I'm still very interested in knowing who my readers are and where they are from. I'd also like to know how you got to my site. My link, a link from somewhere else, searching, or a friend.
Let me know!!!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Lack of Motivation
I am lacking motivation to do just about anything. However, what I don't seem to be lacking motivation in is blogging. I thought I would update the Google Analytics from my previous post. You can click the link and it will take you back to the original post to compare. Here's some new screen shots.
As you can see I am now up to 5 countries. Those countries are: The United States, Canada, Germany, Russia, and South Korea. That's pretty exciting!!!
Heck yeah!! I have almost 1/2 of the states covered!!! I'd say that's not to shabby for 2 weeks worth of posting!!!
I'm still very interested in knowing who my readers are and where they are from. I'd also like to know how you got to my site. My link, a link from somewhere else, searching, or a friend.
Let me know!!!
I'm still very interested in knowing who my readers are and where they are from. I'd also like to know how you got to my site. My link, a link from somewhere else, searching, or a friend.
Let me know!!!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Mixed Emotions
I've been toying with the concept of this blog for several days now. I feel like it's going to come across as a shady salesperson, but that's not my intent. Take the following post with an open heart and open mind. So here it goes. . .
The state of Missouri cut funding for schools this year, again. In the 2009-2010 school year The Derrick Thomas Academy, took a 2% pay-cut. We as the teachers did not see that reflected in our salaries, however we did see it reflect in the money that was available for activities. Fewer field trips, fewer supplies available to the teachers. For the 2010-2011 school year, the school saw another 6% pay cut as of right now. The majority of that came from summer school funding. It's just not there. The state of Missouri feels that it's not important. For the first year, DTA will not have a summer school program. We use our program for a beginning of the next school year. We build the relationships with our future students, and gives us a 3.5 week advantage with our kids. What this means to teachers is that we had to take a 6% pay-cut. Summer school was a requirement at DTA for teachers, thus it was part of our salary. With no summer school, those days were taken off our contract and a mandatory pay-cut was put into effect. Along with this means that we still have a slight problem with money for supplies. Another cut is expected at some point from the state, and that could mean some teachers will be without a job. Maybe not at my school, but somewhere it is likely to happen.
Teachers spend a lot of our personal money to purchase supplies for the class. This could include basic supplies, supplies for crafts and activities, or basic needs of the students. With the pay-cut it makes doing things like this very hard. As a mother and a wife, I have to make sure the needs of my family are meet first before I look at purchasing things for my classroom. It breaks my heart that there are all these things in the world that I want to do with/for my students but the funding is not available. I was fortunate last year to have some good friends donate money so that my students could publish their own story book. It meant a lot to my students and me. I was humbled by the whole experience that random people (some of whom I had never met, just known through the internet) would give their money to make the learning experience in my classroom go up a notch.
I was introduced to a website called DonorChoose.org It is a website where teachers put projects up on the site and ask for donations for the needed supplies. I am not lucky enough to have not 1 but 2 projects on the site and I'm looking for people that care about the education of our youth to fund them.
The first project is math related. I am trying to make Math Tool Kits for my students. I have about half of the supplies needed and no funding to get the rest. I get $150 to spend at the school for all supplies that I will need this year. Most of my $150 will go towards basic supplies like pencils, erasers, dry erase markers, staples, etc. . . You will notice that to finish my kits, it will cost more than the $150 that DTA give me to spend.
My second project is writing based. I feel that it is very important that we express ourselves in writing. My students struggle with this piece, but once they get going, their thoughts are provoking and show you that they want to make a mark in the world. The journals I have asked for will provide different exposures to the different writing styles.
This means a lot to me, and I value the education that our children get. To some these things seem pointless and not useful to the educational process. I disagree. Children need different exposures to the same content to learn it. If you have $5 to give, please pick a project and help out my kiddos. If you don't have $5 to give, believe me, I understand. Help me get this around to people that might be able to help. Just go to the site below.
Thanks!
http://www.donorschoose.org/cassie.krause
The state of Missouri cut funding for schools this year, again. In the 2009-2010 school year The Derrick Thomas Academy, took a 2% pay-cut. We as the teachers did not see that reflected in our salaries, however we did see it reflect in the money that was available for activities. Fewer field trips, fewer supplies available to the teachers. For the 2010-2011 school year, the school saw another 6% pay cut as of right now. The majority of that came from summer school funding. It's just not there. The state of Missouri feels that it's not important. For the first year, DTA will not have a summer school program. We use our program for a beginning of the next school year. We build the relationships with our future students, and gives us a 3.5 week advantage with our kids. What this means to teachers is that we had to take a 6% pay-cut. Summer school was a requirement at DTA for teachers, thus it was part of our salary. With no summer school, those days were taken off our contract and a mandatory pay-cut was put into effect. Along with this means that we still have a slight problem with money for supplies. Another cut is expected at some point from the state, and that could mean some teachers will be without a job. Maybe not at my school, but somewhere it is likely to happen.
Teachers spend a lot of our personal money to purchase supplies for the class. This could include basic supplies, supplies for crafts and activities, or basic needs of the students. With the pay-cut it makes doing things like this very hard. As a mother and a wife, I have to make sure the needs of my family are meet first before I look at purchasing things for my classroom. It breaks my heart that there are all these things in the world that I want to do with/for my students but the funding is not available. I was fortunate last year to have some good friends donate money so that my students could publish their own story book. It meant a lot to my students and me. I was humbled by the whole experience that random people (some of whom I had never met, just known through the internet) would give their money to make the learning experience in my classroom go up a notch.
I was introduced to a website called DonorChoose.org It is a website where teachers put projects up on the site and ask for donations for the needed supplies. I am not lucky enough to have not 1 but 2 projects on the site and I'm looking for people that care about the education of our youth to fund them.
The first project is math related. I am trying to make Math Tool Kits for my students. I have about half of the supplies needed and no funding to get the rest. I get $150 to spend at the school for all supplies that I will need this year. Most of my $150 will go towards basic supplies like pencils, erasers, dry erase markers, staples, etc. . . You will notice that to finish my kits, it will cost more than the $150 that DTA give me to spend.
My second project is writing based. I feel that it is very important that we express ourselves in writing. My students struggle with this piece, but once they get going, their thoughts are provoking and show you that they want to make a mark in the world. The journals I have asked for will provide different exposures to the different writing styles.
This means a lot to me, and I value the education that our children get. To some these things seem pointless and not useful to the educational process. I disagree. Children need different exposures to the same content to learn it. If you have $5 to give, please pick a project and help out my kiddos. If you don't have $5 to give, believe me, I understand. Help me get this around to people that might be able to help. Just go to the site below.
Thanks!
http://www.donorschoose.org/cassie.krause
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A Tale of Two iPods
Once upon a time, Clint had an amazing thing. His very own iPod! One year for Christmas his mom decided that he should get things to go with the amazing iPod. So it was that Christmas that Clint was supposed to get an iHome, Boom Tubes, and several other iPod accessories. At the same time, Cassie was sad that she didn't have a nifty cool iPod of her own. It was 2005 then, and it was the thing to have. Clint seeing that she was sad, went out and purchased her the new model that had color video and 32G worth of storage. She would be able to have all her music and then some on the nifty little thing.
His iPod became jealous of the new shiny version sitting in the box on his front seat. When Clint got out of the car to go into work, his iPod somehow flew out of the car and landed on the ground. Clint began to panic. He inspected the iPod and turned it on. A wave of relief came over him when it turned on and played some music. It was only a scare, it still worked! Glad that it wasn't busted, Clint went into work and did his duties. Upon coming out of work several hours later, Clint plugged in the iPod and began to select his music. It was then that he realized that the fall had done more damage then he previously thought. His poor iPod was dead and beyond repair. His gaze turned to the iPod in the box on his seat. It was Cassie's Christmas present. At least they would still have one. Clint returned home and told Cassie that he had dropped his iPod and busted it. Sadness was great because she really liked the iPod and she knew what his mom had purchased for him. Maybe they could save up and get another one soon.
Christmas came and Cassie was excited beyond belief to get her iPod. Clint was happy too, because they could start to copy all the music over to hers. This iPod went with them every place they went. Cassie was kind and let Clint borrow it when she wasn't using it. The iPod was their starting point for wedding music to give to the DJ. They wanted to make sure the music was special to them. While Cassie was getting dressed before their wedding, the iPod was there with her, playing music and keeping everyone calm. On the drive to Eureka Springs for the Honeymoon, Clint and Cassie jammed to music singing loud and happily. It played music in the Bed and Breakfast and at the Haunted Hotel. When Cassie was in labor, the iPod was playing her favorite music to help pass the time while they waited for Dade to arrive. When Dade was upset, the iPod would play music that would make him dance, smile, and have a good time. Every once and a while the iPod would take a jump, but everything was okay. This version was durable and built tough! Clint and Cassie even thought of the iPod when purchasing their new car. They wanted to make sure they could connect it to their stereo system. There was a scare with the new car because Clint had accidentally left the iPod in the old car. They were lucky to save the iPod within a day of leaving it.
Then one day, 5 years later, the iPod decided that it wanted to lay out in the sun. The problem was that the spot it picked was on top of the car after Clint and Dade had a nice breakfast at Winsteads. That day wasn't too terribly hot, but it's black outer coating got extremely warm. When it came time for Clint to go to work and drop Dade off at Cassie's work, the iPod was sleeping and didn't notice that Clint was getting into the car. The poor iPod had a ride of it's life! He journeyed down Wornall Road and then Main street in Kansas City to Cassie's school. It was too scared to speak when Cassie got Dade and the car seat out of the car. When Clint left for work from Cassie's school the poor iPod noticed that there were storm clouds moving in. Clint made it to work, but didn't notice the iPod's cry for help.
That evening there were very bad storms in the area. The thunder rattled the poor iPod stuck on the roof of the car. The rain drenched the iPod and water began to get into the inner workings of. 8 hours later, Clint was ready to head home after a very quiet night at work. He drove home in the thunder and lightening. Cassie left the porch light on. When Clint stepped onto the porch, he turned to push the lock button for the car. It was then that Clint noticed a shimmer on top of the car. There sat the iPod.
Clint just knew that he had killed the iPod after the heat, the riding on top of the car, and finally the water damage from the rain. He went inside and woke Cassie up to tell her. She brought up the fact that he had already broken one iPod, and this would be his second. Clint wanted to put the iPod in rice, but alas there was none in the house, so he used oatmeal instead. The iPod was glad to be back in the safety of the house, but wasn't feeling very well. When Cassie and Clint woke up, Cassie went to work on getting things going on the iPod. Still with very little power, nothing happened. Cassie said that she would take it with her and see what she could do while visiting her parents.
Cassie placed the iPod in rice when she got to her parent's house. Every once and a while she would pull it out and plug it into the computer. As the day progressed, things began to look up for the little iPod. The inner working seemed to be getting drier, if only the computer would understand that it was plugged in. Finally on Sunday morning, it had enough energy to plug into a fancy stereo and get some charge. It told Cassie to to contact Apple support and showed a sad face on it's screen. That was the last thing it said. Several hours later, it still refused to play music and just said to contact Apple Support. It's life was nearing an end very quickly. The rain had gotten the best of it.
Cassie has little hope left for the 2nd iPod her family has owned. She will continue to work on it and see if anything can be saved, but her thoughts are now on which version is best for her family.
Thanks little iPod for 5 years of musical enjoyment!!!
His iPod became jealous of the new shiny version sitting in the box on his front seat. When Clint got out of the car to go into work, his iPod somehow flew out of the car and landed on the ground. Clint began to panic. He inspected the iPod and turned it on. A wave of relief came over him when it turned on and played some music. It was only a scare, it still worked! Glad that it wasn't busted, Clint went into work and did his duties. Upon coming out of work several hours later, Clint plugged in the iPod and began to select his music. It was then that he realized that the fall had done more damage then he previously thought. His poor iPod was dead and beyond repair. His gaze turned to the iPod in the box on his seat. It was Cassie's Christmas present. At least they would still have one. Clint returned home and told Cassie that he had dropped his iPod and busted it. Sadness was great because she really liked the iPod and she knew what his mom had purchased for him. Maybe they could save up and get another one soon.
Christmas came and Cassie was excited beyond belief to get her iPod. Clint was happy too, because they could start to copy all the music over to hers. This iPod went with them every place they went. Cassie was kind and let Clint borrow it when she wasn't using it. The iPod was their starting point for wedding music to give to the DJ. They wanted to make sure the music was special to them. While Cassie was getting dressed before their wedding, the iPod was there with her, playing music and keeping everyone calm. On the drive to Eureka Springs for the Honeymoon, Clint and Cassie jammed to music singing loud and happily. It played music in the Bed and Breakfast and at the Haunted Hotel. When Cassie was in labor, the iPod was playing her favorite music to help pass the time while they waited for Dade to arrive. When Dade was upset, the iPod would play music that would make him dance, smile, and have a good time. Every once and a while the iPod would take a jump, but everything was okay. This version was durable and built tough! Clint and Cassie even thought of the iPod when purchasing their new car. They wanted to make sure they could connect it to their stereo system. There was a scare with the new car because Clint had accidentally left the iPod in the old car. They were lucky to save the iPod within a day of leaving it.
Then one day, 5 years later, the iPod decided that it wanted to lay out in the sun. The problem was that the spot it picked was on top of the car after Clint and Dade had a nice breakfast at Winsteads. That day wasn't too terribly hot, but it's black outer coating got extremely warm. When it came time for Clint to go to work and drop Dade off at Cassie's work, the iPod was sleeping and didn't notice that Clint was getting into the car. The poor iPod had a ride of it's life! He journeyed down Wornall Road and then Main street in Kansas City to Cassie's school. It was too scared to speak when Cassie got Dade and the car seat out of the car. When Clint left for work from Cassie's school the poor iPod noticed that there were storm clouds moving in. Clint made it to work, but didn't notice the iPod's cry for help.
That evening there were very bad storms in the area. The thunder rattled the poor iPod stuck on the roof of the car. The rain drenched the iPod and water began to get into the inner workings of. 8 hours later, Clint was ready to head home after a very quiet night at work. He drove home in the thunder and lightening. Cassie left the porch light on. When Clint stepped onto the porch, he turned to push the lock button for the car. It was then that Clint noticed a shimmer on top of the car. There sat the iPod.
Clint just knew that he had killed the iPod after the heat, the riding on top of the car, and finally the water damage from the rain. He went inside and woke Cassie up to tell her. She brought up the fact that he had already broken one iPod, and this would be his second. Clint wanted to put the iPod in rice, but alas there was none in the house, so he used oatmeal instead. The iPod was glad to be back in the safety of the house, but wasn't feeling very well. When Cassie and Clint woke up, Cassie went to work on getting things going on the iPod. Still with very little power, nothing happened. Cassie said that she would take it with her and see what she could do while visiting her parents.
Cassie placed the iPod in rice when she got to her parent's house. Every once and a while she would pull it out and plug it into the computer. As the day progressed, things began to look up for the little iPod. The inner working seemed to be getting drier, if only the computer would understand that it was plugged in. Finally on Sunday morning, it had enough energy to plug into a fancy stereo and get some charge. It told Cassie to to contact Apple support and showed a sad face on it's screen. That was the last thing it said. Several hours later, it still refused to play music and just said to contact Apple Support. It's life was nearing an end very quickly. The rain had gotten the best of it.
Cassie has little hope left for the 2nd iPod her family has owned. She will continue to work on it and see if anything can be saved, but her thoughts are now on which version is best for her family.
Thanks little iPod for 5 years of musical enjoyment!!!
Monday, August 16, 2010
My Face and the Journey Within: Day 2
Today marks the end of the 2nd day of using my new facial stuff. After talking with Sarah, about wanting to blog my journey through this new adventure, she suggested that I do it in 2s. Meaning 2 days, 2 weeks, and 2 months. 2+2+2 deal!!!
Here are my initial thoughts and/or reactions that I've gotten. Clint didn't notice that I had make-up on. That's a good thing in my book. Clint's not a big fan of the whole make-up thing, so the fact that he didn't notice was good. He also said that my face was rather smooth (after I made him feel it) My face already has shown improvements in the smoothness factor and overall softness. The biggest plus for me is the fact that the huge dark circles under my eyes are slightly less noticeable. The first picture is what my face looked like before I started. The second is this evening.
I know I'm not smiling in the second picture, but if I smiled you wouldn't be able to see the lack of dark circles under my eyes! I had a couple of my male co-workers tell me today that I was looking good, and one said that I looked really really pretty today. That made me feel really good about myself. I feel like I've turned a new leaf! New hair style/color and taking better care of my face.
Alright, that's it for now. I'll blog about my face again in 12 days. I bet you can't wait to see the results. I know I can't!
Here are my initial thoughts and/or reactions that I've gotten. Clint didn't notice that I had make-up on. That's a good thing in my book. Clint's not a big fan of the whole make-up thing, so the fact that he didn't notice was good. He also said that my face was rather smooth (after I made him feel it) My face already has shown improvements in the smoothness factor and overall softness. The biggest plus for me is the fact that the huge dark circles under my eyes are slightly less noticeable. The first picture is what my face looked like before I started. The second is this evening.
I know I'm not smiling in the second picture, but if I smiled you wouldn't be able to see the lack of dark circles under my eyes! I had a couple of my male co-workers tell me today that I was looking good, and one said that I looked really really pretty today. That made me feel really good about myself. I feel like I've turned a new leaf! New hair style/color and taking better care of my face.
Alright, that's it for now. I'll blog about my face again in 12 days. I bet you can't wait to see the results. I know I can't!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Routine
This is going to be a fast and simple post, because I have a major migraine going on right now, but I feel like I need to continue to blog everyday in order to set my routine.
I got my new Mary Kay stuff today from Sarah. I was overwhelmed at first because I couldn't remember what the darn order was. Sarah, like always, took care of me and sent me a text telling me the steps that I needed to take. I then created a cheat sheet to put in my bathroom to help me remember. Here's what it looks like
I printed it off and then cut it into 2 squares and taped it to my bathroom mirror. It was nice and reassuring to have the reminder there when I was doing my first night application. Once I get going and used to my new nightly routine I won't need the sheet anymore, but I need it now for sure!
My face is very smooth tonight and I like it!
Sorry this is short and sweet but this migraine isn't going to let me type anymore tonight.
I got my new Mary Kay stuff today from Sarah. I was overwhelmed at first because I couldn't remember what the darn order was. Sarah, like always, took care of me and sent me a text telling me the steps that I needed to take. I then created a cheat sheet to put in my bathroom to help me remember. Here's what it looks like
I printed it off and then cut it into 2 squares and taped it to my bathroom mirror. It was nice and reassuring to have the reminder there when I was doing my first night application. Once I get going and used to my new nightly routine I won't need the sheet anymore, but I need it now for sure!
My face is very smooth tonight and I like it!
Sorry this is short and sweet but this migraine isn't going to let me type anymore tonight.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Google Analytics
I installed Google Analytics onto the blog the other day, and after much fiddling, I got it to work. (I'm not that great at html) This is a wonderful thing! If you have a blog and you don't have it, you really need to. My favorite function of it so far is seeing who is reading my blog from not only other states, but the cities within the states as well. I then play the guessing game on who is reading my blog in said state.
Here's a shot of the page I'm referring to. The states that are colored have people viewing my blog. Notice that Missouri is the darkest. Duh! I live in Missouri, most of my friends are in Missouri. Kansas is the next color. Again, I have friends that live in Kansas and I'm literally 4 blocks from the state line. Here's where the fun kicks in! The other green states have views as well. I can click on the state and get a picture like this:
I can now see that the one blog reader in Oklahoma came from the Tulsa area. I'm going to assume that person is my Aunt Kay since she is in that area, but I could be wrong.
Here's what the Missouri page looks like:
I have multiple readers in Missouri in 7 different cities. Kansas City has the biggest views so it has the biggest shaded area. Since I have multiple cities in this state I get a second report that looks like this:
I can now see that the view break down goes like this: Kansas City (9), Warrensburg (5), Branson (2), Lee's Summit (2), Jefferson City (1), Independence (1), and Blue Springs (1). Pretty spiffy if you ask me!
I'm flattered that someone in Oak Grove, Kentucky is reading my blog because as far as I know I don't know anyone that lives there. So thanks reader!
Even better I have a reader from CANADA! A very special hello to you, my international reader! I hope that you are having a wonderful day! I don't know what the weather's like in Dartmouth, but I'm sure it's cooler than it is here in Missouri!
This application is pretty sweet in my book. I'm going to work on getting people from around the world to visit my blog. I'm just not sure how I will go about doing that, but I like the challenge. I want more countries to be in the green on my sign-in page. The world is a big place and I'm only reaching a very small portion.
Seeing that people are reading my blog fuels me to do more posts and more often. I love blogging, but before I never knew if I had readers. If you read my blog and have something come to mind, let me know. I enjoy getting comments and hearing what others have to say about what I write. My posts have been sparse because I wasn't feeling the love (hehe). I now know that the love is out there, and I feel like posting more!
Comment on this post and tell me where you are from, let's see if Google Analytics is getting the locations correct. As well as the number of views from each city.
Keep reading readers!
Here's a shot of the page I'm referring to. The states that are colored have people viewing my blog. Notice that Missouri is the darkest. Duh! I live in Missouri, most of my friends are in Missouri. Kansas is the next color. Again, I have friends that live in Kansas and I'm literally 4 blocks from the state line. Here's where the fun kicks in! The other green states have views as well. I can click on the state and get a picture like this:
Here's what the Missouri page looks like:
I have multiple readers in Missouri in 7 different cities. Kansas City has the biggest views so it has the biggest shaded area. Since I have multiple cities in this state I get a second report that looks like this:
I can now see that the view break down goes like this: Kansas City (9), Warrensburg (5), Branson (2), Lee's Summit (2), Jefferson City (1), Independence (1), and Blue Springs (1). Pretty spiffy if you ask me!
I'm flattered that someone in Oak Grove, Kentucky is reading my blog because as far as I know I don't know anyone that lives there. So thanks reader!
Even better I have a reader from CANADA! A very special hello to you, my international reader! I hope that you are having a wonderful day! I don't know what the weather's like in Dartmouth, but I'm sure it's cooler than it is here in Missouri!
This application is pretty sweet in my book. I'm going to work on getting people from around the world to visit my blog. I'm just not sure how I will go about doing that, but I like the challenge. I want more countries to be in the green on my sign-in page. The world is a big place and I'm only reaching a very small portion.
Seeing that people are reading my blog fuels me to do more posts and more often. I love blogging, but before I never knew if I had readers. If you read my blog and have something come to mind, let me know. I enjoy getting comments and hearing what others have to say about what I write. My posts have been sparse because I wasn't feeling the love (hehe). I now know that the love is out there, and I feel like posting more!
Comment on this post and tell me where you are from, let's see if Google Analytics is getting the locations correct. As well as the number of views from each city.
Keep reading readers!
My Face and the Journey Within
My poor face this summer has taken a huge beating. Not literally or course, but figuratively speaking. I've been lucky growing up that I haven't had issues with break outs or oily spots. I get the occasional zit/pimple, but with all the heat this summer my skin has taken a turn for the not so great. My good friend Sarah McElfresh sells Mary Kay and has been dying to give me a facial. While I was at my parent's in July she came up from Branson and helped me figure out what I needed.
I'm not a HUGE fan of wearing makeup (especially mascara) but if I needed to wear any I prefer the mineral make-up because it's natural looking and feeling and you can't really tell that I'm wearing it. I used Bare Minerals for a while, but it's so expensive and even that sometimes felt like I was wearing too much. I've used Mary Kay in the past, but was always sad that they didn't have their own mineral line. That is no longer the case. They have a brilliant mineral line and when I saw it I knew I needed to try it out.
When Sarah gave me the facial I was shocked at the fact that I couldn't feel the make-up. I was super impressed. I ordered some stuff from her and hopefully it will arrive tomorrow before I start back to work. I say this because I have 2 huge zits on my face and I'd like to conceal them before I go back to work. I'm going to put up a before Mary Kay products face shot and then as I progress through everything we should see changes in my skin tone, and overall appearance.
Let the journey begin!!!
I'm not a HUGE fan of wearing makeup (especially mascara) but if I needed to wear any I prefer the mineral make-up because it's natural looking and feeling and you can't really tell that I'm wearing it. I used Bare Minerals for a while, but it's so expensive and even that sometimes felt like I was wearing too much. I've used Mary Kay in the past, but was always sad that they didn't have their own mineral line. That is no longer the case. They have a brilliant mineral line and when I saw it I knew I needed to try it out.
When Sarah gave me the facial I was shocked at the fact that I couldn't feel the make-up. I was super impressed. I ordered some stuff from her and hopefully it will arrive tomorrow before I start back to work. I say this because I have 2 huge zits on my face and I'd like to conceal them before I go back to work. I'm going to put up a before Mary Kay products face shot and then as I progress through everything we should see changes in my skin tone, and overall appearance.
Let the journey begin!!!
Ugggg! Good-bye splotchy skin and oily face!
(BTW if you didn't already know I cut off over 2 inches of hair!)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monster Room
I have been working in my classroom this week. I don't officially go back until Monday, but I like to go in and get as much done before hand as possible. Our first week back is usually spent in meetings and the like. This marks the start of my 5th year of teaching, and that just strikes me as weird. I'm not sure where all that time went, but it's nice to know that I've been doing what I love for a while now.
I've gotten a lot accomplished in my new room, and with the help of our awesome janitors, I was able to get all the unnecessary furniture out of my room today. Having wooden bookshelves in the room has helped it feel more classroom like and less office like. I put all the metal shelves and cabinets in the back by my area.
Here are some pictures of what I have done so far. I still have loads of things to do. For instance: in the math wall picture there are empty pencil boxes that are waiting for math supplies to be put in for "Math Tool Kits." I also need to level my classroom library and go through my new reading curriculum.
I'm pleased with how my monster room looks! I say monster, because that is the theme that I went with.
I've gotten a lot accomplished in my new room, and with the help of our awesome janitors, I was able to get all the unnecessary furniture out of my room today. Having wooden bookshelves in the room has helped it feel more classroom like and less office like. I put all the metal shelves and cabinets in the back by my area.
Here are some pictures of what I have done so far. I still have loads of things to do. For instance: in the math wall picture there are empty pencil boxes that are waiting for math supplies to be put in for "Math Tool Kits." I also need to level my classroom library and go through my new reading curriculum.
I'm pleased with how my monster room looks! I say monster, because that is the theme that I went with.
The start of my game shelf. I still have some that I need to bring from home.
My reference area. Dictionaries and writing guides to come shortly.
My diagonal wall with white board. My MAP Words are being held up by monsters.
Writing wall and calendar area. I'm excited about having the computers in my room this year.
Math Wall. All my math curriculum is going to go on the shelves. The tool kits are ready to be put together. My bulletin board has my "monster jobs" on it.
Again, I'm pleased with how everything looks right now. As the year goes by these walls will become covered with even more material. I usually cover as I go. As the year progresses I'll need to update this pictures.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Obsession
Dade has an obsession. And I'm okay with that! Ever since we rode the train to St. Louis he has become obsessed with trains. We bought him a tiny battery powered train in St. Louis, however it's very fragile and if Dade touches it, it falls off the track and then a panic ensues.
While Dade was at mom and dad's last week, my dad bought him (and Aidy) a wooden train set to play with. Dade was in heaven. He played with that train all week and watched my dad's train DVDs that he has. Needless to say that Dade was sad when he came home because he didn't have a wooden train set to play with.
Clint is very forgetful and the fact that he remembered this next piece of information is beyond me. While watching the train DVDs this evening (thanks dad for sending them home with us!) Clint suddenly remembered that we had his wooden train set in the basement. You would have thought it was Christmas in the Krause house. Dade was so excited about having his own wooden train set. Even better, he was watching Papa's train while playing with dada's train. The kid was has happy as a kid in a candy store.
Here are some pictures of the train madness that took over my living room.
While Dade was at mom and dad's last week, my dad bought him (and Aidy) a wooden train set to play with. Dade was in heaven. He played with that train all week and watched my dad's train DVDs that he has. Needless to say that Dade was sad when he came home because he didn't have a wooden train set to play with.
Clint is very forgetful and the fact that he remembered this next piece of information is beyond me. While watching the train DVDs this evening (thanks dad for sending them home with us!) Clint suddenly remembered that we had his wooden train set in the basement. You would have thought it was Christmas in the Krause house. Dade was so excited about having his own wooden train set. Even better, he was watching Papa's train while playing with dada's train. The kid was has happy as a kid in a candy store.
Here are some pictures of the train madness that took over my living room.
Pulling out all the pieces.
Building the track
Over the bridge!
Around the bend.
One happy kid!
Monday, August 09, 2010
Caesar
My dad called just a little bit ago to let me know that he was going to put Caesar to sleep tomorrow. Caesar is my first dog, and I got him in November of 1996. I'll never forget when they brought him home. Our neighbors across the street brought him over and I thought they had gotten a new dog. It took me a few minutes to realize that my parents had finally caved and got me a dog. He was a pound puppy, and very well trained. We have no idea how old he was when we got him. At the most 2, but more than likely he was maybe only a year old. I named him Caesar because he was a little dog and he needed a mighty name. He let me pretty much do whatever I wanted with him. I took rolls and rolls of pictures of him in little hats and sweaters by a backdrop of a curtain. Yeah I was one of those people in my early teen years. He slept with me every night, even when I had my loft bed in high school, my dad would lift him up at night.
When I moved out and got a place of my own, my dad was happy that I couldn't have pets because he didn't want me to take Caesar. As the years have gone by, Caesar was always excited to see me when I came home for a visit. It's going to be weird going home to mom and dad's and not have Caesar there waiting for me at the top of the steps. It's going to be rough tomorrow knowing that he is being put to sleep, but his health has gone down hill very quickly over the last 6 months. He was diagnosed with a heart condition and the vet informed my dad that even with the medicine that they could come home and he might be dead in his kennel.
Caesar will be greatly missed by everyone in the family. I look forward to telling the "Remember when Caesar did x thing" stories in the coming future.
When I moved out and got a place of my own, my dad was happy that I couldn't have pets because he didn't want me to take Caesar. As the years have gone by, Caesar was always excited to see me when I came home for a visit. It's going to be weird going home to mom and dad's and not have Caesar there waiting for me at the top of the steps. It's going to be rough tomorrow knowing that he is being put to sleep, but his health has gone down hill very quickly over the last 6 months. He was diagnosed with a heart condition and the vet informed my dad that even with the medicine that they could come home and he might be dead in his kennel.
Caesar will be greatly missed by everyone in the family. I look forward to telling the "Remember when Caesar did x thing" stories in the coming future.
Caesar in the window at mom and dad's house.
Caesar with Dade shortly after he was born.
Thanks Caesar for 14 years of being an awesome dog!
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Reading
I really should be in bed considering that it is now 12:04 AM and I have a lot to do tomorrow before we head off to GenCon Wednesday morning. However, I wanted to share some of my current favorite sites as of lately.
I've been making a more conscious effort to read this summer. Clint reads all the time, and gives me a hard time about not reading as much as I probably should. I recently joined a Book Club with some of my friends. We meet the last Thursday of every month, enjoy a lite dinner and wine, and then talk about the book at hand. We rotate between houses, and who ever is the host picks the book. My only problem is that I cannot go now unless we have a sitter, because Clint will be at work. I really enjoyed the book club and it made me sad that I had to drop out.
I began to search on the internet for a book club that I could do and still have meaningful discussions with women. My searching brought me to the website Good Reads. I immediately fell in love with the site, and found a group (Chicks on Lit) on there that fits what I'm looking for. I can track my reading stack (what I want to read, what I'm reading, and what I have read) as well as track my progress on my current book I'm reading.
I also found a pretty awesome website that allows you to enter for a chance to win a non-proof copy of a book that is about to be released. The hope of this website is that people will read the book before it is released, and then help generate a buzz on the internet about it. This website is called Read It Forward. I have been registering every month since April for a chance to win. I have received a book now every month since May. It is an awesome way to get a new release for free and a safe way to read a book without any cost to the reader. Sometimes it's tough to branch out and try a new genre when money is involved. Sticking to what you like is safer! I will say that I'm excited to recieve this books, even if it takes me a while to get through my stack.
Well, that's about it! Check out those sites and see if you find something that you like!
Happy Reading!
I've been making a more conscious effort to read this summer. Clint reads all the time, and gives me a hard time about not reading as much as I probably should. I recently joined a Book Club with some of my friends. We meet the last Thursday of every month, enjoy a lite dinner and wine, and then talk about the book at hand. We rotate between houses, and who ever is the host picks the book. My only problem is that I cannot go now unless we have a sitter, because Clint will be at work. I really enjoyed the book club and it made me sad that I had to drop out.
I began to search on the internet for a book club that I could do and still have meaningful discussions with women. My searching brought me to the website Good Reads. I immediately fell in love with the site, and found a group (Chicks on Lit) on there that fits what I'm looking for. I can track my reading stack (what I want to read, what I'm reading, and what I have read) as well as track my progress on my current book I'm reading.
I also found a pretty awesome website that allows you to enter for a chance to win a non-proof copy of a book that is about to be released. The hope of this website is that people will read the book before it is released, and then help generate a buzz on the internet about it. This website is called Read It Forward. I have been registering every month since April for a chance to win. I have received a book now every month since May. It is an awesome way to get a new release for free and a safe way to read a book without any cost to the reader. Sometimes it's tough to branch out and try a new genre when money is involved. Sticking to what you like is safer! I will say that I'm excited to recieve this books, even if it takes me a while to get through my stack.
Well, that's about it! Check out those sites and see if you find something that you like!
Happy Reading!
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