cassidy @ 6

it is miss c's birthday!
she is 6 today....
big attitude in little body, for sure.
here is a snapshot of her at the beginning of her 6th year.

she is full of drama.
favorite color: light blue and light pink
favorite food: macaroni and cheese
favorite
friends: Madison, Kennedy, Ava, Alli
still hates having her hair brushed
loves to be crafty - glue, paint, scrapbook supplies

saturday may 5th

So today we started the morning at the “festival” with an outdoor amphitheater. It warmed up really quick. It was hot waiting out there. But X, C & T were great. T & X did a clogging routine and C did her recital piece.

We left there, went to the ballpark, Xander changing in the back seat.

We got there and we found out that it wasn’t a double elimination tournament, it was single. So if the Astros lost this was going to be their final game. And it was. Xander had a single that scored our 2 runs, but it wasn’t enough. Then his good friend on the other team hit a home run and the score ended up being 6 to 2. Bummer!

Then we went back to the dance studio and dropped Xander off to practice for the finale of the recital coming up. He was the only guy with 30 girls. He seemed a little unsure at first, but when he came home he was all excited about it.

We did some grocery shopping, and made dinner and then fed three missionaries at the house.

We left just after they did and went to the Towne Center. They had a huge screen set up and we laid out blankets and watched the Braves game. The kids ran around, we met up with two other of X’s baseball buddies. I like that he has good friends through baseball. They stick together, I just wish they could keep playing together, but they switch up the teams each season.

So we stayed at the park until the game went to rain delay and the Braves were up 12 to 8.

We got home at 11:30. All exhausted and slightly sunburned from spending so much time outside.

It was a good day.

student teaching sum up

it could take pages and pages to write all that i did and learned through my student teaching....but then again, I could probably sum it up pretty quick.

This whole experience has been great. I know where my weaknesses are, and some of the same mistakes I made teaching Pre-K, I made here at the elementary school. But overall, I thought I did okay. It is when you hear other people’s comments of you that you realize that maybe what I did was better than okay. I just do what I think is best, not to impress anyone…so it is good when your actions are acknowledged by others.

Today I went into a Kindergarten classroom for 3 hours. I helped as I saw needed and taught a lesson to small groups of students. Later that afternoon I overheard that K teacher telling another K teacher how great it was to have me in the classroom helping out. She complimented my ability to work with the students, talk to them, etc. She did not know that I was in the hallway. Then she came out of her room and saw me as I was passing. She told me she had just complimented the way I helped in the classroom. Small victories!

Then this afternoon I met with the principal. We called it an interview that really wasn’t an interview…because she does not have any openings at the school and although things change, she doesn’t forsee any for the next school year.

I admit I sat there hoping slightly that she would give me some ray of hope or have another school she had heard of that needed someone. But she said that the whole county was the same way. No job openings. Schools are having to let teachers go, and as a result they are not hiring anyone new, just juggling around what they already have.

She said that I could email my resume and she would consider it if anything did come up…after all the certified teachers were in place, and after all para pros (assistant teachers) that had their certification were in place, and then if she had a para pro opening or a long term substitute need she would give me a call.

I’m afraid that the news is the same for the county I live in too. Gwinnett County is huge, but they are not hiring either.

I’ll take the next steps I need to become a substitute on the county lists…but really I don’t want to be a substitute.

I have to pray for a miracle.

Do you pray? Do believe in prayer? If so…then pray for a miracle.

Anyway, I stayed up tonight to make a gift for my cooperating teacher. It was something I’ve made before, so not hard at all, just had to wait for a few things to dry.

Last day. I might be more nervous about last day than my first day.

I don’t like to make big scenes or have a fuss made over me. But I have a feeling that it is going to be harder to leave than just walking out. I’ve already cleaned out my desk and brought it all home, so I’m not carrying some ridiculous bags or boxes when I leave tomorrow. Just my laptop, purse and lunch bag.

There is my story for now. I’m nervous about how it is all going to work out. But I’m going to have faith that things will work out as they need to, and the way they should. I’m praying for a school that is a good fit for me, and for the kids (cause I can take them to whatever school I get hired at), and that I’ll be in the right place for the students that come through my classroom.

my last day...

The day was hysterical. I think I laughed 90% of the time. The kids begged me to stay. Told me that I was ordered to stay. Begged me not to go. Begged me to take them home with me. Told me that my professor had called and said that I failed…so I had to stay. Told me my class wasn’t over until the end of the year, so I had to stay. Told me that Mrs. Griffin (my cooperating teacher) couldn’t do it without me and I had to stay to help her. Even offered my the empty classroom in the Kindergarten hallway and said they would put a sign out in front of the school saying "Students Wanted" 

It was comical. I laughed and laughed. I videoed three performances of  different songs written just for me. Again, with begging included.

I gave my gifts…and they gave me some. A metal bucket with teacher supplies, A&W root beer and Kit Kats. And a stool. Not in the bucket, it’s too big. But a kitchen stool, painted with bright colors. And the seat of the stool was signed by every student in my class, and the other third grade teachers. Many of the teachers I said goodbye to today told me that they hoped there was an opening there at their school so I could come back. (They don’t know what the principal told me yesterday.)

Overall, great great day!

Gonna get started on emailing principals and signing up to substitute. Doing everything I can do, and the Lord with help with the rest. I must have faith.

iscrapbook

Yes, it is true. But I have not gotten as many layouts done in the last little while. Digital files need to be sorted through and printed. I have needed to organize what I’ve already done.

So tonight I had some time (ha ha ha, really it was time I should have been doing something that would help me prepare for my upcoming student teaching, but it is Sunday, so we’re going with the “Family History” thing.) Anway, I took the time to pull out all the layouts I have ever done. 1/8 of them are in page protectors, the rest have been waiting for a home. Well, I finally decided on what kind of album I’m going to use – black 12x12 3-ring binders. I feel better having finally made that decision. I got one for Christmas and was feeling excited to start filling it up. But I didn’t know what I wanted in that one. So I started to organize my layouts. In typical “Sarah is organizing” fashion, I sat on the living room floor and spread the layouts into piles all around me. When I was done I consulted with Todd about how I wanted to get them into the album(s). I wanted to begin with the end in mind. So, what am I going to do in 15 years? Send the albums with the kids? Be 50 and sitting at home going through them myself? Well, I think I have this figured out too now. I will put the layouts in the albums chronologically. I’ll mix pages that are Xander’s  or Cassidy’s with family pages. And I’ll continue to make mini-books, as a way of fueling my creativity and to highlight special events or special pictures. Then, in 15 years, the kids may take some of the layouts and have a biography of sorts, or they may not care or put as much thought into as I do and they’ll just let the books be buried with me. Not that I’m saying I’m going to die at 50…Oh anyway, I feel better now that I’ve sorted that out in my head. We can all sleep peacefully tonight.

money, money, money...

You know the song from “mama mia”? the one when she sings about not having money? Sure, that could be my song.

There always seems to be something that needs to be fixed, bought, paid for…so my worthy, do my heart good purchases keep getting pushed back. Waaayyy back!

But tonight, I was proud of myself! Now first, let me say, I am not a coupon-er. I have not had the time for it. I haven’t even tried to figure out how to play that game.

However, with Todd’s help we download coupons onto our grocery store card, collect the few that come in the mail and even hold onto the ones that come with the receipts from previous trips to the store.

And tonight we saved $75.00! That is the most I’ve saved in one trip and I am super excited about it.

Will it get me my new couches or hard wood floor? Nope, but it sure felt good anyway.

coming to an end

this week has gone by in a blur. kids back in school, taking down christmas, prioritizing what needs to be done before my free time is gone.
i have one more week at home, and then i'll be part of the work force again. well, technically i'll be in the work force, but not getting paid. not yet anyway. i'm finally beginning my student teaching to complete my master's degree. i begin on january 17th and will continue until mid april. i have been placed in a third grade classroom. i met my cooperating teacher and briefly her class. in all her 13 years of teaching this is her best class yet. after some of my recent pre-k classes i'm very happy to be training in a well-behaved, respectful class. in addition, i have heard amazing compliments for the cooperating teacher i'll be learning from. if i'm going to become a teacher, then i want to be a teacher that students want to come back to and that parents request for their other children. i want to have a classroom that runs well with routines and schedules. organized and well-maintained. make no mistake about it, i am nervous and anxious. maybe about the amount of paperwork i have to do along with the lesson plans.
crossing my fingers!

it's quiet around here

Everyone is gone. Todd is back to work. The kids are back to school.

I admit it. I took a nap. I had to. I didn’t sleep well last night and it was so quiet…it did me in.

It was so cold today. Coldest day in a year…? That’s what they said on the weather report.

Oh, and I started taking down Christmas.
Here they come…the winter blues.

things i love...

a friend's email prompted me to start thinking about some of my favorite things...
so i thought i'd put a few down. some seem to be seasonally related, as we just went through the holidays.

drinking vanilla coke through a straw * laying in a hammock outside on a warm sunny day * cuddling with my kids * warm socks and slippers * getting something accomplished and crossed off a list * calendars & planners * getting christmas cards * scrapbooking for me and vainly, getting recognized for the scrapbooking i do for others * hot chocolate * summer & 4th of july * bread bowls * reading * a clean house * being loved

it's a new year

and i'm thinking about TIME
as i sat in church on sunday morning, after staying up late to toast the new year with the husband, sister and kiddos... and feleling just a wee bit sleepy, i couldn't help but feel that i was in the right place, a great place to start off the new year.
several talks were given this morning, but one in particular was just what i needed to hear. the speaker devoted her talk to TIME and how quickly TIME is moving, with the craziness of schedules filled with activities and technology that speeds everything up for us.
but we need to find TIME to do those activities that are good. we need to find TIME to serve. we need to find TIME to better ourselves.
so my goal for this new year is to work on TIME...
for my blogs
for children
for myself
for exercise
for cleaning and decluttering
for reading scriptures
for keeping in touch with family

some of these seem to echo years past, and it maybe something that i am always working on, as we know, TIME is always moving, always changing.

happy new year!