Updates

So it looks like I got busy with school and kind of fell off from posting updates here!  The last half of the year as I took over a classroom went really well.... so well that I got rehired to teach first grade this upcoming school year!!  I am so excited and it has been a long wait to have my own classroom from the time I graduated with my degree.  So long that I had to renew my statement of eligibility to teach, but it all went smooth and I am ready to go for the new year.

We did get the house on the market in the beginning of April in hopes of selling and buying a new place in the country.  Unfortunately we have not had any offers yet.  I am trying to not get too hopeful as I am afraid of being let down and not selling within 6 months.  Once 6 months are up, we are planning on taking the house off the market and I am not sure we will put it back up for sell next year.  We shall see though, as we are planning to pay off more debt with the sell of the house and start new and fresh with only a mortgage as our only debt if the house sells as planned.  I am getting nervous because there are not many houses selling in my neighborhood right now.  Last year, houses did start selling in late July/August for a couple of months, maybe the same will hold true this year?  We also have major road construction going on with the main road leading to our subdivision which is not helpful.  I can imagine people not in the best mood by the time they get here if they are viewing the house during peak traffic time.

I also have not worked in my garden this year.  I was kind of hoping to get an offer on the house by now, so I have not kept up with the garden.  I am missing it and my fresh veggies.  My brother is missing my canned banana peppers!  He came over on Independence Day and asked for some.  I told him to find me some fresh banana peppers and I would love to!  I am missing them also, eating the store bought canned banana pepper rings is just not the same.

We have had to do some small trips again this year like we did last year.  I was hoping to get to the beach this year, but do not have the money with the house not selling as I had hoped.  So far we have been to Kings Island and Pigeon Forge.  Those trips are worth posts of their own so I will spare the details for now.  I do wish I took more photos on those trips, but honestly, I was more concerned with enjoying my time with the family than of taking photos.  But I do love photos to remember those special moments!

I guess this is update enough for the time being.  I have other great things to talk about, including my try to lose weight once again (I am still up and down on that front) and more.

What a beautiful weekend!

I am starting to feel a fall chill here in Kentucky.  Over the weekend, the morning had a little extra chill that I love when waking up (though it also makes me want to just stay in bed covered up!).  Alex had a great soccer game Saturday morning, and then we got to enjoy a beautiful hike at Mcconnell Springs.  Cara put on a jacket and I realized just how much she has grown since the spring, so on Sunday we headed out to the store and got a new hoodie for her.  I also got a little cleaning done, but not as much as I should have done, which seems to be the story of my life when it comes to cleaning!  Maybe when the kids are grown I will have time to clean!  What did your weekend look like?  I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Alex and Cara at Mcconnell Springs

Fall Soccer is Here!

Now things are going to be super busy until Christmas!!  Once soccer ends, I start on my Masters.  I will do my best to stick with 3 days a week blog posts, but they will probably be a whole lot of ramblings and I will get back to a few recipes when things slow down!!  Hope everyone is having a great Monday, I am missing my 3 day weekend from last week right now ;)

Couch to 5K

So last week I started the Couch to 5K program.  I found a wonderful app for my phone from Active.com that shows me how far and how fast I have gone each time I am out, something that completely keeps me motivated as I love to compare my most recent run to previous runs. 

Now I have always been quite timid about getting outside and jogging/running.  I don't know, it just seems like the older I get, the more I don't want to be seen running, which is really strange when I stop and think about it.  I mean, we have quite a few joggers in my neighborhood and have a walking trail where I see plenty of joggers.  Why do I even care what others think of my jogging?  I don't know most of the people I see when I am out, and I am looking decent since I have a sports bra helping out with not getting knocked out or a black eye when I am jogging (my bigger breasted ladies, you know what I am talking about ;) ).

Anyways, I have been told by a few people I should at least try the whole Couch to 5K thing, that it is a great way to ease into it and get comfortable.  So I finally looked at the calendar for the program and could have slapped myself when I saw that most of the times needed were just 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week!  How awesome is that!  I was thinking I would have to carve out all this time, and working around Damien's schedule to ensure someone was home with the kids during my run was something I had been dreading.  But 3 days a week for only 30 minutes?  There were surely 3 evenings I could find Damien off, or even a morning of a weekend if need be... sure enough, when I checked Damien's work schedule, I found I could fit this in quite easily!

So one evening, I was completely motivated, found the awesome app I mentioned above, but I needed something to help with carrying my phone around as I was not planning to be wearing jeans on my run.  So I headed to Wal-Mart quickly and found one of those armbands that can carry your phone and I was set.  The first week's calendar for the Couch to 5K is to jog for 1 minute and walk for a minute and a half alternating.  The best part of the app was that it told me when to start jogging and when to start walking, so I did not have to time it myself.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to think about the exercise when I am exercising, so having something tell me when to jog and when to walk was pretty awesome.  Some times it is the small things I love!  I was also able to play Pandora in the background and could still hear the lady on the Couch to 5K app clearly.  And if you have music stored on your phone, you can just play it through the app.

This fall I will not be able to participate in any races, and I know once it starts to get cold I will stop running outside (hopefully I will be motivated to keep up on the treadmill), but I love that I can do this again when it warms up in the spring, and hopefully I will be able to participate in a race!  I have just completed the first week so far, so let's see how motivated I stay in the coming weeks.

Have you done the Couch to 5K program?  Did you stick with it after the program?  I would love to hear your story, including if you got to complete a race after doing the program!

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone that has today off is enjoying it! I love a good three day weekend, but I am a little sad that Damien had to work all these days and tomorrow is his day off, the day we head back to school for the week.  It completely stinks, but I also have to remember that I need to be grateful that we both have a job and we are going to be able to catch back up financially.  Because he works in a restaurant, we have been able to keep babysitters and daycares to a minimum by working opposite hours when I was not staying home.  Now that both kids are in school, they do after school care since it is in the middle of the day, but overall, they still do not have to stay long in after school care, something I think we are all grateful for.

Anyways, that last paragraph is definitely some rambling on my part!  Now go enjoy your holiday off!  See you on Wednesday!

When Refrigerators Go Bad!

I should have figured when the fridge broke on New Year's Eve and I spent the entire evening defrosting our fridge that it was a sign of the year ahead.  After that, we spent money twice trying to fix the fridge (along with both vehicles needing repairs, issues with the washer, and other things that just seemed to take a lot out of savings!).  We finally found out the fridge had problems with the heater part around the coils so it just kept freezing up.  At the time, we were given an estimate of around $600 to fix it.  We decided to get a new fridge instead, but we did not have much money, so every week and half I had to defrost the fridge until we were in a better position to get a new one.

One of the many times I had to defrost the old fridge.

With school on my mind a couple of weeks ago, I told Damien I could not keep up with defrosting the fridge and everything else too, I was ready to get a little cheap fridge.  So on a whim, we got online to Sears.com and found their cheapest 18.2 cubic ft. Kenmore.  Now I know better than to buy and check reviews after the fact, but that is what happened and I kept reading that the fridge was LOUD.  I thought, how bad could it be?

Alex saying bye to the old fridge.

Our delivery day was a Friday, 2 days after ordering. The good thing about getting a fridge delivered from Sears is that for 10 bucks more they will take and recycle your old fridge. 

So after our big fridge was gone and our new smaller fridge was here and plugged in, I heard what the fridge sounded like when it is running.... and it is LOUD!  I am used to it now, but I am still a little nervous about when we put the house on the market and the potential buyers are hearing this loud fridge.  We will probably be taking it with us, so maybe they will be relieved when they see that the fridge is not to be part of the house!

New fridge, super loud!

Grouponing

There are two types of businesses that I stalk my Groupon app for, salons and restaurants. 

Now my love for Groupon started when a lot of local restaurants were offering 50% off a meal for 2 or 4 people.  Now it seems like a good restaurant Groupon is becoming more rare every day.  So every time I see a good Groupon for a restaurant we love, I grab it and don't look back!  And if it is a restaurant where tipping is the norm, I do not forget to tip off the original check, not with my Groupon discount.  I was once upon a time a server, and it is a tough job!  I really relied on my tips since the pay was just enough to cover taxes and maybe a little pocket change.

The trend for my area Groupons are all about the salons this past year.  Seems like many are part of the Groupon world, including stylists that just rent a stall and put out the Groupon for just themselves.  I have gotten to the point that I cannot afford to get my highlights from the stylist I fell in love with years ago, so I do jump stylists depending on who has the best Groupon out that serves my needs.  I feel a little guilty, I admit, because I know many stylists depend on the return clients.  But for now, I must do what I can afford.  It is nice to get a Groupon where I can get my highlights, cut, and style for half the price I used to pay (and would put on my credit card, part of why our finances are how they are now and we can no longer afford the things we used to do, including long vacations!).  And of course, I pay the tip based on what the price would have been before the Groupon.  Many stylists have been a little surprised that I still tipped based on the original price before the Groupon, so it makes me think that maybe people are tipping based on the Groupon price (or maybe not at all).  These people are making you feel confident and beautiful so do not forget to tip!!  Tipping is the norm with stylists, Groupon or not!

And of course there are other great industries that are taking advantage of the increase of customers from Groupon.  Hotels are a major one I noticed, though I have yet to try booking a hotel from a Groupon discount.  The ones I have looked at are usually only good on dates I cannot travel.

What are some your favorite Groupon deals?  Do you check the Groupon website or app often?

First Day of School Photo

I have decided to start posting 3 times a week as this first week at school has been pretty crazy!  Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays will be my post days.  I wish I could keep up with 5 days a week, but I don't see it at this point.  And, as my post says, here is a photo Damien took of the kids on their first day of school!  I have to say, it was a successful week overall!

First Day of School!

So I am writing this ahead of time because I know how crazy busy we will be for the first day of school!  I will try to post photos before the end of this week though!  But as I head out to the elementary school I work at and the kids head out to the school they attend, I am a little sad.  I had decided long ago that if I was not a teacher at the school they attended, I would not pull them out to go with me, mostly because of the fear of being pink slipped and they having to change schools again and again if they were following me.  I am working at the same school I was at last year, but I had also been pink slipped in March and not rehired until July.  I am a planner, and with that fear over my head year after year until I can hopefully get tenured, I feel better that the kids go to their neighborhood school (keep in mind I am going to be switching jobs to a long term sub this year, losing my time as an assistant for tenure purposes, though if I was a regular certified teacher, I would have to start over the tenure process anyways... so basically I will probably be tenured when they are in middle school anyways!).

With a possible move over our heads, this is quite possibly the last year the kids will be at their current school.  But I will keep them with whatever school we are districted for if/when when we move.  I am a little sad to move them, I am a creature of habit I suppose.  I know the teachers there, we all have friends there, it is a little intimidating to have to start all over!  Especially for the kids, I did not have to change schools (other than when a new one had been built, but all my friends were there for the move too).  I do not know what it feels like to be the new kid in class.  So I worry about that too. 

So yes, I am worried with the big changes coming this school year.  I have a lot to tackle and I do not want to disappoint myself or others.  I need to remember to take a deep breath and make the most of every day I have.  My best is needed this year, I have a lot to prove to myself that I can do it, even under pressure!  Taking over a class halfway through the year, starting my Masters, putting the house on the market, plus the kids activities and other things that take up our time.... here we go!

Liebster Award

I was nominated for a Liebster Award by The Many Adventures of Lill Kids.  The Liebster Award is an award for newer blogs with less than 200 followers.  I am honored to be considered!

In order to accept the award, I must answer 11 questions and then list 11 random facts about myself.  So here we go:

1. Sweet Treat or Salty Snack?  I love switching between the 2!  A little bit of sweet followed by a little bit of salty is perfect!

2.  What is your favorite holiday song?  Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

3. Romantic Comedy or Terrifying Thriller?  Romantic Comedy... I am a big scaredy cat!

4. Who was your favorite teacher when you were younger?  I had many fave teachers, but I have to say my Biology teacher in high school was the most memorable!  He had such a small voice, yet everyone listened up when he was talking.

5. Chocolate or Plain milk?  Chocolate!!

6. What did you want to be when you were growing up?  A teacher, and I am almost there!

7. Jeans or Yoga pants when you are home?  Yoga pants!  I am all about some comfort.

8. Read a book on the kindle or read a book you can physically hold?  I like to physically hold a book... it makes me feel the most comfortable.

9. What is your favorite sports team?  I am in the Big Blue Nation part of the world, huge fan of Kentucky Wildcats basketball!

10. Where did you meet your best friend?  School

11. Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter Cookies?  Chocolate chip!  Total chocoholic here!

11 Random Facts

1. My husband is from Australia.
2. I love the shows Biggest Loser and Once Upon a Time.
3. I lived in Florida for 5 years.
4. My favorite colors are blue and green.
5. I don't like to listen to newer music, radio stations that play music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s are for me!
6. I am starting grad school this fall.
7. I am feeling that I am boring with my list so far, haha!
8. My new fridge is too loud but it was way cheap so I cannot complain too much!
9. I love couponing and wish I still had the time to do it properly!
10. I could have gotten my driver's license when I was 16, but waited until I was 18.
11. I have been to 4 colleges if you count the one I am going to this fall!

Blogs I am Nominating for the Liebster Award

 

http://alispetkitchen.blogspot.com/

http://ruralrookie.com/

http://www.workinsweatsmama.com/ 

 

Rules for Nominees

- Link back to your nominating blog

- Answer the questions they have provided

- Share 11 random facts about yourself

- Nominate blogs with less than 200 followers

- Create 11 questions to be answered by your nominees

- Contact your nominees and let them know

 

Questions for Nominees

1. Dog or cat?
2. What is your fave movie genre?
3. The last person you hugged?
4. Favorite childhood memory?
5. Any broken bones?
6. What did you want to be when you grew up?
7. Fave school subject?
8. What does your name mean?
9. What is the last thing you ate?
10. Last song you heard?
11. Last person you texted?

Thank you for the reward!  I cannot wait to see what the above blogs come up with! 

 

Hi-ho, Hi-ho, It's Off to Work I Go!

I know you are totally singing that in your head now!  But today is the day, my first official day back to work for the school year.  The kids are not back until Wednesday, so while they get to go off and head to the pool with friends today, I will be sitting in trainings and doing the wonderful computer training that I am sure you all love.  Not boring even one bit (hear the sarcasm??).    But it is so worth it.

Back in March I was pink slipped from my teaching assistant job and spent that month up until July more than a little stressed.  I was sending out my resumes left and right, only hearing back that they received it and would be reviewing resumes in the next few weeks.  Then nothing, crickets maybe, but that was it.  Crickets.

June started and I was blessed to be working Kindergarten Camp at the elementary school I had been working at.  One day in July, the principal asked me to come back as an assistant for half the year, and as a long term sub for 1st grade during the second half.  I was elated.  Sure, I have been looking for a regular teaching job, but when all you hear are crickets, you quickly realize how much of a blessing it is to have a job close to what you love, even if it is not exact.  And then I still get to be the lead teacher during the second half, and hopefully will prove myself valuable enough to become a regular teacher for the next school year.

So though I dread the early mornings and being away from my own kids, I realize what a blessing it is to be going to a place I do love, with students I love and care for, and with some co-workers that are the best around.  And with that thought, I leave you with one of my previous summer photos I posted last week... but it is one of the moments during our summer that was simple and yet I treasure the most.

Activities Close to Home: When a Faraway Vacation is Not Possible

I want to start off with thanking all those that checked out my posts this week about different spots we visited during this summer!  School is next week for us so it has been great remembering the fun we had (I need to check how many days until next summer, I am going to miss it too much!).

This week has been about activities that we found close to our home in Lexington, Kentucky.  For those that have not seen the posts yet, you can find the different spots I featured in this series here:

• Louisville Zoo
• Mammoth Cave
• Newport Aquarium
• Kentucky Railway Museum

We were not able to go on a faraway vacation this year for many reasons, including financial reasons.  In late March, I found out I was pink slipped from my teaching assistant job (I got re-hired in July for that position until after Christmas, which is when I will take over a 1st grade classroom for the last half of the year).  But in late March until I was re-hired, I was a bit stressed!  I did not want the kids to just be sitting at home all summer because we were having financial problems, so I knew they would be going to the local parks and other free things that Lexington offers.  But what else could I do to make it a super special summer without spending much money?  My guidelines to finding activities included:

• Distance from our house (had to be within a 2 hour driving distance)
• Family friendliness
• Cheapness

I feel we did pretty well on keeping true to those guidelines.  When I ask Cara what she will tell people when they ask what they did this summer, she had a list a mile long, so we must have done something right!  And so now, I leave you with a few photos of other summer fun we had, close to our backyard!

Historic Lindsay Springs- 15 minute bike ride from our house- Free!

YMCA Pool- 15 minute car drive from our house- Monthly fee for the Y

Waveland Museum and Park- 20 minute car drive from our house- Free!

Mcconnells Springs Hiking Trail- 10 minute car drive from our house- Free!

Kentucky State Capital- 25 minute car drive from our house- Free to walk around ;)

Kentucky State Capital- Flower Clock- Cara loves this thing and talks about it all the time!

Backyard fun... Free!

What are some destination spots close your home that you want to or have gone to during a "staycation?" 

A Little Bit of This, A Little bit of That

Getting started writing on the blog is tough!  So many decisions... What topic to start with on what day, pacing myself so I do not burn out, making it enjoyable and not like another job (I have one already, I don't need to make another one).  Not to mention I need to make sure I am still keeping the kids as my number one priority.  Thank goodness I just found the blogger app for my iPhone so that while I am waiting for anything, including drying off at the pool (not that I am doing that right now or anything!), I can start typing up a post!  And how much easier to upload a photo than through the app since my photos are conveniently right there in my phone!

For next week's posts, I have decided to dedicate each day to an activity my family did this summer.  We were unable to afford a big vacation, so instead we found fun places that are within 2 hours of our house to explore.  We have lived in Central Kentucky for 7 years, and yet have not seen a lot that surrounds us.  Though it was hard to work around Damien's work hours (since he works in a restaurant, he works a lot of weekends) and my summer school hours, we were able to pull off a pretty fun summer for the kids on the cheap.

And yes, I was totally drying off at the pool while typing this up.  It was a slightly chillier day for the first of August, and the pool was quite empty feeling, something I had not witnessed until today!