Hurt

"My brother died last week" does not say enough about how I feel. Thursday, December 8, 2011 a piece of my heart went to heaven. I had a typical day at school, my kids were just starting to get the pre Christmas crazies. We got our school iPads that day and I sat in a training for an hour or so. After that, I went and met my parra and we bought critter hats. I walked in my house about 4:15 thinking I could take a quick nap. I had just settled myself down on the couch when my mom called and told me they were taking him to the hospital. While we were talking she had to let me go because his friend he was working with was calling. My heart knew then that he was gone, I can't really explain it other than its like a part of you is sucked out. She called back about 10 minutes later. Now I remember that she didn't actually get the words out, but I lost it and my grandma came to get me. We had to wait until Sunday to get his body back because he was working in Pennsylvania. All we know is that he had an enlarged heart and died peacefully in his sleep. He was only 24. I'm officially done with Christmas this year. My grandma is still going to do her thing and cook. She says that it would break his heart to feel like he ruined Christmas and she's right but i can't get rid of the feeling of wanting to rip my tree down.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was an interesting one to say the least. My mom is still recovering from having a colon resectioning and my grandpa just got out of ICU today after having surgery on his carotid artery. I have a lot to be thankful for that they are doing better now. I spent Thanksgiving in Houston and will be trying to avoid Black Friday as much as possible.

What's on my mind now:
Nearly went postal in giant 2 story Forever 21 due to over abundance of teenagers
I hate Houston traffic
Dogs are driving me crazy (7 total staying here)
This week went way too fast
Still need to do lesson plans, get kids a tree and ornaments
Home is waiting with 100 loads of laundry
Tried sock bun curls. Cussed. A lot. Will see when I wake up.
Tired. Goodnight.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Life

I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Pretty soon we'll be working on the Christmas program and ringing in the new year. School has kept me so busy lately. We are working on home visits this week and next. My parents have been pretty cooperative which is great. This is a short week at school for me since I'm off tomorrow for my mom's surgery (she's having a cancerous part of her colon removed) and Friday is Veteran's Day.

I'm loving the iPad and the kids have gotten the hang of it. At first they seemed kind of afraid to touch it and werent pressing hard enough. We've been working on Starfall and ABC Trace for the past few weeks. I need to find a number trace app because we just started working on writing numbers.

I officially adopted Faith on October 22nd which is also pit bull awareness day. She finished up her classes for CGC and all we have to do is work some more in public places so she can get used to distractions and we will be all set to take the test.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

iPad apps

As promised, I will share a few of the iPad apps my district has recommended. They are mainly early childhood and sped.

Little Speller- this app is very customizable. You can include your own pictures and input your own spelling list as a scramble or for younger students, include the letters in their proper place to teach students to drag letters. Sound can be turned off or on.

Sock Puppets- can record voices, choose different characters and settings then play your puppet show. Great for story retelling.

Sas flash cards-very easy to customize

Answers yes or no- great app for sped. You can customize questions ad answers with pictures.

Autism apps- collection of apps to assist children with autism. Unlike the previous apps I posted, some of these are not free. I highly recommend some of the ABA flash card apps that have great pictures.

It's getting late and on top of that, I'm starting to get sick. (the day before we foto the pumpkin patch no less) so I will continue this list later.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Technology

I had a rough week at school. It seemed like every day we had a few friends that were tardy. We go straight to bathroom and breakfast when the kids come in, so it's an extra hassle if anyone is tardy. Thursday was our Grandparent's Day breakfast so Wednesday afternoon was spent doing decorations and preparing everything.

I needed a break this weekend so bad but Saturday I had to attend an all day technology conference. It was actually very informative. We discussed literacy with Promethean boards. I don't have a Promethean in my classroom this year but some other teachers and I are working on writing some grants to get some. Even though we may not see the boards this year, I felt like it was very important for me to catch up on the new stuff since I've been without mine.

I attended three sessions on iPad. We actually got to borrow the iPads for the sessions. It was great because we got to see some apps that we can actually implement with our younger students. It's so hard for Pre-k and Head Start teachers to get a lot out of these conferences because they are always tailored to upper elementary. I attended the SPED seminar also and got some great ideas on how to better engage some of my kids.

I also spent some $$$ I probably shouldn't have and bought an iPad. The iPad 2 is apparently on sale to make way for the 3 and I couldn't pass up the price so I brought it home. It's hooked up to iTunes now and getting the IOS 5 update. For my next post, I will share our district's list of iPad apps and do some reviews on a few.

Milestones

I feel like I've hit a major milestone in the year. I no longer feel like I'm constantly freaking out all the time about everything I have to get done. I managed to turn my first set of assessments in without a hitch and my lesson plan review went well. Things are falling into place and my little friends in class are doing so much better. They are getting procedures down and learning to keep their hands and feet to themselves.

Last Wednesday, I turned 28. Not so happy about creeping up on 30 but I had a great birthday. I bought myself this little present for all my hard work. I've been wanting an MK watch forever and the fact that I found a nice little stipend on my check this month sealed the deal.

What's In My Pocket

I decided to start a weekly addition of what's in my pocket to show some of the interesting things I collect from my kids at school. Today I have a penny, package of salt, and a googly eye.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

One Week Down

My first week in class with the kids is over. It was an easy one because we only had 7 this week. I will have 17 total. Everyone is doing great with procedures but they are getting so spoiled by being such a small class. My theme for my room is safari and as soon as I can get to it, I'm going to post some pictures. I got some really neat fonts for the newsletter and folders at fontspace.com under the animal category. I finished their take home folders yesterday and I decided to use

Safari

And

Families

Are

Responsible and

Informed

since I teach HeadStart and we're all about family involvement. I thought this one was cute also:

Little

Experts

Organizing

Practicing

And

Remebering

Daily

Skills

I got this from smithsroom.com under Moose acronyms. They have so many cute ones.

I'm trying to take it easy this weekend because my brain is a little mushy but we have to start screening on Monday so I've got to get a few things together plus I need to go through my cd's and make daily ones so I don't have to waste so much time changing cd's all day.

Back to School

This is where I've been for the past few weeks. This was the before picture. I sent this to a friend along with "HELP!!!!" She replied back with "I see potential". It's all coming together and hopefully I will have an after picture to put up here soon. I thank God every day for my job and can't wait to meet my students for the year.

Things are looking up

I got a job!!! I'm so excited and I feel like a huge load has been lifted off my shoulders. I found out Friday. Next week I'll be getting my classroom into shape and working on things at the Media Center.

On another note, I'm fostering this cutie pie for the local pit bull rescue. She is an absolute doll. I got her today and she's fitting right in. Hopefully I can get her adopted before I fall in love with her too much.

Coupons

I'm really not into all this extreme couponing business. I don't have the patience to sit, clip and organize all of that. It's kind of a shame because my house is pretty organized and my classroom always was too but I guess having to make that big ol coupon binder just is too much for me. Plus, I don't need 700 bottles of Powerade or 200 cans of oatmeal. I don't have the place to store all of that stuff. I did however, get roped into liking RainingHotCoupons.com on Facebook by a friend. Today's deal is a free $12 voucher from cellpig.com. They have a few iPhone cases and car chargers so I decided to get a case. I have the iPhone 4 and normally keep an Otterbox on it because 1, I'm destructive and 2, I let kids play on it all the time. I have an iHome dock which of course does not work with the Otterbox on it so I needed a smaller case so I don't have to dock it naked. Even switching the cases back and forth freaks me out but heck it was free. The deal ends today so mosey on over to raininghotcoupons to check it out.

What I've been up to

Still no word about a job for next year. I had two interviews but there are so many administration changes in the elementary schools so hiring is taking longer. Gotta love Louisiana and the value they place on education.
To keep myself busy I've been working on healthier eating at home. I got Hungry Girl 300 under 300 and I'm working my way through the recipes. I've also rededicated myself to my old 6 days a week at the gym so maybe I can shed all the extra pounds I packed on last school year.
In addition to all of that, I've been working on redoing some furniture pieces I've had for awhile. I basically just sand them down a little bit then paint with sponges to make sort of an antique look. To seal it i just spray with a clear coat. The chair and stool are for my future classroom. I will be so glad to get rid of all my teacher stuff that's taking up so much space. Pardon the mess in my kitchen, I'm in the process of organizing and overhauling my entire house. I'm almost done.








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Summertime

I've wanted to blog more instead of just stalking other blogs but this summer hasn't provided much in the way of excitement. I'm working 2 CASA cases and I've been working on a benefit for a friend's niece. It's on Saturday so we've been collecting donations, baking all sorts of things for the bake sale and running around like crazy people all week. After doing all of this, I'm reminded once again what a great community I live in. People as far as Lafayette have donated. Right now, K and I (thank God she lives behind me) have been funneling baked goods across our yards all morning. My oven is baking the second batch of beer bread and she's baking what feels like 10 million cookies in hers. I still haven't found a permanent teaching position but things are looking better than last year so I just have to continue to pray and have faith that something will come up.

St. Tropez Self Tanner

As much as I hate to admit it, I still can't get over my tanning bed addiction. Last summer, I skipped tanning in the beds and this summer I've failed a little. I know it's terrible for my skin but I have found a little gem that makes staying out of the tanning bed a little easier. Enter St. Tropez self tanner. It comes in a lotion and mousse form. I bought the lotion at Sephora and have been pretty pleased with the results. I am naturally a little darker complected and don't burn in the sun (thank God for Native American blood) so self tanner doesn't turn me orange. It's about $28 and well worth it. It applies pretty quickly and for troublesome spots like knees and elbows, I do one pump of St. Tropez and one pump of lotion to even things out. The bottle says to apply it then rinse in the shower after 4 hours. I put it on at night, dry it off a little with the blow dryer on cold shot, and go to sleep. I feel like it helps the color build a bit better but maybe it's just me. It lasts for about a week, then just reapply and you're good to go.

I've been driving myself crazy trying to find someone in town that does Shellac. My fav nail tech ever does them but shes 40 minutes away and gas in my Yukon is not cheap plus it's impossible to keep find time once school starts back up (we are on Spring Break this week, thank you Lord). I found a few so far after searching forever. Most of the responses I got where "What?" "Who" or "No she no come in til tomorrow".

Today in itself was bizarre enough. Last night, General my Boxer had an "episode". He just fell down in the laundry room and would not get up. As I'm freaking and looking for the phone to call the vet, poor baby could not control his bladder and peed all over the floor. He still just laid there and after about another minute or so, he just popped back up like nothing happened. He ate and drank after than and I kept him with me the rest of the night. He's all good today, and I still have no idea what caused it.

I couldn't sleep after all that excitement plus the weather was terrible so the dogs and I camped on the couch to watch tv. About 5:30 or so the lights go out. And they stayed out. Apparently until 3 this afternoon (thanks a lot Entergy!). I went and ran the roads with my grandma so I was out of the house until about 4.

New Job Title?

I officially would like to change my job title from Teacher Without A Class to SAHPM or Stay At Home Puppy Momma. I'm starting to enjoy this a little too much. The pros are: house is always spotless, I'm getting to the gym every day and actually enjoying it, cooking at home is saving lots of $. The cons: Being a SAHPM doesn't exactly pay that well. I'm subbing as much as possible but this week has been slower with LEAP testing. Today I have to meet BFF at her school to assist with cheerleader tryouts. Middle school scares me to death but I think I can deal with 30 hopeful cheerleaders for a few hours. It is Friday so BFF has successfully bribed me with several adult beverages.

Sunday Chores

I started my Sunday chores tonight so I could get an early start. The 2 big dogs have been bathed and I changed their bedding. Little Moo isn't feeling so well today. Poor baby decided to help himself to some extra food.


Tomorrow I am going to head to early service at church, find some lunch and go shopping. Monday I have to inventory and clean out my closet. It's horrible.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

So I'm back in the iPhone world and I'm actually pretty satisfied with it. Now I do have my backup blackberry waiting just in case. I'm heading out to the eye doctor to order some new contacts. The school board doesn't have vision insurance but they did provide us with a discount card so let's see how much I actually save. I'll leave you with a picture of my little man and I at the Krewe of Barkus parade.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Phone Drama

I'll be jumping back into the iPhone world tomorrow. My poor Blackberry got dropped and stepped on during the Mardi Gras festivities so sadly it will have to be retired. A friend of mine knows someone that refurbishes and sells iPhones so I'll use that until I can upgrade in April.

I'm still out of the classroom but I'm not as scared to go back as I was last week. Hopefully I will be able to start subbing next week and maybe even catch a maternity leave position for the rest of the year. Then there is next year to worry about. I'm just having to trust that I will find the right place for me and I can actually begin to settle in. I do miss my former kiddos and hope that they are safe and well cared for.

Life

Life has been a roller coaster lately. I left the school that I was teaching at. It was a mid-year leave position so there were no consequences. I would rather not reveal the reasons since the powers that be may one day locate this humble blog, but I feel that it was the right decision for me. We are off for Mardi Gras break so I'm hoping to start subbing this week or next. Spring Break is also fast approaching and there's really not much longer until school lets out which means its already time to start thinking about teaching jobs for next year. I think things will be better for me if I'm able to start off fresh with a new year and a new group of kids. Throughout this situation, I've become my own worst critic. I know I can't have everything at once and teaching is a completely new field for me, but I am confident I can find the right place for me next year.

Boo Tresemme

I posted awhile back about how nice this Tresemme Fresh Start dry shampoo was and how it was such a bargain. That was before I used it for like a week and it stopped spraying. I gave up on it but bought another bottle last week and used it twice and it did the same thing. I've heard that the Batiste dry shampoo works pretty well so I may try that.

Wal-Mart Finds

I am completely addicted to lip balm. I read on another blog bragging about how good the EOS balm was and when I saw it at Wal-Mart while I was doing my weekly shopping and fighting the Super Bowl crowds of people buying cheese dip and beer. I also picked up two Essie polishes in Merino Cool and Devil's Advocate. I searched for a new bottle of Lincoln Park After Dark but everywhere I went was out of it. I didn't even realize Wal-Mart carried Essie because I avoid that place at all costs most of the time.

Having the 2 days off for weather did wonders for me. We have an inservice tomorrow so it will be a shorter week. I feel like I can face my class again and hopefully they won't be too out of control. I got my house cleaned and clothes washed so I feel a little bit better about myself.

Weather Break

School was closed Thursday and Friday due to the bad weather we had. It didn't snow or anything but Thursday afternoon and Friday morning we were asked to stay off the roads because some of them were iced over. Even the threat of snow is enough to close school in Louisiana. I needed the days bad because I caught some sort of strange virus that's been going around. One of the other K teachers had it 2 weeks ago and it's not fun. I finally recovered enough today to head out and spend a little money at VS. My best bra was about to give out and we won't even talk about how raggedy my underwear were getting.

Monday is an inservice which means I don't have to deal with my class until Tuesday. It's nice to have 5 days with no cussing, no fighting, and no "I don't cares". I'm recharging my batteries, cleaning house and painting my nails.

Sundays

Sunday nights usually stress me out. I'm always worried about Monday and how the week is going to go. This weekend, I got my lesson plans early and my goal for next week is to plan reading for the next few weeks so I don't have to worry as much. Special Ed still hasn't come for my interesting friend that needs help so desperately and another friend is being overmedicated and cries all day. I honestly don't know what do anymore with the kids, they are so bad. New Teacher Academy does help but I feel like every day they get a little more out of control. I'm seriously thinking about quitting teaching alltogether. I know that just because these kids are low income and come from very bad home lives, they need teachers too. I just don't feel like I'm equipped enough to handle their violent outburts and manage behavior.

Another Day

I survived another day in the classroom today. Troubled Child had an episode and slapped another student so we had to arrange a time-out. I let TC back in and we had been on the carpet for about 5 minutes when she said, "I need to f-in iron my shirt" and took her jacket off, laid it on the floor and proceeded to kick everyone else out of the way while she pretended to iron her jacket. I relocated her and we had another pencil stabbing incident so she spent the remainder of the day across the hall. Another friend decided he didn't need his pants after using the bathroom and walked out in his uniform jacket and thermal underwear. After redirecting him to the bathroom, another friend decided to pull his pants down, revealing plaid boxers, so the whole episode was recreated yet again. Tomorrow is Wednesday so more than likely I should survive this week with minimal blood pressure spikes.

Teaching vs. Stay At Home Dog Parent

Reasons I'd much rather stay at home and be a pet parent to my dogs instead of chasing kindergartners all day long:

1. When I tell my dogs to sit, they sit. They don't say "Oh my God girl you ain't fixin to tell me where to sit!"

2. My dogs have never tried to stab anyone with a pencil.

3. My dogs do not hit or kick me.

4. My dogs go outside to pee. They don't stand there in the middle of the classroom where there is a bathroom 25 feet away and proclaim, "I'm using it" as pee runs all over the floor.

5. My dogs don't try to steal everything that's not nailed down or locked up.

Reasons I can't stay home and be a pet parent my dogs all day long:

1. Bills

2. If I can make a difference in the lives of at least a few in my class, then I've done my job.

Enough said.

Rockin the boat

I sat down to write lesson plans and I got halfway through before I decided to take a break. Reading is always the most tedious to write and it's done so that's good enough for me. I honestly am sick to my stomach dreading going back to school on Tuesday. There are some things going on that are beyond my control and I get no support in dealing with them. I can't really rock the boat with the school board because I need to keep my job so I'm between a rock and a hard place on this one. The school I'm at is not the right place for me but God sent me there for a reason and I have a job to do. It can only go up from here so I'm going to continue to pray that I see some changes really soon.

Survival

I made it through my first week with my new class. Barely. The other teacher apparently hasn't been doing too much with them and it's been a struggle but each day it slowly gets a little better. I have five more days until a little break for MLK day so I'm just going to try and push through this week. This class is unlike anything I've ever seen. It's in an extremely low income area so I've had to deal with cussing and physical fights breaking out. I've stood my ground pretty well and I know this is an adjustment for them so hopefully we can accomplish a lot this week.