Tired all the time!

Teaching is tiring. It's part of the job. Pretending to be excited about whatever the lesson is, however boring it may be, takes a lot out of you!

Teaching the intermediate grades (3-5) is what I'm used to. I'm used to that kind of work and exhaustion.

But teaching the little ones is a WHOLE other kind of exhaustion. They are so dependent every second of the lesson. If I'm not repeating the direction for the 25829271128th time, than I'm helping one student spell the word "tree," and helping another to make a proper "w" while also telling another kid to get his finger out of his nose and to go wash his hands. Good thing that class is only an hour, because to tell you the truth it's the most exhausting part of my day! I don't know how kindergarten and first grade teachers do this ALL DAY.

I also think having the big kids in the morning first before the little ones makes it worse. I would rather go from the little ones which is more demanding to the big ones which isn't as demanding.

Well on a positive note, today was better than yesterday (more smooth) so it can only go up from here! :)

Have a good night! :)

Why even make appointments?

What the heck is the point of making an appointment with a doctor if you're going to wait for over an hour to see them anyways?!

I had a 3:00pm Gyn appt. today and here's how it went:

2:35pm I got to the office early. (I was told to be there at 2:45pm).
3:15pm After being there for over 35 minutes without even being told it should be soon, I ask the front desk if I'll be seen soon, and she says yes, should be soon.
3:25pm I am finally called back to take measurements and to go to the room to get dressed.
3:35pm I get dressed...and by that I mean undressed and then cover up with the paper vest and paper blanket to drape over myself...hoping that none of it will break before the doctor comes in.
3:45pm The doctor finally comes in

What is the point of scheduling a 3pm appointment (where I'm told to be there at 2:45 anyways) when I don't actually see the doctor until 45 minutes after my scheduled time. It's BULL****!

Especially considering the fact that if there is ever a doctor's appointment that I want to get in and get out, it's the gynecologist! Get me OUTTA there!

Can I get an Amen??

Feeling Good, and starting to look good too!

*

So with the 3 pounds and 2 inches that I lost last week, and another pound this week, I'm feeling pretty great. I've gotten some compliments from friends and family about how my midsection looks smaller which is great to hear. As a typical woman, I am my own worst critic. So the fact that I have actually personally noticed a difference is HUGE for me. I can actually tell that I'm losing weight in the places that I had previously gained it.

And Weight Watchers has been a HUGE help. I've been really good about being honest with it (if I wanted to, I could just not log in all the foods that I eat during the day, or I could be dishonest with the servings). I feel like if I'm going to do this and be serious about it, I have to do it 100%. And I'm glad I have, because it's paying off!

In other news, I've been better with my money as well. :) I've never really been 'bad' with money, but I have never been great with saving money. Well a month ago or so, I set up a separate checking account where a certain portion of each paycheck goes into. I have been really great about not even looking at that money. My hope is that I can slowly start raising that amount per paycheck and save even more. But for now, it's baby steps. I'm still paying all of my bills on time as always, and I have been paying off my credit card every month as well. So I'm in good standing, and happy with it. I'm hoping to use a good part of my extra summer school money to help pay off my car which will make me really happy. After that's paid off, the only real debt that I will have is my student loan, which I consider to be good debt so that's ok.

Tomorrow is the first day of Summer School and I have to say that I'm surprisingly nervous. I am very confident in my teaching and always have been. But I'm starting a new program this year, and I'm working with a huge range of ages this year. The first two sessions or classes are made up of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders for reading. I'm not as nervous for that, because I teach 5th grade all year round anyways. But the 3rd session I will be teaching science to kindergarteners and first graders. Totally outside my realm of experience! I know it will be fun, but of course I have butterflies, simply for the fear of the unknown.

Wish me luck!

I'm excited that I can reward myself for my hard work this week with a beach trip to VA this upcoming weekend! I have Monday off so I can stay a little longer, and I'm happy to get some relax time in with Dan and his family.

Have a great night everyone! :)

I caved...

I caved and signed up for Weight Watchers. After not having consistent weight loss with my own watch-what-I-eat-and-work-out-on-my-own plan, I figured why not just try something new. They were having a special this month anyways (who knows if it's actually a deal or not, but I bought into it) so I figured why not? Plus, I was also inspired by Angie's success with it and I've heard from other friends that it works really well.

WELL

it's awesome! In the past week or so that I have been using it, I've lost 3 pounds and 2 inches already! And I swear on my beloved calendars and fun pens (treasured items of mine, if you didn't know) that it's actually really easy to follow and use! :) I love that fruits and veggies (with the exception of a few) don't count as any points so I can have as many of those as I want in a day, which helps fill me up. I love eating fresh fruit all the time, it's like my dessert now and I actually crave it.

I even found some great recipes to try that I love!

I went to Docco's tonight and we made this one:

Chicken and Penne Casserole with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Weight Watchers Recipe

Course: main meal PointsPlus™ Value: 8 Servings: 6 Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 58 min Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

	8 oz uncooked pasta, penne variety
	2 tsp olive oil
	3 cup(s) cremini mushrooms, sliced
	1 medium onion(s), chopped
	2 medium tomato(es), chopped
	1 cup(s) Chicken breast without skin, roasted, cubed (chopped)
	1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
	1/2 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute
	1/4 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
	2 oz hard-type goat cheese, low-fat, crumbled
	2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
	1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
	1 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 7 x 11-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
  
  
• Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Transfer to a large bowl.
  
  
• Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture to the pasta in the bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, beans, egg substitute, and broth. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish. Top with the goat cheese.
  
  
• Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until the topping is browned and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Yields 1 cup per serving.

It was yummy! :)

Anyways, losing a couple pounds and enjoying this new program gives me even more motivation to stick with it and lose some more!

Only...

6 DAYS until school is out!!

Technically, there are only 4 and 1/2 school days total, because the last 3 days are half days...but whose counting?

THIS GIRL!

My excitement aside, I am a bit sad for this class to leave. I will miss them dearly, and I actually teared up twice when writing my promotion speech for their graduation next week.

I start getting my summer school classroom ready the next day though, so I think my sadness will be filled with the rush to get ready for that. So, I'll be ok. :)

Good night!

A Good Day

Today has been a pretty good day so far :)

Nice and productive, like I like it!

School went well...

When I left school I went to the grocery store and got stuff for breakfast and lunch for a while, and then got gas for my car. I came home, put the groceries away and made dinner. I started 2 loads of laundry and I also straightened up my room a bit.

I'm just about to take a nap (I need a boost!) and then go to the gym. When I get back I am folding/hanging up my laundry and then going to bed.

Woo! :)

P.S. This past weekend was Beth and Jeremy's wedding! It was beautiful and sweet, just like I thought it would be. As soon as I get the pictures downloaded, I'll put them up and write about it. :)

Surprisingly, not a case of the Mondays*

Apparently I was in the mood to workout today!

*This morning at 7:15am I turned on exercise tv and did "AM Standing Abs" for 10 minutes before getting ready for work.

*After work, I took an hour long class at the gym called "Half and Half" where half of the class was cardio-dance and half was working out with weights (mostly arms, but also thighs and abs).

*Then, after the hour long class I decided that I still had energy so I should use it and spent 20 minutes on the cybex arc trainer machine!

I'm not sure what has gotten into me, but I like it!! hopefully I can stick with this motivation and energy and lose these pounds faster than I had hoped!

This week is super exciting and stressful all rolled up into one!

Monday: (today) My last observation was today! Woohoo!! It really well, and after this I will be tenured! Finally! I stayed at work until 6 today doing work, and then of course worked out. Oh, and it was the first day of Family Life today at school. LOL. I love teaching that unit! It always provides wonderful entertainment for us teachers!

Tuesday: School, work out, run errands, dinner, pick up roomie from airport

Wednesday: School-Family Life day #2, workout, Babysit until 9:30

Thursday: School, work on Report cards- due on Friday, Family Life day #3, (no work out-break day), meet up with other bridesmaids and Beth to get nails done for the wedding! :)

Friday: NO SCHOOL! I'm off to help Beth :) Help Beth all morning/afternoon, go home and get ready for the rehearsal, go back to Beth's for rehearsal. Meet up with Dan and everyone else for the dinner. :)

Saturday: THE BIG DAY! I can't wait, I love weddings, and I love that it's a very close best friend of mine! I am so excited for both of them and can't wait to experience such a special day with them! And of course, Dan will be home too so double excitement! :)

Sunday: Relax day! Finally :)

Have a good week everyone!

*I flippin love Office Space

P.S. I have been updating my 30 day photo challenge :)

Why Teachers Need a Summer Break

Yesterday was our Simulated Congressional Hearing ALL. DAY. LONG. Exhausting! Our state senator, Jim Robey was there, as well as some other members of MD government that judged our students' speeches and knowledge of American government.

Today, everyone was flat out pooped! The kids, the teachers, everyone...

So here's how today went:
*We started off the day with an hour and 15 minute long staff meeting early this morning before the kids got there
*During this meeting, we learned/were reminded that report cards are due next Thursday, even though we have the kids until the 22nd, and we JUST freaking did progress reports. There goes my weekend.
*We listened to the whining, groaning, and moaning of kids who just don't really want to be there (nothing too far from the normal every day though)
*I had at least 2 students shed tears today
*I had 6 students who needed to stay in for recess today during my lunch break because they couldn't get their behavior on track and basically they were pissing me off
*Despite the easiness of health today (I literally came up with that lesson plan a few minutes before we started) some students STILL wouldn't stop talking and just do their work
*I was screamed at, while only standing a few inches from a student
*The same student tried several times to rip a paper out of my hands, while screaming
*Then, I got a chair thrown at me from across the room.
*During dismissal, I had to keep an eye on the kids in the pod playing kooshball...making sure they're not being too rough, while also watching the other kids in my class, as they run around the room touching and prodding each other (a game of tag?) even though I have asked numerous times for them to stop.
*During this, I have at least 3 students come up to me to complain that the other one is saying things, and continue to argue and tattle on one another in front of me...voices getting louder and louder
*We walk down the hall for dismissal, and even though we have been practicing "Straight, silent, single" lines in the hallways, they STILL need reminders on the 170th day of school. GOOD GOD, just BE QUIET
*As I walk down back to my classroom after fist-bumping my students (that's how we say goodbye) I am literally emotionally, physically, and mentally DRAINED.

And we have 14 more school days of this left. It can't come soon enough.

Have you ever heard someone say "Man, I so want to be a teacher! They have it easy- done at 3:30 and you have summers off!" I HATE those people. I don't think there is a single day where my job is "EASY" or a single day where I actually leave the building at the end of the school day. There's too much to do. It's a very stressful, trying, and busy job and thank goodness for summer break! We need it just as much as the kids need it.

I know that I'm saying this, while knowing that I'm teaching Summer school mere days after this school year ends, but at least it will be with a new set of kids, at a different location, and I'll be done at noon. Yesssssss

Ok, I'm going to go pass out now...