I Bet You Wish I could Sing

If a genie popped out of a bottle and said that I could have any talent in the world, what would I pick? I don't even have to think about it, I would pick the ability to sing.

I always thought my voice sounded okay. For some reason, my voice sounds awesome in my own head. I read once that the reason for this was that it resonates off your own ear drums and sounds better to yourself. I was proved horribly wrong one day. I got the Glee app on my phone, this app records your singing and plays it back for you. I picked out and recorded myself singing "Whiskey Lullaby" because I knew all the words. Then I listened to the playback.

It was bad......really bad.....horribly rotten nasally high-pitched stinking bad. My feelings turned from disappointed to mortified. I sang like this in the church pew, to the radio with friends in my car, and generally in front of people at all. Horror of horrors, what have I unknowingly inflicted upon loved ones? And why didn't they tell me! If you love me you are obligated to tell me if I have a booger in my nose or that I sing like a dying pig.

I will tell you a little secret. After working 12 hour shifts in Jackson and driving 50 miles back home, I can get a little tired. I have found the best way to stay awake on the drive home is to pretend I am an excellent singer and sing my lungs out to the radio. I usually have some sort of pen, drinking straw, or lip gloss as a microphone. I know I look crazy to people passing me by.

I envision whole church concerts to the christian music channel and daydream impromptu knock-your-socks-off karaoke with friends to the hip-hop station. My friends in my daydream would say, "I never knew she could sing! She is so good." I would take a bow in my dream and tell them it was nothing. 

 But alas.....it will never be. This chick can't sing.

Galveston, Tx - Our Vacation

Macey's birthday is Monday and all that she wanted was to go to the beach. My husband and I looked around at beaches and thought it would be nice to go to Galveston.
So we skipped the last few days of school and set off to Texas last Sunday.

Many who know me realize I am not fond of long car rides. I come from a long line of Wilson women who get car sick. I get the worst headaches and don't ask me to read a map or read anything or I will get violently ill.

I know, I am a wimp. Usually, what ends up happening is that I either have to drive or I have to sleep.

We get down there without any problems except for a speeding ticket my husband received for going 65 in a 50. The whole thing made us mad. It was one of those areas in the back roads of Louisiana where the speed limit went from 65 to 50 and then back to 65 in a 1 mile stretch. The cop gave us the ticket and gave us this speech that sounded like he had given a thousand times, very rushed and rehearsed. It was a total speed trap.

Anyhoo, it turns out that if you approach Galveston from a certain direction you have to ride a ferry to the island. We figured this out after sitting in traffic for a hour thinking there was a wreck or something. It was very exciting once you got on the ferry.

We stayed at the Country Inn which was directly across the street from the beach. The next morning we went to the beach and spent most of the day there. It was very nice. Chase collected about 100 shells and insisted I save every one of them. The waves were nice and you could see fish swimming in the waves. The wind was blowing and it wasn't too hot.

You know, when I am sitting on a beach something clicks inside of me. Like maybe I was meant to be there. I really feel like I am going to end up living by one when I get older.

At night you can walk on the beach and see little hermit crabs on the pier when the tide goes out. Chase said he loved us during this walk. Just out of the blue, gave Charles and I a hug and said "I love you". First time he has ever said it, very big step for a little autistic boy. I cried a little.

Chase with a Hermit Crab

My kids after walking on the beach at night. Before we went, I thoroughly explained that we were NOT swimming, we were just walking. In this picture, they are soaking wet and Macey lost a flip-flop out in the ocean. Chase is shirtless because he gave his shirt to Macey when she complained about being wet and cold. They follow directions so well.

We saw the movie Battleship which was very good. Chase wants to see it again.

I took the kids to Moody Gardens. They had an aquarium, a rainforest, a river boat ride, and a real human body exhibit.

 Butterfly Garden in Rainforest

 Macey loved the parrots

 The Riverboat Ride

 You can't see it very well but there was a huge jelly fish in the water. The tenticles must have been 6 feet long. Made me think the next time I went swimming at the beach. :/

 The guy in front is cleaning the walls of the shark tank. The guy with the little 2 foot long piece of PVC pipe is watching for sharks. Not enough money in the world.

In the shark cage

The human body exhibit was very interesting. They had a smoker's lung and a healthy lung. I don't think my kids will take up smoking anytime soon. Macey had lots of questions and I think she learned a lot, especially in the reproductive section. I swore when I became a mom that I was not going to be shy about anything with my kids. She asked about the male and female parts that were on display in a case and I told her all about them. I know this older women kept looking at me funny when I was explaining to Macey about penises and vaginas.

She could just get over that because I need to be the first person to explain human anatomy to my child.  

P.S. -If you go to the rainforest section of Moody Gardens bring bug spray. The whole experience is very authentic, mosquitos and all. The woman selling us the tickets warned us they were especially bad but I assured her I was from Mississippi, I could handle a few mosquitoes. She wasn't lying, there were a ton of them, I must have been bit 30 times.

On our last day we went to Schlitterbahn Waterpark. It was really nice because we were there while school was still in and there were hardly any people there. The bad part is that I quickly discovered I am totally out of shape for this. We would climb up 6 flights of steps (while carrying a 20 pound double tube) to go down these water slides and since there were no lines you immediately got on the ride and went down.

So basically it was running up steps till you thought you were going to have a cardiac arrest and then immediately going down a ride which made you nauseaus.

Of course, as soon as you got to the bottom the kids wanted to do the horrible cycle all over again. I would have killed to stand in a line.This would be a great summer weight loss program, running up stairs and being to nauseaus to eat anything.  In the end, it was worth it though because the kids had a blast. We lied and said the park was closing at 3 so we could go back to the hotel and take a nap, even though it really closed at 5.

Of course our vacations also center around eating. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, Joe's Crab Shack (twice), Mario's Italian Restaraunt, and Saltgrass Steak House.

 So nice, we went twice!!

So overall it was a good vacation. I wouldn't mind going again.

The Tooth Fairy makes me Uncomfortable

Communication and honesty is the cornerstone of every relationship. We have read this in all the self-help books. Telling the person you love your feelings and what is on your mind with honesty is vital. Honesty is important to me with my kids. Macey and I have had very candid discussions about everything from babies to money.
That being said, when the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Santa come around I feel squeamish.

I feel guilty when these holidays roll around because it doesn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong, I understand the excitement of thinking the Easter Bunny is coming. I wouldn't take that away from them but it feels wrong when I talk about Tooth Fairy leaving money under their pillow. Am I the only one? Do you remember when you finally learned that none of it was true? I remember and I guess I was a little hurt.
So now that you know how I feel about being honest with my kids I have a sad story to tell. We have been keeping our parakeet cage on the back porch. I started doing this because these birds throw their food about two feet in all directions from their cage. It makes for a messy floor. I thought since the weather was warm and there were lots of wild birds in the backyard that we would start keeping them back there. Macey didn't like it, she wanted them inside. I assured her they would be fine. Afterall, it is a fenced in backyard, they are on a high table against a brick wall in a covered area. The wild birds would hang around their cage eating stray seeds. It seemed perfect. I was so sure.
Last week I woke up to find the cage strewn across the back porch. Something had pulled it off the table and the birds were gone. My heart broke for Macey. We loved those things. She drew pictures and talked about them all the time.

I was unsure of what to do. For a minute, I was thinking about how I could get matching birds quickly and replace them. That felt wrong though. I decided I would tell her but not until after school that day. I had this wild hope that they would fly back if some stupid cat hadn't eaten them. Their wings are clipped but they could still fly a small distance. I searched the woods behind our house but didn't see them. Truthfully, our woods are full of birds and I wouldn't blame them if they didn't come back. Our woods are like that scene in Rio where all the birds are flying around the jungle singing and dancing.

When I told Macey, she was so sad. She walked outside in the rain looking for herself. Macey cried and claimed that she is going to keep looking for them. It hurt my heart. I told her if they weren't back by next week we would get her some more and make sure they stay inside. Maybe I should have lied and got her replacement birds before she noticed the first ones were gone, to save her from all this heartache. I have never felt this bad for Macey before. I guess that is life and part of being a parent. This desperate feeling inside to make it all better is overwhelming. I want to buy the girl 20 parakeets and just make her room a giant bird cage. That could get messy though....maybe that is not such a great idea.
I think I am going to get her two parakeets and surprise her with them at her class birthday party on Thursday. Moving on.

Missing Mrs.Missy

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week and our family appreciates all the hard work the teachers at Beechwood have done for our kids. Especially Chase's autism teacher, Mrs. Missy Broome. This woman is excellent. Every time I walk into my son's class she is active, excited and involved. He has advanced leaps and bounds under her care the past couple of years. I drop Chase off at school and thank God everyday he is in good hands. It takes a special person to do what Missy does. A special education teacher must have dedication and perseverance and she has it.

The other day Missy told me she is going to the high school next year to work with the special education kids. When she told me I lost it a little and I cried right there in front of her and every kid in the car rider area. I think I even at one point asked her if Chase could just go with her next year to the high school. That of course was not an option, because well, Chase is only 9.

So, I do not know who Chase is getting next year but Missy will be missed. But if I stop and think about it, Chase will see her again. In a few years he will be back with her at the high school and that is comforting. Thank you Missy for all your hard work and I hope you know our family is eternally grateful.

I Am No Cook

I have been watching "Duck Dynasty" on TV lately and let me tell you the show is hilarious!

These people are hardcore rednecks that have come into some serious money because Grandpa Phil came up with a world-class duck call. The son marketed it and now they are rich. Anyway, on the show Grandpa Phil was skinning a duck and giving his grandson valuable advice about life and women.

He tells the grandson, while the duck blood is flying from the skinning, that the grandson needs to be careful when picking his woman. "Do not go for the pretty ones. Looks fade. No, you need to find a woman who is kind and carries a Bible. She can be a little homely, that's okay. But the number one thing is make sure she can cook! You are going to be with this woman for 40 plus years and you need to eat."

This all seemed like excellent advice up until the very end. It struck a chord with me because I DO NOT enjoy cooking. My poor husband got the losing end of that deal. In his defense, he did meet me while I worked at Baskin Robbins. I made a mean vanilla milkshake but that is not the same as cooking. Anyone can scoop ice cream, add milk, and set it in a fancy blender. I can see how he could have been mislead. I guess that was a little false advertising on my part. I apologize.

I hear people say they can't cook. I don't believe that. I am reminded of that chef ghost in Ratatouille, who says "Anyone can cook, but not everyone is a cook."

Don't judge me but I am no cook. I do not enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I can follow a recipe like everyone else but I develop a sort of adult ADD when cooking. My focus fades and I think about a million other things. Cooking times, heating temps, and exact measurements bore the mess out of me. I start gauging what looks about right and skipping steps because I just want it over with. No joy comes from a perfectly cooked meatloaf or casserole because I would have been just as happy with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 

 

If my poor husband sees me cooking something outside of my regular easy stuff, he always asks if I followed the recipe. Some people may be offended by this but not me. This is a very valid question. If it turns out tasting like it is missing something or burnt, I take no offense to anything being said about it. Whatever was said is more than likely true. I just wonder at what point can I do something wrong so many times that people will just say, "You know what? You don't have to cook anymore." That never seems to happen.

 I admire my husband of 13 years for holding out hope and still bravely eating whatever I set in front of him. Grandpa Phil would have left me a long time ago.   

 

I Am Not "That" Mom

Reading Fairs. Three years ago Macey came home with a sheet of paper that said that she could do a story board for a reading fair at her school. By the time I had finished reading the rules and requirements I was very excited. It required reading a book and putting together a tri-fold board with all the elements of the story. It even said to use your imagination! What?! We could do this! This is every scrapbookers dream. I could whip out my cricut and use my fancy paper. This would be so much fun. Macey loves to draw and could draw the pictures from the story. She could write out the words and wear a costume. All of this made me positively giddy. I think I even giggled a little when I read the paper.
We decided to do a great book by Mo Willems called "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!". Macey loves this book. It is quite hilarious.

Macey and I had a blast putting it together. Here is what we came up with.

Macey won third place at her school. Here is Macey calling her Daddy at work to tell him all about it.

Winning at the school meant we were able to go the District Reading Fair. Woohoo! Macey gets to ride a bus, pack a sack lunch, miss a day of school, and spend the whole day in the city auditorium! I was ecstatic because get this....I could go too!

Finally they announced the awards. My Macey won first place!!!!

This meant she could go to Regional Reading Fair. So off we go to Regional Reading Fair at Delta State. I took off work and brought the whole family. Exciting stuff. Here is Macey dressed as the bus driver in the book.

Macey didn't win here but that was okay. The long trip and all that waiting around was fun at first but I didn't want to do it again.

So the next year came around and we decided to do another Mo Willems book, "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!". They are so funny.

Here is how our board turned out.

Macey won second place at her school and then second place at District. She was so excited to walk up there and get her ribbon. 

So, this year rolled around and we chose another Mo Willem's book called "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!".

Here is our board.

Macey won first place at her school. Last Wednesday, we went to District Fair in the auditorium. That morning I tell her that she can't expect to win all the time and please don't be too upset if she doesn't. I could tell Macey wasn't listening because she asked me two seconds later, "When are they going to tell me I won and give me my ribbon?". Good grief. Turns out she didn't win. Macey didn't even get an honorable mention ribbon. She was sad at first but she got over it quickly. It broke my heart when she asked what she had done wrong. I considered the whole thing a lesson in humility. The chick can't win all the time, and she has got to learn this at some point. She did get a fifth place ribbon for presenting her classroom board, "Julius".

Chase was able to come with a classmate and present their class board with his teacher. They won fourth place!

Last year Chase won fourth place for a classroom board too! It was the same scenario, he went with his teacher's aide and a classmate. This was their board.

 It was nice that Chase and Macey were able to stand up on stage together with their ribbons for their classroom boards.

Now if you are still with me, here is where the tricky part came in. Macey didn't win for her Pigeon board and something bothered me. I was watching her while she was waiting to be judged and she was playing with the little boy next to her. At one point, they were playing with the little slips of paper that were placed in front of their boards. I had no idea what these papers were for but they were swapping them around, dropping them, picking them up and sword fighting with them.

Pay attention here, this little boy won 1st place. So......this nagging feeling came on and I couldn't shake it. What role did these little slips of paper play in the judging process? What if his paper was in front of hers and hers in front of his? Don't get me wrong, this little boy had a nice board. He could have easily won but what if...?

I didn't know what to do. I could be like that crazy mom who yells at the referee on the baseball field or act like a defeated politician who demands a recount.

 

After consulting with some well-balanced and level-headed friends, I decided just to ask. So I did. It turns out the little slips of paper were not that important. They just marked what division the child was in. So looking back, I am glad I didn't act crazy and demand a recount. I am glad I asked because that would have bugged me for life. Macey didn't win this year and that is fine. She needed to learn that little lesson about life.

There is always next year! She wants to do this book.

So we will be back next year. Maybe... if we win. If we don't win, that is fine too.