Back in the Saddle (or Blog)

Guess all that Miss Organization didn't work out so well since it's been over a year and I haven't posted anything new. Clearly, life has been hectic but I am going to get back into this blog. Just not right now ..... Maybe tomorrow .....

Challenges

A new school year means new challenges. Challenges in the form of - a police officer being murdered less than a mile away from school, a woman murdered about 500 feet from the school, and a little girl raped by a man who has trespassed on school grounds. Oh yes, challenges indeed. My two little guys in daycare and aftercare when I wish they were me. I really took being a stay at home mom for granted. Getting up at 5:15 every morning is not pretty!! Luckily, I am the Queen of Organization and things run fairly smoothly around here. The counters are covered with crap and the clothes and towels will pile up now that Nana is gone, but we will have meals and be on time!! On the bright side, Nicholas loves his new school, Christopher moved to a big boy room but still gets to be with his favorite teacher, Miss Windy, and I have joined the "Biggest Loser" club at school to finally get rid of this 35 pounds from being pregnant with Christopher. Well, that is if I can stop eating candy and cupcakes for five seconds . . .

Summer of '09

Yes, this summer is one to remember. My ex-husband and his wife were meaner than ever. The kids never saw their dad, he stopped paying child support. I met someone but then when I decided that it was OK to like him, I realize that he is not ready, he needs to get through his divorce first. Christopher had his tonils and adnoids out. It was quite a summer. Putting a positive spin on things, I now know that the kids love road trips. I was able to take them to South Carolina all by myself - quite an accomplishment if you ask me. Seven hours in the car with a 2 and 6 year old who are the best travellers ever. I have a job for the up coming school which is a lot more than most people have right now. I have lots of support from friends and family and am very thankful for that. The dollar store now sells teacher materials so instead of spending hundreds of dollars to decorate my classroom I only spend $25. Yes, this was a summer to remember and I look forward to next summer and feel lucky that I have job that gives me the summer off!!

Summer

Summer is my favorite time of year. School is out, the pace is slow, and the days are long. This summer will be different for us, less traveling, more time at home, and just taking it all in. We have our list of summer fun and we are ready to start checking off our destinations as we visit them. I guess we could call this our summer of the "Staycation" I think for most people that was last year but for us it's this year. I am really looking forward to it, I think this summer will be one to remember.

A Teacher Again

I am about to start teaching again and I am finding that although I don't want to leave Christopher in daycare, I am excited about it. I am looking forward to trying out first grade and seeing if it is for me. I also hope I can find a job for next year teaching first grade - that would be fantastic! I have new teacher clothes, shoes, and some lesson plans from my amazing friend Toni who has been sharing everything with me! I don't know what I would do without her - she is just fantastic! I have been able to weed out daycares thanks to my friend Kristyn who sees them the same I do and has been brutally honest - which I need! It is all coming together and I am glad that I feel more excited than scared!

The First Tick (and Hopefully the LAST!)

Christopher had a tick on the back of his head this morning!! It was horrible! I called Aunt Patty but she didn't answer, the doctor wasn't available to talk to, the nurse was taking forever to call back, Kristyn didn't want to pull it out, and my mom wasn't here!! So I called my mom and she said to pull it out and then put neosporin on it! So I did, it was horrible, but the whole tick came out and Christopher could have cared less. YUCK!

Feeding Time

I fed a snake for the first time today. I went to the pet store. I did a normal thing - bought dog food - then I bought individually packaged, frozen mice. Eight frozen mice, so I don't have to do it again for eight more weeks. Then I brought them home and put all but one on the top shelf of my freezer. I chose the top shelf so that Christopher can't take them out and play with them or feed them to Alli. Then I filled a bowl with warm water, placed the baggie with the frozen mouse inside into the water, and set the time for fifteen minutes. When the timer went off I opened the bag, took out the defrosted mouse with tongs, tongs which will now only be used for snake feeding purposes ONLY!, opened the snake cage, and dropped the mouse in. I then stood there wondering what on earth I was thinking, bringing a snake in the house, and then wondering if it was safe to put the tongs in the dishwasher or not, and then putting them in before sterilizing my hands. I watched for a few minutes to see what the snake would do but he kept looking at me instead of finding the mouse so I don't want him to picture me when he smells future mice so I left him alone. The next time I looked in, the mouse was gone and the snake had buried himself underneath the wood chips. And so ends another chapter in my new snake owner book.