My J-O-B

Hmmm..Blogger Dashboard has changed....must tinker with it...looks like it could be fun!

What's up? It's been a long time. Suffice it to say that the j-o-b is rocking my world. I was just getting used to my new schedule when I added five new classes to my schedule when preschool and kindergarten started. I am not really thrilled with the middle school curriculum that I have and I have been searching and searching for some new and fresh ideas. I ended up finding new Elementary curricula and specifically Grade 4 - which I needed too. I'll have to keep searching for MS. I have really liked my 8th graders. They are a fun bunch of kids. They are loose, laid back, funny, and they know when to snap it together and get down to business. I want to challenge them but still make it fun. They keep telling me that they didn't like Mrs. DePue's teaching and that it was boring. So, I definitely have my work out cut out for me.

Liv is doing awesome in MS. She currently has 100 averages in all of her classes. Okay, I know it's only week 3 but a momma can be proud, right? We received Alex's CRCT scores last week and they really knocked our socks off. He just about aced the entire test. His scores were at the upper end of the "exceeds standard" category. My boy is a genius! But he still can't button his pants and he can barely tie his shoes. God love him, right? Mary is just about reading. She is so excited to sound out words and wants me to read to her all the time. She is such a little firecracker.

Our scary tree fell last week. Right across the driveway. Thank goodness it didn't fall on or near the house! That has always been my fear - ever since we moved here and each time there was a storm. So, I'm glad it is finally gone and there is no longer any danger but the yard does look naked. And I am going to have to figure out what to do w/ the island that is out there now.

I had a rough day today. For some reason, I felt like my kids were exceptionally high maintenance today. They didn't leave me alone for a second. And it's not like I want to be left alone necessarily but the demand for my attention was just overwhelming. And then the misbehaving was almost more than I could stand after a while. And the annoying of the cat got on my last nerve (guess who that was?). So you can see that it was a long day and I missed Jay a lot. But I didn't like to think about where he was because it's almost embarrassing to admit to people that he still does those kinds of things. I keep hoping he'll grow out of these childish, immature activities. And I really hate it that he exposes my kids to it.

Enough social commentary on that topic.

Okay, I finished Eclipse and am now almost done with Breaking Dawn. One word - WOW! The entire series is amazing. I have been riveted since I started the first one (was it only last week?). I decided to let Liv read the third one. I think it's okay but she won't read the last one. Not for a long time. It is very intense.

To Do List:

• Plan Lisa's baby shower
• Organize Opt to Shop
• Plan games for Women's Retreat
• Host Unity in two weeks and make up a program
• Lesson Plans every single day
• My new "job" with Gina (very reluctant about this)

I'm sure I'm leaving something out. *sigh* It will be fine! Life rolls on whether you want it to or not.

A very good read....

I just read....

And then I read.....

And now I'm looking for.....

What a great series! And to think that Liv read them first! Can't wait to find that third book!

Success!

Our first week at school was a success. The kids all enjoyed the start to the new academic year and I managed to stay employed at my new job. I worked three days this week (and yesterday I had only one class) and it all went well. I learned a lot about everything. I see how I'm going to have to do things differently for some classes and how others will just be easy peasy. But in general, they are all good kids and it will be a good year.

Liv LOVES middle school. She has made a ton of new friends, she has old friends in her homeroom, she has made new friends on the bus. She is going to join the orchestra and the running club. Wow! That sounds great! She is still reading like a madwoman and we can't seem to stop that but I guess we could have worse problems.

Alex is satisfied with his class. He has his friend David in class with him which is great and he seems to like the dynamics of the class. They did a bunch of assessments the first week so there wasn't much work going on. But he is happy and that's what counts.

Mary is a rock star! She loves kindergarten! I could not have asked for this experience to go any better. She is excited to go, loves her teacher, and has new friends. She loves to eat in the cafeteria and prefers to buy a lunch over getting a packed lunch. She insists they are not learning anything at school because they are just there to have fun. Yet she comes home every day and randomly lets me know all the things she has learned: "Mommy, did you know the heart is a muscle? Did you know I can count to 100 by 10s?", etc. Good for you MayMay! I'm glad you aren't learning anything!

So, God is good and He has blessed us beyond measure this week. I can't wait to see what next week will bring.

Another milestone. The baby has gone to kindergarten. She is now a woman and will soon be splitting the grocery bill. She is also going to start cutting the grass. Good for you Jay!

Today was the day that I dreaded for the last five years. I knew it was coming....I know it would soon be here. But this morning when I woke up, I silently said to myself, "okay Mom, are you ready for this?" And just as I said that I answered myself with an emphatic NO! I wanted to roll back over and cover my head with a pillow and never, ever come out. It's a good thing I had to pee so bad or our day might not have gotten underway.

Like always, Liv was up at the crack of dawn. I mean at around 6am. She should get a job delivering milk. Wait, they don't do that anymore, do they? Okay, she should get a job herding cattle or better yet...she should get a job learning to make the doughnuts. Yeah, that would be great! Okay, so she's already up when I get up to go to the bathroom. And as usual, she chooses that moment to come in and start talking to me. Me, sitting on the toilet - how am I supposed to be cheery at that moment? I'm hoping she'll soon figure out that early visits to Mommy's bathroom = grumpy mommy for the rest of the morning.

Back to the story. Liv is up, dressed, and eating breakfast when I go to wake up the twins. (You know they aren't really twins, right?). Alex is complaining that he didn't get enough sleep so I immediately distract him by talking about his breakfast bagel. It worked. He remembered there was pizza so he jumped right out of bed and started getting dressed. Mary is usually easy to wake up, especially when she has somehow sneaked into my bed in the middle of the night. I love her awake and she rushes to get dressed - it is, after all, a most special day!

The twins start eating, though Mary is really flighty - playing w/ Otis a lot. But that is really par for the course. I pack their backpacks, fix hair, wash faces, make sure teeth get brushed - all those wonderful domestic super mommy duties I have grown to love. All of a sudden it is time to GO (especially after Jay fixes the kitchen clocks to reflect the correct time). Off we go! Mary is having no problem at all. Neither is Alex. Me? Not so much. I was actually doing fine until the bus driver, Mrs. Allen, tells me that she can't believe that my baby is going to school. Thanks lady. Okay, I'll admit it. There were tears. What are you made of stone? Of course I cried! My baby was gone. She was finally on that yellow bus! There is no going back now! No more preschool, days off, or even half days. Ahhhhhhh! Here come the tears. Again.

Okay. Round 1 done.

Liv's bus came about 45 minutes later. We sat outside with the cat waiting patiently. She was so excited. So the bus came, I waved to the bus driver, then I waved to my first baby sitting on that big, scary bus. And then it hit me. Forget about my little baby going to kindergarten - holy crap my oldest has just gone to middle school! There are bad people there. There are mean kids, there are ugly trailers, there is a whole world there that she will have to learn to live in and I won't be there! So I had myself a good cry. And then I forced myself to remember that we have raised her as well as we can. She is a godly child, she knows right from wrong, she has a good foundation - better than most. She will be fine. Won't she?

Okay. Round 2 done.

Round 3? That's a different story. Tomorrow is my first day of work. I think I'm going to start crying again.

School

I have been meaning to come to this blog for some time now. Poor neglected blog. I just get to reading everyone else's blog and then it's so late that I feel like I have to go to sleep. You know, since I have to get up and go to w-o-r-k now. But, I think my audience of one will forgive me.

We've just come in from the pool. It was hot but it felt really good in the shade so I didn't even make it in the water this time. The Alexes played great, as always. Riley and Liv played well too but I have to say, I missed little May May! She was at Ashlyn's...and is actually still there. I called over there to see if they girls wanted to swim but Joel said he thought they were happy playing and he didn't want to interrupt them. I just called again to say we were home but he said they were still doing fine. Whatever! Some peace and quiet!!!

Okay - onto the topic of the day. I know you are all dying to hear about my job. Yikes - it is still weird to say that. So, I went to pre-planning on Monday very nervous. I took the kids and dropped them at the daycare at the school. Even though they were in the same building, it was weird. Anyway, we had meetings all morning but I learned a lot of new info that helped me a lot. I was able to meet some of the new teachers and some of the old teachers that I didn't know already. Even though I've taught there for two years, I've never been required to attend faculty meetings or do anything "official" so after the meetings and the new teacher orientation, I felt much better. I now know all about the fire/tornado drill procedure, the workroom rules, I know all about the Laminating Lady, I know how to use the complicated copier. It was very informative. I was able to start working in my classroom - can you believe I have my own classroom? Yippee! I re arranged the desks, cleaned out my big new teacher desk, cleaned out the shelves and cabinets - man! Mrs. DePue had a lot of junk! I mean a lot. Papers everywhere. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my lesson plans. I am still not sure about long term LPs because I just don't know what level my students will be. I have a lot of ideas. I have so much at my disposal I just need to pray that my creative juices flow. I went to Orientation last night and met a lot of my students. They were TALL! I was a little intimidated. But I am seriously looking forward to my first day - which thankfully isn't until Tuesday. I have time to get my nails and hair done on Monday. That reminds me, I need to call the place and make an appt.

So, that's all the news. I wish I had some witty banter or funny stories to share but not today. Today is Friday. TGIF! I wish everyday could be Friday.

New Job

I am going back to work today. It's been 8 long years since I've had to say that. Not about a real job, anyway.

I am freaking out just a little.

I don't want to put my kids in teacher daycare even for a second. I know they will be bored. I know they would rather be a million other places than daycare.

But, at least it's not a real daycare. It's at our church/my school and I will be right around the corner. And depending on how fast I can come up with some lesson plans to turn in, we can hightail it out of there by maybe Wednesday morning. But not today. Today is a full day. I have new teacher orientation, and lots of other meetings. Yikes! What have I gotten myself into?

I don't have any clothes to wear. I only have mom clothes to stay at home with. I will be wearing the same outfit everyday. I think I will teach that to my kids...otra vez? Again?

Must go wake up sleeeping angels.

My week

This is Otis in a bikini.


Poor cat.

That's really all I need to say about this week.