Another Triple A!!!

Yup, I got 3 more A's in graduate school. My semester finished last week and final grades are out today. I am so happy to be doing so well in my graduate classes. It has been challenging to balance all the things in my life and doing well at school is definitely a nice reward for all the stress and hard work. In other exciting news I will be doing my Practicum or student teaching this Spring. Because I am already a full time teacher I can use that as my Practicum. I will just teach as I already do but now a person from the University will come observe me 3 or 4 times and I will have to prepare an extensive electronic portfolio. Once my Practicum is out of the way I only have 4 classes left til I graduate with my Masters. I plan on taking those 4 classes this summer. So YAYAYAYAY for me I will have my Masters and be done with school this Summer!!!!! HOOORAAAYYYY!!!!!!!!! The idea that I will be done with school before the new school year starts is THRILLING! I can not even tell you how much more I will be able to do at work when I don't have to run to class 3 nights a week! Plus I will have so much more time to relax with Evie which will be a VERY welcome change!

This week is the last week of work for me before we all break for 2 full weeks!! God, I love being a teacher!!!!! I plan to relax and spend time with friends and family and thoroughly take advantage of my break from grad school and work! Whoo HOO!! =)

In other news, I am happy to say that my final divorce hearing is January 8, 2009. If we have no issues between now and then I will be a divorced (free!) woman in January '09! YAY! I am very happy to be closing this chapter of my life and moving forward.

Evie is cute as ever and continues to delight and amaze me at every turn. She is getting very good with using the potty but only when we are not at home. I don't know if that is a normal thing for toddlers. She uses the potty a lot when we are out but then won't even ask or say she wants to go when I ask at home. Strange, but ultimately she will use the potty at home too.

In family news I am EAGERLY awaiting the return of BigBro and DocRom to the States!!! I super duper mega-ly hope they will come back to ATL but if they don't I will just be glad that they are not in a foreign country thousands of miles away!! I miss them SOOOOO much!!!! I can NOT wait to be with them and hug them and talk and laugh and connect!!!

Also, TwinBro is engaged!!! Congrats to him!!! He is with a very cool lady and I wish them the best!! =)

So, So, So Much to Say!

Hi Dear Readers!

As Cara graciously and astutely pointed out I have not posted new info in quite a while. Sorry about that! With the separation and imminent divorce and the end of the semester and the start of summer classes I have been swamped. But I am here and this post will be super long because I have a lot to report =)

I'll start with pics of Evie because they are always a crowd favorite. Here are pics of Evie at Grammy's friend's horse farm. There were chickens at the farm too which Evie loved!








The news here at the farm is that Gramper made an unexpected and brief visit home this last week. Grammy went to get him because this happened:

Yup, that is a tree in the swimming pool!



Now onto the nitty gritty. Ben and I were trying to get a separation agreement signed over the last 2 months but without being able to hire a lawyer I was not really ready to sign anything. The news on that front is that I will be getting my school loan money this week and I will use part of it to hire a lawyer to get divorce paperwork going. Ben and I have fluctuated between civil and not so civil but for the most part we are keeping good communication and Evie is being well loved and taken care of, of course!



In me news I am very pleased with my new gym. I joined the YMCA recently and they have great childcare and an indoor and outdoor pool and awesome machines! I am so happy to be going there. I was going to the gym on base for free but they are closing and their childcare cost extra and had awful hours. As a result of somewhat diligently going to the gym 3 days a week I have a small amount of muscle definition on my arms and legs and I have lost a dress size. I am very pleased. My next mission is to get good abs, I know it is probably impossible (see pics of me 9 months preggers) but I am gonna try.


In school news my classes are going great! I have my math midterm tomorrow night and surprisingly I think I actually will do well. I "get" what the class is about. I am not a total math idiot! Hooray! My other class is online and it is about classroom management. It is easy so far but I have 2 major papers that I have to write in the next 2 weeks before the class ends so I have to get my butt in gear or I will be sorry!



In job news there isn't much to report. I am still waiting to hear from the county. Apparently they are having major issues and that is why I haven't heard anything. I am trying to be patient. In the meantime I have applied in some other counties and I hope to hear from them soon. No matter what I will be working full time in the Fall whether it is as a teacher or as a retail clerk. I have to make money and get benefits to support myself and Evie. In the fall I will be taking 3 classes at night so whatever happens I will have to be able to go to school and work. If I am teaching then going to school at the same time won't be a problem at all. So please keep your fingers crossed for me!



In blog news I made this blog public again. People were having a lot of issues with getting to the blog so I just made it public again.



In more Evie news she is going with Ben to visit her Grandpop and Mimi and Oma and her Great Grandma Evelyn who she is named after. They are leaving Friday and will be gone for 5 days. I will miss her terribly! But I know her grandparents and great grand parents miss her terribly too! Luckily I have the fortune of being able to go to the beach the same weekend with Mike. I am so excited! I haven't been swimming in the ocean in over 4 years!!! I love the beach and I love swimming!



So I think that is all the news from here. If you have questions or want to know something I forgot to mention here you know the drill, leave a comment or email me. =)

Summer School

I started my first 2 summer classes this week. I am taking Classroom Management online and Math (Numbers and Operations) in an actual classroom Monday thru Thursday from 630PM-850PM. The online class is easy so far. The math class is intense! We have to journal about our experiences with math throughout our life and how we feel about teaching math. We have to take simple math concepts and break them down and explain how they work and alternate ways that our students might understand them. It is AWESOME! Anyone that knows me knows that I hate math, HATE! But this class is about understanding math from a child's point of view. And let's be honest here, I am very much a child when it comes to math. I don't understand even the most simple math concepts. So this class is really really good and necessary for me. I am going to have to really grow as a person in order to get a good grade in this class and that makes me happy. I like challenges like this. So that is the news here so far. =)

AAA

Those three A's up there are my final grades for this semester! I got a 4.0 this semsester!! I aced all my classes!!!!!!! I am in shock, seriously, in shock!!!!!!!! And super happy!!!! =)

YAY!!!!!!! =)

Been A While

Sorry it has been a while. As you can imagine I have a lot going on these days. First off I interviewed with my top pick school and I think it went well. I won't know til late next week at the soonest. I hate waiting! =)

Evie is doing well, she has been cranky and very hungry lately. I think we are going through a growth spurt or molars. Hard to say at this point.

I have 2 more interviews scheduled for next week with schools that would be okay but not as good as my top pick. We'll see.

Evie and I are checking out 4 in home daycares today. Evie is going to start going to daycare in the next few weeks because Grammy has more animals coming to the farm and ministering opportunities on Ft. Gordon. I think Evie will love daycare because she loves other kids so much! It is really cute, she plays so well with other kids, she shares and just rocks! Thanks to a very awesome lady Evie will be able to go to the private school we want for her! Nicole has a child going to the same school and she graciously agreed to take Evie along when she drops off her son for a fair fee. I am so thankful! I really want Evelyn there at least a few days a week.

My semester is winding down, thank God! I have 2 more days of class and then it is final projects due in 2 weeks. I really like my classes this semester but I am eager to be done with them and move onto my next classes. Math and Classroom Management are my next classes. I need both very much! I am not good at Math and I've never really had to do classroom management by myself.

So that is the news over here. How are you all? =)

Interview and more!

I landed myself an interview with the Board of Education that hosted the job fair I attended. Yay!! This is the first step in a 2 step process. Once I interview with the board and they (hopefully) approve me then the principals at the schools can interview me and (hopefully) offer me jobs. The interview is Mar. 26th at 1030AM. I am so happy!! =) Thank you all for your very sweet and encouraging comments, they mean so much to me right now!!

In other news Evie has an appointment next Tuesday with her pediatrician to start the evaluation process for a possible speech delay. She only has 3 words that she says consistently right now. They are: No, Momma, and Bye Bye. She is getting more sounds everyday but not really talking as much as I think she should. Her signing is going really really well! She signs 15 words or more all the time. And she is developing normally or above average in every other way. So I just want to get her checked out to make sure there isn't something we are missing or something we can be doing to help her along. My fear is that she won't be able to talk when she starts 2 yr old preschool in the Fall. I don't want her to be signing and not getting any help when she needs it because no one knows what she's saying. I think I am just being an overly protective Mom but I don't care. It won't hurt her at all to be evaluated.

Also, I came through my midterms with flying colors. I got a 98 and a 99 on the tests I took. Yay! And I just got loan money to cover what I paid for school this semester and to cover me for my summer classes. So that is nice.

Couples therapy is seriously hard work and painful on top of that. But it is really good for us. We are both learning a lot and making great progress on many aspects of our relationship.

Ohh and I joined the local gym for free because I am a military wife. It is soo nice! I love getting back into shape and Evie loves going to the gym daycare while I work out. It's a win win for both of us =) And I am starting belly dancing classes on Thursday. I am really excited about that!

IQ Test Score

I am taking a class about special education. I didn't know this before but in order to be classified into special ed you have to have a low IQ score in most cases. So I thought I would take an IQ test and find out where I fall. Now the interesting thing about IQ tests is that many people believe they are biased toward white middle class Americans. So, if the test is biased in that way then how do you think low income black kids do? How about children of immigrants? You see where this is going? There is a disproportionate number of non-white kids getting classified into special ed. One might say, "Well that's okay, they'll get better help and be smarter in the long run because they have extra help." But the statistics don't agree with that. Forty percent of special ed students drop out of school. So we are fueling the poverty cycle by misclassifying non white students into special education. Why is special ed placement such a large predictor of career/life success? Because being in special ed is stigmatized and because the curriculum and expectations are much lower than that of the general student population. The whole system is broken. It is fixable, it is very fixable and people that are much smarter than me are advocating for change in the system. Hopefully it will come sooner rather than later.

So I am a white middle class suburban raised person. My IQ score is 116. I am considered above average intelligence, by 3 percentage points, so just barely. What is your IQ? What do you think about this debate?

Long time...

It's been a long time since I posted, sorry about that. Life has been wonderful and crazy and up and down. Mostly up. I am just going to make a list because there are too many random things happening.

1. Paul and Karen are moving to Japan on Monday. To say I am sad is true but doesn't feel strong enough. I have loved having them so close and spending time with them. They supported me so much while Ben was in Africa. And this past weekend I went to see them for the last time before they move. I know it's not forever and I know they'll be back for Christmas (yay!!!) but I will still miss them so much!!

2. School is still totally fulfilling and wonderful! I haven't made any real friends but I am slowly getting to know people. My favorite class is my Special Ed. class. The prof. is very knowledgeable and encourages us to discuss the major problems affecting education and special ed. It is fascinating!

3. I am 6 weeks pregnant as of yesterday. I had my first appt with an OB nurse yesterday. I got blood drawn for tests and I pee'd in a cup. At my next appt. I am getting a pap smear, blech! Oh well, that's just what you have to do when you are a chick. The baby is doing great as far as I can tell. The queasiness has set in for me. It seems to be linked to certain foods at this point. I know I can't eat PB&J sandwiches anymore, I get really nauseous for a few hours after. And I think bacon might be out of the game too. I ate 4 pieces of bacon this morning and I felt queasy all morning as a result. I also am tired all the time and I have to pee every hour it seems like. Even with all that stuff I am doing great, I know I could have it a lot worse.

4. Ben and I had couples therapy this past week. It was wonderful!! We both felt comfortable with our therapist and she was able to clear some things up for us even in our first session. We are going to focus on couples therapy and wait on the individual therapy.

5. Evelyn learned how to climb onto the couch last week. It has made life really interesting and occasionally heart stopping. She loves to fling herself all over the couch but sometime she misses the couch. No permanent injuries so far. But boy, they should call toddlerhood, evil-knievel-hood. This kid is fearless!

6. Grammy and Gramper are doing great at the farm. They got a new dog to keep Bonnie company on the back porch. The new dog is a little boy named Hooch. He is sweet and Bonnie loves him!

7. Ben and I are hosting our first social event in our new place. Tomorrow afternoon 2 couples and their child are coming over for a game night. The adults will be playing board games while Evelyn and the other little girl her age play with toys and such. It should be big fun and low stress.

I think that is everything for now. Have a great weekend everybody! =)

We're In

We are in the new house. I love having space again and having all my stuff. Evelyn really likes it here and she is adapting really well. School is great! I have homework I should be doing right now but I am here posting instead. Tonight is the first night we've had internet since last week so I am totally catching up on my blog and other people's blogs. Ahh, procrastination is so sweet! I had my first visit with a therapist today. It went as well as one could expect. I like my therapist, she is nice and very involved in her profession.

So that's all I have for now.

Umm yeah and I started school too...

Yeah, amidst all this insanity I started Grad school this week too. I am taking three classes. And I LOVE school!!!!!!!!

I feel so good being back in an academic environment! My sense of self worth is significantly heightened by being in school. I love that I am being judged on my intelligence.

I love being a wife and mother but being judged solely on those roles is very limiting. Being back in school and being seen as a grad student (not just as a mother and wife) is a great boost to me ego right now.

And the main thing I love about school is that it makes sense to me. I know what my goal is and I know exactly how to reach my goal. The system doesn't change. It is always clear. And I always get rewarded for my hard work. That doesn't happen in any other part of my life.

Even more...

So the Dad called me three times today. He left three messages. All saying the same thing, we like you, we don't want you to go. So I finally called him back. And he gave me even more excuses. He works 60 hours a week. He never is in town. He is always busy. He also said he didn't know I was so unhappy. And he explained a lot of the very dysfunctional behavior I have been observing. We talked for almost an hour. Apparently he is the only one in the family that is good at communicating. And he made that clear to me. He said a lot of nice things about me and Aidan's progress. And he offered me more money. And he said even just one day a week would help them so much.

And I told him I would think about it. The truth in all this is that I like my job, I like Aidan, I love his teacher, and I love the school. I just hated not knowing what was going on and not being acknowledged. So I am going to think about it. I am taking a special ed class this coming semester and I need 30 hours in a classroom with a special needs student. If working with Aidan fulfills that requirement then I will definitely go to school with him one day a week. If not, then I probably won't go to school with him at all.

Done and Done

1. I left a phone message for Aidan's parents this afternoon. I haven't heard anything so far. I honestly will be suprised if I hear anything from them at all. That's how bad communication is with these people.

2. Anyway, working with Aidan went well today. I think I was in a much better head space because I knew this was it for us. It let the tension and stress go by knowing I wouldn't have to do this anymore.

3. Also we will be going to visit Auntie V next weekend. That should be big fun.

4. And the weekend after x-mas I am going to visit my best friend Jen at her parent's house.

5. I have laid out a very tentative course outline for my masters. I have to take 17 classes to get the degree, including student teaching. So it looks like I will be done by Spring 2010. I'll be taking 3 classes this spring. A special ed class, an educational tech class and a science class. It looks like it will be fun and time consuming.

6. Signing is really really fun! Evelyn has picked up a lot of signs. Her favorites are bird, cat, and dog. She doesn't have perfect form but we know what she's signing. It's really awesome to be able to communicate with her more.

7. It has been in the 80's all week down here. Holy cow it is really really weird to be in shorts and a tshirt in December. Our Field Day party went really well but it was too hot to really play games, we just played with the equipment. Here's some pics.

Quitting

I've decided to quit working with Aidan. I don't want the stress of the job and I want to be able to focus on school and Evie. I haven't told Aidan's parents yet because (suprise suprise) I didn't see them today. I'll tell them in person tomorrow (if they show up) or I'll call and tell them over the phone tomorrow night.

I can tell that Aidan is just as tired of me as I am of him lately. We're both ready for a break. School is out next Friday, I'll keep working til then and I'll help train a replacement til school starts for me Jan. 7th.

HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got an acceptance letter today into the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at our local college!!!!!!!! I am super(!!!!)excited and happy!!!!!!!! I truely wasn't sure I would get into the program. I am thrilled to get a masters and be back in school again! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

The 7 Week Itch

We have been fighting a diaper rash turned bacterial infection for what feels like forever. I think we are finally getting it under control after seeing a dermatologist. The derm prescribed a 3rd type of anti-fungal cream and a 3rd type of oral antibiotic and these seem to be making the rash/infection go away, thank god! We have a follow up appt with the family practice doc tomorrow morning, we'll see what she says.

In other news Ben started both his schools about 2 weeks ago and he is getting his butt kicked. What 2 schools you ask? He started his online MBA and he is now in Army Captain's school. Either one of these alone would be fine but together it is taking a toll on him. He also started working out with a personal trainer this week so he is feeling very stretched (literally and figuratively). I know things will settle down in a week or so once he gets used to his new schedule.

We got some sad news on Nov. 1st, Ben's grandfather passed away. We knew it was coming but it is still very sad. Opa was a very sweet man and a driving force in Ben's life. We'll miss him very much.

Ben and I were going to run a half marathon in December but in light of all the new stuff going on we've decided to not do the race. We just don't have time or daylight to train for the race. So he is working out everyday with the Army and 2 times a week with his trainer and I am hitting the treadmill as often as I can. I really don't want to gain weight or lose my physical strength/stamina.

Work is going okay. I still really enjoy working with Aidan but I am not so happy with how his family is interacting with me and his school. There is a serious breakdown in communication and it is making my job harder in a bad way. Ben thinks I should confront the parents but I don't know that I should or want to. We'll see.

Mostly we are doing good here at the farm. I really feel lucky and grateful for what we have. I told Ben today that if all we have to complain about is work and school then we're better off than many. So thanks world and life, we aren't gonna complain a bit. =)

Here's a pic of Opa and Evie.

GRE Scores

They're not really amazing but I think they will get me into grad school, so HOORAY!!

Verbal/Analytical - 510
Math/Quantitative - 390
Writing - won't know for about 2 weeks, but I think I did really well on this section. I'm hoping my writing will up my score by a hundred points or more.

I am just really glad I got the dang test over with. I hope I never have to take it again!

GRE

October 27th at 9AM

Jen aka Evilynmo vs. GRE

The first and long awaited match up of Jen and the GRE.