HE DID IT!!!!!

Seriously, I couldn't be more happy! My son pooped in the toliet!!!!!!! I wasn't going to really start until summer so I could be more dedicated but we have been introducing him to the toliet and putting him on it (we have one of those little seats that fits on your normal toliet.) He has been saying he has to go so we put him on and he will sit there for 30 seconds and say all done. Yesterday, however, he came and said "Momma, poo poo toliet." I went running and sat him there. He sat there for about 1 1/2 minutes and then said all done. I looked and nothing. I told him to go and he sat there and played with the toliet paper. He was having fun and then after about another minute, he said all done. I looked again and there it was! I started screaming and telling him how wonderful he was. I am sure I scared him into not pooping again on the toliet. But hey, we are on our way into getting rid of the diapers!!!! Let's just hope he keeps it up!!!!

5 Things I have learned in 5 years of marriage.

Sal and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary last night and had a blast. We went to this amazing steakhouse and seriously some of the best food EVER! A little pricey but worth every penny!!! The place was called Savannah's and the one we went to was across the street from South Coast Plaza! It was a very romantic setting and Sal and I joked that it looks like a high end restaurant that rich men take their mistresses. The food was to die for (the shrimp scampi appetizer was the best EVER!) and I loved that every time I took a drink of water, the waiter was there to fill up my water glass. I especially love when they come around at the end of your main course and use the crumber to clean off the table! If you ever want a romantic dinner, you need to try this place. The good thing about it, is you can still dress pretty casual for a really nice restaurant.

All day yesterday, I was thinking what I have learned while being married. Here is what I came up with:

1. Always communicate! Express your feelings and don't be afraid of how the other person is going to react. If you feel the other person is going to get upset, rehearse what you are going to say before saying it.! I have learned that Sal isn't going to judge me when I express my feelings. It took me a while to really learn this one.

2. LAUGH!!! Laughter helps avoid arguments or disagreements. Sometimes when Sal and I feel an argument coming on, we just start saying random things and then laugh about, avoiding any type of argument. Again, took a while for this one to kick in!

3. Don't keep secrets! Sal is honest with me and will tell me anything, even if it might be something I don't want to hear. I would rather hear it now than later! I kept my credit card debt a secret from Sal for a long time and now that I told him (and it is gone!!), I feel so much better and I really feel our relationship is so much better!

4. Don't stress over the small things. If the dishes don't get done right away or laundry piles up, don't get mad. I am the one guilty of this! But I have realized that those things can wait and eventually they will get done. I have realized when I stress, arguments happen.

5. Keep the friendship alive! Sometimes with busy schedules and routines, it is hard to remember that you are friends. People say keep the romance alive, which is also a great way to a happy marriage, but I think you need to remember that you are friends also. This is one is hard to explain but you just have to learn to be comfortable around each other!

I asked Sal what he learned in 5 years of marriage and here is what he said (disclaimer: his are more short and sweet and much more funny but very important!)

1. Don't get butt hurt!

2. Don't argue, especially over stupid little things. (Note: Sal and I once got in an argument over how to spell a word. LAME!!!) We don't argue that much any more. I really can't remember the last time we argued.

3. When watching a movie and wanting to share a good laugh, don't fall asleep! (this one applies to me. I tend to fall asleep in movies and Sal gets so bothered. I am working on it!).

4. Show affection!

5. LAUGH! We both agree on this one.

I would like to hear what you have learned in marriage or in your relationships! I am always interested in what works for other couples!

Count your many blessings!!

Today was one of the happiest days of my life. I cannot begin to express to you the happiness and joy and RELIEF that I feel. I am on my way to getting out of credit card debt. I won't go into the specifics but let's just say by next month, I will be completely out of credit card debt (not education debt but that is an acceptable debt) thanks to the following people...My Heavenly Father. He has blessed me with truly wonderful people in my life and I thank him everyday for my family and all their help and support.

My grandfather. I miss him a lot. He passed away last September at the young age of 90. He was the most amazing man. He was so loving and would always take time to play with me or talk to me about growing up on a farm in the depression. He also had the funniest little sayings and was such a great example of how all men should be. He was an amazing father to my dad and because of that, I truly have the best dad. My grandfather worked extremely hard to provide for his family and was blessed to have a good income to support his family. Every year, we were fortunate as a family to go on vacations and through him and my own dad, I learned to fish and really appreciate the outdoors. He was the so giving, caring and loving towards his family. In his declining years, he still kept his sense of humor and showed the most amazing love for his family. I think of him often and wish that my children would have been able to know him. Luckily for our family, his temple work has been done and in June, when my grandmother's work is done, they will be sealed and I am so excited that I will be part of his eternal unit. My grandmother died last June and she, too, was a wonderful woman. Although, the last 10 years of her life was spent living with Alzeheimer's and forgetting who I was, I know that she was an wonderful woman who loved her family and really loved to play cards.

My mom and dad are the reason today was such a wonderful day!!! They have been a HUGE help with getting this debt and feeling of bondage off my chest. My dad is seriously the best dad ever. I always wanted to marry someone like my dad (which I think I did). He is one of the smartest men I know, he is witty, funny, compassionate, a great husband, a great father, an amazing grandfather, loving, giving and such a great example. He has has been there to help me with life issues or school problems. He is a self sacrificing man. I remember when I was 15, his car was stolen and he got a settlement from the insurance company. Instead of buying himself a nice car, he took some of that money, bought me a car and bought himself a old truck. He has worked hard his whole life to support our family and I believe he did an amazing job at raising 2 girls and one son. He will drop whatever he is doing to help his family out and takes such amazing care of my mom. He is constantly suprising her and spoiling her, even after 43 years of marriage. A couple of years ago, he suprised my mom with a trip to Hawaii, a place my mom had always wanted to go. He shows love to his family and is such a wonderful man!

My mom has such a beautiful soul. She hardly ever gets mad and so easily just lets things go. She is extremely forgiving and so funny in her own way, which at times as caused her to be the butt of some jokes in our family. She has such a good sense of humor, she kind of has to to live with our crazy family. She is such an amazing mom. She is an amazing listener and she loves to talk. I love that she loves family history because that means I don't have to do it all. Because her and my dad are different, she has brought so much to our family. She has this strength that is so amazing. Yes, she cries at the blowing of the wind but when she needs to be strong, it is like her inner wonder woman comes out. She took care of my grandma when she was dying and I never heard her complain and she exhibited this peace and strength I don't think I had ever seen. When my mother lost her leg, she handled it so well. I rarely saw her cry about it and I never once saw her get defeated by her disability. She is an amazing woman! I am so lucky to have these two as my parents!

And this man is the blessing of a lifetime. My husband is the most understanding and caring mand EVER! He gets me (most of the time) and he never gets mad when I make stupid mistakes (like credit card debt). He is patient and is such a wonderful patriarch of our home. He allows me to be myself and loves me no matter how lame I get. I don't want to get sappy but let's just say, I couldn't have asked for a better spouse, father to my children and eternal companion!

Today has really made me realize how wonderful my family is and how grateful I have the opportunity to be with them for all eternity. I can take them for granted a lot of times but today has really made me take a look at my life and realize how truly blessed I am. Sometimes I can get a case of the "woe is me" but I know that even though I might not own a home or have the finer things in life, I have what i need to survive and I have a great family to have fun with.

The prophets have said that being is debt feels like being in bondage and I have felt bogged down with this weight. They have also said that getting out of debt takes a great weight off your shoulders. I literally feel lighter. I feel like I can walk taller and know that this weight has been lifted. I will thank my Heavenly Father for getting me through this trial in life and now learn from my experience and hopefully inspire others NOT to get a credit card!!!!

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

The Future of America!

I have been wanting to post funny things I hear at work for a while but many of things I hear are competely inappropriate and would probably give many of you heart attacks. But I finally remembered a few things and thought many of you would like to know what our future leaders are saying. By the way for those of you who don't know, I teach 12th grade English and 10th and 11th grade ELD (formerly ESL).

1. While reading the book Frankenstein, there is a part of the book that talks about an old man who is blind. One of my students raises her hand and says, "So does he know sign language?"

2. While telling my fifth period about the funny comment made about the blind man, one of my students says, "She is polish" (as in nail polish or to polish your car). I give this confused look and he says, "Yeah, someone who comes from Poland." He was trying to say she was a pollock. Again, dying laughing.

3. One of my students admitted that she asked her geography teacher if Philipino's came from Philadelphia.

4. One of my student's told one of my female students that she looked like she would be a soccer mom when she got older. She got so mad and hit my male student and was offended. Then she asked, "What is a soccer mom?"

I sometimes wonder about the future of America! While they make me laugh, it kind of is frightening that most of my students don't even know who the VP of the U.S. is!

Those are just a few of the things I hear at school! And they make fun of me for being blonde! Do you have any BLONDE moments??