"Super" woman

WOW....sorry it has been a few weeks since the last time i have posted anything. going back to school, getting the girls back in the swing of things, and just staying caught up with everyday stuff- to say the least it has been a little crazy around here.

that introduction brings me to tonight's blog...   "super" woman.

 i hear that all of the time. you are "super" woman. how do you do everything that you do? you are crazy. how do you have time for everything?

i have heard those things more than i can keep track...

here is the truth...yes i am crazy. it is hard doing everything that i do, i am not saying it is easy. a lot of the time i do wish i was able to just go home and relax. i envy those that do. but my motivation is simple. to me i am not "super" woman. i am just a woman trying to make this world a little bit better off. when i leave this earth, i want to make sure that i have done enough so the next generation can go on living, or possibly leave it better than when i came into this world. i have tried to erase the word "no" from my vocabulary, and replace it with "i will try". with a little bit of motivation, anything is possible. again, i am not saying it is easy. i have spent many nights in sweat, tears, and a broken heart. but you know what, one thing i do- i try to enjoy the beautiful things in this world, such as being able to read a book, any book, or taking a walk down the street and enjoying the sound of my breathing, or the trees around me.

now, that all may seem so simple, or dumb but i think many times we take for granted these things. you want to know what my definition of "super" is?

it is the single mother who HAS to work 2 jobs, just so she can put food on the table and provide clothes for her child. that mom can't often enjoy a "good read", or just a walk around the block...it is the child struggling to stay alive in the hospital, who has recently been told they have less than 1 year to live. they too do not have time to read because they are bored, or take a walk down the street, because it would be too hard to take the machines that are keeping them alive with them. they are focusing on breathing because they know their breaths are numbered... "super" are the children in other countries who are literally dying to go to school everyday so they can learn any and all information in order to make a better way for themselves and their family... "super" is the young girl who gets shot for standing up for what she believes in, even though it goes against hundreds of years of "traditions"... "super" is the child who has endless nights of not knowing what is going to happen next. the list goes on with what "super" really means, and my name is not among them.

i simply just live, the best that i can, even though it may be hard at times. their have been plenty of times where i have wanted to give up, or quit, because it was just too hard, but somehow i managed to hang in their just a little bit longer, and was able to see the victory in my struggles. my thirst for knowledge has only grown stronger and will continue to grow everyday as i feel that i can make this world better. i would rather struggle so others can learn, learn how to be strong, and know that they can too survive even their toughest fears.

so thank you to everyone who has ever told me that i am "super"woman, the compliment means more that you know and lifts me up on the rough days, but know i too think you are "super". anyone can be "super", just live your life the best way you know how, and try to be an inspiration to others.

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." 
-Ralph Waldo Emerson



until next time,
xoxo

getting back into the swing of things...

well today is friday and it was our first day back at school (at least for us faculty and staff). we spent the day getting ready for the kiddos to come back on monday. it is so funny that i wake up this morning with the intention of getting soooo much done in my classroom, and as soon as i get there i lose all motivation. i was able to get the next 3 weeks worth of lesson planning completed as well as fix my classroom library up a little. the kiddos wrecked it the last week before break, which by the way is a good thing, because that means i know they are at least interested in the books i have.

working at the doctors office during break was great-but i am getting sick which is not great. the best place to pick up germs is in a place where a bunch of sick children congregate. you would think i had enough immunity to all the little germs that get passed by working at a school and a doctors office the last 10 years (give or take a few years) but nope....i still get sick. i think this time i can thank warren. he has been sick all last week. luckily it is friday and i have the weekend to recoup before having to brave all my middle school children. i just have to get passed tomorrow morning at the doctors office, then i have about a day and a half to get better. i also brought home some work to finish up before monday, but i will probably just end up letting the bags stare at me from the bench in my kitchen. :)

i am so thankful that my cohort in crime at school, even though we are both first year teachers, has known me the last 4 years or so. we went to college and graduated together. so it was easier starting this year with him being the other 7th grade social studies teacher because he knew who i was and already knew about me and all of my crazy tendencies. he once again came to my rescue today when i told him i was feeling under the weather. he brought me some hot water and gave me some airborne, which i have never taken before- but he swears by it. i am hoping that will save me from getting too sick.

so after school today i remembered i needed to stop by the office supply store and get a couple of things for my classroom, and i needed to use up my rewards certificate i had before it expired. i knew exactly what i wanted to get, and with not feeling well-it took everything i had to stop there at all. all i wanted to do was run in grab it and leave. when i looked around the entire store twice i finally asked an associate if they had any of what i was looking for. of course they didn't have any in the store. they could order it online, but it would take a while to ship and get it to the store. that meant i would have to go back to the store i didn't even want to go to originally to pick it up. no thank you....so plan b, i have to go tomorrow to another store to see if they have what i am looking for. crossing my fingers they do!!!

i am so excited because miss morgy is coming home tonight. she spent the week in atlanta with the grandparents. they saved us this week, when or original babysitters fell through. and i get to pick miss maddie up from my mom's in asheville tomorrow after work. then the house will be complete again-just in time for the girls to start back to school on monday.

welp tonight i am going to be lazy and stay in bed and watch the two movies i rented from the express rental outside of bilo with my fur babies.

until next time...

"all great achievements require time" -maya angelou

xoxo

out with the old...in with the new

well, i have been reading other blogs and have been told by many to start keeping a journal. so this is my journal. i am hoping by making this open for everyone to see, that it could possibly help others through their personal struggles.

i am a busy wife, mother of 3 beautiful girls, teacher to 150 middle school kiddos, helper at the girls drs. office, student, and whenever possible volunteer for local animal rescue groups. when do i sleep you ask? whenever i can. my logic is i will sleep when i am dead. with all the need out in the world this is my way of trying to do my part.

like i said, i am a mother of 3 beautiful girls. maddie-is in the 1st grade and is beautiful and intelligent. she says she wants to be a dr when she grows up and is interested in everything related to the human body. morgan-she is my princess. she loves everything girlie, pink, dresses, and makeup. and gemma-she is my adventurer. she loves being with poppy (that is what she calls daddy) and building and climbing and most of all, getting dirty. all three girls have such different personalities, but are the light of my life. i do not go a day without them teaching me something.

then there are my fur babies. warren and i volunteer and foster for local animal rescue groups (him more so than me). currently we have 6 fur babies. 4 pups and 2 kittens. 2 of the pups are our fosters but i see them as my own. it is so hard to have fosters because we take them in and get so close, but the great thing is-if they leave our house it is usually for an incredible adoptive family, and i know they are going to have a great life ahead of them. and the other plus is that opens up another spot for us to take on a new foster.

my day job is trying to educate our future, the events of our past...which is no easy feat-let me tell you. one of my favorite professors in college told me, if i can teach my students content at least 50% of the time, then i am one of the lucky ones. this is my first "real" year teaching, so i am still trying to get into the swing of things, but i think it is going a little smoother now.

at night you could find me all over greenville. some nights i am helping out at the girl's doctors office-which i have been doing for the last 3 years. it is a great part time job and i love the women i get to work with there. on the nights i am not working at the doctors office i am taking classes at converse college or furman university. i am currently working on getting a couple of different certifications to add on to my teaching license and also on my masters in education, specifically in literacy. after the stop at furman and converse i am hoping to transfer to clemson or carolina to get my ph.d in educational psychology. we will see what life has for me before that happens though.

i couldn't do this crazy life without my husband, warren. he has sacrificed so much for me so i can get where i am at today. if you were to ask who my hero was i would tell you him in a heart beat. not because of anything specific, but the way he is willing to help others, even if he pretends to hate it, at the end of the day, he kills himself for what is best for everyone else. he has shown me to the bigger picture. my love for animals comes from him. he has taught me to take care of this earth, because if i don't then there won't be an earth to take care of.

so hopefully i will add to this blog a few times a week, but with my new schedule, it may be a little difficult. i will post things about my life and the girls, the doggies and warren, and of course i can't leave out my classroom tales. if you are interested check in once in a while, drop a note. would love to hear from you. :)

xoxo