Summer, Happy Trails to You

Happy first day of August! This is my last week of vacation. I'm NOT ready to go back. :( Oh well. :) Such is life.

I have no big plans for this week, just to hang out with the family, work on some things I've started, read, watch movies/Netflix. I have to pay some bills and get groceries in for the family too since I'll be leaving Sunday for a "retreat" for work. I get to see an old work friend and her little girl tomorrow; can't wait to see them! Oh, how I MISS working with Kristen!!!!

I've been putting old recipes online since that's what I've used a lot this past year. It's taking a long time, but I think it will be worth the time and will help me a lot. Yesterday I put together the menu for August and even got each week's grocery list put together! Woohoo, having the grocery list done already will definitely help me a lot as the craziness kicks in soon.

This summer has been a different one for me, but it was what I needed for sure after a most stressful school year and grad school. I have never been such a bum or relaxed so much, and oh how nice it felt! I did next to no school work either, which is just not normal at all for me!!! I'm going to have a hard time getting back into my normal life after five weeks off.

Well, I guess that's it for today. Riveting stuff I write here, huh? :) hahahahaha

last days of summer

A new school year is rapidly approaching. I am so thankful for jobs that allow us more time than most to be "off" and home with our family. I know that is something to not take for granted. I do wish this summer's "off" had been more "off" than "on," but in a couple years I'll be through grad school, the kids will head off someday, and Rob & I won't have to work odd jobs to help pay the bills. This summer's off time was not really a big break because of grad school, babysitting & tutoring, and moving to my new classroom. But there's always next summer to hope for, God willing. :)

In the meantime, we are grabbing a few last minute chances to spend some family time together. I have a list of things that didn't get done this summer or still need to get done but I am not sure it will all happen- well, actually I am sure it won't ALL happen. But I MUST get a haircut before Open House next week. Can't have families & kids seeing me like this. :) :) :) hahahahaha

Speaking of haircuts, Matthew gave himself another mohawk. :) Got to love that young man- he always wanted one when he was little, but for some reason I don't quite get now- I would never let him. So now he does it and I've mellowed enough to know it doesn't really matter. It's hair, it grows back, and I am more relaxed now about a lot of things then I used to be. Here is our goofy boy with our goofy dog, Samson (aka Sam/Sammy).Have a great end to your week!!!

Dog Days of Summer or something like that :)

I never really understood that saying, "the dog days of summer." One of those things on my list of things to look up sometime. :)

Not much really going on here outside of the normal crazy life. It's July & it's HOT! The news media acts like this is news; imagine that - hot weather in July- I am shocked!!! :) I always get a kick out of the weather news here. It's always shocking, whatever our weather is.

I am down to just one grad class now for the rest of the month, and it is a killer! Nice prof, heavy workload and hard-to-wrap-my-mind-around-it kind of work. I have to admit I've wanted to throw my computer more than once this past month (not to mention school year!).

I'm babysitting three kids at the moment. Two kids are coming twice a week for "Mrs. T time" as their mom puts it. :) I do a little school time each day with the kids when they're here and we play. Yesterday Rob & I were playing Nerf gun battle with one of the kids; he had fun shooting us with the foam darts! :)

I have to start working in my new room sometime; I am dreading that, but know that when I get done it will be a nice place to be. I am nervous and excited about that change! Third grade!!! Wow, those will be big kids to me after 16 1/2 years with little ones! I'll post photos of my new room once I get it unpacked and organized. Right now it's an absolute WRECK of boxes and stuff everywhere. I am still doing lots of research and looking at photos of other 3rd grade rooms to see how other people arrange their room. I'm thinking about trying a kind of U shape for my student's desks. We'll see how it goes.

Okay, I better get going on some homework time until Kid #1 arrives. :) Busy day today- I will have them all three for a short time and will be babysitting until 8 PM and then back to the books I go.

Have a great day!

a great day & summer cleaning

I am having a wonderful day with my young people. :) We went to Biscuitville together for breakfast and then went to get Rob's gift for Fathers' Day. It was so nice as the kids and I are going in on something nice together- something Rob wants, but I can't say more now, not yet. :) Barbara wanted to look for a swimming suit and the boys didn't want to wait on her to try them on, so she & I went back to Walmart for some "mommy time" as she calls it. Hit the post office & bank in there too. We had lunch together at home and then have all been working on deep cleaning together.

Matthew helped me move EVERYTHING out of my kitchen & bathroom except the table so I could deep clean the floors. I know this might sound silly, but I love the smell of Pine-Sol. :) And I LOVE having tile floor so I can just dump soapy water on and scrub. Barbara is tackling the laundry pile and the laundry room. Robert scrubbed down all the downstairs doors and the walls & baseboards in the bathroom and kitchen. I still need to rinse the floor- the water was awfully soapy, but boy is it going to look great (for a day- hahaha), and then Matthew will have to help me put everything back.

We are doing a little bit each day, and in about a week my house is going to look 100% awesome again! I don't know about any other teachers, but spring cleaning always seems to get put off here until it's a summer cleaning.

Well, it's time for my little friends to arrive for babysitting and tutoring time. I better get going. Hope the floor is ready to rinse soon. I'm getting a bit high on the smell of Pine-Sol. :) hahahaha

Hope wherever you are, it is a wonderful summer day for you too!
BekaBoo :)

Summer Day 1

Today was my 1st day of summer vacation; my summer school job fell through due to the state budget crunch. So this summer, I am working from home- babysitting, tutoring & working on my card business. Today I:

• slept in until 8:30- aaahhhh, how awesome that was!
• did a grocery run for the rest of the month's food with Barbara & Matthew
• went to Walmart and picked up some cloth & thread- found a simple pattern for smocked sundresses- going to try to make one and see if I can do it well enough to sell some to help our family's summer budget
• babysat & tutored my two buddies- oh what fun! We walked to the neighborhood playground and Robert, Barbara, & Matthew went with us too :), had our "school time," made a card for the kids' dad, and after all that the two little ones & I played with Mr. Potato Head & his friends and then we made a tent for them to play in.

Tomorrow I need to work on homework BIG TIME! We are also going to go pick out Rob's Father's Day gift. Though I needed the job, I am thankful for the time I also truly need to rest and relax. My body had hit its limit this year! God knows what we need more than we do! :) So glad He sees it all even when I don't!

backyard party

Rob & I hosted a backyard party yesterday for my coworkers. We wanted to do something fun for everyone after the long, hard year it's been. I think everyone had fun! I prayed for good weather, and God blessed that. The party was from 12-3, and the storm clouds rolled in at 3PM just as everyone was leaving.

lots of talking :)

Momma, this is Mary, one of our ESL teachers (the one who teaches my kids & one of my favorite people at our school!!!) Mary's little one loved our dog; he crawled all around the yard following Samson. It was so sweet!

We turned on the sprinkler for the kids.

Some of the kids found a ball and played basketball on our driveway.

It was a good day!

Let Summer Begin- at last :)

Don't know much really, just wanted to say hello. :)

I finished my summer school session yesterday afternoon. YEAH!!!! I came home and watched "Sense & Sensibility" with Barbara in my room and took a little nap. Went for a drive with my hubby. Played Uno on Facebook. Rob cooked supper for us all & it was yummy. A very nice, lazy evening.

God knows what we need, and Jenny (one of Robert's youth leaders) invited Barbara & I out to lunch, so today we're headed to Moe's for lunch. THANK YOU GOD and thank you Jenny! I'll probably try to get groceries and pay as many of the bills as I can. (Man, I need my computer back where I keep my budget!!! I didn't have a chance to back it up before it crashed. :( ) I hope it gets back soon. I also want to post pictures of the kittens. They are SOOOOOO adorable!!! We've got to find them all homes in the next month.

Happy 4th of July to anyone out there. It will be quiet weekend here. Rob, Robert, and Barbara all have to work. Matthew is sick, but if he feels better I think he & I will drive downtown to see the ballpark's fireworks tomorrow night. Rob and I are sending the kids to church with Robert this Sunday, and we'll be doing something else church-wise, don't know what yet.

Thus begins my summer vacation. Whew, I made it. I survived one of the more stressful school years of my life (not my students, I want to add, just scrambling to figure out how to change what I was doing to do a combo class, a big work load, loneliness and isolation, health issues, parenting my own three plus one, and juggling an 5-6 insanely crazy schedules filled with the kids' sports & work, one in college, three in high school, Rob's 3-4 jobs and my own...) I did survive and hopefully accomplish a lot with my Father's help. Thanks God for helping me to do it, to make it to the end and still be alive to tell the tale. ;)

Happy 4th all!

And so another summer ends

Today the end of summer begins in the Thomas house. Rob goes back to school today (volunteering 1/2 days this week for Freshmen Camp). He will "officially" start on Monday. I don't officially start until next Wednesday, but between an all day meeting and helping other teachers, I will be there at work every day from here on out. So ends the summer vacation of 2008. And before you say it, yeah, I know, we teachers are so lucky, we get all that time off. I know. I am blessed to have extended time off with my family that most working moms & dads don't get. I know that. I know that most people don't get the longer break at the holidays and all those days off in the year, and a long summer vacation. I should write a blog about that, but I won't. Just know that I am not ungrateful and that I do recognize that blessing, and I am not complaining.

As always I am a bit sad as I will miss my family greatly!!!! I didn't get as much time home with them as I would have liked with working summer school, and I'm just getting to relax now that it is over and it's time to go back. I always miss my family intensely for the first week or two, then it becomes the "norm" again and I deal with it better (though I still miss them a lot).

I'm not quite as excited (YET) as I normally am or quite as ready to go back, but that's just because I worked summer school. I am trying to get my brain into school mode and to start planning/thinking about all that. It's so funny because in June when school lets out, it takes sometimes a whole month to quit thinking of school- not that it ever really does, and just when my brain is ready to relax and read and think on things besides kindergarten, and rest, then it's time to start back up, especially when I work summer school. Now it is sluggishly trying to remember all those great ideas I had back in June & July.... :)

So, shortly I'm going to ask my teen aged children to wake up and see if any of them are willing to go help me at work for a little while. Poor kids, they get drug along for the ride. :) Hi, ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go... :)

And for my family, who will be wondering:

• Robert starts college classes next Monday night 8/18
• Matthew starts his sophomore year Monday 8/25
• Barbara starts her senior year Tuesday 8/26

But you can be sure they'll be "drug" to school before then helping me & my new grade level pals mostly, but maybe Rob too.

So for all the "rest" of the world out there who works hard all year long, have a happy work week.

Signing off and saying goodbye to Summer 2008,
One of those teachers,
Rebekah :)