Things Are Coming Along Nicely

I've had the chance to work in my classroom for a total of 4 days, all told.  And, I've amazed myself at the progress that I've made.  And when I say "I", that really means Peanut and I.  She has been such a great help - and has done so much to help me out.  I wouldn't be near as finished as I am if it weren't for her.

So, today, we've decided to take a day off - because there's really not much more we can do until I get to meet with my principal tomorrow morning and get some idea how the year is going to start.  I've held off on finishing up the decorating - because I really want to put up posters that reflect that current learning....not just cute posters that make the room look good.  Such a teacher, aren't I?

Even though not too much has changed since I posted pictures last time - I wanted to show the most updated pics of my classroom.  So, here's the before pics and the most current pics - that I took yesterday...

Day One

A week later

Day One

A week later

The desks all now have name plates on them and colored pencil holders.  The bulletin boards are pretty much finished - except for the purple one in the corner.  And, I've made some progress to my desk and the library area...

I still need more storage room for my books.  I only emptied less than half of my book collection - and the book shelves are already almost full. 

All in all, we are pretty much done with what we can be done with until my meeting with the principal tomorrow. 

It really is such a great feeling walking in to my classroom now.  It's all kind of sunk in that I'm really going to be doing this - teaching, that is.  It's been a long time in the making, and finally it's really all setting in that I've accomplished a life-long dream.  Such a surreal feeling, that's for sure. 

I have a week and four days until I go back to work.  That sounds weird.  A week from Friday, I'll be attending new teacher orientation - and my journey will officially begin.  Just a weekend and two days after that, the kids will be stepping in to our new room for their first day.  I'm ready...well, not exactly - but mentally I am. 


OK, time to enjoy my day off - I guess.

One Exciting Thing to Another

The last time I wrote here, I was all excited because my kids were going away for a week to their grandparent's house - and I was going to spend a week completely alone with Hubby.  And throughout that entire week, I didn't come here once.  Not sure why...it was a great week.  But, I didn't.

That week, we spent time being extremely laid back.  We did make a few trips out.  One trip was to Tulsa to spend the day shopping.  Another trip was to the movies - where we saw two movies - and then out for dinner.  Both trips were nice - but nothing compared to the time we got to spend at home doing nothing more than relaxing. 

But even spending a glorious week relaxing with Hubby is nothing compared to the excitement that I've felt this week.  An excitement I've waited so long for, it's not even funny.  And that excitement was attributed to the fact that Monday was the first day I was able to get in to my classroom.

Words can't even explain how amazing and wonderful it felt to step in to my very own classroom.  And one the excitement wore off just a tad, the sudden onset of overwhelming anxiety hit.  Seeing my classroom, completely bare, made me realize just how much work I needed to do.  But thankfully, I have a couple of weeks to get it all done - and now I'm not so overwhelmed.

The very first thing I did when I stepped in to my room was take some pictures.  I wanted "before" pictures to look back on.  And here they are...

Pic from the back of the room

The literal first glimpse at my room

And after spending two days in my room, it now looks like this...

Bulletin boards now decorated

Desks and chairs unstacked

Some improvement - but still a long way to go.

Peanut and I will spending another day in there tomorrow, and then all next week will be hitting it hard.  My goal is to have the room completely ready to go by next Friday. 

It's so exciting!!

What To Do When There's No Kids For A Week?

I'm a little giddy today.  It will sound bad why I'm so giddy... but in all honesty?  I don't care!

Tomorrow or Monday, I'm going to be taking my kids to my parent's house to spend an entire week.  All three of them.  Well, one is already there... but the other two are going to join her.  And that excites me beyond explanation.

Before anyone starts thinking that I'm the kind of mother who can't wait to pawn her kids off to someone else - check yo'self!  I've been home since May 17th with my kids.  In fact, for the first four weeks following that date - I was not only home with them, but with three children that weren't mine.  So, I know you're thinking "Big Whoop - They are my kids I should be home with them".  But EVERYONE deserves a break!

I love my kids, and I love spending time with them.  But, sometimes this momma needs some alone time.  She needs time to be able to spend some quality one-on-one time with her amazing fiance.  She just needs time to breath.

And, the best part is the fact that my kids LOVE spending time with their grandparents.  My mom has a pool - and a pool during the summer is all my kids need to keep them occupied.  So, this isn't just a vacation for me - it's also a vacation for them.  Cause, I know that my kids sometimes get sick of spending every single minute of ever single day with me.

So, what is a gal to do when she has a whole week to do whatever the heck she wants?

I have no idea.

I know I'll be spending a lot of time at the gym.  I know that I'll be spending a lot of time with Hubby.  But, I really want to have a "stay-cation".  Something that we wouldn't normally do with the kids in the house.  Go to the movies, go out to dinner, visit places we haven't been before.  You know, like date stuff.

One thing Hubby and I didn't ever do was the "dating" thing.  We met, we chatted online and on the phone, we started meeting regularly at my house, and then he moved in.  We didn't go out.  We never went out on dates.  Dates consisted of spending an hour or two at my house watching TV before he had to leave to go to work.  We got to know each other by spending hours and hours talking online.

Now that we've been together for more than 7 years?  I'm ready to date my Hubby (who isn't technically my official Hubby yet, but that's in the works). And this may be a little more challenging than it sounds.  You see, Hubby is a homebody.  He would much rather rent a movie, sit on his chair, and relax.  Going out isn't something he particularly likes doing.  Going out is my thing...something I always want to do.

But what's the fun in that?

I can do that any time...with our without the kids here.

So, now I have to come up with some stuff that we can both do - and both enjoy.  And I only have a day to plan.  The decision for my kids to go to their grandparents just happened this morning.

What makes it more difficult is the fact that Hubby works nights.  He has an inkling that he might have a few days off next week - or even get off work early - but that still makes being out during the day difficult... cause the guy has to rest.

But, I'm confident that I'll come up with some stuff.  There's no way I'm going to let this opportunity slip through my fingers.  Just not going to happen.

Time to start planning!!

Less Than One Month to Go

Time flies when you're having fun, I guess.  Or more appropriately, time flies when I don't bother to come here and update what I'm doing more often.

Truth of the matter is, it's hard keeping up with two blogs.  I'm religious at posting on my other blog - and when the purpose of this blog is to share everything else that's going on in my life minus the weight loss stuff, I come to the conclusion that not much more goes on in my life.  Period.

It's been four weeks since I got back from my parent's house.  Four weeks of waking up whenever I want, moseying around the house, coming up with things to do to keep the kids occupied, and trying not to stab someone anytime I hear "Mooooommmm...can you tell *child of choice* to stop looking at me".

Ahhh, the life of a stay-at-home during the summer mom.

Then, this morning, it hit me that in exactly four weeks tomorrow, I'll be returning back to work...as a 4th grade teacher.  And honestly?  It still hasn't sunk it.  I still haven't been able to wrap my mind around the fact that in four weeks, I'll be embarking on the journey I've waited my whole life for.  OK, not exactly my whole life - but 25 out of the 30 I've been alive.

Since being back from my parent's, I've successfully boxed up all of the books I've collected over the past few years to go in to my classroom library.  All 665 of them.  It took so much longer than I thought it would.. because it's not as easy as taking them off the shelves and placing them in boxes.  Nope.  I had to catalog each book in to an online catalog system, write my name on each one, and then add the AR reading information in to each book.  It took days and days and days.

There are now 6 huge boxes full of books sitting in my kitchen.  And the thought of now having to lift them in to the truck and unload them in to my classroom has me a little worried.  They are freaking heavy!  Thank goodness we own a dolly. 

I'm hoping that in the next week or so I'll get an email from the principal to tell me that I can start getting stuff moved in.  I know it's going to take me a while to get my classroom cleaned and organized the way I want it.  Thankfully, Peanut is excited to help me out.  I was worried that helping her mom in the classroom would be the last thing she wanted to do - being that she was so upset about having to move school districts - but she's told me she wants to help.  So, I am very happy about that.

In the past couple of weeks, I've realized I wasn't allowing myself to be as excited as I should be - because I was clinging to the sadness that came from having to leave the other school district I worked in the past year.  But, a lot of home truths have surfaced in the past few weeks that made me realize that I got the job in the place I'm supposed to be.  I've realized that I can't hold on to the past.  And I most certainly can't feel upset that I didn't get a job in the school I thought I would. 

A new start is exactly what I need.  A new area.  A new faculty.  A new beginning.

Now, I'm rearing to go.  My summer has gone on quite long enough.  Yes, being at home has been wonderful - and I definitely needed the break... but now I'm ready to start.  I want in my classroom.  I want to start preparing.  I'm ready to meet my students.

Just one more month!