52 Weeks of Blogging With A Purpose: Five Years from Now

Linking up again with Becky to talk this week about where my life will be five years from now.

In five years I know parts of my life will be vastly different, and some will be exactly the same.

 

In five years Grayson will be almost seven. He will be in school full time. That blows my mind. He's barely speaking, certainly not potty trained and is still so much my little man. In five years, he'll be a little independent person and I can not wait to see what the future holds for him. I know he'll be smart, funny and compassionate, I know he'll play sports, and I know he'll be amazing. Other than that, I don't know. I'm okay with not knowing, because I'll learn in time.

 

In five years I hope that we will be able to give Grayson a sibling. Two siblings may be pushing it, but I know I want at least one more child. I wasn't a good pregnant lady- I threw up at lease once every.single.day from the moment two lines appeared. I didn't complain, because in the end I knew it would be worth it. But I will admit that now when I think about getting pregnant again that is one thing that makes me shudder in fear.

 

In five years I hope we're in a different house. That one is tough for me to admit. We got engaged in this house, came home as husband and wife to this house and brought our baby boy home here.  We've spent countless hours working and improving our 1890's fixer, and there is still so much more to go. I love this house, its our home. However there are problems with it. We'll start with the fact that it has one bathroom, no driveway, and a lack of outdoor space. I grew up on 3 acres and now I'm a city girl, its a crazy transition. There are other things, but those are on the list to be fixed.  A new kitchen, dry walling the guest bedroom and playroom, putting in a half bath and laundry room on the first floor are all in our plans to complete over the next few years. We'll see what the future has. If we want to have three kiddos, we're going to have to move because we only have three bedrooms and we need a guest room.

 

In five years my husband could be on a different career path. Currently he works as a general contractor specializing in flooring. Not easy work, and as a self employed person he has no real pension or back up plan.  His dream is to be a fire fighter for the city of Pittsburgh- and that idea terrifies the beans out of me.  I know its rewarding and wonderful, but its scary to send your husband off to work everyday and not know what dangers he will face.  Of course if this is something his heart wants, I will support him 100% but I will be a nervous Nellie the whole time.

 

In five years I hope to be an even better Mother and Wife. Because you can always get better. I want to continue to make memories with my husband and grow closer to him in our marriage. I want to be a fun Mom who jumps in puddles and makes messes, because those are the things that will make memories. After all, they're only little once. I'm trying to deal with the messes better. Today my child finger painted and there are now red footprints on the floor. He was so proud of them, I've left them there to show Daddy. I am trying. Wine may help this.

 

I will still be teaching- and I will be finishing up my -ahem- eighth year in the classroom. I love my job and unless we seriously hit the lottery and I can be a lady of leisure all day, I will never leave it. Its far too awesome of a job to just walk away from. I torture teenagers daily and get paid for it. I do hope to become a better teacher, because just like being a wife and Mama, you can always get better.

 

I hope that I will still be blogging. I love capturing moments of our lives and sharing them. I hope this blog will grow, and I hope you all will stick with me through the crazy.

 

I hope that in five years someone will finally invent laundry birth control so that my laundry pile will stop multiplying and I can get a handle on it. Please tell me I'm not the only one who wishes for this?

 

I hope that I can say that 33 is a good age. Eep. That's a tough number to wrap my head around. Wine may help with that, too. Lots of wine.

 

 

Where do you see yourselves in five years, lovelies? Head on over and link up with Becky and join in the fun!



Important Info, Lovelies!

So Google Reader is history after today- how sad is that?  If that is the reader that you use to follow me on all my adventures of crazy, well after today that might be a bit difficult! You still have a couple of options- email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or my new fave reader- bloglovin!

 

Now you guys know I'm pretty terrible at technology, but seriously it was super easy to import all of the blogs I follow from google reader to Bloglovin. If I can do it, you can do it. Come on, I just joined team smartphone last week. Its that dire of a situation over here, folks.

 

 

Hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday-Funday! Someone sure got their fill of sleeping in this morning- he didn't wake up until 10 am!

 

 

 



"They say the first sixty years are the hardest"

Last week the hub's grandparents celebrated a huge milestone. Married sixty years. It also happened to fall close to his Grandma's 80th birthday, so we combined the events, people bought some plane tickets and we all came together to celebrate these awesome things.

 

In todays world where marriages last months, days and sometimes even hours (a la Brittney Spears) and sometimes the divorce battle takes longer than the actual marriage (ahem, Kimmy K) its crazy wonderful that these two people have made it sixty years. As we gathered our things to leave, Patrick's Grandma said to us "You know, I hear the first sixty are the hardest. It's all downhill from there!" Well, that's where the husband gets his smart aleck attitude, right there ladies and gents!

 

 

The almost whole K crew! We were missing a few people.

The original seven.

Generation 2.0 - minus one :)

Generation 3.0- minus two :)

 

Congrats Gong and Pap! Hopefully Patrick and I can make it 60 years and have a loving a family as you...only we will not be having seven children. I don't think this Mama is cut out for that stuff!!

 

 



Finally took the kid to Idlewild!

Western Pennsylvania is kind of unique as we do have some pretty awesome amusement parks within 30 minutes of us- Kennywood and Idlewild.  I've spent many a summer day at both, and last Tuesday we packed up the kid and took him for his first taste of amusement park fun.

 

Storybook Forest is a trip through all of the nursery rhymes and fairy tales we heard as kids, so of course that's where we headed first.



Such a creeper. 

He didnt want so share the big chair with Mommy and Daddy. 

In the crooked house

The lady on the good ship lollypop gave him his first sucker- he was in love.

No such luck, hubs.



Riding the train over to Raccoon Lagoon

Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood

Mesmerized. The whole trolly ride.

Watching the Thomas and Friends show

Idlewild also has a ginormous pool complex complete with slides, a wave pool and a pirate ship. It is awesome. Unfortunately this day it was also only about 75 and overcast, so my bum was not getting in that water.

Such a good Daddy. 

 

I'd say he had a blast.

 

Can't wait to go back when he can enjoy a few more rides and really get to use the pool. Otherwise, it was a pretty awesome day and a nice check off the summer bucket list!



A Child of Few Words- For Now

Grayson is not a kid I would ever describe as quiet- ever. He always squealing and laughing and making all kinds of noise. But words? Well, not so much.  He says Mama, Dada, Right There, Please and This on a regular consistent basis. Other than that- well, there isn't really much more. At his 18 month visit we mentioned it to the doctor, and I asked if we should consider Early Intervention. The doctor said it couldn't hurt to call, but he didn't think Grayson would qualify for services since he really is so smart. This kid understands everything you say...even when you spell words...its frightening. But he said it couldn't hurt to get a second opinion.

 

 

 

So I made the call and was connected to the most wonderful service coordinator who came out to do an interview and set up an evaluation with a speech therapist and an occupational therapist.  She said he needed to show a 25% delay to qualify for services, and she was glad I was doing it now before we hit the terrible twos and Grayson wouldn't be able to communicate. That would only lead to more frustration, which is never a good thing.

 

Me? I was just thrilled to bits she didn't say I was overreacting, wrong, or crazy.  It seems like most everyone else told me he'd catch up, he's fine, or he's smart and stubborn. Here was someone who listened and took my concerns and didn't dismiss them (ahem, Mr. Pediatrician can sometimes do that...and its annoying).  She scheduled the evaluation and we signed some papers and a few days later we all came together to test Grayson.

 

Overall it was a very easy process. They asked ALOT of questions, but they also really interacted with him. They played games with shapes, colors and objects. They hid blocks under cups and blankets, identified body parts and identified letters. They talked to Grayson and played for about an hour. Then they set him free to do the scoring and paperwork.

 

In some aspects he was off the charts high- like when he identified all of the letters upper and lower case and organized all of the shapes without being asked. In other parts he was average- which is great too. But in expressive language, he was way low. In the end, he qualified for services with that deficiency.  Now as I look back on it, I have some mixed feelings. 

 

 

 

On one hand, I'm super happy that he'll be able to work with a speech therapist to get his expressive language caught up to his cognitive abilities.  On the other I cant help thinking what I didn't do or could have done so he wouldn't be in this place to begin with. Everyone at the meeting assured me that had I not called, he would have caught up just fine on his own- it just would have taken him a bit longer. They said it was great, because they could see his visible frustrations and now he can work on getting his words so he's not so frustrated- which will make the terrible twos a bit easier.  So on that side, Im glad. On the other, I still feel like I could have done more as a Mommy to get him talking better. Cue the dreaded Mom Guilt. Even after the speech therapist watched us interact for two hours and told me that we're doing everything right, it's still there. She thinks we're going to have to basically trick Grayson into saying and doing what she wants, because he's so smart he knows what she's up too and he isn't about to give in. He doesn't have his Mama's gift for gab, but he got my stubborn streak for sure.

 

 

So I don't know. I know the words will come, and we have a plan and we're working towards it. Even after a few sessions he's already trying to create more sounds and form more words, which is amazing. I'm not ashamed that he needs help, in fact I'm glad that it's out there to help families and I give these therapists all the credit in the world for doing what they do. With each session as he works on verbal skills and strengthening the muscles in his mouth to form more words a little bit more of that Mommy guilt fades and I realize that it's not something I did or didn't do. He's smart, he's funny and he's on his way to being a talker...which of course once he is, I'll wonder why I ever wanted him to start talking in the first place. 

Ten Things I Live For: 52 Weeks of Blogging With A Purpose

I saw this linkup from Becky the other day and I decided I needed to try it- 52 weeks to blog with a purpose. Of course I'm one week late to the party, but you all wont hold that against me, right?

 

 

Today's topic is ten things you live for/can't live without.

 

 

1. My family.  These two boys right here are my world. They are my reason for waking up each day and trying to be better. Life wouldn't be the same without them, that's for sure.

 

 

2. Summer Days. Ahhh. I love summer. Its warm, so I don't hate getting out of bed. The sun makes me want to go outside and run and play...or at least float lazily in a pool. In the winter I can not stand waking up, because the idea of coming out from under my nice warm covers is too much to bear at five am. But in the summer, I cant wait to get up to see what our days will bring us. Summer means adventures and fun, playdates and craft projects galore. Trips to the beach, picnics in the park, playtime in the water- its all summer and its all amazing. Plus, I get to spend my days with a certain tiny human and that just makes them even better.

 

3. My job.  I love, love, love what I do for a living. I am a teacher.  I get super excited to see the kids come in at the beginning of the year and to watch them grow and change and mature is just the coolest thing ever.  Teenagers will act different in front of teachers rather than a parent. I'm not there to judge them or expect anything from them but to be themselves, so they feel more at ease being who they want to be. Now sometimes that's good and sometimes it isn't, but they have choices and they get to make them.  I've helped students get through some pretty tough things, because they felt they could trust me and open up and that's an awesome feeling.  I often joke I will die in my classroom, but what I mean is I will never leave that job.  Until Im too old to function or have enough cash to travel the world, you'll find me in room 207. The only science room with carpeting. Ugh.

 

4. Baby giggles. I love nothing more than to hear that kid laugh.  It kills me. If he ever wants to get out of trouble, all he has to do is learn how to belly laugh on cue.

 



 

5. Traveling. I love to explore new places, and if those places have an ocean that makes them even better.  I'm a vacation dare devil. I try new things on vacation because the fear of missing out on them gets to me.  Snorkeling in an underground cave at home? Heck to the no. But in Mexico? Where's the flippers?  Trying curried goat at a local restaurant? Absolutely not, in fact, Ill pick a different place to eat. But in Jamaica? Sure! Put in on my plate!  I think I get this crazy rush because I'm afraid I might not make it back to these places, so I don't want to miss out on anything.  I can't wait to take my baby boy places and let him experience things as well, I think he's going to have the same adventurous spirit...or he'll learn to have it, at least.

 

6. Watching Grayson experience new things.  If I clean my house and the husband makes a mess, I could kill him. But, if I scrub the floors and then Grayson messes them up with finger paint/colored rice/chalk I'm okay with it. Why? Because I love watching him play and learn and grow.  Sometimes the most simple and mundane things, writing the grocery list on the chalkboard wall- are completely awesome to a 21 month old. Seeing him get uber excited about scribbling with chalk on the wall brings life into a new perspective, and I love it.

 

7. My pillow. I couldn't live without it, and I don't usually share it. I have been known to let Grayson nap on it, or lay on it with me but that's only because he's so cute. The hubs always tries to steal my pillow, but he never gets away with it. I've taken it off of him in my sleep before without even realizing it. I just can't sleep without that thing.

 

8. Making Memories and Following Traditions.  I love that when I look back at beach vacations I can think of places we always went. I love that when I remember holidays there are certain specific things that I remember happening year after year. I want Grayson to have the same experiences. Which is why every year the Elves will deliver Christmas PJs and a book, and the Bunny will leave his footprints. We will visit family and eat traditional foods because I want Grayson to grow up with great memories and great fun. Then I want him to do the same things with his kids someday, you know if I ever let him grow up and get married.

 

 

 

9. Iced tea. I love iced tea. If its sweet, that's even better. I don't do coffee, so I need to get the buzz from somewhere. If its an event where iced tea wont cut it, then I go straight for the red can of Coca Cola. That always does the trick. Could I live without Iced Tea and Coke? Yes, but it would be a sad day in my world.

 

10. Crafting and creating.  I can't draw to save my soul (seriously, ask my students- they will tell me to stop drawing and google it) but I love to create things. Sewing, painting, designing,

decorating- its my outlet.  If I'm in a funk, I'll make a new wreath for the front door. It always cheers me up to whip out the glue gun. I also love to write this blog, it's a different form of creating that no one can tell me I'm doing wrong. I DIY-ed most of our wedding and Grayson's baby shower/baptism/first birthday with a little help from blog friends and Pinterest. My mind just runs, but sometimes its frustrating that my hands cant execute what my mind wants. But I guess that's why we have Etsy. If I can't make it, I'll find someone who can!

 

So tell me lovelies, what do you live for/can't live without? Let me know in the comments!

Let the Summer Fun Commence!

Its been a crazy end of the school year- I had one of the best years ever with some of my absolute favorite kids I've ever had the pleasure to teach- but thank.you.sweet.baby.jesus. it is summer time!

 

It's not their fault, once the weather gets nice they pretty much just start checking out on us, and I cant really get them to get excited about things like weather forecasting, tornadoes, earthquakes and cells when there are pools to swim in, sun tans to achieve and outside things going on that are way more fun. Truth be told, I'd rather be outside too- but trying to explain to freshmen that they need to focus for a few more weeks is like explaining to my toddler why he needs to try peas at dinner. Its a lost cause come June 1st.  I'm super excited that next year I get to teach some biology, meaning I can get some of my freshmen back as sophomores. It's fun to see which ones the maturity fairy visits over the summer and to watch them grow.

 

I did a summer bucket list last year and had a blast checking things off with Grayson and hubs.  This year, I've amped it up seeing as how he's now a man-child who can participate in so much more.

 

 

Here goes-

 

Idelwild Park

PNC Park Water Steps

Ducky Tour

Kennywood Park

Beach Trip

Splash Pad

Pool Date

Walk the Montour Trail

Catch Lightning Bugs

Play in the Sandbox
Water Fight with Daddy
Round Hill Park
Blue Slide Playground at Frick Park
Soergels Orchard
Triple B Farms
Street Fair
International Village
Phipps Conservatory
Go to a Pirate Game
Play Dates
Sarris' Ice Cream Parlor
Feed the Ducks
Go Fishing
Catch Lightning Bugs
Steelers Training Camp
Story time at the Library
Carnegie Science Center
The Children's Museum
Gus and YaYa's
Picnic in the park
Pittsburgh Zoo
Take pictures while playing in the rain
Family Pictures
Go visit Aunt Sammie
Take a day trip
Make a big mess
Complete as many Pinterest projects as possible!

What's on your list for summer fun? Let me know if I forgot something!!