Fun With Words

I'm sitting here, wide awake on a Friday night while my hubby is off in dream land for a while.  He is going through a pretty big thing at work right now and was up until 1 am this morning on the phone trying to trouble shoot a problem (after working about 11 hours), then went into work at 6 am, got home after 7 pm, and was on the phone most of the evening trouble shooting  more problems.  One of the guys that works for him is supposed to call again around midnight, so he's trying to catch a nap incase he needs to go in to troubleshoot again.  It's overwhelming for this pregnant wife and I am glad we only have about 4 more weeks of this!

I, on the other hand, while awake during his midnight and 1 am phone calls, slept until 9 and then took a giant nap after I had lunch with my parents.    So rather than bother him or keep him awake, I grabbed a pillow and a cozy blanket and Penny and I are snuggled together in the recliner watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony.  I am not sure why in the world I decided grabbing a blanket was a good idea.  In case you are unaware, pregnancy makes you hotter than blue blazes.  I was unaware of this until I started to have hot flashes.  Good gooley-moogley.  Add a 40 pound lap-furnace and I'm toasty over here.  The blanket is now being used as an arm prop instead.

In addition to watching the Olympics, I am cruising the blogs that I make a point to follow.  One in particular I frequently read is my lovely friend Darby from Life With the Hawleys.  I may have mentioned this before, but Darby and I went to college together and worked in the same office.  I love her style and reading her blog and aspire to be as good at blogging as she is!  Anywho, she did a Wordle post, and I thought it would be fun to do one too!!  So, here is my Penny Wise & Pound Foolish Wordle.

Clearly, I talk about teaching and my pregnancy a lot.  I thought it was pretty cool!  They are fun to do, just go to worldle.net and you can create your own!  I wish I could do this with my texts... I wonder what words would come up the most!  What words would come up the most if you could make one with your texts... or better yet, Facebook statueses?!

I'm currently taking pictures so I can write a post about my kitchen.  It will definitely be a two part post, because I'll have to do the "before" and "after" pictures!!

The Incredible Growing Bump

Hello!

So, I failed to post three times last week - I am dreadfully sorry.  I was exceptionally exhausted last week, sleeping probably about 13 hours each day.  I did spend one day on this post, but after spending about an hour editing my pictures and trying to get them formatted here the way I wanted to, I got frustrated and stopped.  But never fear, here I am!  

First, I promised growing belly pictures!  

19 Weeks

20 Weeks - Half Way There!

22 Weeks

25 Weeks

  

Today - 27 Weeks, 3 Days

In case you can't tell.... I'm getting HUGE.  Just as a comparison,  here is a side-by-side of me at 7 weeks and me at 27 weeks.

Such a big difference!  And I still have 13 weeks left to go..... good gravy.

Well, I suppose there is another big announcement to make in regards to the pregnancy....

 drum roll please.....

 It's a boy!!!!  We're so excited that we'll be having a son.  And look how handsome he is already:

Isn't he just amazing?  Needless to say, we're smitten.  We are also very eager for his arrival, but this little pumpkin pie needs to bake as long as possible!

 Well, I hope this post has at least been interesting.  It's quite late and I am struggling to be witty and creative, but I did want to make a point to show some belly pics.  I will try to be charming in my next post. :)

I've Got Class

So, I promised a series of fully-fleshed out posts of what I did in the eight weeks I neglected my corner of the interwebz.  I figure I might as well go straight down the bullet list I created for you in my previous post.  So first up to bat: long term substitute position!

As I mentioned way back in the beginning of this blog, I had to quit my full-time position as an Admissions Counselor in order to do my student teaching.  My student teaching internship ended in December and I knew I didn't want to sit around all day and twiddle my thumbs.  So, I became a substitute teacher for our local school district.  I thought it was a great way to stay in the classroom, sharpen my classroom management skills, and get to know other teachers/principals in the area so I could hopefully make good connections to be gainfully employed by the fall.

I loved seeing the different schools and for the most part, really enjoyed substitute teaching.  I also did remediation tutoring every Friday for a school that was literally two miles away from my house.  I must have made a great impression on them, because their long-term substitute that they'd set up for a 2nd grade class fell through and the principal asked me if I was interested.  OF COURSE!

I had 19 little darlings in my classroom.  They really were sweet little ones, although they tried to test every limit they possibly could.  I had two boys in there that I thought were going to put me in the looney bin.  They routinely played tag....in the classroom.  WHO DOES THAT?!  They would especially start this game when I was working one-on-one with another student.  One day, one of the boys fell and bruised his shoulder.  He begged the nurse not to tell his mom why he fell, but guess what - Mom got a phone call anyway.

I had another little boy that was pretty much me in 2nd grade... he was constantly reading.  Which isn't a bad thing.... I get excited when I see kids who love to read.  However, when I'm trying to explain the differences between the European explorers to the class for the umpteenth time because as a class you can't tell the difference between Christopher Columbus and Christopher Newport because they have the same name, maybe reading about the origami Yoda isn't the best decision.  For the record - second graders should NOT be forced to memorize the explorers, they just.don't.get.it.  Most of them can't find Virginia on a map yet.  How in the world should they be expected to identify France, England, or Spain?

Overall, no matter how many times I wanted to pull my hair out during the day, I ended every day feeling incredibly happy and fulfilled.  It made me very confident about my decision to switch careers at 28.  That being said - I have no desire to teach second grade permanently.  Oh my goodness.  Give me my 5th graders any day of the week.  I love those kids.  However, I'm grateful for the knowledge that I am a 4th or 5th grade teacher.  Some people are meant for Kindergarden, some people are meant for the older kids.  I just happen to be best for the older kids.

It does make me a little sad that I decided to take this coming year off.  I'm eager to get into my own classroom and make my mark.  However, being a first year teacher taking maternity leave in October just stressed me out, so I'm staying home with my little Squido for the first year, and then will jump back on the teaching horse in 2013!  Yay!

I'm baaaaaack

WHAT?!?!?  I haven't updated since May 13th?!  Oh my goodness.  I dropped the ball on that one, folks.  My bad.  So here's my plan.  In this post, you get one quick "Here's what you missed" overview.  Then, I pinkie swear that I'm going to post at least thrice this upcoming week to be more specific on everything I tell you here.

Heeeeeeeeere we go.

• My long-term sub position was amazing.  That is the main reason I was lost in an apparent black hole.  I loved being with the same kids, day in and day out.  I got to learn their little idiosyncrasies, think fast on my feet, and really became more comfortable in my role as a teacher.  That being said... I hate second grade.  
• One upcoming post will be a photo series in which I call "Watch how my stomach grows".  The Squido that is temporarily calling my uterus home is doing splendid.  I will also do a super fun gender reveal in that one. :)  I'll save all the fun, baby related issues for that post.... but baby is going great!  I'll be 25 weeks tomorrow, and Squido Magillicudy has been kicking up a storm lately.  I am loving feeling those little baby kicks!
• My kitchen floor currently consists of half avacado green 1976 sheet linoleum and half luan.  Pictures and explanation will come, I assure you.
• It's freaking the hottest summer on record, Penny hates that we can't play outside, and I'm pretty sure she gave me the silent treatment one day this week.
• I went to Ohio for a week.
• I picked out a nursery theme.

So, everything that has happened in the past months can pretty much be summed up with these bullets, so be on the lookout for fleshed out posts! 

Vloggy Vlog

Inspired by my amazing friend Darby over at Life With The Hawleys, I've decided to to my very first Vlog.  She and her friend Crystal from Homemaker in Heels are hosting a Vlog link up party.  I decided to jump on board since I have been interested in making a Vlog for some time now.  Also, I've been really feeling a desire to get more into the world of blogging and becoming more involved in things like this.  I'm eager to get connected with other blogs and I saw this as a great ticket.  Darby and Crystal met via blogging, and hopefully soon I can be friends with people like Crystal (I'm already in love with her blog!) and other amazing blogging ladies out there in cyberspace.

So without further ado, here is my very first attempt at a vlog.  Enjoy!

Prep

So, the other day I posted about my goal for this week: to make (and drink) green smoothies every day for breakfast.  It's healthy, portable, and perfect for an on-the-go breakfast.

This morning, I made a menu for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week.  Grocery list in hand, I made my weekly shopping trip today, and got everything I needed for the week, including fruit and spinach for my smoothies.  As I was putting my groceries away, I got to thinking.... I have to be at school before 7 am every day.  I am not a morning person.  Will this discourage me from making smoothies each day?

So, instead of getting overwhelmed, I got practical.  I went ahead and prepped everything I needed for the entire week!  Here is everything I purchased, although I already had the random kiwi and the frozen fruit.  I will say that I normally use Almond Milk instead of greek yogurt, but the store was slam out of the almond milk I usually get in the pint-size, and I knew I couldn't use 1/2 a gallon in 7 days, so I got the Fage for my protein instead of the almond milk.  I love Greek yogurt, so I know I'll devour that by the end of the week, even if I'm only putting a little bit in my smoothies!

I decided to prep my strawberries because they were super-duper ripe and wasn't sure how long they would last.  Even though these are "green" smoothies, I just felt weird using the greenery on the strawberries, so I tore that off and halved or quartered the strawberries.  I used all of the strawberry, except for the few that had some soft/spoiled parts.

I divided the strawberries and put a cup in two different containers.  This way, I can just grab one for each day I'm using strawberries in my smoothie.  Then I sprinkled the strawberries with a few spoonfuls of sugar to help them keep over the next few days, and make that delicious strawberry juice.  Mmmm.

Next I prepped my lemons and limes.  The recipes I've used in the past called for the zest and the meat, but not the hard white stuff between the two.  So I went ahead and zested the fruits and will cut off the white part when I de-seed them to throw them in the blender.

Next, I went ahead and cut two bananas in half and froze them.  A few days, I'll probably use a whole, fresh banana, but some recipes call for 1/2 a banana, and the frozen part helps make it a thick consistency, so I decided to have both on hand.

Finally, I separated the spinach into 5 baggies so I could grab one each day.  Easy peasy lemon breezy!  

Finally, here is the prepped fruit all laid out in my fridge!  I'm so excited and can't wait for the week to begin.  I will most definitely keep you updated on my progress!

Next on my agenda today: cooking up some quinoa so I have my lunch for Monday and Tuesday, then I will be making my vlog!  I am participating in a vlogging link up party and I am so excited!!

Next Week's Goal

I'm hoping if I write a post about my goal for next week, it will come to fruition.  So, fingers crossed, next week will be successful.

When I was writing my soap-box blog solely about weight-loss, I wrote a few posts about green smoothies.  I loved making green smoothies - they were so yummy and kept me full and healthy and I felt really good.  And, even though this isn't a focus for me now, I lost weight while I was drinking them.

One big reason I stopped making smoothies daily is I was tired of washing my blender every day.  For some reason, it just seemed overwhelming to me.  Also (and I know I'm an airhead), I didn't know that the blender came apart for easier washing.  How did I not know this?  The *whole* thing comes apart so you can scrub the blades.  This discovery did make my life much easier!

So, my goal for next week (and really, the next 5 weeks) is to drink a green smoothie every day.  I am starting a 5-week substitute teacher position and will have to be at school at 7 am every day.  I've been struggling to come up with a healthy breakfast that I can eat on the go and this seems to be a perfect fit.  Plus, it will help me get in my fruits and veggies every day because I've been struggling getting those daily requirements in.... thank goodness for pre-natal vitamins.  Also, they take like, 3 minutes to make and are super portable.  Last time, I used kale as my primary base; a few times I used parsley.  I have been on a huge spinach kick lately, so I plan to use baby spinach as my leafy green this go-round.  A bag of it is relatively cheap and it should last almost a whole week.

My goal for this weekend is to sit down and plan a week's worth of healthy smoothies, lunches, and snacks since it'll be like I have a real job again for a little while.  On Sunday, I'll go buy everything and prep what needs to be prepped.  That way, during the week, I can reach out and grab whatever I need to throw in the blender that day.

Hopefully, this will give my little nugget a surge of good vitamins and get me more healthy as I prep for motherhood.  I can't believe I'm almost at my halfway point.  So, next week, make sure you stay on top of me and ask me about my smoothies!  Make sure I'm being healthy.  What's good for mamma is good for baby, and I want to make sure my baby gets all kinds of goodness.