Thoughtful Tuesday

I love to read! I love chick lit, realistic fiction, young adult books & memoirs. I have been reading a book that really has me thinking a lot about my profession because I work with children on a daily basis.

Today I finished reading Nineteen Minutes. It is the story of a school shooting. The author gives the reader insight into the lives affected by the shooting. The reader learns about the families through flashbacks as well at the time period leading up to the trial! There is a twist in the story as the climax is reached and the story really makes one think!

After I finished the book, I went back to read some of the quotes that were written in between the story. I began to ponder what makes a person bully or become a bully for that matter! Is a person born with the predisposition to bully, to be popular, to be unpopular, or to be a nerd? Does environment foster a child into becoming a bully or becoming popular? I often wonder if kids who became school shooters were predisposed to it or are they victims of their surroundings.

This book raises a lot of what if questions. It makes one think about being a parent, a teen, a friend, a lover. It makes one ask: What would I do? Would I be brave enough to stand up to a bully? Would I be weak and sit back and say nothing?

All I know is that as a teacher (even being a substitute) I watch kids interact. I would hope, I would be strong enough, aware enough to be there for the students who needs that extra attention, hope, and understand!

It's Sunday Night...

Five Things to be Happy About Right Now:

1. Relaxing on the couch after a busy work week!

2. Finishing my chores early enough to curl up with a good book!

3. Having a former student's Mom tell me I look great today! Thank you spinning! This is especially sweet since I have always thought this Mom is stunning!

4. Eating my homemade brownies with vanilla ice cream and knowing it only cost about 50 cents!

5. Window Shopping Online ... I save gas & get into the spring groove!

Finally Friday !

WHEW! It has been a week!

I cannot wait until it is 10:00 tonight. My work week will be over & I can relax for two days. My boss at my part time job was kind enough to give me both Sat. & Sun. off this weekend. I did not even have to request it off! I can have a nice enjoyable weekend, do whatever I want, and not have to worry about work until maybe Monday. I say "maybe" because as of right now I am not subbing anywhere. Of course, that could change by Monday!

I was very busy this week. It seemed like if I was not teaching, I was at a spinning class, or an event I needed to go to, or running errands. I feel like I have not had a moment to myself (except for my GREY's time). Not only was I on the go, but it seems like it was one news bulletin after another. Some not so good either!

People often say, "What does not kill us, makes us stronger!" I sure hope I have gained some inner strength this week!

TGIF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thoughtful Tuesday

I have had a few days where my thoughts have been on overdrive.

I am a person who is a thinker. I over-analyze. I obsess. I rehash what I could have said to someone for hours ( sometimes days ) afterwards. I sometimes think about past decisions. Yes, these are wasted energy!

On the other hand I tell myself often, "Everything happens for a reason." I believe that I make choices that are right for me at the time I make them. I trust that my life path is going in the the way it is suppose to be going. Sometimes those choices are difficult, but I learn from everything I do in life.

A few days days ago I learned some shocking news that gave my psyche a step back. It caused me to loose some sleep that night and really think about the"what ifs" in life and my belief that "everything does happen for a reason." I wasn't sure why the news bothered me at first until I realized it was because I am a wife. When a person becomes a wife life is very different, worries are different, the world is different. An empathy for other wives grows the longer I become married.

So today, I hug my husband a little bit tighter and I thank God for the good man he is and that he is all mine!

It's Sunday Night......

Happy Sunday! Time for my weekly installment:

Five Things To Be Happy About Right Now:

1. Dinner Out tonight = NO Cooking for me!

2. Seeing my flowers starting to grow.

3. Sunshine warming my skin after a much too ling cold winter.

4. Knowing where I will be working all week.

5, Registering for a summer class. I just love going to school. Yes, I am a nerd and PROUD of it!

Happy Spring !

YAY! It is the first day of a new season!

I cannot wait to see my blooming tulips!

May the luck of the Irish be with ya today!

Weekly Sunday Installment

Five Things to be Happy About Right Now:

1. My New B-day Sweater!

2. DH cooking me lunch!

3. Warm Sunshine on my face as I ride to Target!

4. Relaxation Time at Barnes and Nobles while drinking a yummy coffee and reading a fashion magazine!

5. Only 5 more days until the first day of Spring. WOOHOO!

Until Next Week.......

Happy Birthday To Me

It is Friday the 13th!!! It is my birthday! YAY! It has been a very nice day! It is hard to believe that I am closer to 40 than 30! Where does time go?


My Mom and I started the day at the spa. This was a gift from my wonderful husband! He is a keeper! I had a facial! It was so relaxing. I wish I could do more of these! Then we headed to Kohl's. I was looking for a bathing suit ( no luck ). I was looking for a new cute spring top ( no luck )! I was looking for brown capris ( no luck )! I did find a nice new cream top ON SALE and also bought two new kitchen towels ON SALE!


Next, we headed to Fridays for lunch with a gift card - also thanks to the wonderful husband! That was yummy. I then bought a nice pair a demin capris with a gift card I had been saving from Ann Taylor Loft. We then went to JCPenney's where I looked at more bathing suits. Nothing there either!


Why is it that when a gal has some birthday money to spend it sits in her purse?


The DH came home to take me for yummy manicotti dinner. It was so delicious. He also gave me a black pair of skimmer pants ( which I tried on and picked out last weekend - LOL ) Then we had some cookie caked for dinner at home.


I had a wonderful day. I have B-day cards on the t.v. stand and some nice new gifts. I am looking forward to using the new food shredder/grinder from cruisnart that my mom gave me! WOO HOO!

Things That Irritate Me !

I was talking to my boss at work last night. We were talking about random things, which brought about a conversation of something that really irritates us.


This flowed over into the afternoon I had while working today and so I feel the need to vent about the what irritates me!

1. Parents who are abusive to their child! Do you really need to scream and smack a three year old? If you do that to your own child, what else are you capable of in life?

2. People talking at a spinning class! WHY ARE YOU HERE? Go to a cafe and shoot the sh*t! I am trying to work out. I can barely breath, let alone talk and do I really need to know how awful life is treating you?

3. Terrible Teachers! Look, I know you have a job because your daddy was principal in the district, but does that really give you the right to treat the substitute like a second class citizen? If it was not for the substitutes in the world, you would be screwed!

4. The "I deserve this now!" attitude from a person who has no concept of hard work!

5. People who do not understand the rules of making a left hand turn while the driver across from you is turning right into the right hand lane. Why is everyone in a rush when driving?


AHHH! That felt just as good as blowing of my daily stress during a spin class!

Sunday = My Five Things

It's that time again! Five Things I am Happy About Right Now:

1. Daylight Savings Time

2. Warmer Weather

3. Spring Rain - It cleans the salt of the car & makes everything else look clean!

4. I am scheduled to substitute teach M - Thurs.

5. Friday is my Birthday which means: Spa, Shopping, Friday's for lunch, and DH is taking me out too!


I encourage all you blog readers to come up with your own list! I also want to thank Redbook. They do this in the magazine and I just love reading it!

Satisfying Saturday !

After a low key week of not subbing (Thanks a lot State Testing!GRRR) and no work at my part time job, I had quite the busy and satisfying Saturday!

The DH and I woke up early to run errands and head to the local Home Show. I saw my dream kitchen there and wished for that full time teaching job, so I can start saving for it! Afterwards, we headed for a yummy lunch!

After some online web surfing and local news reading, DH and I headed out again to Barnes and Nobles. I had a coffee and read some cooking magazines. Then it was off to grocery shop (oh the excitement). Can I just ask: Is there a full moon out? There were some unruly kids and REALLY obnoxious adults! I often wonder whatever happened to manners and well behaved children?

We came home and I baked some homemade low fat banana muffins. The DH said my muffins are awesome. I always say if I did not want to teach full time so badly, I would be a pasty chef... LOL

As far as Saturdays go... Mine was quite satisfying!

I Love the $1.00 Store !!

I have always been a gal who shops sales and uses coupons. I love a good deal! This is why I love to wander the aisles of the $1.00 Store!

I had another day of not subbing, so I went to run errands. I decided to stop at the $1.00 Store on my way home. I love this place. You can find so much for so little. I am not talking useless junk either. Here are my new treasures:

1. Two pack of plastic gloves. ( They are about 3.00 in the grocery store!)

2. Six white hangers (I know they are more expensive at Target!)

3. A pad for my weekly grocery list. ( I just used the last one a week ago)

4. Door Stoppers (Now that my rug has been removed out door won't close!) We need a new handle - but for now the door stopper works great!

5. Some cards and they were 2 for $1.00!! Last month I picked up birthday cards! This time I found a cute St. Patrick's Day Card and an Easter Card. Too Bad Hallmark doesn't have these deals!!!

6. Chip Bag Clips! It seems we broke ours in the past two months. I scored a three pack!

In these economic times, I highly recommend trying to find those household items you may need at your local $1.00 Store!!

My Five Things

It is Sunday. You know what that means !

Five Things I am Happy about RIGHT NOW:

1. I LOVED the movie Slumdog Millionarie. It was so wonderful in so many ways!

2. Spring is less than 20 days away!

3. It was a nice sunny day! Riding in the car for errands was much nicer with the sunshine keeping me warm!

4. I picked out a pair of black"skimmers" (shorter than capris and longer than shorts) for my B-day and DH bought them for me. I get to open them in two weeks. LOL

5. My house smells like brownies right now! YUMMY!

HAPPY MARCH !!!!!!!!!!!!