Last week of 2010

Well good grief. It has been a month since I posted last. I finished my college classes and begin my second semester of methods in a few weeks.
The preschool Christmas party was fun, the kids all had little gifts to open and lots of great snacks. We are getting 2 new students when we come back from Christmas break. The second semester is always so busy at the preschool. I kind of do not look forward to it. It can be stressful with me going to school and trying to juggle everything.
We have been doing ok with Karl being laid off. He has been doing some odd jobs, so everything has worked out ok. We are hoping he gets to go back to work in a couple of weeks.
We had a nice Christmas. The month flew by. We did get out to see Christmas lights with Josh and we had a Christmas party with his extended family a few days before Christmas. Then on Christmas my dad came up and spent Christmas with us. My mom stayed home. She is not feeling well. She is having some pain in her leg. I do not know why yet. We will be having another Christmas party with Karl's immediate family on New Year's. Then Monday I go back to work (3rd).
I cannot believe a New Year is almost here. Oh and since I haven't posted in so long, we had a puppy dumped in our driveway. We decided to keep her and named her Meisha. She is going to be a big dog, but is adorable. I think she was only about 4 weeks old when she was dumped and we had had for for 3 weeks now.
Josh got a Wii for Christmas and some games to go with it. It is funny to watch them play it. I am going to post a picture of Christmas and one if Meisha. The picture of Meisha was taken on Christmas Day, so it is current.
This week I am geting my haircut (wed.). I cannot wait. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011!!

Black Friday

Well, let me back up and actually say that we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the day with my parents. We got there around 10:30AM, so I was able to help cook and Josh watched the Macy's Day parade and the Dog Show. The food was wonderful because my mom makes everything homemade, I even got Josh to help peel potatoes. It was fun. After we ate we watched football a little and Josh made up a game for all of us to play. It was like family feud. The weather was crazy. We had freezing rain and sleet and it was so cold. It was hot in the house though. It was a fun day. We gave my mom her gift and sang Happy Birthday to her, we got her a frame that says "Nana always makes me smile". She loved it. She also had her favorite German Chocolate cake for her birthday cake. She made Coconut Cream pie, it was awesome!!
Well, if you have been reading my blog for many years, you probably know I am not the one that goes out shopping on Black Friday, it is Karl. He went out this morning early to Kohl's and other places and got most of the Christmas presents. I just need to get presents for my co-workers and my dad and I think everyone is taken care of. We didn't buy anything "big" this year for ourselves. He is wanting to buy a shed, we need to talk about it, he is out shopping again though.
I took my Fall/Thanksgiving things down last night and put them away. I am hoping we can put up Christmas things later today inside the house.
I do want to ask for your prayers. Karl has been laid off. This happens from time to time and hopefully he will be back working by the first of the year, but just pray that December and early January goes smoothly for us. I think we will be just fine.
I hope if you celebrate Thanksgiving it was wonderful and if not I hope you have a great weekend!! Is everyone ready for Christmas??? I am so excited!!

Thanksgiving!!

The thematic unit I have been working on every weekend for a month is finally finished!! Yay!! I am so glad. It has been very time consuming. Now I will just put together my practicum notebook, make a math game and work on our chapter presentation. Then the class will be over. The projects above should not take much time.
This week I have work on Monday, then practicum Tuesday, and it will be my last day of practicum. That is all I will do that day because the preschool has a half day. I will come home and work on that practicum notebook I had mentioned. Then I plan to enjoy the holiday. I will be working on the chapter presentation with two classmates, so I cannot do that and I need further instructions on the math game.
Well let's see. Josh is doing good. I think his teeth are already starting to straighten up a little. They have a long way to go, but I can see changes. He is doing just great in school. He loves it and he has all A's as of right now.
Karl is working as always. We are very thankful for that.
We will be spending Thanksgiving at my parents house. It is actually my mom's birthday on Thanksgiving day. I am not sure what I am going to get her yet. It is going to be a busy week. I better get moving.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving if you live in the U.S. and if not, I hope it is a great week!!

checking in...

I have been working on my thematic unit today. It is kind of like our Final for my class and it is pretty involved. I worked on and off all day and I do not feel like I got much done, but I know I did. I am going to do a couple more lesson plans tomorrow.
Well, I did my lesson plan in practicum last week and as boring as I thought it would be, the kids were really into it. The teacher did a great job teaching them about the Pledge of Allegiance and they were excited about my lesson. I was very impressed with them. I tied it to Veteran's Day and they talked about the Veteran's in their lives also. It went well. I am almost done with practicum, I am going to miss those kids.
Work is going fine. I have really good kids this year. It is nice.
Karl is still working and that is good.
I cannot believe it is almost Thanksgiving. I am excited. I love Thanksgiving!! All of the food, football, Macy's Parade and relaxing. I will only have that one day I am sure. I will have to get back to doing homework after Thanksgiving Day. Everything is due the following week on Dec. 3rd.
Well, I just wanted to drop in. I am fine, just really busy this semester. Oh, I got enrolled for next semester also. I am taking my second block of Methods. I am excited. It will be assessment and curriculum. I better go. Have a nice week!!

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween!! Josh got his braces, so he did not go out this year, but he had fun handing out candy here at the house. I decorated the house for Thanksgiving while he was handing out candy.
Well, like I said Josh got his braces. They are only on the front four teeth for now. They hurt him a couple of days after he got them on, but he is doing fine now.
Molly got her operation this past week...she was spayed. She is doing great. I was so worried about her, but she has done great.
Thursday night was Family Literacy Night at the preschool. It was fun, I am going to post a picture of me reading.

There were four of us reading. They were girls from my class at the college. We had to do this for our class, but it was so much fun!! We had two groups reading, so you see the side I was on in the picture, then on the other side of the room were two more girls reading to kids. At the end we did a leaf activity with the kids and it was a blast.
I am working on a lesson plan for my practicum class now. I am supposed to teach vocabulary from the Pledge of Allegiance. How boring right? This is what the teacher wanted me to teach. I didn't really get to chose. Well, I found a book...the same author as Brown Bear, Brown Bear...it is called I Pledge Allegiance. I am going to read that and talk about the vocabulary with that book. I think that will be more fun that the worksheet the teacher wanted me to use. I do not care for worksheets, they are boring. I will be done with the practicum right before Thanksgiving Break and then we go back to our classroom for lecture.
That is what has been going on. I am totally covered up with homework, so I do not have a lot of time to do anything. I hop on facebook and mess around when I have some extra time, but that is about it.
I better get going. I hope you are all doing great!!

crazy week...

I have just been doing the same stuff these past couple of weeks, practicum and working. I haven't been overly busy, but I have been tired when I get home, so I haven't even tried to blog or make a post. I try to rest on the weekend.
This will be a crazy week though. The time has finally come for Josh to get his expanders out and get his braces. He does that on Monday. He doesn't have school, so he will not miss anything. Tuesday is normal, I will be in practicum. Wednesday I am doing our fall party at the preschool...yes in the middle of the week because my kids do not come everyday, this is when they will all be there and me too as I am not there Thursday. I have class Thursday and Thursday night a group of us from the college is doing a Family Literacy Night at the preschool. We are going to talk about reading tips, read books and dress up. I am going to dress as Cat in the Hat. I am not reading that book though, I am reading Green Eggs and Ham. It should be fun. This is for our class, and we have to turn tons of stuff in for it. Then Friday is normal. Now, with all of that said, it is time for my co-worker to have her baby!! She is due the 27th, so anytime now. It is a boy, so exciting!! Then of course it is time for Halloween!! I am excited, but it is going to be a crazy week. I hope you have a good one!! Happy Halloween!! I will update soon to let you know how Josh is doing with his new braces.

staying busy

Josh did just great getting his other two teeth out on Monday. He was fine on Tuesday with no pain. Glad that is all over.
I did not want to go to class on Tuesday because the university was giving me trouble over my liability insurance...saying I had none, but I do. I asked them to call MSTA my insurance and anyway, I am glad I went to class. I got several papers back and I did good on them. I also got cleared for my insurance to work in my practicum. I started my practicum on Thursday. I am working in 2nd grade. It will be good practice because next year when I do student teaching it will need to be in a primary grade, and I am less comfortable in those grades. I am happier in preschool/kindergarten. Thursday was super busy, I went to the practicum, then to work, to the university to return books, then to my co-worker's baby shower. I didn't get home until 8:30PM. I was tired.
I have also been working on cleaning the carpets and furniture this week. I thought I was done, but I want to re-do a rug. It will not take long. Anyway, then once that is dry, I am done.
I also started working on my portfolio for my class, getting what I have completed put into the portfolio. I am going to do some more things this evening since I do not have any homework. We do not have class right now, just practicum, so I need to work on this stuff or it will add up at the end.
I better go work on that carpet, then homework. Have a nice weekend.

October is here...

It has been a while since I have been able to post. Josh is doing better since I last posted and in fact had two teeth pulled last Monday. He did great and the next day said he had no pain at all. I was so happy. He went to school and didn't miss a beat. He has the other two pulled tomorrow and after that we will be done with pulling teeth. We have to get some baby teeth out so later this month they can put his braces on. They will be removing his expanders and putting on the braces. He is happy about getting the expanders out, but not so excited about the braces. I understand, but his teeth are so crooked.
I have been doing homework. I had 8 papers to write last weekend. I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday on homework. I had one this weekend and I was able to rest. I start my in my methods classroom this week on Thursday. I am excited. It is always fun to learn from teachers and interact with the students.
I fell in the shower yesterday. I was looking for my razor cover and spun around and lost my balance and down I went. I have a bruise on my arm and my chest hurts too. I am fine though.
Karl has been working all over the place. They have been putting the guys everywhere to keep them working, which we are grateful for. He even worked nights for a while and may again. We will see.
I do not want this to get too long, but we have all been very busy and those are just some highlights. We are doing fine and I hope you all are too!! I will try to post sooner next time. I do not think I will be as busy with homework for a while unless I decide to try to work ahead, and I do that sometimes. Have a nice October!!

mostly Josh...

Since I last posted Josh went to his first school dance. I went a little early and watched the kids and he seemed to be having a lot of fun. He said he liked it when it was over. I am glad.
Saturday Josh went to the Laura Ingall's Wilder house/museum in Mansfield, MO with Karl's parents. They saw a play and looked at the house. He enjoyed that and when they got back there was a rodeo going on near our house, so they went to that too. Josh was not feeling well when he got home that night and the next morning he was running a fever. I do not even know what was wrong because he stayed home today from school, but the fever has broke and he seems fine. It is so strange how that works out.
There is really nothing going on with me. I am trying to get a loan for my school this year. We have been able to pay for it to this point, but now with me being gone from work for class and getting docked pay for every time I am gone...not to mention, I will be gone some with Josh and his teeth...braces, getting teeth pulled, etc. So we have applied for a loan. I believe it has been approved, we just wait. Speaking of Josh's teeth, he was supposed to have his first 2 pulled today, but because he was not feeling well this morning, I canceled the appointment. He goes again next Monday. He will have 2 appointments to get the 4 teeth that need to be pulled.
I have class tomorrow, then work. Have a nice week. More cute siggies from Judy!! I have had a few people ask about my siggies. Most of them come from Judy, you can find her here: at Grateful Heart Blog or the link or over on the right in my reads.

classes and dances

I have a few minutes before I need to head off to class this morning, so I thought I would make a quick blog entry.
I have been trying to keep up with homework this week. I also went to my doctor yesterday for my check-up and everything was fine. I go back in another year. I really like this doctor, but I am usually there for a really long time because he is so popular and so there is a long wait. My appointment was for 2:40PM and he came in at 3:45PM. That is how it has always been. He does spend about 30 minutes with each patient talking and letting us know what to do. I love him, so I do not mind the wait. Then he wanted me to have some bloodwork done, so that was some more time. I got home around 4:30PM..LOL!!
Today after school Josh is going to a dance. I haven't let him go to any until now, we shall see what he thinks. He will probably tell me how inappropriate it is. He cracks me up. He wanted to try it out though. I want him to do some more things too and see what he enjoys. I wanted him to join some clubs (Student Council, Beta, etc), but his friends think the clubs are stupid, so none of them joined. I think they are just afraid to do something new. Maybe they will find something they enjoy.
Well, I am rambling. I need to get on to class. Do you know how hard it is for me to sit in class from 8AM-11:50AM?? It is hard. I need to move. That is 3 classes all at once...so that is why so long. It is Teaching Methods, so that is why they are taught together like that. They are good classes, I enjoy them.
I hope you are having a good week. Judy sent me some new siggies!! I love them!!

hello...

It was my birthday on Thursday. It was really rainy. I had class, but once I got to the preschool, my co-workers had lots of great presents and goodies to eat. It was fun and the kids always enjoy eating cupcakes. It is one of my co-workers birthday on Monday. We will have another party!!
I have my homework done for next week. I have some small things I need to do for my portfolio that I may work on this weekend a little. We have a big portfolio due at the end of the semester that we need to keep up with all semester or it will be a lot of work at the end.
I go to my neurologist this Wednesday and the following Monday is Josh's appointment to have those teeth pulled...4 canines I believe....to get ready for his braces on October 25th.
Well, I just wanted to check in really quick. I hope you all have a nice week.
Remebering 9/11!!

Labor Day!!

We did some major cleaning up at the preschool this week. We got a new shed and we were able to move the furniture around and also get one of the offices completely cleaned up and organized this week. We did the office for the speech pathologists, beacause I am in mine much less and we do not let kids in my office. I am so excited about it. I just need to get my office cleaned up now and it will look great.
I have been working on homework this weekend. I am taking 3 classes. I usually take 1-2, so I have that much more homework. It is tough with also working. I didn't think it would be, but it is. The projects we have done so far have been fun and easy, but they are going to get much more difficult. I will make it. Just pray for me.
I am taking tomorrow off from homework. I am going to rest. It is Labor Day!! I hope you all have a great day and it is a short week, so that is wonderful also!! I have 2 new kids starting at the preschool, so I am happy about that. Have a nice week!!

Kat is having a giveaway!! Here is a picture of the earrings she is giving away

You can find them at her Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShinyMoonBeams or you can enter the drawing at Kat's blog!! http://www.she-was-old-fashioned.com/

Temple Grandin

I did not realize it had been a week since I had posted. I started my college classes and I think they will be fun. It will be a lot of work, but I think I will like it.
My week was fast. My co-worker and I left for St. Louis Wednesday after school and we got to our hotel around 7PM or so. We had our first conference on Saturday. We heard Paula Kluth, PhD. She spoke on autism and the inclusive classroom. She was great and I learned a lot.
Then Friday we heard Temple Grandin. She was amazing.If you have not seen the movie Temple Grandin on HBO, it is very good. It is up for some Emmy's and I am actually going to watch tomorrow night and hope they win some. Claire Danes played her in the movie. She spoke aboutmany different issues regarding autism including medication, careers, and she took questions.
Then after the conference we went to the St. Louis arch and looked around and took some pictures. There is a museum in the bottom of the arch that has a lot of Lewis and Clark stuff in it, so we went through that. It was fun. Then we headed back home this morning (Saturday)> It was a lot of fun.
When I got home I checked my e-mail for college and I have some homework, so I worked on that a little today and I will try to get it finished tomorrow. It is due Tuesday. I have some presentations and I think my teacher wants me to talk about seeing Temple Grandin to the class.
I am going to go for now. I am really tired. Have a nice week next week. I will not be as busy, so I will try to post again during the week.

upcoming events

I slept in a little this morning. My head is bothering me because of allergies. I took my medicine, so hopefully I will feel better later.
I decided to get the pool drained, so Karl went out and got that started this morning. I know, it seems a bit early, but I am going to St. Louis for a teacher conference this week and I will be tired next weekend most likely and I also start classes this week. I am not going to feel like swimming. I would just rather get it out of the yard so we can get the yard cleaned up for Fall.
So, like I was saying. I am leaving for a teacher conference on Wednesday in St. Louis. It is a 2 day conference, so I will not be home until Friday night. I am going to see Temple Grandin speak on autism. I am going with a co-worker, so we will have fun. I have been looking forward to this all summer since I found out I was going to get to go. I am planning on taking my laptop with me and a camera, so if you are on facebook, I will probably be checking in there.
I start my college Methods courses on Tuesday. I am excited and nervous. I always get nervous when I start a new class...the fear of the unknown. I will be fine once I know what is expected of me. I have class Tuesday and Thursday 8AM-noon. I will obviously miss the Thursday class this week. I e-mailed the teacher this summer, and she was fine with that.
Josh is doing great in school. He seems to love it so far. I am still adjusting to having such a young class at the preschool.
Have a nice weekend.

school update...

Josh started school on Tuesday and he has done great. Here is a picture of him.
I took some pictures of him before I took him to school that morning thinking I better not take pictures of him in the middle school. It might be embarrassing for him. When we got there though, it was just his cousin and his friend Chandler, so I had to take a picture of him putting his books in his locker. The boys are trying to pretend I am not there, but even though they are in middle school, they were just little boys. They were asking me what they were supposed to do, what to take to class, all while trying to act big and cool. Josh doesn't act like that yet, but the day is probably coming. Josh is kind of laid back about stuff like that. Anyway, here is Josh's picture at his locker. He has had a good week so far. We got his MAP scores and they had gone up from last year...and if you didn't know, we pulled him from public school last year. Kind of sad that his scores went up when pulled out of school. He went to online school.
I started school with kids on Wednesday. On Monday our director gave us a new schedule to use and my kids are too young to do it...they had us doing center time for 1 1/2 hours. Most of my kids are 3 this year, so I asked if I could use my old schedule which is more chunked up into time intervals of 15-30 minutes and then the kids move to something else. The director said that was fine and today went much better. We do not have many kids right now, but like I said, they are all young. We will also get a lot more kids as the year goes on. We will enjoy it while it lasts.
I need to get fingerprinted again for work. I may try to do that Monday. Next week will be very busy. I will write about that this weekend. I need to get off here for now. I hope your week has been great!! Have a nice day!!

getting ready to go back to work...

The house is clean and the laundry is done. I have my side dish for tomorrow's meeting ready, so now we are just waiting for my parents to pick up Josh. They will be here about 5PM and he will stay the night with them. I will start work tomorrow. We have a meeting at one of our preschool's and then on my way home I will pick up Josh. I will try to make a post tomorrow if I can. Then Tuesday we work in our classroom's and Josh starts middle school. I have done a lot already at the preschool, so basically I need to get the names on the tables and cubbies and work on the playground a little. One of the sandboxes needs sand and the toys that are usually in the grass are on the rocks. I basically need to get things put back. Then Wednesday the kids start. I am sure I will be back to make a blog post before then, but that is how the week is shaping up. I am going to be so tired from sleeping in and staying up late all summer. I am excited to get another school year started though. Have a nice week!!

swimming and errands

Josh and I spent a few hours swimming yesterday, but other than that, we just hung out at the house trying to enjoy the last couple of days of vacation.
Today we are going to try to swim a little again. There is a chance of pop up rain showers, so we shall see. I kept hearing thunder yetserday, so we came in. I also need to do laundry and take some things down to the preschool. If you are new to my blog, the preschool is less than a mile from my house, so it is easy for me to run down there for short periods of time. I need to feed our fish down there too. Well, I better get going. Have a nice weekend.

resting...

Josh's orthodontist appointment went well. The doctor said his palate has moved the amount he had hoped it would at this point and they told me to keep turning the key on his expander to expand it and they will check him in 2 weeks.
I also got the curtains washed at the preschool and my bus driver called, so I think we are all set for school to start. I am really excited to get started this year. Our director has made some changes and if she doesn't change her mind, they will be good changes and it will make my day much better, less exhausting. The classes will start earlier and end earlier, so that will give me more time at the end of the day to do lesson plans. I will learn more at the staff meeting, but I am excited.
Today I am planning on doing nothing. I do not have any plans to be anywhere. I will visit blogs and do what I want. I want this to be a day off and just enjoy before I go back to work.
Ok, so I started using this hair product, it is moroccan oil. Well, it is not the actual moroccan oil, but Argan oil. Have you used it? It takes the frizz out of my hair and makes it looks shiny. I love it. I work with a lady that got some for me at State Beauty Supply, but they have some at Sally Beauty a lot cheaper. I love it, let me know if you have heard of it, or use it. I have this crazy naturally curly hair though, so I have to put stuff in it so it isn't frizzy. Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you.
Have a great day!!

orthodontist visit...

Josh and I stayed in yesterday because I had a little sunburn. I got the bedding washed....sheets and blankets and I also washed the curtains. I needed to get that done because once school starts, I will be tired and busy. I also ran the new vacuum again. It is fun just to see what it picks up from the floor. We also got Josh's schedule for this year for school. It will be a busy day for him. I also had some online training....(videos) to watch for work, so I watched those while the laundry was going. It was about 2 hours of training on bullying, substance abuse, child abuse and technology dangers.
Today Josh goes back to the orthodontist to see if his expanders are doing what they are supposed to be doing. They told me last time they would do an x-ray and then probably tell me to continue turning the key to tighten his expander. We can handle that.
When we get done at the orthodontist, I need to get the curtains from the preschool and get those washed up.
Have a wonderful day!!

swimming, silly dogs, new vacuum

I got Josh's closet cleaned out Friday and if you are on facebook, you heard the story, but we were cleaning the drawers, so we had underwear and socks out that were too small and they were laying on the floor. The next thing I know Mandy is in there and grabs a pair of socks and then comes back and grabs some underwear. Well, Josh and I kept going with trying on clothes. Josh goes to check on the dogs and he is like "oh my gosh"..."you have to come see this". I come out of the bedroom and here is Molly with the pair of underwear around her neck. It was funny. Here is the picture. I couldn't believe it.
Saturday I went swimming and Josh and Karl played golf. Sunday we went to church and the to Lowe's and got a new vacuum and area rug. We got a Dyson Ball animal vacuum. Have you seen those? I didn't get a picture from online, but it is wonderful, and the junk it picked up from the carpet was gross. We also got an area rug for our living room. I do not have a full picture of it, just one of Mandy sitting on it, but you will get the idea. We have a chocolate brown couch and chair, so it looks nice. Well, we like it anyway.
Monday Josh and I went swimming and I did some laundry. I also called the parents for my preschool kiddos to let them know when school starts.
Today, I was planning to swim again, but I got a little pink yesterday, so we will probably stay in and swim later in the week. It is another hot week near 100º. I will visit blogs today. Josh goes back to the Ortodontist on Wednesday.
I got some more cute siggies from Judy!!