Five Things Friday: School's Out For Summer (but not really)

Man. I'm the worst blogger ever.

In my defense, I've started a new post four different times, but I just never get around to finishing it. I'll just go ahead and blame it on how much my daycare kids wear me out since that's what I blame everything else on these days. I think they siphon every ounce of energy out of me when I have my back turned. Okay, you distract her in that center, the others will cause a scene in the center right next to that one, and we'll stand behind her and take all of her energy! Annnnd BREAK!

1) Starkville summers are so freakin' fantastic. 
Seriously. I didn't fully believe it when my older friends told me how great they are, but I should have. The horrendous traffic is gone, every single place in Starkville is no longer packed 24/7, and there aren't obnoxiously loud parties at The Pointe on Monday nights. IT'S SO WONDERFUL. Even Walmart isn't bad, and I despise that place.

But really. I'm loving it. During June, I go to work at 7am, go to my summer class from 10-12, go to physical therapy at 12 or 1, and then get back to work right as my kids are waking up from nap time. After work, I hit the gym, do my homework, and try to actually make it into my bed before I fall asleep. If I'm not babysitting and don't feel like going out with my friends on the weekend, I stay in bed and sleep or lay out by the pool and soak up every second of peace and quiet. You guys take your sweet time coming back, ya hear?

2) I think I accidentally pissed off the Spanish Gods in my previous life.
I have yet to take a Spanish class and have a good oral exam partner.

Also, my teacher is great, but she found out that I'm good at Spanish and that it's my minor. And now she won't stop making sure everyone else knows it. If she keeps it up, there's a good chance someone in the class is going to find a locker and shove me into it. Or a trash can.

Have I mentioned how much I despise attention?

Moving on.

3) Our Spiderman, who art in Heaven.
When you spend 8-10 hours a day with kids, you end up with some good stories to tell. My kids have said some pretty hilarious stuff, but this will be my new favorite for a while.

Spiderman is a big deal when you're 4. One of my little girls is the cutest, sassiest (is that a word..?) little thing, and she LOVES super heroes-- especially Spiderman. We were outside on the playground and she was sitting with another girl not too far away from where I was sitting. I just happened to overhear her talking.

4yo: ..and he saves people, and he is so powerful, and he loves you soooo much!
Me: Aw, sweetie, are you telling her about God?
4yo: (looks at me like I have 10 eyes) No, Ms. Awexa.. I'm talking about Spiderman. Duh.

Duh. Because it's totally normal to talk about Spiderman like that. She was talking about it in the sweetest way, and 4 year olds love to talk about God, so I just assumed that's what she was talking about. We do a lot of Jesus talkin' since it's a church daycare, and they love to use God as a way to win their argument.

4yo: But WHYYY Ms. Awexa? (for the 53rd time)
Me; (after I've said every creative answer I have in my brain) Because I'm the teacher and I'm in charge.
4yo: Nuh uhhh. God is in charge. He is bigger than all of us. Even this whole school!

BOOM. Burn. Roasted. I mean really, what could I possibly say to that?

It looks like we are spreading God's love AND Spiderman's love around the daycare these days. Whatever floats their boats. When they start changing their snack-time prayer to, "Spiderman is great, Spiderman is good, let us thank him for our food," well.. that's when I'll be a little concerned. They "pray" to Santa Claus occasionally, but that is not a bubble I'm willing to burst.

They've been on their A-game this week, but you know what they say. A glass of wine every night is good for your heart. The other three are to keep a daycare teacher mentally stable. ;)

Just another day of sharing what we know about Spiderman's love for us. The usual.

4) The Happiest Place on Earth.
The two weeks I just got to spend with my family will probably always be my favorite days of 2013. The first week, I was home for Zoe's graduation and all of that good stuff. We are so proud of our little graduate!

JT got home a couple days after me, and then a week later my family packed up and headed to Disney World! Minus Zoe, because she rode with the band kids and got there the next day.

 

The number of times we had ice cream before our meals was absurd. And awesome.

 Medieval Times!

It was a perfect week. It all went pretty smoothly since we are Disney pros, minus the part where a tropical storm hit Florida on Thursday. FYI, Disney World stays open until there's a Category 2 hurricane. Mickey Mouse doesn't play around. You would think the lines would have been shorter, but oh no. Instead of a lot of people, it was just a lot of people with ponchos on.

 

However, JT and I were insanely lucky that day. Earlier that week, we had to leave MGM to make it to our dinner reservations at Be Our Guest, so JT and I gave our Rockin Rollercoaster fast passes to two random people. No big deal. On Thursday, just as we were walking up to Tower of Terror to get in line, a lady stopped us and asked if we wanted 2 fast passes. Then, later that same day, we were all going to ride the Toy Story ride for a second time but we were just going to wait the 70 minutes since it was our last day. But just as the four of us were walking up to get in line, a girl stopped us and asked us if we wanted 4 fast passes. Two times! In one day! I guess they mean it when they say what goes around, comes around.

 My badass Daddy doing his thing on Main Street with his band.

 At Norway in Epcot with JT. 1997 and 2013.

We ate at the new Be Our Guest restaurant in the Beast's castle. Props to my amazing mom who made reservations 6 months ago! JT and my parents were served the special "gray stuff" for JT's birthday and my mom and dad's 27th anniversary.

 "Try the gray stuff, it's delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!"

 Cutest parents in the world & the perfect example of being happily married.

 The food was amazing and the whole inside of the building is absolutely beautiful.

I love Disney World. I love the happiness, the magic.. and the ice cream. I love watching kids get so excited, and feeling as excited as a little kid even though I'm actually 20. After one of the fireworks shows, there was a little girl near me who was so happy she cried and said, "Magic is SO happy!!"

But more than that, I loved just getting to spend time with my family at our favorite place. We only get to see JT 2 or 3 times a year, so getting to spend 2 whole weeks with him made my heart feel like it was going to burst from happiness.

 Best brother and friend a little sister could ask for.

It was just so wonderful to have just the five of us together for a while. The five of us, starting our summer at Disney World, just like we've done every single year. It was like being in the best part of your comfort zone. I knew it would end quickly and my heart would hurt, because apparently my cold heart is warming up the older I get. The whole time all I could think about was the fact that it was probably the last time it would just be the five of us, and I wanted to hold on so tight, so that maybe time would slow down for just a day or two.

But it didn't. Life is changing so fast and I'm sure it's only going to change even faster from here on out. I guess it's not really changing in a bad way, but it's still change. And we all know how I feel about that. It's bittersweet, really.

I can't wait for the day that we aren't all spread out all over the map and I can see these weirdos on a regular basis.

5) Being a Cacibauda is probably the best thing you can be in this world.

But maybe I'm a little biased.

Five Things Friday: Spring Fever

April has been one of my very favorite months ever since I started college. It's a month of so many good things, which helps balance out the obnoxious amount of torture this month brings. Trying to learn all of the stuff my teachers were supposed to teach us weeks ago, taking tests right before being destroyed by finals, begging people on the street for coffee and/or Xanax donations.. you know, the usual.

1) Crawfish, family, and a birthday makes for a perfect weekend.
I love my family. I LOVE THEM. And you're like WE KNOW, ALEXA because I never stop talking about them. I read an article for my Developmental Psych class a few semesters ago and it said that family is VERY important to middle children. So I'll just blame it on that. Every year, my aunt and uncle have a crawfish boil to celebrate their anniversary which is right before my birthday. So every year, the crawfish boil and my family birthday party fall on the same weekend. And it's perfect. It's my favorite family event. What could possibly be better than food, crawfish, and chasing my little cousins around?

My heart explodes with happiness every time I look at this picture.

And this one. I have BEAUTIFUL cousins!

                                              

I also don't like making a big deal out of my birthday, but my mom always insists and I don't mind using it as a reason to hang out with all of my awesome aunts, uncles, and cousins a little longer. :) Even when my mom is pressed for time, she can still throw together an awesome cake. My mom LOVES birthdays when it's not her own, which is obviously where I get that from. She starts singing days/weeks before, and will excuse almost anything with, "It's okay, it's your birthday week/month!" I guess life is pretty good if the worst thing you can say about your parents is that they insist on making a big deal out of the day you were born. Right?

Also, a huge thank you to my best friend/roommate, Jen, for always making me feel so special on my birthday! I hate attention, so getting me to celebrate my birthday with anyone other than family is like pulling teeth, but Jen always forces me to anyway. My bedroom is still beautifully decorated with streamers thanks to Jen and my other sweet best friend (and a professional streamer decorator) Amber! I was so overwhelmed this year with everything they did for me, along with all of the calls, texts, and posts on social media. Thank you all so much! I am so lucky to be so loved.

2) Zoe's NO MORE CCD!! celebration.

I passed on Super Bulldog Weekend this year because my beautiful baby sister made her Confirmation! If you're not familiar with Catholic stuff, this is a big deal in church world. It means you're joining the church as an adult and all of that good stuff, but it ALSO means you never have to go to a CCD class ever again. Not having to go anymore after going every Sunday/Wednesday (okay- most Sundays/Wednesdays) for 11 years is just really exciting. But it was fun sometimes, and I have some good memories from Fatima and St. Elizabeth. Most of them involve donuts in Fatima's parish hall after class, but Jesus probably likes donuts so it's okay. 

Anyway, it was just a little thing and we didn't invite anyone or make it into a big event, but Zoe picked me to be her sponsor and I was so proud! She picked Saint Lucy and will tell you all of the ways poor little Lucy was tortured. Just a small warning: the story includes digging her eyes out or something. It's gross but Zoe really likes telling the story because she's weird.

She is constantly giving me more reasons to be so proud of her and I can't believe she is going to be graduating from high school in a month! I don't know why I call her my baby sister, because she's only two and a half years younger than me, but she's my baby in my mind! I can't wait to have her (and her wardrobe) here with me in Starkville in the fall, even though she's going to make me look bad because she's way cooler than me. I love you, Zo Zo!

 

3) What's going on in 4-year-old world?

My kids have spring fever. We went from never being able to go outside because it was freezing to not being able to go out because it rains EVERY SINGLE DAY. That's an exaggeration. But it really does rain at least one or two days a week which means the playground is too wet to play on for days. 

April showers might bring May flowers, but they also bring psychotic children. I would be looking forward to summer, except we also can't go outside if the heat index is too high. You're killing me, Mississippi weather. Killing me.

Apparently, any life problem is due to the fact that my hair is messy. Oh how I WISH brushing my hair could solve any and every problem. If only.

Sometimes my kids say things that are so amazing it takes my breath away. And sometimes they run up to you all sweaty after playing too hard in centers and say, "Ms. Awexa, feel how warm my armpit is...." So. There's that.

We are entering the "I want to tie my own shoes" phase since only 3 out of 12 of my kids wear velcro shoes. Which is great! I'm so glad some of their parents are starting to teach them how to tie their own shoes. Except now they want to tie their own shoes every time they "accidentawwy come undoned all by demselves." Which is also really cute because they are trying to be independent. Except for one teeny, tiny detail: they don't actually have the whole shoe-tying system down yet. And of course the one time they don't shove their foot in your lap and tell you to tie their shoes is when we are walking out the door to go to the playground. Because kids work against you that way. :) So they scream because their shoe is untied. And then they scream because they want to do it without your help. And then, of course, they scream out of frustration because they don't actually know how to do the whole thing yet. These are fun times. Our next mission is to either 1) teach them how to button/unbutton their own pants or 2) convince parents to buy elastic pants and/or pants with snaps. Miss Alexa's speedy unbuttoning skills vs a 4yr old's tiny bladder. The odds are against me. And belts? Don't even get me started.

Mother's Day is coming up, so I've been looking up crafts to do and I think we are going to do one of these! 

 

I love the poem on this one! And they love doing anything with paint and glitter, so they would have a field day.

 

But I also REALLY love this idea! Because magnets are something that you can keep on the refrigerator forever! There are still magnets of my siblings and I on our fridge that are from so long ago. I would use different color foam though. Probably some cute pastel/spring colors. They love gluing stuff too, so they could do that and I'd probably let them draw on the foam if they want so they can add their own adorable 4-year-old touches. Or I might completely change my mind and pick a totally different project since I'm so indecisive and they are all SO DARN CUTE.

I'm such an elementary ed major. I know. And I love every single second of it.

4) The best birthday present ever.

My parents got me some really great stuff for my birthday and my mom took me shopping to help me find some clothes I can teach in when I start the education program in the fall. HOWEVER, they also got me this and I may or may not have actually jumped up and down out of excitement. It's one of those Fathead things that you can peel off and stick to the wall, but I'm keeping it like this so I can save it forever. Now my beautiful husband is on my wall and I get to look at him every day. 

What can I say? I'm easy to please. 

5) In case studying for finals has caused you to forget how to laugh. 

Crazy Delta Gamma Lady -- I'm assuming everyone has heard about that crazy letter from the Delta Gamma president at the University of Maryland since it's basically the #1 topic being discussed in America right now. It really expanded my vocabulary. This video is even funnier because Michael Shannon is HYSTERICAL. 

Louis C.K. "Goodbye Jews" on Conan -- My brother showed me this video a long time ago and it's still my favorite video to watch when I need to laugh. I love Louis C.K.

Jessica's Daily Affirmation -- Everyone has seen this, but I still  love it. If only we could all feel like this every day! 

How Animals Eat Their Food -- I really don't know why this is so funny. 

 

I have 7 finals. Yes, that is the number SEVEN. Don't ask me if I'm ready for them, because I'll probably going into cardiac arrest.

Happy Friday and Happy (Almost) Finals Week!! Good luck!!  

xoxo! :)

Five Things Friday: Springing into.. Winter?

1) What a lovely winter we are having this spring.
Is anyone else tired of seeing that all over Facebook and Twitter? I am, but it makes sense to use for this paragraph. Anyway. It's really cold. I LOVE cold weather, and I HATE Mississippi's summers. (And springs, falls, and winters, because we don't really have seasons.) But oh my WORD, it's the end of March and it's currently 30 degrees. I can't get that kind of weather at Christmas, but I can get it during spring when it's supposed to be sunny and breezy? What the WHAT? The only reason I hate it is because really cold weather and no sunshine = no hour-long recess for my 4 year olds. And on the days it's not too cold, it rains. Which means we are stuck inside for days or weeks at a time. Which means they go CRAZY. Which means I go home and rock in a corner for an hour.

Just kidding. I'm being dramatic. And I love them. On Tuesday, I was in our art center coloring with two of the girls. Suddenly, one of them got up and ran across the room while yelling AAAHHHH! and then came back and sat down like nothing happened. So I just kinda shrugged my shoulders and kept coloring. I mean, a kid's gotta do what a kid's gotta do.

Ms. Alexa and her Pandas would really like some sunshine and a nice breeze. Help a teacher out.

(This is how my kids and I feel about never being able to go outside and play. Mostly me.)

2) My beautiful, incredible, sweet, amazing mom turned 30 on Monday.
Even though her oldest child is 23. Having a child at age 7 is just one of her many talents. Last year I explained how I think of my mom as my built-in best friend. Like my brother and sister. Yeah, we all share the same blood and stuff, but they also became my most trustworthy best friends just by being born. Whether they like it or not. But let's bet honest- they love it. :) My mom is what today's world calls an "over-achieving mom." I grew up thinking she was just doing what a mom is supposed to, but I have quickly learned that not all moms are like Rose Cacibauda. She goes above and beyond for anything and everything. School parties, holidays, birthdays, summer plans, etc. There are a lot of articles about these "over-achieving moms" and I laugh every time I read one, because they have Rose Cacibauda written all over them. Not in a bad way. She just was/is a badass mom that has given her kids the world and 5 other planets. And not in the spoiled brat way, just in the really blessed way. I observe other moms with their kids and sometimes I almost feel guilty that I have it so darn good. I just love to brag about her. And now my awesome mom has turned out to be an even better best friend. My dad has always said, "You are JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER" and now it finally makes sense. It's scary and hilarious all at the same time.

 

3) Quotes from my 4yr olds:
Boy: Ms. Awexa we (meaning he & another girl in the class) got married!! She's my husband.
Me: Wife, baby. You're the husband, she's the wife because she's a girl.
*5 minutes later they're fighting over a toy*
Boy: (after stomping over to me) She said I have to share my stuff! Being married is NOT fun.
*10 minutes later*
Girl: Ms. Awexa boys are SO GROSS.
Me: True, they kinda are. But once you get past that they can be sweet too.
Girl: I think I should graduate preschool before I get married. 

When I was waking them up from naptime:
Me: Hi, sunshine. Get up and go potty, okay?
Girl: (gets up & throws herself to the ground) WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME?! I JUST WANNA SWEEP (sleep) MS. AWEXAAAA.

After telling a girl she needed to sit on her spot on the carpet for circle time:
Girl: MS. AWEXA. YOU. WUIN (ruin). EVWYFING!!! (everything)

Girl: My sister says one day someone is gonna love everything about you and marry you!!
Me: Crazy, huh?
Girl: Yeah. Even your messy hair. I can't believe it either.

I love my job. We made these bunny masks I found on Pinterest and when they all put them on yesterday, I truly thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. They were hopping around like bunnies all afternoon. I know it's just a temporary college job at a daycare, but I just love them so much. And we all know how much I love to love and how easily I get attached.

Happy Easter from Ms. Alexa's bunnies!!

4) Never let anyone dull your sparkle. 
It's been a ROUGH couple of weeks. You know, just those kind of days where you are suddenly 100% sure that you are going to fail at life and end up living under a tree or something.

I've been doing some confident boosters with my daycare kids lately, because I've started to see them be so mean to each other. One of my kids asked me, "Ms. Alexa, do you let people be mean to you and make you feel sad?"

Well yes, but you weren't supposed to ask me that question. 

People suck. Don't let anyone dull your sparkle!

5) My God loves everyone.
Speaking of not letting anyone dull your sparkle, it's been an exciting week in politics, huh?

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must LOVE ONE ANOTHER. By this EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER." -John 13:34-35.

I put the really important parts in all caps to help ya out.

I know I live in the Deep South. I know everyone has their own opinions. But using God to be hateful is not something I understand. When it comes down to it-- I'm just trying to love God's people the way that He loves me.

HAPPY FRIDAY! Happy Easter! Happy Passover!
God LOVES you, no matter who you are or what you believe. And I love you too. xoxoxoxo.

Five Things Friday: March Madness

It's only been a few weeks and I already failed at my Five Things Friday. Oops.

You know those days/weeks where everything is going so wrong that you start hysterically laughing at the ridiculousness, and then you think you're just crying from laughing so hard until you realize you're actually just melting down like a lunatic? No? Just me?

Well, the week before last was certainly one of those weeks. And last week was even worse. 7 midterms (I have 6 classes, but I had 2 in one class), 2 quizzes, 5 essays, and a lab. All in one week. When I finished everything on Thursday night/Friday morning at 1am (after the chem lab site crashed just as I was finishing my lab report and I had to start ALL OVER), I was completely brain dead. I crawled into bed with that feeling in your throat that you're about to cry, but I guess I was so tired that my brain couldn't even figure out how to tell the rest of me to produce tears.

I'm not a stressful person. I just go with the flow. But after I go with the flow for a while, the flow usually turns into a current, and I finally lose it and start flailing like a crazy person. Not literally, but you can picture that if you need a laugh.

It was bad, people. But my mom is all about laughing through life, so I guess that's why I'd rather laugh or be sarcastic about how terrible things are. That way people just think you really have your shit together and are just being funny. Sneaky, sneaky.

However, this week was GREAT! I didn't have any midterms (obviously) and even went to our tacky tourist swap on Tuesday night. I almost forgot what it was like to be a normal college kid that does something other than go to school, go to work, and babysit. SO FUN!

Can you believe it's already March?! Only five and a half more weeks of school until I'm halfway through my undergrad. MAKE IT STOP.

1) Home for a long weekend.
There is truly nothing better than coming home after being away for a while. I only get to go home every few months because I usually babysit every weekend, and I don't get off work until 5:30 on Fridays, so the 4-hour drive isn't worth the less-than-36 hours I'd get to spend at home. I have to stay in Starkville and work during my spring break next week, so I took two days off and drove home on Thursday after my 8am (I don't have class on Fridays) to spend a long weekend at home. I love home. I love spending time with my sister who is a beautiful, fun-loving, grown-up senior instead of the annoying little sister I once had. I love watching Stephen Colbert and eating dessert with my mom while thanking my lucky stars that we are exactly alike. I even love watching TV shows about rhinos with my daddy. Yes. Rhinos. Apparently being away from home even makes you appreciate weird things. I love that dorky guy. I'm so glad to have a few days to just unwind, see some of my fantastic family, and just be 100% of myself without having to worry about anything. I love that I love coming home and seeing my parents. I love it so much that I am still 100% sure that I will love the day they move into the house next to the house my husband and I buy. Alright fine, they can be down the street. As long as it's in walking distance so I can send my kids to their Nonna and Poppa's house when they're annoying me. This is the best idea my mom and I have ever had.

"There is no happiness like that of being loved, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort." --Jane Eyre

 
2) Netflix has sucked me back in with the best tv show in the history of tv shows.
It's not good, people. NOT GOOD. I have become addicted to a TV show called The West Wing. It ran from 1999-2006, and I think my parents used to watch it occasionally, but I wasn't into politics back then. It's basically about everything going on in the White House and the lives of the staffers during the presidency of a democrat. I know. You're rolling your eyes. But it really is a good show, and apparently it got really good ratings when it was on. Obviously I love it because they talk about all kinds of issues, and since they're democrats they have the same opinions as I do. ;) I have to contain my excitement when education gets brought up while I'm watching it on my phone when I'm on the elliptical at the gym. But besides all of that, it's just a really awesome show that had a lot of thought put into it. I love shows like that. And I absolutely love Aaron Sorkin and all of his work. He did the screenplay for Moneyball which is one of my very favorite baseball movies. Anyway, I'm addicted. At least West Wing is really good motivation for me. During the day I tell myself that if I get all of my stuff done early enough, I will have time to watch an episode before I go to bed. And it makes me force myself to find time to go to the gym, because I know that I can watch one 45-minute episode and still feel productive because I burned almost 500 calories while watching it. It's a win/win. It's really turned into a slight (serious) obsession. Martin Sheen is appearing in my dreams and giving me life advice, people. And I want to be best friends with Allison Janney's character because she's a badass. And Rob Lowe? YUM. I'm in love with his character in the show. Especially when he says anything regarding education. What could possibly be better than a good looking guy in a suit standing up for education? NOTHING. And since we all know I love to love people, I've already become emotionally attached to the characters and I'm only on the 2nd season. I really shouldn't watch TV.

3) Clean eating. 
I've been eating clean since school started back after Christmas break. I felt so yucky after another yummy, but not healthy, Italian Cacibauda Christmas. On top of that, my brother is getting married in the fall and everyone else I know is getting married this summer. I've been needing to get back in shape anyway, and JT's wedding is the perfect motivation, because those family pictures are going to be around forever. Yikes. I realize that I am not obese or even slightly over-weight, but there's always room for some improvement. And by some, I mean a lot. Plus, I really do enjoy eating healthy and going to the gym, which is good, because have you ever known an Italian who has awesome metabolism? No. No you have not. So I'm eating clean. I eat breakfast, carry healthy snacks with me, bring my lunch to work, eat a good protein/vegetable dinner, and count my calories. My daily calorie goal is 1,100. Everyone freaks out and says I'm starving myself, but I have to try really hard to even make it to that. I usually only make it to 1,000. Especially after I burn 400-500 calories at the gym! Oh, and other than coffee, I only drink water, but I've always been like that anyway. Dr. Pepper used to be my favorite, and I had a tiny sip the other day and almost spit it out because it tasted disgustingly sweet. Sad, sad day. I like desserts and stuff, but I don't crave sweets on a daily basis, so I pretty much avoid that too. Of course I am a girl, so once or twice a month when I do feel like I can't possibly go on with life until I eat a cookie, I have one and move on. It's not that I deprive myself of sweets, because I know doing that is bad, I just don't really crave them that much. Unless I'm around my mother. We are so bad for each other. I go to the gym every day except Fridays, because I usually work from 6:30am-5:30pm, and after I get off I hardly even have enough energy to eat dinner before I collapse from exhaustion. Some weeks are better than others. When I know I haven't been getting enough sleep, I sometimes sleep through my 6:30am workout alarm and just go later that night so I can sleep a few extra hours. I don't beat myself up about it. I'm a college student that works nonstop and stretches myself too thin because I have yet to figure out how to say the word NO. I do the best I can. :) My goal is to look so good that my dad tries to reinforce the "no two-piece swim suits until you're married" rule. (JUST KIDDING, Daddy. XOXO.)

4) Starkville got a new priest (!!!!!) and Alexa went back to church.
In my first Five Things Friday, I rambled on about how I was trying to get back into my God groove, and how it's been a little difficult because I despised the priest at the only Catholic church in Starkville. (Is it a sin to despise a priest? Oopsie. He was mean. I'm not sorry.) In my opinion (and in a lot of other people's opinions), he was not a good representation of the awesome, loving God I believe in. So I had been praying like CRAZY for a new priest, because even though I don't believe you have to go to church every Sunday to be a good Christian, I missed that good feeling I used to get after mass at St. Elizabeth. (You will always be my #1, Father Farrell!) Wellll.. Jesus saved the day! That, and the priest's time was up. Coincidence? Good timing? Answered prayer? Either way, we got a new priest and he is badass, people. (Is saying that a sin too? I should find better adjectives.) But really. The first week I went, his homily was SO spot on and I was overwhelmed with peace and love. He always brings everything back to how much God loves us, and it almost makes me want to cry tears of joy. (And I have never understood the concept of crying when you're happy. Never.) He tells us that you can be holy and love God while you are living up the college life. He's also funny, so he gets bonus priest points for having a sense of humor. He is making a huge effort to be involved with college kids and is even trying to learn our names. My point is that I LOVE HIM, and I've never been so excited to actually go to church on Sunday. (Even though I'm still bitter about the new words and keep accidentally saying the old ones. Oops. I'm looking at you, Benedict.) A new priest. A new pope. Good things are happening!!

Side note: heard this song on KLove the other day called More Like Falling In Love by Jason Gray and I fell in love with it. (Oh, the irony.) I just like how it talks about needing the whole God thing to be more like being swept off your feet than just a bunch of rules to follow. We all know I'm not a "you should love God BUT you can't believe in this, this, or this" kind of girl. I want it to feel like a good thing. Good song, Jason Gray. Good song.

5) I found people like me in a sorority. Wait.. what?
Sorority Girl Alexa. Doesn't that just sound weird? Alexa. The independent, Nicholas Sparks-hating girl who thoroughly enjoys watching the news and reading articles about politics for fun. In a sorority. I'm pretty sure no one would believe that I'm in a sorority if I didn't have a bunch of stuff that says Tri Delta on it. I've been having a lot of fun and I love helping St. Jude SO much, but I was still wondering if it was really my thing. I will tell you that there are some things about it that are just not my thing and never will be because I'm just such a weird girl. So I had been going back and forth about whether it was 100% worth it, even though I absolutely love the girls and all of the great things that come with being in a sorority. I wanted people to see that sorority girls can be smart, independent, and involved in other things. I love greek life, but it's not the only thing I do, and I love all people whether they are greek or non-greek. I love all of my sisters, but I just wasn't sure if I would find those few girls that I really click with. And thennnn BAM. It happened out of nowhere. I found my people. And who would have ever thought I would find friends who are like me in a sorority. Of all places. It's always funny when people turn out to be completely different than you expected. And then out of nowhere you are sitting in Strange Brew laughing and saying YES. EXACTLY. WE ARE THE SAME PERSON. It's weird that something like finding a few people who are just like you can make such a big difference, but it really can. It has made this semester so much better for me! So there ya go. You never know where new adventures out of your comfort zone will lead you! I really am thankful for Tri Delta, and I'm even more thankful for these girls who are basically already my favorite people ever. You know who you are. Thanks for making MS a little more tolerable, and thanks for giving me another fantastic reason to love Tri Delta! Watch out, America. A few more chit-chats over coffee and we will be taking over the country. :)

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one." -C.S. Lewis

Definitely counting my blessings this week. I am so happy.
Happy Friday! Happy Spring Break! xoxo

Five Things Friday

I'm a bad blogger. My family members and friends at different schools are like, "Your blog is supposed to keep me updated! But you're not updating!" Oops. So I'm going to try to do something that some of my other blogger friends do. It's called Five Things Friday. I feel like the title is self explanatory, but just in case: Five things. Every Friday. And this Friday I'm going to bombard you with a bunch of those e-card things, because it's currently 2am and they are cracking. me. up.

1) I got a hate email from a "concerned" 40 year old mom. Summary of the email: I cuss too much. I need more Jesus. Blah Blah.
People are always telling other people, "If you want to talk about that, start a blog." Duh. I did. And there's that whole thing about freedom, so you don't actually have to read it. I obviously don't mind if you do, but here are a few things to acknowledge: I'm in college, I tend to be a very sarcastic and opinionated free thinker, and sometimes I like to throw out a bad word or two. It's an Italian thing. Or maybe it's just an Alexa thing. I spend hours with children every day, and say things like, "Do you need to tee-tee? Use your walking feet please! Turn on your listening ears!" And I love it, but sometimes, when I'm writing on my blog or hanging out with college friends, I don't use 4-year-old language. Ya know? Most of the time I do, and it's really awkward when my 21-year-old friend asks me to pass them something and I accidentally respond with, "What do you say?" (In my defense, saying please is a nice thing to do.) ;) It's a day-to-day thing. Sometimes hearing them is normal, as it should be for a 19-year-old, and sometimes it catches me off guard after spending all day with kids. So if a cuss word or two makes you feel uncomfortable and you don't want your 10 year old reading them, don't read my blog. Duh. And don't let your 10 year old get on the WORLD WIDE WEB by themselves, silly. I love Jesus, and every now and then I say a cuss word to get my point across. Like most things, I blame my parents. :)

The top one cracks me up every. freaking. time.

2) Are ANY of my Starkville peeps going to be here for the summer?
 Even though I shouldn't be surprised, my plans for the summer just completely changed. I was going to stay in Starkville and work until the end of May, then go home for a month for my little sister's high school graduation, the Cacibauda's annual trip to Disney World, and just some much needed, relaxing family time. Then, I had planned to go to Spain in July to study abroad and get some credits for my Spanish minor. Welllll, they picked this summer (of course) to not go in July. You have to go for the whole summer, or from the end of May-the end of June. And (obviously) I can't do either, because I don't want to miss out on Disney and I wouldn't miss Zoe's graduation for anything. I could take the whole summer off of work and find a job in OS for the summer, but it's just easier to keep my job. And I love it more than anything I'll find at home. And I should probably take a Spanish class over the summer. But I'm sad about not going home, because I like being home. And EVERYONE is going home. And I'll probably go home a lot more during the summer than I usually do during the school year, but I know I'll still be lonely! So, I need summer friends. Because let's be real here. If I have to spend 3 months in Starkville without human interaction other than my 3 & 4 year olds, I will slip into a state of depression. So stay in Starkville and be my friend! I'm fun. I'm a wino. I love Netflix. WHAT more could you want in a friend? ;)

How can you say no to THOSE faces?!

3) I have absolutely no idea how to leave my work at the door.
Are you reading this and thinking, "Hmm, could I stand being married to Alexa?" If you can't handle me talking about my kids every night when I come home, then your answer is no. I don't know if it's possible to be too passionate about something, but if it is, I have a problem. I can't go to work or go mentor, and then come home and not think about my kids. Especially my sweet 8 year old with a terrible home situation. All I can think is, Did she get enough dinner? What is she doing? Is someone helping her with her homework? Or tucking her into bed? I know most of the answers. The other day she told me she hates going to bed and it scares her. I had a flashback to when I was younger and had the same feelings about bedtime. I was so scared of going to bed. In my old house, the living room was right next to the bedroom I shared with my sister. During one of my I-meltdown-at-bedtime phases, my mom would sit in her recliner in the living room, and every few minutes she would say something like, "I'm still sitting here, Alexa. Good night, Alexa. I love you, Alexa. I'm still out here waiting for you to fall asleep, Alexa." Every. Few. Minutes. It made me feel better for whatever reason. (Lord help me if my children are anything like me.) What kind of crazy mom does that? A damn good one. I know that little girl's mom is not doing the same thing, and that drives me crazy. I can go to bed every night knowing that my parents would run to New York and back for me, and she has never even heard the words, "I love you" from her parents. My teachers always say, "You can't save every kid" and I just want to be like, "WELL WHY NOT?!" Someone tell me why I fell in love with a career that pays nothing and makes me sad.

4) I'm in the middle of another messy break-up with science.
Remember when I confessed my deep hatred for physical science during my freshman year? Well, I'm back. Except this time it's with Chemistry. By now we should all know that I am just not a science person. Part of it is just because that's the way my brain works, and the other part is because I had the worst science teachers in high school. What did my high school chem teacher teach me? The periodic table. That's it. No exaggeration. I spent most of the semester in the band hall. ANYWAY. An angel from God aka a random adviser lady I came across in Allen one day told me I should take this online Chemistry class to get the last 4 science hours I need. I told her I am terrible at science and I really need to find the easiest class possible, but online was convenient because I needed to keep my afternoons open for my job. My friends who are geniuses have a hard time with the Chem classes here, so I knew there was no hope for me. She said not to worry, it's the chemistry class that the football players take. You can take the quizzes as many times as you want until you get a 100. And it's online, so you can use all of your notes and your book on the tests. SOLD. I signed up for the online class and the online lab. Here's how we know I'm an idiot: IT'S STILL HARD. Not like extremely hard, and nothing compared to the normal Chem classes, but hard enough to make me occasionally get watery eyes. ASPCA commercials do nothing for me (I know, I'm a terrible person), but put a science book in front of me and I will cry buckets of frustration. So we'll see how this goes. I will somehow pull off an A, partially because I really hate making Bs, and because I don't want to hear my adviser tell me I'm going to be a shitty teacher (again) because I suck at science. She's so encouraging. :)

5) Getting back into my God groove.
I spent last weekend at Dedeaux with a few of my besties from my SEARCH Team (one of the big Jesus things I did in high school) helping with the retreat. So now I've attended the retreat, worked it as a team member, and helped as an adult. I must admit, even though ALL three times were great, being the adult that helps behind the scenes is fantastic. I got to be helpful, which I LOVE, but at the same time I got to do a lot of relaxing and whatever I wanted. It was a nice break from reality, and I was surprised when I left on Sunday and felt like I had learned something while I was there, even as an adult. So here's what slapped me in the face last weekend.

It's hard to keep a steady relationship with God when you're in college. You're thrown into a big world full of different ideas, you meet some of the greatest people who just happen to not believe in God, and you are allowed to think freely and do what you want. I've developed my own beliefs, and some of them are completely opposite from what the Catholic Church has been pushing into my brain for almost 20 years. Here's the thing though. When that happens, people will try to tell you that you're doing it wrong. If you believe that, you are NOT Catholic and you can't be one of us. (Anyone else flashing back to getting rejected from a clique in middle school?) If you believe that, God does NOT love you. If you do not go to church every week, your relationship with God SUCKS. And they will criticize and judge you so much that you will start to push away. Because who wants to believe in God and go to a place every Sunday when His people are being so damn judgmental? And then it hit me. It was never about them anyway.

It's your relationship. Yours. Not theirs. I have doubts all the time, but I have to believe in something so that I can sleep at night. I have to believe that I get to go somewhere so much cooler than here after this life and be with all of the people I love forever. I'm a warm and fuzzy person, and that's a lot more warm and fuzzy than just dying and ceasing to exist. Right? I love God, I love ALL of his people, and I know that I try my hardest to be the best person I can be. And my God radiates LOVE. And honestly-- I feel God's love the most when I'm with my kids, not being lectured at church. I feel it when my 4 yr olds build a castle of blocks and then look at me with excited eyes and say, "Look Miss Awexa! It's a castle! These little people are us, and this is God and His HUGE castle. And we are these little people because we are small and He is SO BIG. And He loves us so much too!!" THAT is what it's about for me. It's not about how many times you go to church. Some of the best people I know never step foot in a church. It's about the love you show towards His people-- your parents, siblings, friends, strangers-- whether they are bible thumpers, Christmas & Easter attendees, or hardcore atheists.

I got so active in the church world in high school because of the LOVE I felt from my Catholic friends, and the good friendships I made. Maybe if we showed a little more love, more people would want to know about God. I want to know God, but how am I supposed to feel like knowing Him is a good thing when you are criticized the second you aren't doing what is considered "right?"

You don't always have to lecture your friends about God to "save" them. Sometimes you just have to love them.

"Live in such a way that those who know you but don't know God will come to know God because they know you." --Anonymous

  

Happy Friday! Love and big hugs ALWAYS! xoxoxo

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Cacibauda Chaos

So, I realize the holidays have been over for a few days. But I've been busy doing important things. You know, like playing endless games of Ruzzle with my brother (and beating him :P) and reading a lot and putting myself in post-book depressions.

I'll blog about books later. Moving on!

There is nothing better than the holiday season at the Cacibauda household. I'm obsessed with Christmas, and if you've been around my family at Christmas time, you know that I get it honestly.

I drove down from Starkville on a Friday morning, and by that evening Mom and Lex's Christmas Cooking Chaos had already started. Gnocchi, ravioli, genettes, peanut butter balls, pies, etc. I've gone from my mom and Nana's little helper, to my mom's big helper, to the one in charge. My mom and I are the best team-- in the kitchen and in life in general.

 

A few days later, JT came home, and that's when the fun really starts. It's like we're kids, just older versions. We play a lot of video games, I always have someone to drag along when I have to run errands, and I know if someone walks by there is a 98% chance I'm going to get (playfully) poked/hit/pushed. Plus, it makes my parents happy to have all of their kids together. They don't even get the chance to completely miss the days when we were little, because it sounds like we're little kids when we're playing video games. "HEY! NO FAIR! I was so close to beating you!" Okay fine, it's mostly me that sounds like that when JT is beating me. Again.

We took pictures on Christmas Eve, as always. The silly ones are always our favorite.

Zoe doesn't really like pictures. And occasionally thinks she's Grumpy Cat.

We built gingerbread houses. I did my version of Cinderella's Castle that included the "Wishes" fireworks show, JT built a tree house with a crime scene inside, Zoe built a Doctor Who thingy, and Karley joined in this year and built a village. JT and I always try to top each other with our graham cracker creations, but mine included a countdown until we go back to Disney World, so we know who the real winner was this year. :)

We did Van Acker Christmas with my mom's side of the family, just like we always do. It's always one of my favorite parts about Christmas. I am thankful that I got to grow up around all of my cousins and even have extra-special relationships with a few of them now. Now they are all having babies, so I'm the one chasing their kids around just like they used to chase after me. We are always growing, and even gained another Van Acker cousin on the day of Van Acker Christmas. I can't wait to meet him!

Mom, two of her siblings, & their spouses. We love the old folks ;)

Cousins. What a crew. And we were even missing some that day!

 

  

 Speaking of a growing family, it's even happening in my immediate family. My big brother is engaged. It's not a surprise and, since my family loves to love (I told you I get it honestly), Karley has basically been part of the family since they started dating five and half years ago. She just gets to start the adventure of spelling her new last name for everyone in the fall. Yay! And let's be real. She is marrying into the best family ever and gaining the coolest in-laws. How lucky is she?

It's very exciting but still a little strange. It's obvious that my siblings and I are all going to date, marry, and have kids, it's just weird to think that my brother is old enough to get married. Wasn't he just 10 years old and picking on me? Oh, wait. That was last week at age 23. Some things just don't change. :)

Christmas 2010 (top) & 2012 (bottom)

It's been a really good break, even though it never feels like enough time. It's so fun having all of us together. My friends are always ready to go back to school after a week with their family, and I'm still not sick of mine after three weeks. I don't know what my parents did, but they must have done something right.

As far as 2013 goals go: Love more, even if it feels dumb, because you can't ever love too much in my book. Regret less. Take more risks, because I'm scared of everything and-- excuse the dumb cliche-- life is really just too short. Work on accepting that things change (GAG). Love on my sweet kiddos more, even on the days I want to literally cry over spilled milk. (Is it REALLY that hard to keep a cup on the table?) Stop letting people make me feel guilty for being me. Be a better person, because there's always room for improvement. End of list. Happy 2013!

Happy Holidays from the Cacibaudas. :) xoxo!