Kids' bedroom and playroom

This is the view from the door of the new bedroom. The room is cream colored, but the flash might not show that very well. The rocking chair might have to go once we start using the crib for the baby. It's a little crowded in here.

 

This is the back part of the room (beds behind me). I used spice racks from Ikea to make book shelves that Eddie can reach himself. I put some cute outfits on the hooks.

 

 

 This is the baby's side of the room. The "C" has a little crab on it. The "My First Year" picture frames and the piggy banks (really just mason jars with fancy lids) are on the shelf.

 

 

  

This is Eddie's side of the room. The "E" has an elephant on it. He has two sets of sheets: dinosaurs and Thomas the Train. Stuffed animals are in a basket at the foot of the bed.

 

 

This is the playroom. It used to be Eddie's room, so there is still some nursery decorations up. I've moved the toy box in here, and Gail gave us a toy kitchen and play table. Eddie loves the table! I put vehicle decals on the wall. The changing area is still in here, but I've organized the toys better. Only half of the toys are out, though. The rest are stuffed in the closet. I rotate toys every month or so.

 

 



Learning to Sew

I accomplished something from my 35 before 35 list, and I love it! I learned how to sew so that I could make this fabric birthday bunting. The letters are felt, which I cut free hand, and the colorful squares are quilters quarters. I plan to use this bunting for every birthday. The reverse side says "Congratulations." Awesome, isn't it?

P.S. Thanks Mom, for all your help!

Cloth Diaper Addiction

I've found my new favorite website:

http://www.clothdiaperaddiction.com

Not only does this website have a ton of helpful product reviews, but they also have a mouth-watering number of giveaways. I swear, I'm entering nearly every one. I'm particularly excited about the Under the Cover giveaways. Prefolds, fitteds, and covers were my first experience with cloth, and while I've branched out to include pockets, I still love my covers!

Two of the giveaways are sponsored by Natural Family Supplies. Check them out, they have a lot of great stuff, like the Osocozy fitted diapers that I'm hoping to win!

Do something "green"

I can cross an item off of my 35-before-35 list! My contribution to the green movement is a commitment to use cloth diapers most of the time. I had been testing cloth diapers for a few months, and I decided to up my commitment when he grew to the next size. Previously, I had only used prefolds, the cheapest option. This time, I bought a wider variety of cloth diapers, including pocket diapers, prefolds, fitteds, etc. I also bought some flushable diaper liners.

There are tons of benefits to cloth diapers--they are cost effective, environmentally friendly, and healthier for Eddie's sensitive skin. The only downsides are that I do a bit more laundry and limit how many cute diapers I can buy. My favorites are the one-size puppy diaper and the tattoo-print cover. So cute!

35 Before 35

My 35 before 35 list is finally finished! Some I expect will be easy peasy. Others, unlikely. Creating this list was actually a bit of a soul-searching experience. Notice that "Polar bear plunge" made the list, but "sing karaoke" did not. I wonder what that says about me?

1. Exercise regularly
2. See a musical in New York
3. Take a girls vacation
4. Go fishing
5. Learn to sew and make something I can use
6. Host a party
7. Use my passport
8. Go see a movie at the theater—by myself
9. Grow my own veggies
10. Refinish a piece of furniture
11. Finish the four work-in-progress scrapbooks
12. Take a class for enjoyment
13. Visit a fortune teller/palm reader/psychic
14. Donate blood
15. Get CPR certified
16. Have a real Christmas tree
17. Get a hot stone massage
18. Go to the ballet
19. Submit a scrapbook layout to a magazine
20. Make a wedding photo album
21. Take Eddie to the beach and focus on having fun, not being in a bathing suit
22. Attend ISU homecoming or alumni weekend (maybe these are the same?)
23. Bake a cake I am proud of
24. Dye my hair blonde
25. Sell something on Ebay
26. Return to Bass Lake, my old summer home
27. Maintain a blog
28. Go unplugged for one week
29. Polar bear plunge
30. Go on a picnic
31. Volunteer somewhere new
32. Pay for someone else at a drive thru or checkout line
33. Do something "green"
34. Participate in Operation Beautiful (http://operationbeautiful.com/)
35. Learn to drive a stick shift

So, fingers crossed that I can get all of this done in the next four years. Anyone drive a stick shift?

A work in progress

After hearing Val explain the concept of a 30 before 30 list, I decided to take her advice and create a 35 before 35 list. It's harder than I thought it would be. I have a few in the unlikely-to-ever-happen category, and a few in the easy-peasy category. It's the middle category, where I'd have to stretch myself just enough, that I have problems with. Any suggestions?

I Googled 30 before 30 to see what other people have come up with. I was amazed. And I concluded that I must be one of the most boring people EVER. Most of these lists are filled with international experiences and risky endeavors that I scoff to even picture myself doing. Hitchhike around the world? Learn Indonesian? Mine opals in the Australian outback? Seriously? Who has time to do all that? Who has the money to do all that? I must be poor, too.

So does anyone have suggestions for a 35 before 35 list? Besides living in Bali for a month or bicycling from Canada to Mexico city, that is.

The Mom of the Year award goes to....

As some of you may know, I become a horrible person if I do not shower within 24 hours of my last shower. This rarely coincides with the schedule of a new mommy. About an hour ago, I reached exceeded that limit. Eddie did not want to sleep or be alone, and I needed a shower. So, I put the travel swing in the bathroom.

Yep, that's right. On some days, Eddie swings in the bathroom while I shower. Sometimes I'll use the bouncer, but he likes the swing better. I usually can get 15 minutes before he starts to fuss. Today, I got a leisurely shower. He'd fallen asleep in the swing.

So where is my little man right now? He's sleeping. In the bathroom.

Food, Wine, and Fun!

On Friday, Ed and I traveled down to Bloomington/Normal for food, wine, and fun! After a yummy lunch at a Japanese steakhouse, we wandered around downtown--sorry, "uptown"--Normal. So much has changed, I barely recognized where we were! But Ed's favorite comic book shop is still there, and so is the Garlic Press. It was nice to see that Babbit's Books was moved instead of closed, but I had no desire to go in there. Instead, Julie and I went into a very girly store called Fabulous Affairs, and then we all went for ice cream at a new place called Emack and Bollio's. Yum!

Later that day, we headed off to the Shakespeare Festival. It was at the Ewing Manor, which I'd never been to. Gorgeous place! We spread out a blanket on the lawn and had fruit and wine before the show. The play was shown in a theater-in-the-round with no ceiling. The show was called "Scapin", which isn't actually Shakespeare's work, but it was funny. Even Ed, who doesn't usually like plays, laughed a lot. The second act might have been funnier for me because that's when Julie and I finished the bottle of wine . After the show, we went to Carlos O'Kelly's for a late dinner. We had to leave right after breakfast on Saturday so that we could pick up the dogs from my mom's before she went nuts from watching them.

All in all, we had a great time!

Budget Woes

Tonight, I read about how Illinois still does not have a budget. Not only that, but the legislature won't discuss the budget again until July 14. Apparently, this day was chosen after surveying the representatives to determine when they would be available.

Without a budget, I have no job. I'm sure something will be worked out by the middle of August, but I would really like to know now if we'll be receiving enough funding to pay me a full-time salary. There are other people who really depend on having a budget. So what really irks me is the two-week gap between now and the next budget meeting because too many representatives are too busy.

Elected officials need to make the time to do their job. So what if heated budget discussions, which happen every year at the same time, interfere with family vacation plans? They should have thought about that before running for the state legislature.

Grrr.

How to Make a Princess

I'm not used to having so much free time. It's great, but I started running out of things to do about two weeks ago. So, I downloaded a DOS emulator so I could play some of my old computer games and maybe try some new ones. This blog is about one of those new games. It's called Princess Maker 2. Seriously.

First, you need some background about this game. It's from the early 90s and is a strategy game. Basically, you play a hero who was given a daughter by the gods, and it's up to you to raise her from the ages of 10-18. Her future is determined by the skills you've given her. There are over 74 careers, with various marriage options. Her skills are modified through school, work, adventuring, or buying things. Now, here are some things about the game that I found interesting...

Science class makes intelligence go up, but morals go down.
If she has a cool career, like Hero Warrior, her husband is described as "strong-willed."
If she has a dumb career, like Maid, her husband is "intellectual and dependable."
Working in a bar makes her dumb, and working in sleazy bar might get her a sugar daddy.
Too much charisma, and she becomes a prostitute. Too little, and no one will marry her.
She won't fit into the special princess dresses unless she weighs 85 lbs. or less.

I had to roll my eyes and/or chuckle at some of these features, and there are even more that I didn't list. Yes, the feminism in this game is just what you'd expect from a game called Princess Maker. So why do I play it? Because it's really challenging figuring out which skills to mess with so that she gets the ultimate evil ending, the Princess of Darkness.

Getting it out of my system

For five years, I commuted to Chicago for work. I left the house at 6:30 to make it to work by 8:30. At 4:3o, I left my office and power walked to the train. At 4:47, my train left the platform. By 5:00, I was sound asleep until my train pulled into the University Park station at 5:40.

I quit that job in August 2008. It's been nine months, yet I still know the schedule. At 6:30 a.m., I start to feel nervous, like I'm late for something or I forgot to do something. And at 5:00 p.m., I can hardly keep my eyes open. I wonder how long it will take to get that commute out of my system.

Graduate Class of 2009

As of May 9, I finally have my master's degree! As I was coming home from dinner that night, it actually hit me that I had my MASTER'S degree, which I swore I would never do because I was tired of school. I'm very impressed with myself. But no more! I swear, I won't get a doctorate!

For those who are curious, pictured at the left are two of three gals in my "cohort", which is basically a small group of students who would meet every week to complete group assignments. On the left is Rhonda, and in the middle is Heidi.

Update on my life

After finishing student teaching in mid-November and my own classes in early December, I began applying for education jobs. I assumed that I would take the rest of the fall semester off, and then substitute teach in the spring. I wanted to get my online applications finished, though. I got a call back and, after two interviews, I was hired by a local school district!

I won't be a classroom teacher, but for now that's okay. Instead, I'll be the reading specialist. Basically, I'll be providing extra assistance to the students who need it. The position might not be there next year, based on funding, so I accepted it knowing that it might not last beyond the spring. I'm open to loving it. If I don't, it should open more doors than substitute teaching would. It feels right for me right now.

I start my new job on Jan. 5. That means that for all of December and a little less than half of November, I've had nothing to do. And you know what? I LOVE it. Maybe knowing that we prepared well for this break between student teaching and certification has let me relax and enjoy myself. And I really am enjoying myself.

My students

On my last day of student teaching, the students gave me illustrated letters wishing me luck and thanking me for being their teacher. I could scan some of the letters, but it'd be too hard to read their pencil writing. So, here are some quotes from the farewell letters that I particulary liked:

"Thank you for helping us learn."
"You were one of my favorite teachers."
"Sorry that sometimes we been goofing around."
"You are the best teacher a student can ever have."
"Thank you for helping us when we need help."

While I was re-reading these letters to create this post, I remembered a writing assignment that the students had. The kids had to write about something they were thankful for. One girl chose to write about God. One of her reasons why she was thankful for God was that he encourages her to do her best when she is tired of trying. It broke my heart that a third grader knows what it feels like to be tired of trying.

I'm 99.8% done!

Tonight was my last-ever graduate class. As soon as my final transcripts are sent to the Illinois State Board of Education and I pay my fees, I'll have my teaching certificate. Since my classes are done and my student teaching is over, I have a bit of time to myself. Normally, I'd be panicking about not having a job or anything. My student teaching experience took so much out of me, though, that it's nice to have this time to get my head on straight again. It's also REALLY nice to have time to get all the stuff done that I've been putting off for way too long, like getting new tires and organizing closets.

In other news, my maternal grandfather is in the hospital. I'm not entirely clear on how this all happened, but he has sepsis, congestive heart failure, and renal failure. It sounds bad, but from what I've been told, the sepsis can be turned around and both the heart and renal failure are improving significantly. Yesterday, he was transfered from the ICU at South Suburban to an acute-care facility in Hammond, IN, which is another really good sign. It's also good that I have so much time to myself, because I can visit him more often.

So, that is all that is going on with me. Send me a message and let me know how you're doing, since it's been far too long since I've heard from some of you.

Ed's Chicken Tikka Masala

My husband is a great cook. Sure, sometimes we eat pork & beans more than I'd like. But he also makes some awesome dishes. My favorites include chili, red pepper & garlic parmesan pasta, and lime & cilantro stuffed cornish hens. Now, I can add chicken tikka masala to the list. It uses a surprising amount of cinnamon, but I think it's more flavorful than most of the chicken tikka masala I've had at restaurants. Here's a pic!

New uses for old things

Below is a picture of a fuzzy pencil holder that Val made for me during her Fibrecraft days. I kept it in my office, but now I don't have an office anymore. So I found a new use for it! I'm taking it to the classroom tomorrow, where it's holding my popsicle sticks. Each stick has the name of a student on it, and this is what I use to call on students to answer questions. It's surprisingly difficult to give all students a chance to participate (whether they want to or not) when there's a group of students in the front who always have their hands up. I think the kids will like this. Thanks Val!

One of the best videos EVER

Go to www.wherethehellismatt.com and watch the Dancing 2008 video (at the time of this posting, it was the only video on that homepage).

It's one of the best videos EVER, though I can't explain to you why. You'll like it, I promise.

New design, new life

Actually, the new design of my page and my new life aren't related at all, but I wanted to conserve space and only have one blog. So, I'll start with the new design.

Val said that I needed to change my blogger page so that you could see the posting date. My old design wouldn't allow me to do that, so I changed it. I like the new page better! What do you think? Unfortunately, changing the layout made me lose my links, and I don't remember which links I had. If you would like to be added to my link list, please let me know.

Moving on to my new life...

On August 15, I became unemployed. And I plan to stay that way for at least a few months while I finish student teaching. It's exciting to be in the classroom, but difficult as well because the classroom teacher and I are alike in all the worst ways. So far, I've only gone to a few in-service trainings and observed the first few days of school, so there's nothing too interesting to report. I'll keep you posted!

A new look for everyone!

There's a new look for everyone (but Ed) in my household. On Saturday, we took the dogs to be groomed. Ivan was shaved and looks like a different, much smaller, dog. His tail and ears were even shaved. Professional bathing makes all the difference with Lou, so now he's smooth and shiny. And I finally colored my hair! It's nice to have my deep brown back. In the future, if you ever hear me talk about getting all-over highlights, remind me that I don't like it. Thank you.