The Squirrel Sage Continues

So, last year Randy was working on the house and a squirrel went in a hole he was patching.   For days, he would go out there and just look at the hole trying to figure out how to get the squirrel to come out.  One morning when I went out there, he had a two by four propped up to the hole and peanuts stationed at intervals down the board.  I said Randy, what are you doing? He replied as serious as could be " trying to get the squirrel to come out."  My friends laughed and laughed about Randy's antics to get that squirrel out of the house.  

Now, fast forward this year.   

Randy put up a squirrel feeder ,I mean.. a bird feeder.   Every time we looked out there was a gymnast squirrel hanging from the feeder enjoying his birdie goods.  He would walk out there and make a loud noise, he would stare out the window until finally he put a trap out there. He had peanuts all in  the trap.   Every few minutes he would get up to peer out the window.  " Look Debbie, he is almost in there..."  " See... he wants those peanuts."  When the squirrel finally went in he was as excited as a little boy waiting on the ice cream truck.   He took it to the park and let it out.  

So... here is my thought.  The squirrel either was totally ticked that Randy did that back and came back to haunt him.. OR... one of the other 100 squirrels in our yard decided to play the next trick.   

Last night at 7 pm Randy came in from the store and said "Debbie, come here, look!"  As I walked into the kitchen, I saw it.  The squirrels little tail was prancing around my bathroom as though it belonged there. IN THE BATHROOM !   It was a small squirrel.  I am thinking probably the baby of the one that Randy trapped the other day and took to the park.   As it noticed us watching it ran under the counter.  

Randy promptly closed the door and went to get his trap.  After putting his trap in the room he realized the squirrel could squeeze under the door so he went outside and got stepping stones and put along the bottom of the door.   All night-- it stayed like this.

At 8:15 animal control came in to pick up the squirrel.   He took the cage he brought into the bathroom and closed the door.  I really wanted to take pictures of this --- but I didnt get to.  Randy said " just go outside and take them through the window. There are steps there already."  I am thinking I must have missed Randy standing on steps outside peering through the window to catch a glimpse of the squirrel. That too, would have been a kodak moment.  ( I know.. I am mean.)   

Ten minutes later the animal control guy came out of the bathroom with the squirrel in the cage. The kids couldnt see it. I didnt ask him to uncover it so they could see.  I mean, I think the squirrel was ok, but what if it wasn't.   

That is how our morning started off in preschool.

I dont know if the kids learned anything but I did.

1.   I NEVER use the upstairs restroom. NEVER.  I will now make MORE trips up there to clean  it.  Goodness know the man in the house doesnt.

2.   I want to redecorate the upstairs bathroom. It is done in lighthouses from Randy's house when we got married.  It never bothered me because I didnt go up there. Now, it does..

3. Always keep a chip in the camera ready for squirrel watching ... or watchers.  :)

4.  The animal control guy says if it happens again to use peanut butter. Boy ,do we have spoiled squirrels.  They no longer want peanuts ,they prefer it processed into peanut butter? I wonder if it matters if it is creamy or crunchy?

All in  a days work.

I can wait to wake up each day now to see what squirrel adventure awaits us next! 

Is This a Sign of a Heart Attack?

Ok, I never thought in my life what I would google "signs of a heart attack, woman" and try to self diagnose whether I am having little signs of heart problems or just anxiety, or maybe even just a french  fry stuck in my throat. But.. I did.

Life is too busy right now. Here are my thoughts on everything I have going on.

I have been given 25,000 to start a state wide association.   What in heavens name made me think I would want to do this?  I realized in the nomination process  that I was going to be in the middle of several wonderful professional women like myself.. ( haha)  that will probably be going through menopause or PMS'ing at the same time.   Women can be emotional.  Can I deal with this when I have so much going on?  

College hours.   I am finishing my degree mainly for myself so I wont have to explain anymore that I do not have one.  Why?  Who cares? If they keep me this busy as uneducated as I am, what will happen when I actually have credentials?  Why do I need to study ancient art to be a great preschool teacher and why did all the artist like nudity so much. I totally could have been a model back then, they did like well rounded girls.... well, you know what I mean.  Arkansas history - I didnt realize I grew up in a place that was so pivotal in the civil rights movement.  Pschology -  I wont do spell check - s0.... see, how much trouble I am in ? I have been in this class for 10 weeks and STILL cant even spell the name of the class.

Concert. Yes, we have 64 of them so far.  That's all I am sayin.

Arkansas Childrens Week -  I am coordinating efforts for the Siloam Springs area. It is going to be very cool and fun .  There will be two large events - one hosted by family childcare providers and one by Arkansas Better Chance providers.  I hope we have clowns and I hope I am not one of them.

There are so many conferences that I need to be at in the next 3 months it is CRAZY.  One is this weekend.  I am the president, so I have to be there. I am teaching a session on FCC so, if I dont show up it will be noticed.   Can I just be irresponsible once?  

I went on a study tour last week. I am thinking of changing curriculum models to Reggio Emelia.  To be totally honest, I am not sure I have the energy right now.  I put so much time into the classroom now, I am not sure I can give more.  The Reggio Emelia style would require much documentation.  

Documentation - that is what I need ---one more thing to keep up with.

Taxes.... I havent even thought about them yet.  Ugh....

So,  I am pretty sure the quirks I have been feeling are anxiety...  If not, I did meet with an advisor last week to get insurance coverage for heart attacks.   No, there is not anything I can give up at this point. but soon.... I will. 

School will be out.

Concerts will be concerting... :)

I will be hanging out in the lap of luxury at a motel 6 before we know it ! 

Ahh......   There goes that french fry feeling again !  

Brandy is smart too

Today I asked Mykah one of my little girls to please get me the camera card on the living table  . She promptly returned with the card and I said " Wow, Mykah, that is it ! You are one smart little girl."   She replied " yeah... Mr Brandy helped me. He is a little smart too."  

Hehe....

I had a baby!

I know... you didnt know I was expecting! I have been for a long time now.  It has been a dream for  several years  to unite all providers in the state of Arkansas that are licensed for family childcare.  Family Child Care means we are a licensed facility within the home.  Most of us have separate playrooms and look much like a center.  But the feeling is different.  When you walk in there is a different feel. It is a feeling that the child is in a home - a caring environment - the next best place to their own.   Over the past few years due to zoning and the economy, the number of FCC homes has went down. That makes me very sad. Then you hear crazy stories like the blue koolaide one this weekend. So, in order to unite all FCC homes and raise the level of quality for all the children we need to unify.  

I spent a weekend in KY brainstorming with a friend about what we would like to see. We were dreaming big.

All of this seemed insurmountable until last week.  Several of us sat down and called over 750 homes to invite them to a meeting in Little Rock.   I made a power point to help them see my vision.   The head of licensing for the state of Arkansas spoke.  The meeting was held at a library.  

Despite my dad having a heart attack and me passing the ball to a few good friends to carry on.

The projector not working for the power point.

And several unknowns-

Arkansas Family Child Care Association  was born.

March 7th

1:00 pm

Little Rock, Arkansas

We will skip the weight part....  :)

I cant wait to see what this year holds.   

This will be the semester I tell my grandkids about.  Nine college hours, working full time, dad almost died twice, mom had chemo every day AND I gave birth.

What a great week. I am woman , hear me roar!

Waiting Rooms

 I am now a waiting room expert and a practicing psychologist.  That is pretty funny considering I am taking psychology right now and I hate it!  ( speaking of... I am SURE I have something due today - mental note- catch up on classes. ) 

Somethings I have learned.

They really dont want you to stay in the CCU waiting room or else there would be couches instead of love seats.  Only 2 foot people can lay down on these things and be comfortable.

Inevitably there are four people named Debbie that every time the phone rings and someone answers we all  jump up.

People in here are generally honest. You can leave your lap top, iphone and wallet all in your little "area" and no one touches them.  But DONT leave your pillow... they disappear.

You think they are all your friends BUT you leave and go to Walmart and come back to find out that you look like Horton Hears a Who  and no one loved you enough to say " Hey ,Debbie, own a brush?"

Magazines really can stick around for a year or so.

You can make a game out of reading the closed captioning on the TV from different areas of the  room.  

Sleeping in clothes hasnt been that bad... saves laundry.

But most of all -

Having a good family  and friend support system makes all  the difference in the world....

Just keep swimming

Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you've gotta do? 
Marlin: No I don't wanna know. 
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim. 
Marlin: Dory, no singing. 
Dory: [continuing] Ha, ha, ha, ha, ho. I love to swim. When you want to swim you want to swim. 
Marlin: Now I'm stuck with that song... Now it's in my head. 
Dory: Sorry.

So, that is what you do , huh? When life gets your down you just swim swim swim....

Well, I am swimming.

Dad had a heart attack Thursday night. Through my life experiences I have learned not to over react and to stay calm.  I can pretty much control my emotions.  

Today, after a five hour training we stopped by the hospital to see my dad and pick up my mom.  The doctor had been in and said the whole back side of dads heart is dead.  Dead....  What exactly does that mean ?  Not long after that a few of mom and dads friends came in to visit . As I leaned against the wall it was like it was all a blur.  They were all laughing and talking about a squirrel that Randy is trying to catch and all I could see was my dad.  Ever once in a while I would see him smile and put his arms behind his head.  What other people didnt notice was he was breathing very slowly and intentionally out of the mouth.... trying to control the pain.  How can you live with half your heart dead?  How do you feel inside when someone tells you that? Scared... I am sure.  

I always thought I gained my tough skills from my mom.  I realized that I gained a few from my dad as well.   Dad laughs off his emotions... I do too.

Next week, I have school... which alone is overwhelming.

Class on Monday night.

Choir Wednesday.

A meeting on Thursday.

Saturday I am in Little Rock piloting the first ever Family Childcare Association.  Over 747 people from the state will be invited and I am "running the show."

Now, throw in the mix-

Mom has chemo every day next week.  She is worried about how to keep that going if/ when dad has surgery.

Dad will probably have a procedure early in the week that will determine what they do next.

How do I keep it all going... I feel like a crazy person.  Isn't this the part of my life that should be slowing down?

Just keep swimming.... just keep swimming...

I think I better get a life preserver handy...

Jesus be the center
Be my source be my light Jesus
Jesus be the center
Be my song Jesus

Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in my sails
Be the reason that I live

Jesus Jesus
Jesus be my vision
Be my help
Be my guide Jesus

© 1999 Vineyard Songs 

The Hulk Visits the Bathroom

I went into my bathroom downstairs the other day and this is what I saw!  Had the Hulk visited my bathroom and decided to use the potty?  Had the Jolly Green Giant taken a little wee wee and left evidence ?  

No.

Of course not.

This is why I CRINGE when visitors stop by and say " Do you mind if I use your restroom?"  Of  course I dont! BUT, it is very probable that a little child has been using the handstamp and decided to go potty mid- stamp and thus tattoed the bowl.  Of course, I clean it but remember there are SIXTEEN kids here... It usually gets wiped down once during the day  and then a good sanitizing at the end of the day.  So, moral to the story is - if you come to my house you might want to empty your bladder well before arriving or be prepared to leave with green handprints on your tooshie!  Don't worry though, experience tells me that it wears off in a day or two.