Psalm 23 for you and me!

The Lord is my Shepherd
That's Relationship!

I shall not want
That's Supply!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
That's Rest!

He leadeth me beside the still waters.
That's Refreshment!

He restoreth my soul
That's Healing!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.
That's Guidance!

For His name sake
That's Purpose!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
That's Testing!

I will fear no evil.
That's Protection!

For Thou art with me
That's Faithfulness!

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me,
That's Discipline!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
That's Hope!

Thou anointest my head with oil,
That's Consecration!

My cup runneth over.
That's Abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.
That's Blessing!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord.
That's Security!

Forever.
That's Eternity!

Feeling Crushed

Unfortunately, I will not be going back to work today....they have let me go inside my 90 day probation. When asked for reasons, they couldn't tell me anything. Personally, I think it is budget costs...because that is what the head manager was doing Monday and Tuesday of this week with the Corporate Financial officers.How ironic, that the first year that I planned to buy a nice gift for my boys this year for Christmas, that I am now unemployed. Granted, my boys don't need a real nice gift, but as a single mom that has worked so hard to make ends meet, I really wanted to provide something nice for them. Yes, some would say that its not the material things that bring happiness or the meaning of Christmas. But there is nothing wrong with it either!

Anyway, I am still in shock that I was let go from a job that I know God provided. But like all things in my life, there are things and people that are free to make decisions that I can't control. This is one of them.

After I cry it all out, I will be okay. I KNOW I will! I always have been! But I have to admit that I am tired of "having to make it though things". Finally, it seemed like I was starting to "live again". And realistically, in our world today, finances are a huge part of making that happen. It was so AWESOME to go shopping with my girlfriend this last weekend! I hadn't been in so long...but it was freeing to just go and purchase what I wanted if I felt like it.

Ice Tassels

So the big news around here is that, YES, we got the big winter storm they were calling for on the weather predictions. It was NOT good. Honestly, I am not scared to drive in it, since my dad put me on a parking lot of ice to LEARN to drive! BUT it is the people that are shaking and scared to death to drive in the snow/ice that do SCARE me....because they are the ones with the jerky reactions that CAN CAUSE an accident. Thankfully, God protected us on our path these last couple of days.

Unfortunately, since I am used to this weather from growing up in Alaska, I really could care less if I EVER see snow again. That is very saddening to my boys who have only had the snow experience about twice in their life. (at least where they were big enough to go play in it) BUT I HATE...okay...REALLY and TRULY DISLIKE...cleaning off my car in the mornings and after work. When I was a kid, I never had to do that job...so winter was FUN!

Their childhood enjoyment reminded me to soften my attitude, when I heard my oldest say to his brother, "Look, ice tassels!" WHAT? What are ice tassels? To him, ICICLES looked like Ice Tassels! How cute! But wow, he didn't even know they were called icicles. I really have lacked in my job as a mother by not teaching them more about winter!!

So today, they got to work on building a snowman. It is cold enough here that I think there will still be snow on the ground tomorrow so they can finish it. As a dutiful mother, I will take pictures! =o)

TV Land Lists 100 Greatest Catchphrases

The network will air a countdown special, "The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases," over five days starting Dec. 11.

In alphabetical order, TV Land's list:

_"Aaay" (Fonzie, "Happy Days")
_"And that's the way it is"
_"Ask not what your country can do for you ..." (John F. Kennedy)
_"Baby, you're the greatest" (Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, "The Honeymooners")
_"Bam!" (Emeril Lagasse, "Emeril Live")
_"Book 'em, Danno" (Steve McGarrett, "Hawaii Five-O")
_"Come on down!" (Johnny Olson, "The Price is Right")
_"Danger, Will Robinson" (Robot, "Lost in Space")
_"De plane! De plane!" (Tattoo, "Fantasy Island")
_"Denny Crane" (Denny Crane, "Boston Legal")
_"Do you believe in miracles?" (Al Michaels, 1980 Winter Olympics)
_"D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, "The Simpsons")
_"Don't make me angry ..." (David Banner, "The Incredible Hulk")
_"Dyn-o-mite" (J.J., "Good Times")
_"Elizabeth, I'm coming!" (Fred Sanford, "Sanford and Son")
_"Gee, Mrs. Cleaver ..." (Eddie Haskell, "Leave it to Beaver")
_"God'll get you for that" (Maude, "Maude")
_"Good grief" (Charlie Brown, "Peanuts" specials)
_"Good night, and good luck" (Edward R. Murrow, "See It Now")
_"Good night, John Boy" ("The Waltons")
_"Have you no sense of decency?" (Joseph Welch to Sen. McCarthy)
_"Heh heh" (Beavis and Butt-head, "Beavis and Butthead")
_"Here it is, your moment of Zen" (Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show")
_"Here's Johnny!" (Ed McMahon, "The Tonight Show")
_"Hey now!" (Hank Kingsley, "The Larry Sanders Show")
_"Hey hey hey!" (Dwayne Nelson, "What's Happening!!")
_"Hey hey hey!" (Fat Albert, "Fat Albert")
_"Holy (whatever), Batman!" (Robin, "Batman")
_"Holy crap!" (Frank Barone, "Everybody Loves Raymond")
_"Homey don't play that!" (Homey the Clown, "In Living Color")
_"How sweet it is!" (Jackie Gleason, "The Jackie Gleason Show")
_"How you doin'?" (Joey Tribbiani, "Friends")
_"I can't believe I ate the whole thing" (Alka Seltzer ad)
_"I know nothing!" (Sgt. Schultz, "Hogan's Heroes")
_"I love it when a plan comes together" (Hannibal, "The A-Team")
_"I want my MTV!" (MTV ad)
_"I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl ..." (Larry, "Newhart")
_"I'm not a crook ..." (Richard Nixon)
_"I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV" (Vicks Formula 44 ad)
_"I'm Rick James, bitch!" (Dave Chappelle as Rick James, "Chappelle's Show")
_"Is that your final answer?" (Regis Philbin, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire")
_"It keeps going and going and going ..." (Energizer Batteries ad)
_"It takes a licking ..." (Timex ad)
_"Jane, you ignorant slut" (Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin, "Saturday Night Live")
_"Just one more thing ..." (Columbo, "Columbo")
_"Let's be careful out there" (Sgt. Esterhaus, "Hill Street Blues")
_"Let's get ready to rumble!" (Michael Buffer, various sports events)
_"Live long and prosper" (Spock, "Star Trek")
_"Makin' whoopie" (Bob Eubanks, "The Newlywed Game")
_"Mom always liked you best" (Tommy Smothers, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour")
_"Never assume ..." (Felix Unger, "The Odd Couple")
_"Nip it!" (Barney Fife, "The Andy Griffith Show")
_"No soup for you!" (The Soup Nazi, "Seinfeld")
_"Norm!" ("Cheers")
_"Now cut that out!" (Jack Benny, "The Jack Benny Program")
_"Oh, my God! They killed Kenny!" (Stan and Kyle, "South Park")
_"Oh, my nose!" (Marcia Brady, "The Brady Bunch")
_"One small step for man ..." (Neil Armstrong)
_"Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" (Grey Poupon ad)
_"Read my lips: No new taxes!" (George H.W. Bush)
_"Resistance is futile" (Picard as Borg, "Star Trek: The Next Generation")
_"Say good night, Gracie" (George Burns, "The Burns & Allen Show")
_"Schwing!" (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth, "Saturday Night Live")
_"Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" (Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle)
_"Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids" (Trix cereal ad)
_"Smile, you're on `Candid Camera'" ("Candid Camera")
_"Sock it to me" ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In")
_"Space, the final frontier ..." (Capt. Kirk, "Star Trek")
_"Stifle!" (Archie Bunker, "All in the Family")
_"Suit up!" (Barney Stinson, "How I Met Your Mother")
_"Tastes great! Less filling!" (Miller Lite beer ad)
_"Tell me what you don't like about yourself" (Dr. McNamara and Dr. Troy, "Nip/Tuck")
_"That's hot" (Paris Hilton, "The Simple Life")
_"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" (Jim McKay, "ABC's Wide World of Sports")
_"The tribe has spoken" (Jeff Probst, "Survivor")
_"The truth is out there" (Fox Mulder, "The X-Files")
_"This is the city ..." (Sgt. Joe Friday, "Dragnet")
_"Time to make the donuts" ("Dunkin' Donuts" ad)
_"Two thumbs up" (Siskel & Ebert, "Siskel & Ebert")
_"Up your nose with a rubber hose" (Vinnie Barbarino, "Welcome Back, Kotter")
_"We are two wild and crazy guys!" (Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as Czech playboys, "Saturday Night Live")
_"Welcome to the O.C., bitch" (Luke, "The O.C.")
_"Well, isn't that special?" (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, "Saturday Night Live")
_"We've got a really big show!" (Ed Sullivan, "The Ed Sullivan Show")
_"Whassup?" (Budweiser ad)
_"What you see is what you get!" (Geraldine, "The Flip Wilson Show")
_"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" (Arnold Drummond, "Diff'rent Strokes")
_"Where's the beef?" (Wendy's ad)
_"Who loves you, baby?" (Kojak, "Kojak")
_"Would you believe?" (Maxwell Smart, "Get Smart")
_"Yabba dabba do!" (Fred Flintstone, "The Flintstones")
_"Yada, yada, yada" ("Seinfeld")
_"Yeah, that's the ticket" (Jon Lovitz as the pathological liar, "Saturday Night Live")
_"You eeeediot!" (Ren, "Ren & Stimpy")
_"You look mahvelous!" (Billy Crystal as Fernando, "Saturday Night Live")
_"You rang?" (Lurch, "The Addams Family")
_"You're fired!" (Donald Trump, "The Apprentice")
_"You've got spunk ..." (Lou Grant, "The Mary Taylor Moore Show")

Answers at Last!

I hate to use the old adage "When God closes the door, He opens the window". Personally, I don't believe that its always God closing the door...but rather we are trying to open a door that was never meant to be opened.

So I have always run with the theory of "keep knocking on doors, you are bound to get an answer". In my life, there have been many situations in which I have literally "turned on a dime" and moved in a completely different direction. Over the years, I have learned that "it never hurts to ask, the worst they can say is no".

In combining all these, if I keep moving forward AND knock on the doors in front of me AND asking for help....then I will get my answer! I firmly believe that God directs our path when we seek Him.

August, 2006
New School year begins. Both boys are excited and looking forward to going back to school. I was hoping for Mrs. W for J's 2nd grade year since she had N last year, but he got Mrs. E (who is the mother of their 1st grade teacher). I did not know either of the 3rd grade teachers, but the one N wanted isn't teaching this year, so he got Mrs. N. Every year, my prayer partner, T & I have been praying for our children's teachers...that God will give them the teachers they need for that year.

The year had barely began when both boys started saying they hated school. How can that be? They are still in review. Ah ha! Review time! I HATED review time...it always seemed like a waste of time to me. Well, surely they will change their minds when they get into the new material.

Parent Orientation
New Reading Program started this year. Hmmm...ok. Two years ago we started a new math program that seems to be going well. This will probably be a good thing too.

September, 2006
Took N to the doctor because he says he can't turn his brain off at night to go to sleep. She diagnosed him as ADD. ADD? My child isn't a disability child! He can sit for movies for hours. Oh? ADD is not "hyper-disorder", but lack of attention/focus-disorder. O-kay. So what now? Try this new medicine. Oh alright, but I hate meds.

Wow! N has been waking up so refreshed and in such a good mood! He has been so helpful to me in getting ready for school and making his own lunch. Thank you, Lord for our doctor that is really looking out for his needs. Such improvment in N at school too. I was getting really worried when he got suspended from school twice. Hmmm...I wonder if that the kids that bothered him at his desk had anything to do with his effort to focus? He said they "got in his way so he slapped at them to get off his desk".

October, 2006
Now that N's behavior has settled down tremendously, J's behavior has spiked. Or was it that it was the same, but overshadowed by N's behavior and now that its become subdued, J's has behavior has taken the forefront of attention?

What's this? You "can't read it because its a book"? That's why you are learning to read....so that you CAN READ a book. But dad said "that N is book smart and you are just street smart"? Well, honey, I am so sorry he said that to you, but YOU ARE SMART! And learning to read is something that helps all of us become smarter. Because we can read about things and then we know more than we used to know before we read and learned about them. (Well, I am sure that just went over his head...) I will tell you this: Your mom loves to read and I will help you learn to read, ok? Let's just start by sounding out the letters and then you will catch on.

Easier said than done!

November, 2006
J's teacher has called me at home now about 4 times. What to do? She says he is refusing to do his work in class and therefore getting 0's on his papers. I tell her I am fighting with him for up to 2 hrs to get him to do his work. She says don't do that...homework shouldn't take but 30-45 mins/night. Stop when the timer goes off and send it back to school. Well, my goodness! That still doesn't solve anything. My son isn't getting his work done and getting failing grades because he doesn't have anything turned in to be graded.

Now J is being sent to the principal's office because he is refusing to do work. The teacher calls me at work. We talk. (Ironically, right before my 2-month review at my new job) J's consequences are to sit in the principal's office all day the next day. J and I talk.

Next day: 9:34am - The principal calls me at work. We talk. J is refusing to do his work, she says. I ask, what subject is he supposed to be working on right now? She said his reading. He has already done his math. I tell her that last night J came in and did his whole math page in 3 mins, and that its the reading that he has a hard time doing. She said, well he keeps saying over and over that "he can't read it" and will I talk to him? Sure. What do you want me to tell my son, that you haven't already told him? Well, I need you to tell him to do his work. O-kay...I will. (Does she know this is undermining her authority when she calls ME at work to TELL him to do his work????) I talk to J and its a quiet afternoon....Thank God!

Tonight
In my desperation over the last few weeks, I insisted to their dad that I HAD to get some family counseling to help learn how to encourage the boys in their school work, attitudes, and behaviors. Since he knew their report cards showed failing grades, he didn't fight me on the counseling subject anymore. (I think he is at his wit's end too) Oh yes, he actually agreed to let me take them because "it can't hurt and its not costing us anything". LOL! Answers in the least expected ways!

After phone calls from the school two days in a row, I called the PAS line. I remembered I was told that I could get questions answered in between our counseling sessions. I was near tears. The gal that took my call was most helpful and suggested my talking to a Parenting Consultant that specializes in speech therapy, learning disabilities, and ADD. But to know that being a holiday week, I may not hear from them tomorrow and to let her know by next Tuesday if they didn't call by Monday.

AMAZINGLY, I received a call tonight from K in the Parenting Consultant center. How refreshing it was to hear an educated/intelligent person mentioning ideas and suggestions that I had already researched and was putting in place in my children's lives. All of a sudden, the heavy burden that has been weighing me down, rolled off my shoulders! There was HOPE! I wasn't failing my children. I was smart in the decisions I was making for and with them. They ARE bright children! And my new thought processes I have learned over the years in my personal life? She applauded them! She said, there aren't very many parents that will take the time to educate themselves to help their children succeed. Most of them will leave it to the teachers. She also said my children were very lucky to have me as their mother, because I really seemed to have my focus in life together.

WOW! I know that my close friends have supported me and encouraged me with some of the same words. However, to get it from a professional that works with children and understood all the things I was describing about my children, was a soothing balm to my distraught heart. Not only did she validate my efforts, but she gave me a wealth of knowledge to research further to find best ways to teach my children. The most valuable information of all, was she gave me steps to take and a time frame in which to gain assistance from the school in building an Individual Education Plan for J...that is backed by law!

Thank you, Dear Father, for being "a husband to the husbandless and a father to the fatherless".

Answers At Last!