12 year old birthday

In honor of her birthday, we are letting our 12 year old play and talk on her phone until her bedtime. Our 9 year old was having a hard time going to sleep. She kept sneaking out of bed to watch her older sister on her new phone. I sent the 9 year old to bed and then later went to check on her to make sure she was not on tech. She wasn't but she also wasn't trying to sleep.

I said, "It's not fair that my sister is 12 and I am only 9. It's not fair she gets a phone and I don't."

Then she said, "How did you know that was what I was thinking?"

😂😂😂

picture used by permission from pixabay.com and DariuszSankowski

Sick troubles

One morning, my 7 year old was struggling to put on his socks. He wanted help but everyone was busy. I told him to keep trying. I heard him say, "Woe is me."

😂😂😂

Do You Remember When You Were In My Tummy?

So, we were at church and my seven year old son was angry at me because I wouldn't let him run off right before the prayer.

When the prayer was over he said, "I think I'm your step son now!"

I asked, "Do you know what a step son is?"

He did not.

I said, "That would be like if I died and Daddy got married to someone else. She would be your step mom and you would be her step son. You were in my tummy. I will always be your mom. Do you remember when you were in my tummy? It was really dark." I was just trying to be silly with him by asking him that question. I had no idea the conversation would turn into something else entirely.

He said something about having videos of him in my tummy. I told him that we don't really take videos of babies in tummies. Then I told him that we kind of do when we have an ultra sound and I explained what that was just a little.

Then he told me how babies are in a bubble when they are in their mommy's tummy. I told him, "Kind of. They are in a sac but it is filled with fluid."

Then, he said, "Then it pops."

I said, "Yeah, when the baby is ready to come out, it breaks. But you took a real long time to come out after it broke. It took almost 12 hours."

Then he said, "Then your body has to open up so the baby can come out." 

I said, "Yeah, it does."

He said, "I don't want to see that."

I said, "You don't have to. Daddy watched for [his big sister] but not for anyone else."

He started crying by this time. When his brain is processing new information, he often cries. I continued the conversation because I knew he was just trying to process the whole thing."

He said, "I don't want to see that. Blood must come out too."

I said, "Yes, but it's okay. It's just extra blood the body had for the baby and it doesn't need it any more."

He cried, "How can you survive that!" And ran off. I chased after him, trying not too laugh!

I finally caught up to him and I tried to explained that was how God created our bodies. Women have been having babies for centuries and surviving. I didn't even want to mention that there are women who don't survive childbirth. I pointed out to several mothers we knew and talked about how many children they had and how they survived just fine.

One mother tried to help me explain things. She said that they baby is really small so it is easier to come out. "That's right," I said, "And before the baby gets too big, the body says, okay, it's time to get the baby out before it gets too big! Then it opens up, the baby comes out, and it closes back up again."

He seemed to calm down after that. It was very traumatic for him but it was hilarious to me. Every time I remember him crying out, "How can you survive that!" I just have to laugh. I love that kid! He makes me laugh every day!

pictures used by permission from www.pexels.com and pixabay.com

Moon Base and Mars Colony

My 7 year old son talked to me for about 20 minutes all about how NASA wants to set up a base on the moon by 2025 and send a manned mission to Mars by 2030.

He tried telling me something that was said on the moon, something about a giant step so I said, "One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind."

Then I asked him if he believed we went to the moon. He said he did. I told him some people don't we went to the moon that it was fake. I told him I believed but some people don't. I asked him what he would tell those people. He wasn't sure. I told him that his uncle wasn't sure we actually went to the moon and asked him what he would he tell him. My son said, "Well he wasn't born back then."

I laughed, he wasn't there when it happened, so how would he know? Right? That kid cracks me up!

So, then I started typing to my family what he said in our family group text. He saw me typing this and asked me how much I was going to type. Then he asked, "What is this called? A book?"

Yup, sometimes I type really long text messages! 😄

pictures used by permission from www.unsplash.com and pixabay.com

The Hilarious Things Kids Say

So about a year ago (has it really be that long) someone hacked into my Facebook account and posted some pornographic images! Facebook immediately suspended my account. At that time I also found out that someone used my business page (that I had stopped using and never got around to closing, my bad) to post what I assumed to be some kind of child trafficking ad. Now, I don't know the particulars about either except for the very vague communication I received from Facebook. 

I was unable to voice my side of the story. I was only able to say that I was hacked. But after about 3 months of investigating (without ever talking to me) the powers that be over at Meta decided that I am indeed posted the pornographic images and disabled my account causing me to loose over ten years of adorable memories I have of my 3 children. It was tragic! 

I learned several lesson. #1 I don't like Meta and anything that has to do with Meta. I tried to avoid using Meta products but I found that to be difficult. #2 Never trust my memories to Meta or anything Meta related #3 I need to record those memories elsewhere.

I have been texting my family the adorable and funny things my son says but I know I had friends on Facebook who missed the quotes I was posting of children so I decided to add them to this blog but I never got around to it. 

So, today, I decided to start. Get ready to read about the things my son says that make me laugh. I hope they make you laugh too.

Unfortunately, I have lost the 10 years of adorable and hilarious things my children have said over the years, but I hope you can enjoy those things that I share here for you to enjoy.

pictures used by permission from www.pexels.com and pixabay.com

When a teacher gets pregnant eventually she ends up having to make a choice

I am not sure how other mothers do it. Oftentimes other teachers would say to me, "I don't know how you do it." My response would always be, "Neither do I." The truth is, I wasn't doing it. I was being pulled in so many different directions I couldn't do it all. I couldn't be the teacher I wanted to be. I couldn't be the mother I wanted to be. I couldn't be the homemaker I wanted to be. 

In all honestly, I would much rather be a stay at home mother, taking care of the children and keeping the house clean. Don't get me wrong, I know being a stay at home mom has it's own challenges and even a stay at home mom can have a difficult time keeping a home clean. But imagine trying to do all of the duties of a stay at home mother and then add all the responsibilities of being a teacher. No wonder I was stressed.

My stress level has decreased. My home is still a disaster, I still have to work away from home. But my children feel like I can spend more time with them. Except for the summers, and school holidays. I miss being with them on the school holidays so much! That is the next step. Try to make it so I don't have to work outside of the home. I hope I can do it!

pictures used by permission from www.pexels.com and pixabay.com

10 years

 It has been ten years since my daughter was born. I originally started this blog so that I could post all the funny things kids said about me being pregnant. But now, I think talking about the struggles of teaching and being a mother is more what it should have become. And now it is time to finish the sentence... "When a teacher gets pregnant" she ends up quitting teaching because it is too hard to become the teacher your are expected to be and still be there for your family.

Teachers have unreasonable expectations placed upon them and it is so sad to see so many teachers leaving the profession, including myself. It's tough because I have always been home with my children during the summer and this year, I can't. As I struggle to decide what I should do instead of teaching (because we can not financially afford me not to work) I hope that we can make things work for next summer so I can be with them more.

The Struggle

I've decided to share more posts by other mom/teachers. What more could I say than what they have already said, especially if I agree with them.

Here are 20 truths to being a mom/teacher

In this article, I've already tried #3 which I believe contributed to me not being asked to come back and I believe #4 was noticed #5  is something I have been trying to do more #6 is definitely something I do and so is the dinner part of #2

So, it is difficult. It is a struggle. I shouldn't beat myself up over it. Too bad. I already do.

In my last post I linked an article where she stated at some point your child will be jealous of my students. This is so sad. It is so true. As I've stated in a previous post, my daughter wanted to be in my kindergarten class because she wanted to be with me all day long, like my students are with me all day long. . . I wish I could be with her all day long without having to worry about what I need to do to make money to help support our family.

A teacher/Mother

Browsing through the internet today I found two articles by women who are both mothers and teachers. Both indicated how tough it is to be both and, well actually, impossible to be good at both. I thought, "Well, how can I write about that, they already have." One of the articles was really long and honestly, I didn't finish reading it. The other one was a length I could read without the risk of falling asleep. Here is the article. If you want to read the lengthy one, here it is. 

So, what I discovered is this: I am not alone. I am not the only one that feels that in order to be a good teacher I must neglect my children and in order to be a good mother I must neglect my students.

I also confirmed what I already knew. The real reason why I didn't get asked back to my school is because I failed my students. I did not put them before my children. I also did not put my children before my students. I couldn't be a great teacher and a great mother so instead of trying for one, I was neither.

Now I am stuck trying to find another teaching job and I don't want to. I don't want to sit through another interview telling someone that my passion is teaching. That I can't see myself doing anything else. Because all I want to do is be home with my babies. BUT the reality is, I need to work. I need to have a job. But what? Teaching is the only thing I know how to do. What other job could I do to make the same amount (such as it is) as I am making now?

So, now I am wishing that I chosen a different path (a writing career). Now, I am trying to work on my blogs (while I currently have the time to do so) in hopes that I could possibly make some money by blogging. There are other avenues I am trying to do but I fear none of them will pan out before I need to be working again. So now I will be applying for teaching jobs.

I am a teacher. I got pregnant. Now I am a mother. I now understand why at one point in our country's history teachers were not allowed to get married. They were not allowed to get pregnant. If they did, they would have to quit teaching. I get it now. I so get it.

Everybody Loves Mommy

My almost 5 year old daughter loves to spend time with me. She never feels like she has enough time with me. She told me she wanted to go to kindergarten so she could be in my class. (Earlier this year when I actually taught kindergarten - who knows about next year). Poor thing, I'm gone all day long and spend my days with other people's kids. She just wants to spend all day with me too. It's not fair.

My 2 year old wants to spend every second with me. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, she just wants to be in the same room as me. She follows me around from room to room. She picks up her toy or whatever she is playing with and follow me to the next room and continues to play. Recently she has taken up helping me with whatever I am doing. Whenever I put the baby down she instantly comes running to me and begs me to pick her up.

My 2 month old is only happy in Mommy's arms. He wants me to carry him all day long. He loves to nurse and wants to nurse all day long.

My husband is the only one who doesn't want to be with me 24-7 but that is only because he knows it is normal for couples in a healthy relationship to spend time away from each other. However, he does admit to wanting to spend more time with me. Fortunately, he understand the needs of the children and doesn't demand my time and attention like the children do. Instead he cherishes every second he can spend with me.

Baby #3

So, it has been a while since my last blog entry. I have had my 3rd and final child. Therefore I won't have any more adorable quotes about pregnancy from my students.

I have decided to now write about the aftermath of having children while also teaching full time! It is quiet the task! Everyone demands so much of my time! There is so much to do to be a highly effective teacher that it takes away from being a highly effective mother at home. Dedicating as much as I can to be there for my children when I am not at school takes away from what I need to be doing for my students. It is a lose-lose battle.

Another Pregnancy

September 14, 2015

So, as I struggle between working at a new school and my 2 beautiful daughters I find myself pregnant again. As if my stress wasn't piled on high enough, my due date is the end of April/beginning of May. So now I have to have the whole month of May all ready for a substitute and that includes. . . report card testing! Oh my goodness! Wow. Now, don't get me wrong. I will love to have all the extra time with my new baby. I've always said that the best time to have a baby is at the end of the year because you get the 6-8 weeks off, plus the summer! That is AWESOME! BUT it brings on a whole new batch of stress and we are not telling anyone until the end of the 1st trimester. Why? Well, my 1st daughter was the third pregnancy I had in one year. . . 2 miscarriages and then my daughter :-) my angel. My second daughter was the third pregnancy I had in one year. . . 2 miscarriages and then my 2nd daughter :-) Sooooo now, I am not totally excited about being pregnant, I am totally nervous about beginning my miscarriage at school. . . so MORE STRESS! However, I have a sneaky suspicion this pregnancy is going to stick. Why? My first daughter was conceived about a week after my husband got the job he currently has. My second daughter was conceived about a week after I got a new teaching job at a school after not signing a contract at my previous school and getting paid the most I ever had as a teacher. Now I find myself teaching at a school in which I wish I had started teaching years ago. It is a great school, and once again I'm getting paid more than I ever had as a teacher :-) THEN just days after school starting, I conceive again and I am feeling like this one is going to stay.

Now, it is not that I don't want another child. It is not that I don't want to be pregnant. I actually like being pregnant. We weren't exactly trying but then we weren't exactly preventing either. We were just letting God be in control. Why? Because I didn't want to "plan" my next miscarriage. I am fully emotionally prepared to have 2 miscarriages before my next child. However, that doesn't look like it will be the case.

So we aren't telling anyone and so I am keeping all my stressful thoughts to myself and that is increasing my stress level . . . that can't be good for the pregnancy. I try to remind myself of that.

Now, how is this going to affect my pay? I am supposed to get paid through the summer, but now I am not sure that is going to happen! I want to talk to the payroll person about it but I have to wait until the 2nd trimester.

Since I can't talk to anyone (except my husband). I decided that I would go ahead and create a post but schedule it to actually print in November...

But now I must go to bed I am falling asleep at the computer. Why? Well, forget the fact I am staying up late and getting up early. . . add the pregnancy. . . I can hardly stay awake. Why? Well, what I tell myself is this: "Making a baby is hard work."

Sticker

One night my daughter had a sticker. She told me that she wanted to give the baby the sticker. Then she put the sticker down my shirt so the baby could have the sticker.

So thoughtful.

I Want To See

My daughter will sometimes ask, "Want to see baby in your tummy."

I explain she can't see the baby yet. But she insists I lift my shirt so she can see my belly.

A year off

When other staff members at work find out I am pregnant I often get asked, "Are you going to take a year off?" My answer always is, "I wish."

Maybe some miracles will happen this summer.

Maybe my blogs will take off and I'll finally make money off my blogs.
Random Bits of Everything
Confessions of a Wanna Be Stay At Home Mom
Great Books Worth Reading

Maybe lots of people will read my articles and I'll make a lot of money writing articles.
Early Childhood Education Articles

Maybe I'll actually have people who want to join my Paparazzi Accessories team and more people wanting to host parties.
Paparazzi Accessories - Low Cost Styles

Maybe I'll have four people who want me to start a home preschool program for their preschoolers.
Back to Basics ABC 123

Maybe I'll have lots of people wanting me to tutor their elementary school children.
Back to Basics ABC 123

Maybe I'll be inspired to write an awesome ebook that lots of people will want to buy and read.

Those are a lot of maybes.  In the meantime, I am signing my new contract and I'm planning to teach again next year. It is going to be so difficult to leave both my babies every day to spend the day with other people's kids.

Mommy's Milk

My two year old was worried that the baby would try to drink her juice or her milk.  I told her that the baby would be too little. First she would drink Mommy's milk.  That's all I told her. I never told her where Mommy's milk was.

One day we were playing one of her favorite games where we pretend to sleep on the bed. Out of the blue, she puts her head towards my breasts and says, "I drink your water."

I gently pushed her head away in shock.

A few weeks later at church I was cradling her and she tried again. I moved her head down and she pretended to drink milk from my stomach!  

Oh boy! 

Toys and clothes for the baby

I've started packing up some of the baby toys and clothes that are too small for my 2 year old. So now when she sees some clothes that are too small for her she says they are hers. I tell her they are too small for her and now they are for Baby Abbi.  She'll point to the dresser and say, "My clothes," I say, "Yes." Then she points to the box of clothes and says, "Baby Abbi's clothes" and I say, "yes." 

She has lots of dolls and stuffed animals that used to be mine.  Now when she says they are hers, I tell her, "No, that is mine, I am sharing with you. You can play with it." So when the baby comes along, she will know those were mine, not hers, and we are sharing with Abbigail. Also, hopefully, it will inspire her to share her toys with her little sister.

She also knows that there is a box of toys that are for the baby. They are too young for her to play with so I took them away now so that when I give them to the baby, hopefully, she won't get upset.

Advantages of a younger sibling

My 2 year old and I were cleaning the playroom.  I told her to put all the animals in the boat.

Toddler: No, baby do it.
Me: You want Baby Abbi to do it?
Toddler: Yeah.
Me: She can't, she's still in Mommy's tummy and she didn't make the mess, you did.

So, she already sees the advantages of being an older sister.

Hurry Up

One day one of my kindergarten boys told me, "Your baby needs to hurry up and come or it will be late and it won't be born before school gets out."

I told him, "The baby is not supposed to be born before school gets out.  She is will be born in June, after school gets out."

My class is so excited to see the baby, too bad (for them) she'll be born during summer break.

Wow!

At dinner, my husband and I were discussing a date we had been on.

Husband: Was that before we were married or after?
Me: I think it was after we were married.
Toddler: No! You married.
Me: Yes, we are married.
Looking at her dad she said: You put baby in Mommy's tummy.
Me (shocked): Yes he did.

Where did she learn that? We are not that frank with our 2 year old.