Starting to Blog Again-New Direction

So I haven't really  blogged since my son died in February of 2012.

My life had a lot of twists and changes since then...

I adopted my daughter!

Got kissed by a baby wolf!

I went to Ecuador and participated in a Spay Day!  We fixed over 34 dogs and cats as well as brought about $10,000 worth of donated supplies.

I got to see Blue Footed Boobies at Isla de la Plata

I learned how to dress appropriately for outdoor winter activities and learned how to love snow and winter!

Worked on the Veterinary Team for the UP200 Dog Sled Races!

I got a new job and was elected Faculty of the Year!

It's the new job and the fun things I get to do that I plan showcasing on the blog now.  I still plan on talking about my life and the fun things I get to do, but there are a bunch of things I'm having fun with right now that I want to talk about...

Augmented Reality

Flipped Classrooms

Applied Learning Activities

iPads in the Classroom

Different teaching modalities

I know kind of boring for those not into teaching and technology...kind of cool for those that are!  Stick around and see the great things new technology has to offer!

The Twilight Zone-House of Mirrors..

So, yesterday was my son's 17th birthday...I spent some time thinking back about my excitement of bring this wonderful fabulous new life into the world.  I wanted the best for my son so I breastfed, did all the required attachment parenting techniques..and look at what it got me? 

(First some background..my son had a really close friend when we lived in Las Vegas..his name was Charles they rode the bus together in elementary school, I haven't seen him in about 5 years..please keep this in mind when you look at the screenshots below...)

This is a screen from my son's facebook page..

Okay..so I was a little confused..I assumed that CHARLES was now calling himself CHARLIE...and my son's friends were trying to straighten me out!

I have now totally embarrassed Jake and he has stepped in and sorted his mom out...I'm not sure why this deserves a double facepalm..but...okay...I'm trying to just be humorous about this..

BTW my son came in and said...CHARLES is a completely different name the CHARLIE..really? I mean, Charlie could be Charles and just chooses to be called Charlie as a nickname...Jake's name is Jacob but we call him Jake!  When I pointed this out..he started telling me last names..like I remember those..gee!

Then this appears this morning...

WTH???  I shouldn't be on the internets???  Just cuz I was confused by a name? ? And do I really deserve to have an Audi call me out? 

Well I guess I'm going to stop commenting on my son's FB page as it is a house of mirrors and I became lost and confused..

Motherhood

I want to talk about being a mother today..I'm not talking about the kind where you just donate the egg and think that's all there is too it...I'm talking about the kind where you sacrifice..
You sacrifice your time, your energy, your ability to sit down because you love the child so much.

I'm writing this post standing up and on my EVO because LO needs a nap..I tried laying her down and she promptly woke up..so I threw on my sling and I'm doing the mommy hip swing. (You mommies know the one I'm talking about...I figured I'd have to relearn it when I decided to take in LO but surprise, surprise its like riding a bike, you don't forget.)
And so I'm standing in my kitchen, listening to the sound of sweet snoring...I have plenty of things I could be doing..laundry, cleaning, bookwork, my expense report, but its more important to me that LO get her nap. I'm sacrificing! And loving it!
Attachment Parenting seems so daunting to some people. When you tell them that you babywear they look at you like your crazy..I try to explain how important it is to babies, but their response generally is to tell me I'm going to spoil her.  I know better...even though my son is shy he's not spoiled, he does what I ask him to do..he helps when I need it.
People think its forever, what they don't realize is that attachment parenting isn't helicopter parenting, The whole goal of attachment parenting is to create independence.  It's a type of parenting the teaches your children to be independent responsible teenagers and adults.  And isn't that what we as parents want?  To raise babies that grown into well functioning adults? 
Maybe during this new decade, this new year we should focus more on being attached to our children then on wars, terrorism, and the Jones'.  Maybe we need to live more simply and stay home loving our babies...
What do you think?  Are you a parent that practices attachment parenting?  Do you want to  live more simply this year?  Let me know in the comments below!

the end

So this tonight is the end of the decade...we are moving into the adolescent years of the 21st century.
If you'd asked me last year what my life would look like in a year I wouldn't have guessed I'd be called GiGi, or sharing a bed with LO.

I knew my son would be driving but I didn't think he'd be hanging out with the girls basketball team...videotaping games..

I never imagined I'd be listening to kids music again, or learning sign language, or using cloth diapers

 

or going to LLL again, or babywearing...

or using a exersaucer

But I am, and I'm enjoying every minute of it...even though I've had to drop LO off at the jail so she can have a visit or had unwelcome visitors at my house for hours on end. I even blogged everyday for a month. I've made new friends like Jennie and Beth (who supplied my babywearing fetish) and Lisa and all the Green Bay babywearers. Or Tara (@wolf_mommy) or Curtis (@blackgaykendoll)!

I hope in the next year, it gets finalized so that LO gets to stay with us permanently. That my son decides where he wants to go to college, that everyone has a good year.

Bodhi Day and Anger Management

Since today is Bodhi Day, which is the Buddhist holiday to commemorates the enlightenment of the Siddhartha, I thought I'd talk a little bit about mindful breathing and anger management...

When I was younger..as in about 10 years ago..I had a temper that could start a fire as quick as wink. I could be described as being quick to anger and quick to forget. I've noticed that the older I've gotten, the better able I am at controlling my temper. (Either that or I just don't care anymore.) Unfortunately, over the last few weeks the flames of my fiery temper have been stroked more frequently and they are burning bright.

Little One has not been feeling well the last few days..which leads to a fussy, crying, screaming baby that seems to be inconsolable..which leads GiGi to be grumpy, impatient, and frustrated. In the logical part of my mind, I'm telling myself..there is something wrong with LO, she is either hungry, in pain, overly tired, or over stimulated (dysregulated) and as her GiGi, it is my job to figure out what is wrong. BUT.....my reptile brain just wants to scream, yell, run away, and be ANGRY...and resentful.

In the current issue of Mothering Magazine there's an article called Managing Mama Rage by Tera Freese. In the article she talks about how to take care of your anger and how to deal with a fiery temper. She gives some techniques about how to breath through your anger.

Tonight, as soon as I got LO home from SO's shop she started fussing, then it escalated to screaming uncontrollably. I got her to sleep while walking her around in the sling and laid her down, but she woke up about 5 minutes later, only to scream some more. Nothing I did seemed to make her feel better...I kept thinking about the article and the breathing techniques that she recommended..well..I couldn't remember a darn one of them...so I just started he'ing..you know that breath they teach you in Lamaze..the “he he” breath..

Did it work?..well LO was startled at the strange sound so for about 2 minutes she stopped crying but once she figured out that it wasn't a risk to her, she began screaming louder then I was he'ing. Did it help me? It did help me to be more present..and to recognize that I was quickly losing my patience. I was about to the point of laying her down in the crib and walking away (to the Bahamas) but part of me doesn't want her to feel abandoned.

SO finally got home, to find me sitting on the couch with a half naked baby (I started stripping off her clothes thinking she may be hot or just something different might stop the screaming) on the verge of tears.

Where am I going with this?? well, I guess as a good mother, it is our responsibility to recognize where our rope ends...and to realize that we don't always have to tie a knot at the end of it. We can let go of the rope...as long as we don't hurt ourselves or others, its okay to face our anger. It's okay to ask for help, it's okay to leave the baby someplace safe and take a breather. Slap on the earphones and listen to some Metallica (BTW, I had to look up how to spell Metallica, cause I don't listen to them normally). It's even okay to say to LO..I'm angry, I need a break, I love you. It doesn't make us bad parents, it actually makes us better humans.

What techniques do you use to take care of your temper? And what do you do when you've reached the end of your rope?

Little One at Peace (so GiGi can play)

The other day my precious BlackBerry bit the dust. I really loved my 'berry but I loved the touch screen on my iPhone (AT&T dumped me because of to much off-network internet usage.) Then the new BB Torch came out, and I thought....fabulous! But its only available on AT&T..(damn it)  So I opted to get the new HTC EVO.  I'm still getting used to the new operating system, but I am enjoying the camera and some of the photo editing apps. The app I used to edit these pictures is PicSayPro

 

 

 

I miss my BB messenger..I loved pinning people but I did find an app called PingChat which has the same features as pinning does and allows me to text for free. The application is completely free and who can pass up free.  You can also send video, pictures, and files to your friends and you can chat with a group of people and send them all the same stuff...(totally cool)...If any of you want to give it a try my user name is GiGi_40, the app is available for iPhones, Blackberries, and Android systems.  

The phone also has a voice recognition application you can use instead of the keyboard (I'm assuming to limit distractions) but I have noticed that it causes more distraction then just typing..but I can't break the new texting law..so I have to figure out how to either enunciate more clearly or just send messages that make absolutely no sense. 

Happy Birthday to Me

Today was my 41st birthday! I never expected to be alive this long. I've always had this thought that I would never get a chance to see my grandchildren.  Well I might not get to see them grow up but I have seen them. 

For my birthday I got this chocolate cake (this is a bad picture, but SO still hasn't fixed the light in the dining room..grrr..I should have asked for that for my birthday)

Apparently all the hints, as well as the email, given to SO on what to buy me as a gift paid off because he gave me this beautiful necklace this morning, as I was leaving for work/visitation.

 Now I'm tired as I have plummeted off the edge of my sugar high!  Night, Night all!

It's All About the Boots

So today was a court date for LO's parents...I have to say parents lightly because some anonymous guy has stepped forward and said that he's the baby daddy..it's like a real life Jerry Springer show. So now things have been put-on hold until after the New Year.

What struck me the most was when they brought mom out is how casual she seemed to be about being in an orange jumpsuit and shackled! It was like it was a completely normal thing...I just kept thinking..WHY!

So when that was done I went and did some work...but I did stop at this cool vintage shop and walked away with a pair of boots and a cool Harris Tweed jacket.

Living with Me Can Cause Drinking!

Its Saturday night I have 45 minutes to get today's post written, edited, and posted.  I have no topic in mind and I have someone reading over my shoulder which makes it even harder...

I spent the day in bookkeeping hell...I hate, absolutely hate, doing the books for my SO's business..we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things and how I run the business books is one of them..It leaves me angry, flustered and lacking patience for the LO and my DS..I just want to run away screaming..sooo

I did run away from the shop, but I ran away with the LO and we ran to someone's house to pick up a Exersaucer for $15.  (I love Craigs List!)  She's still to small for it, but in just a few months she'll think it's the bee's knees!

When I got back home (I never run away for too long)  I found a package from Jenny over at Making a Home and Family which thrilled me..I bought some diapers from her and she had to school me on how to use them..I was hoping that another package would be in my mailbox too..a new sling from BabyEtte but alas, I am going to have to wait until next week!

We spent the evening watching movies..I finally sat down and watched New in Town with Renee Zellweger..it reminded me of how I felt during my first winter in Wisconsin..cold and in culture shock!

After the movie..SO decided that he wanted to mess with GiGi and well..you shouldn't mess with GiGi..a water fight ensued and this is what happens!  I win the water fight and you get driven to drink in the bathroom in the dark!

At this moment we are all calmed back down and watching Seven Years in Tibet (Brad Pitt is hot, even with a terrible accent!), LO is sleeping and I'm about ready to head off to the shower..

Remember..don't mess with GiGi..

Topic of the Day: MEN!

I want to talk about men..it seems to be the topic today..Whitney over at Not Merely a Momma talked about her husbands feet and Tiffany (@MomNom) blogged at Scary Mommy about neutering her husband.  I want to talk about how frustrating men can be sometimes...

They fart, belch, leave their dirty socks all over the house, and never put the toilet seat down.  They scratch their privates and pick their butts..and when you bend over to pick something up they butt check you!  (Butt checking is..when they thrust their pelvis into your tush I hate that!!)  I can barely tolerate those things, but I think its programmed in to their DNA so what else can you expect..what I can't tolerate is when grandpa does things just to annoy me.

Like when the LO is sleeping, he comes in and makes loud noises seemingly wanting to wake her up.  I just want to slap him upside the head...I am terrified that she'll wake up and then I'll have to spend hours getting her back to sleep..I threaten him with death if he wakes her but he just smiles and acts like its no big deal.

The other thing he does that pisses me off (I can get pissy pretty easily) is when he brings me the LO with a poopy diaper.  He just smiles and leaves her in my lap..I'm mean jeez..its just a dirty diaper..clean the damn thing.  Poor baby having to wait for me to do it!  I have been half tempted to leave a dirty diaper in his car, just to prove the point..don't mess with the GiGi!