Not Guilty

I've concluded that not religiously keeping up with my blog doesn't make me a bad person; it makes me normal. Living life gets in the way of most things non-stress related, and typing in my blog is just that... non-stressful. It's simply an avenue that lets me speak my mind on whatever issues I choose, whenever I choose to speak it. It's my small space on the world wide web that's dedicated to only me, and I enjoy when we spend time together (even if it is short bouts here and there).

On the home front, we've decided to homeschool Kristian this year. Him and I are getting along okay, with limited areas of annoyance. He's breezing through schoolwork and turning in papers after each subject (our two main problems with public school). He calls me Mrs. Mom and even tells me what a good job I'm doing as his teacher *grin* I'm aware that his brown-nosing remarks/compliments are just that (brown-nosing), but I'd be lying if I said they didn't make me feel good.

Nicole recently tested for her permit and passed with flying colors. She's fifteen-and-a-half now, FIFTEEN-AND-A-HALF! Can you believe it?!?! It's cliché to say that I remember her running around in diapers, but, in saying that, I TOTALLY get where that saying comes from. She's an awesome student with grades of A's and B's. I really couldn't ask for a better daughter. She's everything I always wanted :) For the second time this entry, I'd be lying if I said we never fight. We do over silly things such as questions like "How does my hair look?" and "Can I drive?", but for the most part we get along.

We bought our second truck back in February and hired our first employee to drive for us. I guess these acts made the business 'official'. Being owners of anything is hard work, but, surprisingly, this endeavor hasn't been too taxing. Insert my third and final lie of this entry. Summer posed many hardships as the heat was ruthless. Maintenance costs for two trucks was outrageous from June through August. Tack on road taxes due around that time, and it was just plain scary! The weather seems to be cooling off now though, and so is our maintenance account. I know Jeremy is tired of working nights. He mentions it often :( The plan has always been to acquire around five trucks. Maybe then, things will change. The good news is, we just have three more to get there (three is better than five).

I'm feeling good about personal goals met. During the day I teach Kristian, keep house, make lunch/dinner, and run errands. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights I teach as an adjunct instructor at Seminole State. My classes aren't too terribly complex, but I'm using my teaching degree and making extra money, so I'm thrilled to say the least. I've even signed up to teach a class on iPods/iPhones/iPads next spring! I learn something new almost every class, and the people are wonderful. At this stage in my life, it's the best thing for our family, and I'm okay with that.

Well, once again, this has been an insightful post. After typing all entries, I always read over what I write. As with every time, I'm never NOT surprised at the things I learn about myself. Signing off - K. Bailey

By the Book

After weeks of driving by and desiring to check out the new goodwill store in town, I finally did grace it's presence yesterday afternoon. I spent an hour in the abridged book section not realizing how widespread my minutes there had become :o Why was I so intrigued by these titles?! Was I amazed at their prices? I've always liked books but have never liked them to that extent. The kicker... I was more impressed with the abundant diversity of homeschooling and college textbooks than I was with any other genre. I was astounded by the avenue in which age had crept up so silently and had announced itself in that normal and everyday moment. It's surreal this feeling of growing older...

Updates

So, I'm no longer perturbed by the plagiarism that is my life. Really think that last blog entry must have been written around the week before red-headed Aunt Suzie came for her monthly visit :o

Family time has encountered a lack thereof, but I've been a good and patient girl and couldn't be more proud!

Chance discovered that his sisters’ taste’s in disturbing movies were a bit too demented for his liking Lol Therefore, our next movie night will consist of only comedic genres *wink*

Nana's since tried out for a school play and nabbed the part of a southern lady named Sadie. She practices her accent quite often and makes me laugh at the way she calls me 'Mama'!

Bubba starts a new medicine next week... Every time he tries something new, I research until my fingers bleed! It's exhausting, but I HAVE to know what's going into my baby's body. I know he'll be okay. He's a trooper. He's a BAILEY *wink* (inside family joke) He's become less interested than he was before in Runescape. He informed me the other night that they've changed a lot of stuff on the game, and he no longer likes the way it's set up.

On February 22, 2010, Jeremy and I became proud owners of one 2006 candy-apple red Freightliner Century semi-truck! He's in love (: The seats are super-comfortable! In fact, he overkilled the salesman on how they 'hugged' him every time he sat down *giggle* It has 2 sleeper bunks (so we can go with him sometimes) and, best of all, the truck belongs to us! My focus now, as always, is on being organized and resourceful! It's gonna be awesome!!!

Adding to the mix, Dad received his 'birthday' iPod yesterday. Going to set it up tonight after school *big grin* WE ARE IPOD TIGHT YO!

Dr. Pudding & Nurse Sugarbottom

Last night, like most every night, I asked the kids to turn off the Wii and get ready for bed. They argued and said they needed to do one more thing before they turned it off. I hear this ALL THE TIME and got aggrivated. Needless to say, they were both grounded for not listening. Anyway, the real reason for this post was for what happened afterward. I walked into Bubba's room and laid on the bed just listening to them talk about silly stuff. Keep in mind, they were grounded now. Secretly, I kinda like when they're grounded ;) They're so sweet and humble without the extra-ness of all the technological junk that gets in the way of great kids nowadays. In the middle of a thought about how precious time spent with them is, I was pounced on by a young gentleman who called himself Dr. Pudding. He called for his nurse to assist him with his patient, which I had unknowingly become. A 13-year-old girl waltzed into the room wearing a toy carpenter's belt containing child-like tools. Hidden inside her pants and underneath her shirt was a volleyball. She dubbed herself Nurse Sugarbottom. I was told that I would be a patient with an infection inside my left leg. After a lot of prodding and poking with his 'tools', Dr. Pudding estimated that his hand was not long enough to reach the infection. His new prognosis: he would have to cut open my foot and pull the infection out. Lol They were SO cute! For an hour we enjoyed each other's company. I let all things 'adult' go and just had fun with my kids! And even though people tell them they're too old to play such games, my own Dr. Pudding and Nurse Sugarbottom owned that surgery room for the hour it was occupied on July 14, 2009!

Orange - Like the Juice ッ

A couple of weeks ago we took a personality test called True Colors in my Methods of Early Childhood class. Like previously-taken assessments, it was designed to give insight into what motivates a person and to what their values are. What I liked about this particular exam was its simplicity. True Colors divides our values/choices into four different colors (Orange, Gold, Blue, and Green).

I had my family take the test to see what colors they would be. If you know them, you'll understand why their colors were what they were :)
Jeremy was a mix of Orange and Gold with both numbers adjacent.
I was a strong Orange with Blue as my near second color.
Nicole was all over the board with mostly Blue.
And Kristian was another strong Orange, close Blue.

I’ve been watching these traits play out and think it notable to mention how accurate I think this test really is! It’s so interesting to me that I want to know everyone’s colors! Click here to take the adult test and here for the child's version. Once you’ve learned your results, click on your color link above to view traits about your personality. Also visit Traits That Frustrate to view a list of things we do that frustrate other colors. Don’t forget to holla your sound outs! Lol ~I'm a dork!~