Saturday Randomness

ICLW: Welcome visitors! I appreciate you stopping by...

Date Night: Stacye (Adrian's Mom) graciously offered to babysit Em for her FIRST EVER overnight with a non-family member, so that DH and I could have a date night tonight. Ooh la la! I made reservations for the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant we'd been wanting to try. We hadn't decided yet if we were going to go to a movie, or were just going to have some "alone" time at home. Em was excited to sleep at Adrian's house ("He has bunk beds!") Then this morning, we awoke to Murphy's Law of children... Em threw up multiple times and had diarrhea twice today, thus we had to cancel the sleepover. BUMMER! Luckily, she has been feeling better (and has even kept down some Spaghettios.) As I type this, we're in the living room where Em is watching "Up," DH is working on his book, and I read a book and a half today. (I'm on book 5 of L.J. Smith's Nightworld series now.)

School/Work: This past week was the last week of 2nd quarter. It's hard to believe the school year is already halfway over! I'm still carrying most of the load for my department, but I've managed to create a grading and lesson planning schedule for myself that has been working thus far. (I've had the last 2 weekends with NO school work....so as long as I don't have a plethora of meetings or conferences, I'm managing to stay ahead of the game.) We had a school-wide faculty meeting yesterday where we were informed that school-wide the majority of students are not showing enough "growth" on district tests, and we are therefore in danger of not having enough academic "gains" when our students take the state FCAT test in February and March. Sighs...it's difficult to determine what (if any) changes should be made in instruction in order to best meet the students' needs.

TTC: My friend MEB (who kicked IF's butt and is currently PG woot-woot!) loaned me her fertility monitor. Which brings me to a question for my lady friends (Gents, you can skip down to the next "bullet," to avoid TMI girly stuff.) Ladies---I've seen mixed info on this on the Internet and plan to ask my OB about it next month, but wanted some input. What do you consider as "Day 1" of your cycle? Do you count spotting as Day 1, or do you not count until your first day of full bleeding? I've been considering my first day of full bleeding as "Day 1," and am wondering if this is the most accurate or not.

I think that is all the latest here, so I leave you with some Emmaisms:

On states in close proximity:
"I wish Grandma and Grandpa lived in a state that was only like 5 minutes away. I wish we could see them more often." (Me too, Kiddo.) 1/8/10

On sexy vampires:
"Look, it's Mommy's boyfriend! Let's make fun of her favorite guy!" (regarding Robert/Edward and Kristin/Bella's pic from the Twilight soundtrack on DH's iphone.) (Oops...didn't know I'd been so obvious! Giggles.) 1/10/10

On helping others:
Em: "I did a good thing today."
Me: "You did?"
Em: "I found some moneys under my booster seat in Daddy's car and so I put it in my pocket. When I got to school I put the moneys in the thing to help the people in Haiti."
Me: That WAS a really nice thing to do!

(Did I mention, I love my sweet girl?) 1/20/10

And my most recent favorite... On global consumerism:

"I'm trying to find the 'Made in China' tag so I can cut it out of the dress." 1/17/10

(For the record, it turned out the dress was actually made in Sri Lanka...)

Beautiful Blogger Award; Welcome ICLW

Welcome, ICLWers. It's my first time participating in a while. I've been a bit overwhelmed with work and didn't think I'd be able to commit to commenting everyday for a week. But now I'm on winter break...ICLW, here I come!

The lovely Sunny at Sunny in Seattle honored me with a "Beautiful Blogger Award" this week. I thought I'd answer the 7 random items about me as an ICLW intro. :)




Seven Random Things About Me:

1. I've been having a little bit of mama-guilt all day because my daughter is at preschool/daycare while I have a "me" day/cleaning day at home.

2. Part of why I hate living far away from my younger sister is because I miss laughing the way I do with her. We frequently crack ourselves up to the point that we have tears rolling down our faces and stitches in our sides. She is hilarious! I like to think that I'm a bit funny too. So when the two of us are together, it's a guarantee that we'll get the giggles at some point. (She lives in Ohio and I'm in Florida.)

3. I love Broadway musicals. This year I was able to see "Wi.cked" here in Jacksonville, "In the H.eights" in Columbus, and "H.air"on Broadway. LOVED it! Wish we had extra $$ to purchase season tickets to the traveling series here. (Though the reality is that we wouldn't be able to attend them all anyway---babysitters, time off work, etc.) I'm hoping to see the movie adaptation of "N.ine"while I'm on winter break next week. :)

4. Though I've lived in Florida for 10+ years, I only recently started wearing flip flops. I have brachymetatarsia in the 4th toe of my left foot. I've had it since approximately 6th grade, when my feet had a large growth spurt. It makes my 4th toe and pinky toe the same length. For years I was self conscious about showing my toes. I'd only wear sandals that show my first 3 toes, so my brachymetatarsia wasn't visible. Last summer I wore flip flops for the first time. I'm starting to show my "funny toe" (as I call it) little by little. Fortunately, mine is not painful nor difficult to purchase shoes for. In addition, my right foot is completely normal.

5. Snowmen are my Christmas decor of choice. Yes I have some Santas, yes I have some Nativity scenes. But for some reason, I LOVE snowmen decor. Which is actually quite ironic considering I detest the cold...and though really wanting to live closer to my family and Ohio friends I'm not willing to live in somewhere with frequent winter snow again!

6. I am one of the few teachers I know who has NO desire to become an administrator at some point. I would like to continue teaching until Emma (and hopefully Child #2 someday) are school aged and are able to care for themselves after school. Then...I'm not sure what. My bachelor's is in social work. I've considered getting my masters to become a school guidance counselor. I'm still not exactly sure what my future career goal is.

7. I enjoy reading, especially teen lit that I can recommend to my 8th grade reading students. I also seem to gravitate towards series. Some series that I've read in 2009: Har.ry Pot.ter 1-7, Gem.ma Doy.le 1-3, Cit.y of Gla.ss 1-3, Twil.ight Saga 1-4, Amo.ng the Hid.den 1-7, and Pet.er & the Star.catc.hers 1-3. I'm currently reading the last novel in the "Vampire Diaries" series.

Sharing the love with these beautiful bloggers...My Nominees:

1. Mrs. Gamgee at Hobbit-ish Thoughts and Ramblings.
This lovely woman is one of the first fellow bloggers I considered a friend. Though we live at opposite ends of the continent (she's freezing her tuckus off in Canada!) I look forward to her heartfelt posts and comments. A truly beautiful person inside and out!

2. Erika at Parenthood for Me. This beautiful woman is co-founder of a non-profit organization which helps support women/families going through infertility and/or adoption.

3. Danifred at Sippycups are Not for Starbucks.
I love her writing style. I love reading about how she juggles her career with being a mother to 2 girls who are growing into lovely women just like their mama.

4. Skylay at Double the Blessings.
This is the first (and only thus far) blog buddy I've been able to meet in real life. I loved her Thanksgiving post which was a great reminder to be thankful for the "little things."

5. Jen at In One Ear.
She is the mother to SIX and still finds time to make amazing craft projects. I enjoy reading about all of it!

6. Marie at My Expected End.
Marie pours her soul into her writing. Her amazing faith and strength continue to endure despite the loss of her 2 sweet babies. I admire her perseverance!

7. YOU. If you haven't been tagged for this yet, and you'd like to join the fun---consider yourself nominated! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Happy ICLW week! (Those interested in my SIF story, click HERE.)

ICLW #4

Hello, visitors! Here are 10 random things I'd like you to know about me as I participate in ICLW for the 4th time.

1. The pronunciation of my name: Alana rhymes with iguana.

2. DH and I have been married 11 years in September (and "together" for 14!)

3. I am the middle child in a family with 3 daughters.

4. My sisters and I are all teachers. (Me--8th grade reading, Older Sis--just got her Ph.D and will be working at Drew University this fall, Younger Sis--high school Spanish)

5. I detest peas. Can't stand the smell, the taste, the look. Major yuck!

6. When I was a child I was fascinated by grandfather clocks... It started with Nancy Drew's "Secret of the Old Clock" (which turned out to be a mantel clock, but was a grandfather clock the way I pictured it in my head while reading,) continued with "Webster" (remember the 80's TV show?) who had a secret passageway hidden behind the grandfather clock in his house, and carried on with my middle school summer viewing of "The Price is Right" in which contestants could often win grandfather clocks as part of their living room "Showcase Showdown" packages.
When DH's grandmother died a few years ago, he inherited an amazing grandfather clock that his Pappaw hand-crafted years ago. It is now in our living room and is one of my favorite things in our home.

7. Other than one toe, I've never broken any bones. (*Knocking on wood...*)

8. Many things in my life involve the letter "A:"
--My 1st name (and married last name) begin with A
--DH's first and last name both start with A
--My blood type is A+
--I sing in the Alto range
--My birthday is in April
--My astrological sign is Aries
--My cat is named Abby
--I'm interested in Astronomy and stargazing
--I love word games. One Anagram for my first and last name is: Sandal on an ear

9. My daughter shares a birthday with one of my Dad's younger brothers.

10. I was having a rough time coming up with a #10. I asked my 4-year-old, "What's something you'd want people to know about you?" She responded, "I like to do arts and crafts."
GREAT answer---me too! :)

If interested in my IF history, click HERE

And last, but not least, a Happy Father's Day shout-out:
--To all the Fathers out there who have a child (or children) who is (are) no longer with them here on Earth...I know today is bittersweet for you.
--To my wonderful DH (From the jazz music played through headphones on my belly when I was pregnant, to the first time you held Em, to the wrestle-matches you have today, I love partnering with you as we raise our daughter. And I have extra love for you because of your support as we try to expand our family!)
--To my father-in-law (You cook and bake like a pro! And I SO admire your people-skills... you have the ability to strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere.)
--To my Dad (He's en route with my Mom right now from Ohio to Washington state, in part to help my sister move from Seattle, WA to New Jersey. Dad, you're awesome! I love your giving heart and willingness to help others!)

In closing, I'm looking forward to meeting new blog friends and finding new blogs to read! Happy ICLW week. :)

ICLW--Welcome!

Welcome, ICLWers! This is my 3rd time participating in International Comment Leaving Week. As always, I am looking forward to meeting new online friends, and checking out new blogs. :)

Since most ICLWers are here because of Mel's blog, I thought I'd do a quick run-down of my IF history...

--Met DH in 1994. We lived in the same co-ed dorm at Ohio University. We started dating in 1995 and got married in 1998, shortly after moving from Ohio to Florida.

--We intentionally waited 4 years before TTC. We wanted to pay off some loans, get settled with our bills, become a 2-car instead of 1-car household, etc. Not to mention, it was great to have lots of "US" time. :)

--Once we began "trying," my OBgyn said not to "worry," until after 2 years, as I had been on various forms of birth control pills over the years.

--Right at the 2 year mark, I became pregnant with our daughter, Emma. She was born healthy and sweet at 37 weeks in Sept 2004. I cherish her everyday!

--For 3+ years now, we've been TTC another child. Emma has mentioned interest in having a sibling many times. She will be 5 in September. As she gets older, I freak out---I don't want her to be an "only" child. I have real issues with this. Sibling relationships are SO important to me. But at the same time, I don't want a huge age gap between her and a sibling...so it's a bit of an internal struggle for me sometimes.

--Of course, as Emma gets older, I get older too. I turned 34 this past April. I try not to freak out too much, when each month passes and I'm not PG yet. This is somewhat of an internal struggle at times too. When will I know I should give up on my dream of having another child?

--This past January ('09) we were thrilled to learn I was pregnant. DH and I were very excited! We planned to share the news with our families after my OB appointment (scheduled for 2 weeks after my HPT) confirmed the pregnancy. Sadly, I had a miscarriage a few days before the appointment. (If you're interested in details, you can read this post or click on any items labeled "peanut" or "miscarriage" in my blog topic list.)

--After my miscarriage, my OB told me to come back this summer if I wasn't PG yet, and we would figure out our next steps from there.

--On a side note, I suspect that I also had a miscarriage in the fall of '08. However, as I never took a hpt nor went to the OB, this is unconfirmed. But based on the way my body felt, and the miscarriage I endured in January, I'm pretty sure I had one in the fall as well.

--So, I am praying for peace of mind. If I am not meant to have another child, let me figure it out and find peace. If I am meant to have another child, let me stay calm, try to remain be patient and wait for the good things to come.

--Now it's a waiting game... and a hoping game... and a keep-going-without-getting-too-down-on-myself game... Welcome to my blog, where I vent to keep myself sane! :)

ICLW: It's ICLW (international comment leaving week.) I love this time of the month! You can register on Mel's Blog if you're interesting in participating next month. This is my 2nd time participating...what a wonderful way to meet fellow bloggers.

I'm following suit and cutting/pasting an A to Z about me below, as I've seen many ICLW blog writings doing the A-Z as an intro this month. Since I didn't have many readers back in March, I'm re-sharing my entry from back then below.

Welcome, dear commenters. Happy ICLW one and all. :)


Me: A to Z

A: Attached or Single? Happily attached to DH for 10 1/2 years now. :)

B: Best Friend? DH. He is my pal and confidant. I love that we still make each other laugh after all these years.

C: Cake or Pie? Hmmm....probably cake. Yellow cake with chocolate icing is my favorite.

D: Day of Choice? Saturday. No school. Family time.

E: Essential Item? I guess my computer. Between blogging, chronicling photos, research, and creating lesson plans for school I love my laptop!

F: Favorite Color? Green

G: Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms? Aren't they the same thing, just different sizes? Guess I'll pick bears.

H: Hometown? Born and raised in Ohio. However, after 10+ years in Jacksonville, FL it's "home" too.

J: January or July? Definitely July. LOVE having summers to spend with Emma. Also, I have many fond July 4th memories spent with my family during both childhood and adulthood.

K: Kids? My sweet Emma...whom I am longing to have a sibling for one day.

L: Life isn't complete without? Family

M: Marriage Date? September 5, 1998

N: Number of brothers and sisters? 1 older sister, Michelle and 1 younger sister, Laurel. Both are wonderful, strong, and independent women whom I admire very much.

O: Oranges or apples? Apples. We had apple trees in the backyard of the house I grew up in. Mom's apple crisp each autumn...yummy!

P: Phobias? Heights. I am fine in airplanes or in tall buildings. However, when out in the open, or somewhere I feel like I might fall out, I freak. (My most recent incident was a few years ago in the St. Augustine Lighthouse with my Dad, sister, and DH. We climbed all the way to the top and the railing was only waist-high. Freaked me out!) Also, I run and scream when bees or wasps are around because I'm allergic.

Q: Quotes? "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." --Eleanor Roosevelt

R: Reasons to smile? Emma, warm sunny days, smelling cookies baking, when DH cracks me up, finishing a good book

S: Season of choice? Spring. Love the warm air, newly budding flowers, the "smell" of spring. (Though autumn is a close second!)

T: Tag 5 people? Not sure how long this has been going around, so I'll choose not to "tag" anyone, but to invite any readers to participate if they'd like.

U: Unknown fact about me? I've been in 43 of the 50 U.S. states.

V: Vegetable? Does this mean what veggie is my favorite? If so, I'll go with green beans. Yum!

W: Worst Habit? Sometimes I have too much self-doubt.

X: X-Ray or Ultrasound? Interesting question. I'd have to say ultrasound. I associate x-rays with broken bones and pain, but ultrasounds with pregnancy and joy.

Y: Your favorite food? Mexican! Yummy!

Z: Zodiac sign? Aries