Jack-In-A-Box

 A moving solution.

Betty-isms

A while back I wrote a blog entry about hilarious things my mother says unintentionally.  Well, lately I feel as if I've moved back in with her (due to staying at her apartment while carpet layers and painters have been working on our new house).  Today, finally, Jax and I packed our bags and moved into the new place--my mom in tow to help me unpack.  Tonight, in the middle of a snowstorm, unable to dig ourselves out of the driveway, with the power flickering, and with nothing in the fridge--we found ourselved searching for something to eat when mom discovered a King Size box of M&Ms.  Looking at the nutrition label and calculating the fat and calories by serving size, she recited the facts to me.

Then came another wonderful Betty-ism:

"Oh well, let's just eat them.  It can't be any worse than alfredo and biscuits."

Alfredo and biscuts?  I asked.  I'm not sure what her line of thinking was...but it was hilarious...especially given our situation at the time.

Think again before you laugh at her justification too--this came from a lady who has lost 30 pounds over the last 5 months!  Maybe there's something to it.

Siblings

Apparently the crib is a great place for dogs as well.  At least Jackson thinks so!

(yes, all the audio is Jax laughing hysterically)

Hogwarts

My Hogwarts letter has finally arrived!

That's right...we're going to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in May 2011!

Now, if only my dearest Rupert Grint awaited me . . .

This Should Be Good



Only a few short months ago, October 2010 to be exact, I had never heard of the MTV reality show, Teen Mom. Then my friend, Megan, changed my life. Well, okay, maybe not my life, but she did give me a new favorite show and another soap box. With Teen Mom 2 recently airing, the television show has been receiving a lot of negative media attention, most of which with I do not agree. Accuse me of defending "trash TV" all you'd like, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

A lot of people close to me beg to differ with my love of and opionion about Teen Mom, my dad to name one. About equal numbers stand behind me. Please feel free to leave your opionion on my blog; I welcome the controversy!

Here goes nothing:

In my opinion, Teen Mom certainly does NOT promote or glamorize teen pregnancy. Now, I can entertain the opposite opinion as well. I understand the standpoint that the show might encourage young girls to try to get pregnant. However, I personally do not believe that to be the case. Becoming a pregnant teen requires a series of decisions that reality television can neither prompt nor carry to completion. The teenager must choose to engage in sexual intercourse and fail to use protection or use it incorrectly. Now I'm really going to play devil's advocate and argue that I think these decisions come NOT from watching "been there, done that" examples (like Teen Mom) but from the opposite entirely. I think poor sexual decisions come from ignorance--often due to parents refusing to face the reality of sexual promiscuity in their child.

Stop reading. Take a deep breath.

I am 100% not saying that parents should encourage premarital sex. Quite the opposite. I fully believe in instilling a deep respect for abstinance before marriage. However, I also believe in being real. Open communication is key. So is a healthy dose of reality. In my opinion, if sex is something that is openly discussed (in a collaborative parent-child way), it won't become taboo. If the topic isn't taboo, the teenager will be comfortable being honest with the parent regarding his/her sexual decisions. If this is true, and the teenager has been equipped with the appropriate knowledge and chooses to engage in sex, he/she will be able to discuss this choice with a parent. Hopefully the parent will then be able to face reality and educate about birth control options. In a nut shell, the contraception aisle is not the place for wearing rose colored glasses.

What does this have to do with Teen Mom? Basically, if a teenager had the knowledge and confidence to discuss sex and teen pregnancy with a responsible adult, he/she would not be "vulnerably" affected by reality TV. It is not MTV's responsibility to raise your children. It is not Teen Mom's fault that teenage girls are becoming pregnant. And this is coming from a proudly conservative Rupublican to boot!

I fully intend on teaching Jackson what the Bible says about sex and the marriage covenant. But call me crazy, I also plan on telling him what a condom is! Believing in and teaching abstainance in your household does not excuse you from reality. During a dinner conversation with an ex-boyfriend's little sister, I heard first hand what a danger this way of thinking can be. My mom always openly discussed sex with me, and I feel I was pretty responsible with these decisions.

Back to Teen Mom--anyone who has ever really watched the show would have to agree that the show does anything but glamourize teen parenthood. Who wants to struggle for your GED, be unable to enjoy senior prom, deal with the pain of choosing adoption, move in with your parents when all of your friends go away to college, or constantly fight with your partner? Actually, I think this show displays mostly the ugly truth about teen parenthood. First steps and story time are certainly overshadowed by financial struggles and a lack of sleep.

If you have been following the media controversy but haven't acutally seen the show. I challenge you to watch it. Tell me what you think. At very least, enjoy an hour of "trash TV." It'll be fun.

This should be good.

Not Me Monday

1.  I did NOT get so wrapped up in handling contractors today that I completely forgot my baby needed to eat.  Which means, I did NOT say to him "Why are you so fussy, Jack-Jack?" only to look at my watch and realize I was 1 hr 47 mins late feeding him.  NOT ME!

2.  I am NOT so frustrated with calling automated phone services for an address change that I start yelling into the receiver "I WANT TO TALK TO A REAL FREAKIN' PERSON FOR GOSH SAKES!!!!"  No, no, no, NOT ME!

3.  I have NOT been eating at the same fast-food restaurants close to our new house so many times over the last week (while between contractor appointments) that I found myself saying "Let's go to BK.  We had better save Waffle House for later today."  Nope, NOT ME!

3.  My boxes are NOT still unpacked 10 days after our move.  That one, really, is NOT me!

P.S.-  Just to wet your whistle ... things really are finally starting to come together!

 

Guess Who

Guess who babysat me last night while Mommy and GranGran went out to dinner and Daddy worked late shift?

Think hard . . .

I'm a busy boy . . .

Yep.

PapPaw.

And we both survived!



Work In Progress

Here I went and mailed out this blog web address on our moving announcements, and then I go forever without updating my site.  I promise I'm not taking a hiatus from blogging.  Nope.  I'm merely slightly majorly preoccupied at the moment.

I'll spare you the details and simply state that the stomach flu our family has been passing around this week (yeah, beginning the day before moving day--ahem, Justin) has been an excellent, though albeit unpleasant, jumpstart to my 2011 weight loss.  Thankfully, I believe we are now officially on the mend.  However ...

*hold your breath*

not one box has been unpacked

*gasp*

Yes, I know that's totally not my style, but it's been out of my control entirely.  There have been bigger fish to fry--namely, paint and carpet.  Oh yeah, and there's also a busy little guy to entertain all the while.

I assure you there are many photos to come whenever things settle, but . . .

while we're a' mending . . .

and the carpet is a' laying . . .

and the painters are a' painting . . .

and, unfortunately, the boxes are a' sitting (and a' staring, and a' waiting) . . .

I present to you: our work in progress!

Stay Tuned



The Big Move is in one day . . .

And Jax is getting excited!

Stay tuned.

SOLD! and a Soapbox

We did it!  We settled on the new house this morning at 10 o'clock!  We are no longer "homeless."  After settlement this morning we placed our carpet order (Flooring America seems to be a GREAT company so far!), sold the old stove to a contractor, replaced the door locks, met with our painter (he is soooo nice, and I get to completely customize the colors for NO extra charge), and went to Home Depot to purchase our glass shower doors.  Can I just tell you how thrilled I am about this house???  It is about 1,000 square foot smaller than our Bristow house, but still 4 beds and 2.5 baths.  It is just the absolute perfect size for our family!  I love how things are so much more "homey" in the new place...and I love how much easier it will be to keep clean.  I kept saying to Justin today "I just love it!  Love it!  This actually feels like a home rather than a big structure!"  I cannot wait until everything is complete so I can post pictures of it for you, my faithful readers!  I plan to soon post an exterior photo at least!  Stay tuned.

*****

And while I'm here...will you allow me to climb up on my soapbox for a moment?  The more news I keep hearing regarding the Arizona Safeway shooting, the more livid I get.  How many times is it going to take before people WAKE UP!!!  The 9-11 terrorists were EDUCATED in our country, LIVING in our country, and PURCHASED WEAPONS in our country...then, they took down the Twin Towers and thousands of American lives.  The Virginia Tech shooter was mentally unstable and EVERYONE KNEW IT!  Yet, he continued WITHOUT HELP and PURCHASED A WEAPON...then he tragically took the lives of VT students and faculty.  Now, the Arizona shooter was MENTALLY UNSTABLE, dabbling in the OCCULT in his PARENTS' HOME, and his classmates FEARED him.  Still, he PURCHASED A WEAPON and PLANNED the attack UNDER HIS PARENTS' roof...and now more innocent people, including a precious 9-year-old girl, are dead.  How many innocent lives must be lost before people will SPEAK UP when they see HUGE RED FLAGS???  

I am not an expert on crime prevention, but I have spoken up on two occasions, although on a much smaller scale, to try to stop violence.  Once for a hospital patient in my care and once for a college friend in a toxic and abusive relationship.  Please do not be silent when those hairs on the back of your neck stand up!

If a friend scares you: TALK to him/her.  If you can't, TELL someone who CAN.

Teachers, if a student scares you, get him HELP.

Heathcare workers, it is your DUTY to SPEAK if you suspect someone is mentally ill.  SPEAK for your patient, his family, and yourself.

Parents, if you child worries you, TALK to him.  If you can't, SEEK HELP in doing so.

If you sell WEAPONS, vigorously CHECK on your customers before completing a transaction.  You can SAVE someone's life--including your own.

READERS, if YOU are anxious, depressed, angry, or lost ... PLEASE SEEK HELP.  There is no shame in taking care of yourself.  The MIND is very powerful, PROTECT it. 

For more information, please visit:

http://www.activeminds.org/

http://www.jedfoundation.org/

www.mentalhealthscreening.org/college/

http://www.campushealthandsafety.org/

http://www.reachout.com/

www.samhsa.gov/centers/cmhs/cmhs.html

Okay, I'll come down again.   



Busy Week Ahead

Well, it's official, we are technically "renters" in our own home.  But wait . . . it's not our own home . . . what at strange yet wonderful feeling.  Yesterday we went to settlement on our Bristow home, and it is SOLD.  We have a "rent back" agreement for one week; however, so we aren't homeless while we wait to settle on the new house, have it carpeted and painted, and move in.  Whew!  What a busy week we have ahead of us! 

On Monday we will be traveling to Winchester to go to settlement on the new house.  That afternoon, we have to order new carpet, choose paint colors with the painter, install new locks, and go pick up new shower doors at Lowe's.  That's because on Tuesday, Mom and I will be cleaning and playing hostesses to a handyman and an electrician ... hello new shower and overhead lighting.  Then, on Wednesday and Thursday our new carpet will be installed.  After installation, we move in on Friday.  On Saturday our new appliances and television will be delivered and installed.  Then on Monday the painting crew will begin the 3-5 day process of paiting the entire house.  And that's not even including the unpacking process, hanging blinds and curtains, and changing door knobs which can't offically start until the painting is complete.

Yeah . . . and try that with a busy 8-month old who needs feeding, changing, and interaction.  We've got our work cut out for us!  Still, I'm super excited about the new place...and when it's all said and done...it's going to be so much more "ours" than this house was.  Everything will be new and fresh.  Oh yes ... and I will be a SAHM!  Ahh, the wonders of moving further from the city!

New Month, New Year--Jax is 8 Months!

Our Jackson is 3/4 of a year old!

8 Months Old

As you can see, his hair is as wild as ever.  I have given up on smoothing it down.  His new nickname is "fuzzy head," and let me tell you... his 'do attracts ALOT of attention when we are out in public.  He loves it.

Jax is 20 pounds 12 ounces and 28 inches long.  I plugged these numbers into the computers at work, and he's in the 65% for both weight and height.  His head is 18.25 inches, continuing to be in the 90%.  He's going to be so smart!

This month Jackson has started babbling even more.  We occasionally hear consonant sounds like "naagaba," but no "da-da" or "ma-ma" yet much to our dismay.  I think it's still a little early.

As of January 2nd, Jax can get fully into "crawling position" on his own.  He pushes up on his arms, rises to his knees, but still stays stationary.  We are trying to coax him forward, but he hasn't figured out that he can move just yet.

Jackson has also become a rolley-poley this month.  It freaks us out, but we often find him on his belly in the mornings despite putting him to sleep on his back.  Justin is hilarious--always checking the baby monitor--and if he catches him on his stomach, he goes into the nursery and flips him onto his back.  Mornings are our favorite time of the day with Taco.  You would not believe how incredibly sweet that boy is when he first sees you leaning over his crib in the morning.

Jackson takes 7 ounces every 3 hours (yes, we never got to the 4 hours point) and eats lots of solid foods now.  He is taking Gerber 3rd Foods (the large jars) three times a day as well as a bowl of rice cereal.  He also now loves the Gerber Puffs that used to make him gag (Mommy does too!).  Note to anyone dieting: the entire container of puffs only has 150 calories, and that gives you alot of  the "snaking" motion for your mind!  :)

This month Jackson has been playing with his toys a lot more.  I believe his favorites are his Rockin' Roll-Back (yes, Uncle David) and his "string creature" that I made him (see previous post).  He also loves just about anything he isn't supposed to play with.  See below:

As for Justin and I, I finshed my last day of work yesterday, and we are busy packing up for our big move in ONE WEEK!  Jackson is a bit of a cute distraction, too. 

Who, me?

Speaking of which, I had better stop blogging and go help my husband... ahem.