|
not dead!
|
Dec. 8th, 2008 @ 10:02 pm
|
|---|
|
Well! I’m BAAAAACK! I have been flist-less for a couple of weeks while my computer was at HP being fixed. I’ve missed you all! **HUGS FLIST**
If there is anything epic or interesting I need to know, link me or tell me about it!
As for what I’ve been up to…I’ve been busy! I normally go to Mexico with my family for the week before Thanksgiving, but I sent them without me this year, because I just had too much to do. I started a new job as an Aide in the K/1st class at my kids’ school in the mornings, I LOVE IT! The kids are so fun to watch develop and learn new concepts and eager to please. It didn’t take long to get a feel for the different personalities and to know what to watch for.
I organized and ran a fundraiser at the school that had a secret shop for kids to buy their Christmas presents, plus had vendors selling a variety of items in booths around the school. It was well attended and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We have also been selling popcorn and pixie stix after school on Fridays. They are not as popular as the snow cones, but it does bring in more money that we had been getting in, which was ZERO! (Yes, I am blowing my own horn! I’m proud of the stuff I’ve accomplished!)
Other that that, being a mom and working take up a lot of time! My oldest graduated from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts last month, got his Arrow of Light and Heavy Shoulder awards and my youngest advanced from Wolf to Bear. There was a really cool Arrow of Light ceremony , and some Scout people came in full Native American regalia, and stayed in character throughout. It was a lot of fun, and I am so proud of my little guys for all of the work they’ve done!
And now, I am trying to get caught up on what I’ve missed while I have been gone, and get back into threading and posting in my pups. I have missed them, too!
Last, but not least, I am going to screen comments, so that if you would like a Holiday card from me, you can put your address, so no one else can see it! I love sending out cards, so don’t be shy about it! It doesn’t matter if we’re BFFs or if we’ve only spoken once or twice!
Hope you’re all doing well! |
|
update
|
Nov. 12th, 2008 @ 02:45 pm
|
|---|
|
So, a little update. Today was a good day. I got a pedicure (mostly so I could sit in that message chair they have!), got a hair cut, went grocery shopping, did some laundry, sent two fliers home with the kids for PTO and got a new job.
The new job is to replace my old job in the school media center...the school didn't have the funds to keep paying for extra help there, and though the librarian wants me instead of the other helper, they have to keep her because she signed a contract that promises her a certain number of hours each week for one year...that's how they convinced her to retire last year. She is the slowest, most UN-detail-oriented person I think I have ever met, and should not be allowed to shelve books, but it's not my call. I can still substitute teach the media classes should the need arise, but that's it.
HOWEVER! The kindergarten aide quit, and so I am going to be working in the kindergarten classroom sixteen hours a week, from eight in the morning, to 11:15 each school day. This is infinitely better than the three to four hours a week I was getting helping in the library. I can definitely use the extra money. I have been warned that the teacher in the kindergarten room treated one of the other aides like a toddler with a deficient IQ, and her most recent aide quit...but I think I can handle it. I can let a lot of things slide off my back, if I'm getting paid, and if it gets too bad, I'll simply tell her that I'm not an idiot, and to please not treat me like one. I spoke to the teacher briefly today after school, and she said I would be working with the kids one on one helping them master counting and reading basics. I am looking forward to it!
I shall be starting tomorrow!
Other than that, things are going pretty well. I have avoided much of the viruses and colds and things going around, and credit exposure to the kids in small doses, and taking vitamins every day with keeping me well (touch wood). The boys are enjoying school, for the most part, and Kris is busy, as always. |
|
Long time, no update!
|
Oct. 30th, 2008 @ 07:02 am
|
|---|
|
Jeeze, this working thing really eats into the time one has to actually get stuff done, doesn't it? I have been working these past three weeks at my kids' school as a substitute Media teacher while the regular one recovers from surgery. I was only expecting to work for two weeks, but there have been some complications for her, and the doctor would not sign her release. She will likely be back on Monday, though, and I will go back to working my three hours a week shelving books.
I'm going to miss the teaching bit. I've enjoyed hearing the kids' insights and observations and getting to know them a little better. We've been doing Kids Vote this week, and I've been surprised at the results and had fun teaching them a little bit about the electoral process and stressing how important it is to make up their own minds, and not let anyone else influence their decisions. The younger kids have overwhelmingly chosen Obama--I think it's because he is comparatively young, and simply looks friendlier than McCain (who, according to one child, looks like a serial killer). The older kids seem to favor McCain, though few of them had any real idea why they preferred him. It's fairly obvious from the comments they make that many have been paying attention to what's being said at home, though a few kids have said they have been keeping up with the candidates through the short spots that Nickelodeon has been showing.
It's nice to be able to work while the kids are in class, and have them just come to the Media center when school is out, and not have to worry about rushing from another location to pick them up from school. I am still hoping that I can pick up a few more hours a week at the school doing other things (like reading aid, etc.)
Other than that, I've just been trying to keep up with everything else. PTO has a major event coming up on Nov. 20th, my family is trying to get ready to go to Mexico on the same day as that event, to I've got a double whammy there, and am running out of time with a lot left to do for both.
For those of you I am RPing with, I know I am way slow and even behind on a lot of stuff, but I AM trying to catch up...feel free to give me a nudge if I've dropped any threads or it's been a while since I tagged.
I am out of time, once again. My hubby has dropped in for a few minutes between jobs and the kids are awake, now, and we're all getting ready to start our day.
Happy Halloween to everyone! I hope you all get more treats than tricks!
Bonus Link: Don't click if you're a staunch Palin supporter, otherwise, click on everything in the room and see what happens! XD! |
|
I is alive!
|
Oct. 7th, 2008 @ 07:21 am
|
|---|
|
So, I have been busy doing stuff and stuff. On Friday, I passed the required test I needed to take to work with kids at the school, because it is a Title 1 school, all aides have to pass it if you have less than 62 credit hours of college or something like that. I was no where close to that, so I had to go and prove I was as smart as a seventh grader. There were 90 questions in reading, writing and math (algebra and geometry! Yuck!) and I only missed five. I was the first in the room finished, which made me happy.
I will be a substitute for the regular librarian/media specialist, who is out for the next two to four weeks recovering from surgery. I am looking forward to it! Today, I taught SEVEN media classes: Two fifth grade, two third grade and three first grade! What a day! It was fun, but exhausting. Tomorrow, I only have one class, and can spend the rest of the time re-shelving books, checking out books for kids and finding/fixing shelving errors. The kids like to shove books where they don't belong, when they find a book that they think they'd enjoy more; not good.
It's a short week for the kids, and we have Thursday and Friday off for October Break. We'll have to plan to do something fun; maybe a trip to the Science Center or the Zoo.
Snowcone sales seem to have peaked at around 310-325 each Friday. We have three flavors each week, and one line for each flavor, so that it moves faster. We make the 'naked' snow cones before the kids get out and store them in coolers, so we just grab them and add flavor and take their dollar. We can sell 300 snow cones in ten fifteen minutes! It's awesome! We had Spongebob flavor last Friday, and it was a huge hit (it tasted like pineapple!) One girl paid for hers with a 1922 Liberty head silver dollar--my guess her her parents don't know its missing yet, since no one has come to ask for it back. Looking online, it's worth about $15.00, so I put in a dollar of my own and took it. I'll keep it in my safe at home until I'm satisfied I won't have a tearful girl or and angry parent coming to get it back.
I've also been asked to participate in a school district parent's group that discusses various issues and gives opinions on how to solve them. I think it should be interesting and hopefully will do some good.
In other news, my older boy joined Walking and Running Club, and has been doing that on Mondays after school. I have been meaning to join him, but have always had a bunch of other things that need my attention. My youngest was accepted into ELP (Extended Learning Program) and just started that today. He has also made it into the Yearbook Club, which is new this year, so we aren't sure what to expect. These, on top of scouts, makes us a busy family!
Other than that, not too much is going on. I hope you all are doing well!
( 50 random questions meme ) |
|
OMG! Does anyone else remember this cartoon?
|
Sep. 27th, 2008 @ 06:38 pm
|
|---|
|
I swear I thought I'd imagined this show, because no one ever knew what I talked about when I said there was a kid who chewed oxygen gum to let him breath underwater and stuff! Now, I have PROOF!
|
| » on again! |
|---|
In a perverse turn of events, my computer has decided to work again after a few days' rest. I will still send it to be repaired soon, but I am taking advantage of this time and doing an update.
First of all, I have not read my f'list in DAYS, and I don't really have the time to go back a a thousand or so entries or so, so if something needs my attention, if I owe you a tag, or if there is anything else I need to know, feel free to let me know in the comments here.
Life has been busy here at home. My youngest just turned nine on Monday, and we had a party for him last weekend. It was fun, cake was had and a pinata was beaten. Let me tell you something: if you ever want a really hard to break pinata? Go for the one shaped like Spongebob from Walmart. DANG! I let six boys wale on that thing with a thick piece of PVC pipe for over five minutes! Of course, I had it so full, it was hard to make a dent in it. XD!
I have been working at the kids' school in the library a few hours a week, and have been offered an additional job as an instructional aide, helping third and fourth graders who have trouble reading. I will still work in the library, though, which is really fun. The librarian/media teacher will be having surgery in a couple of weeks, and I will be subbing for her while she recovers--up to four weeks! I get to teach kids about how to use the library and stuff! Woo!
On the downside, to be an aide (or anything else in the school), I have to pass the Paraprofessional test, to make sure I am at least as smart as a seventh grader. This worries me, because it has a LOT of math on it, and I have apparently forgotten most of what I knew beyond basic math. I will be studying geometry, fractions, algebra and a bunch of other stuff for the next little while. The rest of the test doesn't worry me at all, as it is comprised of grammar, reading and comprehension, and that sort of thing. Wish me luck, though! Passing this test can mean a lot of opportunities for me in the future!
PTO has been kicking ass this year! I have been able to stay enthusiastic and am trying some new things that all seem to be going well. We have been selling sno cones after school on Fridays, and at a dollar a piece, we've sold steadily more each week! We've made well over a thousand dollars in just four weeks! I've also had a pencil vending machine put int he front office of the school, and in the first three days, we had $26.50 in quarters in there! That's over a hundred pencils! I also put a little wooden wishing well in the entrance area inside the front doors with a cover on it with a hole. People can put their loose change in there, and it all goes to the fund to pay for shade structures over the playground equipment--something schools in Arizona all desperately need. Unfortunately, our estimate was $16,000 for two play areas to be shaded. We need to get creative in our sucky economy to pay for that. I am confident we can do it--hopefully by the end of the year, so we can have them next year.
Aside from that, life has been it's usual busy, craziness.
How are all of you?
Sep. 25th, 2008 @ 09:09 pm
|
| » Computer woe |
|---|
My apologies to anyone threading with any of my pups (Bobby Drake, Mallory Grace), but my laptop just took a dive and I cannot even get it to start. My desktop has been out of commission for months, and I am using my son's computer (one with missing keys in the key board) at the moment to post this. It is not an ideal situation, so any further tags from my pups tonight will be extremely slow and sporadic, if they come at all.
I'll work to get his rectified as soon as possible, but seeing as I have no money to get a computer fixed, it could take some time.
Sorry. I will try to check in through other computers in the meantime.
Sep. 9th, 2008 @ 05:54 pm
|
| » an actual update! |
|---|
So, there has been stuff in my life and stuff, and I just really haven’t sat down and made an entry about it, because I lack time and energy most of the time. Suffice it to say that I am not dead, but often feel comatose.
I have been sleeping a lot lately; unfortunately it hasn’t been happening at night. I find myself awake until one, two or even three in the morning some nights, even when I haven’t napped the previous day. I am chalking it up to the fatigue caused by my Multiple Sclerosis and a crappy diet. I need to get back into eating healthier and keeping a food journal.
On the gaming front, I have been having a blast playing Bobby Drake at Milliways! He’s such a fun character to play, and I am glad I went against my fear of playing a teen male and apped him. Mallory has been loud in my head of late, too--at least at Milliways. Hagrid has been quiet, and Rapunzel has been pensive for the past little while. Mother Nature has only been in twice, but she’s been fun, too. I think I’ll give her her own entrance post sometime soon.
Chaos Cube, on the other hand, has been somewhat unsatisfying, as many of the players are having RL issues that keep them from playing, some of them say they don’t have time but are playing in other games, a couple say they will post more often, but don’t… then I have people telling me that we need fresh blood to rejuvenate, and they’re right! But no one in their right minds will app to play in a game that is as slow as ours it at the moment. It would be nice if people would just follow through on their promises, or at least be honest and say they aren’t planning on playing anymore. *sighs* Some days I wonder why I wanted to run my own game. We have wonderfully talented players, and just no one is playing.
Things with the boys’ school and PTO are running well. We have started selling sno-cones every Friday after school for a dollar each, and it has been a resounding success for the two weeks we’ve done it so far. Both weeks we sold between 200 and 250 sno-cones. When the weather gets too cool for sno-cones, we will switch to popcorn, pickles and lollipops. I have plans in the works for other fund raisers this year, and hope they work out well. The economy is crap right now, so we’re trying for littler money makers instead of anything that will ask the parents to spend a lot of money at once. Our goal is to but two large shade structures for over the playground equipment; we desperately need them, but they cost about twenty to thirty thousand dollars a piece. We are also going to be asking the neighbor hood businesses for donations and such.
I also have a mini-job at the school. Three hours a week, I will be helping out in the school media center (library) re-shelving books and helping kids check out their books after their library class is over. Hopefully I will be able to get a few more hours here and there being a general dogsbody around the school, making copies, supervising on the playground, etc.
Other than that, life is pretty good. The kids are healthy (knock wood), the animals are healthy, and we still have a roof over our heads.
Hope everyone else is doing well, too! **hugs**
Sep. 8th, 2008 @ 11:17 am
|
| » On again. |
|---|
So...it looks like we will, indeed, be heading to California for a few days. We can't afford it. We REALLY can't, but Kris feels the need to get away and let the boys have some fun before school starts. We will be leaving on Friday, and I have no idea if I will have internet while we're there.
If any of you feels the urge to, you know, anonymously drop five thousand dollars into our bank account while we're gone? Feel free.
At any rate, I am doing laundry and stuff, and will soon be making lists of what to pack and researching places that might have vacancies once we arrive. We really don't need anything fancy...just clean and with running water.
*sighs* Maybe I can forgo going into Legoland with them. I can stay at the hotel or drive around the area and sight see or sit on the beach while they play, and save the admission and meal prices of a place I really have no desire to go to again. (Though I do enjoy Sea World, so it we go there, I'm in.)
Keep us in your thoughts, since we're driving, and send good vibes our way.
Also, if you're a ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif) chaos_cube player, ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) lai_lore is in charge. Play nice, and don't make her pull this game over!
Jul. 30th, 2008 @ 11:30 am
|
| » Stuff you probably don't care about... |
|---|
So...I have been feeling kind of BLEH all week, and no matter how much sleep I got, it wasn't enough. I was starting to wonder if my MS was just ganging up on me, and the fatigue was getting out of control again. Then I actually took a moment to think about it.
You know that diet I was on? Well, I hit a plateau, and no matter how much I dieted, I couldn't manage to lose more than twelve pounds. Twelve pounds is nice, but when your goal is thirty pounds, that ain't gonna cut it. So--and this will sound weird--I went off my diet for a week. I have found in the past, that when I hit a point where the weight just isn't coming off, I can trick my body by gaining a pound or two, then picking up my diet again. I don't know why this works for me, but it does.
Now that I'm thinking about it, though, the point where I stopped paying attention to what I was eating was pretty much the point where I started to feel tired all the time. I am hoping that it's just my body's way of saying, "Hey, Stupidhead! Quit eating unhealthy crap!"
Today, I resumed my healthy eating, and took two diet pills. Yes, I know that diet pills are not the answer to losing weight. I usually take one a day to help keep me awake when I am feeling fatigued, not for weight loss. I find it works fairly well to keep me from taking more than one nap a day, if any. The two diet pills had me jittery and bouncing off the walls for a couple of hours, but I have not taken a nap. Usually I feel the need to crash at about 3:30 in the afternoon, and it is now almost five. Go me!
If you have read this far, then you must be truly, truly bored. My condolences.
Anyway, that is pretty much my life in a nutshell, today. That, and I forgot my phone at my sister's house last night, and had to drive twenty miles to fetch it today. Yeah, I'm on a roll.
Randomly, if Star Wars was made during the Renaissance, it would look like this!
My personal favorite is Darth Vader crossing the Delaware.
Jul. 21st, 2008 @ 04:56 pm
|
| » (No Subject) |
|---|
Congratulations to two lovely people on their marriage! Here's to the beginning of a new adventure! Cheers!
Jul. 19th, 2008 @ 05:12 pm
|
| » (No Subject) |
|---|
Amy: So...they just found out that dinosaurs became extinct because of lung cancer.
Robert: **looks skeptical**
Amy: Yeah, see, there was this prehistoric tobacco that grew all over the place...the herbivores ate it, and it was all good...until the drought. All that tobacco dried up, and then a lightning strike started a huge fire, burning it all up. The dinosaurs couldn't help but breathe it in...and that was all she wrote.
Robert: ...
Is that for real?
I love messing with my kids' heads.
Jul. 18th, 2008 @ 04:24 pm
|
| » Stuff and stuff. |
|---|
I have been sleeping terribly lately, and last night was the worst. I knew I was forgetting something important today. Almost as soon as I said to myself, "I'm forgetting something," my phone rang and the boys' scout leader was on the other end reminding me that there was a huge Cub Scout thing today that I had volunteered to help out with.
I jammed on shoes and gathered my boys and headed out within minutes, and didn't get home until about an hour ago. We went to tour the fire station, then went to the library next door to show the kids how to use the computer catalog system to find books, and how to use an almanac.
After that there was root beer floats, then a first aid lesson, then science. All in all, they earned, or made inroads to earning four or five 'badges' which aren't really badges. They earn belt loops and pins, instead. Same concept, though. It tired me out, and it must have tired out Jared too, since he's passed out cold on the couch. I hope he just sleeps through the night, or he'll be up and bouncing around when I want to sleep.
Other than that, there isn't much to report. I've got PTO stuff to take care of this week, and meeting on Friday to try to outline the happenings for PTO for the coming year. I've got to switch bank accounts, order a pencil machine, and try to get magnets made with important school numbers and such...all hopefully in hand by the first day of school. I also need to order more t-shirts. Gah! I need to get a move on with that!
Hopefully my head doesn't explode before the school year even starts. Wish me luck.
Jul. 14th, 2008 @ 07:43 pm
|
| » spam folder gems |
|---|
Girl found with arms cut off, police investigate - This company's stock is projected to grow approximately 340-360& in price in the next few months
This is your personal rights - Your dream will come true now, upsizing is available for all manhoods.
Beer found to fight aging - Beehive drops on 12 year old, resulting in horror injuries. (I have no idea how these two are related, but I was amused)
Silence of the loins (Oh, good! I hate noisy loins!)
Degree, Bacheelor, MasteerMBA & PhDD available in the field of your choice that's right, you can even become a Doctor and receive all the benefits that comes with it!
what a stupid face you have here aisforamy (I think this one was an ad for replica watches, but is this really how they want to try to get me to visit their site?)
Lakers totally owned by Celtics - Rated #1 Men's Supplement of 2007 - Discover the secrets here (This sounds SO WRONG.)
Jul. 11th, 2008 @ 10:27 am
|
| » Meme |
|---|
01. Bold what's true.
02. Leave plain what's false.
03. Add one of your own at the end.
( super long meme of super longness )
Jul. 6th, 2008 @ 08:54 pm
|
| » *is jealous* |
|---|
I took my sister out car shopping yesterday, and though she had no intention of actually purchasing a vehicle so much as checking out her options. Then we stopped at a Toyota dealership, and I spotted a Prius that the salesman didn't even know was there...none of the salesmen did.
Apparently the deal fell through for the guy who had ordered it, and it had just been put on the floor. According to the salesmen, there is a three month wait to get a Prius, because of their popularity, and it's basically unheard of to just walk into a dealership and find one. While they were figuring out if my sister could afford it, two other sets of people came in wanting to buy it. Less than three hours from walking in the door, to walking out with the keys!
It really is an adorable car, and I am WAY jealous. It's a hybrid, and it gets FIFTY miles to the gallon!!
After that, we drove it to my other sister's house where my BIL drooled all over it, and then we went to see WALL*E (which was good, but really heavy handed on the moral of the story throughout), then we went to Dave & Busters and drank a couple of Long Island Iced Teas and played games until midnight.
All in all, a good day.
Today is a trip to the bead store that's having a big sale, then house cleaning and tons of laundry, now that my husband fixed the dryer.
I will try to catch up on any tags I owe anyone, and will talk to you all later!
**HUGS**
Jun. 29th, 2008 @ 10:38 am
|
| » need a laugh? |
|---|
Check out these stupid answers to questions on Family Feud. I got a good laugh out of a lot of them.
Jun. 26th, 2008 @ 02:49 pm
|
| » Triumph! |
|---|
I bought three DVDs today at the bargain price of $7 each. I don't know why I didn't own them all before, and decided to remedy that problem immediately. And so, I now have in my collection, Lost Boys, Ghostbusters and Better Off Dead.
I feel much better now.
Jun. 23rd, 2008 @ 08:10 pm
|
| » I'm a shark! |
|---|
I'm Amy and
I'm a Hammerhead Shark.
Jun. 23rd, 2008 @ 11:52 am
|
|
|