it's just distance...

I just got home from a job interview. And it went really really eh. It was kind of strange because I love interviews and usually feel excited and confident and focused, but not today. Maybe because I am a little preoccupied by all the homework I have do tomorrow, maybe because I stayed up till 2 am doing homework, maybe because it was an 8th grade algebra position and I prefer to teach 6th grade and/or geometry. When they asked why I was the best candidate for the job, I honestly wanted to say, "Well, actually I'm probably not the best candidate. I've never had my own classroom so I'm going to have to rely solely on effort and hard work to accomplish the task." I can just imagine how green I must look sitting across the table from an interviewer without even having completed formal student teaching and lacking a math degree. Oh well. Experience under the belt. On the plus side, the school sounded really wonderful - emphasis on literacy, excellent professional development resources, a strong focus on special education, and a learning environment for students that is supportive and community driven.

Back to my homework... one history of math paper and one lesson plan to go!

way too much homework to do by Wednesday night and not enough time to do it! plus my sister is here from North Carolina, my mom broke her elbow this weekend, and I have a job interview to prep for! aaaggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

then at 1700 hours on Thursday, all work will be completed and turned in.

immediately thereafter the sun will break through the clouds while a chorus of angels sings "ahhhhhhhhhh" ... and I will get to go to the movies with my sexy husband, sleep late on Friday, eat a lobster for dinner, and go see Kenny Chesney on Saturday : )

just got to get through 48 more hours.

Matt signed his contract today!!!

Matt passed his OCS board today! Hopefully he will sign his contract early next week. Then we'll know which OCS class he is getting slotted for - yeah for GA!

This week I started the second class for my post-bac coursework and I have even more HW in less time than during the first class. Eight assignments, including three presentations totaling 1.5 hours of talk time, in just 12 days. Ugh. I was planning to have two relatively laid back weekends this month, but not anymore! I'm hoping to magically overcome my chronic procrastination in the next 24 hours so I can bang out all the work this week and be able to go camping next weekend. So far I actually got one whole assignment done 4 days ahead of the due date - that's a first for me! It feels pretty cool to have something off my plate early. I like it, but am not confident I can repeat the results as many more times as needed to earn a weekend off. Wish me luck!

Plan for tonight: HW, gym, dinner, organizing my scrapbook supplies (because organizing qualifies as a reward task for me if I get work done - you know, since organizing is like Christmas and candy all in one for us Type A 's : P)

In the past two weeks:
I tutored 11.5 hours at $28.15/hour = $323.73
I shopped for scrapbooking supplies = -$310.49
Hmm..... Net gain of just $13.24 = broke! : P

I LOVE this artwork! Think I could create something similar with a fabric or heavy paper shapes, and decoupage?


I was perusing the Land of Nod catalog (subtitle "for the really really really rich people who spend $20K on baby decor) and I found that piece, as well as this room idea that I love (minus the clashing pink bedding). I like dark wood furniture, and if I ever decorated a baby room, I would want something gender neutral with lots of primary colors, so these ideas both fit. The trees they highlight are a kit for $54 that only makes two, but stenciling would accomplish the same effect.

You know, if and when we ever have kids : P

Good news! Today Matt got butt naked, spread his cheeks, and bent over a table for inspection. By which I mean to say, he spent the day at MEPS taking the ASVAB (95 overall, 131 GT) and getting a very thorough physical. Now his recruiter can finally set up his OCS board!

So despite my griping about homework hecticness, I still had a great time with my niece the past few days. Since my brother is away all summer, I took some pics to send to him. They're cute and... um... well, pics that are sure to make him really proud of her! lol : P

playing house...


eating pizza...


and licking the back door...

My mom, who babysits weekdays for my three year old niece, Avery, is out of town till Wednesday. Wanting to be helpful and get some quality aunt time in, I volunteered to take her through Wednesday this week to help my sister-in-law out with childcare till my mom gets back. This seemed like a great idea... right up until she arrived last night. I have a ton of assignments due Thursday in my class and now I have no chance of getting even 2 straight hours of peace to work productively. Today getting dressed and going grocery shopping took the entire morning, then lunch prep and clean up somehow ate up another hour of my day! How is it that every task gets multiplied exponentially time-wise with kids? Does a mom eventually get better at streamlining? I am super efficient at the store and in the kitchen, but I had to spend the entire time simultaneously engaged in a conversation about Disney princesses, and somehow this created serious drag on the day's events. And I'm exhausted! I think I'm going to have to revisit the kid discussion Matt and I had a few months back... or maybe just substitute a Small Wonder that I can power down when I need to free up time : P

Good news, though - Matt's recruiter called and the paperwork finally cleared that allows him to complete a physical this week and set a definite appointment for his OCS boards in the next ten days or so. Yeah!

We finally moved from my parents' weekdays/Bwater weekends to just being at my brother's house for the summer. We still have our place in Bwater, but now it's merely a quick stop to pick up mail on nights we commute to school [that holds the promise of a daunting packing project for some hot sticky weekend in August]. Ugh. Having our own singular homestead again will be great - if only it wasn't almost a year away!

Despite not having all our own stuff here, our summer home is still pretty great because we have PRIVACY. I didn't realize how much Matt and I randomly make out during dinner prep and TV time and laundry sorting till we stopped being able to. I am liking that now we can take showers together and walk around naked without having to worry about my parents rounding the corner at any moment. The two downsides are these: 1) we have to dogsit his Weimaraner, Lola, who is pretty well-behaved but needy, and 2) every square inch of my brother's house smells like wet Lola! The first day I washed all the curtains, the bedding, and the throw pillows. The second day I Ousted everything. The third day I dusted and Windexed all hard surfaces. Today I rubbed baking soda in the carpets and vacuumed the entire house. End result: it still reeks! I am hoping after a few more days I will acclimate and the smell won't seem so noticeable. But Matt and I added dogs to our "future pet boycott list."

Still no word from the recruiter. Still no word about my summer job. Still have a ton of work to do for my class that ends in 10 days....
Still procrastinating big time!