Something great but a little sour!

Baby Case is now 13 weeks and one day (I say 14 weeks...it's easier that way!) I have had an amazing pregnancy so far. I of course have been tired and nauseous for the first month or so but now I'm feeling great! I'm trying to not jinx myself but I'm already loving being a mommy. I can't even really believe that a true statement...I'm a mommy...wow.......
This week the baby is the size of a lemon...hence the something a little sour. (I'm a dork I know.) Over the last three weeks it has been a lime, medium shrimp, & a lemon...in that order...my thought is a lime is not smaller than a medium shrimp. Also who measures a shrimp and claims it's medium sized? Which then brings us to a lemon...which I consider a smallish/medium fruit...so the lime must have been a key lime, but no specifics were given about the lime unlike the shrimp....go figure! Jeremy and I have had a good chuckle over the baby to fruit/veggie comparisons.
I will post pics of the belly and I promise I'll be more on the ball about posting!!!!

Let the adventure begin:

Well my family is starting off on a new adventure.  We are having a baby! I am in my 11th week this week, and the baby is apparently the size of a fig or a prune depending on which website you look at. Not really sure why we compare baby's to fruit and veggies, but Jeremy and I think it's great fun!  I've been feeling great and we can't wait for the new adventures!

Shameless plugging for my jobs:

As I'm sure you know I sell Creative Memories (what was scrapbook products) photo solutions, and you can now find my facebook updates for my business to the right hand side of the blog. We have an awesome digital sale starting tomorrow through the 21st.  30% off digital artwork for your Storybook software...still need the software? I can hook you up with that too! And...just because you may not be interested doesn't mean you don't have people in your life that would...please pass on my info!

And of course my teaching job...I have a current project on donorschoose.org and you can go to www.limeadesforlearning.com and vote for my project under 'find a project' keyword 'high tech reading'.  I'm Mrs. C obviously. =) I would LOVE for you to vote everyday!  And even better if you'd like to give to my project you can find it at www.donorschoose.org/mrscase

Thanks, love to you all!

Crazy Day, ending with fun News

Totally crazy day of my blind student having major meltdowns throughout the day. The "best" one coming as we were leaving, why I don't know.... I'm talking yelling, crying, screaming, hitting and pounding on my classroom door...it was my breaking point and apparently hers....  Sent the aide to retrieve her adult and buzzed for the "tall one" (principal).  I am working so hard to have her be a typical student and my braille is coming along.  I just don't like days like today where we don't have any progress, or so it feels like. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. And hopefully a better one.
On my fun news note, I just found out a wonderful Kappa sister is preggo with TWINS! I'm honestly in shock, especially considering I just saw her last week and it wasn't even on the radar.  So excited for her, and it will be an amazing adventure for her, her hubby, and their little girl. Made me smile at the end of my veeeeeerrrrrry LONG day!

First Week Back at School!

I had a wonderful first week back at school.  I'm glad to be back doing what I love to do...teach children! By the time May rolls around, believe me I'm ready for a break, but now I'm ready to get to it! (remind me of this in a couple of months....) I have a class of 16, yes shockingly small, I was expecting at least 22.  But I'm am 110% thankful for a wonderful boss that knows how important it is to have small class sizes for the little people of the world to learn to read. Also, because of my class, or rather one student, I am now teaching myself/learning braille. Yep you heard right, I said braille.  I have a student that is blind in my class this year, and man let me tell you it's one big a$$ adventure already.  I currently know the braille letters a-m and the braille for a number sign. I will let you know how I am progressing in what I consider a whole 'nother language...and by far the hardest language I've ever learned. Who would have ever thought my Spanish and Italian wouldn't be handy as a teacher, no....I have to learn braille. LOL! Oh well, I'm excited for the adventure and as you know I NEVER turn down a challenge.
On a more weekendy note, my cousin Tyler, wife Jennifer, and two little cousins are coming tomorrow for a short weekend trip.  I love them so much, and Jeremy and I are so happy they are coming to spend time with us.  Guinness is happy too. He just won't know it till they arrive.  Little cousins, Cale (7) and Natalie (3), are going to be whisked away on a fabulous excursion to the aquarium, which they are soooooo looking forward to! Followed by an evening of one of three options...case tacos at home, dinner on the riverwalk, or box seats at the Dillers...whichever the kiddos choose! And of course Sunday mng breakfast with chocolate chip pancakes....delicious! I love planning stuff for kids...their faces just light up...guess that's another reason I love being a teacher.
Well I better get some sleep if I'm going to keep up tomorrow. Goodnite!

Momma's Boy

Momma's boy...yes I'm speaking of my lovely dog. He has been basically attached to me for about four days. Four. There are no storms or pressure systems. There's no extreme need to do his business outside. There is no dying of thirst or hunger. He simply wants my attention constantly.

His thoughts (in my opinion): Just pet me. Wait pet me again. I'll sit on the couch so you can pet me. Now I think I'll stand and bark in your face. Ohhh pet me.

Repeat. For four days. This is ridiculous people. He must have some sort of special radar that I'm leaving him next week. Not going somewhere fabulous or far away this time. It's time to go back to school. He must just want some extra Momma love and attention. I should appreciate the boy dog love and cuddles. At least that's what I'm telling myself as he is currently grumbling in my face. Again.

Fabulous Friday....

Today is a fabulous Friday because I don't have to (get to...?) leave town this weekend! I am sooooo looking forward to a normal weekend at home with the hubby.  This weekend is also my mom's bday so we have fam coming up on Sat. nite.
Our plans for the weekend include:
1. Fri. nite- watch a movie
2. Sat. mng- farmers market w/ friends and Guinness, BassPro (Guinness needs a backpack.)
3. Sat. afternoon- clean house
4. Sat. nite- fam comes into town
5. Sun. mng- church (I feel like we haven't been in FOREVER!)
6. Sun. afternoon- lunch for mom's bday
7. Sun. nite- dinner with jeremy's fam

And yes this is a fairly normal weekend for us....this is my weekend of doing nothing LOL. And I LOVE it!!!!
Might even post pics of me cleaning.......hmmmm....doubt it.

Now for Wordless Wednesday

Getting Excited.

So as you can see above there is the link to the Kohl's Cares Contest.  I (along with some other staff and parents) am very excited about the possiblity of winning this contest.  $500,000 would give up pretty much endless ideas to improve our school.  Kohl's is giving 20 school that money, and I so would love to be one of them.  I can totally picture the reading loft in my classroom, my projector being hung from the ceiling, covered walkways outside, and a school garden/outdoor classroom.  It's pretty much teacher heaven to be given $500,000.  SOOOOOOOO, I would love you forever if you would click above and vote for Grissom Es and then post the link on your blog, or your fb, or email your friends.  Each person is given 20 votes, and you can give only 5 per school, so you can go there and vote for other schools you may have friends at, or kids at, or just your neighborhood school.  Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lily's New Puppy

For the last 27 minutes I have been listening to a puppy whine, and this is why......

Alright, you know how much I love the girls I keep during the summer, right? Well Lily wanted a puppy for her bday, so it's happened.  Problem is she's 10, and doesn't want to listen to any advice from me...and her parents haven't really given any guidelines to how to take care of the dog to what I have seen.  And then there's Maddie...she just says, "It's not my puppy...." She helps out and of course loves him, plays with him, takes him out...but again she didn't want the puppy, Lily did. 

Well, Lily my love decided to (and was ALLOWED) to spend the night at a friends house last nite.  There are so many things wrong with this the way I see it.  So, she is currently not here. 

Maddie has a friend spending the night, which I typically have no issue with- all her friends are great.

But this mng I am irritated by it.

There are alot of things that I love about this family, there are some things I don't understand, and there are some things I don't agree with, but it's not my family so whose to argue.  However, this whole situation has me totally shocked. 

Who buys a puppy, when only one child is dying for one? (They have a rabbit here- never played with.) (And another dog at their dad's- the dog is older and doesn't do or require much.) Who then gets the puppy on a Sunday, doesn't tell the nanny, and leaves for work on Monday as if it's no big deal?  So, I arrive to "Mrs. Case I got a puppy!" at 8 am Monday mng. yeaaa.......................
The girls don't have a useful way or the tools to keep/tell the puppy from biting and pawing.  There's no crate insight.  We've got toys, treats, and food.....great. (Found an old crate in the garage, girls cleaned it, and found a towel to lay inside it.)

(Puppy finally stopped whining by the way, after 35 mins.)

The way I see it I have four choices:
1. Ignore the dog and let the girls do as they will with it.
2. Actually begin to crate train and otherwise train the dog then ask for more money for also being an at home dog trainer/therapist. (Which you can see I may have already chosen to do.)
3. Help out some with the dog doing what the girls usually do.
4. Find a new summer job.

I just can't get over that a parent would buy a puppy and then not make sure they were at home for a week or so to get it acclimated to it's new house and routine.  Or just leave a routine to follow, or try to establish a routine during the evenings...that would work too..... Because from what I can tell, there is no routine, and this may kill me.