There!

It's official, I got my job back. For a time it was that I would have an ELL position, but my current job (Lit/L.A.) job opened back up. My current job is more work than the other but I LOVE it and all year I have been preparing for next year. Lauren will be coming to my school, but I won't have her in any of my classes. She got placed in Advanced Lit, L.A. (way to go Lo)! In celebration of my re-hire I went to a warehouse book sale and got some great books for a low price..score! Now I'm in the market for a bookcase. I really would like a tall white one that I can decorate with some funky colors. I want to set up a reading area in my classroom complete with a funky shag (lime green) carpet and some bean bags. So, there is only 8 more full days and an hour. I did sign up for this great English as a second language training that starts the week after we get out of school, but I do get paid for it (score again)! I'm doing a happy dance here.

Almost there...Hopefully

So, I had a job offer in a great district earlier in the week. I really couldn't believe that they picked me! It's good to be wanted. But...I turned it down. Why, you ask? Well, one big reason. There is a 99% chance that I will be re-hired in my current district. Different position, possibly different school, but same district none-the-less. I decided to roll the dice and turn the offer down and hope for the best. I asked the Supt. of my current district if my current position opened up if I could keep it. I love the school, the staff, the location, the hours, and Lauren will be going there next year. Her answer didn't sound like I could get my current job back. I chalked it up to there are a million people in Illinois that can legally teach middle school Lit., but not so many that can teach ELL (where I thought I would be placed). Well....today the Supt. called me today and asked what position I'd like more (Lit., current school or ELL). I didn't even have to take a breath, I want to stay where I am. So....it sounds as if there may be 2 possible job openings that I can take. Isn't that great? I went from no job opportunities to three in a week! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I know that things can always go crazy. It's good to be wanted..let's hope everything works out!

Cat's Eyes!

I had to throw this picture on here because I think it is hilarious! The girls know how to take pictures on my computer. Sometimes when I open it, I find random pictures that were just taken. I think this is the craziest picture I've seen in a long time. Do you think that the cat liked getting his picture taken?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

It's been three weeks and I am now used to the "ding" of test messages alert from Lauren's phone. She is only down $7 for her bill but I am confident that she will get the other seven by next week... I hear Dan has some mulching in his future and is looking for a helper!! I went on an interview this past week in a district not to far from home. I have a second interview this coming week. Funny thing is that I may not need it. I am about 90% sure that I will have a position in my current district but will talk about that when it is official. I don't want to jinx it. We have been SUPER bust with softball and I love it. It fills my heart to see Lauren excel and love something that was so important to me growing up. We were at her practice the other night and she was pitching to her coach. Her coach was having a hard time hitting off of her so I thought I'd give it a whirl. So, I get out of my chair, put my latte down, and throw a helmet on. Hey, I'm no dummy, it would be a perfect opportunity for Lauren to throw one at me and ...ooops...miss! I have to tell you that Lauren can pitch! She's pretty fast for an eleven year old. But, have no fear, I still got it! Look out if we ever find a mother/daughter team to play on. Until next time...

The Great Cell Phone Debate

April 2, 2010 is a day that will live in infamy. This is the date when Lauren got her first cell phone. She has been asking for one since she was eight. At eight I told her that we'd talk about it when she turned ten. On her tenth birthday she asked to talk about it. We talked and it was a very short conversation. The conversation kind of went like this... Lauren: I'm ten now, so can I get a cell phone? Me: No! That was it. She still wasn't ready for one. Where is a ten year old going to go that she would need one? Well, fast forward one year and 3 months. She's been going to the park alot. It is the neighborhood hangout for fifth graders. She always asks to bring the twins....uh, alright! Well, I ran into a situation that I was going somewhere and I wanted her to bring my phone, just in case. Well, if I gave her my cell phone, then what was she going to call me on? After all, I wasn't going to be home. Anyway, Dan was NOT happy that she went to the park and I was out. So, We did a little research, went to the store, signed some papers and off we went. I wish that I had a video camera..rats, there's one on her phone, because she was SHAKING with excitement. It was kind of scary to tell you the truth. So, now Lauren is looking for some babysitting jobs because she has to come up with $40 a month to pay her bill. That was the deal and I'm sticking to it. No pay, no phone. Luckily one of my friend's is happy to hire her at least once a month to pay for it. So, if anyone is looking for a babysitter, I know a cheap one! So there you have it, my eleven year old won the great cell phone debate! Now, I need a better phone because the eleven year old has a way better one than I do.

This RIF is a RUINER!

So my awesome job that I thought I would never in a million years get will be coming to an end in June. Seeing is how the state of Illinois can't pay their debts to their school districts 12,400 teachers will be or have been let go, myself included! I am so pissed about this. This job is awesome, and awesomly close to home. Lauren will be going to my school next year and she told me that she was looking forward to going to the same school where I work. I took a sick day today to get some things in order. I put together all of my paperwork to send to the state to get my ELL certification put on my teaching certificate, updated my resume and cover letter, and searched the school districts that are in my semi-area. I found eight school districts that have openings that I qualify for and will be sitting at my computer for a countless number of hours getting all of my information uploaded to them. After those districts, I'm going to get my application in to other districts that don't have any openings listed just in case something does open up. I HATE this part. I feel like I just did all of this. I did, last March. I can only hope and pray that Dan gets back to work soon. For crying out loud, it's been 13 months and our family and relationship has taken a major hit because of it. I can't help but feel like we're such losers. Come June both of us will be sitting on unemployment and God only knows how much longer Dan will be able to collect. I keep trying to see the light at the end of this tunnel. The only thing that I can come up with is that if I don't get another job (I'm pretty sure I won't...remember that 12,400 number?) the only thing that I can see is that at least I won't miss Alli and Brooke's first day of kindergarten. I keep thinking that it is time to make a career change, but what it would be I don't know. I look back on my life and think about my decisions. The only decision that I can honestly say that I regret is that I went into teaching. I should have been a speech pathologist or x-ray technician, there seems to be a lot of those jobs out there. So, for now, I can only sit at this stupid computer and hope that something works out. That or the state wins the lottery or something. Whatever happened to all of the money that the state was supposed to get from the lottery anyway? Damn Illinois!

Our cat might be on to something!

Our cat loves to run outside. I swear he knows when we get visitors that it's a free pass to get out. Funny thing is, he never comes back when we try to get him. If you need a laugh, come over to our house when we're trying to get him back into the house. Of course his favorite time to get out is when we are going somewhere for a couple of days. Our next door neighbors just call him and he runs right to them. Our neighbors think that we are the worst pet owners in the hood. But, today a came across a picture. This isn't our cat, but it's our cat's twin. The girls think that it is, in fact, Kitty. I now know where our cat goes for days at a time. He is a cat after my own heart!