Sopa Box Thoughts

ahem...give me a minute while I take a step up onto my soap box. OK, here goes..... Call me old fashioned but I have some very passionate thoughts about raising kids. I don't know if it's because I was a Child Development major in college or because I'm a teacher and, heck, I don't even know if I'm right or wrong. But Rob and I have to do what we think is best for our child and luckily we agree.
P is at an age where I think it's time to get him involved in a class of some sort. Rob and I discussed the options and felt like it'd be best to check out a gymnastics class for him. However, there was a creative arts class that I wanted to preview. (Here's where I stand a little taller on my soap box) I do not believe in signing up a child, especially a toddler, for so many classes that he/she doesn't have the chance to be a kid. When I went to the class today I was disappointed to say the least. The activities and toys were all things we have (or can have access to for free). There were several kids there that P knows yet he chose to play by himself. I refuse to pay almost $100 for a 6 week "class" just to keep my child busy. I was talking to one mom that said she doesn't care that it doesn't give her child a lot. It's just something to get them out of the house and out of her hair for an hour. I don't get it! There are times when, like all children, P gets on my nerves and I'd like a break. But that doesn't happen often or long enough for me to blow money to have someone else entertain him for me.
On top of that I'm not into kids having video games, hand held or on the TV. I might change my mind at some point but I find it ridiculous when a toddler has an iPod to listen to music or watch videos. I find it ridiculous when an acquantance of mine turns on a video in the car for a 20 minute commute. I know I'm old fashioned and I'm ok with that. I believe in showing my child the world through experience, exploring, books and conversation. So, it floors me when a multitude of "classes" and technology are needed to entertain a toddler.
One acquaintance said she wanted to enroll her toddler in preschool because she feels her child needs more structure and needs to learn academics. I wanted to politely say, "You're child is 2. There is plenty of time for that in life." I feel (and am guilty of this to a certain extent) that parents want their children to be at a developmental and academic level that is well above the norm. I feel, as an educator, that this is not healthy. I am teaching 2nd graders what I used to teach 6th graders 4 years ago. And how are kids/teens/adults turning out these days? They can't add or subtract because they learned fractions and division in 2nd grade instead of math facts. They can't sit still long enough to read a book because of the TV. I get frustrated, as you can tell, that kids aren't allowed to be kids anymore. They can't explore and have fun on their own. It really makes me sad that it's come to this and I can't wait for the pendulum to swing back the other way!
OK, off my soap box....for the time being!

Sunday Fun Day

Rob got a whole day off.....wahoo! That doesn't sound like much but after the hours he worked Friday-Saturday every little bit off counts. In my opinion it was a perfect day! We went to church, watched NASCAR (Both our drivers got Top 10 finishes) and then spent the afternoon outside. Rob went with our neigbor to try out his new shotgun while P and I took advantage of all the new snow. We had to try out his new "boat" (what he calls his sled). I really liked the sled and he had a lot of fun! That is until he took a tumble and his belly and hand got in the snow. Then he was done! So he watched as the neighbor boy and I raced down our driveway. We came in to get warm and soon the guys were back. Ray came in and spent a couple hours while we had dinner and P got ready for bed. To top off the day I even got to get on the treadmill for a nice run. I have a LONG way to go before I'm ready for the 1/2 marathon I'll be doing in June but I'm getting there.

Which Way Are You Lookin'?

I try my best to be a "glass half full" person but, like everyone, I have my moments. Tonight happens to be one of those. I'm having a POINTLESS pity party. So, follow along as I play devil's advocate with myself......

Pity Party: I don't feel well.
Reality: At least it's just a cold.

Pity Party: P didn't nap today, which means I didn't nap today.
Reality: I went to bed last night while Rob was still at work and was still sleeping this morning while Rob got up and went to work (where he still is).

Pity Party: I was on FB and everyone was going out it seemed while I'm stuck at home.
Reality: I'm in a warm house with a sweet boy while Rob is working in single digit temps away from his son.

Pity Party: I made a new recipe that I was dying to try but I was the only one that ate it. (P was not a fan!)
Reality: At least I got to eat a hot meal. Rob had enough time to grab a bottle of water for his dinner.

Pity party: The fire's almost out and I'm too tired/cold/lazy to go downstairs and get more wood.
Reality: At least the house is warm and I can grab a blanket if need be while Rob and the crew can't get warm.

I could go on and on but the reality is that life isn't as hard as I'd like to make it be at times. I'm thankful that Rob has a job that allows me to work part time. I'm thankful for a sweet boy that hardly misses nap time. I'm thankful for a warm house and lots of firewood. I'm thankful for a lot of things that I need to take the time to notice more often.

Snow Day....kind of

Snow Days are a Catch-22. I hate the commute but I hate being cooped up in the house as much as P does. So, when I woke up this morning and found out the school district did not call a snow day I was kind of relieved......until I got on the road. I thought getting out of our driveway would be hard but that ended up being the easiest part of the entire commute. People that visit us think it'd be horrible to live up here in the Winter but as far as driving conditions go, it's much better than the valley. Once I made it down the hill and into the valley, I began my white knuckle driving. People are crazy drivers, not paying attention to the weather conditions. By the time I got P to daycare it had already been 45 mins (which is usually a 20 min drive). Then it was almost another 45 minutes to my school (usually a 15 min commute). I was never so happy to get to my destination because, in the 3 years that we've been here, I think this is the worst driving conditions I've endured. They were so bad, in fact, that my principal was trying to find a way to let me and a few other teachers leave early. But that didn't happen and the sun was out for my commute home. The worst part is that the weather conditions caused Rob to be at work tonight. He'll be home at some point to sleep for a few hours then he has to get back to work. He was supposed to have this weekend off and we were going to take P to the railroad museum. But now he'll work and P and I will hopefully be able to get out tomorrow to get some fresh air and be around others. Rumor has it that it's supposed to snow some more tonight then clear out for a few days. One could hope because, as much as I love the snow, it's nice to get a break from snow days once in awhile.

Gotta Eat Your Carrots!

When I was younger my mom used to tell me to eat my carrots so I'd have perfect eyesight. Well, it must've worked because I'm the only one in my immediate family that doesn't need glasses or contacts. (Maybe that means they DIDN'T eat their carrots....ha!). Although Rob has good eyesight as well, I'd like to think that P inherited that trait from me. He sees planes well before I do when we're driving somewhere or just sitting at our dining room table. He'll find stuff on the carpet right after I vacuumed that I didn't notice. He'll point out things in the store that take me a minute to find. His most impressive moment was when I was at the AT&T store. He kept telling me there was a ball and I told him he was crazy because we were in a phone store. As we were walking out I caught a glimpse of a golf ball behind a computer screen. AMAZING! So, I don't know why I didn't believe him earlier today when we got home from Bible study. He told me there was a horse and I told him, once again, that he was crazy. He was adamant that there was a horse so I told him we'd go outside so I could show him he was wrong. I hate to admit it, but right there in between our neighbor's houses there was a lone horse just hanging out. It floors me every time he sees something that it takes me a minute to see, mainly because my optometrist told me there's nothing he can do to make my eyesight more perfect. Apparently, he can. He can make me have eyesight as good as our son!!

Blog Design

HI there, Just wanted to apologize for the blog design changing so much lately. I was trying to find a background that I liked, keep the title and get our pic to fit right. I also wanted to change the font so it's easier to read. Give me any feedback as to whether you like it better or worse than before. I can keep changing it til we get it right. :)

Mentally Exhausted

The reality kicked in yesterday....I had 3 exams to take today. If I failed I'd either a) Lose my paycheck until I passed or b) Get taken out of the classroom next week. Talk about anxiety! I'm usually on top of things like this so I don't have to wait until the last minute but this time was the exception. I had been studying but not diligently. See, I earned my Masters and Administrative Credential 2 1/2 years ago, where I had to take classes similar to what was in the study guide for this exam. I figured that, even though government and history have never been my strong point (neither is Math), I knew enough to do well. Yesterday I decided otherwise! I studied for about 3 1/2 hours yesterday then woke up when Rob left for work to study over an hour this morning before P woke up. His daycare graciously took him today so I could take the tests without Rob having to take off. I dropped P off at daycare then went to Starbucks to study for another couple hours. I had an appt and even studied during that time! A little before 2pm I parked (illegally since I couldn't find the pay meter) and marched up the stairs to the testing room. I took all 3 exams within 40 mins. I felt pretty good about the first two but questioned myself on a few questions during the US Constitution exam. There was a reason why....I failed it by 1 question! I was told I could retake it this afternoon (for an astronomical fee). So I studied in the adjoining office, paid my money and went in to retake it. I found out I didn't have another chance to take it before my NV teaching license expired. So it was all or nothing! Lucky for me, I passed with flying colors the 2nd time around. That being said, I get to keep teaching in NV without interruption. YAY! Now that those exams and my traffic school tests are over I won't know what to do with myself. No more cramming while P naps. WAHOO!!!! I can breathe a deep sigh of relief now.....and also start training for the 1/2 marathon I plan to run in June (while P naps).....aaahhhhhhhh!!!