Revisiting Toxic Relationships

Today's prompt at Your Life Spelled Out is revisiting Toxic Relationships. And it comes at a good time, because my toxic relationship person is trying to revisit me! My problem is that the toxic person won't leave us alone. She is trying to sneak back into my life through other family members. She tries to tell anyone that will listen that I am just being mean. I am ungrateful and horrid.
I can't have this woman in my life. She damages my relationships with my children, she damages my self-esteem, and she never has a nice word to say about any one! She even critized my grandson - a 3 month old baby!! (Her great-grandson.) She doesn't critize her child. Even though he is supposedly homeschooling his 10 year old son. I say supposedly because the poor child is being taught by his mother who has a sixth grade education who will just throw a worksheet at him occasionly. This poor boy is told that "he isn't funny; he is just strange" so many times that he repeats it to others! They are having their 3rd child. I must say that finally the man has a job but it isn't going to last. The man has had easily 5 jobs in 5 years and major stints of unemployment because he thinks he is smarter than the rest of the world. Oh, and he told my daughter that her newborn son had jaundice because he was fed too much sweet potatoes. Duh? Newborn jaundice is cause by an immature liver, moron!

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What's your style?

Your life spelled out has another great prompt today. What is your style? So, I started thinking about what my style is. I am not sure what it would be classified. I am not a diva, country or tomboy. What would you say my style is?
The big thing in my life is casual. And comfortable. Also right now, many of my clothes are loose fitting. It seems that I have finally stepped off of the plateau of size 10. Everything is hanging off of me. I think this fall I will need to buy some new khakis in size 8. woowhoo! I wear mostly khakis because they are easy to wear and comfortable. I don't wear a great deal of skirt because they are a bit difficult in my school setting. lol, you never know when you will need to get on the floor or climb on something. My students can be quite a handful.
At home my clothing choices are made with the idea of comfort. Most of my clothes are yoga pants and tops in purples and blues. For shoes -- sandals and flipflops. Casual footwear is a must for me.

Loving Summer Break

I am loving summer break, but we are already planning for Christmas Break. We are planning to go back to California again for Christmas because Gerry's mom is in declining health. It is hard for Gerry to be so far away but he says that their relationship is better than it was when he lived in Elk Grove. We have thought of moving to CA but the economy would make it impossible. The cost of living is so much higher than it is here in San Antonio. Teaching in CA is also less stable than here in TX. We have been teaching for 13 years (Gerry) and 10 years (me) in our school district which means that we don't have to worry about layoffs or cutbacks. We are in the middle of the salary scale and have contributed to retirement for 13 years in Texas. Texas has its own retirement state fund for teachers, and we are not sure how it would transfer financially to CA. We would probably loose a lot. We both have about 15 years or so before we are eligible to retire. If I retire at the first opportunity, I would only be 55. I doubt that I will retire before 60 just because I like being active. Summer is enough lazying around for me.
Yesterday's prompt on Your Life Spelled Out was about the effect of technology in your life. I know that I really adore my iPhone. I am fond of saying "there's an app for that". I have really started enjoying reading books on my phone. I am going to get an ereader this summer. I am trying to decide between the kindle or the nook. I have played with a nook so it is in the front right now. I would really like to try out a kindle. Target is selling them in Florida now and is expected to have them in all of their stores soon. There is also rumors that there is a Kindle 3 in the works and a Nook Lite. But the big thing going on now is an offer for a $50 gift card with purchase of a nook. If I do that, I have to get my nook before the end of the month. ::sigh:: So many decisions!
We picked up a swing for Robby at a yard sale yesterday and he is loving it. His momma loves it too. Kelsey has been tied to him for a bit and she likes being able to do things without holding the baby all the time. We also got an exersaucer for when he is a bit older. He is a bit young for it now.
Lola has been having some stomach problems. I am worried about the pooch. I may take her to the vet. She is eating something she shouldn't but I don't have a clue where she is getting it. Daisy is chewing her nails again. That dog is so neurotic! Gerry went fishing today with a friend and she had a cow when the unknown person was in the house. She had met Patrick before but she was not thrilled with him in the house in the middle of the night. She is a good watch dog, no one could ever sneak into the house with that dog! My 2 labs really could care less until the person attempted to get their food.

Oh FUN, not!

I spent four hours in the dentist's chair. We finished up my root canal and cut down my two teeth for the crown mounts. I have TMJ and it was very painful. They use bite blocks to hold open my jaw, but my muscles started cramping anyway. We had to take a few breaks. Now, I am trying to recover with some pain meds. My gums are also inflamed with all their poking. During the whole thing, I kept thinking that my tattoo was less painful. I had novicaine but it really wasn't very effective.
Enough complaining. I am going to relax for a bit. I am a little down because of some stuff going on but I don't know enough about it. I know just enough to be upset. I have tried to get a toxic person out of my life but she keeps worming her way back in. I wish that I could move very far away. I so tired of the drama. Why does she think she can hurt people and never be accountable for it? She lies, she betrays and she pits people against each other. Just for her amusement. I just have to protect myself and I will.
I think the pain is depressing my moods or maybe it is just everything from the weekend. Sigh. Maybe I will do some scrapbooking or reading to cheer myself up.

Big Week

This was an incredible week.

On Monday, Jay HS Class of 2010 graduated. The blue gowns are graduating from Jay while white gowns are graduating from the Science Academy at Jay.

On Thursday, O'Connor HS Class of 2010 graduated. Holly was number 17 in her graduating class.

On Saturday, Gerry, Tim and I headed to Lake Amistad in Del Rio. Tim caught 3 fish and Gerry caught a limit.

This week, we have  Football Power Camp with workouts 4 days a week until the middle of July. Tomorrow, I have my more crown work on my teeth. yeah, fun! ;)

Toxic Relationships - Just say NO!!

The prompt from Your Life Spelled Out. today is on Toxic Relationships. My husband and I  were in a toxic relationship with my first mother-in-law and finally had to tell her that we would not have a relationship. Her actions were causing terrible problems with our relationship with my daughters. My husband and I finally stopped the damage by breaking off the relationship. We, as my daughter has explained, divorced from our relationship with my daughters' grandmother. And this divorce has made me so much happier in my life. I am so much happier that everyone has complimented me on the changes in me. I have always been a happy person but now I am truely happy. I have lost weight, my complexion looks better. All of this is due to letting go of the baggage. It isn't healthy for a person to be in a toxic relationship; it really hurts your health.
It is very hard when there is someone trying to influence your children with ideas that don't agree with your personal values. It is very hard when they talk about you negatively to your children about you. I have been torn apart by words by a person that really doesn't have the same values that I have and I want my children to have.
I value education. Education is the only way for anyone to succeed in this world. My husband and I both have a master's degree and my husband is working on his second master's degree. I believe all of my children should go to college to be successful.
I value independence. A woman should not rely on a man for support. They may not always be there. A woman needs to be able to take care of herself first. When she can do that; she is better prepared for taking care of her family and her children.
I value postitive relationships. If a man is negative and demeaning to you; he doesn't really love you. Women have so much negativity focused at them - they don't need any extra. A man who supports you and encourages you is the type of man that you should marry. Men who don't like women should not be allowed in your life. They will try to tear you down because they are too insecure to be happy with and for you.

My last day of school

Today is the offical last day of school for me. I have to finish cleaning my classroom and packing up for the year. I have boxes packed and pushed in the corner. My desks need to be packed up and I need to commit to what I can part with (throw away! lol).
I got some good and bad news yesterday. I don't get to be in CMC/CR next year. :(  I have 6 classes of LC English next year. I really enjoyed having a light teaching load. The good thing is that I am teaching all of the LC English and I don't have to lose my students. I will be teaching all of them next year. My classes are getting much smaller because we are pushing all of the students into regular English, which is going to fail. Some of my students can't read well enough to survive in a regular English class. My students read at a 4th/5th grade level. They can't cope in a regular English class and they will get lost. I can just hope for my babies to survive long enough for the pendulum to swing back. Because it will, it always does.  Nothing in education is really new, it just gets introduced with new titles.
Well, I better go to the meeting and get my last signatures on my clearance sheet. Then I will be cleaning the rest of the day.
Have a wonderful day!!

My one little word for 2010 is complete

I had a really hard time figuring out my word for the year, but I finally settled on COMPLETE. Mainly because I am so bad at follow through and getting it done! I need to work on completing things in my life.
I blame it on my ADHD. I am very distractible, I just can't help it. I get started on something and get half way through. When I put it down, I forget about it for a while. And it never gets finished.
Today I am completing something today. Today is the last day of school. I have been at Jay for a full year! Woo-Whoo! I love this school and my students. I have some great students that I just adore. My year has been awesome and I am so glad to be here.

My Personal Dictionary

Justice – the bad are punished and the good rewarded.


Love - the immense feeling of warmth and happiness when you see your child feeding her child

Faith – the belief that there is something more than just you

Hope – believing that you can handle all that life throws at you because it will get better

Temperance – tolerance and patience for those who drive me nuts

Character – the ability to do what is right

Charity – helping out those who need a little help

Virtues – believing there are things that you can do, should do and better not do.

Sad Thoughts

I just wish I could change things.
Homeschooling for some is a great endeavor. I have friends who home school so well that their children earned scholarships to the university. But there are some people who do nothing. People who are mean and tell their child they are just annoying. I am seriously considering calling Child Protective Services. But what can I say?

Baby Book Upload 1

Here is a photo of my first layout for Robby's Baby Book. I have a ton of photos but tried not to overwhelm the pages with them. I cropped the photos to 4 inch squares and then arranged them in a square. The retangles are great accents.

Terrible cough

I woke up several times last night coughing. I felt horrible. I am going to rest today and hopefully get better. If I don't feel better, I need to go to the MedClinic tomorrow. I just need to rest.
I love my grandson but I think he gave me this cold!! lol. :)

The Journey

Life is a walk. Each day we take steps. Our tomorrow is determined by the steps we take today. -Stormie Omartian


I know that my walk has been very convoluted. I started out on the road to college, and then found a detour in marrying my first husband Bobby. It was a wild ride there! In four years, I became mother of two and widow at 24. I got back on the college trail and became a teacher. The four years in college were interesting too. Not only did I find a second husband and another child, but a career that I really love. Now, as I look back on that walk, I see a lot of fun and happiness mixed in with the sadness. Gerry is an incredible husband, and I so blessed to have him in my life. He is the best husband in the world. He is awesome with the kids. He has a great relationship with all three of our children. He is so helpful with Robby.
Robby had his first round of shots yesterday. They made him very cranky. He had a rough night. His little legs just ached, I am sure. The doctor suggested that we start juice to help him with his constipation. We are going to introduce apple juice first. He will love it, I am sure. He loves to taste things other than his formula. He loves the taste of the Tylenol and gas drops. He just smacked his lips with the oral vaccine yesterday. The nurse hadn’t seen a baby enjoy it so much. He made us all laugh. He is in the 49% for his height and weight. He weighs 11lbs 6 oz. He has made all the milestones for a three month old, so I guess we are doing something right. He has great head control and a lot of upper body strength. I think he will be turning over early with the way he throws himself around. When holding him you really have to hold on tight. He will try to move if he doesn’t like the position. Lol, that boy has a mind of his own already.
Another boy who has a mind of his own is Tim. We are getting the paperwork all ready for Tim to play football next year. Yes, we are going to let him play football even though he broke his arm last year playing football. I am still hoping that he will switch to golf team, but I don’t think he will. We have to shave his head as soon as school ends. It is the only way that the football helmet will fit. Right now, he looks like a shaggy dog. I don’t think arguing with him about his hair is very important. In a few years he will bald and there won’t be any hair to worry about. So, I tend to let him grow it however he wants. It won’t be there long….
Holly’s graduation is June 10th at the Alamodome at 4:00 pm. We offered to save seats for Holly’s boyfriend’s parents. We will be there early because we are helping line the kids up. I really love seeing all the students I have taught dressed in their cap and gown. I feel like I have helped them on an important journey. Just got to love it!

Wow, only 5 days of school left....

Some of you have taken Big Picture Scrapbooking classes; so I thought I would let you know about 2 of the self-paced classes that I am considering taking. One was mentioned in Stacy Julian’s blog. Stacey is giving a $5 off coupon and that makes the course only $5. The class is Saving Your Sanity. I think I am going to look at it more seriously. The other class is only $5 and it is called Help with Heartache.


Most people know that I lost my first husband when I was 24. My mother passed away eight years later with my grandmother passing away 2 years after that. I don’t let the losses rule my life and I have worked hard on dealing with it but I always think that it is good to continue to work on it. That is why I follow Susan’s blog “Your Life Spelled Out” which has great prompts to help you work on your life. I think it is important to work on your personal mindset. I think it helps me.

On a more exciting note for me, I found a new pair of sandals that I want. They are very similar to ones that I had a few years ago. The old ones were “Mootsie Tootsies” and I just loved them. The new ones are at Dress Barn and just flats, not a very supportive foot bed. But they have little flowers decorating the thong part of the sandal. They also have a very pretty 1930’s style dress that I want. I need a dress to wear for graduation and I haven’t gotten a new dress for graduation in several years. Gerry needs a new suit too. I don’t know if he will get it now or not. We saw some suit separates at Kohl’s earlier this week and he agreed he needed a new suit. He wears his suit to Prom, Graduation and any funerals we have to attend. This year has been full of funerals. We have had our former principal die, two former students committed suicide, and one former student and one current student were killed in car crashes. That has all been since January 28th. I am looking forward to a relaxing and revitalizing summer. I want good things! I want peace! I want life!

With only five days left in the school year, I am happy with the year. It was a very good year on the whole. I have decided that I am happy with my classes and my students and their successes. I have done well with my change to Jay. I really enjoy my school.

Questions from My Life Spelled Out

1. If you had a free day that you could do whatever you wanted, what would that day look like? I would probably spend time with my grandson and my dog. I would also scrapbook with my stash. I love creating. I think I might do some digital scrapbooking too.


2. If you could go anywhere in the world for a week vacation, where would that be and why? If it was my husband’s ideal vacation it would be to a lake, maybe Amistad. I would like to go to a resort. Somewhere I could relax and not do anything for awhile but bask in the sun and read a book.

3. What is your favorite piece of clothing that you own? My favorite clothes would probably my yoga pants and tanks. They are nice and comfortable.

4. What is your favorite room in your house or apartment? Why? My bedroom probably is my favorite. It is a sanctuary.

5. Do you have a hobby? If yes, what is it? I love to read, creative writing and scrapbooking.

6. Is there something that you would like to learn to do or learn to do better? I would love to learn to use more advanced photo shop techniques.

7. What do you believe about God and how does that reflect in your life? I believe in God but I don’t believe much in religion right now. We are looking for a church home again. I hope that we can find one that we can enjoy and agree with.

Great Note from a Student

One of my sweet students wrote me a thank you note and gave it to me today. I just get a chuckle out of it. My favorite quotes are:

thank you for teaching us and never stopping

thank you for smiling all the time and never stopping

I really enjoy these kids!

Tim's Birthday Weekend

It was Tim's Birthday Weekend. He turned 15 on the 15th. Yesterday, he went to the Barnes and Noble for a book signing by Rick Riordan. He has a signed copy of The Red Pyramid. Today, we had a water balloon fight, wiffle ball game, and Wii Bowling to go along with his dinner choices and Birthday Cake. Holly's BF, Robert, was invited. Next weekend we get to meet his parents. I had his older brother in class a few years ago and brother swears I was his favorite teacher. I usually am, I get to be the fun one. When I was out in the portables we could get away with raising all kinds of heck. lol.

We are all watching the Survivor finale up in our bedroom. I am going for Sandra even though she has already won once. lol, the fun place to be. Then we get to switch over to the Celebrity Apprentice finale over on NBC. I am rooting for Sharon Osborne on that show.

Only 13 days of school to go. 2 weeks of full days followed by 3 half-days. I am going to miss these kids, this year has been a blast. I think this is the best year I have had in 12 years of teaching. I have some great kids. I adore them!!

New Paper Journal

May 12, 2010
I had to create a new journal because I have misplaced my other journal. I am so upset that I can’t find it. So, anyway, it is a work in progress. The new journal is decorated with papers from the Fashionista line. I love the retro look to the papers.
I started my 34th book last night. I just started Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. It is a Sookie Stackhouse novel. I am also looking forward to the third season of True Blood that starts in June. It is a series on HBO based on the books. It and Eureka are my favorite summer series. My goal is to read 144 books this year. I am not on track to make it. Though, I do read more in the summer than during the school year.
The baby had a rough day yesterday. He was very cranky and we just couldn’t get him happy. Gerry and I were very tired and went to bed at 9 pm. It is hard helping with the baby and working full time. We were just exhausted. Gerry also hit his head with a low hanging branch. His head was killing him last night.
I am about to earn my next level on Virgin Healthmiles. I am going to use them to buy a book reader. Borders just came out with one that is only $159. But it isn’t wifi capable. I think I am going with the Nook. I like the touch screen on it, the lending of the book and downloading free books while at the book store. That way I can sample books while I am there. I don’t like that I will need a light for reading at night, but it won’t be worse than a book. Gerry says that I turn the pages too loud and wake him up. But I feel my books are still quieter than his snoring. But I am just saying.
The journal prompt on Your Life Spelled Out was about leaving a legacy. I faced this early in life with my first husband’s death when I was 24. I knew that he loved me and that he died doing something he loved. He died saving two of his soldiers’ lives. I have talked with them in the years since and they have made the most of their lives. I am also very verbal with telling my family that I love them. When my mother died in 2001, it was very sudden. But I know that she knew that I loved her very much.

18 days until school is out

The school year is winding down quickly. There are only 18 days left of school not counting weekends. I am going to miss these kids; they are very sweet. I will really miss my juniors. They go to another teacher for senior English. I have decided to shake things up for next year and to have my unit on Goals in August. I am getting a smart board for my classroom and these clickers which will record student responses. I have a training on Thursday to learn how to use the software. I am looking forward to it. My goal is to adapt my goals unit to use the smart board.
Next Wednesday we are having our much delayed Grace Conference. I have been nominated as the MC of the event. I am very excited that we are going to be creating Dream Boards (aka Vision Boards or Treasure Maps) with the girls in the afternoon. I have been going through my magazines and getting pictures out for them. I have catagories such as: Transportation, Pets, Houses, Family, Colleges, and my personal favorite Pretty Pictures and Phrases. lol. It takes a lot of time to go through magazines and to give the girls the most time to play with creation of their boards. I love working with the girls on visualizing their future.
We went to Build-A-Bear on Saturday and built Robby's first bear. We made the "Champ Bear." They also had an autograph graduation dog that we bought for Holly. She loves to have autographs of her friends. Band banquet was Saturday. Holly and Robert went together. They also went to Prom in April. They are a cute couple. Another sign that this is a small town, Robert's older brother, Billy, was in my class. He was a sweet boy and of course claims that I was his favorite teacher. I swear I didn't pay him for that. ;) Holly is hosting a Graduation Party for a few of her friends. The theme is Star Wars and she is going to make snacks from her Star Wars Cookbook and watch the Star Wars Movies.
Kelsey has completed her college semester. We don't get to register for fall until the middle of June. Holly is going to be going to her orientation in June and they auto-enroll the freshman. She completes a form and they will register her for her classes. She will most likely live on campus. Today we have Tim's IEP meeting for transistion to high school. He will be going to O'Connor with Gerry. I have a half day sub today. Gerry is going to try to get someone to watch his last class so that he can attend also.