Hello, February!

A new month is upon us.  Time is certainly on the move.  We've already whisked through the first month of 2015 and so far, 2015 has been pretty good.  Lots of exciting things are on the schedule for this month and I can't wait to see them all come to fruition.

• Jordan has more Beta Club Conventions to attend.  He is absolutely loving being a state officer.  He's getting the opportunity to travel to some really neat places.  The friendships that he has made and the independence that he's gained from this experience have been absolutely amazing.  He is so blessed to have been chosen for this position. 
• Jordan is participating in the regional Science Fair.  He worked hard on his experiment and report.  I'm proud of him for being chosen for this honor.  
• Kaylen will be trying out for school cheer this month! I'm really excited for her.  She's been working hard in tumbling and will be attending some clinics that will hopefully get her ready for tryouts!
• Kaylen is participating in her first pageant.  I can't wait to see her all dressed up. We're going to have so much fun!  

While the kids are preparing for their busy month, I'll be super busy myself.  Though grad school just started back for me a few days ago, I already have a ton of assignments to do in the coming weeks.  Oh, let's not forget my full-time job teaching and my part-time job teaching online classes.  

Life for me is busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Excuse me while I go in my closet and get my tights and cape!  

Hello, February!!

After the Fast...

So, my husband and I successfully completed 21 days of the Daniel Fast along with our church family.  What a feeling of accomplishment!  This was our third time participating in the fast and each year gets easier and easier.  Who am I kidding?  Doing the Daniel Fast has to be one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life!  I know.  That's very sad, isn't it?  It's really sad how much food controls our lives.  

If you're not familiar with the Daniel Fast, the gist of it is this:  eat only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains and drink only water, all while purposefully praying and meditating daily.  

Truthfully, if I hadn't had the support and encouragement of my husband, I probably would have fallen off the wagon by Day 3 or 4.  But, his pep talks and motivational messages kept me focused. I'm truly thankful that we shared this experience together.  It really taught us a lot about ourselves. 

Here are some things that I discovered about myself:

1) I can read the Bible daily.  During the fast, I read the Bible first thing every morning.  I use the YouVersion app on my phone.  I have a reminder set to alert me each morning that I need to read my Bible.  I don't step foot out of bed until I have read a scripture and meditated on it for a moment.  

2) I can cook at home more often. One of the excuses that I use for eating out so frequently is that I don't have time to cook.  Well, during the fast, I did a lot of meal planning to reduce the chances of "messing up" and eating something that was not a part of the fast.  If I did it then, I can do it now.  

3) I do have self-control.  If you had told me 3 years ago that I could go twenty-one days without eating a piece of candy, cheesecake, or having a Diet Coke, I would have laughed in your face.  This fast has taught me that I have way more self-control than I ever thought.  

4)  I like vegetables more than I thought.  I knew that I liked green beans.  But who knew how much I liked asparagus, cabbage, spinach, sweet potatoes, zucchini?  These things will continue to be a part of my diet to make less room for the french fries, onion rings, macaroni and cheese, and other unhealthy foods.  I don't plan to give these things up, but I do plan to practice moderation.  

In addition to these four things, I also learned a lot about being consistent, being dedicated, and staying the course.  There were several times when I wanted to give up and times near the end when I simply wanted to quit.  I remember the day when I had ketchup (probably around day 19) and I wanted to use that slip up as an excuse to throw in the towel.  However, I chose to put that intentional slip up behind me and finish what I committed to starting 20 days earlier.  

Looking back, I am thankful for the experience and look forward to challenging myself to move into the deep in 2015!

Goodbye 2014

This will be my last blog post of 2014.  I can't believe that it's already time to say goodbye to another year.  Time is definitely on the move!  It's been a year full of many life-changing and memorable events, both good and bad.  Here are some of the highlights of my year:

I completed 21 days of the Daniel Fast:  This was my first year to complete the entire 21 days without cheating.  I felt so accomplished because so much of my life centers around food and usually includes me making poor choices when it comes to food.  Fully participating in the fast taught me that I do have self-control and it caused me to try new, healthy food items that I've been able to incorporate into my daily life.  During this time, I also drank nothing but water, which is a HUGE deal for this self-professed water hater!



I turned 35:  This only seems like a big deal to me because I remember sitting with my friends in high school referring to our 30 something year old teachers as old!  Now, I'm that old teacher.  Only now, I don't think 30 something is old anymore.  Funny how time changes things, huh?
I got up enough courage to apply to graduate school:  Even though I am a three-time college graduate, I was very hesitant to apply to the educational leadership doctoral program at Samford University. Getting my master's and specialist's degrees were taxing and I just didn't think I had what it took to be accepted into a doctoral program.  Thanks to my supportive family and friends and my trust in the Almighty, I finally took the steps needed to apply to grad school and am now well on my way to becoming Dr. Fluker!



I completed my first 5K:  I'm not real proud of my time, but I am so proud of myself for completing the entire race.  This event was a fundraiser and I reluctantly participated simply to be supportive.  But, the feeling of accomplishment that I had once I completed the race is undeniable.  Hopefully, as I work to get back into shape, I won't be embarrassed to post my time for the next 5K that I run!

I could go on and on about all of the things that happened in my life this year.  Some things I want to erase from my memory forever, and some things I never want to forget.  I know for sure that everything that happened, whether good or bad, was purposely planned by the Master.

The ups and downs of life work together to craft me into the person that God wants me to be.  I am thankful for the year that I have had and look forward to what 2015 has in store for me and my family.

Happy New Year!

On Disappointment...again

I posted this a few weeks ago and felt compelled to post it again.  I don't think I was listening the first time, so here it goes again...

Here are my thoughts on disappointment:  It's inevitable.

No big secret, right?  As long as there are human relationships, there will be disappointments.  I've tried every way I know how to avoid disappointment, but it just keeps happening.  Disappointment stems from expectations.  The only way to limit your disappointments is to adjust your expectations. It would be wonderful if we lived in a perfect world.  But, we don't.   So...

Don't expect to win every game.

Don't expect the good guy to always come out on top.

Don't expect the most qualified applicant to get the job.

Don't expect people to keep the promises they make.

Don't expect every relationship to last forever.

Don't expect people to treat you the way that you treat them.

I could go on and on with this list, but I think you get my drift.

Disappointments are going to happen.  But, if you are properly prepared, you can deal with the disappointments much better.   I've learned that the trick is not trying to avoid disappointments (because you obviously can't), but rather learning how to recover from disappointments in a healthy way.  You can't control being disappointed, but you can control how you react to disappointment.  Work to develop a plan to help you bounce back from disappointment in a healthy way that will leave you feeling better and not bitter.  When I figure that plan out, I'll share the secret.

Choices

By day, I am a high school teacher.  One of the things that I constantly preach to my students is the importance of making good choices.  So many of the situations that we are faced with in our lives are caused by the choices that we make.  If you choose not to study for a test, be prepared to possibly deal with a disappointing grade. If you choose to constantly overeat and overindulge in junk foods, be prepared to have an unhealthy body.  If you choose to break the law, be prepared for legal action to be taken against you.

Choices. Choices. Choices.

It's inevitable.  We have to make choices every day--what to eat, what to wear, who to hang out with, how much money to spend, etc.  Some choices obviously have a greater impact than others. For those BIG decisions that you are faced with, make sure to take the time to carefully weigh your options so that you can make a choice that you can be proud of!

from www.thingswesay.com

10 More Things I know for Sure

A few months ago, I did a post entitled 10 Things I Know for Sure.  That list was compiled of things that I have learned merely through living this thing called life.  Well, as I continue to live, I continue to learn.  Here are 10 additional things I want to add to that list:

11.  Rarely do people remember when you do something good; but they NEVER forget when you do something bad.

12.  Family is not just limited to those in the blood line. 

13.  Misery really does love company.

14.  If you want something to be a secret, you can't tell anybody.

15.  No matter how hard you try, you will never make everyone happy.

16.   It really does not matter what other people think about you. 

17.  Never regret anything.  If something turns out badly, use it as a teaching experience. 

18.  Always listen to your elders.  They have been where you are trying to go.

19.  If you have to try hard to fit in, that might not be the place where you belong.

20.  What goes around, comes around. 

Life is the best teacher I have ever had.  I am so appreciative of the lessons that I have learned.

You Reap What You Sow

Last year, I got the inkling to start my own raised bed vegetable garden.  It had a lot to do with the fact that a couple of my colleagues had their own gardens and come harvest season, they would come to school gloating about the beautiful vegetables and flowers that were grown right in their own back yards.  I had counted myself out of the gardening business because there was no way a girl who rarely goes outside was going to be able to grow a garden, right?

Wrong!

With the help of those same colleagues, I learned more about gardening and the types of seeds I needed to sow in order to get the end result that I desired.

Just like with the garden, in life you have to sow the right seeds in order to get the results that you desire.  Here are a few examples:


1.  If you want to do well in school, you have to study and work hard.
2.  If you want to lose weight, you have to eat less and exercise more.
3.  If you want to run a marathon, you have to train months and months in advance.
4.  If you want to learn to play a musical instrument, you have to practice, practice, practice.
5.  If you want to gain friends, you have to show yourself friendly.

 The equation is simple.  Sowing good seeds + nurturing and caring for those seeds = A good harvest.  The old saying proves true:  You reap what you sow!

How to Move on after being Hurt with Words

Sticks and stones may break my bones...you know the rest, right?  How many times have you heard that saying?  Countless times, I'm sure.  But, have you ever really stopped to think about it?  WORDS will never hurt me.  Words will NEVER hurt me.  Words will never hurt ME.  No matter how many ways I spin it, the fact still remains:  words can hurt.

The other night, I was at church talking to a friend about our kids and how they are growing up so fast.  Both of us were able to think back on hurtful things that people said to us when we were in middle and high school.  We also talked about how our children come to us when someone says or does hurtful things to them.  I hesitantly admitted that I find myself using that same old tired phrase with my children in attempts of helping them bounce back from the pain caused by someone's careless mishandling of words.  When in fact I should be honest with them.  Instead of trying to make them pretend that mean words are not hurtful, I should be teaching them to cope with the pain caused by hurtful words and action.  So, the next time one of my children comes to me and lets me know that they have been hurt by someone's words, here's my advice to them:

1. Don't take it personally.   Hurt feelings are a part of life.  Everyone experiences hurt from time to time.

2.  Express your hurt feelings.  Keeping your feelings bottled up is not the correct way to deal with them.

3.  Let it go!  We are not defined by other people's opinions.

4.  End it.  The"Pay it Forward" concept is great when it comes to everything EXCEPT saying mean things.  You know how it feels when someone says something hurtful to you, so make a vow to let it end with you.  Don't say mean things to or about other people.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who is hurting because of something that someone has said?

I Need Some "Me" Time

Back in August, I vowed to take some time from each day to focus on me.  Well, for about two weeks, I woke up early, made myself a cup of Joe, and sat quietly in my den thinking about the goings-on of life. Then, I quickly realized that if I really wanted to take care of me, I needed SLEEP!  So, needless to say, my 30-minute “me” time has slowly dwindled away.  It’s really, really close to nonexistent since, as of late, I've opted to hit the snooze button a couple of times before slowly dragging myself out of bed.  I guess it’s good that I love my family more than anything else.  Otherwise, I might be a little upset!

You know, the more I think about it.  I don't really need "me" time.  It's obvious that my "me" time is me doing what I love to do each day.  Me living my day to day life is all the "me" time that I need. And that's the truth.

"Me" with my daughter at the Auburn vs. Florida Atlantic Game

"Me" helping Emmitt, our school mascot, get ready for the pep rally

"Me" with my cousins after church

"Me" with my sweet little nieces

"Me" when I first realized that my son was taller than me

See what I mean?  It's quite evident that I get way more "me" time than I realized!  I'm enjoying this life of mine and all the amazing people in it!

You're More Powerful than You Think!

When you think of someone who is powerful, who comes to mind?  Is it the President?  The CEO of a major company?  The pastor of your church?  Oprah?  What characteristics does one have to possess in order to be described with the adjective powerful?

I had the opportunity to attend church with a dear friend of mine today.  The pastor preached about influence.  He reminded the congregation about how easily our lives can be influenced.  In contrast, he informed us of the power that we have to influence others.  He quoted a shocking statistic in his sermon:  "The average person influences approximately 10,000 people in his lifetime."



Ten thousand?  That's a lot of people!  I'm pretty sure that I don't even know 10,000 people.  In fact, I'm a couple of hundred people shy of having a mere 1,000 Facebook friends!  So, how in the world can I influence that many people?  I barely have the time to get all of my tasks done in a day, so how do I have the time to influence 10,000 people?

The fact of the matter is that we influence people when we don't even know that we're doing it.  We influence people by our relationships, the way we dress, what we eat, what we say, and our facial expressions, just to name a few.  When I began to think about the opportunities that I have to influence others, these were the first few to enter my mind:

-as a mom

-my position as a teacher

-coaching cheerleaders

-as a youth advisor at church

-as a friend

-shopping in the store

-blogging

-singing in the choir at church

-tutoring after school

And those are just the first few things that came to mind.  Wow, I am way more powerful than I thought.  I bet you are, too!  Take a minute and think about the power that you have to influence someone's life.  Actively thinking about it will help you to make good decisions and to be the person that you want others to be.  Take advantage (in a positive way) of the power that you have been given to make this world a better place!

How Lucky Am I?

When I started this blog post, I vowed not to spend too much time talking about teaching.  Sorry.  Teaching is what came upon my thoughts today so it is what I chose to write about.  Did teaching come to my mind because I'm dreading the end of my summer?  Is it because I'm thinking of all the planning that I need to do in order to prepare for the upcoming school year?  Maybe it's because I'm wondering how in the world I'm going to fit a full-time job into my already busy life?  TBH, it is because I was thinking how lucky I am to be amongst those who are blessed enough to call themselves a teacher. 

My journey to becoming a teacher is an interesting one.  I grew up, as most little girls do, playing school with my dolls, cousins, and friends.  Up until the age of 15, if someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, the answer was always, "a teacher."   But somehow, I got off track and decided to pursue a degree in Business.  It only took a few semesters for me to figure out that the School of Business was NOT the place for me.  It just didn't seem to be a natural fit.  So, I waltzed over to the College of Liberal Arts and changed my major to English.  

I can still hear the supportive, yet hesitant tone in my mother's voice when I informed her that I was changing my major to English.  It's probably similar to the tone that college students hear when they tell their parents that they are majoring in Art or Dance.  Nonetheless, I was determined to get a degree in English, but I was equally determined that I would NOT be a teacher. 

Silly me.  What was I thinking?  How could I not see that teaching is the coolest job ever.  My career has definitely taken the scenic routine to it's current location.  I've worked as a secretary, a teacher, a college instructor, a technical writer, and a proposal coordinator.  I can say with confidence that I have been the most successful as a teacher. 

Teaching is the job in which I feel most comfortable. I love that each school year brings with it a clean slate and a new opportunity for me to get it right.  I'm faced with a new group of students, new ideas, new strategies, and new goals.  I meet new teachers, new students, and new parents.  I work tirelessly to educate students in the content area as well as in character education.  I count the minutes to the end of the day, the days to the end of the week, the weeks to end of the month, and the months to the end of the year.  Then, in the blink of an eye, it's over.  And I get to start all over again! How lucky am I?

Dressing a "tween" for back-to-school

As much as I hate to admit it, it's time to start preparing for back-to-school.  I have two children, a boy and a girl, both in the "tween" stage of life.  Luckily, my son is care-free and will wear whatever I purchase for him without complaint.  He's not into fancy smancy name brands or the hottest looks.  He's prefers shorts, t-shirts, and flops or sneakers (depending on the weather), making shopping for him a cinch for me!

My daughter, on the other hand, is the ultimate fashionista.  She loves all things girly and can't wait to get her hands on the newest and hottest fashions.  So, back-to-school shopping for her can be a little tricky.  I love helping her find hot styles for great prices.  So, before we head out to take advantage of some tax-free savings, we decided to do a little web browsing as to reduce the number of eye rolls and arguments that we might have while out shopping!

So, here are some of her favorite back-to-school items:

Rare Editions Girls 7-16 Hi Low Dress



One Step Up Girls 7-16 Printed Crepe Button Down Blouse

My Michelle Girls 7-16 High-Low Hem Top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

YMI Girls 7-16 Floral Printed Skinny Jean

Well, now that we've spent time looking for things that fit her "style", I'll go mentally prepare for the fact that her mind will have completely changed by the time we get to the mall.

What styles are your tweenaged girls begging for this fall?

Friday Five/Fourth Friday Edition

Once again, it's the final Friday of a summer month.  That means we're getting closer to school starting back we still have a few weeks of fun left before school starts!  It was hard to narrow down my Friday Five list this week.  This was an action-packed week full of fun and excitement. Well, here we go:

1.  Cheerleading:  I put my pom poms on the shelf back in 1997 after being selected UCA All-Star, serving two years as captain of the Varsity squad, and having six memorable seasons as a WHS Cheerleader.   This week, I started my new position as Jr. High Cheer Coach, and I'm really excited about it.  Please know, I am smart enough to know that my cheerleader days are over.  But, it's nice to see these girls who have the same passion for the sport as I did 16 years ago.



2.  Football:  I'm an avid lover of football.  I LOVE my Auburn Tigers and it's difficult to tear me away from the TV on Saturdays in the Fall.  But, I'm feeling some kind of way about football now that my son is playing his first season of football.  Despite what I thought, he's loving the sport, so I guess I'll just have to learn how to enjoy football while watching the game through my fingers!  (It's different when one of the boys on the field is your own...)

3.  Family:  Normally during the summer, I am inundated with things to do.  This summer, I vowed to take it easy and spend time with my family.  It's the best decision I've ever made.  I've enjoyed waking up and seeing my husband off to work (and then quickly jumping back into bed to try to grasp hold of any little sleep that may be left inside of me) and spending time with my children (when they weren't busy asking to go to a friend's house or having a friend come over).

4.  Dance:  Soon, I'll be headed to the beach for Fire & Ice National Talent Competition.  My daughter's dance team has had a great dance season and I'm ready to close it out with some wins at nationals this week!

[caption id="attachment_679" align="aligncenter" width="384"] photo by Coeybella Artistry[/caption]

and the BEST part of nationals is that it's being held at....

5.  THE BEACH: My favorite place in the whole wide world is the beach.  I love relaxing and being care free. I love hearing children (mine and others) playing in the sand.  I love hearing the crash of waves as  they retire on the shore.  I love getting lost in a good book without the disturbance of the television and other things.  I love admiring yet another of God's most amazing creations.

Oh yeah....I also love eating great seafood, hanging out at cool spots, and shopping!  (shh...)

There's my week in a nutshell.  I'm ready to enjoy the weekend!  Enjoy yours.

My Favorite iPhone Apps

I absolutely LOVE my iPhone.  So much so that I'll turn around and go back home if I discover that I've forgotten to toss it in my purse.  This relationship is real, albeit one-sided.  The phone is always giving me what I need and I'm always right there waiting to receive the awesomeness that it always supplies.  If loving my iPhone is wrong, I don't want to be right.  I've been on the iPhone bandwagon since the first generation.  I'm a bit tardy at taking the plunge to the iPhone 5, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I upgrade.  (I'm still a little salty about Apple changing the charger ports on it's newest iPhone.  Upgrading my phone will mean upgrading chargers and docks and everything...)

My love for my iPhone made it impossible for me to resist Alabama Women Bloggers' invitation to link up with their "Talk Appy to Me" Tech Tuesday post.  I couldn't wait to unveil my absolute favorite iPhone apps.  Well, without further ado, here they are:

Facebook - I LOVE having this amazing social network at my fingertips.  I can check statuses, send messages, add new friends, send birthday wishes, and more with the help of this great app.  Definitely one of my favorites.

Twitter:  Another of my favorite social networks easily assessible through an app.  This is another app that I use on a regular basis.

Cozi:  I've blogged about this great app before.  The Cozi app allows me to keep up with everything that I have to do.  Additionally, my family can add their activities and instantly, our calendars are connected!  I love being able to see who has a meeting, practice, or an event all at a glance.  Cozi doesn't stop there.  I'm able to add shopping lists, plan meals, and take notes.  I don't know how my family stayed organized before Cozi!



You Version Bible App: Incorporating daily Bible reading into my life is so much easier with this great Bible app.  You Version makes it easy to read daily verses, write notes, view videos, or participate in reading plans.  You Version allows me to set up reminders, which is very helpful when I embarrassingly forget to take time for God's word.  You Version helps keep me accountable to reading the word every day.



Wordpress:  This app recently became one of my favorites.  I started blogging in late May.  I discovered this app in June!  It is awesome.  I can write and edit blog posts, read my favorite blogs, and check the my blog stats!  I love being able to blog on the go with the Wordpress app!



ebay:  I love finding great deals on ebay.  The ebay app makes it easy for me to browse and shop anytime.



Rhapsody:  I love music.  I love apps.  So what's better than a music app?  Nothing!  Rhapsody lets me listen old favorites as well as the newest releases from all genres of music!

Well, those are a few of my favorites.  To find out what apps other women bloggers in Alabama are loving, click the picture below.  Before you go, don't forget to share with me some of your favorite apps.  I'm always looking for more!

I Stand Corrected

This week has been a busy one for me.  So busy, that I've only blogged once this week!  My long-awaited graduation day is rapidly approaching and one of the requirements is an electronic portfolio.  The aforementioned portfolio is to consist of my responses, reflections, and artifacts proving thorough understanding of all of the objectives that have been taught in all of the courses that I've taken for this thirty-three hour educational specialist's degree.  Keep in mind that I've been working towards this Teacher Leader degree for a little over a year and that in addition to pursuing this degree I've also been a wife, mother, teacher (high school and junior college), dance mom, basketball mom, tutor, you get my drift...



 

I'm a self-professed Superwoman and sometimes I think that I take on extra tasks just to see if I can outdo myself.  Seriously, I don't think I've uttered the word "no" in so long that my lips and tongue may not even know how to form the shape needed to successfully say the word.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="466"] photo from www.grassrootsy.com[/caption]

Yesterday, I excitedly pressed the submit button to turn in my portfolio to my advisor!  Boom! A whole week early!  Superwoman has done it again!!  Time to celebrate!  Then, just as my toe was pointed, lifted, and headed into the right grapevine to begin the electric slide, I heard the buzz of my iPhone indicating that I had received an email.

The email was not one I was expecting.  Not at all.  It was a message from my advisor asking me to set up a call with her to discuss my portfolio.  Seems that it needed a little more work.  Why I initially got so upset, I'm still trying to figure that out.  When I got off the phone and truly evaluated how much time I've spent working on the project, I felt silly that I, even for one second, got offended.

I'm a teacher.  If I don't know anything, I know that teachers  have the gift that tells them when students hurriedly complete assignments so as not to interfere with the other things that they have going on in their lives.  Why would I think this instance would be any different?

I stand corrected.  I stand corrected that I can slip some work by a teacher and he accept it as my best because I've submitted nothing but my best all semester long.  I also stand corrected in thinking that I'm Superwoman.  I'm figuring out that being a jack of all trades makes me the master of none.  At this very moment, I'm making a list.  I'm going to check it twice.  I'm erasing all the things that prohibit me from having the best life possible.

Friday after the Fourth

For me, the Fourth of July is a day to relax and enjoy the day with family.  We celebrated the day by watching fireworks at the lake.  Other than that, we did a whole lot of barbecuing and eating, just like most other families in the South.



Today, we slept in to recover from all the Independence Day fun.  Since my Internet is still not working, the kids and I drove over to Barnes and Noble so that I could submit some homework assignments.  They also picked up new books, and I must say that I was pretty impressed with their selections.  My son chose Out of My Mind and my daughter chose Trading Faces.  It only took them an hour to make their final selection.

After spending a little time reading and surfing the web in the Barnes and Noble Cafe, we came home to enjoy some leftover barbecue.  Then, I treated the kids to The Special Place Ice Cream Emporium.  If you live close to Pell City, you absolutely MUST give it a try.

I had to double check my phone to make sure that it wasn't still July 4.  The neighbors are finishing off their last rounds of fireworks and I can still smell a hint of hickory in the air as I step out on the back porch.  It's kind of hard to say bye bye to yesterday when the celebration continues today as well.  So, this phrase seems only fitting for today:  Happy Friday after the Fourth of July!

Time to Reevaluate How I Spend My Time...Or is it?

I woke up yesterday only to find out that my internet was not working.  After resetting the modem and router several times, I finally figured out that the problem was bigger than my simple troubleshooting abilities.  After lunch with two of my closest friends, I decided to stop antagonizing the kids (or at least that's what they called it) and call my Internet Service Provider for assistance.



After about 45 minutes on the phone, several of which were spent listening to some pretty groovy "hold" music, my technician determined that he was going to need to perform some additional tests and that I'd have to wait 24-48 hours before they could determine the problem.  Bummer.  Major bummer.  Our whole lives revolve around the internet.  I actually think I saw a tear form in the children's eyes when I informed them that they'd be internet-less for the remainder of the day.



It was at that moment that I began to think, "Who are these monsters that I've created?"  Why are approximately 75% of the things that they do at home all internet related?  Instagram, YouTube,  Kik, Skype, Face Time, Pinterest, Snap Chat, need I say more?  My kids, and I, are always plugged in to the world wide web in some way or another.

Going one single day without the internet showed me just how big of an issue this really is.  I really need to sit down and talk to my children about limiting their time on the internet.  The best way to teach them this is to be an example, right?

Okay, I'll do it as soon as I finish updating my blog (which requires the internet).  Well, then I have to submit my homework assignments (which also requires the internet).  Then I have to check my email (oops, internet again).

Maybe the kids are right?  Pass me a tissue.  It's definitely time to start crying.