Day 12: What do you miss?

Robyn and I before Prom. Junior Year?

The prompt for day 12, yes I am behind, is what do you miss? Since it is summer, there is one thing that comes to mind. I miss Robyn Turnovsky (Seipel) and spending time with her at her pool. Robyn and I grew up together. Not in the same house, but as neighbors. She was my first friend. From birth, we grew up next door to one another. Although our fights were epic, we loved each other. To this day, I love Robyn. Some of that is met with regret for the time and distance between us, but she is one person I know would take me in at my worst, and I would do the same for her. She is someone I trust and love as a sister. Her family, was my family. Her fridge was my fridge. :) There were many times I ate over there. The best part of my childhood would be our summer days. We would spend all day by the pool. Robyn always the lobster the first few weeks, and me the one with too much sun oil. (Her dad did not like us to wear oil. Sorry Jim.) Our summer days were priceless. Robyn's friendship shaped me as a person. She was always honest and dependable. I would do anything to go back for one more day and sit with her by the pool... eat Sunchips, drink a soda, and lay on a raft. That is what I miss the most right now. Ah, to be young again.

Day 11: Sell Myself in 10 Words or less.

The audience is not clearly defined for this one. So this is hard. But here you go...

Loving, caregiver, with a strong will and sensitive heart. (9 words).

Day 10: Most Embarrassing Moment

I don't just have one moment that stands out; I have a moment from each point in my life. So here ya go. One from high school, college, and finally, momhood.

1. Most Embarrassing high school moment.
We we were at an away basketball game. My friends and I thought we were cute. We were going to cruise the concession stand for cute boys. Since we were the cool kids, we sat at the top of the bleachers. I, of course, wasn't paying attention to my steps as we walked down, and I tripped over God only knows and landed on a group of thugs. I am not being funny. Seriously, there was a group of rough guys who seriously wanted to fight me because I may or may not have scuffed up their FUBU jerseys. Let's just say, I didn't get any hottie's numbers.

2. Most embarrassing college moment.
I was a lifeguard in the summer during college at Manhattan Public Pool. Mainly for the tan. While working one hot, July day, I was making my merry way to the stand when my MALE manager said, "Hey, Candice, your string is showing." Not quite sure what he meant, I looked down to see if the drawstring on my bathing suit bottoms had popped out. Nothing. I thought, "What is he talking about." He called for me again. I went over to him to see what the fuss was all about. He smiled and said, "Your tampon string." I. Was. Mortified. Here I was, walking around the pool with THAT hanging out. I wanted to die.

3. Most embarrassing mom moment.
This story is sweet. It takes place on Mother's Day. Keith took us all to the park for a picnic and some fishing. It was a beautiful day. As we were getting ready to leave the park, I went to the truck to feed Calla. As I finished up, I noticed Keith walking with Chip back towards the truck and Chip was crying. I felt bad for him, so I had to get out to see what was the matter. I put Calla in my other arm to open the door. Next to me was a man loading a bike on his bike rack. We said, "Hello." As I shut the door of the truck, I felt a cool breeze in a place that hasn't felt a cool breeze in a very long time. I looked down and what do you know, I didn't put my boob away. There I was, in the park, with my boob out. I hurried and covered myself but the damaged was down. I am sure bike-guy had one heck of a story for his friends when he got home. Oh brother sauce. 

There you have it. I hope you had a great laugh. :)

Day 9: Moment in My Day

My son is obsessed with my phone.  He loves to walk around and take pictures. I love it because I get to see the world through my two-year-old's eyes.

Photo of my Chip

We made a fort this morning, where I was hoping to occupy him for a while so I could get some work done on the computer. He watched a little of Monster's Inc. He then was distracted by his tractors and was soon up and playing. The fort again was occupied by his dad when he was home for lunch. The two of them snuggled and watched some news. Chip kept leaning over and giving his dad kisses. It was the sweetest thing. We have had a pretty busy day. I have had lots of work things going on, and Chip has done some serious playing. :) Next up, after naps we are walking the dog. Hopefully, it won't be too hot.

Day 8: Advice

I am late with this one. This was yesterday's topic, but better late than never. I had gotten into town later than expected from Keith's parent's house. I spent all day yesterday getting unpacked, paying bills, getting organized again for another week. No time for blogging...
I have a few simple pieces of advice that I have learned along the way. Here they are (some more serious than others):

1. Unpack early after vacation.
If you unpack soon after you get home, it makes the week better. I have found that I can get more done if I am not digging through the suitcases all week or tripping over them as I walking from the bed to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

2. Fold your laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer.
Folding laundry as it comes out of the dryer and hanging the "hanger clothes" promptly makes putting laundry away easier. I have been employing this method recently and realized I have less wrinkles in my shirts, and I am more efficient at getting laundry done.

3. Think before you speak.
Sometimes I have said things and immediatiely regretted it. Have you ever said anything and wanted to stuff those words back in your mouth quickly? Yes, me too. I am learning to harness my tongue. This is not always easy, but necessary. Sometimes what we say can cause a lot of damage and mistrust. You can damage a relationship, if not forever, for a long time. So when angry or irritated, if you love and value the person, don't respond with words you will later regret. Your words can be forgiven but not easily forgotten.

4. Take it God.
When worried or facing a difficult challenge don't ever underestimate prayer. It is hard to think, for me personally, that prayer will be effective, but every time I have relied on God and prayed about whatever I struggled with, He has followed through. Matthew 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

5. Make your own baby food.
It is fun, cheap, and healthy. My son eats ANYTHING. He always has, and I attribute that to my culinary skills. :) I loved making his food, and can't wait to make Calla's. We saved sooo much money too. It is unreal what baby food costs. All you need is an oven, food processor, and ice cube trays. No  special equipment needed. Your baby will thank you later. ;)

6. Walk a mile in someone's shoes. (Cliche I know)
We have all had different experiences in life. We have different families, lives, and struggles. Sometimes it is hard to understand what someone is going through, so instead of passing judgment or speaking harshly about them or to them, put yourself in their shoes. Not everyone has an easy life and some stages of life are easier than others. For me, I feel that having two small children is pretty difficult to manage. But it won't last forever, and it certainly isn't the worst it could be. Before you judge, put yourself in their shoes. And if you still don't get it, walk another mile. (That is from a song. Drew Holcomb. "Another Man's Shoes." Great song.)

Day 7: Something I Fear

Today’s prompt for the blog was something I fear most. I thought about all the things I fear, and I kept going back to a novel I just finished this summer. I recently read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It depicts Kabul, Afghanistan culture before and after the Taliban have taken over the government. Without giving too much of the plot away, in case this is a book you will read someday, the Taliban has taken over Kabul. Upon taking control, they want to “clean” up the city by killing the lower class citizens. The Hazaras. They murder them for no reason. Take them out of their houses and shoot them in the head. A genocide of sorts. After they murder these families, children are left orphaned, if they are left alive. These orphans are left to live on the streets or in rat-infested orphanages where some are sold as sex slaves to the Taliban men. The widows are not allowed to work under Sharia law, so they are left to beg to feed their children. People are stoned to death at sporting events as a pregame show. Houses are taken from people, women are whipped in public for speaking too loudly, men are flogged for cheering at a soccer game, soccer players are told they can’t wear shorts because it is not proper so they must wear pants. The people are not allowed to eat meat. Only the Taliban can have meat. People don’t even flinch at seeing a dead person hanging from a beam in the public square.  

Having to live in a nation that no longer recognizes the individual and controls every aspect of my life. This is my worst fear.

This novel haunts me. I cannot believe there is this kind of evil in our world, but I know it exists. I am humbled after reading this novel. Whatever hardships I have suffered up until now are nothing compared to the hell these people and kids go through everyday. I didn’t grow up in an orphanage without my family;I was educated, and I had freedom to have a career a family, a home. These are things that are unheard of to the refugees in Afghanistan. The book says, “Perspective [is] a luxury when your head [is] constantly buzzing with a swarm of demons.” These orphaned kids no longer have a childhood. They are raped and beaten and starved. I thank God I was born in America. My heart breaks for these people. 

More about the author or novel click link below:

Click Here 

www.marshall.edu

 

Day 6: What I do

What do I do? This question is pretty hard right now considering I was a teacher in a "brick-and-mortar school" for seven years and just recently left that job to stay at home with my kids and teach for an on-line high school. So what do I do, without giving you a job title? Well, I get little ones up and fed and sometimes we make it out of our pjs. Then, I plan lessons that are interesting. Teach them to students, who I can't see, through an online program called Blackboard. It is definitely a different way to teach. I like it. I have students from all over Kansas. Some are doing on-line school because they are sick. For example, I have a student who is battling Leukemia. I have other students who are musicians, rodeo queens, international tennis players, and normal kids that just weren't getting their needs met in their local high school. I grade online and return assignments online. It is a "Techy" job, and I like it that way. Youtube is my friend.  Recently, I used a really cool video to introduce Shakespeare's King Lear. 
When I am not teaching or grading or prepping for school, I am doing chores to keep my house up and running. For instance, I have recently taken up ironing. This was something I NEVER did. Now I do. I feel pretty housewifey these days. I do laundry each day, so I am no longer trying to cram it in on the weekends. I feel much less rushed and life just seems simpler these days. I am thankful that I am still teaching, while being able to take care of the little ones and my husband. I am much happier, and I think my family is too.

Chip's excited about it. This is my job :)