This morning L was in such a rush to wake up and have some serious Disney fun, she totally neglected the fact that the parks wouldn't open for about six hours. Yeah. Someone decided it would be just swell if she woke up at 3:30. Why I was the only person who was waken up by her pleas for fun is beyond me. Actually...that's probably not true. It's probably biology....moms tuned into the sounds of their babies. ...Stupid biology. Why did no one think to program the dads to wake up to their babies?
Either way. In a room that is about the size of most standard hotel rooms, both B and my husband were out cold, leaving me to fend for myself with a baby too excited to sleep. Luckily, along with that pesky wake up thing God programmed me with, He also blessed me with, what I like to believe is, some pretty awesome resourcefulness, too. Yeah. That's right. I'm sagacious.
You better believe I shoved (in a completely motherly and tender way, of course!) my daughter to the far side of the bed, and crawled into bed with L. Maybe she was too excited to sleep. But I wasn't. Not since I'm the one responsible for pushing the stroller and/or carrying any one of two children at any given time throughout the day...in Florida. In June. (Oh....B and I decided to share a bed since the two beds in our room were doubles and my husband would be all cramped if we shared, what with being 6'8" and all...and plus he'd just squeeze me out anyway. He swears he doesn't. But we've been married almost 7 years. He loves me. But he does. Just sayin'. :) )
With my 4 year old shoved to the far side of the bed, and unwittingly sleep rolling her way back to the middle (Grrrrrrr!!!) and L cradled in between us, I decided to try to get some sleep. ...If there are 10 levels of sleep.....just pretend with me.....trying to sleep while cradling an 8 month old, in an awkward position, I was probably in level 2 of sleep. Keep in mind that Level 1 is the suckiest.
So when morning rolled around, finally, I was not ready to get up. By that point, I had given up around 6:30 (after repeated attempts to put her back in her crib) and forced our youngest on my husband to be in his charge while I desperately tried to catch up on sleep before it was officially time to start the day.
Whatever time it was my husband finally forced me from the comfort of my pillow was too early, but I was up. We rushed around getting ready. My parents had agreed to take the girls to Magic Kingdom for the day, allowing Matt and I a rare day to ourselves. We would be heading to Universal Studios, our first time there. I was in such a rush to get myself ready and make sure the girls' bag was packed for my parents, I forgot to eat. My husband forced me to share a Cinnabon with him at the park. Seriously. Forced me. I told him it wasn't good for me; too much sugar and fat; not good for all the progress I've been making health/workout-wise, but he insisted saying he didn't want me to get sick. Well...okay....if it's my HEALTH you're concerned about. ...Okay, so I caved. But we shared, and we had water. And I'm pretty sure I walked enough at Universal to burn off two WHOLE Cinnabons.
So. Some highlights of our day (with pictures to follow at a time TBD)....
-The Hulk--CRAZY INTENSE! How intense was it? Well, in the line, some girl passed out. In the line! At like 10:30 in the morning. It wasn't even hot yet. Okay...so I'm 99.9% sure there was more at play with her dilemma than pure Hulk Intensity could account for, but still. ...(She was okay.) We waited in line for like 8 millenia. No, really. It was a long line. But once we were on, the ride did not disappoint. ..Aside from the fact that the ratio of wait time to ride time seemed disproportionate, but who said life in a theme park was fair and proportionate? Right. So it is what it is. After we got off the ride, I felt a liiitttttle bit disoriented. I've never been drunk, but I imagine that the woozy walking that I see in movies would be something like what I experienced disembarking from the Green Machine. Also I had a headache from having my brain shaken (not stirred) by what had to have been at least 5 upside-downy twists and corkscrews. It was fun.
-Hogwarts--We rode the ride in Hogwarts. The line was 60 minutes, but since my husband and I know how to take one for the team, we opted for the Single Riders line, which boasted an impressive wait time of only 10 minutes or so. And, for our sacrifices, the ride person-getter-onner lady ended up needing two singles. Bingo! We get to ride TOGETHER! This ride was fun. It was like part simulation ride part...yo-yo? I don't know how else to describe the pully/droppy motion of the ride. It was a pretty great ride.
-The Harry Potter dragon ride. This one was fun. This one we waited forever for. Again, the wait time, in my mind, didn't totally justify the wait time, but some theme park employee "strategically" placed at some point in the queue, did offer to take our picture in front of the flying car from "The Chamber of Secrets"...so that was cool.
Those were our favorites of the day. We did have to leave a little earlier than we had planned, though. Matt started not feeling well. And by the time we rode Krusty's (The Simpsons) Funhouse Ride (Hey, it's crazy what a 10 minute wait time can convince you to do!), Matt was feeling sick, hot, and sweaty. ...And the ride wasn't any of those things. So we decided to head out and get him some rest. I'm pretty sure he was dehydrated, because once we got him some water, food, and rest, he bounced back pretty quickly, but he sure wasn't looking so hot there for a bit.
While off on our adventure, the girls were off on their own adventure with my parents in the Magic Kingdom. I was not privy to their day, of course, since I, as a mother, have not yet perfected the skill of being in two places at once (although that is on my list of things to do by the end of 2013). However, after picking the girls up in Downtown Disney (my parents headed back out to Epcot), this is what I was able to discern:
-L rode "It's a Small World After All". She did not care.
-B made my dad (Pops) take her on the teacups twice. She likes to spin the wheel and go super fast. My dad did not throw up. Props to dad on that one! :)
-B rode Space Mountain. (Whaattt?!?!) She had assured us when we arrived on Sunday that she was not riding that ride. Look at my little 4 year old all grown up and being brave! When I asked her what her favorite thing of the day was, she boldly, and without hesitation, announced, "Space Mountain."
-Bella met the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. My mom took some video. She looks very unsure of the rabbit, and rightly so. She's never seen the movie before.
So not many pictures taken today, but I'll try to upload what I have later. As for now...time to get to bed. Early day tomorrow back in the magical world of Disney. :)
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
The Magic of Disney: Days Travel, 1, and 2
Travel Days
So we drove from Texas to Florida. In a car. With two children. Under 5.
It was, by and large, a huge success. I have no photographic evidence of this, but we did arrive at our Saturday night travel stop (Tallahassee) around 4:30ish when we hadn't planned to get in until between 6 and 8. Soo...success. The girls did great in the car. We left from Houston around 3:30am on Saturday, which seems insane, but that meant that we got a solid 5 hours of drive time before the girls woke up.
B had a mosquito bite that was apparently insanely painful, as she kept insisting that she needed itch cream every 10 miles or so. ...So glad I stopped at Target before we left town and picked some up!
In New Orleans, we drove over several bridges that crossed marshy/watery areas. We had discussions, at length, about the wildlife that existed below...mainly the presence of alligators. B looked, but never did spot any. She insisted they were down there (and may very well have been), because they like brown and green mud, both of which she was able to identify as we blazed over bridges at speeds of 70mph.
Later B announced that she didn't want the alligators to bite her, as that would hurt her "skeeto" bite. Yes. Because her "skeeto" bite would be all that would hurt. :)
Day One
Sunday we left Tallahassee for Orlando and made it in (finally) around 1ish? With a check in time a good three hours off still, we headed to Downtown Disney to get our feet wet. ...And so I could change from travel clothes (jeans) to park clothes (shorts).
While in Downtown Disney, we stopped in a Disney store to let Bella have a look around. Not a ride had been ridden, and she was already in Disney heaven! I forced myself not to tear up, because I am that much of a mush. It's true. I'm just so excited to get to share this with her. She spent several minutes perusing a bead stand.
With her first Disney experience under her belt, we headed to the buses to make our way to the Magic Kingdom.
Fact: Getting a stroller on a Disney bus....doable, but extremely awkward and time-consuming.
Fact: Paying 14 bucks to park seems well worth it after having to drag a stroller through a crowded bus, trying not to whack every knee in your path.
Upon arriving to the Magic Kingdom, we sunscreened up and headed down to the entry path, where I was attacked by a bee. I hate bees. I have had one too many run-ins with them, and I do not trust them to leave me alone if I leave them alone. Unless my children are in mortal and immediate danger, all bets are off, and I will (and have) run from bees, even at the expense of my dignity. ....And I did. Hey! It was just like 5-10 feet, and I went back for her. :)
We only stayed at the Magic Kingdom for an hour or so before it was time to head back and check into our hotel. Some highlights from our afternoon....
Day Two
Monday morning we woke up bright and early. We had reservations at the Cape May restaurant in one of the hotels for a character breakfast. We hadn't told B what we were doing. She was SO excited! Just to see the look on her face when she got to meet the characters was priceless! And a HUGE relief. You never can tell with B how she will react. I wouldn't have put it past her to tense up and shut herself off.
After breakfast we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios. We were there all day, and we had a blast! The girls did great with very few meltdowns for either of them. Some highlights of our day...
Ughh. Pictures won't post right now. I'll have to edit later. :)
So we drove from Texas to Florida. In a car. With two children. Under 5.
It was, by and large, a huge success. I have no photographic evidence of this, but we did arrive at our Saturday night travel stop (Tallahassee) around 4:30ish when we hadn't planned to get in until between 6 and 8. Soo...success. The girls did great in the car. We left from Houston around 3:30am on Saturday, which seems insane, but that meant that we got a solid 5 hours of drive time before the girls woke up.
B had a mosquito bite that was apparently insanely painful, as she kept insisting that she needed itch cream every 10 miles or so. ...So glad I stopped at Target before we left town and picked some up!
In New Orleans, we drove over several bridges that crossed marshy/watery areas. We had discussions, at length, about the wildlife that existed below...mainly the presence of alligators. B looked, but never did spot any. She insisted they were down there (and may very well have been), because they like brown and green mud, both of which she was able to identify as we blazed over bridges at speeds of 70mph.
Later B announced that she didn't want the alligators to bite her, as that would hurt her "skeeto" bite. Yes. Because her "skeeto" bite would be all that would hurt. :)
Day One
Sunday we left Tallahassee for Orlando and made it in (finally) around 1ish? With a check in time a good three hours off still, we headed to Downtown Disney to get our feet wet. ...And so I could change from travel clothes (jeans) to park clothes (shorts).
While in Downtown Disney, we stopped in a Disney store to let Bella have a look around. Not a ride had been ridden, and she was already in Disney heaven! I forced myself not to tear up, because I am that much of a mush. It's true. I'm just so excited to get to share this with her. She spent several minutes perusing a bead stand.
 |
| B showcasing one of the gillions of beads in a Downtown Disney store. |
With her first Disney experience under her belt, we headed to the buses to make our way to the Magic Kingdom.
Fact: Getting a stroller on a Disney bus....doable, but extremely awkward and time-consuming.
Fact: Paying 14 bucks to park seems well worth it after having to drag a stroller through a crowded bus, trying not to whack every knee in your path.
Upon arriving to the Magic Kingdom, we sunscreened up and headed down to the entry path, where I was attacked by a bee. I hate bees. I have had one too many run-ins with them, and I do not trust them to leave me alone if I leave them alone. Unless my children are in mortal and immediate danger, all bets are off, and I will (and have) run from bees, even at the expense of my dignity. ....And I did. Hey! It was just like 5-10 feet, and I went back for her. :)
We only stayed at the Magic Kingdom for an hour or so before it was time to head back and check into our hotel. Some highlights from our afternoon....
 |
| Daddy and B on the "People Moves" ride. ...Very kid friendly and easy on the feet. |
 |
| Daddy and B on the Speedway ride. Matt insisted that B didn't want to drive |
 |
| Daddy and the girls in front of Cinderella's castle. B was insistent that we go in and find Cinderella. Do you know how hard it is to convince a four year old that one of her favorite princess can't come out right now?? |
 |
| Last ride of the afternoon...the carousel. B loves carousels and was thrilled when her horse ended up high when the ride stopped...like....above Mommy's head high. Getting her down was fun! |
 |
| Cutest little mouse on the block! Back at the hotel after a long drive and fun afternoon at the Magic Kingdom. |
Day Two
Monday morning we woke up bright and early. We had reservations at the Cape May restaurant in one of the hotels for a character breakfast. We hadn't told B what we were doing. She was SO excited! Just to see the look on her face when she got to meet the characters was priceless! And a HUGE relief. You never can tell with B how she will react. I wouldn't have put it past her to tense up and shut herself off.
After breakfast we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios. We were there all day, and we had a blast! The girls did great with very few meltdowns for either of them. Some highlights of our day...
Ughh. Pictures won't post right now. I'll have to edit later. :)
Monday, May 28, 2012
Walk to End Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer.
Nasty stuff. Scary stuff.
I have been blessed that the list of women I know who have been affected by this disease is short. And every one of those women survived. But I know as I get older and the years blur together and stretch out that my list will grow. And I know that there will come a day when my list will not boast a 100% survival rate.
This November I will be taking part in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk for the cure. This isn't the first time I've participated in a Susan G. Komen event, but it is the first time I will be personally and heavily invested in it. By registering for the walk, I have been tasked with raising $2,300.00. It's a lot money to me. It's not something I've got lying around the house, under a matress or in a piggy bank. It makes me nervous thinking about how I will raise the funds, and I know I will have to put my faith in God that He already knows how...and then I'll just have to rest in that knowledge.
If you haven't heard of this program before, I invite you to take a look. I invite you to support me as I raise the necessary funding that will allow me to participate in this event. I invite you to walk, too. And if you're not sure why it matters or why I walk, I invite you to watch the following:
Friday, May 25, 2012
It Begins!
I am a mother of two beautiful young ladies. It is truly a blessing to call these two sweet young ladies my daughters. And as their mother, I want to savor every moment. I want to take pictures of everything. ...And I have...it's why I currently have no space on my iPhone and two digital cameras. ..I'm afraid that even though I've downloaded all the images, if I delete them, every hard drive they exist on will suddenly melt into oblivion. ...I should probably go buy a new digital camera. ...Or print the pictures, but whatever.
So anyway, I want to remember everything, and this what is about to follow is a story that I do not want to forget. Ever. And it's one that I find so freakin' adorable, I also wholeheartedly believe it is my duty as a human being to share this story with every person I possibly can. ...It's just that sweet!
So Thursday night my husband had a meeting and wasn't home. Just me and the girls. My oldest, B, is four, and my youngest, L, is 8 months. She's just become independently mobile and is extremely proud of this fact. ...I am regretting ever wishing her mobile. I have seriously got to invest in some baby gates pronto. (B never really got into anything as a baby (REALLY!), so we never really needed to buy them with her.) At any rate, this new found independence and desire to go explore and play has been read by my older daughter as, "Yes! Finally! Someone to PLAY with!!!"
It was in this mindset that B insisted that I leave the room so she and L could play alone. Because my daughter is actually fairly responsible and attentive for a four year old, I obliged her, and ducked into my bedroom not far away, with the door open. A few minutes to myself? Sweet! I sat in there listening, because truthfully, I didn't really have anything to do, I just wanted to give B some time with her sister.
Then it happens.
L: (starts crying)
B: (borderline shouting) "I'm SORRY! I didn't MEAN to! Stop crying! Stop Crying! I didn't mean to!" (starts to cry)
quiet...and crying....
L: (still crying)
B: (now crying, mumbles something incomprehensible) then...."You hurt my FEELINGS, L***!!" (more crying)
I sit on the edge of my bed, half laughing, wondering what an 8 month old could have POSSIBLY done to hurt the feelings of a four year old. Finally, I walk out to the living room to assess the damage. I see, in one corner, L, sitting and crying. About 10 feet away, I see B, lying prone on the floor, her face buried in a pillow, sobbing. I choke back my laughter; B is very sensitive to being "laughed" at. Walking over to B, I scoop her up.
Me: "B, what's wrong?"
L: "L*** wouldn't play with me!"
Holding her in my arms, I try to comfort her and explain that she's just a baby; she doesn't know better. While I'm holding her, L starts to feel left out and is crying the most cute, adorable, pathetic cry ever. She begins crawling over to me, crying. When she gets over to me, I scoop her up, too. Two crying girls in my arms.
Anyway, my description doesn't do the situation justice. But it was about the cutest, most pathetic, most adorable little scene ever, and I'm so glad that B is so interested in spending time with her younger sister. I hope that is a desire that lasts the rest of her life. ...And I hope that L reciprocates this, too. On the other hand, it made me extremely nervous for what kind of scenes await me in their adolescence if this is what I'm dealing with now, all before either child has entered kindergarten! lol Don't know. ...We shall see... :)
So anyway, I want to remember everything, and this what is about to follow is a story that I do not want to forget. Ever. And it's one that I find so freakin' adorable, I also wholeheartedly believe it is my duty as a human being to share this story with every person I possibly can. ...It's just that sweet!
So Thursday night my husband had a meeting and wasn't home. Just me and the girls. My oldest, B, is four, and my youngest, L, is 8 months. She's just become independently mobile and is extremely proud of this fact. ...I am regretting ever wishing her mobile. I have seriously got to invest in some baby gates pronto. (B never really got into anything as a baby (REALLY!), so we never really needed to buy them with her.) At any rate, this new found independence and desire to go explore and play has been read by my older daughter as, "Yes! Finally! Someone to PLAY with!!!"
It was in this mindset that B insisted that I leave the room so she and L could play alone. Because my daughter is actually fairly responsible and attentive for a four year old, I obliged her, and ducked into my bedroom not far away, with the door open. A few minutes to myself? Sweet! I sat in there listening, because truthfully, I didn't really have anything to do, I just wanted to give B some time with her sister.
Then it happens.
L: (starts crying)
B: (borderline shouting) "I'm SORRY! I didn't MEAN to! Stop crying! Stop Crying! I didn't mean to!" (starts to cry)
quiet...and crying....
L: (still crying)
B: (now crying, mumbles something incomprehensible) then...."You hurt my FEELINGS, L***!!" (more crying)
I sit on the edge of my bed, half laughing, wondering what an 8 month old could have POSSIBLY done to hurt the feelings of a four year old. Finally, I walk out to the living room to assess the damage. I see, in one corner, L, sitting and crying. About 10 feet away, I see B, lying prone on the floor, her face buried in a pillow, sobbing. I choke back my laughter; B is very sensitive to being "laughed" at. Walking over to B, I scoop her up.
Me: "B, what's wrong?"
L: "L*** wouldn't play with me!"
Holding her in my arms, I try to comfort her and explain that she's just a baby; she doesn't know better. While I'm holding her, L starts to feel left out and is crying the most cute, adorable, pathetic cry ever. She begins crawling over to me, crying. When she gets over to me, I scoop her up, too. Two crying girls in my arms.
Anyway, my description doesn't do the situation justice. But it was about the cutest, most pathetic, most adorable little scene ever, and I'm so glad that B is so interested in spending time with her younger sister. I hope that is a desire that lasts the rest of her life. ...And I hope that L reciprocates this, too. On the other hand, it made me extremely nervous for what kind of scenes await me in their adolescence if this is what I'm dealing with now, all before either child has entered kindergarten! lol Don't know. ...We shall see... :)
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Secondhand Blessings
So driving to work this morning, the thought of "secondhand blessings" crossed my mind. ...Probably a song I was listening to on the radio, who knows. There isn't always a rhyme or reason as to why some thoughts occur to me when they do, but I found this one to be profound, and I wanted to spend some time on it. And since I haven't blogged in so long, my blog is probably starting to develop digital cobwebs, I thought I'd take my thoughts to the web.
I started thinking (and again, how I got on this train of thought is beyond me!) about all of the blessings in my life, and many of them, if not most of them, were not blessings I had expected, asked for, or wanted.
I teach 8th grade ELA at Sam Rayburn. I love my job. I love almost everything about it. Having to take what some of the kids throw out (not literally!) and not be able to dish it out can be very humbling. But, what kind of professional, role model, or person would I be if I lashed back? I'm not really a "fight fire with fire" kinda girl, especially not in this scenario. But for the most part, I adore what I do.
But I didn't think I'd be here. Sure. I've wanted to teach since I was in the first grade. True story. Ask my dad. He remembers. I remember. I wanted to write on the chalkboard. You'll be happy to know that my reasons have changed over the years. I mean, really, they had to. Chalkboards are so last decade! It's all about the dry erase boards and SMART boards now! Gahh! Duhh! Okay, so my reasons actually have changed well beyond what medium I use to display information that, apparently, is only read by me anyway! ...Given that my students always ask me what we're doing each day, despite the fact that the daily objectives and agenda are written on the board, in the same spot, in the same manner, every day of the school year. ...Oh, to be a middle schooler. ;-)
Anyway, I digress. So I wanted to teach littles. Not Kinder-little. I don't have that in me. That's not my "GIFT". No, no. But 3rd, 4th, 5th grade, Yeahhh! For each of my college observation credits, I was placed in a middle school classroom, and well, it stuck. Stuck hard, too, because six years later, I'm still here, pounding the rock, day after day, listening to middle school drama the kids don't think I can hear.
Secondhand Blessing. Who knew I'd end up LOVING middle school?! Apparently God did, thus His insistence that I not be placed on an elementary campus during my college observations. ..And I tried. Actually I was supposed to be placed in a 4th grade class for my student teaching. But, when God says no, well, you can argue, but no is no. It is what it is. Que sera, sera.
Secondhand Blessing....I thought I'd be hired at Jane Long, the school I student taught at. It was an amazing bunch of teachers. The kids were great. The staff was great. I had great recommendations from my cooperating teacher. There were at least two positions, I think, opening on the team that I was actually student teaching on. Didn't happen. I was heartbroken. Instead, Sam Rayburn scooped me up, but not before God plopped me right down in their laps. Through word of mouth, I was recommended for a long-term sub position. The first day I showed up, the principal at the time, Mr. Ellis, walked me to the choir room, feeding my ego with all these great things he'd heard about me and promised he wanted me on his campus if a spot became available. Do you have ANY idea what it does to your little tiny Teacher Ego when a principal tells you that he wants you at his campus?! He retired before he had the chance to hire me, but his replacement, Mr. Hord, did.
And now here I am. Secondhand Blessing. Surrounded by a group of people who couldn't love these kids more than if they were their own children. And that's saying a lot, because some of our kiddos have some rough edges. And they've seen more in their young lives than I have in my 31 years. These kids are tough. But they're so sweet. And they just wanna be loved. And they need to be. They don't always tell you that with their words...or even their actions...but it's still true.
Secondhand Blessing....Really? I graduated in 2006, and I'm still stuck here in Aggieland?! The plan was to get out! Go back home to Dallas. Be near family. Teach at a school I went to. Didn't happen. It was heartbreaking. And I still miss Dallas. And I want to be there so badly. But when I look, really look, at what's around me, I know God has me exactly where He wants me. And I'm where I need to be. A wonderful job. Amazing co-workers, who are more than just people I work with; they're my family. An incredible church that lives to be the hands and feet of God and serve without judging, which is, I believe, a cornerstone of Christianity. Many of the leaders in the church have very colored pasts, and their testimonies are incredible and speak to the love, mercy, and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father.
I could go on for pages listing and describing the secondhand blessings in my life. ..That reallly aren't secondhand blessings at all. They are rich blessings, planned by God, to bestow upon His children, who He loves with every fiber of His being. Who He sent his only son for. Who he died for. My blessings aren't secondhand. They are purposely chosen just for me.
Sometimes my daughter gets upset. So upset when she doesn't get what she thinks she wants. And I get so sad, because when she acts out and misbehaves as a result of her feelings, she needs to be disciplined in love, when what I have planned for her is SO much better than the little things she thought she wanted. I want so badly to give her those blessings. Because even though she doesn't think she's getting top notch, the blessings I have for my daughter are not secondhand. But special. And sweet. And chosen just for her. Chosen for her the way our Father in Heaven chooses them for us.
Sometimes "no" isn't "no". Sometimes "no" is, "There's something so much better for you. Wait. Be patient. I love."
I am so grateful for the "secondhand blessings" in my life. My life has been enriched more than I could have ever dreamed on my own. ...For who am I to tell God what is best for me? ...I mean, really, have we watched the replay/blooper reel of my life?! ...Like I make the best decisions out there! Yeah... :)
I started thinking (and again, how I got on this train of thought is beyond me!) about all of the blessings in my life, and many of them, if not most of them, were not blessings I had expected, asked for, or wanted.
I teach 8th grade ELA at Sam Rayburn. I love my job. I love almost everything about it. Having to take what some of the kids throw out (not literally!) and not be able to dish it out can be very humbling. But, what kind of professional, role model, or person would I be if I lashed back? I'm not really a "fight fire with fire" kinda girl, especially not in this scenario. But for the most part, I adore what I do.
But I didn't think I'd be here. Sure. I've wanted to teach since I was in the first grade. True story. Ask my dad. He remembers. I remember. I wanted to write on the chalkboard. You'll be happy to know that my reasons have changed over the years. I mean, really, they had to. Chalkboards are so last decade! It's all about the dry erase boards and SMART boards now! Gahh! Duhh! Okay, so my reasons actually have changed well beyond what medium I use to display information that, apparently, is only read by me anyway! ...Given that my students always ask me what we're doing each day, despite the fact that the daily objectives and agenda are written on the board, in the same spot, in the same manner, every day of the school year. ...Oh, to be a middle schooler. ;-)
Anyway, I digress. So I wanted to teach littles. Not Kinder-little. I don't have that in me. That's not my "GIFT". No, no. But 3rd, 4th, 5th grade, Yeahhh! For each of my college observation credits, I was placed in a middle school classroom, and well, it stuck. Stuck hard, too, because six years later, I'm still here, pounding the rock, day after day, listening to middle school drama the kids don't think I can hear.
Secondhand Blessing. Who knew I'd end up LOVING middle school?! Apparently God did, thus His insistence that I not be placed on an elementary campus during my college observations. ..And I tried. Actually I was supposed to be placed in a 4th grade class for my student teaching. But, when God says no, well, you can argue, but no is no. It is what it is. Que sera, sera.
Secondhand Blessing....I thought I'd be hired at Jane Long, the school I student taught at. It was an amazing bunch of teachers. The kids were great. The staff was great. I had great recommendations from my cooperating teacher. There were at least two positions, I think, opening on the team that I was actually student teaching on. Didn't happen. I was heartbroken. Instead, Sam Rayburn scooped me up, but not before God plopped me right down in their laps. Through word of mouth, I was recommended for a long-term sub position. The first day I showed up, the principal at the time, Mr. Ellis, walked me to the choir room, feeding my ego with all these great things he'd heard about me and promised he wanted me on his campus if a spot became available. Do you have ANY idea what it does to your little tiny Teacher Ego when a principal tells you that he wants you at his campus?! He retired before he had the chance to hire me, but his replacement, Mr. Hord, did.
And now here I am. Secondhand Blessing. Surrounded by a group of people who couldn't love these kids more than if they were their own children. And that's saying a lot, because some of our kiddos have some rough edges. And they've seen more in their young lives than I have in my 31 years. These kids are tough. But they're so sweet. And they just wanna be loved. And they need to be. They don't always tell you that with their words...or even their actions...but it's still true.
Secondhand Blessing....Really? I graduated in 2006, and I'm still stuck here in Aggieland?! The plan was to get out! Go back home to Dallas. Be near family. Teach at a school I went to. Didn't happen. It was heartbreaking. And I still miss Dallas. And I want to be there so badly. But when I look, really look, at what's around me, I know God has me exactly where He wants me. And I'm where I need to be. A wonderful job. Amazing co-workers, who are more than just people I work with; they're my family. An incredible church that lives to be the hands and feet of God and serve without judging, which is, I believe, a cornerstone of Christianity. Many of the leaders in the church have very colored pasts, and their testimonies are incredible and speak to the love, mercy, and forgiveness of our Heavenly Father.
I could go on for pages listing and describing the secondhand blessings in my life. ..That reallly aren't secondhand blessings at all. They are rich blessings, planned by God, to bestow upon His children, who He loves with every fiber of His being. Who He sent his only son for. Who he died for. My blessings aren't secondhand. They are purposely chosen just for me.
Sometimes my daughter gets upset. So upset when she doesn't get what she thinks she wants. And I get so sad, because when she acts out and misbehaves as a result of her feelings, she needs to be disciplined in love, when what I have planned for her is SO much better than the little things she thought she wanted. I want so badly to give her those blessings. Because even though she doesn't think she's getting top notch, the blessings I have for my daughter are not secondhand. But special. And sweet. And chosen just for her. Chosen for her the way our Father in Heaven chooses them for us.
Sometimes "no" isn't "no". Sometimes "no" is, "There's something so much better for you. Wait. Be patient. I love."
I am so grateful for the "secondhand blessings" in my life. My life has been enriched more than I could have ever dreamed on my own. ...For who am I to tell God what is best for me? ...I mean, really, have we watched the replay/blooper reel of my life?! ...Like I make the best decisions out there! Yeah... :)
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
33 is the New 21
So today was my birthday. I quit being "neighbors" with 29. It is what it is.
I felt better, though, when I came to school and my co-worker told me that she heard on the news this morning that 33 is the new 21, which would put me at 19. Cool. :)
My birthday was a success, and I'm so blessed for all of my wonderful family and friends who took time out of their day to send me happy birthday wishes. Funny how things change when you get older. I really enjoy sweet birthday messages, but I've found as I get older, as fun as gifts are, I'd rather just spend time with the people I love and go to bed early. :)
Some birthday highlights:
-All of my classes discovered it was birthday. 1st period burst out into some weird birthday chant? ...that never quite fully materialized. They wanted to know how old I was. I had several guesses in the mid 20s. Why yes, yes I am! ;-) In 6th period, I actually share a birthday with another student who I also taught in 6th grade. So the class came flooding in with birthday wishes, and they all burst into song as soon as the bell rang. And as much as I have to get onto to this group for their silliness (and chattiness), you'd never know it by their song. They sang the birthday song, all 23 of them, at the top of their lungs, and then cheered for a good 15 seconds. I'm just grateful that the teacher next door to me is not bothered by the occasional noise, because I KNOW their sound was not contained by our four walls. lol They assured me that she didn't have a class that period. 7th period sang to me also, and offered that, since it was my birthday, I shouldn't have to do work and teach. Hmm... How sweet of them. lol I thanked them for their offer, but professionally declined. :)
-My Mom sent me an Edible Arrangement at work "from my girls". That made my day. I love those things! And getting things delivered to you at work is even more fun.
-My sweet team brought cupcakes to work, and they were delicious, and the ELA department sang to me during our Teaming Period.
-My husband was going to get up early and make me breakfast, but his alarm didn't go off. I'm not made, or even disappointed, even the thought of the gesture I find extremely sweet. And I came home to a homemade dinner and cake.
Today was a great day, and I am truly and richly blessed by the people God has surrounded me with.
...So, today was great, and since 33 is the new 21, which really makes me 19, I should probably be off doing something "age appropriate"...like vegging or sleeping. I think I'm gonna like being "19".
I felt better, though, when I came to school and my co-worker told me that she heard on the news this morning that 33 is the new 21, which would put me at 19. Cool. :)
My birthday was a success, and I'm so blessed for all of my wonderful family and friends who took time out of their day to send me happy birthday wishes. Funny how things change when you get older. I really enjoy sweet birthday messages, but I've found as I get older, as fun as gifts are, I'd rather just spend time with the people I love and go to bed early. :)
Some birthday highlights:
-All of my classes discovered it was birthday. 1st period burst out into some weird birthday chant? ...that never quite fully materialized. They wanted to know how old I was. I had several guesses in the mid 20s. Why yes, yes I am! ;-) In 6th period, I actually share a birthday with another student who I also taught in 6th grade. So the class came flooding in with birthday wishes, and they all burst into song as soon as the bell rang. And as much as I have to get onto to this group for their silliness (and chattiness), you'd never know it by their song. They sang the birthday song, all 23 of them, at the top of their lungs, and then cheered for a good 15 seconds. I'm just grateful that the teacher next door to me is not bothered by the occasional noise, because I KNOW their sound was not contained by our four walls. lol They assured me that she didn't have a class that period. 7th period sang to me also, and offered that, since it was my birthday, I shouldn't have to do work and teach. Hmm... How sweet of them. lol I thanked them for their offer, but professionally declined. :)
-My Mom sent me an Edible Arrangement at work "from my girls". That made my day. I love those things! And getting things delivered to you at work is even more fun.
-My sweet team brought cupcakes to work, and they were delicious, and the ELA department sang to me during our Teaming Period.
-My husband was going to get up early and make me breakfast, but his alarm didn't go off. I'm not made, or even disappointed, even the thought of the gesture I find extremely sweet. And I came home to a homemade dinner and cake.
Today was a great day, and I am truly and richly blessed by the people God has surrounded me with.
...So, today was great, and since 33 is the new 21, which really makes me 19, I should probably be off doing something "age appropriate"...like vegging or sleeping. I think I'm gonna like being "19".
Monday, March 19, 2012
Monday.
Monday.
After Spring Break.
Before the STAAR Test.
Monday.
I was not looking forward to today, and today did not disappoint. Monday was everything I thought it would be. And maybe it was a bit of a self-fufilling prophecy, so I'll try to be in a better frame of mind tomorrow, but today was rough. We're gearing up and trying to review for the state test next week. This is always tough ground to cover; the kids get antsy. And really, the teachers do, too.
So I've been doing this Boot Camp for three weeks now. Well, really today was the first day of my third week, but whatever. I am loving it. I cannot physically see the results yet, although the scale and my tape measure tell me that it's working. I just can't see it in myself. It was nice to have three co-workers stop and tell me that whatever I was doing was working. Yay! That was the boost today that I needed. Well, and chocolate. What can I say? I am a stress eater. Not the best thing to be, but it is what it is.
After a rough start to the morning, I was determined to locate and consume whatever chocolate I could find on campus. At lunch, I headed to the teacher's workroom to raid the vending machines. I actually had some change today. This never happens. Lunch was going to end happy.
Lunch did not end happy. Marching triumphantly up to the vending machine, a slew of quarters in hand, I looked over the offerings behind the glass. Slim pickings. Other teachers must be stressed, too. Good. I'm not alone. I finally decided on a package of Reese's cups. 85 cents. Done. I deposited my quarters purposefully into the machine and searched out the buttons. I punched in "D", located "4", and punched it in with gleeful anticipation. Nothing. I tried again. Nothing.
And that's when I noticed the discreet message reading across the digital display, "Deposit exact change."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! All I had was quarters! I entered the "Denial" stage in the 5 Stages of Grief scale and punched in the numbers again, sure that the error was not my own. My attempt was in vain. The same results. I stood, in front of the machine, staring despondently at my coveted Reese's cups sitting pretty behind the glass. With a sigh, I stooped down to scoop my quarters out of the change return and headed back to class, wholly defeated and chocolateless.
I know it was for the best. Stress eating is not the way to go, but it is a great way to undo the good I have been doing the last two weeks (plus today). I ate my carrots and tuna fish sandwhich knowing I was better off....
Chocolateless, I went back to class, determined to try to move past my disappointment. The rest of the day consisted of ups and downs. Mine. The kids. Monday's. Tomorrow will be better, I'm sure. I hope. Because I won't have exact change tomorrow, either. ;-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other news, my girls are getting huge! B is a bonafide "High School Musical (1, 2, and 3)" fan. During Spring Break while I was in another room cleaning, I heard her singing along with one the Gabriella and Troy duets. I was torn between laughing quietly to myself that she was so into this movie and knew the songs and disgust that she'd seen it enough times (and we'd allowed it) that she knew the words. But I remember being a kid and watching movies so repetitively that they are forever burned into the back of my brain. Besides, I have seen all three of the HSMs. There are worse things for her to be watching. And there are even redemptive qualities in the antagonists in these movies, and B and I have talked about this. ...Specifically about how mean Sharpay can be. Luckily, this is something that she has picked up on her own. Good girl! ..I can overlook the fact that Sunday she requested that I do her hair like Sharpay's for church. lol
L is now 6 months and growing like a weed, although she's not nearly as "weedy" as her big sister. While B has always maintained her position at top of, or off of, her growth charts, L is holding her own right around the 50% mark. I'm kinda thinkin' she's not gonna be joining the Tall Ranks with her sister and her Daddy. She and I can hang out in Average Land together. ;)
We're trying to wean her off her Prevacid in hopes that she no longer needs it. So far, so good. We're just giving her one pill a day now, instead of two. Eventually we'll take it down to one, every other day. But considering we just refilled it, I'm in no hurry. Unfortunately, she had a SUPER pukey weekend! She didn't seem bothered by the puke, which is good. It means that she's doing okay on just one pill of Prevacid. And, of course, the reflux medications do not do anything to correct how much or how often she pukes. It's purpose is to keep her comfortable. ...Not sure what the influx of puke means, but she's welcome to stop whenever!
She can sit now. She's definitely not a "Weeble". ...You know, "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down."
But, she is sitting. She's getting better. I usually like to keep my hands up, just in case. And after about a minute or so, she usually topples over, but she's getting there. Won't be long before she's crawling! She does excellent baby push ups. This weekend, I went so far as to shove her legs up underneath her to see if I couldn't jump start the process. She would rock back and forth for a bit and then slowly sink back down to the ground, face first. lol
..And with that, I'm off. Today can only get better, and tomorrow is a fresh start! :)
After Spring Break.
Before the STAAR Test.
Monday.
I was not looking forward to today, and today did not disappoint. Monday was everything I thought it would be. And maybe it was a bit of a self-fufilling prophecy, so I'll try to be in a better frame of mind tomorrow, but today was rough. We're gearing up and trying to review for the state test next week. This is always tough ground to cover; the kids get antsy. And really, the teachers do, too.
So I've been doing this Boot Camp for three weeks now. Well, really today was the first day of my third week, but whatever. I am loving it. I cannot physically see the results yet, although the scale and my tape measure tell me that it's working. I just can't see it in myself. It was nice to have three co-workers stop and tell me that whatever I was doing was working. Yay! That was the boost today that I needed. Well, and chocolate. What can I say? I am a stress eater. Not the best thing to be, but it is what it is.
After a rough start to the morning, I was determined to locate and consume whatever chocolate I could find on campus. At lunch, I headed to the teacher's workroom to raid the vending machines. I actually had some change today. This never happens. Lunch was going to end happy.
Lunch did not end happy. Marching triumphantly up to the vending machine, a slew of quarters in hand, I looked over the offerings behind the glass. Slim pickings. Other teachers must be stressed, too. Good. I'm not alone. I finally decided on a package of Reese's cups. 85 cents. Done. I deposited my quarters purposefully into the machine and searched out the buttons. I punched in "D", located "4", and punched it in with gleeful anticipation. Nothing. I tried again. Nothing.
And that's when I noticed the discreet message reading across the digital display, "Deposit exact change."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! All I had was quarters! I entered the "Denial" stage in the 5 Stages of Grief scale and punched in the numbers again, sure that the error was not my own. My attempt was in vain. The same results. I stood, in front of the machine, staring despondently at my coveted Reese's cups sitting pretty behind the glass. With a sigh, I stooped down to scoop my quarters out of the change return and headed back to class, wholly defeated and chocolateless.
I know it was for the best. Stress eating is not the way to go, but it is a great way to undo the good I have been doing the last two weeks (plus today). I ate my carrots and tuna fish sandwhich knowing I was better off....
Chocolateless, I went back to class, determined to try to move past my disappointment. The rest of the day consisted of ups and downs. Mine. The kids. Monday's. Tomorrow will be better, I'm sure. I hope. Because I won't have exact change tomorrow, either. ;-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other news, my girls are getting huge! B is a bonafide "High School Musical (1, 2, and 3)" fan. During Spring Break while I was in another room cleaning, I heard her singing along with one the Gabriella and Troy duets. I was torn between laughing quietly to myself that she was so into this movie and knew the songs and disgust that she'd seen it enough times (and we'd allowed it) that she knew the words. But I remember being a kid and watching movies so repetitively that they are forever burned into the back of my brain. Besides, I have seen all three of the HSMs. There are worse things for her to be watching. And there are even redemptive qualities in the antagonists in these movies, and B and I have talked about this. ...Specifically about how mean Sharpay can be. Luckily, this is something that she has picked up on her own. Good girl! ..I can overlook the fact that Sunday she requested that I do her hair like Sharpay's for church. lol
L is now 6 months and growing like a weed, although she's not nearly as "weedy" as her big sister. While B has always maintained her position at top of, or off of, her growth charts, L is holding her own right around the 50% mark. I'm kinda thinkin' she's not gonna be joining the Tall Ranks with her sister and her Daddy. She and I can hang out in Average Land together. ;)
We're trying to wean her off her Prevacid in hopes that she no longer needs it. So far, so good. We're just giving her one pill a day now, instead of two. Eventually we'll take it down to one, every other day. But considering we just refilled it, I'm in no hurry. Unfortunately, she had a SUPER pukey weekend! She didn't seem bothered by the puke, which is good. It means that she's doing okay on just one pill of Prevacid. And, of course, the reflux medications do not do anything to correct how much or how often she pukes. It's purpose is to keep her comfortable. ...Not sure what the influx of puke means, but she's welcome to stop whenever!
She can sit now. She's definitely not a "Weeble". ...You know, "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down."
But, she is sitting. She's getting better. I usually like to keep my hands up, just in case. And after about a minute or so, she usually topples over, but she's getting there. Won't be long before she's crawling! She does excellent baby push ups. This weekend, I went so far as to shove her legs up underneath her to see if I couldn't jump start the process. She would rock back and forth for a bit and then slowly sink back down to the ground, face first. lol
..And with that, I'm off. Today can only get better, and tomorrow is a fresh start! :)
Monday, February 20, 2012
A "Me Day" and Nostalgic Moments
Today was President's Day. Yay presidents! Or, more accurately, YAY, day to myself! I have not had an entire day to myself, myself, in I don't know how long. To say that I haven't been fully alone in years is probably not a stretch. I'm pretty sure the last thing that comes remotely close to qualifying is the time I spent last June at a conference in Dallas for work. But that was for work, and I was really only alone once I got back to my hotel for the evening. I've been looking forward to today like a kid waits for Santa.
I should have planned out my time better, though. How foolish of me. I knew this day was approaching, this blessed miraculous day, where I am the only one who has the day off and the daycare is open. I had a laundry list of things I wanted to do today:
Maybe if I had planned better, made a schedule, complete with time limits. ...Then, maybe, I could have accomplished more. The next time one of these days rolls around again, I'll be better prepared. I'll know the difference between being productive and enjoying my day and "meandering".
In other news, my girls keep growing. Can't believe B will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. I remember carrying her to the baby room in her daycare, totally in awe of the big kids in the back of the building. I remember thinking how foreign that world seemed to me: playgrounds, macaroni art, and circle time. And now, it's time to start thinking about backpacks, lunch boxes, and school supplies. I've already started talking to her about how after this spring, she won't go to her daycare anymore. I think she'll be fine, what I'm worried about is the fact that she probably won't see most of those kids in her class again. She's already had two "best friends" move/go to a different school, and she's adjusted fine, but she still asks about and misses them.
L is getting close to sitting up on her own, and I think scooting around the floor, and hopefully, a tooth. She always has a ready smile on her face, a grin that spreads from ear to ear, making her eyes light up and radiate. Gosh, I can't believe how big she's getting! It seems like yesterday I was holding her in my arms in my hospital bed, shortly to be followed by the weeks of frustration while we figured out the reflux thing. Although, at the time, that seemed like months, many hellish months.
I know that I'll blink, and she'll be in Kindergarten too, though. How do they grow up so fast? And how does time go by so slowly in the eye of the child? I love my husband, my kids, my life. But sometimes I desperately miss the familiarity and security of childhood. My bright, open bedroom. The sounds of my brothers playing in the living room. The smell of Mom making dinner in the kitchen, and the sounds of Dad strumming his guitar. I remember thinking it would be FOREVER until I was big enough to do this, or old enough to do that. And now I'm the adult. And B is the one who can't wait to get big.
Sometimes I wish you could DVR life. Rewind and relive all the great moments over and over again. Moments that everyone takes for granted and no one fully appreciates, at least not for several years.
Wow. This post made a bee-line for Nostalgia Way; was not expecting that. It's probably time to end this post anyway, since I can see a little someone about to wiggle her sleeping self out of her bouncy seat. Time to get swaddled and head to bed, and I probably won't be far behind. Goodnight. :)
I should have planned out my time better, though. How foolish of me. I knew this day was approaching, this blessed miraculous day, where I am the only one who has the day off and the daycare is open. I had a laundry list of things I wanted to do today:
- Sing at the top of my lungs (check)
- Clean/re-organize my closet
- Sew (almost got there)
- Take a nap (check!)
- Control the remote (check)
- Workout (check)
- Eat a pan of Krispie treats with no one around to judge me (still on my bucket list)
Maybe if I had planned better, made a schedule, complete with time limits. ...Then, maybe, I could have accomplished more. The next time one of these days rolls around again, I'll be better prepared. I'll know the difference between being productive and enjoying my day and "meandering".
In other news, my girls keep growing. Can't believe B will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. I remember carrying her to the baby room in her daycare, totally in awe of the big kids in the back of the building. I remember thinking how foreign that world seemed to me: playgrounds, macaroni art, and circle time. And now, it's time to start thinking about backpacks, lunch boxes, and school supplies. I've already started talking to her about how after this spring, she won't go to her daycare anymore. I think she'll be fine, what I'm worried about is the fact that she probably won't see most of those kids in her class again. She's already had two "best friends" move/go to a different school, and she's adjusted fine, but she still asks about and misses them.
L is getting close to sitting up on her own, and I think scooting around the floor, and hopefully, a tooth. She always has a ready smile on her face, a grin that spreads from ear to ear, making her eyes light up and radiate. Gosh, I can't believe how big she's getting! It seems like yesterday I was holding her in my arms in my hospital bed, shortly to be followed by the weeks of frustration while we figured out the reflux thing. Although, at the time, that seemed like months, many hellish months.
I know that I'll blink, and she'll be in Kindergarten too, though. How do they grow up so fast? And how does time go by so slowly in the eye of the child? I love my husband, my kids, my life. But sometimes I desperately miss the familiarity and security of childhood. My bright, open bedroom. The sounds of my brothers playing in the living room. The smell of Mom making dinner in the kitchen, and the sounds of Dad strumming his guitar. I remember thinking it would be FOREVER until I was big enough to do this, or old enough to do that. And now I'm the adult. And B is the one who can't wait to get big.
Sometimes I wish you could DVR life. Rewind and relive all the great moments over and over again. Moments that everyone takes for granted and no one fully appreciates, at least not for several years.
Wow. This post made a bee-line for Nostalgia Way; was not expecting that. It's probably time to end this post anyway, since I can see a little someone about to wiggle her sleeping self out of her bouncy seat. Time to get swaddled and head to bed, and I probably won't be far behind. Goodnight. :)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Pound the Rock
Pound the rock. A sports metaphor. That was the message that we walked away with from the staff meeting shortly after the Christmas break. Keep going. Keep trying. Don't give up. Try something new. Pound the rock.
I can't lie. Some days I feel like I've pounded the rock until nothing remains but residual powder. ...But that's usually when my "rock" miraculously regenerates itself. ...And I can continue to pound away. :)
I feel blessed to be a teacher at a campus that puts the kids first. A campus that continually tries to seek out new and innovative ideas to reach and engage our kids. And boy am I glad I'm not alone in that endeavor, because at times, it is physically exhausting and mentally draining.
You know how, when you're looking for something at the store--something you made a special trip for, no less--and you can't see it? ...You think to yourself, and this happened to me tonight actually, 'If I stand here long enough, the item I am so hopelessly searching for will appear.' Sometimes I feel that way about seeking out new ways to reach my kids. I find a quiet place that guarantees no interruptions, which is usually the shower, and I put my mind on the problem, and I stand there, and I think. And I think. And I'm convinced that if I stand there long enough and focus my all my inner Jedi Power on the issue, that an epiphany, wholly new and never thought of before, will spring to the forefront of my mind, rendering the issue at hand powerless. ...And then I will be sought out by teachers the world over to teach them my fail-proof techniques.
That sounds amazing, but that will probably never happen. Too many papers to grade, lessons to plan, and kids to manage to have time to have epiphanies of that nature, which is why I am beyond grateful that there are people out there to have epiphanies for me.
Enter the awesome Webinar Series our staff has done the past two weeks.
I can't lie. Some days I feel like I've pounded the rock until nothing remains but residual powder. ...But that's usually when my "rock" miraculously regenerates itself. ...And I can continue to pound away. :)
I feel blessed to be a teacher at a campus that puts the kids first. A campus that continually tries to seek out new and innovative ideas to reach and engage our kids. And boy am I glad I'm not alone in that endeavor, because at times, it is physically exhausting and mentally draining.
You know how, when you're looking for something at the store--something you made a special trip for, no less--and you can't see it? ...You think to yourself, and this happened to me tonight actually, 'If I stand here long enough, the item I am so hopelessly searching for will appear.' Sometimes I feel that way about seeking out new ways to reach my kids. I find a quiet place that guarantees no interruptions, which is usually the shower, and I put my mind on the problem, and I stand there, and I think. And I think. And I'm convinced that if I stand there long enough and focus my all my inner Jedi Power on the issue, that an epiphany, wholly new and never thought of before, will spring to the forefront of my mind, rendering the issue at hand powerless. ...And then I will be sought out by teachers the world over to teach them my fail-proof techniques.
That sounds amazing, but that will probably never happen. Too many papers to grade, lessons to plan, and kids to manage to have time to have epiphanies of that nature, which is why I am beyond grateful that there are people out there to have epiphanies for me.
Enter the awesome Webinar Series our staff has done the past two weeks.
Blessed are those who have time to research, for other teachers will surely prosper.
-Teaching Proverb by Amanda-
Tonight I walked away from our staff meeting feeling truly rejuvinated and ready to tackle my tricky student behaviors, and I found myself trying to figure out a way to get my family out of the house for a couple nights so I could wholly envelope myself in a cocoon of creativity and ingenuity...and probably some markers and poster board, too. :)
While that probably won't happen (and it's not entirely bad; I ADORE my family), I do have some fresh new, research-based techniques that I can't wait to try with my kids. And just in time, too. Did you know the Reading STAAR test is a mere FIVE. WEEKS. AWAY?! I am expecting my usual TAKS Twitch, to be re-named "STAAR Twitch" to return shortly. ...Every year for the past few years, right before state testing, I get a twitch under my left eye. Google says it could be a tumor. But I highly suspect otherwise. Google has a tendency to over-exaggerate, for one. And secondly, if it is a tumor, it only occurs around the time of state testing. And since I've yet to hear of selective tumors, my money's on the STAAR Test, formerly TAKS.
I like to think that when I'm conversing with a student, and they notice my hideous twitch, that they are terrified into submission and think to themselves, 'Man. This stuff must be seroius if she's twitching at me!' ...In reality, I probably just look like an idiot with an eye twitch...if they notice it, and I pray they don't. One year a kid did. I try to maintain a safe distance from students now, when the twitch is in full effect; best not to scare them. lol
But, for the time being, I remain twitchless, with a Bag of Tricks that has just been freshly filled. Like a blank page invites the writer to create, so this bag inspires me to get creative with my kids. To try something new...which ironically isn't new at all, however profound the ideas. To keep pounding the rock.
So tomorrow, if you see me with a pick ax and a safety helmet, please don't call security on me. I'm just pounding the rock. :)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Jesus is Greater Than Religion
Like every other Sunday, this morning found me at Brazos Fellowship. I love this church. For years, after I graduated high school and left home, I struggled with going to church. Not because I didn't want to. I just didn't feel comfortable in the ones I went to. So I quit going. And I hated every second of it. I knew I should be in church, fellowshipping with God, but I wasn't.
Finally, about 5 years ago, I'd had enough. I had gotten a couple fliers in the mail about a new church, and it sounded good, but I was nervous to go. Then during a meeting with my wedding photographer, we got to talking, and he mentioned that he attended this church and I should check it out. This was probably late 2005/ early 2006. Brazos Fellowship was meeting in the cafeteria of a local middle school. I went. I looked for Art and Connie, my wedding photographers...never did manage to run into them there, but there was more than one service, and weekends are prime wedding time.
I went sporadically for about a year, but I liked it. I enjoyed the freshness that the church offered, the realness. I enjoyed the senior pastor, Will Lewis, who seemed on fire for God and His people.
In 2007, the church got a new building...an old night club behind a Wendy's. I'm still blown away by the story of how the church came to acquire the building. Totally God. I was still going sporadically.
Shortly after my oldest daughter was born I realized that, while my heart had never turned from God, being a "sporadic" church-goer wasn't how I wanted to raise my children. It wasn't the picture of God I wanted them to know. I wanted them to know God. To really know Him, and this required some conviction and a case of "Putting on my Big Girl Panties and dealing with it." So, with baby in tow, we went.
We were greeted, for several weeks, by Michelle. I've told her before, but I don't know that she'll ever know how much of an impact her warm welcomes meant to me. In my insecurity, I needed to hear God. I needed, desperately, for Him to tell me He needed me here. And through Michelle's words, her warm welcomes and smiles, He did just that.
I didn't feel weird. I didn't feel awkward. I didn't feel like a visitor. I felt Home. Finally, after so many years, I felt at home again. This was, indeed, where God wanted me.
But it's hard to break old habits. And warm beds, and soft blankets, are intoxicating. I still went sporadically. But Will's messages always washed over me like warm water, welcoming me back. Week after week, I heard God through Will's words, and saw His love in Will's actions. But I felt Satan pulling at me, telling me that Sunday morning sleep was still okay.
But it wasn't with me. I decided to dig my heels in, stick out my tongue at Satan and say, "No." I got plugged into a women's group and a marriage group-both Bible studies. And, not knowing anyone there but Michelle, who had invited me, I went. And God honored my obedience. And Satan was forced to admit defeat...because he's sucky and a loser. :)
...Let me make it clear that, to this day, I'm still working on my walk. And I still struggle with getting out of bed in the morning. I did today. Luckily, God has blessed me with a new daughter, someone else to fight for. And, even if, in my groggy morning state, I can't come to that clarity, I still have to get up to feed her. So it's kind of a win-win.
The longer I attended Brazos Fellowship, the more I learned about God, and about how deeply this church, this body of Christ, cares for people. I met Kristen, who cried with me over struggles and sadnesses that we both shared. We leaned on each other and trusted in God's word. I met Rebecca, whose road to God was broken and twisted, who had been shunned by other "Christians". I met Chuck and Melissa, who led a marriage Bible study and made no bones about the struggles that their marriage faced; how they were in the process of a divorce when God began to work in their hearts and mend their lives.
All of these people were broken. Like me. I could list so many more sweet, sweet friends whose roads to God did not come easily. ..And I felt so blessed that I was lucky enough to be led to Christ at an early age by my parents. It was something I didn't have to fight, tooth and nail like my sweet new friends had had to do. ...That's what I thought. But I was wrong. Because I was fighting. Although my past seemed smooth enough, I was having to fight for the relationship I wanted with Christ, something I had allowed Satan to whittle away at for years.
I still attend Brazos Fellowship, and I am have never met a group of people who, in my opinion, work so hard to live out what Christ has asked us to do: to be his body. To be his hands and feet. To be a city on a hill, a light in the darkness. God is truly at work here.
And what I love most about this Body. More than anything else. Is that these people know that being a Christian is not about a religion. It's not about rules. It's not an "I gotcha". It is about a RELATIONSHIP. A relationship with the Savior who died. Who took my place. Your place. To bridge the gap between a perfect God and a sinful man.
I have been asked in recent months about my relationship with God. I have been challenged by people who question a God whose people would wage wars in His name. Is he not a God of love and acceptance? they would say. Religion is what is wrong with this world today. People are judgemental, and they base it on God and religion.
And in my heart, I know the answer to this. I know that God is not about religion. He is about a relationship. While God clearly makes it clear that to gain eternal life, you must put your faith in Him and repent from your ways, it His kindness and grace that draw us near; not fear or rules. He doesn't condone violence against others.
My heart is broken that people feel otherwise. That people would be turned off of church because of people who call themselves Christians. But we are people. We are sinful. We are imperfect. And we cannot pretend to know the ways of God, and God, in His perfection, should not be judged by what we think we know about Him. ...But in my heartache, it is sometimes difficult to find the words to say to defend my God, who I know is perfect, and pure, and full of love for me--for the world.
Today at churched, we watched the following video. And I feel like it answers these claims head-on. If you don't know the Lord, or you have turned your back on Him, because of people--imperfect people--please, please take time to watch this. Please take time to consider that God is bigger than our imperfections. That He desperately loves us and seeks and longs after a relationship with us. And leave here knowing that Jesus is greater than religion.
Finally, about 5 years ago, I'd had enough. I had gotten a couple fliers in the mail about a new church, and it sounded good, but I was nervous to go. Then during a meeting with my wedding photographer, we got to talking, and he mentioned that he attended this church and I should check it out. This was probably late 2005/ early 2006. Brazos Fellowship was meeting in the cafeteria of a local middle school. I went. I looked for Art and Connie, my wedding photographers...never did manage to run into them there, but there was more than one service, and weekends are prime wedding time.
I went sporadically for about a year, but I liked it. I enjoyed the freshness that the church offered, the realness. I enjoyed the senior pastor, Will Lewis, who seemed on fire for God and His people.
In 2007, the church got a new building...an old night club behind a Wendy's. I'm still blown away by the story of how the church came to acquire the building. Totally God. I was still going sporadically.
Shortly after my oldest daughter was born I realized that, while my heart had never turned from God, being a "sporadic" church-goer wasn't how I wanted to raise my children. It wasn't the picture of God I wanted them to know. I wanted them to know God. To really know Him, and this required some conviction and a case of "Putting on my Big Girl Panties and dealing with it." So, with baby in tow, we went.
We were greeted, for several weeks, by Michelle. I've told her before, but I don't know that she'll ever know how much of an impact her warm welcomes meant to me. In my insecurity, I needed to hear God. I needed, desperately, for Him to tell me He needed me here. And through Michelle's words, her warm welcomes and smiles, He did just that.
I didn't feel weird. I didn't feel awkward. I didn't feel like a visitor. I felt Home. Finally, after so many years, I felt at home again. This was, indeed, where God wanted me.
But it's hard to break old habits. And warm beds, and soft blankets, are intoxicating. I still went sporadically. But Will's messages always washed over me like warm water, welcoming me back. Week after week, I heard God through Will's words, and saw His love in Will's actions. But I felt Satan pulling at me, telling me that Sunday morning sleep was still okay.
But it wasn't with me. I decided to dig my heels in, stick out my tongue at Satan and say, "No." I got plugged into a women's group and a marriage group-both Bible studies. And, not knowing anyone there but Michelle, who had invited me, I went. And God honored my obedience. And Satan was forced to admit defeat...because he's sucky and a loser. :)
...Let me make it clear that, to this day, I'm still working on my walk. And I still struggle with getting out of bed in the morning. I did today. Luckily, God has blessed me with a new daughter, someone else to fight for. And, even if, in my groggy morning state, I can't come to that clarity, I still have to get up to feed her. So it's kind of a win-win.
The longer I attended Brazos Fellowship, the more I learned about God, and about how deeply this church, this body of Christ, cares for people. I met Kristen, who cried with me over struggles and sadnesses that we both shared. We leaned on each other and trusted in God's word. I met Rebecca, whose road to God was broken and twisted, who had been shunned by other "Christians". I met Chuck and Melissa, who led a marriage Bible study and made no bones about the struggles that their marriage faced; how they were in the process of a divorce when God began to work in their hearts and mend their lives.
All of these people were broken. Like me. I could list so many more sweet, sweet friends whose roads to God did not come easily. ..And I felt so blessed that I was lucky enough to be led to Christ at an early age by my parents. It was something I didn't have to fight, tooth and nail like my sweet new friends had had to do. ...That's what I thought. But I was wrong. Because I was fighting. Although my past seemed smooth enough, I was having to fight for the relationship I wanted with Christ, something I had allowed Satan to whittle away at for years.
I still attend Brazos Fellowship, and I am have never met a group of people who, in my opinion, work so hard to live out what Christ has asked us to do: to be his body. To be his hands and feet. To be a city on a hill, a light in the darkness. God is truly at work here.
And what I love most about this Body. More than anything else. Is that these people know that being a Christian is not about a religion. It's not about rules. It's not an "I gotcha". It is about a RELATIONSHIP. A relationship with the Savior who died. Who took my place. Your place. To bridge the gap between a perfect God and a sinful man.
I have been asked in recent months about my relationship with God. I have been challenged by people who question a God whose people would wage wars in His name. Is he not a God of love and acceptance? they would say. Religion is what is wrong with this world today. People are judgemental, and they base it on God and religion.
And in my heart, I know the answer to this. I know that God is not about religion. He is about a relationship. While God clearly makes it clear that to gain eternal life, you must put your faith in Him and repent from your ways, it His kindness and grace that draw us near; not fear or rules. He doesn't condone violence against others.
My heart is broken that people feel otherwise. That people would be turned off of church because of people who call themselves Christians. But we are people. We are sinful. We are imperfect. And we cannot pretend to know the ways of God, and God, in His perfection, should not be judged by what we think we know about Him. ...But in my heartache, it is sometimes difficult to find the words to say to defend my God, who I know is perfect, and pure, and full of love for me--for the world.
Today at churched, we watched the following video. And I feel like it answers these claims head-on. If you don't know the Lord, or you have turned your back on Him, because of people--imperfect people--please, please take time to watch this. Please take time to consider that God is bigger than our imperfections. That He desperately loves us and seeks and longs after a relationship with us. And leave here knowing that Jesus is greater than religion.
Monday, January 23, 2012
We're Goin' Rogue, Folks!
So I have a Reflux Princess. Like, I'm pretty sure her picture accompanies the word reflux in the dictionary. ..Well..that may be a slight exaggeration, but we change a lot of bibs/clothes, and we go through a million burp rags.
We just took our little Reflux Princess (RP) in for her latest well-check this past week. The doctor that I had actually scheduled the appointment with is not who we saw...which confused me, but I have no problems with any of the doctors in this practice. I was going to ask Dr. H if we could discuss coming off the Nutramigen, the depressingly expensive formula she was put on for the reflux. Originally, after we'd upped her meds dosage and switched her to this, he told us that if she was doing well, she might could come off it at 4 months. The doctor we ended up seeing said 6 months. Bummer.
Of course you want to do whatever is necessary to keep your Little Ones healthy and happy, but you do hope and pray that it comes at the least possible expense. I was ready to tough it out another two months when I ran into a friend of mine at church, whose Little One is the same age as our RP and has had similar issues. My friend told me that she and her husband had decided, on their own, to take their son off of Nutramigen since they really didn't notice a difference. They recommended the Target brand of Similac's formula for fussiness and gas...aka "The Pink Can".
I actually feel like we did notice a difference on the Nutramigen, but since we had switched formulas and upped her meds dosage all at the same time, I have often wondered if both changes were controlling her reflux, or if maybe it was just one or the other. What if it was just the $10/month reflux meds that is controlling the reflux? What if we don't have to pay $35/week for the stinkiest formula (that STAINS!) known to man? Hey...I was willing to give it a shot. Worst case scenario? She pukes like she hasn't puked in months and we resignedly go back to the Nutramigen.
So, with my new strategy in place, I picked up my RP from daycare and promptly headed to our nearest Target. This is a theory worth testing. Admittedly, I entered into my new gameplan with trepidation. I mean...if I'm wrong about this, it means a VERY fussy exorcist baby. Nevertheless, I figured this was the perfect time to try it out. I had about a day's worth of Nutramigen left. So, if this theory fails, I've got enough for a round of back up bottles. And if not, if she seems to do okay on this, I can say adios to the money pit that is Nutramigen. I can say goodbye to the nasty protein stains that may or may not come out of my already limited wardrobe. I can say au revoir to the nasty stink of the fluffy, powdery, yet somehow sticky, formula.
It is now 8:45 pm, and we are almost 2 hours, post Target formula. So far, the only puke to speak of came up with her burps, which is normal. Better yet, she's relaxed and asleep in her bouncy seat. So far, so good. I'm hoping that this works. I'm praying that this works. In fact, I did lift Layla and the new formula up to God before I fed her. I know that when you switch to a new formula, seeking results of some kind, it takes a few/several days to see results. And so it was when we started the Nutramigen. I'm hoping and praying that the same is not true for coming off of it. If this isn't going to work, I want to know as soon as possible. I'm desperately praying that God will show me as quickly as possible if she can tolerate this new formula or if we need to head back to the Nutramigen.
Formula stories aside, today L's daycare director told me that she's never met such a vain baby; of course she wasn't being serious. But she said she's never noticed a baby so enamored with their own reflection, and she did not recall Big Sister being so fascinated with her own reflection. The daycare recently donated their cribs to an orphanage in Mexico, since they were getting new ones. These new ones are very nice, and one whole end of them has a mirror on it. Marcia told me that she was rocking a baby while L was hanging out in her crib, and she happened to look up and notice L just staring at herself in her mirror and just smiling and beaming. ...Totally taken with herself. lol I'm glad to know my sweet girl has such high self-esteem. I can't remember the last time I looked into a mirror and couldn't take my eyes off myself. ....Usually I can't take them off me fast enough! lol Always something to critique. Of course, I don't want L to actually be vain and self-concerned, but I would very much like it if she were happy about who she is.
...Looks like the end of this post is calling. Someone is trying to squirm out of their bouncy seat. Prayers that this is just someone deciding that she's ready for a new pastime and not someone's tummy deciding it's not happy.
Hope your Monday went well. Mondays, it seems, have a terrible rap for being sucky. So if your day fell into that category...hey. Tomorrow's Tuesday. :)
We just took our little Reflux Princess (RP) in for her latest well-check this past week. The doctor that I had actually scheduled the appointment with is not who we saw...which confused me, but I have no problems with any of the doctors in this practice. I was going to ask Dr. H if we could discuss coming off the Nutramigen, the depressingly expensive formula she was put on for the reflux. Originally, after we'd upped her meds dosage and switched her to this, he told us that if she was doing well, she might could come off it at 4 months. The doctor we ended up seeing said 6 months. Bummer.
Of course you want to do whatever is necessary to keep your Little Ones healthy and happy, but you do hope and pray that it comes at the least possible expense. I was ready to tough it out another two months when I ran into a friend of mine at church, whose Little One is the same age as our RP and has had similar issues. My friend told me that she and her husband had decided, on their own, to take their son off of Nutramigen since they really didn't notice a difference. They recommended the Target brand of Similac's formula for fussiness and gas...aka "The Pink Can".
I actually feel like we did notice a difference on the Nutramigen, but since we had switched formulas and upped her meds dosage all at the same time, I have often wondered if both changes were controlling her reflux, or if maybe it was just one or the other. What if it was just the $10/month reflux meds that is controlling the reflux? What if we don't have to pay $35/week for the stinkiest formula (that STAINS!) known to man? Hey...I was willing to give it a shot. Worst case scenario? She pukes like she hasn't puked in months and we resignedly go back to the Nutramigen.
So, with my new strategy in place, I picked up my RP from daycare and promptly headed to our nearest Target. This is a theory worth testing. Admittedly, I entered into my new gameplan with trepidation. I mean...if I'm wrong about this, it means a VERY fussy exorcist baby. Nevertheless, I figured this was the perfect time to try it out. I had about a day's worth of Nutramigen left. So, if this theory fails, I've got enough for a round of back up bottles. And if not, if she seems to do okay on this, I can say adios to the money pit that is Nutramigen. I can say goodbye to the nasty protein stains that may or may not come out of my already limited wardrobe. I can say au revoir to the nasty stink of the fluffy, powdery, yet somehow sticky, formula.
It is now 8:45 pm, and we are almost 2 hours, post Target formula. So far, the only puke to speak of came up with her burps, which is normal. Better yet, she's relaxed and asleep in her bouncy seat. So far, so good. I'm hoping that this works. I'm praying that this works. In fact, I did lift Layla and the new formula up to God before I fed her. I know that when you switch to a new formula, seeking results of some kind, it takes a few/several days to see results. And so it was when we started the Nutramigen. I'm hoping and praying that the same is not true for coming off of it. If this isn't going to work, I want to know as soon as possible. I'm desperately praying that God will show me as quickly as possible if she can tolerate this new formula or if we need to head back to the Nutramigen.
Formula stories aside, today L's daycare director told me that she's never met such a vain baby; of course she wasn't being serious. But she said she's never noticed a baby so enamored with their own reflection, and she did not recall Big Sister being so fascinated with her own reflection. The daycare recently donated their cribs to an orphanage in Mexico, since they were getting new ones. These new ones are very nice, and one whole end of them has a mirror on it. Marcia told me that she was rocking a baby while L was hanging out in her crib, and she happened to look up and notice L just staring at herself in her mirror and just smiling and beaming. ...Totally taken with herself. lol I'm glad to know my sweet girl has such high self-esteem. I can't remember the last time I looked into a mirror and couldn't take my eyes off myself. ....Usually I can't take them off me fast enough! lol Always something to critique. Of course, I don't want L to actually be vain and self-concerned, but I would very much like it if she were happy about who she is.
...Looks like the end of this post is calling. Someone is trying to squirm out of their bouncy seat. Prayers that this is just someone deciding that she's ready for a new pastime and not someone's tummy deciding it's not happy.
Hope your Monday went well. Mondays, it seems, have a terrible rap for being sucky. So if your day fell into that category...hey. Tomorrow's Tuesday. :)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Teaching
I am currently in my sixth year of teaching. I have now taught grades 6, 7, and 8, my classes including language arts, writing, and history. I do not consider myself a veteran teacher. ...I'm not even sure if I'd consider myself a seasoned teacher. But I'm definitely marinating.
If you look up the definition of teacher in the dictionary, it is as follows:
I, as it applies to my profession, like to add a secret addendum to the definition of 'teacher':
Plain and simple, if you cannot, as a teacher, learn and adapt, you will not last in this profession. In the words of country singer Jo Dee Messina, you gotta roll with the punches. I still have much ground to cover as I make my way through my career, so much still to learn. But, I'm making ground. Sometimes new school years yield new revelations based on reflections of the previous year. Sometimes it's literally changing the make up of your lesson midday. ...Did that on Wednesday, actually! And for me, today, it's learning how to let go of that "Quiet Learning Enviornment".
Yes. Quiet has its place. But Quiet does not own all of School-dom, and sometimes you just have to let your hair down, brace yourself for crowd control, and let the kids have at it. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for a quiet learning environment. When I'm giving direct instructions. During testing. During announcements...God willing... lol But I have finally come to terms with Talking. It's not so bad.
Plus, the benefits of talking are two-fold.
1. When the activities include student discussions and/or collaboration, classroom management is a much less-menacing beast. When you're not having to fight tooth and nail to keep your kids' attention focused soley on you, they are much more engaged and awake.
2. It doesn't matter how much of an expert I am. The kids are going to learn so much more from working with each other than I can teach them directly. It's just the truth. Plus, then I'm free to walk around and monitor the kids, and monitor for understanding..something which is much more difficult when you try to make middle school look like a community college lecture hall.
Ooh! ...That brought me to a third reason. ...The benefits are THREE-fold!
3. When I can walk around, monitor, and see what the kids are doing and talking about, I can re-teach, right there on the spot. And kids are so much more likely to ask questions when the room's abuzz, and no one but their group will know. ..And even that's okay, because if they're asking me, the entire group clearly needs some extra instruction, too.
So today, had you walked into my classses, it would have been crazy busy, and probably pretty loud. But my kids were awake, alert, and they got the job done. And I am no longer afraid of Talking. ...Except when I have a headache. Then I have to grab a Dr. Pepper, pop some Advil, and just hang on for the ride.
That's, I think, one of the most fun parts of teaching. ...I love it. I always have. I always will. It's what I was Called to do. But when I grow and learn as a teacher, it makes teaching an entirely new game. ...And new games are ALWAYS fun to figure out. ...This year I tackled tables. ...It's a good thing I've made my peace with Talking. ;-)
Love my job. ...And now off to my most important job. My littlest lady is sounding like she might be hungry. :)
If you look up the definition of teacher in the dictionary, it is as follows:
noun: a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession; instructor
I, as it applies to my profession, like to add a secret addendum to the definition of 'teacher':
noun: a person who teaches or instructs, especially as a profession; instructor; one who is constantly learning and adapting
Plain and simple, if you cannot, as a teacher, learn and adapt, you will not last in this profession. In the words of country singer Jo Dee Messina, you gotta roll with the punches. I still have much ground to cover as I make my way through my career, so much still to learn. But, I'm making ground. Sometimes new school years yield new revelations based on reflections of the previous year. Sometimes it's literally changing the make up of your lesson midday. ...Did that on Wednesday, actually! And for me, today, it's learning how to let go of that "Quiet Learning Enviornment".
Yes. Quiet has its place. But Quiet does not own all of School-dom, and sometimes you just have to let your hair down, brace yourself for crowd control, and let the kids have at it. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for a quiet learning environment. When I'm giving direct instructions. During testing. During announcements...God willing... lol But I have finally come to terms with Talking. It's not so bad.
Plus, the benefits of talking are two-fold.
1. When the activities include student discussions and/or collaboration, classroom management is a much less-menacing beast. When you're not having to fight tooth and nail to keep your kids' attention focused soley on you, they are much more engaged and awake.
2. It doesn't matter how much of an expert I am. The kids are going to learn so much more from working with each other than I can teach them directly. It's just the truth. Plus, then I'm free to walk around and monitor the kids, and monitor for understanding..something which is much more difficult when you try to make middle school look like a community college lecture hall.
Ooh! ...That brought me to a third reason. ...The benefits are THREE-fold!
3. When I can walk around, monitor, and see what the kids are doing and talking about, I can re-teach, right there on the spot. And kids are so much more likely to ask questions when the room's abuzz, and no one but their group will know. ..And even that's okay, because if they're asking me, the entire group clearly needs some extra instruction, too.
So today, had you walked into my classses, it would have been crazy busy, and probably pretty loud. But my kids were awake, alert, and they got the job done. And I am no longer afraid of Talking. ...Except when I have a headache. Then I have to grab a Dr. Pepper, pop some Advil, and just hang on for the ride.
That's, I think, one of the most fun parts of teaching. ...I love it. I always have. I always will. It's what I was Called to do. But when I grow and learn as a teacher, it makes teaching an entirely new game. ...And new games are ALWAYS fun to figure out. ...This year I tackled tables. ...It's a good thing I've made my peace with Talking. ;-)
Love my job. ...And now off to my most important job. My littlest lady is sounding like she might be hungry. :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Everything I Learned as a Mommy...
....I stumbled upon.
Okay. So I mentioned in my last post that I am a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. And that is no lie. I thought that once you became a parent, you just automatically become selfless, at least where your kids are involved. Man. That would have been nice. But, it didn't happen. But when I am called on to perform my Mommy Duties in the middle of the night, I do so grudingly. It's true. It's something I have to work on every time. ...I would imagine it would make for one pretty hilarious sit-com scene. ...
...I lay there. At first in denial, hoping that maybe the noises I'm hearing are a fluke or just a crazy dream, but deep down, I know my number's up. As I continue to lay there, I hope that maybe my husband will hear the noise and decide to investigate. I know that this hope is futile, though, as I'm pretty sure my husband could sleep through a nuclear explostion and not budge. So instead, I begin my "fake sleep squirm". You know. Every mom knows. You start fidgeting around, hoping to "accidentally" nudge your husband awake. ...That doesn't work, either. I know it won't, but hey..at least I tried?
My last attempt to wake my husband usually goes something like this: After the noises persist, and all previous attempts have failed, I roll over to face the edge of the bed with every ounce of indignance I can muster, sigh the sigh of a mother scorned, and sit up in bed, pausing to to sigh one more time and rub my eyes awake. ...This also never works.
So I throw back the covers. Not enough to throw them off my husband, but enough that I hope that he notices. He doesn't. Get up. And go investigate the noise. And then take care of whatever the issue is in the most un-cheeriest of manners.
It should be noted that I have gotten better about this, but I'm still a pretty sucky night Mommy. Especially with newborns who are up consantly.
Luckily, God, who has always provided exactly what I need and blessed me beyond belief, is aware of this short-coming. And He loves me. Which is why I believe the following statement is no accident. And it sure as heck is not due to anything that I have done. Both of my girls have slept through the night since they were betwen 8 and 12 weeks old. I also believe that God chose this specific blessing for having to put up with their own unique quirks. My four year old was clingy since the day she was born, and you couldn't EVER put her down. Even if she'd been alseep for an hour, any attempt to lay her down would result in a screaming protest from her. And my youngest is my Reflux Princess. And while I know there are most certainly worse cases out there, and I am so aware of how blessed I am that we finally have it "under control", it was a pain in the butt to deal with during the "figuring out" process. Anyway...kinda got off a tangent of sorts...
Back to my story...so my girls have slept through the night. It's WONDERFUL. Sure, the little one has sleep regressions (which I HATE), and the big one occasionally gets sick in the middle of the night or has an accident in bed, but for the most part, I do get to sleep all night.
Except that for the past couple months, the little one, who is in a rocking bassinet by my bedside, has developed the habit of not quite being awake at 4:30am, but also not being quite asleep...at least not quietly. And so I am faced with the following decision, which is, by the way, Lose-Lose. I can either choose to:
a) get up with her for the day and feed her and/or change her diaper-which will, inevitably, ruin her entire daily schedule
or
b) lay face down in bed, eyes closed, arm out, rocking her bassinet to lull her back into a couple more of interrupted sleep, intermittently fumbling around her her pacifier..and then trying to blindly return it to her mouth.
I opt for Choice B. This works, but, while I am still laying in bed, I'm not really asleep...
Until. Last. Night. .../This. Morning.
Imagine my surprise when the first sound I heard this morning was actuallly my alarm clock going off at 6:05am ...and not my Noisy Squirmer at 4:30am! Imagine my utter shock when, at 7:20am (I was running late today), I had to go and WAKE up my baby. Can you believe it?! I almost cannot, and I was there! Oh, it was so pleasant! ...Except for the part that we decided to also make a dirty diaper at some point during the wee hours that I was only just now discovering. ...That part was probably not the highlight of my morning. But the gummy smile, with the big bright eyes staring up at me... That was heart-meltingly amazing!
Only problem was I couldn't locate her pacifier ANYWHERE! Getting her all tucked away and ready to head off to daycare, I found her pacifier in her bouncy seat, which is actually where she initially fell asleep last night, and I stumbled on this little gem of an epiphany:
Huh. ....I wonder if...I bet that's the reason she starts getting fussy and squirming at 4:30am!
When I have to play Pin the Pacifier on the Baby in the wee hours of the morning, I have to first find the pacifier. Sometimes it's lodged behind her neck. And once she managed to get it under her butt! And I thought, "Gee, I might get fussy if I was laying on a pokey-rounded piece of plastic, too!"
So tonight, after my Little falls asleep, I will be removing the pacifer from her person, hoping for an encore of "Sleeping All Night and REALLY Meaning It".
Previous Mommy Truths I've stumbled onto include:
-Placing a shirt that smells like me into a swing with a sleeping baby who is SUPER clingly, will afford me at least enough time to shower in peace.
-Swaddling a baby will guarantee that Baby sleeps longer, and more soundly.
-Offering "structured choices" to a strong-willed child is just asking for boundary testing. Telling it like it is and will be is much easier...at least in the long run.
-Allowing preschoolers to dress themselves may not always yield "fashionable" results, but it will assure that you get out the door on time with no tears shed by either party. (Plus, it'll make for GREAT stories for future boyfriends. And then you can repeat to your child what your dad told you about the glasses you wish your parents had not let you choose: "We liked to let you kids choose your own." ...Thanks, for that Mom and Dad. lol)
..Behold the child wearing black flats, heart socks, striped pants, a tshirt dress, a Hello Kitty jacket, gloves, and a (gotta say it) poorly placed head band. But she WAS dressed! ...And smiling. :) ...At least she kind of matches. If you could have seen what she wore to school yesterday! lol
Okay. So I mentioned in my last post that I am a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. And that is no lie. I thought that once you became a parent, you just automatically become selfless, at least where your kids are involved. Man. That would have been nice. But, it didn't happen. But when I am called on to perform my Mommy Duties in the middle of the night, I do so grudingly. It's true. It's something I have to work on every time. ...I would imagine it would make for one pretty hilarious sit-com scene. ...
...I lay there. At first in denial, hoping that maybe the noises I'm hearing are a fluke or just a crazy dream, but deep down, I know my number's up. As I continue to lay there, I hope that maybe my husband will hear the noise and decide to investigate. I know that this hope is futile, though, as I'm pretty sure my husband could sleep through a nuclear explostion and not budge. So instead, I begin my "fake sleep squirm". You know. Every mom knows. You start fidgeting around, hoping to "accidentally" nudge your husband awake. ...That doesn't work, either. I know it won't, but hey..at least I tried?
My last attempt to wake my husband usually goes something like this: After the noises persist, and all previous attempts have failed, I roll over to face the edge of the bed with every ounce of indignance I can muster, sigh the sigh of a mother scorned, and sit up in bed, pausing to to sigh one more time and rub my eyes awake. ...This also never works.
So I throw back the covers. Not enough to throw them off my husband, but enough that I hope that he notices. He doesn't. Get up. And go investigate the noise. And then take care of whatever the issue is in the most un-cheeriest of manners.
It should be noted that I have gotten better about this, but I'm still a pretty sucky night Mommy. Especially with newborns who are up consantly.
Luckily, God, who has always provided exactly what I need and blessed me beyond belief, is aware of this short-coming. And He loves me. Which is why I believe the following statement is no accident. And it sure as heck is not due to anything that I have done. Both of my girls have slept through the night since they were betwen 8 and 12 weeks old. I also believe that God chose this specific blessing for having to put up with their own unique quirks. My four year old was clingy since the day she was born, and you couldn't EVER put her down. Even if she'd been alseep for an hour, any attempt to lay her down would result in a screaming protest from her. And my youngest is my Reflux Princess. And while I know there are most certainly worse cases out there, and I am so aware of how blessed I am that we finally have it "under control", it was a pain in the butt to deal with during the "figuring out" process. Anyway...kinda got off a tangent of sorts...
Back to my story...so my girls have slept through the night. It's WONDERFUL. Sure, the little one has sleep regressions (which I HATE), and the big one occasionally gets sick in the middle of the night or has an accident in bed, but for the most part, I do get to sleep all night.
Except that for the past couple months, the little one, who is in a rocking bassinet by my bedside, has developed the habit of not quite being awake at 4:30am, but also not being quite asleep...at least not quietly. And so I am faced with the following decision, which is, by the way, Lose-Lose. I can either choose to:
a) get up with her for the day and feed her and/or change her diaper-which will, inevitably, ruin her entire daily schedule
or
b) lay face down in bed, eyes closed, arm out, rocking her bassinet to lull her back into a couple more of interrupted sleep, intermittently fumbling around her her pacifier..and then trying to blindly return it to her mouth.
I opt for Choice B. This works, but, while I am still laying in bed, I'm not really asleep...
Until. Last. Night. .../This. Morning.
Imagine my surprise when the first sound I heard this morning was actuallly my alarm clock going off at 6:05am ...and not my Noisy Squirmer at 4:30am! Imagine my utter shock when, at 7:20am (I was running late today), I had to go and WAKE up my baby. Can you believe it?! I almost cannot, and I was there! Oh, it was so pleasant! ...Except for the part that we decided to also make a dirty diaper at some point during the wee hours that I was only just now discovering. ...That part was probably not the highlight of my morning. But the gummy smile, with the big bright eyes staring up at me... That was heart-meltingly amazing!
Only problem was I couldn't locate her pacifier ANYWHERE! Getting her all tucked away and ready to head off to daycare, I found her pacifier in her bouncy seat, which is actually where she initially fell asleep last night, and I stumbled on this little gem of an epiphany:
Huh. ....I wonder if...I bet that's the reason she starts getting fussy and squirming at 4:30am!
When I have to play Pin the Pacifier on the Baby in the wee hours of the morning, I have to first find the pacifier. Sometimes it's lodged behind her neck. And once she managed to get it under her butt! And I thought, "Gee, I might get fussy if I was laying on a pokey-rounded piece of plastic, too!"
So tonight, after my Little falls asleep, I will be removing the pacifer from her person, hoping for an encore of "Sleeping All Night and REALLY Meaning It".
Previous Mommy Truths I've stumbled onto include:
-Placing a shirt that smells like me into a swing with a sleeping baby who is SUPER clingly, will afford me at least enough time to shower in peace.
-Swaddling a baby will guarantee that Baby sleeps longer, and more soundly.
-Offering "structured choices" to a strong-willed child is just asking for boundary testing. Telling it like it is and will be is much easier...at least in the long run.
-Allowing preschoolers to dress themselves may not always yield "fashionable" results, but it will assure that you get out the door on time with no tears shed by either party. (Plus, it'll make for GREAT stories for future boyfriends. And then you can repeat to your child what your dad told you about the glasses you wish your parents had not let you choose: "We liked to let you kids choose your own." ...Thanks, for that Mom and Dad. lol)
..Behold the child wearing black flats, heart socks, striped pants, a tshirt dress, a Hello Kitty jacket, gloves, and a (gotta say it) poorly placed head band. But she WAS dressed! ...And smiling. :) ...At least she kind of matches. If you could have seen what she wore to school yesterday! lol
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
I Love You This Much...
Being a parent is one of those things no one can adequately prepare you for. ...Actually...eerily similar to how women try to describe the sensation of giving birth, but there have really been no words that have been spoken that can really come close to being wholly accurate.
They tell you that you'll never sleep again. ...They tell you lots of things, but I think most "words of preparation" circle around the unfathomable truth that you will Never. Sleep. Again. ...And it's kind of true.
They also tell you there's no love like a parent's love. And that's true, too.
....To not yell at you, and only be slightly grouchy, in the middle of the night when you wake up for a feeding. (...I can't sugarcoat this. I'm a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. I can't even lie about it! lol)
They tell you that you'll never sleep again. ...They tell you lots of things, but I think most "words of preparation" circle around the unfathomable truth that you will Never. Sleep. Again. ...And it's kind of true.
They also tell you there's no love like a parent's love. And that's true, too.
I Love You This Much...
(This list includes both my 4 year old and my 3 month old, so if it sounds off...that's why. :) )
(This list includes both my 4 year old and my 3 month old, so if it sounds off...that's why. :) )
....To not yell at you, and only be slightly grouchy, in the middle of the night when you wake up for a feeding. (...I can't sugarcoat this. I'm a terrible middle-of-the-night Mommy. I can't even lie about it! lol)
...To follow you around with a puke bucket when you're too little to give warning...and then not be upset when I totally miss your line of fire.
...to not even be phased by the baby puke that totally missed the burp rag and made it DOWN MY SHIRT.
...to look past the budget of "Now I have to pay for Nutramigen, too?!", knowing that anything for you is worth it, and God will provide the way.
...to let you boss me around when you're playing teacher in your room. ...And you're a bossy teacher!
...to praise you for writing your "letters", even when it looks like an alien language.
...to get excited when you learn to use the big girl potty.
...to tell you just how proud I am of you that you're becoming such a big girl, even when I miss the sweet little baby you used to be.
...to not tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him...in front of you.
...to tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him, because it brings a smile to his face.
...to smile instead of cringe when I walk past the minefield of pink blankets dotting my living room floor, which is where all your babies are "napping".
...to take time for myself, because it makes me a better, more attentive Mommy for you.
...to have dates with Daddy, because it makes us better parents for you.
...to let my knowledge of art and the color wheel sit by the wayside, instead letting you happily turn your Hobby Lobby birdhouse into nasty shades of brown.
...to tell you just how beautiful your birdhouse is.
...to sing whatever song you've decided is your favorite for the umpteenth time today.
...to let you help me sweep the floors, because you love to help Mommy, even though it actually just creates more work for Mommy in the end.
...to eat the burnt meatballs that look like little fat worms, just because you made them.
...to check on you every night, just to make sure you're okay, even though you're (thankfully) long past the scary age of SIDS.
...to give you the last packet of Blueberry oatmeal, just because it's your favorite.
...to hold you and rock you when you cry.
...to leave you crying in your carseat when we're driving with nowhere to stop.
...to tell you "no" and discipline you when you don't listen.
...to drag you kicking and screaming out of Target when you don't want to listen and throw a fit.
...to teach you how to be respectful
...pick you up and hug you when you hurt yourself when you do something I asked you not to do.
...to teach you how disobedience can have negative consequences.
...to talk with you when you make poor decisions and teach you how to make them right.
...to teach you, once you're a little older, how those acts of disobedience are called sin.
...to teach you about Jesus, and about how he came to save us from sin.
...to teach you just how much I love you, and that Jesus loves you CRAZY more!
...to look past the budget of "Now I have to pay for Nutramigen, too?!", knowing that anything for you is worth it, and God will provide the way.
...to let you boss me around when you're playing teacher in your room. ...And you're a bossy teacher!
...to praise you for writing your "letters", even when it looks like an alien language.
...to get excited when you learn to use the big girl potty.
...to tell you just how proud I am of you that you're becoming such a big girl, even when I miss the sweet little baby you used to be.
...to not tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him...in front of you.
...to tell Daddy the funny story you told me not to tell him, because it brings a smile to his face.
...to smile instead of cringe when I walk past the minefield of pink blankets dotting my living room floor, which is where all your babies are "napping".
...to take time for myself, because it makes me a better, more attentive Mommy for you.
...to have dates with Daddy, because it makes us better parents for you.
...to let my knowledge of art and the color wheel sit by the wayside, instead letting you happily turn your Hobby Lobby birdhouse into nasty shades of brown.
...to tell you just how beautiful your birdhouse is.
...to sing whatever song you've decided is your favorite for the umpteenth time today.
...to let you help me sweep the floors, because you love to help Mommy, even though it actually just creates more work for Mommy in the end.
...to eat the burnt meatballs that look like little fat worms, just because you made them.
...to check on you every night, just to make sure you're okay, even though you're (thankfully) long past the scary age of SIDS.
...to give you the last packet of Blueberry oatmeal, just because it's your favorite.
...to hold you and rock you when you cry.
...to leave you crying in your carseat when we're driving with nowhere to stop.
...to tell you "no" and discipline you when you don't listen.
...to drag you kicking and screaming out of Target when you don't want to listen and throw a fit.
...to teach you how to be respectful
...pick you up and hug you when you hurt yourself when you do something I asked you not to do.
...to teach you how disobedience can have negative consequences.
...to talk with you when you make poor decisions and teach you how to make them right.
...to teach you, once you're a little older, how those acts of disobedience are called sin.
...to teach you about Jesus, and about how he came to save us from sin.
...to teach you just how much I love you, and that Jesus loves you CRAZY more!
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011 Sum-Up and on to 2012
So it has occured to me that I haven't posted since November. Bad blogger! To say that much has happened since then would be a gross understatement. To give you an example of just what I mean by that, I returned to work today from my two week Christmas break. Hey...teaching has its perks. I could not remember my login password to the district server for a good minute or two. My team gave me a hard time, but I simply explained that being a mother of two and traversing the state of Texas (basically) twice during the break renders it necessary to eradicate any unnecessary information from my brain. ...Apparently district logins that are going unused qualify for just such action. Luckily, I was able to wade through the cob-webby corners of my mind to locate the no longer obselete information.
So...November, huh? When I made my OH-so-delicious chicken spaghetti. Tried it? You should. It was DELISH! Well, since then I have tried two more dishes, both of which I found at Pennies on a Platter. Oh. My. Gosh. You have got to check this site out! Lots of great and easy recipes. These were the two I tried:
Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets
-Okay, so the blogger admits that it's not exact, and it's not. BUT, it was still ridiculously tasty-and pretty easy.
Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
-I tried this, because my husband loves Chicago deep dish pizza. It was pretty good, and the from-scratch sauce was actually a lot easier to make than I thought at first.
I'm looking forward to trying more of her recipes, since they tend to be fairly easy to make and not so bad on the wallet; lots of the recipes I browsed included stuff I already had in my pantry. ...Nothing worse than finding a mouth-watering recipe only to discover you don't have a handful of the ingredients.
I've also been busy at my sewing machine. I have tons of sewing projects pinned on Pinterest, which is entirely too addicting, but so far, all I've had time for are my bibs, burp cloths, and paci clips. I made a really cute set for my sweet little nephew, Luke, using Cars fabric and a waterproof backing, but I forgot to take pictures! Grrr!! Here are some of the projects I've completed recently...ALL baby related except for two Christmas ornament projects.
And, it probably wouldn't be a blog if I didn't mention my girls. B is getting bigger every day, and I can't believe half the stuff that comes out of mouth. Not because it's inappropriate, but because she sounds like a kid going on 30 most of the time, complete with voice intonations and hand gestures. What can I say? She's her mother's daughter? lol Her vocabulary seems to grow or improve every day, but she still pronounces "dessert" as "bazzert", and that's okay with me. :)
L (our reflux princess) is still puking, mostly on me, which I'm assuming means I'm her favorite? It is getting better, though. And maybe when we go for her next check up, the pedi will say we can try soy formula and leave the Nutramigen behind. It smells bad. The puke version stains. And it's expensive. All of this is, of course, outweighed by the fact that it seems to be helping (along with the Prevacid) to control her reflux, but if L is ready for the next step, I, for one, will not be throwing a going away party for this formula.
L coos and babbles now, but mostly at her daddy. Such a flirt. And heaven help us when the girls hit high school, as I'm pretty sure that spreading the rumor that the girls have cooties will only work until like the 3rd grade. Our latest little edition has these big 'ol brown eyes and lashes that go on for miles.
..Well...if I dig down deep enough, I probably have more to share, but the girls are both asleep, the house needs a quick clean, it would be nice to talk to my husband for a few minutes (finally!), and I have work tomorrow. So, at least for now, this will have to suffice.
So...November, huh? When I made my OH-so-delicious chicken spaghetti. Tried it? You should. It was DELISH! Well, since then I have tried two more dishes, both of which I found at Pennies on a Platter. Oh. My. Gosh. You have got to check this site out! Lots of great and easy recipes. These were the two I tried:
Chick-fil-a Chicken Nuggets
-Okay, so the blogger admits that it's not exact, and it's not. BUT, it was still ridiculously tasty-and pretty easy.
Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza
-I tried this, because my husband loves Chicago deep dish pizza. It was pretty good, and the from-scratch sauce was actually a lot easier to make than I thought at first.
I'm looking forward to trying more of her recipes, since they tend to be fairly easy to make and not so bad on the wallet; lots of the recipes I browsed included stuff I already had in my pantry. ...Nothing worse than finding a mouth-watering recipe only to discover you don't have a handful of the ingredients.
I've also been busy at my sewing machine. I have tons of sewing projects pinned on Pinterest, which is entirely too addicting, but so far, all I've had time for are my bibs, burp cloths, and paci clips. I made a really cute set for my sweet little nephew, Luke, using Cars fabric and a waterproof backing, but I forgot to take pictures! Grrr!! Here are some of the projects I've completed recently...ALL baby related except for two Christmas ornament projects.
And, it probably wouldn't be a blog if I didn't mention my girls. B is getting bigger every day, and I can't believe half the stuff that comes out of mouth. Not because it's inappropriate, but because she sounds like a kid going on 30 most of the time, complete with voice intonations and hand gestures. What can I say? She's her mother's daughter? lol Her vocabulary seems to grow or improve every day, but she still pronounces "dessert" as "bazzert", and that's okay with me. :)
L (our reflux princess) is still puking, mostly on me, which I'm assuming means I'm her favorite? It is getting better, though. And maybe when we go for her next check up, the pedi will say we can try soy formula and leave the Nutramigen behind. It smells bad. The puke version stains. And it's expensive. All of this is, of course, outweighed by the fact that it seems to be helping (along with the Prevacid) to control her reflux, but if L is ready for the next step, I, for one, will not be throwing a going away party for this formula.
L coos and babbles now, but mostly at her daddy. Such a flirt. And heaven help us when the girls hit high school, as I'm pretty sure that spreading the rumor that the girls have cooties will only work until like the 3rd grade. Our latest little edition has these big 'ol brown eyes and lashes that go on for miles.
..Well...if I dig down deep enough, I probably have more to share, but the girls are both asleep, the house needs a quick clean, it would be nice to talk to my husband for a few minutes (finally!), and I have work tomorrow. So, at least for now, this will have to suffice.
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