I walk by Chris as he is working on the computer and see Facebook up.
Hugs: You know, I don't know if I like you chatting with all of these girls that you knew in high school.
Chicks: She has a boyfriend!
Hugs: And you have a wife!
Chicks: Um....so I didn't have a good comeback?
No, sweetie, you did not.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Twitch, twitch
I know my life isn't exactly a stressful thing, especially compared to some of the active lives of my friends and family. But I've managed to develop an eye twitch today. My right eyelid just keeps sliding a little bit to the left and right. You don't see it unless you are looking for it, or you're trying to look out of said eye.
The big thing right now is that my teaching license expires this summer and I need to renew it. So here are the issues:
1) What is required for me to renew the license? I originally had a teaching certificate and when I renewed it I received a license. I think I just need 6 hours of classes, but one place on the website said something about a master's degree. When I emailed the Department of Ed asking this, they sent me a copy and paste of the website instead of a yes/no to if I was correct on only needing 6 hours.
2) Where do I get the six hours of classes? I can't really go to a classroom, since Xander isn't old enough to be left alone. So I was looking at online classes and some classes sent on DVD.
3) How do I pay for the classes? Holy smokes, my last school spoiled me rotten and paid for/reimbursed/had special deals for classes. Classes are freakin' expensive! And after that, the actual license renewal is still pretty pricey.
I was going to do a web class but they wouldn't give me any price info without me turning over my first born. And Xander is still kind of cute, so that didn't work. My neighbor is going through the same thing and decided to do a correspondence course. So it looks like I will sign up with her.
To add to the fun, the first Craft Night is a week and a half away! I have to get ready for that!
And Xander is testing his boundaries by trying to play with CDs and sitting on the filing cabinents!
And I'm pregnant and tired!
And the twitch is becoming like a personal strobe light for my right eye!
The big thing right now is that my teaching license expires this summer and I need to renew it. So here are the issues:
1) What is required for me to renew the license? I originally had a teaching certificate and when I renewed it I received a license. I think I just need 6 hours of classes, but one place on the website said something about a master's degree. When I emailed the Department of Ed asking this, they sent me a copy and paste of the website instead of a yes/no to if I was correct on only needing 6 hours.
2) Where do I get the six hours of classes? I can't really go to a classroom, since Xander isn't old enough to be left alone. So I was looking at online classes and some classes sent on DVD.
3) How do I pay for the classes? Holy smokes, my last school spoiled me rotten and paid for/reimbursed/had special deals for classes. Classes are freakin' expensive! And after that, the actual license renewal is still pretty pricey.
I was going to do a web class but they wouldn't give me any price info without me turning over my first born. And Xander is still kind of cute, so that didn't work. My neighbor is going through the same thing and decided to do a correspondence course. So it looks like I will sign up with her.
To add to the fun, the first Craft Night is a week and a half away! I have to get ready for that!
And Xander is testing his boundaries by trying to play with CDs and sitting on the filing cabinents!
And I'm pregnant and tired!
And the twitch is becoming like a personal strobe light for my right eye!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I quit!
I don't know if I have mentioned it here, but I am tutoring again this school year. I have a returning student from last year who is now a junior and a 7th grader who is trying to prep to get into the 8th grade Algebra. I've had a few other calls of interest but all have been from the Catholic high school I worked at a couple of years ago and now no longer live near. So once I explain that tutoring is in my home and it's a fair drive (unless you live in the area) I don't hear back.
The junior I am tutoring received her drivers license in November. She was coming twice a week for a half hour each time. Since she has started driving herself, her attendance has been sporadic.
She missed a day and I called and talked to her father who said that she talked like she made it to tutoring. The next time I saw her she apologized and said she spaced out.
Then she missed a week. I left messages with parents and received a text from the junior apologizing for missing.
The next week she texted both days to let me know she couldn't make it. Both times less than an hour before she was supposed to be here.
Then there was the school break. After break she again missed a week and didn't cancel. So I had finally had enough. From the last ten times we were scheduled to meet, she had made it twice. Half of the times she missed she gave me less than an one hour notice. The other times I was left hanging. So I called her parents and left messages saying she hadn't made it and I would no longer be available for tutoring. I was a little chicken and didn't specify that her not showing up was the reason, I was just vague and said I was no longer available.
So imagine my surprise on Monday when the junior shows up at my doorstop for tutoring! "Um," I say, "I left messages with your parents that I wouldn't be able to tutor anymore." She tells me that her dad yelled at her to make it to tutoring. I think I was pretty straightforward in the message, so maybe he didn't listen to all of it? She asks if she can be tutored one more time and I look around trying to find some reason not to, but finally mutter that sure I can today.
I log off of the computer, wheel Xander around in his high chair (where he'd just had his afternoon snack, so I'm wondering how I'll keep him under control) and grab my tutoring binder when the junior says "I don't really have anything to work on, so maybe I'll just go." At this point I try to question her to see what she's working on, but she denies doing any work in class at all. So I see her to the door and roll my eyes as she drives away.
And that entire last paragraph included her texting the entire time. Even while driving away.
The junior I am tutoring received her drivers license in November. She was coming twice a week for a half hour each time. Since she has started driving herself, her attendance has been sporadic.
She missed a day and I called and talked to her father who said that she talked like she made it to tutoring. The next time I saw her she apologized and said she spaced out.
Then she missed a week. I left messages with parents and received a text from the junior apologizing for missing.
The next week she texted both days to let me know she couldn't make it. Both times less than an hour before she was supposed to be here.
Then there was the school break. After break she again missed a week and didn't cancel. So I had finally had enough. From the last ten times we were scheduled to meet, she had made it twice. Half of the times she missed she gave me less than an one hour notice. The other times I was left hanging. So I called her parents and left messages saying she hadn't made it and I would no longer be available for tutoring. I was a little chicken and didn't specify that her not showing up was the reason, I was just vague and said I was no longer available.
So imagine my surprise on Monday when the junior shows up at my doorstop for tutoring! "Um," I say, "I left messages with your parents that I wouldn't be able to tutor anymore." She tells me that her dad yelled at her to make it to tutoring. I think I was pretty straightforward in the message, so maybe he didn't listen to all of it? She asks if she can be tutored one more time and I look around trying to find some reason not to, but finally mutter that sure I can today.
I log off of the computer, wheel Xander around in his high chair (where he'd just had his afternoon snack, so I'm wondering how I'll keep him under control) and grab my tutoring binder when the junior says "I don't really have anything to work on, so maybe I'll just go." At this point I try to question her to see what she's working on, but she denies doing any work in class at all. So I see her to the door and roll my eyes as she drives away.
And that entire last paragraph included her texting the entire time. Even while driving away.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Starting something
As you may have noticed on my blog, I do enjoy my crafts. Some of you may remember that I taught people how to make rosaries out of knots last summer. One of those ladies came to me and asked about setting up a craft night through the women's group at church.
So here I am in the New Year, challenging myself by trying to organize this big activity from scratch with the lady who is also a big crafter. We have to decide on when (once a month, but being more specific is hard), where, what, who, etc.
Right now we are going to spend a couple of months on the rosaries. Several people who were at my 'lesson' last time mentioned that they still haven't finished their first one. So I figure if we meet three times, people can relearn (or learn for the first time) and will have times to come back with questions or to make more.
Then we'll move on to teaching knitting and making rectangles to be sewn into blankets. My cohort even hopes to move onto hats at some point.
All of these crafts would be for charity, so we'd have to pick which charities to donate to. The big problem then would be how to afford the supplies. I'm saying this in the vast optimism that the craft night will be a success, we may have two people that show up and then we sit and stare at each other.
So if anyone has advice, I'm all ears.
So here I am in the New Year, challenging myself by trying to organize this big activity from scratch with the lady who is also a big crafter. We have to decide on when (once a month, but being more specific is hard), where, what, who, etc.
Right now we are going to spend a couple of months on the rosaries. Several people who were at my 'lesson' last time mentioned that they still haven't finished their first one. So I figure if we meet three times, people can relearn (or learn for the first time) and will have times to come back with questions or to make more.
Then we'll move on to teaching knitting and making rectangles to be sewn into blankets. My cohort even hopes to move onto hats at some point.
All of these crafts would be for charity, so we'd have to pick which charities to donate to. The big problem then would be how to afford the supplies. I'm saying this in the vast optimism that the craft night will be a success, we may have two people that show up and then we sit and stare at each other.
So if anyone has advice, I'm all ears.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
A Tasty Waste of Time
Last month Dandy sent me some pictures from the website Cake Wrecks. And now I check the site every few days. It ranges from ugly cakes to beautiful cakes to grammatically incorrect cakes. December was a fine time to check it out because there were so many holiday messes. One of my favorites were cupcakes with little signs saying "Merry Christmas" surrounded by little, blue Star of Davids.
Monday, January 05, 2009
A Month Later...
I want to apologize for not updating my blog, but really it's Xander's fault. Every time I'm on the computer, he comes over and a) tries to play with the CDs, b) tries to climb onto my lap and play with the keyboard or c) causes some other havoc.
Chris doesn't have this problem. He spent may hours the past two days on the computer without Xander causing problems. It's because I don't have the loud, scary "No!" voice.
I've managed to get quite a few crafts done over the holidays. Unfortunately, I have no pictures. So use your imagination peoples.
I knitted mittens for Xander, they are a nice, bright yellow to complement his blue and yellow coat. I even made a little cord to connect the mittens and run through his coat. The first time I made the cord too long and he'd walk around with his mittens dragging on the ground, so I fixed that. Now the mittens are getting holes because Xander figured out that to take off the mittens he just has to bite them and pull. I am working on his hat now.
I made my sister a pair of pajama (lounge) pants for part of her Christmas present. I bought a flannel that was plue with purple moons and pink stars. When I arrived home I realized that it was actually a little annoying to look at, but I didn't see anything I like better at the store. My sister asked them to be made long, and she's tall to begin with, so I added like four inches to the length. They turned out pretty well and I even added a little tag so she'd know which side was the back. Well, when she tried them on they were so long that her feet were totally covered. People laughed at me, but she said she liked it (or she was trying to make me feel better).
I also made curtains for our redone master bathroom. I used a sheer, white material and directions from a book. Pretty straight forward, just a lot of material and pinning and ironing. But when I hung them up, one panel is crooked and the other is flat out shorter. When I get up the energy to rip out the seams, I will fix it. So, Ikkin, it's up to you if you'd still like me to hem your curtains.
Aaaaaand, Xander is now acting up. Later!
Chris doesn't have this problem. He spent may hours the past two days on the computer without Xander causing problems. It's because I don't have the loud, scary "No!" voice.
I've managed to get quite a few crafts done over the holidays. Unfortunately, I have no pictures. So use your imagination peoples.
I knitted mittens for Xander, they are a nice, bright yellow to complement his blue and yellow coat. I even made a little cord to connect the mittens and run through his coat. The first time I made the cord too long and he'd walk around with his mittens dragging on the ground, so I fixed that. Now the mittens are getting holes because Xander figured out that to take off the mittens he just has to bite them and pull. I am working on his hat now.
I made my sister a pair of pajama (lounge) pants for part of her Christmas present. I bought a flannel that was plue with purple moons and pink stars. When I arrived home I realized that it was actually a little annoying to look at, but I didn't see anything I like better at the store. My sister asked them to be made long, and she's tall to begin with, so I added like four inches to the length. They turned out pretty well and I even added a little tag so she'd know which side was the back. Well, when she tried them on they were so long that her feet were totally covered. People laughed at me, but she said she liked it (or she was trying to make me feel better).
I also made curtains for our redone master bathroom. I used a sheer, white material and directions from a book. Pretty straight forward, just a lot of material and pinning and ironing. But when I hung them up, one panel is crooked and the other is flat out shorter. When I get up the energy to rip out the seams, I will fix it. So, Ikkin, it's up to you if you'd still like me to hem your curtains.
Aaaaaand, Xander is now acting up. Later!
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