My dilemma

Just contemplating what to do.....I had the shower this weekend (which went great, btw, and I'll post pics. later), the shower was for Lindsay Tebo and Jackie Straub two high school girlfriends, who both looked absolutely adorable, they put me to shame when I was preggo!! And, I might have talked myself into a dilemma......here's the situation....

So, at the shower I was talking to Lindsay's husband, Dave .....who is the new Superintendent at Michigan Center School District, it actually blew me away to find that out....seeing as though he is only 33yrs. (maybe 34), and that is super young to already be Superintendent...WOW, way to go Dave!! Okay, on with the story....I jokingly, well kinda jokingly, asked if he had any positions available that I could interview for..... and he said sure, he thinks there might be a fifth grade position opening up in the fall and to send all my stuff directly to him. I did tell him I'm already hired in at Jackson Public, but on layoff and not knowing what's going to happen in the next few weeks, and a little fed up with the politics of working in such a big district. But, I also wasn't ready for him to tell me to send him my stuff (resume, letters of rec., teaching cert.)....Oooopps, what did I just do!?

My dilemma is.....if and when I do get called back to JPS (if it's this school year), I'm most likely going to job share (work part-time) with a second grade teacher at Bennett, which is what I've always wanted to do! But, I'm also not really positive how long this teacher is willing to do this with me.....maybe 1 year, possibly 2 or 3 yrs.? It's a really great scenario for this coming year though.....but, then the summer hits and I'll be laid-off once again.....ughhhh!! On the other side......if I did work for Mich. Center Schools I would probably never have to worry about this limbo mode, with the lay-off situation I am currently in right now. I would be at a much smaller district and there are some positive aspects to that type of district for me. But, would I ever find a teacher to job share with me?? This would mean another year of having to work full-time, maybe longer.... until, if and when, I found a person who would want to job share....Yikes!! All of these unknowns!!

Aiy, yi, yi !!! I don't know what to do??? Did I just create more confusion for myself??

Okay, I guess I'm way jumping the gun on this thing...I haven't even sent Dave my stuff yet and I haven't even been offered an interview...LOL!! But, I'm pretty sure I'm going to send him my info. and just see what happens......heck, I might not even be called for an interview, ha!, that would make my decision really easy!! And who's to say I'd even be offered the job if I did interview.?....I can't get too ahead of myself on this one.

A little me time....and some old friends, just what the Dr. ordered

Ahhhh...felling much better, last night I went out to dinner with my cousin Jacqui, got ice cream, and purchased some fun stuff at JoAnn's for one of the baby shower games tomorrow night. It was SOoooo nice to get out and just have a night to myself, no child, no husband, no worries, and being with someone who always cracks me up....we had a very comical night!! Especially with the crappy week of rain that we had.....I was starting to get cabin fever, I mean really how many trips to Target, to the grocery store, to grandmas house, to friends houses, can you take in one week......I'm not kidding it felt like it was constantly raining the WHOLE week and we had to stay indoors!! I hope there's sunshine in the forecast for next week.

So, tomorrow is the baby shower I've for some insane reason decided to host (haha!), I'm a little nervous about all the preparations.....just making sure everything gets done and my house is looking flawless before everyone gets here (though, with having a 19 month old that will virtually be impossible).... I've been running around today like a mad woman! The shower is for two of my high school friends....Lindsay(Mizerik)Tebo & Jackie(Gallant) Straub, along with the "click" that we hung out with in high school. I think it's going to be about 16 total, husbands/boyfriends included, but probably only Donnie for kids, maybe Brady Tebo (Linds's little one), only the two of us have kids (soon to be 3 of us). It's kinda crazy cause we're all 26/27 yr. old and only 2 out of the 8 of us have kids, and only 3 of us are married (soon to be 4), okay, maybe not crazy everywhere, but in J-town it's odd to be 27 and single(no divorce)/no kids! ....Many of them have focused on careers and the city life.....and I say good for them, you only get to do it once, so live it up girls!! Oh, yeah speaking of living it up, I'm also a little nervous because the "city" girls are used to livin' it up on the weekends and I'm just a light-weight, being a mommy and all....I rarely drink more than a beer, but I'm gonna have to step up my game tomorrow night, (well, I do have the preggo's to hang with!! Hehe!) **Yay!! I'm really excited to see all my girlfriends from way back when....

Anyways, I've gotta go and finish a few more things before I go to bed. Wish me luck, and good weather for tomorrow!

What's going on?

Ummmm...I've been feeling a little emotional lately, not a bad emotional, just emotional......happy, sad, mad, you name it....I might start to cry.

Like today, I watched Oprah (Yea, I'm an Oprah fan), and she had quests on who had made a difference in someones life....a viewers life, who watched the show and was touched by a guest Oprah had on her show, then they met on today's show. One story was about a woman who lost her 16 year old son to a house fire, and while watching Oprah one day she saw another woman who lost her son to an accidental shooting when he was 10....basically, because she watched the show, she found strength in someone else who had shared the same tragedy. So, while I was watching I started to cry....tears of sadness I felt for both women, the unfathomable circumstances they faced, and how unimaginable my life would be without my little boy in it.....

Then, I've also been thinking about having another child lately, then I think about Donnie and when he was an infant and how grateful I am to have him in my life.... I think about how lucky I am to have my husband, son, and the family we've created. And I get all teary eyed.


Seriously, what the heck is going on?? I've been feeling like if I hear of something or see something or think of something, I might just shed a tear..... maybe I'm PMSing? I guess I better not watch Oprah tomorrow!!

Random things.....

Here are 50 random things about me, give us your own answers in your own blog...

1. Do you like cheese? oh, yeah

2. Have you ever been arrested? Nope

3. Have you ever shot a gun? No, I've felt like it though....

4. Your favorite song? "What a wonderful world"....Louis Armstrong

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? A little, depends on which Dr.

6. What do you think of when you eat hot dogs? Seven-Eleven, Ha!Ha!....Heather

7. What's your favorite Christmas song? Don't have one

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?Coffee

9. Can you do push ups? sure can, but I don't

10. Is your bathroom clean? Ummmm....kinda!

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I have a lot of necklaces I like, can't pick just one

12. Favorite Hobby? Shopping - if that's considered a hobby.?

13. What are you listening to right now? the T.V

14. What is the last thing you ate? Spaghetti

15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? judgemental, at times

16. Middle Name? Ann

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? 1- Is there anything on T.V tonight that I'll wanna watch. 2- I think I'm going to put on my P.J'S. 3- I hope I can stay at Bennett Elementary if I get called back to school soon....

18. Name the last 3 things you have bought. 1-A sweatshirt for Donnie. 2- Onsies, for a baby shower game (I'm having a couples baby shower on Sat.) 3-A pair of earrings.

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink. Coffee, Diet Coke, Water.....Alcoholic.....Beer- whatever is on hand, I'm not picky!!

20. Current worry right now? Duh.....work / lay-off call back!!

21. Current hate? I'm pretty happy at the moment, ask me tomorrow.

22.Favorite place to be? A salon, getting pampered....Ahhhhh!

23. How did you bring in the New Year? With my in-laws at their cabin!

24. What is your quirkiest habit? I can't have chipped nail polish on, my fingers or toes.....it drives me insane!!

25. Name three people who will complete this and Return? Ummmm....maybe Leslie, Kasey, & E.J.???

26. How many siblings do you have? 1 brother

27. Do you own slippers? Yes, I have them on right now

28. What shirt are you wearing? a yellow short sleeve with a white sweatshirt hoodie

29. What shampoo do you use? Whatever is on sale

30. Favorite color? Don't have one

31. Would you like to be a pirate? No, that's a silly question

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't

33. Favorite female name?at the moment Isabella

34. Favorite male name? at the moment Michael

35. What's in your pockets right now? nada

36. Last thing that made you laugh? my son

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Ummm....white, I think

38. Worst injury you've ever had? Sprained ankle

40. How many TVs do you have in your house?2

41. Who is your loudest friend? Probably, Elizabeth...hehe!

42. Who is your most silent friend? I don't think any

43. Does someone have a crush on you? my son & husband

44. Do you wish on shooting stars? I've never seen one

45.What is your favorite book? Tuesday's with Morrie

46.What is your favorite age? anything between 6 & 14, my elementary years where fun and carefree!!

47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? How terrible is this, I can't remember...haha!

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I've never thought about it....I guess, I don't really care

49. What were you doing at 12 am this morning? sleeping... Zzzzzz

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Why is Donnie up it's 5:50 A.M...where's the coffee?

**Oooopps, how'd I miss #39? Where'd it go??

I've been tagged:

Here are the rules:


1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.


2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. ***IF you have already done your middle name than do the State that you live in with new adjectives!*****


3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts. ***Or state if you have already been tagged before!***


4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.


5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Well, my middle name is Ann :

A- Anxious. That's how I feel right now about work and my lay-off situation. I just wanna get called back to work and take away my anxiety....ughhhh!

N- Nutty. Okay, sometimes I feel a little nutty...you know when things in life get a little hectic, or chaotic....I go a little nutty!

N- Nurse. Before I decided to become a teacher, I wanted to go to nursing school. I still think it would be a great profession to go into, very fulfilling.

**Okay, I'm tagging:**

Emilie

Denise

Mackenzie

The last few days = rain

"Rain, Rain go away come again another day"

....It's been raining now for 2 days straight...ALL day! Okay, so maybe two days doesn't seem like a lot, but when your stuck in the house with a 19 month old all day it seems like forever! Actually, yesterday Donnie was at my mom's most of the day, (Don & I finished working on our family room downstairs)...... okay never mind, I guess I can't really complain about yesterday, but being stuck in the house all day TODAY with my little outdoors man really stinks, we were both going stir crazy! I'll have to plan an indoor activity for us tomorrow if it's still raining.......

Today, Donnie:

• Had too many snacks
  


• Watched too much T.V....



• Was ignored for a while....so I could blog & read blogs (how terrible is that?!)
  


• Was bribed with chocolate & markers
  


• Had a free-for-all with his toys in the basement



• Ate off the tip of a crayon



• Thought Maci's kitty litter was a sand box (Eeeewww, I know!)

And, since I brought up the topic of T.V. Donnie's favorite channel is the Animal Planet, he can't get enough of it. Some of his favorite shows include: *Meerkat Manor....Animal's Funniest Home Videos...Fooled by Nature.....Corwin's Quest....Crocodile Hunter's Diaries* just to name a few.....sad that I know that many shows, isn't it.? It's pretty funny because he just started really paying attention to T.V. and I thought maybe Seasame Street or Blue's Clues would be something he'd like, but Animal Planet?? It seems a little too grown-up for him....whatever. Here are a few pics. of him watching his shows while eating his snack this afternoon......he's such a big boy now, I can't get over it!! Also, sharing a few bites with Rocco.....Mmmmmm!

On a *good* note we finished our downstairs family room....completely done...YAY!!! I'm starting to feel like our house is turning into a home, the sun room is completely done, the living room upstairs is almost done (just a few more items to buy), the dinning room is painted & almost there, the family room downstairs is completely done, that only leaves.......the kitchen, the hallways upstairs & down, & the bedrooms....oh yeah, and the bathrooms. We're at least making some progress though, so I'm happy! I will be posting pics. of the rooms soon, I just want to get a few more things accomplished before I share the finished products.

Hello....is anyone out there?

Hey......is anyone out there reading this??? Can't I get just 1 comment at least for my Thoughts on Thursday?? Was it a bad topic....what's going on??

**Husband, I know you're out there reading this, I'm expecting at least one comment from you this week!! Ha!Ha!

**Hey thanks Denise for being my first commenter.....I'm so excited, I haven't heard from you yet!!

Twins??

My Thoughts on Thursday......Twins, no I'm not pregnant with twins, but it's always been something in the back of my mind for when we do have our next child. Clearly yes, I've been thinking that in the near future I would like to get pregnant (minus the sickness!), Donnie is 19 months and a complete toddler..... where did my baby go? Many of you out there who are reading this blog now exactly what I'm talking about. And he is sooooo ready for a sibling, enough of this only child crap, he needs a playmate!

So, on with my topic.....I think one of the main reasons I think about having twins, is because they run in my family......my mom is an identical twin, also the old saying that it skips a generation(which would fall on me), and twins run on my grandfather's side of the family....at least 3 sets. But, it scares me to DEATH to think of double duty, double diapers, double car seats, double high chairs, double middle of the night feedings, double cribs.....double, double, double, the list goes on. To know how much work one is and then to add another one to the equation - makes my head spin!! Then on the flip side, I also think it would be so neat to have an instant playmate when you get older, a natural built in friendship (most of the time), and to have this incredible genetic bound that only another twin could understand.....how cool!!

I love to hear twin stories.....my mom has a few really interesting stories about her and my aunt, the one that sticks out the most to me is when she was on vacation with a friend in Tennessee... She new that my Aunt Gwen was going to be delivering her baby around the time she would be coming back from the vacation, but midway through her trip she told her friend that they HAD to drive home because her sister was going to have her baby. My mom had not spoken to my Aunt since she left, but she said she just had this incredible sensation that she had to get back because my Aunt was going to deliver......sure enough my aunt was in the hospital when she got home and had her daughter a few hours later.....isn't that crazy!? I've also heard about twins who say they can actually feel the pain of the other twin, and as strange as that may seem I truly believe it.

I also, think it's funny to look at the two completely separate personalities they have. Usually there seems to be an outgoing one and a shy one, or a mischievous one and a good one, a bossy one and a follower.....amazing for two little beings to share the same wound for 9 months and be so different yet so alike.

Anyone else heard of amazing twin stories? Or have ever really wanted twins?? Or has twins/is a twin?? Know people who are twins??

Little D's first bike

I think, no wait, I know Don was more excited than Donnie....about his first real big boys bike! When we got home from vacation Don felt the need to buy Donnie a "real" bike, I'll explain a little.....when we were in Curtis all the kids brought their bikes to ride around and Donnie loved to climb up and just sit on them, he wanted to be just like the big kids. So, when we got home from our trip Don said Donnie was ready for a bike.....but, not just the starter red tricycle kind, but one with two bigger wheels and training wheels and a real seat.....even though Donnie is only 19 months old, Don felt "he's ready!" It was so sweet on Sunday morning I slept in and Don took Donnie to Target to pick out a brand new bike, when he got home he put it together right away.....just like it was Christmas morning or something (all I could do was smile.....it was a special moment for Don). He finished putting it together and......what a bummer the bike was just a tad too big, Donnie can't quite reach the peddles...darn it!! I felt bad for Little D, but I think I felt worse for my hubby the look on his face was pitiful...pure disappointment, I think he was more distraught over the situation than Donnie.....poor guy. So, Donnie has to wait a few more months until he can actually reach the peddles, he is though enjoying just sitting on it and moving the handle bars while making motorcycle noises -I think he thinks it's like his Uncle Blair's motorcycle...LOL!

Ketchup....Mmmmmm!!

Well, what can I say.....like father like son. Donnie LOVES ketchup...Heinz that is, because as many of you may already know that's ALL my hubby will eat ( me too now...it's the best!). Anyways, tonight for dinner Donnie had a pastie, I'm sure all of you are saying what is that??? They are basically like a meat pie...inside are potatoes & beef and they're wrapped in dough, you pop them in the oven and walla!... a pot roast pocket, it's an up-north thing (U.P. that is, Don still doesn't know how to pronounce them or why the heck I like them so much!) On with my story, so I made the mistake of giving Donnie one with some ketchup on the side, for dipping purposes.....it was so funny, all he did was dip and lick, dip and lick, no eating of the pastie, just the ketchup and every time he dipped and licked, afterwards he said....Mmmmmm!!! Mmmmm!! It was so cute!

**Hope you're not too disgusted by the pics....I had to share!

**Doesn't that picture look like he's drunk on ketchup?? LOL!!

I'm back!!

Yeah.....I'm back in the blogging world, I feel like I've been gone forever..... I'm still trying to catch up with all the postings that I missed out on for a WHOLE week!! This truly has become an addiction!

Anyways, those are a few pictures from our vacation in the U.P. (Curtis, Michigan.....if any of you have a clue where that is.) We had a great time, there's nothing like staying at a lake house for a week, it was soooo relaxing, so much fun......and, now I'm back to reality...Waaaahhh!!!

We found IT!!!

Don't let this picture fool you.....Ira did ALL the dirty work!!

OH, MY WORD....we found the second bat!! Last night, we were going to start trying to get our dining room painted, so Don finished taping and I was just trying to get things off the dining room table cleaning all the clutter mess its turned into....I found a vase & thought....Hmmmmm, this will look good on the fire place, so I went to put it on the mantle and then IT happened.......THE BAT flew past my head, literally it swooped right past my head, I thought I was going to poop my pants!! Anyways, I ran back into the dining room and told Don, he then proceeded to gear up and hunt for the BAT....Oh, Lord was that a sight to see!! But, of course, he couldn't find anything to catch it with (we left Donnie's bug net up north), so he had to call for back-up.......his younger brother Ira! Thanks Ira for killing the bat (sorry, to all you animals rightists out there, but it's DEAD) ......I can now sleep in peace again!

I bet the bat had fun roaming in our house for a week by itself while we were on vacation!!

Oooopss......I forgot to add, Don you are such a ** WIMP!!** Ha! Ha!

HELP!!!

That's what I was saying at about 2:30am. last night, when I woke up to a BAT in our bedroom. Seriously, there was a bat with a broken wing in our bedroom (I actually felt sort-of bad for it), I'm assuming he must have flown into our wall or something and broke his wing. Don eventually got it out with Donnie's little bug net, may I add my husband is such a wimp...Ha! Ha! But, it doesn't end there, Don went downstairs and saw another one......what the heck.....two bats in our house!!! Don't bats only come through attics and don't they usually visit really old houses?? Well, news flash.....I guess they can come in through other spots other than attics and they have no preference on how old your home is! Oh, I almost forgot, too top it off a few days ago I saw a snake in our yard.....Eeeeekkk, my worst phobia of all, a slimy snake.....I think I scared it off though, I screamed super loud (so loud Donnie actually got scared) and ran, I picked Donnie up to save him from the snake, got Rocco and we went into the house for the rest of the day!! I thought I was going to like living in a wooded area with all the nature......where's all the bunnie rabbits and deer???

**I'll be MIA again in the blog world, we will be in the U.P. for a weeks vacation.....Ahhhhh, another vacation!!! Just in case anyone cared...LOL!!**

Work.....Uhhhhhh!!!!

Alright, finally my thoughts for Thursday.... and this is not going to be a happy post - just warning you, sorry it may even be a little depressing, but don't we all have those days...?

So, I am at Don's soccer game tonight and I run into a fellow teacher from my staff at Bennett last year. We got to talking about the Fall, since it's right around the corner, and she says there have been a lot of changes in our building, which I was semi-aware of and that it didn't look so good for the lay-offs in the Fall being called back. Basically it was a kind way of letting me know there will be a good chance I will not be called back for the following school year......Ahhhhhh!! Are you flippin' kidding me! What the Hell!! That's what I wanted to say, but I'm just trying to still talk positive about the upcoming year. Then of course after she leaves the thoughts just start running through my head:

• when will I actually be called back from lay-off?
• how long will my unemployment last?
• will I be called back in the middle of the year-YUCK!! And who knows what the kids will be like at that point in the year.....
• we just bought a new house with a higher mortgage payment!!
• will we be able to have another baby anytime soon??.....we REALLY need my insurance to have another child!
• is job-sharing still even an option for next year??
• uhhhhh...hello, what about student loans!!
• why in the world did I ever take a job with JPS....I knew this was going to happen!!

Okay, so these were just a few of the random thoughts running through my head at this point. And to top it all of, I still have to go back to school, I need to get another 18 credits to keep my teaching certificate.... and soon. I was going to try to start soon, maybe next summer....but, will I even be able too, that will mean another student loan....uhhhh! I guess the only good thing about me going back to school is that I think I'm going to work on my Masters at Eastern Michigan University in Speech Pathology (basically a speech teacher) something other than **education, well sort-of. I've been considering doing this for a while, but it's a 3 year program**gulp** and that is what was holding me back a little....3 years, uhhhh.. how will I fit that into my life??...that's a lot of schooling!! But, the more I think about it it's not looking so bad after all. Well, I should explain that it is a profession that is in VERY high demand, which means job security-YEAH!!! NO lay-off!!.....ton's of kids getting tested and needing speech & not enough teachers, another bonus is it will be a pretty hefty increase in salary.... that's always a plus! I became friends with our speech pathologist at school and the more I found out the more appealing it was sounding, so now I actually might have to start looking into this a little more in depth.

I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the reality off it all, the fact that I spent almost 5 years studying, working, student teaching, trying to get ahead and then look what happens!! I am just really pissed that you can actually go to college put yourself in debt up to your butt-hole and then feel like....what the hell did I do that for, either I'm laid-off or I don't have a job....what the F*%#....you've gotta be kidding me, this must be a joke!!

Well, anyways those are my thoughts for Thursday....not anything great, basically just a bitch fest and pity party for myself...sorry, if you were in a good mood I probably just ruined it! I know some of you are in a very similar boat as I am (N.B.) and I feel your pain. Anyone else feel like throwing themselves a pity party about something??....go right ahead this is a perfect opportunity to do so. Now that I've probably scared everyone away from my blog.....I better go and eat some ice cream.....always a stress reliever..LOL!!

Tonight I feel like:

* watching T.V. & vegging out on the couch

* eating ice cream

* painting my nails

* self-tanning

* just basically doing nothing and being a slouch!



Tonight what I need to be doing is:

* finishing laundry

* cleaning up the kitchen

* picking up the WHOLE house....it's a mess

* putting the clean laundry away

* feeding & watering all my plants outside

* cleaning the bathrooms

* organizing my closet


** okay, I've decided to go with my first list.....what I feel like doing!! **

I'm off to go and do nothing......goodbye.