The Lindsay Files - Part 3

As I sit here and eat some cookie dough I am racking my brain trying to remember some significant happenings of my 1st grade life. And.....I'm having a really hard time. I've tried all week long because I was thinking I don't remember too much of 1st grade life.

I  do remember getting the baby doll I wanted that year. It was a Cabbage Patch doll that could go in the water. It was super cool!  {I tried to find a picture of the doll online to give you some eye candy but I couldn't find one. Sorry.}

I also do remember my teachers name was Mrs. Brown. She moved at the end of the year and I never saw her again.

I didn't try out for the talent show again that year. {You'll see that this is odd for me as the future weeks unfold}

I was in the same class as Kerri again. And Ginger, Chris Horn, Chris Wolf and....there was someone else I can picture but can't place their name.

I forgot to mention in my kindergarten entry that that year I was tested for the gifted and talented program. I passed and was admitted to the program but 1st grade was the first full year being apart of LEAP (Learning Enrichment Academic Program). I remember getting to leave class once a week to go to LEAP and getting to do really fun projects and stuff. And thinking we must have been really awesome. {har har} 

As an adult -in part of my reading up on some of the whys we would homeschool {besides the most important - the spirital reason}- I discovered why the gifted and talented programs were even developed for the public education system. Let me just say, go read the deliberate dumbing down of america - A Chronological Paper Trail: A Chronological Paper Trail VERY VERY interesting and mind opening. But, that really has nothing to do with my first grade year other than that I became part of the grand scheme to control the minds of the children *insert big scary laugh here*. 

One thing I do remember that year was that I cut my hair all off. It was really long. Like, down to my hiney long. And one day I decided I wanted short hair. And, my mom agreed to let me get it cut. So cut it I did! So much so that the following school day I was walking down the hall before school and my teacher and friend Ginger walked past me and didn't even recognize me! 

This is the year I became a Christian and got baptized. I remember this was the year I realized that not everyone went to church. Yes, in my little innocent mind everyone went to church and knew God and His Son. I remember sitting one day and asked my friend Ginger where she went to church. She said she didn't. Then, I turned to Chris Horn and asked where he went to church. He said he didn't. I remember thinking....huh? 

I also remember seeing one of the afore mentioned people picking their nose and sticking it under their chair. {I am cracking myself up right now with this memory! Elisa is reading this and telling me how disgusting that is!} Since the person could some day google their name and this blog could possibly pop up I would hate to call that person out on the um....world wide web. So, I wont. 

I do have a picture of my 1st grade year but its packed away in a box I can't get to just yet. I think this was a year my mom forgot about picture day. Just sayin'........

Want to read the other parts?

Part 1- I was born.

Part 2- Pre K- Kindergarten years

Wordless Wednesday

 

My honey and his Grandpa {aka Pappy}

Doing what they love to do best.....pickin' with each other!

A Twist to the Matching Game

I can't remember where I got this idea-or if I came up with it on my own? But, for what it's worth I thought it was worth sharing! 

 

This can help turn the monotonous task of sock matching into a game for your kids! It also helps preschoolers with their matching skills {bonus points!}

Whenever I have a load with socks I typically throw them into a basket. Once that basket gets pretty full-or we run out of socks *wink*- I put my kids to work! 

First, I grab a handful of socks and start laying them across the living room floor. Then I tell them to pick a sock and find its match. This is an especially good chore for my 6 year old. Still, after doing this 'game' for a couple years now, she is pleased with herself when she finds new matching pairs! 

You could even go as far as making it a competition for your older ones. See who can match the most pairs and then award them with a prize. My girls like an extra .50 or so. Nothing like a little money to kick that motivation into gear ;)

Another great sock tip that I learned from my Uncle Jim is this; every time you take your socks off grab a safety pin and pin the pair together. They can be washed like this and will save you the time trying to match them once they're dry! {obviously this wouldn't work if you're having your kids play the sock matching game!}

And, since I can't get the blog button to work on here I'm participating in the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival!

Have you joined yet???

Swagbucks that is!!!

Its an online search engine that scores you points just for searching the web like you already normally do!

You can then redeem your points for

FREE 

stuff! Did you read that correct?! FREE STUFF JUST FOR SEARCHING ONLINE! My personal fav is being able to redeem the swagbucks points for Amazon.com gift cards! I have a friend whos goal is to have a completely free Christmas this in part thanks to Swagbucks!

Heres what you do:

Click on the picture

Sign up and we'll both earn Swagbucks just because YOU joined! 

Come back and let me know if you joined through my link today so I can tell you thank you!

Owen- 9 months

Owen is nearing 11 months *gasp* and I still haven't share his 'offical' 9 month pictures I took. In all honesty I wasn't that pleased with them. I took them at a bad time of day {lighting wise. I'm still learning} and my camera was giving me a hard time focusing. {Still not sure of the issue there}

But, I played around with a few of my faves and edited them to my liking. I can not believe in just 6 short weeks how much older he looks now than he did then. It makes me want to cry. In 9 days my little guy will be entering his last month of his first year. Can.not.believe.it!

He's walking, climbing {everything!}, jabbering, kissing and just being an all around adorable boy!

My fav

So serious. He was D.O.N.E by this point. I'm sure the poopy diaper didn't help ;)

Lighting is bad. Its too bright, but I love this picture.

proof that he was standing on his own at 9 months :)

The Lindsay Files- Pt 2

There's not much I remember about my pre-k life but some things do stick out. Like the time I was in a Psalty play. If you were a Christian during the 80's surely you remember Psalty the big blue song book?

Well, my mom worked at the FIrst Baptist of Carrollton daycare center and my uncle was the chaplain and in charge of the older kids. He had the older kids put on a big show and yours truly got to be the 1 lone little girl in the play. My big line consisted of "even 3!" So wait....maybe I wasn't even in pre-k yet. Maybe I was still 3.

My dad had moved to California by the time I was this age. He had remarried a woman with a little girl 4 months older than me. So, we now had a step-sister. At one point they had come back to Texas to visit me and brothers and my dads dad and step mom down in San Antonio. I remember staying in hotel in San Antonio and my dad ordering Dominoes pizza. I remember sitting there eating that pizza and when someone picked up one of the very last pieces to eat there was a dead bug under the pizza. YUCK! We had eaten almost the entire thing before anyone discovered that nasty thing. Dominoes left a bad taste in my mouth for a very very long time after that.

I have a lot of memories of my kindergarten year.

 Me and my neighbors Sabrina and Lisa.

That was back when kindergarten was still half days. I was in the afternoon class because I was older. I guess maybe the younger kids went earlier because they figured they still needed naps in the afternoons?? My Aunt Gail babysat me back then and I would walk half way to school alone. I would walk down the street to my friend Cassie Clevengers house and we'd walk the rest of the way together. It wasn't a long walk at all but thinking about letting a kindergartener walk to school alone nowadays makes me cringe! Those were different days....even just over 20 years ago.

I had my first boyfriend that year. His name was Jay.....and now that I'm trying to I can't remember his last name! {for the record it is not ok for my girls to have boyfriends in kindergarten! HA!}

That year I wanted to be in the talent show. I decided to sing Somewhere Out There from An American Tale. And, I did. Just to the accompaniment, not even with words. I was pretty darn cute if I say so myself ;) Watching the video I can't believe someone that little was brave enough to stand in front of all those people and sing! I ended up winning 2nd place overall.

I also had my first sleepover at my house. It was with Kerri Felderhoff (ha! I remember her last name!)

That year I formed friendships that could have lasted a lifetime. There's something about starting kindergarten in the town you're going to spend your entire school career in. Kerri ended up being in my class every year until 5th grade when I moved elementary schools (because a new one opened up and I was zoned to it). There were also several others in my kindergarten class that ended up being in the same class as me through 4th grade.

I have several good memories of kindergarten. I really loved school when I was little and that started my school career off on a good foot. I always say that kindergarten teachers have to be called to teach that age and I must have had a good teacher since I remember it so fondly. 

I also must have visited my dad in California for the first time the summer following kindergarten. He took us to Universal Studios and Disney Land that year.

me, a carebear and my step-sister Jackie. 

{and some girl who got in on our picture!}

I remember quite vividly taking some kind of tour around Universal Studios.

 Jaws

My dear sweet brothers, who must have been about 14 and 16 at the time, told me that Godzilla- in all his firey glory- would be on one side of the tram, so I should sit on the other side. I did because I did not want to be scared! Surely my dad was oblivious to all of this because as we were driving through the part with Godzilla I turn and look and there he is! On my side! I was screaming hysterically while my sweet brothers were laughing hysterically.Obviously it made quite an impression on my 6 year old mind!

The Lindsay Files- Pt 1

Wordless Wednesday

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

I found this super cheap and frugal meal on another blog, Getting Freedom From Debt. (Sorry no picture from me) I modified to the recipe to fit what our family likes. I added taco seasoning instead of Italian and I ended up having to remove the foil, turn the oven heat up and cook it quite a bit longer than her instructions. BUT in the end it turned out to be really yummy so I thought I would pass on our modified version of it! 

Our family likes bread of some sort with every meal, we feel empty without it. Remember my bread withdraws? So, I grabbed of bag of tortilla chips to scoop some of the casserole on. If you're looking for something else to make while you're on a Beans and Rice diet this would be it!

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

3 cups broth (I used vegtable because thats what I had on hand)
3/4 cups lentils (dry)
1/2 cup brown rice
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 grated carrots
3 tablespoons taco seasoning *
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mix everything together and place in casserole dish. Bake at 400  for 1hour.
Serve with tortilla chips.
*I estimated how much taco seasoning I used. Honestly, I put in a couple tablespoons the felt it wasnt enough and so I just sprinlked it all over, stirred and repeated about 3 or 4 times.

Cancer Sucks.

I dont typically like using the word sucks. 
But, I thought it the best way to describe how I feel about cancer. 
At least the most mild way I feel. 
Cancer has taken many people from my life but most recently my Aunt Gail.

This a picture of my Aunt Gail and cousin Megan.

It was taken back in 2006. My Aunt and cousin had come down to Elisa and Ava's 5th and 2nd birthday party, kind of as a way to celebrate my aunt being cancer free.She had just finished her final round of chemo and had been pronounced breast cancer free!

Fast forward 2 years.

My aunts breast cancer had returned and metastasized and spread to different parts of her body and her bones. Our last visit with her was Thanksgiving 2008. We all, my mom and step dad, brother Shawn, his wife Judith and their children Ethan and Jayla and my other brother Corey all went to Ohio to spend the holiday with my aunt, uncle and cousins. There was the lingering thought that year of whether it would be our last with her or not. We all hoped not. We all prayed not. But, we had to rest in the fact that God is sovereign and all things work together for good.

All things?

We have to believe so.

My aunt Gail, my moms sister and my closest aunt, lost her battle with breast cancer in June of 2009. She was 55 and I was 34 weeks pregnant with Owen. I was too pregnant to fly and too miserable to drive. Derek, I and my Dr decided that it was best that I not make the 18 hour drive to Columbus, Ohio to her funeral. This was a very difficult decision for me but ended up being for the best. I ended up getting extremely sick the night before we were supposed to leave and that would have made for an even more miserable trip. Elisa and Ava drove up there with my mom and brother so they could be with the rest of our family during the awful time of loss everyone was experiencing.


About a month ago my mom and ! decided to go up to Columbus to participate in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure race in Columbus in my aunts honor. While we do not support Race for Cure {because of them funding planned parenthood} we wanted to support the team that was formed in my aunts honor. So, me, my mom and Owen flew up there for the weekend.

I felt this would be a weekend of closure for me since I didn't get the chance to experience that at her funeral.

 Uncle Jim, me, Megan and my mom

As we sat at the race....watching all the people that were touched in way or another by breast cancer I couldn't believe how far reaching this disease is. It was estimated that 50,000 people participated in the race that weekend.

50,000.

It was the 3rd largest race in the country. Most of the people were there racing in honor of someone. You could tell who they walked in celebration or in memory of by little pink papers pinned on their backs.

These 2 signs were the hardest for me to look at.

My uncle Jim.

My cousin Megan.

There were ladies walking around in pink shirts. This showed they were survivors. They beat their breast cancer. I sat on the side walk just watching people walk by. As I saw the survivors I couldn't help but think

'its not fair. It's not fair they survived but Aunt Gail didn't. Its not fair their husbands get them for more of their lives and Uncle Jim doesnt get his wife. Its not fair that they'll get to see their daughters or sons get married and Aunt Gail didn't get to see Megan and Mandy walk down the isle. It's not fair Aunt Gail never got to meet her future grandbabies. Its not fair she died at such a young age. Its just not fair' 

But, lifes not fair and God is still sovereign.

I held it all together until my mom asked if I was crying. For the record, I wasn't crying...yet. I was trying my hardest to hold it in. But what is it about someone asking you if you're crying that makes the flood gates open?

So, I sat and cried. 

And then we walked. 

And I felt refreshed.

Later that day we went and visited my aunts grave.

Then we visited her favorite park, Innis Woods Park. Theres a place called the Secret Garden that my uncle said was her favorite place in the park. On Saturday mornings they would go pick up Starbucks and take their coffee and go away and just sit in the Secret Garden together enjoying nature.
I want to devote an entire post to the Secret Garden and Innis Woods Park. It was beautiful there. But, here is a glimpse..... 

I'm so glad I was able to make the trip up there that weekend and to just remember my aunt. I'm so glad that some day we'll see each other again. And I'm so glad that through the loss of someone close dieing to cancer I have a God who I can still say 'You are good.'

The Lindsay Files- part 1

At the encouragement of this precious lady, Debi, I am joining in on the Mommys Piggytails to tell my story.

The story of my life.

While, this may not be interesting to everyone I hope that one day my kids can look back on these entries to get a bigger glimpse into the life I’ve lived thus far.

I was born in a small East Texas town. Kilgore Texas to be exact. Population 1100{ish} back in 1982. I was born to 2 big brothers, 8 and 10 years older than me. I was the unexpected surprise if you will. My parents had a very rocky marriage before I was born. My mom often wondered why my parents had stayed together all those years through the awfulness that was her marriage. Two years before I was born my mom had recommitted her life to the Lord and looking back she says she realized that had she not stayed with my dad through all those years I would never have been born. Through the years that followed my parents divorce, and my brothers growing and leaving the house, my mom and I had a very special relationship. Had they gotten a divorce years earlier my mom would never have had a daughter to share those years with. My dad cried when he found out I was girl in the delivery room. Both my mom and dad had hoped I would be a girl so they were thrilled to find that I was! (I mean it was me, who wouldn’t be thrilled!?! Har har)

My mom had me naturally. A decision I think she regrets since I weighed in at 8 lbs 2 oz. My mom is a small lady. Only 5’1 and probably 100 lbs before she was pregnant with me. {When she found out I was wanting to try for a natural VBA3C with Owen I think she thought I was nuts!} I was born at Laird Memorial Hospital. 

My mom saved the envelope where the ‘girl name’ brainstorm took place. There were such contenders as Tiffany, Heather and Jennifer. You know….whatever they chose I would be only 1 of many girls in my class growing up with the same trendy 70’s/80’s name J In the end they chose the name Lindsay Erma. {now the cat is out of the bag. My middle name is Erma. Laugh away.} At least they went with the less common A spelling of the name ;) Erma they chose after my great great aunt Erma. She was one of the most special people in my life.

Twenty days after I was born we celebrated my first Christmas.  My dad had just lost his job working in the oil fields and they were pretty bad off. Both sets of my grandparents came to visit that Christmas. My moms parents from Kansas City and my dads from Dallas. My mom remembers my Grandma Anne {my dads mother} giving them a check for $500 that Christmas and how touched she was at their generosity.

It was less than a year later that my parents marriage would fully disintegrate and we would continue on with life in our family as Mom, Shawn (Mark), Corey and Lindsay.  

Owen's Worst Week Ever

In the past 3 weeks Owen has been pretty sick. He came down with bronchiolitis over Memorial Day weekend but I didn’t take him to the Dr’s until Tuesday following the weekend. By that time he was coughing pretty bad and just miserable :( He ended up having an ear infection and possible pneumonia to make matters worse! Poor little guy!

Thursday all 3 girls woke up feeling sick in various ways. So needless to say that was a very.long.week with all 4 kids down for the count! But, God is good and He provided the strength for me to endure the long week ;)

Saturday everyone was feeling much better and enjoying the day. Owen was outside with Audrey playing when I heard him screaming. Not just my sister took my toy away screaming. Or, I bumped my head screaming. But, bloody murder screaming. When I ran out there- Derek was outside watering the plants but didn’t hear this all happening- I saw that my little guy was swarmed by red wasps! Now I am terrified of anything that stings. In my 27 years of life I have yet to be stung by anything. But, seeing my precious boy being swarmed by those suckers made the mom instinct kick in and I was out there grabbing him up in flash. He was screaming hysterically and with a quick check it appeared as though he had been stung 2 times on the chest and once on the back. I ran in and did what any nursing mother would do…started nursing him to calm him down. At one point  he pulled off and I saw it.

His little lip starting to swell!

He had been stung on the lip and I didn’t realize it! As his lip swelledn and he nursed, Derek googled what to look for after a baby gets stung. We thought he had been stung 4 times so that was a lot of poison going into his little body.

Once everyone was calmed down we checked him over again and the places on his chest and back, where we had originally thought he had been stung, weren’t swollen or anything so we now wonder if he really had been stung there or not. We discovered that the stinger had been left in his lip the entire time before we realized he had been stung in the mouth so more poison was just pumping into his lip and he nursed and cried L Talk about feeling like an awful mom for not knowing!

He started sucking on his lip as it swelled and by the time we realized the stinger was still in there (there had been a black dot at the center of the swelling)  he had already sucked it out!

By morning the swelling was gone. The only remnants left of the sting was the nasty inside of his lip peeling from his lip having been so swollen.

So, I guess we can mark this down in the family history book as Owen’s worst week ever!