Tutoring

I had my 2nd tutoring session yesterday and I would have to say it is going well. The first session was to get to know her, what she is doing and to find out what we will work on. Then she did some reading out loud to me so I could see where her fluency is. That went well and I discovered that she does need some help, mostly with decoding words (which slows her reading down and causes her to loose comprehension) So I left with my information and went to think about activities I could do to help her reading improve-in case she didn't have specific homework to work on the next time.

Last night was session number 2. She was having a science test today, so we studied for that. I quized her from her study guide, had her read aloud some passages from the book for confusing topics, and had her do some sample questions from the end of the chapter. All in all, I think she is ready for the test. I was also able to see, again, areas of decoding that need work. Looking at her study guide I could also see that spelling might be an area to work on (or she was just writing in a hurry)

So, I am waiting to hear how she does on the test. Mom and I are hoping for an A!!!

I will not have another session until the new year, due to break and days she spends with her dad, so I have plenty of time to find more activities we can do (since I am not sure how much homework she will have 2 days after returning from break)

Out of my comfort zone

Since this was one of my 10 in 2010 goals, I decided to dedicate a post to it. I have technically already accomplished this goal back in May when I volunteered at food pantry in Milwaukee, with Rae Ann (I was able to help others, help Rae Ann meet one of her goals for the year, and meet one of mine)

Well, there are a few other things that I am starting that I would classify as out of MY comfort zone. Those of you who know me well, know that I am pretty shy and will not necessarily go out of my way to start a conversation with someone I don't know. Well, Brian is the complete opposite. So he was talking to someone at work and they mentioned that their daughter could use some help in school. Brian told her that I was a teacher and would possibly be interested in tutoring her daughter. So on Tuesday the mom and I talked and I am going to meet them on Monday and see if this is something that will work for me. I think that it will, it is just a matter of figuring out a schedule that will work with my Sylvan one as well. So I will post more about this out of my comfort zone experience later.

I have also decided to start writing a story, loosely based on some things that happened leading up to my leaving my last full time teaching position. I am not sure how good it is going to be or how long it will be. And I do not know what I plan to do with it when it is done. But I have been saying for a long time that I should write a book (mostly about my neighbors or in-laws, which may come next), so I have decided to just go ahead and see what happens.

So I would have to say that I have met my goal of doing something out of my comfort zone. This may be something I will have to include again on my list for 2011.

Neighborhood Excitement

On Sunday night, as Brian and I were just getting ready to settle in and watch a little TV, we heard yelling coming from outside. At first we let it go because our neighbors across the street (S & E) tend to drink a lot with A (another neighbor) and they get a little loud. However, when the yelling continued I decided it was time to take a peek. So, as I looked out the front window, 3 cop cars sped up to the house across the street, which is where A was flagging them down. The cops ran in the house, flashlights going, in search of whatever they were looking for. Moments later, they come out with E in handcuffs and put him in the back of one of the squads.

Now, most people would probably stop watching at this point, but not me-a former culd-du-sac dweller!! I moved to the side window, and opened the window so I could hear what was being said. Turns out A was getting in E's face and he snapped. Tables, chairs, and beer bottles were thrown, mostly at A. So A finally called the cops. S & A are supposedly best friends, so it didn't sound like this was good for them. A had to write a statement, which took quite a while due to that fact that she was shaken up and intoxicated. All the while, S is freaking out, not sure what to do now that her boyfriend is going who knows where for who knows how long, and the fact that her 2 boys are inside A's house with A's son. And A is getting mad at S because she will not write a statement to support her. There were some other interesting facts that came out at that time. S was embezzling and A stood by her during that trial, and that E was already in jail for 2 months back in March (not sure what for).

Long story short, E was charged with disorderly conduct and taken to jail for the night. A finished her statement and started to verbally fight with S, in front of the officer. A's husband was present by this time, so he sent A into the house and went to have a chat with S. (not sure what was said, I stopped listening by this point.) S left early Monday morning and came home with E. E left shortly after that, assuming he went to work. I was gone all day Monday, so I don't know if anything happened between A & S, but I do know that things were unusually quite in the neighborhood by the time I did get home for the night.

There is never a dull moment on Lincoln Avenue and this confirms that Brian and I are only a few of the "normal" residents on the block.

The wake up calls have begun!!!

I got my first wake up call yesterday, at 5:10am!! I ended up rejecting that job because it was for a special ed position and I just do not fit well with those. But I selected the option where the system can still call me with other assignments.

So I decided to go back to bed and figured that I would not be getting another call. WRONG!!! At 5:34am, the phone rang again. Once again it was the automated system offering a 3rd grade position. I knew I could handle that one, so I accepted.

That class was wonderful and the school is nice too, even though it seems as though the teachers are not the friendliest, beyond a hello if passed in the hallway. (Not all of them fit this, but most of them seem to, at least they did yesterday)

Today, the phone rang at 5:55am-again the automated system, offering a 1st grade position. I accepted. And the school is one of the closer ones to my house, so that made it nice.

That class was not as enjoyable as the 3rd grade, but we still had fun. The 1st graders we a lot more chattier and I am not sure if it was because it was a Friday or because they had a substitute.

So, I have already subbed 7 days since the start of school. I think that is great and am hoping it keeps up like this.

What do you do with...

a bag of apples, a bag of blueberries, and a cold weekend?? Why you bake, of course. The apples were picked from a local orchard, and the blueberries were given to us by a co-worker of Brian's. Apples were not new to bake with, as it has become a yearly tradition to pick them and then discover that we have picked too many and then have to figure out what to do with them all. The blueberries were a new adventure for me.

So this weekend was spent washing, chopping, mixing and baking with blueberries and apples!! We now have freezers full of apple pies, apple bread, blueberry bread, apple muffins and blueberry muffins. We still have some apples left that may get made into applesauce or just eaten. There are also some blueberries left, so there may be more bread and muffins in our future. Good thing the weekend looks cold once again. (Good reason to need the oven to heat up the house a little!!!)

If anyone has a good apple recipe, I am always looking for new ideas. Someone did mention apple jam, but I would not know where to start with that. Always willing to try something that someone suggests as yummy!!

Why do I do this to myself???

So, last Saturday was the Kaukauna city-wide rummage sale. They hold 2 a year and we usually participate in one of them to see what kind of money we can bring in. How many years will it take me to learn that it is really not worth it?!?!

On Friday, Brian came home early and got the garage cleaned out and the tables (which we have o borrow from my parents) set up for me, while I was subbing. Then we brought out the tubs that hold our "junk" and organized it on all the tables. We had to go out and buy more price tags, and later that night spent more time in the garage pricing things that had been neglected.

On Saturday, Brian's parents came over at 7am (the sale started at 8) to drop off the stuff that they wanted to try to sell. They had a lot more then I thought (and Brian never asked them what they would be bringing, like I asked him to do twice!!!), so that took quite a bit of time in the morning.

Luckily the rain held off, but it was a cold day. Despite the fact that is was a city wide rummage sale and the lady down the street was also having a sale, we only made $12.50. We had lots of people stop by and look, but nothing tripped their trigger. I know it couldn't have totally been the prices, because most things were priced at $.25. Our big goal was not to make a ton of money, but to get rid of the stuff.

Everything that didn't sell, and that we didn't want to store until next year, was kindly picked up by Easter Seals yesterday.

So, we still have some stuff that I just can't GIVE away, stored in the basement until the next time we decide to participate in the city wide. I am thinking that may be a while. It takes so much effort to set up and take down things. Then there is the day wasted just sitting outside mostly watching cars drive by, hoping they would stop and take some of these things off our hands.

In the end, each rummage sale leaves me asking myself "Why do I continue to do this for the little that we make?" And I also know that sometime in the future, I will put myself through all this again :)

I survived art class!!!

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at the catholic school in the art class. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect. I have been in that room before, and the kids have always been in the middle of projects and they knew more about what they were supposed to do then I did. So, this being the beginning of the year, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to START any projects because I do not have an artistic bone in my body.

I was mostly in luck. Most classes were filling out worksheets about a form of art. (I think she does a "history" before they actually start a project). And I had the answer keys, so I didn't have to know much about the subject.

I did actually have to introduce a project to the 4th grade. They needed to make leaves-I have no idea what the rest of that project will be. So, I had to show how to start with a basic shape and then add in the detail. I am no artist, so they looked very little like leaves when I was done with my demonstration. I also had the kids make 2 leaves, in case one was not to the teachers liking. I am just hoping that when she sees the leaves next week she is not wondering what the heck they are and what I showed them. But, it took most of them only a few minutes to make them, so they can always be redone if she sees fit.

I get to work tomorrow. I haven't worked a Saturday in over a year, so it will be strange to get up early and go into Sylvan, but the money will be nice. Then on Friday, I get to sub in a 4th grade class. And next Saturday is the city wide rummage sale. So I am secretly hoping that Friday is my only day to sub next week so that I can prepare for the sale. If you are in the area and looking for something to do, stop in and say HI (and maybe find something that you are looking to buy!)

Looks like it will be another year of subbing

Well, as the beginning of school is only days away here in the fox valley, it looks like for the 5th year in a row I will not be setting up a classroom. I know there are still 2 days before school starts, but things are not looking to hopeful for me to still get in. Of course, just because the school year starts, doesn't mean hiring won't be done.

I did have one interview this summer. A few weeks ago I applied and interviewed for a 50% preschool position at the Kaukauna Catholic School. I have subbed for them many times last year, and knew the principal and staff. I was really hopeful that this year would be the year I would get to decorate a classroom again. No luck-2 days after the interview i was called and told she was going a different route. So, I was back to where I started from.

Last week, I went to get my TB test so I could continue subbing in the Menasha district. I also got a confirmation e-mail from the Kimberly district reminding me to make sure my online profile is up to date (they use an automated system to call subs). I also have to e-mail the principal at the catholic school and let her know that I am still interested in subbing for them (even if I am not good enough to teach for them!!)

So, stay tuned for all the adventures that I go through this year as a sub. With 3 districts, you would think I would be kept busy. Keeping my fingers crossed for that!! But probably not for a few weeks. How many teachers call in sick the first few weeks of school?!?!

National S'more Day

Yesterday was National S'more Day.

Now, I am not one who usually celebrates days like these, but since our backyard has a fire pit (which looks more like a tiny pond this morning), I decided that this was one day worth celebrating. I read in the paper last week about this day and the different variations that the S'more can now have. I thought that it would be great reason to have some friends over and do a bonfire.

Brian decided that with the newly seeded lawn spots, he didn't want to have the friends (with children) over because they like to run around the yard and that could get messy. Okay, so it would just be the 2 of us around the campfire. Well, when I was watching the weather yesterday morning and saw the big green word HUMID across the whole week I figured that it might just be too hot to sit around the campfire. (And Brian does not handle humidity well, so I knew the grill was out as an option)

Now, I wasn't going to let a little humidity stop me from celebrating-especially when chocolate was involved!!!! So we did S'mores in the microwave-something neither of us had tried before. I must say there are pros and cons to this "new" way of making a S'more. Pros-the chocolate melted better when it hit the marshmallow. Cons-due to the melting, it was messier; the marshmallow didn't have that crisp crunch that it gets from being lightly flame kissed; it didn't have the same taste as a marshmallow toasted over the fire.

So, is this a way that I will be using again? You bet!!!! However, I still prefer the old fashioned way of toasting a marshmallow over the open flame of the campfire. And I still have all those variations that I am dying to try. (Using white chocolate, a fudge stripes cookie instead of a graham cracker) Guess I will have to wait for the grass to grow and the weather to cool off a bit before trying my new S'mores recipes!!!

One Month???

I just realized that once again, a month has passed since my last post.

Well, summer school has ended and one of the teachers I worked with will most likely not have a summer school teaching job in Appleton next year. She was not exactly cut out to work with the kindergartners (yet teaching preschool is her full time job?? If you figure that one out, let me know) Her dress was not exactly the most appropriate to be working at an elementary school. But the session is over and we will just have to wait and she what happens for next year, but the coordinator knows that neither I or the other teacher have the desire to work with her. (I am pretty sure the site coordinator doesn't want her back next year either.)

I spent the week after summer school in Watertown, taking care of my mom who fractured her knee falling down the stairs at my grandma's house. Dad was out of town that week and with Adam's crazy work schedule, she would have been alone a lot of the day (and she had some doctors appointments to go to) so I volunteered to spend the week there. Everyone involved survived the week and she should be getting the staples out today. Hopefully all goes well there.

This weekend will be our landscaping removal weekend. We are ripping out the little bit of bushes that are dying in the front of the house, as well as all the lava rocks that are everywhere. Grass will be planted for now and we may eventually decide to add plants again for curb appeal later. So the dirt is being delivered tonight and the dumpster is coming tomorrow morning. And then the friends come to also give a had with the "demolition". (Funny how all Brian's wish list projects get done, but I am still waiting for the bedroom wall to get painted :))

Keep on the lookout for before and after pictures from the weekend. And pray the rain holds off!!!

Summer School-Week 2

Week 2 went well-and I didn't have to teach, so that makes it better!!! It was pretty dry all week, so we were outside 4 of the 5 days. The one day it was just too muddy. So we stayed inside, popped popcorn for snack and watched a letter sounds movie. The kids loved it!!

I am loving this week. We are off from school-supposedly for the 4th and people that take vacations, but many students are going to be gone next week. Oh well, I don't make the schedule. And the weather is looking great. Rain possibly this afternoon, but not again until who knows when. the 7 day forecast shows only sun and high 70's and 80's. As long as the humidity is not too bad, I am happy!!

I started off my vacation by getting a major haircut on Saturday. I was able to donate to Locks of Love and I still have quite a bit left!! I will get a picture up on Facebook later today (hopefully). My week will most likely consist of cleaning, since that has been neglected for a few weeks. Then the weekend will hopefully be hanging with friends and helping to celebrate a birthday on the 4th (and not just the countries.)

Well, off to clean or relax a little more (haven't decided yet :))

Summer School-Week 1

The first week of summer school is over!!!!

I am once again teaching Kindergarten Readiness in the team taught room. However neither of the teachers from last year are there :) There are 2 new teachers-I am not really sure about one of them yet, as she was hired at the last minute, but we will see. So, there are 3 teachers, 28 students (as of this week-31 on the rooster), and a sign language interpreter in the room this year.

This week was my week to teach. I did an All About Me theme and the kids seemed to enjoy it :) It is nice to have 2 other teachers to help control all of the kids.

I now get to relax a little next week as I am done teaching for a while and don't have to worry about prep work. I will get to see what it is like on the controlling the masses end of things.

Here's to hoping the rain scheduled for Monday-Wednesday holds off until 11:30 every day so we can get outside. We spent one day inside this week and what a difference a little outside time makes in a room full of 4 and 5 year olds!!!!

Wisconsin Dells

Two in one day!!! What are you going to do!!!

Last week, Brian and I spent a few days in Wisconsin Dells. Thanks to WIXX(a local radio station), we paid very little for the trip and activities. WIXX gives away Dells books every year where you can get free or very discounted admission to many Dells attractions (there are even some water parks included, but we are not water people). So, this year we decided we were going to try our hardest to get some Dells books. We found out the day of the closest Dells drop and Brian and best friend Bill got up at 4am to go sit outside of Sonic drive in until 11:30am, when the drop was to begin. They were first in line!!!!
So our trip was planned. And it was a busy 3 days. We did 3 mini-golf courses, painted some pottery, rode the ducks(the tour never changes and you start to anticipate the jokes that you know are coming), took the upper Dells boat tour, visited a photograph museum(free, and was very thankful we didn't pay for it), saw a hypnotist show, saw the Tommy Bartlett show and exploratory, went to circus world(missed the circus), and visited a train museum and got an hour long train ride. Many of these places were free. We even got a hotel discount and 10% off many of the area restaurants. After all was calculated, we saved about $407 the whole trip. We even have some things left that we didn't do (water stuff) that doesn't expire until the end of June.

Brian decided it was worth getting up at 4am for and will most likely try again next year!!

Out of my comfort zone

As many of you may know, one of my goals for 2010 was to do something out of my comfort zone. Those of you that know me well, know that I am not an outgoing person who will go up and talk to someone I don't know, so this would prove to be a tough goal. Well, thankfully, Rae Ann knows that I am not outgoing and one of her goals was to do a volunteer project each month. She included me in her project for May, so I helped at a Food Pantry in Milwaukee. While I didn't actually deal with the people coming to the pantry, I stocked shelves and filled the bags that would be handed out, I was definitely out of my comfort zone. I like doing things that I am familiar with, in areas I am familiar with, with people I am familiar with. (Out of the 6 of us that volunteered, I knew 3 and one was Brian)
So, there is one goal for 2010 that I can most certainly cross off the list as accomplished. I am still working on the others. And thanks to Rae Ann for knowing me so well and thinking to include me-even though we did have the furthest drive to get there. It was a great time!!!

Nothing Blogworthy

I realized that it has once again been a month since I have posted. (Sorry to any of you who follow me regularly) I guess there just has not been anything too exciting that has happened. Here is my March, in a nutshell.

*subbed 13 days out of 23

*Sylvan 14 nights

*Godson turned 2!!! I think he may have experienced the terrible 2's early as he seems pretty mellow now!

*had to buy a new range because the heating element in the oven broke. It would have been $200 to fix it and no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. So we bought a Kenmore from Sears.

How are my goals coming, you ask?! Depends on the day and were in my house you look :) The desk and coffee tables manage to stay fairly clean, but I am still struggling with that kitchen table. Right now it is full of Easter basket crap (baskets and candy from the parents). I have been reading more, have finished 4 books so far this year, but have been on the computer a lot lately as well. I have been trying to post more on Facebook when I visit or do something for someone else. (I would like to add more blog comments, but my friends have to update their blogs more often!!!) I will be doing my out of comfort zone activity in May when I help with some friends at a food pantry. Still thinking of that cheap, but nice looking craft project to bring in extra money (ideas are always welcome)

That is my month in a nutshell. I will be teaching summer school again, come June, so I am sure I will have stories to blog about then. You just have to try to stick with me in the uninteresting months :)

Thanks for reading!!

Where did Feb. go??

It is not like I was incredibly busy during February, it just seems like it flew by. I only subbed 7 days the whole month, but they were long days since they were usually followed by 3 hours at Sylvan.

I think the one thing that made the month fly by was that the last week of February was kinda like a blur. On Feb 15, our priest was hospitalized and in a coma after being found unconscious on his driveway that morning. We had just seen him at mass the day before, so this was a shocker and no one knows exactly what happened. We continued the prayers for him at mass the following weekend as he was still in his coma with no change besides the bruising going down. Thankfully the parish set up a Caringbridge account for Fr. Mike so we could all keep updated on his condition without calling the parish office for updates. On Monday the 22-one week after his fall-it was posted that he had passed away. So, that week was a blur of thinking how could this have happened, what happened-which we will now probably never know-along with attending the funeral events. It is just so strange that he is gone-church will never be the same without Fr. Mike-who was the reason we joined St. Mary's in Appleton. He has such a way of relating to everyone-young and old. It will be interesting to see what happens next with the parish.

On to happier topics, March is starting to fly by as well. Here it is already the 5th. I have subbed 3 days already (2 were AM only). I have 2 more planned days this month, but I am sure there will be more. The weather is getting warmer, but not enough for me to open the windows yet. I am thinking about doing some major cleaning today-we will see if that really happens.

I think the resolutions are coming along. I really have to think about where I am putting things in order to keep organized. Still struggling with that kitchen table (maybe I will have to take it out of the kitchen!!!) I may even have something planned for my "out of my comfort zone". Thanks to Rae Ann and her goal of monthly volunteering!!

Okay, you are now updated on my past month. Hopefully there will not be so long between my next post :)

How are my resolutions coming???

I figured that since it has been a few weeks since I posted my list of 10 goals for 2010, I thought it was a good time to stop and reflect on them to see if any may need to be tweaked.

I must say that now that I am organized, keeping it that way is not as hard as I thought. Course, I have had a lot of days at home to devote to putting things away. So, I think that i am now in that habit!! The desk and coffee table have been staying relatively clean-a few pens and paper, but you need that when you answer the phone sometimes. The kitchen table is another story. I completely cleaned it off today-as a reminder that we do have a table under all that crap that gets piled on it. Hopefully I can get in the mindset that the kitchen table is not a catchall just because it may be the first flat surface I see when I walk in the door.

Water drinking has been going well. I am not drinking anywhere near the amount I should be each day, but I can say that I am drinking some water every day-which was not the case before.

I have finished 2 books this month!! Started a 3rd today. I am still on the computer a lot, but I am trying to make it more meaningful time and less time playing games. (I still play the games, but am working on limiting the time spent playing them.)

Since I haven't been called to sub in 2 weeks (except for the AM yesterday) I have been able to keep the house fairly clean as well. It also seems to look cleaner without all the clutter on the tables. (I actually have to dust and sweep today)

Struggling with the craft project idea. Brian would like to make the brick snowmen, we just need to find the bricks. I have a ton of old CDs and Christmas cards that I am sure I can do something with, just not sure what. I am open to ideas that don't cost a lot to get started :)

That is the update in a nutshell. I don't think there is any tweaking necessary-it is a little early in the year to know how the rest are going to work.

Thank you to those who are trying to keep me on track!!

Rejection turned positive

This afternoon, I received word that the job I interviewed for on Saturday was given to someone else. The job was a long term kindergarten sub at a Catholic school in Watertown (my parents live there, so the commute would not have been insane) The position was given to someone who had most of her experience in a kindergarten classroom (I thought I did too, but apparently not)

However, there were only 3 of us that the principal interviewed, so I should feel good that my resume was good enough to get me in the top 3!!

So, as bummed as I am about not having a steady income for even 8 weeks, there are some positives about not getting that position that I am going to focus on:

*I will not have to take a break from my position at Sylvan and worry about having any hours when I returned.

*Brian and I will not have to live apart during the week and see each other only on weekends (possibly).

*I won't have to live with my parents (if even for a few weeks).

*My resume got looked at and I was in the top 3!!!

*I had my first interview in years for a teaching position. (the practice is a good thing, I guess)

*The principal said his decision was a difficult one (and I believe him) and that he will keep me in mind for future positions at his school or when talking to other principals.

Now I am still on the job hunt and in the subbing world (I wish that would pick up a little). Thank you to everyone who sent positive thoughts my way for that job. Thank you to everyone who continues to send positive thoughts my way for a job in the future.

10 in 2010

I decided to "steal" this idea from Rae Ann because I think it is a great idea. A list of 10 goals or resolutions to accomplish in 2010 (or try to accomplish)

1. Get organized and stay organized. (almost done with the get part)

2. Drink more water. (when I am not subbing, I drink much less water. Maybe if I put it in the same water bottle I use for school, it will help)

3. Spend less time on the computer and more time reading. (This doesn't mean less blog or facebook status updates, but less "time wasting" activities)

4. Do more random acts of kindness. (I generally hold doors open for people behind me and smile at strangers, but I think I can do more)

5. Be more tolerant. (Not sweat the small stuff)

6. Do something out of my comfort zone. (I am not sure what this is going to be, but it seems like something good to strive for)

7. Write more comments on friends blogs or facebook pages so they know that I care about what they have to say.

8. Stay on top of house cleaning (This could be a never ending goal, but it seems that since I have more "free" time lately I should make the most of it.)

9. Start some sort of craft project that can be sold at craft fairs (Everyone could use extra money and again, with all this "free" time I might as well put it to good use)

10. Help all of you to reach your 2010 goals!!! (Whether you want me to or not!!!)

Happy 2010 and good luck!!

New Year's Resolution

I typically don't make New Year's Resolutions because I find that I don't keep them (as I am sure is the case for most people). But after spending most of the weekend cleaning out files, closets, drawers and cabinets, I decided that this year I am going to try to stay organized. It is not that I am a pack rat or that things are really messy, but it is all the little things that don't help. I need to make a point to put mail, bills, and the newspapers where they belong and not on the coffee table or desk. I need to make the effort to put things where they belong instead of just somewhere out of sight. You know the saying "out of sight, out of mind"? I would have to say that holds true here. If I don't get it to its proper home right away, it may never get there.

I know this resolution will make Brian happy, because he was such a neat person before we got married (to the point of being a bit anal) and I have changed him to be a little less focused on where things go. While that is a good thing in regards to a statue being slightly off from dusting, his organization has also slacked because mine has.

So, in 2010 I am going to be a more organized person and not have a pile of things on the coffee table or desk-because they certainly don't need to be there. (This will also help speed clean-up when we know guests are coming :))

I hope that all of you who made resolutions are able to stick to them. I welcome your help in making sure I am sticking to mine and I will gladly return the favor if you need help sticking to yours :)