......still could use some prayer deposits;).
We had a wonderful time over the past several weeks getting to know so many people that took part in the musical production of Charlotte's Web. This past weekend was the culmination of all the actors' hard work. The production was absolutely fabulous. Kyla had a small part as a baby spider, and as a townsperson. She had a great time..... To the left is her friend, Molly, who played a lamb--she did an excellent job and has a beautiful singing voice. To the right is her cousin, Lexy, who came opening night to watch the girls.

Well, it is a bit late and I should put in a few hours of rest before the sun comes up. I'll leave you with this cute pic I took the other night. I had stayed downstairs to do some schoolwork on the computer. When I went upstairs to check on everyone, I found the boys (and Annie) crashed....so cute! Jamie fell asleep in Brody's bunk, and Annie wasn't too far behind. Notice the cool green walls I painted to coordinate with their quilts. I will take more pics of the orange lockers and such when I get the trim and window treatments done.