Shane Shares

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Happy #11, Bubby!!
2008-03-24 03:50:00
Blowing out the candles on his cookie cake at the mexican restaurantGarrett & Lindsey (his friend) With his new karaoke machine... ...and his new Taylor Swift CD from LindseyTomorrow Bubby will turn 11. I know you've heard it from countless parents before, but it is just so true....... where has the time gone? How in the world can he be 11? My mind has been swirling.... in just five short years he'll be driving. Driving! Then, two years after that, he'll be off to college. College?! Then marriage, kids...... It seems like he grows an inch every night. He's getting more and more mature. He no longer likes Spongebob and Patrick. Now his attention has turned to Taylor Swift and mp3 players. He's interested in girls, one in particular. :) He's a good kid though. It's a pleasure to be him mommy and no longer how old he gets I will insist that he call me that. Happy 11th, birthday Bubby. I hope this truly is your best year ever!

What's up with us?
2008-03-15 20:38:00
Darrin ~ 10 years old Well, to start off with, the boys and I are getting over some kind of yucky crud. Tater started with it the first of the week then passed it on to Bubby . Not wanting me to be left out, they were kind enough to share it with me too. I don't suppose I can say much...after all, I have always taught them to share! Tater ended up coming home from school early on Wednesday and then missing Thursday all together. He had double pink eye. His doctor was gracious enough to just call in eye drops for us since the school nurse had already diagnosed him. You do not know how much of a blessing that was, unless, like us, you do not currently have health insurance. Some things we all just take for granted, you know? Health insurance is one of them. When you have it, it's no big deal. You just go on about every day as usual. When you don't have it, it's a totally different story though. And, the medication that we've used before has always been so expensive, even with insu...
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It's Time to Par-tay!
2008-03-07 23:37:00
Hey, party girls! Isn't this the best party ever? And, just think, it lasts for a whole week. Yipee!!Those girls at 5 Minutes for Mom are awesome for putting this together, huh? I'm Shane...wife, stay at home mommy, volunteer, ADHD advocate. I enjoy blogging (duh?), writing poetry and scrapbooking. I'm a country girl...born and raised in Wild Wonderful West Virginia. I've been married to the greatest guy for 16 years. We moved around a bit and now live in Virginia. We have two sons. "Bubby" will be turning 11 in just a few weeks and "Tater" is 7 1/2. Shane Shares is mostly a blog about my families comings and goings. You'll also find an occasional opinion, rant or rave. I'd love for you to stop by my other blog as well..... The ADHD & LD Resource Blog. My oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD and LD at the age of 6. The ADHD & LD blog is my labor of love. I created it to share information with other parents traveling down the same road. Thanks so much for stopping by and ...
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Upward Pictures
2008-03-06 01:56:00
Boy, that was a fast season! The boys have been practicing and/or playing Upward since our move in mid-December and now it's over. They had their "day of celebration" last Saturday. This was Tater's fourth year and Bubby 's second. Bubby really came into his own this season. He scored 8+ points every game. He's finally realized that he can use his height (5 feet) and really excel in basketball. Now we're moving on to Little League.P.S. -- click on each picture to enlarge them
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Darrin is at WORK today!
2008-03-01 23:15:00
Great news.....my husband started his new job today! I've been dying to call him and see how things are going but I've resisted the incredible urge to do so. He should be home by 6:30 so I'll get the scoop then I guess. Thank you so very much to those of you who kept us in your prayers. The Lord heard them and has provided for us (again). What? Want to know where he's working? Well, I'm glad you asked....go check it out for yourself.......Grand Home Furnishings.
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You're Invited To a Party
2008-02-26 19:12:00
The girls at 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting their annual Ultimate Blog Party at we're all invited! Last year there were over 1000 participants. There will be tons of giveaways too. Yeah...more free stuff!! So, be sure to hop on over and join in. I'll be participating as well and giving away something fun. See you at the party.
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Wow, I'm lucky all of a sudden!
2008-02-22 22:19:00
I never and I do mean never win anything. I never have and that's just the way it goes. However, the luck fairy recently sprinkled her fairy dust on me and I didn't' even know it! Last month the author of Rocks In My Dryer hosted a Blog Carnival on her other blog... Bloggy Giveaways (which also happens to be one of favorite blogs for obvious reasons).I know what some of you [mom, Uncle Barbe, Jim, and the rest of my non-blogging family members] are asking... What in the Sam Hill is a Blog Carnival? Okay, here goes... A blogger hosts a carnival and invites fellow bloggers to participate by giving away something at their blog. They then place a link to their giveaway post on the hostess' blog. People visit the blogs, look around, see what the blogger is giving away, and (if interested) leave a comment for a chance to win. Each comment is assigned a number. Most bloggers then use a random number generator to pick the winner. Clear as mud, right? Anyway, this particular carnival had...
More About: Fun , Shane , Lucky

God is working!
2008-02-15 23:39:00
Darrin has 3 job interviews set up for this coming Monday. And, they're all right here in the area, which is what we wanted. We do not want to move any where at least until the boys finish this school year. We can not even think of making them change schools again so soon. We so appreciate your many emails and comments of support. Please keep lifting us up to the Lord in prayer. I will definitely keep you posted.
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Keep praying.....please
2008-02-14 03:13:00
I truly appreciate the show of concern that I have received since my last post. We are still in desperate need of your prayers though. As most of you know, we moved to Virginia in mid-December because hubby started a new job. We have just started to get settled in, unpacked, etc. Then, we received a great blow...Darrin lost his job. Yes, his new job. He admitted to making two mistakes......2 people. Apparantly his employer leaves no room to learn. There is no learning curve, no second chances. He went to work as usual yesterday. Soon thereafter he met his new district manager. After a short time, the DM proceeded to tell him they needed to "part ways." Part ways? Excuse me? My husband has worked 60+ hour weeks for your company, missed virtually every basketball game the boys have played in for the past two months, and has seen very little of his family for the past two month and you want to part ways? We uprooted our family, moved here in the dead of winter and you want to part ways...
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Urgent Prayer Request
2008-02-11 19:55:00
Dear Readers,I have an urgent and unspoken prayer request that I would like to ask you to remember in your prayers. The Lord knows what it is. I will elaborate more when I can. Right now, please pray for clarity, forgiveness, focus and renewed spirit. Thank you so very much and I truly appreciate it.
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The 100th Day of School
2008-02-08 02:05:00
The boys recently celebrated the 100th day of school. They brought home a cute paper relating to this special day that I wanted to share.Tater's answers to "If I had 100..."...dollars I would buy a dirt bike and a four wheeler...pencils I would sell them... mosquito bites I would scratch them...friends I would have a party...legs I would take them off...eyes I would poke them...dirt bikes I would ride them...four wheelers I would ride them...mopeds I would ride them...girlfriends I would sell them (okay, that one worries me a little) Bubby 's answers to the same question of "If I had 100..."...dollars I would get a car...pencils I would give some to my friends...mosquito bites I would not be happy...friends I would have them all over for a sleep over...legs I would stay at home...eyes I would be able to see everywhere...books I would read all of them
More About: School

A Four Day School Week?
2008-02-07 03:40:00
We have been in Virginia for eight weeks now. Since the boys have been enrolled in the Commonwealth of Virginia's school system, they have only attended school four days per week! The first two weeks there was no school because of winter break. The other six weeks have gone as follows: Week of Jan. 1st: They started back to school on Wednesday, Jan. 2nd which made for a 3 day school week Week of Jan. 7th: Off one day for "teacher work day" = 4 day school week Week of Jan. 14: Off one day for a "snow day" = 4 day school week Week of Jan. 21: Off for Martin Luther King, Jr. day = 4 day school week Week of Jan. 28th: Off one day for "inclement weather" = 4 day school week Week of Feb. 4th: Off one day for "parent/teacher conferences" = 4 day school week Week of Feb 11th: Will be off one day because they haven't used all of their snow days = 4 day school week Week of Feb. 18th: Will be off for President's Day = 4 day school week Week of Feb. 25th: Will only go 4 1/2 days because one ...
More About: School , Bubby

Want a FREE Blog Re-Design?
2008-02-07 01:15:00
Okay, I must admit, I'm a little reluctant to share this bit of information with you, but.........I suppose I should play fair (and nice). LaughaDaisy is hosting her very first bloggy giveaway. You could be (but I hope I am) the recipient of a blog re-design from Design s by Summer. All you have to do is head on over to LaughaDaisy and enter! She only asks that you leave a comment on her blog and then blog about her giveaway on your blog. But, you'd better hurry. She drawing the winner Feb. 7th. I really do wish you the best of luck (fingers crossed)!
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Church Today and Years Ago
2008-02-04 03:54:00
Since moving to VA, we have found a wonderful church. The Lord actually led us there before we even moved from SC. Our boys have played Upward basketball for the past four years and wanted to continue this year. So, I began looking into what churches offered the program in VA in late November. I found several churches but felt led to go with one particular church. I signed them up online for the program and they were all set to go. What a blessing!In the six weeks that we've been here the boys have played in basketball games every Saturday, made friends through Sunday school and Pioneer club on Wednesday night, and we have felt welcome from day one. We adore Pastor Chip and come away from each of his messages with more knowledge that when we arrived.Today was another example. He spoke about friendship and contentment. He said, " the enemy of most friendships is envy." He then went on to explain that a way to avoid this is to learn contentment. How true! Contentment.....who cares wh...
More About: Church , Shane , Years

The Color Quiz
2008-01-29 18:51:00
Okay, it sounded easy enough.......How many colors can you name in 5 minutes? I was typing right along until the 2 minute started to pass. Total blankness entered my head. What? You didn't. You did say it didn't you?? Okay, think you can do better? Go ahead, give it a try....I dare you.........27And, while I was at it, I took another quiz....darn those crazy things!78%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?
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"I met a bully in the bathroom"
2008-01-24 21:17:00
Tater came home from school yesterday asking four quarters. He asked repeatedly and wouldn't tell me why he needed them. After much encouragement from me, he said, "I met a bully in the bathroom today!" How does one meet a bully? Normally bullies don't take the time to introduce their selves and exchange niceties before beginning their torment. He goes on to tell me that he went to the restroom during lunch and this "guy" was in there. He told Tater to give him four quarters. Tater told him that he didn't have any. He then told Tater to bring them to him tomorrow. Tater, being quite scared, told him okay. What? My son is in the first grade and is being bullied? Who is this kid? I want a name? I'm way bigger than he is and I'll take care of him! Well, that was my first instinct of course, but I took an alternate, more adult route. I immediately got every single detail from Tater. I then promptly emailed his teacher and principal. I explained the situation and asked what would be...
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"The biggest snow I've ever seen!!!"
2008-01-24 19:05:00
Tater Tot was so excited to wake up last Thursday and see snow.....everywhere! "Mama, mama, that's the biggest snow I've ever seen!!," he said. He was only 3 when we left WV so he doesn't remember the mammoth snow we used to get in Morgantown. There would be weeks that we wouldn't even see our grass. Bubby missed entire weeks of school due to the snow. So, needless to say, Tater was anxious to get out and play in the white stuff. He and Bubby spent virtually all day outside. I joined them for the first hour or so and then I had to retreat to the warmth of the house. The were not phased by the cold though. Luckily I had prepared in advance and got them snow suits and boots. That's something I haven't had to buy in a while. We even picked up a new sled at (where else) Dick's Sporting Goods!They went sledding nearby with friends in our neighborhood. Then, it was time for the mandatory snowman building. Santa brought them a snowman building kit for Christmas so we didn't have to...
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The catch up post......
2008-01-18 23:14:00
Happy 2008! We had a great New Years. Darrin parents, grandmother and brother were here to ring in the new year with us. Me, Darrin and the boys took our annual New Year picture. We always take a snapshot of ourselves as soon as the ball drops in Times Square. Darrin and I started that tradition our very first New Years together in 1991.Then, on Jan. 2nd, we celebrated Darrin's 38th birthday. Everyone stayed to help us celebrate that too. Bubby frosted the cake and Tater decorated. It was a delicious red velvet cake....his favorite.The next big event was Tater pulling his own tooth! It had been loose for several weeks and he'd been working on it earnestly. He wouldn't let anyone else touch it so he finally just pulled it out himself. He'd lost a tooth last summer but that was because the dentist pulled it. So, since this was the first one that came out on its own, the tooth fairy left him $5! He bought a dirt bike magazine with the money.
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Who are you voting for?
2008-01-15 06:27:00
I saw this fun little game on my cousin's blog (Susie Writes) and just had to play along. It's really quite interesting. My results were quite predictable though....I'm a John Edwards gal. Want to see which candidate you're most in tune with? Give it a try: USA Today's Candidate Match Game.
More About: Shane , Voting

Unpacked, moved in and settled......finally!
2008-01-09 05:26:00
We have been in Virginia for three weeks now. All of the boxes are unpacked and the pictures are hung. It definitely feels a lot more like "home" now. The boys went to WV with their grandparents for a week right after we got here. That was such a help. I worked like a mad woman to get everything done before they returned on Christmas Eve. Luckily, I had 99% of it done too. Christmas was different, but nice. This was the first year we didn't have a tree. There was just no time, or room to put one. However, we had plenty of family here for the big day so we didn't even miss the tree. Darrin's parents, grandmother and brother were here along with my mom and step-dad. We had a wonderful time visiting, eating, eating and eating. The boys have been in school for a week now and are adjusting well. At first they didn't like it. Tater Tot said it was "old and rusty." Of course they are comparing it to their old school which was only two years old and was an $11 million fac...
More About: Misc , Bubby , Finally

You might be my in-laws if you....
2007-12-09 22:57:00
Use the trunk of your car as extra freezer storage because the one in the house is full.Your life revolves around the weather channel.You actually watch all commercials and then rate them.You go out to eat and split a kid's meal.You combine three different bottles of shampoo then wonder why you hair won't "do anything."All joking aside, they truly are great in-laws. And, yes, they do know I've written this post....they're good sport too!
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Heaven, Hives & Home
2007-12-08 22:30:00
This past Wednesday, Tater Tot woke up looking like this: The day before he had what looked like just another flair up of his eczema. However, the above clearly was not eczema so we were off to the doctor. She said they were hives. Apparently he was allergic to something that he came in contact with during the last few days. Who knows what in the world that could of been. She prescribed him a three day dose of steroids and now he looks fine. While he was home from school, and had a lot of extra time on his hands, he shared a few of his thoughts with me:After hearing Manheim Steamroller play a Christmas song on the radio he said, "You know, I don't think Jesus liked that one!""Mom, I've figured out who Santa really is!" I dreaded to ask but did anyway, "who?" "Jesus!" he replied.He informed me that a girl in his class said she wasn't his girlfriend anymore and I asked him why. His reply was, "I have no idea. I didn't even know she was my girlfriend!"In other news, I started packi...
More About: Heaven , Misc , Home , Hives , Hive

Inflatable City
2007-12-05 01:16:00
I recently read about a man that lives nearby that really decorates for Christmas. He has 70 inflatables and countless strands of light. He uses his front yard, backyard and his neighbor's backyard. Bubby has loved in inflatables for four or five years now. He may be to the point of being obsessed with them. He is the proud owner of eight or ten of his own for various holidays. So, I had to take him to see this man's display. It was amazing. We walked through twice. He was even playing the movie "The Polar Express" on his garage door! That's one TALL Santa!Posing for mom One of Bubby's favorites If you can't get enough and are just dying to see more, never fear.....I have more. Go to flickr and check them out. A few of them turned out blurry for some reason but you'll get the idea.
More About: Holidays , City , Inflatable

Our New (rental) Home....an answer to prayer
2007-11-29 00:35:00
Last week while the boys were off from school for the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoying time with their grandparents in WV, I went to Roanoke to find us a place to live. I got there on Tuesday night. I spent the next three days looking, and looking, and looking. Yes, we even looked on Thanksgiving Day. We stopped briefly to catch a bite to eat at Cracker Barrel, and then we hit the road again. We had our hearts set on renting a house and really didn't want to have to rent an apartment. We have 2400 square feet of furniture and knew no apartment would hold it all. Plus, apartments just aren't pet friendly. However, as a last resort, we did look at a 3 bedroom apartment Saturday afternoon. It was nice, but small. We were prepared to take it though because the houses we'd seen were just yucky. We picked up a pizza for supper Saturday night and headed back to our room to watch some of the WVU football game. I also picked up another newspaper (as I'd done for the past 3 da...
More About: Rental , Answer , Misc , Home , Prayer

Bubby's First Filling
2007-11-29 00:32:00
Today Bubby received his first filling. He enjoyed watching "Jungle Book" on the ceiling mounted TV while Dr. Smith worked away. He was a real trooper and was totally unaware that he had even been given a shot. Way to go, Bubby!

Corduroy spends the night with Tater Tot
2007-11-29 00:28:00
Tater's class has a class teddy bear named Cord uroy. Each student gets a turn taking him home for the night. Then, they are to write about Corduroy's visit and draw a picture related to the visit in the class book. Well, last night was Tater's night. He and Corduroy had quite a busy day too. Click on the pictures to enlarge them so you can see what all he wrote.
More About: Night , Tater

Tater's Thanksgiving Feast at school
2007-11-28 22:04:00
Before Thanksgiving break the entire first grade class at Tater's school had a Thanksgiving Feast . The weather cooperated and it was a beautiful day so they could have it outside. Each class was responsible for creating their own feast using food prepared by the mom's. Tater's class had turkey, corn muffins, pumpkin muffins, popcorn, nuts, and pumpkin pie. After they ate the teachers played several games with them. Earlier in the week the parents sent in a large white shirt for the teachers to dye and then the students decorated them. They also made their Indian headbands and their necklaces. Ready for the games Tater preparing to eat Tater's class Tater with his Indian maiden
More About: School , Hank

A Day Trip to Carowinds
2007-11-28 21:36:00
Before Darrin took off for Roanoke with his new job, we took the boys and a friend to Carowinds in Charlotte, NC. We spent an entire day there and we all had a great time. It wasn't overly crowded so there were no long lines to wait in. The weather was just perfect so we didn't burn up either. Tater and his friend, Charlie, were able to ride everything except the two biggest roller coasters. They were fearless, and as always, Bubby was too. The entire park was decorated for "Scarowinds." Scarowinds is something they do every weekend night the entire month of October. It's definitely for the older crowd (teen +). There are ghosts, goblins, monsters, etc. roaming the park along with tons of other scary stuff. So, that's why the fountain in the picture below is red. The first picture I took upon our arrival. Best buds...Tater & Charlie Can you believe that Darrin, Tater, Charlie, and Bubby are on this thing?Posing for mom again. This was taken on our way out of the park after ...
More About: Fun , Shane , Trip

Halloween pictures
2007-11-28 19:40:00
Yes, I'm still catching up.....here are pictures from Halloween . Bubby chose to be a pirate and Tater Tot wanted to be a "dead doctor." In addition to trick-or-treating on Halloween night in our neighborhood, the boys also attended a "fall festival" at church the night before. I wouldn't let Tater wear his "dead doctor" get up to that, so he was a baseball player. Dressed for the Fall Festival at church on Oct. 30th Our sons have grown up to be a pirate and a dead doctor. We couldn't be more proud! A close-up of the dead doctor himself Aaaarrrr Matey, give me your loot!
More About: Holidays , Pictures , Allo

Decorating pumpkins for Red Ribbon Week at school
2007-11-28 19:18:00
Oct. 23 - 31st was Red Ribbon Week at the boy's school. The PTA always has each classroom decorate a pumpkin in honor of the week. This year's theme was "without drugs the possibilities are infinite." Since I am the homeroom mom for Tater's first grade class and for Bubby 's fourth grade class, it was up to me to come up with a design for both classes pumpkins. For Tater's class we painted a fake pumpkin blue to represent the ocean. We then glued on pictures of the continents. I gave each child a boy/girl to color and a star to write down what they'd like to be when they grow up. Our theme was "say no to drugs and reach for the stars." For Bubby's class we decorated another fake pumpkin to look like Albert Einstein. The bubble over his head reflects the PTA's theme for the week. The students all vote on one winner for each grade level. I'm proud to say that our Einstein won for the fourth grade and is still being proudly displayed in Bubby's classroom. We're really proud o...
More About: School , Pumpkins