"I'm a Married Single Mom": Lexi's first Game

When I started this blog, I wanted to use it as a way to remember what had happened and let Chris's brother and other family members know what The Seidl's were up to. Little did I know that less than a year later, I would be using it to keep Chris in the know on what the rest of the family is up to. :-)

For those of you who haven't heard, Chris has recently started traveling for his job--heading out to the Quad Cities for the week and back home for the all-too-short weekend. It isn't easy, but we make it work. I think that in the end, we appreciate each other more because we realize how precious our few days with each other are. I read an article today in a magazine called "I'm a Married Single Mom" and I thought she put it perfectly. "Is this situation perfect? No, but we make the best out of it. We're still happy. We're still together...just maybe not as much as we'd like to be."

So...this is for you, Chris.

Monday, April 30th: Brenna woke up with a horrible cough, so I decided to keep her home. After a few hours of stressing between getting lesson plans ready and getting Lexi off to school. We went to the doctor, got some Amoxicillin, and POOF! Bren was magically better! So we played games all afternoon.

Lexi had her first softball game tonight. She played 3rd base, short stop, right field, and pitcher. She hit pretty well (see below). Of course, Bren's cough came back once the game started, so I didn't get all the pictures I would have liked. But here Lexi in action:

She's Ready!

 Tough Batter!

 Fielding the ball!

 Cleaning out the batter's box--good girl!

And here she is in action!

Another Tooth Gone?

Alexa is becoming notorious for losing teeth at a rapid rate. She had just told me it was loose yesterday morning, and Bam, it's out by night.

What's worse is that our 'Tooth fairy' is traveling for work all week! So this 'replacement' had to take over.

Few issues with that: 1. this tooth fairy never has cash

2. this tooth fairy isn't very sneaky (especially when sneaking into rooms n finding teeth under pillows)

But have no fear..this tooth fairy got the job done!

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The Struggles of a Teacher

For the most part, I love my job. I love my co-workers, students, and just the overall sense of community that ADM has created. I knew from my interview that this was the place I wanted to raise my family.

But during the last few weeks, I've been at a constant battle with one student. I don't know if the hatred towards me comes from the class he's in or if it is just me, but this kid is making every day a constant struggle. I am used to kids not like my class. REMEMBER...I teach speech. There aren't too many students who would list speech as their favorite class. I typically hear phrases like, "I like you, Mrs. Seidl, just not your class." I'm okay with that. I realize speaking isn't everyone's forte and we deal with that. I accommodate them to help the students overcome their fears with public speaking. My overall goal is to make them a better speaker than they were when they first entered my classroom (even if it's just a baby step...that's still growth).

But what do you do with one student who rejects everything you say? Sure, this kid and I have had some go-arounds (i.e. him being disrespectful towards me and the class). But as a teacher, I know that I still have to teach this kid. He still needs to be a part of the class. The student has other ideas. He is still disrespectful, but I know if I say something it will only get worse. He doesn't want to work in groups, but I know if I say something it will only get worse.

So... here I am.... stuck with a student who hates me, hates my class, etc.....And I have no idea what to do with. This is by far the most difficult student problem I've dealt with...we'll see how it all turns out.

Good Morning, Mama!

As a parent, the BEST moments of the day are first thing in the morning. Now, I don't like being woke up before my alarm any more than the typical person. But my kids are the happiest those first few minutes and I have to take every opportunity I can. Take this morning for example:

Bren came into the bedroom about 10 minutes after my alarm went off (it was REALLY hard to get up this morning!). Usually I get a 'Morning, Mama' or something to that effect. But this morning, nothing! She climbed into my bed, wrapped her blanket over her face, and pulled the covers over her head. I waited 5 minutes.....nothing. I thought she had already fallen back asleep.

Right as I'm ready to get up, I hear her say, "Wait for it.....Wait for it....."
Then...."Surprise...Good Morning, Mama!" After that, she breaks out into the most infectious giggle ever! Once we've both stopped laughing, she tells me, "Now it is your turn. Do it just like I did. I'm going to the bathroom and you better be hiding when I get back."

So being the good mom (and wanting to avoid getting ready for work at all costs), I hid under the covers even though we both know anyone is going to notice a 'lump' my size under the covers. But she comes out of the bathroom and quickly plays along. "Where's Mama? Oh, she must of left already......

I wait until she is crawling into the bed before I pounce. Even though she knew I was there, the surprise in her face was priceless. :-)


Co-workers: I just wanted to let you know I didn't shower this morning (I did last night though!)... why do you ask? Because I was too busy this morning spending those precious moments with my daughter. Moments that won't be around for ever. Moments that are worth way more than that 15 minute shower. :-)

Goin' Camping!

I feel like this should be the motto for the Seidl family this year! Every set of plans we've made this year seems to have this theme! I don't mind camping and being outdoors, but I am not a backwoods girl by any means. I still like to take a shower every day and have a warm bed to sleep in every night. So with that being said, I am a little apprehensive about our summer vacation plans, but I am trying to keep an open mind. Even when Chris suggests we "tent" it for a whole week! :-) yuck.

For our summer vacation, we are taking the girls on a trip to South Dakota. Some highlights of the trip:
1. seeing Mt. Rushmore for the first time (or as Lexi calls them "Going to see the presidents")
2. Hiking, fishing, and more through the beautiful scenery (including the badlands)
3. Going to see our "old" (like in former, not too old) neighbors, Joe and Carol, who are moving up to Spearfish to be closer to their grandchildren after years in the education field. Chris is excited about the Fly fishing Joe told him about.
4. Heading to Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood home. I LOVED those books when I was younger (I read them all in the 2nd grade) and I'm hoping I can instill the love of reading and of Laura Ingalls Wilder into my children with those books. I think the 2nd book is when she is in South Dakota, so I plan to read the 1st two to my children before the trip! So excited!

The rest of the trip is going to just be ...well, an adventure. We don't want too many set plans because we want to just be able to figure it out as we go. We'll see!



The second part of the "camping" summer is the girls both attending summer camp. Last year, Brenna took part in the Y's "Princess Camp" right before we left for Florida. She loved it! I still have a picture of her next to the "real" princesses on our fridge--her face is priceless! This year, she is attending with the neighbor girls, Jaeley and Katy. How fun! She is pretty excited to hang out with her friends in their pretty princess dresses and do things like nail painting and crafts!


Lexi is attending her first sleep away camp! As always, it is hard for me to accept how old she is getting. It doens't seem possible for her to be heading to camp without her family or anyone she knows! I'm not sure there is a set age for when children are ready for camp; I think it all depends on the child's nature. And if you know Lexi, you know that she is outgoing and fearless--2 qualities I think she is going to need. We are signing her up for the Y's mini camp in Boone. It is a 3 night, 4 day camp with all the typical "camp" activities. We actually gave her the option between this one and a 2 night Horse camp. Thinking the camp she'd choose was obvious, I was shocked when she said she wanted "the longer one". One more night cover a whole camp about horses?!? She must be excited to get away for as long as possible! :-) Chris and I both wished we'd have attended camp at a younger age and more often---so we're hoping that this is the experience for Lex that Chris and I never had. For all of you who've sent your kid off to camp, any suggestions/advice on things she should take?


Summer is quickly approaching and so are our amazing "camping" adventures! Will keep you posted on how they all turn out!

How quickly time flies.....

Around this time every year, I get a little nostalgic thinking about the seniors leaving and another school year wrapping up. If you've worked in education, this is known as the "rejuvenation" phase---a.k.a. the time that makes us enjoy teaching enough to come back next fall. :-)

This year, I think it is hitting me even more than in the previous three years. Here are a few thoughts that have been spinning around in my head:

THEN: When we first moved to Adel, Brenna was was 3 weeks old. She was still sleeping in a bassinet. Lexi was almost 4 ready to start preschool in the fall. She had just moved into her twin sized bed and was excited to make some new friends in our new town.

NOW: Brenna is the age that Lexi was when we first moved here. She is starting preschool in the fall. Lexi is turning 8 this summer (I still can't believe she's almost 8 no matter how many times I say it).

REALIZATION: My baby is no longer my baby. I know I posted that a few months ago, but it still is hard to believe.

THEN: Chris was willing to move to where ever (as long as it was in a 30 mile or so radius of Ankeny.) He had a good job at John Deere even if it meant he would be a welder for the rest of his career.

NOW: Chris is now a Welding Engineer assistant (I don't know his 'official' title) at John Deere. While this job now entails traveling and being gone from us for long periods of time, I think he truly likes what he is doing. He feels important at his job, which I feel is essential in having a happy employee. Although the traveling part isn't my favorite, I am truly proud of him for all of his hard work.

REALIZATION: I have an amazing husband. :-) (I already knew that.)


THEN: I had just graduated from Simpson and had got my first job at ADM... all while having a baby and buying/moving into a new house. I don't remember much about that summer except being overwhelmed!

NOW: I'm still at ADM and have a hard time imagining working anywhere else. I'm a "hometown" type of girl--I like living where I work, and I like being involved with the place where my kids are going to grow up and go to school.

REALIZATION: I think Chris and I are Life-long ADELians. :-) I love everything about this town--the people, the size, the location to Des Moines, etc. I'm so lucky to have a job I love in the town I live in--I truly am blessed. While I haven't forgotten about my dream of getting my masters and teaching at local universities, it just isn't the right time yet.

THEN: When I starting coaching Speech, I had big dreams of all-state and a huge team. Our numbers weren't big that first year, but we had a lot of fun!

NOW: Our numbers still aren't huge, but they are definitely rising! (Up 8 people in Individuals this year!) This year, I am losing over 3/4 of my speech team to graduation. These are the kids who took the Reader's Theatre to all-state last year and won, the kids who got up early the morning of contest to be door greeters, and in the end, the kids I am going to miss the most next year.

REALIZATION: This kids are the reason my speech team has had such strong seasons the past 4 years. They are willing to go above and beyond what I ask of them. How do you say goodbye to that? I am not looking forward to graduation this year. The plus side: They are holding a 'camp' this summer to recruit more speech kids. Like I said..."above and beyond"

I could go on and on with all of the changes in the last four years. While change is difficult for me, I know that things have to change. And change isn't always a bad thing---Maybe in 4 years, I'll look back on this post and think, "Wow, look at how great everything turned out." :-)