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The other day my oldest said to me, "Mommy, you've got spider webs." Considering we had just gone outside this didn't seem odd to me. Spiders loves our front porch, it never fails to run into a web or two first thing in the morning. So I start to brush the webs from my face and clothes, when I hear my son say, "No, mommy, not there." Hmm... "Ok, where are they?"
"...in your nose."
Happy Halloween everyone! Check back soon for some TREATS!
I had no idea that when I decided to make a life altering decision (quit a well paying job) that my life would literally turn upside down. I am not even sure if I am coming or going. Such is the life of the mommy/artist/substitute teacher/CRA/wife.
The house is a disaster, not that it has changed all that much. My children look like they are neglected, ya know dirt behind the ears, lucky if their clothes match, let alone fit, and don't get me started on the hair (rest assured, they are well cared for.) Then there is my daily planner, a gift my hubby recently purchased. Please, oh PLEASE do not let me lose it ever! Subbing for LPS is hard enough, keeping track of where I need to be and when, but then factor in the other 3 school districts I sub for each with their own contact person, it's enough to make a person go insane. Then of course is my part time job, ya know the one I thought I needed for a stable paycheck. HA HA HA! I recently had a small mental moment where I asked for the wrong weekend off. Ya know how everyone is talking about this fantastic weekend event in the Omaha area. The weekend of all weekends with glitter, paper, and hot cowboys Oh my! (okay so it's one hot cowboy----sheesh) Well, I was thinking the fabulous Ms. Foof scheduled it for first weekend like last year, but I was mistaken. Thankfully, my MM only affected time off, and not my hotel room. Driving back and forth for the weekend is NOT my idea of a great time.
I am excited about the my long term assignment, substituting for an ART TEACHER in a small school district. I met with her yesterday, and she is asking me to create my own lesson plans!!!! OH MY --------! It has been awhile since I have done this, and the Principal would like me to turn them in each Monday morning. YIKES! I have got a lot of work to do, and so little time now to do it.
So it's time for me to quit whining, and get to creative, happy thoughts. The Most wonderful Glittery event is just a few weeks away!
Ah how the joys of getting my first sub job in my field come to a screeching halt with these words, "CODE RED". Those of you who are not in the school system may or may not be familiar with this new fangled term. Essentially, it means lock your doors, close your blinds, and gather your students together on the floor away from windows and doors, remain calm and wait for "CODE GREEN!"
I understand why we need this new drill, but I don't understand how it got this way. When did shooting teachers, classmates, and others become the way to solve a problem at school? What did I miss? What is happening to our society? I was student teaching when the shootings at Columbine happened. I remember standing in my classroom watching the tv as live coverage was playing. At first, I didn't know where it was happening, it could have been my high school for all I knew. Then the closed captioning revealed the name of the school and what was happening. I couldn't believe it. I still can't. What's worse is it didn't stop there. So, today in my classroom as we sat on the floor, students were asking questions like, "What if I am in the bathroom? Where do I go? What do I do?" I didn't have an answer. I was told later that day, the students were to go to the nearest classroom. I am not sure why. The doors are to be locked as soon as the code is called. For a sub that isn't familiar with all the students in the building, that could be a death sentence for both the student in the hall, and those in the classroom. As a parent, I would want my child to stay put, rather than risk running out in the hall trying to find a teacher who will open their door. I don't know. It makes me sick to think that we even have to worry about this, that we need to practice drills for this situation. I honestly never thought my life could be in danger just because I wanted to teach.
Parents take the time to talk to your children. The students going on rampages all seem to have something in common, they felt like outsiders, that they were being picked on by classmates or worse teachers. There were clues in most cases, clues that often went unnoticed. Our children need to learn that violence is not the way to solve problems, and bullies need to learn that their actions do have consequences. Hopefully, someday soon, "CODE RED" will become a thing of legend, like when my parents were instructed to hide under their desks during a bombing.
Please be safe out there, and spread some love and kindness around, Lord knows we could all use some.
ah a family day outing! Last Saturday, we packed up the kids and headed out to the Roca Berry Farm to see all the pumpkins. It was a lovely day, and Michael had a blast. In the photo above, he is pretending to eat a lolly pop from the LIFE sized Candy Land game. They had all the characters and their homes set up. The spaces were colored stepping stones, it was really cool!
Of course from the moment we pulled into the parking lot (ie large grass field) he spotted this...
a large, inflatable paradise! Just look at that slide. Oh I so wanted to go in there with him. He had a blast, climbing and jumping around.
there he goes, down the smaller slide into the tackling dummies.
This place was just the right size. Lots to do, and easy to get around. They even have a hay rack ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick your own. Surprisingly, we didn't pick any pumpkins. It's a bit too early to have them sitting around just begging to be picked up and smashed. I will never understand the satisfaction in smashing someone's pumpkin. I digress...
It was lots of fun, the weekend wasn't without it's disappointments. The Huskers lost, badly. And my beloved McDreamy and company lost to da Bears again. I do have to take solace in the fact that they put points on the board this time. Last year, I was in Lambeau for the first time, opening day. Losing to da Bears at home, with NO points far worse.
Oh and I do apologize to my current employer for misspelling the company name. I have got Bella's on the brain for Silverbella is less than a month away. Starting to officially count the days. I hope to have some sneaks posted soon!
Remember to go out and Find your ARTitude!
I love this photo of my grandparents. Young and in love...
Oh my how time flies. I see over on Cari's blog that there is just 37 days left until one of the coolest events here in the Midwest---SILVEBELLA! Oh man, I can't wait, but there is lots to do in those 37 days remaining.
So what has happened since I last posted... well my McDreamy (Brett Farve) set a new record for most touchdown passes thrown, I did get to watch the replay. Thankfully, he didn't set another record in the same game which is most interceptions thrown in a career. I am sure that one will be broken before too long, not that I want it to be. So, to my fav team in the NFL, Congratulations on the 4-0 record, keep it going, and have fun out there!
What else, oooh the new seasons of Grey's, Private Practice, House, and Bones. All of which were worth the wait. The Closer dutifully filled the void of your presence, but now our DVR is wishing it was summer again.
I started my CRA training at the local Cabella's call center. Absolutely amazing, ladies, if your hubby gets one of these catalogs, keep an eye out. Next time he says you can't purchase something, proudly hold up that credit card statement and say, "I'm sorry... what about this purchase here?" No, I'm kidding. There are many women shopping at Cabella's for themselves, not just Christmas shopping for the boys in their lives. I have learned a lot of valuable information especially when it comes to customer service. Regardless of the outcome there, I will have learned many things that I can apply to my small business and teaching.
Well, I think that sums up my life since my last post. I hope you are all doing well out there and flexing those creative muscles. I want to give a big thanks to those who stopped by my etsy store and made some purchases this week. I think Bunny Boy is now officially sold out. Be on the look out for something new arriving soon.
