Blogging for $2.49 per month...

While blogging yesterday, I got a very annoying screen from blogger telling me that my 1GB photo storage on blogger was full and that I would not be able to load anymore pictures on my blog. I tried a few things but blogger wouldn't cooperate. Evidently my blogger photo storage looks a little something like this...

So after browsing my options, I am now the owner of a temporary 25GB photo space on blogger for $2.49 per month/$29.88 per year. It was that, blog with no pictures (BORING!) or shut the blog down (does anyone really read this anymore anyway?). After years of having a blog I was unaware that I might have to rent some space one day due to posting pictures. Oh well. At least I can blog all of the pictures I want now. In honor of unlimited photo space, here are a few random photos for your viewing pleasure.

 

And miraculously, all of my pictures download super fast now that I'm a paying customer. Coincidence? I'm not so sure.

Check your body pouf!

I had an experience in the shower this morning. To me, it was worse than the shower seen from the movie Psycho. Seriously.

I was happily in the shower (but unhappy to be awake) with the hot water cranked up. I grabbed my Bath & Body Works Paris shower gel,

and my purple poufy that looks exactly like this.

And thankfully, before I could lather it up I saw this...

An earwig! Insert cold shiver here. It was under the gel. I flicked it off into the tub and it went down the drain. Wait... it gets worse.

There were TWO MORE earwigs trying to burrow deeper into the folds of the body pouf. I threw the pouf in the corner of the shower. It's still there. I'll throw it in the garbage when I get home. I couldn't bare to touch it. Ewwww... I'm still shivering. I feel itchy too. No more purple pouf for me! I know you're going to be checking your pouf from now on.

Longest. Week. Ever.

This has seriously been the longest and most tiring week. I feel like we have been in school for months but today is only the 4th day. I've got an interesting mix of kids this year. They'll be keeping me on my toes. Tomorrow will be filled with yard work and some school stuff I'm taking home to work on. Sunday is church, Primary presidency meeting and an evening at the MTC. The weekend is not looking very relaxing either. Will everyone please remind me that the beginning of the school year is hellish and exhausting? I seem to forget that fact every year. Even though this week has felt like it would never end, it was semi successful in my classroom. No one died and no one cried (well, okay one kid did but it was because he was hungry) so I'm feeling great. Happy Friday everyone!

Old...

This is a picture of me at a parent teacher conference for my future first grader. I think the necklace adds a classy "I'd like to volunteer as a PTA mom" touch.

Wake up call! 

I'm evidently too old... to have kids.

I had a little conversation about one of my students today with a fellow employee at my school. This employee is somewhat familiar with this child. Our conversation went a little something like this.

Employee: "______ has an interesting home life."

Me: "Really? Why?"

Employee: "Well, ______'s mom is really old. I mean really old."

Me: "How old is 'really old'?"

Employee: "I'm not sure how old she is but you would think it's _____'s  grandma."

After a little sleuthing (okay... I looked at _____'s birth certificate. Perfectly legal.) I made this discovery.

• ______'s mom is 44 years old.
• She would have had ______ when she was 37 years old.
• I will be 38 in four months.
• If I had a baby within the next 12 months (NOT an announcement people) I would be 45+ years old when it was in first grade.
• I would look like a grandma.
• People would talk.
• Frankly, I wouldn't give a damn.

 I'd be one awesome old mommy with years and years of life experience behind me. I might not be the "cool mom" but my kid would be raised right. I would invest my entire soul in guiding him through his journey of life. It's his journey and his choices. I'm just there to guide him and keep him within the social, moral and ethical parameters. I would be 55+ years old when he got his driver's license. Let me tell you... he would have better car insurance than all of the other 16 year old's in his high school. Ha! 

So while other "thirty something" moms will be sporting stilettos and short skirts to their child's high school graduation, I will be donning Dr. Scholls padded shoes with corrective orthotics and a billowy purple dress to my child's graduation. I'll even put a nice purple rinse in my hair to coordinate with the dress. I'll be pushing 57 years old, but I will rock those Dr. Scholls shoes like no one ever has before!

 

 So I say kudos to the mom that is 44 and has a first grader. 

I hope it's me one day!

And so it begins...

I'm in my classroom right now getting ready for our school's open house. I'll get to meet my little critters in a few hours. Tomorrow is the first day of school. Here's to another year!

My new find...

Ken and I went to Costco the other night to get chicken... and only chicken. Just under $150.00 later, we had our chicken and a few other things (we never should have grabbed a cart) including these...

There are all sorts of non-slip hangers out there but I was excited to find a set of 35, all with the bottom bar, for only $7.99. Target has some that are similar and their set of 20 sells for $19.99. I'm sure I am the last person on the planet to add these hangers to my closet. I haven't bought clothes for myself in years. I don't think I've bought anything other than shoes since Ken and I got married 2+ years ago. Over the past month I have purchased a new closet full of clothes for myself. I feel pretty selfish about doing it but most of what I bought was on clearance and we can still pay the bills so I don't feel too awful.

 I bought two boxes of the non-slip hangers and am so excited with all of the extra room it has given me in my closet. Here's a little section of my closet before the new hangers...

and after. So much better! Everything sticks to these hangers and nothing slides. I love that. I also love finding great and inexpensive things at Costco.

 While I was taking pictures in my closet, Tank was at my ankles whining and barking. I aimed the camera at him and he calmed right down. I think he wanted to be in on the action. Have you ever seen a cuter dog? Nope. You haven't.

It's THAT time of the year again...

I'm sitting in a school meeting right now. I know, I know... I should be paying attention but I'm having a difficult time focusing on the speaker. She's lecturing on GREAT stuff, but I cannot listen. Maybe it's ADHD. I'll ask the school nurse about it.

I just have this weekend and one day until I have students in my classroom once again. This summer quickly went slow. Figure that statement out. I have been spending a lot of time in my classroom and at home getting ready for my new little first graders. As a teacher, there are a lot of mundane and not-very-exciting things about beginning another school year but there are also some great things. 

So, here are a few of...

...about beginning another school year.

• Getting back together with my grade level team the school faculty after being apart for a few months. We all work so closely together during the year I really miss not seeing people in the summer. I consider them my close friends.
•  Getting my new class list and seeing if I have any siblings of former students. It's always fun when I have siblings and I have quite a few this year!
• Although it's a pain and I don't get paid for it, I enjoy coming to my classroom (on my own time) and getting my room set back up after it's been cleaned by our custodians.
• Being able to eat unlimited amounts of M&M's because of the back to school stress and not feeling like I care one bit about the calories or fat.
• None of the teachers I work with are "burned out"... yet, so everyone is bubbly and happy and easy going for the most part. We're grumpy with what we need to do but not with each other.
•  Wondering what adventures await me as I meet each new student on Mondays open house. I have NO IDEA what's in store with each child and set of parents. Each relationship is different.
• The "magical" feeling of everything being new again.
•  Being able to take time to observe and get to know my new students for the first few weeks of school.
• When the parents tell me that they're so excited their child is in my class. I'm sure the parents who aren't excited just don't say anything to me. Wink, wink.
• Learning something new about myself. Every class is so different each year that I always find out something new about myself. My education just seems to continue.

 Well, back to my meeting. Meetings are not my favorite thing about getting back to school but they don't kill me... or haven't yet anyway. Did I mention that I have 32+ students enrolled in my class and the air conditioning isn't working on my side of the school? It'll be a few weeks before it's fixed too. A lot of little six year old's in a steaming hot little classroom. Dream. Come. True. All that aside, it really is a great time of year!

 

A reminder for Ken...

 

Yep. 

Something for all women to keep in mind.

This made me smile...