Kidscents Round 1

So, I ordered Kidscents when they came back in stock in July.  My packaged arrived the beginning of August and no kidscents :(  backordered.  Randomly on Friday my kidscents showed up!  I was so excited to try them and so was my 3yr old who kept saying, "theyre MINE???  Just for ME!!"

We leave to go out of town and I pack my oils and the kidscents.  MY oil bag somehow never left my bathroom counter but thankfully the kidscents were in one of the kid suitcases.  So here we were, outdoors all weekend, staying in a hotel and no oils. 

M had been sick the latter part of the week so the first thing we did was rub tummygize on her tummy.  She was already feeling better when we applied it but she still asked for it.  no tummy issues all weekend :)

Then since I'd forgotten my purification, I rubbed the bite buster on M as a bug repellant.  Had no idea if it would work for that but I knew it had purification in it so it was better than nothing.  No bites all weekend!!  (don't tell M but I rubbed it on myself too after I heard family members complaining about the mosquito bites!)

M immediately developed a runny nose/cold as soon as we arrived at our destination.  We go there every year and the window unit is damp and always gives us sinus issues.  We applied snifflease to her nose and a little inside her nostrils and thankfully the runny nose stopped!  She was still a little stuffy all weekend but no longer grabbing for tissue.

All in all it was a GREAT first weekend with kidscents!  Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends, back to the grind in the morning and this mom is going to need a double shot of NingXia red, I'm beat!

Classroom calm

So my class after lunch is rowdy as most classes are in the afternoon.  I normally diffuse lemon and peppermint (2-3 drops lemon and only 1 drop peppermint) in the morning as it's a happy and alert mix.  I diffuse it intermittently so it goes off every 30 seconds.

This afternoon I decided to add in a little Peace and Calming (2 drops) and the kids noticed it immediately.  I had questions from, "Hey, I want a diet coke" to "it smells like my grandma's purse."  Apparently the combo reminded them of an old lady drinking diet soda (although I thought it smelled great, haha).

Regardless, guess who got to work and had the best class???  Yep, they did.

We will experiment to see if we have the same results with a different combo...maybe I could make that a science lesson but you can bet my diffuser will pay for itself this year!

#oilyteacher

Cooking with Oils: Margaritas!

Caution...this recipe is amazing.  No, I wouldn't consider a margarita on my healthy list....HOWEVER, it's good for my mommy time!  (and that provides me some mental health).

I have some famous margaritas ya'll.  This is going to be one of those "Trust Me" things.  I usually get asked for the recipe when I make them and it's your lucky day because I'm going to share it with you!  These are served on ice, not frozen.

MC's Famous Ritas

Ingredients:
1 can frozen Bacardi margarita mixer
1 can or 12oz sprite (I use sprite zero...just tastes better in these)
1 bottle of Corona
Tequila (preferably not the white kind)
fresh lime
optional: lemon or lime essential oil*

Empty frozen Bacardi mixer can in a pitcher and smush with a wooden spoon.  Fill the empty can about halfway with tequila.  Add can of sprite.  Stir until all frozen chunks have dissolved.  Slowly pour corona as to not foam.  Stir and pour over ice.  Garnish with a fresh lime.

**  This step can only be done if you're drinking out of a glass or stainless steel cup (no plastic).  If you want the mix sweeter add 1 drop of Young Living lime essential oil.  If you like it a little less sweet add 1 drop Lemon essential oil.

Cheers!

Homemade Shower Cleaner

I haven't tried the Thieves cleaner yet as it has been out of stock but I made my own shower cleaner and it works really well.

Dawn dish soap
White vinegar
water

I don't remember the exact recipe as I usually just eye-ball it but one key is to microwave the vinegar....it works really well when the mixture is warm.

I add about 8-10 oz of hot vinegar, enough dawn dish soap to make it blue coconut in color (a few tbsp) and the rest warm water.

Caution: the fumes are STRONG...do not let little ones play in the bathroom while using this.

So, I put this in a spray bottle and spray the heck out of my shower.  I let it sit for 5 min or however long I have to and then I take a shower using a wet washcloth to scrub around (you don't need to work hard, you're just wiping it around.  I also take an empty pitcher so i can fill with water and rinse my glass shower door.

After the shower be sure to squigee (sp?) the door.

This works great even if you have hard water and I've also used it to clean my sink!

Post Partum/Mommy Pain Testimony

I think I'm like a lot of moms in that I tend to put myself last.  Not that I want it to be that way, but I think when you become a mom you experience guilt and worry like never before.  Like if I take time to go do something for myself I'm somehow a bad mom.

Well, this second testimony is out of order for me but I wanted to share it early!  I'll be honest, I didn't apply oils to myself very often in the beginning because 1) I never had time  2) I didn't want to waste the oils on myself  3) I was too busy with "life" to think about what I needed help with.

When my son was about 6 weeks old I developed this awful pain in my right shoulder.  I've never been someone who got "knots" anywhere and whenever I've gotten a massage it's been purely for relaxation and pampering, never for an ailment, etc.

Husband gave me a gift certificate for a spa 2 Christmases ago and I still hadn't used it.  This pain in my shoulder was hurting BAD...at dinner I just put my head down on the table one night in pain.  He started rubbing my shoulder and found a ton of knots!!!  I tried ice, heating pads, hot showers, tennis ball between me and the doorframe, husband working them out nightly but nothing seemed to be working.  I finally called the spa and said I need help.  They recommended a deep tissue massage focused on that area.  I'd never had one and heard that they hurt but at this point I was willing to try anything.

I figured the knots were coming from feeding my little one and always holding him more with my right arm + looking down, etc.

I went for my 90 minute deep tissue massage with 60 of those minutes dedicated to my shoulders and specifically my right one.  I was prepared for it to hurt and focused on it as "good pain."  The gal was pushing on my shoulder with her elbow and hands and stretching my arms all over.  She said I had way more knots than she expected but none of them were huge, just a ton.  I learned that you have to apply direct pressure rather than rub and the knot should release.

The massage ended and I felt good (any mom will tell you 90 min in a quiet dark room will make them feel good in itself!) but I wasn't in pain....when she elbowed my rear end a few times that hurt but nothing really hurt my shoulder as bad as the pain normally does.  I went home expecting this to be one of those "feel worse before it gets better" things.  The next day I was in pain EVERYWHERE but my shoulder felt the same and I kept thinking, "why doesn't it hurt worse?"  I felt like I had bone bruises on other parts of my back, my butt hurt and my legs were sore but my shoulders had no change.  I called the spa and they said to give it a few more days.  Nope.  Everything else got better and no change in the shoulder.  Called back and they said I must have a severe case and they recommended weekly deep tissue massagess....WEEKLY???  Seriously?  It took me over 2 years to use this gift certificate and you think my schedule has now opened up MORE since I had a second child?  Fat chance.

I'd had my oils for a several weeks at this point and never used them on myself really (other than diffusing).  I had a rollerball on my Panaway oil because I'd been using it on my husband's back and one night after a few tears he suggested he try it on me....duh!!  He rolled it on my shoulder before I went to bed and I smelled like toothpaste/mint gum.  I woke up the next morning and I was AMAZED!!!  I could move my neck and arm (both of which had been so bad I had limited range of motion) and it felt GREAT!!  I felt so stupid for not trying it earlier.  I was so productive that day that my shoulder was especially angry that night and Panaway again was my relief!!  There was no "maybe it was the oils" with this one!!!

Now, I should say that I still have these knots.  I haven't tried anything else on them or gotten another massage because I'm a mom and haven't dedicated the time....BUT...when the pain flares up I FINALLY have something that gives me relief.  And I smell great!

Catch phrase...Essential Oils

So, unless you've been living under a rock you've probably heard people talking about Essential Oils.  It seems to be the new thing the cool kids are doing.  I also drank the punch of all things Essential Oils (will call them EO from this point) and I wanted to document my journey and learning curve in this oily adventure.

I've been using EOs for almost 4 months now, I started just a few weeks after my son was born.   To avoid being a book, I'll try to keep this post focused on why I started looking into EOs and why I went the direction I did.

I've always loved to make stuff but I'm creatively challenged...this makes being a teacher difficult, thankfully Pinterest exists.  Two years ago I found a recipe to make your own bug spray and I bought my first bottle of Lavender EO for this.   Friends loved this for their kiddos and I shared the recipe a gazillion times.

Well, one of my new neighbors was making homemade body scrub for friends and asked if I had any EOs she could borrow.  I let her borrow my lavender and I noticed it didn't smell the same as it did when I'd first gotten it.  I started to research this and learned alot...let me bullet point some interesting things I learned:

• the FDA doesn't regulate Essential Oils.  
• an oil can say 100% pure on it as long as it has 5% essential oil in the bottle!!  (this means it has pure oil and is diluted in the bottle but the company doesn't have to list what it's diluted with!)
• some EOs have "for external use only" type of warnings on the label
• as with other "organic" "natural" type of products, there is no regulation of these type of labels and the companies can basically put what they want on there.  This is true for so many products on the market...do your research!
•  many EOs have added fragrances to them (can contribute to allergic or site reactions..or in my case, headaches!)...oh, and they don't have to list this on the label

So, at this point I have a 3 week old and have read about the calming effect of EOs on babies...after this, you can bet I'm not going anywhere near them until a long convo with my pediatrician!

This week 3 of my son's life and he's going on his 2nd week of cradle cap.  My daughter had cradle cap and we were able to use the little hospital comb and massage the baby shampoo and it was manageable.  Well...not the case for this boy.  I asked for help in a FB mom's group, asked friends and family and tried everything:  hospital+shampoo (got the top layer off only), olive oil (just made it greasy), head and shoulders (nothing), baking soda paste (nope) and then I read about coconut oil.  I asked my neighbor and she is in love with coconut oil and let me borrow some....BAM!  Not only did the flakes come off but now my newborn smelled like a pina colada...bonus!  Unfortunately, it came back but the coconut oil helped get it off.

I talked to a friend of mine who'd been using EOs and has 3 kids and she encouraged me to research and she'd answer what questions I had....and the obsession began.  I looked up the bottle I was used to purchasing, the MLM brands I'd heard of and found several bloggers did comparisons.   I read and read for a week and a half (this replaced my reality TV obsession and it's what I did during feedings and while both kids napped).  I ended up going with a company called Young Living.

Before I dive into this, let me first say I am NOT marketing against any other company...I'm sure they all have their great parts, I'm just listing the reasons why I chose the company Young Living.

• I'd seen friends have success with it (as elementary as that sounds, word of mouth is very important to me...what my friends recommend impact my purchases of baby gear, recipes I cook, vacation spots I travel to, doctors I choose, restaurants I try, places we go, gifts I give, etc)
• You can visit their farms.  They have a "seed to seal" guarantee which means they pick the seeds, plant the seeds, grow them, harvest them, distill them, bottle them and you are welcome to visit and see any part or all of this process.  Open door policies are cool.
• They've been in business for more than 10 years (I don't doubt the validity of new companies but I like to give a company enough time to see if people get mad at them and see how it's all handled...drama queen in me?  maybe)
• I don't have to leave my house to get it (this goes along with my obsession with Amazon Mom/Prime and how I can shop in my pjs)
• I read about success with cancer and Frankincense (had no clue what that was other than it was brought to sweet baby Jesus).  I basically googled Frankincense and cancer and found a dr with the University of Oklahoma (gasp) doing research and having success fighting cancer with this and it specifically lists the YL Frankincense.  Cancer sucks...it's in my family...anything showing progress with this scores MAJOR points for me.
• It is a MLM (multi level marketing) which initially made me want to walk away.  (Side note: I've been a "rep" for a beauty product MLM and I loved their makeup/skin care, etc BUT you had to buy several hundred dollars worth of products every quarter in order to maintain your "rep" status.  And it was always the new season stuff...seriously...what am I going to do with eyeshadow set that is bright green and royal blue?  Maybe if I'd been able to pick how I was going to spend my $...maybe..anyway I never made any $, I did get a discount on what I wanted but I ended up spending a FORTUNE and had a TON of products I didn't know what to do with...finally ended up throwing them away...sad face).  Anyhow, when I found this out I asked a LOT of questions to the gal I knew and here's why it's ok.  1) you don't sell anything.  2) you get 24% off.   3) the only requirement to keep your discount is spending $50/year.   4) you don't HAVE to buy anything specific (no preset packages like my previous MLM)..you spend that $50 on what you want, when you want it.  5) you don't do the "parties"  candle, makeup, bag, food, jewelry etc..(i.e. you don't have to monopolize your friends/facebook/coworkers etc and be "that girl").  There IS a business side to it and plenty of people make money with (basically you get a check if you refer a friend...so if you do have someone who drinks the punch like you did, you want them to list you as your referral).
• the drama that I mentioned in a previous bullet, I found a lot of negativity being spewed toward people in the company.  Saw another company and strong competitor was formed from previous employees and has almost identical names for their products (a lawsuit was involved).  People were questioning the religious beliefs of the founders.  I found all of this interesting and it didn't bother me because as a mom, what I was looking for were lawsuits against the company for false claims, damages, injuries, etc.  Didn't find that.  It did make me feel better to know that it is a company with Christian founders/leaders but that had nothing to do with my decision.  Because lets be honest, I have no idea who founded the products I buy for my kids or what their religious affiliation is (Chicco, Homedics, Pampers, Huggies, Enfamil, Carter's, Fisher Price, Baby Jogger, etc).  This did, however, entertain me for awhile and made me realize that people attack each other's character when they can't attack "what they're selling."
• my pediatrician.  My pedi is the type who will always give me the "home remedy" or "wives tale" to try and also write me a prescription for when those don't work (his words), haha.  I asked him about how he feels about EOs.  He told me he gets approached by parents all the time trying to "enlighten him" on their favorite stuff and he always looks into it.  He asked, "are they the ones with the nutrition labels on them?"  I didn't know the answer.  He told me, I've talked to a lot of holistic doctors and read a lot and if you're going to pick someone, stay away from the ones that say "for external use only" BECAUSE children's skin is so soft, they absorb things easily.  Even if you're only applying it externally, it will absorb internally.  With other baby products, they are regulated but since these aren't that's what I would look for.  Also, if it has a nutrition label or says "supplement" usually both, it's met the requirements for food (ingesting) but that is for adults NOT the kids.  His stance on the use of EOs is that he thinks they are great for mood, temperament, staying healthy, sleep, emotional needs, etc.  However, when someone is sick....and not just has some annoying symptoms,  he chooses modern medicine.  I agreed.  I left with a promise not to put oils IN my kids but ON my kids and he said always diffuse or apply feet first and then maybe wrists, tummies, etc but to use a tiny amount of oil and a large amount of judgement and common sense.

I'm sure there are more scientific,  important and legit reasons that I should've researched and maybe others do...this is not to compete with those but just a list of reasons I felt good choosing YL.   I took a breath, signed up, my friend put me in a private FB group where I could ask questions or search for remedies and just like trying a new recipe, I went in skeptical/cautious/hopeful.

As I'm writing this 4 months in I already have a lot of success stories and "maybe it was the oils, maybe it was luck" and I'll post them separately.

Oh, and my MIL called me a hippie and told me I better not stop shaving my legs...

Defeat or Growth? You decide.

Still alive...still hanging in there...in fact, I think I've adapted well to "survival mode." And I'm not afraid to say it, I'm pretty darn proud of myself.

Next Sunday is my 29th birthday. Up until today, I really hadn't thought about it as a celebration. For the first time on my birthday, I'm not in a place where I thought I could be proud of myself. I don't have a career...in fact, I don't really have a job. I'm not working toward anything in my relationship, heck, we don't even see eye to eye at this point. I'm not independent. And for once, I don't think I consider myself a role model for anything other than "what not to do."

But then I got to thinking. I'm surviving. I think a lot of people would've given up by now, but I haven't yet. And in fact, I'm not even so fragile that people have adjusted how they are around me. I still have friends coming to ME for advice, the only difference is that I'm leaning back on them more than ever.

And perhaps the most amazing thing is that I feel stronger with each passing day.

I've had this amazing thing happen to me in the last month, horrible but amazing....I have been attacked. Not physically, but emotionally and psychologically by another person. Now granted, that is a dramatic term but when someone knows their actions will hurt another person and continues to do them, I consider that an attack.

I generally consider myself a good person so it's been hard to understand why I've been the target and I've almost let it get the best of me. I've done everything I can to learn anything and everything about my attacker and monitored them in any way and every way possible. I felt that this was my own way of protecting myself. And I felt exhausted and emotionally sabotaged.

But this week, I decided that it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what malicious or vindictive reasons people have to do bad things. What matters is how you let those decisions affect you (affect or effect??? i dont remember). In the last few days I realized that I'm not going to let it affect me anymore. I can't control what other people do, all I can control is myself.

And I choose to be a better person. I choose to make the right decisions, I choose to let a higher power handle it. Because my job, the only full time job I have right now, is to be good. To be strong. To survive. Dramatic, I know....but just go with me on this.

So to this person, I forgive you, even though you haven't asked for it nor do you probably want it. I will pray for you to have the same "awakening" as I have had this week. And I pray that you get what it is that you desire so badly. Because for me, it's not about what I desire anymore, it's about what I need. And I've realized that I have everything that I truly need and those things cannot be taken away. So I will be okay no matter what desires you try to take from me....even if you succeed.

And next Sunday, on my 29th birthday, I will be proud of the person that I have become. A person who is constantly evolving, constantly trying to be a better version of herself, and more recently...a person who takes a deep breath...forgives without stipulations...and moves on.

Cooler than cookies??? No way!

We had a knock on our front door on Sunday afternoon. When I opened it, I saw our neighbors from a few doors down and their daughter at our door. I opened the door and realized that she was wearing brown vest...I thought it was an odd choice in attire and then it hit me!!!

"Would you like to buy some girl scout cookies?"

Oh yes my dear dear friends....it's that time again. I CAN NOT Believe it!!! Last year, you remember my desperate quest to find these $3.50 boxes of happiness and could not find them. And this year, before I even realized it was time, they came to me! I asked BF if he wanted any because obviously I was buying some and he yelled from the back room "Samoas and Thin Mints." You see, this is why we work together. He knows the names of his GS cookies of choice without a second thought.

I'm not sure when she'll deliver my cookies but I'm thinking I should buy more than I did....I mean, really, 2 boxes of thin mints? Who am I kidding...I have plenty of room in my freezer! One day, yes one day....I will be cookie mom.

And anyone who doesn't plan to buy some....please at least buy a box or two. These girls go thru actual sales routines and practicing...they are prepared to answer your questions should you be diabetic, etc. They don't just grab a box and knock on your door!!! And there are prizes that they get depending on how much they sell.

Happy eating!

I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As some of you know, I took my certification exam on Tuesday. Monday night there were tornadoes, Tuesday a.m. I woke with my monthly visitor and a cold sore on my lip. I had to drive to Wichita Falls and I drove into a massive cold front. My test took over 3 hours, my brain was shot and the temp had dropped below freezing and it was starting to sleet.

I wasn't able to stop by and see my Granny, big bummer, as I had to get back on the road to make it home before the awful weather caught up with me.

Anyway, I just found out that I PASSED!!!!!!

This means that I can officially be hired at any school (grades 4-8) to teach! I'm so excited!

crazy lights

In a neighborhood near ours lives this man who goes all out when it comes to Christmas lights. And I mean ALL OUT. He has his own small radio station that he broadcasts from his home and his lights are hooked up to the music. He adds more each year...this video is from last year. Check this out:

Grab a tissue...

My mom sent this to me today and somehow I've never seen it.

I got a little teary eyed a little over halfway thru, I'd forgotton how beautiful our national anthem is.

These are 5 girls ages 6-8 with the most incredible harmony.

Enjoy!

Extra Extra Read All About It!

This week I filled up my car (something I don't always do) and I put in premium gas (again, something I don't always do but I should.)

And my friends......

An entire fill up, on premium gas, was less than $28.00!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited I almost peed a little.

Pure Optimism

On my way home from subbing today I thought....How much would you smile tomorrow if you knew that tomorrow was the only day that you could smile the whole week? Would you take advantage of every moment? Would you go beyond smiling and laugh?

Me? I'd try my best to make someone else smile because then.....I'd know that even though it was MY only day to smile, I could make it contagious for someone else.

One of the biggest compliments I've ever been given was when someone told me that I'm one of the most optimistic people they know. This was such a huge compliment because its one of my biggest goals.

If you've kept tabs on me over the past few months, you know that optimistic was not a word to describe me at certain points during this time. Thankfully....this has been a great week.

I found something this week that I hope will keep me optimistic and remind me of all we have to be thankful for. As BF would tell you, I love me some Jon and Kate + 8....seriously, watch the show....cutest kids.

Anyway, their new ads have this incredible song playing in the background and it's my new obsession. I'll attach the video but while you watch it ....read the words. This is the stuff we should be reading each day.

I hope this song makes you smile and gets you thru your hard days.



Hey child up and go
-Big world is out there waiting for us to
live in every day

Outside you will find
there is love all around you
-Takes you, makes you wanna' say

That it's a beautiful life
and it's a beautiful world
and it's a beautiful time
to be here, to be here, to be here

The sky's blue
-just us two
Side by side we'll see the world
that surrounds us
-Hey, seize the day

Each road - every mile's a photograph in motion
to astound us, carry us away

into a beautiful life
'Cause it's a beautiful world
and it's a beautiful time
to be here, to be here

Leave all your cares behind you
The sun is rising
Turn around -it's right in front of you
and it's a beautiful life
and it's a beautiful time
to be here, to be here, to be here

"Howdy ya'll, I'm Big Tex"

Top Ten Things That I saw/loved/hated at the 2008 Texas State Fair:

#10. Normal people pay 9 tickets ($4.50) per beer. We find a tent, slide them some cash on the side and have a code word "Andy" and pay 7 tickets per beer all day.

#9. Having a Fletcher's corny dog with mustard for breakfast while holding on to the person in front of you trying not to get seperated while making our way thru the sea of red and orange to get to the stadium. Oh and by the way, it's Corny Dog NOT Corn Dog...get it straight.

#8. Sitting in the Lexus that I love at the car show and realize that it's only fancy on the outside and I can save my $75K for something else...maybe the Infiniti G37!

#7. Seeing all of the hilarious TX OU shirts that people made...my favorite this year was "You can't spell C*cks*cker without OU" haha...tacky but funny.

#6. Going to the nicest steakhouse in town for dinner in flip flops, tshirts, jeans, shorts, etc and fitting right in for that night only.

#5. Seeing people pay $200 a pop to get their teeth whitened at the fair (I should have taken a picture). We think part of the reason was to just have a chair to recline in for an hour. Seriously, teeth whitening...at the fair?? Won't the mustard and beer counteract that?

#4. Fried Snickers. We decided against this years fried specialty of chicken fried bacon. Seriously...to those of you who ate that...what were you thinking? In years past we've tried fried oreos, fried coke, etc. Fried snickers were pretty freaking good. BF now wants to have a Fryday. We get a fry daddy and everyone brings random stuff to fry and we try it all. I think if we top everything with powdered sugar it should be good! you're all invited.

#3. Each year we randomly run into some good friends that we haven't seen in ages. Last year it was friends from the media world, one of which slapped BF's a$$ (and then was embarassed when he realized he knew us) and this year it was my brothers best friend and his wife and kids...how random!

#2. Witnessing one of the best football games and seeing the Texas fans act like class acts after the game. Seriously, the OU fans have never been that nice/calm after the game and I'm so proud of the fans I saw. For those who did act like punks, we need to talk.

#1. Sham WOW!!! Thats right kids...I am now the proud owner of ShamWOW! I saw the demonstration, raised my hand to get a free set and saved $6 over what I'd pay ordering them online. I was so excited, I told random people about it and BF laughed at me. In case you aren't aware of the WOWness of ShamWOW...check it.


Tomorrow's game is against Mizzou, #1 is a scary place so cheer on my Horns....Hook 'em!

I don't heckle.

Ok, I promise after today, I will get off of my longhorn soapbox but can I just say that yesterdays game was one of the best Red River Shootout games that I've ever seen.

And, I think anyone who knows me would agree that I don't heckle the losing team if my team wins and I'm pretty much a classy fan. We met a really nice OU couple on the dart ride back to our car yesterday and even watched out for them when a drunk Texas fan tried to heckle them.

THAT BEING SAID...I would like to gloat to any of you who simply root against Texas. This is not to the OU FANS...these are to the people who root for OU NOT because they love OU or have any loyalty to them, but ONLY because they hate Texas. To you people, I say, "Nannie nannie boo boo! Hook 'em Horns Baby!"

There were bad calls on both sides all day long...in the end, our 10 point victory was large enough that the victory can't be challenged.

Oklahoma has some incredible players and it scares me that their QB is only a sophomore. They definitely out played us in the first half.

But a huge round of applause goes to my Horns!!! What a stellar performance and if you have never been to this game, I highly recommend it...the atmosphere is unmatched.

And, of course, I've included some photos and video. More stories from the Texas State Fair to come!

Red River Shootout 2008

Hook 'Em Horns!!

Tomorrow is the big game and we will be there in our burnt orange. For those who don't know, kick off is 11am central and I'm sure it'll be on ABC or another network.

To get you all pumped up and ready to get your horns up, please enjoy these great videos. And if you just can't get enough, check out Quick's Red River Rap Battle for this year b/t TX/OU.

100th post-what an honor

Wow...I had no idea that this was the 100th post when I sat down tonight to blog.

Months ago, I thought about what I'd write today...and what an honor it would be to write this post...and what an honor it is to me that you read it. And now that its here, it's actually perfect because I'd like to honor someone very special with this 100th blog.

An extended family member of mine was honored this weekend for a lifetime of service. He had an Elementary School named after him and I was lucky enough to attend the ceremony.

During the ceremony, they told stories about him...how he hit the first home run in the first game of the first ever College World Series...how he was an educator, a principal, a superintendent and a friend. They also read a few items from his personnel file.

When you apply for a teaching job, you're asked to write your Philosophy of Education and they read his:

"I believe in child centered schools.
I believe our teachers should recognize the need of teaching reading, writing and arithmatic
But that music, art, reading for pleasure and getting along with others is just as important.
I feel that individual differences must be recognized and that these differences must be taken in consideration by the teacher."
-Hobbs Williams, 1956

When you really think about what he said, it is absolutely amazing how he viewed the depth of education, diversity and individuality in our children and in our schools. And as the Principal stated, his philosophy from the 50s is what is taught today, almost as if he could see the future of education. During the dedication, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that they honored his wife, a long time educator in the district, by naming the library after her.

Lastly, I just want to say how important it is to honor the living. Many of these awards are given posthumously, but seeing him accept this honor, it reminded me of how important and special it is to honor people while they are still with is, while they can enjoy it.

Go Wolves! And thanks for being a part of my first 100 blogs.

High from High School

After I blogged yesterday about appreciating my age and the things I've learned, I went to the local high school during lunch. BF and I are going to the football game tonight and I needed to get tickets. Normally we buy them at the stadium but this is a fairly big game so I wanted to get them early. Now keep in mind that I went to high school with 172 other people in my class, probably a little over 600 in the entire school. This is BF's high school and he graduated with over 1500 in his class alone! Needless to say, it's quite a bit larger.

So, I call the school to find out where to buy tickets and where the office is located on the campus (over 7 buildings, each larger than my school). I arrive and quickly ask the first student I see to verify that I'm headed to the right set of doors. I enter and realize that I've arrived in the middle of the passing period as there are hundreds of students bumping into me and racing around me.

And these aren't the students that I went to high school with. I'm dressed for work and I'm underdressed compared to these kids. The girls have on heels and adorable straight-out-of-vogue outfits on, the boys have polos and popped collars, there are no backpacks in sight but they all have blackberrys and iphones!!! Is this 90210?? (starts Tuesday by the way Can.Not.Wait)

I finally find the student affairs office and wait for the student in front of me to finish. When it was my turn, I told the lady that I needed 2 football tickets.

"Student?" she said.
"Haha, oh I love that. No, 2 adults. Thanks"

At this time, the bell rings and students in the halls hurry off to class. I'm so relieved that I won't have to dodge them as I leave the school. As I'm putting the tickets away, another bell rings. I'd forgotten that there are two bells...the bell to tell you to get to class and then the tardy bell.

Anyway, I thank the nice lady, head out of the office (relieved that I'm the only one in the hall and I can now exhale) when I hear someone yelling at the students.

Things like "Miss, you need to get to class."

I can so remember being late to class and hoping I got there before the tardy bell.
And then I hear it again.

"Miss."
"Miss!"
"MISS!!!!"

At this point I turn around to see what idiot isn't moving fast enough. I realize that idiot is...ME!!

"Are you talking to me?" I ask.

"Um, YES. MISS, you are late, YOU NEED TO GET TO CLASS NOW" he sternly states.

[Insert laughter here]

Thats right kids, I was mistaken for a high school kid. After regaining my composure, I thank the gentleman for the compliment, explain that I'm not a student, just here on my lunch break, and quickly leave the school. A little lighter in my step, in fact, I think I might've skipped once or twice.

Motto of this story: If you're feeling sassy and put together, go visit your local high school, they'll show you up. If you're feeling overwhelmed, go visit your local high school during passing period, you might die. If you're feeling old, go visit your local high school, nothing like getting yelled at by a teacher to make you feel younger!

You Are Good

This is a shameless plug for an INCREDIBLE program called You Are Good. Check out how adorable these tees are...AND...they support an incredible cause.





From the website:
"You Are Good is an inspirational t-shirt company created to highlight the needs of abused children and the agencies that work tirelessly to make their lives better. This clothing is meant to empower each one of us."

Basically, here's what happens. You buy one of their adorable tees, tanks or thermals with your choice of wings on the back. A portion of every shirt sold goes to benefit children in the CASA program.

And the best part, you can also buy a tee to be delivered to a child in need.

Every tee comes with the following tag:


Please take a minute and check out their website at www.youaregoodtees.com and support this incredible cause. Buy one for yourself or for a friend....they make GREAT baby shower gifts!

Blog Pimp!

Ok, so there's this fantastic new blog from a fantastic person I know and I think it's hilarious!

Are you married or planning a wedding? Have some frustrations you'd like to vent about or some funny/not so funny stories to tell? Visit BitchingBrides blog and share your stories!

And while I'm at it, pimp YOUR blog on my comment list!