Happy birthday Hannah!!

Tomorrow is Hannahs official birthday but we gave her gifts to her tonight. She got Wii Boogie SuperStar. It has singing and dancing and her face got this huge CHEESE when she opened it!! Its a pretty cool game and she went to playing it right away!! Her brothers even came out to check it out with their sister!!! Max loves to dance but he had pressing Lego things to go do!! Hubby got up there and boogied though, I was cracking up!! I had tears from laughing so hard!! My oldest son, Brodie, was their coach, and he was yelling "jump!, clap!, point up!, faster!, lasso!" and showing them what to do. He is the video game guru in the family. He got up there after hubby and Hannah were done. I was the picture taker, and I am still resting my voice, so I have to take it easy. ;) Here are the pics, they definitely show the movement!!!!

Good times!!! Hubby is singing now!!! I wont harm your ears with a video of that!!! :) Or will I??

Yes I will!!! Here you go!! Hubby Dot Com!!

And Brodie Dot Com!!

And Hannah Dot Com!!!

Max got in on the dancing action with hubby, in between his breakdancing off to the side!!

I want to get up there so bad (this game has some good music) but I know my voice will by gone again and thats no good for a subbing Steffi!!

Hope you enjoyed this and cracked up as much as I did!!!!

xoxo

S

Max Dot Com

I blogged about Max and his awesome Lego skills a little bit the other day. Since then, I have created a little monster!!! Max now thinks that he needs his own "dot com" for all of the pictures of his Lego creations!! Instead of his own website, I am using my blog. It amazes me the things that he builds!!!












The ship was actually mostly built by Daddy, but Max swept in and took it as his own because after all, HE is the one with a "dot com"!!! Daddy wanted to make sure he got some credit for it, so here ya go babe......credit!! :)

I will keep you posted on Maxs "dot com" as he builds more things!! Right now he is on the computer pricing out more Legos to get at the store!! Ahhhh!!!

I just showed him his "dot com" and he said "thats good, Mom". lol The boss is happy!!!

Til then.....

xoxo
S & Max.com

Question for my teacher friends

If you have talked to me in the past week, you will have noticed that my voice is a bit "off". I do not think I have strep. I honestly think I have laryngitis. I have looked up the symptoms and laryngitis fits. Now, if you dont know me that well outside of a public place, let me just tell you that normally I have a very loud voice. Ask my hubby, he will tell you Im LOUD. I have also been a stay at home mom for 6 years, so my voice has not been used that much other than just normal talking and occasional loudness while having fun with friends.

Here is my question.....

When you guys started teaching, or even subbing before you were a teacher, did you guys experience this??

I dont think its a coincidence that once I started subbing, that I have now lost my voice. When I sub, I use my voice pretty much non-stop from 8am until 2:45pm, and its not the normal voice for most of that, because having 20 little kid voices I feel I need to kick my voice into a higher gear. Im not yelling or screaming, but I am talking at a higher volume than I normally do. Should I stop that?

Because I feel that this is laryngitis, I know that my voice box is involved. I have clearly done something WRONG!!! I am projecting my voice in the wrong way, I think. I need to learn how to project it correctly. Maybe I should talk to a music teacher next time I sub? What do you guys think?

I didnt work today, so I have been able to rest my voice. My body, is not resting. I am having to swallow constantly and that doesnt help one to sleep. The pain is more of a dryness pain and it is in my neck area, where a guys Adams Apple is located. Thats where the voice box is, right?

I need some advice, and words of wisdom from you guys!!! Share stories if you have had this happen to you!!! Please please please!! :)

xoxo
S

A Whole New World

This was my Sub folder today, so I found this picture perfect for this blog!! :)

Yes, folks, I am finally ready to do a blog about my new job. At first I wasnt sure it was really a "job", I get paid for it, but it isnt a regular thing, so that threw me for a loop. I was assured by Joshua, that it is a job, or a "yob" as we call it. (House Bunny movie, funny stuff, watch it!!)

Ok, let me go back to the beginning. My first call was for Kindergarten, more specifically my own sons class, the very class that I am a helper in on Wednesday afternoons. I knew the kids, and I thought that would be helpful. (I was still freaked out after I got the call though!!!! Thats just how I am, I freak out, then I get over it.) I get to school and head to the class with my son in tow. I pick up the schedule and its alot of reading. I try to glance ahead so I know what to expect throughout the day. I knew the afternoon part pretty well, so I focused mostly on the morning. Ahh....the morning. The busiest, craziest, busiest time of the day!!!! I tried to read the schedule, greet kids as they came in, read, get the kids on task, read. It was overwhelming!!!! The first chance I got a break, I discovered that my monthly gift had just arrived. ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDIN ME!!!!!! So, not only did I have the newness and overwhelmingness of my very first subbing day to contend with, I also had Aunt Flo as I like to call her. Aye yi yi!!!! To make a long story short, I made my way through the day, the kids remained in one piece and my hair remained in my head. I never got angry or sad, I enjoyed my day even though I was completely overwhelmed and had not expected to be!!

Now, let me tell you. I tore myself up about this first day for days after. Days, I tell ya!! I didnt feel I did the best that I could have done. I didnt get anything done in the lesson plan folder, I was so overwhelmed, my brain wasnt working very quickly, I felt like I was in a dream and couldnt move. Seriously!!! So, I thought about how the day went, over and over in my mind. I talked to my sons teacher about how the day went and how I felt I did. I wasnt happy with how I did on my first day. Mostly because I didnt get anything in the lesson plan folder completed. That is NOT like me at all!! I am organized and thorough to a T. I couldnt process this!!! Finally, she told me to "stop beating yourself up". So, I did. The kids and I had made it through the day without any catastrophes, and I am letting myself be happy with that.

Let me tell you something else real quick. My background is in Psychology. Psych has its own way of doing things and its own lingo. Education has its own way of doing things and its own lingo!!! I am learning the Education way of doing things now. I ask questions when I dont know what something is, or what something stands for, or if I am supposed to stay with the kids, or what I am supposed to be doing. Asking questions has helped me alot to get a better understanding of the Education way!! I also took it upon myself to arrange it with my sons teacher to go into her class for an All Day Training Day. I wanted to just observe and see how things were done from beginning to end. I took notes so I could read them later and go over it in my mind. I am a VISUAL person, so being able to actually SEE things during the day instead of only reading them on the schedule, helped ALOT!! I thought people would think I was crazy for spending a whole day, but they actually thought it was a really good idea. Most subs that I know have backgrounds and training in things other than Education, and we arent given any training, just sent to the class. That may work fine for some subs, but I knew better for myself. The first day was proof!! :)

Ok, so onto my second Subbing day. It was also in a Kindergarten class. It went sooooooooo much better!!!! I still had to use my voice alot to keep them on task, but they are kids, thats to be expected!! I got the lesson plan completely completed, except for a few pages in a book I didnt get read. YAY!!!!! This made me feel bad again for not getting my first subbing days lesson plan done, but she would tell me to stop beating myself up again, so I stopped that thought immediately!! lol

My third subbing day was today. I was in a 4th grade class this time. I have had a bit of an issue the past couple days with losing my voice. I thought today would be an easier day on my voice because the kids were older, less redirection. HA!!! Those lil buggers still needed redirection and reminders to stay on task. I made it through the lesson plan again and got it all completed. I was very grateful for a half day because by noon my voice was almost gone and I had to squeak out the end of day directions for bus students and car students.

Now for my favorite parts of subbing:

1. I enjoy having something to do that I really enjoy doing.

2. I enjoy the adult interaction that I dont get being a SAHM and havent had much of for 6 years.

3. I feel like my brain is being exercised and all my knowledge is returning. Being home for 6 years talking kid-talk kinda doesnt have a need for big people words and knowledge.

4. I like it when the kids in class think they are gonna get away with something and then BAM I know something they didnt think I knew and their jaws fall open. That cracks me up!!

5. I like finding out who the kids are in class who are going to be helpful to me if I have questions. Conversely, I also like finding out who the ones are who are going to be lil buggers and getting them to change their course to Buggerdom, and behave and actually participate in a positive manner in class.

6. I like learning a new way of doing things..........the Education way!!!!!!!!! :)

There you have it............my Subbing blog that I have promised you, and then postponed for a while until I got a better understanding of it. Hope it was a good read!!

xoxo

S

Lets Play Catch Up

Since the last time I blogged, a few things have happened. I had my first subbing job, for one. I know I said I was going to blog about it, but I never did. It was a whirlwind, to say the least. I had fun and enjoyed it, but I didnt expect alot of what happened to happen. I have gone over it and over it in my head and I have talked with my mentor and Im on the road to filling in all the blanks I have about being a Sub. Thats all Im going to say for now!! :)

I am going to segue into something now that was, in fact, part of my subbing day, and is a part of my home life as well. LEGOS!!!! I tell you what, I am not Lego smart at all, but I can sit and watch little boys create with Legos all day long!! It amazes me!! You can have the most rambunxious lil guy and give him some Legos and he is suddenly quiet and content and you can see his mind working at full speed. Here is Maxs creation from yesterday:

Max was very excited about it and so was Daddy. It prompted Daddy to immediately grab the camera and snap some shots!!

Another thing thats new, as of yesterday, is that I started feeding my birds outside again. I really got into this last year, but I slacked off. Partly because it got costly and partly because of the dang jerk chipmunks and squirrels, which are wholey to blame for the reason it got costly!! Anyway, I put food out yesterday afternoon, and all my lil friends are back today!! There was a rotten squirrel out there a while ago and my dog rushed after it, they had words and it left, but Im sure its back out there!! Ive tried to squirrel and chipmunk proof my feeders, but they are crafty lil suckers!! I even had a raccoon coming up on my deck last year stealing bird food. So I had to make sure I brought in that feeder every night. Its exhausting trying to outthink these lil devils!! But I enjoy seeing my birds, so its the price I have to pay...........literally.

My dryer just went off, so I guess thats my cue to stop now!! :)

xoxo
S

Zebra Zone

As Ive said before, Im a Zebra Zone addict!! I just love it and have so much fun watching it!!
Today they had a skit that had a song from...........my beloved BEE GEE'S!!!!! I was able to record it. My friend Cori is probably laughing right now, because she knows how much I love the Bee Gee's. I even had their lunch box!! Ok, so here is the skit:



I really tried to record Michelle and Becky today because they were hilariously awesome!!! My dang camera was not cooperating though, GRRR!!! You ladies were awesome though!!!! I saw Jami recording the whole thing, so maybe she can post it!!!! My son was holding his tummy laughing to hard when Becky sat on the donuts!!!

Anyway, Zebra Zone, check it out!!! Next one is February 11th. Check with your teachers for the correct class times!!!

xoxo
S

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUPERBOWL BOUND!!!!!!!!!! :)

xoxo

S

Lesson Learned & LOL

So, you know how I say I like to learn something new every day, and you know how I say on bad days that I wanna blow stuff up??

Well....

Im not having a bad day, for the record, and I did learn something new. The only question left to ask is, if Im not having a bad day, then why did I bring up blowing stuff up??

Well....

Hubby was gone this morning, and I was cleaning off the clutter on the counters. I came across the two-way radios I had found last week and just got new batteries for. I put the batteries in. Then I proceeded to plug one of them into the charger. Well, if you are a boy, you might not see anything wrong with this. If you are a girl, you probably dont really care.

POP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We hear this sound. What is it??? Well, we go into the kitchen to find a cat staring directly at the two-way radios. I dont understand what the crap is going on. Hubby opens the back of one of the radios to find icky goo. I still dont understand. He then proceeds to lecture me on the difference between alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries. OK!!! I hadnt used the radios in years and all I knew was that I put them on the charger after we were done using them. I never thought about what kind of batteries were in them.

Lesson learned!!

We go back to sitting on the couch and we hear another POP!!!!!!! I start laughing because at this point I just find it hilarious. Typical me!! I tell him we could have been on MythBusters with this one!!! He didnt find any humor in my blowing up of things at first, but as I kept laughing he just smiled.

POP!!! There were 4 batteries, so we are still waiting on the last POP. Lucky for me, I couldnt find the dual charger, only the plug in, so only one radio was charging. The other one got spared. The one that did have exploding batteries had surgery and is now in the recovery room. It still works.

Ladies......dont try to charge alkaline batteries, even if the item comes with a charger, dont combine the two. :) Hubby just explained this to our daughter, lol.

xoxo
S

You know what.....

I MIGHT ACTUALLY LIKE THIS NEW LAYOUT & HEADER I JUST MADE!!!! :)

I know, right!?!?!?! Maybe I should go look in the mirror to make sure this is really ME!! lol

I realized though, why the other layouts and headings I made just didnt seem to set right with me. Its because I thought too much about it, that held me back, but at the same time I made them too simple and plain. Those two ideas just seem opposing to me, they counteract eachother. It was like forcing the opposing poles of two magnets together. Today I decided that whatever came to my mind, I would use it, I wouldnt overthink it, I wouldnt try to simplify it, I would just GO WITH IT!! And, ya know what.........IT WORKED!!! So, dont hold back when you are creating!! Dont think too much about it. Just sit back and let whatever the creative juices tell you to do HAPPEN.

By the way, it looks better on a widescreen monitor!!! :)

xoxo

S

New layout again...

I have issues, I know. I made another layout. I just cant make something that I cant live without. YET!!!

xoxo

S

Odds and Ends

So cute, right?? Seriously, Im a shoe person. Look in my closet and you will see a giant stack of Uggs, in various colors and heights, several Jessica Simpson heels because they are so comfy from the second you put them on, and many many many more shoes. These rainboots are my latest addition!! I found that I needed something for those days when the horses pasture was a muddy yucky mess!! I cant ruin my Uggs out there!! I wore my sons rain boots but my lil toes hurt and they were short, so I found these for a bargain!! PLUS they are lined with thick fluffy wool, which most arent, most just have a cotton lining!! PLUS, they are rockstarish, which we all know I am!! lol

In other news, I just had to share this. If youve read my past blogs, you know that Ive struggled with some internal battles for a while now. It took me a long dang time, but Ive finally sorted all the feelings and emotions out and Im in a happy place. I dont have an official job, but that is ok, I am excited about Substitute teaching and the avenues that it can lead me on. I have gotten more active than I have ever been in my youngest sons school and I have found that I really enjoy that as well. I have always helped in the classrooms that my kids were in at Columbia, but now Ive branched out into more areas. I am the kind of person who needs to feel useful, needs to feel wanted, needs to feel like she serves some sort of purpose, no matter how small, or how great, just something. I find that the activities I have been involved in this school year are just what I needed!! Its my Grammas blood that runs strong through me and I always have the urge to be doing something!! Now, my "somethings" benefit other people on a more regular basis, and I feel a part of something with my "somethings". Im also meeting more people and learning new things, and I have a strong craving for learning new things. Your brain and social skills tend to get a bit stunted when you stay home so much, so Im finding that getting out again is helping me to get back to my old self, the one who can carry on a conversation with an adult. ;) The people I have had the pleasure of meeting are a special added bonus that Im very thankful for!!

I guess thats all. I just mainly wanted to show yall my boots!! :)

Have a great day!! Stay warm out there!!

xoxo

S

Happy Bee Day to Me!! :)

Today is the day, that 29 years ago (yes, 29!! :p), the world was blessed with my presence. I have spent several years trying to avoid my birthday, but I eventually gave in because I wasnt winning the battle, and having a birthday is better than the alternative, right? :)

Im thankful for all my friends who have wished me a happy day today, you guys rock!! You really really do!! I surround myself with some wonderful, sweet, caring people, and Im truly blessed in the friends department.

My kids and hubby all hugged me and wished me a happy day. My mom (and maybe brother, and maybe dad) will, Im sure, stop by later, and I would assume all of the family calls will roll in at some point today. Other than that, thats about it for the day.

We have a Blizzard here. Well, thats what the news people call it anyway. I call it "oh freakin great, more sucky snow and cold". I still have a sick Max. We thought he was on his way to feeling better, but then Round 2 began in the middle of the night. I wont go into details, I will spare you that!!

So anyway, when you have celebrated as many birthdays as I have, you realize and appreciate all of the little things that make your day special.....your kids, your husband, your family, your friends....and all of their own ways they try to make your day special, and let you know you are special to them.

I hope everyone enjoys my special day along with me!! :)

xoxo

S

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!!!!

Today I decided that I would make a header for my blog. It just dawned on me that I could do this!! Derrr!!! So, another day was spent sitting and creating with my digi scrap stuff!! I love digi!! It makes no mess, its fun, and I get to be creative!! Plus, its FREE!! Cant beat that!! You can still print out pages if you want to put them in a scrapbook too, and they look just as fantastic as if you did normal scrapbooking!!

Just as I finished up with my blog header, my phone rang. :) Some of you know, some of you may not know, but I completed the application process for becoming a Substitute Teacher right before Winter Break. Wendy just called to let me know that she will be sending me my Certificate and my school badge, and she will start callin me next week!! :) YAY!! WISH ME LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other small news, I finally got the tree taken down. Grrr, there were needles a plenty, let me tell ya!!! I think I emptied my vac can twice because the needles kept fillin up so fast!! Now my living room looks huge and empty again!! We opened the curtains to the deck, and its BRIGHT as heck in here now!!

Ok, thats all for now. Everyone have a great day!! :)

xoxo
S

I Vow

There is something that makes me excited. Something that I want, but dont yet have.

Today I am vowing to myself that I wont settle until I have what I want so badly, what makes me so excited.

I dont settle. I wont settle. Life is too short and too precious. I want to make sure I do what I love so that those around me get the best "me" there is! Doing what we love, and what we enjoy, brings out the best "me" in all of us. Its obvious to those around us when we are doing what we love and loving what we do.

Some of you know me well enough to know what my "something" is that I want. Some of you know me well enough to know that I dont give up. When something is important to me, I keep going until I get it. I will get it. :) I will!

I want this! I havent been so excited about something in a long time!

I WANT THIS!! :)

xoxo
S

What I learned today

It excites me to learn something new, no matter how silly the new thing is.

My birthday is in a week (Ill be 29 ;) lol) and I had to renew my drivers license. The last time I did this was in 2003, I think. It was a good picture. In fact, I always had a good picture on my license and I never understood why people always talked about license pictures being horrible. Anyway, so today, I get there and there was a list of RULES just to have your PICTURE taken. I kid you not. Last time, I just stood there, smiled, done. This time I went to read the rules while I waited my turn.

RULE 1: You cannot have anything on your face, no eyeglasses, sunglasses, eyepatches, ski masks, whatever.

RULE 2: You hair cannot cover your face, forehead, or ears. Yes, ears!!!

RULE 3: You can smile, but you cant open your mouth to do it!!

RULE 4: You cant wear anything on your head, like a hat, cap, mandana, sombrero, etc.

.

I was glad I read the rules ahead of time so that I knew and didnt have to be scolded like the girl who went before me. Poor thing had glasses on and got told to take them off. Then she smiled with her mouth open and got scolded that she had to keep her lips together.

.

(Yes, I did take a few liberations in my explanation of the rules, but the main idea is still the same.)

I did, however, psych myself out because I knew the rules!! I was planning in my head all that I needed to make sure I did: straighten my sweater, run my fingers through my hair, tuck the hair behind my ears, smile but dont open my lips to do it. Well..................I got the sweater part done, and the hair part done. THEN, she said the camera would go off in 4 seconds. DANGIT!!! I was supposed to be focused on my sort of smile, but oh no!! Instead I was counting to 4. SO, My "smile" was only on half my face and I looked like I was scowling, most likely because the camera went off at 3 and not 4, so the lady FIBBED!!! On purpose? Perhaps!! So now I have the suckiest license picture Ive ever had in my life. *sigh*

On the bright side though.........there is PINK on my license!!! Yay!! Im not sure if everyone gets this pink, or if only girls do? I dont know, but it made me ponder a sex change operation and what would happen if my license was pink but I was a boy. LOL My mind works in strange ways, and Im sorry that you had to hear that, but it was funny!!

It also has TWO of the above mentioned crappy pics of my on it. That made me think of Veronica Marrs and wonder if she would still be able to make a fake one. Ok, its a TV show, and its not on anymore, but I loved it and Veronica still ROCKS!!

So, that was the highlight of my day. I learned something new at the BMV!!!

xoxo

S

New background

Here is my new background/layout/template, whatever you want to call it!! :)

I made it myself! :)

xoxo
S

Find the time

Today, my mom, my kids, and I went to see my Grandpa. He had just gotten home from being in the hospital following two heartattacks. He is 93. He looked really good, tired, but good. He was in good spirits, laughing and telling story after story. He told the kids stories about when he was a kid, about how he would have to walk to school a mile and a half, and sometimes the snow was so high that it covered the tops of the fence posts, and sometimes the wind was so strong he had to walk backwards to keep from falling over. He told them about the chores he used to do and how he had to carry a lantern on his arm for light. Many stories I had never heard so it was nice to hear. When my grandma was alive, she did most of the talking. My mom and I decided that Grandpa was making up for that now! I kept thinking how I wished he was feeling stronger so that he could show the kids the trick he used to do with a broom EVERY single time I would go see him as a child. I never got tired of it!!

We dont go see him nearly enough. I was really hit with that today and felt sick to my stomach and felt so selfish. Im going to make a point to go visit all of our grandparents more often!! Its day one of this new year, and Ive added another resolution to my list!! :)

xoxo

S