NASCAR NCCAT

A couple of weeks ago my friend at work and I went to NCCAT (North Carolina Center of Advancements for Teachers).  We chose the NASCAR seminar.  It was awesome!   We experienced how to work a pit stop at Pit Crew U.  We actually wore jump suits and I was the jack woman and Leigh Ellen the rear tire carrier.  It was so funny and hard.  Our best time 1.08.22 minutes.  In NASCAR they average 14 seconds and some can do it as little as 12.  Amazing, right?


We also went to the Charlotte Motor Speedway and toured the track which includes a two lap ride around it in the minivan, :).  Yes, not as exciting as a car but still fun.  We explored the other tracks as well and learned a lot of history and fun facts.  Then we ate at the Speedway Club which was breathtaking.  I couldn't imagine how amazing it would be to watch a race from up there.  The view and atmosphere is awesome.  After lunch, we went to the Hall of Fame in Charlotte.  Leigh Ellen and I spent three hours touring around.  They did an incredible job putting it all together.  It is educational but also fun and hands on.  We took pictures waving flags and walking up track banks.  Who knew that each track is made up of a different material with different degree banking which all plays into the success of a team.

We wrapped up the week going to Victory Junction Gang and even were accompanied by Deborah, who has been the longest free agent sports writer for NASCAR.  She really gave us inside knowledge on the sport and how it is changing from the old guys to the new ones.  
We also learned how the media coverage has changed due to all the technology.  NCCAT gave us one of her books which I got signed that is literally a scrapbook of NASCAR.  It's a fun book to look through and discover what a great family sport it it.


Leigh Ellen and I of course had to finish our great week with a little shopping at IKEA.  I mean it was only five miles from us so we just had to before coming home.  


We had a great week together and my first week ever away from my girls.  I definitely needed the break, but was super eager to see them and kiss them when I got home!

A Breath of Brazil

Oh, how sweet it is to have a friend like you says James Taylor.  His song makes me think of how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful sister in my life name Papi.  Papi's birth name is Gabriella but she goes by her nickname.  My mom came to me in high school and asked if I wanted to host a foreign exchange student.  I could pick any country.  She brought me a stack of potentials which included a small passport photo and their likes/dislikes.  Some how, I came to the conclusion that Papi was the one out of 100 faces.  I showed her to my Mom who immediately was taken back because she didn't smile in the photo.  It looked more like a mug shot.  My mom asked, "Are you sure?"  I replied, "definitely."  And that was that.  Papi was on her way all the way from Brazil.


Papi came to our house the summer before my Junior year in high school with one suitcase.  She had managed to pack more clothes than I had in my entire closet in one suitcase.  She has ironed and folded everything in her bag before she left.  It was unbelievable.  The other thing I remember is how fascinated I was with all her clothes and things.  Everything was so different.  Papi and I went to the same high school and she was also considered a Junior so we had many of the same classes.  She played Volleyball and was on the swim team.  We both enjoyed hanging out and sharing our life together even for one short year.  


Luckily this year and the past year she has been able to visit.  I have not made it to Brazil yet but it is on my list of vacation spots.  :)  My entire family was able to celebrate her visit at Maggiano's restaurant.  We were also able to have lunch with friends at Watt's Grocery in Durham.  It was fabulous!  Of course, Papi and I had our two hour shopping excursion at Wal-mart and another one at Nordstrom Rack before the weekend was over.  I wish she could have stayed longer.  Better yet, I wish she could come for another year!

Last year photos 2010

2011 Visit

Thumb-sucking

We have been trying to stop Reagan from sucking her thumb.  There are many different points of views on this subject.  Some believe that children will eventually stop on their own and that not bringing attention to it is the best method.  Others have tried to bring the child's attention to it with a variety of methods.  


I have been trying to ignore the fact that my three year daughter is an avid thumb-sucker in hopes that her desire would lessen as she grew older and moved up to the 3 year old room at school.  She interacts with the 4 year olds in this class as they are brought together at different points in the day.  However, she goes on sucking her thumb continuously.  


My husband finally had had enough and decided that she must know that she is too old to suck her thumb. So he tried hard to reason with his three year old while I chuckled knowingly that that wouldn't work. :)  Then he started to punish her every time she put her thumb in her mouth.  Of course, this didn't work because most of the time she does it sub-consciously.  Then he put Tabasco sauce on her thumb and all this did was burn the skin and made her scream until he washed it off.  


When all this failed, he turned to the Internet and bought the five star rated nail polish that had rave reviews.  We also bought the Bernstein Bears book "Very Bad Habit."  He read the book and explained the nail polish.  She started to buy in and I thought that this may work.  The nail polish is horrible!!!  We can't even put it on her thumb without gagging from the fumes.  She immediately stopped sucking her thumb.  Reagan went for almost 3 weeks of non-sucking.  We reapplied every couple of days and it really seemed to work.  However, as time kept going by we started to notice that she once again started to put her thumb back in her mouth.  We started putting the polish on every day.  Then twice a day. Finally, we decided the efforts weren't working when on Saturday she put her thumb in her mouth an hour after applying the polish.  Arghhhh!  I can say that after a month of not sucking her thumb constantly that the overall behavior has decreased dramatically.  So the nail polish did do some good.  


Now Andy is on to a weekly reward program.  If Reagan doesn't suck her thumb this week she will get a toy.  As I was putting Reagan down tonight her thumb went straight into her mouth.  I asked, "Didn't Daddy say that you could have a toy if you don't suck your thumb? She replied, "Yes, mommy, but when Daddy gets home I will take it out and then I will get my toy."  In the midst of trying to stop an infant habit, my three year old toddler is all grown up.


I'm sure that my husband will find another "solution" to our ongoing battle.  I, on the other hand, after talking with my 90 year old Mema who told me that my Dad sucked his fingers until he was five and my uncle his thumb until he was six, realized that the solution was all in the thumbs of Reagan!  Literally!