Monday, March 31, 2014

Day 31: Thank you!

I wanted to write this blog to everyone in Miss Collins' class who challenged me a month ago to create this blog. I was taken back when Miss Collins e-mailed me to ask if I would be willing to do this. I felt special knowing that some of my former students wanted to read about my life ALMOST everyday. I was also a little nervous about this challenge because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with the blog everyday. As the month went on, I discovered that other nights were harder to complete my blog then some. I also learned from this that it is ok that I didn't completed every single day. I discovered a real passion to describe my day, and have a place to refer back to different things through out the month. I have been inspired to blog now because of the challenge you all gave me a month ago. Thank you for asking me to be apart of this challenge. I hope you have found my blogs interesting and funny at times. But most of all, you have inspired me to keep my blog going from here on out!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Day 27-Few More Hours

Today has been one of those days that I really wish there was a few more hours in the day. I feel like I have been running here, there, and everywhere and not getting a single thing accomplished. Do you ever have days like that? 


The day started out with a meeting. Then, I had about a zillion e-mails to answer, and started working on the biography section for inventory. I was getting into a groove, and then a teacher needed my assistance with something. Of course, what they needed help with wouldn't work like it usually does for me. From there, we had about 60 7th graders come into the library to take an Algebra test. Once that was over, my computer class came in. Once they left I was trying to clean up the library, make sure the computers were plugged in, etc. Next thing I knew it was time to go home. I still have about 2 projects to grade, a section of biography books to inventory along with the rest of the library. Oh well, I guess it will just have to get added to tomorrow's list. 


The craziness didn't end there. Once I was home it was time to get some housework done. Dishes needed to put cleaned, laundry needed to be washed, dried, and put away. Brock's bag needed to get packed for his weekend at the farm. Dinner needed to be made. carpets needed to be vacuumed, the trash can needed to be chased down the street and brought back to the house. The list could go on and on with the things that I need to accomplish tonight. On top of all of that, I am at a really good part in my book and I just want to read!!! It has been one of those days where I wish I had just a few more hours in the day to accomplish something, if not everything on my list. Do you ever feel that way? If you had a few more hours in the day what would you do with them? I am pretty sure I would fill mine up with something and still wish for a few more. 

As for now, I am going to say that I did the best I could today with the time I had. Whatever did not get completed today can be added to tomorrow. 



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Day 26: Listening

I don't know about you but sometimes I forget to just take the time to listen. It doesn't matter what it is, sometimes in life it is just good to stop and listen. I realized that today when I went into our family room to look for a book. I went in there and all of sudden I could hear the rain pouring outside. It took me a minute to realize what I was hearing, but once I did I just stopped what I was doing to embrace the noise coming from outside. 


I was reminded about how beautiful and peaceful the sound of rain falling can be. This is when I started reflecting on if I stop and listen to the noises around me everyday. Life is crazy with sounds. Starting from the alarm going off, to text messages, bells to dismiss to the next class, people talking, teachers lecturing, lunch being made, cars driving down the road,etc. There is always some sound. 


We find it hard to seat still if there is no noise at all. Usually during those moments someone starts laughing because it sounds so weird when it is so quiet. Although, those sounds can be annoying, like the alarm in the morning, they are important to our everyday life. Some may be annoying while others can be beautiful. It is important to listen to those sounds no matter. But I want to ask you, do you REALLY listen to those sounds? When I finally stopped to listen to the rain I realized it was telling me something. It was telling me to slow down and start listening to the sounds around me. No matter what it is important to just stop and listen! There is always a time and a place to talk, but it doesn't have to be all the time. I am setting a goal for myself to stop and listen more closely each day to the noises around me. You never know they may be telling you something to help improve yourself.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Day 25-Man Down

Tonight Brock had his first soccer game! I have been SUPER excited for this day to come. Once I found out his team colors I ordered shoes, a shirt that says "Soccer Mom," and purchased some bling jewelry. This morning when Brock woke up I kept asking him if he was excited for his game. I am pretty sure I was more excited about his game then he was. 


I pick him up from Miss Heather's and we head home to chill before the BIG game! I should have known how the night was going to go when at 5:00 my stomach started hurting out of nowhere. I am talking about makes you hunch over like an old lady (Don't want to hear it Mr. Gammon) hurting. Mr. Hulstine pulls into the driveway just in time because I can barely move I am in so much pain. He gets Brock's all dressed and we head to King Jack Park. The whole way there I am praying that this stomach pain goes away, or if I am getting something to please hold off until after 6:30 (when the game ends). We get to the field and Brock gets his jersey! The moment is like official now that he has a jersey, right?!


It is freezing outside, my stomach hurts like something awful, and it is freezing outside. Now, it is time to play some soccer. Mr. Hulstine has the video camera ready to go and the game begins. Things are going great. Brock is acting like a robot out there, chasing the soccer ball, smiling and having a great time. He kicks the ball down the field to almost score a goal. Things are just fabulous! Then, he is in the middle of a cluster of children, and next thing I know he is walking towards me, arms reaching for me, crying his eyes out! I am at a loss of words because I have no clue what just happened. He gets to me and I notice this TINY cut on his lip. Mr. Hulstine and I are trying to tell him it was just an accident and get back out there and play. While we are telling him this I start to notice that his lip is getting bigger by the second. Trying to tell him again everything is great and to get back out there and play with his friends. All of a sudden, my child who was loving life out there doesn't want to go back out. We are walking around with him, and then I finally just put him back on the field and told him to hold his coaches hand. My goodness he is accident prone like his Daddy. We haven't made it through the first game without an injury and he wants to quit! YOU CAN'T QUIT SON! MOMMA HAD A SHIRT MADE! That is what I am thinking. We make it through the game and shake the other players hands. He is back in my arms and ready to go home! This did not turn out at all like I expected! When we got home we watched the video of his game. All I can say is this is going to be an interesting season. 

Here are a few observations that I made while watching my son's first soccer game:
  1. 4 and 5 year old soccer only has 3 players out there at a time.
  2. The soccer coaches get just as much of a workout, if not more, then the kids do playing. 
  3. Kicking the soccer ball in ANY direction is always a plus.
  4. This soccer season should be referred to as Magnet Ball! 
  5. My stomach stopped hurting because I was too busy jumping up and down.
  6. My poor son is going to be embarrassed by his mother at any sporting event because he will hear me a mile away.
  7. Chocolate ice cream is his motivation to try again!

Just remember Brock Robert that I love you and I am your #1 fan! Even if I embarrass you with my jumping up and down and screaming! Look at from the bright side, you will ALWAYS known where I am seating! GO GREEN TEAM!



Monday, March 24, 2014

Day 24-Happy Monday

Happy Monday Everyone! We made it through our first day back from Spring Break! I am not for sure about all of you, but it is always hard on me to get back into a routine after a break. I know that Mr. Hulstine had a rough start as he left the house without his phone AND wallet this morning. 


I really enjoyed this break, but then thoughts about how long it was going to be started creeping into my mind. All of a sudden my Happy Monday turned into "WE ARE GOING TO BE HERE FOREVER!" 


I was starting to feel the Monday blues. That is when I started thinking of how I could turn that  frown upside down and see the positive side of things. I don't know about you, but sometimes that is really hard to do. So I just started working on different things in the library. I had to deliver sometime to the office and decided to see how our office ladies' Spring Break was. We were just talking about how great it was, and how we hoped the next ten weeks went as fast as last week. It was then that one of the fabulous ladies said that we only have 8 Mondays left of the school year. NO WAY! There has to be more days then that because we have like 10 weeks of school left. That is when I began thinking about it. 



You know what she is right!!! That means we have 9 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays left this school PLUS one Saturday! All of a sudden, it didn't seem so bad. If you are anything like me once warm weather gets here, you are ready for FUN IN THE SUN! So don't let the thought of being in school a whole quarter get you down on this fabulous Monday. We have less than two hands left of each day. Take this quarter day by day! It sounds so much better to say 9 whatever days left instead of 10 weeks or 40 something days. Turn that frown upside down and let your cup be half full! 

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Day 23-I LOVE MY DVR!

Today is one of those days that I have spent a lot of time watching TV. We are not a family that watches a lot of TV, but we record a lot of shows. I can't remember the last time I watched a show on TV when it was actually on. Whenever we are on breaks that is usually when we catch up on what is recorded on our DVR. As of today we have about 99 different things on our DVR. Now before you start judging me, about 5 of those are State Championship football, 4 are the NCAA Wrestling Tournament, and 25 of them are Brock's "Rescue Bots" and "Super Hero Squad." This break was different because we were so busy. With today being our last day of break, it was a perfect day to catch up on some of the shows I am behind on. One of my favorite shows is "The Voice!" I am completely in love with this show! I love how they can't see them when they audition. I love the battle rounds. I love how they can steal people if their coach doesn't pick them. I just love this show. With that said I am about three weeks behind. So Brock and I played different board games and watched a few episodes. PERFECT NIGHT! 


I started thinking about what life was like before the DVR. Obviously, I wasn't able to watch shows at a later time. That would mean that I would have to put different things on hold just so I could watch my show. I also remember that I wasn't too upset if I missed a show because I knew that it would be on DVD in a few months. Life just went on because we could find a way to watch it at a later time. That also got me to thinking about Facebook and how we use it to communicate with others. 


I am not a crazy fan of Facebook, but it is an easy way to communicate with our family all over the world. Before Facebook we would only be able to communicate with our family through the phone calls, letters, or e-mail.  Now, I can just log into my account and chat with my family in England. To me that is amazing! Still makes me think about how families stayed in touch without being able to communicate everyday. Even though that seems impossible to our generation, it worked before. Technology has changed since I was a kid. I can only imagine what things will be like when Brock is my age.  

I know that I am so thankful for the DVR because without it I would be missing a lot of quality time with my family. It is just amazing to watch TV when I have the time, and of course skip the commercials. :) 

What is something that you are thankful was invented and why? I would love for you to share them with me. 

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Day 22-Surprise Party

Tonight my husband throw me the best surprise birthday party EVER! This upcoming Wednesday I will be turning the BIG 3-0! 


Mr. Hulstine has been asking me what I wanted to do for my birthday and I kept telling him that I didn't really want to do anything. I know for some of you that may seem crazy. He asked if I wanted to have a party, go out to dinner, anything, and I just kept telling him that I was fine doing nothing. It isn't like I am dreading turning 30, it is just that life is really busy and I am ok with just doing nothing. Well that wasn't how he was going to have it. 


He planned for his mom and stepdad to come down from Kansas City to help get this worked out. His mom decided that she wanted to go to Rogers, AR to spend the day shopping. Little did I know that she was just trying to get me out of the house so they could work. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE a little retail therapy. :) We start to head back home after a long day of shopping, and the boys are calling us to figure out what we were going to do for dinner.  As we get closer to our house I noticed there are a lot of cars on our street! That is when I started to recognize some of the cars. As I got out of the car I was greeted by the fabulous Mr. Hulstine. We walk inside to a house full of our family and friends! It was a HUGE surprise!!! My heart was very full tonight to be surrounded by so many people. Although I have reached a time in my life where I don't need a HUGE party to celebrate, it is nice to know that people want to celebrate new journeys with you. Turning the BIG 30 is just a new chapter in my journey. I am glad I am surrounded by so many amazing people to experience this new adventure! I feel like I am now a big kid! :)


Friday, March 21, 2014

Day 21-Me + Kleenex = BFF

I absolutely love this time of year when the weather is starting to change. I love the changing from winter to spring and summer to fall. The temperatures are just PERFECT! Not too hot and not too cold! JUST PERFECT! 


With the changing of the seasons comes my close relationship with a good friend known as Kleenex. We tend to get very close at the beginning of spring and fall each year. As the years go on, our relationship tends to grow deeper. 

See as a little kid I always heard my mother complain about this thing called ALLERGIES! This wasn't something that I really had any problems with until a few years ago. Now every year during this time it ALWAYS starts off the same. I will have a couple of days where I am sneezing. Each day it progresses into a few more sneezes that are more frequent. Then at night time, on about day 2 or 3, the congestion in one nostril begins to creep in. I can still sleep with it, but I notice that it is slowly taking over. By the 3rd or 4th day I wake up in the morning feeling like I have a huge semi-truck seating on my nose and I am constantly crying because my eyes are watery. By the end of that day my body is achy all over, and my nose looks like Rudolph because I have been reunited with my BFF, Kleenex. 


Each time this lovely season approaches I learn something new to help me for the next time we are reunited. Here are a few of those things below:
  1. Kleenex with lotion really is a life saver!
  2. NEVER EVER use a paper towel or napkin because your Rudolph nose will be glowing a mile away. 
  3. Vicks on the bottom of your feet with socks is AMAZING if you want to sleep at all. 
  4. Drink a lot of water! 
  5. Lastly, don't make fun of your parents if they complain about this, because YOUR DAY IS COMING!!! 
    1. Trust me! I am learning that the hard way!
I am willing to suffer with this for a week or so if that means that winter is finally over! Hopefully you can as well! Happy Friday!



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Day 19-Friendship is Key

Today I was able to spend the afternoon with one of my really good friends, Mrs. West. We have been friends for a little over three years. We had decided a couple of weeks ago that we were going to get together one day over spring break because it had been too long since we had a girls day. Today was that day!  We went to lunch at Freddy's and then headed to the mall for a tiny bit of retail therapy. 


Our friendship started when our husbands wanted to start a small bible study a couple of years ago. From there our friendship grew. Over the last couple of years our small group started going different directions based on what our lives were going through. We went from spending every Wednesday night together to talking on the phone every other day to trying to catch up at least once a month. As the years has gone on even that has been hard to do because life has been pulling all of us in different directions. Even though we don't get to talk as often as we like, we still have just as strong of a friendship as we did before. 

While enjoying our time to "catch up" I started realizing that it didn't feel any different talking with her.  It wasn't like there had been that much time since we had a "Girls Afternoon!" That is when I started thinking about what a true friendship looks like. It is what I have in Mrs. West. We may not get to talk and hang out all the time because we are busy, but that doesn't change our friendship. She is always just a phone call away when I need something. Whenever we hear about a Zumba class we are e-mailing each other to see if it is something we can do (we use to do Zumba together a couple times a week). That is when you know you have a true friend! When I was in school I use to think the more friends I had the better. Now that I am older I realize that I would rather have a couple really close friends then a lot of people I just talk to. A true friendship is one that no matter how much time passes nothing feels or seems different. Today we spent almost three hours at Freddy's just talking and catching up. I am pretty sure that the music they had playing started over while we were there. We saw the time and decided it was time to head to the mall of a little bit. We spent about four hours together today just hanging out. I wish life wasn't so crazy that we could do that more often, but I am so thankful to have a friend that nothing changes over time. People will come and go in your life, but true friends are always there! Thank you Mrs. West for being that friend to me! 


Sunday, March 16, 2014

Day 16: Beautiful Memories

I have not posted a blog the last couple of days because we have been SUPER busy planning a party! On February 28, 1964, our Nan and Pops (Mr. Hulstine's grandparents) got married in England. This year marked their 50th wedding anniversary. This is something that you just don't see or hear about every often. 


For the last couple of months we have been planning a 50th wedding celebration that they would never forgot. As a family we decided that we wanted to have them renew their wedding vows. At first, we were planning on creating a wedding for them at a church. As we started to call different places, we discovered that they don't do renews. That is when we came up with the idea to just do it ourselves, and that is exactly what we did last night. We created a wedding for our Nan and Pops. We turned the upstairs of the Clubhouse in Webb City into a little chapel. Pops knew what we were doing, but the only thing Nan knew was that we were having a party. As we walked into the Clubhouse, she was created by her son, Uncle D. As she walked a little farther, Brock was standing on the stairs with flowers.  Brock told Nan that she was getting married! Nan was then greeted by her daughter, Mr. Hulstine's mom. As they walked up the stairs, Mr. Hulstine's sister, Natalee began singing an Elvis Presley song and a room full of people stood up. Brock walked down the aisle, and Nan was walked do the aisle to Pops by her children. We she approached Pops she was greeted by their best friends from Virginia, Dawn and Charles. Mr. Hulstine renewed their vows, and they became husband and wife again. 


After the ceremony everyone went downstairs for the reception. We had a spaghetti dinner followed by cake and dancing. We hired a photographer and everything. In just a couple of months we created a wedding!!!! All night long, Nan and Pops kept telling us this was better than their first one. It was so amazing to create a special night for these two that do so much for our family. They are ALWAYS just a phone call away when you need something! They are a wonderful example of what it means to work hard and put family first. All the planning was totally worth it to see how much fun they had. Last night was a wonderful night filled with family, laughter, and love. Last night I realized that blessing are around us everywhere. Not just the things we have but the people around us. We were able to give back to two people that give us so much everyday! 

Congrats and Happy 50th Anniversary Nan and Pops!



Thursday, March 13, 2014

Day 13: What's Your Song?

If you were to ever come into our home the TV is usually not on. Instead the radio is on all the time. When Brock sleeps at night, he has the radio playing. Music is something that is very important to me and plays an important part in telling my life story. Whenever I hear a certain song that really connects with me it takes me back to a special memory. I have always said that I feel like God talks to through certain songs. Yesterday morning during FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), the JH FCA leaders had to pick a song that really captured their heart, play the song for the group, and explain what that song meant to them. I am not going to lie, but I was a little disappointed that Mr. Hulstine didn't include me in this activity. Now that I think about it, he probably didn't because we would still be there going through songs that really capture things in my life. Anyways, it was amazing to see some of our students explain what their song meant to them. 


Today as I was driving Brock to a doctor's appointment Phil Wickham's song  Safe came on the radio. This means a lot to Mr. Hulstine and I because it played on the radio as we were leaving the hospital with Brock for the first time as a family of three. I will never forgot that day. We were so excited to be going home, and then as we were loading the car it hit us that we were going to be going home with NO help and a new born baby. It was almost like God knew we needed a sign to drive the car away or we would be asking to stay for another night. Mr. Hulstine loaded us into the car, turned the engine on and immediately that song came on the radio. We both looked at each other and got the message. That night my parents came over to bring us dinner. It is time for them to leave and for us to have our first night as a family of three by ourselves. The same feelings that we had when we were in the car were starting to creep up again. I am not even kidding you, that song came on the radio again. With tears in our eyes we knew that we could do this. Music has a way of speaking to me just when I need to hear something. American Honey by Lady Antebellem is one of my FAVORITE songs! Whenever I hear that song I remember singing that song and dancing around the living room when Brock was a baby almost everyday for about eight weeks. 


I could go on and on listing songs that hold a special memory and place in my heart. Mr. Hulstine creates a playlist of songs at the beginning of football season each year. That playlist is the only thing he listens to during pre-games for that entire season. Whenever we are getting ready to leave for a family vacation, we make a playlist of songs to listen to on the road. This is just a tradition that we have had since Mr. Hulstine and I were dating. Music is apart of our everyday life. Even though we may not be the best of singers or the most talented musicians, music is a part of our family. I have been reminded of that over the last few days with the FCA students and my own experience today. Is there a song or list of songs that holds a special memory for you? I would love for you to share with me! 

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Day 12-Truman Club Party

Today was an exciting day in the LMC at the Junior High. We had a party for all the students that read four or more Truman Award Books for this school year. The Truman Award Books are the top 12 books for Junior High ages students. This is something that I encourage all JH students to participate in. We had 33 students qualify for this club, and over 200 Truman books read this year. 


They got to vote on their favorite Truman book, pick out a free book, pencil, eraser, and received A LOT of coupons to Sonic and Culver's. The best part about today was that Culver's catered their lunch with cheeseburgers and Oreo ice cream sandwiches. Scoopie even came to visit. You may think that JH students would not care about Scoopie, but they were just as excited as a four year old would be. I even had a couple of students who read all 12 books. For those students I purchased a $10 Books-A-Million gift-card. I had about six additional students that read six or more. They received a $5 Wal-Mart gift-card. It was exciting to celebrate these students accomplishment, and enjoy a little Culver's as well. 











Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Day 11-WHAT IS THAT BRIGHT THING IN THE SKY?

I am not for sure if you remember, but I wrote a blog about having "SPRING FEVER" not too long ago. I have to say that I have really enjoyed the weather the last couple of days. It is has been refreshing to walk out of school and see this beautiful bright star in the sky!  


It has been so nice to come home and just go start outside to play. Brock spent most of the day outside at Miss Heather's, and then came home to spend another hour or so outside. In the neighborhood we live in, when it is nice outside you know it because everyone is outside either playing with their kids or walking. For Mr. Hulstine, I know that he has been enjoying this weather because he is a JH track coach. It makes it a lot easier to have track practice outside on the track instead of inside a gym. When the weather is beautiful like this I want to be outside as much as possible. One of my favorite things to do is make dinner, and eat as a family on our patio. Something about listening to the birds sing, feeling the wind breeze across my face, and just the smell of the outdoors.  


What is your favorite thing to do when the weather is nice? I can sense spring is just around the corner, and that is a good thing because I AM READY FOR SPRING!!!



Monday, March 10, 2014

Day 10-Officially A Soccer Mom

Tonight Brock had his first soccer practice! We have been looking forward to this day for the last month or so. Mr. Hulstine and I decided at the beginning of the year that we would sign Brock up for spring soccer because he would be old enough. Even though Mr. Hulstine is a football coach, he is all for Brock being involved in something. So we found out when registration was going to be and marked our calendars. Brock's birthday was just last month and all of our family knew he was going to be playing soccer. So for his birthday he got everything he may need to play. He got a soccer bag with his name on it, shin guards, soccer cleats (I think that is what you call them), a soccer ball, and a goal. Since his birthday, whenever it has been nice outside, we have been playing soccer. Tonight, however, was the real deal! HIS FIRST PRACTICE! 



I am not going to lie but it has been kind of hard for me all day to think that my baby is getting ready to have his first real practice at a sport. It seems like yesterday we were talking about how one day he would be playing sports, and now it was here. Not really for sure what to expect, we got him all ready and drive to King Jack Park. We got there, gave him his soccer ball and off he goes to listen to his coaches and begin practice.  I am "THAT" mom who had my phone out taking pictures and video of all of this. :)


It is just another first for all of us. Not only was this his first, but it was my first watching my child out there. I then started thinking that we never really stop having firsts as we get older. Here I am almost 30 years old (I know Mr. Gammon would call me an Old Lady) and tonight was a first for me. Tonight I was more than a mom, wife, JH Librarian, chef, housekeeper, etc. Tonight I received an additional title of a "Soccer Mom!" No matter how old you get, you are always going to have firsts. It could be the first time you won a reading award in your class, be a spelling bee contestant, receive a Cardinal Compliment, first time making an A on your Science test, etc. Take those firsts and embrace them! You can always learn from those things! The one thing I learned tonight is that I love all my titles, and that Brock's team color is kelly green. Looks like I am on the look out for anything that is kelly green and blingy! I am not a Green Bay Packers fan so I am lacking the green bling! 


My challenge for you is to think about any firsts you may have this week, even the tiniest of thing. What was it and what did you learn from it? 

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Day 9-Blessings in the little things

Today was a day filled with a lot of little things. We are trying to get our guest bedroom ready for Mr. Hulstine's family to come down this weekend. We spent the entire weekend cleaning it out. It is amazing how much stuff we have collected over the last eight years together. Although it was a bit overwhelming, it was nice to look through some of our old stuff and ask ourselves why we were keeping it. We did get rid of A LOT of junk, but there were a few things that we had to keep ahold of because of a special memory. For example, I had a box of dried up rose petals that were given to me the day I had our son Brock. To some it may just be dead flowers that have become very crunchy, but to me they mean so much more than that. They represent the day our family become three, and the love and support of our family and friends as we embarked on the journey of parenthood. 

For Mr. Hulstine it was a picture of the very first HS football team he coached and play cards. Even though his first HS coaching job was at Carl Junction, it represents the beginning for him. We even have a box that is just full of "party" stuff.  In that box is birthday party decorations from every one of Brock's birthday parties. We found newspaper articles, old pictures, graduation gowns, etc. 


Even though going through and deep cleaning doesn't sound like a "fun" weekend, it was like going back in time. We were able to found things that were special to us, and some things that we were wondering why we still had it. No matter how big or small something is, we all have something (or things) that hold a special memory for us. When we are reunited with those things it helps to remember the blessing it brought us. What is something that you have that brings back a special memory or blessing? I would love for you to share it with me and tell me why it holds a special place in your heart. 


Saturday, March 8, 2014

Day 8-Well Boogers!

Well I missed my blog last night, and I didn't even realize it till this morning. Last night we decided to have a family movie night. We went and rented a couple of movies, purchased Chick-Fil-A for dinner and headed home. Once we were home (which was about 7 o'clock) in our jammies we got and ate our dinner in bed while watching Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2.  


Everything was going great till we finished dinner.  Mr. Hulstine and I didn't watch much of the movie because we were SOUND ASLEEP (old people problems)! Nothing like having your 4 year old stay up later then you. By 8:30 Brock was asking if he could watch the rest of the movie in the morning because he was tired. That was the last thing I remember till morning time. I had been doing so good keeping up with my blog too! I was really disappointed in myself because I felt like I was going to let you all down. Then, that is when I started thinking about different times that others have let me down. I started asking myself how have I handled that disappointment. No one is perfect, except for one person, and we all make mistakes. That is a phrase we hear all the time. It is easy to forget that when someone lets you down, but when it is you letting someone down you pray they forgive you quickly. Things in life happen that are honest mistakes. For example, falling asleep at 7:45 at night and missing your blog. 


Are you easy to forgive someone when they make a mistake? I know for me that is not always the case. I tend to hold on to things, even those things that were truly an accident. Since I missed doing my blog last night I hope that you will forgive me. I have learned a valuable lesson though about how I hope I can start forgiving as others as quickly as I ask for forgiveness. Although I am sad I missed one night, I am thankful because I learned how I can be a better person. What is something that you have done that taught you a life lesson? Hope you all had a wonderful Saturday! 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Day 6-Discovery of a New Favorite Website

I am super excited to say that I finished The Raft today! This could be the first book that I have read in awhile that I am really happy with the way it ended. Here lately all the books I have these endings that live you hanging, or saying "They can't be all!" Now I am getting ready to begin another Truman book for next year titled Unstoppable by Tim Green. I will keep you updated on what I think about this book without giving away important details! Which brings me to my next question. What are you reading? Do you like it?



A fellow teacher in our building introduced me to the most AMAZING website ever, Bookbub.com. This is a website that is devoted to showing you books that you are interested in that are cheap or free to purchase. I am totally in love with this website. I am pretty sure that I downloaded about 10 books on my Kindle today from this website. You have to sign up with an e-mail address, and then you put the genre of books you like to read. Once you have done that it pulls up a list of books that you can download. A lot of the books are only on sale for a short period of time. What is even more amazing about this site is that it will send you e-mail updates with new books that are cheap/free to download! This is a website that anyone who loves to read will ENJOY! 




Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Day 5-Starting A New Habit

I am not going to lie and say that this whole blogging thing is easy. I caught myself many times today thinking about what I was going to blog about. Many of those times I was thinking about just blogging right then and there. Then, life took over. We started having students come in to check out books (a good thing of course), my ICT class came in, students from Mr. West's class came in to research, I began working on editing the video from the JH play, etc. I am sure you get the point that life took over. Next thing I know, it is time to go home! Once I was home my mom came over, Brock wanted to watch a movie, dinner needed to be made, dishes put away.  All of this needed to be complete before we went to church. 




Finally, at 9 o'clock at night I am ready to call it a night by reading my book. It was then that I remembered, "Oh yeah! I haven't done my blog tonight!" Since this is only day 5, this isn't a part of my "daily" routine. Lots of research out there says that it takes 14-21 days to form a habit. This is something I remind myself all the time when I am trying to form a new habit, but you don't realize how long that really is until you are on day 5! From being a former classroom teacher I remember having those students come in and tell me that they forgot all about an assignment until it was too late and their parents told them to go to bed because it was late. I guess you could say I had a similar moment tonight. The only difference is that my mom is not here telling me to go to bed. 




It takes 14-21 days to form a new habit. I am only on day 5, but I am going to make this a part of my daily routine. What is something that you want to make part of your daily routine? Maybe it is doing your homework before dinner, or writing your blog entry before you take a shower. Think about everything you do everyday and how you had to "FORM" that habit before it became part of your daily routine. What are ways YOU can form a new habit? 



Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Day 4-Coloring Adventure with a 4 year old

After about two months of play practice everyday after school, today was the first day I was able to pick up little man and just come straight home. Neither one of us were for sure what to do with our extra time, but it was easily filled with some of his toys. We started off the afternoon by coloring. I will send a prize over to the first person who responds with the correct answer to the following question: Based on the picture below what is Brock's favorite color? 

Tough question I know. As I was saying, we spent about an hour just coloring. I forgot how relaxing coloring is until today. Brock and I just talked about all the different types of Avengers, what he did today at Miss Heather's, and I had to keep closing my eyes so that he could show me my surprise (which was just another one of his beautiful coloring pages). Before I knew it, we had spent an hour just coloring. It was then that I realized I had a lot of "surprises" from him. 

Yep, I was able color one Hulk page to his 500 pages. Now, give me a little credit here, as I had three colors in my picture to his one. Towards the end, he did start to adventure with more than just one color. 

What did I learn about coloring with a 4 year old? 
  • Staying inside the lines is ONLY optional, but not a requirement
  • Pick your favorite color and just do work
  • Sharing and asking a nicely to use that "favorite" color is a MUST!
  • Spending time with my little man is priceless! 
When you feel like everything is just overwhelming, I suggest get a $1 coloring book and some markers. Spend a couple of minutes just being a 4 year old! 

Monday, March 3, 2014

Day 3-ANOTHER SNOW DAY

Well here we are with another snow day, and I have found myself working at the school with my lovely little family. Mr. Hulstine has a talent for changing words to songs into just about anything. He is once again at work making a music video for yet another snow day music video. It is amazing to me this talent his has as it would take me a good two or three days to come up with a new song that fast. Click the link below to view this masterpiece! 



One of this best things about a snow day is getting to curl up on the couch and read. I am currently reading "The Raft" by S.A. Bodeen. This book is one of the 12 books that is nominated for the Truman Award next school year. My goal is to read all 12 books before next school year. So far I am on book number 4. This book is about a girl who is in a plane crash and has to try to survive in the middle of the ocean. Will she make it out? I am hoping to find out in the next couple of days. 


What is your favorite thing to do on a snow day? I would love for you to reply and let me know! Happy Monday Evening!