This and That

I love this girl.

5 minutes earlier, she was in tears.  However, if you pull out a camera, this sweet face appears instantaneously.  She is well-trained. :)

It's been a good week. This is what a great day at school looks like:

That's my to-do list for the day.  With Everything. Crossed. Off. (Well, almost.) VICTORY!  This doesn't happen often people.  It has been a productive week, and I am thankful for that.

I ventured to Home Goods tonight, determined to find bedding for the guest room.  You see, we can't pick paint until we have bedding.  And we can't paint the baby's room until we paint the guest room.  And I dont' want to order the crib until the room is painted.  So, bedding was the first step.  I've been looking around online and in stores, and just haven't found what I was looking for.  Mind you, I didn't know what I was looking for.  I told Mark that I would "know it when I saw it".  This was met with the usual confused head shake....

Tonight, I found IT.  It was only $35!  Woohoo!

Isn't it pretty?  I knew I wanted a quilt...I had some cream-colored quilted pillow shams already that will go with this.  So, I just need to find some decorative pillows and maybe a couple of lamps.  We aren't going to do a ton with the room, but I do want it to look semi-put-together.

Then it was off to Home Depot.  I don't know why we continue to shop there....it is bad experience after bad experience.  I wanted to get some paint samples mixed up.  I am notorious for getting paint on the wall and then deciding I don't like it, so now I am only allowed to approve paint once a sample has been applied to the wall. 

Of course there is one person working in the paint department, and he is in an aisle helping a man who doesn't speak English.  There are 5 other people waiting at the paint counter to be helped.  Now, I don't mind waiting....when there are lots of people all at once, I understand you can only help one at a time.  Here's what really got me -- 5 Home Depot employees schlepped by, glanced at the growing line of customers, and continued on their merry ways!  RUDE!  Even if you don't work in that department, could you not say "Thanks for your patience, I'll see if I can get someone else into this department to help."  Or, perhaps they could come and help themselves!?  Nope, they just crawl by and don't say a word.

Well, perhaps pregnancy makes you crazy -- I set out to find a manager.  Not to complain, but to give some feedback about the employees in the store.  HELLLOOOOO -- courtesy goes a long way when you have to wait for something.  Duh, people!  I thought this was common knowledge!

Lesson learned -- we'll be going to Sherwin Williams to purchase the paint for the guest room and nursery.

And....only 4 1/2 days until SONOGRAM day!  But who's counting...



19 Weeks

Another week has flown by already!  We are almost halfway there...

How far along:  19 weeks

Baby is the size of a: slice of watermelon??  That's what the book says!  About 6 inches long.

Sleep:  sleeping well...but getting up once or twice to go to the bathroom.

Cravings:  this week it's salty things, and still fruit.  Also can't stop thinking about donuts, but haven't actually eaten one.  I'm afraid that if I start, I won't be able to stop!

Milestones: nothing major... I felt a little more movement a couple of days ago, but nothing since then. :(  I know once baby is kicking like crazy, I'll be wishing it would stop.  But for now, I just want to feel that little nugget moving around!  Is it bad that I poke myself in the belly, trying to wake the baby up and get it moving???

Also am wearing more and more maternity clothes.  Can I just say that I love maternity shirts?  They are so nice and LONG!  I have a long torso anyway, so I love long tees.  These might have to stay in my wardrobe even after the baby comes.

I've noticed that in all of my picture I'm wearing jeans....my weekly milestones are on Fridays, which is the one day of the week that I can wear jeans to school.  I promise I don't dress this casually for work every day!

P.S.  9 DAYS TIL SONOGRAM!

Now, I am not typically the person who uses the blog for venting.  But people, I need an outlet.  If you are not a teacher, you may have no interest in this post.  If you are a teacher, you may not want to listen to my whining...but at least you can relate.

At 9:15 today, my principal came in a said "Jenny, you are going to be getting a new student."

Cringe.  Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to welcome a new little one into my classroom.  I just feel so bad for these kids that have to start at a new school in the middle of the school year.  They have no idea what is going on, I have no idea where they are coming from....not to mention all of the little things I have to do to prepare for a student like this.  Example:  label cubby; get desk/chair; make nametag; label mailbox; prepare folders for timed math facts, writing portfolio, and student information; print parent information packet; prepare computer log-in information; DIBELS testing; add student to birthday schedule, star student schedule, and other displays around the classroom; among many other things that I'm sure I haven't even thought of yet.

Soooo, as all of these things are swimming through my mind I ask "When does she start?"  Principal replies: "Um...today.  Like right now.  She's in the hall."

WHAT?!?!?  I don't even have a place for her to sit!  I haven't had the pep talk with my class about welcoming a new student!!

You can imagine how the rest of my day went.

Not to mention, I've got a very busy schedule this week.  Here's what my to-do list looked like this afternoon:
-Prepare DIAT document for Student Intervention Team (this is the process for a student who is struggling academically.  I have to gather lots of data and get all of my ducks in a row before I present the information to a group of people.  They will help decide if she needs special ed or not.
-Prepare New Teacher folders.  I am a mentor for new 2nd grade teachers in the district.  Once a quarter I have to meet with them and provide training and/or mentoring about all kinds of things.  I have ten teachers coming to our meeting this Wednesday, so I guess I better have some things prepared!
-Run math workmats for lesson tomorrow
-Grade and stuff Rocket Math folders
-Score fall writing samples
-Answer emails (I sent home progress reports on Friday....I had an inbox full of emails from parents this morning)
-Prepare student projects for Fall Fest Scarecrow contest
-Review math lessons for Thurs. and Fri. (we have a new math curriculum -- I can no longer teach math in my sleep!)
-Prepare 3 to 4 lesson plans for grade level on 6 Trait Writing (organization trait)
-Staple homework packets to send home
-Email weekly newsletter

P.S. TEACH ALL DAY!

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about my job is the amount of work that I have to do in addition to my normal teaching responsibilities.  I have 1 hour of plan time a day.  There's no way I can get everything done in one hour!  Therefore, I spend time before school, after school, and at home in the evening trying to get everything accomplished. 

Most days I can handle all of this quite well.  However (maybe it's hormones?) today got the best of me.  I didn't leave school until almost 6, and I cried the whole way home.  Stress + pregnancy hormones = breakdown!

Whew!  If you read to the end of that -- God love ya!  At least I feel better.... sometimes you just need to get things off your chest.  The other thing that sucks about my job?  No one quite understands the job of a teacher unless they are a teacher. 

Best part of my day:  My hubby GOES BACK TO WORK TOMORROW!  After a year of being laid off, he got called back today!  WAHOO!!  Thank you, God, for answered prayers!

Closet Masacre and Shelving REVEAL!

Have you ever started a small task, and it turns into a huge project?  That's what happened to me this morning.  What started as a simple job of putting away clean laundry turned into an all-out closet take-over.  Three hours later, I was happy with the result....and asking myself "How did I get myself into this again?"

It started simple -- I wanted to hang up some maternity clothes that my dear sister lent me, along with a couple of new shirts that I picked up at Old Navy yesterday (3 shirts for $12 total, courtesy of the clearance rack!).  I quickly realized that I didn't have enough hangers for my new finds, plus the basket of clean laundry that needed to be hung up as well.  So, I thought to myself I won't be able to wear any of these dress pants until at least next fall, so might as well pull these out and free up some space.

Goodbye dear friends.  Hopefully I will see you next year!

While I was at it, while not pull out some of my summery clothes and shirts that I also know I won't be able to make work for my expanding belly?  Might as well get these skirts out of here too.... basically anything with a waistline has to go!

(P.S. You know you are a teacher when over half of your skirts are denim....)

Then I just decided to pull out my shoes and reorganize those, get all of the empty shoe boxes out, and organize my small collection of purses.  Once I got everything out of the closet, I realized how dirty it was.  I had no choice but to pull out the vacuum and the dust rags and get it cleaned up.

Needless to say, I had plenty of hangers left at the end...

And here's the FINAL result, after all my hard work!

I'm not sure how I have so many clothes left in the closet after I removed 16 shirts, 8 skirts, and 18 pairs of pants..... good thing I have my own closet.  Honey keeps his clothes in the guest room. :)  Doesn't it look great?  I should have taken a before picture....I don't organize myclothes by color or anything, but trust me, this is a HUGE improvement.

And here is the result of my hard work from yesterday:

That's right folks!  The shelves are FINALLY DONE!!!  Mark finished the lighting and crown molding this week, so I was finally able to get busy decorating.  Still need something to go above the TV...

I've still been moving things around on these shelves -- they are HARD to decorate!  I'd have to place a few things, stand back, rearrange, stand back, rearrange again.  This is the result.  I'm going to stick with it for awhile.

Now I am going to spend my Sunday evening relaxing.  My weekend wore me out!

18 Weeks

Another week has flown by!  We are at 18 weeks now.  I'm not sure this picture does my baby bump justice...I think it looks much bigger in person. :)  People are starting to notice it, touch it, etc.  Why are people obsessed with pregnant women??  I'm happy at least that my little baby is loved so much already.
I feel more and more excited with each day that passes by.  We will find out SO soon if we are going to welcome a little boy or a little girl.  I hope the next 2 weeks go by quickly!
Here are this week's stats.
How far along:  18 weeks
Baby is the size of:  a sweet potato!
Sleep:  Sleeping like a rock every night, minus my midnight visit to the bathroom -- yes, I have to pee at almost exactly midnight every night!
Cravings:  root beer, cheese, and fruit (especially oranges)
Milestones:  I think I felt the baby move tonight!  We went to Red Lobster with my mom for dinner.  After eating an obscene amount of shrimp, I felt this weird flutter/tapping feeling just to the left of my belly button.  I kinda made a weird face and jumped a little -- and my mom asked me what was wrong.  I said "I think the baby likes shrimp!"  :)  I am hoping to feel the little nugget more soon!
Also, can only fit in maternity pants now.  Have even added a couple of maternity tops to my wardrobe....many of my regular shirts are getting harder and harder to make work. 

Started getting out fall decorations today....hope to post pics soon.  Hope you are having a great weekend!  Thanks for reading!

Monday Ramblings...

Well, another week begins.  I feel as if I have 100 things circulating through my brain at all times.  Is that pregnancy?  Perhaps I was always this way, but now it is heightened.

This weekend Jenn came over and indulged me in all things BABY.  Jenn, my husband thanks you!  We looked at nursery ideas, researched strollers, laughed at various baby names, and guessed about boy/girl.  Sometimes you just need a best friend for these kinds of things...husband is not quite so interested -- although he has great intentions.  I saw a book at the library called "She's Having a Baby - I Don't Get It" It was a first-time dad's guide to pregnancy.  Ha!  Sounds like my poor husband...he just seems a bit confused about all I'm going through.  So, I'm thankful for days with best friends so he doesn't have to listen to me ramble about baby names, paint colors, cleaning out the closet, or carseats.

Shelves in the living room are slowly but surely coming to an end.  I feel like I've been saying that for weeks, but now the very last step is the crown molding.  I guess hubby has to borrow a certain tool from a friend to cut the molding, so I will try to be patient.  I'm anxious to get out all of my fall things and decorate!  I'm hoping by the end of the month that pumpkins will have taken up residence around here.

Funny story at school -- today was the first day since school has started that I've worn my glasses to school.  I normally wear contacts, but have been having some trouble with my eyes lately.  I decided to give them a break from contacts and wore my glasses today.  My kiddos came in a looked at me like I was some kind of alien.  I was immediately bombarded with "Why are you wearing glasses?"  "Did you get new glasses?"  "Did something happen to your eyes?"  I actually had to stop during my Monday Morning Meeting to explain WHY I was wearing glasses.  2nd graders are so funny!  They notice everything about me - which shouldn't be surprising I guess.  They do look at me each and every day, all day long.  They often notice things like a new pair of earring or shoes, when I paint my toenails a different color, and a bandaid on my finger.  Makes me a little self-conscious!

Thinking of making a baby quilt -- because I definitely need one more thing on my plate.  However, I'm starting to get quite sentimental about the little nugget, and think a quilt would be a fun project since I love to sew.  Problem = I don't know how to quilt.  Going to try to find some books at the library perhaps...and of course reading lots of blog tutorials.

That was a lot of rambling for a Monday.  But now I think I'm ready for bed.  Sorry, no pictures....that's no fun, is it?

You can click here to see what I'm hoping to tackle this fall as well -- a desk for the office/guest room.  What can I say?  My name is Jenny.  I'm addicted to projects.

17 Weeks

17 Weeks

(Picture taken at 9:30 on a Friday night = tired, tired face!)

Baby is now about 5 inches long from head to rump, and about 5 ounces.  He/she is growing quickly now!
It was officially quite difficult impossible to button any of my pants this week -- I felt like that happened overnight!  Looking at this picture, seems my butt and belly are both growing outward.  After a minor breakdown in the Kohl's dressing room, my hubby took me shopping tonight at the Motherhood Maternity outlet at The Legends.  I found a couple of pairs of pants that should get me through for awhile...
Went to the doctor this week.  I've gained 5 pounds so far, which is right on track.  Trying to keep an eye on that.
Baby's heartbeat was 160 and sounded strong.  Three weeks from Monday is our sonogram!  Can't wait!
Feeling good -- craving Coke and root beer (weird, because I didn't drink much soda before I was pregnant).  I'm trying to stick with diet root beer (no caffeine), but just every once and awhile.  Trying to walk at night to get some exercise.  Each week, I seem to get more and more excited about our little one.  Tonight, looking at all of the adorable baby clothes at Old Navy, it took every ounce of self-control to not buy anything.  Everything is so tiny and cute!

Busy weekend ahead, but hoping to post living room updates soon....will that room EVER be done??!?

16 Weeks

16 weeks today!

I have a doctor's appointment on Monday.  I am always looking forward to my next appointment so I can hear baby's heartbeat again.  I am getting close to the point that I will start feeling him/her move (hopefully!) and I know that will be exciting.  At our next appointment -- October 4th -- we will find out if it is a boy or a girl!!  I can't wait!  I will be so happy to have a healthy baby, no matter if it is boy or girl.  But I have always always wanted a baby girl, so I would be especially excited to have a daughter.

For the most part, still feeling good.  Sore back and feet at the end of the day....I think that must be because I'm on my feet all day at school with the kids.  I've started wearing a couple of pairs of maternity pants, but am still managing to wear most of my regular tops.  My bra size seems to be growing proportionately to my waistline, which proves to be a challenge at times!

We are starting to brainstorm for the nursery and are looking at cribs, etc.  I can't believe how much baby furniture is!  We are going to try to find something we love that is reasonably priced.  I've seen some cribs on JCPenney's website that I like.  I'm sure I'll be ready to make a decision in the next few weeks.

Looking forward to my long weekend with lots of fun things to do.  Hope you all enjoy your holiday!