A Piggy Puggle Muddle

Hi Everyone! How have you been enjoying my featured teachers/guest bloggers and all their freebies? Anyone miss me?

I am so happy that I set this up as this week as it has been a whirl-wind of week! I procrastinated on my homework and will NOT do that again. I decided I would have enough time after my job interview to do it. And I would have if I didn't get the job.

BUT I DID! 

Which is AWESOME! 

or EPIC! 

or SOMETHING!!

Instead of waiting for 12/13 school year, I was hired to start substituting immediately as in Friday the 13. They created a special orientation class just for me which is why I wrote the worst paper ever as I had to read 200 pages on how to be a sub and fill out 57 pages by the next morning. I did it and wrote a 1500 word paper.

Same day my taxes came in but only about half of what it was suppose to be. At this point, I am just grateful for anything. We immediate went and bought the rental car we have had for the past two months. Well... immediately after I found out I got the job. So we are once again a one car family again. YIPPEE!

Which brings me to the piggy puggle muddle. What on earth am I talking about?? 

 

Have I told you all how much I adore my husband and how spoiled I am? If not, I am gonna share with you another story. My birthday is in May and my hubby's in June. I have this problem every June that my husband spent so much money on me during the month of May that there is nothing left to celebrate him with. I have asked him to stop but he ignores me. 

It's like when I asked for a smaller engagement ring, he said I can have that size of a diamond or a bigger one but not smaller. I kept it as he knew I would. At that set the precedent for our relationship. I never get a chance to spoil him. 

So... I decided that this year... I WOULD WIN! My husband loves animals. We both do and so wish we could move back home and live on the ranch. Someday...

Anywho... the only way to actually do something for him was to do it prior to May and when he wasn't expecting it. So after orientation yesterday, I drove 200 miles to get him this.... 

His first dog was a pug but I couldn't afford a Pug. So I bought a Puggle! (Did anyone notice she matches? Black dog, red collar... anyone still in doubt about my OCD? She can shed and it will blend into the house!) She is 7 weeks old and 6 inches tall (the boys measured her with a ruler). That is a cat collar and its big on her. LOL!

After picking her up (and wondering where the 3AM Teacher lives as I know I drove past her house), we went shopping. She found herself a bed and went to sleep in the car. She loves her bed and crawls into and sleeps. Even in the car or the bathtub (where she sleeps until I go and pick up her crate).

So after all of that, I went to pick up my brother in law (he carpools everyday with hubby) who fell in love with her (his first dog was the same pug as hubby's. duh! They are brothers... didn't think of that at the time and thought it was weird she reminded him of his first dog as well. In my defense, I had driven 300 miles by this point and was tired!).

And then we went to go get hubby. He called and wanted to know what I spent all the money on... ummmm... gas and groceries? He would find out in about 10 minutes. The kids already spoiled the surprise and hubby had called to check on them and they were complaining they had to clean the house before Mama brought home a puppy. Bad children!

Hubby brought friends to show off his new puppy when he got off of work. He was so excited... I was wondering why there was a group trailing him (didn't know the secret was given away yet!). Then he asked how I managed to get a dog for so cheap (I drove half-way to California!) and when were we taking her shopping. 

Then I told him ummmm... already done! See... Pup and puppy package. She even went to the vet and got her first shots. I am awesome and through!

When I picked her up the first time and snorted at me like a baby piggy. So I called her Miss Piggy all the way home. I wanted to let hubby name her but the name stuck like crazy glue. So she is a Miss Piggy Puggle.

Which brings us to the muddle part. I just took a job and will no longer be home all the time to train her. The boys can't do it but she does seem to be house broken (no accidents yet!).

So... I am off to get my homework done first! Anyone know someone who learned English as a second language that I can interview by email? I don't know anyone and it is my assignment this week. 

Then... 3-6 catch-up, TpT uploads, freebies, and possibly a sub kit! We shall see.  Next week.. I have more featured teachers/guest bloggers to share with you. Can't wait!

An Award & A Linky & Some Randomness

I changed my mind about what I wanted to share with all of you today for a few very important reasons. Grab a drink and a snack... this is a long post!

1 ~ I WON MY FIRST AWARD! Okay... sorry for yelling. I am just so EXCITED! Thank you to Classy Confessions for awarding me the Liebster Award. Now it is my turn to pass this onto 5 fellow bloggers with 200 or less followers and who has not received the award yet. I am awarding it to: The Adventures of a 6th Grade Teacher, Teaching with a Twist of Liam, Kids Cog Works,  Oh My Little Classity Class, and Finding Joy in 6th Grade!

2 ~ I hope you all are ready (and want) to learn a little more about me. I promised Ms. B I would join her linky party but I am a few days late. I am hoping she will forgive me! If you haven't joined in on the fun head over to Buzzin with Ms. B so that I will not be the last one to join!

My hubby and I met in training at work. We would eventually work an hour away in different areas but for 2-weeks we sat side by side. However... I am getting ahead of myself.

To make a long story very VERY short, love did not work out for me the first time around. I was a single mom raising three little boys, working full time, going to school full time, soccer practice, boy scouts, church, and house cleaning. I did it all with very little help and very little money. My life was overflowing with responsibilities. Hubby was a bachelor. Not just any bachelor an extreme Harley riding out every night bachelor. His life was carefree. He had no responsibilities and no budget. He never even had a serious relationship! He ran from those as fast as he could.

We became fast friends in training, went out to lunch with friends daily (he paid thankfully or I could have never gone as I once explained to him). One day a friend of ours was drooling over the new guy. We were discussing who should go find out his name when the bachelor walked by (Ben has nothing on him!). I asked him to go find out who the new guy was as I was not going and she was still drooling. The three of us got to talking and she blurts out forget the new guy... you should ask her out! I found out he was mad later as he was planning on it. My response was I would discuss it with him privately later.

So later came and I told him no way. Ain't gonna happen. I am too busy dealing with my life that I do not have time for dating. Besides I did the whole love, marriage, family thing... and it SUCKS! He kept saying it was a great idea, I kept saying it was a horrible idea. (Did I mention we are both stubborn?) So I finally agreed... if he could survive my life for a month  (HA! Mr. Adorable will not survive a day!) then I would go out on a date with him.

I rounded up all my friends to come up with a plan. Remember the movie on how to get a guy in 10 days? My plan was like that but it was more of how to lose a guy in 10 days. Besides training was over now, we were in different parts of the city. He would find someone else. First step... guys do not like being asked questions. I googled my heart out for get to know you questions. I sent him 2000! Yep, that should scare him off. He answered EVERY question. That was not part of my plan. He laughed and said it was fun. I never did read all his answers.

So that idea didn't work. So my friend the lawyer said to ask for his social security number and drivers license... after all he could be a criminal and we don't want his kind around the boys. So I asked and he gave it to me. Sigh... who gives out that kind of information?? I would have been like "sorry buddy no one gets that info" but he trusted me. My lawyer friend really did run a background check and even a credit history. We found nothing but a squeaky clean report and perfect credit.

Time to bring in the big guns... the boys! No bachelor can handle kids right? I have to be right on this one. I called him one night while about 5 minutes away and asked what he was doing. Then asked if he wanted to meet us for dinner. He suggested Mexican... my evil Grinch grin appeared. The boys HATE anything that is not a chicken nugget. It was perfect for a disaster, I said yes, can you be ready in 5 minutes? He feed the boys tortilla chips and promised to take them to the park after dinner if they were good. The loved him immediately. He became their favorite toy to climb. He secretly taught them how to make boy noises. This is not my plan. Next up ice cream then shoe shopping. The boys are terrors in a shoe store and give them sugar prior... I might not survive. Mr. Perfect had a blast and he paid the bill when I was trying to wrestle with a monkey who was in desperate need of a nap.

I kept trying and failing... he won... he got his date. ONE date. Just one. This is not a relationship. I did not agree to any more than one.

He planned to make it the best date every. It would last all day starting at day break as "I earned it." We went to his hometown for breakfast and discovered we both grew up in small towns near each other and our families were friends. We believe we have even met a time or two prior but we would need Grandma to tell us (she is no longer with us). We went on a hike and a picnic. We reminisced and had a blast. Drove home (2 hours) and changed to go out to a five star restaurant and danced the night away. It was amazingly perfect!

He called the next day and asked if he could come over and make us dinner. I was so exhausted I agreed... relieved someone else would cook for a change. Mr. Adorable is actually Mr. Perfect. He shows up with nuggets and milk for the boys and cooks for us. Who can say no to someone who remembers the boys favorites?

I fought and kicked my way through our relationship and engagement. I was still scared that love couldn't work but I married Mr. Perfect and am so happy that he was right. He adopted my children this year... and now we are truly one big happy family. Don't tell Mr. Confident but I think I love him more today than I did when he proposed.

Now if you made it through that... you should hear the engagement and wedding stories.

3 ~ I had to show you what I got the two youngest boys for valentine's day. My middle child was hoping and praying for a puppy. So I got him one... made out of chocolate!

4 ~ I just got the shipping confirmation from 31.... IT ARRIVES TOMORROW! I can't remember who started the 31 Bag Give Away (which I did not win) .... so I just had to join in the fun. They sent it by two day shipping. It took less than a week from the time I ordered until it is suppose to get here. Can anyone guess what I ordered and in what pattern?

5 ~ Did you notice I added the Core Curriculum App to my blog? Did you see the pages I added? If not, you should!

Love Languages

During a class discussion my professor questioned my use of external motivators. The current philosophy is that children should learn to motivate themselves. I thought I would share with all of you my response.

One of the best books I have ever read was The Five Love Languages and The Five Love Languages for Children.

Both of these books has allowed me to develop closer relationships with the people who mean the most in my life. If you haven't read these books, I highly recommend them. It discusses how people feel and receive love in different ways.

To a further extent, I think this is also how we feel and accept recognition as well. There is not a simple one technique will fit all approach. Each of us is unique as each of our students are unique. What works for one will not work with another.

I believe this is why as teachers we are challenged with building individual relationships with each of our students. The larger the classroom, the more students assigned to us, the harder it is to accomplish this task. I do not feel it is ever impossible but one must be willing to change their frame of reference and see the world from another point of view.

Cricket Cricut

Shhhhh! I bought a Cricut. Hubby thinks it is a "requirement" for my classroom not just his wife being weirdly obsessive about things. I am quite certain he is just humoring me and knows this is not true.

Kind of like when he had to buy that new video game because a man was holding him at gun point, and then there was this blinding light from above hovering over the store and an angel came and said "Go, it has arrived." That story still cracks me up and I am so not doing it justice. Good thing I think he is adorable and love him so much!

My boys thought I bought a cricket and wanted to know if they could go to a friend's house to feed it to his lizard.

When it arrived, they discovered my Cricut is a not a cricket! So instead they named my new toy Cricket. Ahh... the life of a mom!

And that is the story of my

Cricket Cricut!!

Isn't it cute! It is the Cricut Expression and it matches my classroom. See!... it really IS for my classroom AND I have not used it for anything but school projects to date.

Don't ya worry though... I am working up to it! I got it on sale for $117 at Amazon!!! Keep your eye out for deals on these. I am truly loving this little machine.

 It works with a 6x12 mat but it has the option to "fit to page" or to change from landscape to portrait mode to make bigger items. So far, it does everything I need and want it to and it is a lot cheaper than the $300 top of the line 12x12 machine. I have even checked for one used... they are still in the high $200's and do not match as well. Although white is one of my colors but never mind.

Here are a few tips I have discovered about this machine:
1) Wal-mart (I hate that place!) is currently clearancing out their Cricket items. Check there for half price cartridges, vinyl, and other supplies. The supplies are limited and vary from store to store. Note - they are not on sale online!

2) It does not like construction paper either. To soft and tears easily but only when using letters that are less than 3" in size. They are perfect as long as 3" or bigger.

3) Buy extra mats - you will need them. They lose their stickiness fast and then you run into the tearing paper issue again if working with small letters or designs.

4) The spatula is really not necessary; at least I have let to find a use for it

I am very excited about this investment of mine. It will be great for creating bulletin board lettering, labeling items, making cute projects I find on Pinterest, and I know I am only touching the tip of the ice berg on what this bad boy can do.

Look out world...

I am taking my crafting abilities out of the closet!

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:
~ Cricut Machine (not a box of crickets!)
~ 4 extra mats minimum
~ Scrapbook paper