Lots of Things Happened Some Small, Others Not So Much

So just some updates, I see I have been neglectful on my postings. So some small things that have been going on:

Small Thing #1: I changed my blog background and blog address.

Small Thing #2: I fell off the wagon and gained the weight back, after thanking Michael Thurmond. See what getting cocky gets ya? But I am climbing back on that horse. My western metaphors are finished. 

Small Thing #3:Having the "town forest" a hop, jump and skip away means you can here the concert music, enjoy the concert music and stay at home. 

Small Thing #4: Rediscovered Bailey is terrified of fireworks. I had forgotten.

Small Thing #5: I can view said fireworks from my apartment deck. But that did not happen as I had a spastic lab/coyote mix having a meltdown. Howling and crying ensued. Thankfully the loud fireworks masked her barking for the neighbors. 

On to the big things:

Big Thing #1: Mike got me a china cabinet for my birthday/anniversary that I love. Below you can see it and see Sandy making a delicious pesto pasta salad.

Big Thing #2: Mike got me a MacBook Pro! I am in love with it.

Big Thing #3: I got said laptop because I am now jobless. Yes jobless, see next big thing.

Big Thing #4: Do not trust administration when the say, and I quote, "Sara you have nothing to worry about. The pink slip is just a formality you will get a contract in June. Besides no one would want your job" If you do trust admin, and this is said to you, I now know that you need to look for a job ASAP. I was told 2 days before school ended and it was assumed by the entire pre-school team (I was on the schedule and class list for next year) that I was coming back. Yeah that was a MAJOR thing.

Big Thing#5: I have the best husband in the world. He has been great and supportive and just the best.

Big Thing#6: I am going to try my hand at being an artist for a while. Not giving up on my career as a teacher per say, just trying to get the photography thing up and running again. When we left Alexandria in 2009 I actually turned down 3 weddings! I had a lot of great feedback recently from my current students' parents with their end of year photographs. That has motivated me to get back into it. I am also taking a class through the New England School of Photography, night photography.  Also, I have had some success with my jewelry (Thank you Jan) on etsy.com and even had a custom order!

So all in all, after a long blog post, lots of small and big things have happened. Along the way some nice surprises: I sold 3 pieces of jewelry at my first craft fair that got rained out after three hours (1 piece per hour is not bad at all for first time). My brother got a new job and is moving to Prague. Which is super cool... Got a surprise visit from Neil and Cari and am looking forward to a visit from Byl in July. Ezra and Sandy came over from Germany and we "hosted" "Ezra's" party.  No joke; some dude showed up, did not know who I was when I let him and and he said to me "I am here for Ezra's party". Still we had fun.  We also went back to Virginia for Rolling Thunder. And we went home to Jersey for Father's Day weekend. Mike and Dad rebuilt part of the deck. See photos below to catch up on the last few months.

                                          Byl lost his keys to his bike. So Mike drove him back 

                                          to his house get his spare set of keys.

                                          I did face painting for work's End of Year Celebration.

                                         Two days later, I was told the budget did not past. 

                                         Last to hire, first to fire. That said, I take comfort in 

                                         the fact it was not personal, nor a reflection on my teaching.

Mike and I @ "Ezra's" party.

My table @Board-a-palooza Craft Fair

Mike and Dad working on the deck.

Thank You Michael Thurmond!

I have now lost 10 pounds. In three weeks. If I hadn't cheated on my new diet, or my new "lifestyle plan" I would have lost more weight. Mike and I joined a gym. Yes we joined a gym and I actually go to the gym! Sometimes, twice in one day! But the big thanks is to Michael Thrumond and his 6 Week Body Makeover. I saw one of his infomercials and bought it, thinking if it didn't work I could get my money back, as is said in the infomercial. I love this plan. Its hard, no salt, no butter and very sadly no olive oil! I miss olive oil more than I miss everything else! But I am not starving, eating 5-6 times a day. And my diabetes has been really good. Very few lows and almost no highs (except for when I cheat on the plan). You follow the plan, it teaches you how and what to eat. I hear that it is similar in some ways to Weight Watchers. For when you hit your target weight you can begin to incorporate SOME foods back into your plan. But I know people who have done Weight Watchers and not had the results that I am having, or they are having now (through the 6WBMO forums). So we will see.

So THANK YOU, MIchael Thurmond!

My Tiny @$$ Classroom

I have a small classroom. Really its the size of a bedroom. Its probably the same size of a master bedroom in a typical three bedroom house. Not a Mc Mansion but a nice sized house around 1700-2000 sq. feet. As you can tell I have given this thought.

I do love my job. And having only 5 students makes the small room bearable. I do not have a lot of room or storage. Sterilite tubs are my friends. Rubbermaid too. But I have made the classroom, that once resembled a walk in closet, mine own. I have a large classroom that we transition to in the afternoon, but its not mine.

I am in no means complaining. Maybe bemoaning that I once had the "corner suite" at New Beginnings. My last classroom in VA was pretty big, but had people constantly entering and leaving to the adjacent classroom through MY room...which given the student population I work with, was highly distracting. I feel, and I have been going to my job for only 12 school days, that this job is the perfect fit.

In the morning, I have 5 students with Autism. Which the school feels are "moderate" and some are on the "low side", I think they are geniuses. They say "hello" and "Sara, are you happy that I am here today?". Yeah that was what I was greeted with on Friday. I have always loved my students no matter what but this is just so different! The afternoon class? I have never taught "typicals" before. I also have three English Language Learners. You know what? I am not teaching the afternoon any different from the morning (minus Discrete Trial Teaching which is only 40 mins). Pam, a friend and speech therapist from VA, would be so proud of me and my language based approach that is fused with ABA. I think of her all of the time and so wish that she could be teaching with me, pushing into the class to do speech. I think of her every time I do letter of the week.  The ELL students are really benefiting from the language based approach and all of the kids crave the learning and are just soaking up the knowledge!

On Friday, we made Dandy Dip (from the Mailbox book "Beginning Sounds") to finish our week with the letter D. I did not think the kids would like it. I mean its DIP. Every child (except two who are on the spectrum) TRIED the dip. Not only did they try it, they ate it with CARROTS and chips. Then the most amazing thing? They FORGOT about the cupcakes I made for a special treat at lunch, and rushed out of the classroom and told their parents to check the student "mailboxes" for their very own copy of the Dandy Dip Directions and one even said "Mommy can we pllleeeeeaaassse make Dandy Dip for Daddy? Wait, Daddy starts with D too!" I almost passed out from happiness.

So below is the Directions for Dandy Dip from "Beginning Sounds" by The Mailbox and photos of my tiny @$$ classroom that is, in its own way on the verge of being an oasis...Minus the fact that there is NO bathroom and we have to use another class' (and I have two kids in diapers) and no sink. Keep your fingers crossed I get the furniture I put on my "wish list" to the principal.

From the doorway of the classroom.

Taken from the windows, the door is on the left.

Dandy Dip

1 cup of sour cream or yogurt

1 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon parsley

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon (I did three healthy shakes) minced onions

Off to a Good New Year

Things have been quite busy this year and we are only 18 days into the year! First I have to back track- get ready for a long post.

For Christmas we headed to New Jersey to hang out with the family. My Aunt Linda and cousin Michael flew in. It was a nice quiet Christmas. Then on the 26th we drove from NJ to North Carolina to the Outer Banks. We had a very long drive but we got there and the house was beautiful.

The house was beautiful and HUGE. The views were breathtaking. We went fishing, put on our coats and sat on the beach, hit the outlet mall and ate out. It was a very nice and relaxing trip. Nice and quiet.

Mike and I left early, on the 30th. Before we left we went to go see a lighthouse and the wild horses of Carrolla. The whole family went off roading in Jeeps and we got to see a lot of the wild horses, it was very cool. We even got to see some...mating habits of the wild horses!

We then headed back to Alexandria, VA. We had a busy stay. We stayed with our friends Neil and Cari on the 30th and went bowling with them and our friend Byl. On New Year's Eve we went to Dave and Anneie's house, rang in the New Year and stayed over night. We had breakfast at the Honey Bee, if you are ever in Glen Burnie, MD I highly recommend it. Then we headed back to Neil and Cari's. We also stopped by Dave and Valerie's house and met their daughter, Leanna. Below are some pics. That is all for now. I will be posting pictures of my new classroom. Its safe to say that I ADORE my new job. I could not be happier! It is a dream come true!

Copley Square, Snow, Bailey's 1st time away and other musings...

Things have been busy. Very busy.
This weekend we had Mike's business holiday party. We stayed at the Copley Plaza Fairmont Hotel in Boston, right next to the Boston Library and a few famous churches. It was a lot of fun. Watching different cultures (American, Arabic and Greek mostly with some Canadians thrown in) dancing to Shakira and eating decidedly Middle Eastern food with an American twist. That said my stomach has been a wreck since.

It snowed, and Boston got about 2 feet of snow which is unusual, that amount normally falls out by us in the country. Boston area schools had off, as did NJ and VA schools. I however went to work. Meanwhile, Bailey had her first "hotel" stay. I was very nervous leaving her and she ran off without a look back. I almost teared up...what will happen when I drop of our child to school for the first time? No worries that will not happen for quite some time. Anyway it was a different story when we picked her up in the blizzard the next day. She was very happy to see us. I missed her so, that I romped with her in the snow for about 30 minutes when we got home. Mike was not sure who had more fun in the snow, the Bailster or me.

This week our friends Kurt and Allison had their first baby, a boy named Jasper. They are calling him Jazz for short which I think fits them perfectly! And it fits Jazz perfectly since it seems he sleeps all day and is partying like a rock star at night! We went to go visit them and holding Jazz was just wonderful. He is adorable and has that....smell...you know that delicious baby smell. All is right with the world.

I Got My Snow and Other Things

I wanted snow. I love snow. I like running in snow. Rolling in snow. I love to play in snow with my dog, Bailey. And I used to love to play in the snow with good old Maxi (my old dog :( who I loved dearly). Maxi, I used bury her in the snow and she would stay still until I was done then she would bound out of the snow and then rush back in the hole and wait to be buried again.

So while there was snow last weekend it didn't really last. Then Wednesday came. From what everyone has been telling me it wasn't a blizzard. But it looked like one to me. We got about 6 inches in two hours and all the schools around me and up in NH were closed. Except for Littleton. It was open and boy it took me 45 minutes to get there when it normally takes about 5-10 minutes. Watertown had school too, but they are by Boston and got considerably less. I will have to get used to commuting in very bad snow. But I am looking forward to my new job.

Mike was away for most of the week. So the Bailster and I just relaxed and hung out together. She follows me everywhere, which is really cute, until I accidently stepped on her tail. But she still continues to be by my side. I made a ton of jewelry and sold two necklaces on Etsy!

So 7 sales, 5 of which are from people I do know, and 2 are from people I don't know, which is fantastic.  It is making me want to make more jewelry!

The tree is up and looks great, but I don't have a picture yet. See, I ran out of lights so the top 8th of the tree is a bit bare. So once I get the lights, there will be a picture.

Last night we had a great time with Kurt and Allison, and played Apples to Apples which is just one of the best games. Ever. Really.

So, aside from work, which is getting crazier and crazier (thank goodness I am getting out now), things have been pretty good this week. And I made a cake. And cake makes things thismuch better!

Snow...

I got my snow. Saturday night the wintry mix turned into lovely powder soft snow! We had dinner with Allison and Kurt on Sunday night ( I mixed up the days) and had a really good pumpkin/sausage penne pasta dish! With fantastic garlic bread!

Bailey and I got to romp in the snow. We found a tree. It was a good day.