Wants Vs. Needs......

After a great visit with Mandy, Tim and Brooklynn, I am back in teacher mode and dealing with my other family...my 75 teenage children at work.

We had a lesson this week..."Wants and Needs". It is the beginning of a financial literacy class.

We are starting out with basics simply because this is all totally new to me! So began our discussion on this subject matter. We learned all the definitions and talked about our basic needs...food, water, clothing, shelter. They get this. Let's move on. How about we throw in some other things and decide if they were wants or needs by using all our new found knowledge. We will do this via "philosophical chairs". Okay that is a very fancy sounding word for a debate. I threw out a few things like cars and cell phones. They all had opinions but it was relatively calm. Then I threw out "friends". Oh my, the discussion got heated. We had a division. It was about 75%....no friends are not a need, the other 25% were sure friends were a need not a want. So many comment's..."they snitch you out", "they stab you in the back", "they steal your boyfriend", and so on. They really do not understand the value of a true friend.

So..my overactive mind went to work on this. My friends are a need. Yes, there are only a handful that are permanent and constant but how do you get along without them? They have lifted me out of more valleys than I can count. Together we have also stood on the proverbial mountains together. I don't want them, I NEED them!

Maybe it is adolescence. Maybe someday their cell phone will not be as important to them as a bond with someone. I surely hope so. Today they just see friends as someone who will eventually betray them. I really pray that someday they find those true friends. Mine are like gold.

A Few Final Pics...

Yes, I know that it has been all about little "B" lately but I had so many pics from the "fams" visit that I had to put them all in separate posts!
It was so great to have a few days of visit time to just love and enjoy this little wonder. One of Brooklynn's favorite activities was to go to the back door and look for Ozzie (our Australian Shepherd). I think she was very happy she could watch him through the window. When you are 10 months old he must look like a GIANT!

It is hard to believe you could have so much love in your heart for this little human being. She is just a joy. I know I loved all of my children just as much but I think you have so much on your agenda when you are "mothering" that you do not have as much time to just relax and enjoy.

Goodbye little "B"...see you again soon!

"Waterbug".....

We got to hang out this past weekend with the "fam" before they headed back to Florida.

Pool time seemed to be Brooklynn's favorite. She is a total waterbug...an olympic swimmer in the making! No more of the kiddie float. It was an immediate "get me out of here!" Miss Independent wanted to be free of anything that inhibited her movement. Even keeping her head above water is a challenge!

The wetter the better. She totally has no fear and comes up from under spitting and smiling...ready to go again.

It is so much fun to watch her explore. She is so inquisitive...and brave!

More MOM....I am not quite waterlogged yet!

Excuse Me While I Relax!!!!......

It is here! The first day of my official semi-retirement. Yes, I know that Monday was a school day and a non-work day for me....but, I worked anyway. So little time to prepare for the kids so I went in for three hours to get my things in order. I did not mind. It made for a much smoother day yesterday. And...yesterday was a great day. I loved it. The kids are wonderful. I am so very glad I made the transition. Sometimes it is good to move out of that comfort zone and jump in with both feet somewhere else. As our resident health expert says...it makes you grow new brain cells.....I will report on the success of that theory later.

So, today I am celebrating. Instead of granola and yogurt or a protein bar with my tea for breakfast, I am having coconut pie and chocolate covered strawberries. I deserve it. I have turned a corner. This is semi retirement. I will never be a full time teacher again. But, I still have my toes in the water. I know I was not ready to close that door. It is part of who I am. Those kids mean the world to me. It allows me to give that part of myself that I know is useful and appreciated. It is the best of both worlds. It is a blessing.

Now if you will excuse me, I am going to put my feet up, drink my tea, and have a piece of pie....and then I will decide what to do with the rest of my day!

Playdate.....

Mandy and Brooklynn had a party for the girls. Not just the big girls but the little girls... a playdate!
These little girls have daddy's that went to high school together, and this weekend they were out at the lake gathered for their annual "Fantasy Football Draft Party". So what are the women to do...gather and PLAY! The little ones had not officially met before but it took no time for them to "bond".
Toys were shared, slobber shared too, and all of them did their best to show off their newest "tricks"!
All of these little girls were born within a year of each other and someday they may be "hanging out" together like their parents do. They will be able to look back at pictures and remember where it all started.
Friends forever!!!!

We Are Growing Again.....

Another family shower, another bride to be, another soon to be member of our family. This seems to be the year we are growing.
Debbie will marry my newphew Chase in October and we will officially be on member bigger. I love that we are all here and can get together and celebrate fun times like this.

It was a fun day.

Thanks to my sister in law and niece for great food and good company!

We Have Visitors.....

We had visitors last weekend. Ken and Cortney came with their precious new baby Kennedy. It was a treat to visit since we had not seen them since the birth of their beautiful baby girl. Kennedy was a much waited for miracle and it was so great to see them and get to spend time with them...and hold a baby again!

Some of Cortney's high school friends dropped by for a visit and since they were all the girls that Matt went to high school with, it was great to see them and their children. It is so hard to believe that all of them are mom's with families of their own. My mind says they are still kids themselves. They are all great parents and traveled from a distance to visit and share "mom" stories. Oh my...that is what I was doing just yesterday, isn't it???? Thanks for sharing your time with me Ken and Cort!

So This Is Work.....

So, it is a new school year. I have a new job description, a new classroom, and part time work that will be harder than I ever imagined full time would be. But I am here and I am getting acclimated, and I am going to figure all of this out...after I make my classroom look like my home away from home!!!
Of course, there are the endless faculty meetings. Information that has to be shared with those of us that attempt to educate the masses. Stacks of paperwork, new TEKS, sign this, turn in that, OH MY!
What do you do when it all becomes too much and your mind is on overload....hop on the bus!!!!
And head out to the MAIN EVENT for a fun filled afternoon!
A little friendly competition at the bowling alley never hurt anyone.
And yes, teachers are just kids in adult bodies when you turn them loose together.
I have not bowled in years and the fact that my score was a 31 pretty much tells the story. I stink....actually, most of us did!
And if I did not embarrass myself enough on the bowling lanes, the next event was Laser Tag. Okay without saying exactly how old I am, let me just say I am WAY too old to be running aroung a two story complex with a laser vest and machine gun playing war games! My score was equally as bad as my bowling score!
I have to say we all left with a new attitude and a head clear enough to go back and endure another three days of meetings!

Do You Get It?........

The Florida fam was in to visit this weekend. They had news. Brooklynn was trying to tell us something. She was the bearer of great tidings! Do you get it Gramma and Gramps???
It took us awhile to snap on the message......."Due In April"
After wandering the house for a few minutes waiting for us to understand exactly what she was trying to say...we old folks grasped the content of her shirt....BABY DUE IN APRIL! Yes, #2 little Shubzda will be joining us on or about the middle of April. We are surprised beyond belief and more excited than you can imagine. Thanks for another great gift. Does it get any better than this?

Blogcation.....

Yes, I totally made up that word. It is what I am going to take for the next week. It is a vacation from putting all of those random thoughts down in print. I hate it...but I feel like someone trying to keep fifty tennis balls under water at once. So much happening this week...all great but need to focus on matters at hand. This will be tough! I always have an idea I need to share.

I go back to work on Friday ...huuummmm..where did my summer go? Family coming! Yes, Tim and fam arrive this week and I am so looking forward to hugging Brooklynn for the first time in two months...and Tim and Mandy too! Best friends Ken and Cort come in Friday with their new baby who I have never met. Soooo excited to have houseguests!!! Wedding shower on Saturday along with an impromptu lunch for some of Cortney's high school friends and their kids. Then off to the lake for a birthday party. Quickly back to town and back to work on Monday. So...that is why I purchased a TO DO LIST...so much to write on it!!!

Lots to blog about when this mini vacation is over! See you soon.

Back on the Train....

I spent several days this week packing up once again and boarding the local Dart train to head back to downtown Dallas for another conference. I have never worked so hard in my life...and all of this just to go to work part time!
I am beginning to wonder where the wisdom was in changing my career direction now. It has been quite a challenge just getting ready to work less days...for half the pay!
This week I had to aquaint myself with the new financial curriculum because part of my worklaod will be teaching a new Dollars and Sense course. Bear in mind that I have NO idea how to teach financial literacy. It is something way out of my comfort zone. Not sure how I got here but I am learning and together (the students and I) will master this course...and possibly be all the better for it. If not..I will address that later in the year!
Classes over, I decided that if I was downtown I might as well take advantage of seeing some of the sights. I have been in Dallas for 44 years and until this summer had only been downtown about twice. Why go? There is not much there. I wandered across the street and saw this man with a broom out on the plaza. The temp was 105 degrees and there he stood...stiff and fully clothed waiting for people to come by and see if he was real or not. I did not get too close. I did see others get close enough to know that he was indeed human...and VERY, VERY hot. Still trying to figure out what the point was.
On the other side of the plaza was a group of beautiful bronze sculptures that were not real but were still very hot!!! I cannot imagine the temperature of that bronze in the full sunlight! Wow...could possibly fry an egg.

What I determined was that I am very well educated. I have spent 8 full days in conferences this summer and have a bagful of pertinent info. I just have to find time to digest it all.

I also know that downtown New York beats downtown Dallas any day of the week!!!

The Student Side....

I took a sewing class this summer. In fact I took several classes in an attempt to try and learn more about my sewing machine. I love to sew...it is therapy. I, however, have an expensive machine and I am not using half of the capabilites of the product. So, off I went to sit in class and LEARN!This is what were were making...an applique embroidery design. Not too difficult. Six of us in the class and a seasoned sewing teacher. Two hours to master this design. Not too hard.
WRONG!! I struggled for the whole two hours! Half of us did. So, I had to wonder why.
I decided it was her teaching method. She knew her material and assumed if we were there that we understood our machines and what she was talking about. I struggled...for two hours. I did not get it. I had to have help with every step and she was impatient. I quit asking questions. I think I can figure it out...at home..on my own time...in the peace and quiet of my sewing room.
That is not how it should be. It was a great lesson for me. Being a student is the other side of the coin. I teach. I think I teach well...but it was time to reflect. I have students who don't get it. The students with language problems, the students with choas in their lives who cannot focus, the students who did not have breakfast and are thinking about possibly missing lunch. I think we always need to grow as teachers. It is like a doctor who never bothers to update his techniques. Things change. Maybe being a student was helpful. I think I will be a little more patient this year. Being a student is stressful!

Buddy Weekend 2010....

It was our annual Buddy Weekend at Richland Chambers Lake. We look forward to getting together and hanging out with a great group of friends every summer...and the weekend never disappoints!
We have grown up and grown old with these people.
We have raised children together, sat through more ballgames and other functions than I can even count. And now the greatest gift of all....we are enjoying grandkids together.
There are only a handful of people in your lifetime that you continue to connect with after this length of time. These people are a gift.
We overlook wrinkles and gray hair, belly fat and cellulite, and we laugh.
We overeat, stay up too late, and laugh some more.
We are all so blessed to have these special people in our life and so grateful to these great friends who love to share their beautiful house and entertain us each summer.
Thanks to the Hails for a suburb weekend and you are right..."At the lake...time you enjoy wasting, is not time wasted."
What a wonderful weekend!!!!!