Movies I am most excited to see this year:

'Percy Jackson & The Olympians' Release Date: Feb. 12

'Alice in Wonderland' Release Date: March 5

'Green Zone' Release Date: March 12

'Clash of the Titans' Release Date: March 26

'Date Night' Release Date: April 9

'Iron Man 2' Release Date: May 7

'Robin Hood' Release Date: May 14

'Shrek Forever After' Release Date: May 21

'Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time' Release Date: May 28

'The A-Team' Release Date: June 11

'The Karate Kid' Release Date: June 11

'Toy Story 3' Release Date: June 18

'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' Release Date: July 16

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Pt 1' Release Date: Nov. 19

'Rapunzel' Release Date: Nov. 24

'The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader' Release Date: Dec. 10

'Tron: Legacy' Release Date: Dec. 17

'Gulliver's Travels' Release Date: Dec. 22

You're Welcome

Just your everyday Storytime

New York/Boston accent:

John Wayne accent:

That bug guy from Men In Black accent:Strong Sad accent: (If you don't know who Strong Sad is...you must not be a 12 yr. old boy...check it out Here)

British accent:

This is why I am not allowed to read the bedtime stories anymore...Thanks Jeff!

Moses to her people

I was irritated this morning. I dragged myself out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and waited for wonderful Michelle to pick me up for my power pump class. Usually I feel better after my workout. It is a habit now thanks to Michelle. I love her and am so grateful for her in helping me to develop this schedule. But after class today, I still felt like crap.

All I want is to be a stay at home mom and take care of my family. I think I am good at it. It makes me happy. But right now, financial necessity has made work a priority. I am lucky to have found a job in my field of expertise. I am a certified teacher, but would not be willing to take on the demands of a full time teaching job. I worked at the school from hell for 10 years. Remember The Trunchbull in Matilda...that was my life. I saw myself as Miss Honey, and got through it okay. But was eternally grateful to be able to retire from THAT school, and just stay home for awhile when Derek was born.

I am grateful for my new job. I work with really sweet teachers and an amazingly compassionate literacy facilitator who is my boss. I am home by 12:30 nearly every day. I don't mind it while I am there. I work with kids who don't qualify for resource, but are behind in reading. But it still takes me away from what I really want to be doing. The economy and Jeff's pay cut have made it necessary.

I am also juggling teaching art after school and preschool art classes a few days a week in addition to my reading teaching job that I do every day. I also tend the neighborhood kids after school, which I really do LOVE.

Today, after dropping of Derek at one of my many amazingly sweet and helpful neighbors' house, I trudged off to school...resenting that we are only half-way through the year...and after a long holiday weekend, it is doubly hard to return....

Feeling sorry for myself, and being a little more irritated than usual, I made it to school on time. Today was slightly out of the ordinary. A few times a month, we take classes for teachers so they can test their students individually during class time. I had a first grade class today. I know the students, and I like them...but again, I just felt...depressed and irritable. I went through the motions of centers and reading instruction, and got through the morning. For the last half hour, we did a Martin Luther King Jr. wrap up...which included an "I have a dream" worksheet, and a black history story...about Harriet Tubman.

When the little 6 year olds started to ask me why I was crying, I realized that I missed teaching. And I did cry. But as every 1st grader knows, there is a difference between sad tears and happy tears...
and realizing how many people in our country's history that were like Harriet Tubman was exactly what I needed today. People who willingly gave EVERYTHING they had to make a difference in the life of another...completely unselfish, protected by the hand of God to carry out a divine purpose...I am so grateful, that on a gloomy winters day, when I really needed it, I found some meaning, once again, with the help of some of Heavenly Fathers greatest gift to us all...little children, and a fearless, strong, selfless, god-loving American Women. God bless America and the people whose histories have made this country great. And may we ALL live our lives as Americans worthy of our histories, and make contributions for the future of this land, and for the future of our children.

Cupcake Copycat

I love the book Pinkalicious I loved it the first time I read it and felt a little meloncholy that I didn't have a little girl. In fact, I bought the book for my niece who has beautiful little girls, but felt like I didn't have a right to own it for myself. Everytime I saw it, or saw a blog post about it, I felt kind of sad inside for missing out on all the little girly stuff I never get to do.

I went to the book store a few times and would pick it up off the shelf, and then put it away again, or buy it for another one of my friends with little girls. Reminding myself that our house is a Superhero Jedi Training Camp...not a girly fairy princess house. And although I really do love and am so grateful for every moment I have of safegaurding our YT-1300 Rebel Transport Ship from The Evil Republic on a daily basis...every now and then I long to have high tea and put on a pair of glass slippers and a tiara.

Derek used to go for the tea parties. Not any more.

So as the ultimate indulgence of waking up every morning and getting to the gym at 5:30 a.m. for an entire week...I went to Barnes and Nobel and bought it for myself! And the best part is... I changed the name of the little brother in the book to 'Derek'...Derek loves the story now too!

Luckly, our friend Delaney came over today, and with her help, Derek and I made cupcakes. Now, I am a copycat, because I have seen 2 other posts of pinkalicious cupcakes from Andrea, and Jamie, both absolutly adorable posts by the way. So copying is the highest form of flattery, and they both did it first. So I want to be just like ya'll!

Anyways. Derek did not go for the pink. So we changed it up a little and did Bluealicious cupcakes. We used the brown sugar cupcake recipe from the Tongue-n-Cheeky blog. One of my favorites. I don't know Brooke, the author, but I would really like to. We also used her buttercream 101 recipe for the frosting. So yummy and so delicious.


Derek frosted this one all by himself

Delaney and Derek and their Bluealicious Cupcakes!

Nice work guys!!!!

10 Favorite Photos of 2009

10 things I realized in the past 10 years

1. I worry way too much
2. I have amazing friends who are better than me on the inside as well as the outside in every way
3. I am very Thankful to live in an amazing community where my neighbors have become my family. They are good to my children and to me and I love the people here with all my heart.
4. I have friends who listen to me and are supportive and patient and they make me want to be a better person
5. Most problems can be solved by a night at Jordan Commons or a lunch with good friends
6. I love my kids more than anything
7. I can and have become addicted to a 5:30 a.m. work out schedule
8. I am married to a very good man and I am lucky
9. Forgiveness is a gift we can give ourselves as well as others and it is the real key to finding peace
10. I don't need money or possessions to be happy or to have class. I am grateful for my little house and my little family and I really do have everything I need

Happy 2010!!!