i'm such a control freak...

...that it is KILLING me that i don't know, for sure, where i will be teaching next year. i'm so upset with all the budget cuts and downsizing! not only because it is affecting our kids and their education, but because it's affecting so many people i know...myself included. i know, i know....i should totally be thankful for the fact that, no matter what, i KNOW i will have a JOB next year. but to think that i may have to change grade levels (i love first grade) or worse, change school sites (i love my co-workers) leaves me feeling VERY uneasy. like queasy-uneasy. :( my hubband says i stress too much...and i know i do. no matter what happens, i'll be ok...unless they give me a 5th or 6th grade class. but i have a job! it's just sad that i LOVE where i teach now...even if it's not in the best area of town or the easiest kids on earth. i love that i know i'm making a difference. i know i'm providing these kids with some stability and love that they may not get at home. i know that i am NEEDED. and i love that i become so close with them through the year, that even with their tough lives and their barriers, i can make them smile and giggle. so do i really want to leave? no...i still have too much passion left in me to leave a place like this. it's hard, i will admit that. it's hard to teach the kids who come in with so much baggage....but in the end, it's just that more rewarding.

...but if i have to leave, then i have to leave. i just hope and pray that i get to stay at my school site in my current position. damn the economy, damn the budget cuts....damn all the people who continue to think it's ok to take so much money from education. i may be complaining about something as petty as my own job...but seriously....think of the kids. they NEED to come first.

back to reality

i'm quite sad about that fact that i have to go back to work on friday to set up the classroom...and school begins again on monday. i am hoping that this trimester goes by quickly. it's the last trimester of the year, and there are always so many things going on...but the kids will begin to get "spring fever" and it will be that much harder to keep them under control, especially this year with this group. ahh! let's hope for the best on monday. ;)

i haven't blogged all month...wow! i can't believe i've been off work for a whole month; but it has been a pretty productive one. i worked 6 days while i was off, which will bring in a nice chunk of change. the new blinds got put in finally, and i even spent 2 days putting up new curtains! i love them because they make the house look more "home-y". i did not, however, step foot in my gym until this week. of course, the LAST week i'm off. grr to me. :( i so wanted to get myself back into a routine this month. but so good fitness news: i have fallen in love with doing the yoga exercises on my wii fit. and man, it's quite the workout! i've done it every day for the past week, and i find myself sitting up a little taller now. :)

so here are my spring goals, published for all to see. ;)

1. i will go to the gym at least twice a week in the evenings (as hard as this may be to stick to, it's almost impossible for me to go in the morning!). i know it doesn't sound like much, but baby steps until i can make it part of my normal routine. and i will try and drag hubband with me!

2. i will eat healthier and keep better snacks around the house for both myself and my hubs. this means cooking healthier for the two of us and less eating out. we did that a lot this month since i was off...but i'm going to try and limit our eating out/date nights to twice a month. do-able!

3. i will give myself "quiet time" each day to unwind. i don't do this for myself enough when i am working because i get caught up in daily chores and planning for school. this month i have realized that i NEED this time to center myself.

4. i will try and clean up as i go during the week. i cannot stand spending a whole saturday picking up crap left around the house during the work week! so i will try and put my things away as i go....and i will try not to let the fact that hubband does this irritate me. ;)

let's see if i can stick to my spring goals. not to lose weight or become a body builder, or to be a domesticated godess...but to feel better about myself and my lifestyle. because sometimes i feel like i fall short. that should be enough to keep me going. :)

i heart year round schools

i am FINALLY off track for a month! thank goodness!! i am so ready to sit around the house and do nothing for a few days. i have picked up a few sub jobs already, which is great because i could use some extra spending money. but nothing else big is planned for this break. jammies, couch, and movies are all that are on my agenda. yes, i know i sound like the laziest person ever; but teaching these little munchkins take A LOT out of you! i hope that the weather is pleasant for a few days...i would love to get some yard work done since our back yard looks like a stinkin' jungle. and we should be getting new blinds in a week or two, and after that i can put up the curtains. oh yea...and i told myself i would paint the bathroom! so maybe i will have a productive break. but for now, i'll enjoy the fact that i don't have to wake up early tomorrow. gee, tim is gonna love that when he has to get up and get ready for work. ;)

beamer's beloved teddy bear

so beamer has this little teddy bear that he is absolutely in love with. he plays with this stinky little bear all the time, and it is just the cutest thing when you catch him dragging the little bear along the floor by the ear. here is a picture of said bear.
beamer's best friend

this morning as tim and i were getting ready for work, we found the bear on our bathroom floor. we know that beamer plays with this bear like mad because we find it in odd places of the house when we come home. so...tim thought it would be funny to place the bear underneath a laundry basket to see if beamer would try to get it out while we were at work. i giggle as tim puts the bear in "jail", and beamer watches. then beamer just stares at his friend, helpless. he tries to paw at the bear through the gaps in the laundry basket, but no success. tim put bear in the dead center of the basket, and beamer's arms weren't long enough to get his friend.

so around 4:30 today when tim got home from work, he called me on my cell phone cracking up. he came home to find the laundry basket clear on the other side of the bathroom floor. bear was pulled out halfway through the handle opening of the laundry basket. i asked him to take pictures for me so i could see.

i just about died laughing when i saw these pictures! beamer REALLY did try to get him out. i thought he'd figure out a way to tip the basket over...but instead he scooted it around to get to his friend. at least he picked the largest opening to pull bear out, but bear just wouldn't budge. ;) beamer was quite elated when he had bear in his arms again. if i can get a picture of the two of them cuddling, you better believe it will get posted.

iCrave....tart yogurt!

i'm so sad that we don't have a pinkberry here is sac, but we do have pretty good yogurt places. not all of them carry the tart yougrt, which i ADORE. and not all of them have fresh fruit toppings either. so when i find one with BOTH, i am jazzed. last night we went to yogurt after belly dancing and it was very yummmmmmy. i got the cantelope tart yogurt with mango, kiwi and strawberries. it was so good! i've been thinking about this yogurt all day. maybe i'll be able to convince hubs to take me on saturday.

yummy, yummy, in MY tummy!

beamer meets franklin

beamer kitten checking out his brother, franklin turtle

last weekend i finally packed up franklin mortimer the turtle and all his belongings and brought him from mom and dad's to our house. i've had frankin for quite a while now...6ish years? anyway, i left him at the parent's house when i moved out in 06...and now that we've found room at the house (3 years later), we decided to bring him home. beamer was VERY intrigued by his new brother. everytime i come home, i find beamer sitting next the franklin's aquarium. i think franklin could take the cat...easy.

welcome home, franklin!

let's try this again ...

so back in the day i used to blog...oh...everyday! but that was back when i had more time between classes and didn't come home dead tired. i've been wanting to get back into blogging for a while, but i felt like i didn't have much to blog about. however, the more that i think about it, the more i realize that i do! i teach first grade, for goodness sake! i've got cute/crazy/insane stories to tell! and hello?!? i did just get married, so i guess i can blog about that too. and learning to cook...man, that's got some stories. but for now, i've set up my account (another one, since i have been locked out of my old one) and will try to blog every once in a while. no one will read these, i'm sure. but at least i have a way to share and vent if necessary. ;) and maybe i'll be cool and put pics in as well! we'll see. for now i'll share a pic from the awesome red, red wine party last weekend. heather knows how to throw a shin-dig!
the lovely ladies of mack