Wow! It has been one busy month. Busy in a good way? Not really. Unless you think sick kids are fun, then this month would have been awesome for you. We've had bronchitis, ear infections, stomach bugs, and pink eye. It's been a regular Lysol fest over here. I think it's been since December since both of my kids have been healthy at the same time. If either one gets sick again any time soon, I'm going to just start bathing them in Lysol. Hourly.
So I've finished with my classes. Still have some work to get done before student teaching, but it's just forms to fill out. And I need to call the school board here and find out if I need to do my fingerprints again, or if the ones I did in December '13 will work. I also have to get ahold of my student loan lenders and figure out how to do some deferrals on those puppies until I finish student teaching. Which is not happening until August (fingers crossed!) so that means I'm out of school for six months.
The house is coming along. Working on it little by little. But at least it no longer looks like a nuclear bomb exploded up in this biznatch. Plus, Hubby FINALLY got the garage/ManCave cleaned up. That means I no longer have camping gear piled in the dining room.
Camping gear, you ask? Well, that's a post for another day!
Monday, February 16, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Cha Ching!
So one of my goals that I've had forever, but haven't really accomplished much with is getting organized. Let's face, I have good intentions but horrible follow-through. I really really want to be this glamorous organized paragon of motherhood/wifeliness (<---I just made a new word y'all!). Alas, as my stepdaddy used to say "wishes in one hand and shit in the other...which gets fuller faster?" BUT 2015 is my year y'all!!! I can feel it :-)
I'm starting with baby steps and taking the little accomplishments as they come and building upon them. So this is what I've done so far...
I am staying on top of when my school work is due. For just about forever I've run behind on that, and my undergrad GPA paid the price. As long as I passed right? Not so much does that work in grad school where there is a required GPA. So no more late assignments. I will be up sometimes till the wee hours getting it done by the due date, but by God it will be done! I've also in the past let participation slide because it's only 10 points of my total grade. But those 10 points are 10% of my grade and whole letter grade.
I'm also really buckling down on tracking our finances. For a long time now we've spent every penny that comes in the door - and then some. Mostly because I've been lazy on budgeting and tracking where our money goes. This is an area where I'm making baby steps. I'm using an app on my phone called Checkbook Pro, which cost me I think $1.99 on the Google Play store. I'm trying to remember to track every single expense, which is a step closer to sticking to our budget.
Hubs and I have talked it over and we're going on a spending cleanse for the entire month of February. There are a few things that are not exactly necessary to survival, but they're things we've committed to, so we'll be doing that. But other than that we're not spending a dime unless it's crucial to our continued existence. Plus I sit here and map out a budget each month as part of participating in the Military Warrior Support Foundation program. If I'm going to spend the time doing that, we're going to follow it. Whether Hubs likes it or not. Ok...whether I like it or not. We have to do this because while we've been given this great opportunity to own a home with the MWSF program, we're not saving anything and we're not getting any closer to our dream home.
So that's what I've done so far. Anyone have any great tips that helped them get on track financially?
I'm starting with baby steps and taking the little accomplishments as they come and building upon them. So this is what I've done so far...
I am staying on top of when my school work is due. For just about forever I've run behind on that, and my undergrad GPA paid the price. As long as I passed right? Not so much does that work in grad school where there is a required GPA. So no more late assignments. I will be up sometimes till the wee hours getting it done by the due date, but by God it will be done! I've also in the past let participation slide because it's only 10 points of my total grade. But those 10 points are 10% of my grade and whole letter grade.
I'm also really buckling down on tracking our finances. For a long time now we've spent every penny that comes in the door - and then some. Mostly because I've been lazy on budgeting and tracking where our money goes. This is an area where I'm making baby steps. I'm using an app on my phone called Checkbook Pro, which cost me I think $1.99 on the Google Play store. I'm trying to remember to track every single expense, which is a step closer to sticking to our budget.
Hubs and I have talked it over and we're going on a spending cleanse for the entire month of February. There are a few things that are not exactly necessary to survival, but they're things we've committed to, so we'll be doing that. But other than that we're not spending a dime unless it's crucial to our continued existence. Plus I sit here and map out a budget each month as part of participating in the Military Warrior Support Foundation program. If I'm going to spend the time doing that, we're going to follow it. Whether Hubs likes it or not. Ok...whether I like it or not. We have to do this because while we've been given this great opportunity to own a home with the MWSF program, we're not saving anything and we're not getting any closer to our dream home.
So that's what I've done so far. Anyone have any great tips that helped them get on track financially?
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Just put one foot in front of the other
This week I started my observation hours. Getting my degree from UoP means that some requirements are just for Florida, and some are straight up university requirements. And this week I learned that the 100 required hours is just for UoP students - not required by the state. But that's ok. I wanted lots of field experience. It's why I went for the MA and did not go the alternative route.
I observed at a local high school, not far from my house. I can observe any K-12 class, but I'm hoping to be able to do all of it in a high school setting since that is what I will be getting my master's degree in. The teacher that allowed me to observe was really nice and funny. A really great teacher. Her classroom management style is almost effortless. But I'm guessing that it is absolutely not. Especially in one class that is very.... rowdy.
She sat and talked to me about the school. It has a high population of free/reduced lunch, and a lot of the kids come from...a disadvantaged background. She told me that some of their backgrounds would just break your heart and it is a difficult balance between being compassionate and being taken for a sucker. Because some of the kids would milk your sympathy for everything they can get.
I'm even more excited to start teaching after doing just 8 hours of observing. I don't really know what it was about that setting that got me fired up, but it did. I think that deep down everyone wants to be a good student and get that feeling of accomplishment when they get a good grade. Knowing that their hard work has paid off. And I think that's because way back when, I was one of those kids. My backstory isn't horrific or horrendous, but it sure wasn't all that easy at times. My mom and dad did the best they could, but sometimes life sucks. And even though I was sitting there mouthing off to the teacher and giving student teachers absolute hell, I wanted the good grade.
And that's enough maudlin talk for one night! Kids are in bed, house is picked up, and homework can wait. It's Thursday night and that means Grey's and a glass of wine!
I observed at a local high school, not far from my house. I can observe any K-12 class, but I'm hoping to be able to do all of it in a high school setting since that is what I will be getting my master's degree in. The teacher that allowed me to observe was really nice and funny. A really great teacher. Her classroom management style is almost effortless. But I'm guessing that it is absolutely not. Especially in one class that is very.... rowdy.
She sat and talked to me about the school. It has a high population of free/reduced lunch, and a lot of the kids come from...a disadvantaged background. She told me that some of their backgrounds would just break your heart and it is a difficult balance between being compassionate and being taken for a sucker. Because some of the kids would milk your sympathy for everything they can get.
I'm even more excited to start teaching after doing just 8 hours of observing. I don't really know what it was about that setting that got me fired up, but it did. I think that deep down everyone wants to be a good student and get that feeling of accomplishment when they get a good grade. Knowing that their hard work has paid off. And I think that's because way back when, I was one of those kids. My backstory isn't horrific or horrendous, but it sure wasn't all that easy at times. My mom and dad did the best they could, but sometimes life sucks. And even though I was sitting there mouthing off to the teacher and giving student teachers absolute hell, I wanted the good grade.
And that's enough maudlin talk for one night! Kids are in bed, house is picked up, and homework can wait. It's Thursday night and that means Grey's and a glass of wine!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Nitty Gritty of it all
Today I started the first really real class of my MA. The other first class was an orientation, and thank God for it! There are so many resources available through the UoP College of Education it's redonk!
I called the high school here in Rockledge about starting my observation hours, and I'm waiting to hear back from the assistant principal. If I don't hear anything by the end of the day tomorrow I'm going to call the Viera high school (which is only 5 minutes from my house).
Our first assignment for this class is reviewing an article about the common core state standard initiative. Which is a good thing because I've realized that I have no clue how those standards will impact my career. I know how they affect my second grader, but not how they will affect me. From what I've seen so far they don't seem so bad, but we'll see if that opinion changes once I'm more familiar with how they affect the classroom.
Tommy and I are still doing karate, and he still really likes it. Which is good because I do too! We were going all three days it's offered at the Viera Community Center, but there's a bible study at the church on one of those days that I'd really like to check out.
Now, I've had the Microsoft Surface Pro for about a month now and I must say I really like it. I've wanted a tablet for a couple years now, but it always seemed like a superfluous item to have since I had a laptop and a smartphone. What I really wanted was something that combined the laptop and tablet and the Surface Pro seems to be doing that. I know a lot of people had an issue with how small the app store is, but it doesn't really bother me. I have a Note II so I have a mobile device for all the apps I use. I'm using the touch keyboard for it and while I'm not loving it as much, it gets the job done. Thinking about saving up for the type one.
I called the high school here in Rockledge about starting my observation hours, and I'm waiting to hear back from the assistant principal. If I don't hear anything by the end of the day tomorrow I'm going to call the Viera high school (which is only 5 minutes from my house).
Our first assignment for this class is reviewing an article about the common core state standard initiative. Which is a good thing because I've realized that I have no clue how those standards will impact my career. I know how they affect my second grader, but not how they will affect me. From what I've seen so far they don't seem so bad, but we'll see if that opinion changes once I'm more familiar with how they affect the classroom.
Tommy and I are still doing karate, and he still really likes it. Which is good because I do too! We were going all three days it's offered at the Viera Community Center, but there's a bible study at the church on one of those days that I'd really like to check out.
Now, I've had the Microsoft Surface Pro for about a month now and I must say I really like it. I've wanted a tablet for a couple years now, but it always seemed like a superfluous item to have since I had a laptop and a smartphone. What I really wanted was something that combined the laptop and tablet and the Surface Pro seems to be doing that. I know a lot of people had an issue with how small the app store is, but it doesn't really bother me. I have a Note II so I have a mobile device for all the apps I use. I'm using the touch keyboard for it and while I'm not loving it as much, it gets the job done. Thinking about saving up for the type one.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya
Tomorrow starts the last leg of a VERY long trip... Tomorrow is the day I start my master's program. I am going for a MA in secondary education. That's right, I'm going to be a high school teacher! I am sooooo unbelievably excited to finally start this. It's been a long, arduous journey filled with obstacles along the way. But it's finally here!
We've been in our home for about 4 months now. And we still have so much to do. We are about 85% unpacked. The other 15% is just odds and ends and will most likely end up in the trash since if we haven't needed in 4 months....
Hector Thomas is settling in at his new school. There have been a number of growing pains. I'm sure some of it is just part of getting into a new school yet again. But some of it is the fact that Orlando dismissed his IEP completely. Now we are starting from scratch and I hope that it will be a smooth process. Albeit one where I ask repeatedly how it is going. Finally got approved to volunteer in the school. One part of me is impressed that they do such a thorough job of vetting volunteers. The other part of me wonders why it takes over 8 weeks for the process here in Brevard when it took less than 24 hours in Orlando.
Bella is LOVING preschool. She goes twice a week for now since I'm not quite ready for her to go any more than that just yet. Next August she'll be starting VPK, which will be 5 days a week. The following January she'll start going full-time since that is when I'll start my student teaching.
Hector is doing ok. Still having some ups and downs, but it's still getting better. He may have the opportunity to do something school-wise with the Wounded Warrior Project, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.
All in all it's been an eventful couple months, and it's only going to stay busy. But hey idle hands and minds and all that...
We've been in our home for about 4 months now. And we still have so much to do. We are about 85% unpacked. The other 15% is just odds and ends and will most likely end up in the trash since if we haven't needed in 4 months....
Hector Thomas is settling in at his new school. There have been a number of growing pains. I'm sure some of it is just part of getting into a new school yet again. But some of it is the fact that Orlando dismissed his IEP completely. Now we are starting from scratch and I hope that it will be a smooth process. Albeit one where I ask repeatedly how it is going. Finally got approved to volunteer in the school. One part of me is impressed that they do such a thorough job of vetting volunteers. The other part of me wonders why it takes over 8 weeks for the process here in Brevard when it took less than 24 hours in Orlando.
Bella is LOVING preschool. She goes twice a week for now since I'm not quite ready for her to go any more than that just yet. Next August she'll be starting VPK, which will be 5 days a week. The following January she'll start going full-time since that is when I'll start my student teaching.
Hector is doing ok. Still having some ups and downs, but it's still getting better. He may have the opportunity to do something school-wise with the Wounded Warrior Project, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.
All in all it's been an eventful couple months, and it's only going to stay busy. But hey idle hands and minds and all that...
Friday, September 21, 2012
Deja Vu
It's been a while since I last posted. I've been putting it off and putting it off, until now when I finally said enough is enough. Time to put on my big girl panties and just do it.
First of all, I'm not posting any pics or numbers because they haven't changed. At all. I've been trying, but nothing's changed. My weight has been the same since the beginning. I have been losing and gaining the same 3 pounds. My pants fit the way they always have, which is the change I'm looking for. I want the numbers to down on the scale, but I'm more interested in the numbers on the those tags going down.
And I'm very frustrated, and almost defeated that they haven't. Over the past 6 weeks I have been at the gym 3 to 4 times per week. I always do cardio, and I strength train twice a week. I'm really pushing myself with the strength training because I know that muscle burns more than fat, and if I want to ever eat more than 1200 calories a day I'm going to need more muscle.
And the calorie count? I've stuck to it. I may once week go over by 100 calories, but never more than that. And most days I'm under by about 50 calories, not too much because that can just as detrimental to weight loss as going over. Your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto the calories.
Part of me wants to say "what's the point of all this if nothing changes?" But most of me knows that it will. I just have to keep trying. By giving up in the past when I reached this point has left me with the shape I have.
So I will work harder at the gym. I will push myself harder on the elliptical, and add some weight to the reps on the weight machines. I cannot add time to my workout because I'm there as long as I can be. But I will add days to the week that I go, instead of 3 to 4 I can push it to 4 to 5, maybe 6.
And I can look over what I'm eating. I'm not sure how much wiggle room I have there though. Not a lot you can do with only 1200 calories. And if after another month there's still no change, I'll make an appointment with my doctor to see if there's something going on that preventing the weight from going.
But what I will not do is give up. And when that voice in my head that pops up that says this is all pointless, I mostly tell it to shut up.
First of all, I'm not posting any pics or numbers because they haven't changed. At all. I've been trying, but nothing's changed. My weight has been the same since the beginning. I have been losing and gaining the same 3 pounds. My pants fit the way they always have, which is the change I'm looking for. I want the numbers to down on the scale, but I'm more interested in the numbers on the those tags going down.
And I'm very frustrated, and almost defeated that they haven't. Over the past 6 weeks I have been at the gym 3 to 4 times per week. I always do cardio, and I strength train twice a week. I'm really pushing myself with the strength training because I know that muscle burns more than fat, and if I want to ever eat more than 1200 calories a day I'm going to need more muscle.
And the calorie count? I've stuck to it. I may once week go over by 100 calories, but never more than that. And most days I'm under by about 50 calories, not too much because that can just as detrimental to weight loss as going over. Your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto the calories.
Part of me wants to say "what's the point of all this if nothing changes?" But most of me knows that it will. I just have to keep trying. By giving up in the past when I reached this point has left me with the shape I have.
So I will work harder at the gym. I will push myself harder on the elliptical, and add some weight to the reps on the weight machines. I cannot add time to my workout because I'm there as long as I can be. But I will add days to the week that I go, instead of 3 to 4 I can push it to 4 to 5, maybe 6.
And I can look over what I'm eating. I'm not sure how much wiggle room I have there though. Not a lot you can do with only 1200 calories. And if after another month there's still no change, I'll make an appointment with my doctor to see if there's something going on that preventing the weight from going.
But what I will not do is give up. And when that voice in my head that pops up that says this is all pointless, I mostly tell it to shut up.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Be About It
A couple points to make this week, and I can't promise to be brief. I can promise to be honest.
I don't want anyone to think that this blog is just about weight-loss, because it is not. It is about my life and what is going on it at the time I'm writing. Working to get into better shape is not my only focus. I want a better body, but I also want a better life. As I stated before, I am not happy with the shape of my body. So I can learn to be happy with it (which hasn't happened in about 15 years so I don't see that changing any time soon) or I can finally do something about. Instead of thinking about it and talking about and wishing about it. DOING something about it. So that is what I am doing. I have become pretty diligent about logging everything. I use MyFitnessPal to log what I eat, how I exercise and how often, and how much water I drink. I think I've only missed one day in the last 2 weeks. And it really helped me yesterday. Normally when I think I've blown it for the day, I really go all out and totally blow it. But yesterday I sat down for a few minutes and logged everything (good thing I've got a good memory!) and found out that I hadn't really blown it and was able to have a couple squares of dark chocolate with a glass of wine.
As far as exercise goes, last week was tough for me. I made it to the gym 3 times last week which is one short of my realistic goal. My fantasy goal is 5-6 times a week. I'm doing a program for beginning runners, which is a category I fall into because I haven't really run since I was on the track team in 8th grade. I found the program on Pinterest, here. I'm up to week 3 and next week I'm going to start week 4. I'm also going to really start to focus on strength because muscle burns more calories than fat does. And if I want to be able to eat more than 1200 calories a day, I'm gonna need more muscle. But the good news is that even though I didn't work out as much as I wanted to last week, I didn't gain any weight. I do have a goal weight of 125-130 in mind, but I have a goal pants size that is more important. 125-130 the way I am now would still be unhealthy cuz there's a lot more jiggle than there should be. I'm aiming for a size 8, which I think is realistic. If I work really hard I can do a 6, but I think I like food too much and exercise not enough for that to be a reality.
And in the interest of a better life, I am trying to be a more patient person. I can be really impatient and short tempered. I'm really working on that because I'm starting to feel how that is impacting my life. I used to get upset if I was waiting in line at the checkout and the person in front of me was taking FOREVER to count out the exact change. To. The. Penny. Now I take that time to breath and think over what I have in my cart: do I really need it? did I forget anything? And I think that maybe that person in front of me is on a strict budget.
I'm also trying to be a more present mom. As any parent of small kids will tell you, sometimes it is a tedious job. And sadly enough you can get by with the rote "Oh Wow!" responses all too often, without really knowing what your child said. But I recently read somewhere to listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. Because if you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big. Because to them all of it has always been big stuff.
I'm not posting any before and after pics this week, because there really hasn't been any changes. Same goes for no measurements. But I promise next week to post the pics and the details. I would also like to encourage anyone thinking of getting into shape to contact me. We may not be able to workout side by side, but we can still encourage each other and keep each other accountable. We can also trade tips and recipes.
I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day Weekend!!!
I don't want anyone to think that this blog is just about weight-loss, because it is not. It is about my life and what is going on it at the time I'm writing. Working to get into better shape is not my only focus. I want a better body, but I also want a better life. As I stated before, I am not happy with the shape of my body. So I can learn to be happy with it (which hasn't happened in about 15 years so I don't see that changing any time soon) or I can finally do something about. Instead of thinking about it and talking about and wishing about it. DOING something about it. So that is what I am doing. I have become pretty diligent about logging everything. I use MyFitnessPal to log what I eat, how I exercise and how often, and how much water I drink. I think I've only missed one day in the last 2 weeks. And it really helped me yesterday. Normally when I think I've blown it for the day, I really go all out and totally blow it. But yesterday I sat down for a few minutes and logged everything (good thing I've got a good memory!) and found out that I hadn't really blown it and was able to have a couple squares of dark chocolate with a glass of wine.
As far as exercise goes, last week was tough for me. I made it to the gym 3 times last week which is one short of my realistic goal. My fantasy goal is 5-6 times a week. I'm doing a program for beginning runners, which is a category I fall into because I haven't really run since I was on the track team in 8th grade. I found the program on Pinterest, here. I'm up to week 3 and next week I'm going to start week 4. I'm also going to really start to focus on strength because muscle burns more calories than fat does. And if I want to be able to eat more than 1200 calories a day, I'm gonna need more muscle. But the good news is that even though I didn't work out as much as I wanted to last week, I didn't gain any weight. I do have a goal weight of 125-130 in mind, but I have a goal pants size that is more important. 125-130 the way I am now would still be unhealthy cuz there's a lot more jiggle than there should be. I'm aiming for a size 8, which I think is realistic. If I work really hard I can do a 6, but I think I like food too much and exercise not enough for that to be a reality.
And in the interest of a better life, I am trying to be a more patient person. I can be really impatient and short tempered. I'm really working on that because I'm starting to feel how that is impacting my life. I used to get upset if I was waiting in line at the checkout and the person in front of me was taking FOREVER to count out the exact change. To. The. Penny. Now I take that time to breath and think over what I have in my cart: do I really need it? did I forget anything? And I think that maybe that person in front of me is on a strict budget.
I'm also trying to be a more present mom. As any parent of small kids will tell you, sometimes it is a tedious job. And sadly enough you can get by with the rote "Oh Wow!" responses all too often, without really knowing what your child said. But I recently read somewhere to listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what. Because if you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big. Because to them all of it has always been big stuff.
I'm not posting any before and after pics this week, because there really hasn't been any changes. Same goes for no measurements. But I promise next week to post the pics and the details. I would also like to encourage anyone thinking of getting into shape to contact me. We may not be able to workout side by side, but we can still encourage each other and keep each other accountable. We can also trade tips and recipes.
I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day Weekend!!!
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