positive people with a splash of 80s

Sadly, there are always those people who try to rain on your parade. Ya know those unhappy people I am talking about... Whether its snarky comments under their breath or extremely mean ones behind your back, they are there. I try to stay focused and remember that I am doing what I do best and shouldn't let those negative people or their thoughts effect me. Some days are definitely easier than others and when I am tempted to stoop to their level I read my favorite Mother Teresa quote.


People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.


If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.


If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.


If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.


What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.


If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.


The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.


Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.


You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.


Because it really isn't about my relationship with anyone else but God. But surrounding myself with positive people and their positive vibes (with a splash of 80's music) doesn't seem to hurt at all!

exactly where I am meant to be!

This week has been one of the most amazing in my teaching career. I don't use the term career lightly because officially it feels like an actual career. I am making a name for myself and a long list of experiences and accomplishments to go with it.

This week my class won the NBC12's Acts of Kindness Award and was awarded $300 for their cause. The cause? Supporting the Capital Diaper Bank. 

I came across the Capital Diaper Bank back in the Fall when they first opened. I was extremely interested in helping and thought it would be the perfect philanthropy project for my school.

When I presented the idea to my bosses they mentioned a new program to be implemented called Brainworks and thought this would fit in perfectly.

[A little bit of background: This school year, my school started some special training by Stephen Covey called 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Long story short, it has been introduced on a kid level in a book called 7 Habits of Happy Kids in magnet schools throughout the world. Rainbow Station's founder thought it would be brilliant to try and introduce it at the preschool level as well which has never been done before. We spent MLK Jr. Day learning ways to implement the 7 habits into our daily curriculum and teaching styles.]

Enter Brainworks. After all the kids learned the 7 habits (it is unbelievable how they really got them.) We began our Brainworks Brainstorm. I told the kids about the mommies in need and how the Capital Diaper Bank helps those mommies and babies too. The kids loved the idea. They decided they could collect diapers, money and even sell stuff to raise even more money. They organized a bake sale complete with hand written posters to pass out and coin jugs they painted. They went from classroom to classroom to tell the other kids and teachers about their cause and raised over $242 at their bake sale and already a pack-n-play full of diapers.

One of the parents wrote an article for the Wyndham Wire (the community newsletter) and I even sent some information to our franchise PR person to nominate them for the NBC12 Award. AND WE WON!

Sabrina Squire and her camera guy showed up last week to award the class with $300 for their cause and even interviewed the kids. 

I am so beyond words. This class is amazing. One of those classes that is going to be VERY difficult to let go. They are so special to me and this is all just amazing. Ms. Lauren (my co-teacher) and I just couldn't be prouder.

Kristi Stilson over at Children R First is even writing about us and is also doing an article in Richmond Family Magazine about the Capital Diaper Bank where we will also appear.

This another one of those moments where I look around and realize I am exactly where I am meant to be!

Look for us on NBC12 Tuesday, May 3 at 5:00pm.

no slowing down!

In the last few weeks, Cooper went to Kings Dominion for the first time, celebrated his first Easter and went to his first concert, Jimmy Buffett to be exact.


He went from scooting to full fledged crawling on his knees today and is now being offered real food (even though he seems to choose puffs over everything).


He even had his first high fever which is really not something to brag about. Apparently he wants to go ahead and get ready for his May sick visit, since we will leave no month out. Our doctor is going to meet us at the office tomorrow because, well, we have the best doctor. 


He is also making his first transition into a new classroom with a new teacher. (Which brings on a whole list of other feelings because we will have to say goodbye to his amazing teacher, Ms. Tiffanie. I KNOW his next teachers are going to be wonderful too but that still doesn't make it easier to let Ms. Tiffanie go. I definitely spent the better part of the last 2 weeks trying to convince her to move up with him, but to no avail!)


So as you can see... we have been quite the busy bees and show now signs of slowing down! We have lots to trips coming up including Long Island and Chicago in May and Virginia Beach and Outer Banks in June. This family doesn't slow down for anything!

Cooper riding rides at KD

 Celebrating Grandad's Birthday at Jimmy Buffett in Raleigh

 Rocking the bunny ears with Emery

Hanging out at the Monument Easter on Parade

Ms. Tiffanie with Cooper and Emery :)

digging our lifestyle change!

We got rid of the cable.


Its soo expensive and we really aren't home enough to use it, especially that the weather is nice, we are spending more time outside. We want to raise Cooper with mud pies and worms not spongebob and power rangers. 


We are spending more time together and it is the good quality time. We are talking to each other more and just overall interacting more as well. And we even added a Saturday night movie to our weekly routine.


Who knows if we will do this forever... (definitely not during football season) But so far we are digging this lifestyle change.

tissues in hand...

I just can't keep it together anymore.


I am a sappy mess.


There I said it. I admit it.


I walked into Cooper's classroom to get him after school and as soon as he saw me, he kicked his feet, started hitting his hands on his legs and squealing in delight. The closer I got to him, the more excited he got and when I picked him up, he hugged me, like really pulled me in close.


And what did I do? I cried! Happy tears of course, but still...


I never, ever understood moms before now. I thought I knew everything. I swore I would be different. I said I wouldn't be the one that cried at, well... EVERYTHING.


But now, now I get it. I get why moms cry on their sweet baby's first day of Kindergarten and why my mom cried as she watched me walk down the aisle. I get it. I am actually crying as I even try to fathom the amount of love and happiness I feel toward that sweet, sweet boy.


So thank you, God. Thank you for giving me this beautiful gift. Not just the gift of having my baby but of being able to experience this amount of emotion and to do it with the man that I love.


I have never felt so blessed.


So I guess now is a good time to go ahead and attach a box of tissues to my hand, for life.

Savor The Season!

We are going on about day 10 of no sleep (we did have one 8-hour day in there, but that was 5 days ago). We are talking 45 minutes max and about 2 hours in the no rule zone (as in sleeping on the couch with baby in hopes that by breaking one simple rule you won't kill you husband the next day- or visa versa...yeah about that..)

We had plenty to keep us distracted with the NCAA tournament but today was the true test. Back to school on no sleep (if only that could be an exaggeration!).
Utterly exhausted doesn't cover it. It was one of those days that I was happy to take a break from my fussy child and hang out with my 4 and 5 year olds that can usually figure out what's upsetting them.

So I get home with ambitious thoughts about breaking our cycle of exhaustion. Until the inconsolable crying sets in. Again. It feels like we have a newborn again.
We finally give up on feeding Coop dinner. We try a bottle, tylenol,
Sophie, orejel, cold teethers, teddy, lovie, mommy, daddy and nothing is working. Check his temp 98.6. Are you sensing my frustration yet?

And then I give up. Rub his back, tell myself I've tried everything and try to stay mellow because he is feeding off my energy. I take a bite of my pizza (frozen kind since no one has gotten sleep, not even Fletch) and it tastes like cardboard.
I lost it. The flood gates opened, full on crocodile tears start pouring out. My pizza tasted like cardboard and I lost it. Emotionally spent, patience drained, so done. Super mom turned super sob.

And while I'm losing it, I don't even realize Coop has stopped crying and is passed out and I mean PASSED OUT on my shoulder.

Its so beyond bedtime... Its bedtime 10 days late. I grab my Southern Living that came in the mail so I can peel that ugly paper cover that comes on it so it will be all ready for me tomorrow (with that giant bottle of wine).

I pull the paper off to see its beautiful Spring cover and its yummy brunch spread with delicious ham biscuits and orange juice cocktails. And I smile. How ridiculous!

Ahhh thank you Southern Living for showing up with impeccable timing. I will savor the season and the extra moments to snuggle with my sweet baby, the cardboard pizza, the teething, the inconsolable crying, even the laryngomalacia. I will savor everything because I am so blessed to have it all.

did someone say houston??

I am not in a witty writing mood, so I first must apologize if this post is bland and boring. But I really felt like it was important that I share about our last 2 weeks, especially since we are coming off a blogging frenzy with an average of 2 a week! (That is probably a record.)


Two weeks in the life of a 6-month going on 7-month old is insane.


We went from sitting up to scooting to pulling up and I am sure full fledged crawling is going to happen any day now, that is if walking doesn't happen first.


We went from sort of eating solids, to chowing down and not interested in formula to eating some solids like puffs but especially pickles! In fact, the joke these days is the ONLY thing that grandad can do wrong is take the pickle away!

Coop went on his first park playdate with mommy Molly and baby Livi and he took his first ride in the swing!

We ditched the baby tub which Coop seems especially happy about because he can do things like this...

And just when I think it can't get any better, my sweet baby, who isn't much of a baby anymore, starts talking. He said "dada"! Don't tell Rick that babies usually say dada first because he is on cloud 9! I have never seen him (or Coop) so proud. 


And reason number 43782057831 I cannot believe how fast time is moving. It is unreal how fast my sweet baby turned into a little boy, a rough and tough little boy, who squirms and wiggles and puts his hands on EVERYTHING!


And the cherry on top of our sundae(y), our VCU Rams made it to the final four! It is possible, Cooper might be taking yet another plane ride to Texas to check yet another state off his list!