A new addition to our family...

Yes, I know what most of you all are thinking...and you thought WRONG!  

I am not preggers just yet!  he he he

Let me introduce you to the newest member of our lil family:

Samsung 40" LCD TV

Yes, that's correct!  We have finally upgraded to a nice boob tube (instead of the rear-projection 20" screens). After doing lots of research for some time, going around and checking out what each store recommends, and comparing deal upon deal, I finally broke down and make my purchase tonight!

And the BEST part about it is:

1. No diaper changes necessary

2. No arguing back EVER

3. It will NEVER tell me no (and when it does, I can replace it quickly)

4. I can still read to it, pet it, & clean it but it might get tricky trying to rock it to sleep every night. But, I'm willing to live with that fact.

5. I can finally watch a movie w/o my glasses since the screen is so large!

6. I got a GREAT deal on it!

just a little update...

Well, not too much to talk about these days! So, I'll just keep this short, and be happy with posting a simple post!

1. I ended up going to an ENT a while back, he put me on meds for a month, and my dosage ended last week. First 2 days were horrific, now I don't feel so bad. There is the possibility that I might have a polyp in one of my nostrils. I go back to the specialist one week from Monday. Wish me luck!

2. I got the job to teach Summer School. I will teach from June 15-June 30. It is only for 12 days, and I get $2200. Not bad, I know. By the time that taxes are taken out, I'll be lucky to get $1000. But hey, every little bit counts.

3. I got accepted to a one-week crash course in teaching ELLs this summer, which will go toward my Master's class. The option was to either take TWO eight-week online courses (while summer school was going on), or do ONE eight-week during summer school, and ONE one-week course (if I got accepted) after summer school. I am going to do the latter of the two, and so I'm excited for a bit of a break.

4. My kiddos at school are doing CULTURE projects on Thursday (that is the presentation) and on Monday the 4th (food day). They are excited about it, and so am I! We've been a week researching and gathering information.

5. Since all week students have been in the library and in the computer lab doing research, I took the time to write 2 finals for my classes. I got lots of things done which was nice. What's not-so-nice is my TERRIBLE backache I've had all weekend from sitting down too much!!!

6. Sunny weather is great! I took my Advisory classes out to play kickball on Friday, and they loved it. I loved sitting on the bleachers getting a tan.

7. We FINALLY got working Internet 24/7. We ended up buying service ourselves, but it's only $20 a month and is totally worth every penny! Our apt complex is supposed to provide free Internet & cable, but the Internet was always shady. You could FORGET ever using it at 5:30 or later, when everyone was off work and wanted to download stuff and watch movies...it NEVER worked for us.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday! It's time to wake up Steven from his nap, and go eat dinner w/ the in-laws! Chicken, mashed taters n gravy, and a salad...yum yum yum!

My Summer Pledge!

Spring has DEFINITELY arrived, and with it comes

all kinds of TOES!  That's right...some nice, and others...well,

NOT-SO-NICE...

My friend, Beverly took the pledge on her blog, and I've decided to do the same. This is one of my BIGGEST pet peaves.  Honestly, I haven't worn sandles until TODAY, just because my toes were not up to par. Honestly, I don't think sandles were invented for EVERYONE (sorry if I've hurt your feelings, but it's the truth)...just like bikinis weren't made for the XXXXXXL lady, either. My hubby disagrees and says he'll proudly show off his ugly feet, just so long as his feet don't sweat in the humid state of Missouri. However, as long as he chooses to "air out his ugly feet", I will choose to comment on them as I please.  That's just the way it is.

So here goes...I am taking the pledge...will YOU?

Ladies, PLEASE, raise your big toes and repeat after me below... 


The Open Toed Shoe Pledge

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the Rules when wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.
I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.

I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there. 

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back! into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good. 

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them. 

I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $20 or $25 and worth EVERY penny). 

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

There you have it, ladies.  A pledge straight from down south.  And you know how we are...just good 'ol picky southerners who don't leave the house w/o their hair done and makeup on. Although I'm not as extreme as I once was (thanks to living in Chile for a few years), I still have to have my toes painted, especially in the summer time. I guess I'll never understand, nor do I entend to try understand, how it feels to show off feet that should be kept hidden underneath socks.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

So which club do you belong to, anyway....

THIS club....with nasty toenails THIS club with dried up toenails & a few funky ET toes

THIS club...of obsessive art & decoration

or THIS CLUB where they just PLAIN Jane

No matter what Club you belong to, I understand that most of us can't change clubs. We are born a certain way, and heaven forbid we try to have plastic surgery on our toes just so we can fit into another category. 

All I'm saying, I guess...is that if you KNOW you have UGLY toes, please do youself a favor as well as those of us who are around you, and COVER them up or get a freakin pedicure occasionally.  

Me...you ask? What Club do I belong to? I'm somewhere in the middle of the last two clubs...I love to have them painted, but not with lace, jewels, or stickers. I go for natural colors mostly. 2 layers of color first, then a thick coat of "top coat" clear polish. That way, they rarely chip, and the color stays nice and bright for about 2-3 weeks before having to redo it.  I was blessed with cute toes (as long as I trim them regularly, and keep them looking nice. My husband (who is sadly a member of the dried up toenail club) , my sister Andrea (who is a crazy member of the funky ET toe club...that's right...her 4th toe is shaped like ET's head) and my mother (let's not talk about HER toes, cuz she's a member of all kinds of nasty toe clubs along with the no-toenail-club) unfortunately were not so blessed in the TOE area. And even though all three of them still wear sandals, I try my best to look the other way before I get too nautious...YUCK!

TESTING SUCKS!

As many of you know (and even if you don't...you will know when you're done reading THIS)...

I HATE what we are required to do b/c "No Child Left Behind" was put into effect during the reign of our Beloved President Bush.

All week (and several days next week, too), I spend 2 and a half hours with a group of 20 eighth graders, who have a booklet to fill out (and not all of it is bubble-in, either) that is at LEAST 2 inches thick. NO JOKE...it is ridiculous. I could go ON AND ON AND ON about this test, and how there is NO WAY IN H-E-L-L that 100% of the kids in this nation are going to be proficient in Language Arts, Science, & Math. "Everyone" includes special needs children and ELLs as well. I can't even begin to enlighten you on the steam that I have raging inside of me right now.

What's even worse...the daily schedule is ALL SCREWY, and the hour that got short-changed these 2 weeks is first hour, my planning/preparation hour. I can't tell you how frazzled I get by the end of the day w/ all of my classes out-of-order, and with 9 hours straight of teaching and testing. It is just NOT right, and not normal, that's for sure.

On a lighter note, I was sent an email this week that put a small smile on my face, and I just wanted to share with you some of the MAP testing protocol we are asked to observe. Let me know what you think!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

MAP Severe Weather Testing Protocols

1. Should a severe weather situation occur during testing, please remain calm. To display any kind of anxiety would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

2. Please do not look out the window to watch for approaching tornadoes. You must monitor the students at all times. To do otherwise would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

3. Should students notice an approaching tornado and begin to cry, please make every effort to protect their testing materials from the flow of tears and sinus drainage.

4. Should a flying object come through your window during testing, please make every effort to ensure that it does not land on a testing booklet or an answer sheet. Please make sure to soften the landing of the flying object so that it will not disturb the students while testing.

5. Should shards of glass from a broken window come flying into the room, have the students use their bodies to shield their testing materials so that they will not be damaged. Have plenty of gauze on hand to ensure that no one accidentally bleeds on the answer documents. Damaged answer sheets will not scan properly.

6. Should gale force winds ensue, please have everyone stuff their test booklets and answer sheets into their shirts, being very careful not to bend them because bent answer documents will not scan properly.

7. If any student gets sucked into the vortex of the funnel cloud, please make sure they mark at least one answer before departing, and of course make sure they leave their answer sheets and test booklets behind. You will have to account for those.

8. Should a funnel cloud pick you, the test administrator, up and take you flying over the rainbow, you will still be required to account for all of your testing materials when you land so please take extra precautions. Remember, once you have checked them out, they should never leave your hands.

9. When rescue workers arrive to dig you out of the rubble, please make sure that they do not, at any time, look at or handle the testing materials. Once you have been treated for your injuries, you will still be responsible for checking your materials back in. Search dogs will not be
allowed to sift through the rubble for lost tests, unless of course they have been through standardized test training.

Gone to Arizona

Vacation in Arizona

Just a few pics from my vacation in Arizona...

Some lil desserts that I got creative with one evening. Some strawberry mallows covered in chocolate and some sprinkles...

My almost 5 year old newphew, Sione, with the cutest lil curls you've ever seen! It's hard to get him to smile for very long, so enjoy this hard-to-capture moment!
And here is Sione, again...showing off his cool new trick: blowing BIG bubbles....

SEE ???
And here's Filipe, riding Sione's bike. He thinks he's REAL good at it. Notice his rather LARGE flip flops. Those are his big brother's, too...

Can you find SPIDERMAN in this picture? That is his favorite thing to play with these days...
And here we are riding the Carousel at the Phoenix Zoo...of course, he HAD to ride on the Lion!

Well, all this fun ends tomorrow. SAD! But that was my wonderful, relaxing, and fun little week of a Spring Break.

What about you? What did you do this week?

Still here...

I'm STILL SICK! I'm sick of being sick, and sick of being sick of being sick!!!!

I am going to visit my doctor today for the 5th time. I have been sick since December, folks. Every time we talk, she says, "Ok, if this doesn't work...I'll have to send you to a specialist." Those days have come, gone, and they're STILL coming. I'm practically begging the woman to send me to someone else. GOSH...do I need to bring a weapon and threaten violence here? C'mon...I need some freakin' relief here, lady!!

Ok, sorry to get so graphic, but here's a rundown of my experiences in a nut shell:

December: I got a mild cold (I thought) and took Sudafed. Two weeks later, I switched to Mucinex. I thought I was cured, but nope--it came back! This time I tried Amoxicilian. Didn't cut it completely.

January: School starts again, and I try Bactirium (I had some left overs). Felt GREAT, but it still came back. I went to the Doctor, and she says "How did you get a hold of so many antibiotics? I didn't prescribe any of them to you..." UGH! That was the wrong thing to say to her. She tells me I have allergies and sends me to buy Zyrtek D. $20 for one week's worth. After finishing it, IT CAME BACK!!!!

February: I go in again to the Dr. and she says, "OK. This time, we're gonna knock it outta the ballpark." OH GOOD!!! She puts me on Levaquin & Flonase. (still thinking it's allergy related). After three days of that, I end up in Urgent Care b/c my heart was beating so fast that I thought I was gonna die. I had gotten 3 hours of sleep or less since taking this last dose of meds that I couldn't take it anymore. He tells me to quit BOTH meds, and gives me some sleeping pills (finally...some results here...can HE be my regular Doctor, please????) So, I quit the meds.

March...My afore-mentioned symptoms come back (original symptoms) and I start doing some nasty saline-rinses in my nasal cavity. If you've ever done this, it works great but it's NASTY as heck! (ps- I even got Steven addicted...he he he). I am totally sick by now, right?!?!?! I have Steven call & cancel dinner reservations for my Birthday, and I end up crying all night. My head hurt, my haircut wasn't as planned, my Master's program was asking WAY to much of me, I sucked at teaching school, I wasn't able to fulfill my church responsibilities...the list goes on and on folks. Now, I think I'm going INSANE on top of all of the sickness!

Recently: Monday I call the Doctor's office, and she insisted it is just allergies. I got a prescription for Allegra D (expensive!) and she says to start the Flonase nose spray again, and do triple dose saline rinses as many times as I can!!! OH MY GOSH LADY! Are you trying to KILL me or what? So, I did that Monday and Tuesday. Last night and this morning I had NO VOICE and I have a hacking cough that when I have a spell...look out folks! Stuff is coming up and out and it's NASTY! My head hurts, the saline now is stinging the living daylights out of my nose, and I still can't sleep at night. I took today off of school, and just talked to the nurse. I'm going in AGAIN today, and we'll see what she says this time.

My Thoughts (as if you haven't read enough already)

1. LADY, where on earth did you graduate from? Are you SURE you have a degree?
2. Why am I even still seeing/calling YOU? Aren't you sick of seeing me, TOO? C'mon already and give me a darn referral to bother someone else!
3. How is Steven even SURVIVING me these days? I'm crying all the time, complaining endlessly, grumpy before, during, and after school, and just a complete MESS.
4. Constant questions I ask myself: Is school over yet? Is it Spring Break? Am I going to die today? Can I cut off my nose? Is it time for bed yet? Will I get to sleep before 2am tonight? Will I EVER be done with writing papers and reading chapters weekly?

Ok, so after all of that, I don't even think I told you my SEVERE symptoms. But for those of you who are curious, here they are: stuffy nose, sore throat w/ wads of mucous in it, headaches, sinus aches, stopped up & achy ears.

There you have it folks, now who is SMARTER than my Doctor and can heal me? C'mon...I've tried it all. What else is there to lose?

Hair we are.....

That's right, folks. My B-day is this Friday & I got myself the best present EVER...
a new haircut!Sorry...not a lot of time to chat and write about how cute I feel (or how fat it makes my face look)...but here are a few not-so-tasteful photos taken just a few seconds ago....
Soooooo....wadda ya think?