Losing My Mind or Just Another Teacher in May?

This year, I've had bus duty every Wednesday afternoon. Thinking all day yesterday that it was Wed., I ,made it 1/2 way there before realizing it was only Tuesday...guess I just wanted summer to come a little quicker! BUT...that's only the beginning...

Having a few moments without students, I needed to call my beloved and at least leave him a message, so I picked up my classroom phone & proceeded to call him. While waiting for him to pick-up, I could faintly hear my phone ringing from inside my purse which is inside my filing cabinet. After fumbling to unlock the cabinet before realizing it was ALREADY unlocked, I grabbed my phone & was shocked to see the school's # where I work displayed on the caller id. I simply could not figure out who could be calling my cell phone from the school. (Keep in mind I still have my classroom phone up to my ear waiting to speak to Joe.) My DUH moment came when I said "hello" to myself...seriously.

Oh...and how is it that my students never hear the page # we're on or the directions, but they can hear my phone vibrate from inside my huge Vera Bradley QUILTED purse locked inside of my filing cabinet???

Back in Bloggerland...

Well, I'm back after a long hiatus! Life continues to be crazy with Joe in school & working full-time.

Here are some highlights...

*Micah was voted class favorite with his little girlfriend, whom I understand he has kissed when the teacher wasn't looking...he btw, wants to be a cheerleader so he can catch ALL the girls!

*Rebekah continues to surprise me with her perception of me. She gets the American Girl magazine (awesome btw for girls!) & we took a quiz to see if our responses about ourselves & each other matched...amazing!

*I LOVE that the kids like for me, & Joe when he is able, to lie down with them for a few minutes each night to talk, sing songs, & pray together...I hope this time lasts (or at least builds into a good relationship foundation for the teen years!).

*One of our girls, who is very sweet & a classy young lady, was working on her goals project in social studies & wrote that to reach her goal of graduating high school, she must pass all of her STD's....I was ROFL...I believe she meant SAT's!!!

*I recently made a complete fool of myself, & enjoyed every minute of it, as I relived my high school days cheering in a faculty/student game for Relay 4 Life.

*Just when I think I can't take anymore & question my reason for teaching, something awesome or hilarious happens to remind me of that joy I can get nowhere else!

*I have actually started exercising...did some Sweatin' to the Oldies earlier this week, & then the R4L stuff...nothing like Richard Simmons to ease you back into things...I'm determined to get control of my weight & my life...I hate chaos, & my weight reflects all that I am not. Any ideas for how to slow down & still support Joe & let the kids be kids???

*We may have to take the kids out of the Christian school due to funds...VERY torn about this! I LOVE the school & the little girl that has been so ugly to Bekah is actually supposed to go somewhere else. Plus, the kids love it there, but we have to get ready to live off of me if Joe's class schedule takes any more time during the day & especially in a couple of years when he interns...praying hard!

Hopefully I will finish my post about last summer SOON!

Catching Up on Some Bloggin'

It's good to be back. Things have been crazy lately, so it's been easier to facebook...shameful, I know!! But...I'm also uploading months of pics tonight! I won't share them all tonight, but future posts shall come!

This weekend started off shaky. Micah woke up at 3 A.M. Friday morning with 102 fever. With benchmark tests & student needs, I went into work while Joe stayed home. As I was leaving, Joe called out, "Thank you." Not sure what I had done or if he was being sarcastic, I replied, "For what?" (Not in a surly tone, mind you.) He simply stated, "For all you do for us." Wow! What a way to trudge into work on a chilly morning.

The kids' school celebrated homecoming this week. Being a small private school, they have no football team, so homecoming is during basketball season. Quite the tradition around here! Rebekah participated in a cheer camp for the elementary girls, so on Friday I picked her up at 5. We enjoyed a couple of hours of shopping and hanging out. Upon our return home, Joe surprised me with a clean kitchen, laundry, and bathroom. The man even mopped, cleaned the jacuzzi jets, and the grout around the tub!!!! To top it all off, he got the kids ready for bed, drew a bubble bath w/candles & my Mama Mia! soundtrack playing with instructions that I was to "relax & (he) would take care of everything else." Seriously, somebody take that man to Lowe's!!

Yes, this is the same man that I am so thankful for...maybe I should re-evaluate myself against his taste in women! :0 (This was from Halloween...a friend's in-laws! They were hysterical!)

I love him so. God has truly blessed me...beyond all I could ever ask or imagine. Over & over He proves that if we wait on Him, He ALWAYS has His best in store for us. Oh, this doesn't mean things are always easy or "bliss," but it's always for OUR best! We don't have the perfect marriage, but we're in it together. I guess that's what really matters!

Here are pics from homecoming:

The homecoming game was lots of fun, & Rebekah continues to amaze me with her tenacity. She's a great person...full of life, love, and fun! She had a friend spend the night last night, & as I lay in bed, I could hear them over Micah's monitor (yes, I still use one...actually the one from when Rebekah was born!). Hearing their whispers & giggles brought back so many happy memories from my own childhood. We wrapped up the weekend with a trip to the "dollar" ($1.99 to be exact) movies to catch "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." Cute movie!

Check out this contest on my "Favorite Things Swap" partner's blog...she does amazing crafts! Her totes are super! Plus it enters me for more chances to win...LOVE the fabric for this giveaway!!

Please keep my mother in your thoughts & prayers. They have found places in both breasts, but after completing an ultrasound and MRI, she goes for a needle biopsy tomorrow on the left side.

I end my weekend by "facebooking" AND blogging...what could be better?

Bah Humbug!!

Why am I feeling "Grinchy" you ask? Could it be the non-stop cough for 3 weeks? Could it be the bronchitis that turned into pneumonia & as I was finally starting to beat the darn thing....dumdumdum...a viral COLD???? Add to that two lovely cold sores & the end of the semester for some Christmas cheer. To top off my holiday festivities, I had a colonoscopy today. That's right. I had to do something that topped off the year, 96, I believe, when I had ALL FOUR wisdom teeth pulled on December 23rd. Of course, the very next February, I met Joe. So, maybe something equally amazing will happen this year. I don't mean meeting another guy, of course....;)

For those of you wondering...the test turned out great. Great of course, if you consider great to mean drinking 2 quarts of oily, salty, lemon-lime flavored YUCK. (Better than the gallon some have to drink!) Thankfully, I don't have to have another one for 5 years. But those of you with kids no how quickly 5 years can go by!

Seriously, I'm thankful all is finally well. My sister's life was saved 2 years ago by an early colonoscopy. She had the early stages of colon cancer & was blessed to only have surgery & no treatments. I thank God for her everyday. It's not a fun experience, but if it will save your life...

Do I Have to Show My Work?

Oh. My. Word. People, this is algebra, you're in the 7th grade...SHOW your work!!!!! And SHOW it ALGEBRAICALLY!!!!!

Alas, this has been my mantra, my rant, my battle with middle schoolers. Heaven help me! One more day, & Ms. Kristy is on vacay!!!!!

In other news, and to my defense, I have not been on facebook since Sunday! I did, however, spend way too long on it tonight! What to do when someone you knew from several years ago wants to add you to their friend list, but they kind of weird you out?? I mean, I'm not sure I want to decline...what happens if I just ignore the request? I'm such a coward...

KUDOS to Joe....he has received a scholarship that pays tuition & books, as well as an invitation to join Phi Theta Kappa (honors frat)! I am so proud of that man & all he does! He actually took me to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or was it Knight? I'm too tired to Google it, & I'm sure one of my English buddies can help me! It was great! The university performing arts department had awesome displays of all the sayings & words that have been coined from Shakespeare's works. It was fascinating!

Learning about classification of the species in science. A student listing traits of an animal says, "big paws," but what everyone hears rhymes with "big malls!" Yeah. Laughing till tears rolled down my cheeks. I could not make eye contact with my co-teacher.

And I leave you with some of my FAVE flair phrases:

Procrastinators UNITE...tomorrow!
If ignorance is bliss...why aren't more people happy?
Procrastinators...Leaders of tomorrow!
If I die at school, I hope it's at an inservice so the transition from life to death is smooth!
SCHOOL, one big SOAP OPERA
HAHA. Wait. What?
Even if the voices are not real, they still have pretty good ideas.
My mom says I'm special. But who's Ed?
Don't follow my footsteps. I run into walls.
Be careful what you say...it may remind me of a song that needs singing.
He was hit by a DODGE, which I find funny & ironic.

I Could Do Without the Fairies...

That was what my husband said after reading & watching A Midsummer Night's Dream for his English comp. class. Ah, well, they are pretty much important to the play I would say. He did laugh with me during parts, though.

A recent favorite "Joe-Quote" of mine came after Joe's full day at work, then classes, then home to study & write papers, as well as spend some time with the family. He was truly exhausted. The scene: Joe & I talking about a recent exam he had taken in his ed. class while I was getting ready for bed. The conversation:

Me: Well, how did you do?
Joe: (with irritation) I made an 80. I mean, I missed 4. Stupid.
Me: What did you miss? Did you study? (hmmm...seems like I had the same discussion with Rebekah earlier about one of her tests)
Joe: Yeah, I studied. (here comes the fave quote) I missed two of them because I chose the wrong answer.
Me: (bursting into giggles, ahhh DUH) That's usually why we get things wrong...
Joe: (beginning to laugh at himself, now a.k.a. Captain Obvious) That's not what I meant. I knew the answer. I just marked the wrong one.
Me: Yeah, sure. You know I'm going to post this, right?

Confessions of a Cheater or Defining Interfacing Polygamy

I admit it. I can't lie about it anymore. I've been entertaining another website. I tried to resist, but was pulled into it's provocative promise of connecting with prior acquaintances, as well as local peeps. Yes, I joined Facebook, and darn it, I LIKE it!! There, it's out in the open. Open for all to see just one of the things that has kept me away...that, and school, and kids, and a husband in school, and the kids' school, and LAUNDRY (does it EVER end??), and just life in general. But, I think I can make it work. I mean, what's one more thing, right? I will, however, try to ward off those luring me to that other networking site...the "m" space. :)

I have SO much to update here, and will have plenty more with Halloween approaching. I see a marathon posting in my near future.