WE NEED STRUCTURE!!!!! (pre-k first 9 weeks)

Being able to take Reagan to work with me each day is a huge blessing. I can't imagine a life where I wake up, drop her off with someone else, and go to my daily chores. That being said, we have begun to experience our "2% days" more often than its  allotted 2% ( you know, 98% of the time she's an angel and the other 2% I question why any sane person would take a 2 yr old to their workplace.)  WE NEEDED SOME STRUCTURE!!! She was bored to tears every second I wasn't reading or playing with her. We were already learning letters,  the connected sounds, colors, shapes, etc. So we decided to start a 4 days a week 3 hour Pre-K program and it has been GREAT for both of us! The following are the highlights of the first 9 weeks.

 

 

The 2 weeks were a big adjustment and the first day was the hardest on Reagan.

We start every morning with a prayer for the day, the pledge of allegiance and a Bible story.

We memorize a different verse each week. Unless it's a difficult one and we work on it for two weeks.

We have craft time but really we just love to paint about everything we learn

We read so many books, sometimes during crafts we have to make book marks.

within just 3 weeks of saying the pledge with mommy every morning she had it memorized and starts saying it almost every time we see a flag.

 

Mrs. Melanie gave Rea some art stuff so she could paint everyone beautiful pictures while they workout.

 

The structure is great.

After 3 hours of lessons Reagan and usually ready to play while Mom gets back to work. If we are ever mid-lesson when mom's work must be done usually Reagan is able to read or play sweetly until class can resume.

By lunch time we are both ready for a break and then naptime:)

I'm not taking it too seriously and most certainly haven't forgotten my angel is just two. (Don't get me started one how mid leading "just two" is. Two an amazing age full of wonder, learning, and amazement) If class time becomes a stressor and no longer serves as a solution to our need for structure we will reassess. Until Rea and I are both loving it:)

 

Bad news travels fast

I just read an interesting article stating that through much research over the span of a year or more the 50% divorce rate can't be proven as fact but instead as a educated prediction that didn't happen. Due to the rate at which the divorce rate was growing in the 1970s and 1980s and with all the "no fault divorce" laws popping up everywhere researchers projected that by now over 50% of marriages would be ending in divorce. However, according to accurate research conducted in the U.S. over the past few years we are  actually only between 20-25%. I still think that's way to high but that means there is a whole other 25% of marriages that are still out there.

 

The article also stated a sad but true fact. Most people who resort to divorce due so because they feel completely hopeless. Thinking that less than half the marriages make it would only add to that hopeless feeling. Well played Satan!

The unwed and the childless

Why hasn't it occurred to the masses that unwed is not synonymous with lonely and isn't always the result of a choice but that of the absence of one?

 Recently the topic of adult women being ostracized for their singleness seems to be a hot one. Social media is a buzz, the single female lashing out against the rudeness most people display concerning their un-husbanded-ness.  There are, of course, single men also. However people don't feel the same freedom to questions men as they do with women. it's It's as if an unwed woman is somehow a rebel, a slap in the face, bucking the rules of society. Why does it make people so uncomfortable to see a woman mid twenties or beyond without a husband?

 God doesn't call all  women to marriage? And his timing is different for each of us.

The same can be said for those, wed or otherwise, without children. All couples are NOT called to parenthood. In addition, many times lack of children doesn't reflect lack of desire but the is the constant, painful reminder of a prayer unanswered. In an age where more than half of marriage end in divorce, instead of death as God intended, and children are being born to unloving, unsafe, and neglectful lives do we have things a bit backwards? I feel like applause in the place of probing questions should be issued for those who are waiting on God's timing.

 (Since none of us know who is waiting on God's will and who isn't we should all assume the best in others and mind our own business)

Help me, Help me, help me, help me!

Because one day Reagan will be a teenager this story didn't make it to Facebook and no pictures were taken but this story has to be documented somewhere because of the joy/laughter that finding it later will cause.

 

The Abercrombie house is minus our leading man again while he works in Belle Chase La for the next 6 weeks. When Brad is on a job I don't sleep well. So, two nights ago while Reagan was sleeping I was really getting after some deep spring cleaning when over the monitor I hear

 

"Help me, Help me, Help me, Help me!"

 

Her tone was not panicked so neither was I when I opened her door and was greeted by a sweet little bare booty gleaming in the moon light. I started laughing "Angel! what in the world?" I chuckled and Reagans matter of fact response was " I am stuck, I need help."

For reasons only the 2 yr old knows she had taken her pull up off and when she decided to put it back on she ended up with both legs in one hole. Once she tried to fix that she managed to get her arms stuck along side her lets. As she wrestled to get three limbs too many out of a single leg hole she fell over, face down. At this point she decided it was worth notifying mom for help. I laughed the whole time I was changing her into a new pull up (can you imagine she shape that poor guy was in).

 I guess Reagan doesn't sleep well when dads gone either.

The passing of politics

I can't recall at what age I worked my first political campaign but I do distinctly remember sitting on my dads shoulders as we waved Dutch Dabbs signs on election day with my entire family and most of our closest friends. That was in the early 90s and Dabbs lost that race as well as the following one but as the years have passed I look back on that time as a huge victory for my siblings and I. Since the Dabbs campaign we've worked on many more. Some won, some lost, some ran again another day and some went home. I have never regretted the decision to help with an election or the time spent on one no matter what the votes said at the end of the day.

Reagan may never have a personal interested in politics or continue her involvement in the process once she leaves our home but I was proud to take her on the campaign trail with me this morning for the first time. I hope our candidate, Chris McDaniels, wins the elected for U.S. Senate. Our state needs him as well as the party. However, what happens in June and November aside, today was a success in my book.

 

Weighing in on the weight issue

Some of you may not be aware, but there is a very upsetting weight issue going on in our generation and that of our children. 

Woman have no clue how to be healthy, look healthy, or eat healthy.

 The media is flooded with  skin and bones models and ways to drop pounds regardless of health. I'm sure its not exclusive to the feminine gender but working at a gym specially designed for woman I can only speak from experience, so for the purposes of this of this blog I am only referencing woman. 

Who said skinny is better then healthy?

 Why is it that a healthy body is less desirable then a low number on a dress tag. Day after day I meet women, at my work, who come in for help in their fight against weight issues. 9 times out of 10 when I ask them what it is that they hope to achieve at Curves they say  they want to " look better and feel better." (I get this answer so often, in fact, I don't even accept it as a suitable answer anymore. Regardless, this is still the robot answer I get from nearly every woman that walks in my door.) HOWEVER, when it comes working towards these goals day in and day out ,(and that is exactly what it takes) more often then not the truth comes out. They are not actually interested in feeling better and looking better, goals that can be achieved by a healthy lifestyle. They are more interested in the scale saying 115lb or being able to wear a size 2 pair of pants. 

 THE WORST PART IS THEY HAVE NO CLUE THIS IS NOT HEALTHY!!!

Very few woman can hit either of those goals and still be considered healthy, and if your over 5 feet tall you shouldn't even think of those as a realistic or desirable goals. When you see numbers on a scale or pair of pants as the ultimate goal what happens (and I've seen it many many times in the 9 years I have had the job) woman starve themselves, causing long term issues that usually lead to a lesser quality of life, shorter life expectancy, and OBESITY. Isn't that ironic?

The number one factor in your metabolic rate( how fast your body turns food into fuel and burns fat) is MUSCLE and that the more muscle you have the more you will weight on a scale? 

Obesity is serious and dangerous, but not more so than  being under weight.

You will never have abs and be toned  like the diet-pill ad's models, if you simple take a diet pill in place of a healthy meal plan and working out. As with everything good in the world there is no way to "luck" into health. Yes, you can be born with genes that make it easier (You have been Blessed it's still not luck) but unless you eat healthy and get some sort of exercise you will still not be healthy

Did you know when a woman's body fat percentage reaches numbers low enough she will stop having a monthly cycle rendering her unable to bear children which is exactly what God created our bodies to do? 

Why is that desirable? 

Dressing up a plate of cookie

You know what fits perfectly in a Pringles tube? One pack of frozen cookie dough (if you can control yourself better then I did). If you're careful enough with the size of each cookie one pack with fill that tube with just enough room for the lid. Then wrap one piece of scrapbook paper , something else that fits perfect with one tube of Pringles. Sharpie a sweet note on the lid or slap a bow on it and you just turned a $2.50 pack of frozen cookies into a respectable gift cute enough for a hostess gift, thinking of you happy, or in the case a traveling gift for our church's missions team.

Growing like a weed!

Our little angel is growing like a weed but we are not currently living in our "forever" home. Solution: making her a growth chart we can take with us. Once I decided what I wanted it to look like I dug through some old wood in storage behind curves, sanded it down, and asked David help me cut it down to an exact 6 ft so that we can keep her  measurements as long as she will allow me the memories:)

 

Then, on my lunch break I painted it a neutral color I had left over at Curves and would go with any future bedroom color.  

 I found a cute font on my word document at work, typed out Reagan's name, and printed it. It actually took two times before I got the size just right.

 Then I cut it down and taped it onto the board exactly how I wanted it to look. I outlined the words with a pin and pushed down as hard as I could without breaking through the paper but hard enough that once I removed the paper there are a good indention outline left in its place.

Then painted in the perfectly outlined name and then added ruler lines and numbers with the same paint I painted all the rest of Reagan's bedroom furniture.

 Reagan's measuring stick matches the whole bedroom set now

 (hope she doesn't end up being taller than 6ft)

 I love her new growth chart and can't wait to transfer her first year's measurement and then continue to add to it through the years.The whole thing took less then a week, a few minutes here and a few minutes there, and cost me a grand total of

 $0.00.

Sooner then I Thought

I just posted about Reagan's scrapbook. Saying how I hope one day in the future she will enjoy looking at it.

Then again that day may come sooner then I thought:)

Reagan's Scrapbook.

When I was pregnant, much to big to go anywhere but bored to death, I started a scrapbook for Reagan about her father and I getting ready for her arrival. In my mind, one day my little angel would curl up in my lap and we would thumb through the book together and I would say things like "look how excited we were that you were coming" and "look how big mommy's belly was with you inside" " that was the very first pictures of you inside mommy's belly." In my mind this book would be something my little girl would treasure always. Those days may come, when she's a bit older, but since her arrival  a year and a half ago I have pulled it out and reminisced quite a few times. I would highly recommend expectant mother to do the same. Even if you don't scrapbook. Take a few pictures, keep cute wrapping paper and shower invites then throw it all in a book and add your thoughts and feelings.

 You won't be sorry! 

Its super fun seeing how excited everyone was when we surprised then with an ultrasound

The Great Grand page is extra special to me. The year Reagan was born Papa tragically died and this is one of two photos we have of the both of them:)

 Although I was very selfconcience of my growing body and hated taking pictures after I got big.

I love looking back at them now.

Lo came and took some great pictures right before our angel's arrival.

I hope one day this book will be as special to her as it is to me.

Pandora Secret Weapon

Whether were going to and from the airport with brad's work, heading to laurel to see family, or on our 40 minute daily commute to and from work Reagan and I spend a good amount of time in the car. Anyone with children knows that even the best children travelers have "enough" every now and then and pull an hour long protest sob. One such situation presented itself last night as Reagan and I headed home after an exhausting 3-flight-changes-for-daddy-in-2-days weekend from Jackson. Reagan pitiful cries were getting close to the 20-minutes marker, completely untouched by any attempt to cheer her up, when I stumbled upon 

THE SECRET WEAPON...

THE WALT DISNEY PANDORA STATION

As a last resort I turned Pandora on to the Walt Disney channel hoping something....anything would get her attention off the fact that she was still locked into her car seat, as she had been almost all weekend. The Little Mermaid's "under the sea" came on and little bit stopped crying and started bobbing her head to the beat.

One song after another came and Reagan and I danced the road trip minutes away.

I laughed when Mulan's " A Girl Worth Fighting For" came on. I remember Andrew doing a very entertaining version of this song but it was completely eclipsed by Poppy who busted in with a solo of  " I wouldn't care about what she looks like, all that matters is what she cooks like." I remember Anna and I rolling on the floor laughing when he did that. 

Then came Beauty and the Beast's " Be Our Guest", Aladdin's "One Jump Ahead", and Cinderella's "bibbidi bobbidi boo." Song after song came and mile after mile passed.

The highlight of the entire ride was when "Can You Feel The Love" from The Lion King came on and the car faded away, I was 16 and at the Callen house living room performing Timon and and pumbaa.

Anna as Timon: I can see what's happening?

Me as Pumbaa: What?

Anna: And they don't have a clue.

Me: Who?

Anna: They'll call in love and here's the bottom line. Our trio's down to two.

Me: Oh!

Anna: The sweet caress of twilight. There's magic in the air. With all this romantic atmosphere disasters in the air.....

TOGETHER: CAAAAAAAAN YOU FEEL THE LOOOOOOOOOVE TONIGHT?????

Thanks Pandora radio for turning a miserable road trip into a fun dance party with my girl!!!! We will be using you again very soon.

A prayer for Reagan

      Growing up in a Christian home I always heard my parents pray for my future spouse. They would pray that the little boy who would grow up to be my husband would find God at an early age and lead a life that would bring Him honor and glory. I remember my mom once praying that the special little boy that God had already picked out for me would be blessed with patients and have the understanding to deal with my "free spirit." Although it was always kinda fun hearing about the future mister as a little person I never realized the beauty of these prayers until I too joined the league of parents praying for their children's future spouses.                    

                                                
This little angel was given to me on a temporary basis by God to love, raise , and protect. It's so easy to love her. I'm learning how to raise her. But how in the world can I protect her enough in a world so evil that partial coverage might not keep her alive?

 I know when the time is right ( say in about 45 years or so...) it will be hard to watch my little girl grow into a woman and start her search for the right guy but I feel pure panic at the thought of her finding the wrong guy. Since there is , in my opinion, only one right man for my little woman and a few million wrong it just plain stands to reason that she will have a run in or two with the later:(

What can I do now to start the protection process? I hated it as a teen but whole heartily support a proactive approach to parental protecting now that I'm a parent. I need to know how to spring load her red flag system? 

Reagan Leigh, I pray a hedge of protection around you. Around your heart, your mind, and your body. I pray God blesses you with blinders to the evils of the world. That satan's snares will not be beautiful to you but disgusting and something to run from. Please Lord seek after her heart at a young age and make her your own. Train her mightily in your ways.

I pray for the little boy you are preparing for her. I pray he is raised in a Christian home so he will know how to lead my sweet girl in her walk with You. Put him in a home where he can learn the true meanings of home life, church family, family worship, leadership, loyalty, honesty,selflessness, and being a fighter for the things that matter. Give him a kind mouth. Let his song , no matter the message, be sung sweetly. 

Give her a peace. A peace in the good times but also in the bad to trust you for everything. Help to know joy and not just happiness. Love and not just lust.
Fill the gaps in her life. Help her to forget my faults as her mother. My inpatients and my temper.Thank you for Blessing this foolish sinner with the mighty and wonderful job of training Your child, protecting  and loving your precious little one. There is no way I could have ever deserved something to wonderful in my life. She is truly a gift from You.

Pearls of wisdom while we workout

One of my regular Curves girls and I have gotten very close and while we're working out most days our conversation ends up deeper than squats, lunges, biceps and triceps! Recently we have been praying for peace as we are both going through separate but testing times.

Today she walked in and explained: " While driving here God spoke to me and he said,"

 "I have commanded you to put on the WHOLE armour of God... why are you just accessorizing?"

It sounded funny at first because she said it with a real "You Go Girl" attitude but then as those words bounced around in my head the next few hours they finally reached my heart.

I am bad about this and I have had to ask God to forgive me in this area. He tells me how to make my life easier , by putting on the whole armour, but I so often foolish pick and choose what parts I want and then I am surprised and frustrated when I am scratched or even cut by the devil.

Reagan Leigh turns one!

Yesterday morning I found out I was expecting then evening came and I was holding a tiny little bundle of joy. Through the night we both learned to love and trust each other with everything we had and today she turned one. That's exactly how it feels. I can't remember where the time went. The sleepless nights are long but the days with my sweet angel are short short short. 

January 5th very conveniently landed on a Saturday this year:) And in spite of Reagan being slightly under the weather we rallied the family for cake and ice cream.

She was very lady like about eating the cake. She would look at the cake ( very close up at some points) and then squeal and look at me to serve her some. She's so polite

In the end though she finally caves and took a bite about of the cake mommy made her and the cupcake Mimi made her. 

 Lil bit was very unsure about the whole gift opening, party hat wearing, song singing, candle blowing, much to do about her making. 

The last year has been such a wild ride of experiences both good and bad. I love being a mom and understand why people say there is no higher calling. I don't know what in the world God saw in brad and I that he thought was worthy to raise one of his precious angels but I'm so glad he sent her to us. I'm finding more and more that without asking Him everyday to take the day as use me to protect, teach, and love Reagan it is a complete waste to even wake up.