detox

is for the birds!
we're working on breaking through this addiction.
this has been a permanent fixture on my girl's face since day 1.
i admit, i am partly to blame as her supplier and dealer.
but, it has saved us through church services, weddings, movies, and late nights. but now is the time to pull the plug.
i contemplated going cold turkey, but that's cruel.
she's not interested in sending "papi" on a "journey", or even in the "papi fairy".
so, we are scaling back to only two hits a day, nap time and bed time.

here's the problem, it used to be attached to her blankie. my thinking was "who would want to carry around a blanket everywhere?" well, she did.
but, late nights, when papi slipped out, we just searched the edges of blankie.
now that we have detached it, this is what we hear at night.
"PAPI!"
"I WANT PAPI!"
"I WANT PAPI!"
"I LOVE PAPI!"
as she roams through the house searching.
now, put this on a continual loop and play it for about 2 hours. . . . at 2 in the morning. last night, i held her as she finally fell asleep quietly saying "i want papi, i love papi, papi...."
sounding a lot like gollum searching for "his precious"

PSA

just a friendly public service announcement:

and
don't mix.

friends don't let friends text drunk.

especially when it wakes me up at 2am. . . . you know who you are.

when you text, text responsibly.

coffee talk

i have had strep throat since friday, dave is away breaking bones on dirt bikes, i had a major test yesterday, so really nothing fun and exciting has been happening. i haven't even read a paper in 3 weeks to bring up some controversial topic. so, i will leave you with these questions to answer either as i would, or answer for yourself.
yep, i'm even too lazy to answer them.

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
2. When was the last time you threw up?
3. What's your favorite curse word?
4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
13. What was the last thing you ate?
14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
15. When was the last time you ran?
16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
18. Who is the last person you emailed?
19. Ever go camping?
20. Do you have a tan?
24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
25. What did your last IM say?
26. Are you someone's best friend?
27. What are you doing tomorrow?
28. Where is your mom right now?
29. Look to your left, what do you see?
30. What color is your watch?
31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ?
32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
33. What is your birthstone?
34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
35. How many kids do you want?
36. Do you have a dog?
37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
38. Have you met anyone famous?
39. Any plans today?
40. How many states have you lived in?
41. Ever go to college?
42. Where are you right now?
43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
44. Last song listened to?
46. Are you allergic to anything?
47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
48. Are you jealous of anyone?
50. Is anyone jealous of you?
51. What time is it?
52. Do any of your friends have children?
53. Do you eat healthy?
54. What do you usually do during the day?
55. Do you hate anyone right now?
56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
60. How did you get one of your scars?

yes, i know some numbers are missing. huh? i'm just the messenger.
now, tawlk amonsgst youwrselves

cj

this blog was so not suppose to be all about my kids. i mean i know they're cute and sweet and adorable and well advanced in their development, but they're my kids. other people are interested in other things.
but, i just have to brag. . .
this guy, last night we're reading bed time stories,

cj: can i get some more books so i can read to myself.
m: sure. hurry
cj: i'll just read my bible.
m: great
cj: that way, when i fall asleep i'll have all of the bible stories in my head.
did you get that?
cj: that way, when i fall asleep i'll have all of the bible stories in my head.

now, this family is definitely more simpsons than flanders, we don't do family reading, prayer, worship, or act out plays in our backyard. don't get me wrong, we love jesus. dave and i both grew up in great homes with ginormous christian foundations that we want to pass on to our kids. . . . but we tend to live out our faith more than talk about it, and want the kids to be open to it, rather than be one more thing mom and dad make them do. realize, we came to this conclusion when we discovered the strongwill and stubborness they inherited from dave. it is already very clear that crockett is only open to things when it is his idea. lots of creative spinning on our part usually gets him to belieive that everything is his idea.
plus, i feel their salvation is ultimately not up to me. we can plant the seeds, water and grow that seed and even try to groom it a bit, but their decision to accept christ is up to them. oh, and a lot of prayer on our part.
anyway, it brought a sweet little tear to my eye to know that despite us, christ is working in that heart!


now for the racoon. . . .when we do say prayers, she doesn't end with "amen", but with "come in". which technically, i still see as an invitation, so i think she's safe.

sex and the city

i realize i may be opening myself up to a lot of backlash, but here goes.

i saw the movie last week. loved it. very cute, despite the neckedness that i'm not accustomed to seeing on the big screen.
i mean big screen necked hasn't been a big player in the pixar film series.

so, since i thoroughly enjoyed carrie and the gang on the big screen. i thought why not get to know them a little bit more on the small screen. i mean there is nothing on these days and you can only read so much right? so my sweet friend lent me her dvd set season 1, you know, to get me started. . . . .

seriously?
no, seriously!
granted, i only watched the first two episodes, but to quote dave, "it was terrible. it was like a. . . .a terrible show." and, i concur. the cheesy music? the grainy screen? the bad voice overs and camera talking?
it was like a bad lifetime show. i was waiting for the domestic violence, sexual assault and eating disorder story line next.
like i said, i'm only 2 episodes in, but i'm not sure what i'll commit to.

please tell me it gets better!

stop calling me!

here's the dealio:
if i can keep my phone bill at its minimum. you know, no extra minutes, no new dialtones, no new games, etc. . .
for 6 whole months. . . .
this baby is mine!



although, this is my first and true love .....



point? text people! text!
i mean OMG, if i can learn?!
WTF, if my mom can learn?!
so, until then. TTYL.


i'll leave you with some new text speaks to keep you LOL-ing.

GGROTL – gotta go, raccon on the loose.
HS4R44UN?-hitting sonic for a route 44, are you in?
BK-before kids
IOBHPM – if only Beyonce had picked me as a back-up dancer, life would be much more (fill in the blank)
IFO – i feel old

father's day weekend

a busy father's day weekend.


we started friday am with a little card making. . .
the first (and possibly last) painting project attempted with parker. parker gladly stripped down, crockett told me it was "inappropriate."
next year, temple art camp can do all the painting.

next, we headed out to the lake to catch a father's day lunch. . . .
i only got hooked twice.


then saturday the wedding . . . in typical racoon fashion, she found leftovers.
but this. . . .



she found tulle and fell in love!. . . .i saw a side of parker i didn't know was there. could there be a sweet princess in there after all?



and finally, dave and crockett (that sentence would have been funny in spanish. . .get it? dave y crockett, davy crockett?) hit the links sunday morning. . . sorry, there are no pictures, girls were not invited.

d-dub, you are loved more than you know and could i have chosen a better partner for this craziness? "i don't think so!"
love, m

poll visual-drum roll. . . . . .

the poll is still open, you can vote if you want, but i'm telling you what this is. . . . . . . .
the "world famous" argentinian soccer team jersey. we were watching them play usa the other night and i merely asked, "are we the white team or the blue team?"
which of course was not received with any sarcasm at all, but with a gentle yet thorough explanation to make sure i understood.
which of course i followed up with "where's david beckam?"

i think it was at this point david turned off the tv and walked out of the room.

use this picture to answer poll on right

what do we study here?

THE WAY OF THE FIST SIR!

we, okay crockett, began karate 3 weeks ago.
ahem, my little danielson is ready for the next level!

dj lance, break it down for us.
crockett began as a white belt, no stripes, no nothing.
today was his first stripe test.
1 black stripe = "great job, but needs improvement"
2 black stripes = "great job, will move up next time"
1 red stripe = "ready for the next level". . . .gold belt, here we come!

skipping straight to the red? clearly the magallanes athletic genes are prevailing.
(hey, when dave gets his own blog, he can lay claim)

STRIKE FIRST! STRIKE HARD! NO MERCY SIR!

me=annette benning

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

go ahead, call cps

up until this week, have you ever heard of dry drowning?
here's a synopsis:

According to the Centers for Disease Control, some 3,600 people drowned in 2005, the most recent year for which there are statistics. Some 10 to 15 percent of those deaths was classified as “dry drowning,” which can occur up to 24 hours after a small amount of water gets into the lungs. In children, that can happen during a bath.
Today
Pediatrician Dr. Daniel Rauch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Daniel Rauch, a pediatrician from New York University Langone Medical Center, told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira that there are warning signs that every parent should be aware of.
The three important signs, he said, are difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness and changes in behavior. All are the result of reduced oxygen flow to the brain.

Delayed reaction
Rauch said that the phenomenon of dry drowning is not completely understood. But medical researchers say that in some people, a small amount of inhaled water can have a delayed-reaction effect.
“It can take a while for the process to occur and to set in and cause difficulties,” Rauch said. “Because it is a lung process, difficulty breathing is the first sign that you would be worried about.”

The second sign is extreme fatigue, which isn’t always easy to spot. “It’s very difficult to tell when your child is abnormally tired versus normal tired after a hot day and running around in the pool,” Rauch said. “The job of the lungs is to get oxygen into the blood and your brain needs oxygen to keep working, so when your brain isn’t getting oxygen, it can start doing funny things. One of them is becoming excessively tired, losing consciousness and the inability to be aroused appropriately.”

Finally, there are changes in behavior, Rauch said — another tough call when dealing with very small children, whose moods and behavior can change from one minute to the next.
“Another response of the brain to not getting oxygen is to do different things,” Rauch explained, saying parents should be concerned “if your child’s abnormally cranky, abnormally combative — any dramatic change from their normal pattern.”
He admitted, “It is very difficult to pick this up sometimes.” But spotting the warning signs and getting a suspected victim to an emergency room can save a life, he added.

Victims of dry drowning are treated by having a breathing tube inserted so that oxygen can be supplied under pressure to the lungs. “Then we just wait for the lung to heal itself,” he said.

yeah, me either. and, since i don't worry enough about regular drowning, it was great to get this article twice before summer starts. ahhh, modern technology and the world wide web!

so, in honor of dr. daniel rauch, we start our summer off with a bang, at the pool.
sorry there are no pictures to post, but i was busy keeping an eye on all types of drowning. . . .you know, in case a third type popped up.

so, we're having a good time, and yes my child is the one out there with a life jacket. . . don't judge. when i say i fear drowning, i fear drowning!
we take the appropriate amount of breaks for water and shade time.
sunscreen? oh yeah, here's where you can begin dialing:

here's the thing. see, while i was constantly on the watch to make sure no child ended up at the bottom of the pool, or no water was ingested, i overlooked one tiny detail. . . sunscreen application!
i mean really, how many things am i suppose to be doing at once!?!?!? i'm really starting to give brittany the benefit of the doubt.
see, i bought this new stuff: spray on sunscreen.

hmmmmm. sounds nice. you just spray it on, ala ross gellar and his spray on tan, easy enough.
apparently there are some tricks to using this stuff and apparently i am not privy to them.
my boy, who is browner than brown, no problem. just got browner, which yes i realize could still lead to some cancer, but i'm working on it. my girl on the other hand, who inherited more from her daddy than his stubborness and blonde curls apparently inherited his need for a higher spf. oops.

here's where it gets good. in us grown folk, you get sunburned, you get a little red, you get a little pain, you peel, bam! you tan.
well, apparently not when you're two.
it ain't that simple marge.

something about not real good temperature regulation, leads to 3 days of temperatures ranging from 102-105 degrees. and the fun part is when you combine that with a little diarrhea and vomiting, you have to watch for dehydration.
i know right?
so, for all you rookies out there, learn from my mistakes.
there ain't nothing wrong with spending your entire summer indoors watching tv and playing video games.

WWDD?

i feel a little doogie howser tonight.
after every class, i'm suppose to journal about what i've learned today and how it affects my life. since today was so interesting, i had to blog about it too.

remember how he would journal at the end of every episode on his sweet computer?
he was so cutting edge.
he may have been the first blogger.


so the class i'm in now is about developmental theories. if you've ever wanted a "parenting freshie(or do-over, for those of you not familiar with martinez-speak)", or feel guilty sometimes that makes you want that "freshie", do not take a class on child development.
you go from feeling like lisa whelchel to brittany spears.

backstory:
today we talked about bonding and attachment. you know, that critical period between birth and 3 years old when an infant's innate need for survival is met through bonding with his mother/caretaker. oh, did i mention that if this is not met adequately, it can lead to intimacy issues, lack of empathy, poor impulse control, developmental delays, eating disorders, abuse, aggression, and a multitude of insecurites? uplifting stuff huh?
now before we go around blaming mom for everything, you as an infant are wired a certain way too. so, if you are wired in a way that makes you a difficult baby, your mom could have had a difficult time bonding and attaching in the first place, so then its kinda your own fault. or, your environment could be at fault. did you grow up in a place of war, or domestic, or community violence? are you a refugee?
do you see where i'm going with this?

the point:
forget about no child left behind. let's work on no baby left behind. which is really hard for me to admit because i love preteens so much, but i think my friend hillary would agree with me here. we are spending so much money on tests and tests and tests and college readiness programs, but did you see all the problems i listed that come from getting nothing between birth and 3 years of age?
those are my students!!! the kids i work with every day.
sheesh, those are every problem student in every classroom in every district, in every town.
by the time they hit kindergarten, if they haven't had any bonding/attachment/developmental programs, anything by 5, forget about leaving them behind,they've already been left behind!

answer? again, education. but the right kind of education. i have a brother who has a business degree. he's an educated dude.
mike, did you have to take any psych classes? any developmental classes?
probably not.
yes education is key, but the right kind of education.
parenting education.
this stuff should be taught in schools before people even have babies (and don't get me started on sex education). i seriously began to rethink my purpose for taking these classes. i mean i may go into early intervention education.
no, no, no, i do not want to teach preschool or younger, but someone needs to take this on.
no way am i the first person in america to realize that stuff needs to happen sooner than kinnygarden if we want to truly help kids succeed?
if so, then doogie watch out!

by the way, if you see the doogie icon, beware. it will probably be followed by rantings similar to those above.

we dodged a bullet

well figuratively. and probably literally too.

(not my school, merely a depiction)
school's out! last day! woo hoo!

but you see, last year on the last day of school, i'm sorry, the last two days of school, the teachers were not allowed to leave until around 5 pm. sucks. i know.
why couldn't we leave?
well, some of the children we worked so hard to not leave behind wanted to thank us. . .

with a drive-by.

yep, straight outta colors, 187, stand and deliver, or dangerous minds. man, michelle pheiffer, samuel l and edward james olmos really made it look easy. walk into an inner city school, be a little edgy, a little controversial, yada, yada, yada, everyone's schooled and happy.

oops.

anyway, none of that this year although someone did pull a fire alarm 1 hour before dismissal. . . .in the middle of finals. ugh!

that being said, i am posting some pictures of my students. we had a yearbook signing day and i took some random shots. i'm sure there's rules and stuff about posting kids on the internet, but if disd isn't blocking them, then they must be okay.
they were taken with my phone, so not the best quality.

so..........much........

to..fellow grad students...obama....training...last day of school.....professors...friends....tv watching.....blog.....my issues....boys and girls club......hillary...blogging..star wars....cultural identities.....testimony...about...mom's night out...indiana jones..schools....2nd grad class....the man.....rod dreher...head...disappointments....wellness....family trips....summer....primaries......ymca......vacations....new patio......could...jobs....little sister....books.....self-disclosure....speed racer......nhl playoffs.....state mandated testing..swimsuit shopping....no child left behind......sports illustrated....athletes...explode......people with too much time on their hands.....appropriateness....poverty....limewire...

the original karate kid!

Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?
NO, SENSEI!
Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?
NO, SENSEI!
Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?
NO, SENSEI!

crockett has begun his karate. . . .there will be no sweeping of the leg here!
ready position sir!


the mean face!


i know the daisy painted on his face really makes him look tough.
its an intimidation technique.


high kick!