waiting for superman.

will you pledge to watch?

waiting for superman

you look like a teacher.

{source, fool!}

my first experience with grad school took place in 2005.  i enrolled in a "fast track" graduate program to become a teacher.  by the time student teaching rolled around, i chickened out, applied to a different school & transferred.  something about taking a 16-week long class in just four weekends didn't set well with me and i suddenly felt overwhelmed & inadequate even though i was one 14-week long student teaching session & one thesis away from a masters degree and license to teach pre-k through third grade.

my second experience with grad school took place in the summer of 2006.  i transferred out of that "fast track" program and into a university program that offered me a more thorough chance at becoming a teacher {in other words, i was shelling out more money for what i already learned just to learn it all over again, but this time at a much slower pace}.  silly, i know.

then, my mother got sick. 

i was working full time.  going to grad school full time.  being a wife & mother full time.  my kids were little...malia was barely in kindergarten.  and my mother had breast cancer.   

something had to give.  

i know it may seem like a cop out to some, but i dropped out of school.  i didn't withdraw.  i dropped out.  {it was like deja vu...i dropped out back in 1997 as an undergrad my sophomore year of college.}

so here i am, roughly five years after i started the journey, and i am heading back to school to finally finish that masters degree i started so long ago.  i have some pre-requisite classes i need to take {undergraduate level stuff that my bachelors degree doesn't completely cover}.  i may also have to beg, grovel & plead with the university to take me back.  but, i met with the program advisor today and things are very, very, VERY hopeful.  i mean, can someone really deny a person of their education?  i sure as hell don't think so {and i sure as hell hope they don't deny me}.

i'm going back.

i'm going to {finally} become a teacher.

Snow Day! (Take 3)

There's snow on the ground today. Really. There is SNOW on the ground in Hampton Roads.

S-N-O-W

Of course, by the time I walked out of my house this morning to warm up the car, it was already melting and falling out of the pine trees. I was being pelted in the head by melting snow. Not fun.

But, anyway...

There's snow in southeastern Virginia and it's about damn time. Of course, it's nothing to warrant any closings in our area (which is a big surprise), but it's still exciting nonetheless considering this is the third time we've been told we would get some snow and, finally, the weather forecasters were right.

What I find to be most amusing is the fact that today is a school make-up day for my children. They are making up the snowless snow day from last month...and there's actually snow on the ground today. Go figure.

What to do?

The school board voted to end the year-round school option effective immediately at the end of this school year. My children attend one of the four elementary schools in Virginia Beach that operate on a year-round calendar, Corporate Landing Elementary. It is our daughter's third year at the school (she's been there since Kindergarten) and it's our son's first year there (he's only in Kindergarten). Our neighborhood is technically zoned for a different elementary school; however, we had the choice of "opting out" of our zoned school (which operates on a traditional calendar) for CLES since the year-round school was "super zoned" for our area.

We love the year-round calendar. Love it, love it, love it! I wouldn't change it for anything. But, budget cuts and all that jazz are forcing the program to come to an end. It's kind of sad to think about, really, but what weighs most on my mind is what happens now? Fortunately, the principal sent home a letter on Friday addressing a lot of my questions and concerns. My biggest concern was whether or not our children would be able to stay at CLES -- and the answer is NO. Not without a zone waiver approved by the principal of the school. Basically, this coming September, they would both be back at Ocean Lakes Elementary -- the school our neighborhood is truly zoned for.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking OLES, but I just don't like the idea of my kids switching schools. Maybe it's the change. Maybe it's the fact that we just love CLES. Maybe it's because the kids are already a bit upset about the prospect of changing schools....the way they look at it is that we're not moving so why do they have to move to a different school?? I know without a doubt that my children will thrive at OLES and they will receive the same superior education that they are receiving now. I am a bit biased in that respect only because I am a product of the Virginia Beach City Public School system having lived here since 1986 (I was in the 4th grade when we moved here).

Bottom line is this -- Adam and I have a lot of decisions to make. This isn't about pros & cons, but what works for our family and what would be best for the children. I'm sad that my son might not have the opportunity to have the same first grade teacher as Malia and I'm sad that Malia might not have a chance to be in a friend's third grade classroom (she's a teacher at CLES). But, I do know that they would be in good hands at OLES -- a close family friend is the guidance counselor at OLES.

Adam and I need to decide whether or not we want to pursue an attendance zone waiver to keep the kids at CLES -- then all transportation becomes our responsibility (no sweat, we would only need to drive them to school). Or, do we just want to go with the flow and keep things simple by sending them to OLES. Some of their friends might be there (there are a lot of children from our neighborhood & surrounding areas who are zoned for OLES but opted out to go to CLES). The only major change despite being at a different school would be the fact that school would start a half an hour earlier than what they are currently used to. (The way I see it is that it's a blessing in disguise and I would actually be a half an hour earlier to work...) The only issue with OLES is whether or not Parks & Recreation offers an after-school program at the school like Malia currently attends at CLES -- if not, then this raises even more issues for US as a family due to childcare issues.

So, as you can see, there is a lot to think about. A lot. And, I want to have a decision soon.

http://www.corporatelandinges.vbschools.com/Fact%20Sheet-Possible%20Changes%20to%20the%20Year-Round%20School%20Program_.pdf

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/major-cuts-proposed-va-beach-school-programs

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/end-beachs-yearround-schedule-may-affect-800

Today is just a cool day

A view of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. as thousands

upon thousands await the inauguration of our 44th President,

Barack Obama.

I can't take credit for the photo posted above. It's from MSNBC's website. I've got some live video streaming right now on the computer. Today is quite an exciting day! What makes today even more exciting is the fact that my children, who are only 5 and 7 years of age, know what is going on and know who Barack Obama is. In fact, during their school's mock election, both kidlets voted for Obama. My daughter's reasoning was pretty straight forward -- she just liked him better than McCain. I think it was maybe because Obama's name is just cooler sounding. My son, however, was very honest and said that the ONLY reason he voted for Obama is because his wife's name is Michelle and his daughter's name is Malia -- just like Aidan's mom and sister. :)

It's still not snowing...

...what a big surprise. It's funny how we get all pumped up for some snow and then nothing happens. Don't get me wrong, the forecasters are STILL calling for 1-3 inches of the white stuff, but the weather certainly hasn't panned out like they said it would yesterday.

But, in good ole Tidewater fashion, schools are closed today. It's quite amusing to think that we haven't even seen one flake of snow, but the schools (as well as courts, certain office, etc.) are closed. I suppose this shows proper planning and consideration for the children and employees. I remember all too well being in school and having to go home early due to inclement weather. I'm sure that it can turn into quite the cluster fuck when you are trying to coordinate the safe transfer of students in high school, middle school AND elementary school from school to home. That's not an easy task. And, I'm sure working parents, while school closings are inconvenient at times, are appreciative of the heads up on the closing rather than having to deal with childcare arrangements during the work day when their children are sent home early.

Thank goodness for VBCPS's new alert system. Our phone rang this morning just after 6am and the telephone recording notified us that Virginia Beach City schools and administrative offices were closed. Soon after, my cell phone rang and I got the same recording. Then, while checking my email this morning I noticed a similar message. Let me tell ya...their new notification system is a God send...it's a pain in the ass to try and read the list of closings at the bottom of the television screen on the different local news channels. I remember doing it as a kid growing up and I remember having to rely on that list on the news even as recently as last year! I sooooo prefer a phone call at 6am over having to squint my eyes and read fast that early in the morning...this chica doesn't function well at the crack of dawn especially if there is no caffeine involved.

Well, with that being said the kids are with me today at the office. My stress level is already through the roof and it's only just after 9am. God help me. If they keep bickering over the damn portable DVD player I'm going to, as Adam tells Aidan from time to time, "turn green and grow big muscles."

Please, please, please snow.....the weather needs to do something in order to justify this day off from school!

Snow day!

So I may be jumping the gun a bit, but from the looks of the weather forecast, I think it is safe to assume that tomorrow is going to be a snow day for the kids. Even the Weather Channel is talking about it!
Snow days are rare in our neck of Virginia. Very rare. I can probably count on one had how many times we've had a significant snowfall here in Virginia Beach and I've lived here since 1986.

Of course, as excited as I am for the kids and the prospect of missing school because of the snowy weather (because Lord knows that back in the day I used to watch Don Slater on Wavy TV 10 like a HAWK whenever he talked about snow during the school year).......I'm semi-disappointed that tomorrow just might not be the first day back to school after the long winter break. I know, I know...it's silly of me to feel that way, but if your kids had a month off for the holidays and had been coming to work with you for the last couple of weeks you would be feeling the same way as I do. Trust me.

Nonetheless, it's still exciting to know that tomorrow morning there just might be a blanket of the white stuff covering the ground...I guess I'll just send the kids out into the parking lot to play when I bring them to work with me tomorrow. :)

This is a stick up!

Well, no...it wasn't.

But, I did feel semi-violated.

I was at the mall today with my mother and we went into Old Navy to look around. My mother and I were checking out the $30 cashmere sweaters (aaaahhh!) and I walked by a woman. She said hello to me and I smiled. I figured she was just being nice. Well, she said hello again and this time walked up to where my mother and I were standing.

My mother walked away...thanks, Mom!

She had a notebook in her hand and some pamphlets and a sign-up sheet. She was asking for donations for a group that sent Christmas gifts to children in Asia. Where in Asia? I don't know. What was the name of the group? I don't know. What was HER name? I don't know. She just wanted my money. I noticed that there were four people on her list with their donations listed next to them.

Don't get me wrong people, I'm not a scrooge. I'm not stingy in the slightest and I do like to help different charities and fundraising groups. However, I am NOT fine with being solicited in the mall while I'm in a store. I don't know if that lady was crossing any "go out and ask people for donations" line, but I really did not appreciate being approached like I was. Perhaps it is no different than someone knocking on my front door, but I just found the whole situation odd.

Needless to say, I did not donate any money. I didn't get a cashmere sweater either.

Are you Ebating?

It's no secret...I love to shop. What I love even more is to get a good deal while shopping...whether that means getting a discount on my purchases or earning some cash back from my purchases. This is why I love Ebates and I am eternally grateful to my dear friend, Emily, for showing me the way!

You can't go wrong, people...just follow this link:
http://www.ebates.com/refer-a-friend/amb1114.htm?referrerid=fU%2Fpjp76CU7PqbH0Tgw82g%3D%3D

Sign up...it's free. You don't get spammed. They don't sell your name and info. The only thing you have to do is remember to log into your Ebates account any time you wish to make an online purchase and see if that retailer participates. If they do, shop via Ebates' website and start earning some cash back from your purchases.

Still don't believe me? Well, here's a copy of my first "Big Fat Check" as proof. I made $76.72...not too shabby, huh?

We're all in this together...

I just want to say that Facebook has gotten me back in touch with so many long, lost friends...over the last few months it's been like a mini high school reunion! It's been so neat to see what everyone has been up to and "ooh" and "aah" over their photos.

Senior year was just over 13 years ago, but Facebook makes it seem like it was only yesterday.