Snap! Crack!!

Snap!  Crack!!  Isn't that the sound that a whip makes?  I'm hoping it is... I'm hoping to get back into the swing of decluttering.  I have all of a sudden lost all motivation.  Why on earth did that happen?  Is it because school started & I got crazy busy with that?  Is it because of the 'Autumnal Equinox'?

I feel like my house has gone to 'Hell in a handbasket'!  Hence the sticker on my fridge that says "Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?"  I feel like I just need a day or two or three of not doing anything but getting this place back under control. 

I'm starting to get 'twitchy & bitchy'.  Yet I don't feel that I can ask the kids to do more now than they normally do.  School is their 'job' and they still have to 'finish' their job.  Whoa-whoa-whoa.... waaaiiittt a minute..... Oh duh, I work TOO!!!  I have a JOB.   Hmmmm!  Wouldn't that mean, that since we are ALL 'working' now, that if we shared the burden of the chores, that they would go a lot quicker. 

I guess I just had to see it in writing to 'get it'.  King Turd has been saying that the kids need to help out more & I've been reluctant to ask them to.  Not that they've really ever down right refused to help - they haven't.  I do have to say they're good about that.  Now that I see I won't kill them & that I no longer need to kill myself, Ima ask tell them they gotta help out more.

How do you crack the whip in your house?

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

Bully Beatdown

By now, most of you know I teach 6th Grade Math in our local Middle School.  And you also know that the Lego King is in 6th Grade.  AND since I work with all three 6th Grade Teams, I am in his Math Class (along with his ELA & Reading - Mwaahahhahahhaaa). 

So anyhoo, there are two boys who are mean boys - actually, they're more than mean... they're bullies.  I mean, I know there are other bullies out there.  It just so happens that these two in particular have been harassing the Lego King for a few years now.  And it just keeps getting worse.  Last year, these two boys (plus one other) choked my son in the bathroom.  It was near Mardi Gras & he was wearing beads - they used those to choke him.  If it had not been for one of the Lego Kings friends, it would have been 3 against 1.  They were reprimanded - that's all I know.

This year they have teased him, slap/shoved the side of his face while waiting in line during PE class, they've stolen things & wrecked them & then told him that they did it.  They have crossed his name out in a school issued book & wrote something inappropriate in its place.  Today, while on his way into lunch, one of these boys knocked him to the ground.  Thank goodness it was caught on tape and our School Resource Officer (SRO) was able to see exactly what happened - once my son reported it.  This student will be getting 1 day of Internal Suspension.

This is the part where I'd like to be a part of those Bully Beatdowns!  Although, I'm a big chicken & I would never do it.  Thoughts of thrashing the daylights out of someone has been thoroughly pondered in my little brain at times, let me tell you!  I'd really like to meet this students parents & ask them what on earth are they doing that makes him so mean & vindictive?   I think I could do really, really well in a Hollering Ho-down.  Not that it would do any good.

I still am required to teach these student who are mean to my child.  I'm glad that I'm the kind of person who can put things aside & start again.  My problem is, if this escalates & they hurt my son - am I going to be able to put THAT aside?  I hope so.... but, I also hope that these students learn their lesson & stop being the bullies that they are.... I have seen it happen.  I have seen students who come from poor and/or difficult circumstances turn their lives around.  I hope it will happen this time.

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

Desire of My Heart - With a Twist

God has such a funny sense of humor.  I think He just smiles when He looks down from Heaven & surprises people.... like me.  I just realized this past week that God has given me the desire of my heart - with a twist.

The desire of my heart has always been to live on a lake.  Not the ocean, a lake.  I love the sound of the water lapping the shoreline.  It is so incredibly soothing to me.  A little over ten years ago, I took a little camping trip, all by myself and ended up along the shores of Lake Erie.  I spent those few days, in prayer & contemplation.  It was the most relaxing & comforting time I can remember.  I collected cobblestones along the shoreline & now have a bowl of them in my bedroom.  Whenever I need that incredible peace & comfort, I hold those stones & it takes me right back to that moment in time. 

Anyhow, in the past few years whenever I've walked the shores of a lake, I get this twist in my heart & I send up a prayer that let's God know that this is still a 'desire of my heart'.  Recently - in the past year, it's gotten even more 'urgent', to the point of driving near a lake & seeing the clouds or sun on the water almost make me want to cry.  It's so beautiful & I long to relax by the water & hear it.

Little did I realize how God would answer my prayer.  No, we're not moving, no we did not buy lakefront property.  Do you recall how I mentioned that we'd been given an above ground pool?  We just had to move it - which we did.  About 3 days ago, it was finally filled to the correct level.  I was sitting on the patio and looking at the sun reflecting off the wind-rippled water.... and it hit me..... God gave me the desire of my heart - only with a twist ('cause He's a funny guy & loves to make His children smile).  I didn't need to have a spot on a lake (although that would be nice too) to feel that peace & relaxation - I just needed to see water rippling & hear it lapping.  He knew that a pool would work for me.  That I would be just as blessed and happy & thankful with a small 'body of water'.  And I am.

What twisted-desire of your heart has God blessed you with lately?

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

I Hate Dishes... But I Love My Husband

I hate, Hate, HATE dishes.  I swear the dirty ones rub up against the clean ones when we're not looking and get them ALL dirty!  I hate dishes in spite of Frank.  Frank, you know, my favorite child?  The one who ALWAYS does the dishes & never complains?  The child my husband bought me about 5 years ago (wow, I can't believe he's that old - my how time flies).  For those of you who are slightly confused, Frank is my dishwasher.  What?  Don't you name your appliances?  No?  Just me?  Well isn't that odd....

Anyhoot, dishes are my husbands pet peeve.  He hate, Hate, HATES dirty dishes and not just ANY dishes.  He especially hates those ones that aren't done up daily.  As in doing dishes MORE than once a day type of dishes!  Sheesh!  Who has time to do dishes when you can just ignore them?  He gets so upset if he comes home in the mornings (he drives truck over-the-road, at night) and there is a pile of dishes in the sink & on the counter.  And yes, I know I have Frank to help (plus the Lego King & the Princess) but you still end up with extras - and sometimes those big pots & pans don't fit... And sometimes Frank doesn't do a good job - which drives ME nuts - especially if someone puts them away dirty.  That just grosses me out.

Even though I hate dishes, I do love my husband.  Even though I'm tired & want to go to bed & just leave the darn things, I love my husband.  I want to come home to a place that is stress free & clutter free.  I want to come home to a place that makes you say 'ahhhh, it's sooooo good to be home'.  And part of that starts by making it a nice place for my family to come home to.  It means doing the dishes, again & again & again.  Those mundane thankless chores that I'd rather ignore, but if you do, they pile up & become mountains (or at least what seems like mountains).

I'm going to continue to declutter, and I'm going to try & keep things cleaned up & picked up.  It's easier when things are kept that way.  I know I've gotten off track these past few weeks.  What with a whirlwind trip to North Carolina for Willy, then getting ready for the yard sale and then going camping and then school starting as soon as we got back.  I have to get back in the groove.


I may hate dishes, but I love my husband & I want to honor him by making our house a sanctuary for him to come home to.

Is your house a sanctuary?

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

An Apple A Day...

An apple a day keeps the teacher away..... oh wait.... that's supposed to be doctor, isn't it.... *sigh*

Today was day two of getting rooms and information ready for children who will arrive bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow.  Ok... maybe they'll just arrive.  Last night I kept tossing & turning, but refused to open my eyes & check the time on the clock.  I would have ended up just staring at it and not be able to go back to sleep, even though I barely dozed off again anyway.  Tonight I'm going to try to get to bed early & take one of those Tylenol PM things.  If I take 2 I know I won't be able to get up in the morning, just 1 and I can still manage.

My schedule is all set.  I know the kids I'm supposed to work with - 75 so far.  I'm sure that they'll be adding more.  I'll be doing ELA/Reading and Math this year.  Lots more comfortable with the math, let me tell ya.... That English stuff?  Yikes!!!

It will be a wonderful school year.  I'm looking forward to it.  I'm looking forward to the routine that school brings.  Here at home and at school.  I love the challenge of working with new students - trying to find just the right 'lil somethin' that can make that problem click!  And once it does, all is right with the world. 

Have an apple a day, on a teacher!!

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!

Back to School

This summer has been the best summer I've had in ages.  It was one of those summers where I basically had one goal.  That goal was to declutter, organize & clean my house, have a yard sale in August and go camping a time or two.  Other than those things, nothing else was planned (a few appointments & family gatherings... but that was it). 

I started really decluttering late this past fall-early winter.  I had cleaned out toys upon toys from the Lego King's bedroom and stored them in our shed.  Plus, I had been decluttering odds & ends around the house & storing them out in the shed too.  By spring I had a HUGE pile.  I talked with King Turd of Poop Mountain about just loading up our trailer & getting rid of all the stuff or should I have a yard sale.  And which would be better - the tax write-off or the money from the yard sale?  He said that it would probably be better, since I had so much stuff, to just go ahead and have the yard sale, THEN take the leftover stuff to the Salvation Army.  So that's what we ended up doing.  Funny thing about that yard sale.... I had so much stuff, I had numerous people ask 'Is this a multi-family yard sale?'  OR  they said, 'This can't be all YOUR stuff, can it?'  ummmm.... yup...

Another thing about that decluttering process thing?  I've read a couple of different ways to do it.  I just had to do it fast.  To think about every little thing & think 'Do I love it?  Do I wear it?  Do I this or that with it?'.... too much for my brain to handle (remember, I've had three children - it tends to rot the brain cells)... it was overwhelming.  So what I did was just go through each room & get rid of things that were easy to get rid of.  Things that we'd outgrown as a family.  Things that we didn't like, didn't use, didn't work.  I know that had I gone through each room like that, I would have had tons more stuff (probably a whole 'nother household!).  I also know that I wouldn't have gotten rid of much of the easy stuff - because I wouldn't have had the time to get to it and my goal for the summer was to have that yard sale in August.

Two days ago the shower guy came.  I thought I'd have to clear out the cupboard at the end of the tub so he could install the shower.  Nope, didn't need to do that.  Oh well.  It gave me the opportunity to declutter the bathroom closet - again.  The bathroom was one of the very first decluttering projects I did.  So he's working away & I had all this stuff spread all over my kitchen table.  I got rid of a WHOLE garbage bag!!  Good Lord!  Where did all of that stuff come from?  I mean it hasn't even been a whole year!!  I realized as I was re-decluttering, that I could be tougher-ruthless... I had detached... which is a good thing.   To celebrate the Princess & I went to the Dollar Store & I got some bins to use.  I had a bunch of different baskets in there that worked, but took up alot of room (they were angled baskets & they had handles, so they wouldn't stack), there is almost a whole shelf now without anything on it!

Yesterday was my first day back to school.  I found out I have three classes with the Lego King.  He's totally thrilled... hahahahhahahhaaa - oh I just quack myself up.... hahahahahhaahahaa.  It will be a good year, a sad year too.  The teacher that I work closely with - my mentor - will be retiring.  He said yesterday - 'Today is my last 'first day' of school!'

Today we had the 'new to us' pool put in.  When our neighbors moved, they left their pool.  Just recently at their new home, they had a new pool put in.  I got a message from my friend asking if we'd like to have their old pool & deck - they'd give it to us!!!  Would we!!  That was a whole conversation in July!!  Should we keep the camper or sell it & get a pool.  We ended up keeping the camper AND we got a pool.  It was still in good shape - we just needed a new liner and we found some guys who tore it down (across the road) and put it up in our backyard.  Woo hoo!  The down side is that we won't be using it this fall - we'll be closing it up for the winter and opening it next spring.  Any pool tips would be helpful.... lol

This weekend will be spent doing last minute getting ready for school things.... some family time... and relaxing before the exhaustion from the first week of school sets in.

Have a Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Bye!  Love you!  Have a good day, Dear!