A Bit of This and a Touch of That

Fall break is already over, and it went by so quickly.  It really didn't feel like any other normal weekend, really.  I definitely don't feel rested and recharged, being that I kept myself so busy.  Thursday I cleaned all day, Friday I shopped all day, Saturday I watched debate all day, and yesterday I worked on homework, laundry, and went grocery shopping.  There was hardly any time to relax.

The one thing I did get almost accomplished over break was trying out a new crochet project.  I am currently making a sweater dress, and I just have to finish up the sleeves and I'll be all done with it.  Usually, when I try out something new, I have to take it apart and start over a couple of times because it doesn't turn out right the first time.  This project, however, I nailed from the get-go and I can't believe how easy and cute the dress has turned out.  It's a sweater that's the length of a dress, has a dress like body, but buttons up in the front.  I'm so excited to be finished with it, and I better get a move on because it needs to be finished by Wednesday.  That's when the baby shower is, and I want to give it to the Momma on that day.

Speaking of, I have quite a few things going on this week.  It's Drug Free week at school, which means lots of dressing up and spirit days.  Wednesday I'll be gone from school all day for a grade level meeting, Thursday we have our Terrific Tiger assembly, and Friday is Halloween.  That's a lot of stuff cutting in to class time that I have to work around.  Thankfully, I don't have a college class to worry about for the next eight weeks thanks to my class now being an online, but that doesn't mean I'll be any less busy with homework.

In fact, my homework is due tonight.  I managed to get one of my assignments finished yesterday, but after spending over 3 hours working on that, I didn't manage to get to the other assignment.  I'm hoping that I can knock it out after school, while I'm waiting for Butter to go to wrestling practice.  

I was very stupid in thinking that my online class would be easier or less time consuming.  It most definitely won't be.  As I flipped through the syllabus again yesterday, I noticed the part that gave the homework time expectations.  Basically that's a break down of how much time we should be spending on homework each week.  For the majority of the weeks, it states we should be spending 6-10 hours a week on homework, and a couple of weeks it's more like 12-14 hours.  Thats's a lot of hours for a 3 credit hour class.  It's not necessarily hard work, but all of the assignments are very time consuming.  They require watching several videos and reading several articles and then writing up summaries, opinions, and assessments of the material we've covered.  If you read my blog on Friday, you'll understand that 6-10 hours a week is a lot to fit in, with the type of schedule I'm already keeping.

I have to also really buckle down on my field experience hours.  I have a deadline coming up in December, and it's amazing how quickly that deadline will come.  We're only a week away from November and with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming very quickly, the amount of time I have to get in my internship hours is quickly dwindling away.  

I won't lie, I'm feeling a little stressed by the whole school thing.  Not unbearably stressed, more like extremely pressured.  I knew that getting my Master's degree wouldn't be a walk in the park, but I severely underestimated how much time I would have to put in.  And I'm only just getting started.  I still have 16 months to get through, and I can only see the expectations getting more demanding with every class that is completed.  If I wasn't working full time, then it really wouldn't be all that hard.  But, I am, and it's a job that is already very time consuming.  Throwing in the extra work comes with a nice level of stress, but I know that I'll get through it.

One thing I'm trying very carefully to watch is how the stress relates to my eating patterns.  Usually, when the pressure starts to rise, so does the amount of food I consume.  With the success I'm having with my weight loss, I'm being very cautious about not letting the stress get to me enough to cause me to start mindlessly eating.  Over the break I wasn't exactly perfect in that area, and I'm really hoping it doesn't come back and bite me in the rear come weigh-in day.  On Friday, I took the kids out to eat lunch while we were shopping, and on Saturday, Peanut and I ate lunch out due to being at the debate contest.  Yesterday, we picked up a quick dinner to cook because we were out so long grocery shopping.  It wasn't fast food, but it wasn't exactly the most healthy option, either.  I just hope that being back at school this week will calm me down, and limit my food intake.  I can go back to eating my regular three meals a day, and avoiding the temptation to eat from stress.  The scale hasn't risen since my last weigh-in, but it hasn't gone down all that much either.  I'm just praying that it goes down over the next three days.

On the plus side, though, on Saturday I put on a pair of pants that I haven't worn since last year and are two sizes smaller than what I've been wearing.  They fit.  Quite nicely, too.  That was a nice little reminder to keep doing what I'm doing, and that my hard work is paying off.

It's hard to think that we're only a week away from November.  We're moving in to my favorite time of the year, and I am excited about what's in store for the next couple of months.  I can't believe I need to start thinking about Christmas shopping.  Not right now, though.  Right now, I need to think about getting off here and getting ready for work.  

It's going to be a busy, but fun week.  I'm ready to get it started.  

Have a great Monday, everyone!!

Just Another Rainy Monday

It's going to be a very long day for me, today.  I have been awake since 3:30AM, and didn't go to bed until almost 11PM.  I have no idea why I woke up, or why I couldn't go back to sleep.. but after laying in bed for an hour listening to the rain, I decided it was time to get up.

It's another wet, rainy day.  The temperature isn't cold, but it's cool.  I'm sitting on the patio, listening to the rain coming down, and realizing that there's a few holes in the roof that I need to get fixed.  I'm noticing a few drips of rain coming through on to the patio.  They're no big deal, but something I should add to the to-do list to eventually fix. 

Yesterday was a good day.  I got a lot of work done, and I even cooked dinner.  A rare treat, that's for sure.  Hubby wanted me to make shepherd's pie, and I did.  It was good.  I don't cook very often at all, but it's nice to be in the kitchen every now and then.  It got me thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas.  

Thanksgiving is the holiday I always cook.  Hubby takes care of the turkey, but I prepare all the "fixings".  It's crazy to think that there's only a little over a month until it'll be time to cook up my Thanksgiving favorites.  Roasted potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, veggies, and pies are always on the menu to go along with the turkey, and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  

I've also been thinking a lot about Christmas.  It'll be the very first Christmas since Hubby and I have been together that we stay home for Christmas.  In fact, there's only been one other time in my entire life that I didn't have Christmas with my parents.  That's when I lived in Texas, some 12 years ago.  

The tradition has always been Christmas Eve at P-Momma's, Christmas morning at our house, and Christmas Day at my parents.  This year will be different.  Once the presents are all opened, there'll be no running around trying to get ready or getting stuff packed for the night away.  Instead, the kids will open their gifts, I'll start thinking about cooking Christmas dinner, and we'll spend the day at home.  Together.  Just Hubby, the kids, and myself.  

I've started thinking about some new traditions that I want to start this year.  The first thing being Christmas baking.  I always bake at Christmas, but we never really get to enjoy the fruits of my labor because we always rush off and leave the baked goods behind.  This year, I want to make fudge, cookies, and pies for Christmas Day.  I want it to be something the kids and I do together.  Then, while dinner is cooking, I want us all to try out all the new toys and games and spend the day just having fun and enjoying each other's company.  We can play with the new toys, play video games, eat a big Christmas dinner, and then all settle in for a relaxing Christmas movie while I probably take a nap.  

My mind sure does wander when it's raining, huh?

Yesterday afternoon, I sat down to work on some school work.  It's hard to believe that this Wednesday will be the last class for this particular class.  My first Master's Degree class will be over by the end of this week.  I have a individual presentation I have to give Wednesday night and write up two article reviews.  I spent some time, yesterday, doing my research for my project and finding the articles I will review.  I got a good start on the paper I need for my project, and I just have to finish writing it and making a short PowerPoint to go with it.  I'm hoping to get that all knocked out today and tomorrow.  I always feel better once I have a topic picked out, so the rest is just writing.  I don't have much problem with that.  

Last night, I decided to start over on the baby blanket I'm making for the third time.  I decided the one I'd been making was too big, and I needed something a little more "baby sized".  I started fiddling around with some new pattern ideas, and I think I've finally found the one I like.  I got a good start on it, last night, and I'm hoping that I'll have it finished by the end of next weekend.  That'll give me time to make the baby hat and mittens that I plan on making to go with the blanket before the baby shower.  Even though they're not specifically what my teacher friend ordered, I think they'll be a good shower gift and then I can focus on making the items she wants before the baby gets here in December.  

This week, I've decided to do my career focus on teaching.  I have a few kids that showed interest in wanting to be a teacher, and I figure with this week and the short week next week, teaching would be a good career to focus on.  It also gives me some more time to prepare some longer range plans for other careers.  Tomorrow our class has a field trip, and next week we're only at school for three days, so teaching is a good career to work with.  I don't have to dress up, yet I can still make the week fun for the kiddos. 

I figure the best way to incorporate teaching as the career focus is by having the kids do some of the teaching, have them do some grading, have them write up some plans, and let them get a feel for what goes on behind the scenes of a teacher.  Being that we're starting our division unit this week, I figure a great way to throw them in to that is by giving them some grade averages to calculate.  I mean, OK teachers don't really have to do the math anymore, but it's good for the kids to know what grade averaging entails.  It'll also help them understand how their own grade point average is figured.  

I plan on focusing them on a project that has them picking something they'd like to teach to the rest of the class.  It doesn't really have to be "school focused", but they'll pick something that interests them, do a little research on it, and then teach the rest of the class how to do it or what it's all about.  So, for example, they might want to teach on how to do a card trick, how to draw a picture, or teach the class about Pokemon.  They'll have to write up a lesson plan, listing the objective, materials, and activity the class will be doing and then implement the plan with the class.  

All in all, I think it'll be a fun week, and my hope is that they see how much goes in to teaching.  That it's not just standing in front of the class and teaching from a book.  That there's a lot of planning, self-monitoring, and adjustment involved.  Of course, I also want them to see how much fun teaching can be, and how much of an impact teachers have on students.  

My grade level members have made a lot of comments, lately, about departmentalizing.  Apparently, it was what they did before I came along, and they're big fans of it.  It's actually what my individual project and presentation is about.  While I definitely see some pros to the whole departmentalization thing, I'm not a fan and it actually scares me to think that it might happen to our grade level.  The main reason?  Because I won't get to do fun projects like I'm doing right now with my class.  I won't build the bond I have with my kiddos.  I won't get to integrate learning across subjects.  And I won't be able to see the individual growth that each of my students are making in their social and motivational aspects.  

I've read so much about how departmentalization can increase student performance because each teacher becomes a "pro" in their specific subject.  And I've read how important departmentalization is for preparing students for junior high and high school.  Well, that's great.  But, I also know that I have 16 kids this year that are increasing their performance, are enjoying the learning process, and are bonding with me.  They'll get their preparation for high school in junior high.  If they need more preparation, then 5th and 6th grade can think about it.  I don't have to be a pro in a specific subject area in order to do that.  The kids are learning math, they're reading, they're learning science, and I've seen an amazing amount of growth in the two short months we've been in school.  It shouldn't be about test scores, it should be about what's best for the kids.  And, my personal opinion is that kids in 4th grade and lower need stability that's provided from their teacher.  They need the bond that's created in order for them to love school, build excitement about what's going to come in the later grades, and adapt accordingly.  If we start making elementary school feel like junior high and high school, then what will they have to look forward to?  It'll be the same ol' hum drum for their entire school lives.  I know that many of my kids look forward to the time they'll get to switch classes, but it's not right now.  Right now, they seem perfectly content with staying with me all day, learning with me, and being apart of our classroom family.

I don't know.  It's been playing on my mind a lot, and I just had to get that out there.

Which, I realized I've got a lot out there today...and I probably need to wrap it up.  I mean, is anyone even reading this anymore?  It's a long one, today, that's for sure.

OK, have a great Monday, everyone!

Random Thoughts

Yesterday afternoon, I received some really tough news .  Nothing I'm willing to share, but it hit me hard and unexpectedly.  At first, I went in to a form of shock.  Then, my mind started wandering off, and ever since hearing the news I've been trying to process.

The news isn't about me, but someone I care very much for.  And it's one of those situations where you never in a million years thought you'd hear those words come from their mouth.  

I was relieved that our class got cancelled last night, because I needed to come home.  I know I wouldn't have been worth much sitting in class, because I had too much on my mind.  It was a quiet drive home followed by a quiet evening of thought and reflection.  

As I tried hard to process everything in my mind, I started having random thoughts.  About life in general, what life has given me, and how much I take for granted.  I started to think about how much I've complained, how many times I've just stopped and been thankful for for my life, and how I show the people I care about in my life how thankful I am for them.

Think about it....

How many of you wake up every morning and are thankful that you're awake?  Are you one of those people that wake up and groan about the day you're about to have, or do you wake up full of excitement about the new adventures of the day?

Thankfully, I'm one of those people that wake up each morning excited about my day.  It definitely hasn't always been that way, and there are still the occasional few days where I wake up and just want to stay in bed... but for the most part, I'm thankful when I wake up each day.  It means I get another chance at making the most out of what I need to do.

Yet, I think about how many times just this week I've complained about how much I've got going on.  Football games, family nights, meetings, class, etc.  OK, the class was cancelled, but still.  Rather than complaining, I should be thankful I'm doing those things.  I get to support my son being apart of a sport he absolutely loves.  During that time, I get to snuggle with my daughters in the bleachers, laugh with them, and enjoy time with them.  During the family nights and meetings I get to visit with people I don't get to see very often, share what's been going on with me and hear about the exciting things those people are up to.  During class I get to discuss topics that interest me, learn more, and prepare for a career path I may be walking down one day.  

Rather than worrying about how much sleep I'm missing out on or how tired it will make me, I should be thankful that I've got the time to do those things.  I should be thankful I'm making memories, and sharing that time with people I care about and love.  

I know that life can't always be full of rainbows and sunshine.  Sometimes life is tough.  But, if I think back to how many times I've complained about stuff that is really rather silly, I am kind of ashamed of myself.  

My life has a purpose.  It's a path to the unknown.  I have the freedom to make the decisions on how I want to walk that path, but sometimes there are bumps and cracks that appear.  I have several choices when those situations arise.  I can sit and tell the bumps and cracks how sick I am of having to deal with the them, I can complain about how inconvenient they are, I can turn around and give up and not even bother with the them, or I could figure out the best way to get over the them and then relish in the success of accomplishing that small inconvenience.  

Because, when you really think about, the majority of stuff that we complain about are very small bumps and cracks.  Especially when you compare those minor bumps and cracks to the gaping holes that some people are able to jump over.  

Do you want to know what I'm most thankful for this morning?

The fact that I decided to make some drastic changes a couple of weeks ago to all of that complaining and whining about the small bumps and cracks.  For the past couple of weeks I've been cruising along hopping, skipping, and jumping over those little cracks and bumps.  I've been waking up each morning excited about the day ahead of me, regardless of how tired I may feel.  

I have no problem admitting that up until a couple of weeks ago, I was a Negative Nelly.  I always had something to complain about, an opinion to give, or a snide remark to make.  That's not a shocking revelation.  I'm pretty sure anybody that spends any amount of time with me knew that.  I know that some people still see me coming and probably think "Oh no, what's she gonna complain about this time?"  I know that there are people that try and avoid me like the plague, because they don't want to hear about it, or just expect me to complain about anything and everything I can.  

But, I'm not that person anymore.

I'm really not.

I wasn't always that way, and I've finally realized that's not the person that I want to be.  I'm a go-getter, an adventure seeker, a challenge overcomer.  I bask in the opportunities to be creative, solving problems, and overcoming obstacles.  If I'm dealt a weak hand, I either bluff my way through to a win, or a shuffle the deck for some new cards.  I'm not someone that folds or gives up.  

For that, I'm grateful.  

I may have complained a bit too much these past couple of years, but I can honestly say that behind all of the complaining was someone who just decided complaining got me nowhere, and that if I wanted things to be different I just had to make them that way.  

One thing I've been trying to get through to my students is the fact that I want them to be one of those people that wake up every morning excited about what the day has in store for them.  Nobody deserves a life where they wake up and dread the day.  Sometimes you have to take risks, sometimes you have to work against the grain, sometimes you have to let people down or upset them, but the goal should always be the same:  Make the most of what you have, and if you're not happy, then do something about it.

I know that not everyone wakes up every morning excited about going to the job they have.  I'm lucky in that aspect.  But you wouldn't have thought so a few weeks ago.  Negativity was consuming me and making me a person I didn't like.  That can't happen.  The minute I don't like who I am, something major has to change.  So, I did something about it.  The complaining and negativity got me nowhere... except an unhappy place that I never want to be.  

I guess what this very long post is trying to say is: Be thankful.  Every morning when you wake up, you've got another opportunity to make the most out of life.  Don't dwell on the small, insignificant, or unchangeable.  Take life by the horns.  Take some risks.  Accept your mistakes.  Tackle the mistakes so that you don't make them again.  If you don't like something, do something about it.  Complaining gets you nowhere.

And always...always be thankful each and every morning that you have another chance at life.  

  

Crazy, Busy Week

I can't believe it's already Wednesday.  It feels like I was just sitting here and it was Sunday morning.  It seems so crazy that we're half way through this week already, and that's probably because this week has been non-stop.  

Monday night I drove to Lamar, Missouri for a football game.  Unfortunately, Butter couldn't play because he suffered a concussion at practice on Friday which put him out of commission for a week.  He still has to be at the game, though, standing on the sidelines with his team.  It was a great game though, and I'm glad I got to see it.  His team pulled a great 44-30 win over the Lamar Tigers.  Being that Lamar is almost two hours away from where we live, we didn't get home until 11:30 that night.  Talk about exhausted.  It's why I didn't write a blog yesterday.  I needed a little more than four hours of sleep, so I stayed in bed for an extra hour.

Yesterday evening it was our Family Night at school.  It's my favorite Family Night of the year, because we have fire pits, ghost stories, hot dogs, and s'mores.  The kids absolutely love it, and we always have a great turn out.  I heard we had over 500 families in attendance last night, which is fantastic.  For the first time, we joined forces with the primary school.  They provided some craft activities for the kids to do, and I know that my three kids had a fun time.  I did what I always do at Family Nights and worked with the rest of the 4th grade team in the food area.  We got all the plates loaded with the fixings everyone needed for their hotdogs and s'mores.  But, as much fun as it was, we still didn't get home until after 8:30.  I was ready for bed the minute I walked in the front door.

This evening, we have a staff meeting and then I have class.  So, another late night.  Due to all of the craziness that has ensued since my last class, I have still yet to do my homework.  Not a great example to set for myself, but it's hard to get stuff done when I'm gone every night here, there, and everywhere.  As much as I don't like homework, I know it's something that has to be done.  It's also a great way for me to empathize with my students.  I try and give them time during the day to work on homework, which is something I don't always have the luxury of having.  Most weeks, I work on my homework while I'm waiting for Butter to finish football practice.  Haven't had a chance to do that this week.  But, like I tell my kids all the time:  Excuses are like underwear, everyone has them and they all stink.  I'll get the homework done.  

Tomorrow morning, I have my weigh-in for the weight loss contest.  I have not had a good week this week.  I haven't splurged or gone crazy, but I've had a really hard time getting the scale to do down.  I even saw a gain this morning, which has really upset me.  It's always disheartening to see a gain after trying to be mindful of what I eat.  But, I'm not completely innocent.  I haven't drank as much water this week, and I did graze a little during family night last night.  I didn't go crazy, but I probably could have done without the hotdog and graham crackers that I ate.  

Today, I'm going to try and "cleanse" in preparation for tomorrow.  Plenty of water and veggies for me today.  I'm going to avoid carbs and anything heavy for today, and hope that it helps a little bit with the weigh-in tomorrow morning.  And this upcoming week, I'm going to just have to work a lot harder to make sure I have a big loss next week.  I may have to pay a dollar tomorrow, but I hope that by next week I'll be seeing a good loss on the scale.  

Tomorrow evening, it will be another late night as we have to drive to Mt. Vernon, Missouri for another football game.  Once again, Butter will be standing on the sidelines.  It figures that the week that we have to drive over an hour away to watch the game, he can't play.  But, that's the life of a football mom.. you do what ya gotta do. But, it'll be yet another night of not being home until after 11PM.

Friday, I'm not sure what's happening yet.  Peanut may be going to a debate contest.  If that's the case she'll be gone doing that, and I'll be able to come home at a reasonable time and sit on my couch for the first time in a week.  If not, we'll be going to the last high school home game of the season and not getting home until late, once again.

I was supposed to work the Arkansas vs. Alabama football game on Saturday, but because everything has been so crazy busy this past week I dropped out from going.  I have a big project due for school next Wednesday, and I just can't afford to spend the entire Saturday working a football game.  I hate letting people down, but I have to prioritize.  I've worked two games, which is the requirement for parents, so it's not like I haven't pulled my weight.  I'll be working a couple of games in November, too, so I feel like skipping this game isn't going to hurt.  I didn't sign up for the other game that's happening this month, so that now means I have an entire month without having to give up an entire Saturday to work a football game.  I'm kinda excited by that.  

This weekend, I'm sure I'll be so exhausted from this week I'll just enjoy some down time.  In between working on my project and my regular weekend "teacher duties", I plan on going out for a nice walk/jog this weekend, and start the exercise promise.  Something I was supposed to do this week, but well...you know.  

Despite all this crazy, busy stuff, I'm still having a FANTASTIC time in my classroom.  The kids are enjoying themselves, and this week we've started learning a little about vets.  I made the kids name tags that looks like something a vet would actually wear, they have been bringing stuffed animals to school, and we've been discussing some of the stuff vets have to do in order to prepare for working with animals.  

Yesterday, I made up an invoice sheet with some basic supplies that a vet's office may order.  The kids had to multiply how many units of each item was being purchased, how much each item would be, and the total cost of the order.  I threw in adding tax and shipping, and then threw in some subtraction in the form of an account credit.  The kids all found it very challenging, but they were dedicated in getting it completed.  Today, they are going to handle some billing situations.  I'll make up some scenarios where animals receive different services, and they will have to figure out how much the patients have to be charged for the services.  Real world application at it's finest, right there!

Being that October is Disability Awareness Month, we are going to learn about service animals today.  They are going to hear how guide dogs are trained, and the services they provide to blind people.  They will also get to see how certain animals are used as therapy animals for people with other disabilities.  I think it'll be a great connection to what we're learning about.

OK, I guess that's it for me today.  I need to go and get ready for another busy, fun day.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Trying to Get Back to Normal

                                        

My first day back to work, yesterday was good.  Unfortunately, the building got struck by lightning during the night, so we were without internet, intercom, and I was without computers for most of the day.  It made me realize how much technology I rely on to run my classroom.  I use my SmartBoard pretty much all day, so it was hard to teach without having that visual up on the board to use with the kiddos.

But, I got through it, and it was a good day of learning.  

The rainy weather we had all day made me kinda sleepy and daydreamy pretty much all day.  Even though I'd gotten a good night sleep the night before, I was still felt pretty tired from the long trip home.  Which is why I probably fell asleep around 8PM last night.  It's amazing how exhausting a trip like that can be, and it wasn't physical exhaustion... I'm pretty sure of that.

You guys like my photo from today?  Saw that last night, and just had to have it.  Not really sure how I can connect it to my blog post, but it's a good message nonetheless.  It also just happens to be my most favorite song in the whole wide world.  Metallica is awesome... love them.  And I guess I can relate it to how I've been feeling these past 24 hours.  No matter how far away we are from the people we care about, they are always in our hearts, and nothing else matters.

So true.

I waited a little late this morning to start writing my blog, because I was scrolling through old Facebook messages and stuff.  It's amazing how sucked in I can get to stuff like that.  I think I'll spend a few minutes on Facebook, and then 45 minutes has flown by before I even realize it.  But, it's OK, I still have about five more minutes to get some stuff down.

I don't have class tonight.  So, I don't have to stay at school until 9:30PM.  That's actually pretty good for me, because I didn't finish my homework.  My intent was to get all my homework finished on the weekends, but I was kinda preoccupied this past weekend so that never happened.  This weekend, though, I'll make sure I get all caught up and ready for next week.  

This Saturday will be another busy day.  I get to work at the University of Arkansas home game (Go Razorbacks!!).  It's a fundraiser for Peanut's show choir.  Tomorrow night, we have another booster meeting and I need to remember to make sure that I'm not supposed to be working a game on the weekend we are going back to Tennessee.  

My kiddos at school were all fascinated that I got to go so far away in such a short amount of time.  Many of them have taken trips to Mexico, but those trips usually take a few days.  For them to hear that I went to a different state in a matter of a couple of days is mind blowing to them.  

Well, I guess I should probably wrap it up for today.  Not much to talk about, really.  My mind is still full, my heart is still hurting, and my thoughts are in a different place.  Usually, that makes for perfect writing mode... but I need to get all this situated and put myself back in to the real world.  Stat.  Can't walk around in a bubble forever.  I have kids depending on me to be in the classroom with them, not wandering off in to La La Land.

OK, everyone have a great Wednesday.  

Bring on the Weekend!!

                                    

TGI Friday!!  I'm so ready for the weekend.  Which, is kinda silly being that I'm not working right now and pretty much every day is like a weekend.  But, not everyone I know gets the privilege of having a few weeks off during the summer, so I get to make the most of seeing those people on the weekends.

It's another beautiful morning here in my neck of the woods.  Hasn't gotten hot and muggy, yet, and it's cloudy.  A perfect morning for enjoying some peace and quiet on the patio, with my coffee in hand. I've been up since 6AM and everyone else in the house is still sleeping.  

Don't ask me why I've been up since 6AM... but it's worth it.

I have quite the weekend planned, and it's going to keep me on my toes and away from brooding around the house.  Which is good, because I don't need to spend another minute cooped up indoors. I did manage to get out for a while, yesterday, but it wasn't long enough.

Tonight, it's Girls' Night Out with Sanity.  We're going to tear up the town...well, we're going to go out and have some dinner and find a place to hang out for the evening.  Our version of tearing up the town.  Maybe some karaoke, maybe some live music...whatever.  It's whatever and wherever our little hearts take us.

It's our last big hurrah before we have to go back to work.  She has to go back next week, and I go back the week after.  So, it's only fitting we have an end of the summer/ begin the new year bash.  I got to see her on Tuesday and I'm getting to see her again tonight.  That has to be some kind of record.  It's been a long time since I have had Sanity Time twice in one week.  Yet the crazy thing is, even though we just saw each other 3 days ago, there's still PLENTY to tell her and I'm sure there's plenty for her to tell me.

Then, tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to my beautiful niece's birthday party.  She's going to be 6, so Jada will have a lot of fun I'm sure, but it'll be good to get the other two out of the house for a while also.  And, I'm sure they can find plenty to do due to where the party is being held.  It's going to be so great to catch up with people I haven't seen in a long time.  She's actually my ex's niece, but I claim her.  She is too darned cute not to.  Plus, I consider her dad as kind of a brother to me.  

And I'm a firm believer in the fact that you can never have too much family.  Just like I wrote in my post the other day, I'm not about to use my child(ren) as pawns in a game against my ex.  His family is MORE than welcome to spend time with my kids...and it makes it that much sweeter that we can all get along.  

Sunday, I'm hoping to go and see P-Momma for a while.  I haven't seen her in a few weeks, so it's most definitely time.  We, also, have a lot to catch up on and I'm not sure how many more times I'm going to get to see her before school starts.  

So, as you can see, a busy-busy weekend.  I can't wait!!

Now, I should probably clean my house a little and do something productive before I head out tonight.

Have a great Friday, everyone!!

Summer Cabin Fever!!

                               

So, it's Thursday... I think... and I've been in the house since Monday.  And Monday, I only got out for an hour to take the kids to the dentist.  So, basically since Sunday, I've been at home.  Doing nothing.  And it's causing me to go a little...stir crazy.

Cabin fever is starting to set in.

It never takes long.  There's only a certain amount of time that I can sit, or putter around the house, clean, read, or even write before I start getting extremely antsy and cranky.  And, apparently today I've reached that point.

I got a call this morning from my school's admin assistant filling me in on upcoming dates.  She then asked if I'd be going back to work next week...as in going to work in my classroom.  I'm not required to, she was just wondering.  But, when she asked me, I became very torn.  Apart of me thought, "Really? It's already that time? Ugh!"  The other part thought, "Thank goodness!! I can finally get back in my classroom and start getting busy preparing for the start of the new year!!"

That's when it hit me that I've reached that time, when I can't stay in the house another moment.  I HAVE to find something to do...anything... to get me out and take my mind off of...well...nothing.  I need something to fill my mind, cause sitting around looking at my house is driving me nutso.

Today, the weather is beautiful.  It's not too hot, there's plenty of cloud cover, and there's very little humidity.  And yet, I'm sitting here tapping my thumbs trying to come up with something to do.  Normally, I'd take the kids to the mall or something... but then I spend money, and I don't really want to do that just yet.  Our big shopping extravaganza will happen soon enough.  It's not really warm enough (for me) to go to the water park.  I could have gotten up earlier and taken the kids to Silver Dollar City, but now it's too late for that.  

What to do? What to do?

I guess the good thing is I've got some stuff lined up for this weekend.  I have a birthday party I'm taking the kids to and I have a girls' night out planned with Sanity.  Both I am very much looking forward to.

The sad part is, I'll be waking up bright and early in just 2 short weeks and will think "Where did my summer go?"  

That's when I'll start thinking of all the stuff I wanted to do on my break, but somehow never got around to doing... even though I spent way too much time doing completely NOTHING.

I guess today, I'll at least take the kids out to shop for the birthday party this weekend.  They need to get the birthday girl a present, so we can do that.  I just have to keep them focused on shopping for someone else rather than themselves.  HA!  Just kidding... kind of.

Another part of me says I can sleep... I haven't done much of that, lately.  Got a whole 2 1/2 hours last night/ this morning.  I am pretty worn out, and yet I'm not.  

I don't know... I'm sure I'll figure something out.  Worse case scenario, I just remind myself that I just have to get through today and then we have stuff planned for the weekend.  That makes me feel better.  Then next week, I have doctor appointments and stuff I need to do, plus I get to go back and work in my classroom.

Oh well... have a great Thursday, everyone!!

That Crazy Thing Called Life

                               

I am no stranger to a crazy life.  Crazy busy. Crazy fun.  Crazy dramatic.  Crazy scary.  It's how I've pretty much spent my whole life.  I did crazy stupid things when I was young, that made crazy funny memories.  I switched in to crazy stressful mode that enhanced my crazy protective mode.  Then, life got crazy busy which results in crazy tired.  

It's something I've come to embrace, cherish... because honestly I think if life doesn't have a little crazy, it would be crazy boring!!

But, over the past couple of years, the word crazy has taken on a new meaning.  Younger me lived life on a roller-coaster.  Constant ups and plummeting downs...twists and turns...scary uphill battles and stomach churning excitement.  Now, I would probably compare my life more to a train ride.  A little bumpy now and then, but staying on a pretty straight track close to the ground.

There's nothing wrong with living life like that.  To be safe, stable, going around and around running the motions.  It's what most people crave, I assume.  Stability.  Safety.  Comfort.

It still offers the crazy.  The crazy busy, sometimes crazy stressful, and even has a few crazy adventures.  

And when I really think about it, I realize that the ultimate goal for my life was to get on board that train and let it run its course.  The easy life.  

But, there are still times when I miss the crazy wild days of my youth.  Carefree, getting in to all kinds of trouble, laughing until my sides screamed in agony.  It's so funny to think back to the days where all I ever wanted was to be an adult, and now I hear kids say the same thing and urge them to enjoy each day and cherish the moments of childhood.

Every bit of crazy that I've endured over the years has built the person that I am today.  The crazy good and the crazy bad.  I take pride in knowing the obstacles I've overcome, and the wild ride I've taken to get here.  

I often think that if someone asked me 15 years ago what I wanted for my life 15 years down the road... I'd probably tell them everything that I have right now.  Great family, great job, great house, stability, love, and comfort.  Not that I would have believed any of it to come true.

Fifteen years ago my world was completely turned upside down.  My carefree days were over and I was thrown over the cliff in to adulthood.  No easy transition, no baby steps... just hurled over hoping I'd at least land without too many broken bones.  

And look at me now.  I suffered a few injuries, but I've healed pretty dang nicely if I do say so myself. 

I'm left with a few scars...memories of what was.  I remember, every day, the impact those scars have had on me...what they still have on me.  They will never disappear.  I hold on to them with pride..dignity.  I fought hard and persevered.

I embraced the crazy.

Which is why I still think I embrace the crazy.  Cherish it.  Seek it out, sometimes.  Riding a train is great for every day life, but it's still fun to jump on a roller-coaster every now and then.

And it's a message I want to put out there:  Embrace the crazy.  Ride the rides.  Face your fears.  

Screw making lemonade out of lemons....sometimes it's better to seek out a whole new fruit.  

I am who I am because of the risks I took, the tough decisions, starting over and over and over again.  And, I don't believe that life can be as rewarding without that journey.  

I know I'm not making much sense today... but that's just my crazy coming out.  I have to let it out now and then, in my own way.  When one of my scars starts itching...reminding me of times past... I get lost in the thoughts.  And they eat at me.  Until I can release them in the form of a jumble of words and a point that I'm trying to make, but having a hard time explaining.

I think I need to stop here...  

Have a great day, everyone!!  

It's a Beautiful Morning!!

Wow...just wow.  That's all I can say.  Middle of July and I have all the doors and windows open in my house because it's so freakin beautiful outside.  Temps in the 70s.  The SEVENTIES...when does that happen in July?

I can and probably will spend my entire day sitting on the patio.  Soaking in this beautiful weather.  There's something about it that just makes me feel happy.  In fact, I'm not going to spend the day on the patio, I'm also going to get out and go for a long walk.  A really long walk.  Burn off some calories, listen to some music, clear my mind, and enjoy this day.  

We're supposed to have a couple of days like this.  Cool temps.  I'm sure the heat will return with vengeance soon enough, but for now I'm going to soak up this little break and enjoy every minute of it. Some people are complaining about it.  Of course they are..HA!  Summer is supposed to be about hot days and swimming to cool off.  I'm perfectly content with days like this so that I can enjoy being outside without having to jump in the pool or a cold shower to cool off.  

In fact, I think it's a great day to go to the park for a while.  All of us.  The kids can play while I walk.. it'll be good for all of us.  

I'm down another 2lbs this morning.  I don't like to weigh myself too often, but sometimes I can't help it.  I won't stand on the scale again until at least next Monday.  Now that I see the scale moving in the right direction, it gives me excitement to go a longer amount of time so that I can check again and see how much progress I've made.  So far, I've lost 7lbs since getting back from vacation.  That's a pretty decent loss for 6 days.  Again, I know it's mostly water weight and I'm not doing anything unhealthy in order to lose that much weight so quickly.  It will slow down, now, and I'll have to start working harder if I want to see the number continue to go down.

And I want that number to keep going down, so badly.  

Yesterday, I was challenged to a fun Facebook photo thing where I had to post 5 pictures of myself that make me feel beautiful.  Do you know how difficult that is for me?  I take selfies of myself quite often, and have no problem posting them on Facebook... but nobody knows how many times I took those photos over and over and over again because every time I look at a picture of myself, all I can think is UGH.  In the end, I post a picture I can live with, but it doesn't mean I think I'm beautiful in those pictures.  But, I managed to find some pictures I really did like of myself, and I posted them.  It made me realize that I want to be able to post pictures of myself and feel good about them.  Not take 1500 photos just to get a shot that doesn't make me look or feel fat.  

I will get there.  I know I will.  Once again.  

Well, I'm going to keep it short today.  I have an urge to write, so I'm going to work on my book some more.  It's a perfect day for it.  

Everyone enjoy this BEAUTIFUL day!!

I'm Writing a Book!

Sometime last week, before my vacation, I was laying in bed around midnight when I a strong urge swept through my brain.  The urge to get up and start writing.  Not a blog or a Facebook post or anything like that, but a book!  The story just started to come together in my head, and I just had to get my ideas down on paper.  

I've had writing urges before, and they usually come to me at night.  But, those urges are usually directed toward my blog. Something I want to get off my chest, or an idea that pops in to my brain for a topic of discussion. But this particular urge was different.  It was almost as if I didn't get up right at that second, the idea would get away from me and be gone forever.

I got up, jotted down a few notes, and went back to bed with no problems.  But, the next morning, the urge was back and it was time to get started.  In fact, I spent half a day writing out the first two chapters into a journaling app that I have on my iPad.  I was so excited to be writing, and the words and storyline were pouring out of me.  When I was finished with my first two chapters, I went back to reread what I had written, and found that half of what I wrote was missing.  Gone.  It hadn't saved like it was supposed to.  That was very disheartening and frustrating, but I decided to not give up and just find a more reliable app in which to do my writing.  One that I could save the writing and access it on my iPad or my laptop.  I finally found what I was looking for, and off I went again.

I'm sure all this writing business has stemmed from the fact that I've spent a lot of my time off reading. I'm a huge YA (Young Adult) literature fan, and in the few weeks I've been off I've already read two of the Divergent Series (almost done with the third), Evermore which is book one of the Immortal Series by Alyson Noel, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  I just can't get enough of them.  In fact, I'm making a trip to the library today to get the second book of The Immortal Series, and I even have a book waiting to be read on my Kindle reader that I borrowed.  So, it's no surprise that the book I'm writing is YA focused.  More mature YA, but not exactly an adult novel.  

I have finished the first three chapters, and I am pumped and excited to continue.  

I have always wanted to write a book.  In fact, I've started several times over.  I started a biography-type story a few years back, a murder mystery, and even dabbled with starting a weight loss motivation book.  Of course, the last one would have been pointless.  Although, maybe if I had kept writing the book, I would have kept the weight off that I lost.  

But, none of those ideas really gave me much desire.  I started without really knowing where I was going.  I was stupid enough to believe that if I just sat in front of my keyboard, the story would just come to me.  That's not how books get written, and I've realized why.  You just have to know where you're going... what the plot will be, what the beginning, middle and end will look like.  Sure, I write the story as it comes out, but I have a purpose and direction (now) when I'm writing.  I know how I want to the characters to interact, I know what the big problem and solution will be, and I know how I want the book to end.  All information that is VITAL to writing a book... or any story, really.  

I have spent the last couple of years engraining this very thing in to the minds of my students, to write with purpose.  It's OK to randomly write out thoughts and ideas in a journal format, but once it's time to get down to business, there has to be a plan of action.  

I have no idea how long it will take me to write a book.  I have no idea if it'll be any good.  I have no idea if I'll even consider trying to get it published.  I do know it's something I've always wanted to do, and I finally believe I have a storyline I'm happy with.  

And I have a few more weeks to really take advantage of my "down time" and put my heart in to getting as much done as I can.  Even if it's just a very rough draft, I want to at least get that out of the way. 

I've read that some authors can take YEARS to write a book.  I don't want to be that kind of writer.  I don't mind it taking years to be finished, but I'm not taking years to get my story down on paper (or iPad).  And, I'm not writing some kind of series thing.  There will be no vampires, no werewolves, no kids dying from cancer, no wizards, and no kids competing against each other in a fight to the death.  So, I guess ruling all of those things out means it might not be any good.  I mean, it has to have those things to be good, right?

Hopefully not.

My story is simple, yet powerful.  It's something that can happen at anytime.  It's stuff that kids can actually relate to, yet still get warm and fuzzy with the characters.  At least, that's how I picture it in my mind.  Realistic fiction without anyone having to cry through most of it.  

I love to write.  I was born to write.  Nobody else maybe interested in what I have to say, or think that my writing is any good... but it's in my veins.  It gives me strength, it helps me tackle the deepest of my emotions, and in the words of my 6 year old "It's my most favoritest thing to do in the whole wide world!"

So, that's what's going on with me.  That's how I plan on spending my time for the remainder of this summer.  On my patio, coffee cup next to me, iPad on lap... for as long as I can stand the humidity.  Then it's in to the pool for a cool-down session, and right back to it.  

Man, I love summer break!!

Random Tuesday

I'm sitting on my patio, coffee in hand, staring at my screen, wondering what on earth to write about.  Yep, it's one of THOSE days.  There's so much going on, yet nothing.  That make much sense?  Probably not.  But, there's stuff I will be writing about that's going on or in the preparations to be going on, yet it's not the right time to write about those things.

We're going to Silver Dollar City tomorrow.  Yet, I'll write about that on Thursday AFTER we've gone.  Friday is Independence Day, and we have some stuff planned, but I'll write about that AFTER that's happened.  We've got our trip to Branson coming up..again, something I'll write about AFTER it's happened.  Cause, it's really hard to write about stuff before I've got to do it.

Today?  Well, today I'm getting stuff ready to go to SDC and I'm going to pick up my niece who's going with us, but that's about it.  Just prep stuff.  Cleaning out the car, making sure the clothes needed are washed, packing up small bags of essentials, you know...the normal "day before a theme park visit" kind of activities.

I just took a break to go and put on some more laundry, and I was horrified to find another basket FULL of towels.  And why was I horrified, you ask?  Because not even three days ago, I washed a load of towels that were piled up in the laundry room.  My kids have this stupid weird habit of using a clean towel EACH and EVERY time they take a shower (which is every day).  Which is ridiculous!  When you get out of the shower, you're clean, right?   So, why on earth do you need a clean towel EVERY time.  Sure, after a couple of showers, I get a new towel.  But NOT EVERY STINKIN' DAY!!

And it's not just shower towels, but pool towels.  My kids haven't figured out that after they're done swimming, they can pop their swimming stuff in the dryer and dry it.  The swimming suits and towels won't magically dry themselves sitting on TOP of the dryer... it doesn't work that way!!  Then the swimming stuff gets that nasty musty smell, cause the stuff sits there for two days, and I'm back to rinsing and repeating washing ALL of the swimming stuff again.

Well NOT ANYMORE!!!!!

I just laid the law down in my house.

They may be on summer break, but this is NOT a hotel.  I'm not going to go running around after them picking up their wet towels, and washing their stuff every single day.  

This is my break, too, and I didn't sign up for a summer of playing housemaid to three kids that are old enough to pitch in and help.  

I will happily and gladly take them to SDC, Branson for a few days, water parks, firework shows, shopping, movies, etc. etc, but ONLY if they pitch in and help out a little around this house.  I don't know when they thought they arrived at the Kid Heaven Resort, but check-out time is NOW.  

And the sad thing is, they know better.  They know how much those trips cost.  They know how hard I work and how I tightly budget in order to do those things.  They know that I give up the first four weeks of my summer break to have money to do those things.  And, usually, they are really good about being grateful and pulling their weight to show their appreciation.  It just happens to be the fact that I've let them slide on stuff over the past few days, and when a parent starts letting the kids push out the boundaries... they'll keep seeing what they can get away with.

While I'm whining and complaining, I will say that Peanut cleaned their bathroom yesterday.  One chore that I will absolutely REFUSE to do.  And when I say cleaned, I mean that bathroom is so sparkling clean you could eat dinner off of it.  Butter cleaned his room to the same standards.  They do stuff around the house, don't get me wrong.  It's just little things that rub me the wrong way sometimes that I just have to remind them of in my best "horns will grow out of my head if you do this one more time" voice.  

When I picked this house to buy, I thought about the summers that we'll get to spend lounging by the pool, watching movies in our amazing living room, hanging out on the patio having a barbecue.  And, it's stuff I talked about ALL of the time while we were moving in.  So, I know that when summer comes around they are thinking about that stuff, and how much nicer and more fun their summers will be.  I just failed to reiterate how important it would be for EVERYONE to do their part on keeping the place clean in order for it to be comfortable.  

But, I know how they feel.  I don't like spending every day cleaning.  However, what I'm slowly trying to teach them is that if we all pitch in with some kind of simple task each day - that lasts maybe 15-20 minutes - the place will stay clean.  And for the most part, they are catching on.  It's just days like today when something like cleaning another whole load of towels just a couple of days after I washed all of the towels in the house sets me off on my "stop being so lazy" tirade.  They're not lazy.  They help out.  They just need a bit of direction every now and then.

And, it at least gave me something to write about today.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!!

Just My Daily Ramble

This morning, as I was driving the kids to summer school, the sun was shining and the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  Now, a mere hour later, the sky has been covered with dark clouds.  More rain is moving in.  Again.

It's been one pretty wet week 'round these parts.  My dream and desire to spend the week in the pool hasn't played out at all.  But, thank goodness for covered patios!!!

Since our ball season started, there have been A LOT of games cancelled due to rain.  I have a feeling Jelly's game tonight will be heading for the same fate, as well as all three kids' games tomorrow.

Oh well.  Can't really complain.  We need the rain.  It's helped make everything grow like CRAZY.  My little back yard is completely green...with weeds. But, I'm not flower racist.  I think weeds are/can be just as nice as some other flowers.  They are alive, which is more than I can say about anything else I've ever tried to grow.  My rose bush is looking pretty nice, and as long as the weeds don't start hurting my roses, they might as well stay.  

Yeah, yeah, so the real reason they are still there is because I can't tell the difference between weeds and actual flowers.  I planted seeds back in April, so I don't know if weeds are just taking over the garden, or if actual flowers are sprouting.  I guess I'll know eventually.  If they bloom flowers, they stay.  If they just continue to grow as green leaves, they may have to go. 

My poor front and back yards could also do with a good mow.  The grass is a couple of inches long, and I know it won't be long before I'm seeing a nice yellow ticket waiting for me on the front door "reminding" me that I need to keep my lawn looking nice in order to occupy my home...and not paying a hefty fine.  Gotta love city living!  HA!  I would do it myself, but my allergies are bad enough without making it worse by cutting grass.  I'm allergic to the stuff.  But, even being allergic, I don't like driving down my street and seeing all the freshly cut, neat lawns, and then driving to my yard that looks like someone has forgotten all about it.  It's getting to the point where it's so bad, I've got little mice committing suicide in my pool!!  It sure must be a jungle out there for them.  

Hubby really needs to get on it, once this round of rain has passed through again.  I can't bare the sight of animals that have decided to end it, because they just can't find their way back home.

I've decided that, being today is the last workday I'm off work for three weeks, I better get my caboose off the patio and take my car in for a service.  It's overdue.  Shocker, right?  I mean, who has time to take their car in every 3000 miles for an oil change?  Especially when they are only open during the week and until noon on Saturday.  I've tried going in on a Saturday... it doesn't work, because every other person that works normal business hours is trying to do the same thing I'm doing.  And ain't nobody got time to spend four hours at a car dealership waiting for an oil change.

While I've enjoyed spending so much time at home doing absolutely nothing, the thought of getting out of the house for a while (that doesn't involve taking kids or picking them up) is becoming very appealing.  I've even decided that I'm going to get out this weekend and go play some bingo.  That's another one of my activities that is well overdue.  It can rain all it wants to, that way, and it can't ruin my plans.  

Monday, I finally go back to work for three weeks to teach summer school.  The first couple of days will be spent teaching the Jr. High kids, and then I switch over to my regular assignment of teaching 4th and 5th graders.  And, I'll admit right now, that I'm a nervous wreck about having to teach Jr. High.  Last year, I had an absolute BLAST working with the older kids.  We had so much fun each and every day.  What's different about this year?  The kids are.  Big time.  I don't know what the deal is, but I spent one day with the older kids last week, and I was ready to get the heck out of dodge.  They were disrespectful, rude, and couldn't give a flying toot about what I was talking about.  They were much more interested in their electronics, each other, and themselves.  I am a firm believer in giving respect where respect is given, and I have a strong feeling I'll be fighting tooth and nail for any of that next week.  

It's sad, really.  The kids aren't "bad kids".  They are just a very self-centered bunch.  Already obsessed with boy and girlfriends, who's saying what on Facebook, what Snapchat has just been sent out, and what group is picking a fight with another group.  Their idea of summer break isn't sitting in a classroom listening to lessons on the Civil War or reading a novel or learning about robots or even playing Minecraft (if there's actual lessons involved).  That's why, last year, I went out of my way to make the activities I did as enjoyable as I could.  But, this year?  I just don't know how I'll compete with  the white headphones.  Even after demanding that they be removed, I then get to compete with eye rolls and huffs and puffs of agitation that I even suggest they pay more attention to me than who's "liking" their status of : "Thiz techr be so lame! Who carz bout war stuffs?  Redy for swimn on da riva with my n***as" on Facebook! Luckily, I only have to do it for two days before I can go back to my "comfort zone".

For the younger kids, I've been given PE in the morning and I'll be teaching Minecraft in the afternoon.  And, I honestly think I was given the easiest assignments available.  I plan on being nice and active with my kiddos all morning long, playing basketball or volleyball or kickball.  Then, when the temps have been turned up, I'll be spending the afternoons showing kids how they can create, build, and survive a virtual world that they design all by themselves.  

I actually, truly, 100% believe that if our government would spend a few afternoons a week watching 4th and 5th graders working together in developing their own nation, they'd learn so much.  Kids.. 9, 10, and 11 year olds, sometimes do a better job of feeding, protecting, and caring for their "citizens" than some of our government officials ever will.  

And, really, that message goes to anyone that feels that spending 30 minutes a day playing a "video game" has no real educational value.  What some parents and teachers try teaching their kiddos about good citizenship, collaboration, and values for YEARS can be accomplished in a few weeks of playing Minecraft.  Twenty plus kids start out working completely alone, but they soon realize (without ANY coaxing from me) that a job is easier when tackling it with others than it ever will be trying to do it alone.  

OK, well I've probably rambled on quite long enough for one day.  Time for me to get in gear and get something done.

Have a great Friday!!

"Back" In Business

I know, I know.  It's been several days since I've shown my face.  I bet you were all thinking I'd thrown in the towel, huh? That I'd decided my blogging days were over.  Well, I can assure you, that's definitely not the case.

Sunday morning, I woke up with a little twinge in the bottom of my back.  The kind of twinge one receives from sleeping awkwardly.  It was a little uncomfortable, but nothing major.  That's why I was able to finish up the last blog post I'd been working on.  Well, that little "twinge" had turned in to full-blown, unbearable, tear inducing pain by midday.  I was in so much pain that I couldn't sit.  At all.  I had to stand or lay flat in order to get any relief.

I spent some time laying completely flat on my laminate floor.  It helped keep the pain at bay, but it didn't help when I had to stand or sit up.  The pain shot from my mid-back down to my toes on the right side.  Any time I tried to just sit on a chair or on the couch, the pain intensified.  It was more like trying to sit down on an electrical current, being that the pain would just shoot through my body.  I was fine when I was standing straight up, but any time that I bent at the waist it was game over.

I did manage to get out and do some grocery shopping, but trying to do any of my school work was almost out of the question.  I couldn't sit at my computer.  Finally, I decided to pad my bed up with pillows, find the most comfortable position I could tolerate with my computer, and laid on my bed for as long as I could in order to get some work done.  It wasn't very long.  I had to give up, and just lay on the bed with pillows supporting my back for the rest of the day/night.

The next morning, I hopped out of bed totally forgetting why I was completely encased in pillows.  The jump out of bed quickly reminded me, as I felt that tell-tale shot of pain fly down my right side.  I hobbled around after that getting ready for work.  The drive to work was MISERABLE.  Trying to sit on the driver's seat was already hard enough, but every pot hole and bump felt like I was trying to drive over craters and canyons.

The entire day at work, I was fine as long as I didn't sit down.  Which is good for a teacher.  I don't spend much time sitting down during my day.  Lunch was a little painful, but I made it through.

Monday night, I had softball practice.  I forgot about my back several times, but was quickly reminded when I tried throwing a ball or catching one.  The only time I actually felt some kind of relief is when I decided to be totally idiotic and hit a ball to run the bases.  It was a painful run, but the stretching on my back actually felt pretty good.  I finished up practice, though, regretting what I'd done.

Monday night was another evening of laying on my bed, propped with pillows.  Tuesday, I was still in pain, but I had noticed the pain had decreased some.  It was still uncomfortable to sit, but not unbearable.  I started to think that maybe running wasn't such a bad idea, and that it'd actually helped my back.

Tuesday I had to go to Jelly's Family Night after school and that lasted until 7PM.  I then had to drive to Joplin to pick Peanut and Butter up from a track meet.  It was almost 8PM when I made it to them, and by the time we had some dinner and drove home, it was 10PM when we were pulling in the driveway.

Yesterday, I was basically back to my old self, but after getting home so late I didn't feel like getting up to blog.  I stayed in bed.

So, today I'm back.  And I will be honest and say that I'm really not too sad that I didn't get to blog the past few days.  I really did need a break.  Blogging, lately, has become more like a chore than an enjoyable hobby.  I got up every morning feeling like it was something I had to do, a part of my routine, and not much thought was being put in to what I had to say.

Also, with as stressed as I've been lately, it's probably a good thing I had a few days off.  I haven't had the best luck, lately, with writing stuff that hasn't somehow or in someway been misconstrued and either hurting someone's feelings or painting me in a light I don't wish to be painted.  While I love to write without really thinking much about it, and letting my feelings and emotions flow, I know I can't and really have to work on monitoring and adjusting when necessary.

The week is coming to an end, and I have one extremely busy and fun weekend coming up.  Peanut has a band trip to Kansas City, and I'm tagging along as a chaperon.  We are going to World's of Fun, and I decided to book a cabin and spend the night instead of riding the bus back.  Peanut has invited her friend to stay with us, and we're going to spend Sunday doing some sightseeing in Kansas City.  I'm very excited.  It's been YEARS since I had a vacation, weekend away, or even just a trip to a theme park.  So, I plan on making the most of it.  PLUS, it will be a great way to prepare for the week of testing that we're facing next week.

It blows my mind that today is the 1st of May and that there is only 23 days left until we get out for summer.  That's only 18 instructional days.  Three and a half weeks.  Totally crazy.  But, I have to admit, I'm ready.  Very ready.

OK, that's it for me today.  It's that time to get ready for work.  I have to say that it feels good to be back, and I don't plan on making a habit of disappearing for days on end.

I'll be back tomorrow.  Hopefully.  It is another track meet night, but I don't think I'll be home so late tonight.

Have a great Thursday!!

Jefferson City, Missouri

I know it's been a few days since I've posted.  To be honest, I've been trying to make up for some lost sleep and I've had a lot going on.  And, the getting back lost sleep was all due to a trip I took on Wednesday.

I got to visit the building in that picture.  That is a picture of the Jefferson City capitol building, located in Jefferson City, Missouri.  The place I got to visit with all of the 8th graders from our school.  It's the field trip that the 8th grade class gets to take every year, but I got to go this year because I just happen to have a child that's an 8th grader.

On Wednesday morning, I was up at 3AM.  I had to be in order to be at the school by the required 4:30AM time.  Peanut had decided to spend the night with a friend the night before, because she had participated in a track meet.  So, I was on my own, except for the two kids I picked up on the way so that they'd have a ride.

We arrived at the school, loaded the buses, and was pulling out of the driveway by 5AM.

The drive to Jefferson City is about 4 hours long.  We made a quick stop at McDonald's for breakfast, and when I say quick, I mean quick.  My principal had called ahead to place our order, so the food was waiting for us when we got there.  The kids were fed and back on the bus within 30 minutes.  That has to be some kind of record when it comes to feeding 70 kids.

We made it to the state capital by 9:45.

We spent the entire morning touring the capitol building.  The architecture and art was absolutely stunning.  It's the first state capitol building I've ever been inside, and it was breathtaking seeing the intricate details that are housed inside such a beautiful building.

That last picture shows the "Whispering Gallery". It's the place where visitors can go up in to the dome and even climb higher to walk around the outside.  I passed.  My fear of heights just wouldn't allow it.  I had trouble just watching other people (especially Peanut) go up there.  But she said it was pretty amazing.

After we toured the building, we got to go inside the House and listen to an active session going, which was pretty fascinating.  The room was full of representatives all discussing and talking "Bill business".  Our school got an official introduction by Representative Lant and the Speaker of the House, which was pretty awesome.

I was pretty mesmerized by the way business was conducted.  The whole place was full of fancy desks with laptops and electronic devices sprawled across them.  Representatives sat and chatted, or checked their email, or sent text messages while others stood up and discussed certain bills.  I was trying to make sense of what was going on, but I'll be honest... it was really hard to figure anything out.  I couldn't figure out who the people speaking were talking to, or what they were talking about, or what was happening after they finished speaking.  Despite not understanding a bit of it, I was kinda bummed when we had to leave.  It was still pretty entertaining, even if it didn't mean anything to me.

Once we were done there, it was to a reserved area for a pizza lunch.  The kids ate, and then we went downstairs to walk around the capitol museum.  After that, we took the kids across the street to have a little "recess time".

Once recess time was over, it was the time EVERYONE had been waiting for.  Our trip to Missouri State Penitentiary.  The place is fascinating.  It was open for over 100 years and closed about 10 years ago.  The place is absolutely huge, and I was excited to see all of the history.  Unfortunately, due to the fact that the prison is undergoing some renovations, we were limited to where we could tour.  What we did see, however, was AWESOME.

  

I could have spent a lot more time walking around that place, and I would have LOVED to do a ghost tour at night.  I can't even imagine what type of paranormal activity that place has.

Anyway, our day was over when we were finished at the penitentiary.  It was then time to start the long drive home, with a stop at Applebee's on the way.  We had a fantastic dinner, and then we drove home.  I wish I could say that the rest of the drive was quiet and peaceful, so that I could get some sleep.  But, no such luck.  The girls on the bus thought it would be HILARIOUS to sing, and laugh, and scream all the way home.

We made it back at 11PM, and after delivering children home we pulled in to our driveway at midnight.  It was a LONG day... but worth it.

I was up at 5AM the next morning and went to work like usual.  It was a very tiring day, but I found out that my kids had behaved and everything had been good while I'd been gone.

It's taken me 4 days to finish this blog post.  I'm not sure why.  I could have written it in a day or two but for some reason I just had a hard time sitting down long enough to get it finished.  I really hope I'm not losing my desire to write.  I mean, after 4 years why on earth would that happen?  I don't know.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I've finally finished this post.

Now, I'm going to enjoy this Sunday.

Gonna Have to Start Going to Bed Earlier

I don't know what's been wrong with me this week.  I've been staying up WAY too late every night, and that's causing me to NOT want to get out of bed the next morning.  So, that's the reason for my skipping days here and there.  I'm not getting up early enough to write my blog.

The past few nights, I've been up until at least 11PM... and this gal needs more than 5 1/2 hours of sleep to function.  Which means not getting up until around 5:30 each morning.  Thirty minutes isn't long enough for me to write a decent blog post, so I've just skipped those days.

This week has been CRAZY busy, though.

Tuesday I was at the math training.  Wednesday I started my Minecraft blog and then got all caught up in Twitter, networking with other educational bloggers and Tweeters to get some traffic to the blog.  Yesterday was Butter's birthday.  It's just been pretty hectic both in and out of school.

I wish I could say we did something nice, last night, for Butter's birthday.  But, we didn't.  We've decided to hold off until tomorrow and Sunday to celebrate.  I did manage to sneak away from work and order Butter a plate of chocolatey goodness from the local candy store/bakery.  So even though we didn't actually do a big celebration, he did get to enjoy chocolate chip cookies, Oreo and peanut butter cookie balls, dipped pretzel sticks, and a giant brownie.  Nothing says Happy Birthday like a good chocolate/sugar coma, right?  Hubby and I also bought him a video game he's been wanting, but he got that this past weekend.

It's hard to believe my boy is 13.  He's growing up so fast.  All my kids are.  He's grown up so much over the past couple of years, both literally and emotionally.  And regardless of the rough times we've had over the years, he's pushed through and has become such a sweet, caring, mature young man.

Tomorrow, I'm going to be spending the day PLAYING volleyball.  Yep.  You read that right.  Playing.  Not watching...actually on the court, hitting the ball, a part of a team, playing.  I'm taking Peanut and Butter along with me to help out.  Teachers, staff, and other adults from the county are getting together to have a charity volleyball tournament.  

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I volunteered.  I mean, I'm not exactly a volleyball pro, nor really in shape for an entire day of playing volleyball.  But, then again, maybe it might inspire me to get my big behind off the couch and start taking advantage of the warmer weather to lose weight, once again. Lord knows I've tried SO. MANY. TIMES.  But, now that the weather is getting nicer, I can start going out and walking again.  I'm still planning on participating in the Race for the Cure next month, and even though I won't be jogging or running it, I will still need to be ready to walk 3+ miles.

Which doesn't really go well with the fact that after I spend the day playing volleyball, the kids and I are going to out and eat dinner to have a little birthday celebration for Butter.  Hubby and Jelly are going to have a Daddy/Daughter day tomorrow.  Not really sure what they're going to do, but the other two kids and myself are going to get to spend some time together.

On Sunday, we are all going over to P-Momma's for Butter's actual birthday celebration.  We'll have the cake and candles and singing and all that stuff.  We haven't seen P-Momma in TOO long, so all the kids are excited to go over and see her.  They love going to her house.  They get spoiled rotten while they're there... so why wouldn't they?  And, with the weather being nicer, they'll be able to play outside and stuff while the adults get to catch up and visit.

I am WAY overdue for a P-Momma catch up session.  So much to tell her!

But, with a day of volleyball and a day of P-Momma's house, that won't leave a lot of time for working. So, no doubt I'll have a couple of late nights over the weekend in order to write out all of my lesson plans and enter in all of my grades.  But, by this time of the year, I've managed to figure out how to make that process as simple and quick as I can.  I've actually done pretty well at getting a head start this past week during my plan times... so I shouldn't have to spend TOO much time working over the weekend.

Yesterday, I got blindsided with a letter from the IRS.  Gotta love letters addressed from them, right?  They decided to audit my tax return not from this past year, but from the year before...and I didn't report the bingo winnings I had on my 2012 tax returns, so now I owe them a nice chunk of change.

It's my fault for forgetting to claim them, but it also chaps my behind a little because even though I had a very lucrative bingo year in 2011, I didn't get to keep ALL of that money.  I split the winnings with my Mom.  So, now I have to pay out a couple hundred dollars even though we evenly split that money.  But, not much I can do about it. I have to pay the back taxes and the fine and the interest they've added on.  

Lessons learned.

One, make sure I claim any bingo winnings that need to be claimed, and two make sure that if I win a sum that has to be claimed, I take out money from the amount to pay for taxes BEFORE splitting the money.  So that way I don't end up winning, but losing out on an even share.

Not that I get to play bingo very much these days, but food for thought for if and when I do play and win a couple thousand dollars.  I had completely forgotten about winning that money, yet stuff like that always comes back to bite me in the behind... so it's only right I PAY for the mishap.

OK, time for me to get ready for work.  It's going to be a fun day in the classroom today, and I'm going to enjoy it.

Everyone else enjoy your Friday, m'kay?