The "Darnest Things.."

When Bill Cosby came out with the show, Kids Say the Darnest Things, we all loved it, right? Well, the funniest part about it is that it is SO true. Today at school, there were two conversations which were so hard not to drop down on the floor laughing my butt off!

The first took place during reading class. I had a small group which were reading a novel about King Arthur. The question came up, "Mrs. Skelton, what is a stag?"
"It's a type of deer," I replied.
I noticed that the two girls sitting across from each other began to giggle. I asked them if they were okay.
"Haha, Mrs. Skelton, I've seen a stag on a beer can before!"
Trying not to show my expression of laughing so hard I almost peed my pants, I said, "I think I know what you are talking about...haha."
The girls began to laugh again and then began talking about the details of the "Stag" on the beer can. I never thought I would hear Stag at school in a 4th grade classroom.

The second story is just as funny if not funnier. A small group of boys in my class are very into their hairdos and clothes, etc. I kept smelling something (cologne) that was decent. One of the young gentlemen walked up and it was STRONG! I asked, "Do you have spray on?"
"Yes."
"Well, what kind is it?"
Three boys flocked over and began to tell me all about how they have different types of smell good spray and "cologne". Then, one of them even went to his backpack and brought to me two types of spray and his deodorant! He was so proud of them and I told him that they were very nice.
"Mrs. Skelton, I wear deodorant because I stink by the end of the day."
"Yes, boys, it's okay to stink. It just means you are a hard worker."
From there, I told them that when we have the deodorant talk when it begins to warm up, they will be able to lend a hand if someone is unsure about the topic. I thanked them for their confidence. Haha. I didn't wake up this morning expecting to be impressed by ten year old boys talking about how they "stink" and their sprays to smell good.

Again, just another day in the 4th grade life. No big deal. :)

Satuday...ahhh...

Bear with me! No makeup....BUT NEW DO! Yesterday I went to Amanda (friend/hairdresser) and she saved me for the day! I'd been thinking of her for two weeks!!! My hair needs her in its life.

Cut/Style/Highlights

Bangs! YES!

I love it when I get my hair done because I can wake up the next day and it looks EXACTLY the same. Isn't that just a bonus?!

NEXT: My amazing friend Emily Williams got me interested in trying this www.birchbox.com
It is simply a way to try new products that you wouldn't necessarily buy at a store/on your own. They take into account of any allergies, skin type, interests, etc.

I got my first Birchbox in on Thursday and here are the products that were in it! Hey, for $10 a month to treat yourself, why not?

This was the nail polish sample I got. It's a robin egg bluecolor. I've had at least a handful of compliments from school/students.

And here it is! The official "box". Sample of Viva La Juicy fragrence; C.O. Bigelow Peppermint shampoo and conditioner; all natural granola bar, nail polish, and a itty bitty sample of pink lip gloss!


Finally, this is what I get to wake up to on my day off. Yesterday was, I believe, my most stressful day at school yet this year. We've started a new math intervention program and I have many students who need extra help in math. We find out what grade level they need instruction on. Some students will need it all the way down to 1st grade....yes; I just said that.

After school, I went and got my hair done with Amanda then I headed over to the Jackson KC Hall for the Jackson Chamber of Commerce dinner. It was so fun! Ray's catered, YUMMM. I had candied carrots, mashed potatoes, salad, cordon bleau, roast beef, and broccoli rice. Don't forget that peach cobbler for dessert!

Each table was decorated and you got to take prizes home! We sat the "Beach Bum" table. Bahama Tan in Jackson provided the centerpiece which was a beach chair with a sluh of things for the beach: beach bag, cooler, sign, keychain, bag, etc. Ashley and John Litzelfelner (dear friends) won the centerpiece at the end.

There were many great people of the community including the oldest business in Jackson, The Cash Book Journal, and many others who give back each year.

Jackson R2 District received the Community Service Award for the 2011 year! It was nice being there to see this given to our Asst. Superintendant (Dr. Rita Fisher).

When I got home, I hit the sack. Exhausted. What a day. Again, I'm so blessed to be able to sleep in on Saturdays. One snow day this week was not enough!

Tonight! BLUES GAME! Ashley, John, Alex, and I are going to all go to the game. Alex has been in Springfield/Kansas City since Tuesday and I haven't seen him all week! I'm going to ride up with the Litz's and then we will see Big Al at the game! John and I have already decided that we will be going to Lumiere Casino afterwards for a little bit o fun. Hah! Last summer, after we went to an amazing Cardinal game, we headed over there and gambled until 3 a.m.! It was so fun! We got home at 5a.m. and then I slept in until noon. We will not be able to do that much longer.

All in all, good food, good friends, and good times. It's a motto to live by.

First Snow Day!

Outside our back door!

Today was the first official snow day for Jackson! There was more earlier this morning, but some has melted. Here's how my morning went.....

Wake up call: 6:00 a.m.

Shower, dress, hair, make up

Breakfast: 6:45 a.m.

7:00: Getting ready to walk out the door....

My teacher friend Jenny calls and says that we are out of school! I couldn't believe it! I was literally keys in hand and getting ready to open the garage. When I woke up, it was barely snowing. The district closed today due to the weather. The temperature has been dropping since last night. It's going to get down to 17 degrees tonight!!! OOOOOHHHH! It's finally feeling like winter here in MO. A few weeks ago, we were wearing tshirts.

This morning, since I was ready...a couple of us from school who were ready for school, decided to go to Starbucks for coffee! It was great having a chance to relax and have conversation.

I went to school afterwards to get some filing and work done. I was good and left after a couple of hours. Met up with a neighbor for some soup at her house and then came home to pay bills, etc.

Sitting here now relaxing and enjoying the rest of the day!

24 Week Check Up

On this chilly Monday in January, Alex and I trekked our way over to Southeast Hospital to have our 24 week check up for Baby Skelton. It went very well and the women in Dr. Woolard's office is always helpful and cheerful.

Christy (N.P.) came in and was so excited to know that we are not finding out the sex of the baby. So many people are a bit frustrated with us that we are choosing not to find out. Alex and I are enjoying it because God is taking care of our bundle of joy. :)

Here are a few updates:
Total Weight Gain: 10 lbs.
Heartbeat: 154 beats per minute

Next time I go at 28 weeks, I'm taking the Glucose test for sugar/protein/etc.

After our appt., we decided to take a trip up to the OB floor at the hospital. It was great! Jane U. (a mom of a girl I played sports against) was so helpful and she got us signed up for all of the classes needed! After, she explained to us the procedure of how our experience at Southeast would go. Jane was more than helpful, she was comforting.
Jane then took us on a tour around the rooms/nursery/NICU/etc. Again, we can't say enough about the women on that floor. We will definitly be sending them something special from the Skeltons.

Sunday Fun(but busy)day!

Sunday of busy times and good friends! This morning at La Croix, Ron preached about how we need to love our God with our whole hearts. It's a new series on living out Christianity "real and raw". What a great way to start 2012 and to understand how there are 613 commandments in the bible. They one that we need to follow through with and the one that every other commandment falls under is "Loving our God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength". Another neat comment Ron made was that, "God never asks us to do anything that he hasn't already done for us." This is so true. He loved us first, he created us, he treated us with respect, etc. Next week will be great with learning about loving God with all of your soul.

After church, we met our new friend Mara at El Toreros. A great local Mexican restaraunt that has yummy food. Afterwards, I went to pick up the crib mattress ($25) I bought on Sell It Semo (a local Craig's list) and a Coach purse for $20! I've been getting some steals! This is a great group on Facebook which will soon become a website.
Today I posted 2 scarves and some of the products I sell through IT Works. We will see how well they sell!

Alex and I have been hanging out at the house and I tried to make a roast for supper. I put it in the oven frozen with potatoes/carrots/seasonings. It didn't work out too well when my friend who sells Pampered Chef said that you can't put frozen food in your stoneware. Something about the heat and how it affects the cook time. Frustrated, I transfered the meat to the crock pot and I will cook it on low tomorrow to be ready for supper. GRRRRRR....my husband (who is calm and collected) gave me a hug and said, "No big deal, do you want me to make you a sandwich?" What a great guy! He's always looking on the bright side of things.

A Lazy Day: Our Saturdays

Saturday....what a day. We LOVE our weekends and the time off of our busy work week. Relaxing and kicking back not worrying about anything but enjoying life is the way to be. Today we didn't do much but a lot at the same time. While I met Grandma at Toys R Us to register and pick out a crib, Alex took the initiative and got some laundry done! He even loaded the dishwasher. What a catch!

Below are some pictures from my daily life. I'm very excited about Monday, we are going to the Dr. again for our 24 week check up. We always look forward to listening to the heartbeat of our little bundle of joy!

This is a new product which I've discovered with a few other of my friends. The blog, "The Small Things" is genius. The girl who runs it is a hair dresser and not only does she share her secrets, hobbies, and interests with beauty and life; she has tutorials on how to do hair! This is one of her secret ninjas which she uses to make hairdo masterpieces. Check it out! www.thesmallthingsblog.com

Many of my friends have been asking me what I'm using to prevent stretch marks. I've been using the IT Works! Stretch Mark and Anti-Aging lotion. This is an all-natural lotion with lots of vitamins and nutrients which help the skin soften and "together". Haha. It's worked so far. We will see within the next couple of months.

Here are the pictures you've been waiting for! My belly pics for 6 months. I just bought this scarf from Bloom Studio & Gifts in Cape Girardeau, Mo. This little boutique is so cute and quaint. The girls who work there are fabulous and help you any way they can.

The Infinity Scarf is not the normal infinity scarf you see elsewhere. This scarf can be work 7 different ways I believe. It's AWESOME! What you see is the "vest" look. I will post some other ways to wear it in the future. My friend Emily has a gray one that got me interested in purchasing one. They are decently priced considering how multipurposed they are: $32.

This evening Alex and I had dinner with Mom, Aunt Joann, and Hunter. We went to Logan's Steakhouse. Yummy as always! Alex couldn't believe that I devoured an 8 oz. steak, 3 rolls, a salad, and a loaded sweet potato. O YEAH! I was hungry, what can I say?

I made this peach cobbler/crisp/dump cake for dessert tonight. Compliments of Pinterest! It made my whole house smell like a cobbler candle. Alex kept pestering to try it as it was cooling from the oven. I'm off to scoop some ice cream to top mine off!

Happy Saturdays!

Back to the Chopping Block

Here is my Saffron birthday dessert (fried banana rolls with honey)! YUUMMMMM!!!

Last night Alex and I celebrated my birthday at Saffron Bistro (one of my absolute favorite places to eat on this earth). It was delish! Sushi rolls and Wok Creation was yummy in my tummy. The baby enjoyed it too. Hah!

Today Alex and I went back to work. He left at 5 a.m. and I rolled out of bed around 6:45. This was horrible since I've been sleeping in until about 9 or 10 everyday over break. Good thing we went to bed at 8:30 last night.

Work today was decent and not as bad as I expected. It was rough going back to busy work but I got so much done in my classroom! Pictures tomorrow! I'm going to have my students not only clean out their desks tomorrow but also clean our room. The janitor mopped over break and my floor looks amazing (for once).

Alex and I arrived home around the same time this evening and we are vegging out on our computers as we have "America's Supernanny" play on TV. I just asked Al if he was learning any tips. Lol. The lady on that show reminds me of Michelle Obama, with attitude.

Happy BIrthday to Me!

Yes, it is my 24th birthday and I do not feel a day over 21. There are days which I get up out of bed and yes, I can feel my body compensating for my age (even thought I don't like to admit it). My bones, muscles, and mind are leaving me. Part of it is pregnancy but a big part of it is being married and teaching. Haha!

Last night, we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse with our good friends, Ashley and John Litzelfelner. We had a blast and yummy food. I was a bit upset at the fact that my friends and husband told them it was my birthday. Yes, I had to ride the saddle....with a belly! It was funny. After we went to see the movie, War Horse. What a great story. It reminded me a lot of Forrest Gump how he travels and meets many types of people. It was a great story and I reccommend it to anyone who likes a good movie.

I woke up this morning and I jumped up out of bed, totally forgetting it was my birthday. Alex reminded me and said, "Happy Birthday". I had already gotten 3 texts wishing me a happy birthday. My favorite was from my grandma. Here it is:

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Lauren, Happy Birthday to you! I remember going to see you in the hospital and walking down to the nursery with your Dad to see the most beautiful little girl there. You have turned out to be not only that outwardly but inwardly too. You have been a blessing to us and we love you." -Grandma and Grandpa Loftis
This has been the highlight of my day. They make me smile so much and I love spending time with them. We laugh and joke so much about everything.

We decided to go for a walk in our neighborhood. Man oh man, it is cold in Southeast Missouri today! 32 degrees and the wind is a blowin'. We walked a little over half a mile and I was done. My cheeks were freezing and chapped. Coming inside, I began to warm up and make my grocery list. As we stock up for the January month, I've heard many rumors of a blizzard on January 25th of this year. We will see. It might miss us and be all south. UGH!
Mom came over for a bit and gave me some comfy houseshoes! They are cute!
Alex let me pick out a pair of diamond earrings for my birthday. They were still on their Christmas sale and he was fishing. I called him and told him I found them! The reason why I wanted earrings is when we go to the hospital, I want to wear them. April is the diamond month ya know.... When Al found that out, he just said, "Man! I've got my work cut out for me."
Hehe.
With the holidays over and the true winter season beginning, let's hope that we get snow and no ice! Thanks to all of my family and friends, 24 isn't so bad.

Welcome to 2012!

As Alex and I are relaxing today, laying around the house, we are so blessed that we have so much in our lives. 2011 was a good year. Here is my top ten of 2011:

10. Alex had a successful season in Fantasy Football.

9. I've been so blessed to have a wonderful class for my second year of teaching.

8. My mom and I have become closer since our summer excursion.

7. Many of our friends celebrated marriage (that would cover 6 weddings).

6. My sister in-law (Claire) and I have had so many laughs and good quality time together as she enjoys her senior year of high school, I love her.

5. Alex and I both have steady jobs. This is such a blessing in disguise. Even though we complain about the hours, paperwork, etc. We get up in the morning and go somewhere to please the Lord with our talents.

4. We are financially stable. Around Christmas we packed food for Feed My Starving Children, an organization which focuses on feeding people across the world who are in need. This was amazing to do together and we advise any family to do this together for the holidays. This opened our eyes to the amount of food/money/vital time that is wasted in our lives. We hope to save more money this year and to invest in others and ourselves for health and happiness.

3. We bought a house! Yes, we are officially a household. Our home is wonderful and a work in progress. With 2 weeks of painting, carpeting, and living with the inlaws; it was well worth it! We'd worked very hard to save and to do it right. Buying a home is one of the most stressful things I've ever done in my life. It's also one of the best things I've ever done. Our casa is our place to be us and to enjoy life with our friends, family, and neighbors. Our neighborhood is one which our children will love growing up in.

2. We are enjoying our second year of marriage. Alex and I have become closer each day with communication, tears, laughter, joy, comfort, etc. There is NEVER a dull moment with Big Al. I need to start writing a book about what we argue about. Seriously, it's like 70 year olds. I have to laugh because he's my best friend and I have no idea where I would be without him. Other than our heavenly father, he is my strength and wisdom when I need it most.

1. WE ARE EXPECTING! This above all things has definitly been the most exciting thing happen in our lives. To know that a baby is gradually growing in my belly is one of the most amazing and miraculous things known on this earth. My grandparents tell me every time I see them that I have a miracle. The due date is April 26th 2012.

All in all, 2012 is going to be a HUGE year for us! I told Alex last night that 2012 is going to change our lives. He replied with, "Didn't you say that about 2010?" We were married in 2010 and yes, it did change our lives. But this, this is bigger. This will change our schedules, our plans, anything that we thought we were capable of before, we can do even more as we add a player to TEAM SKELTON.