$.99 Blackberries

It's been too long since I have written. I have too much to get done to write much....
So I will touch on the most pressing matters for my mind--

Goals-
I have been an epic failure on my grading. Wish I could say it was because I spend too much on my blog. But such as life. AND I love being a teacher because January is a time for renewing those goals and setting new ones.

My Thirty-One business has been ebbing and flowing, and I am not going to make director the way i wanted to and in the time that I want to. I did however "find" an amazing woman and while keeping her as my recruit is looking impossible I can't be anything, but ecstatic for her and her growing team. I love being a consultant, and I am being patient with myself and what life has tossed my way.

Saying no more often, I have gotten much better at this. BUT there is always room for improvement.

(and that bathing suit may even be out of storage in time for Christmas)

Shopping-
Why is it that even when I make time to go shopping I somehow manage to not get what I set out for? Still don't have new school shoes. Add to the list that I now need new pants. I have exactly one pair that actually fit this size body. I gave up a long time ago on my favorites and gave them all away. (Guess I should have blogged about life sooner, then perhaps I would still have some.)

"How is it that a long day and stress induced sadness can be wiped away by a big box of blackberries for $.99?" you ask. If you could have seen the grin on E's face when she brought the empty tray back to the kitchen and heard her say, "I ate them all myself." You would understand why all is right with the world right now.

New Shoes.....

I have my homework done, and I am ready for the insanely busy week ahead, but what I really wanted to accomplish this weekend just didn't get done. New shoes and a pedicure aren't exactly accomplishments, but finding the time to fit them into my life seems to escape me. Just when I think, "today, definitely will have time today," something happens. This weekend it was all the little things that were too much fun to skip for a solo shopping trip.

Friday--Birthday dinner celebration for a good friend. Good sushi, good wine, good times! Kids even managed to con a new sitter into cupcakes without eating dinner and not making them go to bed.

Saturday--Sean had an invite to the Michigan vs EMU game (too bad the Eagles didn't make it more interesting). Kids and I went down to Eastern Market. If you are in the Detroit area and have never made a trip down on a Saturday morning, you must do it. Start with an appeal to your inner cheapskate, the prices on veggies and fruit can't be beat. If you are all about helping the little guy or keeping it local, you can check the signage and talk to the vendors to see where the produce comes from. My favorite part though is how kind people are to children. This weekend while I was buying celery, spinach, and cilantro the woman selling stooped down to help E & J check out a turnip and let them each take one home. The flower guy in the yellow tie-dyed lab coat always makes a comment to make the kids smile.

Sunday--Church was peaceful. I got my car cleaned up (it amazes me how much junk two kids can schlep out in a matter of a week). Decided on this year's Halloween theme (superheros). Sean's hockey game was eventful..... Daddy was in the penalty box once and then kicked out for fighting. Had dinner with good people, whom we have missed, and taught E & J to play skeeball.

So while I have to wear my old school shoes for another week, I am not going to complain. It was a great weekend.

First Week is in the Books

I survived, but it only seems right to include that I barely survived. I am grateful that I have a kind and patient husband (oooh and add understanding, definitely add understanding) who can roll with the punches, friends who are supportive, and administrators who put their money where their mouth is when they say family first. This week was the week that fought back.

So let's decode that first paragraph!
Sean gets the Superparent award for the week.

• Tuesday, he voluntarily took the kids Back-to-School clothes shopping. Where he discovered why I depend on my mother to do a lot of the clothes shopping for the kids. It isn't financial dependence, it's mildly therapeutic for her and it keeps me from having a mental breakdown. Moms simply know how hard it is to contain the wild (although seemingly less wild than other children) beasts and actually look at what is going into the cart. 
• Wednesday, he got to take E to her first day of kindergarten. I have yet to see the pictures, but I'm sure they were all adorable. He reports that she had a few tears going in, but was all smiles coming out. AND there have been no "I don't want to go to school," tears so we will consider it a successful start to the school years. 
• Thursday, my FIL gave us the biggest scare when he took an unexpected trip. Sean managed to call the police/EMS, think he was going find his dad dead, listen to the police call all the area hospitals for a John Doe that matched Dad's description, shed a few tears, AND keep a very intuitive 5 year old from knowing anything was wrong. Did I mention that all of those things happened before 8:00am and Sean still got her to school on time? Superdad.
• AND I have come home late every night, worked on the couch until all hours, and barely managed to hear the answer to, "How was your day?"
• I LOVE YOU!!!!

You can never praise your friends too often. Julie and Kelly this one's for you! I have been thinking of you.

As for my administrators, HOLY CRAP do I work with some great people! Although I am fairly certain that my insanity is forever going to be the new guy's impression of me. (See Thursday bullet point above and adjust for "I must get home, find this old man, and I am not ready for a sub on day 2 of the school year.") They simply said, "family first," and found someone to help me out.

I survived the first week, barely.

Back to School Again

OMG......... OMG..... I have to go back to school? My daughter is going to be a kindergartener? Yikes!

Really, and teachers can back me up on this one, Back to School is a time for resolutions. So I am going to take the advice of the gurus (most recently from another math teacher, Karl Fisch, to his students) and set three for myself.
1. personal--Ask for help when I need it, and say no when I need to.
2. academic--No more than 48 hours between test giving and grading/passing back.
3. social--Focus on Thirty-One. Make Director by my birthday, February 2nd.

As a self declared Yes-Woman this first goal will be a challenge. However, I have made some improvements this summer, and I plan to continue them once we get back to the grind. "No" has gotten easier, but still needs a little more work and a little more use. (sometimes this is going to be me having to say "no" to myself and not another person, which is sooooo much harder)

Organization....that's really what goal #2 is about. However, writing a goal of being more organized is silly and vague. BUT returning tests on time will be tangible and I will be accountable for this goal to someone (lots of someones) else. I have already started work on this goal--My first step is attempting to gain more focus. I have been using my calendar (I have no idea what I would do without a smart phone that links to all the places in my life and is attached at my hip--I bet I would have been a "franklin planner" if I were older). AND I took the giant leap of telling my doctor how much trouble I have been having with focus. Together we decided to give ADHD meds a try for a month to see how they go. My fingers are crossed (as are my hubby's) that this helps me get things done a bit more effciently.

Thirty-One, shameless plug www.mythirtyone.com/64677, is how I am going to force myself to be more social with the women I have in my life. I am a workaholic and I can't think of a better way to get to meet more people than having a party with bags, totes, purses, cards, scarves..... a great break from the chaos of being a mom (and teacher) for me, my hostess, and her guests.  I can't wait to begin to share this great company and all of the products with the women (and men) in my life and with the women I have yet to meet. (drop me a note if you are interested in joining my team or hosting a party)

So what are all the goals that are floating out there?

oh, my not-so-secret secret goal is to fit back in a particular swimsuit....... but I will probably not be updating on that one!

Summer is almost here!!

The end of another school year is almost here. It has been one of the best years yet, and for that I am grateful. I have had an opportunity to work with some amazing teachers and students. The explorations and conversations with regards to race have given me a new hope for what lies ahead in my career. I think the part of the year that I am most proud of is that I have grown from the challenges I put before myself. 

I am not done yet. I have more students to reach. I didn't get Brandon1 to pass a test on his own, but I got him to ask me questions and he even smiled in my classroom. I want to do more problems where kids actually have to think and not just follow a system/plan/formula. 

Ok that was a little deep.... I guess it is just that kind of night. Good night.

Bzz - Otria

OMG!!! I have been participating in another BzzAgent Campaign this month, for Marzetti's new greek yogurt dip called Otria. IT IS AWESOME!!!! I love it. The flavors are great, my favorite is the feta dill one. I would like to give one of the pasta salad recipes a try, but it just isn't quite the season. If you are a Kroger shopper it should still be on sale. Definitely my favorite campaign so far.

Bzz - Maybelline

Did I mention that I love this lipstick???? If I were better at taking care of this kind of stuff, I could probably even gotten it to last all day at school. I didn't take the time to apply the lip gloss when my lips got dry from talking too much or from drinking my water/diet coke. As it happened, I thought it looked kinda like lipliner by midday..... I think it is user error not a defect in the lipstick. :)

Oh, make sure that you are confident in your color choice--I really can't wear pink. I am going to give that one to a friend. (I think she wears pinkish shades better than i do!)

Bzz - Maybelline

Well I must be off to a good start, I just got an offer for Maybelline SuperStay 24™ 2-Step Lipcolor. I am actually kinda excited. I have been trying to take better care of myself and try new things; I think it will be fun to see what is out there in the makeup world and to see if it will fit into my quick "beauty" routine. As a woman who really doesn't have the first clue about this stuff, it will be interesting to see if this stuff can hold up to its 24 hour claim. AND better yet, if it can survive my 24 hours. If it can do what I do, and be simple enough to actually be used for more than special occasions.......... it may be a keeper!

Bzz - Factor Tree

I have had some unique opportunities lately. One of which was stumbling upon the site BZZagent.com. They give me free trials or samples and then ask me what I think and I have the responsibility to write a review and talking to other people about the opportunities they have given me. I am hoping for bigger and better rewards as I get more experience, but I am appreciative of simple tasks to start with.

My first assignment was to review a program call the the factor tree. The following is what I read before I agreed to try it.

A better way to learn math

Every student learns differently — shouldn’t your child be taught math in the way that works best for them? The team at The Factor Tree think so. Which is why their online supplementary math education platform adapts as your child learns, to ensure your pre-K to 6th-grader is always taught in the way that gets the best results.

What makes the Factor Tree so effective?

• Provides the practice and repetition needed for a child to truly master key math skills
• Use a skill-adaptive progression algorithm to pinpoint each child’s true skill level
• Provides parents with helpful reports, metrics and notifications to track their child’s progress
• Combines a state testing-compliant curriculum, world class educational theories and innovative technology to create a better learning tool

Visit thefactortree.com to learn more about its distinct approach to education and sign up for your free one-month trial.

Sounded like something that was right up my alley as a math teacher and parent!!

I started from my role as a parent. I sat down with my 5 year old and we worked through the first few problems. After counting items on the screen for what felt like an absurd number of questions (really it was probably like 5 questions but the image didn't change and all she had to do was count) she was over the novelty and wanted to move on to other sites. I don't think I will be able to get her to sit still and just do drill type problems. We will try again later this week I am going to try to adjust her level to be higher than Pre-K.

I thought perhaps it would be a great tool to use with my almost 3 year old. I made him a user, and we started counting and pointing. He wants more control over the computer and button pushing but the site requires kids to type the answer in the box. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN without frustration for both mother and son.

Sooooo I decided tonight to put on my teacher hat and see what I thought of the older ages program. Perhaps it would be a good tool for my high school students who need some remediation. If a child is truly struggling with math topics then the problems given here are not going to help them feel better or understand more. The questions I did were fraction addtions and subtractions. The formatting was confusing; I missed several questions because what I thought was a mixed number was actually a large fraction (5 5/100 was 55 over 100 and not 5 and 5 hundredths). The use of parentheses was also confusing. Again, if this is intended for remediation or to help a struggling learner these are just the kinds of mistakes they already make and no help is really offered. I will not being adding this to my list of good places for students to get help.