New words

The Diva is now using the word "because" all of the time. Except she says "puh-cause". Example :
"Mommy, I want to go upstairs puh-cause Daddy is making hot dogs and I want a hot dog." So now sentences are becoming more detailed which is great to see. Her new vocabulary word for the last few days has been "frustrated". I taught her this word, and it's meaning in a moment when I was indeed frustrated. Dialogue between The Diva and I early today went as follows (during a moment when she was having a bit of a melt-down. ):
Me: Diva, why don't you come in the kitchen with mommy while I make your lunch?
The Diva: "Puh-cause I am frustrated."
Me: (In an bewildered tone) Oh, Diva!"
The Diva: Are you frustrated too Mommy?"

Should I make lemonade?

Because life seems to be giving us truckloads of lemons. We are still battling with the moving company to try to get our claim settled. I will just say that contrary to the name of the company, our satisifaction isn't really a big concern of theirs. A "real job" still hasn't panned out for me. The Diva is wait-listed at the preschool of our choice, so if a job does pan out for me we will have to find some sort of plan B. Things could be worse, they could always be worse. At least we have our health, and eachother. But let me tell you, three people basically living out of one room is no picnic. The Diva makes her way to our bed without fail every night, and I can't really stop her, since I have other people to worry about waking up. So once we are in our own place, getting her back into our regular routine should be interesting.
Monday I lost 50 dollars. Just lost it, dropped it, something. My only hope is that whoever found it put it to good use and didn't spend it on crack or something else I wouldn't approve of. The husband says I lost the money and it is no longer my business what the finder spends it on;I shouldn't have lost it in the first place. I shouldn't complain too much since he was a lot nicer about it than I anticipated he would be. We really aren't in a position to go around sprinkling money all over town.
Tuesday I had a job interview. I think it went okay, but only okay. I am really not counting on it panning out. I am driving home, thinking about things I wish I had said, and I hear this loud noise coming from the front of my car. Luckily I have heard this noise before so I quickly figured out that I had a flat tire. I was stuck in a line of traffic. I am not good in these situations. They are usually a sure-fire way to send me into panic attack mode. But I put my hazards on and pulled into the nearest driveway. I was hoping to make it up to a church parking lot that I saw in the distance, but I could tell I didn't have that much time. I called the husband, since I was pretty sure he was working nearby and could come help me out. I then called my friend who was caring for The Diva, to tell her I may be later than expected. As I was talking to her, a giant paving truck pulls into the driveway. I started freaking a little bit, thinking this person was going to chew me out for being in the driveway. The guy gets out of the truck with a big grin on his face and says "Let me guess, you have a flat tire." Well mister, good guess, since my rim is now attached to the gravel in this driveway. He then goes to his garage, grabs a giant floor jack and tells me to grab my spare, he will change my tire. So within a few minutes I am back on the road. I call the husband back and tell him I am driving to get The Diva. He immediately assumes I am trying to drive on a flat. Now, come on! I was pretty proud of myself for keeping my cool, and was really excited about my good luck. Thanks to the good samaritan who got me back on the road. I really need to practice changing my own tire, so when this happens again (and I am sure it will), I will be able to handle it completely on my own. $150 later, I am back on the road with my tires in tact!

It's my blog and I can brag if I want to!

Yesterday was busy. We had swim lessons, an apartment viewing, the preschool tour, and the celebration of my mother's birthday. Maybe that doesn't sound busy to some of you (like my dear friend with 7 children ;0) ), but it sure felt busy to me. I loved the preschool, as I knew I would. I think it would be a great place for The Diva to be and I really don't want to look anywhere else. I especially love that in the early 3 year old room they have two teachers for 10 children. The state regulation is 1:10. Unfortunately since I called last week spots have filled and The Diva is now # 1 on the waitlist. Not terrible, since I haven't even found a steady job yet, but what will I do with her on the days I am subbing? I haven't quite figured that out yet.
And now onto the shameless bragging. The Diva knocked their socks off! The preschool director kept telling me how advanced and verbal she was, and stopped several teachers and staff members throughout the tour, telling them that The Diva wouldn't be three until January, and to come and talk to her. That made me feel fabulous! Every mommy wants to hear someone without bias brag on their kid every now and then. My favorite part was when we were leaving and I told The Diva to say "Thank You". She looked at the director with her big brown eyes and said "Thank you for showing me your school." I am pretty sure that the age issue is no longer a factor in whether or not she gets in before January. The director said she would be in touch with me, and that you just never know if a spot could open up soon, that it just might happen. Now if only a spot would open up! Brag over.

In case you don't understand why I call her The Diva

The Diva now has a new line whenever I or anyone else tries to touch her hair. The moment a hand grazes her head she says "Don't touch my hair, it's beautiful". Enough said. For now.

The diva loves Obama too!

Let me start this post by saying that our family supports Barack Obama in upcoming presidential election. While he is our candidate of choice, I respect the views and opinions of others.
Now, I may have mentioned that my mother is a tad obsessed with Mr. Obama. Now it seems my daughter is as well, and I have no idea where her passion came from. Is Grammy making her watch the drudge report when we aren't around, filling her in on the election and why Barack Obama is the best choice for president? Could be.
I discovered the diva's love of Obama this afternoon. I was spending some time on YouTube, watching some videos of the Obama Girl, Obama dancing on Ellen, etc. (Okay, so I could be slightly obsessed too). The diva came in and climbed on my lap. When she saw the potential president dancing on Ellen, she said "Mommy look, it's MY Barack Obama!" I got a little chuckle. Then I switched to a video of a dance-off between President Bush and Barack Obama (all in fun, of course). When Bush appeared on the screen, the diva exclaimed, "NO Mommy, I don't like that man. I want Barack Obama! Where is MY Barack Obama???" Clearly the child is a genius. Or at least a devoted democrat.

Well, it is a start.....

I just received and email to sign up for substitute teaching orientation! Woo-hoo! Not a full-time classroom position, but a job just the same. It is also a good way to get my foot in the door in the district I would prefer to teach in. The woman I interviewed with said that prinicpals have told her that they prefer to hire people they know. Is that fair? Not really. Is is accurate? Most likely. We also have an appointment next week to tour the preschool that we would like the diva to attend. They don't typically take children until age 3, but her potty-trained status puts her in the running, so wish us luck!

Just a plug

I've spent the last two years trying to find the best way to take care of The Diva's hair. Our little darling was fortunate enough to inherit every ounce of thickness and curl from both her father and I. Daddy-o took this shot of the back of her head a few weeks ago, it doesn't really do it total justice, but you get the idea of just how thick her hair is.

So after trying many products, I have found nothing I like better than the CurlyQ line which can be found at http://www.curls.biz/

The products are organic and the line was originally geared toward multi-racial hair, but the products really work for all curlies! Since using the products The Diva's hair has been so much more hydrated and easy to manage. I LOVE IT!!!

What's a mother to do?

The Diva is exerting her independence, sense of humor, intelligence and bad attitude. All wrapped up in one delightful ball of joy. I try to be a good mom and as a teacher I thought I had mastered some effective discipline techniques. As a teacher of early elementary school, I have encountered many rude behaviors. Never though, have a dealt with the behavior that the diva has most recently exhibited. The diva acts up on occasion, as a two year old will do. As the "good mommy" I get down on her level and while speaking in a calm, even tone, I attempt to let her know that her behavior is not acceptable. So what has my charming daughter done to me TWO times now when I have tried to discipline her? She cocks her head to the side, closes her eyes, and SNORES! Like she just can't be bothered with me and what I am saying is so boring that it induces narcolepsy. So how do you explain that this behavior is wrong when I am already trying to deal with some other inappropriate behavior? My answer was a time out. Is this wrong? Who knows? Teaching is one thing, parenting is a whole new ballgame for me. The whole thing is troublesome, because while it is rude and unacceptable, it is also very clever. The diva decided to pull her snoring act at the dinner table when I requested that she use an inside voice because she was hurting people's ears. She snored at me, my mother couldn't resist a chuckle and my mother too was asked to leave the table. I ask again, what's a mother to do?

A picture I love

Here is a picture of Annika that daddy took when he brought her to the beach near our house. It was a fun time for them, especially went Annika insisted that daddy carry her on his shoulders the ENTIRE walk home. It's nice to live on a lake that doesn't contain alligators. The beach has a great park as well. The diva has a love hate relationship with swings. She loves them until she starts to go too fast, then she freaks a bit! I love this picture, because the diva was caught in a serious moment, not hammin it up for the camera. It also shows her hair in all it's natural glory!!!

I'm such a bad blogger

It has been forever since I have posted anything. Boy do I have tons I can write about, but I just haven't. The diva gives me endless material for posts, and I had better get on the ball recording all of her charm, or I will forget it.
For now I will just stick to a basic update of sorts. We are now officially Vermonters, and I remain unemployed. The good news is DeRon found a job immediately in his field, so we should eventually do alright, once we play catch up from all this moving business. Those of you who have made a big move know just how stressful it can be. We are currently dealing with trying to squeeze money out of the moving company, since all of our precious belongings arrived here in Vermont SOAKING WET! Much of our stuff was damaged. It was someone's brilliant idea to reorganize the truck in a storm. I can't focus too much on it, because it makes me angry, and I you won't like me when I am angry. :) I will say my husband is being much nicer about it all, even though he is frustrated too. I suggested holding the movers hostage until the situation was remedied. I was told that wasn't such a good idea, on many levels. At least we have our health, and were able to relocate to be closer to family and to give the diva a different life. Now if we can just get a permanent residence and both be employed we can work on giving our little drama queen a sibling.