1) I really need to do something about leveling out my wants & my "able-to-gets". I want a gajillion and a half things, but I live on a limited income. I need to get used to what is in my reach until I can make my arms longer, so to speak.
2) Why do stupid people procreate? Seriously, shouldn't we try to get that out of the gene pool? Oh yeah- they usually don't believe themselves to be stupid. I just get really annoyed when I see people smoking next to their children (or smoking in general) and/or not paying attention to their kids at the pool. Ugh!
3) Not that I am trying to rationalize a children's show, but why do all the characters on Curious George have real names EXCEPT the man in the yellow hat? And why does the weird country boy, Bill, think George is a kid?
More to come at a later time.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Summer Fun has begun
Week one of summer has come and gone. I love being at home with Charlie, but I love even more that I know I don't have to be permanently at home. I have a signed contract guaranteeing employment in the fall- WOOHOO! This is good, but has a few annoyances attached: 1) I will be teaching only French 1 again- I really dislike teaching the same exact class all day & 2) it appears the hours are not changing next year, so it means less Charlie time :-(
So far this summer, Charlie and I have done a few fun things. By far, our best investment was the season pass to the Aquatic Center. Since openning day, (Friday before Memorial Day) we have gone 8+ times. Charlie is a fish just like Mommy. We also got season passes to The Henry Ford and the Detroit Zoo, which will be used frequently as well.
Charlie got his first taste of Greenfield Village on Father's Day, but we went back the day after school got out. He is so amazed by the train! He just chants "Choo! Choo!" everytime he sees it. We ate lunch and had a gutsy squirrel and chipmunk trying to eat our food. It was a good day. We went to the zoo on Tuesday but didn't get to stay long because the lines were ridiculous to get our membership renewed and get in the zoo. Once we got through the entrance, we only had enough time to see three things, eat lunch, and head home. I will plan accordingly in the future.
Now I need to start thinking of other things Charlie and I can do for free or low-cost. I still have 7 weeks left, and I don't know how often we can cycle through the same activities. Regardless, I am really looking forward to watching my little Bug grow and learn.
More to come later.
So far this summer, Charlie and I have done a few fun things. By far, our best investment was the season pass to the Aquatic Center. Since openning day, (Friday before Memorial Day) we have gone 8+ times. Charlie is a fish just like Mommy. We also got season passes to The Henry Ford and the Detroit Zoo, which will be used frequently as well.
Charlie got his first taste of Greenfield Village on Father's Day, but we went back the day after school got out. He is so amazed by the train! He just chants "Choo! Choo!" everytime he sees it. We ate lunch and had a gutsy squirrel and chipmunk trying to eat our food. It was a good day. We went to the zoo on Tuesday but didn't get to stay long because the lines were ridiculous to get our membership renewed and get in the zoo. Once we got through the entrance, we only had enough time to see three things, eat lunch, and head home. I will plan accordingly in the future.
Now I need to start thinking of other things Charlie and I can do for free or low-cost. I still have 7 weeks left, and I don't know how often we can cycle through the same activities. Regardless, I am really looking forward to watching my little Bug grow and learn.
More to come later.
Friday, June 15, 2012
So it's been a while
I think all my teacher friends have started updating their blogs today. The blessing and curse of teaching is an excess of free time for the months of July and August. I will be taking advantage of this as well.
When we last left off, I was having a grand ole pity party for myself about how much I didn't want to be an unemployed, stay-at-home mom. I am not going to recant that statement; I hate unemployment, and I have no desire to be a SAHM. I'm just saying I should have sucked it up and made something of it, rather than crying over what was done. Fortunately, second semester brought a slew of French jobs, and I actually landed a position teaching French and History at a decent school for a LOT of money.
The school, as with all charters, has its pros and cons. Pros: really small classes, really great technology available for teachers (unless you count the archaic internet connection), and, unlike my previous school, they stick with their policies for at least the whole school year, not changing them every 10 seconds. Cons: shit hours- 7:30-4:15, and they will require you to stay for NO FUCKING REASON (for instance, despite kids being finished with finals at 10:10, and my grades being completed, classroom cleaned, checklist complete, I had to sit in my room, bored as all hell, until 4), an expectation to put your life on hold for the school- requiring teachers to stay for hours after school (sorry, I have a child that I like to see. If we got out at 2, this would not be an issue for me, but when I leave at 4:15 and head home in the heat of rush hour traffic, only to get my child at 5, no thanks), and really cliquey teachers. The last thing I think is really only a problem because I started mid-year and was working with people that have known each other for more than 2 years. I think that if I am there next year, starting off with them, it will be easier to get into the cliques myself. It is just more annoying for me now because I have to sit around in my classroom alone, while everyone else is hanging out together. I have tried infiltrating the groups, but it was obvious I was an unwelcome addition which is why I just stopped trying.
So, while I technically have two more days of sitting in my room watching watching movies, I will be planning all the fun stuff I can do with Charlie! So much has changed since last summer, and this will most likely be our last summer as just the two of us (as we are hoping to add a little brother or sister to the mix), so I want to make it jam packed of Mommy-Baby fun. We need to re-up our zoo membership next month, and, thanks to Grandma & Grandpa, we also are getting a Henry Ford membership. I am really excited to take Charlie to see the cars and the horses, and, let's face it, I'm a NUT for historic architecture. We also got a season pass to the local Aquatic Center, and it's already paid for itself because we've gone about 5 times! Charlie LOVES playing in water. He is all smiles, giggles, and laughs the whole time we are there, and it is harder to get him to leave each time we go. I think it will be nicer when we can go in the mornings and stay a bit longer and maybe even ride bikes there.
I am really looking forward to seeing my little guy grow and learn, and we even might try a little potty training. He has a few Montessori camps in August to get him prepped for the start of SCHOOL(!) in September. I think being at home in the summer is all I need- it is more precious when I have a limited amount of time.
I'm also excited for my summer jobs- I haven't coached since January, so I'm stoked to get back into the gym, even if is only once a week. I also will be tutoring a student from my former high school, so that's an extra few bucks in our pocket to go towards a babysitter for Dave's b-day.
So here's to hoping I'll actually get back to updating.
When we last left off, I was having a grand ole pity party for myself about how much I didn't want to be an unemployed, stay-at-home mom. I am not going to recant that statement; I hate unemployment, and I have no desire to be a SAHM. I'm just saying I should have sucked it up and made something of it, rather than crying over what was done. Fortunately, second semester brought a slew of French jobs, and I actually landed a position teaching French and History at a decent school for a LOT of money.
The school, as with all charters, has its pros and cons. Pros: really small classes, really great technology available for teachers (unless you count the archaic internet connection), and, unlike my previous school, they stick with their policies for at least the whole school year, not changing them every 10 seconds. Cons: shit hours- 7:30-4:15, and they will require you to stay for NO FUCKING REASON (for instance, despite kids being finished with finals at 10:10, and my grades being completed, classroom cleaned, checklist complete, I had to sit in my room, bored as all hell, until 4), an expectation to put your life on hold for the school- requiring teachers to stay for hours after school (sorry, I have a child that I like to see. If we got out at 2, this would not be an issue for me, but when I leave at 4:15 and head home in the heat of rush hour traffic, only to get my child at 5, no thanks), and really cliquey teachers. The last thing I think is really only a problem because I started mid-year and was working with people that have known each other for more than 2 years. I think that if I am there next year, starting off with them, it will be easier to get into the cliques myself. It is just more annoying for me now because I have to sit around in my classroom alone, while everyone else is hanging out together. I have tried infiltrating the groups, but it was obvious I was an unwelcome addition which is why I just stopped trying.
So, while I technically have two more days of sitting in my room watching watching movies, I will be planning all the fun stuff I can do with Charlie! So much has changed since last summer, and this will most likely be our last summer as just the two of us (as we are hoping to add a little brother or sister to the mix), so I want to make it jam packed of Mommy-Baby fun. We need to re-up our zoo membership next month, and, thanks to Grandma & Grandpa, we also are getting a Henry Ford membership. I am really excited to take Charlie to see the cars and the horses, and, let's face it, I'm a NUT for historic architecture. We also got a season pass to the local Aquatic Center, and it's already paid for itself because we've gone about 5 times! Charlie LOVES playing in water. He is all smiles, giggles, and laughs the whole time we are there, and it is harder to get him to leave each time we go. I think it will be nicer when we can go in the mornings and stay a bit longer and maybe even ride bikes there.
I am really looking forward to seeing my little guy grow and learn, and we even might try a little potty training. He has a few Montessori camps in August to get him prepped for the start of SCHOOL(!) in September. I think being at home in the summer is all I need- it is more precious when I have a limited amount of time.
I'm also excited for my summer jobs- I haven't coached since January, so I'm stoked to get back into the gym, even if is only once a week. I also will be tutoring a student from my former high school, so that's an extra few bucks in our pocket to go towards a babysitter for Dave's b-day.
So here's to hoping I'll actually get back to updating.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
My Baby's One!
I can't even believe how much has changed in the last year! You hear your whole life that "kids grow up so fast," but you can't really wrap your head around it until you have your own. It seems like just yesterday I held that little guy in my hands for the first time, and now he's walking around the house! I also have come to accept that being a stay-at-home mom isn't the worst thing in the world. I still want a job, but I do love my snuggle time with Charlie. I find myself making excuses on Thursdays to keep from subbing, and on Tuesdays, I rush to pick him up from daycare.
We've had a busy week this week with Charlie's birthday and my school classes starting. I have two classes this semester; one will suck ferociously and the other will be beneficial. I'm more or less annoyed with the amount of work this school requires. If I were a traditional student, like back in my Western days, I wouldn't bat an eye. But this school knows that it is for non-traditional students with jobs and lives. I know I don't currently have a job, but I do have a child and a home and other things to take care of. I don't have time to read a dry history book once a week. I usually blow off the reading, but for one class, I need to take a quiz based on the reading weekly, and there is a 10 minute time limit on the quiz. I wish the school would just accept that it isn't a real university and stop trying to raise its expectations.
We've had a busy week this week with Charlie's birthday and my school classes starting. I have two classes this semester; one will suck ferociously and the other will be beneficial. I'm more or less annoyed with the amount of work this school requires. If I were a traditional student, like back in my Western days, I wouldn't bat an eye. But this school knows that it is for non-traditional students with jobs and lives. I know I don't currently have a job, but I do have a child and a home and other things to take care of. I don't have time to read a dry history book once a week. I usually blow off the reading, but for one class, I need to take a quiz based on the reading weekly, and there is a 10 minute time limit on the quiz. I wish the school would just accept that it isn't a real university and stop trying to raise its expectations.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Adventures in floor beds
So tonight we are embarking on a frightening journey- removing the crib and putting the mattress on the floor. Charlie is pretty much walking and on the go, and as laid back of a momma as I try to be, it is hard for me to not worry about the eventual climbing out of the crib. I hear the tales of parents finding their kids on the floor of their room and how it's hilarious and all, but yeah, I see the sharp corners of his bookcase and the step stool to stand on to put him in the crib in the first place. And if I learned anything from Camp Kern in 6th grade its "Corners = pain." So the debate was on for what to do next. After much debating we decided that we will move the crib to the guest room tonight and put his mattress on the floor.
When Dave came home tonight, we moved the mattress to the floor and disassembled the crib. Charlie immediately began crawling up and down on it, which was a good sign. When bedtime rolled around, we realized a flaw in our plan: no place for the night time nursing- the side-lie nursing never worked for us. I ended up nursing him next to his bed while sitting on a floor, but he was too interested in the new surroundings and was finished in 5 minutes. I put him down, covered him with his blanket, and left the room. He was at the gate in a few minutes. We let him cry for a minute or two, then Dave went to move him back to the bed. He stayed for a few minutes, but we heard him at the gate again. I gave him a minute and went back, but I was surprised to discover he was already back on his bed! He crawled over himself, but was on top of his blanket and still crying. I moved him to his back, swapped his snotty paci with a fresh one, and covered him up. He was out like a light!
So far it seems as though this will work out. Only time will tell, and Wednesday will be our first shot at naptime at home, since he goes to daycare on Tuesdays. I hope the rest of the week goes as smoothly!
When Dave came home tonight, we moved the mattress to the floor and disassembled the crib. Charlie immediately began crawling up and down on it, which was a good sign. When bedtime rolled around, we realized a flaw in our plan: no place for the night time nursing- the side-lie nursing never worked for us. I ended up nursing him next to his bed while sitting on a floor, but he was too interested in the new surroundings and was finished in 5 minutes. I put him down, covered him with his blanket, and left the room. He was at the gate in a few minutes. We let him cry for a minute or two, then Dave went to move him back to the bed. He stayed for a few minutes, but we heard him at the gate again. I gave him a minute and went back, but I was surprised to discover he was already back on his bed! He crawled over himself, but was on top of his blanket and still crying. I moved him to his back, swapped his snotty paci with a fresh one, and covered him up. He was out like a light!
So far it seems as though this will work out. Only time will tell, and Wednesday will be our first shot at naptime at home, since he goes to daycare on Tuesdays. I hope the rest of the week goes as smoothly!
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Beginning
Well, let's see if I can pull this off. I have tried starting 1000 blogs (well, maybe closer to 4), but I have never been as consistent with one since livejournal, freshman year of college. That I think is more credited to the rite of passage though- it seems everyone has a livejournal account their freshman year of college.
I tend to find myself thinking really random things, and wanting to write them down. I've fleshed out full essays, but I never get them typed in and then the moment is lost.
So here goes nothing. A blog dedicated to useless musings and random thoughts.
I tend to find myself thinking really random things, and wanting to write them down. I've fleshed out full essays, but I never get them typed in and then the moment is lost.
So here goes nothing. A blog dedicated to useless musings and random thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)