Caged Chaos

Since it is that we are constantly (well seldom) chronicling chaos, I feel it is necessary that we chronicle today's purchase. Although this isn't a life changing purchase or even an a life altering purchase it deserves to be logged in the annals of Whittondom. (a little over the top huh?)

Because our little angel has decided that it is his life's purpose to chew on anything and everything, I decided that he needs to be contained during the day while we are gone. I'm sure your saying, "He hasn't been?" Well, when we got him he only weighed 2 pounds. There wasn't a lot that he could get in his mouth, much less tear up. He has since grown leaps and bounds. He now weighs a whopping 4.5 pounds. I am worried that he will chew on an electrical chord and give himself a home perm, and we all now perms went out of style a long time ago.

I stopped on the way home and bought a medium size crate so that he would have plenty of room to move about and he could also see out and not feel so closed in. See how I'm reasoning this all out? We brought it home and put it together, we put him in it and he turned and looked at us as if to say "Really?" So we put his little blanket and a few of his favorite toys in it and put it in his new resting place. The next thing I know I come around the corner and you'll never guess what I found. You'll have to see it to believe it. Enjoy!

It almost looks like Manasseh is locking the door in this picture, and keeping watch in the other one. Well, I've got to go, I just measured Maci and I'm on my way to get one her size.

Enjoy your evening.

Project Build a House

The long awaited day has come. Bayley had to turn in her Reach Project today. As I said previously, Bayley is studying various types of architectural structures. So because for no other reason than to ensure that we, her parents, have enough to keep us busy, they assigned her a "project". She did her usual.... "Mom we have to build a house. Here is the paper, let's get started." After I recover from a small heart attack, I look at the paper and realize that the project isn't due for another month. As far as Bayley is concerned, she has just relieved herself of any obligation to remind us until the night before its due.

This time was no different. She declared her need to get started on her project two months ago and then filed it away where only her therapist will be able to resurface it. You know, right behind all the things that I did to cause her to fail in life. Luckily, one of the Ladies that I work with called and asked me a question about said project right as we were walking out the door to visit Granda and G Daddy during Spring Break. Thank you Misty.

At that time I took the opportunity to remind her about the project as well as brought to her attention that the best person for the job was in fact G DADDY. This would absolve me of any type of stress during my week off. You see, when you get G Daddy involved in something, it takes on a life of its own. After a drive to Michaels for supplies and a lesson on the way, they came home and got started.

Today was the day. She turned it in and got and "E". I left my camera at home this morning, but Bayley did take a picture of it herself. Thank you Granda and G Daddy for being who you are. My children are the luckiest kids in the world to have Grandparents like the two of you.

I love you!!!

Funny looking house isn't it? Let me explain. I got a new camera a couple of weeks ago. Bayley and Maci have staked their claim on my old one. When I was looking at the pictures she had taken this afternoon, I saw a picture of her project. I thought, yeah, I have a picture after all. I noticed she was taking pictures of her friend and the dogs, and thought, she is going to be my little photographer. Well, after writing this nail biting blog entry, I hooked the camera up to download the picture and guess what? She deleted THAT picture. The one shown above must have taken its place. I don't know why I even try.

Oh well, he is just adorable isn't he? I'll try to remember to post a picture on the next blog for all those interested.

Until next time...

Yea Me!!!!!!

I don't know if I have shared this little tid bit of information, but I have been taking a course at the college during the winter quarter. I am required by the new health regulations to be certified in a culinary class called ServSafe. It is something the anyone that is in management in a kitchen has to take. Whether it be a school nutrition dept. or a restaurant.
I wasn't looking forward to it because it was going to take my Monday nights away from me. I was also a little intimidated because the School Nutrition Director, (my big boss) was the instructor. No pressure there. Anyway, I buckled me seat belt and prepared myself for the long ride. I will say that as the quarter progressed, I did find the information to be very beneficial.
As most of my friends and family know, I am a bit neurotic about food poisoning or anything like that. I was bad before, but after Sara Kate's episode, my neurosis hit an all time high. Let me just tell you, this class did nothing to make it any better. If anything, it made me never want to eat out again. I can't look at a baked potato without thinking about Botulism, or enjoy my alfalfa sprouts on my salad anymore, for fear of consuming some kind of foreign bacteria. We won't even talk about the fish toxins.
Anyway, every week we had a test. I did well on each test each week so I was fairly confident that my pea brain was actually absorbing some of this stuff, or at least I haven't contracted Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning. (I'm just saying.) The only thing about this is She told us that we could pass or do well in her class but still not pass the Certified test. This test is what the Restaurant Assoc. uses. It kind of made me think about the good ole SAT test. You know the kind that you had to bubble everything in, even your name and address.
To make a long story short, if we don't pass the test with at least a 75% we have to take the course over again. I did not want to go through that again. So, the day came and I took the test. I have been waiting on the results for the test for about a week. Well, I found out the results Monday.

Drum roll please ........ I made a 95!!!!!!!!!

Again, this may not be exciting to you, but I felt I had to share. If for no other reason than it will explain why when I go out to eat and they bring my food out to our table I whip out my trusty thermometer and verify that the food has in fact been cooked to the proper bacteria killing temperature. Thank you for sharing in my victory over this course and remember to keep your food out of the temperature danger zone. (41 degrees to 135 degrees in case you were curious.)

Mom you are, however, NOT off the hook.

Shelley