Long Time No See

Wow! It has been over a year since I last visited this place. What a wild and bumpy ride! I survived and made it! I will try to get back to posting since things will never be normal. But I never really liked normal so I am ok with that!

Weekend Retreat

My son leaves tomorrow for a weekend confirmation retreat! I am excited for this in his life and I am sad because he is growing up so fast. My it seems just yesterday my sweet handsome son popped out almost 10 pounds. Ok so he didn't pop~In fact he really didn't make birthing much fun for the first 11 hours! Just kidding! No I didn't have fun but he was worth it all. I just hate seeing him grow up and going through the same crap the hard way that I did. But.....that is how the circle of life goes. I guess I just worry about not doing a good job raising him. But only time will tell. Hope you have a great evening! I am going to watch Chris sleep~

I am what I am...

I Am: Who I am.
I Want: Things that are beyond my reach.
I Have: A wonderful Family.
I Wish: The court case was settled.
I Fear: It will never be over.
I Hear: What I want to hear.
I Search: For answers.
I Wonder: How my kids will turn out.
I Regret: Not spending more time with my kids.
I Love: With all my heart.
I Always: Worry about my friends.
I Usually: Cuss like a sailor.
I Am Not: Ever going to be skinny.
I Dance: When no one watches!
I Sing: Whenever and wherever but rarely in tune.
I Never: Take care of myself like I should.
I Rarely: Extend myself outside of my comfort zone.
I Cry: At sad movies and when I get really stressed
I Am Not Always:Happy with myself.
I Need:Family and Friends.
I Should: Enjoy Life more and complain less.

I am Thankful!

I know that I haven't been a good Blogger! I have been a little too busy with things. But I am so thankful for so many things and I want to state a few of these things. I am thankful for my wonderful family. My husband is the best! He does so much around here it is .... hard to name them all. He helps me around the house, cooking, with the kids, does all the shopping! I really could go on and on. My kids are the best a parent could pray for. Yes, we have our moments and I do want to wring their necks but for the most part I wouldn't swap them for any other kids. I am also so thankful for my Mom and Dad. Even though my Daddy is no longer living~they did a wonderful job being parents. I am grateful for the things they taught me, the morals they instilled and the lessons they let me learned the hard way. I am so grateful for my friends! I have some wonderful friends that truly listen when I talk, hug me when I'm sad, let me complain when I'm mad, and drink with me when I need to unwind. They are the best friends a person could ever ask for in this world. They are the kindd that you can't call to bail you out of jail if you were to ever get in trouble~only because they would be sitting in jail beside you because they were with you through the ordeal. No~I havn't been to jail but I know if I do I will go with a friend or too!!I am thankful for the job that I have and the lives of those lovely Kindergarteners that touch my life. I am thankful for my health and happiness. I am so lucky and God has touched so many aspects of my life and I am gratful of His presence. I want to wish all of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving filled with love, friends, and family! Happy Thanksgiving!

Well~I'm Back!

Sorry I have been MIA for sooooo long. I have had to take time for family, friends, and self. When I last posted I left stating my SIL was diagnosed with Breast cancer. Since then she has had a single mastectomy and will begin chemo tomorrow. I have left a lot of ups and downs out of this bog otherwise I would be typing for hours and hours. But the important parts are that God is in control and had been since the news hit. I am so glad that He is a part of Our life because it has made this so much easier on her and her family. She has the best spirit and attitude and it shows through her. She is awesome and strong! I promise to try and catch up with everyone and to post more often now that things are beginning to settle. Wishing everyone Joy for your Spirit, Peace for your Soul, and Love in your Life Always!

Wow!

I write with a heavy heart and I am writing just so I can get my thought off my chest. I received a phone call from my brother tonight. Well~I assumed Hell had frozen over or he wanted to discuss putting my Mama in an assisted living center. You see although we live in the same town we aren't very close. Well I was wrong~way wrong. He wanted to tell me about his wife~they found breast cancer. Wow! You could blow me over with a whisper. It is not that I thought my life would not be impacted by cancer. But her Mom died at an early age of cancer and ever since she has annual test and scans just to be precarious. Some times she completes scan every 6 months because of family history. They asked me not to say anything but because they wanted to be able to notify certain people and they didn't want me to hear it through the rumor vine. But they are also doing more test, bone scans and gathering all data to make decisions. My heart hurts because she is a very very private person and she does not share personal issues and I know that they are all over whelmed. She has two kids (16 and 12 year old boys)and I am sure they are rattled. Oh well thanks for listening and if my cookie crumb friend reads my blog~please just keep it in your cookie jar until I know more. Well~I'm off~Good Night!

Home again Home again!

We are home!Yeah!! I miss home! We had a nice weekend the mountains were nice~could have stayed longer! I do love the mountains! We went to the aquarium and taught my kids how to slide down a big hill on card board boxes! Which was priceless. I loved seeing my sister and her husband and their new place. Thanks to God it wasn't that bad! I still wanted to kill my sister and the way she treats my kids but my kids were wonderful! I couldn't have paid them to be better. My sister doesn't have kids and she doesn't know how to respond to kids but my kids made me proud! Oh well I'll post some pictures but I'll write more later

Family

The expression ~You can't live with them and you can't live without them. That is what family means to me. I am going to visit my sister next weekend and I am very nervous. My sister moved this past summer to Tennessee. I have tried 2-3 times to go see her and her hubby but circumstances beyond my control has prevented the trip. I love my sister and her husband they are really remarkable people. My sister does not have any children and I am always nervous because she is not used to kids. My kids are kids 100% but they when even on their best behavior are....kids. It is not going to be good enough. I know they will screw up something and I am nervous. I am kind of glad my husbnd will stay here because he is like adding another kid to the bunch. Isn't that an awful way to feel~I am always wanting everbody to be happy and I always feel that no matter how my husband and kids are it isn't good enough to her standards. I know that sounds bad~but I feel that way. She tells me that us coming isn't a big deal but I know that it is and she probably isn't happy about all the company but I gave her the chance to say no~she didn't. To add to the fun~I'm taking my Mom. She doesn't travel well or often anymore but I thought that might help me out with the uncomfortable feeling. We will see~Keep your fingers crossed!

Halloween Is Coming!

Sorry I know I'm ahead by a month but....I'm getting ready for a shoebox exchange. That is where I bring an October craft and enough supplies for everyone to make it and then I get to make an example of everyone else's treat. I'm excited so I am sending you the pictures of the Frankenstein and Mummy that I am bringing. Hope you like it! Have a great Day!

School

Well I know that my blogging and my reading have suffered but....I blame having to work! It is really not that bad but I am PMSing so the weight of the world is on me today. I am on sensitive overdrive but ...I will get over it. I didn't get on here to complain but to share how my life continues to go in circles in the education world. I began teaching in this town in 1990. I taught the Mildly Intellectually disabled group~boy could I tell you some tales of those days. I learned a lot! I think I know a story for every child that was in that group but I will only tell you one ...A boy named Travis. He was a child with a drug addict mom who was not highly educated(5th-8th grade education). He had quite a bad temper but many reasons led up to all of his attitude issues. But Travis was all boy and got in trouble not just with me but any other adult at the school. This one day Travis was having a bad day and was about to be paddled by the principal he took off out of the office and for that matter out of the school. I looked up at the principal who was a short mean woman as if thinking she with all of her years of experience would offer words of wisdom~NOPE! She looked at me and asked "Oh no~What should we do?" I with 2 years of experience yelled "Go get your car and let's get him." I started running. Since you don't know the neighborhood I want you to visualize. The family circus cartoon when the little boy, Billy draws a diagram that goes around and around and around just to end up a short distance away from where he started. Well now picture a short white woman in an all black neighborhood, top heavy without her jogging bra, and I am not nor have I ever been a jogger. Oh~ the principal who is in a car....yeah she was of no help. After a 2 mile adventure through the projects~an area that was worse then the projects and back by the school then to his grandmother's house a mile from the school in a different direction~ I caught up with Travis~not the principal who was in the car. OH I must tell you in this area~not many people were working this particular day so.....they were sitting on the porch watching the dumb white girl try to catch the quick speed lightening little boy while they were drinking, smoking weed, and laughing them self off there stool. Well I tell you this story so that you will appreciate my day~I got a new student today. Guess what her father's name is.....yep! It is my old friend speed lightening...Travis! Hope you have had a great day! If nothing else~I hope you have had a laugh!

A Day with the Girls

Wow! Even though Tropical Storm Fay has dropped lots of tree limbs, pinecones, and RAIN! Saturday was a fantastic day. For my birthday I told me friend Nadine I didn't want anything but a day with her and Beth stamping, gossip exchange and laughter. So yesterday that is what I got.Beth, Nadine, Stacie(another stamping buddy) spent the day doing just that. It was the best day I have had in weeks. I haven't made anything all summer and I haven't had time to make cards with my friend so it was a Fantabulous day! I didn't make as many cards as I should or could have but we did have a moment of weather excitement when we had a tornado warning! So after the excitement passed we stamped a little more. If my husband wouldn't have killed me I probably wouldn't have gone home til midnight! I enjoy that special time with friends unwinding about the world and laughing! I highly recommend it to all! Have a great wet weekend!

Another Year Older~but what about wiser?

Yesterday was my birthday! Happy 41 to me but am i any wiser than I was 15 years ago? OMG I sure hope so. My husband doesn't know how to keep secrets but he kept a good one this time. I wanted to spend the day with my family and do a birthday meal with them and I made arrangements with my two best friends to spend an afternoon together soon doing what we like to do~stamping and talking. But without me knowing my Honey arranged for my 2 friends and their family to meet up at my house at 7pm to eat cake. OK~he let the cat out of the bag that morning when he came in with 2 10 layer cakes(Chocolate on chocolate and a keylime). No my friends do't have huge families ~ he couldn't decide what everybody would prefer to eat so he bought 2! My Mama came over early in the afternoon to eat cake and wish me Happy Birthday! Then to have my friends and their family that night!Last night as I sat looking around my den at my friends and listening to all the kids playing outside~I realized how truly blessed God has made my life. My Husband, my kids, my mama, and my friends. With those individuals and God on myside ~ I am one of the luckiest people I know. Fifteen years ago, I didn't have all of those people in my life ~I have trully been blessed! So please enjoy some birthday cake!

Please Don't Give Up!

Alright the bells of school have rung or as I like to call them from one of my favorite bands "Hells Bells". I have been absent but it is not just because of school~Lightening zapped my house last week and got computers/modems/printers/tv/more. But I am not complaining we are spending more quality time with each other without passing the remote to the tv or swapping chairs with one another at the computer. School is getting in the swing and I am going to be back and among the techo world soon~I promise to catch up on all of my reading to see how all of you are doing! Peace be with you and I'll be sharing with you soon!

And then there where.....

We did it! We found Sam the missing hamster within hours of him going missing. Then yesterday we officially closed the baby factoy! The daddy and first 6 babies were taken to the pet store. We kept Sam because we had already told Chris that he could keep one. We also kept Mama hamster and the Newest of the new babies. Just as soon as possible we are going to let those babies go to the pet store, too! But Sam is in a seperate cage so that we stay out of the baby making business. I am so happy. I never wanted babies. I trully enjoyed believing that we bought Debbie and Princess. Little did I know Princess would turn our life upside down by just being a Prince. Hope you have a Great Week!

Well, It happened!

Remember those cute adorable hamsters that Mr. Honey thought was such a good idea to get in a set of two? Well Debbie and Princess turned out to be Debbie and Prince and they had a litter of 7. I have told my crew for weeks that it was time for them to go. The first time they took them~the pet store said they were too small. Now~it is too late! Debbie and Prince have decided 7 is not enough and this am delivered a new pile of babies. What in the Hell was I thinking? Now only do we have @7 more we have another problem. Sam ~ the small cute one my dumb husband told my son that he could keep......is missing! Yep! You heard correctly~Samis somewhere in a house that has 4 cats that love moles! Guess what! My son is beyond upset~I am trying not to laugh and Mr. Honey is still an idiot for getting 2!

Well I did it anyway!

In 2 weeks I will have 2 3/4 days for preplanning and then school will begin~AGAIN! Well I am angry that we only get @ 3 days to unpack our room, redecorate, regroup for a new crowd, and plan. They know we will go up there to get it all done even though they are paying for 3 days. But I swore I wouldn't go up to the school to do anything. I was going to get what they paid for~But oh no! I couldn't resist. Jay helped me by painting my bulletin boards. Normally I just put up cloth so that it won't fade. The old stuff had been up for 7 years. And would still be up ~BUT they painted our classrooms so I had to take it down and it is expensive to do the 8 large boards. So I let him paint them. It is the color of Honolulu blue~hopefully it will keep the kids calm! Ha Ha!! But now i have finished making 23 new chair bags with the help of my Mama. not to mention made folders, envelopes, and much more. I have gotten on the computer and made info sheets,favors for open house, and more! I have probably spent two days working on things that I should be doing during pre-planning but there is just not enough time during those few days to do all this plus, schedule, plan, pull resources, books, etc. So there now I said it! I have vented and soon will feel better when I am not in a panic and everyone is wishing they had done what I did! Hope you are having a Smurfy Day!

No, no, no!

I can not believe that the time is drawing near! School will begin in @ 3 weeks. It seems just like 2 weeks ago, summer started. I like to work but recent changes in the education program and systems just make me not like my job so much! I started teaching 19 years ago with dreams of making a difference. No~ I do not mean fixing every child that had special needs~I didn't think I was God! I just wanted to make a difference in one child at a time. I started in Special Education and knew that change for these students did not always occur rapidly and sometimes not at all. Well after @11 years, I made a change to regular education. That first year I thought I was teaching third year French. But I needed to change because I had started my family and I had several students that had passed away in those years due to their conditions. I just couldn't do it anymore. Well, Now I have been in regular education for almost that long and it has changed so much during those years.
It is amazing how we as a society look at test scores and realize that we are failing educationally. There are so many things that affect this change in our culture. Our teachers have pressure to make every child be able to master material, deal with behavior, social, personalities, cuts, headaches, bumps, and dogs that eat homework. Today, both parents typically work and sometimes more than one job. More parents are single parents and can't afford to always provide after school child care. Drugs and gangs are more commonplace than ever. Children have more good and bad choices to make than we can ever imagine. They are faced with all kind of pressures. Many kids come to school angry, hungry, tired, dirty and stressed to the max and that is assuming that they are children that have the ability to learn without putting forth a lot of effort like studying and doing homework. But not all two children are created equal and some children need extra support and changes to be made so that they are on a level playing field. That is when the decsion makers come in and dictate what and how we are to teach and pile on more and more paper work to cover our behind. Their ideas look good on paper especially when dealing with 20 "normal" students, whose parents participate in their education, and students that have no outside issues. BUT...those 20 children never exisit in the same classroom and especially in every classroom in every school.
I went into teaching to do whatever it takes to ensure I can help make a difference and to provide every child the opportunity to learn. I have always said that if the decsion makers would let us know what the children need to know and let us determine based on our children how to accomplish the ask. Let us get into the classroom and teach~get back to the basics. Let teachers do what they have been trained to do. Not all teachers are there for the right reasons, some just occupy space and give millions of worksheets, and are using the same strategies year after year after year. No two kids are created exactly the same and sometimes we have to regroup and try different activities and strategies to help everyone but...that is what we need to do. Sports so many time takes a priority over education and not everyone is going to be a football or basketball star but everyone does need to learn.
Well~ that is my soapbox today~forgive my ramble!

Art Weekend

My daughter loves to draw and color and just be creative. I love to see her just be herself and have fun! A few years ago my son painted a picture and gave it to his Daddy. My husband loves that picture so much. I thought that I would let Sara do the same thing. That has led us to.....Art Weekend. She wanted to paint our cat Maggie playing on the grass. I have to say I did help a little but this is her work not quite finished! have a Great Weekend!

Ode to Lucy

Yesterday I had the unpleasant task to do for my Mama. Her canine companion for the past 5 years had to be put to sleep. Last week I wrote about taking all of the cats and dogs to the vet for Mama. Well I joked about them calling Lucy a geriatric dog. But what I didn't share is that she had a seizure a few weeks back and then last Friday she had another and this time she didn't come out of it for quite awhile. They kept her for a couple of days and put her on anti seizure meds. Well they thought she would be ok and sent her home. But she wasn't~at some point she must have had a stroke and it was pitiful~well being the 4th of July we couldn't do anything until Saturday so.....Mr. Honey and I went to take care of it for my Mama. She couldn't pull or lift the dog due to her physical health and she had watched her for the past few days. She knew that her companion was not living the quality of life that she had been. The Doctor knew more was going in when Jay and I took her in and knew although we were struggling with our decision ~ we had made the best one for the dog. My son and daughter took it hard. I had told them the day before so that they could begin the grieving process. My son wrote this poem for his Gah~Gah (my Mama) and I wanted to share it!

Ode to Lucy

Lucy was a treasure in our lives.
We owe her our full gratitude for all the things
she did for us.
We will forever miss her but know she is here with us.
She has been a friend to us all.
She was there for us and Gah~Gah.
Linus was her adopted child and she will
Miss her like a baby leaving its mom.
Lucy will not die but will forever live on in our
hearts.

Thank you Suburbia!!

Suburbia has given me a very sweet award. Then on top of the award she has taught me how to add it to my blog! I so appreciate the award and the help! I want to pass this award on to two others that have helped me to get in to the blogging world. One is my friend Nadine . She is my Best Friend and has been instrumental in my maintaining my sanity. The other person I want to give this award is Dot. Dot has given me alot of help when I started blogging and I had stupid questions and couldn't find the answers. She always has beautiful pictures and stories to share.
This award was created by Crystal over at Memoirs of a Mommy in honor of the heart donor who saved the life of Crystal's baby boy, Noah.

Crystal says: The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

I also want to thank Liz and Suburbia. I really enjoy escaping to the UK and reading about your world only to discover we share some of the same issues in life no matter what side of the world we are on. I really love that Sub. has a clock so that I can keep up with the difference in time!

Thanks again to so many who have helped me to get through to where I am today! I know what they say about teaching old dogs and tricks but ... Suburbia thanks to your tutorial I did get my award posted!!
Thanks!