Family Musings

I've posted before here and on Facebook about how messy my house can get. And how quickly it seems to happen. The amount of clutter in my house really does affect our quality of life. Not in a Hoarders sort of way, but in ways that are less obvious to those around me. It keeps me from inviting people over for impromptu conversations and play dates. It keeps me from homeschooling because there is no clear space to do it. It keeps me from relaxing in my own space. It keeps me from staying home more because I feel stiffled by my surroundings. It costs my family money because I spend more to leave the house, rebuy things I already have, or don't use my coupons because they don't stay organized. I could blame it on our small space . But I have friends with even smaller homes which are always neat and clean when I stop in for random visits. I could blame it on the kid's toys all being kept in the Living room . But that doesn't address all of the clutter that ...

My husband is a teacher. I am a former teacher. We talk about the state of education ALL of the time around here. He originally wrote this guest post for his friends on Facebook, but it provides such an excellent insight into the life of a teacher I wanted to share it with a wider audience. Once you've read it, I'd love for you to share your thoughts and to share his post with others. Let's have a conversation! ********************************* The field of K-12 education is filled with experts and consultants who will tell you how to accomplish the miracles teachers are expected to accomplish. Unfortunately, most education experts have no expertise other than the ability to market themselves as experts. I teach at a Title I school. "Title I" means we receive extra federal funding because we serve a student population that is largely poor. And having a population that is largely poor, we have many students who don't speak English well, and/or are ...

As a young girl (school aged), I never envisioned myself as a stay at home mom. If I ever even thought about being a mom, I was going to be a working mom. My mom had worked during my middle and high school years and things were fine. We still had family dinners most nights and she was still active in my life (sometimes a little too much, but that is a different post). As I prepared for college, I chose a career in broadcasting. At one point, I even dreamed of owning a small AM station and living in the middle of no where, with a friend and some animals maybe. I was a fairly independent teen and made most of my own decisions. Even about college. My parents were mostly concerned about paying for it and let me choose where to go. It wasn't until my Junior year of college, when I had a serious boyfriend that the idea of working and being a mom really became an issue for me. The guy was a deep thinker so it didn't really faze me that we kept talking about working moms. He also l...

In case anyone is interested in putting a little extra cash in my pocket, I have two opportunities for you that leave you with just as much as me. First, you can visit my shop on Half.com and buy some books. I am a fast shipper and my item descriptions are always accurate. My seller rating is 100% positive and I have a wide range of books to choose from. There is probably at least 1 book in a genre you like. Second, you can purchase Pampered Chef products from me. I am a new consultant (again), and am looking for local and distant customers to place individual orders or to hold catalog shows. If you are in Central FL, I could probably even come to your house and cook dinner for 10 of your closest friends and co-workers all while you add up how much free Pampered Chef stuff you will be getting! I told you that you wouldn't just be giving me money. I have to work for either one of the options you choose.

Charlotte sure was grumpy this week! She wouldn't stay down for her naps, she woke up at night more than usual, and she got extra cranky between 4 -5 pm. I have no idea what was going on. She isn't teething. The nursing is about the same. No new skills to report. Hopefully I will get my super-happy toddler back soon. At the library story time this week she got a little braver and mixed it up some with the bigger toddlers. My girl loves music and she likes to dance. The song time that Ms. Connie leads is always fun and I am actually starting to learn the lyrics. Though I will spare you the agony of having to listen to me sing. (Let's just say it is unlikely Charlotte will grow up to be an opera star with me as her example!) I have another big announcement to share as well. I signed up to be a Pampered Chef consultant - again! I did this once, about 8 years ago and really enjoyed it. As it turns out, my former Director is back in business and invited me to join her. I don...

It still happens. Skin color still matters to some people. In the town I used to teach in, there was an unwritten rule that if a white girl had ever dated a black boy, then she was off limits to all of the white boys. I as appalled when a fellow teacher shared this with me. I knew I was in a rural town, but couldn't believe that people really thought this was acceptable behavior. When I was a teacher, I had that quote on my wall. I don't remember where I first saw it, but I discussed it on the first day of class each year. When I turned away, the kids would laugh about who the "dull" crayons were and, always, one of the more extroverted girls would claim they were the "pretty" crayon. I gave them a minute to get that silliness out of their systems and then re-read the quote to them. I explained that no matter which kind of crayon they were, the bright yellow crayon that was always a good friend, or the black crayon that liked to wear dark clothes and had lot...

I have several little bits of information to share... Enjoy clicking! ******************************* I was in the Ledger back in April and didn't even know it! No pictures, but I am quoted at the very end. ******************************* I have entered a picture of Charlotte into an amateur photo contest . Would you head over and vote for her as the cutest baby? ****************************** Do you have kids that love to build? K'nex is holding it annual contest to find the most ingenious kids out there. Their will be 3 winners in 3 different age categories, each winning $10,000 for college. Plus, another 7 semi-finalists will be chosen. Boys and girls in the following age categories are invited to enter - 5 to 6-year-olds; 7 to 8-year-olds; and, 9 to 12-year-olds. The prizes are too numerous to list here, so go over to the K'nex website to learn more and enter your budding architect! You can even browse other K'nex creations for some inspiration. The picture to the ...

Oh my! Am I ever glad this school year is over? You bet! It has been so hard trying to suck in all the Charlotte I can while having to be away from her 8+ hours a day. We are looking forward to a great summer and finding lots of new places to explore. As hard as it was to have to go to work, there were several bright spots. One of the biggest was my student's success on the FL Writes+ test. This is a big deal for 8th graders in FL and the results are calculated as part of our school's grade. My students beat the county with an average essay score of 4.2. A 3.5 is considered on grade level. I couldn't be more thrilled for their success. I also had the privilege to work with 3 students who earned a 6, which is the highest possible score. It also helped each day knowing that I was working with other teachers and administrators who cared. We had a lot of students who were difficult , to be nice about it. And even though we all had our moments of frustration, we worked together ...

Sorry I haven't been very verbose lately... school lets out in less than 2 weeks and I have a mountain of paperwork and documentation to complete. I'll be back soon... I promise!

I work in the nursery during the early service at my church on the first Sunday of every month. Until about 2 months ago, Charlotte was the only baby in there. Then, we got to meet Trenton. He is about 12 weeks old and such a cute and compliant little baby. One thing I realized this past week as I picked him up out of his car seat is that I had already forgotten how tiny Charlotte used to be. She is so good at sitting up and since holding her head up isn't even an issue any more, I forgot that she hasn't always done these things. She used to be all squirmy and floppy-headed too. Even though its only been 5 months since she was Trenton's age, my mind has begun to move on and look forward to what she will be doing next week, next month, and even next year. I remember when Charlotte was about that age, I couldn't even THINK about her growing big enough to walk, go to school, or even get married. Now that she is learning new skills it is fun to think about those things. Wel...

My students might think I am the dorkiest teacher ever... but if wearing this human billboard helps even one of them to remember a great test-taking strategy then it was worth it. HUMAN BILLBOARD - FCAT TIPS I got this idea from a Reading Coach at my husband's school, only they used it for vocabulary words. I've worn this most of today and have gotten many strange looks, from students and other teachers even. Do I mind? Not in the least! I am willing to do just about anything to help them remember how to respond to certain questions. I've even recruited other teachers to wear subject appropriate tips. For the math teacher - Use your reference sheet & calculator. For the science teacher - Read ALL of the possible answers. For the reading teacher - Underline key words and phrases. I might make more... we'll see how time goes.

This is a picture of Charlotte's new friend, Colleen, hanging out with her in the back seat on the way to the Polk County Youth Fair on Wednesday afternoon. We I had a lot of fun looking around at all the different submissions from my students. One of my students took a tri-color ribbon in 2 different categories. Another group of students took Judge's Prize in a chili cook-off. Colleen doesn't do Youth Fair, but lots of her friends do so she agreed to tag along. I think it was mostly so she could hang out with Charlotte. This is a picture of a baby cow nursing from her momma cow. Isn't it cute. Bruce won't really let me post pictures of me nursing Charlotte, but I'm sure he won't mind this one. Probably because the momma cow's teats aren't showing. Isn't the baby cow adorable? I'm sorry my picture isn't so great, but I was in a hurry and Colleen was rolling her eyes at me. I won't get on my nursing in public soap box now, but no one a...

Charlotte slept so well last night! I attribute that to the wonderful swaddling technique I am now using. It might sound obvious to seasoned moms out there, but I finally figured out how to keep her from breaking her swaddle. I left 1 arm out. Simple, I know. It took me 2 nights to figure out which arm needed to be out, but I got it. She stirred last night when she was hungry, but otherwise slept all night. I think I woke up more than she did. Yeah! This morning I did a good mommy thing and went out and got the car started a few minutes before we had to leave. As I lifted my daughter out of her exersaucer to leave, I felt a certain dampness on her backside. Yep, you guessed it… she blew out her diaper, right through her outfit. And it was a cute outfit too. It was plaid and footed with little embroidered hearts all over the peter pan collar. The hat that went with it was adorable too! Now though, I had to get her out of that outfit and into something clean, including a new diaper. It ...

I did it. I finally overcame one of my greatest fears about teaching – and it happened purely by accident. I was thirsty this morning, so I drank more than my usual amount before school. About halfway through our first block I had to go to the bathroom. I’m an adult so I thought, “surely I can hold it. I expect my students to do that, it’s only 30 more minutes” After another couple of minutes, I realized I was incredibly uncomfortable and wouldn’t be able to wait. So, I asked a neighbor teacher to keep an eye on my class while I made a quick visit to the bathroom. Once I was done, I resumed the lesson already in progress. While I was explaining the next task, a couple of my students were snickering. I hadn’t seen them talking to one another but the giggles were distracting. Little did I know I would discover something even more distracting than giggles. I asked one of the girls, “what’s so funny?” She refused to say and wouldn’t look me in the eyes. Hmmm… what could it be? It dawned on...

After our Bible study on Sunday morning... I had a flash of inspiration. I was thinking about interpreting scripture so that I may apply it to my life and it occured to me that it was kind of like putting on moisturizer. Let's say you are in a hurry one day to get ready. In your haste to apply your moisturizer you grab the bottle and start slathering it all over. A short while later, you look down and see that your have large orange splotches and streaks all over and your palms are also orange. What happened? I'll tell you - you rushed your application! You forgot to read the bottle and only now do you realize that you grabbed your sunless tanner instead of your regular moisturizer. This can happen when we study the Bible too. If we read a passage of scripture and immediately begin trying to apply it to our lives, we can miss the important part and end up with a problem on our hands. Take Romans 6:1 for example. If one reads that quickly and without caution, one could end up r...

I had a Maya Angelou moment today in class. A few weeks ago, before I came back to teaching, my students read an except from Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . In it, the main young, female character (Maya) has the opportunity to carry the groceries home of a well-respected elder woman (Mrs. Flowers) in her community. While there, Mrs. Flowers reads to Maya from Tale of Two Cities ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."). Maya can hardly speak when the older woman is done reading because the words sound completely different coming from Mrs. Flowers' mouth than from the page. This is when Maya begins a love relationship with books and words. Now, I don't think I inspired any love relationships, but I did show my students the power of good reading. While reading the diary entry Forest Fire, by Anais Nin, I stopped and asked them all to find a phase or sentence that vividly described the fire. There are several extremely vivid examples in...

Today was my first full day back at work and I managed to make it through until 3:15 when I got to see my dear, precious Charlotte again. Honestly though, it was tougher than I expected. I had done fairly well the first half of the week when Charlotte was at the day care for half-days so I thought today would be just as easy... but it wasn't. The morning at home went great. I even ended up with an extra 10 minutes to play with her (over and above the 10 minutes I had already budgeted for morning play). However, once we got to the day care it started going down hill. I arrived about 5 minutes before their official open time (6:30 am) and no one was there. No big deal. Maybe Janet is running behind. Well, she wasn't. The person who was opening for her was though. It was probably 6:35 before she showed up and by then I had had enough time to start to really think about leaving my baby girl. When I realized that Janet wasn't coming in today it kind of pushed me over and the tea...

Ahhh... 10 days and no blogging. Forgive me for being selfish, but I was trying to use all of my time for my daughter since this is the week I go back to work. Yep, you read that correctly. I am going back to work this week. Charlotte was taken to her daycare for a half-day today and will begin full days on Thursday, when I am back at school. This morning I got out of bed around 5:15 (I'd been up and in and out of sleep since about 1 am already) and started my morning routine. I've written it all down so I don't forget anything important since I now have 2 people to get ready each morning. By 6 am I had to wake Charlotte up for a final nursing session before we left. Out the door by 6:20 and at the daycare by 6:30, when they open. I spent about 20 minutes there with Mrs. Wooten and Charlotte before I finally conceded it was time to go. I really could have stayed longer but it wouldn't have been productive for setting a routine. The good news is that neither of us cried,...

Friday night was another great football game at Frostproof High. They beat Avon Park 35-0! Go Bulldogs! Afterwards, Charlotte and I went over to the church for the Youth Department's 5th Quarter party . For the uninitiated, it is basically a party after the football game for the kids to come and hang out and let off steam instead of hanging out in the park of loitering at the convenience store. We served hamburgers and chips and basically just made sure the youth had a safe place to be that night (until midnight at least when they had to go home). I had fun meeting more teenagers, some of whom knew who I was because I'm the "teacher with a baby" at school. Yesterday, Grandma and Grumpy came down to visit. I'd pretend they came to see all of us, but they really just came to see Charlotte and to put more pennies into her piggy banks. The first one is a very cute little piggy that is already full. And the second one is designed so we can write the dates of most of Ch...

How's that for a blog title? Got your attention didn't it. That question sure got my attention when it was the title of this article. This is a fair and reasonable question and one every woman needs to address if she is going to be married and have children. I began wrestling with this idea when I was in high school, though from a completely different perspective than the one I have now. In high school I was dead set on being a career broadcaster. I was going to work in radio, and if I had my way, even own my own radio station. There would be no need to "stay at home" because I was not going to get married (I had no need for a husband, I would do it on my own thank you very much). By the time I hit my sophomore year of college, I'd decided to work as a director-type for a news program, calling the shots live. It would have been a good fit for me. But God had other plans... Bruce became a Christian that year and when we started dating it took him less than 6 months...