When plans can't translate to reality

I've been making some stinkin' awesome teaching plans lately.  Seriously, they're really good. They will increase engagement, learning, and fun.

Unfortunately, after lunch I just feel so tired...and the plans happen but they aren't as amazing as they would usually be because my energy is lower and I can't manage to muster enough of it to excite my little third graders to the level that is needed for my plans.

At least they'll be getting a fantastic long-term sub with energy when this baby comes in the next couple of months.  Then they can remember what it is like to have a teacher with energy to go along with the fun plans.

And when I come back after my six weeks, maybe I'll have some energy again...but probably not. Sorry kiddos, I'm doing my best! (But there's really only so much I can do when there's another human inside of me taking all of my energy.)

Registered! (and our diapering plan)

Holy cow! Only 15 weeks till the due date! That's basically a semester, folks.  I guess it's time to let people know what we would like for our new baby, in case anyone wants to buy anything.  We're registered with Babies R Us and Amazon.

You can search using either my name or Cody's

You can search using either my name or Cody's

Also, we couldn't register with gDiapers but this is our plan for diapering:

From birth weight till about 13 pounds we're planning on using disposable diapers.  We both have used and feel comfortable with disposable diapers so why not make having a new baby a little easier by not trying out cloth diapers from the beginning?  Let's just get through sleep deprivation first.

Then around 13-15 pounds, we would really like to try out cloth diapers.  One of my friends used gDiapers and I really like them.  We would get the disposable inserts because we don't have the laundry facilities now to get an all-in-one diaper (like Bumgenius). So in essence, these cloth diapers will be pretty similar to the disposable, only we would just be paying for inserts once we've bought the pants (plus, the inserts can be flushed or thrown away).

This is the bundle that we would like to use for when he is 13-28 pounds.  We've even put in the two colors that we would like for the diapers (blue and yellow).  We know it's a hefty amount just for diapers, and if no one wants to do this then you could purchase a gift certificate for us and we could pay for the difference.

Then once he has grown out of the medium sized gDiapers (at 28 pounds), we'll decide: go back to disposable, or try out the Bumgenius all-in-ones (because we're hoping to be moving to a place where we can have our own washer and dryer at that point...we'll see if that's really going to be a reality).  So that's our diapering plan.

Baby items we already own

As Cody and I went about beginning to register for baby items last weekend, we took stock of what we already had.  First off, we received these two items for free from a wonderful woman in our ward (church) and neighborhood.  They are in great condition!
 

Don't remember what these things are called, but we have one!

A really nice regular stroller

Also, I've been crocheting the past two years and made two blankets for our new little guy.  The first blanket is the first item I ever crocheted, so don't judge it too harshly.  The second smaller blanket I just crocheted this summer when I was avoiding homework.

First crocheted blanket, about 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet...I think. I haven't actually measured it.

Infant blanket made in June for when our baby is really small

These sheets Cody and I paid for using a gift card we received to Pottery Barn from my aunt when we got married.  For the last three years we would pull it out and ask ourselves, "What are we going to use this for?" because we wanted to get something good.  Well, now we have.  These are the first of four sheets. The other two were on back-order and will arrive in the next few weeks.

Colorful animals, dark blue, light green chevron, and circley things with random animals in circular shapes

Finally, these last few items were ordered by myself back in January when I was trying to buoy my spirits that a successful pregnancy would be possible.  The items themselves were free with coupons, we just had to pay for shipping.  Not quite sure how I feel about the sling (I think I need to practice putting it on because I totally didn't get it right the first time!), but we'll see as time goes on.

Nursing pillow (or for sleeping on planes...)

Sling to hold a baby...we'll see how that really works out.

Nursing cover--both Cody and I like the pattern which will be great since both of us get to use it...not.

Carseat cover--dark blue chevron with a really soft velvety fabric on the inside.

It's going to be...

This past Wednesday I had a math training after school. At the end, the teachers threw a paper at me indicating if they thought the gender would be male or female. They were right!

Funny comment from a kid

Yesterday instead of regular church meetings, we had a broadcast regional conference.  Cody and I arrived about 15 minutes early and clips of the Tabernacle Choir singing were being shown with a countdown timer in the lower right corner. The minutes went down and I was getting ready for Conference to start.  However, apparently, not everyone was getting ready for it to start.  When the timer reached 00:00 and the screen went black as it prepared to cut to the live feed stream, a little girl--maybe 3-4 years old--sitting behind us asked her mom, "Is it over now?"

Nope.  You've only got two more hours to go.  Sorry.

(It was a really good conference for the adults.  I felt sorry for all the little kids who were ready to go to nursery and Primary after an hour though...I guess I felt sorry for their parents, too, since they had to try to keep them quiet and occupied for another hour on hard chairs.)

Rainy weather makes me unmotivated

I just want to sit in my pajamas, watch Lost, eat my Mac n cheese, drink hot chocolate, and do nothing. Instead, I need to do some homework for my grad classes and my math class for school, maybe plan...if I get around to it..., and get the agenda ready for a meeting tomorrow.

In other news, I've been missing Cody a lot lately when he's been on his trips. At least I'll get to talk to him soon. Also, in two weeks I go for my ultrasound to find out the gender. I'm guessing it'll either be a girl or a boy. Good thing that neither Cody nor I care what we'll be getting, just as long as it and I are still healthy.

Second year in 3rd grade

Here I go....about to start my second year in third grade!  It's amazing the difference between fifth and third grade. However, just like I felt a lot more confident about my ability to teach and pace fifth grade my second year teaching fifth grade, I feel the same way about third grade this year.  I'm really excited to try out some new things, begin my rules and management plan right from the beginning of the year, and get to know my students and help them facilitate their learning.

Here are some pictures of my empty classroom. It won't stay empty for long since school starts tomorrow!

Back counter

Classroom library and outside door

Carpet area and word wall

Part of the carpet area and library

Computer area and word work materials

Whiteboard and display shelves

View from the front corner by the computers, look at the back of the room

View from the front, look at the back of the room

View from the door, look at the front of the room

View from the door, look at the back of the room

The Car Accident & Aftermath

I wanted to wait till everything calmed down and resolved itself before I wrote about the car accident that Cody and I were involved in on June 20th. I'm copying from a letter to my brother (I made some changes for third-party readability...for example: my grandparents are obviously my brother's grandparents, too):

We were on our way up to my grandparents' in Idaho. I was driving in the HOV lane in Salt Lake County (about 3300 S) when the person in front of us slowed to a stop, so I slowed down and didn’t hit them. However, the person behind us didn’t slow down quick enough and hit us from behind, pushing us into the car in front of us.  The airbags deployed and it smelled HORRIBLE. I put down all the windows, moved onto the shoulder and we got out of the car.  There were four or five cars involved in the pile-up, but no one was injured, which was a miracle. 

            My sister came and picked us up from the towing place. We spent the night at their place and then next morning, she took us to Cody’s grandparents’ in Cottonwood Heights.  Eventually we were able to make it back down to Provo and home when Cody’s parents drove us down. Both of us received blessings that night and they have helped make all the difference, I think.  I was really worried and scared after the accident, especially since I was the driver.  Cody wasn’t hurt at all; he didn’t even touch the airbags.  I did touch the airbags but I wasn’t burned or anything. I’ve had some whiplash problems and have been going to the chiropractor and it has been getting better.

So that's that.  Here are some pictures of our car. The insurance company decided that it was totaled (even though it doesn't look too bad; repairs would have cost more than it was worth).

The whole bottom fell off the car

The follow-up to that story is that first, Cody's younger sister let us borrow her and her husband's car for a while so that we could get groceries and make our appointments that next week.

Cody's sister's & her husband's car that made it possible for us to get around the next couple of weeks

Second, my grandparents up in Idaho (who we weren't able to see...) fixed up one of their cars and got it down here to us so that we wouldn't be without transportation.  Not only that, but my grandpa gifted it to us, so it's ours now.

2001 Buick Century--the air conditioning is amazing!

That was so thoughtful and helpful of them.  Also, we got the settlement check from the accident and we went and got another car: a 2012 Mazda 6.

Oh yeah, even though I've driven on the freeway since the accident, it was going south to the school where I work and it wasn't busy. However, this last weekend, I made sure that I was the driver when Cody and I drove south through Salt Lake. So I have officially done the thing that I fear the most since the accident: been the driver through Salt Lake County (which is always sooo busy!). Go me!

Three Assignments Left

This past month has been really busy for the first month of summer.  I started my Masters of Education program through SUU the Monday after school got out.  I had class all that week from 8-4, the following week, and the following week.  Since Cody was out of town that first week, I was able to get a lot of my assignments completed for that class that week (instead of taking all summer).  In fact, by the middle of the second week, I was completed with all my assignments for that first class I took (Research and Data).

Now, today, it's been a whole week since I've been in class and I only have three assignments left for my last two classes (Philosophy of Education & Educational Law).  I've already started my final paper for the Philosophy of Ed class and I need to participate in an online discussion, but then I'll be completed with that class. I'm hoping to check both of those assignments off my list by the end of this week.

My last two assignments for Philosophy of Education

My last class, Educational Law, has a long Topic Brief as the final paper. I'm a little nervous about starting that paper without getting feedback on my two smaller assignments that I've already submitted. I want to make sure that I'm using the correct legal language and that I don't sound too much like a teacher in these legal papers.

My last assignment for Educational Law

I've really enjoyed taking classes again. I'm already registered for my two classes for the fall--Organization of American Schools and my Thesis Writing class.  I'm hoping to start my thesis project early in the school year, but I know I'll need IRB approval since I'm working with humans...I hope that I'll be able to get my project approved quickly so I can start collecting data.

Accepted

I was accepted into the SUU M. Ed program. It starts in June. Here's to hoping I can actually do the thesis option and get it completed in a year! :)

When Plans Change

I'm not one for plans changing. In fact, I hate to change. I know that it's part of being human to resist change to a certain degree, that's why there's usually a messy transition period when feelings are changing from the old normal to the new normal. I cry and try to assimilate, but it is so hard. And then after some time, I adjust.

These past few months plans have changed and I think I'm on the other side of the transition period where I have successfully (for the most part) adjusted to the new normal.

In the old normal this was the plan for the next few months:

• Cody would have applied for grad schools and we would be finding out where he got accepted about now
• I would be preparing to leave Barnett Elementary at the end of this school year
• We would be getting ready to move across the country, most likely

In this new normal, this is the plan:

• Cody will take the GRE again this summer and apply to grad schools in the fall
• I've applied to the SUU M.Ed program that they're doing with my school district and will be finding out in the next month if I've been accepted
• We're moving to a different apartment within our complex and still in our ward at the end of July
• Getting ready to be at Barnett Elementary in third grade for another year

Some of the positive side effects are:

• I'm settling into my classroom at school more. I've been thinking even more seriously about the environment that I've had so far this year and what I'd like to change for the rest of this year and the changes I'd like to make to my classroom for next year.
• I'm having my parents ship out my bike so that I can ride it around all spring, summer, and fall
• I'm not freaking out anymore by the changes because enough time has passed since November when we started making these decisions

Running

You know how everyone has that one thing that they do that just makes them feel better?  Mine isn't running because I don't always feel better after doing it. However, there are times when it is just the thing to help lift my spirits.

I woke up in a pretty lousy mood today, for multiple reasons, not the least of which was that I had to wake up at 5:38 to use the bathroom--only an hour before my alarm went off--and it was soooo hard to go back to sleep again.  However, while I tried to put that mood off all day at school, though not the most successfully at times, I'll admit, it just got worse on my ride home from school.

I called my mom and she helped me talk things out. And then of course talking with Cody helped me to feel a little better and get rid of some of my negative feelings. But what cinched the deal between my head, my heart, and my emotions was going for a run.

After changing into my running clothes, I started out with a destination in mind to help my legs prepare for the Rex Lee run next Saturday.  After reaching it, instead of doing an out-and-back, I ran a little bit further than I was planning on and when I got home I felt so much better (I'm pretty sure Downton Abbey helped too).  There's nothing like feeling your muscles working, breathing hard, and just feeling alive to help boost your spirit.

Family History Work

I've been sucked into doing family history work the past eight months, but especially the past week.  I signed up for a two week free trial with ancestry.com and I'm trying to take advantage of that resource before I have to cancel it.

Not only have I been able to put correct fathers and mothers with their children (which sometimes gets confusing when cousins marry in the 1700s and 1800s), but I've felt more of a connection with Cody's family.  I feel like I'm a part of that whole line now since doing family history work for them, and then taking some of their names to the temple when we can.

Mostly what I've been grateful for with doing family history work is a feeling of peace.  I've really needed that feeling to guide me the past eight months, but especially the last three months.  I've been confronted by people that I am related to who have been patiently waiting for someone to find them and link them to their parents, spouse, children, siblings, and I've tried to be more patient myself.

During a Scout Campout

What do I do during a Scout campout?

1. Start a new book
2. Clean my house
3. Take a bath in my newly cleaned tub
4. Give myself a pedicure
5. Make a video of my students' Sharing Day today
6. Write an article for my school's website about Sharing Day
7. Email students' parents
8. Almost start working on taxes but then realize I don't know what my husband's "occupation" is now that he isn't a student anymore...mine is easy: Teacher.
9. Read in bed until I go to sleep (probably 9:45 so I can pretend that I'm getting extra sleep before waking up at 6:40 on a Saturday for orchestra)
10. Try to get warm in bed

Tomorrow's adventures include orchestra practice, working on school stuff, going to see La Jetee at International Cinema, and then hoping Cody gets back (and cleaned up) in time to go to the Museum of Art at BYU to see the Sacred Gifts exhibit.

The end

Today is the end of The West Wing.  Since we started it this past summer when we were living in Washington DC it has been a wonderful reminder of that place we live; of getting involved and staying abreast on what is happening in local, state, and national politics; and it has been the topic of many conversations.

And now we're on the last episode of the last season ever.

I never thought this day would come.  Yet now that it's here, it makes me a little happier, because now I can watch it whenever I want and not have to wait for Cody to come home.

In other news: I get to sleep in on Monday. After discussing Martin Luther King Jr and his impact on the world, my students had a writing assignment to describe what their dream is. This is one of my favorites:  "I have a dream that one day my brothers will leave me alone! I cannot get in trouble. I can go everywhere! I will go to the pool, Disneyland, and space! I love space!"