Kindergarten Teacher WOOOHOOO

It's Saturday morning and Nick and I are in Atlanta visiting his cousin Brom and family. We were going to the temple but we kinda slept in (MUCH NEEDED SLEEP)

So Yes, I am a Kindergarten teacher.. This makes me smile every time I say it or type it! So the story of how it came to be.. two Monday's ago I had an interview and I was depressed when they let me know the following Wednesday that I didn't have the job.. that door was closed :( I was sad for about an hour but then I got a phone call from a Preschool on the college campus for an interview the following Monday. Then  I got a call from the Swain County Schools, the Human Resource lady was asking me if I had found a job yet. I told her No. (This is the county I worked for last year and had already interviewed with but was told I ranked 3 out of 5 in the interviews. The first two girls were hired for the school I had worked at.) The HR lady told me they might have a job but she wasn't sure and she would call me with more information. Later on in the day about 2:00pm I was called by the principal, she wanted to meet me. I went in to meet her at 4 and the meeting only lasted about 5 minutes. I was kinda upset because I drove 35 minutes just for her to see my face, but I got over it. On Thursday morning I went to East Elementary (Where I used to work) to help a friend in her classroom. I went home about noon, and I got another call from the Swain County schools the HR person asked if I was offered the job to teach Kindergarten at West Elementary would I take it. I told her I would. She called me back two hours later when  I was approved by the board and that the job was mine. I called the principal and went to see my room. I spent all day Friday cleaning the room. It was very empty, the other teachers had taken everything out of it and only junk was left. I didn't even have a clock! I brought in my shelves and teaching stuff on Saturday and some good friends came with me after church to help set it up. Monday I spent in the other classrooms getting to know the children I was going to be teaching. My room had to look good by Monday because the school was holding an open house just for my room, so my new students and their parents could meet me. I am so thankful for the volunteers that came and helped me get my room looking good!

Nick Fixed the White shelf and put the color cars on the Wall. This is my Writing Center! 

I started with an Ocean theme. From left to right I have Math Carpet, Job Chart, and the Rice Table

Morning Circle Time Carpet, Calendar, Computer Station, and SMART Board

Stairs to my loft, cubbies, and mailboxes

Desk with name tags (didn't have my table caddies yet that hold their pencils, crayons, and glue)

Reading corner.. my friends Julie and Matt put this together with whatever I had. I think they did a great job! Oh and BTW the Green Eggs and Ham drawings that are on the wall I drew!

Our desk area, I chose not to have a desk but a round table so I could teach the students there. That is my assistant's desk.. May I add she is WONDERFUL!

Math Carpet!

The open house went really well I was able to meet about 16 or 17 of my students parents out of 20. I had an All About Me Powerpoint presentation playing on my SMART board. It was a great evening. Tuesday afternoon (after lunch) I got my students for the first time. We had a great afternoon and I can't explain how I fall in love with children so fast but I just do! My First full three days of teaching went amazingly well. I have been sick since day one that I have stepped in my room. Allergy medicine has been helping some but it is still pretty bad. There is mold in the school, that is why I have been sick(I'm pretty sure) I have been cleaning like crazy and I pretty much live at my job. I like my classroom to be organized and I try to prepared a week in advance. I find that it is easier to teach that way!

I wish I could post a picture of my class up but I don't know if I can, but I have some way cute kids!

Well this is it for now

Signing out

love you all and hope you are doing well

L-and-N

What happened this week

So a lot of things happened this week

Monday we went to the Air Force recruiting office to educate ourselves on a direction we may take in life. The Air Force doesn't really have what Nick is looking for education wise, but the Navy does. We don't know when we will visit them, but it will be sometime very soon.
        With this said Nick and I are trying to figure out what step in life we are suppose to take after he graduates in May. Right now we have three paths that could happen. We are trying to choose one and pray about it to see if it's right for us. Path #1 is to stay at WCU and get masters.Path #2 is to do well on GRE and work hard to get accepted to UNC Chapel Hill for masters and PHD. Path #3 Military (that will pay for education)

I had an interview this week at Dora Reed (the tribal daycare) It is basically a Head start/Early Head Start school in Cherokee. The interview went well, but I won't know if I got the job for a few weeks and then I will be on a 90 day probation and then if they decide they like me I will have benefits. They told me to be patient with them. Which leads me to believe that I would have a job, but they can't say for sure. If something else comes up I will take it.

Friday, I was so bored just being in the house watching Nick play games. I know he needs a mental break but he has been gaming non-stop : / So I told him that we are getting out of the house I didn't care where we went. We got in the car and started to head toward the flea market when he was like, "Why don't we go to Huntsville?" I was like, "GREAT IDEA!!!!" So we turned around to head home to pack, and I started calling people to fill in for me at church. I was on the phone when a number that I didn't recognize beeped in. I called it back ASAP and it was for an interview Monday morning. Nick and I laughed so hard because it was a huge "NO, you shouldn't go to Huntsville" We just laughed and laughed and laughed!!! It is funny how Heavenly Father intervenes on plans if something isn't suppose to, or if something is suppose to happen.

I have a friend whose father just passed away, and she texted me Saturday morning to see if I could come with for moral support.. I helped her clean and pack up some of his house. I was so glad I was able to help her!! Heavenly Father had more than one purpose for us not visiting Huntsville.

Monday's Interview: When I got a hold of the Principal she was so happy to hear from me. She talked to me as if she knew who I was, which threw me off a bit. She told me that she had interviewed me last year for a Pre-K position in her school and I was in her top three, so when she got my email she remember that I was that girl from Huntsville, AL. She told me it was an interview for a 4th grade position and I told her that I haven't taught it before and she said it doesn't matter.. I feel confident to go to this interview tomorrow!
The school is 48 min, away(So google map says) I will find out tomorrow if it is true or not. School there doesn't start until this coming Thursday so I wouldn't be thrown in, I would have a couple of days to set up. Last time I had a job interview in Haywood county I knew the day of that I didn't have the job, so I am hoping they will let me know if I have the job or not by tomorrow night..

Dinosaurs: Nick woke up Saturday morning and took a shower. After two things of Drano the tub still wouldn't drain, So Nick got out the plunger. I was in the living room when I heard, "Lauren I got a red one" I ran into the bathroom to find he was talking about a red dinosaur. He kept at it and we got a total of 5 out of the drain.... there was a blue one that didn't want to come out.. that makes a total of 6 dinosaurs in the tub drain. The water goes down GREAT now.. LOL

Today at church we met another married couple! This is exciting for us, because they live near us and they are around our age. Our ward has HUGE boundaries and there is mainly students that live around us, which is not so bad... It is just cool to hang out with other couples. Starting this Fall semester we have 2 married couples that have moved in and a couple that is getting married in May. We are all broke and life is good!!

Well That is the week

Over and Out

Love L-and-N

July Ensign 2011

A friend of mine posted this article on FB and I wanted to share it here because Nick and I do not get the Ensign. I loved this article because it's where we are in our life together. We have to keep moving, use the knowledge that we have been given to make choices. Make a choice and act on it and as we are doing ask for direction. GREAT article!

July 2011 Ensign article

Followers

I would like all my friends and family (The people I love most) to follow our blog this is easy to do! look on the left side of my page and click follow! I do not know if it will send email to you when I update but there is another place for me to add emails so it will email you my post as I post them on my blog. If you are interested I will add you to the list. It says I only have 10 places so family first.
Also if you wish to make a comment on something type your comment and it will ask you to choose an account. If you have gmail click on google account. it will ask you to accept there terms and stuff and type in a name. you don't have to do this but if you wish to make a comment it must be done. I would like comments!!!

I love you all and hope you had a great Sunday!

Over and out
L-and-N signing out <3

BREAK!!

I titled this post break for more than one reason. First yesterday was Nicks last day of class til the 20th Second Joe left us today. With that said I have to show you a funny picture of Nick. This past Thursday he was required to act a part of a play. He volunteered to play a woman and in the scene he had to change from a dress to a night gown which ended up being my robe. He wore my bra, dress and robe.. his classmates laughed hard! Oh and he made an A! I was so proud of him!

My daily routine with Joe has been going to a park in the morning, lunch, nap, then swimming. He made a lot of friends along the way. It was super fun to watch him talk to other children and watch him learn to "Swim." I put swim in quotes because he didn't really swim but he did a great job for a 4 year old that has trust issues. It took him a long time but he finally got comfortable with the water enough to let go of the wall and walk around. When we dropped him off today we met Nana and Papa Don at a beach. Joe showed Nana his swimming skills. He tried his best to swim he ended up half underwater.. but he did good! Nick also threw him a few times and he went all the way under and he dealt with that pretty well.
 Here are some pictures of his friends he made.

Nicholas and Joe (A boy from church)

Joe playing with boys at the park 

We went to play in the fountain after swimming, made some more friends from Maryland

Playing in the fountain, Yes Nick and I got in to!

Some other fun things we did:

Joe wrote our grocery list

The turtle finally climbed up here by itself!!!

Joe found this umbrella hat and fell in love with it

Joe found this, it is a fuzzy-red-wingless wasp

We ate a lot of popsicles and ice cream

So today on our way to meet Nana and Papa Don we stopped a few times in different locations.

Right before we left.. Dancing

Nantahala River

Ocoee eating Ice cream and our lunch

Traveling Joe was trying to blow a bubble

HUGE BUBBLE

Watching the people raft down

 After we left the Ocoee we went to Mac Point Beach where we swam until Nana and Papa Don showed up. Nana got in the water with us for a while. It was a lot of fun and I am really missing Joe now. Can't wait til I get to see him again. I LOVE HIM

Well this is the conclusion of this past week.. I hope the week to come is a good one and I hope it holds good news. Nick won't have class and I won't be doing anything but looking desperately for jobs.

Have a great week and thanks for reading our Blog!

L-and-N signing out! <3

Funny

Some funny things have happened since Joe has been here. We have tried to overlook all of the broken stuff and focus on the more comical happenings.

Trying to put Joe down for nap.. He gets settled and then looks at me and says he has to potty. Ten minutes go by and he is still there. I brave it and decide to enter and try to hurry him, and of course he screams at me "Lauren Don't LOOK!!!"  my response is "Oh come on.. I wipe your Butt!" he giggled. I sat next to him pouring warm water in the tub to try and get it declogged from the dinosaurs he put down the drain and I hear this soft "Lauren"

Lauren: "Yes"
Joe: " I need to say something but I can't"
Lauren: "why"

Joe: " You will be mad at me"
Lauren: "Well just tell me"

Joe: " It has to do with the dinosaurs"
Lauren:"The ones down the drain"

Joe: "No"
Lauren: "Well just tell me"

Joe: "Well... I dropped one in the potty"
Lauren:"WHAT???"
Joe: (gets off the potty to show me) "See"

Lauren: "well you are getting it out"
Joe: Screams "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
Lauren: "Well you put him in there not me"
Joe: giggles
Lauren: "fine"
I then get tweezers and got him out.. Joe went to bed afterwards and a new rule was established.. No more Dinosaurs in the bathroom.

 Dinosaurs in the tub

The Dinosaurs

Another cute one that I can think of was when we were driving to church early Sunday morning and the mountains had there usual smoke everywhere. Joe asked me what it was so I told him. He didn't me believe me so I looked to Nick and okay.. your turn. Nick then proceeds to tell Joe that Gnomes live in the mountains and when it rains or early in the morning they work very hard to turn all the water into smoke or clouds. Joe said, "AWESOME, I WANNA SEE ONE."

Another bathroom story:
Once again I was asked to come to the bathroom to help Joe wipe..This time I think he had been sitting reading his Hulk comic, so it had been a while. I went to wipe but it wasn't coming off so I went to wet the toilet paper next thing I hear is screaming.. Joe then yells at me, "I DON'T WANT YOU TO PUT WATER UP MY BUTT!!" both Nick and I busted out laughing.

The map:
Joe kept telling us we could go and play at Kids Kingdom (in AL) I kept trying to tell him it would take 5 hours to get there just for us to turn around and come back. He would drop that and then say well we can go to Disney World. I found A map of the USA (Good thing I'm a teacher) and we got out some star stickers. We put a sticker where we were and talked about the state. Then we put a sticker where Nana and Papa Don lived. He got to see the distance and you could see the wheels in his brain turning. He then asked me where Arielle was, so we put a sticker there. Then I showed him how far away Disney World was. Nick and I promised we would take him there when he got a little older and could remember the trip. I very much intend to keep this promise to him. Oh and after we did this with the map he stopped asking, and started telling his new friends that he had just moved to here, NC from his Nana's house in AL. SO CUTE!!!

Another adventure we had was bug collecting. I have some really cool magnify bug jars and Joe wanted to play with them. So I let him go on the stairs and look for bugs. He came back with nothing and looked done with bug hunting so I sat down. He went outside with a Frisbee and came back in with the oddest looking spider ever. We put it in a jar and waited for Nick to come. We looked it up on the internet and it is called Spiny Orb Weaver (Spined Micrathena  )

http://www.dpughphoto.com/spiders.htm

Joe shook the jar a lot and we weren't sure if our new little friend was going to live but Nick let him out at the bottom of our stair and we spotted him and his web the next day!

The little guy will be going home soon and he will be missed I hope that we can do something with him every summer and maybe even Disney World one day!

Interviews

Man I am sick of interviews!!!!!!!!!! I have been in the top 3 or top 5 to be chosen but haven't been picked for the job :(
I had an interview this morning and I came out feeling pretty worthless they asked questions that I was like.. umm I hope I'm answering this the way they want me to. The bottom line is I don't really want to be a 5th grade teacher that is why my degree is EARLY CHILDHOOD not OLDER! But here in NC my Certification covers through 6th grade which is good for jobs but just not my cup of tea. If they called and offered me the job I would take it and smile and do the best I can with what I got and who knows maybe I will like it.

I also went out and applied at the local Head Start preschools.. there is a job opening on campus. We will see if anything works out there.. so far nothing.

School starts next week and hopefully some more hiring will happen. Only time will tell.

Had to run to Wal-Mart today because Joe put a Dinosaur down the tub drain.. it was clogged bad. While we were there he hid from me.. this is where I found him

He told me it was his ship.. I told him to get out of there before I sank his ship.
We bought some Ice cream and left.
He is so excited about his play date tomorrow with a friend from church. It will be an adventure for me.. a mother of 2, not sure if I'm ready lol.

Nick made starter for sour dough bread we made our first two loafs last night the taste isn't too bad but the texture.. well lets just say they hurt when hit with and could make a good sword! lol We will try again!

here is a link that saves me! Mindy Gledhill, All About Your Heart

Children

Nick and I  have had Joe (our Nephew) for about two weeks now. He has been a ton of fun! It really makes us think about what kind of parents we are going to be. We definitely wanna be proactive parents that give our child the attention he or she deserves. One thing I need to work on is my patience. Children might be what my degree is in but it isn't in patience. People tell me that it is different when you are with children all the time at home rather than just teaching them at school. They also tell me that it's different when it is your own child.

Nick and I want children and having Joe just made us realize this fact even more. One day it will happen and we will be ready for when it does.

Today for lunch Joe told me he wanted a peanut butter and turkey sandwich. I made it for him. I ate nachos.... he started dipping his sandwich into my salsa.. I started making a funny face and he asked me if I was okay. I asked him if what he was eating was good. He ate the whole thing.. yes I was shocked because it is hard to get him to eat noodles. ODD CHILD!

Hard Times

I know you are suppose to take the good with the bad, but lately it has been depressing. I know that Nick and I were led here to Whee, but finding a job seems impossible. Last year I worked as an assistant and it wasn't to bad. The principal  liked me and let me know that she was going to have two positions available for the fall she even asked me which I preferred the Kindergarten position or third grade. Well I interviewed for them and was pretty sure I would get one of them. The phone call came and for some reason I wasn't excited... the principal on the other end was telling me that I didn't get the job. Depression... Why can't I stop thinking about it. Why did she act like the job was going to be mine but I didn't get it.. I was really upset. I found out a week later that the jobs went to two young girls that just graduated from Western, they both know each other and they are from this area. I knew when I walked out of the interview I wasn't going to get the job because they asked me if I was going to live here and what my plans were. I was truthful and honest. I told them that was the plan for now, but I didn't know what the future holds for me. If Heavenly Father told me to move tomorrow I would gladly pack my bags. I do understand that they want someone who is going to stick around for the rest of their life.. oh well..

So I have had other interviews, and still nothing. I wanted to stay with my degree.. right? isn't that why I went to college and got an education in my field so I could do what I loved. I have been slow to apply to others jobs until today. I applied for some jobs that I found in the newspaper.. We will see what comes of them.

I will keep you updated in the direction we take