Day 10 and 11/11/11

Last night I was so tired that I started posting day 10 of my thankfulness series and ended up pushing the save button instead of "publish"....so today is two for one day on my blog! :D

November 10th.  Today I am thankful for working with several amazing women.  Granted, everywhere you go in life there is going to be some "drama" where you work, especially when you work with a lot of women, or in my case, only women.  There have been some very tough times at my school involving "dramatic" or at a minimum, drama loving women.  But these days the mix is getting better.  Less drama, more camaraderie......more dancing and less standoffishness.  I have always gone through life trying to help anyone when they needed a hand, offering a smile and hello when people pass me by...but the older I get the more I learn that apparently I am one of those rare people.  For a while it felt like I was outnumbered by more negative attitudes than positive attitudes where I work and honestly, that's not healthy for anyone, especially where I work, around children!  No one picks up on feelings more than children.  You could be smiling and THINK you are acting normal and then one of your students comes up to you and says, "Mrs. Jessica, what's wrong?" Somehow they know....children ALWAYS know.  If you think your child can't sense when you are stressed out, or if something is going wrong with you, your family or household, you are very wrong.  That's another post though....

At any rate, what I am getting at here is, there's more sunshine than rain lately around our school and it truly makes my life and my job a whole lot easier.  To Thuy, Aleta and Melissa....I'm so thankful that I work with such wonderful women as you.  Now if ONLY one of my dearest friends Caitlin could be working with me again, that would make my life complete.  But she and I have future plans as far as THAT is concerned. ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 11th.  On this magical day 11/11/11, I am thankful for the wonderful, life changing music of Death Cab for Cutie (DCFC.)  Tonight I partook in one of my favorite pastimes.  I drove around in my car, playing my favorite tunes and singing along, loud and long.  This is my therapy.  This is how I unwind.  This is how I get pumped up for something.  This is my me time.  This is how I re-center myself after long weeks, like this one.  I discovered DCFC when I was 23 and to this day I am thankful to the person who introduced me to them.  Even though I no longer am in touch with that person for many reasons, I still think of them and that part of my life where I really began to find myself.  DCFC is sort of the soundtrack to myself since those days, and continues to be today as I approach my 27th birthday, in about one month.  This may sound far fetched to some people who read this, but I have a connection, story or vivid memory associated with each of DCFC's songs and I go to each song in turn at a moment, day or period of my life when I need to reconnect with that version of myself from back then in order to be....here.....now.  Thank you Death Cab.

Day 9....Thankful I'm a teacher

November 9th.  Today I am thankful for people who recognize the hard work I do with my students and the difference I try to make each day.  Being a teacher (and especially one who works in child care) you usually catch a lot more flack for what you didn't do or what you didn't do "right" (in the opinion of the parent) than you do thanks or appreciation, let alone compliments.  I'm not saying I need praise every time I turn around.  I mean after all, I TEACH three year olds....I'm not the three year old. :)

But nonetheless, it's still nice to be validated every once in a while, especially when you think the day is going particularly poorly.

Well today I had an observer in my classroom who saw the good I try to do each day and with just a few sentences, gave my spirits a lift they greatly needed.

Right now I have a class of 15 children.  11 boys and 4 girls.  Needless to say it gets a little crazy! On top of that I have one child with autism and 2 children whose native languages are not English.  They are a great group of kids but they can be more than a handful at times to say the least.  So often I feel like all I do for 8 hours a day is "put out fires" and that I never actually teach them anything.  I know that's not true but it can still get disheartening and frustrating at times.  Especially with Vinnie being gone, it's hard to have a tough day at school and come home to only my husbands face on the webcam instead of having his loving arms to hold me like I'm used to.  But I digress.....

So this very nice observer, who was here to do some evaluations on "Johnny," whom I've previously mentioned in my posts, spoke to me when she was done observing and told me what a wonderful classroom I have and what excellent listeners the children are and that the environment both physical and climate wise has an excellent feeling in it and she wishes she saw more rooms like mine and teachers like me.    She also praised me for what an excellent job I had done in helping create and foster such a positive and supportive environment for Johnny, and the other students, to learn and grow in.  She had no prior information about Johnny and said that as far as she could see as an unbiased observer, he fit in perfectly with his peers and seemed to listen well and be very happy in his surroundings.

As she was telling me this I had several children putting books on their heads and yelling at each other and doing all sorts of things that were not something I wanted anyone to walk in my room and observe.  I thanked her for her compliments and I apologized for their rowdiness to which she replied, "I taught Sunday school for over 15 years and I could never manage to do as well as you do with them.  I can tell they are all happy, well cared for and well taught children who love their teacher very much.  Thank you for allowing me to come into your room today....it's been such a pleasure."  I have never been so touched by a stranger in all my life and her words were truly humbling.  This was God's way of reminding me that what I am doing is making a difference....no matter how hard the days may get, or no matter how many times I have to stop my kids for hitting each other, throwing sand or crying because the coveted "red bike" is being used currently.  For all of the above, I am so thankful.

Day 8 of giving thanks

To continue on with yesterday's post, I am now on track to do my daily "thankful" post for the rest of this wonderful month!  These posts will be short, but sweet......which will be a nice break for those of you who do read my blog.....since my posts are usually juuuuust a tad on the longish side....hehehe  :)

November 8th.  Today I am thankful for the wonderful parents of my students.  I teach a little boy who has a mild form of autism and he is such a joy! We'll call him "Johnny."  I tell Johnny's mom all the time that I wish I had a class of full of kids just like him.  He is one of the kindest, most loving and genuine children I have ever had the pleasure to teach and care for.  He is one of those kids that 20 years from now, I will remember clear as a bell.  The fact that he is such a wonderful human being is because he has amazing parents....and I do mean AMAZING! They are the sincerest of people and they take care of everyone whose path they cross.  They want to do right by their children as well as the people who care for and love their children.  I am lucky enough to be one of those people. 

They just found out about Vinnie moving to Idaho for work and are now making it their mission to find him a GOOD job back here in SC.  They have connections with SCANA, SCDOT and one of the chemical engineering plants in Blythewood!  Working at any one of these companies would be a dream come true for me and Vinnie.  In life (and especially in the south, it seems) everything is about connections and this totally applies when looking for work.  Johnny's parent's help could be the answer to our prayers and even if nothing comes of their job hunting and connections for Vinnie, at least I am being reminded of just how kind and wonderful people can be, especially when you need it the most and when you least expect it.  :) 

A month of Thanks-giving

I saw that a Facebook friend of mine has been posting something she is thankful for as her status each day this month.  I really thought the idea was excellent but decided to steal it instead for use on my blog.....

Obviously I am several days behind in starting this new mini project so I am simply going to think back and list the things I was thankful for these past 7 days.  A lot has changed in my life in this first week of November, but I can think back to each of these days and tell you quiet easily what I was most thankful for each day.  If you read my previous post, they should be very easy for you to understand.

November 1st. I am thankful for webcams and Skype so I can see my husband who is now in Idaho for work :(

November 2nd. I am thankful for unlimited mobile to mobile cell phone minutes so that I can keep my husband on the phone all night long and be comforted by the fact that I can hear him snoring, and therefore I know he is sleeping soundly <3

November 3rd. I am thankful for websites like Hulu that allow me and my husband to watch our favorite tv shows together online, which brings smiles and laughter to both of us....which we especially need during this time.

November 4th. I am thankful for the love and support of my mother and my dear friends who got me through my first week of Vinnie's absence.  I am so blessed to have such an amazing mother who always knows the right things to say, and friends who can give me a hug over the phone, just as well as if they were standing right next to me.

November 5th. I am thankful for hot chocolate and whipped cream and how it always comforts me on cold mornings when I am alone or sad or both.

November 6th. I am thankful impromptu coffee dates with longtime friends. (Hugs to my girl Ashley!)

November 7th.  I am thankful for holiday scented potpourri tarts that make my room smell like Christmas and warm my heart while my love is away...

I know some of those things might be random, but the point of this whole exercise (in my opinion anyway) is to remind us all, that no matter what is happening in our lives right now, we all have things to be thankful for....and it's remembering to stop and be thankful that is most important of all, during this time of year, and the whole year through.

A hot cocoa kind of morning

Well, I'm finally back on my blog and thank goodness because a lot has been going on and I need to get it all out on "paper".....

 Friends, it's one of those mornings where hot chocolate is just the cure for what ails you.  In my case there are several things ailing me but I am doing my best to stay strong, and more importantly, stay thankful for the recent blessings we have been given.  Unfortunately, one of our big recent blessings involved my sweet husband moving clear across the country to, of all places.......Idaho. 

Yes, yes....it finally happened.  My husband got a job working for Motive Power, an electric train company. He is working on a 6 month contract for a client in AUSTRALIA who is buying a TON of trains from Motive for Sydney.  His hiring and moving all happened in the course of one week, and that's why I'm sitting here drinking hot cocoa and marshmallows from my "Tortugas' Lie" mug, missing my husband very badly on our first weekend apart since almost 2 years ago.  Quite frankly, it sucks.  But I learned a long time ago as a little girl that hot cocoa makes you body and soul feel better when you are down.  The mug I'm using? It's from one of me and Vinnie's favorite restaurants in the Outer Banks of NC.....which is where we went for our honeymoon and our first anniversary.  So each sip I take I can reflect on all those wonderful memories we have together from that special piece of the world.  

The great thing about this all is that, in the next few weeks, thanks entirely to Vinnie's new job, my family will be financially stable again.  This is huge as my mother and father are still looking for jobs and not having as much luck as I would have thought......but we all know how the economy and job market are these days, so I shouldn't be surprised.  The not so great thing about his new job is that first of all, it starts off as a 6 month contract with no guarantee that it will continue and be permanent after that, which quite frankly is FINE because there is NO WAY I want to move to Idaho- no offense to anyone who is from there.  Of course it only being temporary meant there was no logical way that I could quit my job and go with him.  I had to make sure I kept things financially stable at home so that when his job ends, we still have steady money coming in.  The other not so good thing about his new job?  They aren't keeping him busy. Now see me, I'm fine sitting behind a desk not doing anything all day long....I could be happy like that.....but not Vinnie.  He is an engineer and for those of you who have engineer friends or family you will know EXACTLY what I mean when I say "he's an engineer."  Engineers by nature must keep busy and keep their minds active to be truly happy and fulfilled.  The last 2 jobs Vinnie has had were contract jobs like this one and BOTH of them promised lots of work and good training for anything he didn't know how to do.  Guess what.....neither one delivered on either count, and it's turning out that this new job is the same song and dance.  So not only is he across the country and away from everyone he knows and loves, but his job isn't even turning out to be what was promised.  

It's so hard for me to be apart from him and I won't get to see him until a few days before Christmas, but I am trying to be strong for the both of us.  I know the last thing he needs is me being mopey and tearful when we talk.  I'm nothing if not a good wife.  In fact, I'm going to go ahead and brag on myself and say I'm a GREAT wife (Vinnie would back me up on this) and a great wife lets her husband knows how much he is loved and missed BUT still supports him in everything he does and does so happily.  So that's what I'm doing.  Supporting him, loving him, missing him and keeping my tears to myself.  He is continuing to look for something back here in SC or in the nearby vicinity.  Even if he could find something within say a 4 hour radius of Columbia, that would make it much more manageable.  So he will keep working and doing the best job he can in Idaho, and I will keep working and doing my best back here in Columbia, and we will get our life and our families life in financial order and be grateful for this recent blessing that God has given us.  

And of course.....I will keep drinking my hot cocoa and count down the days til I see my beautiful, sweet, loving husband again.  

Goodbye Steve Jobs.....

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. There is no reason not to follow your heart. "
Steve Jobs

Being an "iPhoner" like many of you out there.....I was very saddened when I heard of Steve Jobs' passing this week.  I wanted to write a post to talk about why I was so sad about about how Apple and he touched my life.  

This morning however, I was going to the Apple website to learn more about the newest iPhone (the 4GS) when I got this greeting on the homepage....

When I clicked this image, I was taken to a screen and shown this message....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here in black and white was an invitation for me to share my thoughts about this wonderful man, and so the following text is the email that I sent.....



"Subject: My friend Apple...


Dear Apple and friends,

My name is Jessica Lopez.  I'm 26 years old from Columbia, SC.  I own the iPhone 3GS, as do my husband and my mother.  I purchased them each the iPhone 3GS last Christmas and they are avid users like myself.

My first encounter with Steve Jobs and Apple was back in 2007 when the original iPhone came out.  I was a senior in college at the time taking classes for my BA in Education.  I had always loved technology....gadgets, gizmos, computers, etc., but the iPhone was something that was so futuristic I was almost a bit nervous about getting one.  Would I be able to understand how to operate it?  Surely something with that much technology and capability crammed inside it would be difficult to understand how to use.....

But my mother saw the commercial for it and said, "I bet you want one of those..." to which I told her, "I don't know.....I don't think I need something that does all that..."  At this point, I honestly didn't know too much about the iPhone but later that day I sat down and pulled up Steve Jobs' keynote address about the iPhone on the Apple website.  I was instantly taken with Steve's charismatic personality and his enthusiasm to share this great new piece of technology, that today has truly changed the world.

As I watched Steve talk about the iPhone, all the things it could do, and the technology behind it, I felt like I was just hanging out with Steve and that he was talking to me as a friend, not a consumer.  He never talked about the iPhone with cockiness.  There was no air of "look how great I am" to the way he spoke.  Instead of his keynote address coming off as "Look what we made....aren't I amazing....blah blah blah," it just felt like you were listening to a regular guy, and basically all he was doing was sharing some exciting news with you.  It was like he was saying "Hey! Look at this! Isn't this neat.....I'm so glad I could tell you about it."  I don't know what was more fun for me.....watching the keynote address and getting excited myself about the iPhone, or watching Steve be like a kid on Christmas sharing his excitement about sharing this new creation with the world. 

Well, needless to say I saved up that summer and was in line when the first iPhone came out.  I stood in line for over 4 hours and paid $600 for the original iPhone and it was worth every penny and every bit of stiffness from standing in line.  

A few years later, I upgraded to the 3GS and have loved it so much.  I was married last May to my husband Vinnie and for our first Christmas as husband and wife, I bought him a 3GS, to which he is now addicted. We are truly an iPhone family :)

I plan to upgrade to the iPhone 5 when it comes out.....but it won't be the same without Steve.  Every keynote address he has done for the new versions of the iPhone, the software updates, the iPad and so on, I have watched.  Each time I sat down with a snack and something to drink to hang out with my friend, Apple....Steve Jobs.

You will be missed Mr. Jobs....you were a brilliant man and your spirit and enthusiasm will live on in this world.....my iPhone and I will make sure of it.  

With love from,

Jessica Lopez and family"

I encourage my fellow "iPhoners" to speak your piece about what Apple and Steve Jobs means to you.

Saving the word, one turtle at a time!

*Cue the superhero music*   (Reptile Rescue 101)

We <3 turtles.  We are more in love with sea turtles, but all God's children are created equal, and so the same applies to turtles.  

Yesterday, I was driving Vinnie and I back home from his job (hence the Moe's shirt) when I saw something in the road.  When I got closer I saw it was a turtle and of course I switched lanes to go around it.  For those of you who live here or did live here, we were driving down the Trenholm Road extension, hence us naming the turtle "Trenhy."  For those of you who don't know the area, the extension in a 4 lane road with a large safety island.  It's quite a wide stretch of road and this turtle was crossing at a part of the road that is just over a hill, so anyone coming over it may or may not see a small reptile, such as this one, trying to to follow in the chicken's footsteps.  Stupid chicken.... :P

So after I drove around the turtle and headed a few more blocks toward home I said, "awwww man, I'm going to be so sad if we come back later and find that little guy squished!" And Vinnie said, "well what are you waiting for!? Turn us around and I'll go get him!"  :) I love my husband.  

One U-turn and a left turn later, I am parked in the safety island with our flashers on, handing Vinnie two grocery bags as gloves to go get the turtle, reminding him to please NOT get hit by a car in the process of saving our little be-shelled friend.  Vinnie successfully got the turtle and placed him off the road, back in the direction he was coming from...(silly men)...and so I hollered out, "um, wasn't his head going the other way?"  To which my dear, sweet and somewhat unobservant husband replies, "yeah....he was walking that way" and points in the opposite direction of where he placed the turtle. *mentally smacking myself in the head with my hand*  I now yell back over the roar of traffic, "don't you think we should take him the way  he was going so he doesn't try this whole 'crossing the road thing' again?"  *Vinnie gets that 'lightbulb over the head' look on his face and goes "oh yeah! good idea!" smiles at me and goes and gets the turtle, which he then brings over and I take this picture below right after we named him.  Of course at this point, this turtle is so far in his shell, all you can see are the very tips of his front feet....but I assure you he was very much alive and in there.  If I were a turtle, I would hide from me too. :) 

Vinnie and "Trenhy" the turtle

After the naming and the picture taking, Vinnie ran across the other 2 lanes of traffic and walked a few yards into the wooded area where we presumed Trenhy was heading.  It was a wonderful experience for us to share....a good teamwork exercise for us.  If I do say so myself, Vinnie and I make a wonderful team in everything we do......and now I guess we can add "saving turtles" to that list. 

Good luck Trenhy.....you are one fine reptile...

***On a quick and final sidenote, GO GAMECOCKS!  I'm glad we are 4-0 in the season, but I would be more glad if Garcia would stop making stupid choices, and I would be even MORE glad if we could clone Lattimore and let him play every position on the team.....just saying ;) ***

Mac & Cheese please!

I  have the world's BEST macaroni and cheese recipe EVER!  I'm not bragging I swear.  If you have eaten it, and many of you who are reading this blog post have, you will know I speak the truth.

Several dear friends of mine, who have recently moved to NC and TX, have been asking me for weeks (okay maybe months) to please send them this recipe.  So Caitlin, Nancy and George....this post's for you!  

But I figured I may as well share the love with everyone else while I'm at it. 

A little history behind this deelish dish:  

My dear friend and "other mother" as I call her, Karen, gave me this recipe about 2 years ago when I started down the road of "homemaker/wife/chef/etc).  It is her great grandmother's recipe, which makes it at least 50 years old.  It certainly has stood the test of time.  This is my favorite mac and cheese in the WORLD and I am picky about my mac.  Guess you could say I'm a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to comfort food.  Don't even get me started on mashed potatoes and gravy.....we could be here ALL day! 

On to the dish!  This following is the exact original recipe but I put a little bit of my own spins on it, as any good chef does.  My spins on the various parts of this dish will be in parentheses.  I hope you enjoy it.  

Fall is the perfect time to make mac & cheese for someone you love, or yourself. <3

World's Best Macaroni and Cheese:

Cook 1.5 cups of elbow macaroni (I use straight cut macaroni, but you can also use penne) in lightly salted boiling water til tender. Drain and set aside.  

In a large saucepan, melt 3 TBS of butter, then using a wooden spoon, blend in 2 TBS of all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt and a few dashes of pepper (to your taste).  If you use salted butter, leave out the 1/2 tsp of salt.

Add 2 cups of milk (you can use any milk you like, I always use 1 cup skim milk and 1 cup heavy cream, if I have it on hand....yes, this dish is fat free! haha) cook and stir constantly until THICK and BUBBLY.  

DO NOT WALK AWAY AT THIS STEP!  Yes, it's going to take a while for that cold milk to get hot and do it's magic in the pot to make this sauce, but I am telling you, the minute you turn your back it will scorch and you will be sad....and so will I.  Yes, I will know when  you are making this dish and I will know if you walk away.  I have a 6th sense about this dish.  Don't disappoint me! :) The mixture should coat the back of the wooden spoon and when you run your finger along the back, it should leave a distinct line.  

Now add 12 slices (8 oz) of processed American cheese singles (stacked and cubed).  Yes, good old Kraft (or generic) cheese singles.  You could use more expensive cheese or sharp cheddar if you wanted, but trust me, it tastes best with the Kraft singles.  That's the way Karen's grandmother intended it to be.....and once you taste this dish, you will see why.  Stir all the cheese in until melted and fully incorporated, then mix the sauce with the pasta and pour it into a 1.5 quart glass baking dish (then I like to top it with Italian seasoned breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs) and bake at 350 F degrees for 35-40 min or until browned at the edges and bubbly.  Serve!  

NOTE:  This recipe "serves 6" but I almost always make a double batch.  It reheats well, but I doubt there will be any left unless you are only making this for yourself.  I used to make this often to take to my neighbors for dinner and there were 5 of us.  I always made the double batch which is supposed to "serve 12".....and there was maybe a small corner left each time after we ate it.  For quick reference, I have written just the ingredient list below.  Cut and paste the instruction for this post into a word document and you will be all set! Happy Cooking and Happy Fall! 

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups macaroni (or similar pasta)

3 TBS butter

2 TBS AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

2 cups of milk (or similar combination of milk and cream)

12 slices (8 oz) processed American cheese slices

1-1.5 cups breadcrumbs for topping (if desired) 

1.5 quart baking dish (or a 3 quart dish if you double the recipe)

xoxo

J Lo

What's shakin' bacon?

Hello everyone!
I am kicking myself in the butt for not writing a post for almost a MONTH! Jeeeeze!  Oh well....I shall forgive myself for being lame and move on.

So things have been shaking pretty okay as of late. Vinnie just started working at Moe's Southwest Grill (WELCOME TO MOE'S!) this week and he is enjoying it so far and doing well.  We are so grateful to finally have extra income so we don't have to panic every month about which bills get paid and which don't.
Thank you God!  :D

You know that old adage?...."When it rain's it pours?"....well that usually is used in reference to hard times, BUT today I am using it in the good sense.  For those of you who don't know, my husband's profession is electrical test engineering.  He used to work for NASA.  Guess you could actually call him a "rocket man." Haha!  At any rate, a golf cart company in Augusta,  GA called him this week and he wound up getting a phone interview with the company on Thursday.  It went EXTREMELY well and they said they would call him back within a week to set up an in person interview in GA.  They got back to him in a week alright.....they called him the NEXT day!  :))))  He has an in person interview with the company on Monday afternoon and they are SUPER excited about (hopefully) hiring him!

My husband is a very smart man and while I am just as proud of him working at Moe's as I was when he worked for NASA.......I want him to have a job that makes use of his amazing skills and talents and challenges his mind.  He needs that to be happy.  Me, I'm perfectly happy sitting home reading a book all day.....please don't challenge my mind anymore than that!  I'm good! lol

Back to Vinnie......please say some prayers, send some good vibes or just clink your morning coffee in a toast of good luck to my sweet husband for his interview Monday.  It would be such a wonderful and amazing blessing if he gets this job in GA.  Plus....we wouldn't have to move from SC!  It's about an 1.5 hour drive one way to where he would work, but he said he used to drive that far for a job he had when he worked in TX, so if he is willing to drive each day, that's fine by me!

Things are looking up for us.....and I hope, whoever you are reading my wandering thoughts on this day, that things in your life are looking up for you too.

xo
Jessica

A preschool teacher's mantra...

So, lately I have been finding myself saying certain things over and over to my class of 3 year olds.  Things that are obvious facts, but yet seem to elude them for some reason.  If you work with kids, you know very well that nagging them to death by saying "don't do this" or "don't do that" doesn't get you very far and they begin to tune you out after they hear you say "stop hitting your friends" for the umpteenth time. 


Therefore, I have started speaking to them about certain things by making simple statements such as "shoes are not toys" when they put their shoes on and off and on and off and ON AND OFF AND OOOOON AND OOOOFF for the millionth time that day.  If you are teacher, the following list of things I say EVERYDAY (at least twice a day) will probably not surprise you......but if you don't work with kids, your jaw might just hit the keyboard.  At the very least, everyone should get a laugh out of reading the following...gotta laugh to make it through the day after all...


1) Things that are not FOOD:  Clothes are not food....you are not a goat.  Scissors are not food.....are you TRYING to hurt yourself!  Plastic hammers are not food....your teeth are not nails, therefore, there is no reason to put that in your mouth.  Shoelaces are not food...put them in your mouth again and I will take your laces...and your shoes.  Your blanket is not food....we just had lunch, you shouldn't be hungry and AGAIN, you are not a goat.  


2) Things that are not TOYS:  The edge you tore off the bag of your goldfish crackers is not a toy....please don't blow it across the table onto your friends- throw it in the trash where it won't get you in trouble.  Nap cots are not toys....don't you remember last week when you jumped on it like that and you got a bruise the size of an orange when you fell? Hmmmm??? Don't cha?!  The water cooler is not a toy....if you push the button on it just to watch the water flow like a waterfall, you are still going to have to clean it up and you are not going to get any water to drink.  Woodchips (on the playground) are not toys.....getting splinters isn't very much fun for you, or for me when I have to remove them and you won't hold still and just keep wiggling around like a worm.


3) Things that are not HATS:  Library books are not hats....your hair does not have eyes.  Your lunch plate is not a hat.....last time I checked, macaroni and cheese sauce wasn't shampoo.  Cups are not hats...no, I'm not really sorry your hair is wet...it was about 5 drops of milk, it will dry...you made the choice to put in on your head...there are consequences for your actions.


What can I say....I tell it like it is, and in return, I get a whole bunch of silly turkeys that make me crazy and make me happy all at the same time.  And sometimes, I even get something really special in return for all my zaniness, like today's "Profound Preschool" quote of the day.. From "Alvin" age 3....after I got through explaining that our smile was the shape of a crescent, and I told everyone to show me a "smiley face"..."Alvin" said..."Mrs. Jessica....smiley faces, well, they just don't have hands...(pregnant and thoughtful pause).....or knees..."  ***Mrs. Jessica laughing out loud and almost ROFL - FOR REAL*** 


Moments like that make it all worth while.  


Peace out from the preschool teacher who is TRYING to be like Mary Poppins....practically perfect in every way.  <3

What's the word?

Well the word is I haven't been on in a while to write and here's why.....


Some jobs I had recently applied for fell through, and that was hard for me to come to terms with.  Every time I get turned down for or from a job interview, I always get discouraged and feel like things will never change for me.  But I know that is not true, and my friends and family helped me refocus on that fact and move forward.  


The next thing that happened was that my father lost his job about 3 weeks ago.  That was scary, but it appears he will be okay (thanks to savings and social security) but he wants to work for a few more years anyway.  He has so many skills and such a great work record, that I'm sure he find something soon.


As if that wasn't enough, it came to pass about 2 weeks ago that my mother thought she might be losing her job. I thought that couldn't possibly happen since she had been working for nearly 4 years at the child development center she worked at.  Her parents loved her. NAEYC and ECERS were ALWAYS taken to her room when they came for visits and her work record was implacable.  She came in early, stayed late and often didn't get lunch, nor did she complain.  Well wouldn't you know it. All that hard work, time, dedication and care didn't account for anything apparently.  She lost her job this past Friday.


My husband, as many of you know, is still unemployed.  NASA all but "shutting down" didn't exactly help all the already unemployed people in his field.


At this moment.....I am the only one in my family who has a job.  And yet the student loan people who call me at 6am.....all the way until 10pm tell me they are "so sorry for my situation, but they have no more deferment or forbearance options"....despite the fact that my income places my husband and myself BELOW the poverty level.  


So.....needless to say my blog, which I love writing on, has not been the first thing on my mind as of late.  Yet, I promise you I am not here to complain or get a "pity party."  I just need to get all these worries and troubles off my chest and out of my hands and into this post.  


I can't help but feel, despite this scary place we are at right now, that God has something wonderful in store for us.  He knows all. He is great!  God has blessed me with a job when I could have none.  He has blessed me with my health.  He has blessed me with my wonderful, loving husband.  He has blessed me with dear true life-long friends and "soul sisters" who make bearing these burdens possible.  He has blessed me with my faith.  I will keep that faith and trust in Him to take care of what I cannot and to trust that I can handle what He gives me.  


Someone I work with is celebrating 15 years of being in remission from breast cancer.  I need to stop and remember that when everything seems hopeless, it could be a LOT worse.


This economy has made things hard for many people.  I have been lucky that my family has been overall, unaffected, until this month.  Things will get better again.  Things will be BETTER than before...  :D

It's the climb...

Trust30 post for the day...

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write down a major life goal you have yet to achieve or even begin to take action on. For each goal, write down three uncertainties (fears) you have relating to each goal. Break it down further, and write down three reasons for each uncertainty. When you have three reasons for your fear, you’ll be able to start processing the change because you know where the fear stems from. Now you’ll be able to make a smaller changes that push you towards your larger goal. So begins the process of “trusting yourself.”

Life goal: Become a world class chef and end up on the Food Network

Uncertainties: 

1) That I won't follow through with the basic training I need to be a high caliber chef 

Reasons for this "uncertainty" : a) because I often start projects I am passionate about but I either loose interest, get distracted or do not have the time to devote to it and so I move on to the next "thing."  b) because I may have to go outside of South Carolina to get the necessary training and experience needed to become a master chef. c) because I won't have the support I need from those around me to commit to the grueling task of culinary school or another form of similar training.  Not that they wouldn't "support" me per say, just that, we usually just try to keep our heads above water these days and get by during these very hard economic times....so if right now, today, this veeeeeeery second I said, "Hey! I wanna go to culinary school and take over the world one crème brulee at a time...," I'm not certain how much approval/support it would receive. 

2) That I won't have the financial means to being pursuing this dream

Reasons for this "uncertainty" : a) because while we have always had enough to make it by, and truly I am grateful for this and I know I am extremely blessed, we have never had any extra money to throw around for "dreams."  It doesn't help that the economy and my husband's high education and experience level are keeping him unemployed.  It also doesn't help that the one industry, teaching, which was supposed to ALWAYS need people, hasn't been hiring in this state for over 3 years thus leaving me working in a day care where I make about one-third the pay I should be making.  I know one day things will get better.  That I will get a job that pays me the salary I deserve.  That my dear, sweet, hard working husband will become employed again and our lives and finances will become much more stable.  b) Even then though, I'm afraid we are going to have so much credit card debt and ever looming student loan debt, that we will still be in pretty much the same rut.  I need to think positively and I am honestly not a pessimist....just a realist.  If you don't expect too much out of life, you can't get too disappointed.  c) because when and if we ever have the money for me to purse the beginnings of this dream, I might be so happy to be financially secure that I wind up spending the extra money I could use on this dream, on other things that we want and need and will now finally be able to afford.   

3) That I won't have the necessary time to put in to educate myself further on "food"

Reasons for this "uncertainty" : a) because I already feel like I never seem to have "enough time to do the things I wanna do once I find them" (to quote Jim Croce, "Time in a bottle") and there are SO many things that I love to do already and still want to do, that I don't know how I could ever make myself focus on just this one thing, even it is what I love the most.  b) if I decide to pursue this dream, what else is going to suffer by the wayside?  Will it be something far more important like friends and family and my teaching career, which will probably be still supporting us mainly.  I can't see myself ever pushing away people in my life in order to purse this "food star," or any dream...but sometimes it's a necessary evil if you are going to reach your goal 

c) I already have a lot on my plate these days with friends and family and all kinds of other things that fall on my shoulders, I just feel that at the end of the day after taking care of all that, I won't want to or care to go practice my julienne cuts and other knife skills or successful creations of gastriques.....I will mostly likely want to sit and do nothing and simply clear my head.  However, no one can reach their goals without getting off their butts and doing something.  Dreams are not handed to us on a nice silver platter....just watch any Disney film to see how true THAT is! Haha!

So what I have learned from all this is?  That I have nothing to fear but fear itself.  Thank you FDR.  I guess there is always something you can tell yourself as an excuse to avoid doing something you love.  In my case my fears of lack of money, time and support in pursuing a culinary path.  

Much love...

Too distracted to make sense...

So, it appears I  haven't posted since the 17th, but I thought it was longer than that so I don't feel too "guilty"....for lack of a better word.

At any rate, I was sitting down with some of my saved Trust30 challenge prompts, but I just couldn't really wrap my mind around ANY of them tonight!  This day was pretty unproductive and I'm mad at myself for not getting more accomplished.  I didn't really have any set projects or chores that HAD to be completed, but I got up late, ran an errand to the grocery store, came back home and feel asleep until 5pm.  Guess I needed the rest, but it just feels like a waste of a Sunday to me. Oh well.

On a positive note, I had a job interview last week and I have another one coming up tomorrow after work.  The job I interviewed for last week was a fantastic fit for me.  It's an early interventionist position (E/I for all your Special Ed. folks out there) with a children's home.  Part of what they do is provide services to low income families and their children in the Columbia area for children ages birth to 5.  The director was AMAZING and the work I would be doing would allow me to really utilize my education, skills and talents.  The interview went well and some follow up that occurred after it gave me a positive indication that I could very well get this position.  I'm hoping to know something tomorrow.  I was very blessed to have one of my best friends Caitlin Merck, my second mother, Karen Zimmerman, and my co-worker, Aleta McKinney to write references for me which they all emailed in the same day I had the interview.  I'm very blessed indeed! <3

The job interview tomorrow I think is going to be a little more intense, and the position itself does not pay much compared to the job I applied for last week.  However, either job would be a blessing as the pay would be increased and my stress level, decreased.  

I am ready to move on from my current job, primarily because I do not feel appreciated at all where I am.  I'm not saying I need a pat on the back every 5 minutes but it is nice to be at least validated on occasion and not just berated for some tiny thing that your boss simply didn't like because she was in a mood that day.  

I recently received a compliment from boss about how well I was monitoring my class of 3 year olds on the playground.  I really didn't know how to respond to her and it occurred to me that this was the first compliment/validation I had received from her the ENTIRE time I have worked there, which has been 1.5 years!  Ridiculous.  So while I have been extremely grateful to have this job during such a hard time in our economy, and while I have loved working with some wonderful children and fellow teachers.....all the other factors weigh more and I am truly hoping this new job that I am waiting to hear back from is it......my ticket out of this current job that beats me down and makes me question my self worth on a regular basis.  I'm ready to work somewhere that I feel a sense of accomplishment each day and where at least sometimes, I am told "well done." 

Wish me luck! I will certainly be letting you know if I get the job.  

Hopefully tomorrow I will have some more words to share.

Thanks for reading!

The "man" in the mirror

Trying to catch up on some blogging from the past few weeks.  Probably will put up more than one post today.  For those of you who read these wanderings in thought.....enjoy. 

Trust30 challenge prompt:
I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Think about the type of person you’d NEVER want to be 5 years from now. Write out your own personal recipe to prevent this from happening and commit to following it. “Thought is the seed of action.”

5 years from now I would not still want to be working at a daycare center, biding my time, and getting so caught up in the routine of working there that I NEVER bothered to doggedly purse a position befitting my experience and credentials.  There are some wonderful women who have been working at this daycare for 5 or more years now and they have become bitter and mixed up in all kinds of crazy drama.  I don't want to end up being one of them.  Frankly, it scares the heck out of me to think that I've been there for OVER a year now.


So here's my recipe for not ending up bitter and caught up in the hamster wheel, if you will, of that place:


5 cups of determination
3 cups of belief (in myself, God, and those who love me and who will help me on my path)
2 cups stick-to-it-ive-ness (hehe)
a large pinch of will power
1 cup of minding my own business (and not being sucked into other's) 
3/4 cup "go with the flow"
1 tbs of laughter (at myself and other....not in a mean way of course)
a dash of humility
a few sprinklings of confidence (but not cockiness)


Mix together gently until well combined.  Place in a sunny window to proof and to PROVE to myself that I can get out of the situation I'm in.  Then bake in a warm oven of support from those around me.  Finish by topping of with a sprinkle of excitement, to get me up and running on my path to success and to being happy and fulfilled with where I am, 5 years from now.


On a small side note......
Oh my GOD! I will be 31 in five years! YIKES!  Let's not get thinking about that just yet....


one thing at a time....

Ordinary is Extraordinary

Finally back to the #trust30 challenge!  Feels good to get back to the blog! :)  Here goes...

"Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are our most potent at our most ordinary. And yet most of us discount our “ordinary” because it is, well, ordinary. Or so we believe. But my ordinary is not yours. Three things block us from putting down our clever and picking up our ordinary: false comparisons with others (I’m not as good a writer as _____), false expectations of ourselves (I should be on the NYTimes best seller list or not write at all), and false investments (it’s all been written before, I shouldn’t bother). What are your false comparisons? What are your false expectations? What are your false investments? List them. Each keep you from that internal knowing about which Emerson writes. Each keeps you from making your strong offer to the world. Put down your clever, and pick up your ordinary.

My False Comparisons: I still find myself comparing my looks to others.  I've honestly never really thought of myself as beautiful, even though now I have a husband who tells me how beautiful I am each day.  I guess it's a woman thing, or maybe some lingering immaturity from my teenage years, but I still can't help when I see a friends  pic on facebook and they are looking really pretty to not hear that little voice inside say to me, "you don't look that good, you never have."  It's really strange to me, because I'm old enough and mature enough to know better- to know that looks don't matter- it's the inside that does, but that's still how I feel nonetheless.  Even when I look at some of my wedding pictures, I'm extremely critical of myself and don't think I look stunning in many of them (and I feel I should look "stunning" since it was my wedding day.)  To be honest, my photographer was AMAZING and I love each and everyone of my over 600 wedding pictures and my conscious mind knows I look KILLER in all of them,  but it's still that damn little voice in my head telling me "nope, still not good enough."  It's something I really need to get over and gain some confidence in.  I used to be really shy when I was younger, and I've gotten over most of that, but I still will find myself hanging back in a crowd and I have to MAKE myself "get in there".....part of that probably came/comes from the insecurity of my looks.  Guess I need to get a little egotistical and start telling myself how "hot" I look each day as a mantra or something.  Hahaha!

My False Expectations: These come in for me in terms of various ideas or "businesses" I've wanted to start at various points in my life.  I wanted to start a "biz" making hand-drawn pins when I was about 13-14.  I made some really awesome ones for a family reunion and got paid for it, but that's kinda where that ended.  When I was about 18 I really got interested in jewelry making and became quite skilled at the craft.  I bought all the tools and supplies and sold my creations at several luncheons for women lawyers (particularly at the holidays) and made a very good profit each time.  I have started writing several books over there years, but never really made any headway with any of them.  See a pattern?  I do! Something in my head always doubts that I can make any of these things succeed and flourish enough to be a "career"...which was my goal (deep down) behind all of these.  This is part of the reason I am being so hard on myself about blogging EVERYDAY!  I want to finally stick with something and see it through for a looooooong time.  

My False Investments:  I'm not really sure what these are for me, but I think they link fairly closely with my "false expectations."  But writing this post I am seeing I need to keep pursing things I want and love to do, even at the risk of these idea every getting big, or making me uber successful.  What matters is that I do what I love and that I love what I do.  If I stay true to that motto, I will go far.