Thursday, February 10, 2011


Holy smokes Batman, it's February. 2011 is already starting to fly by. Please slow down.

Two weeks from today, I will be in South Bend Indiana visiting my friend, Lisa. I met Lisa when I moved here to Tampa in 2003. Our boys were on the same baseball team. We hit it off immediately. We had so much in common. We were both from the midwest, loved scrapbooking, we were very active in our kids schools, little league was our "life", just to name a few. We live(d) in a newer community that is still "booming". There is also a "reputation" that goes along with our little community. Yes, there is a lot of fake boobs, botox and silicon here. But with Lisa and I, we didn't fit that mold. Everyone here is too busy living "above their means" with their fancy houses and cars, hitting the country club and tennis courts and running down the road in hardly nothing at all. But not Lisa and myself. Our houses were not "show pieces" that you couldn't enjoy living in. We enjoyed being mom's, carpooling and just being ourselves. Our kids were not perfect and we didn't expect perfection from them. Don't think our whole community is like this. It's just unlike anywhere I have ever lived before. I have made many nice friends here. So, when Lisa told me they were moving back to Indiana, I was devastated. In less than a month, she was gone. Thank goodness for Facebook. It's a great way to stay in touch. So, I am flying up to see here in two weeks for 5 days. Over the weekend, we are going to a scrapbooking getaway. I cannot tell you how excited I am. Unfortunately, it's very cold and still lots of snow there. This Florida gal is going to be way out of her element. This is a picture of the kitchen of where we are staying. It's called Michelle's Memory Loft in LaPorte, Indiana. I have not clue how I am going to get all my stuff there, but it's been really challenging and fun getting it all together.



Overall, life is good. Kids are keeping me busy. It's been weird this year only having to get two kids off an out in the morning. Seems like just yesterday, I was getting Liz off to kindergarten, Greg off to nursery and getting Emily all bundled up to run around. Time flies.

Kids are off school AGAIN tomorrow. It's "fair day". Needless to say, we won't be attending the fair. I'm looking forward to sleeping in. I told Mark that maybe we'd go see a movie or something.

Mark is starting to stress over the dreaded FCATs that will be here before you know it. I really hate these standardized tests. We have made the decision that once he finishes elementary school, we are pulling him out of the public schools. I have always been a big advocate of them, but I'm done. They aren't teaching him anything except FCAT, FCAT, FCAT. The kid is 10 years old (almost 11) and still has not learned cursive. It's no secret he struggles. Teach kids the basics and it will come. But not here, they are teaching them some math which they will never use in life. Even Steve and I can't help him. Teachers I have talked too don't like this math program either. It's so sad to see what he isn't learning and what my other kids learned in other states. So, I need to start researching private schools. I always joke with my hubs that you will never see anyone from Florida on teen jeopardy. They've never learned half the stuff. Okay, I'm done moaning and groaning.

Well, I'm off to volunteer in the media center at Mark's school. Hopefully, by this afternoon, the sun will come out in time for our three day weekend.