My Weekend at Pogueland

Many of you might be wondering "Where or What is Pogueland?"
At first hearing, one might think amusement park...and I will agree. In some sense, this was an amusement park for my children. Camping out under the stars. Rope swings. Campfires and S'mores. Fireworks. Playing hide-n-seek in weeds higher than their heads (reminds me of when we played hide-n-seek as kids in the wheat field behind our house...but I digress). Having a whole slew of kids to choose from to play with(we had 8 kids there most of the time, but by the time we left the total count was 15!). Yes, this was definitely an amusement park for my kids!

But actually Pogueland is 40 acres of land that my cousin Jean and her husband, Russ own. I have been hearing of Pogueland for several years, but until this weekend didn't have the pleasure of being invited.

Not only did my children have fun though, but this was just as great for me!! Not only could my children be gone for an hour at a time and I had NO worries as to their whereabouts, I also had a GREAT time reminiscing and making new memories with my cousins. These cousins are the ones I grew up with, and when I think of my childhood they played a huge part.


My cousin, Tom - I think of when he came home from the army and came and stayed with us in Colorado (I was 5 or 6 at the time). As a kid, I thought we MUST be something big and special if he had been gone away from family and he was coming to stay with us!

Tom's wife, Michelle - The first thing I think of when I think of Michelle is her laugh - it is an infectious laugh - one that make you want to know what has tickled her so much... so much so that you want to be involved in all of her conversations. Michelle shared this weekend what she thinks of, when she thinks of me. It was funny really... because they were just 2 one-liner sentences that I had randomly made. Yet, they had stuck in her mind all of these years. (One of them I had made 14 years ago and the other, I think, was longer ago than that!)
Michelle - It was great fun reminiscing with you and "catching" the punch line together!

My cousin, Steve - As a kid, I had extremely long hair. My fondest memory of Steve is him waking me up by gently brushing my hair, and whispering "Wake up." (To most this may not be significant, but I normally was woken by lights being turned on, blankets being pulled off, and shouts of "Get UP!" coming from my mom:)

My cousin, Jean - Jean is someone I look up to more than I think she knows. She is an awesome mom! But more than anything because she befriended me when I was younger, not because she was related to me, but because she wanted to include me. I was one of those shy kids that always wanted to be involved but wouldn't be unless invited to join. That's what Jean did for me! She invited me! Whether it be up to her apartment to go out with her and her friends(when she was single) - or this weekend to Pogueland. An invite means a LOT in my eyes!

Jean's husband, Russ - Russ has always impressed me! But most recently he has impressed me because of his interactions with my children. When my children are involved with what ever his kids are doing - they are one in the same. This may sound like a simple concept, but not all adults follow this when dealing with other people's children.

My cousin, Andrew - Andrew and I are the same age. We share a lot of little experiences that are the same from when we were young - both held back in fifth grade and then both moved to Monett Elementary the same year. But not only that, as adults we are sharing in similar experiences - we both have gone through divorces and are now thrown back into the dating world.

So... that's just a little insight of how dear I hold my just a few members of my family. And even though I may not see them quite as often as a person should, I think they know my love for them has not lessened an ounce from when we were kids.
And... I am proud to say that now my boys are getting to know their cousins and create memories that one day they may look back upon and say, "Remember when???"


***Soon to come - Pogueland pictures****

When it rains, it pours

Sure...sure, I could definitely use this analogy for the weather right now, cause I am SOOO tired of waking up and see rain coming down. Instead, I am applying it to my dating scene. Right now, I feel like I am in a monsoon. I mean, I have men coming out of the woodwork!!

You'd think for a gal who has finally stepped back into the dating world this would be a joyous occasion... for me, though, it is just down right frightening. I have never been the girl that guys swoon over and I just can't seem to wrap my head around it quite yet. Sure... hearing all of the compliments is great, but it still embarrasses me! I don't think of myself as "a gorgeous goddess" as one suitor recently put it. I'm a mom. I'm a teacher. I'm me - The girl next door that hung out with all the guys, who all the guys just wanted to be friends with.


I have also never had more than one guy interested in me at once. I am learning I am not so good at juggling. It is a whole lot of energy to keep up with one, much less two or three (or four...I kid:)


I am also someone who over-thinks others' feelings. If I feel like I am possibly doing something that might hurt, irritate, or upset another person - I reconsider my action. This is mighty hard to do when you have several people vying for your attention and you don't want to step on anyone's toes.


So...my only solution is to be honest and hope for the best. (That, and I guess I need to invest in some galoshes - just in case the "monsoon" water is too high ;) or start preparing for the next draught that could be coming.) LOL

It's all about the blog

I found this clip to be so appropriate for my life right now (and it is down right hilarious!)
You know... with learning to date again and ... well, just watch. :)




yeah... blogging is where it's at!!!!

Rules of Dating

So... since I am "back out there", friends have been giving me some rules of dating. Like I've said before, I wasn't exactly good at this the first time around, so... I figure any advice would help.

Rule #1 - Put yourself out there
Okay... so I have been doing that.
I am on a personals site online - this is how I met the last guy I dated, but I am becoming a little cynical about them...I am finding that the guys on there don't want to make the first move - which sometimes makes me feel it is all becoming a little one-sided.
Last night, I went out with friends. I even had a pick up line...isn't that funny?? Me! With a pick up line!! I met a guy - he wants to take me out on his boat. I told him, "We'll see."

Rule #2 - Appear to be having a good time
Okay... this is an easy one!! I have a good time pretty much where ever I'm at.

Rule #3 - Allow yourself to be taken care of
(This could include paying for a meal or drink, having a door opened for you, etc.)

Now...here's the one that I am not really good at...okay, okay...let's take it a step farther - I am HORRIBLE at it!! I have always had guys in the past that don't do that - take care of me. Don't get me wrong, they were great guys but I put myself out there as not needing to be taken care of and they backed off of that role. (Even in my last relationship, the guy recognized that I was NOT used to it!)What I am learning is... that puts a "friends" connotation to a new relationship. If you are taking care of yourself, you are an independent individual, not part of a couple. (which make perfect sense as to why I make such a great friend!) Me, allowing another person to take care of me, shows that I need him as much as he needs me.
So...can I step back off of the friend's role and allow myself to be taken care of?
I guess... only time will tell.

Sleepless in B-Town

I can honestly say I have become an insomniac.

There towards the end of school when everything was due and the pressure was on, I couldn't sleep due to the fact that I couldn't turn my brain off at night.

But now... What's my excuse now?? Trust me... there is NOTHING about summer school that is stressing me out - I just can't sleep.

And it's not that I'm not tired, cause I am. I have just gotten myself into this horrible rut that I can't seem to crawl out of. My body won't sleep until I hit that point of pure exhaustion (which normally happens somewhere between midnight and 1 am). Then, the next day, when I get home I have to nap! Many of you are probably thinking, "Well there's your problem." But it's not! I, knowing that it might affect my going to bed, don't allow myself to sleep long - I'm talking 15-20 minutes here (30 tops).

I have had people give me different suggestions - read a book, drink warm milk, Count from a hundred backwards, etc. ... yet here I am...still awake.

So, if you have any suggestions... I'm up :(

You might be a Redneck if...

Okay...I'm not normally the one to tell redneck jokes, BUT let me just tell you ...a picture is worth 1,000 words - which means these are worth at least 3,000!

I couldn't have made this up if I had wanted to! I was driving home with the boys this evening and I came up upon this car and just had to take pictures!!! (And, yes, I did have to speed in order to get closer ~ Rednecks are speed demons!!!)


You MIGHT be a Redneck if...



You strap your garbage can to the top of your car to use as a luggage rack!

I LOVE summer school!

I know a lot of you are saying right now, "Yeah... right!" because you know how sarcastic I can be. But I am NOT being sarcastic right now - I do. I do LOVE summer school!

If you would have asked me 2 weeks ago when my regular school year was ending...I would have droned on and on about how I just really couldn't foresee dragging myself to school a WHOLE 'nother month. But now that I am here...it's all sunshine and daisies. (Okay - that might be pushing it a bit far, but really... it's all good!)

Let me just tell you the reasons why I LOVE summer school SO much!

1. No papers to grade!!
2. Outdoor exploratory for an hour every day. (Okay - in layman's terms this is recess...but for technicality purposes it is NOT in summer school! LOL)
3. Switching of classes = one lesson plan per day
4. No papers to grade!!
5. Opportunity to teach and learn about fun stuff that (unfortunately) we don't have time for in the regular school year.
6. Crafts
7. Having time to go the computer lab.
8. Did I mention NO papers to grade?!!!

But the reason I am loving summer school most of all this summer is the kids! These kids were 4th graders this year, which meant I never had them in class. For some...this was a blessing for me. But for many...I am so glad that I had an opportunity to get to know these kiddos before they leave my building. It actually makes me sad that now that I know their smiling faces, I won't get to see them on a daily basis after summer school is over. :(