Something to Ponder

I think this is a great idea. I wonder what my "One little word" is for 2012! Maybe one of the following:

faith

appreciate

open

cherish

See the post where this concept comes from right here:
One Little Word

Bring on 2012!

A New Year is Coming !

Yes ~ I am posting a list.. It may say Christmas but it is more of my wish list. Since I am a teacher, I thought this image was just perfect for me! Plus, it is still the holiday season for a few more days!

My Wish List:

1. My own classroom. - It has been too long with this subbing business!

2. Good Health to continue in 2012

3. Another great year with the DH!

4. Good Health for family & friends.

5. Less getting stressed over things I cannot control.

6. Students who listen and respect me!

What are your 2012 wishes??

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to All

and

to All a Good Night!

I had a wonderful Christmas Weekend!

I started it with my annual visit to the local mall. I bought two last minute gifts because I could not pass up the deals! My Mom and I then sat and watched the crazy shoppers (mostly laughed at all them men going into Victoria's Secret!) We had coffee and chatted!

I had a visit with my Dad and his wife later that afternoon. We chatted for a few hours and exchanged gifts! Then DH and I headed to church for Christmas Eve Mass. They have it at 10:00 at night. I like listening to the choir every year!

Christmas morning arrived and DH and I exchanged gifts. He surprised me with a heart rate monitor for my spinning classes. I can't wait to use it! He also gave me a spa gift card, some children's books I wanted, Glee music, and some JETS socks. We relaxed all afternoon before heading to my Mom's for a yummy pasta dinner. I am STILL stuffed!

Mom gave me pjs, socks with snowmen & a Barnes and Nobles gift card. SIL gave us a gift card for Fridays.

We played a few board games before we came back home. It was a lot of fun!! I am sleepy! I am glad I have a week off from work.

Tomorrow is shopping on Boxing Day! ( I hope to buy myself a new top at a great price! ) I also will be tutoring two days this week which is exciting! The teaching/subbing break will be wonderful!

I hope Santa was good to everyone! It has been a joyous vacation & holiday !

Where does the time go?

Well, it has been awhile since I have written a post. My other blog keeps me busy, so I tend to come here just to document what I have been doing.

I am STILL on the hunt for a more perm. teaching job. The last two days I actually got to teach writing when subbing and I was in heaven. I have been tutoring once a week. I enjoy teaching one on one. I wish I had another tutoring client. I like having the freedom to teach what I want and I also like that I am helping a student improve.

The days are shorter and it is more gloomy out, but I do enjoy this time of year. Football, colorful leaves, surprise sunny days, pumpkin lattes, shopping, pumpkin pie, Black Friday, and holiday decorating are just a few of the things I love about this time of year.

So.. with all the stress, lack of sleep, and lack of work.. what am I thankful for:

1. Health
2. Husband
3. Family
4. The free time I do have to read
5. Being able to work out!
6. Having a Home to keep me warm at night
7. Friends
8. Time spent doing things I love

... So yes at times I am awake in the middle of the night... having trouble sleeping a lot... I am not working full time.. and Iam frustrated with the things in this life I cannot control..... but I am trying to see the good in life!

Goodbye Flowers

This is the last pot of flowers in my front garden from my summer season of planting. I have a Fall mum which is a lovely shade of purplish pink. I have not decided if I will plant it in a few weeks.

My gardening season is slowly coming to a close. I was outside today playing in the dirt. I pulled up some more geraniums. I replaced them with some tulip bulbs. For the past three years, I have planted tulips in the garden. I just love how the are the first signs of spring after a LONG winter! Every year, I think, well, I won't have to plant anymore blubs next year, but then I see where tulips are and I think.... "I can put some in that corner in the fall." LOL. I have put some much love and attention into this garden that I cannot imagine it ever being loved by anyone as much as it is loved by me.

This year, I also planted a new bulb. I just tried 3 in one small area. My neighbor has these beautiful purple flowers come up in the spring. I hope they grow and I hope they look nice where I planted them!

I have one more area that has some flowers still in bloom, so I will get to play in the dirt one more time!

Why I do What I do....

I was at Barnes and Nobles tonight with my Mom. We were getting ready to leave and I looked down an aisle... standing there was a former student with his Mom. I smiled at him and he walked right up to me and gave me the biggest hug!

He is a college freshman.. going to the same college I went to 20 years ago. ( LOL ) He is now taller than me, but still as clever and funny as ever! When I taught this student in 4th grade, he always made me laugh! He would read with accents, he would stand up to answer questions or read, and he would say the funniest things in class. He was an avid sports player. He especially loved hockey. He played the goalie position.

I cannot believe he is 18 and in college. He has a tattoo, pierced ears, loves horror movies, skating boarding and his psychology class. He told me a story about how he is afraid to fly. I look at his young man and I think .. He is going to rule the world!

His Mom was telling me a story and he said " Oh, Mom, you are so embarrassing!" It is so wonderful to see what a nice young man he is today. I told him that his class was my favorite.... and yes, I know teachers are not suppose to say that, but it is so true. I just loved this group of students! They were smart, funny, sweet students... they were just so good! His Mom said " You were D's favorite teacher! " He smileed. " He said "You ate lunch with us.. no other teacher ever did that!"

My Mom could not believe how this young man came right over and hugged me. She said, "You could tell.. he loved you." I told my Mom, "They were my boys... for a year.. They were my boys... always will be! It's one of the best parts of teaching"

It just made me feel good. In a time when I am back to subbing ( and hating it!!!), it really made me recall what I love about teaching and why I miss having my own classroom so much. I love teaching. I am meant to teach!

Thank you "D" for reminding why I do what I do - even if right now I am only a substitute!

Hello October !

I will be drinking more of these.... FALL HAS ARRIVED !

Pumpkin Spice Lattes ..... Here I come!

I will miss you summer !

As I helped my Mom close the pool I knew Fall was offically here. How many days until my next pool season???

Summer is not over .... YET !

A wonderful warm September day!

I went to a spinning event to raise money for the local children's hospital. It was a 90 minute spin outside the gym. It was AWESOME !

My Mom and I both managed to make it through the class only taking a few more breaks than usual.

Our reward: HOT TUB TIME!

Here's to doing something good for someone else as well as for my own health!

Hmmm.....

I told a few people that because I am going to be 40 next year, I think I am going to have a midlife crisis. A few a my friends laughed at me. My husband said he would join me and have one, too. LOL

So... last night I googled: MIDLIFE CRISIS and this is what I found:

The following is a list of symptoms that illustrate how defining a mid life crisis is truly relative to the person experiencing the changes.

1.Looking into the mirror and you no longer recognize yourself.
2.Desiring to quit a good job.
3.Unexplained bouts of depression when doing tasks that used to make you happy.
4.Changing or investigating new religions, churches or new age philosophy.
5.Change of habits. Activities which used to bring pleasure now are boring. Unable to complete or concentrate on tasks which used to be easy.
6.It feels good to get hurt.
7.Wanting to run away from everything.
8.A desire to get into physical shape.
9.Irritability or unexpected anger.
10.Change in allergies.
11.Desire for physical -Free Flowing- movement (Running, Biking, Dance, Fast red sports cars, Sky diving, etc).
12.Exploring new musical tastes.
13.Sudden desire to learn how to play an instrument.
14.Sudden interest in drawing, painting, writing books or poetry.
15.Shifting sleep patterns (Typically to less).
16.Thinking about death, wondering about the nature of death.
17.Changes to the balance of vitamins you take. Or taking dietary supplements for the purposes of extending life.
18.Extreme changes to what you eat.
19.Excessively buying new clothes and taking more time to look good.
20.Hair changes. (Natural changes in thickness, luster, color or Assisted changes in dying hair suddenly or shaving your head bald)
21.A desire to surround yourself with different settings.
22.Hanging out with a different generation as their energy and ideas stimulate you.
23.Restarting things, which you dropped 20 years earlier.
24.Upset at where society is going. Experience a desire to change the world for the better.
25.Feeling trapped or tied down by fiscal responsibilities.
26.Leaving (Mentally or Physically) family or feeling trapped in current family relationships.
27.A desire to teach others or become a healer.
28.Desiring a simple life.
29.Excessively looking back to one’s childhood.
30.Playing again just to play!
31.Keep re-asking yourself: “Where am I going with my life?”
32.Getting fixated on new “wonder” solutions to problems.
33.Recently experiencing something extremely stressful. Stress can trigger a Midlife transformation. Some examples include: Changing Jobs, Divorce, Death of someone close, Chemical/Toxic exposure upon the body or experiencing a major illness.
34.Doing things that get you into trouble & it surprises everyone as being out of character.
35.Someone unexpectedly exclaims: “You are going through a midlife crisis!”

I took this list from this webpage: http://personaltao.com/taoism-library/midlife-crisis/signs-of-a-midlife-transformation/

Well, I must say I have felt some of the things listed above at 20, 25, 20, 35, and even yesterday. Does this mean I have already been through SEVERAL midlife crisises??

I wonder...............

What happened to July?

I was enjoying myself so much during the past month, that it slipped away from me! I cannot believe it is already August 7th. In one month all my teacher friends will be back at work and I have NO IDEA where I will be which is frustrating. Last year at this time, I thought all was good in my career. I should know better than to feel secure !

There were layoffs, my position was cut and my possibility of working for a reading teacher on maternity leave was also eliminated because 3 reading teachers were eliminated! I have been looking for jobs since I knew I would be jobless, but nothing has happened!

I am praying for a miracle!

On another note, I have been enjoying the pool, going to 1.00 movies once a week, enjoying a free concert every Wed. night, reading for pleasure, and seeing friends. It has been wonderful. I have some chores, I have been putting off... LOL. There is always chores, though... and summer is my vacation time, so I find it hard to look at my chore list. That is what rainy days are for - lucky for me July was VERY DRY! LOL

OK - August is here.. and I have more vacation time to relax!

Until next time!

Five Things

I have not done this post in a LONG time....

Five things I am Happy about right now:

1. Summer Break means a lot of fun, stress free days!


2. Summer Festivals


3. My Mom's Pool


4. 1.00 Movies during the summer at my local theater!


5. Longer days so the DH and I can walk in the evening!

Hello July !

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful:

I have been enjoying my sunny days of freedom! I miss some parts of my job - the students! LOL !! I do enjoy this time off to read, relax, swim, go to daytime spinning classes. The best thing about break is having that feeling of not having to rush, rush, rush!

Happy July !

Thank you!

Here's to all the Dad's who work hard, live well, and take care of their families!

It has been awhile since I have blogged on my personal blog. I have another blog and I have been posting over there!

I have been working since February and once again when the end of June arrives I have no idea where the wind will take me next! Today I drove past the college I attended. It made me think how 20 years ago I was 19 and had just finished my sophomore year. I was so excited about know that I had found coursework I loved. I was in the thick of my teaching coursework. I was so excited for my future as a teacher!

Who would think that 20 years later my career would still feel uncertain. I have taught in several settings. I was a teacher in another state. I was teaching in a school I loved. I took a chance and started to work as a substitute teacher... thinking I was progressing myself professionally on several levels.

Today... I am no closer to feeling secure in a teaching position. I pray a lot about why it is taking so long. I know in my heart teaching is what I want to do... but for some reason... the position I want seems farther away than ever....

I never would have thought it would be this way 20 years ago.... I am waiting to be some school's " flavor of the day" so I can do what I have wanted to do for so long............. TEACH !

My Month

April has come and will be gone tonight. Here is a summary of the month:

* COLD & RAINY weather
* A week of spring break
* COLD & RAINY weather
* Too many meetings at work
* Meeting a new friend for coffee
* COLD & RAINY

Do you see a pattern here?

It has been a cold month. Everyone I know is sick of the weather. We are boycotting at work and all wearing open toed shoes or sandals - even though our building is FREEZING!

I am hoping May is filled with sunshine and warmer temps. I am looking forward to celebrating my 7 year wedding anniversary. We will be taking a vacation and I can't wait!

Goodbye March..... Hello April !

I have been trying to maintain two blogs at the same time. Sometimes I do it well, other times I do not!

I use this blog as a diary. I go back and read my thoughts from the time. I do not usually feel bad if I miss days or even weeks in this blog. It usually means that things are going as planned and I am very busy with work and life! I have been busy working this past month. I have been enjoying it, but things are uncertain for me for next year. The district is losing state money. There are several districts that will have layoffs. This makes me sad, I have been trying for 5 years to get a position that is permanent.... this will make things even harder for me.

I pray there is a job angel out there and I will have a job next year - somewhere in the place I currently love!

Happy B-day !

I am another year older.

I had a great B-day weekend!


Tonight I will go to a hockey game to enjoy myself.


I have learned a lot during the past year!


Here's to another year old... and another year wiser!

Happy Birthday to me!!

Hello March !

Only 21 more days until SPRING!!!

I am ready to say GOOD BYE to this:

... and HELLO to this:

Are you ready for warmer weather?

I love sports!

Football ended last week. It was a sad day for me. I am a HUGE football fan! The DH knows not to bother me on Sundays during football season. In my relationship with the DH..... he is the football widow.

I also love hockey. We are lucky enough to go to a few games. We also watch hockey on t.v. This is another sport I never get sick of watching!

Tonight I am watching the other sport I follow: NASCAR. WOO HOO !

I love sports. Thankfully the DH lets me enjoy my sports addictions!

Go Jeff Gordon!!!

HAPPINESS....

.... is seeing the Steelers Lose !

YAY GREENBAY!!

How may days until next season ??

I DO NOT LIKE the Steelers!

I am watching the superbowl, but I am NOT happy about it! I love football, but I am NOT enjoying this game!

I am a JETS fan, so I am here for the commerials. I have not been too impressed with them.... so now I have to suffer as the Steelers get closer and closer to having an edge over Green Bay.

BOO !

I'm a GLEEK !!!!!!!!!!

Only One More Day until GLEE returns to Fox!

I can't wait !!

Happiness

I was out last night with a friend having coffee. We were chatting with another person we know who goes to the same place we do for coffee. We were chatting about life in general. He said something that struck me:

" I have it pretty good considering how my life could be"

I thought to myself: WOW ! What a perspective! Is happiness that easy? Just having that state of mind.... that perspective.

I have been thinking about it off and on all day. I met some friends for lunch. Before lunch, I was pretty annoyed about something.. which later turned out to be nothing. When I came home I said to my husband, "I got upset over nothing. Must be my Italian temper." He cracked up.

So my quick temper got the best of me. Was it worth it? No! Did it matter? No. SO maybe I need to be more like my friend at Barnes......

Because in the big picture... Life is pretty good today!

Ahhh... Teachers

I was reading the Yahoo News and saw this scroll across my screen. Enjoy!

For all those teachers out there:

Things you child's teacher wont tell you:
1. The truth is simple: Your kid will lie to get out of trouble.

2. We’re sick of standardized testing and having to “teach to the test.”

3. Encourage your child to keep reading. That’s key to success in the classroom at any age.

4. Your child may be the center of your universe, but I have to share mine with 25 others.

5. Please stop doing everything for your child and allow them to make mistakes. How else will they learn?

6. Guys who dribble a ball for a couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year.

7. We take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we’re watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying.

8. Supportive, involved parents are crucial. But some are “helicopter parents”—they hover too much.

9. Kids dish on your secrets all the time—money, religion, politics, even Dad’s vasectomy.

10.Please, no more mugs, frames, or stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note: even better.

** Special thanks to American Federation of Teachers who interviewed teachers for these!

BOO HOO...

I still LOVE my JETS!!

BOO HOO !

It is almost the half....

My JETS and down 24 to 0.

I think I may cry!

The Countdown Begins !

I am waiting for Sunday evening!

The Jets will try to make it to the Superbowl on Sunday!

It is going to be exciting.

I am hoping this whole season.. will be a dream.

GO J E T S !!

WOO HOO !!!

J E T S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe it !!

FABULOUS GAME !

I YELLED !

I Screamed !!

.... On to Pittsburgh!

At the Edge of My Seat !!

Will I be crying or cheering in a few hours????

Only time will tell!

GO JETS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Five Things

The magazine Real Simple this month talked about what makes a person happy. My DH read something to me yesterday off the internet. I guess there was a recent survey somewhere that said if your household makes over 80,000, you are more happy than if you make less than that.

I do not know what to think about the above ideas, but I do know that as people age they seem to be less happy. Is that because after a certain age, people tend to not like change and therefore after awhile of doing the same thing, get complacent, and therefore unhappy?

Well, I do not know the answer to that either, but I do know that I try to think about the things that made me happy during the week.

Maybe more people need to do that.. reflect on what was great during the previous week. What made you smile, laugh, feel bliss ??

Five Things I am Happy About Right Now:

1. I substitute taught everyday last week. ( This is rare the first week after break!)

2. I spent the morning in my basement decluttering. I love a good organzing session when I end up with a bag of trash!

3. I did not have to cook the last three nights!

4. Some free time to read for the pure enjoyment of it!

5. The JETS won yesterday!

What are you happy about right now?

WOO HOO !!

I love when the underdogs win!

WOO HOO !

Hmmm

Usually, I like Sundays. I get to relax, watch football, surf the Internet, take an afternoon nap.

Today, however, I DO NOT like Sunday! It is the last day of my vacation. This would not be a bad thing, but tomorrow I go back to working as a substitute teacher. This is NOT something I look forward to after spending six months as a reading teacher. I have had a wonderful six months. I kept deluding myself into thinking it would last longer.

I can only hope that some other position will pop up in the in the next few weeks and I can go back to loving life again! I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Until then... I go back to uncertainty.... I hate that!