Long time no see!

Well it's been awhile since I've been able to post anything about my crazy life. Not that any of you have missed my rambling antics. Anyhow--the past week has been very busy. I have worked on report cards, traveled to Fayetteville/Wilmington, and started a new grad class. I am amazed at how wonderful God is to sustain me through all the craziness.
Currently I am avoiding work by blogging. I have report cards to finish up, and a ton of homework for grad school. Since today was Halloween I am worn out and enjoying my few moments of peace and quiet. It is so funny to watch how excited children get about Halloween. The power of candy never ceases to amaze me! I was grateful that our class celebration was somewhat tame in comparison to what it could have been. We had the children in stations and then moved them from one station to the next before ending with a snack and Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Overall we wound up with some really cute art (which I want to be sure and repeat again next year) and some really happy, but hyper children. In some ways I dread tomorrow since the children will be returning from a late night out filled with fun and sugar. I love teaching but can understand why nearly every teacher I know dreads certain times of the year.
Well I guess I need to get started on my work and stop procrastinating since all of it is due tomorrow and I am going to need my sleep to fight this eye/allergy crud. I will post pics of our weekend trip to Wilmington soon.

Photo Shoot

My adorable cousin hammin it up for the camera!












Aaron and I had a fantastic time hammin it up for the camera as well! It was fun to just take our time, enjoy the weather and each other, while adding to our photo collections. I love taking photos and am excited with how well some of these came out!
As dorky as this sounds I cant wait to tell my children at school about all of my fun adventures this weekend! I can't wait to show them pictures of my visit to the pumpkin patch and pics of my dad's new dog--Roxanne! I will post pics of Rox soon. For now I must go to bed!

Crazy children

Ok! I know my job as a teacher is not an easy one but the past few days have been absolutely nuts! The class I have this year is very challenging. Not only do they talk ALL the time, but they have a host of other weird things they do on a daily basis--chewing (clothes, shoe strings, etc), sucking on any combination of fingers, yelling across the room, growling,
So anyways, on top of the talking and other weird things, I have a few students who are just so impossibly low that I dont know what to do with them. Neither one of them will do anything without my assistant or myself standing there helping them. It is so frustrating because I cant be right by their sides all day long. And when I spend too much time with them I feel like I am neglecting my other students. Far too often in the past few days my assistant has had to complete activities with my class so that I may spend time PULLING stuff out of my two low functioning children (one in particular).
I am so frustrated and know that this is part of the reason that I am feeling so drained right now.
Any suggestions?

Productivity and OCD

Those who know me know that I can be a bit OCD from time to time. I like to have things in their proper place, especially if it can be contained in a nice neat container of some sort--usually plastic. I also enjoy being productive. The times when I am able to get a lot done really make me happy. Although it is a small thing it means a lot for me to be able to say that I have completed my list of tasks and if at all possible get a bit ahead of the game. This has become even more important since I started graduate school while continuing to teach. In order for me to have any kind of life I have to work ahead of the game or play large amounts of catch up. It is this constant struggle to stay ahead or catch up that leaves me feeling overwhelmed far too often lately.
Despite the fact that it is 10 oclock at night I am hoping for quite a bit of productivity before I go to bed tonight. Hopefully I can get not only the things I have to do completed but also a few of the would like to's.
Wish me luck!

Worn out!

I came home from school today completely worn out. My body was unable to do anything more than make it to the couch. Once I made it to the couch I fell fast asleep...so hard that I did in fact dream! Even now I sit here nearly unable to do anything. My body still seems so worn out!
This week is one of the first in many that I do not have study group during the week. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have my evenings back. I have been able to watch tv and not feel guilty, to do school work in bits and pieces-not all in one night, life has simply been grand! I am looking forward to next week when I get yet another week without a study group session. I am very glad that we are now a bit more than halfway through this program. Although I have made it this far it is hard for me to realize that I can make it through the next half of this program as well. I am so tired of being in school ALL the time. It is much more difficult than I thought to teach school all day and then go to school at night. Even when it is only going 1-2 nights a week. The extra work from both make it nearly impossible to have any time to myself.
I will be so very grateful when this season of my life is over!
Well I guess I need to quit venting and move onto cleaning, grading, planning, and crosstitching!

love

i love aaron!! i could go on and on and on....but to save you all the time and barfy thoughts i will keep it that simple. i love him!

Mondays!

I dislike Mondays with a passion! It never seems to matter how ready for them you seem to be/feel, they always manage to get the best of you. I have been really good about having all of my lesson plans done for the week (by monday no less) this school year. Regardless of that wonderful feat I still seem unable to get through a Monday without feeling like it took the best of me. I often wonder what the world would really be like without Mondays. Would we start feeling the same way about Tuesday then? Hrmmm. I really dont know. And no for those of you wondering, I am not part of a cell phone commercial nor do I have tons of extra time on my hands. These are simply the thoughts I am left with after a Monday.