Just a twinge of a rant . . .

One of my blogs that I follow is going through a tough time. She has to do IVFs in order to get pregnant and is trying for her second child. The first IVF here recently did not work, which devastated her. She's clearly one who gets joy out of life by being a mother, so it's no wonder how hurt she must be that her body is not cooperating. Anyway, she posted recently with a quote she liked and I wanted to just give my thoughts on it. It is as follows:

"There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better."

Now, knowing her story, I understand completely where she is coming from. She has been given a road that makes her more likely to appreciate her children when she finally gets them. BUT, I don't think she has a right to compare her mothering with mommies who do not need IVF etc. to get pregnant. Mothering skills are not defined by whether or not you need medical help to get pregnant. It made me kind of feel for all the mothers out there who did not have to struggle physically to get pregnant, but yet are some of the best moms I know. Each mom has a completely different and unique experience. Some have trouble getting pregnant, some are extremely sick while pregnant, some go through PPD after the birth, there are so many situations in our daily lives that help us appreciate our little ones once we've overcome difficult situations. Going through IVF is not the magic catalyst that makes you a "better" mother. Strong individuals who love unconditionally make good mothers, and going through IVF may or may not indicate that you are that sort of individual.

I believe that this young women IS a strong mother who loves unconditionally, and has taken her set-backs hard, for good reason. But, I almost wish she realized that she is a good mother because she's ready and able to love like a parent needs to and not because of any difficult situations that she's had to go through.

I would rephrase her quote to:  "My experience has made me a better mother" without comparing herself to those who she considers luckier than her.

And for all the mothers out there who I know and love, you are a good mother because that's who you were intended to be and no difficult situation or dilemma or hurdle can change that.

Scheduling fail!

Oh my goodness! Here's what happened today:

I got up at 6am, went to work at 7:15, rushed to a team meeting that I ended up being almost 10 minutes late for and it was "gently" hinted that we should all work at being on time . . . etc. etc. Then I rushed over to another special meeting with elective teachers and the principal. (Made it there on time at least) I do ALL my printing for the week, set up my classroom and start doing odds and ends that need to be done in the classroom. All of a sudden, I realize that my chilluns are taking an inordinate amount of time getting to class, in fact, the 2nd period bell hasn't even rung and it's almost 10am.

And then I remember, there is NO 2nd period today, or 4th or 6th. I don't teach today! *sigh* I didn't have to come at all, I didn't have to go to the morning meetings, I didn't have to set up for class, I didn't have to get up at 6am.

And then as I drive home, I realize why the teacher across the hall was looking at me funny, and I remember thinking about the schedule change the Thurs. before, etc. etc.

Scheduling fail . . .

Body . . . Odd?

One of my friends suggested an interesting site to me to help me fend off boredom. And boredom for me is not having anything to do, it's just not having anything interesting enough to pull my interest. Therefore, I become sleepy, which makes me even more lackluster and bored. My husband just laughs, but I think I'm really lacking some sort of intellectual/physical stimulation. I have tons of hobbies that I kind of delve into, games to play, books to read, things to cook, stuff to clean, but no, none sounds remotely intriguing.

Alas, but I found this website to be pretty entertaining and amazingly informative. It's http://bodyodd.msnbc.msn.com/ that has some of the weirdest and most fascinating news blips that actually happen to people. The latest story up now on this blog is that a hicky partially paralyzes a woman or a later one about a guy who wears the same jeans for 15 months. Yeah, crazy stuff.

So if you ever get bored, you should check it out. :P

The Blogosphere

It seems every day I find out some new person who is sharing on the internet through blogs, tweeting, etc. You can get updates instantly about scientific discoveries and a moment later, updates about your sister-in-laws adventures in motherhood.

I even found who I think may have been one of the most inspirational and talented writers to come out of the English Department at my alma mater. She has a blog and it sounds just like her, but she only has a picture of her eyes, so I'm really not sure.

But, seriously, it's amazing what you can find these days. In fact, there's no way I could even take in all the information that even I'm personally interested in without spending the rest of my life on a computer. But, it's so important (I believe) and easy to get updates on just about anything.

Just today I found out a friend of mine is pregnant with twins! and that Linda makes the most amazing food and posts all the recipes online and that the beer called "duff" that is Homer Simpson's fav. didn't actually exist until someone decided to invent it recently because of the show's amazing popularity.

So much to explore, so little time.

Whistling wind and a new voice . . .

Today I find myself alone, but not unhappily. I have yet to decide how to while away the time until both our visitor Laura and my husband come home for dinner. Laura went to spend some quality time with her friend who lives in the area.

The weather has been windy off and on for the last several days here. You can hear it whistle through the chimney and it makes me keep wondering if the flue is really shut after all. We live on the top floor, so we get the brunt of the windy noises. It almost sounds like thunder at times and it makes me very appreciative of our little comfy apartment that keeps us happy and safe.

I have just started reading a friends' blog of their experience going to school and interning in Morocco. This person is a fantastic writer and has a lot of interesting experiences to share so I wanted to give all my readers a shout-out and have you follow her. For those who may know, it's one of my bf's little sisters, Hayley. Here it is: http://biladalmaghreb.wordpress.com/ Enjoy, I know I will.

Now on to decide the rest of my day . . .

Lazy days coming up!

Well, at least days where I basically only do what I want! :P

I have tomorrow off, like usual and I also have MLK day off as well (of course, the perks of teaching). So, I've been sitting on my gluteus maximus doing pretty much nothing except browsing the internets and wasting time till Micah comes home. Maybe he'll inspire me to do something productive, we'll see.

I did exercise today though with a fellow teacher and tried a couple new methods in my classroom (both of which might work better with practice, but the first time was . . . exhausting. So exhausting.)

I've got a whole slew of books to read and Micah and I are hoping to have a visitor, so I can't sit on my gluteus maximus all weekend. I must plan a menu, get food and CLEAN, oh my yes, CLEAN. :P

But, I'm not motivated to plan or clean tonight, so I will continue to sit around and twiddle my thumbs. Just one of those evenings, I guess.

The tea fiend . . .

Hardly a day goes by that I don't have AT LEAST one cup of tea.

I think I love just about any kind of tea. I like herbal, caffeinated, white, green, black, fruit, flower, you name it. One of my bffs got me a tea sampler with some really really awesome teas in it like "Egyptian Mint" and "Italian Camomile". They really do taste like good quality tea as well.

I'm also a tea-with-cream-please sorta gal. And maybe even in my best china with a pinky up too. Though the latter isn't required. I know every kind of tea that will curdle if you put any dairy in it, so obviously those don't get "creamed". But, everything else has. It all started when I was about 11 years old and my family took a vacation to the Cook Islands. They have some New Zealand influences there, so every morning for breakfast, they would have English Breakfast tea and ask if we wanted it "white". I decided to try it and boy, was I hooked. There's something about black tea with cream. It really softens the bitter flavor of black teas and gives it a creamy, desserty flair. My mom and sister tried it as well, but they never got hooked like I did. They drink tea constantly as well, but without cream.

Have you ever had "white" tea? Do you like it?

I sure do. I think I'll go make some now . . .

I really ought to be honest . . .

I am one of those few women who plays an MMO (Mass Multiplayer Online) game, called World of Warcraft. I suppose we're not that few in the scheme of things since there are millions upon millions of players, but we are most certainly outnumbered by men.

I got started on it when my husband (then boyfriend) started up while I was away in France. He had designs to get me to start playing, because then I would just be the coolest gal EVER. While I succumbed, but not really. School took up too much of time and both Micah and I would quit for months at a time when we had other obligations. But now that we actually have our own place, neither of us working full time (just how it is in this economy) we have found quite a bit more freetime than in our past. I get 3 day weekends, and a day off in the middle of the week. Micah works about 5 days a week, but sometimes for only 4 or 5 hour shifts. So, we both are pretty into it now. It's pretty fun most of the time, but has all the real life frustrations because you are playing with other real people who have their own issues. It's fascinating and yet really angering at times.

Right now, I'm just starting into becoming a "raider". This means that I actually am scheduled to play with several other players 3 nights a week with the goals of killing created "bosses" or big bad computer guys that are reeeally hard to kill. There are so many to kill, that it's an endless job, and only worth it if you can make visible progress over time. The "raids" are organized within a "guild", ours is called "Scissor me Timbers". :P Pretty clever if I say so myself.

Many people have various stereotypes about us "gamers". That we're so wrapped up in our game that we forget about real life. That's the most common one. But really, we all have something that someone could say that keeps us out of touch of reality. I can't say either Micah or I have ever had a problem remembering "reality". Reality is all to real for all of us, especially now as we all struggle to make it by in these times. Sometimes a little escape from reality is just what we need, just as others escape into a book, or into daydreaming, or doing whatever it is that helps them escape. WOW is a great game. I have not lost any intelligence, I have learned how to work with sometimes very difficult people, and I have fun (most of the time). :P And I am not an ugly nerd with nothing better to do.

We'll see how raiding goes and if I ever get good enough to actually become invaluable to my guild. Now THAT would be awesome, but we'll see.

Wish me luck and for all those who play MMO's or other such games out there. I understand.

The New Year!

So, I decided to make a New Years resolution. I need to exercise more and I plan to go to the exercise get-together with some of my fellow teachers every Thursday and exercise on my own (or with Micah) at least two other times per week. I've got to keep my goals realistic and I'm not one for exercise. I don't really enjoy it, never have. But, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Especially now that I'm not as concerned about my weight because I'm not getting married again. :P But, really one should try and look their best without an excuse like a wedding . . .

Christmas was lovely. It had homemade apple pie, comfy things like slippers and plush throws, eiffel tower earrings, a Paris mug, lots of love, laughter, games, the magic of Christmas trees and lights and spending time with family.

We spent most of the holidays with my in-laws and though I can't say that I didn't miss spending Christmas with my family on Christmas Day, we had a wonderful time. Next year we'll do the bait and switch and spend Christmas with my family and then head up to Whistler the day after. So, we'll see about celebrating Christmas before Christmas Day with the in-laws and then spend Thanksgiving Day with them instead. If we can work it out that way . . . you never know. :P

We saw my sister-in-law and her family quite a bit as well, which was a lot of fun. Little Sienna is really growing fast. She now sits up and really pays attention to new people/toys.

Now I will do a little year in review with some picture highlights. Goodbye 2010, heelllllooooo 2011!

Happy New Year everyone! May it be a wonderful one for you all!