Aren't I too old for this shit?

What I mean is, aren't I too old to get so sucked into a fictional story that I wish I were one of the characters?

As a kid I used to read Stephen King books and I loved so many of them. Then, as an adult I began to fall in love with Thomas Harris books. But all that love the the writings of these two men does not compare to the love I have for the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer. I am not only in love with the books but with the characters. Particularly Edward. Well Edward, and Jasper, and even Carlisle. I mean in a way Edward, at 17, is way too young for me (I am 33) but then again he is way too old for me at 107 years old. I just completed the first book, "Twilight" so who knows how many others I will fall in love with.

Now I am not sure that you have read these books or intend to read them so I must warn you that there is no guarantee that I will not let a spoiler slip. Consider yourself warned.

Now don't get me wrong, I haven't just jumped on the vampire bandwagon. I have always been secretly fascinated/intrigued/obsessed with vampires. I have always thought they were dangerously sexy, but Stephanie Meyer has shown me just how sexy.

I just can't wait for a little more quiet time so that I can get started on "New Moon."

Does your kid play on a sports team?

Mine do, and I am usually the coach. Not because I know much of anything about that particular sport (usually soccer) but they are young enough that I can still wing it and they will still learn the game. Also because it is so hard for the leagues to get people to volunteer so I step up to do it for the league and mostly for my kid.

Wait...what did I say up there? Did I say "volunteer"? So we don't get paid to do this? We get NOTHING? We are giving up our time, and our sanity, and our voices and we get nothing?!? Oh wait a minute, we do get something; every year, I get at least one parent telling me that I am doing a crappy job, that they can do it better!

Well I'll tell you what, let me go get my time machine and we will go back to when they were asking for volunteers and you will get off of your fat ass and step up to do the job since you are so much better than me!!! Oh, that is not possible? Well then sorry, you are stuck with sucky old me as your kids coach.

When I volunteer to coach these 6, 7, and 8-year-olds, I know what I am getting into. I like kids, I know how to deal with them. It is hard and tiring and sometimes frustrating but at least they are acting their ages. We have fun and I really go take pride in their learning.

Don't get me wrong, most of the parents are sweet and understanding and supportive...

BUT THERE IS ALWAYS THAT ONE!!!

She handled it like a rock star!!!

My poor little girl! At her last dental checkup we discovered that she has crappy baby teeth and will need 2 baby root canals and some crowns and fillings. Luckily her permanent teeth are pretty strong and are cavity free. After agonizing and procrastinating to make the appointment I finally did and we went in for appointment 1 of 4 to fix her flawed grill. I was so scared for her and I really tried to hide it and lighten the mood. I'm sure she read me like a book.

The hygienist called us in and sat her down and the first thing she got was the "happy gas."

It worked like a charm and she was watching the movie screen on the ceiling and finding her music on her (my) MP3 player.

I opted to sit in the waiting room and wait for her; I hate the dentist for myself, watching my baby girl go through a procedure is excruciating!

About hour later I was called in and they said she did really well! I was so happy but I knew she would handle it like the rock star that she is.

She went about her day all crocked faced from the numbing and I expected some pain later that day but instead you know what she did? She practiced soccer for an hour and a half with her team. When I told her that she didn't have to practice today her response was "Why mom? They didn't work on my legs, they worked on my mouth." I was so proud.

And now she is officially a pirate!

I am finished with school... now what?

So after 9 not-so-long months in medical transcription school I have finally graduated and I passed all of my classes the first time around! YAY ME!!! Now it is time to look for a j.o.b. My resume is currently in the hand of my brother-in-law for review and editing. He will help me make it look professional and then I will send them out to wrangle me the million dollar job.

Nervous? Hell yeah! I haven't worked in over 8 years. Excited? Hell yeah! I don't know if I am ready but I am always up for a challenge and I am always up for making moolah. I have to say how very fortunate I am that I am going to be able to work from home and be there for my kids and continue to homeschool them. I know it will be hard as hell, I probably will have to work into the wee hours of the night so that I can still focus my attention on my top priority, my family. But I can sleep when I am dead (in 80 years) right?

My future rock stars

So who says that video games are good for nothin'? This past weekend we attended our first ever homeschooling expo and one of the highlights of the event was a Guitar Hero contest. When my clan found out about this they vowed to practice every minute of every day but we all know that didn't happen so I was sure that they would have been blown away. I had my fingers crossed but I was also being realistic.

So the highly anticipated evening arrives and they begin the event with a parents contest so hells yeah this little mama wanted to do it!!!



So it was time for my little ones to give it a shot and low and behold they rocked it! My little guy had a little trouble because he had a hard time holding the guitar up and playing at the same time (he is used to sitting and playing with the guitar on his lap. He'll be back next year so watch out!

Then it was my girls turn. She learned from her little brothers mistakes and opted to use the guitar strap to hold the guitar for her and she ended up with the highest score and percentage out of all of the kids (there was about 6). She got into the finals.

So fast forward to the next night after mama worrying about my little girl all day. She wanted it so bad that she woke up extra early to practice. So we get there and she faces off with the darling little guy she was competing against.
Yeah she wore her Slash hat to channel the guitarist and her and Slash share the same coif. The song that was chosen was Rock You Like a Hurricane by Scorpion and what do ya know my girl won!!! It was the coolest thing to watch! She got a mini electric guitar and an amp.
This is her with her prize and the super generous Jody (MusicalMom) Malone that so generously donated the winnings and ran the competition.

So there was an older kids competition and here is my girl with Daniel, the winner of the higher division, who won it for his little brother! What an awesome guy!

ROCK ON!!!

I'm one step closer.

I have just completed my first quarter of my training to becoming a medical transcriptionist. I am so excited and anxious to get started on the second quarter. The first group of classes were so tough and emotional but I got through it and I feel so good about myself. I have been wanting to be a transcriber for a long time and did not know where to start. I want to be able to stay home with my kids and this is the profession that will allow me to do that and make a pretty decent living doing it.
I started this class to get some kind of job out of necessity. But now that I have started and am learning so much, not only about transcribing but about English, I am realizing that I actually enjoy learning. When I started the grammar portion in particular, I moaned and groaned about how I didn't like it and wasn't good at it. Now I want to take it further and take more English classes. If the teen-aged me could see me now she'd probably pass out! :o)
My second quarter starts on March 31st. Wish me luck!

29 days till WICKED!

I am so excited!!! On March 21, I get to go with my son, Jake, my sister in law and very good friend Becky, and her daughter Analise to see the play Wicked! I regret letting time pass and missing getting to see the Lion King play so there was no way I was going to let this one pass me by. I have heard that it is an amazing muzical and I can't wait to judge for myself. The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies so seeing the twist of this story is going to be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

My Clan

My Clan
Originally uploaded by HaloDesigns

So since this is my very first entery here I might as well tell you what my life is all about. These are my babies and that is what my life is all about. I homeschool all three of them *GULP* :o) I am currently going to school to be a medical transcriptionist so that I can stay home with my kids and still make money.

Jacob (Jake) is my oldest. He is 15 years old and he is the musician of the family. He plays acustic guitar and is trying to form his own band.

Alexis (Lexi) is my only girl. She is 7 years old and she is a total tomboy. How can she not with a brother on both sides of her. She is a soccer player and I love to coach her teams and watch her play.

Joshua (Joshy) is my baby. He plays the roll really well :o) He knows that he has all of us wrapped around his little finger. He is 5 years old and loves all sports. I am looking foreward to seeing which one he excells at.