3 months...almost!

Some of you may be wondering how I am liking my new job...  Well, I am here to tell you that I love it!  Sure, there are days when you just want to crawl back into bed and not face the world, but I had those when I was not working at all!  It has nothing to do with middle school or middle school kids!  LOL  I am really enjoying the atmosphere of middle school...  The kids are still hormonal teens with attitudes, and they still give you grief.  But, it is a much younger and still somewhat respectful grief...  The attitude you see is just kids being kids, as opposed to the high school attitude that often stems from their incorrect belief that they are "an adult" despite the way they act and that teachers disrespect them merely by expecting them to work!  LOL

After teaching social studies for years, it is funny to find myself in a mostly MATH classroom every day!  I always said I wasn't a math person, but I find it is not bad...not bad at all!  If I posted this on Facebook, Joy from LHS would "like" it!  The only bad part is trying to make these kids, who struggle daily with math that is far below their grade level, understand that they CAN do it if they patiently try and work to build their skills.  So many of them are frustrated to a point of what seems like no return...  There are times when you sit working one on one with a student in my room and when the bell rings to note that your time is up you just want to give them a hug and tell them to keep trying...it will be fine...  I've got a couple who I know may never get it...may never pass that danged standardized test.  But, they plod ahead day after day with the thought that maybe...just maybe, it will happen.  Some of my kids try soooooo hard but seem to fall flat each time a new skill is introduced.  It was great this week to see a couple of them get to new skills that, when explained better, were concepts that they "got" and could be successful at.  It is awesome to see them smile and say "ohhhhhh, NOW I get it!"

Also on the school front, Matt is loving preK.  He's come so far in this 3 months!  His speech is better.  He is progressing past the not-sharing, getting in arguments at school stage and becoming an easier going kid.  After suffering for so long with the separation anxiety due to being taken from his parent (mommy OR daddy) every 8 weeks for years, his potty training is finally progressing to the point that he can wear undies most of the day.  

Check out his first "school pic" below!

 And the whole class shot!

And, did I mention that I'm the new President for our local GFWC LaBelle Community Woman's Club??? 

The start of a new stage of my life...

3 months again...how does that happen?  LOL

What does that mean--starting a new stage of my life, you may wonder...  Well, after more than 10 years of adult education and advocacy in special education, and 3 years teaching high school history, this year I am switching things up again!  Last Monday, I began the "middle school" phase of my life again!  And, it is at the same middle school I attended as a teen and the same middle school where I did my student teaching all those years ago....well, sort of--the same school but in a newer building at a new site all the way across town!

SO, what is this new middle school phase?  After all those years in advocating for the rights of children with disabilities, I am now a full-time ESE (Exceptional Student Education) teacher for 7th and 8th grade here in LaBelle.  That means that I am the "special ed" teacher for all of our LaBelle Middle School students who have a 504 or IEP (Individualized Education Plan)--whether in an ESE class or not.  I am the one who helps keep up with/monitor their IEPs.  I am the resource room teacher and the one who does the consults on the kiddos who don't spend any time in an ESE classroom, but have special needs.  We had our first round of IEP meetings this week and everything went great!  The Staffing Specialist for our side of the county (the ESE person from the Board of Education) is an old friend and teacher of mine.  She was a science teacher when I was in Middle School.  She was a CHADD member when I founded the first CHADD Chapter of my CHADD career (anybody remember the "duck tape" story?), and she's a great friend and parent of 2 pretty ADHD kiddos...well, young adults!  We've worked together over the last 3 years while I was the "regular education" teacher for lots of children with special needs at the high school.  Now, we'll be working together a bit more and with a new focus--for me at least!

On other fronts, I need to get my butt moving--literally...  I spent too much time on the road and eating out this summer.  I need to lose about 20 pounds to feel the way I used to feel...  I know HOW to do it and I know I have the tools to do it.  What I am lacking is motivation.  Snugly fitting clothes is about to do it though!  I refuse to buy new clothes instead of taking the weight off!  The bike tires are pumped up...I just need to get them rolling!

3 mos again!

Recently, a dear WV friend pointed out to me (by email...) that I hadn't been posting to my blog. Well, all I can say is that life has intervened yet again. My last post was titled, "Has it really been almost 3 mos?" Well, that was in December and here we are almost to March! SO, I guess the same question applies.

Lots of stuff can happen in 3 months time! My weight is up--20 pounds or so more than I want it to be. My comfort zone is in the 205 to 215 range. Moment of truth--the number is more than 235 right now and it is entirely my fault. All those things we learn in the first couple of years postop would do me a world of good right now. Cutting back on the carbs, getting back to high protein, and doing some exercise on a daily basis would help me get right back to where I want to be. My clothes are fitting poorly, so I don't have a choice now. I refuse to buy a new set of clothing in a larger size range! Just NOT going to do it! SO, I got a new bike for my anniversary. I need to actually start riding it though. I live in a rural neighborhood, so no excuse for not walking. The carbs part...not quite so easy to break, but the exercise would certainly help with that too. I did stop by Vitamin Shoppe and stock up on protein bars the other day. I just need to purge the bread from my diet again.... It is awful to know exactly what to do to turn the situation around and to still struggle to find the motivation to DO it!

My grandbaby gets to come home next Saturday! Woohoo!! And, I got him a new bike too, so I'll have the baby wanting to ride as a motivator if nothing else works! He will be SO excited to see that bike! He's only had baby bikes till now and this is definitely a big boy bike!

Hubby is working 3 weeks at a time lately, so he's only home for 3 or 4 days every 2 1/2 to 3 weeks...bummer! And, he spends the first couple of days at home just resting and taking care of honey-dos! This means that more of what needs done around here falls to me. I am also still working full time as a teacher. I have 3 different classes to teach, which means lesson planning for 3 completely different courses. I was told this week that I may get to teach all AP World History next year. That would absolutely rock! 4 sections of the exact same class ALL YEAR LONG! Only one course to prep for is totally awesome, though only a teacher can appreciate it fully... And, AP world history is new to me this year, but I am starting to get in the groove with it and would absolutely love being able to devote all my time to this one course and being able to better develop my ability to teach this one class as opposed to trying to split my time amongst the 3 classes like I'm currently doing. If I want to read something to learn more, I have 3 classes competing for my time...which is most important? What can I read to help me in all 3? This makes it hard to choose!

Mandy is still working, but not going to school. How do you convince someone who graduates with a 3.8 cumulative GPA that they should go to college? We "made" her go for a semester after graduation and she totally blew it off, got all Fs and now has a 0.75 GPA. She had a previous college class as a dual enrollment student, so isn't a total 0.0 GPA. BUT, now she has money to payback in order to retain her scholarship AND she has to go a full semester without Pell grant before she can get it back too. That means paying back about $1200 for the classes she flunked and then managing to go without the help of Pell the first semester back. She gives no sign of any interest in going back yet... UGH! She turned 19 this month and gives NO help at home. We're basically like someplace she rooms for free. She pays no rent, does no chores, helps in no way whatsoever, and we're supposed to provide her a vehicle to run around in as well. NOT!

Eliza will turn 22 next month... She's still taking classes and she is starting to grow up, finally, we think. She's more respectful of what we do for her and for the baby. She is more helpful around home and when a vehicle needs maintenance or repair. She is doing better with helping her grandmother when she needs errands run or just someone to visit with her or ride to a doctor's appointment with her. She's just plain more adult than she's ever been. AND, to top it all off, she and her ex-husband are finally on speaking terms and can have a somewhat adult conversation without him just hanging up on her.... He's got another child already--born in January. Matthew got a little brother in January. Will this make things better? No, probably worse. But, perhaps--with this new focus--things will smooth out a bit on that end of this struggle and we'll get more cooperation. Matthew is supposed to start a 3 year old pre-K in August, but we are waiting to see what his Dad has to say about it...

That is pretty much the state of things here now... I'm going to post a recipe that is actually a repost from at least 2 years ago. This is what we're having for dinner!
Hugs till next time!
Lea

A post WLS first for me....actually, first time in over 25 years!

So, yesterday was a teacher open house day at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL. Teachers who signed up in advance were given free admission to the park for the teacher and one guess, plus free parking (which is $12 normally, by the way). Even as a resident of Florida, admission to BG is still $69! SO, this day was hard to pass up... Hubby and I went and took our oldest with us. She posted to her Facebook that she was having fun with her "parental units!" It is good when your 21 year old child still finds you fun--even if only for brief stints!

I checked in at each of the teacher stations, heard their spiels about the field trip programs they offer for students of different ages, got my sheet stamped... You know the drill! Then, the three of us had the rest of the afternoon to do whatever we wanted in the park. We saw sooooo many different kinds of animals! And, to culminate the events of the day, my daughter and I rode KUMBA! This is a huge, fast, wild roller coaster. It was the first time I'd been on a roller coaster since the summer of 1984! I tell you, it is amazing the things you will do when you weigh 200 pounds that you won't dare try at 400 pounds!

It's Official!

It is official! My baby, Mandy, is now an official graduate of LaBelle High School--with honors! On May 31, 1985, I graduated from LaBelle High School. My graduating class was 85 graduates. Today, June 5, 2010--25 years later, my daughter graduated 39th in a class of 237! It was a beautiful day for their outdoor graduation and the people came out in droves! The stands were full and people were standing down front too.

Sameo, Sameo...

And, as the saying goes, life goes on... I'm still job hunting. Hubby has two job offers but can't go till he gets done with these IV antibiotics. Our older daughter is doing better now that her life is on a more even keel and people aren't messing with her on a daily basis. Verbal abuse SUCKS! Mandy, our youngest, will start school Aug 24th--her senior year. So, we'll be sucked in to the senior rush of portraits, ordering announcements, college applications, and more! But, it should be a good year anyway. She's got good grades, solid plans for the future, and is a bright kid who seems to test pretty well (great ACT and SAT scores!). Matthew, the world's greatest grandbaby, is growing so fast! He has like 9 or 10 teeth now and is always on the go now that he's walking.

He's loving life here away from the cigarette smoke and with his mom under so much less stress.


My weight? Well, that is at a standstill again... No biggie--not losing or gaining. I am not exercising either due to the knee, so not gaining is good!

Hunting....jobs, houses, peace!

Moving sucks...even when it is for good reasons! All the stress! Packing. Loading. Moving. Unloading. UnPACKing! UGH!! Then, the real stress of finding a job and finding a house to buy. It never ends! Toss in the daily stress of living with two teenage and 20-something girls and a toddler and life gets even more fun!

Did I mention that my name is now "somebody"?? "Somebody has to wash the dishes..." "Somebody come help me do ___________." "Somebody needs to wash clothes..." Yep, somehow I always end up being the one to do whatever it is that needs done. So, that makes me chief cook, bottlewasher, dishwasher, laundress, housewife/cleanup crew, and all on top of trying to find a job and look for a house to buy! Talk about someone who needs a CALGON moment!

before pictures....found a couple!

I've always made sure I was the one TAKING the pictures just so that I didn't have tons of pics with my big ole butt in them. I hated seeing pictures of myself when I was heavier. So, that made finding any full body "before" pics hard to do. As we moved though, I came across these... They ain't pretty!

This first one was from the Spring of 1997. We were at a get together for my hubby's family. It was the first time I ever met those folks in the picture and was the last time I've ever been around them. They live over in northern Ohio and we have always been somewhere else. We actually made that trip because my own grandmother had passed away and she lived in Columbus...


Then, the second picture I found was from my student teaching during the fall of 1998. I look so danged happy in this picture!

Thankfully, those are BEFORE pics and not current pics! Here's a pic of me at my current size just for perspective: