Back To Reality

First week back to school of the last semester prior to student teaching.......

And the verdict is.......

Just put me out of my misery now!

Ok, so it is not THAT bad. However, it is going to be a very busy semester. So I am going to go ahead and tell you all now.... Sorry to my friends and family for the lack of attention I may show you for the remainder of the semester, But I shall see you next fall! 

LOL

Just Joshen Ya~!

And now I am back : )

Did I miss much?

 Ochocinco has decided to change his last name back to Johnson.... Too late now there padre.... you will always be Ochocinco to me!

WOW.... That was very random! Don't mind me, that is just my ADD kicking in for a few brief moments.....give it time....it will pass......SQUIRREL!!    Sorry couldn't resist! 

Now that is out of my system.... I am currently enrolled in a Young Adult Literature class for this semester that I am just LOOOOOVING!!!!!

So rough it is for me to be forced to read all these great novels for a grade....darn the luck! Not that it will not be alot of work... I just love reading and am looking forward to having the excuse to burying my head into a good book every night!

I am also taking a Personal Health and Wellness class. UGH!!! I mean..... Yippy Skippy! I came home and told my husband about this class and he just burst out laughing! "You have to run a mile???" Yep, that's my sweetie! Just bursting with confidence and support that his wife will overcome this class with vigorous activities! I am not going to lie.... I was laughing hysterically in my head while the instructor was describing what all activities and exercise we would be doing in this class. But I will give it my all. I know that this class will be great for me and may just be what I needed to get my but in gear and in shape. Oh I forgot to mention, my mom laughed uncontrollably when I told her as well. Love you two!! 

Enough about talking about the classes for now, I will share more about the rest as the semester goes on I am sure!

Life as a mommy ; ) 

Pulled up some pictures of Jaydon Bug when he was a baby the other day. I just cannot get over how much he has grown and how much of a little man he has become! Every day I think that he could not look any more like his father, and every day it happens. He has turned out to be such a great little boy, and I could not be any more proud of him!! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital, being new, young parents! So scared of what the future would behold, yet knowing that life was going to be so grand with this child in your life!

With that being said.......

I HATE potty training with a passion!!!!!!!!!!!

The child may look like his father, but by golly he inherited  my stubbornness! 

Any advice or tricks with potty training would be greatly appreciated.....we have tried everything and this child has no desire for any of it! He knows how to use it, when he has to go, and everything there is to know about potty training. He just doesn't want to use it. HELP!

Prayer Lists

I pray for safe travels for everyone during these cold snowy months. 

I pray for great health for family, friends, and everyone else! 

This week in EDU in Modern Society, we have been discussing about poverty in the world

So I pray for food for those who are hungry and cannot afford a hot meal.

I pray for clean water for those who do not have any source.

I pray for a warm bed for those who do not have shelter.

I pray for those who lost their jobs and cannot afford to support their families.

And last but not least......

I pray that my son will grow to love big boy underwear. I pray that he finds using the potty fun and enjoyable and not something that he hates. I pray that this time next month that I will be diaper free!!

Scentsy FREE Samples!!!

I just got a new Scentsy shipment in today...... and boy was that fun!~!~!~!~!!~ I just love going through everything that I ordered and organizing it..... and then sitting back telling myself that it is prizes not my own personal mega stock!! Hahaha.....

On that note...

I have made up some Free samples for anyone that is interested! The samples are of the January scent of the month, My Wish..... AND it smells awesome!!!!! It is a sweet violet and marshmallow scent! SO GOOD...A wonderful addition to the romance line I do believe~!

This scent is on sale for 10% off for the month of January. The warmer of the month is also very cute! You will def have to check it out at my site   nicolehebs.scentsy.us

They also have the Hugs and Kisses warmer on sale this month also for 10% off. They are both pretty and will make wonderful gifts for a special lady in your life for a Birthday, Anniversary, Valentines Day, or just to spoil yourself!

If you would like a free sample of My Wish, you can email me your address from my website listed above. And that's all I've got for the night!

"Hold your head high gorgeous..... there are people who would kill to see you fall..."

Tomorrow is the last day of my vacation before I must go back to school. Well, two actually, but I work on Sunday so I do not count that day as off! Part of me is soooo dreading going back to school and having my sanity completely crushed again, yet I am looking forward to getting this semester done so that I can finally do my student teaching! 

A HUGE plus to this semester is that I was able to have some night classes again, which in turn means I get to spend more time at home with my son during the days again! This is something that I have been looking forward to for a while now! I could have been done with classes this semester and have my summer off, but one of the classes that I have to take is not offered this semester but in the summer. This means that I had to pick up a class that I do not need for both this semester as well for the summer to receive my full financial aid.

Words cannot begin to explain how my emotions are about this last year of school.
It has been so long....

So HARD......

And so totally worth it!

Something that my grandmother told me when I was younger was this, "The more you know, the more valuable you are"

There has not been a day go by in the past four years that I have not thanked God for the life that I have now and the person that I have become and everything I overcame through everything in my life.I have such a great support system with my family and friends and such great inspirations in my life as well!

I saw this quote on a friend's site, and I thought that it fits perfectly:

"Hold your head high gorgeous..... there are people who would kill to see you fall..."

Even though I do have a great supportive family as well as wonderful friends, I know there are people out there just sitting back waiting for me to slip and fall.

Just praying for me to make a mistake......

But guess what.... It's not going to happen. Never underestimate the will power a of strong, independent woman! 

What I am looking forward to most...... Walking down the isle to retrieve my diploma and then looking out to see my husband holding our son. I am looking forward to being the first person in my family to graduate with a Bachelors degree. I am looking forward to prove everyone wrong when they said that I could not do it. 

So.... Going into this final year I just want to personally Thank all those who have supported me through this process. 

Thank you to my Mother for the hours of driving back and forth  from STL to help watch Jaydon so that I can go to class or work, for helping me catch up on laundry and cleaning when needed, and also just being there to help me get through the week!!  Thank you PaPa for helping me laugh when I wanted to cry, and for making me see reason when I wanted to ignore it.


To my Husband for all of his support through the whole process..... For tolerating my lack of appearance for four years after living off of coffee and sweet tea ) and no sleep. For distracting our son while I locked myself in the bedroom to work on homework. For working so hard to support us financially so that I did not have to work as much. And most of all, just being there to pick me back up, brush me off , give me a pep talk and throw me back in the game when I wanted to quit!

To the In-Law's for tagging in and out of the rings for last minute babysitters, support, and ready made suppers. For dogsitting as well as little man sitting. 

To the siblings for all the laughs, support, and visits for keeping my sanity!!! Thank you Aunt Jessie and Uncle John for allowing me to sleep in on my visits while also watching him so I can have relaxing time. John..... Still hoping I can have you bed on school nights ; )

To my Grandma's and Grandpa's, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.... Thank you for everything that you have done and for all your support and always believing in me! 
 To my friends for all their love and support.... there willingness to help me whenever needed, and there wonderful need to help me relax when needed!
Thank you to my Bestie Laura for taking cat naps with me while at gatherings so that I would not feel like the only dud at the parties !!! : )  And Thank you to Mandy for the late night meetings on the front porch to wind down. Stacy for your never ending support and advise, Kelly for your guidance and help, and so so many more to thank!!!

 

11 Step Program for Those Thinking of Having Kids

Found this on a fellow blogger's site, The Moss Family Adventures, and just DIED laughing! I thought you would all get a kick out of this as well! Thanks Megan for sharing this with me!


Lesson 1



1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home.

4. Pick up the paper.



5. Read it for the last time.







Lesson 2







Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...



1. Methods of discipline.



2. Lack of patience.



3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.



4. Allowing their children to run wild.



5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.



Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.







Lesson 3







A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...



1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)



2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.



3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.



4. Set the alarm for 3AM.



5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.



6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.



7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.



8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.



9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)







Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.







Lesson 4







Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...



1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.



2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.



3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.



4. Then rub them on the clean walls.



5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.



6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?







Lesson 5







Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.



1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.



2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.







Time allowed for this - all morning.







Lesson 6







Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.



1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.



Leave it there.



2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.



3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.



4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.







Lesson 7







Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.







Lesson 8







1. Hollow out a melon.



2. Make a small hole in the side.



3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.



4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.



5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.



6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.







You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.







Lesson 9







Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.







Lesson 10







Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.







Lesson 11







Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.







This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

Just think happy thoughts........

Week One:
And the verdict is........
Great!
Still no extra sweet tea and have only been drinking water and pineapple juice. Not going to lie, the first couple of days was kinda of difficult with breaking old habits, but now I automatically grab for a glass of water. Even at work, I grabbed a water instead of my usual soda.
Eating has been getting better also. I have substituted the good ol deep southern ways of butter frying with extra virgin olive oil, which has surprising tasted better than I thought it would! I have been finding myself grabbing healthier alternatives to our plates as well as smaller portions. At this point, I am kinda still waiting for that moment where my body wakes up and slaps me across the face pleading for the "good stuff", but for some reason, it has been really easy. In the past, I would fight all of this from day one, yet this time around it feels more natural and wanted........ I bet taking baby steps into this has let my body allow such absurdness!  I mean come on.... Sweet tea?!?!?!? I would drink a pitcher a day by myself easily... and you do NOT want to know how much sugar I would put into that thing!

My Retail Funny Story of the night:

Lady comes in and finds a Christmas  plate that she just LOVED on sale for 60% off. The problem was that the price tag had come off. So.... One of the ladies I work with searched for another plate to find the price. Found it, problem solved....Lady decided she did not want it. The lady who I work with then put the plate back in with the Christmas stuff (hidden) in case the lady changed her mind (happens alot). The lady comes back up to me about a half an hour later wanting me to figure out what the price of the plate would be after discount. After I gave her the price ($6) she decided that she wanted it.......This lady and I had to spend about a good 10-15 minutes trying to find the plate that was hidden in the Christmas isle. After we finally find it, I take her up to the registers and ring her up. Once she was rang up and as she was pulling her credit card out to pay, I hold the plate up to wrap it and the lady spots a smudge on the plate..... and takes the plate into her hands and proceeds to attempt to wipe this smudge off. Does not come off (barely noticeable, only when you hold it up to the light!) Lady then claims that she can not purchase this plate because their was a smudge on it.
Gives a laugh
Apologizes
and Walks out.

I find myself telling myself more and more in retail.... "Just think happy thoughts"
________________________________________________________________

So I have discovered another New Years Resolution that I need to put on my list
Actually two.......




1) CHECK MY VOICEMAIL!!!! At least twice a week!
I know twice a week seems like not enough, but that would be a HUGE improvement to now, which is like once a month! MEMO to anyone who needs me in a desperate situation: Text me or keep calling until I realize I left my phone on silent!

2) Be more patient at work

_____________________________________________________________

It's All About Baby Steps!

It is here..... Finally....2011!!!!!! SO HAPPY!!! SO EXCITED!!! SO RELIEVED!!!!

I guess you are probably wondering why I am so thrilled about 2011....well here is why....

This is my last year of college!!! Which means this time next year.... No exams, midterms, finals, textbooks, papers, essays, and late hours of cramming!!!!

This also means that I will finally get my life back and allow myself to live my life instead of fretting about school work. I have never felt so excited about a year before in my life! I cannot wait to put school behind me and get on with my life. Find a great job that I love, be a wonderful parent to my son (and hopefully future little ones ;) spending time with my husband , being able to spend time with family and friends, and just being able to LIVE!!!


Going to put my excitement aside for a little while now.....
Now its time to get down to nitty gritty.
My New Years resolutions.

1) Survive my last year of school while still maintaining the Dean's List. Self explanatory I do believe. 

2) To get our finances on track and actually SAVE money every month. This is very important to me because this past three years of me being in school has really taken a toll on our fiances. With my husband working full time to support us and me bringing in a little money here and there still has been very difficult for us to get by every month, let alone save money. There are some months where it seems impossible to pay all our bills and find money left over for groceries, but some how we have made it this far and I know we can survive this last stretch! Why this is important to me is because after I graduate and find a stable job, we are looking to buying a house, and we need our eggs in line and hopefully a nice little amount of savings to help make that dream reality.

3) Of course...... Get in shape and live a healthier lifestyle. I have said this every year for the past three years and this year I am taking a different route to achieving this one. In the past, I have always just jumped in head first without giving myself time to adjust. Not this year, its all about baby steps! Baby Step one: Healthier food choices. So far so good with this one. Went grocery shopping the other day and it was the first time in YEARS that I did not buy junk food and only bought food that I can make myself.... this means no pizzas, boxed dinners, cookies, soda and so on. Not even tea.... and if you know me... that was the hardest of all. I have not made sweet tea in a week!!! Which could explain the headaches........
And so far the boys have adjusted to this very well! Fresher food and healthy home cooking has turned out pretty good!AND to top it off.... I have only been drinking water and pineapple juice (which I heard helps loose inches). Once I have myself adjusted to this new lifestyle then I will start introducing working out and my routines.

4) Making more time for those who matter most in my life. These past few years with school has been brutal to my social life. This year, I am going to work towards a date night every month with my husband, a family night, and a date night out with my girls. I am going to make more time with my family and friends this year, no matter how crazy school gets!!

5) Find more time with myself. I rarely make time for myself and just relaxing and I feel that it is time to break this. One thing that I miss more than anything is making my crafts, something that I have not had a lot of extra time to do.Well watch out viewers.... I'm going to get my craft on in 2011!!

I am actually looking forward to this year and the goals that I have set for myself. Wish me luck and I pray that everyone else has all the strength needed to accomplish their goals!