Oops I did it again...

Note to self...do not make Mr. Shook mad.

He wasn't that pleased with my last post about America's Funniest Home Videos. The story isn't quite what really happened he says. Cameron was watching something else on the TV and that is the show that came on immediately afterwards. Mr. Shook just didn't change it. Truly, the whole thing was very innocent. Apparently I'm being accused of being a bit dramatic.

ME???

NO WAY, I SAY!

Mr. Shook wants me to let the whole bloggy world know that I watch bad TV, too. I think I may have admitted this before but I will share the following...

Mr. Shook doesn't not give one hoot who Ochocinco picks to be his real/not real girlfriend/lady/baby mama, he doesn't care if T.O gets an acting job instead of football, he isn't at all impressed with what girl "the situation" finds to join him in the Miami hot tub and he is equally disturbed that I knew the name Bentley was one of the babies born on Teen Mom. I think your probably catching his drift now.

I have the absolute best husband in the world and my kiddos have the absolutely best father in the whole wide world. He works hard for everything he provides for us and we love him so, so much. Mr. Shook was disappointed that I didn't share what our real world is about. Here are some pictures to show it...





We are in soccer mode here and it has been quite a learning experience. More about that later...

Something I detest...

My blog post today is going along with my mood...grouchy. But I feel it necessary to vent just a tad.

Today I ran to the store to get a few things that I needed to prepare a healthy and well-balanced lunch for the cherished 1st grader in this house. 1st grader didn't go along but his 2 sisters did. Darling hubby was doing some work on his computer and he reported that the 1st grader said the dreaded words...I'm bored, I don't know what to play.

So what does darling husband do...introduces his son to corrupt TV, oh, I mean shows him America's Funniest Home Videos. I would rather gouge my eyeballs out with toothpicks that watch that show. Or any show where people are taped getting hurt and others find it funny.

Guess what...

IT ISN'T FUNNY!

I seriously don't get that show.

It isn't funny when a grown man falls and hurts his privates, it isn't funny when a cat falls off of something high and it isn't funny when a baby slips and falls when learning to walk.

NONE OF THAT IS FUNNY...to me.

With that said I will also never watch World's Worst Car Chases, World's Worst Tsunami's, Largest Earthquakes and their Disasters, Unsolved Mysteries, Deadliest Kidnapping Stories, I think your probably catching my drift.

I am not mad at my darling hubby but I wish he wouldn't have turned the innocent boy to the dark side. I know that there are worse things to see on TV but this is my one thing that I'm allowed to be a little weird about.

Actually, in case you didn't know already I do have more than just one thing I'm weird about but that is another post.

A really long one.

Adjustments...

Today we will finish our second week of First grade and Kindergarten. We are still adjusting to getting up early (remember when I thought anything before 7 am was the middle of the night!), eating lunch at school, the longer day for first grade and all the rules and expectations.

Cameron still isn't eating the best at lunch but this is the second day that he has agreed to take a yogurt in his lunch and I feel a little better now. He rarely has drank any of his drink and I can't believe he's not thirsty. He says he's not and that he doesn't have much time. It seems like everything in first grade is rushed and he doesn't have much time. Maybe I have a pokey boy.

Kindergarten has been a breeze for my girl. I really think her introduction to school last year in her early childhood class has made her transition super easy. She is use to the routine, although Kindergarten is quite a lot less playing, and Molly already was familiar with the specials that they have. Gym, library, computers, music. Today those who have remained on green for the week will get to go to the treasure box. A huge deal and we will show our treasure soon!

Maybe the biggest adjustment has been for me. I'm trying to figure 1st grade out as much as my boy. I sometimes hate that he has to be the guinea pig for our family but he is pretty good about it. Today on the way to school Cameron informs me that some kids have been bringing a jacket to school because they are cold in class. I ask if he is cold in class. He tells me yes. I feel defeated. I really wish he would have said something BEFORE we were already on our way to school. I really wish I could read his mind and know before he even asks. I guess even the Mom's who really try hard don't know everything. There is still room for improvement!

Some kind of storage thingy...

I really try and do my part in keeping my world a slight shade of green. I'm not great at it but I do put forth the effort. I am really struggling with how to handle Cameron's lunch differently and the be kind to the environment. I feel like I am using a ton of Ziploc baggies to make his lunch. He wants everything separate (not a fan of foods mixing yet) and therefore everything then has it's own baggie. I am envisioning a container I can use that has several compartments to keep things separate. Kind of like a divided plate with a snap on lid. Does anyone know if anything like this exists? Has to be able to fit in a lunch box, too. One of you clever Mom's will have an idea for me. And I already checked out Wal-Mart and they didn't have what I was looking for.

My poor boy comes home starving every day. He says he doesn't have a lot of time to eat. I'm guessing it's about 20 minutes. I hope that we can find a happy medium on lunches so that he eats enough/more and still enjoys it. This is all part of starting first grade, right?

Week one under our belts...

We have made it through the first week of first grade and Kindergarten! Here are the traditional first day pictures...




Here are some of our highlights...

- Getting to eat at the peanut-free table with a new friend (Cameron)

- Getting to color (Molly)

- Getting to go in the boys bathroom for the tornado drill (Molly)

- Getting to go on the playground after lunch (Cameron)

- Meeting new friends (Both!)

I think this is going to be a good year. At least the first week has been great! Stay tuned...

Friday, August 13, 2010...

All of us that knew my grandfather can think of many, many things that he was good at and enjoyed.

Woodworking, reading, gardening, farming, fixing just about anything, trivia, puzzles (especially Wheel of Fortune)...Grandpa was good at many things.

But the one thing that I kept coming back to was actually something he wasn't very good at. It was being alone.

For the past 4 years my grandpa has been very lonely. Yes, he had his 3 daughters very close to him but the love of his life had gone before him and that left him feeling very alone. You see, when you are married to your bride for 64 years, when you have given your heart and soul to someone, when you have raised a wonderful family together that might just happen.

There is a very popular set of verses from the bible that might sound familiar to you that represent my grandfather's love...

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 verses 4-13:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. but where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled, where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love."

If you don't mind please allow me one good minute to boast. I am standing before you to say that our family should be darn proud of ourselves. Mac and Eva McMurray raised 3 smart, competent, beautiful (inside and out) women who married strong, competent and supportive men who all know that with faith, hope and especially love you can raise children who are smart, competent and beautiful people. Thank you grandpa for always, always putting your family first. Pam, Michele and Kris can give countless examples of how you went without so that they always had. And I know that they have all done the same for their children. I am the woman, wife and the parent I am today because of the values that you taught all of us, Grandpa.

It use to break my heart to think that my Grandpa was so lonely but we all can be comforted today knowing that he isn't alone, isn't in any pain, and has been reunited with my Grandma.

I miss you Grandpa but I am so happy that you are now our angel.

Hello, Kindergarten parents...

It's coming.

I know it's coming.

Or at least I assume it's coming.

Probably by Friday we will receive a voicemail from the Kindergarten teachers welcoming us to Lincoln school and then inviting us to bring our kindergartner and their school supplies to school on Monday. Kind of a drop them off, see the room, meet the teacher hour. And the reason I know this is because I am some what of a veteran Kindergarten parents. I did this same thing exactly one year ago.

It's a cute voicemail. The teachers introduce themselves and tell you how excited they are to start school. I should have it memorized since I just deleted Cameron's welcome message this afternoon. I just couldn't part with the voicemail. It made me tear up every time I heard it. And I just couldn't delete it until today because keeping it kept my boy a kindergartner all summer even though he's been a first grader since the end of May. This is definitely one of those "OH MOM!" moments.

So I will be prepared this year. I will not cry, I will hold it together. After all I am a season veteran.

But, my Molly only goes to kindergarten once.

August 6, 2009 to August 6, 2010...

One year later!

It has been one year since Molly had her last set of stents removed from her ureters and she has been problem free! I have been looking forward to this day for quite a while. And I actually forgot about it until we went to do school registration yesterday which was the day Molly had the stents removed last year. I had to go look it up in my old calendar to verify. It is such a sigh of relief that one year later she hasn't had any infections, kidney issues or hospitalizations. Things have been really good for her!!

On another note I would like to ask for prayers for my Grandfather, Richard McMurray or Mac as he is more commonly known. He is very ill and in the hospital in Akron, Ohio. I am worried about him as he has multiple issues going on. The one the doctors are focusing on first is treating him for pneumonia. My Grandpa will be 90 in December so making him comfortable and helping him to breathe better are important right now. Any prayers are appreciated! I've been doing a lot myself.

27 days...

We have had a first here.

This is really quite a stride for The Shook's.

27 days represents something for us in the month of July.



27 days of NOT EATING OUT OR EATING FAST FOOD!!



Unbelieveable.

But, really not that hard and I'm not sure I even really missed it. And I mean the fast food part. It's nice every once in a while to eat out. It can actually be fun. But we are really trying to do everything in moderation.

No running through McDonald's, no stopping at Jimmy John's or Subway. No LaGondola. Now I'm not going to say that every meal here was gormet, but I fixed 27 dinners. And some of them were pretty darn creative and yummy.

I rewarded the kids by making a trip to McDonald's on Friday with some friends. We actually ate inside, which we rarely do, and I have to say that I immediately remembered that I don't even really like McDonald's. Of course, the kids had a blast so I can see where a treat, every now and then, is actually a good thing. A sacrifice from their Mom!

Less eating out is also good for the wallet. It can get really expensive for us to eat out. For a family of 5, who's small people don't actually eat that much, we can't leave McDonald's without spending $20. That's kind of ridiculous when you think about it.

I think this is an experiment that we will continue for a while. It's a healthier choice, too!