My thoughts on 12/14/12

I am not sure what I want to say, what I need to say or what I should say......but here it goes........

I have not let myself watch the news (not that I normally do) since Friday...the most information I have seen has been on FB.....I have not let myself fathom that such a horrible, unspeakable, awful, senseless, heartless, horrific act could ever happen.....nor have we talked to Bryson about it.....

I do realize that it is a real world, real life situation, but I was very sheltered as a child and I obviously am raising my children to be the same way.....and yes, you can disagree b/c that would be your opinion......but I do not know what good it is going to do for my already worry wart 6 year old to know that a classroom full of students his age were suddenly taken from this world b/c some people have issues and do not know how to handle or control their emotions without ending or resulting in violence.......

I am deeply saddened for the families involved and it breaks my heart knowing that one week from this moment I will be baking cookies for Santa with my children and there are many families out there that will not be able to share the same joy.....

My thoughts are so random....it makes me question what this lost soul was thinking when he decided, calculated or planned such a terrible thing.....you know that I am a huge advocate for the autism world...it was my focus for my masters program....I am sure that eventually the final diagnosis will come out someday and then what will we do with that information......it will not bring back anyone lost at his hands on Friday....BUT what I hope will come out of this IS the fact that autism is on the rise and that there are MANY cases daily popping up....we have got to figure out, as a society, what we can do to help these children and people...

I realize that I am not in the shoes of a parent who has a child with special needs, whatever the needs may be, but I do see children daily that struggle in some way or another and just like me trying to teach them reading comprehension skills or how to multiply by 25....we help those kids try and overcome their hurdles....I just wish that there was more that I could do to help students and parents living with the au spectrum disorder and other such disorders! I do believe that this 20 year old did have a problem b/c I am not convinced anyone in their right mind would have or could have done such a thing......

What do we do? Where do we go from here? What's next? I wish I had some answers for you, but I don't...all I know is that in the aftermath of this I hope that it will lead us in the direction of compassion, where compassion needs to be and help and support, where help and support are needed......

Keep in mind that children on the spectrum deal with outside stimuli way different from the way you and I do....keep in mind that the child that you (and I am guilty of it too) think is being a brat in the grocery store, kicking, screaming, freaking out....may only be responding to the fact that their little brain can not handle the lights flickering, the cash registers dinging, the crowd of people surrounding them, and even the smell of the meat department MAYBE the main cause for their "bratty" attitude....

I just wish we could all just get along...............

Thanks for listening...and I hope that after this I can channel my negative energy and attitude towards better and brighter things....such as the fact that its almost Christmas and that is a real, true reason ....we are all here because of one person and we should celebrate and continue to have faith that one day we will all be in a better place!

I do hope I have not offended anyone b/c as I have realized today, we are all entitled to our opinions and we all feel that in the moment we are right and it takes some reflection within ourselves to see the others point of view in the end! All I ask is that we try and realize that there are many people out there dealing with many situations that we may or may not be aware....my goal for 2013 is going to be not to judge, as I often do...I am very guilty of this....and I often forget that other people have reasons for their actions too.....

Much Love and Working on a Better Attitude, Alysha

Expanding my knowledge......

Well, I am a little behind on a few things, so I am going to take this time and try and catch up before more craziness sets in.....

I know I am behind on my weekly menus, but they have been really easy this week...soup/sandwichs, mac and cheese, pizza.....I will try and do better in the coming weeks...but as you know next week is Thanksgiving, so that will take over most of my menu for next week.....

I want to take this time to reflect on the past few days...I have been at the EC Conference in Greensboro since Wednesday....this is always a much needed thing for me...and especially this year...

As you know I struggled going back to work this school year and questioned why I work...and as the weeks have pushed on, I have seen the answers 1st hand, but then again yesterday it was crystal clear......

It has been a rough start to the school year for most of us educators because there have been so many changes statewide and even many within Alexander County....I finally, think things are beginning to settle, but I do want to take this time to reflect on the fact that the school I work at is so much more than a school, its a home that loves every child that walks through the doors everyday including my own....we have had many ups and downs this year...but this morning when I went to drop Bryson off before leaving for Greensboro 2 kids came by and were very excited to see me and give me my morning hug....it is  little things like this that I need to constantly remind myself that these are someone's babies and they share them with me daily......

So as always the conference had the opening ceremony yesterday and a few children/people with special needs spoke and ignited that passion that was burned out.....the keynote speaker shared her very own son with a room of 3,000 people to make the point that we all teach because there is some inside pull to help....whether it be the need to see children grow with the knowledge that we instill, whether its the "debt" that we owe because of a former teacher that made the difference for us or whether we wake every morning ready to prepare our future American leaders, there is a reason people educate! You all know my reason....I was that kid that worked so hard for every C- I earned! I work everyday to make the difference (hopefully) in at least one child!! I often tell my kids that hate reading, as I did, don't understand the "outside of the box" math concepts, just like me, that one day when they are 30 no one will remember that they didn't answer the comprehension question correctly on November 15, 2012.....BUT what does matter is what they chose to do with the "obstacles" they have been given and how will they use them to one day help others....

A girl who was deaf and blind spoke about her "obstacles" as a child and how she has overcome them and will graduate in May from Harvard law school as a LAWYER!!!!!!!!!!!! Inspiration, heck yes!!!!!

As Brooks and Bryson argued over spelling words last night and he got so upset because he just couldn't get "small" to come out right (smull).....I saw myself back in the 3rd grade struggling to make my parents proud, but it just wouldn't come out right.....BUT I'm soooooo THANKFUL that they continued to push me...even to tears, because of that I am what I am today and I work in such a trying profession because someone has to love and understand the kids that were and will be just like me....

I didn't tell Bryson that one day he will understand why we push him so hard because I know that it will mean nothing right now, but in time it will!

So here I am....like always wondering if there is more out there for me...should I be spreading and
expanding my knowledge further? Are there bigger things out there for me....am I meant to do more?....Is this the time to consider going back to school....

A few more highlights from the past few days.......lunch with my long lost friend Alicia and her 2 sweet kiddos, Hams homemade chips, a little Christmas shopping during lunch break, listening to others conversations about SED kids on meds, needing more service time on IEPs.....and realizing that there are only a few people in this world that understand their conversation and can think of a 100 ways to help and love this kid!!!!

Thanks for reading!! Hope you have been well and are as excited for the holidays as we are.....I think Santa is sending Buster soon..... So we are on elf patrol at the Derting's!!

Have a fantastic fall weekend and enjoyThanksgiving and all the blessings you have been blessed
with!!!!! Much love, Alysha

Menu: ~Oct. 21st-26th~

Happy Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Menu and put away laundry day.......

***Please note this week's menu looks like a whole lot of Italian....but I have some new recipes to try and that is what they all ended up being....I will try and be a little more health next week........AND I even have a little bit of hamburger meat thrown in this week......

Sunday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and your favorite soup....good way to end the Balloon Rally weekend, you probably know about my balloon obsession, if not click and read..... My balloon obsession is tied to memories :)

Monday: Pizza Pasta in the crock pot
http://www.cookingwithjoey.com/2008/09/crock-pot-pizza-pasta.html



Tuesday: Pizza night

Wednesday: Chicken Spaghetti
http://www.boomerbrief.com/2012/03/super-satisfying-chicken-spagetti.html



Thursday: Chicken Tenders & Mac & Cheese
 http://tipgarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/one-pot-mac-and-cheese.html



Hope your week is going great....see ya next week!!! Much love, Alysha

Menu: ~Oct. 14th-19th~

Hi all!!!

I am day a late...sorry about that!! Also, I have to admit I didn't like the Parmesan chicken last week. Mine turned out tooooo greasy and oily, so that you will probably never see again!! With that being said, you may see some repeats......

Sunday: Steaks on the grill, baked motz cheese sticks, green beans
 http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/25-baked-alternatives-to-potato-chips-and-french-f



Monday: Pizza Night

Tuesday: Crock pot chicken tacos
http://www.mychocolatetherapy.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html

            
Wednesday: Spinach Artichoke Pizza *Recipe of the Week*
http://thetwobiteclub.blogspot.com/2011/07/spinach-artichoke-alfredo-pizza.html


Thursday: Hot dogs and nachos

Hope you have had a great week!!! Enjoy the weekend! Alysha

15 years of bliss!

I have pondered a post today...since its our special day....and I don't really know where this may go......

I can't think of my life without Brooks probably because he has been there for over 1/2 of it....and he was even there before then, we just didn't know it....

When my mom and dad divorced in the 6th grade, we moved to Fox Croft Apartments. Well, there was this BRAT that lived a few buildings over and he was always into something...very sneaky! I remember a time when mom went running to the door to find this blonde boy selling candy (only to find out later he took the money and told the school he dropped his box in the creek...YES he was a bad boy)....mom ran into the bed post and broke her toe trying to get to the door....

A few years later my mom was a substitute at West and she had this kid that tried to smooth talk her.....(even then).....

So on October 4, 1997...Brooks asked me from the end of the hallway if he could call me before the football game...my response: Do you REALLY have my number??? I have to be honest when I say I was amusing him trying to heal my broken heart from one of his good friends..he yelled my number down the hallway...and that night we talked till 4 in the morning.....

We shared our finally years of high school together and tried our best to make it work through college...there were rough times, but something always brought us back!

One day we put the pieces together and figured out that the BRAT from the apartments was Brooks and we have had many laughs about the fact that he was responsible for my mom's broken toe!!

So last night I opened the hope chest and 15 years of memories came pouring out...movie stubs, a pager for Outback (yep, he stole that...he was a BAD boy at times), yearbooks, endless cards from the flowers he sent me, notes he put in my car, and then there are wedding things, honeymoon stuff....and now Bryson's scrapbooks......a box that contains our history and all the little things that meant so much then and still now!

15 years of good times and bad times, amazing times and sad times, no matter the time, we have been through so much and have so much to be thankful for, so much to be proud of and some things to be ashamed of, but at the end of this day, I can say that if the next 15 years provide as much as the past we will be just fine!!!

How appropriate that we spent our "dating" anniversary night at the place where it all began...West Iredell High School....on the soccer field coaching/watching our 6 year old play soccer....

My pinterest plug for the night:

15 years
5478 days
2 kids
1 miscarriage
1 city
2 homes
a handful of times I wanted to give up
65 the number of anniversary's I still want to spend with you :)

I LOVE YOU MORE THAN LIFE BROOKS!!!

Thank you for making our life amazing, thank you for 2 amazing kids, thank you for supporting me, thank you for listening to me when I am crazy (he would say this is often) and thank you for loving me!

I love you too, more, always, forever and eternity!

<3, Alysha

~Menu: October 7-12th~

Happy Wednesday :) It's Menu Day!!!

Sunday: Steaks on the grill with potatoes on the grill
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Three-Cheese-Potatoes


Monday: Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Crock Pot mashed potatoes (Both Recipes of the Week)
http://theenchantedcook.blogspot.com/2011/10/parmesan-crusted-chicken-hellmanns-mayo.html

http://firstadream.blogspot.com/2012/05/potatoes-in-crock-pot.html


Tuesday: Pizza Night

Wednesday: Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots
                     *******Never tried it in the crock pot, but I am looking for a recipe!

Thursday: Cupcake Pizzas!!!
                  ********New favorite, cheap and easy! Bryson could make this by himself!
http://reallyfrompinterest.blogspot.com/2012/04/cupcake-mold-pizzas.html


Friday: Ham & cheese subs with scoops chips & melted cheese

I actually grocery shopped today because I had a little more time than usual on Wednesday and Food Lion had their chicken on sale.....
As you can see the majority of my cooking is with chicken...I am not a huge meat fan and will only eat red meat a few certain ways. You will probably never find hamburger in my menus, sorry we don't do hamburger.

I would like to say a HUGE thank you for the support of my blog and all the comments and messages about my menus...I am more than happy to share and help because like many of you, life is crazy and to think of one less thing makes things a little easier! Also, I am 6 weeks in with the 20 minute chore and I have to say I have NEVER felt so caught up than I have the past few weeks with the house chores...if you get a chance, give it a try.....

Thanks again, have a fun end of the week, much love, Alysha

~Menu: week of 9/30~

Sorry in advance that there is nothing spectacular about next week's menu....

Sunday: Baked "fried" chicken (its a weight watchers recipe)
              some sort of beans
              cook potatoes then mix butter, sour cream, bacon and cheese
              *****chicken, 1cup of panko crumbs, 2tbps dried sage, 1tbs Parmesan cheese, 1tbs paprika
                        dip chicken in milk, mix in the mixture of crumbs, sage, cheese, paprika, salt & pepper
                        place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes

Monday: Buffalo chicken pizza
               *****premade pizza crust, hot sauce, chicken, ranch dressing, cheese
                         make chicken in sauce pan with butter and hot sauce (no particular amount)
                         shred chicken
                         bake pizza crust for about 5 minutes to warm
                         cover warmed crust with ranch, then chicken, top with cheese
                         bake for 8 minutes, broil for a couple (I like it burned)

Tuesday: Pizza night with Deane's

Wednesday: CROCK POT NIGHT BBQ chicken sandwiches
                     bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, chicken breasts/tenders, can of pepsi  
                     french loaf, provolone cheese slices
                     **********cook your chicken in the crock pot all day in the bbq sauce and can of pepsi
                      when done shred the chicken (it should fall apart easily)
                      place chicken on cut in 1/2 french loaf and top with provolone cheese
                      bake for 8 minutes to melt cheese
                      add some scoops chips with melted cheese for a side

Thursday: EASY NIGHT Food Lion chicken tenders and mac cheese
                
Friday: Cupcake pizza......I AM MAKING THESE TOMORROW NIGHT, SO I WILL LET YOU KNOW!!

ENJOY!!!! I will let you know some more next week, Alysha


                

The end of September.....

Where has the month gone...I can't believe such a short time ago it was 100 degrees and flip flop weather and today was barely short sleeve worthy.....

I have had such a weird attitude lately, but after today I see that it is time to get in the mood and attitude of Fall....pumpkins, costumes, 5ks, Saturday soccer...etc.....

We had a really fun weekend...hope you did! The warriors put 2 balls in the net, only 1 counted, but it was very exciting for the ball to go into the goal...especially for my soccer mom posse! We celebrated my grandmas 79th birthday last night and enjoyed some great food in West Jefferson today....such a fun weekend makes me happy! Oh and I even ended the day with a 1 mile run...after all the food I have consumed in the past 4 days...I felt it was necessary...I just hope that 1 mile will turn into more...SOON!

 

My boy in action!

 

Most of you know that 2 years ago this week is when my blogging adventures were born and most know it was because 2 years ago this week our lives took a different turn than what we intended. I thought I needed to remember this week because it was so heartbreaking for us and now look what we got out of the deal......we didn't get our second baby, but we got our 3rd and she brings soooo much happiness, joy and laughter to our lives DAILY!

 

This is our blessing from beyond the sadness! We are thankful everyday!!

Not sure I will have much time this week to blog, so I wanted to get a little in before another crazy week begins..and especially since its our blogging anniversary!

Another random thought I have been having...is to TRY and post my food menu for the week...I have had a few people ask me for some recipes...and since I have to make a grocery list and food menu weekly, I am happy to share....MAYBE one day I can grow up and be a food blogger.....I write my menu out of Wednesday's and shop on Thursday's so I will try and include those that are interested in that too!!!

Sorry for all of the random thoughts tonight....not much flow to this blog...the main point was to remember this week in history and be thankful for our past, present, and future!

Hope you have a fantastic week!!! Much love, Alysha

Summer Wrap~Up!

Finally bringing myself to "wrap up summer".....this was the best summer I think I've ever had...we had lots fun, made many memories and traveled often.....

In June we visited Brooks' family in Washington State and spent some time in the FUN city of Seattle. We really enjoyed introducing our Britan to Brooks' grandmother and many aunts, uncles and cousins during our visit! The weather was cool and NOT humid at all during our stay which meant we had to purchase some winter clothes the 3rd week of June while in Seattle. We visited the Space Needle again and I hope that this time Bryson will actually remember it in years to come. He got a Lego Space Needle set while we were there so hopefully those memories will stay with him...and Britan enjoyed her 1st trip to the top...I guess we will need another trip in the future to make sure she remembers ;) We also searched for iCarly and Christian Grey, but no luck during our search....maybe next time??!!! The 5.5 hour flight home was the only disappoint of the trip.......

 

We have 2 pervious pics on this porch corner...1st Brooks and I were dating, then again with Bryson and now the 4 of us!!

 

 

July was spent at the beach, at the movies, swimming and celebrating Britan's 1st SWEET Birthday!!! We visited the beach every other week in July....spent the 4th soaking in the sunshine with my cousin and her 2 kids who are very close in age with my 2 kids. It's quite nice having a 2nd home in NMB, thanks mom!!! Britan turned 1 the 30th of July and we celebrated with 60 special friends and family. She had a SWEET 1st Birthday theme which included candy, cupcakes, cake, ice cream and a chocolate fountain!! She loves the water and considering it was July and at least 90 degrees she had a kiddie pool, water table, and water slide to keep all the guests COOLED off!!! A few days before her big day, she took her 1st steps and hasn't looked back since!! Good thing about walking and not crawling is that the polish actually stays on her toes a little longer! Shortly after her birthday, she slept through the night.....let me repeat....SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT....ALL NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! She has continued this BEAUTIFUL pattern ever since...8 pm to 7am!!! AMAZING!!!! I don't think we ever knew what we were missing before our sunshine arrived one year ago! Love you Brit!!!!

 

 

 



August was VERY bittersweet! We spent the 1st couple of weeks focused on the Olympics....I still LOVE Michael Phelps...and tweet him daily (call me a stalker, I don't care).....spent another week at the beach, enjoyed sweet surprises every morning until my birthday from my sweet husband, went back to the beach for birthday celebrations...my cousins the 16th, mine the 17th, my nephew the 18th, and Brooks the 26th.....and finally I rejoined the workforce and Bryson began his 1st grade year....although I miss my girl during the day, I had a really good week with my "kids" at school and I feel like its going to be a fun and productive year for us and Bryson is off to a good start (his room is right next to mine...PERK of the job, for sure). Soccer is in full force for Brooks at the high school and coaching Bryson and his teammates on Tues/Thurs....first game next weekend......

 

 

So here we are already September...and passing quickly! I am now energized to decorate for fall, make the kid's costumes for Halloween (already started actually), Saturday soccer games, pumpkin picking, celebrate 15 years of  our "dating anniversary"...and most importantly to continue to make memories that will last a lifetime for Bryson and Britan!!! 

 

I hope all is well for you....and I hope you have found a routine that is beginning to work smoothly with school starting, summer ending and fall around the corner....I have to add that this is my 4th week of the 20 minute chore routine and I feel GREAT about my household being in order and we have continued to cook through the week even with adding in school and soccer...I hope if you are trying to "stay on top" of things as I am, that it is working for you too!!!! (would love to share and help if not)

 

Much love and fall blessings......Alysha!! :)

 

 

Pity Party...coming to a close!

Hallelujah for a GREAT 1st day of school!!!!!!!!!!

My day was not as productive as I would have liked and consisted of sorting files, figuring out a workable schedule, trying to find my desk....AND most importantly seeing smiling faces & catching up with old friends!

I was not myself when I posted last week and I TRULY don't like the negative attitude that I had and shared with many.....I would love to work my way up the corporate ladder one day, but for now I know that I am exactly where I am suppose to be.....and most importantly so is Bryson!

I can't say enough about how great Stony Point is...but I will say that the 90% + we showed on test scores last year and the family morals that WE all bring to work daily is beyond enough for me to say that we are the BEST elementary school around!!!

Britan has started a new transition with a new sitter schedule and today was a GREAT day for her! I am excited for her to try something new again tomorrow and I feel confident in the 2 homes we are leaving her in....she was all smiles when I picked her up and her scheduled was followed to a tee! 

I am very thankful that I was able to move the black cloud away from my head! And I look forward to a GREAT school year for Bryson, a successful school year for me, and new friendships for Britan!!

Please excuse my attitude from last week, I had several people say they were praying for me and hoping that I would feel better about my situation....and prayers were answered!!!!

Thanks for being good friends...love (back to herself), Alysha

My issues.....

I am so confused about my life's purpose right now....call it a midlife crisis, call whatever you want, but I think this is the HARDEST time I have ever experienced going back to work.....I have always said that I am better mom because I work because it keeps me sane....but I have really enjoyed being in my little cocoon with me and the kids all summer, our own world, no one to answer to......

Do I want to stay home with my sweet girl? YES!

Do I want to work where Bryson actually is in school? YES!

Do I want to continue to provide our children with experiences that give them happiness? YES!

Do I need to feel like I have a purpose? YES!

So what the heck is wrong with me.....

Is it the fact that I need something NEW to balance my life about every 5 years? MAYBE

Is it that I want new challenges maybe even a new career? MAYBE

Again what is the problem, Alysha......

Do all these questions I am having mean I am going to breakdown and stop being me? No!

Do these questions mean I am not going to go to work tomorrow and do the best job possible? No!

There is something about me that I know from self-reflection and Brooks....I have never stayed at the same position for more than 5 years....I know that sounds unstable because it probably is, but honestly it is what keeps me sane...I have true ADD, as Brooks tells me, and I can't sit still, I can't continue to do the same things over and over so is this why I am racking my brain.......

When I got my teaching degree, I went on to get my masters saying the WHOLE time, I am doing this to not be in the classroom, the rest of my life, this is no secret...and then life happened...Bryson has started school and soccer and friendships and Britan has come and filled our lives with an abundance of JOY and I have gotten WAY toooo comfortable in life....my dreams of getting my doctorate terrify me, my dreams of leaving the classroom (although I want a change) terrify me....

So for the past several weeks, I have asked myself WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I have pushed the question away on many occasions because I didn't want to face reality that I was actually going back to work...but now tomorrow will be here before I know it and tears fill my eyes as I type this....WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!?

Is it all because I don't want to leave Britan..maybe a little (or A LOT), BUT then I think I could quit working, BUT then what would I do next year when she is in preschool 3 days a week and then what would I do in 4 years when she is in school..... and then I think 8 years of college, for what????........and then I think of all the dreams we have as a family....every family has dreams, right?....a new kitchen and a swimming pool (well both those are my dreams), Bryson wants to go on a Disney cruise for his birthday, Brooks wants a new truck and to build his dream garage and Britan of course wants clothes and hair bows....The Derting's dream BIG.......is it worth me being selfish for a couple of years to put all of these dreams on hold...

Please know that this pity party that I am struggling with inside me between the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other has NOTHING to do with the fact that I am grateful for my job and thankful for all that I have done during my career....this has NOTHING to do with where I work.....this simply is a struggle I am having within myself...and I will find my way out of it because I always do...I just really needed to let out what has been sitting inside of me for several weeks.....I am VERY thankful to have a career that allows me to be home over 2 months of the year with my babies......Do I realize how lucky I am to have this as a life hurdle and not some other horrible scenario, YES I do....but at the moment this is what I am dealing with....

So as tomorrow approaches and Britan wakes up from her I nap, I must prepare myself to deal with REALITY.....Will I be ok once I get to work this week.....YES! I just needed a minute to hear my thoughts....

Thanks for listening....AGAIN! Love and Grace for a new school year, Alysha

Staying on TOP!

I am writing this post to keep myself in check because I tend to accomplish more if it's in writing.....I use to spend Saturday mornings cleaning the whole house...dusting, sweeping, mopping, washing sheets, cleaning all counters..it would take hours if I was uninterrupted and if I was interrupted it would take days...Therefore I need to find a way to hold myself accountable and not waste away my Saturdays.....

Now there are MANY blogs, pins, and websites out there to help one STAY ON TOP of household things...cooking, cleaning, the laundry, etc...but unlike the other bloggers that get paid for it...if you are like me, it's an unpaid J-O-B!

So....now that summer is sooo close to being over, I MUST reset my mind and move forward with a new school year and my 8th year in the classroom....

You probably know by now that my life must have structure...prime example of no structure = my house is a wreck thanks to the 2 weeks worth of Olympics I watched.....so now is the best time to get life back on track!

I thought I would share a week of what the Derting's will HOPEFULLY look like once we are back to our working routine....I found these helpful tips from my good friend Pinterest and have modified many different pins to work for us.....In hopes to really only take about 20 mins extra a day to STAY ON TOP!!

Monday: beds made in the am, including Bryson making his own, afternoon make dinner and clean kitchen (ALWAYS clean as soon as dinner is over otherwise it becomes WAY too overwhelming for me), wash a load of laundry, and my NEW commitment for the year...do 20 minutes worth of a chore most nights...this night will be dusting the house (I started this new routine this week for practice and it only took me 14 mins to dust the whole house mostly because I love to beat the clock)!!! A trick I use in the classroom, with Bryson and for myself...a timer is a GREAT tool!

Tuesday: beds in the am, pizza night, wash a load of laundry, 20 min chore: bathrooms (I HATE THE BATHROOMS) so I plan on doing them and celebrating with pizza & mt dew (once a week is a treat)!! I got 2 out of 3 bathrooms cleaned in the 20 mins...including sweeping and mopping.....I some how need to squeeze in the 3rd.....practice will make perfect!

Wednesday: beds in the am, cook dinner (crock pot night) and clean the kitchen, 20 min chore: put all clean laundry away & prepare grocery list and food menu for the next week. It took me 16 mins to complete this chore. Bryson's new chore for the year is to put his own clothes away, so I may be cutting this time even further back!

Thursday: beds in the am, grocery shop (I love to grocery shop with the kids...we always get the race car buggy, we try to be in and out in 20 mins, and we try and spend less than $75 (we budget for $100) it's a fun game to play), cook dinner and clean kitchen, 20 min chore: sweep & mop hardwoods...this took me 21 mins to complete tonight...I need to sweep about 60 seconds faster!

Friday: beds in the am, quick dinner (usually sandwiches or hot dogs) and clean kitchen, 20 min chore: vacuum the house....I do vacuum the rug in the den every other day, but it takes less than 5 mins, so that's not included anywhere. I completed this chore a day early this week and it ONLY took 11 mins!!!!!!!!!

Saturday: wash sheets & make beds, wash and put away a load of laundry, NO COOKING or CLEANING the kitchen on SATURDAYS! I will probably add something once I get the hang of this new routine for my 20 min chore: maybe windows, clean fridge, vacuum behind couches, wash walls, but for now I just hope to stick to the weekly 20!!

ORGANIZATION HELPS BALANCE STRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My new motto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for letting me think out loud, as always! Hope you have had a FANTASTIC summer...we have but that is a post in the works!! :) Have a fun weekend!! Much love, Alysha

Happy 10 Months Britan Rae!

Look at me...day 2 of accomplishing my goal ;) Life is good, when goals are accomplished!!!


Today, just like yesterday, is all about Britan Rae! Today is her 10 Month Birthday!


I mostly wanted to do this post because I honestly can't remember where the past 10 months have gone and can't believe that they have passed so quickly. So I wanted to do a quick recap of our sweet girl and some of her memorable moments so far!!!


Month 1: Britan's 1st trip to the beach at 2 weeks :) Look how sweet this pink bundle of joy is!

Month 2: This boy never knew how much he could love his little sister, but these two share a bond and love like no other!!

Month 3: Such a girly girl :) Already eating baby food! 

1st Halloween

Month 4: A swimmer by month 4 & 1st Christmas Tree picking!!

Month 5: Britan's 1st Christmas!! Sitting up by this month!!

Christmas Morning

Month 6: 1st Trip to TN...Such a water baby! Britan got her ears pierced this month!!

Month 7: By this month Britan had mastered crawling, including the stairs!

Month 8: Britan has learned how to pull up and is into EVERYTHING...all while looking cute! She also visited the Bahamas, met Mickey and many other friends for her 1st Easter/Spring Break excursion!! AND Finally 2 shiny new teeth!

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Month 9: Our sweet girl can say CAT...although she calls her everything moving a cat, she has words and that's important!! She also went on her 1st annual Mother's Day trip to TN!!

So now we wait for all of the memories month 10 will make!! 

We are so blessed to be able to be Britan's mom, dad and big brother! We can't remember life without this energetic, bald, blue eyed, sweet Moo Moo!!! 

WE LOVE YOU BRITAN, MORE AND MORE EVERYDAY!!!!!

Please HELP us!

Hello ALL!!!
I have been away from the "blogging" world for some time, but I am making a personal goal to complete some important posts this week! This is the 1st and the most urgent!!!

Our SWEET, ADORABLE Britan is STILL NOT sleeping well at night!!!!!!!! For instance, last night she was back and forth between me and Brooks from 1 AM to 4 AM!!!!!!!!!!! What is wrong, what should we be doing, why can't/won't she SLEEP??!!!

I posted several months ago about the "Magic of the Babywise Book" and that helped for approximately 2.2 seconds (MAYBE 3 weeks) and when I say it helped/worked, I mean she wasn't getting up ever hour and 1/2, she was only getting up every 4 hours, WHICH at the time was a HUGE improvement. BUT once we got her eating cycle regulated, her sleeping routine never quite reached PERFECT!

And then we put her on a cruise ship for 3 nights and then "forced" her to have fun in Orlando for another 7 days (she really had fun, I am just thinking now that this has probably prohibited progress). So we come back from a magical vaca (which I will blog about later this week) and she is off track again, which we did expect, but here we are almost 2 months later and still no consistency to be found!!!!

I should have started keeping a sleep journal a long time ago, but this is what I remember from the past week............

Wednesday was decent, went down around 9, got up at 4:30, ate and slept till 6:30!! GOOD NIGHT

Thursday TERRIBLE went down around 9, was up 1 UNTIL 3, most parts SCREAMING, so I think teething.

Friday better than Thursday, down at 9, up at 3ish, down till 7!!!

Saturday ok....down at 9, up at 11:30, down till 5....

Sunday PERFECTION!!!!!!! Down at 9 up at 5:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Down till 7:30!!!!!!!!

Last night......TORCHER! down at 9, up at 1 AM  until 4 AM!!!!!

OMG, there is NO pattern, you see!! Please help me!!!

Here is a list of things that might answer some questions for you:

EARS! My 1st thought too, but she has NO symptoms (I know it can be ears without symptoms), but still nothing, not sensitive to touch or no pulling. ALSO, last month when she went for her check up, her ears were PERFECT and that night she had one of these episodes of 1-4 AM! SOOOO it makes me think, not ears!!

TEETH!!!! I wonder daily! I was always the person that said babies don't teeth for months before getting teeth, but I am now EATING those words! She only has 2 teeth, she will be 10 months tomorrow, according to the "chart" she should have 4. I truly thought she was getting them months ago, but still nothing. Also, at the doctor visit she said she saw them trying to POP through and here we are a MONTH later no TEETH!!! SOOOOOO MAYBE!!!!!!!!!!???????

Nightmares!! I question, do babies have nightmares, sometimes the only thing that calms her is to be held tightly and she refuses to get back in her bed!

Reflux! I am convinced that it is GONE and will NEVER come back!! She hasn't had her meds since Feb. and is doing fine without them!

Growth Spurt?! I am not sure...she is on her eating schedule and she appears to get full at those meals, she doesn't cry for more and sometimes doesn't always eat it all....

CRYING IT OUT!!!! Oh, yes! I was a believer! This was what helped us from Babywise, but honestly once she has cried for 15 minutes at 2 in the morning, who can sleep anymore. SO we do let her cry in 15 min. intervals and at times longer and it doesn't help and doesn't stop!!!!

Routine! My house is run on a routine, her eating is routine, her napping is routine, her bedtime is routine!

I am also terrified because we are going to Washington State in a few weeks...her 1st time flying and a different time zone should really improve her schedule, right?

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO for all the experts out there...send me your thoughts and any other suggestions!!! BECAUSE not sleeping for 10 months is starting to show its toll!!!!!


Thanks and LOTS of love from the Sleepless Derting's!!

Stayed tuned till tomorrow!!!!

Where have I been?!?!?

I am really not sure of the answer.....

Life has not been too crazy lately, but I guess you could say steady! We have been spending lots of family together at home saving our pennies for our upcoming Spring Break vacation....and hopefully for the "new" car that Brooks and I have yet to agree on!

Bryson is well on his way to kindergarten graduation, sadly, and he is also busy playing soccer for his new coach aka Daddy. I can't believe how much he has CHANGED in the last year. We had kinder screening at school last week and I can't even remember Bryson being so shy and apprehensive like some of those sweet upcoming kinders....hard to imagine that a SHORT year ago he was little and shy and now he acts like a grown up that reads and writes and everything else a 6 year old does! SAD, but FUN all in ONE! Soccer season is in full swing and the team is starting to figure each other out and hopefully before the season is over they will grab a win!!!!

Britan is well on her way to being a BIG girl. She has figured out how to crawl the normal crawl, pulling up on things, trying to stand alone, clapping, waving and sometimes talking....where has my baby gone???? I can't believe how big she has gotten and sooooo fast! I do have to admit she is still not the best sleeper..we just can't find that happy medium that makes her sleep....Brooks thinks that she will be this way always and honestly we have adjusted to the frequent wakes during the night. Yes, we are still using some Baby Wise tricks, but my girl has NEVER slept for more than 6 hours at a time...4 tops and that is on a rare occasion. She loves to be outside and LOVES to laugh at her brother and all of his silly tricks! She is still a baldy and still loves to wear her bows!!!

Brooks is helping out, a little, with girls soccer at West and he has taken on the new role of U6 soccer with Bryson....which he is still a little upset that I signed him up to coach, but he is coming around a little more each week....just like I knew he would! Other than that Brooks is Brooks.....

Me...work is slowly calming before the EOG storm comes blowing through and that's about it for me too....
nothing really new for me either!

We are all just counting the days till we are sailing the ocean blue to the Bahamas, visiting Mickey's house, riding the Hulk at Universal and playing with the stingrays at Sea World.....

Hope you are well and enjoying the AMAZING weather!! Take care and hopefully I will post more sooner than later!
Love, Alysha

The Baby Wise Magic!

To all the new moms and moms to be.......


My little Britan Rae has not by any means mastered sleeping! And last Wednesday I realized something had to change because 6 straight months of MAYBE sleeping 5 nights all night, no interruptions during this time frame had taken a toll on this person that LOVES and MISSES sleep BADLY!


Granted we have adjusted to not much sleep, but my mood and attitude have been severely affected by the loss of sleep...SO....I did some searching and came across the book Baby Wise, which I had looked at a couple of months ago, BUT I thought, I don't need a book to tell me what to do and it probably will not work anyway....wonder where we would be had I bought it months ago??????????


Brooks took the kids to Barnes and Nobles to find me this MAGIC book while I took a nice nap. When he got home I fumbled through skipping around trying to find the chapter that would make her sleep that night....eventually I started from the beginning and read 4 chapters that night. We decided that we would put her in crib and see what happened to give it a try because what we had been doing WAS NOT working....


I hadn't gotten to this chapter yet, but Brooks convinced me that we should put her in her crib and let her cry, which has never, ever been my moto....but I wanted to give it a try since she had been in our bed most nights kicking me and Brooks to each edge of our king sized bed and nursing ALL night long! So we put her in and waited over top while she cried and cried and screamed....I finally said, after what felt like years, pick her up I can't take it...Missy had no tears and as soon as we picked her up she laughed and smiled! WE HAVE BEEN PLAYED! I knew at that moment she was fine, she just wanted to get her way like her mommy!!! We put her back down and within 10 minutes she was asleep. Night #2 she cried for only 10 minutes and was asleep...night #3 NOTHING! WOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!! We were sold!


I kept reading and determined that she needed to be placed on a strict feeding schedule as well....which I look back and think as much as I love to keep things scheduled and in line why oh why have I not done this before!!!!!!! We started feeding her every 4 hours instead of every time she whimpered which could have been every hour, every 3 hours, every 30 minutes, etc! So now she eats every 4 hours or before if we know she is crying and starving, but in the past week, we have been very close to the 4 hours at every feeding.


She is now in her crib all night and napping during the day in her crib and I have to say...it feels pretty GREAT! She is continuing to get up a couple times a night, mostly about every 4 hours due to her feeding schedule, but it is nothing like every hour of the night like last week and the week before and the month before! The book says that by 8-9 weeks old on the PDF feeding schedule babies should be able to sleep all night, so I am HOPING since she is a little older than a newborn maybe it will not take 8-9 weeks, but anything different from what we were doing is better!!! SO I am willing to wait and see when our baby girl decides she wants to sleep all night!


I have to say I was very confident coming into baby #2...you know, I have one, how different will it be? We have learned that it can be very different and that our Missy loves a schedule just like her mommy!
If you need help getting your baby or even toddler to sleep or if you are expecting this book is WORTH the $14.95!


Sleep Tight, Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite, Love, Alysha!

"Facing" My Blessings!

This is going to be long, just so you know from the get go, but I promise by the end it will come full circle hopefully for you as it has for me!

This past week has not been the best of weeks for the Derting's. I have had a rough couple of weeks at work since Christmas break, don't get me wrong I LOVE my job, but it has been very trying lately. On Tuesday I had a meeting all day and I had this little bump on my chin and I squeezed and squeezed all day trying to get it to pop (there will be some gross parts, so beware) and it popped a little, but it was still there. By Tuesday night I had self diagnosed myself with a boil. I tried the old remedy from my Grandma to put a raw potato on it with a band aid on top. I did it for a couple of hours and nothing.

Wednesday morning it was bigger and harder and still nothing would come out of it. It was almost on my jaw line and it had a little round place of dried blood (told ya, gross). So I went to work and took some Tylenol and kept heating up a paper towel and applying it because it made it feel some better. By lunch it looked a little better, so when I got home dumb, dumb me squeezed some more and I felt it move around, but NOTHING would come out!

Thursday morning it had swollen up into my lip. So it was swollen from my jaw line to my lip and as much I hated to go to the doctor by this point I was scared it could be something very serious and convinced myself that I must go see someone. I got ready, put make-up on everywhere, but that part of my face and went to work with a swollen lip. I called the doctor 1st thing and they said come at 10. ALL I asked was that they not cut my face open because I didn't want a ridiculous scar on my face. The doctor looked at it and said he wasn't sure what it was, but that he wanted to try and SQUEEZE something out of it...okay go ahead, but I have tried and it hasn't worked. He put a glove on and stuck one finger in mouth, in front of my teeth and the other on the outside and pushed till I almost cried! And guess what NOTHING! He said he didn't know if it was the dreaded word MRSA, but since nothing would come out he couldn't test it to see, so he gave me an antibiotic to heal the "bacterial" infection that he thought it was. He said since it was so hard (a very tough knot the width of a quarter from my jaw to lip) he didn't think it was MRSA, but couldn't be positive. He recommended that if it got any worse I go to the hospital the next day. So I came home took my meds and slept the rest of the day...mostly in pain.

Friday I called into work because as soon as I stood up the pressure from standing caused it to throb. Brooks called in as well to stay with me and take care of Missy. Now I think I should say that it probably was a little worse, but I kept telling myself it wasn't. I slept most of the day and looked and felt horrible. I prayed that something would show me that it was going to be ok, so that I would know that I didn't need to go to the hospital. I finally broke down Friday night and decided that if it wasn't better by Saturday I would have to go to the hospital because it was so tough and hard I couldn't talk or open my mouth to eat. Friday night I couldn't sleep because I had slept longer in 2 days than I have in 6 months, so I stayed up till about 3 and felt like the meds had finally started to kick in. It didn't look any better, but it was feeling a little better.

Yesterday morning I got up and ran to the mirror and it was swollen again, but it felt better and Brooks said give it an hour to see if it goes down since I had been sleeping on it. I got up and started our winter cleaning. And by mid morning I could see a small difference THANKFULLY! By the afternoon I had 2 whiteheads on it that I was to scared to touch because the lesson has been learned that you should NEVER squeeze a bump! SO I let it sit and watched it get bigger and bigger, but left it alone. I went to bed hopeful that it would drain during the night.

So this morning I hear Britan coughing in her room (Brooks has finally convinced me that she sleeps better in her crib, probably because I was incoherent for the past 3 days). SO I ran in there and she cried a little and coughed a little, so I FREAKED out, go figure. I started looking up whooping cough because I have heard how dangerous it can be, but Brooks was certain that it wasn't that, that she probably has her first cold and I started thinking that maybe its her first tooth. I took a HOT shower and little her sit in the mist in the bathroom to open her up. AND then it happened I finally stuck a needle in the whitehead and it began to.........................I will not share anymore about it because it was the worst thing I have ever seen and through the 2 hour process I told Brooks I would rather have 10 kids in 1 day compared to this. I thought that it looked 100 times better and I decided that I was going to the store because I needed to get out. I put new make-up on and through out the old and stuck an Angry Birds band aid over the open part and went out the door. I thought I looked pretty cool with my band aid and compared to the past 4 days this was HUGE improvement. I was very enlightened and my eyes were definitely opened at the local grocery store. I knew I wasn't dressed in my Sunday best, but my hair was fixed, 1/2 my face had make-up and I had on clean clothes, but you would have thought by MANY of the looks and stares I got that I had rolled out of a trashcan and picked up a band aid on face along the way. I was very disappointed to see how society really feels about people that don't "appear" to be normal. I kept my head held high and still said please and thank you. It makes me sad to think that there are such unkind people in the real world and most had on their Sunday best!

I am getting to the circle, so keep reading......

Through the past few days of what I felt was misery, not being able to move, eat or talk without pain has made me realize how much in life I take for granted. Now that my sweet baby acts like she doesn't feel well for the 1st time in her life, it is misery all over again and now all I want is to make her better, forget about my face......................BUT

Once I see how others are so much worse than us and how this morning when I checked Facebook and saw Prayers for Pearce, a little girl that wasn't suppose to make it once she was born and now she is 11 months old...., but now they don't know how much longer she has. I don't personally know this family and I will not even try to describe what her diagnosis is, but I have followed her story for over a year now and seeing her mommy hold her in the hospital bed not knowing what the next week, day, minute or even second may bring reminds me that I have so many blessings to be thankful for and so many things that are so pointless when you look at the big picture of life.

So to those that decided to give the unkind stares today, I pray for you and I hope that you never have to endure the pain that many others in this world are experiencing this very minute! I am very thankful for this crazy thing that has happened to my face because through this I have learned MANY unforgettable lessons, first and for most DON'T SQUEEZE A BUMP, but most of all the many blessings and abilities that I am blessed with everyday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for taking the time to come full circle with me and I only ask that you say a little prayer for a little girl named Pearce!

Much love from the Derting's!