The Journey

Checking In

2009-09-22T14:59:00.001-07:00

Anybody still out there? Hummm can't believe I haven't blogged since LAST YEAR! Missing it lately.

Getting the tree up

2008-12-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

Declan posing with his Christmas bear from last year.

And a snowman

Being a little goofy with the santa hat

Checking out what my camera can do with close ups

We just finished watching WALL-E. Cute movie, Declan loved it. I can't figure out why he loves some animated films and not others (he claims to hate Cars...how is that possible?)

We're waiting to see what the weather is going to do. Big storm on it's way and I think everyone is hoping for a snow day or two.

This year is shaping up to be even more interesting. If our state budget doesn't include continued funding for smaller elementary class size (which is looking very possible) then some significant cutbacks will be happening in our district, along with every district in the state. Hopefully I'll still have a contracted position this time next year.

2008-12-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

Happiness is...

2008-11-23T17:21:00.001-08:00

taking your son to a science conference.

We had a blast on Friday at a regional teachers conference. I was planning to take my school's robotics team (well, some of the kids) to present their work at the robotics booth. I realized at the last minute that Declan could tag along also. We had so much fun. Lots of cool science "stuff" and he loves hanging with the big kids.

I became inspired and decided that he should do the Jr. version of the LEG@ robotics club that I do at school. This weekend I registered his team, ordered the kit, and registered the team at our local competition. I think it will be a fun experience for him. It's pretty much all LEG@'s all the time at our house anyway. If the team works out well, I may start a club at his school.

Where did he learn that?

2008-11-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

In the car tonight on the way home from school:

D: (proudly) "Bryce and I know each other's middle names."

I seize the opportunity for a little teasing...

Me: "What is your middle name?"

D: "Zachary"

Me: "What? Your name is Johnathan . Declan Johnathan..."

D: "My middle name is Zachary, you're just being facetious"

Me: "What! Where did you learn that word?"

D: "I don't know, but you were being facetious, right?"

Me: (still a little stunned) "Yep."

Trivia: Did you know that facetious is one of only two words in the English language to contain all 5 vowels in alphabetical order?

I'm not even

2008-10-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

sure where to start with an update... school is fine..kids are great but there is alot of unrest among the staff this year...my head is spinning from all the meetings. Declan is enjoying 1st grade. He continues to amaze me with his mathematics abilities. He is memorizing the multiplication table and he can divide and work with fractions mentally. This morning on the way to school I asked him how much pizza he would have if one day I gave him 1/5 of a pizza and the next day I gave him 6/15 of a pizza. He answered me correctly (3/5 of a pizza)...only one student in my "low" 6th grade math class could work out that problem!

Tonight I spent way too much money and bought Rock Band...Declan says it is the funnest game EVER!! The pictures inspired me to post. So for now I'll end with some recent photos:

The perfect P.J.'s for a mario loving boy!

Zip up hoodie costume.

TOO FRICKIN' CUTE!!!!

2008-10-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

I know, I know

2008-09-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

it's been forever.

Yesterday I went to the dentist for another crown. Declan tagged along with his DS. As it turned out they were able to do his cleaning at the same time but he fell asleep in the chair.

I asked him later "Do you like the dentist?"

He replied "I don't get to go often, so I need to enjoy it while I'm there." That's a far cry from my dentist experiences as a child. Guess all that positive talk has really worked :)

School is C-R-A-Z-Y!!!! I get to work with a wonderful, experienced, progressive, and all around fantastic teaching partner. But, there is just sooo much going on with our kids (who are very nice by the way). In the first 3 weeks of school I've received 2X as many emails and phone calls then last year. I think I'm a little in shock and still trying to get my bearings. Details coming...

Open House/ Back to School Night

2008-08-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

After a very, very long day of in-service training, I headed back to school for open house. I was SOOOO nervous last year. However, this year things have been happening soo quickly that I didn't really have time to get nervous. I was a bit nervous before it started, but then it just flew by and it was SO MUCH FUN. I just love meeting the new students and I'm actually very excited to get to know them. But, the best part was all my old students walking or running back into my classroom to say hello and give me a HUG.

That just made my day, I really have the best job in the world. Not only did it make me feel terrific, but I could see that my new students and parents were very happy to see that I had such a good relationship with my old students.

So, as it stands, I'm excited for the new year to begin. I'm also sad that I won't see my old students much.

As a note, last year and this year I had a sign up sheet if parents wanted a phone call before school started. Last year one parent signed up. This year....FOURTEEN. I'll be making a lot of phone calls on Sunday and Monday.

In the meantime, I have Declan's open house tomorrow night and then we're off to a favorite get-a-way spot for three nights - Trout Lake- for some hiking and huckleberry hunting. It seemed like a great way to cap off the summer and avoid the temptation of hanging out and working my my classroom this weekend.

Last week we had a playdate with Declan's best friend from school. I just had to take a picture. Bryce is TALL. They are so cute. Bryce is the tallest kid and Declan is the shortest. I'm sooo glad they're going to be in 1st grade together. Bryce is just a great kid and his Mom and Dad are also teachers. It's nice when your kiddo hooks up with quality friends :)

Through the years

2008-08-23T19:30:00.001-07:00

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

1st Grade

2008-08-17T20:58:00.001-07:00

The close up
Seems like I always buy this pose, my favorite

Thinking about Pokemon

Usually I'm only tempted to buy a couple of poses...this time it was sooo hard to choose. I ended up getting A "Gallery" pose or something. Huge. Framed. Black & White. Too much money, but....beautiful. I'll photograph it sometime and post. I also bought a tri- pose or whatever they call it...framed for my new wall. I spent sooo much money. I usually get a free sheet and purchase one or two others... not this time. The trip also turned out a little more expensive because they opened a Vans store two doors down...even though he has some great Sketchers for school...I couldn't pass up some classic checkered Vans. Dec LOVES them, says they're the most comfortable shoes ever...so those of you who still have school shopping to do, consider Vans.

The shoot went O.K., but only after threats and bribes. He hates going in for photos...which is why it has been 1.5 years. On the way in I said "Your friend Kelton loves having his photo taken." (yeah, I resorted to peer pressure) He responded "Well, Kelton is Kelton and I'm me!"
The above photo is from our recent trip to the east side of the state. It's always relaxing to just hang out with friends and drink lots of coffee :)

There is a funny story about Java Jigglers, bikinis and my 6 year old son...but frankly I'm too lazy to type it all out right now.

I'm wrapping up summer, I work two days this week. Three days next week and then I'm back for good. I'm really looking forward to meeting the new kids, but can't wait to get past parent night ;)

More Photos

2008-08-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

A friend wanted more perspective on the room. These shots help give you a better idea of the layout of the room. There is about 2 feet on the other side of the bed to get to Declan's room. The color of the wall in the second shot is a more accurate look at the color. I think the flash makes it look lighter in the other photos.

The stairway comes right up to my bedroom. I'll get photos of Declan's room later. Things aren't put away since I rearranged everything.

Painted

2008-08-09T21:19:00.001-07:00

Here is my bedroom after it's been painted. When I shut Declan's door it blends right into the wall. You can't get a sense of it, but the room is actually pretty big. The comforter is something I saw displayed at a local store 2 months ago. I've thought about it often, and I finally had a reason to buy it. As you can see by looking at the pillows, no O C D here.

Now that my room is complete, I can go out of town feeling kind of relaxed. The clock is ticking (I was told recently that teachers think of August as the "long Sunday", you know Monday is coming soon) and I'm going over the mental list of all the things I was SUPPOSE to accomplish this Summer. Oh well, I had fun. That is the important thing :)

Short Update

2008-08-08T21:56:00.001-07:00

It's been a nice and somewhat lazy week. Declan is in Seattle for 10 days. Anything beyond 3 days and I really begin to miss him. Things were better this week as I had my nephew around for 4 nights.

I've been working on the upstairs of our house....well me with much help from my wonderful Dad. Until now Declan and I have shared one BIG bedroom that is about 400 SQ ft. I've been wanting to put a wall up for quite sometime...my Dad finally did it for us this week. It's sooo wonderful.

Now when he has friends over they really have their own space. I won't have to constantly be stepping on Legos as I go to and from my bed.

The remodel inspired me to update my linens. I'm going with a very Pacific Northwest Lodge theme. Today my Italian Roast Portuguese flannel sheets came in the mail. They are soooo soft. I sleep on flannel year round. I'll be painting soon. In the photo you can see the door to Declan's room. I thought it would be fun to have a kid size doorway - 48". It's placed at that end of the room to allow the best air flow during the summer months.
This is a photo from our recent trip to the beach.

Declan now has specific weekly duties around the house. I'm starting with cleaning the bathroom sink. It seemed fitting as he makes a HUGE mess brushing his teeth. Hopefully this will encourage him to be more careful.

I'm off to Eastern Washington in a couple of days. One last relaxing mini-vacation at a friends house. I find it the most relaxing thing in the world to visit my friend Christy. She is really like family and we just hang out and drink coffee and let the kids play. I think there will be lots of swimming this week, we'll see.

Camping & Swimming & Playdates

2008-07-31T20:52:00.001-07:00

That pretty much sums up the last week of our lives. Declan has LOVED his swimming lessons. I have to say it's the first "sport" that he doesn't seem naturally inclined to do. I think it goes back to the fact that he never crawled. He didn't really get that "left, right, left, right" thing down? I don't know because all of his large and small motor skills seem excellent. Who knows. The important thing is he loves it. The worrisome thing is I still won't feel safe with him around water for quite a while (his other house is on a lake).

Below is a picture of his favorite shirt. This was received free when we purchased Lego Indy.
Camping this past weekend allowed plenty of opportunity for bike riding. Yes, he still has training wheels, it's been a difficult thing when his feet still barely touch the ground. He is the size of an average 4 & 1/2 year old boy. He is finally ready, but doesn't believe he is...I'm fine with the training wheels, but Grandpa really wants to see him riding without them.

Camping sure isn't what it use to be. All the kids had Nintendo DS' and so they were "racing" with Mario Kart at night in the tent.

Yes, another picture in the pool. I really like the look on his face. He had just finished floating and was VERY proud of himself.

I hope some of you checked out Dr. Horrible. The first few minutes, I really thought it wasn't for me, and then I made it to "Laundry Day" and I was hooked. So be sure to give it some time, Laundry Day is 3 minutes and 40 seconds in. Declan LOVES the songs (the ones I let him listen to). Maybe he'll be doing Theatre Camp next summer.

Remember, just click on the picture of Dr. Horrible and it will take you to Hulu.com for viewing.

2008-07-30T14:05:00.001-07:00

If you haven't yet heard of Dr. Horrible, it's worth checking out. I loved it. Click on the above picture for a link.

Updates

2008-07-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

iBook
I am proud to say that the hard drive replacement went fine and I'm 400.00 richer.

Swimming Lessons
As you can see Dec has been taking lessons. I opted for the every day classes, which has actually been a lot of fun. We'll be doing it again next week.

Geocaching
We have had two people find the geocache we hid. We're going to the beach this weekend and we'll be dropping our first travel bug. We called him Prehistoric Geo Dude.

Economy
Well it has been an amazing year watching the prices of gas, groceries and other products rise at a mind boggling pace. The good news? (well for me a single mom teacher with no big pay raises in my future). The price of the houses have fallen at the same crazy rate. I know that's a bummer for your home owners who purchased in the last couple of years. Those of you four or five years out...you'll be O.K. But holy fricken COW...I can afford to buy a house!!!!! I NEVER thought that would happen in the area I live. Now unfortunately, I spent the little nest egg I had from selling our house after the big split....I still have a reasonable amount in investments I can access easily. I also looked at my 401K and realized touching that money would be a big mistake. So...I've looked at some houses and I'm excited, nervous etc.. Ultimately, I think I'm going to wait a year, work intensely on saving and pursue this then. Afterall, I'm pretty confident that housing prices haven't bottomed out yet and the mortgage situation is squeezing out more and more buyers, especially others in my housing catagory (2 bedroom, 1 bath - tiny starter home).

So...I've worked out a budget and I need to stick to it. I actually am getting a pretty big pay raise this year due to several factors that will not likely happen again for quite a while..we'll see what I can pull off :)

Summer
In the meantime, I can't believe how fast Summer is flying by. I'm just enjoying hanging out with the boy and his friends and occasionally my friends.

Declan and his best buddy from school:
Declan having some fun in his pool with his buddy Solomon:

SCHOOL
I've looked at my tentative student roster for the fall. I have FOUR Alexanders in one class. I'm hoping to work out a trade with some of the other teachers "I'll give you two Alexanders for one Jason and one Jordan." O.K. they probably don't allow that....

2008-07-24T14:13:00.001-07:00

Swimming Lessons

2008-07-24T09:22:00.001-07:00

2008-07-22T16:57:00.001-07:00

A week in the wilderness

2008-07-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

We've been off at our favorite camping site. Much more fun now that we've discovered Geocashing. Discovered 4 "Travel Bugs". They are items you take from one cache and place in another. They have a code that you enter online. It's fun to see where the TB's have been. Ordered some for us.

We took my niece and nephew with us for the first few day. This is Declan and his cousin Nathan enjoying the hot tub.

Declan proudly displaying a cache.

Declan and his Grandma digging out a cache. My parents went with us on a few cache hunts.

This is one very steep canyon we went into to retrieve a cache. This was definitely a challenge! Those of you know know me IRL know I'm a little out of shape for rock climbing. I suffered the next day.

We've had a great time. We're heading home tomorrow, and doing a little Geocaching along the way. We have 3 Travel Bugs with us so we'll be stopping to drop some off along the way. Declan hasn't really been home in 3 weeks, so I'm sure he'll be glad to settle in and enjoy his pool. This last photo is of Declan earlier today. He didn't see a tree branch while out caching...it actually looks worse now than in this photo. He's going to have a nice scab from his hairline to his chin...but it really is only a scratch and I'm sooo glad it missed his eye. In the meantime, he's going to be getting a lot of comments when we're out in public.

Geocaching and Surgery

2008-07-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

So, I've discovered a new hobby it's called geocaching. It's basically high tech treasure hunting and it's crazy how many caches there are. If you want to know more, check out geocaching.com. It seems like it will be a pretty fun activity to do with Declan this summer. It does require a GPS. I bought a Tomtom for a very reasonable 150.00. It's proving to be lots of fun in the car as well.

Here is a picture of some cache stuff I purchased today. Since I've found 3, I figure I'm ready to hide my own cache!

As for the surgery part of my post...my iBook died and so I took advantage of the great educators deal this summer and purchased a new MacBook...which came with a free iTouch! I was looking to upgrade the ram in my Apples (I can double the ram in both for less than 100 if I do it myself). After ordering my new memory...I figured perhaps I could get the iBook up and running. The tech person at the Apple store said it was a dead hard drive. I found one for 70 online and figured that I can do it myself and suddenly I have a laptop to sell worth about 400.00. The tech person said installing a hard drive on the iBook is VERY difficult, she said she wouldn't try it at home because it involves 50 screws...which was an odd thing for a tech person to say.

I'm pretty fearless and thought it would be fun, so tonight I disassembled my iBook. It took about 60 minutes and there were only 46 screws involved, not 50! So, it's now sitting in a box waiting for my new hard drive to arrive, let's hope it works. Below are the start and finish picture of phase one of the iBook surgery. I'm so proud of the little mess I made.

And as for my new Macbook, it's unbelievable how easy it is to install a new hard drive (if I ever need to). I'm sure I could do it in 5 minutes. TWO screws, it's right in the battery compartment - cool!

Friends

2008-07-03T08:51:00.001-07:00

Over one Month ???

2008-07-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

How can it possibly be that I've gone so long without blogging.

School was out on the 17th, and I spent the rest of the week on the interview committee (we were hiring to replace my partner teacher who "resigned"). I then quickly took off and went far away and hung out at a friends house for a little over a week. I love being at their house, I don't have to feel guilty about not cleaning or organizing my house. I've completely let it go during the past 3 months.

So...my first year of teaching is behind me. I already miss the kids. It would have been a wonderful year if it wasn't for my crazy teaching partner. Guess you can't have everything. Next year I'll be working with a very cool, interesting, and non-crazy person. I've spent the better part of this year hiding out in her room avoiding my teaching partner so I feel like I know her pretty well. I've called her my "unofficial mentor" teacher this year. I'm excited to be starting fresh next year.

Declan and I went on a short vacation during Memorial Day. This wonderful little town away from everything. Cute rustic lodge with a fantastic hot tub and community room (what in the heck do you call that?) Declan loved it, they had games out on every table and each evening we'd go down and play a game and eat popcorn. They also serve the most delicious Huckleberry waffles for breakfast. We're going back next week for 3 nights. My parents camp nearby, so this allows us to spend some time "camping" with my parents but not sleeping on the floor of their RV. We looked into buying an RV, but for now, this is just cheaper.

Declan is out of town for the week and I'm starting to miss him. I'm so use to our 3 day routine that when he is gone longer, it's obvious that something is missing :(

I have lots to do regarding school, so I'm busy with work (still avoiding cleaning my house). I'm putting together a curriculum outline of this VERY big unit we do at school. They've been doing it for 20 years...and no one has really ever organized things....well, at least not in a way that is helpful to new teachers. Many, many teachers have left 6th grade due to this particular program, but I'm not going to let it scare me off! I'm just going to organize it so that it feels less crazy to me.

I'm also taking a class, I am 3 credits away from my next pay bump. It would be silly not to get the credits this summer. I also just finished 4 classes to add an endorsement to my certificate- yeah me!

Well, that's all for tonight. I suspect with Summer, I should be posting more often.

Ready for Summer!

2008-05-20T19:40:00.001-07:00

Well, we will be after another 2,000 gallons of water :)

Ironman is

2008-05-04T14:06:00.001-07:00

the best movie I've seen in a long, long, long time.

2008-04-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Declan does this all the time in restaurants...so funny.

Today he went to school with me 1/2 the day. Loved it. He read to the kids and they clapped. They also sang Happy Birthday, because tomorrow he'll be 6! I'll attach a photo taken today as she showed the boys how to play Crazy Machines (really cool game for the computer).

Inspired post

2008-04-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

Casey's latest blog inspired me to do a quick post:

On the way to school this week Declan schooled ME on music:

D: "Hey Mom, did you know there are THREE kinds of music?"
M: "Really? What are they?"
D: "There is Rock Star, Musician, and Country. John Lennon sounds like a Rock Star, but he's really Musician. Paul McCartney is Rock Star, and I know a lot of Country singers."

(clearly we're still listening to a lot of Lennon lately and I just downloaded my first McCartney song)

Also this week:

D: (at a local Starbucks) "Hey Mom, this is that music you like (song from the Mac Air ad)."
M: "Yeah, it is"
D: "Well...it sounds like Muzak to me." (cheeky thing isn't he...think lyrics and history behind the song How Do You Sleep by Lennon.)

So...there is no 'Kid Music' happening in my car, as Casey talks about.

Lost and Found video

2008-03-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is from camp that we did a couple of months ago with our kids (a sleep over at school with 210 kids!) Declan was able to attend and just had a blast. He was so determined to participate in this contest and his legs were just so short... cute.

Spring break has officially started and the strangest things is it's been snowing today! Weather permitting I'm off to spend a better part of the weekend at week with a friend and her family. My only goal is to write one more paper and that's about it. When I return my classes officially start and I just need to hang on tight because the next 10 weeks are going to fly by.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great day, we did.

quick update

2008-03-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

So...my week was kind of a roller coaster. Tuesday was a good day, which was nice because of the observation. Wednesday was a downer again. Thursday was O.K., but I found myself getting sick. Friday was no school, but we had training all day, which was O.K. except I felt sick.

The weekend was very low key, I think I had and still have a low grade fever. Took a sick day today. But really the weekend was a good break emotionally. I feel pretty off, as I usually do when I'm sick, so that should distract me for the week. I have benign fasiculation syndrome (unexplainable random twitches daily) and it is always worse when I have a cold/ flu. My body almost feels like it's buzzing. Weird, I know.

Two more weeks until spring break. I hope my health improves and stays that way as I have a trip planned to visit a friend. However, when I dropped Declan off on Thursday for his weekend visit, my X said she had a fever for the past two days. I was pretty unhappy as Declan and I both had a cold at that point and a fever seemed pretty contagious. She felt so bad that she called on Sunday and asked to return him early. I can only hope that we have the same fever inducing bug. I don't know how likely that is since we live 3 hours away.

Well, guess that covers it. Declan is doing well and just the funniest kid EVER. I really need to post stories some day.

O.K. one quick one. His hair is getting long and crazy...sticking up everywhere. Today I asked AGAIN, "Declan, what are we going to do about your hair, it's just sticking up everywhere" He was adamant that he did not want it cut, his logic being "I like my hair sticking up. I want to have crazy hair when I'm a kiddo, because I can't do that when I'm an adult, people will laugh at me." How can I argue with that? I did finally talk him into moulding wax so it looked more intentional. It's driving my Mother crazy...I keep having to remind her she's the Grandma... :)

In a Funk

2008-03-10T18:41:00.001-07:00

Well, life at work has continued to be kind of "yucky". I really don't know what other word to use. Today I was in a real funk. I had a terrific weekend, so I'm wondering if it was just being back in the mix of things at work. The issues with one teacher has really clouded my working relationships.

For the past 12 years...any work I've done has involved my being at the helm of the ship. It is very challenging for me to adjust to just watching things happen and being pretty powerless to do anything. I think it just messes with my equilibrium not knowing what the eventual outcome will be regarding my co-worker. I really need to find a way to compartmentalize the situation and just move past it...very difficult when this co-worker is your "team" teacher.

Tomorrow my mentor teacher is coming to observe me, I think I've been a little worried because of the funk I was in today...who knows it may have even contributed. Most of the day I just wanted to go to the staff bathroom and cry. I can't even tell you why.

Well, I'm feeling better now. So I hope it was some passing hormonal thing. Hopefully tomorrow flies by.

The weekend

2008-02-25T06:32:00.000-08:00

was pretty horrible for the first 1/2. I attended a conference with some co-workers. It was NOT fun. There is some pretty unprofessional behavior occurring in my workplace and I've just had enough. I think I was in shock most of the weekend. I keep wanting to blog about it....but well you know.

So I am exhausted, nervous, and a little depressed to have to go to work this morning and see what the fall out it. I seriously feel like I am living in some reality show, trying very hard to preserve important alliances and keep my head down. Wondering if my silence will work against me. BUT I my silence ended this weekend...didn't help.

Hey spellchecking works...finally :) maybe that's a good sign for the day to come.

First iMovie

2008-02-18T17:29:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor was over last night playing the Wii with Declan. This weekend I bought a new game called "Carnival Games" sooo much fun for all ages. Skeet ball, darts, ring toss etc.. a must have for anyone that has the Wii. Believe it or not, Declan doesn't "get into" many games (maybe he has played 2 hours the past month) Loves this one...not that I'm purposefully trying to get him hooked. Great exercise as he must do his Happy Dance each time he wins tickets :)

Update

2008-02-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

on the M@c, now it was FREE - after selling my old computer. One problem with the new /safari version of blogger is the spell check. It will underline misspelled words...but it doesn't give me suggestions for proper spelling. Am I missing something?

On Declan, now that he is almost 6, the greatest thing is that I can take a nice long nap while he plays with his legos. He is also old enough to get himself a snack if he wants which is usually yogurt or a granola bar. I woke up yesterday to find he had made himself home-made orange juice with our little had juicer. I though that was pretty funny.

The Truth is...

2008-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

I really didn't know much about the computer when I arrived to purchase it. I just knew I was finally willing to lay out the money for a M@C , and for me that meant the cheapest entry level version. (well, not including the mini m@c, but a "real" m@c). I have to say I am blown away, and I'm sure it does much, much more than I've already discovered. When I walked into the show room, I was shocked by the HUGE monitors. When I was approached by a sellsperson, I said I wanted the 1200.00 version. I was surprised when he said I was looking at it; I couldn't believe the size of the thing. It is 20" while it seemed sooo large, I couldn't believe how SMALL it was as the computer, speakers, DVD drive are all built in to the monitor (can you see the DVD slot in the photo?). WOWSA!

Did I also mention built in wi-fi. Seriously it was out of the box and online in
10 minutes!

Why the new computer? Well, I've been kicking myself every since I purchased my
new PC 3 months ago. I received a scholarship/ free funding to go to school in the spring. I still hadn't purchased Micros*oft office and figured it was time to get on board now with M@c before I purchased new software. I also received enough extra money to cover most of the cost.

The only down side to all this is that I have to take FOUR classes in the spring because my state is changing the endorsement requirements and it will go from 8 credits for a mid level math/science endorsement to 30, yes THIRTY credits for each mid level subject endorsement. so for both it will go from 2000.00 to 15,000.00 how is that for insane? So during my first year of teaching, I'm also going to tackle a pretty big academic load.

Also coming this spring at school is a very, very intensive program we do with our kids. I can't go into specifics or my blog will lose it's anonymity. But it is a big, BIG deal and a nationally recognized program, not only in education, but in another organizations as well. I've heard it is so intensive and time consuming that it has driven many, many teachers from my school....hummm (it would take a lot to drive me from my wonderful, wonderful 6th graders!). So, looks like Summer will be here before I know it with all this on my plate.

Everyone at my school has been sick lately, including Declan and me. So, it has been nice to have a 4 day weekend :) . It will be a short work week as I leave on Thursday for an educational conference with other new teachers.

As for work, the kids are great, the administration is great, the parents are great...but there is some stress happening and I really don't know how to deal with it. It's been on going since summer...but I have been very hesitant to blog about it should anyone at my work discover my blog...(and a big hello if anyone from work is reading )

So, what I'm doing to take some of the stress off, is writing 1/2 of my papers before Spring quarter even begins. My school gives wonderful outlines of the assignments in their syllabus, and the program admissions people have been very helpful in getting me set up. I've almost finished my first paper...and I've started on my 2nd!

Well, guess that's enough for now. I guess it's time to pull myself away from my new toy and play a game with Declan.

Declan's favorite song

2008-02-15T20:24:00.001-08:00

Declan's favorite song, he said recently: "Mom can you write down the lyrics so that when I'm sad I can read them and then I'll feel better." (Which is interesting as it's not really a happy song). You wouldn't know it made him soooo happy when watch him sing it, would you? :)

Yes, I am tired

2008-02-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

(and look it) but loving my new toy! More about this later, it's off to bed for now.

2008-01-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally have my computer up and running again. That has been a contributing factor to my absence in the blog world. My two month new computer just turned off one night and didn't turn on again! While it's nice that it is still under warranty... it sure isn't cheap to mail a computer to Texas from the West Coast.

Life has just been plugging along. I can't believe that the school year is now officially 1/2 over. I really have nothing but great memories so far. The next month promises to be very busy. We're having a sleep-over with the entire 6th grade one weekend. Another weekend I'll be heading out of town to a teachers conference. I've also been doing additional training the last 3 weeks, so my brain is almost at maximum capacity :)

Declan is still loving school. His reading is just improving every day. Well, maybe every week.

Today we were watching an episode of Planet Earth. They were talking about a coniferous forest that makes up 1/3 of the worlds tree population and remarked that it supplies oxygen for the entire planet. Declan was amazed:

" Wow! That place must be important." (the things they say)

I have to admit that the quality of my T.V. watching has improved greatly with a youngster in the house.

I also recently watched the documentary Imagine about John Lenn*n. For some reason, I've been very stuck on the utterly messed up way he treated his first son Julian. I can't even image what it was like growing up. For starters I'm sure he hates "Beautiful B*y" (although it is such a beautiful song). Interestingly Sean Lenn*n has this to say:

"I think of my dad as a huge asshole. The only thing that made it okay was that he could admit it."

On the bright side, Julian was definitely blessed with his fathers talent. I encourage you to download "Saltwater", you won't be disappointed!

Boy, this blog entry was all over the place :)

The new year

2008-01-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

my new year at school would have started out better IF I didn't get pulled over by a police officer (with lights running the WHOLE time) in the staff parking lot...as the kids were getting off the bus. Actually, I guess it is pretty funny. Did you know the ticket for driving with expired tabs is 216.00. Wow. Mine have apparently been expired since JULY. What??? Don't they send you a late notice when you don't renew? Guess not. Well, guess what I did after school yesterday.

2007-12-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

Very relaxing Christmas...one more day off then it's back to school for both of us. How awesome to have a job where I get two weeks off at Christmas! Below is a still shot taken from my new Flip camera. It doesn't take stills, but allows you to take them out of the video. I've also included my first movie mix (with the "nostalgia" option) . Wow, unbelievably easy to use and sooo affordable.

Quick Update

2007-12-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Teacher,
I just wanted to thank you for all you have done to help Chloe in her new school transition this semester! She is enjoying middle school so much and a lot of that is because of you and your kindness to her. She tells everyone that you are her favorite teacher ever. When she was writing her author page for her moon book she put that her favorite subject was math! I couldn't believe she would ever say that! I asked her about it and she said "i like math now because ms. B is making me get better at it". I can't thank you enough for that! I feel so fortunate that Chloe got you for her teacher. I hope you have a great holiday season and thank you again.

Student's Mom

Apple, Apple, Apple

2007-11-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling pretty frustrated lately with Apple. (skip this if you don't want to hear a rant...if you've been linked through a search, I'd love to hear your iTouch story)

If you remember, about a month ago, I decided to enter the world of MP3 players...went with Apple because of the ease of use, quality etc.. Well, unfortunately I dipped my feet in the water just a few months early or late depending on how you look at it. I happened to hit BEST BUY right as the new iTouch iPod was released, so I guess I'm in the guinea pig phase that often happens at the launch of a new product.

Being a guinea pig sucks!

Do you see the helpless stare in the little fella's eyes?

After falling madly, deeply, passionately in love with my iTouch iPod...I found out it has a little glich. I'm just soooo pissed because now I'm too committed to the relationship to walk away. My blood pressure actually rises when I see the cool new T.V. ads. But still, I can't part ways with my iTouch. Thus far I've spent about an hour on the phone with Appple Support (not so impressed) and had to go back and return my original- in hopes of fixing the problem.

The problem is that the iTouch is somewhat selective about which video's it will play back. At first I thought it was just a DVD I ripped for my son, then I realized I had the problem with videos I PURCHASED from iTunes. I went to BEST BUY yesterday and the manager was like "oh, yeah we've been seeing problems with this." I had also googled it and noticed the issue is common enough that it was easy to find.

So, I exchanged my iTouch and also purchased a Nano. (Against the advice of the BEST BUY people who said the software etc.. was the same) Well, the video that won't play on my iTouch will play on the Nano...

What did the folks at Apple say? Well, the first two guys I talked to hadn't heard of the problem!!! Which irritates me because I found it on THEIR discussion boards. The second guy tells me the problem is that the iTouch only plays videos in H.264 format. So I direct him to Apples tech page on the iTouch to prove to him it also supports MPEG-4. Infact, if you rip/burn a file in the H.264 it won't play at all on the thing. It will however, give it the old college try on an MPEG file (plays 5, 10 or 15 minutes then shuts the iPod down or locks up the video then returns the main menu). THEN Apple tech guy tells me it must be a software problem and that they have already had a couple of software updates on the iTouch...asks me if I have updated my software. WHAT!! Do they tell their tech support people anything? The big talk on the iTouch is that iTunes is still has 1.1.1, the original software. Yet, units shipping to Europe are preloaded with 1.1.2. Which you can download on the web, from a NON-Apple site...but probably not the best idea. The guy is like "Oh...let me check that...you're right" By now I'm sounding pretty pissed. This, by the way, is the same guy who tells me I can't trust BEST BUY on the whole "getting a lot of machines returned thing." Gee, seems like they know more about the product then the Apple Tech Support.

So...if I really want to be able to play ANY video...guess I'll be getting a Nano (well, returning the one I have and getting one with more memory). And if I want to continue to enjoy the wifi...I'll be keeping my iTouch. As I write this, I realize that...hummm that's a lot to pay to be able to lay in bed at night checking my email, visiting blogs.

So...I may have to break up with my iTouch after all. On the bright side, I have to say, that new Nanos are pretty darn sexy...

p.s. so if I decide to keep my iTouch, should I Jailbreak it? Coley / Steve feedback please.

Halloween

2007-11-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, well better late than never. We went to a really cool event this year: A "Trunk or Treat" you go from car to car to trick or treat. They all have their trunks open and decorated. We made a great haul in about 15 minutes.

Tonight I went to add Declan's candy to his pumpkin from last year:

Yes, that is what is still left from LAST year.

I'm going to take the old stuff to school next week to get rid of it. Trust me the kid does have treats...just not a lot. I don't want him developing the same bad habits I did as a kid. Halloween night he ate two pieces.

The Weekend

2007-11-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

I guess this will be a multi-topic update..

My illness
I caught a cold and of course it went right to my chest. Coughing, wheezing, cackling and such. I cancelled the beach trip so that I could minimize the recovery time. That turned out to be a good thing as Declan vomited in the middle of the night on Friday. He was fine the rest of the weekend, but glad I didn't have to deal with that in a hotel room.

Declans School
I was watching our Disneyland video recently (stay with me, it's related) and Declan said, don't watch that Mom, it makes me want to go back. Disneyland is the funnest thing in the world! Well,,, I guess it's the SECOND funnest thing, school is the funnest. :0

Teacher conference went pretty well. It is interesting because his teacher said he was a bit "immature" which really surprised me, I can think of a lot of adjectives to describe Dec, but immature has never been one. It seems to me he has often been a half a step ahead of his peers from walking and talking to his interests and arguments. He gets along better with older kids. So I asked his teacher in what ways is he immature (she had already said he was on the academically advanced side) she replied, "well he loses things a lot." I had to laugh...umm that's a genetic thing and he certainly doesn't have good modeling from me in that department. She also said he looses interest quickly...also guilty in that department.

I've always processed things very quickly and I'm ready to move on far faster than the rest of the class. That's why during grad school I sat with my laptop and wrote papers and blogged.

So, from my perspective, school is going great. Declan is finally reading. He has a ton of friends and he loves it.

Surprise from my X

We're trying to finish up the new child support order now that I have a new job. I was surprised to also receive a new Parenting Plan last week. I was REALLY surprised when I saw the changes to it. The ONLY changes were:

I would drive an extra two hours a month for weekend visits
She would get an extra 2 days of vacation a year
and, drum roll please...
She proposes we add her girlfriends name to our parenting plan. As in, if my X dies, her girlfriend would get 30 days visitation per year. (yes, this is the woman she cheated with..)

I'm curious...what is she smoking??!!

Jon and Kate plus 8

2007-11-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

This TLC show is Declan's FAVORITE program. Today on the way to school we talked about it.

D: Can we watch Jon and Kate plus 8 tonight?

Me: It's not on. Why do you like that show so much. I find it kind of stressful to watch. Life with those 8 kids seems pretty crazy. And don't you think the Mom yells at the Dad alot?

D: Well, you know...it's stressful having 8 kids.

Honestly, I'm getting tired of the show. It seems seriously stressful. They have one set of twins who are 6, and they have sextuplets who are 3. I think one kid is crying all the time...and the Mom is often yelling. I'm not sure why Declan loves it soooo much.

As for an update about the fire drill. Everything was fine. I knew it wouldn't be an issue...just bad timing. The V.P. said our leaving was totally O.K., but they have to figure that out.

I also had my first evaluation yesterday, it went very, very well (in spite of my nerves). I was also told by two different students that I was the best teacher they EVER had. Have I mentioned that I love my job?

Yesterday

2007-10-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

My teaching partner and I went to Starbucks to meet during our planning time (which is allowed) We arrived back to see the entire school returning from a fire drill (which was BAD) and oops, we didn't sign out (I guess we're suppose to sign out when we leave campus for this very reason). For fire drills during electives, the kids still go to their home room teachers, which doesn't make since for this very reason.

The ironic thing is that I had just warned both sets of kids that we would have a fire drill in the next two days, and likely yesterday. They have to do them once a month.

Another week down

2007-10-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, time is just flying by. I can't believe the weekend is half over. I stayed after school yesterday and had a "fun Friday" with my kids. Sooooo stressful. I didn't feel like I could really watch ALL the kids and I didn't want them getting into trouble. I seriously just got an upset stomach as I re-lived those 3 hours. I'm glad they had fun, but I'm wondering if I'm going to get a phone call on Monday. During the last 1/2 hour the boys all decided it would be fun to chase the girls into the girls bathroom. Ugh, they just don't get it.

I also finally got THE email from my vice-principal. The one every new teacher will get, but dreads it still the same. "When you have time today I'd like to meet with you to discuss a phone call I received from Johnny's father." Oh crap...what happened. It was so cryptic.
Turns out that Johnny told his Dad I gave all the kids lunch detention. ummm...didn't happen. Earlier in the week during the last period of the day my teaching partner opened our wall and read to the kids. She finished early and we let them have ten minutes of free time. BIG mistake. We immediately had 4 boys slapping each other (a new game) and another boy was chasing a girl around the room with scissors. We immediately close the doors and I let the crazy boys have it . I have SERIOUSLY talked with them 20 or more times about their horse play. My rule is simple - NO TOUCHING...EVER. I told the 5 boys they had just earned lunch detention and told them to go to my phone and call their parents (I was pissed and I wanted Mom and Dad to know what they'd done). I apologized to the rest of the class and said I couldn't give free time at the end of the day, because certain kids just couldn't handle it. I guess the one boy (who is a great kid by the way) thought I was giving the whole class lunch detention...

I've discovered one thing I don't like about 6th graders. Their height. Did you know that the average 6th grader's face is pretty much boob high for me? That's very awkward- as they still like to hug.

I received3 invitations today for Thanksgiving. Still mulling over what to do.

Yes, believe it or not I am still sick. I actually have felt a little worse the last couple of days, like I'm fighting off a cold. Oh to be healthy again.

Next weekend I'm headed to the beach. Even if I sit in the room by the fireplace all day...that will be O.K. with me. Well, Declan may have a problem with that. I'm going with a friend and her 3 kids, so it should be fun.

Can't Sleep

2007-10-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

figured it would be a good time to update.

It's nice to be back at school. I'm pretty much caught up. Have I said lately how much I love my job? The last two weeks has flown by. We're home at 4 and in bed at 7. I have not been sleeping well, so I go to bed early since I never know when and for how long I'll be up in the middle of the night.

I'm still not healthy. Sickest I've been as an adult. Although the formal test was negative (and not very accurate) I'm pretty sure, as is my Dr. that I have Pertussis. I went to check in with my Dr. a week ago. Mainly because I'm still wheezing every night. I'm still coughing...but not much can be done about that. I was/am having rib pain for about 10 days now. He believed I sprained my ribs. Took X-rays, pneumonia is still there. Since I'm feeling better he was on the fence about more antibiotics. I opted for the wait and see approach. 3 antibiotics in two months seems a bit much.

One week later, I'm STILL wheezing. I also feel like I haven't been able to cough and clear my lungs very well due to the pain in my ribs. Earlier tonight I was trying to decide if I was going to go to urgency care this weekend or try to get in early next week. THEN I was laying in bed and had a coughing spell and felt/heard a "snap" in my ribs. Intense burning pain!!! Now I can barely walk, or get out of a chair. This is INSANE. I've been sleeping only on my right side for almost two weeks and right now I can hardly do that. Guess I'll go in tomorrow.

I'm also thinking I need to just break down and hire someone to clean my house. I've just done the minimum for 2 months now and I can't take it anymore. Obviously I'm in no shape to do any cleaning.

Did I already mention that you should all get your DTaP booster? Yeah, take care of that.

I'm off to cruise the Internet in hopes of finding a cleaning service that works on the weekend.

Kindergarten 2007

2007-10-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

I'm back

2007-10-09T06:19:00.000-07:00

See...no time for blogging now that I'm working:) It is soooo good to be back, can I tell you again how much I love my kids? Really. Also, many teachers say dealing with parents is the worst part of the job. It is one of my favorite parts of the job. I make an effort to call a few parents every week...just to tell them how great their kids are. Those phone calls are so much fun. Yes it takes time, but it's also worth it because it sets me up to have good relationships with the families, even when I need to call because Johnny is mis-behaving. Let me tell you, in 6th grade those call are rare.

On to other things. I had a Chocolate...Hated it. I mean Hated it. (should have listened to the review (and you Christy), but no...couldn't resist it's seductive design) One month after buying my Chocolate, I just gave up and bought a new phone..which I love (Samsung). I soon realized how spoiled I was by the Chocolate MP3 player, it was sooo sad to loose that feature. I decided it was time to break down and purchase a music player (I use it everyday in my classroom). Now that I am employed, I figured I could by the easiest to use (KEY POINT) and best product on the market (brand-wise). You know what that means- iPod. I went shopping, came back with a Nano...those are cheap! I loved it- son loved it because now he can watch the Jetsons in the car, in bed :) 24 hours later I decided to just bit the bullet and upgrade to the iTouch. I was very interested in the wifi feature and I don't know why but I'm just not good with the dial type button you find on iPods and most MP3's. I carefully spin the dial and then go to press the enter button and accidentally spin the dial and select something else. It was a BIG problem with my Chocolate (gurrr) The button was much larger on the Nano, but I still found it to be a problem.

All I can say is the iTouch is AMAZING:

IF I could use AT&T at my house...I would have cancelled my Verizon Wireless and just bought the iPhone. Maybe their service will improve in a few years.

It's really not as bad

2007-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

as it seems. I mean I AM feeling better. It just sucks dealing with Sleep Interruptis...and knowing it could go on for 2 more months - yuk. So I'll just nap when I can and go to bed early knowing that I may wake to coughing fits anytime early in the morning.

Today went pretty well. Very tired still, but I did make it through the day. Still not enough energy left in the evening for Declan. And it doesn't help matters that I pick him up and take him to an early dinner where he cried for 15 minutes because he left his art work at school. Holy Crap! It's hard to take that on a good day. Then he has regressed to randomly demanding "I need water!" What the .... and of course Grandma gets it for him. My take? He is FIVE and he can get his own water whenever he needs it. Weird dynamics as my parents are leaving in 4 more days so they're already missing him and they haven't even left...which explains why she gets water for him I guess. As for me, I'm a working Mom with Whooping Cough...I just don't have the energy, I don't think that makes me a bad parent.

Also, Nicole commented that I've been blogging a lot lately. I think it's mainly due to the fact I've been home for so long...with not much energy to do much else.

Looking forward to the weekend.

up since 2:30

2007-10-04T03:57:00.001-07:00

I decided about 3:30 that I had no further doubt about whether or not I have Whooping Cough.

Tired

2007-10-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

that pretty much sums up my day. The first 1/2 was O.K. then exhaustion set in. Came home and slept from 4-7. Tomorrow I'm only working 1/2 a day. It's just too much after having been off work for 2 weeks. Still getting my strength / stamina back.

Love the kids. How many jobs can you return from sick leave and get hugs?

"Cough worse after...

2007-10-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

3 a.m. and when lying down". I just googled 'Whooping Cough lying down' and found a ton of hits. Apparently it is common to have the worse attacks when lying down. Yep, that's me. I've been up since 4 and can't go back to sleep. My coughing is sooo bad first thing in the morning. I just have no choice but to get up out of bed. I really wish I could sleep in a recliner.

So here I am, up two hours early, on my first day back to work. Not a great start.

Still sick...but

2007-10-01T17:38:00.001-07:00

I'm getting better. And the best news is that I've met a new Dr. during the course of this fiasco who has agreed to be my PCP even though he isn't taking on new patients (according to the website). I've opted not to stay with my current PCP who told me I couldn't get Pertusis due to the fact I was immunized as a child...I know Dr.'s don't know everything, but you think they'd know how long immunizations last.

So...interesting development. I went in Friday for the Pertusis test. I took a peak at my lab results from Thursday. My liver tests went from 2 previous tests of 12 and 20 to 127. The result was flagged. I asked the Dr. about it and she said not to worry that my Dr. would just follow up when I was healthy. Sounded reasonable to me.

Then on Saturday I received an email from my Thurs. Dr. (the one i really like) he said to go in ASAP for more labs re the liver tests. He ordered 7 more tests. Interesting to have such different opinions. I obviously like the guy who is being thorough when I've been sick for 3 weeks now. Somehow I think some of these Dr.'s just don't get how sick I've been.

Hopefully I'll have enough energy to get through the day tomorrow.

Final Word

2007-09-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

is that you can have Whooping Cough and NOT get a lab result to confirm it...especially if you've been on antibiotics. Which I have. Twice now.

I've been told after the district nurse consulted with the health department that I must stay home until Tuesday when I've finished my antibiotics.

I've also been told I can get 60% of my sick leave back if I get a diagnosis of Pertusis...which seems difficult to do in my situation. Gurrrrrr.

Basically my chart says this: "Bronchial Pnemonia presumed Pertusis".

Take my advice...go now, get your DTaP booster, yes they have that for adults now. They are obviously giving it to the old folks (like my parents), ask for it.

The good news? My personalized rate of return on my 401K is up to 44.98% Cool!

The Dr. Says

2007-09-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

I must stay home tomorrow and take my NEW antibiotics and rest. He thinks I probably do have Whooping Cough and some other infection in my intestines...possibly an infection caused by my last antibiotics (I didn't know that could happen). Interesting on my note for work he put suspected Pneumonia...I guess the whole Whooping Cough "thing" and diagnosis is controversial.

Lots more tests...so we'll see what comes of that. Oh..and I have 'thrush' in my mouth from the inhaler.

When will it end.

Still sick...

2007-09-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Deja Vu? Worked today. It was O.K. the first 1/2, but by the end of the day I thought I was going to pass out. I'm going to the Dr. tonight....again.

Yes,

2007-09-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

I was home sick again today. I think I'll be going in tomorrow, even though I know we have an assembly...how I dread assemblies.

Good News

2007-09-25T16:53:00.001-07:00

and there is always some good news. I've put my entire 401K (don't be too jealous...not really that much $$) into 'high risk' investments and seen a 40% return this quarter. It is very fun to check my balance each day. Maybe it will all go away...always the risk, but it was fun to watch :)

I don't plan on touching it for 20 years...so does it really matter? Robert or Steve, feel free to call me and give me advice :)

Oh yeah

2007-09-25T11:43:00.001-07:00

Vitamin Water is just the best!!! So much better than Gatorade.

Home Sick

2007-09-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little better. Taking a nap soon.

Today I found out we have 2 students at our school with Whooping Cough. Hummm could what be what this horrible cough is? Wasn't I vaccinated you say. The vaccine wears off around age 10 which is why most who get it are teens and adults.

And if I don't have it, I'm not so excited about going back to school with a cough and such a weak immune system.

New Rx

2007-09-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

So, looks like I was lucky enough to catch an intestinal virus after my wonderful respiratory virus. Doc gave me 2 new drugs. The pharmacist warns that one Rx might make my neck muscles get stiff--- WHAT? . I then look at the laundry list of possible horrible things (difficulty swallowing, mask-like face, shuffling walk, puffing of cheeks, lip smacking - WHAT, again I say WHAT. ) I decided to research this drug... Compazine. Seems it is given for nausea AND schizophrenia. Some side effects can be irreversible:

Compazine should not be administered at doses of more than 20 mg per day or for longer than 12 weeks, because the use of Compazine at higher doses or for longer intervals may cause persistent tardive dyskinesia that may prove irreversible (see WARNINGS ).

Okay. He prescribed 10 mg every 6 hours. Ummmm -not taking THAT drug.

I'm off to lay on the sofa and hope my other meds do the trick.

Home

2007-09-24T11:55:00.001-07:00

I made it 1/2 day through work. My mentor teacher said I needed to go home. Really crappy night again last night. I knew I shouldn't go to work today...but since I'd just had 3 days off I figured I just had to try to make it in. By the time I figured out just how sick I still was, it was too late to turn back. I found a 1/2 day sub. unfortunately it's the really easy 1/2 of the day. Anyway I REALLY need sleep. I'm off to take a nap then I'm headed to the Dr. today at 3:30.

Oh yeah, as I was leaving... the sub who was covering my room for 20 minutes came in blowing her nose. Crap...now I'm afraid to go back. Actually before I left my phone rang and she picked it up then handed it to me, I did not want to take it but had to.

2007-09-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to say this morning. Basically this is absurd. I guess I'll just leave it at that. I'll go back and lay on the couch now.

Night From Hell

2007-09-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Terrible night. I'm having a hard time keeping a positive attitude. I just want to cry today because I'm so so so tired of being sick....and worry about how this is / might effect my new job.

I just tried to take a nap and Declan woke me up 2x. I wanted to spank him in a very serious way after the 2nd time. My voice is almost gone and he won't listen very well. I am very weak and exhausted. I'm afraid to eat much of anything because of my stomach issues.

This is insane, that's all I can say. My parents are being helpful...but that is never stress-free. Right now it just sucks being a single parent.

Doxycycline Sucks!

2007-09-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have progressively started feeling crappy in a whole new way. My stomach is constantly upset or sour. My vision is just weird. My brain is cloudy. Today I began to wonder if maybe I'm having depression issues... Well maybe I thought that because a teacher friend asked yesterday if this was all a "veges nerve reaction" to the stress of my new job. What? Maybe I'd consider that if I was having a headache, upset stomach, IBS or tremors, but a cough with a high fever? I don't think I have that much control over my body.

I've finally had enough of my stomach and realize that it might be the antibiotic. So I googled it. Turns out all my feeling crappy, dizzy, and just plain "bad" symptoms can be attributed to Doxy. I'm 5 days into 10 and I'm stopping. Everything I've read says I really shouldn't have been on it anyway. Just a shot in the dark on day 5 of a fever.

Then again, maybe I've come down with some stomach virus. NO. NOT possible. Either way my stomach can't handle the doxy.

ON ANOTHER SUBJECT

Declan actually cried in the car on the way to school yesterday. He misses seeing his non-school friends (Zachary, Theryn, Solomon and Coleman). It was sooo sad. I think it has been most difficult not seeing the kids I use to babysit every week. It has been over 3 weeks with the school craziness, his being out of town and our illnesses. He had a play date last night and was so happy.

He has been a sweet heart. He loves taking care of a sick Mama. Today he peeked back in as he was headed out the door and said "I love you sooo much Mama, don't ever leave the world."

No Fever!!!

2007-09-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

I still don't feel great. Weak, dizzy, tired, but I'm on the up-swing. I took today off, working yesterday was a mistake.

It's been nice to have a slow morning with Declan. He has been gone the last two weekends so it has been a while since we haven't woken up to an alarm clock. I'm so tired, I think I need a nap already. Additional good news is that I've dropped 5 lbs. My stomach has felt fine I just haven't had the energy to eat much. Maybe this is the start I needed to my new diet :)

101

2007-09-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

That's still my temp, but I feel better, does that count.? My temperature didn't spike last night and so far things are holding steady. I must have some very stubborn virus.

I am planning to work tomorrow, just don't want to take another day off. On the good side- I will have dental insurance in 12 DAYS! I've been without it for 3 years now, I'm sure I'll be getting at least one crown in the near future.

I'm off to watch The Flintstones with Declan. I just love my XBOX 360. I've downloaded Huckleberry Hound and The Flintstones. I also downloaded the movie Popeye for us to watch this weekend. This is definitely the way of the future....no more blockbuster video.

Gurrr

2007-09-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Fever of 103 last night. I didn't work today. I hate missing work. I'm still having a fever today so I should probably stay home tomorrow. 24 hours on antibiotics so hopefully this is bacterial and I'll be feeling better. This just sucks!!

Still sick...

2007-09-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

A fever of 103 Friday. Low fever continues. Feels like the flu...but I guess it's some "virus" Isn't the FLU a virus? Back to the Dr. today he gave me an inhaler and antibiotics. It is a pretty odd sickness. Serious lung issues and sore throat. My sinus' / nose is fine ??? my back is super sensitive...like the flu.

Anyway I haven't tried the inhaler yet, I've never had one before. I guess you can have a racing heart and feel shaky for about 10 minutes after. Hummmm not the ideal side effect for a person who is on the anxious side....

Declan is coming home soon. I guess he is getting much better.

School is going REALLY well. I LOVE my kids. I believe they mostly love me. Well, I'm sure it helps that I let them into my room at lunch one day a week to play the Wii and blast their music. They had a great time on Friday. I was feeling like crap, but it was good to see them having so much fun.

Lots of phone calls to parents this weekend. All the kids who haven't been turning in assignments. The nice thing is that those phone calls tend to be very short. I also made a few "your kid is so wonderful to have in my classroom" calls - those are much more fun and seem to last longer.

There are two other new teachers on my team and it is very interesting to hear how things are going. They have both talked about not having plans ready the day they teach. That is soo weird to me. I Spend 90% of my time planning and only 10 percent grading. I really am an efficiency expert; I knew I'd pull off this teaching thing with less "outside" hours than most. Except for the extra hours I'm spending calling parents and doing project "stuff" that really isn't necessary.

I use to manage a movie theatre and if the last movie dropped at 12:30. I was out the door at 12:31, well okay 12:40 (I had to wait for the guests to leave). Other managers would be in the building until 1:30 or 2 (not you Robert) that was so weird to me. I am always looking for ways to streamline the system. BUT I'm always very, very prepared (just don't want to give the impression I'm a slacker).

Anyway...just kind of interesting to talk with my teaching partner today who talked about grading for 5 hours. WHAT? 5 hours...can't imagine. Maybe someday, who knows.

Quick Update

2007-09-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

Much better week this week. Well in real life, but my dreams have been crazy and I mean crazy!

On Monday a student brought me a present :) What a way to start my week. Did I tell you that on Friday another student asked for a hug? What a great age.

My son has had a cough for SIX weeks. At first it was allergy related (gotta take the good with the bad, right James? :) Then when I became sick I realized it had morphed into a nasty virus. I've felt pretty bad physically the last two days (burning lungs with a cough). I figured it was time to get Declan to the Dr again (he went two weeks ago re "the cough") Now he has major ear infections in both ears. This morning he woke up sicker still.

His Dr. said that once he finishes his antibiotics we need to get his allergies under control or he'll get every bug in his classroom. Wonderful news as his insurance will be pretty crappy starting in January (that's another story, my X's insurance not mine)

I'd love to take a sick day today, but won't because I want to save them for when my parents are gone and can't help with Declan. He's going to be home with them today. Soon they'll be leaving for 4 months and that won't be an option.

Hope everyone else is feeling better than us :)

Well Now...

2007-09-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

...that was in interesting week.

The kids are AWESOME. I love this age. My co-workers (well my immediate grade level team) are incredibly supportive. My Principal is an amazing advocate for BOTH the kids and the staff. However, it was a VERY, VERY tough week due to the fact my student with medical issues wasn't being cared for properly. It was insane how poorly it was handled. After several emails to the nurse and several conversations with our building nurse and district nurse and vice-principal I had enough and went to the Principal with the whole ordeal.

Actually at about 9 am Friday morning I was in the counselors office crying (the school counselor has become somewhat of a friend) I said I needed to speak to the Principal and gave her a run down of the fiasco. She was shocked, irritated, and very supportive. Those of you who know me IRL, know I'm NOT a crier. It was so stressful I can't even go into it on the blog. It also doesn't help that I'm a brand new teacher and I was desperately trying to work it out without going over anyone's head (four days later I realized that wasn't working).

Finally, the issue is being dealt with and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Now I can really enjoy my kids :)

Oh...and I received this email today (which was copied to my vice-principal):

Teacher,

I wanted to thank you for the extra effort you took to communicate to us on the Advanced Math class. You called us 3 times, to let us know the process this past week, to let us know how our son scored on the first class test this week, and finally to let us know that he was accepted. All 3 times you called were well outside of normal school hours. The Advanced Math process and communication has been a point of frustration for us, and your follow up has been sincerely appreciated.

Thanks again,
Janet

I think it's going to be a VERY good week!

2nd Day

2007-09-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

My first day actually went really well. It was pretty positive all around.

However ---today just about put me over the edge. All and all my day was pretty stressful. I wanted to cry at one point...just lack of organization that effects my students and I have no control. Overall I think the stress is just extreme right now. Cut to...I go to pick up Declan and when I ask where he is, his teacher looks confused. She is in the office with two other kids. Her assistant says "Maybe he's in the classroom." NO. I just checked there. Hummm he must be on the bus. Not a bus home, but the bus that takes the kids to another elementary school to get on another bus to go home. It was all I could do to hold it together. If I wasn't an employee of this district...I would not have been so composed. Although at one point I finally marched into the office and got right in the secretaries face and said you need to call X elementary school RIGHT NOW and pull my son off the bus and be sure he doesn't get on another bus.

More details later. I'm exhausted from the experience. Gurrrrrrr

(Casey I know this just about puts you over the edge just reading about it...sorry.)

I know...crazy

2007-08-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

TWO blog entries in one day!

Pretty interesting day, so I thought I'd share.

I returned to my classroom today to find that the Heli-Mom was the ONLY parent to ask for a phone call before classes start. Wow, interesting since she was in our classroom twice and spoke to the Principal. I'm actually kind of curious about what she would still want to talk about.

My son's open house was also interesting. He'll be attending morning daycare at one elementary school and then he'll be bused to his school for Kindergarten in the afternoon. I first visited his daycare school and checked my messages while driving to Kindergarten only to get an interesting message from the Principal. Apparently they have more kids than they thought and so they added one more class. My son has been placed into this new class which will actually meet at one of the other elementary schools. Interesting. So, they are taking a class of Kindergartners from one school and busing then to another. They also offered to bus him to his original school for a bus ride home. Hummm, that would mean ending class 20 minutes early, which is actually alot when you're talking about a 3 hour day. The upside is that he will be in a classroom where the ratio is 16:1. AMAZING for public school. We'll see how it all turns out. As a new employee, I don't feel like I have much say in the matter. Actually, I'm really not sure how I even feel about it anyway. Tomorrow is our orientation so I'll get to visit with his teacher then, although I'd bet she doesn't have alot of answers for my questions.

I received my newest class roster today. 32 kids in science. 32! 6 who are special ed. Hummmm. I guess I'll get extra pay for the extra kids, but honestly I'd prefer less students. I think things won't be set in stone until the end of the first week, so I guess I'll just go with the flow. And those of you who know me IRL know that "going with the flow" isn't my strong suit :0

The First Week

2007-08-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Well...my first week as a teacher is underway. Meetings, meetings, and more meetings. Last night I met the kids and parents. I think we had about 75% attend our open house. It was a blast. I was very nervous and didn't expect to have so much fun. I did have one interesting episode where a mother who appeared to be very "intense" approached me. This was going to be her child's first public school experience, lots of concerns all around. I didn't get a great vibe from Mom, but the student seemed shy but nice. After she left the room, my team teacher approached me to tell me there was some parent who was talking with OTHER PARENTS about how her daughter was friends with another student who said I was mean and yelled a lot at the kids!! Guess which Mom this was. What is more annoying is that the kid talking about me is my cousins daughter. Who has NOT had me for a teacher and who doesn't know me, except for when I'd say "Hi" to her in the hallway last year (she always looked the other way and ignored me). My other cousins kid who attends this same school LOVES me and would always run up and hug me when she would see me in the hallway.

Turns out this Mom also approached the Principal about me and my "yelling" (The principal defended me AND pointed out that my cousin DID NOT have me for a teacher last year). BTW the same woman said she heard that the Principal is also mean...I guess everyone is just mean. Not a great way to start off the year.

That said...the staff is wonderful. My teaching team is even more wonderful and my Principal is very supportive and approachable. So, other than my "Helicopter Mom" things are shaping up to be a great year. Well, I am a little concerned about the kid with SERIOUS health issues( I'm a little nervous to discuss any details on my blog, even anonymously, but I'm pretty sure I'll be calling 911 at least once this year), don't know why they put him on the new teacher team...hummm.

Tonight I get to meet my son's new teacher, which should be interesting. She is a devout Mormon by the sound of her letter (son at BYU, son on a "mission" and daughter in Private School.. O.K. as I type that I'm getting more freaked out). My experience with Mormons tells me that they might be the least "accepting" religious types when it comes to "alternative" family situations. Ijust hope there are no issues. I like to think my son is pretty lovable and cute, regardless of his family situation.

Super Mario Bros.

2007-08-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

My son and I enjoy video games, especially Super Mario Bros. In fact, after he first discovered Mario he made a cute request.

Dec "Mom, lets put a picture of Mario on our door. Then people will know how much we love Mario."

It was no surprise that when shopping at Target recently he saw the 4 DVD collection of "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show" and begged to get it. I said we'd have to wait...I'm always buying things like that for 1/2 price used.

A week later I saw it at my local game store for less than 1/2 price and snatched it up. Declan was thrilled. I popped in the first disc and watched the first preview for "The Electric Company" and then started cleaning, barely listening to the audio, and this is what followed:

Some Preview on the DVD " blah, blah blah....Condoms.....8 condoms

Me: (thinking to myself) Did I just hear the word condom...what the heck.

Dec: "Mom, what's a condom?"

Me: casually "I don't know" I don't loose a beat and continue cleaning.

When Declan wasn't home, I reviewed the preview to find out what the heck was going on. It was for some show called "Undeclared" The full line was "Want to have sex? Do you have a condom? I have 8 condoms."

So, I pulled the first disc and let him watch the other 3 (no previews) I just called the company that manufactures the DVD, the woman was shocked and is looking into it...they'll call me back.

Other than that...life has been very busy. I worked 3 days last week, two were attending a training session for my science curriculum. Today I'm headed out to buy a fish tank for my classroom and then I'll spend the day putting on the finishing touches. It's basically ready to go, but I'm also going to work on curriculum for the first week, which is all fun team building activities..and one math test :)

What?

2007-07-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

We've been working a lot on Declan's tone or voice. He gets angry and talks to me in a very unacceptable voice. I call it his "I'm in charge" voice. And he IS NOT in charge of anyone or anything at this point in his life. I tell him it's a voice that he can only use when he is a Daddy.

Today he started to speak to me with that tone in his voice. I stopped him.

Me: "Excuse me?!"

Declan: "O.K. Mom, I know you think I was yelling, but it was an accent."

What the...how does he even know what an accent is? If I'm facing this kind of an argument at 5, I'm really, really nervous about what lies ahead (which is why I REALLY want to get on top of this voice thing now).

Doesn't he look so innocent :)

Five Kids

2007-07-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

That's how full my day was. Three are staying the night, including mine that is 4 (3, 5, 5, & 6). I have a good friend that is pregnant and VERY sick. As in- she was at the hospital today getting IV meds and fluids and going back at 8 am. Tomorrow I'll have 5 again ( 3, 3, 5, 5, 6). I love having a house full...but the whole sibling dynamic is certainly the most challenging over extended periods.

I must say the wonderful part about having an only child is not having to constantly deal with conflict.

Did you know...

2007-07-13T07:26:00.001-07:00

That if you own a Kenmore washer and you change the load setting but don't get it EXACTLY on a setting (it is slightly between two settings) that the water will not shut off? It will just keep filling, and filling and filling. I find it very strange that there isn't an emergency shut off / default fill level indicator for such occasions - weird and well, annoying.

Did you also know, that a floor heating vent can make a great drain once you have 1 to 2 inches of standing water in your bathroom?

Now I REALLY feel like I'm getting old!

2007-07-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

THIS is unbelievable to me. It seems so unnecessary; I guess that means I am getting old.

Sometimes...

2007-07-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

They make you so proud:

Today at VBS, we were discussing Jerimiah 17:7 "Blessed is the man who trusts God, whose confidence is in Him." I'm a parent helper in a room where we are practicing this verse as a group (which is way too much memorization for 4/5 year olds). I cannot take it any longer, realizing that most of these kids (most likely mine included) have NO idea what confidence means:

Me: (raising my hand) "What does confidence mean?"

Teacher: "ooo good question! Does anyone know what confidence means?"

Most kids: "Nooooo"

A few raise their hands, including Declan. (I can't believe he is willing to speak in front of 30 kids and I'm curious to see if he knows the word).

Declan: "Well, I know one of the words. It might mean something else, but I know one."

Teacher: "Well, what do you think it means?"

Dec: "Well, like when someone tells you something, but it's like a secret."

Holy Cow!! I look at the other adults in the room and shrug cause I had NO idea that was coming.

AND sometimes you just want to Spank them really hard:

Me: "Declan, you need to STOP getting out MY door in the car. I've told you over and over. You keep getting my seat dirty."

Dec: "Well Mom, that's just the way I've always done it. A person can't just change the way they do something!"

Me: "That is NOT an acceptable answer."

Dec "But Mom..."

Me: "I DO NOT want to discuss it. Your telling me you can't do it any other way is NOT acceptable."

pause, pause, pause...

Dec: "Okay. I just have to say one thing. I can get out any door on the car except mine, Okay?"

Let me tell you, this is NOT an O.K. kind of conversation to be having with a 5-year-old.

stub·born
adj. stub·born·er, stub·born·est

a. Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bullheaded.
b. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute. See Synonyms at obstinate.
2. Characterized by perseverance; persistent.
3. Difficult to treat or deal with; resistant to treatment or effort

The Mind of a 5-year-old

2007-07-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

D: "Did you know that some kiddos wished that they didn't have a Mommy?"

Me: "No, that seems strange."

D: "Well, not me. I wish I had TWO Moms!"

Me: (Confused) "But you do have two moms?!"

D: "Well, I don't mean Mom. I mean you. I wish I had two moms like you!"

Me: (still confused) "Why?"

D: "Well, I think your skin is soo soft and I just like your style."

Sometimes they just say the cutest things! I don't know where he picked up the phrase "I like your style." Pretty funny, I don't really know what he is referring to by my "style" but I have to admit I'm flattered :)

Another conversation that occurred when I told Dec about my new job. Which by the way, I'm still kind of in shock about it. Honestly...the job is soooo perfect -location, grade, and subject. I never would have believed I'd land a job that quickly either.

Me: "So, it's pretty cool about my new job. I am really blessed."

D: "Well, I don't think God is blessing you. I think he is blessing ME."

Me: "Really why is that?"

D: "Well...(thinking) because now you'll have more money and you can buy me stuff."

(umm this is the kid who has a play yard with a wooden play structure, trampoline and a newly added climbing dome...then there were the TWO trips to Disneyland in '06. Yeah, he REALLY needs more "stuff")

I then take a few moments (O.K. Minutes) to explain that he has SOOO much more than many kids do. Too much in fact. Also, I point out that if it weren't for his Granny and Poppa we would have much less. Lastly, I explain that I must be more responsible with my money and start saving for retirement as I've put that on the back burner for 5 years now. (I have a A LOT of catching up to do!)

Happy 4th!!!

P.S. Sometimes I CANNOT get this blog to add spaces between paragraphs, that is why you see the strange periods randomly!

Nightmares, Funiture and Vacations!

2007-06-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, my teacher friends loved the cookies, as did Declan. He was really sad that I didn't buy him a whole bouquet. He did however tell me to write him a card that said "Thanks a Bizz-illion!"

I'm having nightmares about the new job...that's not helping me relax.

I've recently purchased a new desk and printer / storage cabinet. I decided that because I'm officially a full-time teacher, I can justify a nicer desk setup than I currently have. I ran into a big clearance sale so it was a steal. I ended up buying a matching t.v. stand also.

Declan and I are currently visiting friends several hours from home. We'll then go camping with my parents for the weekend and hen I start working on Monday- I'll be doing full-time child care this summer.

It's been a very relaxing week so far. The friend I'm visiting is really like family, so it's very easy to relax and just hang out. Hummm, maybe that isn't a great description, because family isn't always the most relaxing atmosphere is it :).

Lack of Sleep and Cookies

2007-06-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

So, I've been up since 4:20 UGH! I think there is just too much going on inside my head to sleep. Today Declan and I are headed to pick up two cookie bouquets for two wonderful teacher friends, who I feel were so helpful to this whole hiring process. Thanks Casey for the inspiration. I must also admit, I am looking forward to trying one of those cookies myself!! Declan is really excited to pick out his very own cookie as well.

Can't wait until naptime...

BIG NEWS!!!

2007-06-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

So..I heard "officially" that I've been hired! YEAH! Have I told you the best part? 6th Grade!! 6th graders are the best!!! I couldn't have asked for a better job. When I told Declan he said "That's good, I know you like 6th graders." I then wondered if he really knew what he was saying, so I asked "What do I think about 8th Graders?" Declan" Ooooh, they're really mean kids." :) I guess he does listen. And for the record, it's only a few select 8th graders that are a pain, but they can make your life pretty miserable!

I actually ended up calling the Principal today for information. Another Principal called me to come interview tomorrow. I couldn't turn down an interview without having a job locked down so I accepted the interview and then called my Principal. I told her about the phone call and she proclaimed "You already have a job! And you don't want to work for the X school district anyway." I really like this Principal. I am just sooo blessed. Great district (seriously one of the best in the state), no gang or serious drug problems, and a great Principal!!!

It also looks like I'll be subject specific, which means I'll be teaching two classes a day of math and science. By the way, I already have my classroom assignment for next year. The middle school is actually in my old high school. I think it's a little ironic that I'll be teaching math right next door to the classroom where a math teacher told me (along with every other student in the room) that I was a loser because I was in remedial math. That was my freshman year- 1982! Life takes you in interesting directions doesn't it?

I am so excited to be teaching math, particularly with my background.

More News!

2007-06-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

O.K. I can't go into detail right now, but I did get an "unofficial" job offer (pending reference checks) and a hug :) from the Principal. Wow, who knew job offers came with hugs these days!! It still feels a little surreal...still waiting on that "official" word. I'm the kind of person who doesn't celebrate until the contract is signed.

Exhausted!

2007-06-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am utterly exhausted. I haven't been able to sleep well for about 10 days (when my first interview was scheduled). My emotions change every hour, I'm nervous, excited, then nervous again, then excited: "I must have the job. What if I don't get it. What if they can't get a hold of my references. What if I'm mis-interpreting things." I just want 8 good hours of sleep.

Tomorrow I'm subbing at the school where I had my last interview. I kind of assume I'll hear something...then again maybe not. Can't take this much longer.

Thank You Google

2007-06-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

I just had to do a little research this A.M. I don't know about you, my blog buddies, but I've never heard the phrase "shoot the lights out," although I assumed it was a GOOD thing :)

I'm guessing the Principal is a golf or basketball fan:

Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 19:27:58 EDT
Reply-To: American Dialect Society <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: American Dialect Society Mailing List <[log in to unmask]>
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: "Shoot the lights out" (1968, golf?)
Comments: To: [log in to unmask]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
SHOOT THE LIGHTS OUT--26,600 Google hits
...
I like Rutgers' Quincy Douby for the NBA draft. It's said that he can "shoot
the lights out." We did "lights out" before, but not "shoot the lights out."
...
I thought this might come from basketball, but the early citations appear to
come from golf.
...
...
...
(GOOGLE NEWS)
...
_Offseason Primer: Cleveland Cavaliers_
(http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_17729.shtml)
Hoops World (subscription) - Jun 1
... The New York City product is an athlete with amazing range that can
shoot the lights out. Douby led the Big East in scoring as a junior with 24 PPG.
...
...
...
...
31 March 1968, Panama City (FL) News-herald, pg. 24?
"I don't understand the scores they are shooting," said Miller Barber after
carding a 67 for a 205 total. "My game is as good as it can be and I'm not
leading the tournament. This course is not that easy, yet everybody is shooting
the lights out."
...
...
15 May 1969, Odessa (TX) American and other newspapers:
"I'm playing pretty well now. It's a funny thing, though. Sometimes you
think you're not playing well, and you shoot the lights out. You just never can
tell."
(Jack Nicklaus. AP story--ed.)
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org/

This Just In...

2007-06-08T20:29:00.001-07:00

I've been on pins and needles all day. I was told I'd hear something next week, be then I received that phone call from the Principal...so I thought maybe I'd hear something today. I sent a "Thank You For The Interview" email this morning...and waited...and waited...and waited. Remember, they still had 4 more people to interview after my phone call, and what if another candidate out-shined me?

At 7pm tonight I received the following email in response to my thank you:

M, you shot the lights out in your interview! It was our pleasure. I’ll get back to you early next week, because I got buried today (220 e-mails) and didn’t get a chance to do anything about the opening.

Principal X

The Anxiety!!!!

2007-06-07T20:01:00.001-07:00

So, my second interview is behind me. Once again I felt really good about it. They interviewed 7 people today for one or maybe two positions. Interesting incident: About an hour after the interview, I was in a classroom waiting for students (they kept me in the building as a sub). I received a call: "Hi, this is Ms. X (Principal), if Jane ( Principal from the other middle school where I interviewed) calls you today and offers you a job, don't make a decision today, O.K.?"

Me, stunned :""O.K. Thanks." Crazy! Obviously that is a really, REALLY good thing. However they still interviewed 4 more people after that phone call.

Now I wait.....

Interview

2007-06-04T16:39:00.001-07:00

I'll quickly say that the interview went very well. I wouldn't change much about my answers. However, there is no telling how the other candidates did -so who knows if I'll get the job. All I know is- I made it through without a panic attack feeling good about it, so I'M HAPPY!! Should make Thursdays interview even better.

Crazy Stuff

2007-05-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

As for the Pool

Declan and two of his friends said that yesterday was "the best day of their lives!" They had sooo much fun! We squeezed 6 kids in that pool, then I went and bought a bigger version. You can see Declan trying it out last night.

As for the Panic

My hustling paid off! I have TWO interviews next week at both middle schools in my district - wowsa. Let me say ----I'm ecstatic. I met many a sub this year that said they couldn't even land one interview after subbing all year. I am most thankful for some wonderful teachers who have stepped forward on my behalf to talk with administration about me. It would be amazing if I landed a job in this district as it is one of the best in the state. It has fantastic community support. Now, I just need to work my butt off this weekend getting prepared. The interview process is fairly long and complex as far as interviews go: a "panel" interview, timed written assignment, and fianlly -you actually teach a lesson to the interview panel!

I'm also hustling to put together application packets for another local district that just listed about 10 new middle school jobs. It seems like it takes hours to put together applications for each district. Oh how I miss the days of simply submitting a resume.

Pools and Panic

2007-05-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Pool

The boys had sooo much fun. 88 degrees today. Summer has really arrived. I guess I need to move the pool into more direct sunlight though :)

"The Twins" after their swim. They were just delighted to find matching outfits in Declans closet.

The Panic

Came today when I received and email informing me that my application never made it into the official "pool" of applicants. My Mentor Teacher from last year contacted her Principal on my behalf only to be told I wasn't on the "list" (list, pool...whatever) After emails, scrambling and phone calls to the main office I was eventually put onto the official list. They're setting up interviews, so I guess I'll hear in a day or two. My MT said the Principal wants to talk with her about me tomorrow. Lets hope that goes well! I am a little perplexed because I did personally give the Principal a letter of interest and resume a couple of weeks ago...then again I'm sure she is swamped. Also I applied for four different jobs at the other middle school in the district and I know they scheduled interviews last week...wondering if this is why I didn't get a call???

Goyaałé

2007-05-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have had a few students like this :)

2007-05-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

These are the days...

2007-05-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

When I am so thankful to be a parent. Declan returned from his camping trip and we just had the best day ever. We hung out and didn't leave the house. He built me some very cool bionicles. Here we were playing with numbers. I bought these poker chips to use with addition and subtraction. He really likes math and will play anytime. He can also spell words; we used chalk on the sidewalk. He has been doing simple math and writing words for a year now, but I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER been able to get him to attempt to sound out a word. He just won't do it. I don't get it. He claims he can read though :)

Hope everyone else is enjoying their weekend. BTW, he came home today with a Shrek 3 toy from McD's and he loves it. Guess he just doesn't like ninja turtles!

His buddy Solomon arrived at about 7:30 tonight for a sleep-over so lots more fun to come.

Selective or Spoiled

2007-05-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

So, I'm wondering about Declan. For the first time, he has "rejected" toys. I mean has ZERO interest, won't even open them. A month ago we went to McD's and they had TMT toys, he did not even open them. He said he didn't like them. He didn't complain or ask for a new toy. I just noticed the bag was unopened and asked about it. That happened twice with those Ninja toys, I thought it was strange but then he has never heard of TMNT or TMT (I guess you shouldn't use abbreviations if you're uncertain about the correct ones) So much for saving time.

I am talking about Teenage Mutant.... you get it right?

Anyway, yesterday we were at the dentist office and they offered him some toy and he said "no thanks" The guy goes back and gets a big package of 5 power ranger "type" action figures. Declan again says "no thanks". They give them to me and say, he's so shy I'm sure he'll want them later. I've asked twice and nope he isn't interested. I still have them unopened in the package.

I do buy him toys on a fairly regular basis, but they're not extravagant. Case in point: He returned from Seattle to a new set of about 100 Pokemon cards. His response? "Oh Wow! They're awesome. Thanks! Did you get them at Goodwill?"

And yes, I did get them at Goodwill, along with about 8oo other cards which I now have to get rid of (Magic and Yu-gi-oh cards mostly) I bought a shoe box full for 4.00. For those who don't know, one pack of cards - NINE CARDS- sells for 2.99. It was a great deal. AND I have someone who wants to buy the Yu-gi-oh cards for 20.00. BTW can I send them back with you Marla on Sunday? She lives in your town :)

That's it for my latest entry. Selective or Spoiled? Maybe selectively spoiled?

Have a "friend" coming over that I haven't seen in about a year. One of my X's. Last time he was very flirtatious and such, I really hope I don't have to endure that again. It is very awkward when you're watching a movie and a guy just slides over and puts his arm around you...unless you're expecting / desiring it :0

What's that about!

2007-05-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up in the middle of a crazy and depressing dream:

I was on a ship that was sailing into a hurricane. For some reason we could not turn back. I was frantically trying to sew my son's life jacket back together because it was coming apart. I felt absolutely frantic.

Then I woke up; what a crappy way to start your day.

Declan is currently camping with his grandparents, so I couldn't even make myself feel better by giving him a big hug :(

And how is your Friday going?