Teaching and More Teaching

It's been about five months since my last entry...hard to imagine!  So much has changed (as always). The girls are still at their private school and I'm still teaching college writing courses, although this semester has been extremely challenging.  Additionally, I'm teaching 4th grade homeschoolers one day a week and preschoolers one day a week, and doing a little dyslexia tutoring.  I'm tired just thinking about it! 

We're still highly considering homeschooling after Christmas break.  I've decided not to accept the offer at my college for the one class offered this spring and to just have faith that the Lord will provide good jobs for my husband.  When I broke down the expense of driving and the time consumed, one class wasn't worth the hassle.  Besides, I'd like to spend more quality time with my littles while they are little.  Anyway, back to my topic...Lovely has had several problems with other kids at school this year and both girls are asking to homeschool.  I know they can learn a lot from me if they actually do the work and don't try my patience quite as much as they have in the past.  Also, the drive to the private school takes a minimum of 11 hours a week and I'm estimating gas to cost around $1500 for the semester.  Car mileage is another problem--around 9,000 miles just to drive them to school.  It just doesn't seem practical. 

So far, I love teaching the homeschoolers and the preschoolers.  I'm doing Horizons math, First Language Lessons for grammar, Memoria Press for reading/literature, Latin, & Bible, All About Spelling for spelling of course, IEW for writing, and I honestly can't remember the name of the science book...shame on me!  I'm having fun with all of the programs, though, and I can see using them for my children.  I may choose something else for science and math in the future, but we can see how it goes. 

I better begin planning Lovely's birthday...I can't believe it's almost here!

School's Out

It's pouring outside.  I love the sound of the rain splattering the windows and pounding on the roof, but who doesn't until s/he has to make a trip outdoors and become completely soaked? 

It's summer.  School is out and I'm now constantly thinking about the next school year.  No one every told me school decisions would be one of the hardest things about having a child.  School came easily to my parents--I was in an elementary school rated higher than 98% of other Arizona elementary schools--simply because I lived within the boundaries of it. 

I've enjoyed the school my girls have been attending since October, but a little voice keeps telling me to homeschool, and I've always known you should listen to those still small voices.  This one is a bit nagging, though, so I'm not sure what's going on there.  At first I told their school they would not be coming back in the fall.  Then I was offered a super great deal on tuition, so I said we will return.  It's a long drive, however, and I'm not thrilled with all of the curriculum choices.  They are extremely sweet people, and they have many extras that I like, and I really like the teachers for the upcoming year.  So, it seems crazy to be drawn so much to homeschooling when I have a screaming (and I mean screaming lately) one year old and an enthusiastic two year old.  When I have three classes to teach and teacher portfolios to score and business taxes and paperwork to complete.  When I have a continually dirty house that makes me question what may have died in the next room because of an odd smell here and there and mysterious piles of...stuff. Whoops...too much information...

Anyway, at this point, I know I can't homeschool unless the Lord closes the door on one ore two classes.  At the same time, we need the money for homeschooling.  So, for now, I'll just stay content by ordering homeschool books to use over the summer and coming up with additional preschool ideas. 

School's out.

Birthday Night!

Let me just say, this was wonderful!  S, Lovely, & I went to Derby Dinner on my birthday to see Seven Brides for Seven brothers...the acting was pretty good, the singing was pretty good, and the dancing/acrobatics was wonderful!  --Especially for such a tiny space!  This had to be one of the best birthdays I've had.  The main actors are very reminiscent of those from the movie, which was pretty neat.  And, they pretty much stuck to the storyline I was familiar with.  Lovely giggled and giggled at it, but she loved the movie as well (which is why I was willing to pop $41 for her to attend!). 

Now, I'm in the process of wrapping up the semester.  Enrollment is down, so the class I was going to teach next month was cancelled.  Good news:  Lots of time for projects.  Bad news:  No money for projects.  I am scoring teacher candidate portfolios from home was well, but there aren't many available at a time,unfortunately, and my contract only goes through May. 

Chilly Winds, Chirping Birds

It's been freezing today.  Well, 50 with chilly wind seems freezing now anyway.  But, one can still hear the birds chirping blissfully, and so I still count the days until spring begins to act like spring.  Maybe it needs a Snickers. 

It's spring break for the girls and they are some of the few who get to keep their entire break despite the snow days.  They each have packets to work on instead of going to school.  My spring break is this week, but it's filled with sick children, sore throats (mine, especially), grading, and cleaning.  I still need to plan my syllabus for my summer course, but that will get done eventually.

School has been much better since the switch.  Nothing is perfect, and Snugglebug is really struggling in some subjects, so I try to remind myself to have patience with her (often unsuccessfully).  I don't know what the future holds for next year, but we shall see.  I just pray they go where they need to go, and where they're supposed to go. 

I look around at my mess of a house and long for more space...and a cleaner space, of course.  Six people is crowded in this little house, especially with surrounding neighbors, but we are blessed, so I then go on to give thanks for what we have. 

Funk

Have you ever been in a funk simply because you finished reading a book?  My goodness...I read a trilogy recently, that I had apparently become too involved in.  I remember as a teenager I would spend hours in my room reading and rereading my favorite series, so I welcomed the guilty pleasure of an easy, albeit immature book series.  I ended up reading over 600 pages in one day, but then the end came.  And she died.  And I just can't figure out why she was slated to die.  To me, it was poorly written, poorly executed. 

Don't get me wrong.  I'm one who frequently watched movies just to cry--to be moved by something beautiful.  I've read book after book in which characters die.  But they die for reasons.  In this situation, I cried for 45 minutes, and now I'm not really mad at the author; I'm simply disappointed and silently wonder, "If she can be published, why haven't I written and submitted anything, given I can surely formulate a better plot."  No, I don't have nearly that amount of confidence, but that shows how disappointed I am in the writing I just read. 

Ok, perhaps venting will get me out of this funk.  Between the book and babies waking me up in the wee hours of the morn, I feel I need to recharge.  Perhaps with a good book?

Thinking of Quitting....

So although I write this blog to keep track of my life and to have some record of memories years later, I don't know that I'll continue.  I basically have this going because I don't feel I'm a writer unless I write...something.  However, I would really like to get back into writing, real writing for myself.  I've finally found time to deep clean a lot of my house, so I'm thinking moments of writing might begin again.  I hope. 

Christmas was nice.  I'll have to post the Anna hat I made Snugglebug--she LOVES it.  I started with a pattern that I completely changed, as usual.  Can I ever follow anything to a tee?  Nope, I put a spin on it all, to make it mine.  I consider that a good thing, unless my spin looks like an unraveled sweater on steroids. 

In other news, I just dropped a pan of THM stuffing on the kitchen floor, scooped it back in the pan, and while looking around, decided none would be the wiser.  I'll probably be the only one eating it anyway.  Hey, it's been a long day and that was over an hour of work!  (Ok 45 mins baking.)  It's still better than that chocolate pie you and I made for a birthday in Tucson, eh Angela?  lol 

Oh, for Christmas S bought be books....Yay!  But he bought the 3rd and 4th in the series...I'm needing the 2nd!  Talk about frustrating my urge to read!  Back to Orwell for me instead...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a wonderful night!

Crochet Nuances

 Let's just say I've been crocheting a lot lately.  I mean, A LOT.  Need an auction item?  Crochet.  Need a gift?  Crochet.  Simple, right?  The above was my first go at a hat that included hair, made for Lovely's orchestra auction.  I used the Anna & Elsa Hat pattern and plan on recreating it again in the future.  The most time consuming part was adding the hair--the hat itself was around 3 slow crochet hours. 

And what Elsa hat wouldn't be complete without Olaf?  I used this pattern to create my easily falling apart snowman (he snaps back together thankfully!). Both items sold, but I don't think I got very much for them.  Oh well--every little bit helps! 

Then came the hat.  THE HAT.  I allowed Lovely to choose a hat pattern for her teacher.  She thought this resembled Indiana Jones (although it's 30s inspired), so this is the pattern I printed.  And about tore up.  Smart me decided to start the hate hat the day before giving it to the teacher.  I was introduced to two new stitched, refreshed on about three, and said, "I can't.  I just can't," several times.  I did learn I wasn't pushing the needle quite all the way through when creating stitches, so I did learn something on this tragic terrific hat-making adventure.  I actually want one of my own now, and I did add a brown and red flower to attach at one's will. At the moment, I can't find the pattern, but I'll link when I can.  I abashedly admit I searched patterns from easy to medium, so now I'm extremely intimidated with what may come later in my crochet career. 

I also crocheted a mason jar cosy for Snugglebug's teacher and another bobble headband for myself.  I  love seeing those stitches form from a simple ball of yarn and need to remember to crochet all year--not just when I'm off from work.  Lovely is insisting she wants to learn as well, so I started her out on chaining tonight and told her to keep trying to work even stitches so we can move on.  She decided to make necklaces with what she has ;-)

Jule Turns One

This is what we did this weekend...

All because my youngest sweetheart turned one!  I tried to do a smash cake picture, but she spent her time gingerly lifting the red icing from the cake and aiming for her mouth,  She apparently wasn't too fond of the actual chocolate cake hidden beneath the globs of red and green.  

I made the cute sign behind her, but I don't really want to post that much detailed info about my little girl on here.  I could totally get into making those signs, though!  I did it the hard way (by hand), but in the future, I may use Photoshop and then get it from Staples as an Engineer Print.  Then, I would simply mount it to cardboard and color in what I want to color.  By hand is final, and there are a few changes I would make now had I the chance. 

Now, back to Jule.  She's my very aggressive, knows what she wants, throws a temper tantrum child.  She lets Laeah grab toys from her all of the time, but if she demands something from me, I better do it or I get head-butted.  Not fun.  No, I don't always let her do what she wants, namely rolling off the changing table/couch/whatever and streaking around the house.  Did I mention she hates being still, having her diaper changed, or getting dressed?  She still isn't walking, but she's finally standing for several seconds at a time without holding on to anything.  She loves food (the real stuff--not that fake baby mush...lol) and bouncing.  

My, this year has passed quickly, and yet so much has changed. What has changed in your life? 

Just Me

Aren't I daring?  I never, never, never post pictures of me...anywhere, really.  I've hated my picture for years, but a lot of things have changed this year, and my hatred of photographs of me is changing as well.  I've now lost about 28 lbs, maybe more by now, and I can definitely see the difference/lack of inflammation in my face.  I have almost always had a double chin, even at my scant 108 lb teenage years, so I'm just accepting it.  I was also able to go through some of my sister's old clothes and find new, smaller things to wear!  I'm back to where I was after I had Snugglebug, over eight years ago, and boy have I missed it!  I still have a mommy-belly, but I don't know that I ever won't.  I do cheat, but that's the great freedom of the food plan I've adopted--I cheat and then I start over in three hours!

I've deemed this my year of change.  I've changed a lot: cloth diapers, healthy food, losing weight, switching schools...I don't know what this year was supposed to be, but I never imagined I'd be right here, right now.

In other news, Fall Break is almost at an end and I'm a bit nervous about the girls beginning the new school next week.  They are both doing excellent--I've taught them most of the multiplication table in a matter of 1.5 weeks, with the help of Times Tales.  People! Buy Times Tales!  It was $20 (after discount) and the stories just click with kids.  Snugglebug has also learned the lowercase cursive letters and I'm teaching Lovely the uppercase as well.  Turns out Snugglebug & I have made it further in this cursive book than Lovely did last year in school...go figure! 

You Are the Brute Squad

Yes, my eldest child is watching The Princess Bride as I type.  That movie only gets better. 

My girls have been out of school since I picked them up on Tuesday.  Two more weeks of fall break.  This means they are getting a fall break almost half the length of their summer break!  And I'm ready to break down!  haha  I just realized today that homeschooling in this small setting with my four children would not be conducive to my health.  I've been working on multiplication with Lovely (apparently their previous school is the only one around where they don't teach multiplication...go figure) and cursive with Snugglebug.  Their new school uses cursive since kindergarten and they are doing double-digit multiplication and division...yikes.  I'm trying to catch them up a bit, but it's a lot of work.  Honestly, academics was one of the main reasons I removed them from their old school.  Now, I pray they flourish in their new school!

9 Months

Jules is now 9 months old!  She finally got 1 tooth at 8.5 mos. and another is about to pop through.  She claps her hands some.  She stood up on her own yesterday!  Yay!  She crawls everywhere and is not afraid to tell you about anything she doesn't like!  She hates getting dressed or having her diaper changed.  She sits back and observes most of the time, and she's always hungry!  It's still the most adorable thing to see her talking with Laeah! 

School, School, Horrible School

I told my mom the other day that she was so lucky that we lived in a good school district so she didn't have to make any decisions about switching and there were experienced, good teachers who cared and taught accurately.  I said, "It affected the rest of my life." And that hit me.  It was true; elementary school was the important to me, so if I have a daughter begging to leave her current school, I should pay attention. 

Honestly, I didn't like school because I was so shy and never had any friends in my class.  However, I loved learning!  Obviously--I was in school forever and have my master's degree after all!  I don't want my children hating school, and I don't want them falling behind in academics.  Yet, my 4th grader has been begging to get out of that school from day one of this year.  I said we'd give it till Christmas.  Well, now I decided I want my money back!  Just some of the issues:

• Tests have inaccuracies/mistakes on them.
• Teacher does not explain and tells Lovely to do it herself--no more questions.
• Teacher yells--all.the.time.  Lovely said she's told students, "Duh," and similar things. 
• Test, test, test.  Pre-test.  Post-test.  Practice ISTEP test.  Practice NWEA test.  Too many tests!! 
• Math stinks.  Horrid, horrid curriculum.  
• Blanket punishments.  10 out of 20 kids were talking out of turn during class?  Let's make them all write 50 sentences!  

These are just a few of my issues.  I actually have a ton more.  Lovely was blamed for making a mess in the bathroom the other day when she had no part of it.  She was in tears when I picked her up, so I marched in and talked to the principal. Never did I get an apology--just a denial that any yelling took place, despite her sounding like she was almost yelling when talking to me.

So, I'm either homeschooling or sending the girls to a small private Christian school.  I really liked the principal at the new school--no one was intimidating, and the children all had smiles when they saw the administration!  It's a drive and costs a bit each month, but the Lord will provide if we are to do that.  I must make my decision during the upcoming week, however.  

Preschool Thoughts

I found my mom's old typewriter and thought the girls would be cute in some photos with it...what do you think?  

 

I've been thinking of Laeah and preschool lately.  The preschool Snugglebug attended no longer exists, and it didn't do her much good anyway.  I have a lot of preschool curricula, so I could do it myself, but Laeah is so extremely social. So, I'm now wondering if I can find a few parents who would like to have preschool with Laeah, either always with me teaching it, or switch off between teachers.  I think I can talk my mom into using her basement if we don't get moved by then, which is really nice and has its own bathroom, etc.  I would only do two days a week, for about 3 hours, and I would have to charge a small fee for supplies, etc., but I think it would be really fun.  However, I'm not sure how to find any other mothers who would be interested.  I'm big into field trips as well as hands-on learning, so I'd plan with that as well.  If it's just me, I could only handle about four kids, but if another mother wants to help, we could have more.  I must keep thinking on this...At least I still have two years to think/plan.  

I'm also wondering what happened to my writing blog.  I had one...but I can't remember the address!  lol I want to get back to it to keep track of/discuss lesson plans for my writing classes and my writing experiences in general.

 

Do you see now why I'm always busy?  lol I just keep thinking of more ways to fill my day.  I had a dream lastnight that I missed Lovely's orchestra audition because I took her to it, but then I fell asleep--and I really dreamed I was sleeping.  Strange.  I'm just praying for guidance!

Back to School Dump

 I'm practicing my photography skills here...It's very difficult to afford pictures of the girls, so although I have a long way to go--years, in fact--I do think I'm improving slightly.  I just loved this pic because it is so them.  Jules is always sticking out her tongue and Laeah is always talking to Jules.  They are sisters and they love each other.

 We finally had Jules dedicated.  It only took 7 months...no biggie :/  Let's just say, it's good her dedication dress is a 6 mos. size, the same one I used for the other girls and the only size I could find when I bought it for Lovely 10 years ago.

Not the best pic of me, but we're both smiling :)  She's my girl and oh so adorable!  You really can't tell that I've lost any weight in this picture, but I guess that's because I didn't take many pics at all over the last few years (of myself that is). 

I went back to work this week, and I think it's going to be a fun semester.  I have a bunch of talkers in all of my classes, unlike last spring when I needed a break from teaching.  I'm teaching three classes, and I really enjoy it, although it's a lot of work grading research intensive essays.  It's difficult leaving the girls, but I do think Jules needs me to be gone a little bit--she cries when I walk past her and wants me sitting beside her when she plays on the floor.  She's in physical therapy now because she just doesn't want to crawl and hasn't built up her core or neck muscles in order to do so.  At first I didn't think she needed it, but I do see a difference now that she's had just two sessions.  Oh, and she waved at me for the first time today on purpose :) 

School is still iffy for my girls.  Lovely insists she wants to homeschool, although I'm sure she'd really miss her best friend (yes, they are best friends again).  I'm not thrilled with her class set-up at all--waaaay too much testing in my opinion--but I'm going to give it until Christmas and then see.  Meanwhile, Lovely is taking violin lessons, computer lessons, she has an audition for orchestra next week, and she plans on starting volleyball (which only lasts until fall break, so not too terribly long).  Wow.  I would have been lucky to get to do one of those things as a child.  

Snugglebug loves school and I think the newest best friend she made is a good influence, who--get this--used to homeschool.  However, Snugglebug keeps displaying patterns of laziness that we're working on overcoming.  She got two bad scores on tests lately because she didn't write enough detail, or any detail for that matter, so I made her rewrite her answer once she got home.  I'm hoping that was a lesson.  If this persists, I'm not sure how homeschool will go with her.  I keep secretly thinking, "You say you're going to homeschool, but you never will."  Hmm. There's good and bad to everything, and I'm trusting I'll know when I need/should pull them both out.  I can't really teach with Jules & Laeah, and three college courses, and S's business, and...the list goes on.  I pray every day S gets better work so that I can scale back on all I do, so I can refocus that energy elsewhere.  You can only imagine what my house must look like at this point. 

Lastly, I still haven't lost any more pounds, but I did lose 3/4 inches, making a grand total of 14 and 1/4 inches lost between my stomach, hips, thighs, and arms.  I'm pretty good with that.  I'm still concentrating on nursing, so I'm eating more foods that keep weight stable rather than shedding weight.  I also haven't figured out how to include exercise, which will help tremendously.  I'm hoping my hikes across campus at work will aide in this healthy adventure.  The downside to realizing what real food is, and how to eat healthy:  everytime I see S or grandma give my kids junk food, I can't help but think, "You're poisoning them!" And yet, I know I don't want them to feel deprived and go overboard on junk once they are older.  I feed them a healthy breakfast and dinner, and I don't buy candy/cookies/cake/ice cream/chips, so they only get that once their daddy or grandma gives it to them.  Lovely likes my healthy desserts as well :) 

THM Changin' It Up

Whoa.  Just so you know, do not go almost 3 months without bread, pizza, etc. and suddenly have it.  Not good.  Not good at all, my friend. 

I was tempted to try the free Sam's take 'n bake pizza that I got from joining through Groupon.  Ok, I DID try it.  And then I felt like I had a boulder in my stomach, dragging me down, for the rest of the night.  Not good, my friend.

Another thing.  Don't go to a hotel buffet, indulge a little in goodies like a pancake or a biscuit, with all the other stuff you're allowed to have.  Fingers swell up like the sausage links you consumed, hands begin to itch, and you pray rings will come off later that night.  Talk about pain. 

Sadly, this is all how I used to live.  Maybe not to that extreme, but I didn't realize how good I'd been feeling until I felt so poorly.  Now, I know. 

We had gone to a seafood festival for our 11th Wedding Anniversary this past weekend.  We dined on crab legs and lobster, shrimp, and more, and most of it was actually on plan.  However, I did over-indulge a little bit.  I did find out I LOVE Greek seafood--who'd have known?--but I probably should have held back a little better.  I came back about 3 lbs heavier, but I'm assuming most of it was just bloat; I'm now back to the 22 lbs lost.  This means I'm a mere 12 lbs away from finally losing ALL the baby weight I have EVER gained!  YAY! 

Weighing In

It's been awhile since I last posted--it's just so difficult to find time to even think lately.  I'm pressed to get my syllabi, lesson plans, assignments, etc. all finished before my three classes begin later this month.  My classes are all full--even my Sat. class!

Anyway, I'm still continuing my food plan--the THM way of doing things.  I've lost 22 lbs, 12 inches, and I can finally fit into some of the skirts for work that I haven't been able to wear in years!  Yay!  My hair seems thicker and longer, and my skin is softer (for instance, my heels are no longer cracked and rough, but that is also due to the use of Lansinoh cream on my heals!).  I do feel better over all, and yet I'm a little disappointed. 

No one has said a single word except one extremely nice friend/mom from school.  Oh, and my hubby.  I know some people may be bugged from phrases like, "You look like you've lost weight," because it insinuates you were likely overweight previously.  However, I'm not one of those people!  lol  I enjoy my food, and I feel I'm actually fueling my body instead of ravaging it with GMOs and other harsh food bi-products, so I will continue following this plan for as long as the Lord has me on this path. I am doing it for my daughters, for my husband, and for me.  But...it would still be nice to know my dedication is recognized! 

I say this knowing full well I don't necessary remark on others weight loss journey, but now I realize maybe I should.  Shame on me.

Roomates

We've finally made the transition from Jules being in our room in a bassinet to being in Laeah ' s room in a crib. Yes, I actually bought a brand - spanking new crib for my last child at 7 mos. But, it does transition to a toddler bed and then a full one, although I doubt we'll keep it for the full bed. Anyway, I did shed a few tears...and then I went to sleep.

July 4th

Happy 4th of July!!

We took some family pics (sans the daddy because he was dressed to work on the house instead of getting all prettied up).  This was the only pic in which everyone is doing what they were told to do and someone isn't glaring off into space.  More kids = more awkward family photos.  I like it.  lol 

Quick update on Jules:  she rolls from front to back, back to front, and she'll sit up if you place her in that position.  If on the couch, she will raise herself off the boppy and sit up.  This is all because she had a 6 mos check up last week at which the doctor recommended her for physical therapy because she wasn't strong enough.  She decided to show that doctor!  She wouldn't put weight on her legs for the doctor, but then again, the doctor made us wait 2 hours, past naps, etc. and expected Jules to perform well...whatever! 

Food Plan

Hello! I've been a little distracted lately, as I've been doing a complete overhaul of the way I eat/look at food. Honestly, I got tired of feeling so...fat. Yes, I just used the "f-a-t" word. I'm not counting my journey from pregnancy weight, but from my last pre - pregnancy weight. The above pic shows me 8.5 lbs down from that weight, 15.5 lbs lighter than when I graduated with my master's degree in 2011. I have since lost another 4 lbs, for a grand total of 12.5 lbs and 6 inches since May 26th! Yay!

I am following the Trim Healthy Mama plan, which simplified means I've cut out most sugar; I eat every 3-4 hours; I don't eat white potatoes, white milk, or regular bread; and I don't combine too many carbs with too much fat. No, I don't do a lot of counting. I invested in Build A Menu, which meal plans, provides a priced shopping list, and recipes. Also, this plan has just clicked with me for some reason. There are several supportive and recipe - providing facebook pages and blogs, and I food journal with pictures on the ap Two Grand. These supports have been a tremendous help!

I actually don't mind the way I look in the pic above (although I wish my shirt wouldn't have been pulled down from the baby carrier), so a lot of inflammation is just gone...it's wonderful. Oh, and this is my pic with my valedictorian nephew at his grad party...so proud of him!

Six Months

 Jules is now six months old!  My how big she has gotten!  At her doctor's appt a few weeks ago, she weight 15.4 lbs, which is almost the size of Laeah!  I love her chubby little thighs.  I love her giggle when I brush her chin with my fingers.  She has begun babbling, and it's obvious she will not be overlooked!  She still likes to take cat naps, which drives me crazy (oh, yes, please only sleep for 5 minute intervals; much can get accomplished this way!).  She doesn't like to fall asleep until late at night (we're talking 1 a.m. lastnight, people!), and she sucks up cereal like a champ and has recently begun eating baked sweet potatoes.  She has the least amount of hair of all of our children, so she will probably have the most once she gets older.