Update

Just wanted to share some pictures that I've taken recently...

 

This picture was the result of snow day boredom! We had a big box of shredded paper and Knox loved it. The mess was 100% worth it...he had a blast!

Ha! Love this picture. Knox recently started wanting to pick out his own clothes. Usually he does pretty good but on this day he picked out shorts and a hoodie. It has been so cold in our house. We turned down the heat because of propane prices (didn't everyone?). So we put his slippers on him. And not sure about the hat...he just loves it and likes to wear it for no reason sometimes. 

I took this yesterday. We went over to Cody's parent's house after church. He loves to play the piano. He always wants the light on and then turns the pages of the book as he plays. He plays the keys so softly, and doesn't bang on them like you would think a kid his age would. 

 

I took a few pictures this morning when Knox woke up. He found this little pacifier the other day. It's actually his first pacifier...it used to be so big in his mouth. Now look at it! Not ok! 

He likes to say 'cheeeeeese' now when we take pictures. 

Not sure what was up with his hair this morning. It was sticking straight up like that. Also notice the Rudolph nose. He fell at church yesterday. Fell on his nose and got a rug burn on it. Aaand you may be able to see his chipped tooth. It's his top, front tooth (the right one when you are looking at it in the pic). Not exactly sure how it happened...or when...but he is definitely an accident waiting to happen. 

Last picture! Another snow day experiment. I had seen this idea on Pinterest. Not quite a success, but not exactly a fail either. We created a baby hammock using my moby wrap and our kitchen table. I don't know how to make it stay tight. After he gets in it, it slides down to the floor pretty quickly. It could also be because he's huge!! He started standing still long enough to stand by himself on the scale. He now weighs between 30 and 31 pounds. I'm thankful he's growing but sad he's getting so big so fast! 

Body Image

I'm going to start out with a disclaimer...I am in need of a rant. 

As a teenager, and really up until I got married, I was obsessed with how I looked. Not in the, take three hours to get ready, type of way, but I was always aware of what my body looked like. Whether that was being self-conscious of positioning for a picture or changing my clothes ten times because nothing fit just right, I was always, always thinking about how I looked. 

It's still there. Not constantly, like in my earlier years, but I catch myself worrying about weight and the way I look every once in a while. I know that I probably eat too much sometimes, but I also have to remind myself of the real reason I've put on some weight. I had a baby! And not only that, but my thyroid was pretty much killed off after I had a baby by my immune system. It makes it pretty tough to lose weight. And I would rather look like this and have Knox than be skinny with no baby :D 

SO on to my next point. In today's society, women can seriously never be good enough. I was watching the Today show. And they started talking about The Biggest Loser. I've never watched the show. I'm not claiming to even know how the show works. 

In case you haven't heard, the girl who won lost a whole bunch of weight (the point of the show right?) and weighed in at 105 pounds. Now she's being scrutinized for losing too much weight. 

This is how women are treated constantly. I'm sure she was made fun of for being too fat. Now she's being torn apart for being too skinny. We can seriously never be good enough for the media. 

Just think of how she feels. She worked so hard to get rid of all that weight. What should be a joyous celebration of overcoming a feeling of 'I'm not good enough' is now turned into the same feeling, just in a different way. 

Who are we to judge? Only she knows what she did to lose the weight. We idolize shows like this, encourage these people to lose weight for our entertainment, and then complain when we see the results. 

I found an article that said the winner lost 60% of her body weight. There was a guy on the show who lost 55% of his body weight. But yet, the girl got more scrutiny. He did very close to the same thing, but because he's a man, I suppose it is ok. 

I'm not saying losing that much weight in such a short time is healthy. I'm not saying she even looks healthy. I'm just saying that when it comes to the body image of a woman, there is nothing we can do to make people happy. 

And here's a thought...if everyone is so concerned with how unhealthy this amount of weight loss is, why don't we stop watching and cancel the show? Frankly, I don't think NBC will stop it. It is obviously making top headlines--the dream of every tv station. 

An exhausting week

Most people don't know, but teachers do a lot of extras for their kids. While upper-grade teachers spend hours past their contracted time grading papers, elementary teachers spend hours past their contracted time preparing activities, decorating classrooms, and organizing so that every minute of class time is used to benefit the child. 

Never, ever tell a teacher they are lucky because they only work 8-3. 

Or, for that matter, that they get three months off in the summer. 

I have heard these comments many, many times and it takes a lot to bite my tongue. Teachers still work, even when we aren't getting paid for it. What other job does that? Oh, and while I'm still on my soap box, in what other profession do you still have to work when you call in sick? 

Why don't teachers just plan during their planning period? Wouldn't that solve a lot of time issues? You see, we do have a 50-minute or so planning period, but planning usually gets thrown aside for parent meetings, meetings with other teachers, or any other meeting for that matter. Not to mention things that come up and need to be taken care of...oh, say, a kid peeing his pants and you need to get him changed and such. Ah, the life of a teacher :) 

I don't complain about my pay. Do I think teachers deserve more? Of course! But we get along just fine with what we make. Plus we have great benefits, which I am thankful for everyday.

Moving on... 

This week marked the 100th day of school. This is a monumental milestone each year for our first graders. I planned a day full of activities centered around the number 100. Each activity was placed in a balloon and hung from the ceiling. When it was time to move to the next activity, we popped a balloon to reveal what was next. 

Every year I have the students write about what they will be like when they are 100. It is hilarious to hear some of the things they think they will still be able to do. This year I found an app called 'aging booth'. I took the kids' pictures and printed out what they will be like when they are old. I attached it to a piece of construction paper and when it was time to write, I had them close their eyes to imagine it. While they did that, I placed their picture face down on their desks. When they opened their eyes I told them to turn over their paper and start writing. 

O.M.G 

Their reactions were priceless. Looking back I wish I would have filmed it. Hilarious! 

Here's a picture of old man Knox: 

My point in saying all this was to confirm that I am exhausted. I was at the school until 9:00 the night before the 100th day. And I stayed late pretty much every night. We had basketball games to go to, and had Cody's birthday party Friday night (which was a successful fajita night by the way). 

 So grateful for a day of rest on this Saturday. Planning on spending some time with the Knox-man. Tomorrow is the Super Bowl! Can't wait for game-day food. But not before I make my weekend trek back to the school to prepare for next week...