Leapster

My roomie has a plausible explanation for today's unusual behavior. She doesn't seem to think that it was a Twilight Zone thing at all, but rather a LEAP YEAR thing, today being February 29th, and all. So does this mean that one day out of every FOUR years the house will be this quiet? If so, I eagerly await the year 2012!

God bless and be good!

Spell- BROKEN!

OK, the spell lasted for One hour and thirty-seven minutes. Just because I promised to tell. But it isn't mayhem around here, though! They all decided to go outside to play. ON THEIR OWN! So, maybe the spell isn't broken...

Ciao!

Be good and God bless!

The Twilight Zone

DoDo-DoDo-DoDo-DoDo- DOOOOOOOOOOOO! You have now entered- the-Twilight Zone!

Something is definitely afoot in the Willimas House hold! (not a typo, old nickname thanks to Warren) I say this because this whole week has skated by so smoothly. Well we did have one minor bloody nose, but with a little love and a bag of ice all was fine. But lets talk about how the school room was eerily quiet the past few days, how everyone finished their school work early, and now, to top it all off, the little munchkins have all been sitting at the dinning room table coloring in near silence for over 50 minutes!!! In case you are having problems with the math- that's nearly an hour! I would normally be a little panicked if the noise level was at this all time low- that's usually a good indicator that someone is doing something that they shouldn't be. But seeing as I am sitting in the room with them, and can see them with my own eyes, the only explanation I have is that I must have been transported into the Twilight Zone! I mean, if not, then where are my munchkins?!! What has happened here?

Normally the energy level in this house is through the roof! But not only are we experiencing an unusually calm moment, but there has been NO bickering, complete and utter sharing going on, and even a bit of polite conversation being passed around the table! I am quite pleasantly surprised!

I will be the first one to tell anyone that I meet, that this group of kids is particularly good. All of them, and they always have been. This fact has impressed me from the first day I worked here. But kids are kids, and do kid things. Like, for instance, write on recently painted walls (when they were younger, of course); throw giant grapefruits into the lake and watch to see how many of them float down and over to the cranky neighbors yard; and yes, occasionally I have found my car being used as a make believe mountain that begged to be scaled. (This was one of the times I lost the use of my sweet and patient voice, I must confess.) But these things are things that most moms or people that spend much of their time around kids find themselves nodding their heads at in sympathetic understanding.

These kids are as far from Dennis the Menace as you can get, but this rare moment of quiet enjoyment of one another is still surprising, and wonderful. I love these munchkins! And I love listening to their little munchkin conversations! They're just so cute! This Friday is being dubbed "Fantastic Friday"! I just have this horrible feeling that I may have just jinxed this whole scenario by writing about it, but I couldn't pass this up. It has been one hour and fifteen minutes- and counting. I'm going to go and enjoy this while it lasts! I'll let you know when the spell is broken.

God bless and be good!

Tests, family, and Anointiation

I know I already posted for today, but in order to move beyond my preoccupation with a certain man who will remain unnamed, I have decided to post about some of the things I have stumbled across this week. (I also will not tell you that I am listening to iTunes as I type this. Can you guess who I may be listening to?)



OK, this is the last week of the Third Quarter for us at Ave Maria Academy. Did you know that we had our own Academy? Well, we do, and it's the dreaded "End of the Quarter" around here. That means LOTS of reviewing and testing, oh and lots of grades/paperwork to complete and get ready to be sent off to be recorded. On top of all this Meg has jumped a jet and flown out to California to a conference, so I'm here with the kiddies, ALONE! Well, Donna's here, but I'm alone in the schoolroom. Honestly it's not been bad at all! In fact, it's been quite quiet. I have no idea why, but as the old saying goes, "Don't look a gift horse, or a quiet kid in the mouth". Alright I made that second part up, but I'm not about to question why they are miraculously muted! Anyway, I have felt a bit stretched from time to time, especially when everyone wants or needs my immediate attention. It's just a matter of tying the others to their chairs tight enough so he/she can't wriggle free before I can finish helping the other one. KIDDING! I find myself asking, "Can you wait just one moment more while I finish helping ___________ (insert Celine, Brian, Grant, or JP here). They've been very patient for the most part, thank goodness! Believe it or not, we are actually AHEAD of schedule! All of them have very light work tomorrow. I am completely confused as to how that happened, but I'll just refer to you to the old saying from earlier!


The other day while reviewing with Grant for his Religion test, Grant asks me, "Hey, Shannon, how do you spell 'anointiation'?" It took me a second to figure out what he was asking me. "What are you talking about, Grant?" (I was a little flustered, because I was doing a, ACTUAL Spelling test with Brian, and was feeling a little stretched!) Grant clarifies, "You, know, anoitiation, like in the sacrament: The Anointiation of the Sick!" I lost it! I laughed so hard. All he could do was say innocently, "What?" After I pulled myself up off of the floor and composed myself, I calmly reminded him that it was the Anointing of the Sick, and spelled that word for him. Too cute, too funny!


Now, on to my other favoritest gaggle of kids, my SISTER'S! (Man, I need some grown-up friends!) My sister tells me that my nieces and nephew are jealous that I don't write more about them here. Well, it's not because I like the other brood better or anything! :p It's simply due to the sheer volume of time I spend with these munchkins. You do have to admit that they provide one with oodles of amusing antidotes to share, though. So Katie decides to share a few funny moments with me, fully expecting to see them appear here in print. Being the accommodating Big Sis that I am, here they are:

Kate and Chris, her hubby, (I know my boss' hubby is Chris, too. Don't blame me for the confusion! Chris is a very common name, people!). So Kate and Chris asked Meg, who is also a professional photographer, to take the family's pictures last weekend. For whatever reason, there seemed to be quite a discussion about Cora's hair, and how it would be worn for the pictures. It was decided, after much debate (?), that she would simply wear it naturally. She has the most beautiful curls, so that would look oh-so-cute! Well, as Kate finished coiffing Alexis' hair, Cora steps up on the stool in the bathroom and declares, "Cora turn! Want bow!" Katie and Chris turn to one another and say, "Cora has spoken!" The result were adorable pictures of the whole family, and Cora had her bow. I'll be sure to post the results of the photo shoot once we have them back!



















We attended the BIG family reunion on my Mom's DuPont side this weekend. There are so many people that we rent the St. Johns County Fairgrounds to be sure we have enough room! It lasts for days, and Sunday is the giant family supper. All of us were there, and wearing the requisite name tags. Alexis says to me, "Aunt Sissy, there sure are a LOT of Sissy's here!" It seems that our family has the tendency to nickname the girls in their families "Sissy". Man, I thought we were confusing Cora by calling Alexis Sissy and me Aunt Sissy, but that child was turning in circles with all the people being called Sissy there! Poor kid, she had no idea who was who! I think that Lexie was a bit confused too. She was happy to get to compete in the egg toss with her Daddy, though. She ended up with egg all over her, but she had a BLAST!



There were several adorable little play houses there. I'm not sure why, but I can tell you that I am sure that Lexie and Cora had a ton of fun playing in them! Maybe they were houses from Munchkin Land? I think Deuce was a little young to be interested in them, but he loved being able to run around and visit with everyone!






OK, I am typed out. Hey, guys, feel free to post comments and questions. Maybe I could do a question and answer post! Until next time:

Be good and God bless!

One last note on the Buble Concert (Get it? NOTE?!)

One last note on the Buble concert. Tuesday, Kaleigh came over and brought her camera with her. She, too went to the show and had great seats, very similar to ours. Her friend, Tara, however was down on the FLOOR in the 4th row! Kaleigh had given Tara her camera to take pictures for her. These pictures are AMAZING!! I had to share a few of my favorites that she took:

OK, so I'll lay off the Buble for now. Well, probably not, but I will sincerely try to shut-up about the whole thing. I know that my roomie will greatly appreciate any effort I might make towards ending my unnatural, incessant focus on this man. She told me the other night, "I just don't get it." She has no idea what she's missing!

Be good and God bless!

P.S. I apologize for the terrible pun in this post's title! What can I say? I'm hopeless!

Christmas in February!!! (I {HEART} Michael Buble!!)

Christmas '07 has come to an end at last. You'll remember that my fabulous bosses gifted Meghan and myself with tickets to the Michael Buble concert. That was this past Sunday, and many of you have been wondering how it was. Well... the concert stunk. The music was terrible. The seat were awful, and the company was boring.

Oh, my goodness! I am SOOO joking! IT ROCKED! Honestly, it was the best concert I have been to in like, forever! He is an amazing performer and entertainer. We took some pictures and video to show everyone, but being there was amazing and the video doesn't do it justice! Regardless of the number of people in that Arena, it was a very personal and memorable night. Here is a picture of the two of us girls at the blessed event! Do we look happy, or what? I can tell ya that we were VERY happy! We had a great view of the stage and jumbo-trons from our seats, and Michael didn't look the least bit "ant-like"! And, MAN! Can that guy SING! I have always been impressed with his talent, but I was blown away by just how talented he is. And he is fun-ny! We laughed so hard and so much that my sides hurt! I know that Meg had a good time, but I think that she saw a side of me that she had never had the misfortune to see before. I was crazy excited and poor Meg had to sit through me saying "OH, I LOVE this song!", after each song. At some point she had to be thinking, " Is there a song that she doesn't love?". But she was very patient with me, and I hope I wasn't too annoying. The place was packed and everyone there got a great show. I can't wait for him to come back again. Meg and I have vowed to see him again when he comes, and regardless if I have to sell a kidney, we are getting VERY close seats! Like ON the stage close! In short, we had a blast, and I am in LOVE!

In the very off chance that the man himself is reading this blog: Thank you for a wonderful evening, Mr. Buble! It was a night to remember! You made me swoon. I am so looking forward to our next meeting!

And to Donna and Chris, thank you for the great tickets! It was so much fun, and to have gone with Meg, well, that was the icing on the cake! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

MEG! Thanks for putting up with me! I had so much fun and it was great sharing this with you! {{{HUGS}}}

Well, that's it for now. I am still listening to "The Man", as I have begun to call him, and I have a feeling I will be for a while. Is there a support group for those of us addicted to Buble? If so I may need to spend a little time at that ranch.

Be good, and God bless!

(Here's my FAVORITE part of the Concert!)


Michael Buble Concert

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Signs of our Times...

We are surrounded by signage! Everywhere we look it seems that there is a sign staring back at us! Remember the "-God" billboards? Let me refresh your memory:















This nationally known campaign grabbed many people's attention. But I think we would all agree that this is an example of how signs can be a GOOD thing; directing our thoughts and hearts to God. There are of course those less than desirable signs that direct our thoughts to un-Godly things, like the ones that advertise that business named after our First Parents. I'm so tired of seeing that blond bimbo taking a ridiculously large bite out of that stupid red apple on US-1 in St. Augustine! Come on! How are parents supposed to explain that one to the kiddies? Don't tell me that they don't notice it either, because I have a 6 year old niece, and she notices everything! That kid is one smart cookie! Ya think that we should maybe re-evaluate the criteria for billboards? There was a time when those types of signs were exiled to outside the city limits. Ahh, those were the days!





Now there was a sign I remember from when I was a kid. I can even remember where it stood. It was a simple caution sign on the side of the road at the intersection of 312 and Old Moultrie Rd. in St. Auggie. It read, "DIP AHEAD". Well my sister used to think this was THE funniest sign, especially if I was occupying the seat in front of her. She never missed an opportunity to point out that she thought the sign was referring to me, and she never has tired of calling me a dip! Thank you, Katie, for all the laughs. Even if they were at my expense. {{{hugs}}}





So we come to the inspiration of this post. While in St. Augustine two weekends ago, (wow, I just realized that I mentioned St. Auggie a LOT in this post. Sorry.) Anyway, some friends and I went into one of the shops on St. George St. and there was the funniest sign I have ever seen! Here, I'll show it to you:








OMGOODNESS! This was perfect! How many times have we all seen unruly children in public? You know the ones that throw themselves screaming on the floor, run around in circles, or touch everything in the store. And who's fault is it that they are crazy? No, not the children. Annoying as they may be, they are only doing what they are allowed to do. It's the parents who should to be punished! Now I've seen different signs that threaten to auction off the child that breaks an item. It would seem to me that selling the little monster just lets the parents off scott free. Think about it, no more college tuition to have pay, no driving lessons, no more headaches. Man! They would probably break something themselves and blame it on the kid, and maybe even bring the rest of the brood in to suffer the same fate! No. "The Best Sign EVER", as I have come to call it, places the blame squarely on the shoulders of the guilty party; the parents. Is there any better punishment than to send such parents home with a kid that's hopped up on caffeine and a yappin puppy to piddle and poo all over their floors! I say bravo to this store owner. I left wondering though, "Where, in such a tiny store, do they keep the espresso machine and all those puppies?"


Keep your eyes open for funny signs, they are all around us!


Be good, and God bless!


P.S.- I suggest keeping a close eye on your kids from now on. You never know if I might be lurking around the corner with a puppy in one hand and an espresso in the other!

I love "LOVE"!

I had a wonderful St. Valentine's Day yesterday! Between the kids and my friends and my- OH!!! Yesterday my parents sent me a sweet surprise. Remember how I was telling you how they always did something to make the day special for us? Well, yesterday around 4:30PM the doorbell rang at the William's house and JP answered the door. He comes into the room announcing: "Flowers for Shannon the nanny! Shannon the nanny, I have a flower delivery for a Shannon the nanny!" I thought he was kidding around, he does that sometimes, you know, kid around? Well, sure enough he had an adorable bouquet of flowers for me from my Mom and Dad! How incredibly sweet! Aw, shucks! I feel loved!!





Here are the little beauties:

Cute, huh? Well, the kids were impressed. And I was thrilled! Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you both, too! OK, back to the dinner...Meghan had a wonderful candle lit dinner at her house for several of her friends who happened to find themselves single this Valentine's day. Um, that would seem to include me, so she included me. Oh, and Yvette. We had delicious Salmon and new potatoes, (Thanks for not serving the old rotten ones, Meg! That was really thoughtful of ya!) I brought a simple salad to share. Afterwards there was CHOCOLATE FONDUE! OH, MY GOODNESS! Have I mentioned how much I love chocolate? And we all played a rousing game or two of Catch Phrase. (Metacarpal, epidermis! Something you water your plants with.... um, water?) OK, so it wasn't Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, but it was a great time and the perfect alternative to sitting around moping about not having a sweetie! Thanks to Meg for a great time! It was one of my favorite Valentine's Days!

Gonna go get some work done!

God bless and BE GOOD!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!!!

Well, today is a day for lovers and mushy love stuff, right? OK, it is for those things, but I have a broader understanding of this Holiday. My Mom always told my sister and I that she was our FIRST Valentine, and like all things, she made this day very special. She always had a card and some small gift to mark the day. It could be flowers, or a heart shaped box of candy. Ore year she had matching heart shaped anklets engraved with our names on them for Katie and I. Even as we grew older she and Dad always did something extra to show how much they loved us. Now, we already knew this fact, but it has made for wonderful loving memories that I hope to one day pass onto my children. I delight in doing much the same as my Mom did back then, to be able to present some small offering to those I love and care for, even if it's a silly little trinket, at least they know that I thought especially of them today. Thanks you Mom and Dad for teaching what it means to love, and it's more important to show someone that you love them EVERY day than just on a special day. I LOVE YOU!!







The Williams' Kids made today very special as well. They make cards for Meg and I, and gave us some very cute stationary sets. John Paul even BOUGHT us cards and drew us lovely pictures of Cupid shooting us and our "men".





Regardless of whether or not I have a "significant other" in my life at this moment, I know that I am Deeply Loved. I pray that today as well as each day that you may know the Love of Him who loved you FIRST and PERFECTLY. And know that I love you, too!



God bless and Be GOOD!




PS. I'm told that the "SB" in the hearts in the first picture stands for "somebody" and the "SN" is my initials. That JP is a Cutie-Pie!

Last nerve...

I have never considered myself a font of patience. I mean, I can tolerate only so much before I SNAP!!! Today was one of those days where the font ran dry rather quickly, leaving me little choice but to become the meanie that shouts and yells, " Cut it out, or I'm gonna whack ya!" They know I'm only joking, so it really does little more than make me feel better, and leave them thinking that I need anger management classes! I could be writing about all the LOVE and the sweet things the kids did today to mark this day of HEARTS, and I will in a moment, but first let me explain the psychotic meltdown that occurred only moments ago...

In the spirit of the holiday that is St. Valentine's Day, Donna had a BUCKET of candy waiting on the kids this morning. AWWW, how sweet! Right? WRONG!! These munchkins have been OUT OF CONTROL!!! In as much as these kids can be out of control, I mean, nothing has been burned beyond recognition, or anything, but the yelling and wrestling, and incessant chatter all while we are trying to learn has been, well, MADDENING! One can only say, "Please be quiet, children" in a sicky sweet voice a couple of hundred times before the voice becomes not so sweet! Well, in the midst of this chaos, Chris, their father calls home to check on the kiddies. I answered the phone, "Williams' Mad House, Shannon Speaking." Well, that threw the kids into hysterics, so much so that I had to flee to another room and barricade myself within, just to be able to have an adult conversation with my boss and find out what his plans were for his lunch with the kids. Of course a few locked doors did not deter the sugar induced high! No, the kids continued to bang on the doors demanding to be let in and to talk to their dad. But my time in the gym paid off! I was able to hold them at bay long enough to finish our conversation. Yeah, ME!

Once I returned to the school room, and Meghan and I restored order. We all got back to the business of learning. Or, so I thought. Just as things were grooving along, Chris called again to let me know that the plans we had made had changed slightly. In mid sentence, I hear this loud POP, and the pinging of what I came to discover was thousands of KIDNEY BEANS! As I turned to see what was going on, there sat Brian with a busted Ziploc bag, a bag that HAD been filled with our Counting Beans, which were now scattered all over the floor! Here is a little video of the aftermath...




And the Clean up efforts:



It really only took about 10 minutes for him to clean them all up. But it felt like 30 to him!


One final note: As I finish typing this Grant is in the background saying : "I'm done."
Meghan corrects him, "Finished."
Grant: "No I'm done with spelling."
Meghan: "No, you are finished. Cakes are done, people are finished."
Grant: "That's what I said!"
Meghan: "It is NOT what you said. Use proper English!"



And minutes latter she had the SAME conversation with John Paul! Maddening, I say! MADDENING!

God bless and be good!

OH- and use proper ENGLISH!