Life according to me…

So my dear friend Danae - she made some cool friends online while trying to get pregnant at a site called fertilityfriend.com. They have a message board and people who are in the same situation - trying to conceive and then pregnant and such - get to talk to each other online and stuff while they are going through their stuff. It’s kinda neat, but has very stringent rules and eventually costs money which not all new moms can afford, so she went ahead and set up a message board of her own called Baby Chat.

This is turning out to be a GREAT place for mommies to come and discuss issues like feeding, sleeping, and various other nameless topics that go along with being a mom. I joined and put out a request to find other moms with multiples - so if you know any, or know any new moms that would like to talk to other new moms for free (the other site started charging mommies after they had their babies) then tell them about this place! We have people joining more and more everyday as the word is getting out to other ladies who were on the fertilityfriend message boards.

Again, tell all new mommies to come to babychat!!!!!!! Yay!!!

Okay, so school pictures were this week. There is this article about a school picture that appears to have been doctored. Is it? What do you think? Looks like a good photoshop job to me but why would you send those pictures to the kid’s parents? Did she not have a shirt on with that jacket?

Makes ya wonder, doesn’t it? Lucky for us Elisa wore a shirt that left no room for doctoring. It covered most everthing. Let’s see how they turn out…hope that nobody photoshopped her pics because I know the company and will KICK SOME BOOTAY!!!!

Okay, so there is this great site I found no specific text requiredhere which has really useless but COOL trivia. Some of these things could help you win if you are a trivia buff like I have tried to be. I talk a lot of trash but haven’t been able to master all of this info. But, reading this site will help! If you go there today you can read about the history of MACARONI and CHEESE! We happen to eat quite a bit of mac and cheese here at home, so I was very inerested to read about this one. Scroll down for some tidbits about milkshakes, wierd jobs and shaving. I especially appreciated reading about chicken sexers. Wouldn’t you like the job of flipping up the skirts of chickens?

I did it - I went and got me a job!

I am now a substitute teacher for Orange County Public Schools. So far I have worked with 4th grade, 2nd grade and high school. It has been an eventful 5 days and I am glad to be back to work.

At first I was very nervous because I had NO IDEA what it would be like. Let’s face it, last time I was in school substitutes were for torturing. Well, I quickly learned a few things. First of all, DONT WEAR DRESSY SHOES. It’s a long walk to the cafeteria, teacher’s lounge, recess, art and P.E. and then back to the classroom. Second, ALWAYS BE PREPARED. I have a bag of supplies I put together and I must say I have used over 70% of what I have put in the bag in just 3 days of work. I am always adding to it and I am afraid I am going to outgrow it soon! Third I would have to say is ALWAYS have a BACKUP PLAN. For every class I have been in so far, they have finished their work before the schedule said they would and I have had to give them something else to do. Lucky for me I have found some things online and in my sub handbook that have helped. I am also gathering samples from classrooms as I am in them of things the teachers leave as busy work or filler work when they complete their assignments. They haven’t tried to torture me yet as I have worked VERY HARD to be a sub they like having.

One might have said, “why would a mom of 4 want to go work with more KIDS all day?” and I found myself saying that before I started working. I took this job initially because of the flexibility. I choose what days and where I work which is ultimate for my family situation. I do have the desire to someday be a teacher when I can finish school. After experiencing the few classrooms I have experienced, I am ready to go back to school and get a degree now so I can start teaching full time once Maria is a little bit older. Not only has it been a rewarding experience to have kids listen to you and enjoy your company for a day, it’s also very cool to come home and try to apply what you did during the day at home. It helps me multitask and keep on top of things after being in the classroon all day. Also, I can’t lose my cool at a student and I shouldn’t lose my cool at my own child either, and I am trying really hard now to keep it together every single moment I am with my kids. Before I started working I was really burned out on being a full time mommy. It was hard to handle day in and day out of ‘no, get down, don’t hit, put that back, come here and change your diaper’ in addition to laundry, dishes, poop, spelling words, laundry, cooking, cleaning, vacuuming endless cheerios and laundry. I was getting rather sick and tired of the same routine and ready for a change - but I didn’t want to be away full time. This job has given me an appreciation for being home as well as bring a teacher because now I get to do both.

I got to shadow my friend Jessie yesterday and I have to say high school was a bit intimidating. With the class changing 6 times a day, you see so many more students. How am I going to learn all of their names? They are also mini-adults who would have no problem questioning me and not accepting, ‘because your teacher said to’ like the second graders would accept so easily. But, after watching Jessie in action I am ready to tackle it and will be in Science at Freedom High School on Friday. Let’s see how it goes! As an aside, and I’m not just saying it because she’s one of my best friends, but Jessie is an amazing teacher. She puts in the work: she’s getting a master’s degree, she researches, she prepares, she cares about her students, and she’s very effective in the classroom. All teachers should be that good. Also, her school is VERY into making kids read. Half of their 4th period every student in the school has to silent read for 20 minutes. The teachers all sign off on it every day. What a difference that will make in the literacy of those kids. I wish all high schools would do that.

Yesterday her 5th period kids had just taken the FCAT. They were all talking about how tiring it was, how they kept falling asleep, how there was so much reading. My heart really broke for those kids. Since the FCAT is new, the kids never got the education Florida is demanding so you can properly pass. Nowadays you’ve got to get in at Pre-K and learn ALL YOU CAN to be able to pass that stupid FCAT. The class Jessie has is a test prep class so the kids can learn to pass the FCAT. It’s not called that for PC reasons, but that is what it is. How sad. An entire year of preparing for one stupid test. They seemed so stressed out after taking what was almost a 4 hour test for some of them. Why our govt is making kids go through this is beyond me but I am more determinted to get in there and help out best I can after experiencing first hand the reaction of students who are dealing with that stupid test. Did you know if you fail the FCAT 3 times as a senior you can take the SAT and get a 410 and still graduate now? A 410 is not that hard, I’d opt for the SAT over the FCAT. I digress…

Ok, I know this post was long, but I don’t get to post each and every day so I have to put everything in best I can. Soon I will scan and post the drawings some of the kids gave me after being their sub. They made me smile. For now, it’s my day off and I’m going to go feed little Maria. Byee!