Perfect Day

Mother's Day was perfect. The day started with Cole bringing me breakfast in bed (cereal and coffee). Then I opened my presents. He got me a necklace and earrings, made me a bracelet and flowerpot and a sweet card. Then I went for a bike ride. We all headed out for lunch at the restaurant that my brother works at. After lunch, Cole had a football game. Then we went to the pool at the gym to cool off. We had a great time swimming and sliding down the water slides. What a great way to spend the day. I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Future meteorologist and random pics

We also joke that when Cole grows up he will be a meteorologist. He is fascinated with the weather and often wants to watch the weather channel, especially when there is a storm blowing through. Last night I could hear him talking while in the tub. He had bubbles spread out on the tile surround and was giving a weather forecast! He looks at me all serious and says pointing to a spot with no bubbles, "Texas is expecting a sunny day.". Then he points to where there is a large group of bubble and says, "It is going to be snowing in Alaska". He continued the forecast for the rest of the country. So cute!

Cole hit the jackpot

Cole's 7th birthday was on Saturday. We had a three hour Star Wars themed party planned at our gym. In addition to pizza, cake, and presents we had planned one hour of karate and one hour of swimming. It was a great success. It was fun watching Cole's friends do karate with him. His karate teacher is so great with the kids and had really been looking forward to doing this for him. The kids seemed to really enjoy it and the hour flew by. After karate the kids enjoyed lunch and were amazed when his karate teacher cut the cake with her samurai sword. After lunch, we headed to the indoor pool. The kids got to slide on the water slide and swim for an hour. After swimming, each kid got a gift and a light saber to take home (you are welcome parents). We had a great turn-out of kids, 12 and then two bonus girls that weren't expected (not RSVPing drives me crazy - luckily we still had enough for everyone). After the party, Cole's friend came over to play for a few hours and then went to dinner with us. At dinner, Cole made sure to tell the waitress that it was his birthday and then blushed while grinning from ear-to-ear as the waitstaff sang happy birthday to him.

The celebration continued today with Easter. The "Easter Bunny" hid the eggs last night and Cole had fun searching for them this morning. My grandma was in town for Cole's birthday and wanted to go to church, so we went to church with some friends. Cole went to Sunday School and had a great time, he wants to go back. After lunch, we headed across the street to Cole's friends house for another egg hunt and then 20 dozen confetti eggs.

What a wonderful weekend!

OMG

A funny thing happened at the last show we went to in Branson. Before the show started one of the performers came out and was talking to the audience. He was telling jokes and then asking people where they were visiting from. We were sitting at the very back of the audience, but Cole had his hand raised the entire time. Finally the guy says, "Okay, little man where are you from?" Cole answers, "Texas". The guy says, "Do you wear boots?". Cole says, "No." He says, "Does your dad wear boots?" Cole says (for the whole audience to hear), "No. My dad doesn't live with us!" People start saying, "Ahh" and chuckling nervously. The guys didn't hear Cole's reply and asked a member of the audience what Cole said and when she repeats it the announcer looks uncomfortable and mumbles something and moves on. I was laughing (mostly from embarrassment) and Cole looks at me and loudly says, "What? He doesn't live with us!" More laughter surrounds us.

Ok, it's true...

I love Branson! I originally wasn't that jazzed about going. I was just happy to be going anywhere. My friend Jen W. has a young family and they love Branson, so that gave me some hope, plus they gave us some great tips on restaurants which were all fabulous. We loved it too!

Here is a quick recap of our trip, because I'm too tired to post much:

1. We stopped in Dallas before heading out of Texas at the King Tut exhibit. It was amazing to see artifacts that are 3,000+ years old.

2. On the drive up to Branson, we stopped at a Civil War battlesite in Arkansas (Pea Ridge). It was cold and rainy, but we had a great time and learned a lot.

3. Branson has a wonderful Titanic museum. My mom, Cole and I spent an evening learning even more about this ill fated ship. Cole was enthralled. The best part was that we got
boarding passes as we embarked with an actual passenger's name. At the end of the tour you got to find out the fate of your passenger. Cole was "John Jacob Astor IV", of course we already knew his fate, but he was happy when they showed him where his rooms were on the ship, etc.

4. We went to shows, almost every night. The best part is they are all family friendly. We went to an awesome magic show. Cole was actually picked out of the audience to come on stage. He was so nervous, but cute. Afterwards, we got to go backstage. It was truly a night to remember.

5. We saw several musical shows. Our favorites were Six and The Haygoods. Cole loved and by loved, I mean LOVED the Haygoods. He bought the DVD of the show and 3 CD's and had them autograph a CD cover. My little groupie! They were wonderful singers and great entertainers. The whole family had a blast.

6. Cole and I spent two days at an amusement park, too. We screamed as we rode roller coasters, dressed up for old timey photos, bought souvenirs, and shivered as we got soaked on the water rides in 55 degree weather (that kid better be glad I love him!)

7. We also played putt-putt, rode on the Duck Tours, visited a cavern, took nature walks and collected rocks, shopped and Cole made a custom remote controlled car (think Build-A-Bear for boys). We just saw and did it all!

The drive was long, but worth it. So despite my initial misgivings, we loved our trip and I would definitely go back again, plus Branson was just plain beautiful, too!

flu, flu go away!

I've never gone anywhere for Spring Break. When I was a kid, my parents always had to work. When I was a teenager, I had to work. As an adult, still had to work. Now that I have the same school schedule as Cole, I am finally off and we have a trip planned. The trip isn't as exciting as a cruise like Vetmommy has planned, but a trip none-the-less. We are going to Branson, Missouri. My parents love Branson and my friend Jen that has three young kids loves it, too. She assures me there is plenty to do and because they traveled there a lot, she has given us tons of recommendations. Cole and I are excited to be going with my parents and have a good deal planned already. In fact, we are now leaving a day early to visit the King Tut exhibit in Dallas on the way out of Texas. Only one problem...Cole has the flu!

He started with a cough last week and ran a low-grade fever all day Saturday. Saturday night his fever really spiked. He laid in bed with uncontrollable chills and a hacking cough. Sunday morning we headed to the after-hours clinic and they ran a strep and flu screen. He was positive for the flu, :-(. After a long day of a high fever and chills, he felt somewhat better today. He didn't run a fever and was just feeling run down. After dinner, his cheeks seemed rosy again and sure enough the fever was back. We'll spend another day at home and I hope he's feeling good enough to travel in a few days.

If teaching doesn't work out...there is always Vegas

I have now been subbing for two districts and work daily (thank god). I've had overwhelming good experiences and very few bad ones (last Friday). One of the great things about subbing is getting to work with a variety of grades and schools. There are some schools that are overwhelmingly friendly and just have a great atmosphere and some where you feel ignored and isolated. This is a wonderful preview for when I'm looking for a full-time position.

Now that I've have repeat classes, I've had to up my "magic" tricks. Last week, I was with a class for two days that I had taught several weeks ago. They were so excited that I was coming back. Thank god for the Internet. I googled magic tricks and came prepared to entertain. The kids were so happy.

Tomorrow, I'm back teaching Cole's class again....time to get the cards ready.

Loved

We had a good Valentine's yesterday. I made Cole heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast and he insisted on making me breakfast, too. He made me a bowl of frosted mini-wheats with a copious amount of milk. We exchanged gifts. He got me a matching earring, necklace, bracelet set...that boy sure knows how to take care of his momma. It's nice to be loved.

2 pics

New from the Star Wars Collection- A droid from the planet Jupiter.

Cole has lost his other top front tooth. I can't help but smile when I see this grin.

I have officially left my comfort zone

• I'm a creature of habit... I like the routine of things. I don't venture outside of this much.
• I am a planner... I like to know what I'm doing every day. I often have things planned well in advance.
• I don't like to talk to strangers...I've never been good at small talk. I love my friends but always feel insecure when I meet new people.

Subbing has forced me to change of these. I know it's good for me. Lucky for me, I'm not afraid of change...well maybe a little. Here is my life as a sub. Every night I wait for a call about a job. If you miss a call you lose a job, so I pretty much remain attached to my phone. I hope for a school that is close. I get endless calls from the automated system and I decline most (high school, bilingual, middle school). After 10:00pm the automated calls stop and I hop on the computer and check for updates VERY often. If I see one I want I try to select it. Often I see the message "Another user is viewing this job. Please try again later." If it is a job that I want, I try again....and again...and again. Sometimes it works and the job is mine. If I don't find a job the night before, I wake up before 5:00am to check the computer again. At 5:00 the automated calls start again. I get in the shower and get ready, still not knowing if I'm going to work. Honestly if you aren't picky you could work every day. My problem is that I want to do a good job so I won't take a job that I will just be a baby-sitter at all day or be less than effective (bilingual). If I get a job in the morning then I have to hop onto mapquest and get directions and hope that I can get Cole on the bus and still get to the school on time.

Once at the school, I have to find the admin office and get signed in. Find the classroom, hope there are sub plans (and if there are, that they are detailed), try to find at least 1 teacher to meet and clarify any questions. Meet the kids, teach whatever grade level that I am assigned to (and pray that I understand myself what I am supposed to teach), learn the classroom routines, have the kids guide me around the unfamiliar school, manage the class, manage the time through the day, learn their dismissal routines, return the class to the way I found it, and leave detailed notes of how the day went. All of this is WAY outside of my comfort zone.

I have gotten a few jobs in advance which eases the anxiety some. I taught Kindergarten at Cole's school today for the Kinder teacher he had last year. I have another few jobs lined up at his school in the coming weeks.

The only part I don't like is not knowing where I am going to be from day-to-day. I have loved most of the grades. I taught 4th grade yesterday and had a blast. I was bummed because they asked me to return the next day, but I had the Kinder job already lined up. I actually love the older grades which I used to be afraid of. I learned a simple magic card trick that I open with and promise to teach at the end of the day if they all stay on task throughout the day. It is amazing how much that motivates the older kids. I bring a few of my favorite books to read and several time-filler activities. Another bonus is that when the kids only see you for a day, you remain fresh and exciting. It's a great learning opportunity and I'm trying to value it for that. I just hope that I can value it for the remaining months of the school year and move onto something more permanent in the fall.

Ms. Mom

I have now officially been paid to teach...twice (well sort of-I don't get my first check until the end of Feb.)! Yeah for me. On Friday, I got my first call to substitute (at 4:30 am, no less). I had gotten several calls to teach from the automated system. Most were for high school, which I declined. I'm not that desperate yet. Several were for both bilingual and special ed combined. I will try one, but not both together. Yikes!

The job I took Friday morning was on the not so good part of town at a rough school. While I was waiting to sign-in that morning another sub said good luck. She said that the teacher I was working for in 5th grade was known as the "mean teacher" and therefore had some of the worse kids. Overall, the day didn't go so bad. The kids have a rough life, makes me even more thankful of my own. Mostly I was sad just thinking that most of them won't have a chance to make something of themselves. I was firm but fun and we got through all the lessons without any major behavior problems. It's funny how within the first few minutes of class, you'll have the problem kids names memorized!

Last night, Cole's teacher called me to sub for her today. Cole was thrilled! We had to talk about some guidelines of how things would be different when I was his teacher vs. his mom helping in a class. Last night my mom was telling him that he'd have to act differently and he looked at her and said, "Granny, you can't undo my mom. She's always my mom." His class is very lively and we had fun today. Inauguration was a great day to sub on because there was a lot to talk about and learn. The only downfall was that I was sick all weekend, so I was still run down today. It's hard to be sick and be in charge of 20 1st graders. Cole survived with me as his teacher, they only problem we had was his disappointment if I didn't call on him first. Otherwise, it went well. He was happy to stay and help me clean up at the end of the day and really wants me to work at his school every day. We'll see.

Tomorrow, I'm helping on the class field trip. Then I'll need to find jobs for the rest of the week. Hope there are more fun stories!

Too young for a face lift?

Cole found this Ace bandage the other day and he has had several "injuries" since. He slept with it one night on his arm, in the morning it moved to his ankle, then wrist, foot, etc. Last night I checked on him before I went to bed and I could see something sticking up on his head. I grabbed a flashlight and climbed the ladder to his bed and then nearly fell off laughing my butt off. Tonight?? His "spleen" hurt. LOL!

Other news: I went to sub orientation for the Austin school district on Monday. I should be working by Friday. I'm happy to finally start working. I'm spending this week in Cole's class which has been fun. Yeah for employment!

Winter Break

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this winter break with Cole. We had a great time. Since I have always had non-teaching jobs any time off of school for him just meant after-school care. Not this time. We kept busy every day and had a great time. We went to several movies:Marly & Me(I cried...such a sap), Bedtime Stories (I didn't cry, but as soon as the credits rolled, Cole asked if I cried), and Tale of Despereaux. I even went to the movies with my mom and saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I loved it and cried). Cole and I went ice skating, to the gym, Gatti Town, and just hung out at home. We played endless rounds of Wii until I thought my arms were going to fall off. It was a blast. I'm going to love that about teaching, the time off together!

Waiting to sub is FRUSTRATING! The districts aren't in a hurry and they were also off for winter break which meant my paperwork was sitting on someones' desk for weeks. I'm trying to be patient but the downtime is killing me...Oh that and my car. On Friday, my starter went out...lucky me!

I'm just going to keep on being persistent and hopefully will be working soon. If not, I'll going to adopt a cute dog that does tricks and take him panhandling on the streets. :-)

Hello 2009

It's officially 2009. While I've made no resolutions, I will continue to take care of myself and be open to the possibilities in my life. Cole made a few resolutions of his own:

• To flush the toilet every time
• To never peek in the girls bathroom
• To read to me every night

And my personal favorite...

• to never cut down a tree that is leaning towards the house

Happy New Year!

Merry Chrisssmasss

Cole has lost two teeth this week. One on the bottom and one of his front top teeth. This has given him the cutest lisp and grin.

It's Christmas Eve night and "Santa" has already visited. He came very early this year. Last night we went to my friends house and Cole had a blast playing with her three boys. When it was time to go they invited him to sleep over. This was his first and he did great. As an added bonus I came home and wrapped presents that evening and he stayed up late, so he was tired tonight. He was asleep by 7:30 so Santa got an early start. I can't wait for the morning.

Today Cole said that he hoped he get a package from his dad. Even thought he hasn't called since April 2007 and doesn't send anything for b-days, the last two Christmas' he has send a gift. Cole remembered this. I didn't figure he would this year, especially since it's been almost two years since we have even heard from him. Sadly, he lived up to my expectations and no package came. I hope with the excitement tomorrow, Cole will have forgotten about a gift from his dad. Sigh!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Playing Catch-up

As Vetmommy pointed out I haven't blogged much. Not working or being in school as left me little to blog about. The first week that I was done with student teaching I was mostly depressed. It turns out that I'm not someone who does well with tons of free time on my hands. I'm too used to having my days filled. I've mostly been doing tedious tasks like completing applications, paperwork, being fingerprinted, etc. to start substituting. I found myself counting down until Cole was out of school and it was time to go to the gym. Last week I was determined to get out of my funk so I started going to the gym in the mornings (even though I'd be working out in the evening too). At least then I was out of the house and ready to start my errands and feeling like I'd accomplished something.

The last few weeks have been frustrating for other reasons, too. Cole got sent to the office not once but twice. Both times for being silly in class and trying to make other kids laugh. He's been grounded and we have both been upset. One of the things I love most about him is his sense of humor and fun. I always have felt that I was too serious even as I child, so I love that Cole's isn't. However, this is getting him in trouble which means he quickly needs to learn what lines to not cross at school. Sigh....

What else has happened? I graduated on Friday. I actually walked which I wasn't originally going to do. But my friends wanted me to and my family, so I caved. Everyone kept asking me if I was excited. Not really, I'm mostly embarrassed, after all I'm 33. I graduated summa cum laude which was what I was proud of since I was juggling working full-time and being a mom. After graduation we went to lunch. I was laughing later, because my friends (even the older ones) were having parties and my plans were lunch, the gym, and nettie potting Cole's nose. The funny thing was I wouldn't have traded places for the world.

So now I just need to finish getting ready for Christmas. I hope to enjoy spending time with Cole during the winter break and then get to WORK!

Winter fun

On Saturday night we had a wonderful Christmas outing. Schlitterbahn is local water park and for the first time this year they are open during the winter evenings for some old time Christmas fun. We went ice-skating under the stars. Cole hasn't skated in several years and was so excited to skate again. He fell over and over, but was having a great time. I'm proud to say that I didn't fall. I was so glad because I ran a 5K early that morning and my knees were VERY sore. If I would have fallen, I would have probably sat on the ice until someone pushed me off. We went bobsledding, listened to carolers, watched a light show, drank hot chocolate, and were gently powdered by snow (actually tiny soap bubbles, but hey this is central Texas - got to take what you can get). It was a great way to get in the holiday spirit.

Final Day

Today was my last day of student teaching. I was so so sad to say goodbye to the kids. They gave me a great send-off. A few of the moms organized a pizza party. We had pizza and a gigantic cookie cake. I gave the kids their small gifts (erasers, pencils and bookmark with a personal note) and they were thrilled. I got a beautiful book with heartfelt notes from each kid, a picture of me and the class in a frame that all the kids signed, a handmade ornament from one boy, a bouquet of flowers from another, another bouquet from the class that included roses made from cash, and a gift card to a book store from the 3rd grade team. It was truly humbling and amazing. I was teary all day. After a swarm of hugs and a chorus of goodbyes, I left. I will miss them.

Sadly, I will not be taking over for the teacher when she goes on maternity leave. Because the information that I post here could be found while I'm job seeking, I'll share the details with you in person, if you care. I'll just say, the teachers, the parents, the kids, and myself are sad. Next week will find me doing what doesn't come naturally to me and that is being bold, assertive, and selling myself. I will have to make visits to schools, ask to speak to the principals, and try to sell myself. I can hardly wait...but momma has got to start working for pay again.

Cole's saving plan

Cole has a jar that he keeps his money in. He has around $60 in cash. The bottom of his jar was filled with change. On Saturday I let him take his change to the credit union to cash in. He was so happy on the way when he found out that he has his own account already that I started when he was born. He wanted to see his account when we got there. It was difficult to explain where his account actually was. Once we got to the credit union, I let him pour his change into the machine and watch the total rise on the screen. He had $135! We waited in line and he proudly gave his receipt to the teller to collect his money. Once home he added it to his jar.

Tonight on the way home from the gym. He said that he wanted another jar to start collecting even more money. The reason? He wants to save to adopt a baby brother or sister! Isn't he sweet? Most kids save to buy toys, Cole wants a sibling! Maybe by the time Cole' is an adult he will have enough saved to buy a 1/16 of a kid.

The latest

I haven't posted much lately and I don't even have a good excuse. So here is what is new.

ME:
I have officially lost 35 pounds (or 1 toddler). I have been eating better, but not any crazy dieting and working out. I still workout with my trainer 1 day a week, take a fitness class with him 3 days a week, and add at least 1 other day of cardio on the weekend. I'm feeling better physically and working on mentally. Tonight Cole and I signed up for a "Reindeer Run" in a few weeks, 5K for me and 1K for him.

I only have 3 more days of "total teach" left. These last few weeks have been flying by at warp speed. It has been great. I had my last formal observation by my professor and will now just be wrapping things up. I'm really looking forward to next week. One of the perks of teaching is holidays off! I no longer will have to use vacation time and barter for time off around the holidays. I have Wed-Fri off next week. I can't wait to hang out with Cole, make pies, and shop. What do I miss about BAH? I miss having people know me and care about me and sharing stories and my life with them.

I've been gathering stuff to apply to the local districts. It's a part-time job just applying, but graduation is in December and then I'm a free agent!

COLE:
Fall baseball is officially over. It's a relief, Cole didn't enjoy it too much so therefore neither did I. It's tough on your heart to watch your child struggle to do something. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he still doesn't want to play in the spring.

He wants to try basketball. Everyone says at the YMCA it is a lot of fun and being a shrimpo doesn't matter. He is signed up for winter ball that starts in January.

He is still taking Karate at the gym. It has been 1 year now and he still loves it. This past Saturday he had testing for his next belt. The test lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. I couldn't believe he could stay that focused for so long. Being quite was the worse thing for him, I think. Afterwards he talked 90 mph. He couldn't talk enough. He should get his new belt in the next few weeks.

He's also taking hip-hop classes now. Isn't that funny? He loves it. He has wanted to take them for awhile. I made him choose between this and the gymnastics class he was already in and he choose hip-hop (I was secretly relieve because being at the gymnastics gym with all the pushy, overeager moms that want to see their daughters be the next Olympians was driving me crazy).

School for Cole? Not so good. His teacher is very strict. She has even rubbed me the wrong way a few times and I am very understanding of teachers (for obvious reasons). He is learning to adjust his behavior to meet her expectations. She has a "zero tolerance" policy, so it has been a little rocky for him. He used to LOVE school, so it is sad to see him becoming frustrated so early on. He has lots of years left. He loves math and science but is struggling with reading and writing. Part of the issue with reading is that they don't get to choose what books they read for the most part, so usually he's bored to tears. As he improves though, hopefully he will get more free choice. He got a "needs improvement" on his handwriting on his report card. And while I'll admit it's not beautiful he already writes neater than three of the boys in my 3rd grade class. We are continuing to supplement at home, so hopefully things will get better for him.

So are you all caught up now?